The image is powerful and evocative. Angelic young faces, happy parents, serene grandparents gathered around the Christmas tree, a fire burning and stockings hanging from the mantle. Music reinforces the atmosphere promising a dreamy White Christmas and that Ill Be Home for Christmas as well as the power of a Silent NIght and the hope for Joy to all the World. The power of the images and traditions is such, many people and up in the depth of depression for lack of family or friends with which to share this moment. Now, imagine being separated from all those you love not because you are in the service of your country, not because they live far away or because of a distant job, but because you screwed up and gave into pride and made choices which forfeited your freedom. You experience guilt and sadness and anger and everywhere you look, all those around you are in the same boat.
My first Christmas separated from family and friends was an emotional disaster. I was incapable of wishing anyone a Merry Christmas including my wife and children. Joy was nowhere to be found. In its place was recrimination, pessimism and a feeling I was in a deep hole and someone was still digging. Because of my actions, loneliness and alienation were constant companions and God was a distant, in approachable, silent force.
This is my third Christmas in this state, and it represents years of self reflection and evaluation of who I am and what is important and valuable in my and our lives and ways to come in from the weeping and gnashing of teeth, come out of the darkness and begin to close the yawning gaps and distances between me and those I love. It started with a Mass on Christmas Eve which was powerful and joyful and filled with hope. It was a liturgy built around symbols of light and dark which Christmas evokes. We filled the sanctuary and altar with candles of every size and variety. Some were broken and others barely had enough wick left to burn for any period of time. the chapel lights were out and as the priest processed in, to the strains of Angels We Have Heard On High, he carried a lone candle which would be the source of light for all the others. Light spread across the front of the chapel and on the altar, and as we sang hundreds of men, separated from everyone they love, raised their voices and spirits. At the end of the liturgy, I walked out feeling God less distant and hope a possibility.
It was on Christmas Day this theme and feeling took off and time and distance, separation, loneliness and sadness, guilt and recrimination were rendered impotent if only for a moment. It was because of "the prayer". I was able to join intimately with my wife and children in a way I would have bet was impossible. We had spoken on the phone several times...early in the morning to say Merry Christmas as they rose to open presents; around 1pm while at brunch at Granna's house and now at dinner time to say good night. My daughter, Darcy, answered her phone. She said they had just sat down at the dining room table for dinner. (the tablecloth would be red, place mats red and green, candles in Christmas colors and the china...the good stuff...passed down from on generation to another) All of a sudden I can tell I'm on a speaker phone and Darcy says, "...ok dad go ahead." I didn't know what she meant. She had put the phone in the center of the table and said, "go ahead and say the prayer." We would always start a special meal with a prayer. I would lead it in times past. Again she says, "go ahead dad, are you there?" When it hit me what she was suggesting, my knees buckled and legs were rubber. "Go ahead dad." she pleaded. "Wait, give me a second," I stammered. Someone else added, "...remember start with the sign of the cross." (very funny) So I did..."In the name of the Father...then Bless Us Oh Lord and these Thy gifts..and finally thank you for the love around this table. Thank you for our family, remember all those who don't have food on their table or a roof over their h heads or clothes on their backs." I offered a couple of intentions and then finished with,"...we ask all of this through Christ Our Lord." At that moment there was a chorus of "Amen." they then all said we love you and Merry Christmas and hung up.
For one nano second, there was no separation between us. In that one moment we were all around the table basking in the warmth of the love and care we share. Distance had been bridged, loneliness banished. We were one. ON Christmas Day it was an experience of transcendence and immanence which is what Christmas symbolizes...God's transcendence and, through the birth of Jesus, Her immanent presence in the world.
How did she know to do that? What motivated her to just put the phone down and say,"..go ahead dad?" Where did the inspiration come from and how did they know this one act would cause time and space to alter and would touch me at my deepest core? My four children and wife treated this like an everyday occurrence, a natural response to our current condition, no one batted an eye and yet when I hung up the phone, I had been transformed. Tears covered my face and I had no voice. I was unable to tell anyone what had happened. I had experienced a moment of true love and grace which rendered me speechless.
At one point I couldn't even say Merry Christmas and now I'm given a gift by those I cherish the most and it shuffles the laws of physics and unites us, touches us, brings us together and becomes a tangible, touchable, transcendent, event capable of moving and re-shaping the soul.
I don't know what lesson this teaches. What I do know is the Spirit was present at that moment. I could feel the love at that table no different than if I had been physically present and the news is really good. I'm not alone and that love I felt can never be taken away from me and all of it is available to you too.
This account could be tightened and edited so it reads better and is more concise. It could be less rambling and more cohesive. However,"the prayer" gave me glimpse of what an encounter with God must be like and it requires poetry not prose. A talent for poetry is not a gift I've been granted, so this is my best shot. I hope it makes sense to you, but even if it doesn't its proof the same power and spirit and ability to effect us exists and is available even if its through a smart phone and a loving family. Happy New Year.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
CHRISTMAS GIFT LIST
Christmas is a time when we search and scramble for the perfect present for those we love. While I have mixed emotions about some of those on this list, each gift uniquely fits their aspirations, needs and skill sets. You are free to add your own gift suggestions to the list.
President Obama is in some serious need for love this year. The Republicans urged voters to put coal in his stocking, but we can do better. My gift for the President is a "stick". Over the next two years he can use it to draw lines in the sand and possibly get re-elected in 2012.
Sarah Palin may want Santa to help her move from Wasilla to Washington, but when she opens her gift she will find a globe, so at least she can know the difference between North and South Korea, a Rosetta Stone DVD to help her English language skills and a Tom Tom GPS locator to assist her in discovering she is in the 21st century United States and not the Gilded Age of a century ago much as she may wish it to be so.
For the new Speaker of the House John Boehner, a bottle of SPF 100 sunscreen and the new anniversary boxed set of the Wizard of Oz with a special feature on the scarecrow. While he is busy watching movies, his colleague, and former occupant of the speaker's chair, Nancy Pelosi will open two gifts. The first is a San Francisco street map highlighting all available venus for her to hold town meetings with her constituents and the second is a copy of the "Back Bencher's Guide to Bomb Throwing" by Newt Gingrich.
Governor elect Jerry Brown loves to be on the cutting edge of technology so Santa will bring him an iPhone4, Blackberry, iPad, Macbook Air and a Kindle. They will all contain the same software package enabling him to actually be organized. Included on the Macbook Air will be a prescription for Ritalin to help with his advanced case of ADD. Our about to be former mayor and soon to be Lt. Governor, Gavin Newsom, will get some of the heaviest gifts this season for use in between meetings. Included in his gift box will be copies of "War and Peace", "Ulysses", the entire James Michener catalogue and all six Harry Potter novels.
Senator Jim Demint of South Carolina will receive signed copy of "The History of the Know Nothing Party" autographed by former Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forest while former speaker of the House, and recently minted Roman Catholic, Newt Gingrich will unwrap a framed portrait of Torquemada along with a biography of Galileo.
Christmas present are sometimes about what we need instead of what we want. It's the reason we open boxes of socks or underwear or vacuum cleaners and George Forman Grills. In this case we have a gift for Hanbaugh. It will be a ruling from the FCC mandating that any radio license require each station to produce a certain percentage of local content. They will finally find out if they are as talented and entertaining as they think they are or just the default setting for most radios in America. Dr. Laura, who has moved to satellite radio, will open a chic box of 600 count sheets, enough for revery day of the week.
Christmas is a time for NFL playoffs and college bowl games and sports gifts are popular. The California Golden Bears will get a gift card good for one decent quarterback coach. Meanwhile, down on the farm, Stanford is getting the game, "Where's Waldo" so they can get into practice searching for football coach Jim Harbaugh as he criss-crosses the country trying to decide which new coaching offer to accept. The San Francisco Forty-Niners will get the Blu Ray edition of the Marx brothers classic, "Is There a New Doctor In the House?" accompanied by a CD of " You Don't Want to Know the Way to San Jose".
As for the rest of us...my wish is we get a new year in which people go back to work, our nation gets its fiscal house in order, but not on the back of the middle class, someone on the regressive side of the aisle discovers a true love of country and everyone reads Matthew 25 and commits to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, heal the sick, and do whatever we can for the least of our brothers and sisters. Now that would be a great way to welcome the child in Bethlehem into the world.
President Obama is in some serious need for love this year. The Republicans urged voters to put coal in his stocking, but we can do better. My gift for the President is a "stick". Over the next two years he can use it to draw lines in the sand and possibly get re-elected in 2012.
Sarah Palin may want Santa to help her move from Wasilla to Washington, but when she opens her gift she will find a globe, so at least she can know the difference between North and South Korea, a Rosetta Stone DVD to help her English language skills and a Tom Tom GPS locator to assist her in discovering she is in the 21st century United States and not the Gilded Age of a century ago much as she may wish it to be so.
For the new Speaker of the House John Boehner, a bottle of SPF 100 sunscreen and the new anniversary boxed set of the Wizard of Oz with a special feature on the scarecrow. While he is busy watching movies, his colleague, and former occupant of the speaker's chair, Nancy Pelosi will open two gifts. The first is a San Francisco street map highlighting all available venus for her to hold town meetings with her constituents and the second is a copy of the "Back Bencher's Guide to Bomb Throwing" by Newt Gingrich.
Governor elect Jerry Brown loves to be on the cutting edge of technology so Santa will bring him an iPhone4, Blackberry, iPad, Macbook Air and a Kindle. They will all contain the same software package enabling him to actually be organized. Included on the Macbook Air will be a prescription for Ritalin to help with his advanced case of ADD. Our about to be former mayor and soon to be Lt. Governor, Gavin Newsom, will get some of the heaviest gifts this season for use in between meetings. Included in his gift box will be copies of "War and Peace", "Ulysses", the entire James Michener catalogue and all six Harry Potter novels.
