tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62346383831233117002024-02-19T15:17:44.303-06:00THE SATURDAY AFTERNOON POSTCommentary on events and people of the day from a progressive perspective. By Jack Jodell.Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.comBlogger232125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-49559160559023071512011-03-16T12:04:00.000-05:002011-03-16T12:04:00.335-05:00WE ARE FAR TOO TOP-HEAVY!<em><strong>"Corporations are NOT people! Money is NOT free speech!" <br />- TomCat, www.politics.plus.org -</strong></em> <br /><br /><em><strong>"Advertising is legalized lying." <br />- H.G. Wells -</strong></em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44Mv4wf1N_gvdTt9LGZdYhZi4DwqTNg6eKSNwX4zhsXPFDrfM_r0ENuZh0Lw5mK7EzuhYsnxZ-XQLAOgaN8BUzxbksZjYPGC5p0A_fB8ty5V9ebSvEjHV3a9rYvgO7kgiNQcZIOBQm1Q/s1600/CASHROLL.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 140px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44Mv4wf1N_gvdTt9LGZdYhZi4DwqTNg6eKSNwX4zhsXPFDrfM_r0ENuZh0Lw5mK7EzuhYsnxZ-XQLAOgaN8BUzxbksZjYPGC5p0A_fB8ty5V9ebSvEjHV3a9rYvgO7kgiNQcZIOBQm1Q/s200/CASHROLL.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584490689179897506" /></a>Big business AND government have grown far too large and inefficient in this country. They have handicapped themselves by turning boards of directors into buddy clubs filled with out-of-touch officers who actually drag their companies down, by manufacturing a bogus air of profitability through the outsourcing of labor and cutting wages down. Huge corporations have managed to buy off large portions of Congress through massive campaign contributions to Republicans and Democrats alike. Corporate lobbyists, rather than Congresspersons, often write bills themselves and offer them up to be enacted! They have managed to corrupt government regulators to the point where these "regulators" are no longer acting in the vpublic's best interest. THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is why we see the government seemingly paralyzed and unable to deliver what we all need from it. It is the reason why only laws beneficial mainly to the privileged and wealthy get passed and why everyone else is left wanting. <strong>It is the reason why our activist Supreme Court has now allowed corporations the exact same rights as individuals, and has declared they may contribute all the cash they can muster to spend freely without restriction in our political campaigns! </strong> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohmlCp-h3DsV5VgWMElBFvmsZ_kPz-qbAQ6w3Kf82Bcp1_VjMUGHhvmnbxc7ao_wqSJA-ED_oiKN1SnlbwijBkCLLYPmfOkmmj9RQtD7ap5ab9PRTGfbbnCBV_q-9UXCWIvoxQELhB1g/s1600/BILLIONAIRE.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohmlCp-h3DsV5VgWMElBFvmsZ_kPz-qbAQ6w3Kf82Bcp1_VjMUGHhvmnbxc7ao_wqSJA-ED_oiKN1SnlbwijBkCLLYPmfOkmmj9RQtD7ap5ab9PRTGfbbnCBV_q-9UXCWIvoxQELhB1g/s320/BILLIONAIRE.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584689228608248002" /></a>This perverse corporate influence is rampant and permeates all areas of American life today. It is why TV shows are constantly interrupted by lying commercials which insult our intelligence, and why these obnoxious commercial breaks have steadily grown from 8 minutes per HOUR in the very early 1960s to roughly <strong>22 minutes per HOUR today. </strong>It is the reason why American jobs have been exported outside of our borders; why our wages have flattened out or have even been reduced in recent years; why labor union power, influence, and membership have all declined to dangerously anemic levels over the past 40 years; and why the middle class is rapidly disappearing. This entire country is being squeezed so those at the top of the income scale may grow even wealthier than they have ever been. <br /><br /><em><strong>This is NOT how democracy is supposed to function, and it is a dangerously regressive phenomenon which must be halted and reversed!</strong></em> <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOWCydzJiXnMdB-X-6dRGunTJpoMUkJnTQz5qV05_G3TMTK2rSNBkzY2fh3c4e4LDFJkd3Lkh0ZfD9kPGCn-balA7Sv2OSu5T9AsHGTCuDm8cQ0Ix7llwgHv5rkgVvsWz2mCghoUAMUY/s1600/2007+wealth.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOWCydzJiXnMdB-X-6dRGunTJpoMUkJnTQz5qV05_G3TMTK2rSNBkzY2fh3c4e4LDFJkd3Lkh0ZfD9kPGCn-balA7Sv2OSu5T9AsHGTCuDm8cQ0Ix7llwgHv5rkgVvsWz2mCghoUAMUY/s400/2007+wealth.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584495706086275138" /></a>A revealing study by Norton & Ariely, 2010, shows that Americans are clueless about how the country's wealth is distributed or is as concentrated as it now is. (Left click on the graphs to make them larger if you need to). When shown three pie charts representing possible wealth distributions, 90% or more of the 5,522 respondents -- whatever their gender, age, income level, or party affiliation -- thought that the American wealth distribution most resembled one in which the top 20% has about 60% of the wealth. <em><strong>Of course, the top 20% actually control about 85% of the wealth!</strong></em> <br /><br />Even more unbelievable, they did not come close to the amount of wealth held by the bottom 40% of the population: <strong>the lowest two groups which compose the lowest 40% hold just 0.3% of the wealth in the United States!</strong> Most people in the survey guessed the figure to be between 8% and 10%, and two dozen academic economists got it wrong too, by guessing about 2% -- seven times too high. Those surveyed did have it about right for what the 20% in the middle have; it's at the top and the bottom that they don't have any idea of what's really going on.<br /><br /><strong>Table 3: Share of wealth held by the Bottom 99% and Top 1% in the United States, 1922-2007. <br /> Bottom 99 percent / Top 1 percent <br />1922 63.3% / 36.7% <br />1929 55.8% / 44.2% <br />1933 66.7% / 33.3% <br />1939 63.6% / 36.4% <br />1945 70.2% / 29.8% <br />1949 72.9% / 27.1% <br />1953 68.8% / 31.2% <br />1962 68.2% / 31.8% <br />1965 65.6% / 34.4% <br />1969 68.9% / 31.1% <br />1972 70.9% / 29.1% <br />1976 80.1% / 19.9% <br />1979 79.5% / 20.5% <br />1981 75.2% / 24.8% <br />1983 69.1% / 30.9% <br />1986 68.1% / 31.9% <br />1989 64.3% / 35.7% <br />1992 62.8% / 37.2% <br />1995 61.5% / 38.5% <br />1998 61.9% / 38.1% <br />2001 66.6% / 33.4% <br />2004 65.7% / 34.3% <br />2007 65.4% / 34.6% </strong><br />Sources: 1922-1989 data from Wolff (1996). 1992-2007 data from Wolff (2010). <br /><br /><br /><strong>Table 4: Percentage of wealth held in 2000 by the Top 10% of the adult population in various Western countries: <br />Switzerland 71.3% <br />United States 69.8% <br />Denmark 65.0% <br />France 61.0% <br />Sweden 58.6% <br />UK 56.0% <br />Canada 53.0% <br />Norway 50.5% <br />Germany 44.4% <br />Finland 42.3% <br />It is interesting to note that all of these countries EXCEPT THE UNITED STATES have generous universal health care services provided by their governments that are financed by their taxpayers! </strong> <br />Source: 2006 study, World Institute for Development Economics Research <br /><br />Corporations love to talk about how lower taxes and huge profits are necessary to provide stockholders with generous dividend checks, as if millions of lower income folks will benefit. But as the table below clearly shows, <em><strong>only 8.9% of the bottom 80% of wage earners are even stockholders!</strong></em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUzeKnXh8ANn8IaJt0Sor1lJmH0cQm5gx0PAYXLtEagOA9ZCbITccVK6mbq3BhZNXqCLY21glh0XOLLXYVu2QRxHdJGmY-nEKP6zIjYIZmvPp6vs6OWkjEW6hHjy-1ED1a4MVnRtfvIg0/s1600/mon+3.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 196px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUzeKnXh8ANn8IaJt0Sor1lJmH0cQm5gx0PAYXLtEagOA9ZCbITccVK6mbq3BhZNXqCLY21glh0XOLLXYVu2QRxHdJGmY-nEKP6zIjYIZmvPp6vs6OWkjEW6hHjy-1ED1a4MVnRtfvIg0/s200/mon+3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584699350530211858" /></a><strong>Table 5a: Concentration of stock ownership in the United States, 2001-2007 <br /> Percent of all stock owned: <br />Wealth class / 2001 / 2004 / 2007 <br />Top 1% 33.5% / 36.7% / 38.3% <br />Next 19% 55.8% / 53.9% / 52.8% <br />Bottom 80% 10.7% / 9.4% / 8.9%</strong> <br /><br /><strong>Table 5b: Amount of stock owned by various wealth classes in the U.S., 2007 <br /> Percent of households owning stocks worth: <br />Wealth class $0 (no stocks) / $1-$10,000 / More than $10,000 <br />Top 1% 7.4% / 4.2% / 88.4% <br />95-99% 7.8% / 2.7% / 89.5% <br />90-95% 13.2% / 5.4% / 81.4% <br />80-90% 17.9% / 10.9% / 71.2% <br />60-80% 34.6% / 18.3% / 47.1% <br />40-60% 52.3% / 25.6% / 22.1% <br />20-40% 69.7% / 21.6% / 8.7% <br />Bottom 20% 84.7% / 14.3% / 2.0%</strong> <br />Source: Wolff, 2007 and 2010 <br /><br /><strong>THE TOP 400 WEALTHIEST AMERICAN WAGE EARNERS HOLD MORE WEALTH TODAY THAN THE BOTTOM 155 MILLION <em>COMBINED!</em></strong> <br /><br />In 1970, CEOs made $25 for every $1 the average worker made. Due to technological advancements, production and profit levels exploded from 1970 - 2000. <strong>With the lion's share of increased profits going to the CEO's, this pay ratio has now dramatically risen to a whopping $90 for CEOs to $1 for the average worker!</strong><br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOxzDRJWjAQ1NxSdDYuDbaV56IPXBlTtif75Ep47UFBdZ0EFTzGXVwgaXCX4ZQzrMIOL_IVzM9QzAYqZbDz9_Q47uMGSWkj__y0-9-0SK0e2gKXNVpkj4LRVeQQTyzzaz4IeeVHeJyWI/s1600/GOP+economics.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOxzDRJWjAQ1NxSdDYuDbaV56IPXBlTtif75Ep47UFBdZ0EFTzGXVwgaXCX4ZQzrMIOL_IVzM9QzAYqZbDz9_Q47uMGSWkj__y0-9-0SK0e2gKXNVpkj4LRVeQQTyzzaz4IeeVHeJyWI/s200/GOP+economics.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584714532368989378" /></a>Graph courtesy www.politicsplus.org/<br /><br /><em><strong>Our economy has become top-heavy, folks. This unhealthy trend toward repeated tax cuts for the very rich combined with ever-accelerating CEO pay and benefits coming at the expense of average workers' pay and benefits is unsustainable and must be REVERSED! Like most top-heavy items, if not corrected soon, the country itself will collapse altogether. The signs of economic collapse are all around us. Our infrastructure is in serious disrepair. Corporations grow greedier every day. Labor has become a scapegoat to be neutralized and exported. Debt is rising at an alarming rate.The very rich are sitting on their money or investing overseas while the country they were born in stagnates and putrifies. <br /><br />A PEOPLE'S PARTY dedicated solely to reversing these threatening trends is the ONLY answer! It must restore the power of labor and, through government regulation, roll back runaway CEO pay, minimize corporate influence over government, and revamp our grossly unfair tax system which benefits only the very wealthy. It must reduce the power and influence of weak, blue dog Democrats and help push the hopelessly out-of-touch and ultra-conservative Republican Party into its deserved place on the scrap heap of history. Time is running out for the middle class. Proudly hoisting the banner of the People's Party, the middle class and poor must strike back NOW!</strong></em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-88599955052488597952011-03-13T11:12:00.009-05:002011-03-13T11:12:00.270-05:00BRING ON THE PEOPLE'S PARTY - NOW!The following article, which I am reproducing whole here, came from a March 7 posting over at former Labor Secretary Robert Reich's brilliant blog "<strong>http://robertreich.org/</strong>". I have taken the liberty of <strong>bolding</strong> where I felt necessary. My own comments will follow this piece at bottom and will appear in <em><strong>bolded italic.</strong></em> Enjoy! <br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------ <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBJaNcFLuvn6R-v-hLKk-P6n_7XcRGZboW47S5a-06RksyH4gAHwQWen1GUr7A0uy9mEgt_oFRTLiwiig4JKRPe2axgx2Ycx_ptSzVMF9rQNRDqMvk6Z0XtlI5LK3rMDhDUlm4QwUpJc/s1600/REICH.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 165px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBJaNcFLuvn6R-v-hLKk-P6n_7XcRGZboW47S5a-06RksyH4gAHwQWen1GUr7A0uy9mEgt_oFRTLiwiig4JKRPe2axgx2Ycx_ptSzVMF9rQNRDqMvk6Z0XtlI5LK3rMDhDUlm4QwUpJc/s320/REICH.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581762207074014242" /></a><strong>The Birth of the People’s Party</strong><br />Monday, March 7, 2011 <br /><br />Look at the outrage in Madison, Wisconsin. Look at the crowds in DesMoines, Iowa. Look at the demonstrations in Indiana and Ohio and elswhere around America.<br /><br />Hear what they’re saying: Stop attacking unions. Stop making scapegoats out of public employees. Stop protecting the super-rich from paying their fair share of the taxes needed to keep our schools running.<br /><br /><strong>Stop gutting the working middle class.</strong> <br /><br />Are we finally seeing average Americans stand up and demand a fair shake in an economy now grotesquely tilted toward the wealthy and the privileged? <strong>Are Americans beginning to awake to the fact that our economy now delivers a larger share of total income to the very top than at any time in living memory?</strong> <strong>That big corporations are making more money and creating more jobs ABROAD than in the United States?</strong> <br /><br />That this concentration of income and wealth has so corrupted politics that corporations can extort whatever they want from the government — tax breaks, loan guarantees, subsidies — <strong>while the super-rich can take most of their income as capital gains (taxed at 15 percent), and the rest at the lowest top rate in 25 years? And that because of this our kids are crowded into classrooms, our streets and highways and bridges are falling apart, and our healthcare bills are out of control?</strong> <br /><br />The Tea Party grew out of indignation over the Wall Street bailout — an indignation shared by the vast majority of Americans. <strong>But the Tea Party ended up directing its ire at government rather than at big business and Wall Street. Was this because billionaires Charles and David Koch and their like funneled money to the Tea Party through front organizations like Dick Armey’s Freedom Works, and thereby co-opted it?</strong> <br /><br />Now we may be seeing the birth of a <strong>genuine</strong> populist movement. Call it the <strong>People’s Party.</strong> Like the Tea Party, the People’s Party doesn’t have a clear organization or hierarchy or single address. It doesn’t have lobbyists in Washington. It’s not even yet recognized by the mainstream media.<br /><br /><strong>But the People’s Party seems to be growing in numbers and in intensity. And it’s starting to push elected officials — first at the state level — to listen and respond.</strong> <br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUUgVMD5GyZbbnMoV0whp_sIr_zTiNxVxJisjqd82gBbqXhCkFDpCwrhvvBtYLB-YvTULDgZdIbd2mMUPudvL0OGobtB_L2OxEYFVZUV6a44kPX0vSXKPflsqF0oIrQ6yf7vzH2enMZs/s1600/wisconsin_protests_1_109214621.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUUgVMD5GyZbbnMoV0whp_sIr_zTiNxVxJisjqd82gBbqXhCkFDpCwrhvvBtYLB-YvTULDgZdIbd2mMUPudvL0OGobtB_L2OxEYFVZUV6a44kPX0vSXKPflsqF0oIrQ6yf7vzH2enMZs/s400/wisconsin_protests_1_109214621.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581767039161753842" /></a> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qNm4flCU4h25n2MjkNXIX5wnJ_zaa_XKuvQlr3R75IFZJx-3UjCH__eMpSTowZNwMKZyR31pgCSezFMjn2BjgBVecv9IkOC9OlXsGVAU748hSQNndw9QP1iLIyRQMYqS3_qbtM5fato/s1600/protests.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qNm4flCU4h25n2MjkNXIX5wnJ_zaa_XKuvQlr3R75IFZJx-3UjCH__eMpSTowZNwMKZyR31pgCSezFMjn2BjgBVecv9IkOC9OlXsGVAU748hSQNndw9QP1iLIyRQMYqS3_qbtM5fato/s320/protests.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581767509485218354" /></a><em><strong>I WHOLEHEARTEDLY support this creation of a new PEOPLE'S PARTY! I say, let it become as powerful and influential a faction within the Democratic Party as the Tea Party has become in the Republican Party! Conservative Republicanism failed this country way back in the 1920s. Foolishly, today's reactionary Republicans stubbornly cling to those thoroughly discredited, unfair, and HARMFUL "supply-side" and "free market" CRAZY economic beliefs and practices! Blue Dog Democrats, too cowardly or too conservative to behave as REAL Democrats used to, (being a strong force for econpmic change and fairness), have dragged the Democratic Party down. They have saddled it with heretical corporatist ideology. They have undercut the President's more progressive planks and weakened him politically, forcing him to make unnecessary and damaging overtures to, and compromises with, the reactionary Repulicans. <br /><br />People are understandably frustrated. I share that frustration. <br /><br />NEITHER PARTY REPRESENTS THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION ANY LONGER. The Republicans are ALL bought-out, corporate shills and represent only the religious right, big business, and the wealthiest 2% of the country. Scott Walker and his reactionary Republicans' actions in Wisconsin prove that this miserable party is bound determined to attack American workers to aid the rich. The Democrats have become impotent and no longer represent the poor OR The middle class, either. They, too, have become plutocratic puppets who are completely compromised by the oligarchy this country has become. Only a handful of progressives, notably Vermont Senator BERNIE SANDERS, Minnesota Senator AL FRANKEN, Ohio Senator SHERROD BROWN, and Oregon Senator RON WYDEN have shown any gumption at all, by consistently voting in favor of "normal, everyday, working Americans" who make up most of the remaining 98% of the population. <br /><br />Writing in www.forbes.com, in an article called "Is Wisconsin the Real Republican Waterloo?", E.D. Kain says, "In Wisconsin, Democrats are already promising to step-up recall efforts. But the recalls are only a small part of what is likely going to be a huge anti-Republican backlash across the nation, as working Americans finally realize what that party actually stands for: a playing field heavily tilted toward the rich and powerful, toward corporate power, and against worker rights...And now conservatives have chosen public-sector workers and teachers as their hill to die on. They have followed the most radical voices in the party and the movement, and elected Scott Walker, Rick Scott, and various other Tea Party candidates. Heavily funded by big campaign donors like the Koch brothers and other corporate interests, the Republican party has made a concerted effort across the country to take on unions, public pensions, and social services for the poor...Republicans have a long history of union-busting and anti-labor rhetoric, but taking on teachers and cops is a big mistake. This blatant effort to weaken the Democratic party will have precisely the opposite effect...Now Scott Walker has given progressives their chance. This is the Democrats' chance to recapture that narrative, to turn the discussion back to the dignity of the middle class, to the importance of policies that do not simply push power and capital ever upward. THIS is the Republican’s Waterloo." PRETTY ASTOUNDING OBSERVATIONS FOR ONE WRITING FOR FORBES.COM! <br /><br />NOW IS THE TIME! People are fired up and are now starting to recognize the threat the conservative Republicans pose to us all. This country needs President Obama and ALL Progressives to wean Democrats away from the timid Blue Dog and conservative influencees and unite under a new, MUCH more responsive, pro-labor, and progressive PEOPLE'S PARTY. The time is ripe for all progressives to flood Democratic Party caucuses next year and slowly replace the corrupting influences within, eventually filling them with progressive-minded PEOPLE'S PARTY activists instead! This would not only ensure the President's re-election, but it would free him from the confines he's been forced to operate under. When this occurs, I'll bet we see an invigorated President who will actually be able to accomplish just what voters need and really want, and what they expected when they elected him in 2008. Remember, the President started out with a much more progressive agenda. After lukewarm Democratic support and no support at all from Republicans, he grew more timid in his approach. I believe that, with an overwhelming new Democratic majority composed of a strong PEOPLE'S PARTY faction, he will return to the form he showed right after he was first elected. <br /><br />Like Robert Reich, I, too, believe this to be a growing, GENUINELY populist movement in dire need of an activist launching. Will you join me in this push for a truly progressive alternative to the phony, Koch brothers-financed ultra-conservative Tea Party? Will you attend next year's Democratic caucuses, write repeated letters to the editor of your local paper, TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS AND CO-WORKERS, and post info about what you're doing to attract others on Facebook and Twitter? By doing so, we may just be able to completely reverse this long downhill slide the conservative Republicans have had this country on for the past 30 years!<br /><br />This is NOT a move to radicalize the Democratic Party. Rather, it is a way to RESTORE it to the party it once was: a party deserving of respect, which will again actually deliver for its constituents (and the entire country), as it should!<br /><br />JOIN ME, PROGRESSIVES! THIS IS THE MOMENT WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!</strong></em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-11790313983139047062011-03-09T05:57:00.001-06:002011-03-09T05:57:00.164-06:00ASH WEDNESDAY, AND THE SEASON OF LENT<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUq_DW5trYy-X6jkReOce5JxaES6yTo8GokAmPQ4-3ly84PBpMIyeuV3P454diFOMpW7Xj0xRUtjnyczMckkR-L-ogQTLXZOlpbE7qZbYaw5CpUQxKuKhG8tQSCEXftiK_6NobnPyJtA/s1600/ashes.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUq_DW5trYy-X6jkReOce5JxaES6yTo8GokAmPQ4-3ly84PBpMIyeuV3P454diFOMpW7Xj0xRUtjnyczMckkR-L-ogQTLXZOlpbE7qZbYaw5CpUQxKuKhG8tQSCEXftiK_6NobnPyJtA/s320/ashes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581600995500926658" /></a>Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of the season of Lent in the western Christian church. It is a season of inner reflection, doing penance for the wromgs one has done, and fasting, which prepares one for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, by which all Christian believers get the chance for redemption. <br /><br /><br />Modern Christians will be anointed on the forehead with ashes today. These ashes signify three things: that one should always be humble; that one should emulate the ancient Ninevites, who followed Jacob's advice to repent by doing penance in sackcloth and ashes; and that all will not remain here on earth forever - the human race will someday return to the dust from which it was first created. <br /><br />As this Lenten season begins today, each and every one of us can engage in <strong>sacrifice for a higher purpose.</strong> One need not even be a Christian to achieve some good with this. One need not do something monumental, either: each of us, in his or her own way, can engage in this sacrifice for a good cause of our own choosing. Doing so certainly won't break us or kill us. For example, <strong>business owners and corporate CEOs could hire one extra employee off of the unemployment rolls, or give existing employees a little unexpected bonus or raise.</strong> Employees who are accustomed to engaging in unproductive activities on company time (like internet surfing or shopping) could refrain from doing that for the season so as to quit taking advantage of the boss. Office employees and CEOs alike could agree to donate $1 each per month for the next year or two to support orphans or needy children somewhere. <strong>The American Institute of Philanthropy</strong> publishes a guide to charities you can trust, and this guide is available for only $3. Just contact them at this address: <br /><br /><em><strong>American Institute of Philanthropy <br />P.O. Box 578460 <br />Chicago, IL 60657 </strong></em><br /><br /><br /><strong>Mortgage bankers could give those facing foreclosure 30 to 60 more days grace.</strong> In the lunch line, or at the highway toll booth, one could pay the next person's fare as an act of anonymous kindness. Each of us could easily spare some pocket change or even $5 to give to the next homeless person we see on the street. <strong>Politicians and pundits alike, such as <em>Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck,</em> could all refrain from telling lies about their opponents for political gain during the next six weeks.</strong> Children could step up and do the dishes or other chores out of turn every so often. <strong>Oil company executives and Wall Street speculators could refrain from raising gasoline prices every time there's the least little bit of tension reported from the Middle East.</strong> Come April 15, just for this year, taxpayers could refrain from taking deductions they aren't really supposed to. <strong>Fundamentalist Christians could stop their holier-than-thou attacks on Muslims and gays just long enough to realize Jesus Himself would <em>never</em> approve of their hateful actions.</strong> <br /><br />If all of us take the time and make the effort to find little ways we can each sacrifice, the net result will be something very large and meaningful indeed! <em><strong>I invite readers to suggest other little things which could be done this season to make our world be a better and fairer place for all.</strong></em> <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aGzat5iMfi1FIThGpfmBIHRcnGfzb3MJSGVwAx71XtUS9MtCo5mKTfV_SkAyVsBpLwKlCxiL5dTXydxw8QnxBcRPuBpJZVPn-ndIfvadsJq3iFrDh4hx7LUJdCGbYf0icNqEN8gY3vs/s1600/aaaasswsw.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aGzat5iMfi1FIThGpfmBIHRcnGfzb3MJSGVwAx71XtUS9MtCo5mKTfV_SkAyVsBpLwKlCxiL5dTXydxw8QnxBcRPuBpJZVPn-ndIfvadsJq3iFrDh4hx7LUJdCGbYf0icNqEN8gY3vs/s320/aaaasswsw.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581601556847949266" /></a><em><strong>If each of us will only look within ourselves for the next six weeks, we will certainly find our own individual way to improve the world situation and we may help develop some true and lasting peace as a side benefit. There is nothing to lose, and VERY much to gain, by doing these little acts of sacrifice. Let's give it a try, shall we? What are YOUR suggestions, readers?</strong></em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-27719550164158433792011-03-06T13:40:00.000-06:002011-03-06T13:40:00.574-06:00BAN ALL MONOPOLISTIC CORPORATIONS INSTEAD!<em><strong>A corporate CEO, a teabagger, and a unionized public employee are sitting around a table. A plate with a dozen cookies has been placed before the CEO. He takes 11 of the cookies, and then says to the teabagger, "Watch out for that union guy. He wants a piece of your cookie." </strong></em><br /><br />This ingeneous fable is a perfect illustration of the American economic system today. Big corporations have experienced gains in worker productivity as a result of, and despite, freezing wages, conducting layoffs, and reducing workers' hours. REAL unemployment (not the "official" government statistic, but those who are still without a job) is still unbearably high. Meanwhile, CEO salaries and benefit packages continue to skyrocket. Outsourcing of American jobs continues. Union membership in the private sector is at an all-time low, as repeated union busting attempts over the past 30 years have been largely successful. The corporation and its kingpin, the CEO, rule the roost. They have devoured the Republican Party whole, and have succeeded in neutralizing and making impotent the once formidable (former) party of the workers and the poor, the Democratic Party. Now they wish to make their victory all but complete by doing away with public sector unions. They know if they are successful in this attempt, the few remaining private sector unions will also disappear. It is a disgraceful and indefensible action being undertaken in this so-called "land of the free," where the only freedom in the marketplace belongs to those who set the wages, not to those who actually produce wealth through their labor. <br /><br />The corporatists and their willing parrots in the reactionary Republican Party are trying to turn non-union employees against union employees. They circulate wild and crazy rumors about how union employees make vastly more than non-union employees for the same type of work (in most cases they DON'T); how union employees' benefits dwarf those of non-union workers and are paid for by taxpayers (although most union pensions and medical insurance are either fully or partly worker-funded); and how closed-shop companies are costing jobs overall (a baldfaced lie). Their strategy is simple: divide the workers, and then conquer them. Whip up public opinion against unions (especially public-sector ones), and remain safe and untouched and able to further increase revenues and profits while both groups of workers fight among themselves. It is a dishonest and cynical ploy. It is a tactic these plutocrats and their far-right parrots are attempting to institutionalize. <em><strong>It must therefore be resisted to the bitter end by all who aren't members of the upper 2% of the income scale!</strong></em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hGn6hvWdKdF0le5hEKg1_rHKNu3Nc7osYN2yIv0s1bmQcW-gOKLHMuX5V2ig5aPjyMti0A7OtFqd_E0cASqbMiIDItUtarTzV-bglRF9aQt2wyWhACyQZKdf8IwWtgfyLogHPJxPQBk/s1600/walker.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 152px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hGn6hvWdKdF0le5hEKg1_rHKNu3Nc7osYN2yIv0s1bmQcW-gOKLHMuX5V2ig5aPjyMti0A7OtFqd_E0cASqbMiIDItUtarTzV-bglRF9aQt2wyWhACyQZKdf8IwWtgfyLogHPJxPQBk/s200/walker.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579981121702451458" /></a><strong>Scott Walker</strong> and <strong>John Kasich,</strong> the extreme far-right Republican governers of, respectively, Wisconsin and Ohio, have tried to destroy the effectiveness of public-sector unions by stripping them of their ability to collectively bargain. They have proceeded with this radical agenda even though <em><strong>nationwide polls indicate that, by a landslide margin, most voters disagree completely with their approach.</strong></em> Being ideologues who detest unions, they have nonetheless gone straight ahead with their plan. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwt1XRzQE8DXSHNE03XxDxRSYky_bG_xh9r5iZun7Vuf621qvyMyE0QO3O5RVa-J7nqReN7SH0wd2rEdcUKNrbUgjd_w-NqE5WRnblysUGcT_JYIcecLdY8Nbu8iYn3JbB-mnSYJ9Y8g8/s1600/kasich.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 105px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwt1XRzQE8DXSHNE03XxDxRSYky_bG_xh9r5iZun7Vuf621qvyMyE0QO3O5RVa-J7nqReN7SH0wd2rEdcUKNrbUgjd_w-NqE5WRnblysUGcT_JYIcecLdY8Nbu8iYn3JbB-mnSYJ9Y8g8/s200/kasich.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579980538185623042" /></a>Both claim it is the only way to reduce their state's budget deficit. But that is a deliberate lie, and they know it. Keep in mind: <em><strong>Neither the Wisconsin NOR the Ohio public sector unions have a history or pattern of strikes, walkouts, or other disruptions.</strong></em> This is just a conspiracy devised at the last Republican Governors Association meeting to directly attack these workers, done completely without provocation. And these sneaky, dishonest two governors do not mention that prior to their action, both states granted huge tax cuts to corporations (Ohio even completely did away with their corporate income tax)! <em><strong>BOTH MEN MUST THEREFORE BE RECALLED AND THROWN FROM OFFICE AT THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE MOMENT FOR THIS ARROGANT, DEFIANT, AND DISHONEST ACTION!</strong></em><br /><br />Corporate taxes have steadily <strong>decreased</strong> as a percentage of our Gross Domestic Product, as the chart below clearly shows. Yet corporations still send out swarms of lobbyists to get Congress to lower their taxes even further! It defies logic, and such behavior can only be filed under the heading of GREED. For, along with tremendous gains in productivity per worker over the past 20 years, corporations have caused an actual REDUCTION in the number and pay scales of American workers' jobs. That's right: rather than take their tax decreases and apply them to the creation of new, better-paying AMERICAN jobs, corporations have either sat on their savings, or, worse yet, exported American jobs overseas. Even worse, much of the taxes bthey used to pay have been moved steadily from them over to <strong>personal</strong> income taxes over the years! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRk8U0RJf5U0TykVUdDYTE8N15sOAMrra66w1eRsFu0Ce_Z9iaTO2yVWj3te-xG5w2riqovkaldFJOKoNusGvUwch55FC4aPWX5eCnugdPxxBoTIG75Vb1qsfXfH2pljV-KZmgMUPv1M/s1600/CORPORATE-TAXES.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRk8U0RJf5U0TykVUdDYTE8N15sOAMrra66w1eRsFu0Ce_Z9iaTO2yVWj3te-xG5w2riqovkaldFJOKoNusGvUwch55FC4aPWX5eCnugdPxxBoTIG75Vb1qsfXfH2pljV-KZmgMUPv1M/s320/CORPORATE-TAXES.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579960333933209122" /></a>The thoroughly bought-out Republican Party in the House of Representatives recently voted <strong>unanimously</strong> to defeat a Democratic bill which would have ended our <strong>$36 BILLION federal subsidy to the nation's top 5 oil companies, who together have netted $1 TRILLION in profit over the past decade!</strong> That should give you an idea of the REAL Republican feeling on cutting our nation's deficit! <br /><br />To further show how greedy corporate America has become, not only has their average rate of taxation declined steadily, but they have also taken to using creative ways to present themselves so as to incur even less taxation! Designation as a sub-S corporation provides for an even larger tax savings, as the steady rise in companies doing so is shown in the chart below.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMagz3IlskPYaoROfbDgIowAkXwOfStktyk7jzpVJv8K19uGsEULCmvq4r_bOIa1yBPOm7Y_TRX0v7s5mDUGG7j4Mwm2KokB9o7O4EYGSnnaRPUgjRcMTsRdSC4m2v0Jf-FgkNgOwXrew/s1600/CORPORATE-RATES+sub+s.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMagz3IlskPYaoROfbDgIowAkXwOfStktyk7jzpVJv8K19uGsEULCmvq4r_bOIa1yBPOm7Y_TRX0v7s5mDUGG7j4Mwm2KokB9o7O4EYGSnnaRPUgjRcMTsRdSC4m2v0Jf-FgkNgOwXrew/s320/CORPORATE-RATES+sub+s.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579960754293139474" /></a>To put this in proper perspective, I am presenting below two graphs which I obtained from TomCat's post of March 3, which appeared on his marvelous blog <strong>www.politicsplus.org.</strong> (Left click on each graph to make it larger and more readable). They show exactly how corporate America has robbed <em><strong>YOU</strong></em> over the past decades, and what the current table of income levels reveals. It is DISGUSTING! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYccZjdPC8JGuOP3Mp4vynHc0d0RrWHpwMyS8Kp6QmW6eAqbIz6Rhyphenhypheny767NRUHILJ9RW6V6hjrJGTb_yJOk2iR1j5_uz0JAoHByxEXKAo_Qjq2xM2x0G-hVQxLrZZjDPMEbPEddc8SE98/s1600/INCOME.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYccZjdPC8JGuOP3Mp4vynHc0d0RrWHpwMyS8Kp6QmW6eAqbIz6Rhyphenhypheny767NRUHILJ9RW6V6hjrJGTb_yJOk2iR1j5_uz0JAoHByxEXKAo_Qjq2xM2x0G-hVQxLrZZjDPMEbPEddc8SE98/s200/INCOME.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580001338766306418" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgdfBtN_NckuKiOg91SO-knAlMy9hzyVqwL9CxJb5ycNFylxBw2Y_JoZuOB5nLHih8GjnmEJz9vy-GUu0E8_Z2G-1ArsfTjTiyDCi2c7rFPqcipFCT7UrNEvqfhK0GgHcS8606ij8yIU/s1600/AVG+HOUSEHOLD+INC.