Misdirected Hatred after Boston Tragedy
9/11, the worst terrorist attack in USA history, amidst the shock and grief, brought us together. Everyone rallied around the President. Initially, nobody exploited that disaster for political reasons. Eventually, we learned of all the warnings and missed opportunities to prevent that attack, and the political debates proceeded. Yet for a long time, the immense tragedy itself brought us all together in ways that transcended politics. Today, things are different. Within an hour of the bombing at the Boston Marathon, some people were already blaming the U.S. President. Before the president even had a chance to speak about the attack,…
I Do not Want to Only Pray for the Victims of the Boston Marathon!
Major acts of violence are becoming too common in the U.S. And after each one, we hear the litanies of: “Pray for the victims and their families.” Then, we expect the other statements about how brave the EMTs, policemen and common citizens were there and were heroes. My prayer is “I do not want to hear this ever again! “ Because, I don’t want to have more terrorist attacks or mass shootings which not only kill innocent people, but tear at the fragile fabric of society. Saying, ‘Pray for the victims and families” is just not enough anymore. We must…
Tea Party Protests We Can Believe In
On this Monday, April 15th, we will enjoy both the benefits and detriments of the 16th Amendment to the Constitution which has permitted income taxation by Congress for the last 100 years. Also on this day in all 50 states, “grass roots” tax protests of varying authenticity will occur outside post offices, government buildings and town squares as tens of thousands bemoan the annual freedom killing duty that is the timely filing of our returns. Notwithstanding that these protest folks are in apoplexy over the lowest marginal tax rates since Reagan, that the last GOP POTUS turned a $200 billion…
Alzheimer’s Nursing Home Patient Tased by a Police Officer
Written by guest author Pam Brammann R.N., Certified Dementia Trainer When I read the report about an Alzheimer’s nursing home patient being tased by a police officer to calm him, I was astounded. It was abundantly clear that the staff did not understand how to properly respond to people with Alzheimer’s disease when they are upset. The staff did not know how to disengage behavioral challenges that Alzheimer’s patients commonly present. The article claimed that the patient had been improperly medicated, which led to the violent behavior. Even then, I question the escalation that led to the police being called….
American Teacher: Documentary Review
Teaching is a tough job. That much is made clear in the documentary American Teacher which was directed by Vanessa Roth. It’s a job that pays highly-educated professionals very little for such long hours. Teaching also requires great personal sacrifice, such as spending individual funds on classroom supplies, forgoing family time to attend school functions or grade papers, and even working a second or third job in order to barely cover the expenses of an average family. The documentary brings attention to the popular public opinion that teachers have short workdays and lots of vacation time. In reality, the workday of a teacher…
Gun Violence Symptomatic Of Greed
Written by Pat Grayson Guest Author Since the children were slaughtered at Sandy Hook by Adam Lanza, more than 3,000 people have been gunned down in the USA. That number continues to grow. It’s clearly obvious that people who plan mass murder are mentally ill, therefore executing these people solves nothing. Instead we should study these people and learn from them. Most everyone understands that logical changes are needed within the American society to safeguard innocent citizens and bystanders from future mass shootings. First an obvious point should be made clear, because it’s not discussed. Someone who is mentally ill does…
Slippery Slopes, Camels’ Noses and You
We’ve all heard them, suffered them and thrown them around like so many rhetorical dice landing where they may during arguments heated and hilarious, so without further adieu let’s examine two dog-eared metaphors of argument and their latest outings this past week. Thursday afternoon, Wayne “Slippery Slope” LaPierre appeared somewhat stunned by Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly’s feint toward reporting, when she confronted him with the real possibility that several Sandy Hook students may still be alive today had gun magazine capacities been gently limited over the years. Also in the news, the White House finally revealed its DOA budget…
Give Elected Officials 401(k) Plans
Lately, there has been a lot of talk by the elected officials in many States, on ending pensions for public employees such as teachers, firefighters and police. Some of them even enacted on these talks, to pass laws to end guaranteed pension plans and turn them into 401 (k) option. And I say, let’s do the same for them: It is time for all elected officials, from the $186,000-a-year congressman to the small-town mayor, to no longer have taxpayer-funded pensions, but rather take a portion of their salaries and put them in 401(k) plans. With the types of benefit plans…
Do Some U.S. Senators Support Genocide?
A first ever comprehensive international Arms Trade Treaty was approved by UN on April 3rd, 2013. The treaty seeks to regulate the $70 billion (46.2 billion pounds) business in conventional arms and keep weapons out of the hands of human rights abusers. If the treaty is signed by President Obama, government agencies would review it before the administration decides whether to seek ratification by the Senate. The Arms Trade Treaty is intended to prevent brutal dictators from acquiring conventional weapons including tanks, missiles, warships, artillery, and combat aircraft which they can use on their own people to commit genocide. Passage…
Unemployment Decreased Slightly, Fewer New Jobs Created than Forecasted: Is the Worst Still to Come?