Senator Jim Demint of South Carolina will receive signed copy of "The History of the Know Nothing Party" autographed by former Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forest while former speaker of the House, and recently minted Roman Catholic, Newt Gingrich will unwrap a framed portrait of Torquemada along with a biography of Galileo.
Christmas present are sometimes about what we need instead of what we want. It's the reason we open boxes of socks or underwear or vacuum cleaners and George Forman Grills. In this case we have a gift for Hanbaugh. It will be a ruling from the FCC mandating that any radio license require each station to produce a certain percentage of local content. They will finally find out if they are as talented and entertaining as they think they are or just the default setting for most radios in America. Dr. Laura, who has moved to satellite radio, will open a chic box of 600 count sheets, enough for revery day of the week.
Christmas is a time for NFL playoffs and college bowl games and sports gifts are popular. The California Golden Bears will get a gift card good for one decent quarterback coach. Meanwhile, down on the farm, Stanford is getting the game, "Where's Waldo" so they can get into practice searching for football coach Jim Harbaugh as he criss-crosses the country trying to decide which new coaching offer to accept. The San Francisco Forty-Niners will get the Blu Ray edition of the Marx brothers classic, "Is There a New Doctor In the House?" accompanied by a CD of " You Don't Want to Know the Way to San Jose".
As for the rest of us...my wish is we get a new year in which people go back to work, our nation gets its fiscal house in order, but not on the back of the middle class, someone on the regressive side of the aisle discovers a true love of country and everyone reads Matthew 25 and commits to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, heal the sick, and do whatever we can for the least of our brothers and sisters. Now that would be a great way to welcome the child in Bethlehem into the world.
LINE IN THE SAND
When Bill Clinton was president, I couldn't think of a single issue for which he would risk his presidency. I accused him of being afraid to draw a line in the sand and dare Republicans to step over it. Imagine how chagrined I was to hear President Obama, at a press conference last week, react to criticism he compromises too fast and doesn't fight by proclaiming, "...I have many lines in the sand." Oh really?
What issues or principles are so crucial to President Obama, he is willing to risk being a one term president? He says he will fight to prevent repeal of his health care reform. Where is the line? What exactly will he fight over? This week, drug companies said the new law prohibits them from discounting drugs for children's hospitals. The White House was silent. McDonalds and other corporations requested, and received, exemptions from the law so they can continue to offer a pathetic shadow of health coverage to employees. A federal judge declared part of the law unconstitutional. Had there been a public option, a mandate to purchase insurance would have been legal. The line in the sand was the public option. It was the game changer. Over 60% of Americans supported the concept. President Obama abandoned it in order to compromise. No line here.
The President campaigned on ending the Bush tax cuts for the rich. He said it was a matter of fairness. He promised a new foreign policy which included closing Guantanamo, winding down two wars, pressing Israel to end illegal settlement construction and end the abuse of using claims of national security to shield government from scrutiny. He promised to clean up corruption in Afghanistan and to end the existence of banks "...too big to fail." He also said he would fight to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the military. His opponents called his bluff on everyone of these lines in the sand and he capitulated. He said the era of torture and extra judiciary practices by the Bush Administration and then announced the US would try to kill an American citizen it accuses of being a terrorist...no trial being necessary. While Main street is drowning, Wall Street is giving out bonuses. Banks are still too big to fail, houses are being lost to foreclosure despite the President saying he would change and modify loans and the White House is deathly afraid of the word "stimulus" in any form. To bring this Clintonesque performance full circle, Obama trotted Clinton out to hold a press conference endorsing the tax deal as a good bipartisan compromise and announced a new free trade deal with South Korea that even Obama admits wont create one new job, but will benefit some of the biggest corporations and banks in the country. These aren't lines in the sand, it's sand being kicked in working America's face.
Last week, Obama announced he was giving up on trying to get Israel to quit building illegal settlements on the West Bank. The new construction derailed peace talks with the Palestinians and hasn't cost Israel a dollar of foreign or military assistance. Obama is now being praised by the US Chamber of Commerce, the most evil organization in America, for his free trade stance and his tax deal. Business leaders who poured money into Republican coffers for the midterm elections, are now going to Washington for a summit buoyed by what they say is a new spirit of cooperation at the White House.
So, the question remains...what issue is so dear to the President...what principle is the sine qua non of his administration which he would go "all in" on in a fight with his opponents?
Contrast Obama with Bush and the fighting Illinoisan comes off even worse. Bush came into office promising to take care of "...the haves and have mores." He turned a surplus into a deficit by transferring over $1 trillion to the rich through tax cuts. He let the oil and gas industries write the environmental laws. He wanted to attack Iraq. He did. He and Cheney wanted to restore power to the executive branch so they illegally spied and invaded American's privacy. They created secret prisons, abrogated treaties, re-instituted torture and the Congress didn't blink. Bush refused to include funding for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in his budget, choosing to use emergency appropriation requests avoiding the scrutiny of how the money would be spent. Congress posed no obstacle. CAn you think of anything Bush didn't get in his first term? Do you remember him daring Democrats to vote against him? Hell, he even scheduled the vote on the Iraq war just prior to the midterm elections kicking sand in the Democrats face spoiling for a fight. He won.
I can't name a single issue Obama will go to the mat for and risk his presidency. He is looking more Clintonesque every day. It's not a good look. Clinton was a disaster as a president for progressive issues. His triangulation gave us everything from NAFTA and GATT to Don't Ask, Don't Tell, to the Telecommunications ACt of 1996, which gave us Hanbaugh et. al, to the repeal of Glass Steagall and the roots of the present economic crisis.
Maybe I'm not trying hard enough. the President says he has many lines in the sand which he will defend. Can you think of any? What's the old cliche? A man who doesn't stand for something will fall for anything.
What issues or principles are so crucial to President Obama, he is willing to risk being a one term president? He says he will fight to prevent repeal of his health care reform. Where is the line? What exactly will he fight over? This week, drug companies said the new law prohibits them from discounting drugs for children's hospitals. The White House was silent. McDonalds and other corporations requested, and received, exemptions from the law so they can continue to offer a pathetic shadow of health coverage to employees. A federal judge declared part of the law unconstitutional. Had there been a public option, a mandate to purchase insurance would have been legal. The line in the sand was the public option. It was the game changer. Over 60% of Americans supported the concept. President Obama abandoned it in order to compromise. No line here.
The President campaigned on ending the Bush tax cuts for the rich. He said it was a matter of fairness. He promised a new foreign policy which included closing Guantanamo, winding down two wars, pressing Israel to end illegal settlement construction and end the abuse of using claims of national security to shield government from scrutiny. He promised to clean up corruption in Afghanistan and to end the existence of banks "...too big to fail." He also said he would fight to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the military. His opponents called his bluff on everyone of these lines in the sand and he capitulated. He said the era of torture and extra judiciary practices by the Bush Administration and then announced the US would try to kill an American citizen it accuses of being a terrorist...no trial being necessary. While Main street is drowning, Wall Street is giving out bonuses. Banks are still too big to fail, houses are being lost to foreclosure despite the President saying he would change and modify loans and the White House is deathly afraid of the word "stimulus" in any form. To bring this Clintonesque performance full circle, Obama trotted Clinton out to hold a press conference endorsing the tax deal as a good bipartisan compromise and announced a new free trade deal with South Korea that even Obama admits wont create one new job, but will benefit some of the biggest corporations and banks in the country. These aren't lines in the sand, it's sand being kicked in working America's face.
Last week, Obama announced he was giving up on trying to get Israel to quit building illegal settlements on the West Bank. The new construction derailed peace talks with the Palestinians and hasn't cost Israel a dollar of foreign or military assistance. Obama is now being praised by the US Chamber of Commerce, the most evil organization in America, for his free trade stance and his tax deal. Business leaders who poured money into Republican coffers for the midterm elections, are now going to Washington for a summit buoyed by what they say is a new spirit of cooperation at the White House.
So, the question remains...what issue is so dear to the President...what principle is the sine qua non of his administration which he would go "all in" on in a fight with his opponents?
Contrast Obama with Bush and the fighting Illinoisan comes off even worse. Bush came into office promising to take care of "...the haves and have mores." He turned a surplus into a deficit by transferring over $1 trillion to the rich through tax cuts. He let the oil and gas industries write the environmental laws. He wanted to attack Iraq. He did. He and Cheney wanted to restore power to the executive branch so they illegally spied and invaded American's privacy. They created secret prisons, abrogated treaties, re-instituted torture and the Congress didn't blink. Bush refused to include funding for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in his budget, choosing to use emergency appropriation requests avoiding the scrutiny of how the money would be spent. Congress posed no obstacle. CAn you think of anything Bush didn't get in his first term? Do you remember him daring Democrats to vote against him? Hell, he even scheduled the vote on the Iraq war just prior to the midterm elections kicking sand in the Democrats face spoiling for a fight. He won.
I can't name a single issue Obama will go to the mat for and risk his presidency. He is looking more Clintonesque every day. It's not a good look. Clinton was a disaster as a president for progressive issues. His triangulation gave us everything from NAFTA and GATT to Don't Ask, Don't Tell, to the Telecommunications ACt of 1996, which gave us Hanbaugh et. al, to the repeal of Glass Steagall and the roots of the present economic crisis.