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 110px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgdfBtN_NckuKiOg91SO-knAlMy9hzyVqwL9CxJb5ycNFylxBw2Y_JoZuOB5nLHih8GjnmEJz9vy-GUu0E8_Z2G-1ArsfTjTiyDCi2c7rFPqcipFCT7UrNEvqfhK0GgHcS8606ij8yIU/s200/AVG+HOUSEHOLD+INC.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580001039908609314" /></a>It is an unfairly reckless act for Govs. Walker and Kasich to effectively be balancing their state budgets on the backs of middle class and poor workers, and an added insult to bar public unions tfrom bargaining collectively for better pay and working conditions. These are not the actions of men who truly believe in a free market. Rather, these are puppets of the plutocracy this country has become. They aren't public servants; they are servants of an evil, greedy oligarchy which wishes to push all wealth upward into the hands of a select few. For if these clowns really did believe in a free market, rather than ban collective bargaining among public employees, they would heed my call to <em><strong>BAN ALL MONOPOLISTIC CORPORATIONS INSTEAD!</strong></em> <br /><br /><br /><strong>PROGRESSIVES AND INDEPENDENTS: REMEMBER THE WISCONSIN PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS!!!</strong> <br /><br />In closing, I say to the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives: <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKowSFafND7ejW9Uf1otcb4ulXV6GA8y3GlVFmpZkBF57WoOq82HOwR6X8VeWk8A06r3Pkpl0ukGLZQg_Gg2czhVM0bl7TeqWnXAStfeV6LktYv7pmzMnxIPGKC5AT5cbyWyfG76uKO0/s1600/butthead+boehner.bmp"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKowSFafND7ejW9Uf1otcb4ulXV6GA8y3GlVFmpZkBF57WoOq82HOwR6X8VeWk8A06r3Pkpl0ukGLZQg_Gg2czhVM0bl7TeqWnXAStfeV6LktYv7pmzMnxIPGKC5AT5cbyWyfG76uKO0/s200/butthead+boehner.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579939345444924610" /></a><em><strong>OK, you got your extended Bush tax cuts for the rich; NOW WHERE ARE THE JOBS WHICH WERE SUPPOSED TO RESULT? You've regained control of the House of Representatives; NOW WHERE ARE THE JOBS WHICH WERE SUPPOSED TO RESULT? You've been Speaker of the House for over 2 months. You have done nothing to create new jobs and have instead wasted all your time on social issues. NOW, WHERE THE HELL ARE THE JOBS YOU SAID WOULD BE CREATED WHEN THE REPUBLICANS GAINED CONTROL, MR. BOEHNER?</strong></em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-27419584731105615592011-03-01T09:30:00.000-06:002011-03-01T09:36:28.157-06:00WDGY'S JIM DANDY (1942-2010)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5Ns-XpK18EH3WVNK8vyVj_vW505EJY63ew8MV3rBnEyPzMWImnXtSGIyxhoYiR-H6XVXjMozH-mZSxPt_aONoxj8MND9e19YgDxogYok8VGz3Mms6Hjhyphenhyphengr4ldn0kqOWwCGGL5XiBWk/s1600/JIM+DANDY.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 129px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5Ns-XpK18EH3WVNK8vyVj_vW505EJY63ew8MV3rBnEyPzMWImnXtSGIyxhoYiR-H6XVXjMozH-mZSxPt_aONoxj8MND9e19YgDxogYok8VGz3Mms6Hjhyphenhyphengr4ldn0kqOWwCGGL5XiBWk/s400/JIM+DANDY.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577367330711726018" /></a><em><strong>James Brian Everts (aka "Diamond Jim Dandy") February 24, 1942-October 20, 2010, R. I. P. </strong></em><br /><br />To my utter dismay, I found out last week that I had lost my boyhood idol, a radio DJ who used to broadcast from the now-defunct Twin Cities radio station <strong>WDGY, AM 1130.</strong> I am saddened that I didn't have the chance to speak with him one last time, or to thank him once again for the countless hours of enjoyment his show provided for me from early 1966-spring 1968, and again briefly in the spring of 1969. So I'll just have to do so here in this memorial post I now dedicate to him in his honor. <br /><br />During the 1960s, WDGY (or <strong>"Weegee"</strong> as we locals referred to it) was <strong>THE</strong> most listened to, most popular radio station. It was a powerful 50,000 watt directional station, and it vied for no.1 with WCCO-AM as the most listened-to station in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market. Whereas 'CCO was mostly a talk/sports/easy listening type of format, WDGY played all the current pop-rock top 40 hits of that time, and was an absolute staple among pre-teens to young adults of the day (circa 1964-1973 or so). FM radio was still in its infancy at that time and a suitable FM rock station didn't emerge here until about 1969 or so, so our main choice was always WDGY. It was where we first heard <strong>The Beatles, the Stones, the Dave Clark Five, the Supremes, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Johnny Rivers, Petula Clark, Lesley Gore, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Left Banke, Sam and Dave, Simon and Garfunkel, the Byrds, the Four Seasons,</strong> and scores upon scores of other classic sixties groups and singers. And the king of Weegee was <strong>Jim Dandy.</strong><br /><br />Diamond Jim Dandy was a true radio personality, not your tired, safe, benign radio DJ of today. He was very lively, fast talking, and slightly irreverent. He didn't have what you would call a deep or resonant radio voice, but he held his listeners quite well with his quick wit and conversational, uplifting personality. His Monday-Saturday 7 PM-12 midnight slot constantly outdrew main rival 'CCO in the Arbitron ratings. Back in those days, it was customary for most stations to play two or at most three selections and then run several commercials or do a short news break. Not Jim Dandy, though: sometime in 1966, he began to call for what he termed "a six pack." He mentioned that if 6 people would call him and DARE him to play six records in a row without a commercial break, not only would he play the records continuously, he would even mention the callers' names and cities on the air! He ended up doing this several times a night, and each time he'd have all of us scrambling to call in and get our names mentioned. I can remember furiously dialing 827-9999 on our old rotary phone over and over, until I finally got through without a busy signal, and most nights I succeeded. As a matter of fact, it got to the point where I would say, "Jim, I'd like to dare ya for a six-pack" and he would say "OK, Jack, you're in. How ya doin' tonight?" I was tickled pink that he recognized my voice, so, naturally, I just kept on listening and calling nearly every night. Homework was ALWAYS done in the kitchen in front of the transistor radio and close to the phone. It got to the point where I swear I was one of three or four callers who most often got his name read on the air. (I remember my fellow "rivals" at the time as being a Bruce Ness of Minneapolis and a Diane Eid of Richfield - funny how, 42+ years later, I can still remember those names)! As time went on, sometimes Jim would ask for dares for a 12-pack, something that was truly unheard of in AM radio of the time. That, of course, was 12 records played in a row without commercials and 12 listeners' names being read on the air. He also asked for people to call in to dedicate songs to their particular girl or boy friend of the moment, and I did that quite a few times too. <br /><br />Saturday, July 15, 1967, is a date I'll always remember. My uncle had previously provided me with two good box seat tickets for the Minnesota Twins-Kansas City Athletics baseball game. I asked Jim Dandy if he'd like to go with me to the game, and he accepted. He actually pre-recorded his show for that night on tape so he could be at the game! He came by at the appointed time and picked me up in his flashy red 1965 Chevy convertible, and away we went! The Twins didn't play particularly well that day, and K.C. really stunk, so we barely eked out a 3-2 win. Jim asked me if I would like to visit him and get a guided tour at the radio station in a week or so, and I said "YES!" very enthusiastically! So about a week and a half later my mom drove me out to the station (I was only 13 at the time) and in I went, all wide-eyed with wonderment! He took me into the broadcast booth where later that night he'd be broadcating from, mentioning that we must be very quiet so as not to disturb Scott Burton, who preceded him in the rotation. We crept in quietly and I was all eyes! Later he took me into the basement, where they stored past hit records and did production. Their collection of 45 rpm records was incredible. <br /><br />Jim Dandy left the station the following May and didn't return until a brief stint the following year. Then, all of a sudden, he was gone without an explanation. It took me nearly 40 years, but I finally tracked him down through an email address I saw somewhere. I wrote him about much of what you see here and asked if he remembered me. I didn't hear back for quite some time. But finally, one day, I got a phone call. I didn't recognize the voice on the other end. It was hoarser and gruffer than I remembered. But then the caller idebtified himself as JIM DANDY! I damn near dropped the phone! He mentioned that he was in Minneapolis, and asked if I'd like to join him for a drink. "You're on!" I hurriedly replied. So we met for SEVERAL drinks and had a wonderful time reminiscing about 1960s radio and WDGY in particular. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSz75Q912eVgnEUvIN3mHFcgFO2H2YLBTAm-mxo0_yZ7TKnr29RrLVWoi8S8vZ61Xwsqu8_-_HaYv4OYbVOlbLNf_ApGeNNDOhPWqO1qhkgNOkpCxw4wZBVT9qcQ5WbOYEIfsOWl4jrc/s1600/304_WDGY-AM_Jim_Dandy_1969.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 304px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSz75Q912eVgnEUvIN3mHFcgFO2H2YLBTAm-mxo0_yZ7TKnr29RrLVWoi8S8vZ61Xwsqu8_-_HaYv4OYbVOlbLNf_ApGeNNDOhPWqO1qhkgNOkpCxw4wZBVT9qcQ5WbOYEIfsOWl4jrc/s320/304_WDGY-AM_Jim_Dandy_1969.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577439167964424514" /></a><strong>Jim Dandy in the broadcast booth during his brief return stint at WDGY in 1969.</strong><br /><br />I asked him what had brought him back to town, and he told me he had always liked Minneapolis and remembered his stay here fondly, and that he wanted to retire here. I was delighted to have him back in my life after so many years, but I was concerned about his health. He didn't look that good, having become very heavy set. He smoked like a chimney, and his voice had gotten noticeably deeper and hoarser. It was also obvious that he was drinking quite a bit, judging from the 4 or 5 vodka tonics he consumed during our visit that afternoon together. We decided to keep in touch, and he did call me from time to time, and I him. One day, though, he called and told me he was now in a nursing home. He had fallen and couldn't get up, and was taken to the hospital by paramedics with a severely bruised arm. I visited him at the nursing home in the spring of 2009. That was the last time I saw him alive. I called him and wished him a happy birthday last year, and we talked one time after that as well. I had been preoccupied with my own mother's poor health most of last spring, and she died at the end of May. 5 months later, my buddy Jim Dandy died too, and I didn't even know until I called for him again last week. I don't know a cause of death, but I would almost bet it was lung cancer or emphysema, or perhaps a heart attack... <br /><br />Jim Dandy was the type of guy who never held back and said whatever was on his mind. He wasn't as offensive as Rush Limbaugh in that regard, but he sure wasn't shy. For some reason, he never cared that much for British sixties singer <strong>Petula Clark.</strong> Clark was 32, and already married with two children by the time her no. 1 monster hit "Downtown" entered American charts very late in 1964. Jim objected to the goody-goody, British schoolgirl image which had been created for her by record executives. To give you an idea of his irreverence, he once said of her, "she had more fingerprints on her than the front door of Duff's" (a popular Twin Cities lounge of that era). I laughed like hell at that one. Another time, he quipped, "somebody said that I could get rid of gas by eating pineapples. So I did that, and now I can't stop doing the hula and singin' "Tiny Bubbles." He always used to end his show by saying, "love is love, and fun is fun, but isn't it quiet when the goldfish die---goodbyyyeee..." <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It <strong>IS</strong> quiet now, Jim, and I'm heartsick about it. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Thank you, Jim Dandy, for the thousands of hours of enjoyment you provided a young teenage boy back in those glory days of 1960s radio. I will <strong>NEVER</strong> forget you! <br /><br /><br /><em><strong>For an aircheck of what Jim Dandy actually sounded like, go to http://www.radiotapes.com/WDGY.html. Scroll down until you see 5/25/68 Diamond Jim Dandy, and click on it. It's not one of his better airchecks, but it does give you some idea of how he sounded. (Regrettably, this is not hyperlinked, so you'll just have to enter the address yourself).</strong></em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRJe4y_ciIMnAOlYRtsichwdxgxHo4THn5GfN4-pITqKCrhMn2Enr957OoX-ZtUHlf5dPg-dxr4C17gBGuEdI1oTR90mmzC6Osq7BO4HqsnJgcsPtCIhqCNnwEOzVnCZobcvLTbSY7zg/s1600/283_WDGY_Sign_-Blooming_site.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 283px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRJe4y_ciIMnAOlYRtsichwdxgxHo4THn5GfN4-pITqKCrhMn2Enr957OoX-ZtUHlf5dPg-dxr4C17gBGuEdI1oTR90mmzC6Osq7BO4HqsnJgcsPtCIhqCNnwEOzVnCZobcvLTbSY7zg/s320/283_WDGY_Sign_-Blooming_site.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577366961825676994" /></a><em><strong>LONG LIVE JIM DANDY! AND, LONG LIVE WDGY AM 1130!</strong></em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-38141161042730751892011-02-24T15:06:00.003-06:002011-02-27T20:22:23.977-06:00GOD, AND JESUS, ARE LIBERALS!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEbPBGN_IKDw-Rf8JHdwokhxAIfIWDvlR1DAK8n9X3chNYhB-rpRvsyyeBHQHghnYschE5gfUMCS5aa0j7RHzQTHcsNlBm9TRwgOexo8RSMMCQgEj8YzuQJbPRseUl2seujttsdBfDA4/s1600/godthe+father.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEbPBGN_IKDw-Rf8JHdwokhxAIfIWDvlR1DAK8n9X3chNYhB-rpRvsyyeBHQHghnYschE5gfUMCS5aa0j7RHzQTHcsNlBm9TRwgOexo8RSMMCQgEj8YzuQJbPRseUl2seujttsdBfDA4/s200/godthe+father.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575503806462044642" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFWSAfF1yOIW9lGydgTSD3mutHM9_Ru0EG_ggWHOXJVa-vMg8EJ87qUr63brwck79xe5iSmmTCyfYxKqLwXPnUe47Pj7bwVv4_o1WYihR7kbEX-l59kI8tOquEhazhogj4Nj6_0ssjWg/s1600/jesus_lib.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 111px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFWSAfF1yOIW9lGydgTSD3mutHM9_Ru0EG_ggWHOXJVa-vMg8EJ87qUr63brwck79xe5iSmmTCyfYxKqLwXPnUe47Pj7bwVv4_o1WYihR7kbEX-l59kI8tOquEhazhogj4Nj6_0ssjWg/s200/jesus_lib.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567068851888361826" /></a>I have never been one to wear religion on my sleeve. I believe that one's religion and spirituality are personal matters, and that only vain and insecure people feel compelled to force their religious beliefs on others. Not to say that discussing religion offends me, or that I myself have not done so. What I take exception to, though, are those who constantly put themselves in one's face about the matter, insisting that THEIR brand of religion is the only true religion and everyone had just better believe exactly as they do. HOGWASH! A lady comes to mind who wouldn't do business with me unless I was "born again." Early Christians NEVER had such a stipulation. They believed that this rebirth occurred at the moment of baptism. The current notion of the term came about with the more conservative sects during the Reformation, and, to this day, neither Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, or those who are Eastern Orthodox follow or believe in it. <br /><br />For this and many other reasons, I have had ny fill of rigid, fundamentalist, religious right conservatives who sanctimoniously claim God is on their side, or that Jesus hates Muslims and gays, and who then go off spouting their support for, and encouraging others to support, earthly leaders who engage in hatred, war, prejudice, cruelty, or plunder for profit. <br /><br /><strong>God the Father,</strong> and His son, <strong>Jesus,</strong> never expressed a political philosophy, to be sure. Neither endorsed big OR small government. Indeed, the only reference to government was a quote by Jesus from Matthew 22:21, advising us to "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." That, incidentally, would strongly imply sacred support for the concept of the separation of church and state, which some conservatives are now trying to deny and even blur! <br /><br /><strong>Yeshua ben Joseph </strong>(the real name of Jesus, in Hebrew, meaning "Yeshua, of Joseph") was a Nazarene, meaning He rose from what the Romans of that time regarded as a radical sect of Jews. Clearly, His life and teachings were most radical for that era. His originality and creativity shocked and befuddled the elders and leaders of those days. While neither He nor God the Father ever specifically endorsed institutionalized liberalism, it is clear from both their teachings that they did espouse kindness, gentleness, generosity, forgiveness, and selflessness in one's own personal behavior, <strong>all of which are liberal traits.</strong> Neither ever advised anyone to reward the rich with tax breaks which would make them even richer, for example. Nor did they encourage accumulation of vast wealth, especially at the expense of, or through the exploitation of, others. Quite the contrary! Neither ever advised or said to engage in pre-emptive war or torture - they preached exactly the opposite! Dozens of times, in the Old and New Testaments, both told us to <strong>care for the sick and poor, the weak, and the afflicted.</strong> Neither ridiculed or advised others to look down on the less fortunate, and both warned us to not be selfish, vain, or greedy. "Thou shalt not kill!", God the Father commanded. He did not say it was ok to kill or persecute to protect or further His name. No, that notion came later, in the conservative application of the institution which became known as the Christian church. <br /><br />Below are a number of quotes taken directly from the Bible. They bolster my conviction that <strong>both Jesus and God are liberals,</strong> and are <strong><em>not</em></strong> reactionary conservatives. For, to actually be conservatives, they would have to contradict these very statements below, of which there are far too many in this vein to even suppose they could be conservatives! Take a look at them: <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQptwMDD5GRTTmvajJ4bTueSPPLg25-OEX2kZAPqBYb9atwh7BusJ2phUpGBGH8prBMwOVTUJXJSByk_ktewfBykUwCMy24oCrMIH9Xo2qBYHV_X0bkHj0n300_s-5_Sp2rpoC7l4w9g/s1600/jesus+4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 71px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQptwMDD5GRTTmvajJ4bTueSPPLg25-OEX2kZAPqBYb9atwh7BusJ2phUpGBGH8prBMwOVTUJXJSByk_ktewfBykUwCMy24oCrMIH9Xo2qBYHV_X0bkHj0n300_s-5_Sp2rpoC7l4w9g/s200/jesus+4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575244257567246290" /></a>"Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." <br />- Luke 12:33 -<br /><br /><em><strong>"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."<br />- Proverbs 31:8-9 -</strong></em> <br /><br /><em><strong>"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."<br />- Matthew 6:24 - </strong></em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0HNbuMSXJ0-X6B2TFUsURGjYaONbrEt22FmHP6LiD-B4krh6hbNhQ_0DPpPzlzH_X0wT8X7W5WoIFQti8gYtJr8w5f_8d7ynqmlQFpHj3QJgjFKVVTMRvW43QndTYdR3aVlXyfXQyBx4/s1600/god5.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0HNbuMSXJ0-X6B2TFUsURGjYaONbrEt22FmHP6LiD-B4krh6hbNhQ_0DPpPzlzH_X0wT8X7W5WoIFQti8gYtJr8w5f_8d7ynqmlQFpHj3QJgjFKVVTMRvW43QndTYdR3aVlXyfXQyBx4/s200/god5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575502836409844258" /></a>"He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished."<br />- Proverbs 17:5 - <br /><br />"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." <br />- Luke 14: 13-14 - <br /><br /><em><strong>"He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich-both come to poverty."<br />- Proverbs 22:16 -</strong></em> <br /><br /><em><strong>"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land."<br />- Deuteronomy 15:11 -</strong></em> <br /><br />"Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." <br />- Matthew 5:39 -<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQptwMDD5GRTTmvajJ4bTueSPPLg25-OEX2kZAPqBYb9atwh7BusJ2phUpGBGH8prBMwOVTUJXJSByk_ktewfBykUwCMy24oCrMIH9Xo2qBYHV_X0bkHj0n300_s-5_Sp2rpoC7l4w9g/s1600/jesus+4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 71px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQptwMDD5GRTTmvajJ4bTueSPPLg25-OEX2kZAPqBYb9atwh7BusJ2phUpGBGH8prBMwOVTUJXJSByk_ktewfBykUwCMy24oCrMIH9Xo2qBYHV_X0bkHj0n300_s-5_Sp2rpoC7l4w9g/s200/jesus+4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575244257567246290" /></a>"I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." <br />- Matthew 5:44 - <br /><br /><br />"People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."<br />-1 Timothy 6:9-10 - <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStfBT3qvLzVnpk03HYeHGvsKcP6TBRrHQf8vCWlfJfXgu9Y_FU1QQLSyUCAGeMU1o0cIZ8CWRrxHqXJb1OLctGv1V2APi3TZO_lVfo6vd_jsz94aibEZRddHiTQ0WTGstm26PGTXGx9U/s1600/god+3+r.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 141px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStfBT3qvLzVnpk03HYeHGvsKcP6TBRrHQf8vCWlfJfXgu9Y_FU1QQLSyUCAGeMU1o0cIZ8CWRrxHqXJb1OLctGv1V2APi3TZO_lVfo6vd_jsz94aibEZRddHiTQ0WTGstm26PGTXGx9U/s200/god+3+r.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575244604713094946" /></a> "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." <br />- Matthew 6: 1-4 - <br /><br /><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6BvALK5d17_JEFJ5Hix_EY4newvr0DHr5z9NtnMy56wwHSW_xWYPWzmUnwLwADg6mnmbpT_4g1uUmna9qsTFyEou0CX-cFGu-63_w64G-tbCD8vuFnxkOZIwwufDI-JP6sejWEIsvPs/s1600/JESUS.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 112px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6BvALK5d17_JEFJ5Hix_EY4newvr0DHr5z9NtnMy56wwHSW_xWYPWzmUnwLwADg6mnmbpT_4g1uUmna9qsTFyEou0CX-cFGu-63_w64G-tbCD8vuFnxkOZIwwufDI-JP6sejWEIsvPs/s200/JESUS.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567069316784099554" /></a><em><strong>"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." <br />- Mark 10:25 -</strong></em> <br /><br />"If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven." <br />- Matthew 19:21 -<br /><br /><br />"In the temple courts [Jesus] found men selling cattle, sheep and doves and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So He made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables." <br />- John 2:14 & 15 - <br /><br />"And He taught, saying unto them, 'Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer?, but ye have made it a den of thieves.' <br />And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine." <br />- Mark 11:18 & 19 - <br /><br /><br /><em><strong>"Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." <br />- Luke 12.15 -</strong></em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7fosIvmgRzJ9PdDc6h4wqb3kgxThxHUF_qJ6OGqCm8fuIIpxv0D3giRnuw3zmT3ye98uaggW4r_25lfsFFrgwsiT_ufONFBvMUNxRHCIPydYi_TB7_0iil5kE6d6Cm4elBaTSldc1Zg/s1600/god+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 178px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7fosIvmgRzJ9PdDc6h4wqb3kgxThxHUF_qJ6OGqCm8fuIIpxv0D3giRnuw3zmT3ye98uaggW4r_25lfsFFrgwsiT_ufONFBvMUNxRHCIPydYi_TB7_0iil5kE6d6Cm4elBaTSldc1Zg/s200/god+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575243843787929714" /></a><br /><em><strong>- Matthew 25:<br />14 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, <br />32 <br />and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. <br />33 <br />He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. <br />34 <br />Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. <br />35 <br />For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, <br />36 <br />naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' <br />37 <br />Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? <br />38 <br />When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? <br />39 <br />When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' <br />40 <br />And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' <br />41 <br />17 Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. <br />42 <br />For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, <br />43 <br />a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' <br />44 <br />18 Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' <br />45 <br />He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' <br />46 <br />And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."</strong></em> <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStfBT3qvLzVnpk03HYeHGvsKcP6TBRrHQf8vCWlfJfXgu9Y_FU1QQLSyUCAGeMU1o0cIZ8CWRrxHqXJb1OLctGv1V2APi3TZO_lVfo6vd_jsz94aibEZRddHiTQ0WTGstm26PGTXGx9U/s1600/god+3+r.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 141px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStfBT3qvLzVnpk03HYeHGvsKcP6TBRrHQf8vCWlfJfXgu9Y_FU1QQLSyUCAGeMU1o0cIZ8CWRrxHqXJb1OLctGv1V2APi3TZO_lVfo6vd_jsz94aibEZRddHiTQ0WTGstm26PGTXGx9U/s200/god+3+r.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575244604713094946" /></a>"But whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." <br />- Matthew 5:39 - <br /><br />"I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despite-fully use you, and persecute you." <br />- Matthew 5:44 - <br /><br />"If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone at her." <br />- John 8:7 - <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4M_8dWoaGXa82rlcfcg08KuRtcJRjTNRTNgAPIMBr3z3L5wwPpCltu-1wWDYSUo2nW0RUVmwRDmy7b983pZBYNJ4rbfJoE8fPEpHOBdLn-25KAjruDvatWfMyHU4zzVZByKXi6oEQAcM/s1600/jesus+preaching.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 186px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4M_8dWoaGXa82rlcfcg08KuRtcJRjTNRTNgAPIMBr3z3L5wwPpCltu-1wWDYSUo2nW0RUVmwRDmy7b983pZBYNJ4rbfJoE8fPEpHOBdLn-25KAjruDvatWfMyHU4zzVZByKXi6oEQAcM/s200/jesus+preaching.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_557551794529412126" /></a> "Do not judge, lest you too be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to <br />you."<br />- Matthew 7:1 & 2 - <br /><br /><em><strong>"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." <br />- Matthew 5:7 -</strong></em> <br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96YkpOdiiVIFZ6mnv4Ce-67cX0Ffd1wQ4OUf1EE3Hx1phGy4j6g62xRnJBZMCS8sI0GjexElhCgZ084x63cWo8ffHmCsyQwb-lZG7XCOCUCL3pyEkvxYq7iyDGk4yKQgjSy2g89Cez2Y/s1600/free-pictures-of-jesus-1-tn.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 138px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96YkpOdiiVIFZ6mnv4Ce-67cX0Ffd1wQ4OUf1EE3Hx1phGy4j6g62xRnJBZMCS8sI0GjexElhCgZ084x63cWo8ffHmCsyQwb-lZG7XCOCUCL3pyEkvxYq7iyDGk4yKQgjSy2g89Cez2Y/s200/free-pictures-of-jesus-1-tn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575509446178583234" /></a><br /><br />"Love your neighbor as yourself."<br />- Matthew 22:39 - <br /><br />"So in everything, do to others as you would have them do to you."<br />- Matthew 7:12 - <br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /><br />The <strong>conservative's idea of God is apparently a no-nonsense authoritarian God,</strong> who sets specific rules and everyone had damn well better obey them or else. To this end, many conservatives of the religious right have taken it upon themselves to enforce what they see as God's will, and this manifests itself in the way they feel justified in persecuting gays, Muslims, atheists, obstetricians who perform abortions, and anyone else <strong>they</strong> determine is not following God's law perfectly, or the way <strong>they</strong> would like. These same people, many of whom vehemently oppose governmental intrusion into their own dealings, think nothing of dictating to others just how they should live. In the past, these beliefs have led to pogroms against Jews, Crusades against Muslims, and the burning at the stake of persons suspected of witchcraft. Their self-righteous beliefs led them to extremism, much like today's political and social conservatives. <em><strong>But my question is this: who appointed THEM policeman, judge, jury, warden, and chief executioner? </strong></em><br /><br />Jesus merely asked His followers to spread the word about God, not to browbeat or cajole others. For such an action completely ignores the fact that God Himself has given each one of us a Free Will: a choice as to whether we will or won't believe in Him or follow His teachings. <br /><br />There are those, myself included, who see God not as some ranting, raving authoritarian One whose main aim is to punish those who disobey His commandments, but as One who is loving, merciful, forgiving, and anxious to have us join Him in Heaven. (To be sure, He WILL punish those who oppose or stand up in defiance against Him; look what happened to Satan and the fallen angels! But, by and large, to join Him in heaven, He only asks for obedience and due respect, and is ever ready to forgive small trangressions). For this reason, we liberals tend to be more tolerant and forgiving than the conservatives. Call us the <strong>Religious Left</strong> if you will: we oppose any effort by other humans to persecute, punish, or deny people their rights to live their lives as they wish, to accept or not accept the teachings of God, or to even question or deny His existence. A person's choice (or non-choice) of a religion is each individual's right, we believe, just as is stated in our Constitution. For we believe conservatives today are placing the right of a person to pursue his or her own individual wealth far above all else, including even common sense, even at times above the wishes of God. <strong>Certainly, the conservative Supreme Court was NOT "speaking up and judging fairly" or "defending the rights of the poor and needy" in last year's <em>Citizens United </em>case, for example, which conservatives hail for allowing unlimited corporate donations into our political process, thereby stacking the deck AGAINST the poor and needy!</strong> <br /><br />Agnostics and atheists, you are perfectly within your rights to believe as you do. I only ask that you show the same tolerance and respect toward the Religious Left as you do other members of the progressive community, such as civil rights leaders, or as we do to you. For, I think as you have read this blog, you have come to the realization that much of the Christian teachings mirror your own beliefs about how one should live his or her own life, and are actually quite harmless to you and are good overall. For, as you have seen, <strong>God, and Jesus too, are LIBERALS</strong> who spread the good word about how we should live with the help of the Holy Spirit!Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-53993889812815238292011-02-22T08:31:00.000-06:002011-02-22T08:31:00.330-06:00PROOF OF THE GOP's EXTREME FAR-RIGHT DRIFT (PART III)!This is my concluding segment proving the Republican Party's rightward drift is no illusion. I again present the abridged <strong>1960 Republin Party platform</strong> as evidence. As in the previous two segments, my occasional comments will appear in <em><strong>bold italic, like this.</strong></em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZw6I7cGxXJUdGbbfJS1myKOqxSmthjJtFedukioHSpX9oNadRL1f9VEvQK3XoTaZlvJ6EPUqWT0TSNS69_dSZIXXkyu3assMkRFFoRSO48lM0P4G6_4Zg8xpVDU1Cb3bbLDO5tT9wCNA/s1600/rocky+2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZw6I7cGxXJUdGbbfJS1myKOqxSmthjJtFedukioHSpX9oNadRL1f9VEvQK3XoTaZlvJ6EPUqWT0TSNS69_dSZIXXkyu3assMkRFFoRSO48lM0P4G6_4Zg8xpVDU1Cb3bbLDO5tT9wCNA/s200/rocky+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575197615199532274" /></a><strong>Housing</strong><br />...Continued effort to clear slums, and promote rebuilding, rehabilitation, and conservation of our cities. <br />New programs to stimulate development of specialized types of housing, such as those for the elderly and for nursing homes...<br />Adequate authority for the federal housing agencies to assist the flow of mortgage credit into private housing, with emphasis on homes for middle- and lower-income families and including assistance in urban residential areas... <em><strong>Modern conservative Republicans would call these desires "socialism" and would dismiss them as unneeded government interference in the "free market".</strong></em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaM3Jqv-VL2b2TCWd5C7rkbL06YHzdR4gRlmgjMr2Iu_asD2_b3Ta-Z3vBDL3VyYgxnqm7Rg57ZJWPkaSdxOoym1U0wD61hY7Vmz6H6-sXvRL1zQpyepwU8wn05Yth4ftG-eZqu582FNg/s1600/eisie.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 154px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaM3Jqv-VL2b2TCWd5C7rkbL06YHzdR4gRlmgjMr2Iu_asD2_b3Ta-Z3vBDL3VyYgxnqm7Rg57ZJWPkaSdxOoym1U0wD61hY7Vmz6H6-sXvRL1zQpyepwU8wn05Yth4ftG-eZqu582FNg/s200/eisie.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575200230890554818" /></a><strong>Health</strong><br />There has been a five-fold increase in government-assisted medical research during the last six years, We pledge: <br />Continued federal support for a sound research program aimed at both the prevention and cure of diseases, and intensified efforts to secure prompt and effective application of the results of research. This will include emphasis on mental illness. <br />Support of international health research programs. <br />We face serious personnel shortages in the health and medical fields. We pledge: <br />Federal help in new programs to build schools of medicine, dentistry, and public health and nursing, and financial aid to students in those fields. <em><strong>Today's GOP would take a very dim view of either federal help or of financial aid. After extending more tax cuts to billionaires, they would claim any more federal involvement in these areas of health to be a contributor to our deficit, and would shelve them altogether.</strong></em><br />We are confronted with major problems in the field of environmental health. We pledge: <br />Strengthened federal enforcement powers in combatting water pollution and additional resources for research and demonstration projects... <br />Federal authority to identify, after appropriate hearings, air pollution problems and to recommend proposed solutions... <em><strong>Republicans of today, who hate environmentalists and ridicule them, would never support actions like these.</strong></em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_mypzkV94Wlde_yOD0NejuFIB1hhTuphDIv4SpYGOVHTv6a3jwzr9nui_nlvxNWpo7XR7vTP1lsrQLB9R9Idj0yGV0-A09gGzYNFwsFf019t4vdOnF6MY8OJnp9hGtRhdBKCbqLk6lE/s1600/170px-Nixon_and_khrushchev+r.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_mypzkV94Wlde_yOD0NejuFIB1hhTuphDIv4SpYGOVHTv6a3jwzr9nui_nlvxNWpo7XR7vTP1lsrQLB9R9Idj0yGV0-A09gGzYNFwsFf019t4vdOnF6MY8OJnp9hGtRhdBKCbqLk6lE/s200/170px-Nixon_and_khrushchev+r.