The U.S. Department of Labor reported on Friday April 5th that the unemployment percentage was down to 7.6 percent. Only 88,000 jobs were added to the economy in March. Economists had predicted close to 200,000 new jobs would be created for the month. This is before the effects of the Federal Budget cuts, also known as austerity measures, go into place. These budget cuts will have extreme negative effects in US economy as witnessed in Europe, country after country. The first wave of budget cuts will put many Federal employees out of work; it will also cause a decrease in…
45th Anniversary of King’s Assassination
Imagine being told where you could sit in a bus, whether you could eat in a restaurant or which water fountain you could use to quench your thirst. This was the life of the African-American for the first half of the 20th century in states throughout the South. The segregation was commonplace, and some of the things that were done to maintain separation of the races were contemptible. Hotels could ban African-Americans, and restaurants could prevent blacks from entering through the front door. Instead, African-Americans would get their food in the back, right from the kitchen. The public water fountains…
Socrates, Standing and Same Sex Marriage
While baseball begins in about a week, and the Standard & Poor’s is tipping an all-time high, millions of eyes, gay and straight, devoted, detached and disgusted, are peering instead at the United States Supreme Court, that institution representing the first among equals in our three-branch Republic. As we can’t expect rulings on the marriage equality cases before the Court this week until sometime shortly before the All-Star break, the following will optimistically serve to gently prognosticate and bring some order to what gives in the Court. Here Comes Old Socrates Socrates haunts every courtroom, law school and kitchen table…
The Gays Are Coming To Take Your Guns: Rational Inquiry Into Prop 8 And DOMA
“We are not endeavoring to chain the future, but to free the present. We are not forging fetters for our children, but we are breaking those our fathers made for us. We are the advocates of inquiry, of investigation and thought. This, of itself, is an admission that we are not perfectly satisfied with all our conclusions.” – Robert Ingersoll FEAR AND FAIRNESS As fallible human beings, we are typically guided by either fear or fairness. Fairness is an inherently American concept that has animated and defined our country from inception. We care deeply about fundamental fairness. And what is…
The Postal Service Is Not a GOP Target
Congressional Republicans Just Want You to Think It Is. Unlike most Americans, many members of Congress have actually read the United States Constitution. They know what it would take to abolish the postal service and they do not intend to do it.
Lessons In Steubenville
The events in Steubenville, Ohio, bring different stories to our minds; stories of young boys and girls who see each other with humanity and compassion. Stories of parents, teachers, and other adults who have guided many teenagers to a place where they know rape is wrong and where, when someone is doing something bad, you do not stand by and let it happen. So why were the young men and women in Steubenville unable to act in a way that demonstrates even a modicum of compassion and respect for a fellow human being? Two boys are convicted of the crime;…
Who Got Screwed? Talking About My Generation
My father always told me, “I want you to be better off than I am.” I wish it were so. My father died 21 years ago. When he was alive, I was getting close to doing better than him. Now, unfortunately, his dream doesn’t look like it’s going to come true. At the peak of his life as an appliance repairman for General Electric, Clarence Bernard was making about $40,000. So far, my best salary has been $52,000, but that was seven years ago. Since then, I’ve been laid off, but by cobbling a few part-time jobs together, I might…
The Tree of Liberty and The Roots of All Evil
And liberty and justice…for those who can afford it… Corruption. It’s one of the few issues that everyone, on every “side” simply detests. Regardless of the spin put on it or the arguments and justifications for its practice, most will agree there is simply no excuse for it. And while generally bandied like a partisan beach ball, with each side trying desperately to condemn the other for their influences and complicity, while bending over backwards to justify their own, so much is lost in the process. Despite this endless noise and outrage, the roots of corruption, the very mechanics of…
Activist Supreme Court Judges Created Their Own Power
The Constitution Does Not Authorize Judicial Review. Our teachers are wrong. The Constitution does not empower the Court to interpret the Constitution. The founders didn’t give that power to anyone. The Court decided that for itself.
The Agony And The Ecstasy: Detroit To Rome In 1,000 Words
On March 11, Detroit’s former Mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, 68th man to hold said office, was found guilty of 23 federal criminal counts, including the 20-year-felony of racketeering; noting ‘detention is required in his circumstance,’ Judge Nancy Edmonds blocked the hubris-hurling Mayor from passing go, and sent him straight to jail pending sentence. 5,000 miles away and 48 hours later, the College of Cardinals in Vatican City, Rome, named the most holy and humble Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina the 266th successor to St. Peter. Both cities are on rivers. Coincidence? I don’t think so. The Bows Are Drawn…
Let’s Stop the Redistribution of Wealth!
Conservative, libertarian and neoliberal arguments often accuse progressives of trying to “redistribute wealth” by taxing the rich and giving the money to the poor. Let’s be honest, over the past few decades, there has indeed been a redistribution of wealth in USA, based in part on changing tax rates. A Wall Street Journal article from July 23, 2008, explained how there has been a trend in recent years where the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans have seen their income rise faster than any other group of earners in the country while at that same time, the tax rate for the top 1…
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