Maybe I'm not trying hard enough. the President says he has many lines in the sand which he will defend. Can you think of any? What's the old cliche? A man who doesn't stand for something will fall for anything.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Light and Darkness - The Lion"s 2010 Christmas Message
You are at home with your family and the power goes out plunging the house into darkness. Confusion, and concern are quickly present. You wonder what happened. You call out for others in the house. You scramble to find some source of light. (And if you are like most of us, the batteries in your flashlights are dead; you can’t find the emergency light and with the darkness comes fear.) Even if all you accomplish is one lit candle, the light it provides makes the situation less frightening and gives hope other sources of light can be found. The darkness has been defeated.
Once you have some light, you break out the radio. Once again, there is fear and a sense of dread. As you listen to the news, and as the news is broadcast, your sense of unease and your fears are reduced. Information brings some level of comfort and perhaps action. Light enables you to muster resources and huddle together, and when the power comes back on, there is a great sense of relief. It is no accident the symbols of Christmas are light and new information... "Good News".
God created each of us as an act of love. God wished to know us and have us know Her. God reached out and revealed who She is. She is loving and open, forgiving and hopeful, compassionate and faithful. We were invited to love back, forgive, and spread compassion and hope and to draw as close to God as we desire. In fits and starts, we would take a step forward only to backslide into our own egos, our own needs, and ignore God. Despite God's best efforts, no one seemed to fully grasp what was offered. We lived in a dark world searching for light. We prayed for guidance. We asked God for help, for a sign, for a way to find meaning and hope in a dark world. We were afraid of the dark and looking for news of God's presence. We huddled together wishing for answers.
The Christmas story, the amalgamation of Matthew and Luke's infancy narratives, is about light conquering darkness and hope defeating fear. The light of the star, the power of angelic voices, the searching by magicians all culminate in a manger in Bethlehem and the message goes forth..."Good News (gospel) of great joy for all people. A savior has been born who is Messiah and Lord." What's so good about this news? How does it bring light and what does it mean for us?
Matthew says this child, Jesus, will be called Emmanuel. It means "..in Him, God is with us." With the birth of Jesus, one human being finally gets it. He is the candle, the emerging light. He has news and something to tell us about how to end darkness and that everything is going to be alright. We don't have to be afraid any more. For the first time, God will love and be loved totally and completely in return. Jesus will choose to live His life as fully human as possible and draw so close to God as to describe it like being Father and Son. Because of Jesus, God will now offer Her grace to us fully and completely. Our fear about life and death is ended. Our worry about our purpose and goal in life is over. It will never be dark again.
Christmas is the celebration of one person, Jesus, who accepts and returns God's love so deeply, God now is able to offer the same opportunity to all of us. God is intimately involved in the world through Jesus' humanity, and now knows the joy of having that creative love returned. With the birth of Jesus, we are out of the darkness which despair and loneliness cause. We heard the "Good News". The result is the dawn of a new era, peace on earth and goodwill for all people.
I hope you will surround yourself with light on this Christmas...candles and lamps, brightly illuminated nativity scenes and stars on the tops of trees...as well as the love of family and friends. The "Good News" is the true light has come and with him a full life is available to you and a loving God awaits. Not a bad reason to celebrate. Merry Christmas to you all.
TAXES!!!
A CHICKEN IN EVERY POT.....
The richest 1% of taxpayers won a double victory in Washington. Their income tax rates will not increase and their children will inherit more money after they die. At a time when the conventional wisdom attributes Republican electoral gains to public anger about federal deficits and spending, one might wonder how the uber-rich were able to pull off this one-two punch? The answer resides in the White House. Despite campaigning against the Bush tax cuts and promising to repeal them and despite going on 60 Minutes and bemoaning how we cant afford to borrow $700 billion to pay for them, once again President Obama has given away the store in negotiations over whether to allow the tax cuts to expire at the end of the year. In return for getting Republicans to support an additional 13 months of unemployment insurance, Obama abandoned his promise to restore Clinton era tax rates for the rich and caved on the size and scope of the estate tax. At a time when Republicans led a national weeping and gnashing of teeth over the profligate Democrats and their spending and borrowing ways, Obama and Republicans have agreed to borrow to pay for the unemployment insurance extension and acknowledge the tax cut extension will reduce revenue to the treasury by hundreds of billions of dollars thus adding to the national debt. Knowing how Democrats, particularly in the House, would react to such a complete capitulation of principle, Obama didn't even consult them while negotiations were ongoing. Obama now must depend on Republican votes to pass this deal. They rolled him like a cheap cigarette.
Here are a few facts about what Obama has wrought. The richest of the rich, who for 10 years have enjoyed tax rates at their lowest levels since 1970, get at least two more years or largesse. By agreeing to a 2-year extension, Obama guarantees the Republicans can use taxes as an issue in the race in 2012. The super rich also get a deal on the estate tax which will only effect estates over $5 million now, is reduced to 35% and only applies to less than 1/10 of one percent of tax payers. This deal will also add billions to the national debt. At the same time, people who have been on unemployment for than 99 weeks (slightly more than a year and a half) don't get any additional help. The rich get 12 years of tax relief, but if you have been out of work for close to 2 years, you don’t get squat.
Do the rich need the additional income? Have they been particularly hard hit over the past 30 years by class warfare led by socialist Democrats anxious to steal their money? In 1976 the top one percent of American taxpayers took in 9% of the nation's pretax income. In 2007, the figure was over 23.5%. Their pretax income increased 10% every year while the median income for all other Americans declined and the poverty rates increased.
The President said if he didn't agree to this deal, and tax rates increased at the end of the year, the country could lose 1 million jobs. Since the Bush tax cuts were implemented, along with a guarantee of increased job growth as the rich "trickled down" on the rest of us, the US lost more than 10 million jobs and experienced the worst economic upheaval since the Depression. Cutting taxes for the rich didn't create jobs when Reagan did it nor with Bush while adding trillions to the national debt and now the President agrees to continue a ruinous policy for the sake of some bread crumbs from the tables of the rich for people out of work. (But only recently out of work)
Warren Buffett has said, "...there is a class war going on in this country and my class is winning." President Obama has run up the white flag and announced you can’t count on him to try to reverse the trend. The trend is destroying this country. The gap between the rich and the poor is at levels not seen since the Gilded Age. The middle class continues to shrink. The American dream slips away from more and more Americans, a dream where their children perform better and have more security than their parents.
I am totally perplexed by Obama. During the healthcare debate, a majority of Americans consistently supported a public option to compete with health insurance companies. He gave it away for nothing. In exit polls on Nov. 2, 60% of those polled were in favor of letting the tax cuts expire. He capitulates again. Why won’t he fight for what average gum-chewing Americans say they want? What is he afraid of? What does he stand for?
The Wall Street Journal, that bastion of progressive journalism, says this deal will increase the President's popularity with moderate and independent voters. It will show he can get along with Republicans. Of course he can get along if he folds like a house of cards every time they object. The last Democratic president to get along with Republicans supported NAFTA, gutted welfare, de-regulated the TV and radio industries costing over 50,000 jobs and leading to the rise of Hanbaugh and company, repealed Glass-Steagle and set the stage for an economic disaster of global proportions. Is that what you voted for when you voted in 2008? Did you vote for Obama so he could cooperate with Republicans or to reverse years of disastrous policies, tax cuts for the rich, unnecessary wars and naked aggression against the Constitution?
Perhaps its time to think about who should challenge the President in the 2012 primaries. Perhaps its time to admit he is not a progressive. Perhaps its time to look for someone who will represent all of us. Do you have anyone in mind?
Sunday, December 5, 2010
I LOVE THE SMELL OF HYPOCRISY IN THE MORNING....
Republicans made a great show of recently voting to ban "earmarks"; special funding requests politicians make for their home states. It is what used to be called pork or was known as bringing home the bacon. Republicans were responding to the screams of those in their party allegedly upset about federal spending and to voters angry at Washington for an ailing economy and high unemployment. In any given year, earmarks can represent billions in additional spending added to appropriation bills by members of Congress. Earmarks are used to fund everything BART to high-speed train projects to highway and bridge projects. The official position of the Republican Party is no more earmarks, no more pork, fiscal responsibility. Maybe...
Two of the nation's major ports are in Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. Both ports need money to expand and deepen so they will be able to handle bigger ships. The Panama Canal is being widened to handle much larger container ships and if these two ports are not enlarged the ships will go to New York or Virginia to unload. This could cost Georgia and South Carolina thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in lost revenue. Both Savannah and Charleston want money to dredge and deepen their channels. In the past, this would be handled by having members of Congress insert a specific request for the money into an appropriation bill. They would "earmark" the funds for the projects. However, Republicans now say they have ended this abusive practice. They heard the anger of voters and the days of log rolling and pork are over. Maybe...
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina voted to ban earmarks. He is opposed to pork. However, when asked about money for Charleston, Graham says if he has to use earmarks to get the money to expand the port, he will. "I'm in a spot where I have to get the port deepened for economic reasons," he said. Graham says the expansion of the port is vital. This is not a bridge to nowhere or a frivolous request and he needs an exception to the ban. He is not alone.
Both Georgia senators, Saxbee Chambliss and Johnny Isakson have gone to great lengths to tout their opposition to earmarks. They point to the profligate Democrats who have ruined our economy by spending too much and for spreading pork throughout the nation. They are both champions of fiscal conservatism. So what do they say about the $400 million the port of Savannah wants from the federal government to deepen its channel? Chambliss says, "my position has consistently been support for reform or total elimination of earmarks." BUT "if a project is vital to the economy and jobs in my state. I'm sent here by the people of my state to make sure their interests are looked after." (I smell bacon frying.) What about Senator Isakson? He says he supports the ban on earmarks BUT he would "...continue to fight for funding for projects...that is critical to my state and US trade." Do I hear oinking in the background? The late senator Robert Byrd, who brought more pork to his state than any senator ever, could not have said it any better.