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575201017560259570" /></a><strong>Protection of Consumers</strong><br />In safeguarding the health of the nation the Eisenhower-Nixon Administration's initiative has resulted in doubling the resources of the Food and Drug Administration and in giving it new legal weapons. More progress has been made during this period in protecting consumers against harmful food, drugs, and cosmetics than in any other time in our history. We will continue to give strong support to this consumer-protection program. <em><strong>Current conservative Republicans would outright reject the notion of strict federal regulations, or they would appoint friends of each industry to a regulatory board to ensure that industry's wants and needs, and NOT those of consumers, would be taken care of!</strong></em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sUXETMjgUv6LpvGQlkf7WG2dx5vBIQ3HpCdsnYa0xXWD-1L8Fwu-m4a_Al8zDZ7Ll92zRBiJynuWJOiHZST8Pambd5hSLoLP7I_SKB574VakyOiymQwtv9Pyod-e565LiSE3IiibcdA/s1600/dirksen.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sUXETMjgUv6LpvGQlkf7WG2dx5vBIQ3HpCdsnYa0xXWD-1L8Fwu-m4a_Al8zDZ7Ll92zRBiJynuWJOiHZST8Pambd5hSLoLP7I_SKB574VakyOiymQwtv9Pyod-e565LiSE3IiibcdA/s200/dirksen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575201710020415730" /></a><strong>Civil Rights</strong><br />This nation was created to give expression, validity and purpose to our spiritual heritage—the supreme worth of the individual. In such a nation—a nation dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal—racial discrimination has no place. <em><strong>Except, as teabagger Rand Paul insists, in the case of PRIVATE businesses, which he believes ought to be able to set their own standards without government interference.</strong></em> It can hardly be reconciled with a Constitution that guarantees equal protection under law to all persons. In a deeper sense, too, it is immoral and unjust. <em><strong>To today's conservative Republican and teabagger, there is no morality or justice except protecting one's right to acquire as much wealth as possible free from government interference.</strong></em><br />As to those matters within reach of political action and leadership, we pledge ourselves unreservedly to its eradication. <br />Equality under law promises more than the equal right to vote and transcends mere relief from discrimination by government. It becomes a reality only when all persons have equal opportunity, without distinction of race, religion, color or national origin, to acquire the essentials of life—housing, education and employment. The Republican Party—the party of Abraham Lincoln—from its very beginning has striven to make this promise a reality. It is today, as it was then, unequivocally dedicated to making the greatest amount of progress toward the objective. <em><strong>Nearly all persons of color would disagree that this is much of a priority for the modern-day GOP.</strong></em> Nor is discrimination confined to the discrimination against Negroes. Discrimination in many, if not all, areas of the country on the basis of creed or national origin is equally insidious...<br />The Republican Party is proud of the civil rights record of the Eisenhower Administration. More progress has been made during the past eight years than in the preceding 80 years. We acted promptly to end discrimination in our nation's capital. Vigorous executive action was taken to complete swiftly the desegregation of the armed forces, veterans' hospitals, navy yards, and other federal establishments. <br />We supported the position of the Negro school children before the Supreme Court. We believe the Supreme Court school decision should be carried out in accordance with the mandate of the Court.<br />...the Republican Administration's recommendations resulted in significant and effective civil rights legislation in both 1957 and 1960—the first civil rights statutes to be passed in more than 80 years. <br />Hundreds of Negroes have already been registered to vote as a result of Department of Justice action, some in counties where Negroes did not vote before. The new law will soon make it possible for thousands and thousands of Negroes previously disenfranchised to vote. <em><strong>Persons of color would strongly disagree that the modern Republican shares this view, and would point to Jeb Bush's closing of roads leading to polling booths in Florida in 2000, and the transfer of a large number of inner city polling machines away to suburban locations in Ohio as evidence to the contrary. And, as far as their current stand on civil rights goes, look at the anti-Obama signs we have been seeing at teabagger rallies, with the President having a bone through his nose, and dressed as a black Hitler!</strong></em> <br />By executive order, a committee for the elimination of discrimination in government employment has been reestablished with broadened authority. Today, nearly one-fourth of all federal employees are Negro. <br />The President's Committee on Government Contracts, under the chairmanship of Vice President Nixon, has become an impressive force for the elimination of discriminatory employment practices of private companies that do business with the government. <em><strong>The Rand Paul/Libertarian clique would oppose this today and call it social engineering or interference by the government in the affairs of private industry.</strong></em><br />Other important achievements include initial steps toward the elimination of segregation in federally-aided housing; the establishment of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, which enforces federal civil rights laws; and the appointment of the bi-partisan Civil Rights Commission, which has prepared a significant report that lays the groundwork for further legislative action and progress. <br />The Republican record is a record of progress—not merely promises. Nevertheless, we recognize that much remains to be done... <em><strong>They have reduced their focus in this area significantly.</strong></em> <br /><br />Each of the following pledges is practical and within realistic reach of accomplishment. They are serious—not cynical—pledges made to result in maximum progress. <br /><br /><strong>1. Voting.</strong> <br />We pledge: <br />Continued vigorous enforcement of the civil rights laws to guarantee the right to vote to all citizens in all areas of the country. <br /><br />Legislation to provide that the completion of six primary grades in a state accredited school is conclusive evidence of literacy for voting purposes. <br /><br /><strong>2. Public Schools.</strong> <br />We pledge: <br />The Department of Justice will continue its vigorous support of court orders for school desegregation. Desegregation suits now pending involve at least 39 school districts. Those suits and others already concluded will affect most major cities in which school segregation is being practiced. <br /><br />It will use the new authority provided by the Civil Rights Act of 1960 to prevent obstruction of court orders. <br /><br />We will propose legislation to authorize the Attorney General to bring actions for school desegregation in the name of the United States in appropriate cases, as when economic coercion or threat of physical harm is used to deter persons from going to court to establish their rights. <br /><br />Our continuing support of the President's proposal, to extend federal aid and technical assistance to schools which in good faith attempted to desegregate. <br /><br />We oppose the pretense of fixing a target date 3 years from now for the mere submission of plans for school desegregation. Slow-moving school districts would construe it as a three-year moratorium during which progress would cease, postponing until 1963 the legal process to enforce compliance. We believe that each of the pending court actions should proceed as the Supreme Court has directed and that in no district should there be any such delay. <br /><br /><strong>3. Employment. </strong><br />We pledge: <br />Continued support for legislation to establish a Commission on Equal Job Opportunity to make permanent and to expand with legislative backing the excellent work being performed by the President's Committee on Government Contracts. <br />Appropriate legislation to end the discriminatory membership practices of some labor union locals, unless such practices are eradicated promptly by the labor unions themselves. <br />Use of the full-scale review of existing state laws, and of prior proposals for federal legislation, to eliminate discrimination in employment now being conducted by the Civil Rights Commission, for guidance in our objective of developing a Federal-State program in the employment area. <br />Special consideration of training programs aimed at developing the skills of those now working in marginal agricultural employment so that they can obtain employment in industry, notably in the new industries moving into the South. <br /><br /><br /><strong>4. Housing</strong>.<br />We pledge: <br />Action to prohibit discrimination in housing constructed with the aid of federal subsidies. <br /><br /><br /><strong>5. Public Facilities and Services.</strong> <br />We pledge: <br />Removal of any vestige of discrimination in the operation of federal facilities or procedures which may at any time be found. <br /><br />Opposition to the use of federal funds for the construction of segregated community facilities. <br /><br />Action to ensure that public transportation and other government authorized services shall be free from segregation. <em><strong>Much of this was cleared up or reduced with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.</strong></em><br /><br />6. Legislative Procedure. <br />We pledge: <br />...We reaffirm the constitutional right to peaceable assembly to protest discrimination in private business establishments. We applaud the action of the businessmen who have abandoned discriminatory practices in retail establishments, and we urge others to follow their example. Such is no longer the case. <em><strong>Starting with Ronald Reagan, union-busting has become a rampage among Republican officeholders. They no longer support or will condone wildcat strikes or demonstrations in private industry.</strong></em> <br />Finally we recognize that civil rights is a responsibility not only of states and localities; it is a national problem and a national responsibility. The federal government should take the initiative in promoting inter-group conferences among those who, in their communities, are earnestly seeking solutions of the complex problems of desegregation—to the end that closed channels of communication may be opened, tensions eased, and a cooperative solution of local problems may be sought. <br /><br />In summary, we pledge the full use of the power, resources and leadership of the federal government to eliminate discrimination based on race, color, religion or national origin and to encourage understanding and good will among all races and creeds. <em><strong>This is no longer a priority for the modern conservative Republican, for rather than attempting to be INCLUSIVE, they have adopted a pattern of EXCLUSIVITY, particularly against blacks and immigrants.</strong></em><br /><br /><strong>Immigration</strong><br />Immigration has historically been a great factor in the growth of the United States, not only in numbers but in the enrichment of ideas that immigrants have brought with them... <br />Immigration has been reduced to the point where it does not provide the stimulus to growth that it should, nor are we fulfilling our obligation as a haven for the oppressed. Republican conscience and Republican policy require that: <br />The annual number of immigrants we accept be at least doubled... <br />The guidelines of our immigration policy be based upon judgment of the individual merit of each applicant for admission and citizenship. <em><strong>Republicans have see-sawed back and forth on immigration for years. Today, they oppose illegal immigration, not because it represents a threat to lower-wage American workers, but because of the tax burden illegal immigration places on local and state governments. But during the Bush administration, illegals were viewed as a source of cheap labor that could be easily exported. They also used illegals to further weaken labor unions.</strong></em> <br /><br /><br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br />We have set forth the program of the Republican Party for the government of the United States. We have written a Party document, as is our duty, but we have tried to refrain from writing a merely partisan document. We have no wish to exaggerate differences between ourselves and the Democratic Party; ...The history and composition of the Republican Party make it the natural instrument for eradicating the injustice and discrimination in this country... <em><strong>That last statement is no longer true. Today's Republicans, under the banner of "free trade" encourage and support all forms of discrimination along economic lines. Starting with their capture of Congress in 1995, they have also begun a bitter partisan and uncooperative struggle with the Democratic Party which lasts to this very day. They have become demanding and uncompromising, and all facade of civility has been tossed out altogether...</strong></em><br />---------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><em><strong>This platform was the mindset of the Republican Party a mere 51 years ago, before Vietnam, Watergate, Ronald Reagan, 9/11, pre-emptive military strikes, the Bush Doctrine. non-bid military contracts to large campaign donors, or wildly out of control deficit spending had infected and perverted the party. In those days, they properly referred to their opponents as the "Democratic Party", not the disrepectful and ignoramtly-phrased "Democrat Party" we hear so many of them use today. They also believed the federal government must play a regulatory role over business and industry; that labor unions had and deserved a spot in the national economy; and that taxes were an accepted way of raising revenue for the expenses of government. <br /><br />Speaking of taxes, it is curious to note that they did not even devote one single topic heading to the issue of taxation, even though AT THAT TIME THE MARGINAL RATE FOR THE HIGHEST INCOMES STOOD AT A WHOPPING 91%!!! Republicans of that day, most of them anyway, recognized the paying of taxes as a responsible civic duty, and they didn't scream for mercy and flee the paying of taxes as they do now, at a top marginal rate of ONLY 35%, A FULL 56 POINTS LOWER! Nor did they make any policy regarding Religion. For in those days, most Republicans didn't wear their religion on their sleeve and truly recognized and accepted its role as being kept separate from the affairs of state. Yesterday's Republican Party placed a much higher value on education than its counterpart of today, and they truly WERE fiscally responsible without favoring the wealthy to the exclusion of all else. They were also MUCH more tolerant, more honest, and less biting in their remarks against the opposition party than they are today. After the mistake of letting Joe McCarthy lead them down an extremist path of senseless witch hunts, they had regained a sense of reason and pragmatism sorely lacking in the modern-day version.<br /><br />WE CAN ONLY HOPE THEY WILL SOON RETURN TO THEIR SENSES AND DISCARD THE REACTIONARY COURSE THEY HAVE BEEN INCREASINGLY FOLLOWING!</strong></em> <br /><br /><br /><strong>UP NEXT: GOD, AND JESUS, ARE </strong><em><strong>LIBERALS!</strong></em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-90209252349606004572011-02-20T08:15:00.000-06:002011-02-20T08:15:00.598-06:00PROOF OF THE GOP's EXTREME FAR-RIGHT DRIFT (PART II)!I now present part II of the abridged <strong>1960 Republican Party platform,</strong> in an effort to prove how far rightward that wretched party has drifted over the past 50 years. Just as in part I, my comments will be found from time to time in <em><strong>bold italic, like this.</strong></em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4ypdhkw9dezUAPGZQ51wg5Bmh4ipqhk5rX7u8ZZf8Jro3BbXEXlIJq54Y_ECmI5auHIpdbI6FycNfDSuByYntxj9TU3FfCkoyu5pnppDjdvxn7g6f-D2QartEKtlthcstVpE8btCMU0/s1600/eisen.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 144px; height: 196px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4ypdhkw9dezUAPGZQ51wg5Bmh4ipqhk5rX7u8ZZf8Jro3BbXEXlIJq54Y_ECmI5auHIpdbI6FycNfDSuByYntxj9TU3FfCkoyu5pnppDjdvxn7g6f-D2QartEKtlthcstVpE8btCMU0/s320/eisen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574868057577006210" /></a><strong>Government Administration</strong> <br />...We must undertake further reorganization of the Defense Department to achieve the most effective unification of defense planning and command. <br />Improved conflict-of-interest laws should be enacted for vigilant protection of the public interest and to remove deterrents to governmental service by our most able citizens. <br />The federal government must constantly strengthen its career service and must be truly progressive as an employer. Government employment must be a vocation deserving of high public respect. Common sense demands continued improvements in employment, training and promotion practices based on merit, effective procedures for dealing with employment grievances, and salaries which are comparable to those offered by private employers. <em><strong>PROGRESSIVE EMPLOYER? Hear that, O'Reilly, Beck, and Limbaugh? Your 1960 forefathers were saying that government employ was noble and deserving of respect and that those employed in government should earn a salary comparable to those doing similar work in private industry! How DARE you preach otherwise today, or insinuate that they are paid too much!</strong></em> <br />Needed federal judgeships, appointed on the basis of the highest qualifications and without limitation to a single political party, should be created to expedite administration of justice in federal courts. <em><strong>Today's conservative Republicans would have no use for such a provision---they only want CONSERVATIVE judges issuing CONSERVATIVE verdicts, and true justice be damned!</strong></em><br />We favor a change in the Electoral College system to give every voter a fair voice in presidential elections. <em><strong>Today's GOP would rather limit minority voters and make creation of all political ads open to corporate money.</strong></em><br />We condemn bigotry, smear and other unfair tactics in political campaigns. We favor realistic and effective safeguards against diverting non-political funds to partisan political purposes. <em><strong>Not any more, they don't! The past2 presidential elections have been FULL of smear ads put forth by shadowy big-money front groups (Swift Boat veterans, Obama pals with terrorists, etc.).</strong></em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlb9QkTQt-ajG0kbAu6o3zu0T4tbHdLF71bPBGrNSlQuC918ydzn-mw27HIIZCBsCHEAxAHnPpdy0fLGY6kiRuW7HNAzD-Av_7nGbRbDcBzDhekbwd5Fpzxx53XJUOH3AR-mZM9DuQX4/s1600/dirksen.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlb9QkTQt-ajG0kbAu6o3zu0T4tbHdLF71bPBGrNSlQuC918ydzn-mw27HIIZCBsCHEAxAHnPpdy0fLGY6kiRuW7HNAzD-Av_7nGbRbDcBzDhekbwd5Fpzxx53XJUOH3AR-mZM9DuQX4/s320/dirksen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574868553658416306" /></a><strong>Education</strong> <br /><br />...We express our gratefulness and we praise the countless thousands of teachers who have devoted themselves in an inspired way towards the development of our greatest heritage—our own children—the youth of the country. <em><strong>Today's Republicans are far more anti-education, and some, like Wisconsin's Scott Walker and Ohio's Jon Kasich, want to strip teachers of their collective bargaining rights. They also ridicule college professors.</strong></em><br />Education is not a luxury, nor a gift to be bestowed upon ourselves and our children. Education is an investment; our schools cannot become second best. Each person possesses the right to education—it is his birthright in a free Republic. <em><strong>Only now, a number of Republicans want to do away with public education altogether, favoring a system of pay-as-you-go private schools. Some want to completely dismantle the Department of Education!</strong></em><br />Toward the goal of fullest possible educational opportunity for every American, we pledge these actions: <br />Federal support to the primary and secondary schools by a program of federal aid for school construction—pacing it to the real needs of individual school districts in states and territories, and requiring state approval and participation... <br />Support of efforts to make adequate library facilities available to all our citizens. <br />Continued support of programs to strengthen basic research in education; to discover the best methods for helping handicapped, retarded, and gifted children to realize their highest potential. <br />The federal government can also play a part in stimulating higher education. Constructive action would include: <br />The federal program to assist in construction of college housing. <br />Extension of the federal student loan program and graduate fellowship program. <br />Consideration of means through tax laws to help offset tuition costs. <br />Federal matching grants to help states finance the cost of state surveys and inventories of the status and needs of their school systems. <br />Provision should be made for continuous attention to education at all levels by the creation of a permanent, top-level commission to advise the President and the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, constantly striving to focus the interest of each citizen on the quality of our education at every level, from primary through postgraduate, and for every age group from children to adults... <em><strong>Isn't that what the Department of Education, which many Republicans now want to do away with, does?</strong></em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtjnHiXZBc8wzUpwaF44QPBgXrB_hy9iiQKpMw5sN0RxncUbWYDkz3-iwCwaakAODAmPRUW4RydfTIRj3wpa68TS0qie3i359WCttHGc-Q7f8QtC2bEq2DDw_g0xXeeRodRT3suM6LSM/s1600/160px-Clifford_P_Case+r.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtjnHiXZBc8wzUpwaF44QPBgXrB_hy9iiQKpMw5sN0RxncUbWYDkz3-iwCwaakAODAmPRUW4RydfTIRj3wpa68TS0qie3i359WCttHGc-Q7f8QtC2bEq2DDw_g0xXeeRodRT3suM6LSM/s320/160px-Clifford_P_Case+r.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574869212374468802" /></a><strong>Science and Technology</strong><br />Much of America's future depends upon the inquisitive mind, freely searching nature for ways to conquer disease, poverty and grinding physical demands, and for knowledge of space and the atom. <br />We Republicans express our profound gratitude to the great scientists and engineers of our country, both in and out of government, for the remarkable progress they have made. Reliable evidence indicates, all areas of scientific knowledge considered, that our country has been, is, and under our system of free inquiry, will continue to be the greatest arsenal and reservoir of effective scientific knowledge in the world. <em><strong>Today's GOP no longer values questioning of the status quo or free inquiry. Instead, THEY question and ridicule important and far-reaching scientific positions on climate change and they ridicule the concept of evolution. They simply try to dismiss and demean all who don't agree with them by calling them "socialists" and not listening what they have to say.</strong></em><br />We pledge our continued leadership in every field of science and technology, earthbound as well as spacial, to assure a citadel of liberty from which the fruits of freedom may be carried to all people. <br />Our continuing and great national need is for basic research—a wellspring of knowledge and progress. Government must continue to take a responsible role in science to assure that worth-while endeavors of national significance are not retarded by practical limitations of private and local support. This demands from all Americans the intellectual leadership and understanding so necessary for these creative endeavors and an equal understanding by our scientists and technicians of the needs and hopes of mankind. <br />We believe the federal roles in research to be in the area of ( 1 ) basic research which industry cannot be reasonably expected to pursue, and (2) applied research in fields of prime national concern such as national defense, exploration and use of space, public health, and better common use of all natural resources, both human and physical. We endorse the contracting by government agencies for research and urge allowance for reasonable charges for overhead and management in connection therewith. <br />The vigor of American science and technology may best be inspired by: <br />An environment of freedom and public understanding in which intellectual achievement and scientific research may flourish. <br />A decentralization of research into as many centers of creativity as possible. <br />The encouragement of colleges and universities, private enterprise, and foundations as a growing source of new ideas and new applications. <br />Opportunity for scientists and engineers, in and out of government, to pursue their search with utmost aggressiveness. <br />Continuation of the advisory committee to represent the views of the scientific community to the President and of the Federal Council for Science and Technology to foster coordination in planning and execution. <br />Continued expansion of the Eisenhower-Nixon Atoms-for-Peace program and a constant striving, backed by scientific advice, for international agreement for peaceful and cooperative exploration and use of space. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMK-7iCVY7QCbTA3xHgILWtTFbZ28s74x9wsnHo0TznR2BVm8AaaVuVTgWrNV9dE8jBSirDC48IV_CYDXqiB8bg3kk-cwCPFriqvc9_TvFRaAo50_6kiZ2i-r6PuezyadzFXHdJmFqTM/s1600/MargaretChaseSmith+r.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMK-7iCVY7QCbTA3xHgILWtTFbZ28s74x9wsnHo0TznR2BVm8AaaVuVTgWrNV9dE8jBSirDC48IV_CYDXqiB8bg3kk-cwCPFriqvc9_TvFRaAo50_6kiZ2i-r6PuezyadzFXHdJmFqTM/s320/MargaretChaseSmith+r.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574870412438831586" /></a><strong>HUMAN NEEDS</strong><br />The ultimate objective of our free society and of an ever-growing economy is to enable the individual to pursue a life of dignity and to develop his own capacities to his maximum potential. <em><strong>Today's conservative GOP still believes this to be true: for workers outside of our borders. That's why they support outsourcing of good-paying American jobs to cheap foreign-labor markets. So long as corporations and their board of directors thrive and prosper, that's all they care about. In adopting this approach, today's GOP has reduced American workers to a mere commodity (hardly a position or life of "dignity") and has completely turned their back on them. Their actions have started a stampede of wealth flowing upward rather than evenly throughout the economy.</strong></em> Government's primary role is to help provide the environment within which the individual can seek his own goals. In some areas this requires federal action to supplement individual, local and state initiative. The Republican Party has acted and will act decisively, compassionately, and with deep human understanding in approaching such problems as those of the aged, the infirm, the mentally ill, and the needy. <em><strong>That's right: today's GOP has acted to avoid and even exploit most of them!</strong></em><br />This is demonstrated by the significant increase in social security coverage and benefits as a result of recommendations made by the Eisenhower-Nixon Administration. As a result of these recommendations and normal growth, 14 million persons are receiving benefits today compared to five million in 1952, and benefit payments total $10.3 billion as compared to $2.5 billion in 1952. <em><strong>Today's conservatives want to privatize Social Security and leave it vulnerable to Wall Street speculation. They also want to restrict the age at which one becomes eligible for it to those 70 and over. That is a HUGE difference in approach compared with their forefathers!</strong></em> In addition, there have been increases in payments to those on public assistance, both for their basic needs and for their health and medical care; and a broad expansion in our federal-state program for restoring disabled persons to useful lives—an expansion which has accomplished the rehabilitation of over half a million persons during this Administration... <em><strong>Today's teabaggers and conservative Republicans, in their current budget-cutting mania, would DECREASE rather than increase such payments!</strong></em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtzyHxppk7ior60UcK_SaWuDXop-N4-ouexwyXG5z1hYH0lVEuvCh0pNg_puFmRa_KGRIA0RIYSRWBV7Rdxap6XAasrbD5l29nXz9U4GQLIMUiLgiWhKCP3fBmrvlTyRdGKmLkrkdnoA/s1600/nixon+2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 201px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtzyHxppk7ior60UcK_SaWuDXop-N4-ouexwyXG5z1hYH0lVEuvCh0pNg_puFmRa_KGRIA0RIYSRWBV7Rdxap6XAasrbD5l29nXz9U4GQLIMUiLgiWhKCP3fBmrvlTyRdGKmLkrkdnoA/s320/nixon+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574871164723828946" /></a><strong>Older Citizens</strong><br />To meet the needs of the aging, we pledge: Expansion of coverage, and liberalization of selected social security benefits on a basis which would maintain the fiscal integrity of the system. <br />Support of federal-state grant programs to improve health, welfare and rehabilitation services for the handicapped older persons and to improve standards of nursing home care and care and treatment facilities for the chronically and mentally ill. <br />Federal leadership to encourage policies that will make retirement at a fixed age voluntary and not compulsory. <br />Support of programs that will persuade and encourage the nation to utilize fully the skills, wisdom and experience of older citizens... <em><strong>Today's Republicans would refuse to spend anything more for any of these people. In their view, the defense budget and tax cuts for the very wealthy are far more important.</strong></em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN082SAl190a7HYxUNm147QHnJr3GKqlMNLBnMM9N_7ucNSIW3KPjwfRgGVAVvlk0F07D_p_j0Et3eqf4a9ExUnyW8gHnxtd6ZYlPEcDWG0uaAvJp_yMycnvWdaJASnksBft6EWtg6n1I/s1600/nixon+and+lodge+button.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 98px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN082SAl190a7HYxUNm147QHnJr3GKqlMNLBnMM9N_7ucNSIW3KPjwfRgGVAVvlk0F07D_p_j0Et3eqf4a9ExUnyW8gHnxtd6ZYlPEcDWG0uaAvJp_yMycnvWdaJASnksBft6EWtg6n1I/s200/nixon+and+lodge+button.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574871948749523778" /></a><strong>Health Aid</strong><br />...For the needs which individuals of all age groups cannot meet by themselves, we propose: <br />Removing the arbitrary 50-year age requirement under the disability insurance program while amending the law also to provide incentives for rehabilitated persons to return to useful work... <br />A strengthened federal-state program to rehabilitate the estimated 200,000 persons who annually could become independent after proper medical services and occupational training. <br />A new federal-state program, for handicapped persons completely dependent on others, to help them meet their needs for personal care. <em><strong>Again, modern Republicans would rather spend money on defense and give it to the rich than invest in these people.</strong></em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkjh6QsD-LjG_Jm14GE3chfj0_sW67Dr3X49xyrij-Py8-M8Dce5xBQeyl405dKLXXf3sSBVlsKo7bBNBud5hjBEbUK0rt6UvxjsDbwfq9n7-s-MQh_SBCuhG9jXk0Rjx-DYU_8GvvUQ/s1600/LeverettSaltonstall+r.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 182px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkjh6QsD-LjG_Jm14GE3chfj0_sW67Dr3X49xyrij-Py8-M8Dce5xBQeyl405dKLXXf3sSBVlsKo7bBNBud5hjBEbUK0rt6UvxjsDbwfq9n7-s-MQh_SBCuhG9jXk0Rjx-DYU_8GvvUQ/s320/LeverettSaltonstall+r.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574872740891788258" /></a><strong>Juvenile Delinquency</strong><br />The Federal Government can and should help state and local communities combat juvenile delinquency by inaugurating a grant program for research, demonstration, and training projects and by placing greater emphasis on strengthening family life in all welfare programs for which it shares responsibility. <em><strong>Today's GOP would never favor such an approach and would instead defer such programs to private institutions or churches, neither of which could handle the job.</strong></em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxXYeA81v9kumLLAlga8HbpVkOdH4lNHUzhrbH-nMPE9QaDbxWB3qtoclzPd3qCTBDau0tEhJnsU0yt5xYYfQbw5dkqUFabH0ZaulmeUW0Vt4IBKYzzQRVUK7fwj0-w0cYoJ171f_ScU/s1600/cabot+l.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 156px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxXYeA81v9kumLLAlga8HbpVkOdH4lNHUzhrbH-nMPE9QaDbxWB3qtoclzPd3qCTBDau0tEhJnsU0yt5xYYfQbw5dkqUFabH0ZaulmeUW0Vt4IBKYzzQRVUK7fwj0-w0cYoJ171f_ScU/s320/cabot+l.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574873877864536098" /></a><strong>Veterans</strong><br />We believe that military service in the defense of our Republic against aggressors who have sought to destroy the freedom and dignity of man imposes upon the nation a special responsibility to those who have served. To meet this responsibility, we pledge: <br />Continuance of the Veterans Administration as an independent agency. <br />The highest possible standard of medical care with increasing emphasis on rehabilitation. <em><strong>Neocon Republicans like George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld decided that it wasn't important to give soldiers in the field secure-enough Humvees. They negated their responsibility for safety and implemented a featherbedding system of rewarding huge campaign donors like Halliburton with lucrative non-bid military contracts. Also, a number of today's teabaggers have advocated privatizing the VA.</strong></em><br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><em><strong>Again, today's overly conservative Republican Party has embarked on a course so reactionary it almost contradicts the policies favored by the GOP 50 years ago. Instead of moving forward with their agenda, they have chosen to look and move BACKWARD, to a time where government involvement in the economy and business was practically nil. Whereas in 1960 the GOP recognized a spot for both government and organized labor to be at the table, today they want both entities as powerless as possible. They turn a very blind eye toward the shrinking of the middle class and the growing numbers cof American poor, even as they pursue policies that benefit the very wealthy almost exclusively. In so doing, they have become more self-centered and ignorant than ever before.Their aim is to maximize personal profit, and they will attack anybody or anything that stands in their way.Reasoned and responsible Republicans like Margaret Chase Smith, Everett Dirksen, and Clifford Case would feel very out of place in the 2011 edition of the GOP, and with good reason!</strong></em><br /><br /><br /><strong>COMING IN PART III: Housing, Health, Protection of Consumers, Civil Rights, and a list of catergorized 1960 pledges by the GOP, and my summation.</strong>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-60580512081071974522011-02-17T09:20:00.003-06:002011-02-17T22:33:16.070-06:00PROOF OF THE GOP's EXTREME FAR-RIGHT DRIFT (PART I)!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSgvZooweGIiU2MyjVX31hJqYC_rHfMgucYyYVPraDeiILoScxZqIyXNRZRw3LvfSMdkJucdXVB2J2RDCAFAYgoBoMYkmOqy3IzhFqOpF5bg9mJN-KQDlyFPoJIafOwp6wxeavpmQENG8/s1600/eisenhower.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSgvZooweGIiU2MyjVX31hJqYC_rHfMgucYyYVPraDeiILoScxZqIyXNRZRw3LvfSMdkJucdXVB2J2RDCAFAYgoBoMYkmOqy3IzhFqOpF5bg9mJN-KQDlyFPoJIafOwp6wxeavpmQENG8/s320/eisenhower.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574453431467721474" /></a>Much comment has been made about how ultra-conservative the Republican Party has grown over recent decades. Its agenda today is truly reactionary: especially with the rise of the ultra-wealthy <strong>Koch Brothers</strong>-supported <strong>Tea Party </strong>and <strong>Dick Armey</strong>'s shadowy <strong>Freedom Works </strong>movements, it now seems hell-bent on returning the nation both socially AND economically back to the 1890s! The Republicans have been captured by a far-out-of-the-mainstream group of government hating, union-busting pirates and extremists who have successfully pashed our national political agenda ever-rightward. In so doing, these so-called lovers of the Constitution have embarked this country on a number of decidedly UNconstitutional practices which threaten our democracy, and especially the type of country we have all grown up in! <br /><br />As true Republican <strong>Engineer of Knowledge</strong>, a fellow blogger with a great amount of common sense correctly notes, this has amounted to an invasion and perversion of the Republican Party. I thought it would be useful for readers of today to see what the Republican Party was like before it became captured and enslaved by the far, far right: when <strong>Sarah Palin </strong>and <strong>Michele Bachmann</strong>, <strong>Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter</strong>, and <strong>Glenn Beck </strong>would have been correctly regarded and properly ignored by nearly all as being extremist crackpots. For, just a few years prior, the insane claims of Sen. <strong>Joseph McCarthy </strong>(Ike is an unwitting tool of the Communists, and there are Communists in the US Army) had been largely repudiated, and similar conspiratorial rants had been largely discredited. By 1961, conservative giant <strong>William F. Buckley </strong>even attacked <strong>the John Birch Society </strong>for its craziness, and extreme Birchers soon found little comfort in the GOP. It seemed like, for the first time in many years, the Republicans had finally grown more mature and sensible. I will now, then, whisk you back to the golden days when this GOP was far more pragmatic, fair-minded, and forward-looking than it is today... <br /><br />Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the <strong>1960 REPUBLICAN PARTY PLATFORM </strong>(in abriged form). Due to its length, I will present part I now and parts II and III in my next two posts. <em><strong>MY own comments will be inserted from time to time in bolded italic form, like this.</strong></em> This platform was drafted and put forth near the end of the Eisenhower administration, in time for the party convention which nominated <strong>Dick Nixon </strong>to run against <strong>JFK</strong> for President. You will be amazed when you compare it with today's version of Republican beliefs. For this is the <strong>true</strong> Republican Party, back in the days when reason and good sense were prominent in its aspirations and pronouncements. Regrettably, the same cannot be said of today's far-right version of that wretched party:<br /><br /><strong>Preamble</strong> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjArS_KNjIhR0bqTp2yXZGYREKlh6fESdVr1r_NPhVXZBnQVUmKgwBraPZw5B86cwDYiR2lIitSLpOsR0hMOPjISRNbWVINVBqQjM41ys6j2Pbwufedx1omeFyk6P28lx91hBJIxfF2Ceg/s1600/nixon+60.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 80px; height: 79px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjArS_KNjIhR0bqTp2yXZGYREKlh6fESdVr1r_NPhVXZBnQVUmKgwBraPZw5B86cwDYiR2lIitSLpOsR0hMOPjISRNbWVINVBqQjM41ys6j2Pbwufedx1omeFyk6P28lx91hBJIxfF2Ceg/s320/nixon+60.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574453085912105042" /></a>The United States is living in an age of profoundest revolution. The lives of men and of nations are undergoing such transformations as history has rarely recorded. The birth of new nations, the impact of new machines, the threat of new weapons, the stirring of new ideas, the ascent into a new dimension of the universe- everywhere the accent falls on the new. At such a time of world upheaval, great perils match great opportunities—and hopes, as well as fears, rise in all areas of human life. Such a force as nuclear power symbolizes the greatness of the choice before the United States and mankind. The energy of the atom could bring devastation to humanity. Or it could be made to serve men's hopes for peace and progress—to make for all peoples a more healthy and secure and prosperous life than man has ever known. <br />One fact darkens the reasonable hopes of free men: the growing vigor and thrust of Communist imperialism. Everywhere across the earth, this force challenges us to prove our strength and wisdom, our capacity for sacrifice, our faith in ourselves and in our institutions. <br />Free men look to us for leadership and support, which we dedicate ourselves to give out of the abundance of our national strength. <br />The fate of the world will be deeply affected, perhaps determined, by the quality of American leadership. American leadership means both how we govern ourselves and how we help to influence others. We deliberate the choice of national leadership and policy, mindful that in some measure our proposals involve the fate of mankind. <br />The leadership of the United States must be responsible and mature; its promises must be rational and practical, soberly pledged and faithfully undertaken. Its purposes and its aspirations must ascend to that high ground of right and freedom upon which mankind may dwell and progress in decent security. <br />We are impressed, but not dismayed, by the revolutionary turbulence that is wracking the world. In the midst of violence and change, we draw strength and confidence from the changeless principles of our free Constitution. Free men are invincible when the power and courage, the patience and the fortitude latent in them are drawn forth by reasonable appeal. <br />In this Republican Platform we offer to the United States our program—our call to service, our pledge of leadership, our proposal of measures in the public interest. We call upon God, in whose hand is every blessing, to favor our deliberations with wisdom, our nation with endurance, and troubled mankind everywhere with a righteous peace. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfIthpzP0ruFQmlh-VNeObVC_1uN4Z6m2P_ha9ETbwdgmwafAQCq9pRrs8G1U6O154bXnMP8Cc70xOTJjptbxPB7HjGyYerEkQsyIqfPfPVBJ6ies3uL3TXqCcxVTPleypdc1h7aNp20/s1600/Barry_Goldwater_photo1962.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfIthpzP0ruFQmlh-VNeObVC_1uN4Z6m2P_ha9ETbwdgmwafAQCq9pRrs8G1U6O154bXnMP8Cc70xOTJjptbxPB7HjGyYerEkQsyIqfPfPVBJ6ies3uL3TXqCcxVTPleypdc1h7aNp20/s320/Barry_Goldwater_photo1962.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574455356756028226" /></a><strong>Foreign Policy </strong> <br />In the Middle East, we shall continue to support the integrity and independence of all the states of that area including Israel and the Arab States. <br />Recognition of Communist China and its admission to the United Nations have been firmly opposed by the Republican Administration. We will continue in this opposition because of compelling evidence that to do otherwise would weaken the cause of freedom and endanger the future of the free peoples of Asia and the world. The brutal suppression of the human rights and the religious traditions of the Tibetan people is an unhappy evidence of the need to persist in our policy. <em><strong>Of course, this was written well before President Nixon recognized China, successfully playing them off agaibst the Soviet Union, and before the Republicans were completely gobbled up by corporate special interests. We now have an ungodly trade imbalance with China which has lent to the destruction of many American industries and jobs. Net result: slightly lower prices for us on these imported items, but huge corporate profits for the importing corporations. Need I mention that, as China's standard of living is rising, ours is DROPPING?</strong></em><br />The countries of the free world have been benefited, reinforced and drawn closer together by the vigor of American support of the United Nations, and by our participation in such regional organizations as NATO, SEATO, CENTO, the Organization of American States and other collective security alliances. We assert our intention steadfastly to uphold the action and principles of these bodies. <em><strong>That was true until the rise of the neocons, who held the United Nations in contempt and tried to go around them whenever possible. ARE YOU LISTENING, JON BOLTON?</strong></em> <br />The firm diplomacy of the Eisenhower-Nixon Administration has been supported by a military power superior to any in the history of our nation or in the world. As long as world tensions menace us with war, we are resolved to maintain an armed power exceeded by no other. <em><strong>MANY cost overruns by defense contractors later, that is still true!</strong></em> <br />Under Republican administration, the Government has developed original and constructive programs in many fields—open skies, atoms for peace, cultural and technical exchanges, the peaceful uses of outer space and Antarctica—to make known to men everywhere our desire to advance the cause of peace. We mean, as a Party, to continue in the same course. <br />We recognize and freely acknowledge the support given to these principles and policies by all Americans, irrespective of party. Standing as they do above partisan challenge, such principles and policies will, we earnestly hope, continue to have bipartisan support. <em><strong>Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and George W. Bush simply trashed this idea altogether by lYING about and then attacking, conquering, and occupying Iraq under false pretenses.</strong></em> <br />We confront today the global offensive of Communism, increasingly aggressive and violent in its enterprises. The agency of that offensive is Soviet policy, aimed at the subversion of the world. <em><strong>Substitute "radical Islamists" or "terrorists" for "Soviets", and we have the same ol' battle all over again. It's great how the GOP has managed to constantly supply us with a deadly mortal enemy to go to war with, isn't it?</strong></em><br />Recently we have noted Soviet Union pretexts to intervene in the affairs of newly independent countries, accompanied by threats of the use of nuclear weapons. Such interventions constitute a form of subversion against the sovereignty of these new nations and a direct challenge to the United Nations. <br />The immediate strategy of the Soviet imperialists is to destroy the world's confidence in America's desire for peace, to threaten with violence our mutual security arrangements, and to sever the bonds of amity and respect among the free nations. To nullify the Soviet conspiracy is our greatest task. The United States faces this challenge and resolves to meet it with courage and confidence. <br />To this end we will continue to support and strengthen the United Nations as an instrument for peace, for international cooperation, and for the advancement of the fundamental freedoms and humane interests of mankind. <em><strong>The neocons all but abandoned this strategy when they adopted the policies of pre-emptive warfare, rendition, and torture. Nice job, neocon war criminals!</strong></em><br />Through all the calculated shifts of Soviet tactics and mood, the Eisenhower-Nixon Administration has demonstrated its willingness to negotiate in earnest with the Soviet Union to arrive at just settlements for the reduction of world tensions. <br />We recognize that firm political and military policies, while imperative for our security, cannot in themselves build peace in the world. <br />We have already created unprecedented dimensions of diplomacy for these purposes. We recognize that upon our support of well-conceived programs of economic cooperation among nations rest the best hopes of hundreds of millions of friendly people for a decent future for themselves and their children. Our mutual security program of economic help and technical assistance; the Development Loan Fund, the Inter-American Bank, the International Development Association and the Food for Peace Program, which create the conditions for progress in less-developed countries; our leadership in international efforts to help children, eliminate pestilence and disease and aid refugees—these are programs wise in concept and generous in purpose. We mean to continue in support of them. <em><strong>These efforts have been supplanted by the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, and the International Monetary Fund, all of which are supported by today's Republicans, and each of which is run by, for, and for the benefit of, huge multinational corporations which prey on poorer countries. What happened here, Republicans?</strong></em> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdmyx7y_0qVnxQVCd5-fedVHXWD_jXNHGwdoWedqbIx48ipquY89ypjot2M6Q8ZVFPDADVCOmTNRbVEmo6LTQVJ6voOfTwGKwoAdvj9_1xWmFDBvwhTy9xCCo-lBF3SzIyNn_ssRHYjg/s1600/reaganz.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 199px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdmyx7y_0qVnxQVCd5-fedVHXWD_jXNHGwdoWedqbIx48ipquY89ypjot2M6Q8ZVFPDADVCOmTNRbVEmo6LTQVJ6voOfTwGKwoAdvj9_1xWmFDBvwhTy9xCCo-lBF3SzIyNn_ssRHYjg/s320/reaganz.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574475772718384978" /></a><strong>National Defense </strong><br /> The strategic imperatives of our national defense policy are these: <br />A second-strike capability, that is, a nuclear retaliatory power that can survive surprise attack, strike back, and destroy any possible enemy. <em><strong>SECOND strike? That's a HUGE difference with today's trigger-happy pre-emptive strike crowd of Dick and Liz Cheney Republicans!</strong></em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQYD4yvDDEJHLa3VogoKvJBllGcRkPlekZ4wn6B4wlWNkY24p_2M-t_ljXaIqnu0HhornRk5aV5ntD7xKFmNJfOSxl77rkJWWDPmeXtsIHsHZiBXYBo8CXq7uICliompHI4HcjTrc1qY/s1600/nixons.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQYD4yvDDEJHLa3VogoKvJBllGcRkPlekZ4wn6B4wlWNkY24p_2M-t_ljXaIqnu0HhornRk5aV5ntD7xKFmNJfOSxl77rkJWWDPmeXtsIHsHZiBXYBo8CXq7uICliompHI4HcjTrc1qY/s320/nixons.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574455585622038642" /></a><strong>Economic Growth and Business</strong><br />To provide the means to a better life for individual Americans and to strengthen the forces of freedom in the world, we count on the proved productivity of our free economy. <em><strong>Today's laissez-faire-infected, "free market" Republicans no longer care about or value individual Americans' needs or wants. Instead, they only care about their own well-being and that of major corporations who supply them with dividend checks. They view American workers as parasites who always want more, even as they themselves are enriched moreso all the time. They don't want to pay taxes, and they don't want anybody or anything to interfere with what they view as their god-given right to maximum profit for themselves. They, of course, are too self-centered and blind to realize that the "free market" only allows freedom for them and others with lots of money. The overwhelming majority of the country no longer has any say in the wages they are paid or the benefits they get or don't get.</strong></em><br />Despite the lamentations of the opposition in viewing the economic scene today, the plain fact is that our 500 billion dollar economy finds more Americans at work, earning more, spending more, saving more, investing more, building more than ever before in history. The well-being of our people, by virtually every yardstick, has greatly advanced under this Republican Administration. <em><strong>WERE THAT ONLY TRUE TODAY!Families have lost ground for much of the past 30 years, through 3 different Republican administrations!</strong></em><br />But we can and must do better. We must raise employment to even higher levels and utilize even more fully our expanding, overall capacity to produce. We must quicken the pace of our economic growth to prove the power of American free enterprise to meet growing and urgent demands: to sustain our military posture, to provide jobs for a growing labor force in a time of rapid technological change, to improve living standards, to serve all the needs of an expanding population. <em><strong>If only that were on the agenda of modern Republicans! All the current crowd want to do is to increase production but pay LESS for it!</strong></em><br />We therefore accord high priority to vigorous economic growth and recognize that its mainspring lies in the private sector of the economy... we favor: Broadly-based tax reform to foster job-making and growth-making investment for modernization and expansion, including realistic incentive depreciation schedules. <br />Use of the full powers of government to prevent the scourges of depression and inflation... <em><strong>(Unless, of course, the Democrats hold the White House with a black President who initiates a stimulus program. Then the full powers of government become harmful, ineffective, and socialistic. OH, FOR THE COMMON SENSE AND HONESTY OF YESTERDAY'S REPUBLICANS)! </strong></em><br />Relating wage and other payments in production to productivity—except when necessary to correct inequalities—in order to help us stay competitive at home and abroad. <br />Spurring the economy by advancing the successful Eisenhower-Nixon program fostering new and small business, by continued active enforcement of the anti-trust laws, by protecting consumers and investors against the hazard and economic waste of fraudulent and criminal practices in the market place,... <em><strong>Today's GOP would NEVER go for that---they would call it scialistic government regulation!</strong></em> <br />Continued improvement of our vital transportation network, carrying forward rapidly the vast Eisenhower-Nixon national highway program and promoting safe, efficient, competitive and integrated transport by air, road, rail and water under equitable, impartial and minimal regulation directed to those ends. <em><strong>Again, today's far-right GOP would call this "socialism" and would never pass it!</strong></em><br />Carrying forward, under the Trade Agreements Act, the policy of gradual selective—and truly reciprocal—reduction of unjustifiable barriers to trade among free nations. We advocate effective administration of the Act's escape clause and peril point provisions to safeguard American jobs and domestic industries against serious injury. In support of our national trade policy we should continue the Eisenhower-Nixon program of using this government's negotiating powers to open markets abroad and to eliminate remaining discrimination against our goods. We should also encourage the development of fair labor standards in exporting countries in the interest of fair competition in international trade... <em><strong>This would NEVER occur in the types of trade deals current Republicans now favor and shape!</strong></em><br />Discharge by government of responsibility for those activities which the private sector cannot do or cannot so well do, such as constructive federal-local action to aid areas of chronic high unemployment... <em><strong>Current privatization-crazy Republicans would NECER support this!</strong></em><br />Action on these fronts, designed to release the strongest productive force in human affairs—the spirit of individual enterprise-can contribute greatly to our goal of a steady, strongly growing economy. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VgiURY9-PbygbDW9hGyB7g9Ycq8XPNafMqESZCPeDADhCroK-dN2xB4ZXpHmyJGOaRGsZyF1dcXy8oXeAnaQPuYWOOAKpWAsv2yPRSxGBMIuaDzzF6DERXbXQJlwiBWO4USA_iaj8BI/s1600/romney.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 196px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VgiURY9-PbygbDW9hGyB7g9Ycq8XPNafMqESZCPeDADhCroK-dN2xB4ZXpHmyJGOaRGsZyF1dcXy8oXeAnaQPuYWOOAKpWAsv2yPRSxGBMIuaDzzF6DERXbXQJlwiBWO4USA_iaj8BI/s320/romney.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574452736443196658" /></a><strong>Labor</strong><br />Labor and management cannot prosper without each other. They cannot ignore their mutual public obligation. <em><strong>Truer words were never written!</strong></em><br />Industrial harmony, expressing these mutual interests, can best be achieved in a climate of free collective bargaining, with minimal government intervention except by mediation and conciliation. <em><strong>Today's fiercely anti-labor Republicans would view this as absolute heresy!</strong></em><br />Even in dealing with emergency situations imperiling the national safety, ways of solution must be found to enhance and not impede the processes of free collective bargaining—carefully considered ways that are in keeping with the policies of national labor relations legislation and with the need to strengthen the hand of the President in dealing with such emergencies. <em><strong>Today's Republicans argue that collective bargaining is unnecessary and a threat to free markets. Boy, are THEY ever mistaken!!!</strong></em><br />In the same spirit, Republican leadership will continue to encourage discussions, away from the bargaining table, between labor and management to consider the mutual interest of all Americans in maintaining industrial peace. <em><strong>This would mean a stop to outsourcing and union-busting. No current conservative Republican would accept that!</strong></em><br />Republican policy firmly supports the right of employers and unions freely to enter into agreements providing for the union shop and other forms of union security as authorized by the Labor-Management Relations Act of 1947 (the Taft-Hartley Act )... <em><strong>NOT ANYMORE THEY DON'T!</strong></em><br />Republican action has given to millions of American working men and women new or expanded protection and benefits, such as: Increased federal minimum wage; <br />Extended coverage of unemployment insurance and the payment of additional temporary benefits provided in 1958-59;... <em><strong>Today's Republicans and teabaggers all violently oppose these measures!</strong></em><br />Extension of federal workman's compensation coverage and increase of benefits; ... <br /><em><strong>DITTO!</strong></em>...<br />Seven past years of accomplishments, however, are but a base to build upon in fostering, promoting and improving the welfare of America's working men and women, both organized and unorganized. We pledge, therefore, action on these constructive lines:.. <br />Upward revision in amount and extended coverage of the minimum wage to several million more workers... Strengthening the unemployment insurance system and extension of its benefits. <br />Improvement of the eight-hour laws relating to hours and overtime compensation on federal and federally-assisted construction, and continued vigorous enforcement and improvement of minimum wage laws for federal supply and construction contracts. <br /><em><strong>Current Republicans would cast these as being inflationary, even though they turn a very blind eye to ever-increasing CEO salaries and benefits packages...</strong></em><br />Continued improvement of manpower skills and training to meet a new era of challenges, including action programs to aid older workers, women, youth, and the physically handicapped. <br />Encouragement of training programs by labor, industry and government to aid in finding new jobs for persons dislocated by automation or other economic changes. <br />Improvement of job opportunities and working conditions of migratory farm workers. <br />Assurance of equal pay for equal work regardless of sex; encouragement of programs to insure on-the-job safety, and encouragement of the States to improve their labor standards legislation, and to improve veterans' employment rights and benefits. <br />Encouragement abroad of free democratic institutions, higher living standards and higher wages through such agencies as the International Labor Organization, and cooperation with the free trade union movement in strengthening free labor throughout the world. <em><strong>Today's GOP believes in none of this and would like to trash the free trade union movement altogether.</strong></em> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpzEWeIKtJJSndRnWloR_9FWZNSH6yf5HKPNpuG7r8LuOr165VhhbPnov3TqhGbIXJvIOKZ63Ju4B7MAaCRpNOu9DOSWMPs2kIj7aIOFfVEa4wxfnzcWT0LgEA-a87c_UepWCK-FWJGI/s1600/nix.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpzEWeIKtJJSndRnWloR_9FWZNSH6yf5HKPNpuG7r8LuOr165VhhbPnov3TqhGbIXJvIOKZ63Ju4B7MAaCRpNOu9DOSWMPs2kIj7aIOFfVEa4wxfnzcWT0LgEA-a87c_UepWCK-FWJGI/s320/nix.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574480013770181842" /></a><strong>Agriculture</strong> <br />...To utilize immediately surpluses in an orderly manner, with a minimum impact on domestic and foreign markets, we pledge: <br />Strengthened efforts to distribute surpluses to schools and low-income and needy citizens of our own country... <em><strong>Today's GOP would rather sell them on the open market to the highest bidder!</strong></em><br />Expansion of the Rural Development Program to help low-income farm families not only through better farming methods, but also through opportunities for vocational training, more effective employment services, and creation of job opportunities through encouragement of local industrialization. <em><strong>Today's Republican would rather just let huge agribusiness firms buy out or dispossess the poor family farmer.</strong></em><br />Legislative action for programs now scheduled to expire for the school milk program, wool, and sugar, including increased sugar acreage to domestic areas. <br />Free movement in interstate commerce of agricultural commodities meeting federal health standards. <br />To prevent dumping of agricultural imports upon domestic markets...<em><strong> The modern GOP would oppose this as government interference in the global market.</strong></em> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCrUnroOkf4Rk3KYYS0yaC6ewL8_OfltCazoNiUrLyTQQEPgz6CPJwttM1543PaCJ-pHks-aRtc4Bbk9JMQpQKOshy1N1rDUGjxKdePIQOKrvqc5Sk5sJzMx77adGf2lvrAwxOxaDqCE/s1600/henry_cabot_lodge_jr_.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 127px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCrUnroOkf4Rk3KYYS0yaC6ewL8_OfltCazoNiUrLyTQQEPgz6CPJwttM1543PaCJ-pHks-aRtc4Bbk9JMQpQKOshy1N1rDUGjxKdePIQOKrvqc5Sk5sJzMx77adGf2lvrAwxOxaDqCE/s200/henry_cabot_lodge_jr_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574474329463849282" /></a><strong>Natural Resources</strong><br />A strong and growing economy requires vigorous and persistent attention to wise conservation and sound development of all our resources... <br />We pledge: <br />Necessary measures for preservation of our domestic fisheries... <br />Full use and preservation of our great outdoors are pledged in: <br />Completion of the "Mission 66" for the improvement of National Park areas as well as sponsorship of a new "Mission 76" program to encourage establishment and rehabilitation of local, state, and regional parks, to provide adequate recreational facilities for our expanding population. <br />Continued support of the effort to keep our great out-of-doors beautiful, green, and clean... <em><strong>Today's Republican would, at the very best, give tepid support to all of these measures.</strong></em><br />Continued support for federal financial assistance... <em><strong>Not any more!</strong></em><br />Vigorous implementation of long-range programs for fish and wildlife. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-4BfYwXIAPV8x__xmzsCJx3uz-FXvKnVHn5z8aNcfJSlAhCwYiuKsGMXTSDFERml9Y3F9B8Th1zNkaUd_oCUwaO9QPHdpX-MEhb966mpd3BXgV2zjBnOR6n4xBMCqQj6uOsSvD4nWF0/s1600/rocky+l.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 103px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-4BfYwXIAPV8x__xmzsCJx3uz-FXvKnVHn5z8aNcfJSlAhCwYiuKsGMXTSDFERml9Y3F9B8Th1zNkaUd_oCUwaO9QPHdpX-MEhb966mpd3BXgV2zjBnOR6n4xBMCqQj6uOsSvD4nWF0/s200/rocky+l.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574466620638130834" /></a><strong>Government Finance</strong><br />To build a better America with broad national purposes such as high employment, vigorous and steady economic growth, and a dependable currency, responsible management of our federal finances is essential... <br />Government that is careless with the money of its citizens is careless with their future. <em><strong>George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Bill Frist, and Tom DeLay certinly never adhered to this principle! They WASTED half a trillion dollars!</strong></em><br />Because we are concerned about the well-being of people, we are concerned about protecting the value of their money. To this end, we Republicans believe that: <br />Every government expenditure must be tested by its contribution to the general welfare, not to any narrow interest group. <br />Except in times of war or economic adversity, expenditures should be covered by revenues. <em><strong>More principles ignored by current and recent Republicans!</strong></em><br />We must work persistently to reduce, not to increase, the national debt, which imposes a heavy economic burden on every citizen... <em><strong>Dick Cheney and his friends said the defict doesn't matter. I guess it doesn't if you're a self-centered Republican who is almost dead...</strong></em> We must resist assaults upon the independence of the Federal Reserve System; we must strengthen, not weaken, the ability of the Federal Reserve System and the Treasury Department to exercise effective control over money and credit in order better to combat both deflation and inflation that retard economic growth and shrink people's savings and earnings... <em><strong>Ron Paul, his son Rand, and numerous other Republicans today HATE the Federal Reserve Board and want us to return to the gold standard...</strong></em><br />National security and other essential needs will continue to make enormous demands upon public revenues. It is therefore imperative that we weigh carefully each demand for a new federal expenditure... <br />---------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><em><strong>This document was revealing in that it reflected the great hope and optimism of an America that was not saddled with debt from two very expensive unpaid-for wars, and not suffering the disastrous consequences of excessive deregulation of banks and derivatives, which the modern conservative Republicans pushed for and passed and caused our Great Recession. It also reflected respect and recognition granted our then very prevalent trade unions, entities whose destruction was begun by conservative President Ronald Reagan and was nearly achieved through industry outsourcing and the further efforts of George W. Bush, the worst President in all of our history. This platform also accorded government MUCH more respect and inclusion than we see in the rabid anti-government Republicans we now have. Stay tuned, folks: there will soon be more!</strong></em> <br /><br /><strong>COMING UP NEXT IN PART II: Government Administration, Education, Science and Technology, HUMAN NEEDS, Older Citizens, Health Aid, Juvenile Delinquents.</strong>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-46770392336895874782011-02-15T07:52:00.000-06:002011-02-15T09:42:35.116-06:00A BROKEN RECORD!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT08mShzsKku1s2iTLorjWaP8-IKwwCOcBvuB0sw7jzSyZgTlRWTn7muTIoAG3M6CGIYO5Cfz3t56kgHggsYbVF3m-eWC11CpblxhX_PmR2vqCOxVJ9edvZucX6QHZhrTv7G5lNS_F38s/s1600/butthead+boehner.bmp"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT08mShzsKku1s2iTLorjWaP8-IKwwCOcBvuB0sw7jzSyZgTlRWTn7muTIoAG3M6CGIYO5Cfz3t56kgHggsYbVF3m-eWC11CpblxhX_PmR2vqCOxVJ9edvZucX6QHZhrTv7G5lNS_F38s/s200/butthead+boehner.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573904889289288338" /></a><em><strong>OK, you got your extended Bush tax cuts for the rich; you now control the House of Representatives; and you've been Speaker of the House for over a month. In those weeks, you have WASTED TIME on failed social initiatives like H.R. 3, triing to extend the unconstitutional Patriot Act, and trying to repeal the Affordable Health Care for America Act. NOW, WHERE THE HELL ARE THE JOBS YOU SAID WOULD BE CREATED WHEN THE REPUBLICANS GAINED CONTROL, MR. JOHN BOEHNER?</strong></em> <br /><br />Ho hum. Different day; same old shit. The highly unstable and paranoid <strong>Glenn Beck </strong>is spouting a new conspiracy theory putting Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood together with socialists and communists; <strong>Ann Coulter</strong>'s out shooting her mouth off about how more reporters should be jailed; <strong>Rush Limbaugh</strong> is trying to link the President with terrorists; the birthers are still questioning President Obama's citizenship; and congressional Republicans have done not one thing - <em>not one thing </em>- to relieve the nation's unemployment problem. <br /><br />Not that we expected them to, of course. That confounded party, temporarily strengthened with new blood from the Tea Party sham, is far more interested in more tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy than they are in job creation. So long as big corporations can make ever-increasing profits and the rich get ever increasingly richer, they don't care one bit about the poor working (or non-working) stiff who comprises the overwhelming majority of this country. <br /><br />Republican priorities are very clear: blame the President for everything, make sure he is not re-elected, hold his programs and agenda hostage by withholding funding for much of it, further deregulate business, tax cut, tax cut, tax cut. They claim to want to reduce the deficit, and they love to accuse the President of adding to that deficit, but they refuse to cut the vastly overbloated defense budget. Instead, they are aiming almost exclusively at entitlement programs. And their insistence on tax cuts for the wealthy belies their so-called concern for the deficit. They will only ADD further to that deficit! <br /><br /><em><strong>But meanwhile, not one effort has been made toward creating new, good-paying jobs for the American worker.</strong></em> <br /><br />Republicans are obsessed with power for the sake of having it. They don't really care about the average American. They have no agenda for that group. Conservatives USED to care about the well-being of all the people, but today they just want power to ensure that nothing is done by the government to endanger the ability of the very rich to make even more money. Everyone else can go to hell. That is why so many of them are lining up for a shot at winning the presidency next year. Once again, they will say or do anything to tarnish the current President just so they can recapture that office. But once again, they will fail, just as they did in 2008. By continually reaching out to only a small segment of the population, the very wealthy, they will again be failing to offer anything of substance for the majority of the country, so they will fail. Meanwhile, all the rest of us will be struggling, mainly the ever-shrinking middle class, the unemployed, and the growing amount of poor. <br /><br />The Republican platform is a broken record of unrealistic and unfulfillable promises based on the dismally failed notion of trickle-down economics. <strong>Robert Reich </strong>had a piece a few days ago in his blog which stated the Republicans have not had a credible or workable new idea for more than 80 years. He was totally correct. The Reagan, Bush I and Bush II eras, the great conservative reign, all prove the fallacy of the trickle-down theory. All boats do NOT automatically rise with the tide of increased corporate profits and tax cuts for the rich. Instead, the flow has been trickling upward the entire time. It is now starting to gush. <br /><br /><strong>So, at the risk of sounding like a broken record myself, I'll once again ask: Where the hell are the jobs, Mr. Boehner?