There are still Republicans who say they will honor the ban. Sen. Jim DeMint says he wants a merit-based system instead of earmarks. Of course, he believes Charleston has more merit than projects in other states and he will fight to get funding to deepen the port. (A rose by any other name?)
Just like sleeping in their offices to show they aren't part of the Washington establishment, the earmarks ban is another stunt Republicans have used to curry favor with the voters. The reality is every senator and member of the House will continue to bring home the bacon if they want to get re-elected. The out of control spending Republicans want to control occurred when they controlled the Congress for 6 years. The out of control federal debt ballooned while they ran the entire government from the White House to the Supreme Court. Now we are to believe they got religion and they are going to change. There's a new sheriff in town. Maybe...
The term earmark may disappear, but the practice will not. They will call it something else. The purpose of government is to give money away. Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican depends on who you want to see get the money. We need spending on infrastructure...roads and bridges etc. We need funding for research and development of emerging technologies, green technologies, and innovation in order to compete against China and India et.al. The Bay Area needs money for mass transit, bridges, roads, a smart electrical grid, universities and many other projects. There is nothing wrong with requesting funds for these purposes. We don't need political stunts and we need to call out the Republican hypocrites for exactly what they are.
Are there billions of tax dollars spent on unnecessary pork? Yes. Are there members of Congress who get funding for projects to pay off campaign contributors? Yes. Should there be some sort of point or scoring system to determine which projects will be funded? Yes. Will political stunts and hypocrisy get us there? Not in my lifetime.
DONT ASK...JUST DONT ASK...
I've written about this in the past, but feel an overwhelming need to hit it again. The Pentagon has finished studying whether or not it is a good idea to repeal their "Don't ask, don't tell" policy which prohibits gay soldiers from serving openly in the military. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, based on the results of the study, is now calling on Congress to repeal the ban. According to Gates, changing the policy would create only isolated disruptions with the troops. Good. The idea a citizen cannot defend or serve his or her country because of their sexual orientation is long overdue for revision. Tens of thousands of gay Americans have fought, and many died, for their country since it’s founding. It's time to honor them.
The reason I bring this up again is to encourage you to contact your member of Congress and ask them to vote to repeal the ban. Pressure should also be put on the White House not to wait for Congress. President Obama could end the ban by executive order as Commander in Chief. This whole study process was just cover for the President who promised to end the ban when he ran for the office. Now he needs to fulfill that promise.
There is one part of this exercise which totally eludes any understanding on my part. The Pentagon went to soldiers and asked them if they would be opposed to lifting the ban. Why? Gates said 70% of service members saw a positive or neutral impact if the policy is changed. So what? Who cares? I keep going back to 1948 when President Truman ended segregation in the military by executive order. Can you imagine if he had commissioned a study and went to the white soldiers to ask if they would mind living in the same barracks as African Americans and being commanded by African Americans and having whites and African Americans fraternizing together? 1948 was the year Strom Thurmond ran for president as a Dixiecrat on a platform of segregation and any attempt to change Jim Crow laws in the South. Separate but equal was alive and well in American schools and society. Racial prejudice was celebrated in this country. Can you imagine President Truman asking if the soldiers would be offended by integrating the armed services? Where did this idea come from we should consult those who are bigoted or prejudiced for their opinions about ending a prejudicial practice? Since when is the military a democracy? What answer would Truman have received if he had asked soldiers opinions in 1948?
Some African Americans bristle when their struggles for equality are equated with the push for gay rights. Homophobia is still rampant in African American communities, particularly in African American "Christian" churches. Despite their sensitivity, there is no difference. Prejudice is prejudice and bigotry in a free society is anathema. Stereotypes that lead to prejudice are destructive and usually wrong. Defenders of segregation in the military said African Americans were too stupid to lead men into combat. They were lazy and lacked a will to fight. We laugh at such characterizations now. However, those beliefs permeated the entire military in 1948.
One of the concerns of soldiers in the study was concern about sharing barracks and bathrooms with gay or lesbian soldiers. They wanted "separate" facilities. Sound familiar? Have you ever heard this before? Notwithstanding the logistical nightmare building and maintaining separate quarters etc would cause, and realizing it could never be done in times of war, the stereotypes and prejudice such a request reveals is precisely the reason this question should never have been put to soldiers in the first place.
"Don't ask, don't tell" needs to be ended now. No American should have to face discrimination because of their sexual orientation and certainly any American who wants to put their life on the line to serve their country should be welcomed with open arms. Don't you agree?
NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP...
In order to show the "get it", many newly elected members of congress plan to sleep in their offices rather than rent an apartment in Washington. The Wall Street Journal reports as many as 15% of the 94 newly elected members will bunk down in their offices to show the folks at home they aren't typical politicians and Washington isn't their "home".
As a former congressional staffer, my advice is please re-consider. As a taxpaying American, my reaction is here we go again. Staff show up early and stay late in congressional offices. The last thing any of us needed was to encounter our boss emerging from her rollout cot trudging to the House gym to get a shower. As a voter, I don't care where you live. I care about whether you will attempt to solve an economic and political mess and not engage in theatrics, which accomplish neither.
The "sleeping in the office thing" has been tried before. In 1994, when Gingrich and the Republicans took over the House, many of their members made a great show of sleeping in their offices. They weren't part of the Washington "elite". They weren't there to find a home. They weren't going to become permanent fixtures in the Washington scene. They were there to implement a contract on America. We all know how that turned out. Is the American public really duped by this kind of silliness?
Since the mid-term elections, Republican leaders have let it be known their top priorities are to extend Bush-era tax cuts for the richest 2% of tax taxpayers, repeal the health care reform act, politicize the Federal Reserve, starve all new regulatory bodies of the funding they need to do their jobs, (including the new consumer protection department and a more robust Securities and Exchange Commission), and oppose a new strategic arms treaty with Russia. Nowhere in their post-election bliss, have Republicans talked about a single plan for increasing jobs. They oppose extending unemployment insurance, but they say nothing about putting Americans back to work. At a salary of $174,000 a year, they hope living in their office can distract unemployed, or under employed, Americans from the fact they have no plan and no desire to fix the most pressing problem this nation faces.
Republicans are to meet with President Obama this week. They have postponed the meeting a number of times. They have no sense of urgency and seem unaware of how many Americans are hurting. The anger that caused Americans to throw out the Democrats seems lost on Republicans. If it is not lost, it is misinterpreted. The GOP believes voters want them to cut spending and reduce the federal debt. These are classic regressive issues near and dear to their hearts. (Well not to any left over from the classes of 2001-2006 as they drove deficits and the national debt to the stratospheric levels Obama faced when he came into office). Polls on Election Day, showed balancing the budget and reducing federal debt weren't even in the top five of voters concerns. The economy and jobs were number one. Voters didn’t give a damn about the teaparty. They want to work.
Some Americans are working today because of President Obama and the Democrats. The economic stimulus package, while too modest, kept hundreds of thousands of teachers, police and fire fighters working. The bail out of General Motors is a success story. The company recently raised $18 billion from an initial public offering and announced plans to open two new factories employing hundreds. Republicans opposed the stimulus package and fought any help for General Motors. Now, they want to sleep in their offices to show they "get it". It makes you want to scream or go eat a gallon of Oreo Cookie ice cream.
I don’t care where a member of Congress sleeps. (Not even Sen. David Vitter) I don't care how they spend their six-figure salary. I don't need stunts and political symbolism. I want the Congress to implement policies that will further stimulate the economy and create jobs. I want unemployment insurance extended. I want tax credits for employers who hire new workers. Money needs to go into research and development so we can compete with China and the rest of the world on everything from bullet train technology to super computers. Roads and bridges need to be repaired. The electrical grid needs to be rebuilt. We need to make things in this country again and use rising productivity and technological breakthroughs to offset the higher wages we pay American workers.
Refusing to meet with the President, setting priorities which will not create a single job, engaging in political theater for the benefit of...well for on one's benefit, are luxuries we cannot afford. Sit down and do what the voters want you to do. Restore the economic health of this nation, put people to work, support policies which will enable us to compete globally. Sleep on your own time.
DOWN MEXICO WAY...
Texas Governor Rick Perry may run for president in 2012 and he needs an issue to differentiate himself from the rest of the field. He needs a populist message, which will resonate with the average gun-chewing American. Ideally, he would love an issue that can be reduced to a bumper sticker. He thinks he has found one. "United States Into Mexico". Perry has started to beat the drums calling on the United States to send troops into Mexico to combat the drug cartels currently at war with the Mexican government.
For Perry, this issue has winner written all over it. It isn't a Tea Party issue and it quickly separates him from Sarah Palin. It portents to give him foreign policy street creed which most governors lack. Americans don't like Mexicans very much and a large majority in red states hate so many Mexicans illegally entering this country. Being against drugs is a no brainer and going to war with drug cartels is something the American people can understand. It's the Untouchable all over again. It's romantic and for once you have clear good guys and bad guys. It's so simple. Bring the troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan and send them into Mexico. You can hear the anthems being written and sung on every country radio station across the fruited plains and Hanbaugh will have testosterone overdoses pushing for America to finally "win" one like we used to do.
I wouldn't be giving Perry much attention, after all he's the one who suggested Texas could secede from the union if Washington ticked them off too much, but I heard a supposed moderate to centrist talk show host on KGO endorsing the proposal and that caused my ears to perk up and my stomach to turn.
The argument goes like this. Violence in Mexico will inevitably spill over into Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. American lives will be in jeopardy. The Mexican government is incapable of dealing with the causes so we, the most powerful n nation on earth, will step in to quell the violence and save the day. Oh, and if anyone should argue against this idea, they are acknowledging the United States has become and impotent, toothless, paper tiger unable to protect its own. Santayanna is doing cartwheels in his grave.
We heard similar arguments to justify this nations engagement in Vietnam as well as Iraq and Afghanistan. We were told young Americans had to go fight and die in these countries in order to protect us here at home. We were told if we didn't fight in Vietnam, eventually the enemy would be crossing the Mexican border. Better to fight them there than here, remember? If we didn't fight in Iraq, Saddam would use weapons of mass destruction against us. (Remember the mushroom cloud in Manhattan warning?) Obama upped the ante in Afghanistan based on the premise failure there would lead to destruction here. How have those wars turned out so far? Did the peoples of those countries welcome us with open arms? Now, we are told we should send troops into Mexico once again to safeguard the homeland. Will we ever learn?
What would American troops do in Mexico? Would they dash across the border every so often to hit a cartel and then dash back? Would they engage in full-blown warfare in Mexican cities and towns, doing to them what we did to Falujah or Anbar province in Iraq? What do we do if the Mexican government objects? How far into Mexico will we go? Will we limit ourselves to just border towns? How would the world view America invading another nation? How would the Organization of American States (OAS) respond to the invasion of Mexico? Will we call it a police action as we did in Korea? What would the cartels do? Would they take us head on or term this into another guerrilla war? What's our success rate on guerrilla wars in foreign countries? Are you ready to occupy another country and how will average Mexicans view our actions in light of the fact we stole Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California from them to begin with?
The one image I can’t get out of my mind is American soldiers rolling into Mexico and coming under fire from weapons sold to the cartels by American companies. American guns killing American soldiers. I can't think of a worse scenario. The war in Mexico is fueled by tons of arms blowing into that nation from our nation. The way some people like Rick Perry, who want to sacrifice our blood and treasure in Mexico for political gain, are also opposed to any efforts to restrict the flow of guns from this nation to Mexico. Perry and the NRA oppose restrictions on gun shows. They oppose everything from waiting periods to mandating registration of firearms. Any attempt to dry up the arms flowing into Mexico to kill our soldiers, would be fought tooth and nail by the very same people who would support an invasion. This is beyond crazy.
In order to stop violence in Mexico, we would have to occupy a large portion of that nation. Where would we get the troops and the money to pull that off? The Republicans got back into power promising to cut the federal budget. Now the head of the Republican Governors Association floats the idea of spending hundreds of billions of dollars and destroying any relationship we have with Mexico and its people.
When Lyndon Johnson started to beat the war drums of Vietnam, I thought the American people would never buy what he was selling. When George Bush started talking about weapons of mass destruction and the threat of Iraq, I figured he could never sell the American people on his plan. Now Rick Perry is drumming away again and already some media types are rallying to his side. What will happen this time?
THE HAPPY HOOKER
If you are a male prostitute who uses a condom to protect against the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, the Pope says you are in good moral territory. If you are a heterosexual married couple, where one of you may be HIV positive, using a condom to protect against infection is morally wrong. This is the upshot of the Pope's comments to a German journalist.
This kind of moral shape shifting is necessary because of the Church's nonsensical position on contraception. The Pope twisted into a pretzel and picked a male prostitute so he could avoid commenting on the use of condoms by heterosexual couples. Neither the male prostitute nor his partner can procreate, so allowing condom use is a morally grey area to the Pope. The prostitute may use the condom because it could be the first step towards taking responsibility for his actions and an awakening realization of how actions have consequences. The condom protects him and the Pope finds that acceptable. What about a married couple who want to protect themselves? The Pope is silent. What about a married couple where another pregnancy could cause serious mental or physical harm to the mother? Silence. What about a married couple whose family will be economically devastated by another child? Not a word. In fact, in each of these cases, the Pope would counsel the couple to live like brother and sister and never have sexual intercourse again...ever, a sure recipe for a healthy relationship.
In 1968, Pope Paul VI had set up a commission to study changing the Church's approach on birth control. The majority of the commission supported changing the Church's stance. After originally going along with their recommendation, the Pope was counseled if he adopted the majority view Catholics would leave the Church in droves. The authority of the papacy would be undermined. He would cause moral confusion. He eventually caved and issued an encyclical entitled Humanae Vitae, (on human life), in which he reiterated the Church's belief contraception is "intrinsically evil". The result was exactly as predicted. Well sort of...many did leave the Church, but thousands of them were priests and nuns who left in protest. Catholic lay people ignored the Pope and opted to use birth control to plan their families. The Pope and the bishops saw their authority under minded and found themselves irrelevant to this crucial debate about life.
In Africa, where the spread of HIV is devastating whole populations, some Catholic bishops, seeing condoms as one of the few ways to stop this epidemic, began giving tacit approval for married couples to use them. Others condemned the practice and exposed themselves to accusations of insensitivity and moral absolutism at the cost of human lives. Husbands and wives could not use condoms to prevent the spread of the disease even though the ensuing pregnancy could result in a child born with HIV as well.
According to Humanae Vitae, every act of intercourse has to be both unitive and open to procreation. How can a marriage be united if the two people can never make love, or when they do, they do so in utter fear of what the results of a pregnancy could do their family? Any unity which may have existed will be destroyed and the marriage over.
So, the Pope takes a mini step to acknowledge condom use and its applicability to preventing the spread of disease and death. In doing so, he looks to be as out of touch with reality as his predecessors were in their antagonism to Galileo. When a couple uses the "rhythm" method, which is approved by the Church, they use the calendar to chart the days when having sex will not produce a pregnancy. Their "intent" is to have sex but not procreate. This violates Humanae Vitae but is allowed because it's "natural". The "intent" of a couple who use a condom or pill is exactly the same, but their action is intrinsically evil. You can hear robes and stoles bending and twisting in the Vatican even now.
Does God care if a couple in a loving marriage...a marriage committed to permanency, to loving each other, to sacrificing for each other and being faithful to each other...uses contraception in order to control their fertility while maintain a strong marriage? NO. She does not care. God created us to love Her and ourselves and to treat other with the same attitude.
The Church lost touch with the Spirit when Paul VI didn't listen to God, but rather to Vatican apparatchiks concerned about maintaining the status quo and with it their power. The theological yoga the Pope is currently engaged in, is a result of that failure to heed God's Spirit and it will continue as long as the Church puts rules ahead of loving common sense.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
PENNY WISE AND POUND FOOLISH
The University of California Regents voted to raise tuition at all UC schools by 8% next year. Tuition will be over $11,000 not including campus fees and room and board. A few years ago, tuition was approximately $6,000. It has gone up over 80% in less than 10 years. More students, qualified to attend a UC school, will find themselves on the outside looking in because of the cost of an education.
University education in America should be FREE. If this nation's leaders are truly concerned about our national security, they need to open the Ivy halls to as many students as possible. Instead, the numbers are going in the opposite direction. UC schools are turning down more students as are state universities and for the first time community colleges are refusing to accept applications. At a time when we are not producing enough engineers and scientists, as well as poets and programmers, the UC regents voted to make it harder to afford an education. This is short sighted and a recipe for future instability for our country.
According to USA Today, parents spent $64 billion to send their children to college last year. We currently spend over $100 billion a year just for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Right now, if there was the desire, college could be free for most American students. The economic impact would be immediate. Every family of college age kids would have tens of thousands of discretionary dollars to pump into the economy. If they don't have to borrow the money, that too frees up funds for other purposes. It would stimulate the economy more than anything tried by Washington. Students are graduating owing $50,000 to $100,000 not including graduate school. It is the equivalent of a first mortgage. They are unable to put any discretionary funds into the economy. They are unable to take lower paying, but possibly more beneficial and desperately needed, teaching and entrepenurial jobs due to the debt they owe.
Right now in Washington, they are discussing a national sales tax and a one year moratorium on the payroll tax to both raise revenue and prime the economic pump. Free college would flood the nation with discretionary spending and reduce family debt. One dollar spent on the military has almost no multiplier effect on the economy. One dollar spent on education has a multiplier effect of over $5 and when you add that multiplier to the extra money each family would have in its pocket, the impact on the economy would be immediate and dramatic.
Free tuition would be means tested. If your family is in the top 2% of income families, you would still pay tuition. If you are in the bottom 10% you would get subsidies to cover tuition and room and board. This idea would be a huge boost for the middle class. For once, they would benefit from a government program. At the same time college costs would have to be contained. 100 college presidents made over $1 million last year. One made over $9 million and it wasn't at Harvard or Yale. College costs would have to be monitored and justified. Very similar to what doctors have to do with Medicare, or in dealing with HMOs, universities would negotiate tuition increases. They would also be able to opt out and charge tuition with their students not receiving any government help.
We are falling behind India, China and other nations in the number of key graduates we are producing. This is a national security concern. Education is the key to future innovation and the ability of the US to remain competitive with its rivals. Raising tuition and reducing the number of students who can attend college, or saddling their families or them with more debt, will put us at a h huge disadvantage.
I have been advocating free college tuition for years. We can afford it. Actually, we can't afford not to throw open university doors to students across this land. How on earth can any rational person look at a nation which spend over $700 billion on the military each year, and watches fewer of its people get the advanced education they need to compete, and think this is a sustainable path?
This idea has reached its tipping point. It stimulates the economy, creates jobs, reduces family debt, produces a more educated work force, jump starts innovation and the new entreprenures we need. The middle class would be the main beneficiaries and would grow under this plan. A solid middle class is the key to a stable and secure nation. Every dollar spent would be multiplied 500% more than one dollar spent for the Pentagon. China and India as well as a number of our European and emerging market competitors already offer essentially free university education.