</strong> <br /><br />I will keep on asking, too!Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-49309352651635994602011-02-09T21:10:00.001-06:002011-02-09T21:11:46.982-06:00FACES OF CUBADuring our journey to Cuba in 2001, we were fortunate enough to get some outstanding shots of the local population. I share them with you here now. (<strong>Left click on each photo to make it larger). </strong>We asked each person their permission to be phutographed and tipped them $1 for the privilege. This first guy was a happy-go-lucky fellow we met in a small shopping mall in the <em>El Vedado </em>district, almost to <em>Miramar </em>(see map in part I). The man at top left, who looked like he had been through two world wars, we saw standing in a doorway, surrounded by paintings, in <em>Habana Vieja.</em> The old woman enjoying a cigar at top right we caught in the same area, nearby. Men and women alike enjoy fine Cuban cigars. The two girls struck a pose for us further into <em>Habana Vieja.</em> Spandex is very prevalent throughout Cuba. The man below left was a newspaper salesman we caught up with in the government district near <em>Nuevo Habana.</em> Next to him was an old woman we saw in <em>Habana Vieja.</em> Nrxt to her was a saintly lady we encountered in <em>El Vedado.</em> At bottom right was a happy young lady being held by her mom in <em>Habana Vieja.</em> To their left, very near the government district, we caught that lady enjoying her stogie. As I have taken the liberty of adding a few additional photos to the previous segments of my Cuba series, you may also wish to revisit the first four segments again. <br /><br />At the conclusion of this piece, I will present my opinions on Cuba, its people, its government, and what I hope for her future. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnlZH44WvZ6uKZv5iKqraTjmJHzcSfkkTZTY00wkuz3bhLpq2z5HGBLphFUbf-F0F3ndlv50Fa7jAKbQealyvr9BGaHe1hQygTkkbbr8uRtFgqbvC7DC6d6VegLX-uJQv0L7Z5Ih6cq0/s1600/DocImage32.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnlZH44WvZ6uKZv5iKqraTjmJHzcSfkkTZTY00wkuz3bhLpq2z5HGBLphFUbf-F0F3ndlv50Fa7jAKbQealyvr9BGaHe1hQygTkkbbr8uRtFgqbvC7DC6d6VegLX-uJQv0L7Z5Ih6cq0/s200/DocImage32.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567411164309016338" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCU3vsDS14BJd6IRSiNbkea8bPqMZaGLJdSqdT-oDedHqOAhF9Qh9mwcNQFwdZ_w8axMrhgEpU8-cI0xYv2nlNeDJpZqPYKZp9lEdvAd9PsGovydBlRGBzh04vWqH2AvJFcYtMkZagArc/s1600/DocImage26.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCU3vsDS14BJd6IRSiNbkea8bPqMZaGLJdSqdT-oDedHqOAhF9Qh9mwcNQFwdZ_w8axMrhgEpU8-cI0xYv2nlNeDJpZqPYKZp9lEdvAd9PsGovydBlRGBzh04vWqH2AvJFcYtMkZagArc/s200/DocImage26.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567410825727020754" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkS-1Ikik7ihy8Dt3sBjLv3lfXF1MOD9-5xsFoEa26jCeR1aDx4zME8O6LwRgGyUNOafVgeeDfaKsQXSpyE41fZCt4ZK4o0_zX9UYf2Y2eUec2tcBXHRLKNTtcua0j6_HswchugL7gvgc/s1600/DocImage20_1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkS-1Ikik7ihy8Dt3sBjLv3lfXF1MOD9-5xsFoEa26jCeR1aDx4zME8O6LwRgGyUNOafVgeeDfaKsQXSpyE41fZCt4ZK4o0_zX9UYf2Y2eUec2tcBXHRLKNTtcua0j6_HswchugL7gvgc/s200/DocImage20_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567410536978246322" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdTlEBg2uC33AMpvtvHjMg91zmWRsP49K424StTZU4Mge9P7w1md3jfNlUDMCXiMdElUUK0qpeMPGE2ncEjyBgxw6Llv5Bhp5-KNG8E8nSICVdF_cBcKeGLBKJmLIApNpz7rEvW-oTaI/s1600/DocImage23.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 136px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdTlEBg2uC33AMpvtvHjMg91zmWRsP49K424StTZU4Mge9P7w1md3jfNlUDMCXiMdElUUK0qpeMPGE2ncEjyBgxw6Llv5Bhp5-KNG8E8nSICVdF_cBcKeGLBKJmLIApNpz7rEvW-oTaI/s200/DocImage23.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567410233447183938" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VyS2DVPbQkXGpb1VsuiwU3aae8M3GV4TFDFL81iT1XU7QF3nDahKUfQXS0sVeIVgaFcrYa7ierSEi7FOmiZme8C8e8VbSlHK8JyAqv1s2IxaGdb1lGIBOm91mKPjRnzxIgbFPr-hTN4/s1600/DocImage21_1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VyS2DVPbQkXGpb1VsuiwU3aae8M3GV4TFDFL81iT1XU7QF3nDahKUfQXS0sVeIVgaFcrYa7ierSEi7FOmiZme8C8e8VbSlHK8JyAqv1s2IxaGdb1lGIBOm91mKPjRnzxIgbFPr-hTN4/s200/DocImage21_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567409887241931522" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cvhd7wfs0o7dXYd703r6zZYQjxQ4NTEdTeh88q0vUCdE2PQ8GlZL42KBswtB4AH-0BSlQgtCYgkgw9lDMmmu0rpBmuVo35F6gTNPscTUpFJbRCewOTpHp56rkKkWFLXoHHQoq3O6yhg/s1600/DocImage28.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cvhd7wfs0o7dXYd703r6zZYQjxQ4NTEdTeh88q0vUCdE2PQ8GlZL42KBswtB4AH-0BSlQgtCYgkgw9lDMmmu0rpBmuVo35F6gTNPscTUpFJbRCewOTpHp56rkKkWFLXoHHQoq3O6yhg/s200/DocImage28.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567409406099472738" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHCNLc4ymeminxclIUqUhgWkxlGJKE1Lv0Ang0iiPv9cOTh3pvkH3pEj18lJBiLUKrJbbDrLjnTdUwoPYC-W1bTaZChj9Y-B5Mj0E-BFyMNeYzaSI7T7CJz-yQzydSD5MZ9KR_uiVrDA/s1600/DocImage30.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHCNLc4ymeminxclIUqUhgWkxlGJKE1Lv0Ang0iiPv9cOTh3pvkH3pEj18lJBiLUKrJbbDrLjnTdUwoPYC-W1bTaZChj9Y-B5Mj0E-BFyMNeYzaSI7T7CJz-yQzydSD5MZ9KR_uiVrDA/s200/DocImage30.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567407787199820370" /><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZ5T9jGEiS9c8i8OnXVXSLW_EbVaUyM5NLJZU3abLgh6j28wTQbzhv9ABkjuXr0_rlUC3siNdOuuGx2byoqV4cpTcqvZaFb2A6i5vcvDhwW84lnPLAsQRhV58sFc4kxGdZNS_gAceI7s/s1600/DocImage27.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZ5T9jGEiS9c8i8OnXVXSLW_EbVaUyM5NLJZU3abLgh6j28wTQbzhv9ABkjuXr0_rlUC3siNdOuuGx2byoqV4cpTcqvZaFb2A6i5vcvDhwW84lnPLAsQRhV58sFc4kxGdZNS_gAceI7s/s200/DocImage27.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567409138512605922" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDr9rvCixJNMgBeVfGbUzoeqI-cUlpx6jc_5vd-x_N1qWndscF8uzVG2-wziDqlPxkXyFoByqMvXhwh0edp7qV3nZWZUHcpP1bPiMjbaCUgMWcCSj60knytiyQ-mCqGvCkbDg1nOUu8g/s1600/DocImage29.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDr9rvCixJNMgBeVfGbUzoeqI-cUlpx6jc_5vd-x_N1qWndscF8uzVG2-wziDqlPxkXyFoByqMvXhwh0edp7qV3nZWZUHcpP1bPiMjbaCUgMWcCSj60knytiyQ-mCqGvCkbDg1nOUu8g/s200/DocImage29.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567408234409038162" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I would describe <em>none</em> of these people as feeling hopelessly oppressed, or desperately itching to leave their homeland, although a number of Cubans DO feel that way. For, while the Cuban Revolution has indeed cost them their freedom, the Castro government has done more to benefit the country than all of its neglectful predecessors, and for more of the population, too. For this reason I believe the people, most of them anyway, have come to accept life as it is. It seemed to us that the Cuban spirit was too lively to be caught in continual despair. The two families we stayed with did not display any noticeable discontent, or exhibit fear in having us stay in their dwellings. Both simply let us be and went about their business in a normal way. While their living conditions were modest, both had working 19" color TVs, and both had medium-level boom boxes, and each seemed content with what they had. They unsparingly offered us food and drink, which we joined them in on occasion. <br /><br />In a tobacco shop, we spoke with a woman who had good command of English. She mentioned that everyone we saw on the street was wearing a "false face." We didn't press her for an explanation, but she did mention she had applied for an exit visa for herself and her daughter, so perhaps she was speaking mainly for herself. For most of the people we encountered were basically rather happy-go-lucky and seemingly content overall, although nobody would be totally content with product shortages being a fairly common occurrence. Our trade embargo against Cuba, the major cause of these shortages, began in 1960, after Cuba had nationalized some U.S. companies. It has been a total and complete embargo ever since, covering all types of products. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla has described it as an "economic, commercial, and financial siege" that has now entered its sixth decade. No such embargo exists between Canada, Britain, Germany, Japan, or any other major European or Asian power and Cuba, and no one else's citizens are restricted from either going there or spending money there. A report prepared for the UN General Assembly puts the cost of this embargo at US <strong>$750 BILLION,</strong> approximately 7 times Cuba's annual GDP. In other words, our embargo has cost Cuba <strong>7 years of development.</strong> But has it worked? Has it convinced the Cuban government to change its ways? Absolutely not: all it has done is <strong>hurt the Cuban people.</strong> Needlessly. <br /><br />China, the now vitally important U,S, trading partner and major supplier, still engages in major human rights violations among its own people. Press censorship is very tight there. Yet we ended our embargo against them nearly <em>40 years ago.</em> There are infinitely more political prisoners today in China than there are in Cuba. So why do we continue to pick on Cuba for that reason? 36+ years ago, we were at war with Vietnam, and not only did they kill many thousands of our soldiers, they have certainly not granted their people the type of freedom we enjoy since the North took over the entire country in 1975. Yet we trade with them, but not with Cuba. We trade freely with Egypt, even provide them with billions in foreign aid, even though it is ruled by iron-fisted dictator Hosni Mubarak who has been guilty of many atrocities over a 29 year span, but we still refuse to trade with our next door neighbor Cuba. It is a most unfair paradox to keep Cuba out of our trading circle while we actively engage in trade with other repressive dictatorships across the globe. Why do we continue this insanity and double standard when none of the rest of the world does the same? <br /><br />To be sure, <strong>the Castro government has been guilty of many deplorable human rights offenses.</strong> There have been executions of political opponents, and jailings without due process (<strong>SOUND FAMILIAR?).</strong> Press censorship is a way of life, and <em>I abhor all of that.</em> <em><strong>But because Cuba does not hold a strategic trump card for us the way China or Egypt do, it is unfairly being singled out for punishment.</strong></em> I, for one, say it is time for a more pragmatic approach. <br /><br />In many ways, our embargo has backfired on us. Right off the bat, it pushed Cuba smack dab into the broad, outstretched arms of the old Soviet Union and away from us. Overreactions on both sides almost led to nuclear war in 1962 during the Cuban mMssile Crisis. But those days are long gone. Cuba hasn't had offensive missiles pointed at us for nearly 50 years, and gone are the days when Cuba was actively engaged in trying to export revolution to other Latin American countries by sending revolutionaries and soldiers. Countries like Nicaragua, Venezuela, Bolivia, and even Brazil have instead instituted their own revolutions in recent years, mainly due to exploitation and benign neglect by the U.S. or the tin-horn dictators we once supported. That is a fact of life. Cuba didn't cause the leftward shift of a number of Central and Latin American governments: WE did! Our penchant for supporting any pro-American government so long as it was stable and anti-Communist, no matter how repressive it was to its own citizens, is the reason we have lost so much ground in that region. Our entire history of dominating the area through military intervention and by other means is full of glaring mistakes: Chile in 1973, and El Salvador and Nicaragua in the 1980s are the most current examples. Therefore, the days for punishing Cuba should come to a screeching halt. We simply must start to treat our southern neighbors as just that: fully independent neighbors who are not our possessions. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Qitx7fwJQ7U6tRMBLmbS8qlJuPpsl4LbE3K8DN8MJyxqttNdZarXwnxSEcHa2X47Q2YZ2iuvClRY74_n-h3Z4Z7PalJi9BA_KfkR5cpkR4lO8HcGa4rQkVtz7LlTH-Hm2Pv_KtsDyI8/s1600/DocImage11.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Qitx7fwJQ7U6tRMBLmbS8qlJuPpsl4LbE3K8DN8MJyxqttNdZarXwnxSEcHa2X47Q2YZ2iuvClRY74_n-h3Z4Z7PalJi9BA_KfkR5cpkR4lO8HcGa4rQkVtz7LlTH-Hm2Pv_KtsDyI8/s200/DocImage11.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571877226109557842" /></a>The main reason we persist in this folly of punishing Cuba is due to the strong influence of the free-Cuba lobby. Composed mainly of refugees and their families who fled Cuba just after the first days of the revolution, many of whom were wealthy and/or large landowners, they see the Castro regime as all evil and one which must be toppled so they can return home and once more establish control for themselves. While I share their desire for fair, open elections, the end of press censorship, and greater civil rights for Cuba's citizens, such things do not occur merely because we have pointed a gun at a foreign government and told them to toe the line or else. Also, these well-to-do landowners did very little before 1959 to really benefit the country. They catered to American gangsters and exploited Cuban workers to make a quick buck, just as our own corporations are now trying to do to us here in America right now. Also, few governments in history have been all good or all bad, and that is especially true of the Castro government. <strong>We</strong> were certainly not good to have engaged in torture or to have practiced rendition over the past decade! Even Hitler's Nazi regime was not completely bad: it lifted Germany out of the Great Depression with massive government spending and built the first modern freeway system in Europe, the <em>Autobahn,</em> for heaven's sake. In terms of exactly what the Castro government has accomplished during its tenure, consider these facts:<br /><em><strong><br />1). It turned a population that was 23% illiterate in 1959 into one with ONLY 4% ILLITERACY IN ONLY TWO YEARS' TIME! Today, UN estimates place this figure at 6.8%, but that is still evidence of remarkable progress! Education is FREE from kindergarten all the way up through a doctorate level in college (to those whose grades qualify them for it). <br /><br />2). It has now the second highest number of doctors per capita of any nation on earth (we are far behind at no. 52), and health care for ALL is universal and FREE, just as it should be here! At the time of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the country had 6,000 doctors, of which 3,000 left right after it occurred. Now there are over 64,000 doctors providing medical services all throughout the island. Cuba currently has three times as many doctors in the Third World as the World Health Organization! She also trains hundreds of medical students from the Caribbean and other developing countries <em>free of charge,</em> a most unselfish gesture! Today, at 75 years, the Cubans have achieved the longest life expectancy, and the lowest death rate among every 1,000 live births (7.1) in all of Latin America, AND THEY HAVE DONE SO IN SPITE OF OUR CRIPPLING EMBARGO WHICH SEVERELY LIMITS AVAILABILITY OF MEDICAL SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT! Imagine what they could accomplish if they were freed from that embargo! <br /><br />3). All discrimination based on race, gender, and class inequality has been greatly reduced. I saw whites, mulattoes, and blacks mingling freely with one another, without the slightest hint of racism.</strong></em> <br /><br />Our beazen attempt to blackmail Cuba into adopting an economy just like ours, with so-called "free" markets and an ever-expanding-in-wealth yet ever-shrinking ultra-rich elite, has been an abject failure. It has only strengthened Cuban resolve to resist, and has provided other <strong>developing nations with proof that the "American way" is NOT the only way to economic development!</strong> No other nation on earth punishes Cuba like we do, and this foolish course of action MUST end! <br /><br /><em><strong>I do NOT support Cuba's excesses in the field of human rights. I do NOT support its press censorship. I am NOT suggesting that we coddle a dictatorship, or that their way of doing things is a paradise on earth.</strong></em> What I AM suggesting, though, is that we take the first step in thawing a very old and now very cold relationship. Just as one can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, if we show the Cuban government we are sincere and won't dictate terms to them, they will invariably feel less threatened by their big neighbor to the north and might well begin to slowly reform themselves ON THEIR OWN. We could, and SHOULD, begin this thawing out process with cultural exchanges centered around, say, Cuban baseball or Cuban jazz music. Then, the Presidents of each country should hold a summit and lay the groundwork for eventual full diplomatic relations to be restored. Travel restrictions between each country should end. At the very least, it is worth a try, especially because an effort like this has never really been made! <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This, then, concludes my reminiscences of an unforgettable trip I made to Cuba 10 years ago. I sincerely hope that, within another 10 years, I shall be able to return there, LEGALLY, and note with great satisfaction that progress has been made to amend the excesses found in <em><strong>BOTH of our systems! </strong></em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJ-34p_Ty82nK0CKTFAaT1N5dr_O0OO5xiDoL2WSQotEwkWfspBDU5QshoOy5rTiCJD8CeHxk4UDD1ArejKwHKDFndqpoxlNegaNimGindEn76AGpYv_mVO8s7sp6cUJmkUk485_TTm0/s1600/cuban+flag.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJ-34p_Ty82nK0CKTFAaT1N5dr_O0OO5xiDoL2WSQotEwkWfspBDU5QshoOy5rTiCJD8CeHxk4UDD1ArejKwHKDFndqpoxlNegaNimGindEn76AGpYv_mVO8s7sp6cUJmkUk485_TTm0/s200/cuban+flag.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571529879796939986" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHW_3-QUHwg2ObZ3JZIVH0VhU_vGKtMFscFrq_kahlG55Vjg1R5H0AlLq-Xpb3w2TZfPaOgxfHV6zUCP-KF1jK6B4qfceOtnjG5yFfcBPBLsqQY7jlCc1g87s6FTCtNJJn_CNbO95bI8U/s1600/DocImage1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHW_3-QUHwg2ObZ3JZIVH0VhU_vGKtMFscFrq_kahlG55Vjg1R5H0AlLq-Xpb3w2TZfPaOgxfHV6zUCP-KF1jK6B4qfceOtnjG5yFfcBPBLsqQY7jlCc1g87s6FTCtNJJn_CNbO95bI8U/s200/DocImage1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571872648469753970" /></a><br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPzccWE5tMGspRGLCSjEPM4DZ0jxd1Pnce6d82Yz5hhgltn04aFkQHTFoP5KiYqGV3iVw_O81UsWunp2PQtT0ayyibWZPNwoa-IzwVWdoC2ak_X2INcJJkC2wnXH4umBzcujQ4X6glQg/s1600/DocImage4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPzccWE5tMGspRGLCSjEPM4DZ0jxd1Pnce6d82Yz5hhgltn04aFkQHTFoP5KiYqGV3iVw_O81UsWunp2PQtT0ayyibWZPNwoa-IzwVWdoC2ak_X2INcJJkC2wnXH4umBzcujQ4X6glQg/s200/DocImage4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571875769580315762" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_vTC3SPPkBBamwzkjzy8XX0Jl8AlSzu8BwTrEdxJzYJeu-imte39HZTJtjxFVLi67tRE29rnfBBC5hyphenhyphenx30CZevbtXBw1YVL4yEc8nqt3eH0bsksjoHbpcZRZZlQy0XDt0zM1C4Ahzvo/s1600/DocImage5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_vTC3SPPkBBamwzkjzy8XX0Jl8AlSzu8BwTrEdxJzYJeu-imte39HZTJtjxFVLi67tRE29rnfBBC5hyphenhyphenx30CZevbtXBw1YVL4yEc8nqt3eH0bsksjoHbpcZRZZlQy0XDt0zM1C4Ahzvo/s200/DocImage5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571876506737219474" /></a> <br /><br /><em><strong>VIVA A NEW AND FULLY INDEPENDENT CUBA!!!</strong></em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-39739905387203230832011-02-06T08:30:00.006-06:002011-02-09T21:07:19.715-06:00MY JOURNEY TO CUBA (PART IV)!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpm56rnTxZF5Htvd2CwMHN62DS5MZDJ0ro9Dtu-ZTXB3wCn0EwER0toi1ZJ4L4nlP5rMIzCcZ_RV5E5HrG0xNPQxo1QAhxBzhhO2DClW-cBqFFUkHPNV6bryfq2TqJMml5Yv1mYWNLkg/s1600/DocImage6.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpm56rnTxZF5Htvd2CwMHN62DS5MZDJ0ro9Dtu-ZTXB3wCn0EwER0toi1ZJ4L4nlP5rMIzCcZ_RV5E5HrG0xNPQxo1QAhxBzhhO2DClW-cBqFFUkHPNV6bryfq2TqJMml5Yv1mYWNLkg/s200/DocImage6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571890720803580242" /></a>I had previously mentioned the abundance of artists and musicians found all throughout Havana. These street musicians taking five here are representative of what you'll find all over the city. I have never visited a city quite so alive with music! <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLl6oxhjf-5VvF4Wz3_XqubiVYxYgS7mw5jT9ji6tz89iNXzwTaaCfQpf5BM25JDTyohOVVz8ZN8Jwhyphenhyphen6Wx6m1u0Mq_v9rOLtJZG6lSEPj_OzCO2rZ1oFdWPt5wi1qEMktJy0uDlFe7w/s1600/havana+jazz.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLl6oxhjf-5VvF4Wz3_XqubiVYxYgS7mw5jT9ji6tz89iNXzwTaaCfQpf5BM25JDTyohOVVz8ZN8Jwhyphenhyphen6Wx6m1u0Mq_v9rOLtJZG6lSEPj_OzCO2rZ1oFdWPt5wi1qEMktJy0uDlFe7w/s200/havana+jazz.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568430044099038994" /></a>On two separate nights, we went out to experience Havana's very active, very pulsing nightlife. Throughout the <em>Miramar</em> district (see map in part I of this series) and elsewhere, there are numerous all-night clubs where the music and dance seems endless. We went to two different jazz clubs the first night, and the show and musicianship were excellent! Salsa dancing couples were everywhere, and the musicians played very energetically for hours on end. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEint_rMu1eTrNjCuEi8jRWup4mAz_KhcBXaFiglSE-F9iGUNnqgoYAInHoEcIV80pfO1i4iGdkzLvpeg_7Q8WXCZDGllngonzOUyi61fDb9OnOSRv87OKc1fZMMh4J-dVwn28a3J1g5mDI/s1600/havana+jazz2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEint_rMu1eTrNjCuEi8jRWup4mAz_KhcBXaFiglSE-F9iGUNnqgoYAInHoEcIV80pfO1i4iGdkzLvpeg_7Q8WXCZDGllngonzOUyi61fDb9OnOSRv87OKc1fZMMh4J-dVwn28a3J1g5mDI/s200/havana+jazz2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568430363694141490" /></a>Cuban jazz is a mixture of many influences: lovely, melodic, and sensual Spanish guitar; African rhythms and percussion; and American horns. Let us not forget the ever-present melodic keyboard, too! The very catchy rhythms make you want to hit the dance floor nonstop. The music reflects the same subtle blending the Cuban population does: roughly 65% white, 10% black, 24% mulatto, and perhaps 1% Asian. Whites and blacks and mulattoes all mingle and dance together without a second thought, just as it should be. For an excellent representation of authentic Cuban jazz, much of it performed by actual old Cuban masters, go to Amazon.com and pick up a copy of the magnificent <em>Buena Vista Social Club.</em> Named after a 1940s members club in Havana, Cuban musician <strong>Juan de Marcos González </strong>and American guitarist <strong>Ry Cooder </strong>traveled to Cuba to record this gem of an album which I <strong>highly recommend.</strong> It won't be long before YOUR toes start tapping, too, and you'll be blown away by the musicianship! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79go93OSnc4bQCsdtnN6Iu5pcKrc_L7oh23ZVvMGGMfD-SoI8s-5rog2qMiXkRghWBSfThKmoagnuHAkl15kocOysGt9J0LoXp4THhCquZ_Mey8HWb1Ddgb7HNb7-OhRCbErNpF7h0dQ/s1600/DocImage13.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79go93OSnc4bQCsdtnN6Iu5pcKrc_L7oh23ZVvMGGMfD-SoI8s-5rog2qMiXkRghWBSfThKmoagnuHAkl15kocOysGt9J0LoXp4THhCquZ_Mey8HWb1Ddgb7HNb7-OhRCbErNpF7h0dQ/s200/DocImage13.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568430794448827842" /></a>We also attended an all-night cabaret which featured one fabulous troupe of dancers after another. The custumes were all richly colorful, and the acrobatic energy of each performance was incredible! So THIS Vwas what Havana was like in its 1940s-1950s heyday! Decadent and sensual, with an unending supply of drink and rhythmic music. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMUdDEvmcb4c67mlgqZge91M0q8IyRyw559QvzIK4wZQ_cZYvNEPWYCGv4q5VRqa0R2LorEf-QjXcjtma4C4meAvrvI0bJh3i9QX6DeX80E1ADnWOv2ogbBBKEoxN3_gNnyGC-DVSIi8/s1600/peso+store.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMUdDEvmcb4c67mlgqZge91M0q8IyRyw559QvzIK4wZQ_cZYvNEPWYCGv4q5VRqa0R2LorEf-QjXcjtma4C4meAvrvI0bJh3i9QX6DeX80E1ADnWOv2ogbBBKEoxN3_gNnyGC-DVSIi8/s200/peso+store.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568448272515742754" /></a>Shopping in Cuba is interesting. Apart from tiny kiosks in market squares, Cuba has two kinds of stores: <em>peso stores,</em> which accept and trade in pesos, and <em>Dollar stores</em>, which trade only in dollars or Euros. We stopped by a peso store but didn't stay very long. For one thing, as foreigners, we couldn't use the peso. For another, shelf after shelf was bare and there was hardly any reason for the shop to be open. This, unfortunately, is what locals not brandishing any dollars have to put up with - empty shelves and shortages. Dollar stores are much better stocked, but the goods found in them tend to be higher priced, although still a bargain by our standards. There are loads and loads of Columbian soft drinks (even the diet variety), but <strong>no Coke or Pepsi products to be found ANYWHERE!</strong> Much like an American convenience store, the Cuban dollar shops stock a wide variety of goods that can be purchased only with dollars. But there was absolutely NO American brands of anything to choose from! No Kellogg's Corn Flakes, no Schick or Gillette razors, no Kraft cheese or Swanson TV dinners - nothing. Our long term Cuban embargo has seen to that, so Cuba was forced to purchase similar, non-U.S. products from elsewhere in the hemisphere. Even though these dollar stores seemed well-stocked, we did find a curious shortage in one of them. We went to get toilet paper and a few other household odds and ends for our kindly Havana hosts. We couldn't find ANY toilet paper! There were several shelves of baby diapers, but no toilet paper! We summoned a clerk who said they had run out and he didn't know when more would come in. I wondered how many other Cubans would have to do without this basic household staple due in part to our embargo, and for how long... <br /><br />It took me a few days to realize the peace and quiet one gets from not being continually bombarded with product ads, be they on billboards, TV, radio, or in print. <strong>For in Cuba, advertising simply doesn't exist.</strong> For that matter, neither does American football. While we were in Cuba over the Super Bowl weekend, we had no clue the Baltimore Ravens had defeated the New York Giants in the game until after we had landed back in Cancun, Mexico! The Cubans, it seemed, got along just fine without our overly abundant advertising or Super Bowl hype, and that was fine with me! The "Colon Lady" would never fly in Havana, and it made me stop to think how corporate America pesters and overwhelms us constantly with silly ads... <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChAdWgVcqBP9U_tJaH5VG7OcLyNGodUShp2BZRxyd_c16mTHJhk5hwtzqxF7MpZfgXHGHNxo9uyO3GJ_gatWeCZQ4UWurumn-KgDf4PoLm72s_92PZmvpUJ29M9TnxzEDM-CX_Tqn6bA/s1600/hotel+Lincoln.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChAdWgVcqBP9U_tJaH5VG7OcLyNGodUShp2BZRxyd_c16mTHJhk5hwtzqxF7MpZfgXHGHNxo9uyO3GJ_gatWeCZQ4UWurumn-KgDf4PoLm72s_92PZmvpUJ29M9TnxzEDM-CX_Tqn6bA/s200/hotel+Lincoln.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568463885044152434" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6r8iY3nFQL9KKBY3bLhJl7myETocdRblP3qc0hNADkXHXtUb8FY2iedD7HvUyQdVbP4CYPLkF8XfD5FmjLiH1U17uZUOkVK4aWBBqKMGHKejUp3WQcZou1sw1sbSwdFWRdBjYEZ3tts4/s1600/beds.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 185px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6r8iY3nFQL9KKBY3bLhJl7myETocdRblP3qc0hNADkXHXtUb8FY2iedD7HvUyQdVbP4CYPLkF8XfD5FmjLiH1U17uZUOkVK4aWBBqKMGHKejUp3WQcZou1sw1sbSwdFWRdBjYEZ3tts4/s200/beds.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568465002241331666" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />On our very last night in Havana, we thought we would go stay in a room at the <em>Lincoln Hotel,</em> which, if you remember, was where we had told the Customs agent at the airport where we had intended to stay 6 days earlier. Man, was that ever a mistake! We paid $30 each for the stinkiest, most mildew-infested dump I have ever stayed in! I went in the bathroom to shower and found that there was no hot water. I turned the dial over and over, but nothing came out. The bed smelled so dank and humidity-ridden I was almost afraid to sleep in it. I went over to each of my compatriots' rooms and found that there was something major league wrong with each of theirs, too. We decided to chalk it up to experience, and, what the hell, we'd be out of there in about 7 hours anyway! I've never slept in such a musty bed, and I hope I never do again, either. So much for medium-priced state-run hotels in Cuba---they can have them! <br /><br />We made it to Jose Marti International Airport and soon were on our way back to Cancun. We surrended our tourist visas upon boarding the plane, so no one would be the wiser. Upon disembarking at Cancun, we had one last hurdle to overcome. As we went before the agent who was seated by himself at a table, we mentioned being Americans returning from Havana, and told him restamping our passport with "Cancun" only six days later, with no other stamps in between, might pose a problem with U.S. Customs once we got home. The agent looked at us slyly and said in heavily-accented English, "But is requirement for me to stamp passport. However, for a small gift, I may be able to make an exception..." We then put $5 in each of our passports. The agent snatched each bill and then dismissed us without restamping our passports. We figured he was used to such transactions and was very happy to get some extra American cash to bolster the Mexican pesos his paycheck would come in! You can always count on the corruption of a Mexican official, and once more we had dodged a bullet, seemingly miraculously! It was a calculated risk that paid off. We then booked our regular Northwest Airlines flight back to Minneapolis, where sailing through Customs there was a breeze (even for my high school friend, who had loaded up his heavy winter parka with various Cuban wood carvings he had purchased on the streets of Havana, and me with the souvenir Che Guevara beret I had bought). <br /><br />In the aftermath of 9/11, such a trip like this, done the way it was done, may no longer be possible. I hope to return to Cuba someday, before it once more falls to American corporatist influence and becomes perverted with profit motive and that wretched advertising, much as the rest of the world has. Good as well as bad, my six days in Cuba I will always remember and treasure, for its lack of corporatism as well as for the art and beauty of its people! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYDEIEgpkLrtvhyphenhyphennHzCTZn629WgsqM6tfcl8-kIA_JlajMk-h8oX5wEl8ktGbpJZUMp0URrl8GtbycyyVU-CZBldcDneg1HZEPrcMqjEssqo7AZNgHVjs3YmwqiSESiyvdUxG_KBZ9ko/s1600/cuban+flag.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYDEIEgpkLrtvhyphenhyphennHzCTZn629WgsqM6tfcl8-kIA_JlajMk-h8oX5wEl8ktGbpJZUMp0URrl8GtbycyyVU-CZBldcDneg1HZEPrcMqjEssqo7AZNgHVjs3YmwqiSESiyvdUxG_KBZ9ko/s200/cuban+flag.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568476041400170258" /></a><br /><br /><br /><em><strong>UP NEXT: "FACES OF CUBA" and my final conclusions about this magnificent journey!</strong></em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-69722618665124117022011-02-03T07:45:00.002-06:002011-02-09T21:00:10.358-06:00MY JOURNEY TO CUBA (PART III)!My Canadian friend had heard of a lovely natural hot spring southwest of Havana called <em>San Diego de los Banos</em> [the baths at San Diego], so we decided to hire a driver to take us there. We went to a sort of taxi stand where there were dozens of old American cars parked. After haggling with a few of the drivers on price, we eventually settled on $15 one way to make the roughly 75 mile trip. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVo_YAyepsF-_PcIx5_7aA8qvA4PrtjiW8NkwBUr1UY8Z8_P6W_Mc9KmJg8IObj8W5L3_nSCw2eUQVoijxhRnbzsRRZdGjqnX1Y4yR3H_MQZiv-iBDL064nKDFwj1k30Tni37fNp03FRY/s1600/empty+cuban+highway.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVo_YAyepsF-_PcIx5_7aA8qvA4PrtjiW8NkwBUr1UY8Z8_P6W_Mc9KmJg8IObj8W5L3_nSCw2eUQVoijxhRnbzsRRZdGjqnX1Y4yR3H_MQZiv-iBDL064nKDFwj1k30Tni37fNp03FRY/s200/empty+cuban+highway.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569262860646124930" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaAAQEh0S3XjBlaVa9j4DtAxc6eexqASGy64qP3CAnz8VY6jku50a9D0X7yR05v_kq21EksOsV1d1uvG82jJuUr1p0E9NucFwEfK1juEL_8lYTrQElKVytjvrGyHm0AuvEXFkwUsHUhA/s1600/cuban+highway.bmp"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 106px; height: 80px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaAAQEh0S3XjBlaVa9j4DtAxc6eexqASGy64qP3CAnz8VY6jku50a9D0X7yR05v_kq21EksOsV1d1uvG82jJuUr1p0E9NucFwEfK1juEL_8lYTrQElKVytjvrGyHm0AuvEXFkwUsHUhA/s200/cuban+highway.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569263307376010546" /></a>We crawled into his mid '50s Chev and soon we were off. About 4 or 5 miles outside of the city, all traffic seemed to vanish. Here we were at midday, on what appeared to be a major 4 lane superhighway, and we were the ONLY car on the road! It was eerie passing under one freeway overpass bridge after another and seeing absolutely no other cars! Eventually we came to and overtook a horse drawn wagon carrying what appeared to be 8 or 10 farm workers slowly moving down the right hand lane of this major thoroughfare. Bizarre! After another few miles, we eventually saw another car, and after a few more miles, yet another. But for long stretches of time, it was only us. It had the feeling of being in a strange Twilight Zone episode! <br /><br /><strong>Left click on each photo to make it larger.</strong> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKxmmy_YXuVGH98aApu3ppG7G1fOPWF0W8Q2nJCbQr09eU0UtpQXR40Jt68BCkoYMcCgbvV-5jnWj_aF0p4oZQ1A9AJJwMTBcDMWN9nyO53gNQ96z-owyYZTxTvMow52wL72pbKIAWgs/s1600/cuban+countryside.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKxmmy_YXuVGH98aApu3ppG7G1fOPWF0W8Q2nJCbQr09eU0UtpQXR40Jt68BCkoYMcCgbvV-5jnWj_aF0p4oZQ1A9AJJwMTBcDMWN9nyO53gNQ96z-owyYZTxTvMow52wL72pbKIAWgs/s200/cuban+countryside.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568029666094248370" /></a>It wasn't long before the landforms around us began to change. Slowly, they got more hilly and then mountainous. We were enthralled with the incredible beauty and peacefulness of the Cuban countryside. We were truly in the tropics, and they were gorgeously lush, green, and forested, with beautiful palm trees everywhere. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrD_CueM9yOavTtJuIZRHVY5bXaeNk1-ROaplWo_HBFd8WbiO1I64sRZVKemJ6ZTKC0174UvCm0LJVgKrfXR10qw1AmJzGlS-vDJCQA6knGY8dNl7tJeERWOAYmS3fFUg9V1sryDDhjC0/s1600/san+diego+de.