It's time. We have a choice. Go the way of Rome or prolong the intellectual and industrial juggernaut this nation has become. The money is there. Is the political will?
University education in America should be FREE. If this nation's leaders are truly concerned about our national security, they need to open the Ivy halls to as many students as possible. Instead, the numbers are going in the opposite direction. UC schools are turning down more students as are state universities and for the first time community colleges are refusing to accept applications. At a time when we are not producing enough engineers and scientists, as well as poets and programmers, the UC regents voted to make it harder to afford an education. This is short sighted and a recipe for future instability for our country.
According to USA Today, parents spent $64 billion to send their children to college last year. We currently spend over $100 billion a year just for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Right now, if there was the desire, college could be free for most American students. The economic impact would be immediate. Every family of college age kids would have tens of thousands of discretionary dollars to pump into the economy. If they don't have to borrow the money, that too frees up funds for other purposes. It would stimulate the economy more than anything tried by Washington. Students are graduating owing $50,000 to $100,000 not including graduate school. It is the equivalent of a first mortgage. They are unable to put any discretionary funds into the economy. They are unable to take lower paying, but possibly more beneficial and desperately needed, teaching and entrepenurial jobs due to the debt they owe.
Right now in Washington, they are discussing a national sales tax and a one year moratorium on the payroll tax to both raise revenue and prime the economic pump. Free college would flood the nation with discretionary spending and reduce family debt. One dollar spent on the military has almost no multiplier effect on the economy. One dollar spent on education has a multiplier effect of over $5 and when you add that multiplier to the extra money each family would have in its pocket, the impact on the economy would be immediate and dramatic.
Free tuition would be means tested. If your family is in the top 2% of income families, you would still pay tuition. If you are in the bottom 10% you would get subsidies to cover tuition and room and board. This idea would be a huge boost for the middle class. For once, they would benefit from a government program. At the same time college costs would have to be contained. 100 college presidents made over $1 million last year. One made over $9 million and it wasn't at Harvard or Yale. College costs would have to be monitored and justified. Very similar to what doctors have to do with Medicare, or in dealing with HMOs, universities would negotiate tuition increases. They would also be able to opt out and charge tuition with their students not receiving any government help.
We are falling behind India, China and other nations in the number of key graduates we are producing. This is a national security concern. Education is the key to future innovation and the ability of the US to remain competitive with its rivals. Raising tuition and reducing the number of students who can attend college, or saddling their families or them with more debt, will put us at a h huge disadvantage.
I have been advocating free college tuition for years. We can afford it. Actually, we can't afford not to throw open university doors to students across this land. How on earth can any rational person look at a nation which spend over $700 billion on the military each year, and watches fewer of its people get the advanced education they need to compete, and think this is a sustainable path?
This idea has reached its tipping point. It stimulates the economy, creates jobs, reduces family debt, produces a more educated work force, jump starts innovation and the new entreprenures we need. The middle class would be the main beneficiaries and would grow under this plan. A solid middle class is the key to a stable and secure nation. Every dollar spent would be multiplied 500% more than one dollar spent for the Pentagon. China and India as well as a number of our European and emerging market competitors already offer essentially free university education.
It's time. We have a choice. Go the way of Rome or prolong the intellectual and industrial juggernaut this nation has become. The money is there. Is the political will?
GOOD FAITH
Between September 11, 2001 and today, Americans found out their government lied to build support for an unnecessary war. The same government illegally used private telecom companies to spy on Americans in a scope and depth unprecedented in our history. We know the government employed private contractors to help kidnap suspected terrorists and fly them to a series of secret prisons set up to avoid the protections of American law. At this same time, The CIA was engaging in forms of torture for which members of the Japanese military were tried and found guilty after World War 2. To add insult to injury, they videotaped these torture sessions, and when told by a federal court not to destroy the tapes, a CIA official did so any way. Not one person has been convicted of a crime in any of the above gross violations of American law. A special prosecutor has decided not to bring criminal charges against Jose A. Rodriguez, the CIA official who admits he destroyed the tapes, nor any charges against those above him who gave him permission to obstruct justice.
It is difficult to convey in writing the anger, frustration and outrage I hold because of this chain of events. How can America claim to be a nation of laws...a nations which uses these laws to incarcerate more of its citizens than any other nation on earth...a nation where no one is supposed to be above the law.. and yet these travasties of justice go on without opposition from the citizens in whose name these people were acting?
Even after a court ordered the taped evidence preserved, Mr. Rodriguez argues in a series of emails to his superiors that "the heat" the agency would take over destroying the tapes is nothing compared to what will happen if anyone sees the tapes. Rodriguez says the tapes would make "us" look terrible and would be devastating to "us". He isn't referring to the United States. The "us" is him and his friends at the CIA and the Bush Administration. Bush got two lawyers in his own administration to say it was legal to destroy the tapes and thus Rodriguez was acting in "good faith". Torquemada and the Inquisition couldn't have structured the law any better to fit their purposes. It appears as long as someone is acting in "good faith", they can lie, obstruct justice, torture, kidnap, spy even kill with impunity.
In his new book, President Bush says, "legal officials in his administration did their best and criminalizing differences of legal opinion would set a terrible precedent for our democracy." Is he out of his freakin' mind? As long as a government lawyer says it's legal, nothing can be a criminal act? It is breathtaking to conceive of the ways such a concept could be abused. Actually, we already know because the list of actions I cited earlier was all approved by the Bush legal team. I just want to be clear. As long as a lawyer, employed by the President, signs off, the CIA, FBI, NSA,Homeland Security and, wait for it, wait for it, "private companies and contractors" cant be held responsible for the criminal acts they engage in?
In his book, Bush says Vice President Cheney threatened to quit when Bush wouldn't pardon Scooter LIbby. I can understand Cheney's outrage. Everyone else was getting off, why not his little buddy? (of course Bush commuted any jail time so once again the law didn't apply to Libby either.)
Recently, the Securities and Exchange Commission concluded a number of corporations and banks engaged in fraud, lying, covering up and hiding facts from investors. No criminal charges were filed. The Justice Department proved a number of pharmaceutical companies had sold drugs illegally by selling them for uses which were not approved. No criminal charges were filed despite the harm caused. It will eventually be proven BP, Halliburton, and Transocean cut costs, sacrificed safety and cut corners leading to the explosion on an oil rig, the deaths of 13 people and the worst oil spill in history. No criminal charges will be filed.
Human beings, under orders from their government, (Bush admits he personally authorized the torture techniques used), tortured prisoners. They were just following orders. Where have I heard that before? How can the average citizen have any respect for the criminal justice system or the law when they know there is a different set of rules for some than for others? What damage does this legal sophistry due to the rule of law? How do Bush et. al. combat the national cynicism and jaded perspective which this kind of legal subversion causes? How scary is it to realize the government can do whatever it wishes to you or anyone, as long as it is acting in "good faith"? I thought we had resolved these questions at Nuremburg. I was wrong.
It is difficult to convey in writing the anger, frustration and outrage I hold because of this chain of events. How can America claim to be a nation of laws...a nations which uses these laws to incarcerate more of its citizens than any other nation on earth...a nation where no one is supposed to be above the law.. and yet these travasties of justice go on without opposition from the citizens in whose name these people were acting?
Even after a court ordered the taped evidence preserved, Mr. Rodriguez argues in a series of emails to his superiors that "the heat" the agency would take over destroying the tapes is nothing compared to what will happen if anyone sees the tapes. Rodriguez says the tapes would make "us" look terrible and would be devastating to "us". He isn't referring to the United States. The "us" is him and his friends at the CIA and the Bush Administration. Bush got two lawyers in his own administration to say it was legal to destroy the tapes and thus Rodriguez was acting in "good faith". Torquemada and the Inquisition couldn't have structured the law any better to fit their purposes. It appears as long as someone is acting in "good faith", they can lie, obstruct justice, torture, kidnap, spy even kill with impunity.
In his new book, President Bush says, "legal officials in his administration did their best and criminalizing differences of legal opinion would set a terrible precedent for our democracy." Is he out of his freakin' mind? As long as a government lawyer says it's legal, nothing can be a criminal act? It is breathtaking to conceive of the ways such a concept could be abused. Actually, we already know because the list of actions I cited earlier was all approved by the Bush legal team. I just want to be clear. As long as a lawyer, employed by the President, signs off, the CIA, FBI, NSA,Homeland Security and, wait for it, wait for it, "private companies and contractors" cant be held responsible for the criminal acts they engage in?
In his book, Bush says Vice President Cheney threatened to quit when Bush wouldn't pardon Scooter LIbby. I can understand Cheney's outrage. Everyone else was getting off, why not his little buddy? (of course Bush commuted any jail time so once again the law didn't apply to Libby either.)
Recently, the Securities and Exchange Commission concluded a number of corporations and banks engaged in fraud, lying, covering up and hiding facts from investors. No criminal charges were filed. The Justice Department proved a number of pharmaceutical companies had sold drugs illegally by selling them for uses which were not approved. No criminal charges were filed despite the harm caused. It will eventually be proven BP, Halliburton, and Transocean cut costs, sacrificed safety and cut corners leading to the explosion on an oil rig, the deaths of 13 people and the worst oil spill in history. No criminal charges will be filed.
Human beings, under orders from their government, (Bush admits he personally authorized the torture techniques used), tortured prisoners. They were just following orders. Where have I heard that before? How can the average citizen have any respect for the criminal justice system or the law when they know there is a different set of rules for some than for others? What damage does this legal sophistry due to the rule of law? How do Bush et. al. combat the national cynicism and jaded perspective which this kind of legal subversion causes? How scary is it to realize the government can do whatever it wishes to you or anyone, as long as it is acting in "good faith"? I thought we had resolved these questions at Nuremburg. I was wrong.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
THANKSGIVING PRAYER FOR 2010
Lord, on this day of Thanksgiving, please bless all creation and help us to live in a constant state of gratitude and appreciation. In a year where so many have lost so much...the safety and comfort of much loved homes, jobs, economic security and perhaps worst of all...hope, we are thankful for the love of our families and friends and realize what a gift they are to us.
We give thanks for the grace you gave us to see all of the blessings and gifts we have been given this year. So often, we hear the call to consume and spend and acquire. Thank you for the insight to reject false idols and pursue a full life ...reaching out to all we love and bringing them closer than ever before.
Thank you for those who, even in difficult times, find ways to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the imprisoned, and heal the sick. Thank you for those who struggle to grow our food and provide for our meal on this and all days. Thank you for those who spend their time and talents preparing feasts for all who are hungry in both body and spirit.
Bless all who gather together on this day. Listen to the stories we share across thousands of tables and banquets and hear our prayers and petitions. Never let us forget all we have been given and help us to remember that the world is alive with the grandeur of God.
We give thanks for the grace you gave us to see all of the blessings and gifts we have been given this year. So often, we hear the call to consume and spend and acquire. Thank you for the insight to reject false idols and pursue a full life ...reaching out to all we love and bringing them closer than ever before.
Thank you for those who, even in difficult times, find ways to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the imprisoned, and heal the sick. Thank you for those who struggle to grow our food and provide for our meal on this and all days. Thank you for those who spend their time and talents preparing feasts for all who are hungry in both body and spirit.
Bless all who gather together on this day. Listen to the stories we share across thousands of tables and banquets and hear our prayers and petitions. Never let us forget all we have been given and help us to remember that the world is alive with the grandeur of God.
AMERICAN TALIBAN
The New York Times is reporting on the increasing phenomenon of Afghan women setting themselves on fire to protest the lack of human rights and the oppressive discrimination they face in a fundamentalist Afghan society. It is difficult to understand the mentality which would treat women worse than the animals used for farming and we find it so foreign to American sensibilities...or do we?
South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint is a rising political star in this country. He is a supporter of tea parties and, in the last election, a king maker in a number of races all over the nation. DeMint wants to reshape the Republican party, and this nation, in his own image and likeness. In an article in the Wall Street Journal, DeMint gives some hints about how he wishes to change the laws of the land to "save the country". He believes in laws which would prohibit gays and unwed pregnant women fro teaching in the public schools. He would outlaw abortion and deny women access to the morning after pill and other birth control technologies. He opposes any minimum wage and wants deeper tax cuts for the richest Americans. He has written a book which advocated laws which would outlaw or punish promiscuity, (whose definition?)...divorce (battered women rejoice)...illegitimacy (lock up the women? We know men will be untouchable)...pornography (the government watching what you view or write or the m movies and TV shows allowed on the air?)...as well as drug abuse (outlaw alchohol?) and gambling. (no more football pools I guess). He claims to be a conservative who believes in small government, however, he would expand government's power over our private lives exponentially. All of the cultural attacks are justified by his religious faith. He is just doing God's work. There is little difference between Senator DeMint and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Maybe you are thinking, hey he's only one guy. He's one Senator. He 's a cook and a flake. He cant cause that much damage. There's nothing to worry about. Really?
More and more, regressive advocates want to use government to enforce their cultural biases. they want to enshrine their intolerance in law. All religions are not equal. Being a woman means you lose control of your m most private intimacies and life. If you are gay, you are morally suspect and somehow dangerous around children in a classroom. These people , like DeMint, are the same ones leading the movement in Texas to re-write history and science books and eliminate or water down discussions ranging from evolution to civil rights. Add to all of this more than 26 states ready to pass laws similar to the law in Arizona giving police the power to stop anyone and demand proof of citizenship and it isn't hard to envision a march backwards in time to a day when only wealthy, white men were allowed to vote or serve in office and control the power in this land.
What is it about Americans and the antipathy about civil liberties and toleration? Newly elected Kentucky Senator Rand Paul says it was wrong to pass civil rights legislation forcing businesses to treat all employees equally. New Yorkers dont want an Islamic center to be built near ground zero because of their hatred of Islam. Fox pundit Juan Williams had no qualms about publically expressing worry and anxiety any time he boards a plane which also carries Muslims. The first gay Episcopalian bishop is retiring because he cant endure all the hate and tension his ordination has caused. (hate and tension from his fellow Christians) Americans have rolled over and given the government extraordinary powers to spy on us, read our mail and email, track us on the internet, demand to know what books we take out of a library and listen in on our phone calls. Can you imagine what Jim DeMint or the people in Texas or Arizona would do if they got their hands on the reins of power?
The fundamentalists in Afghanistan who are so oppressive and so bent on denying women any rights, are not that different from the American fundamentalists and regressives who would be more than happy to impose their cultural values on the rest of us and use the power of government not to expand rights, not to broaden the tent, but to put them on top and anyone who disagrees with them disenfranchised and denied access to the Constitution. All it takes is for people of good will to stay silent.
South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint is a rising political star in this country. He is a supporter of tea parties and, in the last election, a king maker in a number of races all over the nation. DeMint wants to reshape the Republican party, and this nation, in his own image and likeness. In an article in the Wall Street Journal, DeMint gives some hints about how he wishes to change the laws of the land to "save the country". He believes in laws which would prohibit gays and unwed pregnant women fro teaching in the public schools. He would outlaw abortion and deny women access to the morning after pill and other birth control technologies. He opposes any minimum wage and wants deeper tax cuts for the richest Americans. He has written a book which advocated laws which would outlaw or punish promiscuity, (whose definition?)...divorce (battered women rejoice)...illegitimacy (lock up the women? We know men will be untouchable)...pornography (the government watching what you view or write or the m movies and TV shows allowed on the air?)...as well as drug abuse (outlaw alchohol?) and gambling. (no more football pools I guess). He claims to be a conservative who believes in small government, however, he would expand government's power over our private lives exponentially. All of the cultural attacks are justified by his religious faith. He is just doing God's work. There is little difference between Senator DeMint and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Maybe you are thinking, hey he's only one guy. He's one Senator. He 's a cook and a flake. He cant cause that much damage. There's nothing to worry about. Really?
More and more, regressive advocates want to use government to enforce their cultural biases. they want to enshrine their intolerance in law. All religions are not equal. Being a woman means you lose control of your m most private intimacies and life. If you are gay, you are morally suspect and somehow dangerous around children in a classroom. These people , like DeMint, are the same ones leading the movement in Texas to re-write history and science books and eliminate or water down discussions ranging from evolution to civil rights. Add to all of this more than 26 states ready to pass laws similar to the law in Arizona giving police the power to stop anyone and demand proof of citizenship and it isn't hard to envision a march backwards in time to a day when only wealthy, white men were allowed to vote or serve in office and control the power in this land.
What is it about Americans and the antipathy about civil liberties and toleration? Newly elected Kentucky Senator Rand Paul says it was wrong to pass civil rights legislation forcing businesses to treat all employees equally. New Yorkers dont want an Islamic center to be built near ground zero because of their hatred of Islam. Fox pundit Juan Williams had no qualms about publically expressing worry and anxiety any time he boards a plane which also carries Muslims. The first gay Episcopalian bishop is retiring because he cant endure all the hate and tension his ordination has caused. (hate and tension from his fellow Christians) Americans have rolled over and given the government extraordinary powers to spy on us, read our mail and email, track us on the internet, demand to know what books we take out of a library and listen in on our phone calls. Can you imagine what Jim DeMint or the people in Texas or Arizona would do if they got their hands on the reins of power?
The fundamentalists in Afghanistan who are so oppressive and so bent on denying women any rights, are not that different from the American fundamentalists and regressives who would be more than happy to impose their cultural values on the rest of us and use the power of government not to expand rights, not to broaden the tent, but to put them on top and anyone who disagrees with them disenfranchised and denied access to the Constitution. All it takes is for people of good will to stay silent.
MEDIA MATTERS
Recently, National Public Radio fired Juan Williams and MSNBC suspended Keith Oberman. Williams was fired for a comment made about Muslims and Oberman was suspendedfor making politcal contributions without approval as I understand.
I get anxious anytime a commentator is sanctioned for commenting. In Oberman's case, he was suspended for making political contributions. Giving someone money for their election is a form of comment. it means you approve of their politics. Wiliams was fired because he said in an interview he gets nervous when he sees Muslims on an airplane he is boarding.
There are two issues here and they need to be separated. Firing williams for his comments about Muslims was wrong. He is paid to give his opinion. His opinion was silly and insensitive. He stereotyped all Muslims in a way he would virulently object to if it was applied to African Americans. If a prominent pundit has said he is concerned anytime he walks in Washington DC because of all the young black men walking the streets, Williams would be the first to attack the prejudice reflected and the broad brush used to tar an entire population. William's opinion reflected poorly on him and made him look like he was pandering to his friends at Fox. However, it was not a firing offense. If you hire someone to give their opinion and then punish them when they express themselves, you send the message they were hired to only offer views of which you approve. I didnt approve of the firing of Don Imus or Bob Grant Or even Michael Savage for their opinions. They did what they were hired to do.