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrD_CueM9yOavTtJuIZRHVY5bXaeNk1-ROaplWo_HBFd8WbiO1I64sRZVKemJ6ZTKC0174UvCm0LJVgKrfXR10qw1AmJzGlS-vDJCQA6knGY8dNl7tJeERWOAYmS3fFUg9V1sryDDhjC0/s200/san+diego+de.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568038194910114898" /></a>Eventually, we reached our destination. We went inside the structure at left, paid our admittance fee and locker rental (both were a mere pittance), and then were advised to strip completely naked before entering the bath. We put our clothes in a locker and then went down a long descending walkway, and suddenly there we were. It was a large pool, for males only (the females had a similar one nearby, which we understandably didn't see). In each separate pool, fresh hot spring water was piped in. It was only us and maybe 2 or 3 other bathers. Funny thing, though: off to the side was a middle-aged WOMAN sitting there minding the pool! She didn't even bat an eye at us as we went into the delightfully warm (93 degree) water. We joked that it didn't really matter because she had obviously seen it all many times before in her job, but it still seemed weird to be swimming like naked jaybirds right in front of this lone female. Unaffected, though, we swam stark naked for about 15 minutes under the watchful eye of this onviously disinterested woman. Then we got out, toweled ourselves off and headed back up for a relaxing massage. This time, we were advised to cover ourselves with our towels before we each climbed up onto our own individual massage table. None of these also-female masseuses was notably attractive, but <strong>could they ever give a massage!</strong> For the next half hour, we were in massage nirvana! At the end of our session, we were fully relaxed and went back to our lockers, put on our street clothes, and reemerged back into the ticket area. Here we began speaking in half Spanish, half English with one of the attendants. She asked where we were from, and where we were going. We told her, and mentioned that we wanted to see some tobacco and sugar cane fields. She told us to wait for about an hour; she would be off work at that time, and then she and her boyfriend who had a car would be along to pick us all up and take us on a little tour. We couldn't believe our luck! For the next 45 minutes, we walked through the small village we were in, noticing several thatched-hut dwellings and one small but very ornate Catholic church. During Pope John Paul II's visit to Cuba three years before, he persuaded Fidel Castro to allow more freedom for the church. Both this church and the one in Havana were open during our stay, as a result. We also saw a unique above-the-ground cemetary during our walk around. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPY-cBXtdUSft7B1U6HSFKeBLL4U6yvxH8YnxLNH6qSe6_r_N7DpuHwnT1on98KGQj8hSWM0-Y5M1HZ00waj4W_bc1gYIY-3rQQUVzm62ZY6uN62vQ1SBea0FR2KRhUIOoJOaCSS_bwDE/s1600/DocImage16.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPY-cBXtdUSft7B1U6HSFKeBLL4U6yvxH8YnxLNH6qSe6_r_N7DpuHwnT1on98KGQj8hSWM0-Y5M1HZ00waj4W_bc1gYIY-3rQQUVzm62ZY6uN62vQ1SBea0FR2KRhUIOoJOaCSS_bwDE/s200/DocImage16.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568030664998364562" /></a>Sure enough, an hour later the boyfriend came by. He spoke no English, so after a short explanation from the attendant, we hopped into his back seat. It was getting near supper time by then, so we decided to treat them both to supper at a nearby private establishment. At that point in time, the Castro government was allowing private restaurants seating no more than 12 people to exist in private homes. The owners of these restaurants paid a fee to the Cuban government for the privilege. I am not certain if this is still the case ten years later, but the policy was definitely in effect back in 2001. This couple knew of a spot like that nearby, so we all settled in for a nice authentic Cuban supper of beans, rice, pork, banana chips, <em>Havana Club </em>rum and <em>Cristal</em> beer. We were already in <em>Pinar Del Rio </em>province, so the boyfriend said after our meal that he would drive us to the nearby provincial capital city of the same name, where he said he knew of a couple who could put us up for the night. Then, the next day at 10:00 AM, he said he would pick us up and give us a tour of nearby tobacco and sugar cane fields. After that, he would take us back to Havana - all for the unbelievably low price of only $40!!! We happily agreed. (I learned later that baseball players <strong>Tony Oliva, Jose Contreras,</strong> and <strong>Alexei Ramirez </strong>all hailed originally from <em>Pinar Del Rio</em>)! Regrettably, though, I was never able to attend a Cuban baseball game, although if I do ever return, that will be at the top of my priority list! <br /><br />W<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25BLfyo40vvDFnxK1XFPfvqBG-6ZFFyo_pczD2OoLxK7MG0jklrgMflePbMlVXo-guiyHqBJleWe_lPL73uiXgSuXc55ZySOH0k-vPvSMoajXtGm0J_h0rNxzyK-pUfGJyrwj7-XfO_0/s1600/DocImage4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25BLfyo40vvDFnxK1XFPfvqBG-6ZFFyo_pczD2OoLxK7MG0jklrgMflePbMlVXo-guiyHqBJleWe_lPL73uiXgSuXc55ZySOH0k-vPvSMoajXtGm0J_h0rNxzyK-pUfGJyrwj7-XfO_0/s200/DocImage4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568060915054402850" /></a>e stayed that night for $25 each in two separate rooms with a nice young Cuban couple who had 2 young boys. She spoke no English and he only a little, but it didn't matter. He was brimming with curiosity about the United States and Canada. Where were we from? How cold did it actually get there? How did we like Cuba so far? He mentioned that he had applied for an exit visa to move he and his family to Spain, where he said his great-grandfather had originally come from. He mentioned that it may take a few years to get that coveted visa. That was as close as we came to a political discussion; we were never in a situation where one was called for, really. We told him so far we had very much enjoyed our stay in Cuba, and how much we loved the kindness and hospitality shown us by its people. Our Canadian friend took a photo of this Cuban family sitting together with my high school friend and I before we parted the next morning. We mailed him a copy after our return home, and we hope he got it. Perhaps he was successful in finally getting that visa. We can only hope so, but have no way of knowing! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gX42pUkzqSlWYm-mYM6fni1fbiBzZ38wCQAgPasVq5m3dA4dkfe9Nvie7ulHz5nyfdVm6RXhmDKdm3UIN1mX1VeBn17rim4iHvjoZdryGicGMjU40gJa4Zd9JFKrNMsuwvX3QlBRI9M/s1600/DocImage3.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gX42pUkzqSlWYm-mYM6fni1fbiBzZ38wCQAgPasVq5m3dA4dkfe9Nvie7ulHz5nyfdVm6RXhmDKdm3UIN1mX1VeBn17rim4iHvjoZdryGicGMjU40gJa4Zd9JFKrNMsuwvX3QlBRI9M/s200/DocImage3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568062816343831410" /></a>True to his word, our driver from the previous night showed up with his girlfriend at precisely 10 AM. He took us out to a nearby tobacco field and I got out for a picture. Workers around us continued their tasks and didn't even take notice. It was an incredible experience to stand right among those who were producing the finest and most sought-after tobacco in the entire world! My own smoking days had ended years before, but I had always wondered what it would be like to stand in a Cuban tobacco field, and now here I was with them! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQPGWheNxOq9x1jKB9XWdyFt_Y1A3SsU-SOAek1rijJw8Bi90j9llB_CNS2AtSHmLghrPatbi62WlfNmjHwBiIjyFBlFavdmkI9nHbP6mIUquqpsMhxagB0W3o3KE0_AadvCSarYVSlU/s1600/DocImage7.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQPGWheNxOq9x1jKB9XWdyFt_Y1A3SsU-SOAek1rijJw8Bi90j9llB_CNS2AtSHmLghrPatbi62WlfNmjHwBiIjyFBlFavdmkI9nHbP6mIUquqpsMhxagB0W3o3KE0_AadvCSarYVSlU/s200/DocImage7.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568033048224049394" /></a>On the way back to Havana, we stopped briefly on that previously described abandoned superhighway and ran across to the other side, where there were huge amounts of sugar cane growing wildly. We each snapped off a stalk and sampled it. I had never tasted sugar cane before, and I was amazed at the liquid and part-granular texture of what came out of the stalk and its pure sweetness! Wow, I thought - this stuff was so pure and good, it could be drunken by the gallon! <br /><br />We made it back to our spot in Havana, collectively $40 poorer, but immeasurably richer in the rewarding experience. We bade the couple farewell, and they were back off to <em>San Diego de los Banos</em> once more while we returned to our apartment overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. That night, we would attend a jazz club and partake of Havana night life. It would definitely be a very full and rewarding day! <br /><br /><br />For some <strong>SUPERB</strong> videos, Google <strong>Havana:</strong> City: City Guide, weather, and facts galore from Answers.com.<br /><br /><br /><em><strong>UP NEXT IN PART IV: HAVANA NIGHT LIFE, AND SHOPPING IN CUBA!</strong></em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-12437038668240462972011-01-29T10:03:00.001-06:002011-02-09T20:57:01.735-06:00MY JOURNEY TO CUBA (Part II)!<em>For some <strong>SUPERB</strong> videos, Google <strong>Havana:</strong> City: City Guide, weather, and facts galore from Answers.com.</em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbGBi81MHRhnSJIwh9k-V50MfxvyWM2dPxbOgJIZAJu06XQ6qilJtVUBYDMI63t04fY8ANzxvrXEcoD1ihPpBycwkzFkLsf48DQ4mBmtJJ3gIfaGfKbrMEf0vE3FMS2tUYVpAF-M0LPo/s1600/DocImage6.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbGBi81MHRhnSJIwh9k-V50MfxvyWM2dPxbOgJIZAJu06XQ6qilJtVUBYDMI63t04fY8ANzxvrXEcoD1ihPpBycwkzFkLsf48DQ4mBmtJJ3gIfaGfKbrMEf0vE3FMS2tUYVpAF-M0LPo/s200/DocImage6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567365303823829362" /></a>This was as close as I came to seeing any "propaganda" and I found it hanging inconspicuously in a small shop window. In a nearby mall, perched over a staircase, I saw a small sign which read<em> "Revolucion Victoriosa en el Nuevo Milenio"</em> [Victory to the Revolition in the New Millenium], and painted across another wall was <em>"Rio Revolucion"</em> [Revolution River]. But that was IT as far as political signs or slogans! I had expected much, much more. We discussed it later and surmised that perhaps the regime was trying to tone it down to attract western investment after the Soviet Union had ceased to exist and was no longer subsidizing the Cuban economy... <br /><br /><em><strong>Left click on each photo to make it larger.</strong></em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDL0WRIlVa7I89ucOpqlttwEkw_uWNaz7Z3LuPwoQTYzBATZXh2KQMnSe59ODirqj5zIg6MZA_uJFx2Gyh7oK1ccvJeLTJlL_lj6Qi56HfRzPK5q5cFSoV2tM0DGs-xn8T4vMSpVISMI/s1600/DocImage10.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDL0WRIlVa7I89ucOpqlttwEkw_uWNaz7Z3LuPwoQTYzBATZXh2KQMnSe59ODirqj5zIg6MZA_uJFx2Gyh7oK1ccvJeLTJlL_lj6Qi56HfRzPK5q5cFSoV2tM0DGs-xn8T4vMSpVISMI/s200/DocImage10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571887290050648338" /></a>Early the morning of our second day in Havana, Cuba, we took to the streets to explore the city. We began in our home <em>El Vedado </em>district with a large open air craft and art show about 1 block from where we were staying. Here we were astounded to find huge galleries of paintings and other handicrafts for sale in a vacant lot nearby. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38cjpmhgRXF08Qal8J5RxlP7prWkvnHuL6HuWl-ng8SJSzulXQckdmqcKV56nflQLBbkOS08Num-O9HDXgVZzkzEdkggqe6bv2uIOoZQ1VedO_Zw-7A3ZhF_02Q_CxdeZjkrO9MyVcGU/s1600/DocImage22.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38cjpmhgRXF08Qal8J5RxlP7prWkvnHuL6HuWl-ng8SJSzulXQckdmqcKV56nflQLBbkOS08Num-O9HDXgVZzkzEdkggqe6bv2uIOoZQ1VedO_Zw-7A3ZhF_02Q_CxdeZjkrO9MyVcGU/s200/DocImage22.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567373318109031362" /></a>I picked up a small painting and my friend bought some exquisite wood carvings. We soon found other such exhibits all over Havana. The art and music you find virtually everywhere is truly amazing. Artists display their wares all over, and sell them very cheaply. The wood carvings are gorgeous and of very good quality, as you can see here by this artisan's work. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNqWq1pkyWqPMxEq3P8yAKJuK_pEYhSxNv0va0v2m8ziTXhEhoBBp5R_vHMj6zIX2V6PlBnKaHjerOZlo8-XoqXp4Ij7dzZhZdR5C_cUwtH4E01qTZF9Xm1gLtn5jmQcFl0wCGdJZvRw/s1600/DocImage15.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNqWq1pkyWqPMxEq3P8yAKJuK_pEYhSxNv0va0v2m8ziTXhEhoBBp5R_vHMj6zIX2V6PlBnKaHjerOZlo8-XoqXp4Ij7dzZhZdR5C_cUwtH4E01qTZF9Xm1gLtn5jmQcFl0wCGdJZvRw/s200/DocImage15.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566688238257016578" /></a>There is seemingly not a single bar or restaurant without a small samba music group performing either inside or right out on the street. Cuban jazz is incredible. We stopped by a nightclub and saw firsthand the spectacular musicianship and energy of the performers. They played for literally 2 hours without a break, and their stage presence and musicianship was not only good, but frantically energetic as well. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimuTnoJVa1_HWxWiv4T3GAKx6CGYVKctCOYEIS4E-ySCah7yKPJUb5xyvlvpvjAcLKnEhYn6PZjO3BxlsB10macVj0kryuOF5pGgwi3T1QfIRgNgWsoFfoseHyfg1E7fKImKmv-l15ufI/s1600/DocImage31.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimuTnoJVa1_HWxWiv4T3GAKx6CGYVKctCOYEIS4E-ySCah7yKPJUb5xyvlvpvjAcLKnEhYn6PZjO3BxlsB10macVj0kryuOF5pGgwi3T1QfIRgNgWsoFfoseHyfg1E7fKImKmv-l15ufI/s200/DocImage31.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566688580345614242" /></a>Dancers abound and will often give an impromptu performance. They, too, seemed to erupt with boundless energy, and I soon became aware that I was probably one of the fattest men in all of Havana! For the Cuban diet consists mainly of fruit, beans, rice, nuts and grains, chicken, and fish. Red meat is rare, and you can bet their foods contain NONE of the fattening crap like the high fructose corn syrup and corn starch we find in overabundance in our American diets! Wherever we saw a food kiosk, we saw the same things being offered: hot dogs (they were always out of these, so I have yet to comment on a Cuban hot dog), and <em>Jamon y Case</em> (a ham and cheese sandwich). We early on ordered a very flat dish pizza, which was bland. I don't know what kind of cheese they used on it, but it sure wasn't mozzarella! Overall, the food <strong>is</strong> fairly bland, without spices. (I attributed their lack of spices to the trade embargo we have had them under since 1960, but I could be wrong). I DID, however, have two exquisite meals in Havana. One was a delectable shrimp dinner right in Cathedral Square, and the other was an all-you-can-eat brunch for $12 at a hotel on the waterfront. It was only open to foreigners (perhaps only they could afford it) and it had everything: ham, potatoes and gravy, beef, chicken, many kinds of fruit and pastries --- you name it! <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhEj6LTBDeIzP3dn0O77b8g_jOyeVhhE7to8vNAJDc_rijg8lg9RT7wPz_Bby0cJrlPwfea42FxWyQoUGH5R5gGbBXry4ePI5svsligFFFCQlnHDlzJPkRoCxa9CJ7HQ3Rel8k_hiYuCk/s1600/DocImage12.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhEj6LTBDeIzP3dn0O77b8g_jOyeVhhE7to8vNAJDc_rijg8lg9RT7wPz_Bby0cJrlPwfea42FxWyQoUGH5R5gGbBXry4ePI5svsligFFFCQlnHDlzJPkRoCxa9CJ7HQ3Rel8k_hiYuCk/s200/DocImage12.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566689130782132898" /></a>We even got to "perform", dancing and singing, with one of the groups in a small bar we stopped in as they sang the old Sandpipers' tune from 1966 called "Guantanamera!" The song was actually written by a Cuban, I am told. As you can see, I had a very good time singing harmony and shaking the castanets with the young <em>senorita!</em> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYs4t0HGmusZFDInLR2YrVjjYVtTIz816akxoqx7HeQpSwN6z7Nm_mp3czmeokvHjuN8crelVodD3VRgDqAVPEsbw0ay0Xzq9xmVOniEj9cLqPYo5DQWz8IcpbKqdvs9nSdh5L6hJ3Xk/s1600/DocImage8.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYs4t0HGmusZFDInLR2YrVjjYVtTIz816akxoqx7HeQpSwN6z7Nm_mp3czmeokvHjuN8crelVodD3VRgDqAVPEsbw0ay0Xzq9xmVOniEj9cLqPYo5DQWz8IcpbKqdvs9nSdh5L6hJ3Xk/s200/DocImage8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566700341374595746" /></a>While we walked much of the way, we did indulge in several mini-taxi rides. These little yellow taxis are found all throughout the city, and are relatively cheap to ride. They are for the most part 3-seaters, and sure came in handy when we were fatigued. We rode them down the <em>Malecon,</em> a wide esplanade running 8 km from <em>El Vedado </em>into the old original harbor. All along the way, we were captivated by the beautiful well-kept-up Spanish baroque architecture which surrounded us on all sides. We took dozens of pictures and were never bothered by anyone, including police. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSFWwQxUiLgYNsp_haQ4aV_Z9RscdPOT2NsnRgT11fb9bQ2dgZHrGUlZcVinhEA8fyopI8HDBYPxaEov7AmIhJXxwJTYaX_eiwiJHW-ZIzwi4oLFojd_YpTdNUDJi7FhgoxNWdiKRs7s/s1600/DocImage2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSFWwQxUiLgYNsp_haQ4aV_Z9RscdPOT2NsnRgT11fb9bQ2dgZHrGUlZcVinhEA8fyopI8HDBYPxaEov7AmIhJXxwJTYaX_eiwiJHW-ZIzwi4oLFojd_YpTdNUDJi7FhgoxNWdiKRs7s/s200/DocImage2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566703981100715666" /></a>We went to and drank in a bar that Hemingway used to frequent, called <em>La Bodeguita Del Medio.</em> It was adjacent to the beautiful cathedral I stood in front of for the beginning of part I's post. In this bar, I made an amazing discovery. It had the ONLY toilet seat I saw on ANY toilet ANYWHERE in Cuba! That's right, folks: I don't know if toilet seats are viewed as expensive and unnecessary utility parts for toilets, but I saw NONE anyhere in Cuba except in the bar Hemingway favored! Cubans evidently sit on the rim or squat and tend to their business, I guess. Another curious phenomenon: after wiping, toilet paper is never thrown into the toilet bowl and flushed away. Instead, it is thrown into a basket besude the toilet (which is emptied out regularly). But back to the toilet seat in Hemingway's favorite haunt: it was SO soiled with urine, I couldn't imagine anyone ever sitting on that seat!!! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gEAnP68YAU2WiNSNcpRk4KKwLqA2rJgutJx6CcSv3Dq3FNmgjRXResGA8K6d8xs_t5sCGebmh1Mg0a-Jn2pEAN7iJZVHsWOuRfetBvYbq9IcbB1TkAB7Iaf2U2CPqrovga4AHCrkMjE/s1600/DocImage2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gEAnP68YAU2WiNSNcpRk4KKwLqA2rJgutJx6CcSv3Dq3FNmgjRXResGA8K6d8xs_t5sCGebmh1Mg0a-Jn2pEAN7iJZVHsWOuRfetBvYbq9IcbB1TkAB7Iaf2U2CPqrovga4AHCrkMjE/s200/DocImage2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571888277827385170" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60BjA6J0jDXvQclEHtcXruqfBkV4zq8-qsLCOduRA526azNO8LCuccAOPnL82YYgB2Mm9-67Oe4YJaEBtkenKb-wnmvTZ9KGJnx2ERzJ9NjR34MwEI5YwEehyphenhyphenzH7w5qCyuEJO4l95orE/s1600/HAVANA+CAPITOL.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60BjA6J0jDXvQclEHtcXruqfBkV4zq8-qsLCOduRA526azNO8LCuccAOPnL82YYgB2Mm9-67Oe4YJaEBtkenKb-wnmvTZ9KGJnx2ERzJ9NjR34MwEI5YwEehyphenhyphenzH7w5qCyuEJO4l95orE/s200/HAVANA+CAPITOL.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566713252680813954" /></a>We eventually ended up in the government section of the city and walked all around each government building. On our way there, we were surprised to see several dangerously open slits near the sidewalk right along the huge, wide boulevard leading up to the capitol. We found it odd that such a thing would exist only a half a mile or so from the Cuban seat of government, but then we reminded ourselves that horrible slums exist only a very short distance from our own Capitol in Washington, D.C. The Cuban "White House" and Capitol are housed together in one building shaped eerily like our own Capitol. Just beyond this area lies the office and business section of the city, which we didn't bother to explore. Seen one; seen 'em all. <br /> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWes69UZCsoueQJhNBhSRj6HF61XJ2AmG-JMN-cjyib9bd9EhvuL0Bk_KgL3wLHQfC4s9kxSBZwosFw29SbpRY27Be3hSIKli3IcxsZIQqND-vGZ3QeZKrlYJL_pd5Jy9sb0gilca4xgI/s1600/DocImage5.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWes69UZCsoueQJhNBhSRj6HF61XJ2AmG-JMN-cjyib9bd9EhvuL0Bk_KgL3wLHQfC4s9kxSBZwosFw29SbpRY27Be3hSIKli3IcxsZIQqND-vGZ3QeZKrlYJL_pd5Jy9sb0gilca4xgI/s200/DocImage5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566709184651301506" /></a>I had my picture taken outside the Interior Ministry building, home of Cuba's secret police. Its notable characteristic is a huge neon light in the shape of noted revolutionary <em>Che Guevara,</em> who was killed by the CIA while trying to export revolution to Bolivia in 1967. The only thing I can say about a tightly-run dictatorship like Cuba is that I felt far safer at night on the street there than I do even in my own town! Street crime is simply not condoned in Cuba, and no one ever accosted us at all. Though I'm sure we were being watched, I could never detect anyone tailing us, so evidently the sceret police do their job most professionally in that country. I would guess after having had 41 years' experience at that time, that would be the case. We roamed all over at will and were never interfered with, nor were the other foreigners (Danes, Swedes, Germans) we encountered in various bars and other places. Of course, we kept mainly to ourselves and stayed inconspicuous, but it was clear to anyone that we were tourists. To be honest, I was kind of disappointed that we were never stopped or questioned even once! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2R5dUSekkJXIllXQROr_OQ7WfeaT4zVL5QaT0xX3dhBiQM74yZZ0KKU6GOdvvqBTy3dBMCHDPnx-XwnhTVlVTTYqR2lcbsaOInoAMQuuQeWKWylVtt_BIuJv-jysRAHWLgwKz_VJy0E/s1600/DocImage17.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2R5dUSekkJXIllXQROr_OQ7WfeaT4zVL5QaT0xX3dhBiQM74yZZ0KKU6GOdvvqBTy3dBMCHDPnx-XwnhTVlVTTYqR2lcbsaOInoAMQuuQeWKWylVtt_BIuJv-jysRAHWLgwKz_VJy0E/s200/DocImage17.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567378002093924450" /></a>One of the amazing and amusing things about Cuba is the fact that 1 out of every 5 or 6 cars on the road there are original 1950s-style American Chevys, Fords, or Dodges. As you can see from the photo at right, many are still in pristine shape! It is a tribute to Cuban pride, ingenuity, and determination that they have been able to keep these things running after having been deprived of the necessary spare parts due to our embargo against them for the past 50 years! To be sure, many belch smoke while being driven, and others lack working door or window handles, but it is still incredible to find them running at all. It was exactly like stepping out of a time machine and emerging in 1960! <br /><br /><br /><em><strong>COMING IN PART III: PINAR DEL RIO ["RIVER OF THE PINES"] - AN EXCURSION INTO TOBACCO AND SUGAR CANE COUNTRY!</strong></em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-30949510153332612192011-01-26T20:07:00.003-06:002011-02-09T20:44:17.950-06:00MY JOURNEY TO CUBA (Part I)!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPb6pjhuBgnj45A-2rUApRPHRn8QdYnZC20dh5wsOC_429Ftg6AUlZ8AkCPfwhexcdJwJIj9cr-3IKioHqfjPZzJdVT78t_twNmoBtCKDzIlzcHvS6zSpRZ5WcKSG3oZskElZjZWwkPw/s1600/jackincuba.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPb6pjhuBgnj45A-2rUApRPHRn8QdYnZC20dh5wsOC_429Ftg6AUlZ8AkCPfwhexcdJwJIj9cr-3IKioHqfjPZzJdVT78t_twNmoBtCKDzIlzcHvS6zSpRZ5WcKSG3oZskElZjZWwkPw/s200/jackincuba.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566673252649952898" /></a>Jack Jodell surrounded by two native beauties in Cathedral Square, Havana. (Left click on each photo to make it larger).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEj2oh6QiS0A3ky9GrW8OgvOdhqHv06I-1wfb58wL6oOTDY4R-j9o2GaAaRPxkZSPx_RLnc-zbqnPqRWtMVddnWT3IIhyphenhyphenNhOIAn-ZgpGCfaZQpM9lEvPzjirJZHZj6mzKXMJX6wpGiHZo/s1600/havana+map.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEj2oh6QiS0A3ky9GrW8OgvOdhqHv06I-1wfb58wL6oOTDY4R-j9o2GaAaRPxkZSPx_RLnc-zbqnPqRWtMVddnWT3IIhyphenhyphenNhOIAn-ZgpGCfaZQpM9lEvPzjirJZHZj6mzKXMJX6wpGiHZo/s200/havana+map.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564069956513318162" /></a>Map of Havana, by district. We scoured the city in 4+ days.<br /><br />George W. Bush had barely been installed in office 7 days when I, an old high school friend, and a Canadian we both knew who financed our trip (the only legal way a U.S. citizen could make such a trip) left from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport to visit the communist country of <strong>CUBA.</strong> We flew down to Cancun, Mexico, and, upon clearing customs, immediately booked a flight with the Mexican airlines to Havana, the capital city of Cuba. There was a three hour wait for the flight to begin boarding, so we sat down to pass the time. <br /><br />Having done quite a bit of advance reading on how best to travel in Cuba without running into difficulty, we went over our story to relate to Cuban customs. We know that the Castro government at that time was permitting a limited number of its citizens to accept foreigners as house guests, and that was our aim, rather than staying in an overpriced state hotel. We also knew we needed at least $50 per person per day in US Dollars (the going rate 10 years ago, and the figure our Canadian friend had given my other friend and I before we had all boarded the plane). The US dollar was the accepted currency back then. The Cuban peso was and still is basically worthless on the world market, so US dollars were required for all foreigners to have and spend in Cuba, an ingenious way for them to have access to a stable currency for trade with the rest of the globe. I understand now that the Euro is the accepted currency in Cuba, but at the time it was only our greenbacks foreigners were allowed to spend. We also knew to tell the customs agent that we were planning on staying at the Lincoln Hotel, a low-to-mid-priced hotel in Havana often frequented by tourists. We also knew to avoid doing or saying anything controversial, as the last place we wanted to end up in was a Cuban jail, without hope of intercession from a non-existant U.S. Ambassador! <br /><br />My friend and I had long talked about visiting Cuba, just to see what it would be like living in a tightly-controlled police state (if indeed that was what it was) for a few days; to see if our government's anti-Cuban propaganda had any merit (it really didn't, as far as we could tell); to see evidence of anti-American posters and such (oddly enough, we saw NONE); and to basically see if the stories we had all heard from childhood were true about how most of the population was trapped, miserable, wamted to leave the island, endured constant shortages, etc. Oddly enough, rather than a dour, unhappy populace, we found the country to be a lively mecca of art and music, with little outward evidence of unhappiness. We also wanted to see all the old 1950s American Chevys, Dodges, and Fords still in use and in operation throughout the country. We got all that we wanted and then some, but let me return here to our departure. <br /><br />Eventually, the time to board our flight to Havana arrived. We got on the plane and we were off. An hour or so later we would be disembarking in Havana, and we couldn't wait! Once we were airborne, we noticed a woman speaking in accented English with another passenger. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagjQScxbemsVSsG-WLTsh0LfLB4l8l2wopUipc1YpHKRHwVWDhwDDxVtVGFqdK3Iv4jMMN_HGnnYDpkprurhHS0J4S1PtjESRimRCJqVcUy4KX7W4vY14CSDdAmMczQhYqfN2H7JDqUU/s1600/DocImage14.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagjQScxbemsVSsG-WLTsh0LfLB4l8l2wopUipc1YpHKRHwVWDhwDDxVtVGFqdK3Iv4jMMN_HGnnYDpkprurhHS0J4S1PtjESRimRCJqVcUy4KX7W4vY14CSDdAmMczQhYqfN2H7JDqUU/s200/DocImage14.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566677492832418738" /></a>We learned that her name was Maria, and she was an Italian national who had married an abusive American (whom she later divorced), and was living by herself in Nevada. She was on her way to visit her brother, also an Italian national, who was LIVING IN HAVANA and coordinating visits of Cuban dancers and musicians between Cuba and Italy. We looked at each other and realized we had discovered gold: here was the chance to pick the brain of a guy who knew Havana inside and out. We mentioned our desire to her and she said, "That would be fine. I'll mention it to him when we arrive, but only one problem - he doesn't speak a word of English, so I will be happy to be your interpreter. He will also help us find accomodations!" We couldn't believe our ears at this stroke of luck. We spent the rest of our flight getting to know one another, and agreed to meet her and her brother once we had all gotten out of customs. <br /><br />Keep in mind, this was before 9/11, so boarding and unboarding airline flights were FAR less cumbersome than today! Once we filed into customs, we spoke to a guard sitting behind a tall counter, which obscured our view of anything below his chin. He asked each of us why we had come to Cuba, and we told him we admired the Cuban revolution and wanted to return home to tell our friends about its accomplishments. The agent glared at us and said nothing. Finally, he asked for our passports. I mentioned that two of us were American citizens and that stamping our passport "Havana" could cause us much political trouble back home. He simply glared back and took the passports. He examined each for a moment and then we heard the unmistakable "kerplunk, kerplunk, kerplunk" of three passports being stamped. I thought, "Oh, shit! How will I ever be able to explain this to American customs back home?" Even though we were observing proper protocol by letting our Canadian friend be the one who was treating us, we simply had wanted to avoid ANY evidence of our trip to Cuba, just in case. But my fears were short-lived, as the customs agent handed our passports back, broke into a huge smile, and said enthusiastically, "Welcome to Cuba!" Upon examining our passports, we found that he had stamped a separate document, a tourist visa, and had inserted IT into our passports. We were to hand this document in to airline authorities when we boarded our return flight to Mexico. Whew! I thought: we had dodged our first Cuban bullet! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWop4UxK9QekeTwNJEfn62CMZYyca4oVmvI7auecvMOtjT9nIBm3aupZtdx0Cz6gchTchfWJMB1MLg20M-GPXGxx2FooQtZICnGvybNnrA1w1XDOsGyvLbu2ErCss6yo7O5LMtGeneJsU/s1600/DocImage9.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWop4UxK9QekeTwNJEfn62CMZYyca4oVmvI7auecvMOtjT9nIBm3aupZtdx0Cz6gchTchfWJMB1MLg20M-GPXGxx2FooQtZICnGvybNnrA1w1XDOsGyvLbu2ErCss6yo7O5LMtGeneJsU/s200/DocImage9.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566675140979645730" /></a>We soon met up with Maria and her brother. Night had fallen and we had no idea where we were going to bed down. He, through her, advised us to remain quiet as he flagged down a taxi-van, and soon we were off into the night. After about a 40 minute ride, we stopped and left the taxi. He told us that he had a friend who could put us up for $25 per person per night. He had us wait outside while he went upstairs into a 10 story apartment building which we found out later had been made by the Sovirts in the 1960s. After a short time, he invited us all in to meet and pay our new host, a mid-30s-ish man with a wife and small boy. He and his sister stayed on the fourth floor and we three others each had our own separate bedroom. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Sy2HE_pWiCP5ARRKSO8lLUF_8Ey9sJYihYUp0p3sjRSLUlxp0ab3P57GLsYgYyQitinqmmmIG8cihdGQ4tKp4e7yQnTx2qPxDTGIUUkOaPHx3pEPP3jhZ458BoBllj_-HkN_7ELuRv0/s1600/DocImage9.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Sy2HE_pWiCP5ARRKSO8lLUF_8Ey9sJYihYUp0p3sjRSLUlxp0ab3P57GLsYgYyQitinqmmmIG8cihdGQ4tKp4e7yQnTx2qPxDTGIUUkOaPHx3pEPP3jhZ458BoBllj_-HkN_7ELuRv0/s200/DocImage9.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571884465258448770" /></a>Spartan yet immaculate, up one floor higher than Maria and her brother, we each settled in. . Turns out our host had government permission to house foreigners and therefore had the necessary rooms. We all then had a small meal of fish and rice, washing it down with a lovely Heineken-like Cuban beer called <em>Cristal.</em> Hey, we were home free and settled at last! It was now quite late at night, so we all settled down to sleep in a perfect little spot in northernmost Havana, the <em>El Vedado </em>region looking out directly over the Gulf of Mexico. The very next day we resolved to scour the city itself. <br /><br /><strong>COMING UP IN PART II: <em>Habana Vieja</em> and <em>Plaza de la Revolucion!</em></strong> <br /><br /><em>And, for some <strong>SUPERB</strong> videos, Google <strong>Havana:</strong> City: City Guide, weather, and facts galore from Answers.com.</em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-12163096853074770932011-01-24T20:36:00.001-06:002011-01-24T20:41:34.431-06:00IMPEACH THESE ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE JUSTICES!<strong>"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as government by organized mob."<br />- Franklin D. Roosevelt -<br /><br />"...in a democracy, powerful interests must not be allowed to drown out the voices of ordinary citizens."<br />- Barack Obama -<br /><br />"The people of this country, not special interest big money, should be the source of all political power."<br />- The late great Senator Paul Wellstone - </strong> <br /><br /><br />For many years now, we have heard conservatives rail against activist judges, decrying their supposed "legislating from the bench." After the Warren and Burger Supreme Courts expanded civil liberties in the ares of self-expression, civil rights, consumer protection, and a woman's right to choose, these conservatives called for less judicial activism and the need for "strict constructionist" Supreme Court justices. Like most of their phrases, this was simply doublespeak for more authoritarian, pro-business, even corporatist, judges. With the narrow 5-4 conservative majority in today's Roberts court, they have at last realized their aims. The effect has been disastrous for the majority of the country, has empowered and strengthened greedy corporations at our expense, and that is why I am calling for <strong>THE IMPEACHMENT OF THESE ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE JUSTICES! </strong><br /><br />I know, I know: with the House of Representatives in conservative hands, my call will not be realized for a while yet, if ever. <em><strong>But it is something I believe we must push for in every new, succeeding Congress.</strong></em> For this court has reaffirmed the very errant notion that money is free speech, that corporations have the same rights as individuals, and has upheld the constitutionality of a number of clearly UNconstitutional authoritarian laws (the Patriot Act, the suspension of habeas corpus for those accused of terrorism). It has also generally supported an authoritarian line when it comes to cases of "executive privilege." In so doing, they have trampled all over the First and Fourth Amendments. That, my friends, is the basis for my complaint and, in my viewpoint, constitutes "high crimes and misdemeanors." <br /><br /><br />A recent issue of <em>Fortune</em> magazine features Chief Justice John Roberts on its cover, and does a fairly extensive article on the court. Part of the article reads: <br /><br /><em>"The Roberts Court is also widely seen as pro-business —”Supreme Court Inc.,” the New York Times Magazine called it in 2008. Since 2006, according to the Constitutional Accountability Center, the Roberts Court has ruled for business interests in <strong>68% of the cases in which the U.S. Chamber of Commerce submitted friend-of-the-court briefs.</strong> During a comparable span (1981-1986) drawn from the Berger Court years, the Chamber’s win ratio was just 43%."</em> <br /><br />Let's look at these four main culprits who have done so much to trim your rights and aid the very richest people in the country, at your expense: <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvLa5nrsFy5abycRXBjGnfsU9XGP3Vj4UHGWNjnkB2x2HI2liGbqB8b5jDpzjs-xmNjv3cFv4pFHBiJB_23NDr8XTjQ1tzbHXZB95i8YUyWP8dsV_7qDZwFUPmAi3zsTT4_zVL7yxdhY/s1600/roberts+r.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 107px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvLa5nrsFy5abycRXBjGnfsU9XGP3Vj4UHGWNjnkB2x2HI2liGbqB8b5jDpzjs-xmNjv3cFv4pFHBiJB_23NDr8XTjQ1tzbHXZB95i8YUyWP8dsV_7qDZwFUPmAi3zsTT4_zVL7yxdhY/s200/roberts+r.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528666363454168866" /></a><strong>Chief Justice John Roberts,</strong> a George W. Bush appointee, is everything Bush could have wanted in a justice: young, pro-business, anti-regulation, and socially and economically very conservative. Like many of today's conservatives, he is smug and arrogant, and once his mind is made up, no one in the world will be able to change it. An extremely bad choice for Chief Justice from an extremely bad President! <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcGcuvRhSaLPuOR6-PhZL7XyLnzwwNWDC-OqddE_R-rOB4B4dl4Gu6kPJgpsTVVMFMsljmbYBbP6bnngtatIqRlJER20MdckaESZJASP11DOxpNk-ABL7DVITWPG_ElebZg6pfV34CjI/s1600/thomas+r.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 115px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcGcuvRhSaLPuOR6-PhZL7XyLnzwwNWDC-OqddE_R-rOB4B4dl4Gu6kPJgpsTVVMFMsljmbYBbP6bnngtatIqRlJER20MdckaESZJASP11DOxpNk-ABL7DVITWPG_ElebZg6pfV34CjI/s200/thomas+r.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528665862689773858" /></a><strong>Associate Justice Clarence Thomas.</strong> We have Bush's father, George H. W. Bush, to thank for this, the most conserrvative, and arguably the worst, justice in history. On average, from 1994 to 2004, Thomas and arch-conservative Abtonin Scalia had an 86.7% voting alignment, the highest on the Court. He considtantly votes in favor of the privileged and powerful, and has followed a path of very narrow deviation from what he views as the true meaning of the Constitution and its amendments. He opposes affirmative action even though he is black.He sat idly by while his second wife Ginni actively campaigned for the Tea Party in the last election, this being a major breach of protocol. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFhwMMEaOx1k81F1hjvyDJ_LsYCoo5j7D3Ov6j-_PZ9xjCRJwtpU5ARyzaYA9u7o6rw7Iu_oyq0ycin4E5ujNjkG-k27_o14jxWJzAMT9WW_gZq9cZzerEJ37MPyDa-VB2D_e11aLzis/s1600/scalia+r.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 113px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFhwMMEaOx1k81F1hjvyDJ_LsYCoo5j7D3Ov6j-_PZ9xjCRJwtpU5ARyzaYA9u7o6rw7Iu_oyq0ycin4E5ujNjkG-k27_o14jxWJzAMT9WW_gZq9cZzerEJ37MPyDa-VB2D_e11aLzis/s200/scalia+r.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528665049901766994" /></a><strong>Associate Justice Antonin Scalia.</strong> We can thank the Alzheimer's-ridden Ronald Reagan and his controversial Attorney General Edwin Meese for giving us this arch-conservative turkey. He is now the most senior Associate Justice. An argumentative and combative man, and stubborn as well, he too has broken major protocol by agreeing to address Michele Bachmann's new closed-door <em>"Conservative Constitutional Seminar"</em> for newly-elected Teapublican House members. Noted George Washington University law professor <strong>Jonathan Turley</strong> has said, [this suggests] "an alliance between a conservative justice and a conservative member of Congress." In a letter to Bachmann, executive director of the American Constitution Society <strong>Caroline Fredrickson </strong> stated "you do not intend to provide members of Congress with a comprehensive understanding of the Constitution, but instead will offer an interpretive approach that yields results consistent with the political views of Tea Party caucus members."<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierSiZ9qj7w6syf1oRPClZg_8n0IeY55_n6OXQbtjt3s2lJqOQiLUDSLpkoilIglwNTPWhhG_I3aPa_eIp95rIcTjFBKGbrlKeo_McnYUJYJMi7rrmTlAPl7aTZaJ2sKqmuTorJWK2bGg/s1600/alito.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 110px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierSiZ9qj7w6syf1oRPClZg_8n0IeY55_n6OXQbtjt3s2lJqOQiLUDSLpkoilIglwNTPWhhG_I3aPa_eIp95rIcTjFBKGbrlKeo_McnYUJYJMi7rrmTlAPl7aTZaJ2sKqmuTorJWK2bGg/s200/alito.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528664598024509090" /></a><strong>Associate Justice Samuel Alito</strong> rounds out this group of hardcore conservatives. Based on his work in Ronald Reagan's Justice Department and his rulings as an appellate judge, critics claimed his views to be "outside the mainstream." They pointed, quite correctly, to Alito's dissent as a Circuit Court judge in the Planned Parenthood v. Casey case, wherein Alito voted to uphold a part of the law that required a husband be notified when his wife sought an abortion. When the case eventually came before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Court rejected Alito's reasoning. Critics have also pointed to his 1985 application for a promotion in the Justice Department, in which Alito stated that he had been motivated to go to law school by conservative writings criticizing the Warren Court's decisions in the areas of criminal procedure. He wrote that he was proud to represent the administration's legal view that "racial and ethnic quotas should not be allowed and that the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion." During his Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Alito explained that, while the statements were accurate at the time, they were written as part of an application for a political appointment in the conservative Reagan administration and did not necessarily reflect his views as a judge. Then why did he supposedly compromise his values in such a way? Could it be he was following the modern conservative method of saying or doing anything just so you get what you want? Alito has also issued opinions that made it much more difficult for victims of discrimination to get to court and prove their cases. Alito’s opinions on issues of religion raise real questions about his commitment to the fundamental principle of the separation of church and state. He does appear to look the other way when it comes to government unconstitutionally endorsing religion. This tendency has been especially obvious in a pair of cases dealing with fairly elaborate Christmas holiday displays in and around government buildings. <br /><br />These justices have to a man endorsed decisions that uphold the status quo and authoritarianism. Just like the Chamber of Comkmerce they so often side with, they are anti-worker, anti-labor union, pro-"free trade" and and pro-establishment all the way. They side with the powerful against the powerless. They ignore important past legal precedent and try to supplant it with crazily modified opinions like last year's disgusting <em>Citizens United v. the Federal Elections Commission.</em> This makes them anti the overwhelming majority of the country, and is the main reason I am urging us to <strong>IMPEACH THESE ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE JUSTICES OF THE SUPREME COURT!</strong> <br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------ <br /><strong>OK, you got your extended Bush tax cuts for the rich, and you have established control over the House of Representatives, and you've been Speaker of the House for 20 days. NOW, WHERE ARE THE JOBS, MR. BOEHNER? </strong> <br />----------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br /><br /><em><strong>UP NEXT: MY JOURNEY TO CUBA (PART I)!</strong></em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-24430476578204184332011-01-18T08:56:00.002-06:002011-01-19T09:07:18.034-06:00QUOTES ON LYING (POLITICAL AND OTHERWISE)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP2MXVXUrTo0Jm47eaGfVRqZ4bW_7W88NBUSmUitGVe2yzrIPGMS0Aee3oTQOQwJFbOyResj75QX403QTlqO6pS8HExXK88TkwjI1a9_fOtDfkB4shcTHAtgugAehgNycoANk4evELHqI/s1600/butthead+boehner.bmp"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP2MXVXUrTo0Jm47eaGfVRqZ4bW_7W88NBUSmUitGVe2yzrIPGMS0Aee3oTQOQwJFbOyResj75QX403QTlqO6pS8HExXK88TkwjI1a9_fOtDfkB4shcTHAtgugAehgNycoANk4evELHqI/s200/butthead+boehner.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563318944395629378" /><br /></a><br /><br /><strong>OK, you got your extended Bush tax cuts for the rich, and you have established control over the House of Representatives, and you've been Speaker of the House for 14 days. NOW, WHERE ARE THE JOBS, MR. BOEHNER? <br />-------------------------------------------------</strong><br /><br />Over the past decade or so, we have seen a massive amount of lying coming from our public officials. From Saddam has WMD so we must invade Iraq, to massive tax cuts for the rich will stimulate the economy and create millions of new, good-paying jobs, to the glut of outright lies ("death panels", "throwing grandma under the bus") about the President's health care plan, to the President is a secret socialist/fascist and wants to sell us down the river - you name it, we've just about heard it all. I thought I would dedicate this particular post to the subject of <em>lying</em>, something our right-wing friends seem to have mastered nearly to perfection and practice shamelessly, nonstop. Below, then, are a series of quotes on and about the subject of lying. I hope they'll provide you (and our right-wing friends) with some good food for thought. <br /><br /><em><strong><br />"THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST THY NEIGHBOR!" <br />- GOD (told to Moses in the eighth of the Ten Commandments) - <br />Hmmmm---wonder if Sarah Palin, John McCain, the Koch Brothers, Dick Armey, or Michele Bachmann ever heard of this? </strong></em><br /><br /><strong>"The trust of the innocent is the liar's most useful tool." <br />- Stephen King -</strong> <br /><br /><em><strong>"When a liar became too skilled at deception, he could lose the ability to discern truth, and could himself be more easily deceived."<br />- Dean Koontz - <br />Hmmmm---that explains how conservatives really believe cutting taxes for the rich will create jobs and lessen our deficit. NOW I get it!</strong></em> <br /><br /><strong>"Falsehood is often rocked by truth, but she soon outgrows her cradle and discards her nurse." <br />- Charles Caleb Colton -</strong><br /><br /><em><strong>"A good memory is needed once we have lied." <br />- Pierre Corneille - </strong></em> <br /><br /><strong>"Clever liars give details, but the cleverest don't."<br />- Source Unknown - <br />Hmmmm---so THAT'S Rush Limbaugh's and Glenn Beck's secret!</strong> <br /><br /><em><strong>"He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and a third time till at length it becomes habitual." <br />- Thomas Jefferson - </strong></em> <br /><br /><strong>"I never encourage deceit, and falsehood, especially if you have got a bad memory, is the worst enemy a fellow can have. The fact is truth is your truest friend, no matter what the circumstances are."<br />- Abraham Lincoln - <br />Spoken like a TRUE Republican, back in the days TRUE Republicans actually ran their own party!</strong> <br /><br /><em><strong>"If you wish to strengthen a lie, mix a little truth in with it." <br />- Zohar -</strong></em> <br /><br /><strong>"Lies were like acid, corrosive: They could dissolve trust in a heartbeat." <br />- Rob Thurman -</strong><br /><br /><em><strong>"A half-truth does more mischief than a whole lie." <br />- Ivan Panin </strong></em>- <br /><br /><strong>"ADVERTISING IS LEGALIZED LYING." <br />- H. G. Wells -</strong> <br /><br /><em><strong>"It's not a matter of what is true that counts but a matter of what is perceived to be true." <br />- Henry Kissinger - <br />A brilliant observation from one of the biggest liars of our time.</strong></em> <br /><br /><strong>"The men that American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest the most violently are those who try to tell them the truth." <br />- H L Mencken (attributed: source unknown) -</strong> <br /><br /><em><strong>"Lying is a terrible vice, it testifies that one despises God, but fears men." <br />- Michel Eyquem De Montaigne -</strong></em><br /> <br /><strong>"Lying and stealing are next door neighbors." <br />- Arabian Proverb -</strong> <br /><br /><em><strong>"The liar's punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else." <br />- George Bernard Shaw -<br />Ain't THAT the truth!</strong></em> <br /><br /><strong>“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” <br />- Joseph Goebbels - <br />REMEMBER WHERE THAT CAME FROM, FOX "NEWS"! </strong> <br /><br /><em><strong>"Lying rides upon debt's back." <br />- Benjamin Franklin -</strong></em><br /><br /><strong>“All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.”<br />- Adolf Hitler -<br />Fox "News";s secret exposed at last!</strong><br /><br /><em><strong>“Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way round, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise.”<br />- Adolf Hitler -<br />Successfully adopted and put into practice by today's far-right Republican Party. A real shame. WAKE UP, PEOPLE!</strong></em> <br />---------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><em><strong>COMING SOON: MY JOURNEY TO CUBA!</strong></em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-82955481981911852192011-01-12T10:40:00.005-06:002011-01-16T19:13:05.075-06:00POLITICAL ASSASSINATIONS IN AMERICAN HISTORY<strong>OK, you got your extended Bush tax cuts for the rich, and you have established control over the House of Representatives, and you've been Speaker of the House for 8days. NOW, WHERE ARE THE JOBS, MR. BOEHNER? </strong> <br />---------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br /><br />Ours is a violent country. We TRY to be a nation of laws, but in many cases over our history we have descended into mob rule. At the very height of it all lies a very unhealthy obsession with guns. We are not only the world's biggest-ever arms merchant, but we have far more guns per capita than any nation on earth. The National Rifle Association constantly opposes any effort by sane-thinkers to roll back availability on almost any kind of automatic or semi-automatic weapon or to place restrictions on the types of person who can own a gun. Their paranoia about nonexistent government attempts to confiscate all guns to enslave us all into a one-world government is absolute craziness, yet they are nearly always successful in their efforts. We have the most pro-gun government anywhere in the world, and, in spite of our overwhelming obsession, we call ourselves a civilized people. <br /><br />Today's post is dedicated to all the political assassinations our country has endured. In light of the recent near-assassination in Tucson of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, I though it would be interesting to lay these all out for you. Read it and weep, my friends. <br /><br />1. <strong>Alexander Hamilton (1804)</strong> - this former Treasury Secretary was shot in a duel with the <strong>SITTING VICE PRESIDENT Aaron Burr</strong>! <br /><br />2. <strong>Solomon P. Sharp (1825)</strong> - this Kentucky State Senator-elect was stabbed in front of his home. <br /><br />3. <strong>Charlie Brent (1847)</strong> - this Governor of New Mexico Territory was killed by arrows and scalping. <br /><br />4. <strong>James Strang (1856)</strong> - this Michigan State Representative died from gunshot wounds. <br /><br />5. <em><strong>ABRAHAM LINCOLN (1865) - our 16th President was shot in the head in Ford's Theater at the conclusion of the Civil War by actor and southern-sympathizer John Wilkes Booth.</strong></em> <br /><br />6. <strong>John P. Slough (1867)</strong> - Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court, he was also killed by gunshot. <br /><br />7. <strong>Thomas C. Hindman (1868)</strong> - U.S. Rep from Arizona, died from gunshot. <br /><br />8. <strong>James M. Hinds (1868)</strong> - also a U/S. Rep from Arizona, he died from gunshot from a Ku Klux Klan member. <br /><br />9. <strong>Edward Dexter Holbrook (1870)</strong> - a delegate to the U.S. House from Idaho Territory, he died of a gunshot wound. <br /><br />10. <em><strong>JAMES A. GARFIELD (1881) - our 20th President, he was fatally shot by Charles J. Giteau, a deranged political office seeker, only 4 months into his presidency.</strong></em> <br /><br />11. <strong>John M. Clanton (1889)</strong> - gunshots claimed the life of this Congressman-elect from Arkansas. <br /><br />12. <strong>Carter Harrison, Sr. (1893)</strong> - Mayor of Chicago. Death by gunshot. <br /><br />13. <strong>Ed King (1896)</strong> - Mayor of Mount Pleasant, IA. Was killed by gunshot at a city council meeting. <br /><br />14. <strong>William Goebel (1900)</strong> - Governor of Kentucky. Killed by a gunshot to the chest. <br /><br />15. <em><strong>WILLIAM McKINLEY (1901) - Leon Frank Czolgosz shot our 25th President in the abdomen as he stood in a greeting line at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY.</strong></em> <br /><br />16. <strong>Anton Cernak (1933)</strong> - Mayor of Chicago. He took a bullet fired in the direction of President-elect <strong>Franklin D. Roosevelt </strong>in Miami, FL. <br /><br />17. <strong>Huey Long (1935)</strong> - This colorful and reviled Louisians Senator died in a fusillade of bullets fired while he was visiting his state capitol. <br /><br />18. <strong>Albert Patterson (1954)</strong> - Alabama Attorney General-elect was murdered by gunshot. <br /><br />19. <em><strong>JOHN F. KENNEDY (1053) - This popular first-ever Irish Catholic President, our 35th, was murdered by a gunshot to the head while driving in an open limousine in Dallas, TX.</strong></em> <br /><br />20. <strong>MALCOMB X (1965</strong>) - this civil rights leader was killed by gunfire from a rival faction at a Black Muslim meeting in New York. <br /><br />21. <strong>George Lincoln Rockwell (1967)</strong> - the founder of the American Nazi Party was killed by gunshot. <br /><br />22. <strong>Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. (1968)</strong> - This popular and eloquent civil rights leader was killed by gunfire as he stood on the balcony of a Memphis motel. <br /><br />23. <strong>Robert F. Kennedy (1968)</strong> - Brother of assassinated President John F. Kennedy, this popular Senator from New York was killed by gunfire moments after winning the 1968 California Democratic primary. <br /><br />24. <strong>Harvey Milk (1978)</strong> - San Francisco City Supervisor. Was killed by bullets to the chest and head. <br /><br />25. <strong>George Moscone (1978</strong>) - Mayor of San Francisco was killed by bullets to the abdomen and head. <br /><br />26. <strong>Leo Ryan (1978)</strong> - This California Congressman was killed in the massacre at Jonestown, by a hail of bullets. <br /><br />27. <strong>John H. Wood, Jr. (1979)</strong> - U,S, District Court Judge. Gunshot. <br /><br />28.<strong>Russell G. Lloyd, Sr. (1980)</strong> - Mayor of Evansville, IN. Was shot 4 times with a handgun by an irate citizen. <br /><br />29. <strong>Alfred K. Lowenstein (1980)</strong> - this former representative from New York was killed by a deranged gunman in his office. <br /><br />30. <strong>Robert Smith Vance (1989)</strong> - U.S. Federal Judge. Was killed by a letter bomb. <br /><br />31. <strong>Tommy Burks (1998)</strong> - Tennessee State Senator. Killed by a gunshot to the face. <br /><br />32. <strong>Derwin Brown (2000)</strong> - Sherriff-elect of De Kalb County, Georgia. Killed by gunshots. <br /><br />33. <strong>James E. Davis (2003)</strong> - New York City councilman who was killed by gunshots to the chest. <br /><br />34. <strong>Bill Gwatney (2008)</strong> - Chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party. Was killed by cunshot. <br /><br />35. <strong>John Thorton (2010)</strong> - Mayor of Washington Park, IL. Was killed be a gunshot wound to the chest. <br /><br />36. <strong>John Roll (2011)</strong> - U,S, Federal Judge. Shot to death by a gun-wielding madman during the attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffors' life. <br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br /><br />This is just a list of the successful attempts on political figures' lives. There have been many, many other unsuccessful ones as well, from attempts on President Andrew Jackson all the way up to the attempt on Ms. Giffords last Saturday. In recent years, there has always been a tendency to begin a discussion to adopt stricter gun control laws right in the immediate aftermath of a shooting. Yet after a protest from lobbies like the ultra-paranoid National Rifle Association, these discussions are always dropped after a short time and we go right back where we started from. <br /><br /><strong>This is nothing to be proud of!</strong> <br /><br />So who is next? God only knows, but it is a certainty it WILL happen again. We never seem to learn in this country...Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-76530446230202806282011-01-10T08:37:00.005-06:002011-01-10T09:23:00.163-06:00SARAH PALIN MUST BE TAKEN TO TASK!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSUe5P212vCcIqOO1lz25x2UKCPSlNZjTVdS5T0AdAM0WZD4b6c_6s2HUhv9AhoT-lapRo-dgaNlU3AZkov2YTND1LS9NKKerU5i9kI0_DZvNmu6wT4hPGRt5NxhQPwJDyWHiK5a3C6I/s1600/palinmurderer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSUe5P212vCcIqOO1lz25x2UKCPSlNZjTVdS5T0AdAM0WZD4b6c_6s2HUhv9AhoT-lapRo-dgaNlU3AZkov2YTND1LS9NKKerU5i9kI0_DZvNmu6wT4hPGRt5NxhQPwJDyWHiK5a3C6I/s200/palinmurderer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560574177412159074" /></a><br />I got this in an email this morning from <strong>CREDO Action,</strong> and I agree fully!: <br /><br /><br />Sarah Palin has a special responsibility and opportunity in the wake of the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. For it was Sarah Palin and Sarah Palin alone who earlier put the crosshairs of a gun on Rep. Giffords. And so far, Palin's response has been Facebook prayers for the victims and an official denial that her widely distributed map involved gun sights at all. This is obscene duplicity at best. <br /><br />Let us be clear. We do not know why the shooter targeted Rep. Giffords. Sarah Palin did not arm him or pull the trigger. We do not know if the shooter admired, loathed or ignored Sarah Palin. We will eventually know, and that will be a different accounting. <br /><br /><em><strong>But only Sarah Palin put 20 Democratic members of Congress in her crosshairs, and only Sarah Palin bragged that 18 are now gone, leaving Rep. Giffords and Rep. Nick Rahall of West Virginia.</strong> </em><br /><br />Someone has to say it. There has been an astonishing acceleration of violent right wing rhetoric. At the same time, the mainstream media has come to accept armed revolution (second amendment remedies) and violence as legitimate political discourse instead of calling it out as behavior that crosses a very dangerous line. In the past week alone, incendiary devices were received at the offices of the Democratic Secretary of Homeland Security and the Democratic Governor of Maryland. <br /><br /><em><strong>This is what Sarah Palin and others like her have wrought with their violent and vitriolic rhetoric that literally places gun sights on people who don't agree with their extreme views.</strong></em> <br /><br />Apologists on the right are already saying that while tragic, this event was simply the result of an isolated act by a deranged individual. There have always been deranged individuals. But they have not always had easy access to guns nor have they always lived in a 24-hour-a-day media machine that promotes a toxic soup of violent attacks on political opponents. <br /><br />We are heartbroken by these events and our hopes and prayers are with the victims and their families. But prayers and broken hearts are not enough. <br /><br />How can anyone not be haunted by the prophetic words of Rep. Giffords herself in March 2010, after her office was vandalized, threats received, and her name and district identified by Sarah Palin in her infamous crosshairs: <br /><br /><em><strong>"Sarah Palin has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district and when people do that, they've gotta realize there are consequences to that action." <br /><br />Will there be consequences?</strong></em> <br /><br />Imagine the consequences if Palin were to apologize for her use of targeting imagery, pledge never to demonize her opponents in such a way again, call on all of her passionate followers to pledge to do the same, and promise that she will call out those in the media who do not follow her lead. <br /><br />Will Sarah do more than offer her condolences? She might sell fewer books and have fewer Facebook fans. But the consequences would be enormous. <br /><br /><strong>Tell Sarah Palin: Renounce use of shooting images in political rhetoric immediately, and stop using your platform to promote and validate violent calls to action on the right. ... <br />What happened in Arizona...was not an isolated incident, but rather the culmination of a long stream of threats and attacks, most in response to the Congresswoman's support for health care reform. <br /><br />In November of 2009, a staffer fearing for Rep. Giffords' safety called authorities after a visitor dropped a handgun during another "Congress on your Corner" event at a local Safeway in her district. <br /><br />And on March 22, 2010, just hours after Rep. Giffords cast her vote in favor of health care reform, a vandal jumped a gate and smashed the glass front door of her Arizona office. <br /><br />It was just days later that the now infamous map featuring Rep. Giffords' district in the crosshairs was posted by Sarah Palin's PAC. In announcing the map, Palin issued a chilling tweet urging her supporters "Don't retreat. Instead — reload!" Incredulously, through a spokesperson, Sarah Palin is denying that the crosshairs on her map targeting 20 Democrats who voted against health care reform represents gun sights. <br /><br />As if the crosshairs weren't clear enough, Jesse Kelley, Rep. Giffords' Republican opponent in a hard fought race for reelection held an event two months later that makes the stakes all too clear. He asked supporters to donate $50 in order to "shoot a fully automatic M16" to "get on target" and help "remove Gabrielle Giffords." Sarah Palin subsequently praised Jesse Kelly on Fox Business News saying: "I don't feel worthy to lace his combat boots."</strong> <br /><br /><br /> <em><strong>Tell Sarah Palin: Threats of violence have no place in our democracy. End the use of shooting images in rightwing political rhetoric and stop validating political figures who use violent metaphors in their political calls to action...<br />We agree with Keith Olbermann who said last night that "Violence, or the threat of violence, has no place in our democracy."</strong></em> <br /><br />Our hearts are heavy for the victims of this tragedy. We must put a stop to the escalating hate rhetoric of the right and its very specific calls to armed violent action. Lines of decency have been crossed. <br /><br />Michael Kieshnick and Becky Bond <br />CREDO Action<br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br /><br /><em><strong>OK, you got your extended Bush tax cuts for the rich, and you have established control over the House of Representatives, and you've been Speaker of the House for 6days. NOW, WHERE ARE THE JOBS, MR. BOEHNER? </strong></em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-60951136431688870032011-01-08T15:32:00.011-06:002011-01-08T18:57:41.230-06:00NICE JOB, FOX "NEWS", SARAH PALIN, SHARRON ANGLE, AND YOU OTHER RIGHT-WING NUT CASES!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzh1bhTQDUITdK5wQ8-xkeBj5n6KzIxc5eD4udjSgzIPXXWvjRPq_75tQgoyMRNc3ERo8rpdM2WWxj6W0XBSFgdH8N0Kb1MNwEgeIClCiiB0p82Ykz9ZbGVmSHJG_PG815fp4aJ8Vd1o/s1600/giffords.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzh1bhTQDUITdK5wQ8-xkeBj5n6KzIxc5eD4udjSgzIPXXWvjRPq_75tQgoyMRNc3ERo8rpdM2WWxj6W0XBSFgdH8N0Kb1MNwEgeIClCiiB0p82Ykz9ZbGVmSHJG_PG815fp4aJ8Vd1o/s200/giffords.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559943302229150962" /></a><strong>Aeizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords</strong> was senselessly and needlessly shot by a young, anti-government assailant earlier today. The shooting occurred as she was doing her job meeting constituents outside of a Safeway grocery store in northwest Tucson, during her first "Congress on Your Corner" meeting of the year. <br /><br /><br />22 year old <strong>Jared Lee Loughner </strong>shot Giffords and some 12 others, killing a small child, 4 others, and <strong>US District Judge John Roll,</strong> who joined the federal court in 1991, and for part of his tenure, had served as chief judge. <strong>He had received prior death threats for his decision to let an illegal immigrant sue a wealthy rancher.</strong> Loughner allegedly shot the congresswoman "point blank" in the head and may have come from inside the store to do so. Like most gun-toting, trigger-happy cowards, he attempted to flee after running out of ammunition but was tackled by one of Giffords' staffers and is now in police custody. <br /><br /><em><strong>Loughner’s YouTube account, which is full of anti-government language, an obsession over currency and language standards, and the usual far-right paranoia, is revealing.</strong></em> <br /><br />It reads, in part, “in conclusion, reading the second United States Constitution, I can’t trust the current government because of the ratifications: the government is implying mind control and brainwash on the people by controlling grammar,” he writes in one video posting. “No! I won’t pay debt with a currency that’s not backed by gold and silver! No! I won’t trust in God!” <br /><br />Every United States Military recruit at MEPS in Phoenix is receiving one mini bible before the tests,” he writes in one video. “Jared Loughner is a United States Military recruit at MEPS in Phoenix. Therefore, Jared Loughner is receiving one mini bible before the tests." <br /><br /><br />Senate Minority Leader <strong>Mitch McConnell </strong>(R-KY) has issued this statement: <br /><br /><em>“This senseless attack today in Tucson is a national tragedy, and all America mourns those who lost their lives in the very act of public service. I join the entire Congress in condemning this horrifying act of violence, and on behalf of the entire Senate family, Elaine and I extend our deepest expressions of sympathy and heartfelt prayers to Rep. Giffords and the families of those who have been killed or injured. The U.S. Capitol Police are joining local, state and federal officials in this investigation. We appreciate their quick response and stand ready to assist in their efforts."</em> <br /><br />Senator <strong>John McCain </strong>(R-AZ) put out this statement: <br /><br /><em>“I am horrified by the violent attack on Representative Gabrielle Giffords and many other innocent people by a wicked person who has no sense of justice or compassion. I pray for Gabby and the other victims, and for the repose of the souls of the dead and comfort for their families. I beg our loving Creator to spare the lives of those who are still alive, heal them in body and spirit, and return them to their loved ones. Whoever did this; whatever their reason, they are a disgrace to Arizona, this country and the human race, and they deserve and will receive the contempt of all decent people and the strongest punishment of the law.”</em> <br /><br />Rep. Giffords had just won election in a tight 3 way race in November. Her vote totals were: <br /><br />Democrat Gabrielle Giffords 138,280 48.76% <br /> Republican / Tea Party Jesse Kelly 134,124 47.30% <br /> Libertarian Steven Stoltz 11,174 3.94% +1.48% <br /><br /><em><strong>Giffords was one of the 20 Democrats who were elected in 2008 and voted for health care reform and were then targeted for defeat by Sarah Palin in a "takebackthe20" campaign that included a map showing each congressional district in cross-hairs -- as in a gunsight. Rather incendiary.</strong></em> <br /><br /><strong>Fox "News" </strong>and <strong>Sarah Palin </strong>have long bandied about terms like putting opponents in the "crosshairs", and today we got the end-result of their hateful, inciteful language. Defeated Nevada Tea Party Senate candidate <strong>Sharron Angle </strong>quipped that voters may get so upset with Washington that they'll take "second amendment solutions" to redress their grievances. <br /><br /><em><strong>Well, I hope they are all happy, because today, their wholly immature and utterly irresponsible advice was acted upon - for REAL! I HOLD EACH OF THESE RIGHT-WING NUT CASES PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR TODAY'S SHOOTING!</strong></em> <br /><br /><strong>This isn't just reckless hyperbole designed to get attention anymore. SIX REAL PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES <em>NEEDLESSLY</em>, and a number of others will now face the rest of their lives with varying degrees of trauma and physical impairment. <br /><br /> IT IS COMPLETELY DESPICABLE!</strong> <br /><br /><em><strong>THERE IS NO PLACE FOR THIS KIND OF VIOLENCE IN A DEMOCRACY LIKE OURS!THESE PEOPLE HAVE GONE WAY TOO FAR OVER THE EDGE---NICE JOB, FOX, SARAH PALIN, SHARRON ANGLE, AND YOU OTHER RIGHT-WING NUT CASES! </strong></em> <br />---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br /><br /><em><strong>OK, you got your extended Bush tax cuts for the rich, and you have established control over the House of Representatives, and you've been Speaker of the House for 4 days. NOW, WHERE ARE THE JOBS, MR. BOEHNER?</strong></em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-46432682574500504062011-01-06T21:28:00.001-06:002011-01-08T18:25:37.751-06:00SOME VERY ERRANT SUPPOSITIONS!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmtLXTxtXcBMFTSQE6Di1lIAIzLYZ7FD-6-ufXcqOpY6TRPvauNYo30z6SUtpYB9KZkRbBY0o_zm_uKmW_2xfsLXfM6rnQKnTmztR6shlUdTQ4UqQzcQEeh3Bm8U4H2mQAWZwcjtvRa4/s1600/butthead+boehner.bmp"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmtLXTxtXcBMFTSQE6Di1lIAIzLYZ7FD-6-ufXcqOpY6TRPvauNYo30z6SUtpYB9KZkRbBY0o_zm_uKmW_2xfsLXfM6rnQKnTmztR6shlUdTQ4UqQzcQEeh3Bm8U4H2mQAWZwcjtvRa4/s200/butthead+boehner.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559272202872654850" /></a><br /><br /><em><strong>OK, you got your extended Bush tax cuts for the rich, and you have established control over the House of Representatives, and you've been Speaker of the House for 2 days. NOW, WHERE ARE THE JOBS, MR. BOEHNER?</strong></em> <br /><br /><br />We hear Republicans, their Tea Party faction, and Blue Dog Democrats all telling we we've got to cut back on spending and "we don't have the money" for further stimulus programs to create jobs. Free market enthusiasts all tell us with the Bush tax cuts for the rich now extended two more years private industry will once again be creating jobs. <br /><br /><em><strong>I say that is errant supposition number 1, and a lot of poopycock!</strong></em><br /><br />By looking at the chart below, you'll see we have PLENTY of money! The only problem is, it is very disproportionately in the hands of our country's richest 1% elite, doing NOBODY else any good! And keep in mind the chart only goes through 2007---the situation is even more extreme now! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAu1Fzwvm6XgiYlLK64g0e3j4yDszuH6NBoBWGUE_WVINa2l8vJHCxmo35mGO2w6YSDvIeHXf4Ab88jvzJhHs18oGDoy_Ig6z0BbrhgDjKxZ_iMVzxjC85ORNWXm3h5o15zJCj2Wxd-7Y/s1600/financial-wealth-united-states.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 165px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAu1Fzwvm6XgiYlLK64g0e3j4yDszuH6NBoBWGUE_WVINa2l8vJHCxmo35mGO2w6YSDvIeHXf4Ab88jvzJhHs18oGDoy_Ig6z0BbrhgDjKxZ_iMVzxjC85ORNWXm3h5o15zJCj2Wxd-7Y/s200/financial-wealth-united-states.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559087255091673170" /></a>Source: mybudget360<br /><br /><strong>That's right, people. As of just under a year ago, the richest 1% owned a whopping 42% of all of our national wealth. The next highest 4% controlled 27%; the following 5% controlled another 11% of our wealth; the next 10% controlled 12%, and THE BOTTOM 80% CONTROLLED ONLY 7%!!! That figure of the top 1% has risen noticeably over the past ten years. As of 2001, the top 1% of households (the upper class) owned 33.4% of all privately held wealth, and the next 19% (the managerial, professional, and small business stratum) had 51%, which means that just 20% of the people owned a remarkable 84%, leaving only 16% of the wealth for the bottom 80% (wage and salary workers). </strong> <br /><br />In addition, consider these facts: <br /><br />1. An estimated 37% of the country is on food stamps! <br />2. Many wait until midnight on the last day of the month so their checks will clear to buy food at Wal Mart! <br /><br />If we break the data down further we will find that 93 percent of all financial wealth is controlled by the top 10 percent of the country. That is why these people are cheering their one cent share increase while layoffs keep on improving the bottom line. But what bottom line are we talking about here? The Wall Street crowd would like you to believe that all is now good that the stock market has rallied 60+ percent. Of course they are happy because they control most of this wealth. Yet the typical American still has negative views on the economy because they actually have to work to earn a living (from mybudget360).<br /><br />It is a sad fact that whenever anyone even broaches the subject of higher taxes for the wealthiest 1% he or she is immediately branded with trying to engage in "class warfare." <br /><br /><em><strong>I say that is errant supposition number 2!</strong></em> <br /><br /><strong>The REAL perpretators of class warfare have been the richest elite themselves!</strong> Ever since 1981, they have fired salvo upon salvo on the middle class and poor, and today the richest elite are bolder and more contemptuous of those beneath them than ever before! They want it all to themselves and will now do anything to get it. It began with their ridiculous and now discredited "trickle down economics", then came freezes in pay scales, and then it regressed to deliberately outsourcing millions of good-paying American jobs to cheap, foreign slave-labor markets, and also to the importation of cheap, illegal labor to break the very backbone of any vestige of unionism. Today, the middle class is rapidly shrinking and may soon disappear altogether. They are not content with even all of this: now they want to repeal the estate tax and are trying to turn public opinion against it by calling it an unfair "death tax" and insinuating that the government will try to grab everyone's estate for taxation, not just those over $5 million. But that should surprise no one, really. Time and again they have lied and distorted any pro-people government measure into one that is somehow, someway "bad" for the general public. <br /><br /><em><strong>Errant supposition number 3: The government does not create jobs.</strong></em> <br /><br />During the Great Depression, the New Deal launched a LOT of jobs! Some of the buildings, parks, dams, and roads exist to this very day! Postal workers are government employees. So are many teachers, policemen, and firemen. The truth is, the government DOES create jobs, and they are jobs HERE, not outside of our borders. In addition, they pay relatively good wages, unlike the outsourced jobs now so in favor among conservative and Tea Party Republicans, huge corporations, and free marketers, and we could use a lot more of them to help rebuild our decaying infrastructure. <br /><br /><em><strong>If the rich send jobs overseas to increase their profits and protect their holdings, that's just "good business". But if workers try to unionize or go on strike to protect their wages and benefits, they are greedy---errant supposition number 4.</strong></em> <br /><br />We have employed a double-standard in this country for far too long when it comes to workers' vs. businessmen's rights and income levels. It is inherently unfair to always give those in business all the advantages and rights while neglecting or diminishing those of evertday working people. And the implied attitude that an employer can do what he or she damn well wants just because they have capital invested in a particular endeavor places all the advantage in that person's favor, and that is not fair, either. Although many Republicans may disagree, money does NOT guarantee supremacy! Not only that, but we Americans tend to believe that a business-owner can set his or her own pay scale, but all the workers' pay rates must be controlled and limited. There should be a limit or common sense used for BOTH extremes - not the sky is the limit for one and pay as little as you can get away with for the other. <br /><br /><em><strong>Errant supposition number 5: The government should stay out of the affairs of business.</strong></em> <br /><br />Those who argue for such insanity are foolhardy indeed. For it was the LACK of government involvement in the economy which helped create the Great Depression as well as the mortgage meltdown crisis which brought on our current Great Recession. It was lack of proper government regulation that brought about $4.00 per gallon gasoline, too. Government must ALWAYS have a say in what goes on in the economy, for government is the only buffer ordinary people have to protect themselves against the excesses of greedy, organized capital! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFr1rcjT9wj1Sb3FXQjLTPacW1jHHKg_AESTiidUQyWOaNnmE8dN_fwIKsJiOZMA7xr5eKNq6yvq0CEHwXE_1v9_CzKNle1SzcLoxIktV861rQnsAPD_uOV73IOJGt2qshTdddLNCiTE/s1600/ARMEY2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 143px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFr1rcjT9wj1Sb3FXQjLTPacW1jHHKg_AESTiidUQyWOaNnmE8dN_fwIKsJiOZMA7xr5eKNq6yvq0CEHwXE_1v9_CzKNle1SzcLoxIktV861rQnsAPD_uOV73IOJGt2qshTdddLNCiTE/s200/ARMEY2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559281264662694242" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />And the sooner <strong>Dick Armey, Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, and the rest of those laissez-faire Tea Party types </strong>learn that, the better!Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-25495289145360768322011-01-03T08:06:00.003-06:002011-01-03T08:57:54.374-06:00WHERE ARE THE JOBS, MR. BOEHNER?<em><strong>OK, you got your extended Bush tax cuts for the rich, and you have established control over the House of Representatives. NOW, WHERE ARE THE JOBS, MR. BOEHNER?</strong></em> <br /><br /><br />Happy New Year, everybody! Well, today marks a new era in the Obama administration: shared power with the Republican party of no. As such, I begin my commentary on our new 112th Congress on a sour note. That hopeless crybaby drunk, <strong>John Boehner,</strong> will begin his reign as Speaker of the House, and his little yuppie parrot boy <strong>Eric Cantor</strong> will now be House Majority Leader. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNy_wtQ9_PSYs155a_Pi3vyXImqb6r0ulBo_jo9bnSIgFpbSN-lu_GCzNjqlsqo990CWjRt23xNCXqoniKfOiW6NYVDdyPurrnOFUB11HnyUrj6wrwOFn9jJtaAIvtW1Igha5hn7LXWuk/s1600/butthead+boehner.bmp"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNy_wtQ9_PSYs155a_Pi3vyXImqb6r0ulBo_jo9bnSIgFpbSN-lu_GCzNjqlsqo990CWjRt23xNCXqoniKfOiW6NYVDdyPurrnOFUB11HnyUrj6wrwOFn9jJtaAIvtW1Igha5hn7LXWuk/s200/butthead+boehner.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557725087075218498" /></a>Shocked at my disrespectful tone, readers? What I say about them is absolute truth. Boehner has spent many a minute crying before House microphones (who does he think he is? <strong>Glenn Beck</strong>?), and his propensity for leaving the House as soon as he can for Washington bars is legendary. Having seen him numerous times making slurred speeches at the mic, I'd swear the guy keeps a little backup bottle on his person at all times! <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6rU8pG3n_LkyvIBsFRM2X3tnToEuxYOnyTzQR6R-_u6aDmfoAdjN7xUYIOE1WzlLUVJL6dVUHuOdJdGNeT0J6VJz9cYO46OugxtnRJSSjNqKp5FPJVDG8BHpeJi6GBIWHmlJVJFvYQs/s1600/butthead+cantor.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 127px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6rU8pG3n_LkyvIBsFRM2X3tnToEuxYOnyTzQR6R-_u6aDmfoAdjN7xUYIOE1WzlLUVJL6dVUHuOdJdGNeT0J6VJz9cYO46OugxtnRJSSjNqKp5FPJVDG8BHpeJi6GBIWHmlJVJFvYQs/s200/butthead+cantor.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557757525738254754" /></a>Plus, I have never seen any political figure shamelessly argue his party's talking points, no matter how ludicrous, more than Eric Cantor. Repetitive talking points are not a suitable blueprint for governing, especially when those talking points are echoes of old, tired, worn-out policies which have failed us many times in the past! These are the buffoons the voting public put into high places of government as a result of the last election, and I am sorry to say <strong>I have absolutely no confidence in either of them.</strong> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihyphenhyphenQ9FOKjPgSPdBMkt4w5DTlBEBPnHlXsvFCZC0pKQmfNb9m9vVc7yiaDuj-ZtX3f_xs4WDbnXwFBqvdSS-GZY4943tlBCBbEVexT_UgDgapGTlNkhLgfbw1UcwAajyc0WQtGYO6ovpk/s1600/mcconnell.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 157px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihyphenhyphenQ9FOKjPgSPdBMkt4w5DTlBEBPnHlXsvFCZC0pKQmfNb9m9vVc7yiaDuj-ZtX3f_xs4WDbnXwFBqvdSS-GZY4943tlBCBbEVexT_UgDgapGTlNkhLgfbw1UcwAajyc0WQtGYO6ovpk/s200/mcconnell.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557761628810303682" /></a>On the Senate side, we have the worthless Minority Leader and chief obstructionist <strong>Mitch McConnell</strong> now within 4 votes of becoming Senate Majority Leader, and I have no confidence that he will be able to produce much of value for anybody but billionaires. He is thoroughly uninspiring, and it remains to be seen how he will control and keep in line the vast contingent of ultra-conservative Tea Party activists which were elected in November. <br /><br /><br /><br />There you have it, folks: three of the Republican leadership for the 112th Congress. It will be interesting to watch the next few years. It will be REAL interesting to watch when Congress has to vote to extend the debt ceiling in March! Will the Tea Party crowd remain resolute, dig in their heels, and say NO? Or will they learn to compromise and join the rest of the old Washington crowd? Keep your eyes and ears peeled---I think we're going to be in for one tumultous ride after another! <br /><br /><em><strong>I just hope the Republicans will understand one thing: IT WAS THEIR flawed economic model which caused this economy to tank in the first place! It was THEIR reliance on excessive deregulation which caused all of our problems, from overly expensive gasoline to the mortgage meltdown crisis. And it was THEIR favoring of the rich over everybody else which has led to the squeezing of the middle class and the fact that 1% of the richest people made 59% of all the income in this country last year! THE MIDDLE CLASS AND POOR NEED GOOD-PAYING JOBS, and they need them NOW!!!<br /><br />SO I REPEAT: WHERE ARE THE JOBS, MR. BOEHNER? YOU AND YOUR PALS HAD BETTER GET DOWN TO WORK!</strong></em>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-22995939667506698062010-12-30T07:52:00.013-06:002010-12-30T22:00:16.275-06:002010 YEAR-END MUSINGS:It has indeed been a very full year. As I think about all that has transpired, I am overwhelmed by the speed at which political events seemingly turned on a dime. After the disastrous Bush economic policies steered the country very nearly into another Great Depression, the richest 1% of the country got an extension of their Bush-era tax cuts. This happened even after the President who campaigned all through 2007 and 2008 on a platform of promising to end those cuts was elected two years before. In January, 2009, it looked like the Republican Party was on the way out. It had seemingly lost all relevance and was only representative of the rich, some business owners, and that was that. But lo and behold, they resurrected themselves, at least temporarily, by manufacturing the astroturf <em>Tea Party.</em> By allying themselves with libertarians and other ultra-conservative fringe groups, they hijacked the tax issue by lying and scaring the public into thinking that EVERYBODY'S taxes would be raised if the top-tiered's taxes were raised. Consequently, they won back the House of Representatives and came within a whisker of taking the Senate as well. For a time, it looked like the President's agenda was dead. But as I look over this past year, in spite of those events, I realize that the 111th Congress was incredibly effective and passed a gigantic amount of far-reaching legislation. In spite of constant Republican Senate obstruction, it, with varying degrees of Presidential help, enacted the most legislation in many, many decades. Let's look at some of what has been accomplished:<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGeYyYerDORVElFJx-y09oxtVhqNdPezqPgrEpH0gxUTaCFb_epipLTre-EbACvPAV3bweE8UcX-sBCdgqjjiqTkypExxft6pHQgtvivfTwutX1E_sb1bXALsau0DRTaWKvADXCEUpEE/s1600/obama+1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 143px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGeYyYerDORVElFJx-y09oxtVhqNdPezqPgrEpH0gxUTaCFb_epipLTre-EbACvPAV3bweE8UcX-sBCdgqjjiqTkypExxft6pHQgtvivfTwutX1E_sb1bXALsau0DRTaWKvADXCEUpEE/s200/obama+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556687701411779826" /></a><strong>Health Care Reform</strong> <br /> <br />I was not initially too happy with the failure of the President to push for and get a single-payer option for health care. And, while not completely universal in coverage, the plan he passed DOES extend coverage to 32 million more Americans while actually REDUCING the deficit by $1.3 billion over the next 20 years. It also makes it illegal for the health insurance industry to discriminate against people by denying them coverage. That in and of itself is a big accomplishment. It makes health care coverage a basic right for all Americans. The plan is still flawed in many other respects, but it is a starting point that can and will eventually be improved upon. <br /><br /><strong>Successful Economic Stimulus</strong> <br /><br />When Barack Obama began his Presidency, our economy was heading straight down the tubes due to the distrous policies of George W. Bush. The previous summer gasoline rose to over $4.00 per gallon due to reckless speculation. Obama signed the stimulus into law and it has helped to stem the job losses. and most economists say that over one million jobs have been either saved or added due to it. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8FuKVscb2rm6HrKX0Mhi654Bs0rZep38j_E_tekNMep_jQ5h8FDCv1QgBBHCYOQl6mO5OtkuTXRnlz1EUwFnS8jcBjuUStTMt-SBB4X_odE8xBJsxEnBK_-YhAMCEtExUEfwtwAZtwc/s1600/dadt.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 192px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8FuKVscb2rm6HrKX0Mhi654Bs0rZep38j_E_tekNMep_jQ5h8FDCv1QgBBHCYOQl6mO5OtkuTXRnlz1EUwFnS8jcBjuUStTMt-SBB4X_odE8xBJsxEnBK_-YhAMCEtExUEfwtwAZtwc/s200/dadt.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556688578749719858" /></a><strong>The Repeal of DADT</strong> <br /><br />I am still amazed at this. It appeared that the utterly ridiculous "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding gays in the military was dead in the water. But somehow, at the very end of this year's session, Congress overwhelmingly repealed this discriminatory policy and the President signed its repeal into law. <br /><br /><br /><strong>Supreme Court Vacancies filled</strong> <br /><br />In spite of token Republican opposition, two new Supreme Court Justices were confirmed by the Senate. One became the very first Hispanic on the court, and both were women. <br /><br /><strong>Credit Card Reform</strong> <br /><br />The credit card reform bill that Obama signed in May of 2009 has helped to provide new protections for customers. It prevents credit card companies from raising interest rates on existing balances and restricts how much credit card companies can charge in penalty fees. <br /><br /><strong>More Successful in Anti-Terrorism Than Bush</strong> <br /><br />Early in the year, <strong>Liz Cheney and her father DICK </strong>both tag-teamed on President Obama, saying that our anti-terrorism efforts were weak and uncoordinated and put the country in danger. This turned out to be a bunch of deliberate Republican anti-Obama poppycock, as the President launched more attacks on terrorists in his first two years than did Bush in the last four years of his Presidency combined, with a much higher net yield, too. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbcqxR3E_pccnmRe6Ndkxl2O2xj9Cb2AFOHGFm9qqnJwV_CLkU6dksq4UjC6GJBAFUS6QiHtD-5Gz5o-RHrW4kF3M9ls0hoyNE64p2I7GUYa8ipQCOJH_vgiA5tLZU4X-3AGYdkcewds/s1600/start.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbcqxR3E_pccnmRe6Ndkxl2O2xj9Cb2AFOHGFm9qqnJwV_CLkU6dksq4UjC6GJBAFUS6QiHtD-5Gz5o-RHrW4kF3M9ls0hoyNE64p2I7GUYa8ipQCOJH_vgiA5tLZU4X-3AGYdkcewds/s200/start.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556689787941828338" /></a><strong>START Treaty ratified</strong><br /><br />Adter a load of needless Republican grandstanding at the very end of the congressional term, the START Treaty with Russia was ratified by the Senate. It will provide for much-needed supervision over the status of Russia's nuclear arsenal. <br /><br /><strong>Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act</strong><br /><br />Congress overturned a Supreme Court decision which had limited a female's right to sue over unfair pay discrimination. This should go a long way toward balancing out the difference in male vs. female pay rates, and its enactment was way overdue. <br /><br /><strong>Wall Street reform</strong> <br /><br />Just as in the case of health care, this bill was watered down and goes nowhere near far enough in actually regulating sordid Wall Street practices, but it is a starting point for future congresses to build on. <br /><br /><strong>Student Loan Reform</strong> <br /><br />Instead of private banks issuing loans guaranteed by the government, the government itself will now become the originator of the loan. It will essentially eliminate the banks as a middleman and allow students a more streamlined and easier process for getting loans. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhNbuz4rx3DpsAYsWGw6qyUe9SrcSCMMbqyzAeXv0bXBMSktnbzJFRkGRc28bf0V7YLhyphenhyphensxK_POgMYjqR1IYhGWcV_-FISYjLsJSmqsyj90i-0qEzXiiz8qQmArRSYMzDbiBTuDAI69U/s1600/responders.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhNbuz4rx3DpsAYsWGw6qyUe9SrcSCMMbqyzAeXv0bXBMSktnbzJFRkGRc28bf0V7YLhyphenhyphensxK_POgMYjqR1IYhGWcV_-FISYjLsJSmqsyj90i-0qEzXiiz8qQmArRSYMzDbiBTuDAI69U/s200/responders.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556690575470788146" /></a><strong>Health Benefits for 9/11 responders</strong> <br /><br />Congress also passed a much-needed law giving aid to the courageous 9/11 responders, many of whom had been denied health care aid from their private insurers. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />As I look at all these accomplishments, I am grateful for them. My only bone of contention is that many have not gone far enough. But, as the Tea Party faction will soon learn starting January 3, 2011, politics is the art of compromise and change. I will meantime continue to press for additions and changes to what has been passed. But all in all, this was a pretty darn effective Congress and first two years of an administration, and I am anxious for more, especially in the area of the<strong> Dream Act </strong>and overall immigration reform. When we will get these things is anybody's guess. My own belief is that we'll see movement after the congressional and presidential elections in 2012, but we shall see. In the interim, it will be very interesting to see how the differences between the current Republican establishment and the newly-elected Tea Party faction will turn out...Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-16761332477346199372010-12-27T08:04:00.001-06:002010-12-28T07:24:54.483-06:00LINK TV: TELEVISION WITHOUT BORDERS!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqfOYYca1dN1KcQpP0GYPA-TvoPL43vgSdl5lmLO2EAUTtHX9zehg6yxgZTdRJ8cCqW9GtxqsvJCFEQuKeLTx6mOc2EK25T8Z080c95Qt65aYuPNT2x4QWsgJ7HL1HvCaAVmWNwszRA8/s1600/Link-TV.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 154px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqfOYYca1dN1KcQpP0GYPA-TvoPL43vgSdl5lmLO2EAUTtHX9zehg6yxgZTdRJ8cCqW9GtxqsvJCFEQuKeLTx6mOc2EK25T8Z080c95Qt65aYuPNT2x4QWsgJ7HL1HvCaAVmWNwszRA8/s200/Link-TV.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554462690122194130" /></a>About 40 years ago, I became aware that we in the United States weren't necessarily the be-all and end-all of all countries on the globe. I noticed that Sweden, for one, did not approve of our Vietnam policy. I thus became less of an ethno-centrist and began to pay attention to what others were saying about us. I also became aware of the fact that our government can and does lie to us, and that just because they may issue a particular statement as fact does not automatically guarantee it will be so. This uncertainty led me to question our government and look for other more factual sources of information than, say, CBS News. <br /><br />One of my earliest intriguing sources of information was a delightful little magazine called <em>World Press Review.</em> It featured articles written by those outside our borders about us. These articles came from <em>Tass,</em> the then-official Soviet news agency, as well as <em>Izvestia</em>, the <em>London Times</em>, and many, many other official and state-run press agencies from all across the globe. This same coverage is now provided by the website www.Worldpress.org, but in the late '70s and early '80s there was no internet to go to, so World Press Review was invaluable. <br /><br />Little by little, our media has changed. Like the rest of the country, our television and radio has become slowly more corporate. Clear Channel has turned what was once a bunch of independent radio stations with their own unique format into a mass of BORING stations from one city across America to another. Playlists have narrowed from a format of top 40 a generation ago to a mere dozen or 15 songs today, and a whole host of mainly right wing, mindless and often hysterical talk radio stations has emerged as a result. On the television side, various corporate buyouts and mergers have narrowed the field of major players to include only six, and has led to a dummying-down of what is offered to the public. Whereas the History Channel, for one, used to provide us with near-scholarly documentaries 15-18 years ago, today we find shows like "Ice Road Truckers" and "Pawn Stars", or "Modern Marvels" as the main offerings, and very little has anything much to do with history. They, and many other channels which showed promise years ago, have taken to showing mainly little vignettes that are primarily entertainment, rather than topical or educational,-oriented. That, my friends, is what corporate America is doing to our airwaves. IS IT ANY WONDER OUR STUDENTS ARE STARTING TO SLIP SO BADLY? <br /><br /><br /><strong>As it stands today, there are six main players which own virtually everything we see on TV. The U.S. media is completely dominated by these huge corporations who have basically gobbled up everything we see and hear. They have managed this, through a history of mergers and acquisitions, to concentrate their control over what we see, hear and read. In a number of cases, these companies control everything from initial production to finalized distribution. In the process, we are being horribly shortchanged!</strong> <br /><br />Below is a list of these 6 major U.S. media players and which networks they control:<br /><br /><strong>1. GENERAL ELECTRIC</strong> <br />***2009 revenue: $157 BILLION. Owns NBC Networks; USA; Oxygen; The Weather Channel; Sci-Fi Channel; others. <br /><br /><strong>2. WALT DISNEY COMPANY</strong> <br />***2009 revenue: $36.1 BILLION. Owns ABC; ESPN Networks; Lifetime; oA & E Networks (A & E, History Channel, Military Channel, Biography Channel, History International); others. <br /><br /><strong>3. NEWSCORP</strong> <br />***2009 Revenue: $30.4 BILLION. Owns FOX "News"; Wall Street Journal. <br /><br /><strong>4. TIME WARNER</strong> <br />***2009 Revenue: $25.8 BILLION. Owns CNN; Headline News; TNT; Cartoon Network; TBS; others. <br /><br /><strong>5. VIACOM</strong> <br />***2009 Revenue: $13.6 BILLION. Owns MTV; BET; CMT; VH1; others. <br /><br /><strong>6. CBS </strong> <br />***2009 Revenue: $13 BILLION. Owns CBS; Showtime; the Movie Channel; others. <br /><br />Even PBS has been polluted by corporate influence over the past 10 years. But there is still one network that is still <strong><em>100% viewer-supported </em></strong>and <strong>COMPLETELY FEEE FROM CORPORATE INFLUENCE.</strong> This network is called <strong>LINK TV!</strong> <br /><br /><strong>Formed in 1999, Link Media owns and operates the broadcast channel Link TV and www.linktv.org. Link is the first nationwide television channel and website dedicated to providing global perspectives on news, events and culture. Link’s programs provide a unique perspective on international news, current events, and diverse cultures, presenting issues not often covered in the U.S. media. They connect viewers with people at the heart of breaking events, organizations in the forefront of social change and the cultures of an increasingly global community.</strong> <br /><br />You will find documentaries and programs you'll NEVER see on mainstream media networks. Programs like <strong>Amy Goodman's DEMOCRACY NOW</strong>, English language broadcasts from <strong>AL JAZEERA</strong> and other Middle Eastern news agencies, as well as interesting films like <strong>THE CORPORATION</strong>,<strong> Howard Zinn's</strong> magnificent <strong>YOU CAN'T BE NEUTRAL ON A MOVING TRAIN</strong>, <strong>Greg Palast Investigates,</strong> <strong>Bill Moyers on Media and Democracy</strong>, <strong>American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein,</strong> as well as intriguing World Music and foreign music videos. <br /><br /><strong><em>THIS IS INTELLIGENT TV, UNLIKE ANYTHING YOU'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE!</em></strong> <br /><br /><strong>You can see Link TV on the following satellite stations:<br /><br />DIRECTV - channel 375 <br /><br />DISH NETWORK - channel 9410 </strong><br /><br />It is also available on a number of cable stations. For a listing, go to their website at www.linktv.org and click on "About Link TV." But don't just stop there: peruse the site and you'll see what a valuable addition this channel can be to your viewing. Should you wish to contribute, just key in <strong>www.linktv/contribute, or phone in your TAX DEDUCTIBLE pledge at 1-866-485-8848!</strong> <br /><br /><br />Yes, Virginia, there is an alternative to BBC America! Urge others to watch <strong>LINK TV </strong>too, as a VERY welcome alternative to boring, uninformative mainstream programming---<strong>you will NOT be disappointed!!!</strong>Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234638383123311700.post-42674658148914200322010-12-22T09:10:00.000-06:002010-12-22T09:10:00.167-06:00SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACEPolitically motivated killings, repression and rights abuses have made a worrying return to Burundi where several opposition leaders have fled the country or gone into hiding, UN officials said Thursday... <br /><br />The chairman of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Kabardino-Balkaria, Anas Pshikhachev, was murdered on December 15 in the republic’s capital, Nalchik... <br /><br />Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), speaking from the Senate floor Friday, said many of his Republican colleagues may vote against the New START nuclear treaty with Russia if Democrats move forward with a plan to vote on "don't ask, don't tell" repeal Saturday... <br /><br />The Senate is in a spat over working through Christmas. Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, the No. 2 Republican, complained Wednesday that Democrats are stacking up a nuclear-arms treaty with Russia, the budget, tax cuts and other weighty matters against the holiday. Keeping lawmakers in session that long is disrespectful to Christians, he said. Majority Leader Harry Reid, of Nevada, retorted that he doesn't need "sanctimonious lectures" about the meaning of Christmas. Reid said senators should be willing to work up to the holidays like millions of other Americans... <br /><br />If notMmanny Pacquiao, Mayweather can fight cotto, Clottey and Margarito as a warm up to the fight of the decade. This may end the speculation... <br /><br /><br />Republicans Prepare for Looming Budget Battle Next Year <br />After derailing Senate Democrats' $1.2 trillion spending measure, Republicans' plan to cut spending next year... <br /><br /><strong>North Korea has predicted "disaster" if South Korea goes ahead with a live-fire artillery exercise on a border island bombarded by the communist state last month. The North has threatened an even deadlier attack on the South if the one-day drill scheduled for between December 18 and 21 is staged on Yeonpyeong island near the disputed Yellow Sea border...</strong> <br /><br />Two States Sue Bank of America Over Mortgages<br />Arizona and Nevada contend the bank misled customers about their eligibility for mortgage... <br /><br />Pakistani journalist Karim Khan filed a police complaint Monday alleging that his brother and son were killed when a missile fired from a CIA drone hit their home in Nhe orth Waziristan in December 2009... <br /><br /><strong>U,S. unemployment rate jumped to 9.8 percent in November from 9.6 percent, marking the highest jobless rate since April. The Labor Department reported that the economy created 39,000 jobs last month, falling short of analysts’ expectations... <br />The report shows that hunger is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States, and...</strong> <br /><br />Violent crime increased last year, and many cities experienced double-digit or even triple-digit percentage increases in homicides... <br /><br />The most effective and diabolical lie of the year - PolitiFact has now bestowed its much-coveted award for lie of the year on the idea that health reform constituted a "government takeover" of our health care system... <br /><br /><strong>Bradley Manning has spent many months in military detention. He remains in a Marine brig in Quantico, Virginia. His case has not yet gone to military tribunal, and he has not yet been convicted of a crime. But we now know that for most of his months in detention, both in Virginia and in the military facility in Iraq, Manning has been held in solitary confinement...</strong> <br /><br />With repeatedly extended projected withdrawal dates, the latest is 2014, although even that has been characterized by Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell as merely "aspirational," the campaign in Afghanistan and over the past two years in neighboring Pakistan has marked Asia as the center of U.S. global military strategy and operations... <br /><br /><strong>But American democracy is not so corrupt or dysfunctional that a tiny portion of the population, driven purely by selfish greed, can capture so many elected officials and bamboozle so many voters...</strong> <br /><br />Scientists still can't account for most of the four million barrels of oil that spewed into the Gulf of Mexico from the BP oil well. Samantha Joye from the University of Georgia says a lot of it ended up on the seafloor... <br /><br /><strong>A leaked email has revealed a Fox News editor telling his staffers to refrain from asserting that the planet has warmed or cooled in any given period without immediately pointing out that such theories are based upon questionable data. Critics say such a directive mischaracterizes the issue of global warming as an even-sided scientific debate when in fact the concept is accepted by a vast majority of researchers...</strong> <br /><br />Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre suffered a concussion in Monday's home loss to Chicago at TCF Bank Stadium...<br /><br />Associated Press (AP) reports today that “not a cent of the $1.15 billion the U.S. promised for rebuilding has arrived” to Haitians who badly the need the aid. This summer, both the House and the Senate passed a bill that would make $917 million available for Haiti reconstruction aid. Yet Congress must also pass an authorization bill that directs exactly how the money will be spent, and thus far, the U.S. Senate has failed to do. The AP conducted its own investigation of why the Senate has failed to pass the authorization bill, and it discovered that a single senator “pulled it for further study.” After calling dozens of senators’ offices, the AP discovered that the senator holding up the bill is Tom Coburn (R-OK). Coburn spokeswoman Becky Berhardt explained that the reason he is holding up the bill is because he objects to the creation of a senior Haiti coordinator — a position that would cost a paltry $5 million over five years — when the United States currently has an ambassador to the country... <br /><br />Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas show no signs of budging. U.S. envoys George Mitchell and Dennis Ross have returned to the Middle East in a new attempt to break the deadlock but Netanyahu... <br /><br />Coalition fatalities per month since the start of the war.[1]Coalition deaths in Afghanistan by country <br /> USA: 1,361*<br /> UK: 346<br /> Canada: 152*<br /> France: 52<br /> Germany: 48<br /> Denmark: 39<br /> Italy: 34<br /> Spain: 30*<br /> Netherlands: 25<br /> Poland: 22<br /> Australia: 21<br /> Romania: 17<br /> Norway: 9<br /> Estonia: 8<br /> Georgia: 5<br /> Sweden: 5<br /> Hungary: 4<br /> Czech Republic: 3<br /> Latvia: 3<br /> Portugal: 2<br /> South Korea: 2<br /> Turkey: 2<br /> Belgium: 1<br /> Finland: 1<br /> Jordan: 1<br /> Lithuania: 1<br /> New Zealand: 1<br /><br />TOTAL: 2,193...Jack Jodellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02165430903903838990noreply@blogger.com10