Obermann's suspension also makes no sense. By contributing to some progressive politicians's campaign, Oberman was not being a hypocrite, nor was he acting in a way contrary to his public persona. Oberman is a progressive and he used his own private money to support other progressives. Is anyone surprised? Has he somehow undercut his credibility with his audience? Recent reports have confirmed Sean Hannity gives money to support regressive candidates of his choosing and Fox has no objections. Why does MSNBC? Are you surprised or outraged by either man's actions?
There is another issue however. NPR issued a statement claiming it has been warning Williams to stop offering opinions on other media outlets. NPR's president says this is just the latest incident and Williams had been aware of their objections. I have to confess I didnt understand this argument. He has been a commentator on Fox for years. He isn't very progressive. IN fact, he always struck me as naive to let himself be used by Fox for political cover as the token representative of the "other" side of the political spectrum. Like Alan Combs, Williams has always been a weak representative of the progressive case and is regularly steam rolled by his Fox colleagues. NPR seemed to have a problem with Williams on Fox. They told him so. They told him not to continue to give his opinions on that or any other place. Williams ignored this and was fired. NPR had every right to contract with williams and impose conditions. Williams ignored them and was terminated. I have no problem with NPR's actions at all. The first amendment doesnt guarantee you wont suffer consequences for your opinion. the fact Williams immediately signed a$2 million deal with Fox, suggests he may have done all of this on purpose.
I dont know what Oberman's contract says. If there is a provision prohibiting political contributions without approval he needs to honor the contract. He is not new at this. If he didnt like the provision he shouldnt have signed the deal. If that is why he was suspended, I have no problem with that either.
NPR fired Juan Williams because his opinion was politically embarrassing to them. It was a cowardly act. It was done to appease some constituency, although I'm not sure which one. If they didnt like him on Fox, they shouldnt have hired him at NPR. They knew they would take serious heat if they dropped him for being on Fox and voicing controversial opinions. They are sensitive to being attacked by regressives in Congress who threaten their funding. They seized on a comment he made to justify letting him go. Williams thanked them al the way to the bank and is now a darling on Fox.
MSNBC's suspension of Oberman smacks of corporate ass covering. Once again, I cant figure out whose ox he gored. Comcast is in the middle of buying NBC/MSNBC. They need Congressional approval and approval of the Justice Department and maybe they worried Oberman's actions threatened the merger in some way. Regressives hate him and congressional regressives really hate him. If he was suspended to curry favor with regressives on the hill, we should all be very worried. What else will Comcast do to score political points?
If you hire people to give opinions, dont be outraged when they give them. Firing them is morally wrong. However, if an employee violates his or her contract on purpose, he or she cannot be surprised if sanctions follow. IN both Willilams and Oberman's case, I dont know which scenario is accurate, but I have my suspicions. Do you?
I get anxious anytime a commentator is sanctioned for commenting. In Oberman's case, he was suspended for making political contributions. Giving someone money for their election is a form of comment. it means you approve of their politics. Wiliams was fired because he said in an interview he gets nervous when he sees Muslims on an airplane he is boarding.
There are two issues here and they need to be separated. Firing williams for his comments about Muslims was wrong. He is paid to give his opinion. His opinion was silly and insensitive. He stereotyped all Muslims in a way he would virulently object to if it was applied to African Americans. If a prominent pundit has said he is concerned anytime he walks in Washington DC because of all the young black men walking the streets, Williams would be the first to attack the prejudice reflected and the broad brush used to tar an entire population. William's opinion reflected poorly on him and made him look like he was pandering to his friends at Fox. However, it was not a firing offense. If you hire someone to give their opinion and then punish them when they express themselves, you send the message they were hired to only offer views of which you approve. I didnt approve of the firing of Don Imus or Bob Grant Or even Michael Savage for their opinions. They did what they were hired to do.
Obermann's suspension also makes no sense. By contributing to some progressive politicians's campaign, Oberman was not being a hypocrite, nor was he acting in a way contrary to his public persona. Oberman is a progressive and he used his own private money to support other progressives. Is anyone surprised? Has he somehow undercut his credibility with his audience? Recent reports have confirmed Sean Hannity gives money to support regressive candidates of his choosing and Fox has no objections. Why does MSNBC? Are you surprised or outraged by either man's actions?
There is another issue however. NPR issued a statement claiming it has been warning Williams to stop offering opinions on other media outlets. NPR's president says this is just the latest incident and Williams had been aware of their objections. I have to confess I didnt understand this argument. He has been a commentator on Fox for years. He isn't very progressive. IN fact, he always struck me as naive to let himself be used by Fox for political cover as the token representative of the "other" side of the political spectrum. Like Alan Combs, Williams has always been a weak representative of the progressive case and is regularly steam rolled by his Fox colleagues. NPR seemed to have a problem with Williams on Fox. They told him so. They told him not to continue to give his opinions on that or any other place. Williams ignored this and was fired. NPR had every right to contract with williams and impose conditions. Williams ignored them and was terminated. I have no problem with NPR's actions at all. The first amendment doesnt guarantee you wont suffer consequences for your opinion. the fact Williams immediately signed a$2 million deal with Fox, suggests he may have done all of this on purpose.
I dont know what Oberman's contract says. If there is a provision prohibiting political contributions without approval he needs to honor the contract. He is not new at this. If he didnt like the provision he shouldnt have signed the deal. If that is why he was suspended, I have no problem with that either.
NPR fired Juan Williams because his opinion was politically embarrassing to them. It was a cowardly act. It was done to appease some constituency, although I'm not sure which one. If they didnt like him on Fox, they shouldnt have hired him at NPR. They knew they would take serious heat if they dropped him for being on Fox and voicing controversial opinions. They are sensitive to being attacked by regressives in Congress who threaten their funding. They seized on a comment he made to justify letting him go. Williams thanked them al the way to the bank and is now a darling on Fox.
MSNBC's suspension of Oberman smacks of corporate ass covering. Once again, I cant figure out whose ox he gored. Comcast is in the middle of buying NBC/MSNBC. They need Congressional approval and approval of the Justice Department and maybe they worried Oberman's actions threatened the merger in some way. Regressives hate him and congressional regressives really hate him. If he was suspended to curry favor with regressives on the hill, we should all be very worried. What else will Comcast do to score political points?
If you hire people to give opinions, dont be outraged when they give them. Firing them is morally wrong. However, if an employee violates his or her contract on purpose, he or she cannot be surprised if sanctions follow. IN both Willilams and Oberman's case, I dont know which scenario is accurate, but I have my suspicions. Do you?
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The definition of Insanity
THE DEFINITION OF INSANITY
"...to continue to perform the same action over and over expecting different results."
The Wall Street Journal is full of stories about the electoral smackdown endured by the President and the Democratic Party on November 2, 2010. 60 plus seats lost in the House of Representatives and 7 seats in the Senate. According to various pundits, it was a political tsunami, tidal wave, earthquake or landslide. (Jon Stewart pointed out all of these metaphors kill thousands of people each year) While some stories analyze the results, most are concerned with how the President and resurgent Republicans will get along. The punditocracy is awash with shouts of "...accomodate, knuckle under, no more business as usual, give in, capitulate." Karl Rove, Fred Barnes, David Brooks, Newt Gingrich and others offer Obama advice on how to remain relevant in the upcoming debate. Not surprisingly, they call on Obama to move farther to the center (meaning more regressive), find ways to compromise with Republicans, abandon his agenda or risk losing he re-election big in 2012. Like they really care.
For his part, President Obama is once again reverting to type. After squandering his political capital and alienating his base by trying to find even one Republican to vote with him to reform health care, re-regulate Wall Street and stimulate the economy...after giving away everything but the kitchen sink in order to chase the chimera of bi-partisanship...after abandoning a public option, real competition in health care, comprehensive reform of the banking industry and passing too little too late in the form of economic stimulus, the President is quoted today as being open to compromise on the Bush tax cuts. Here we go again. On the heels of Obama's jelly legged response, barely re-elected Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid chimes in he is open to compromise as well. Will they never learn?
Conservative and moderate Democrats, the so-called Blue Dogs, were slaughtered in the mid terms. 22 out of 53 lost their seats while only 4 out of 83 progressives were defeated. The reason why so many moderates lost is because there was no difference between them and the Republicans. They watered down health care reform, Wall STreet reform and opposed further economic stimulus. I was so please to see Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln get her walking papers. She was a political wind sock and deserved what happened to her. Yet, despite the fact progressives faired well, the President is already making noises about accomodation. He says he has been too tough on business. He says he shouldnt have been so harsh on Wall Street. He hints he might allow the richest taxpayers to continue to enjoy the lowest tax rates since 1951 at a cost of over $1 Trillion to the treasury and added to the deficit. The President has already abandoned his energy bill. Meanwhile, Republicans have announced they will oppose extensions of unemployment insurance and refuse to fund the regulatory agencies needed to oversee health insurance companies and Wall Street.
The latest polls show the highest percentage of voters wants Washington to improve the economy and create jobs. Only 8% want a balanced federal budget as a goal. It's time for the President to "man up" and lead the Democratic party and the nation. Increase taxes on the top 1% of taxpayers and put the money into research and new technology industries. Bring home the troops and cut the military budget and start rebuilding the nation's roads and bridges and electrical grid also creating jobs. Raise the capital gains tax and use the revenue to pay for more students to go to college. Fund high speed rail in key regional corridors creating immediate jobs and developing technology exportable to other parts of the world creating even more jobs. Give tax breaks to business who hire new employees. Dare the Republicans to oppose you. Confront them and force them to defend the rich and the banks and demand they produce a plan to improve the economy , create jobs and not just be the party which opposes everything.
It may not be possible for Obama to fight back. He may not have it in him. Compromising and back-filling and accomodation got him no where in the last 2 years. The American people do not give him any credit for the legislative achievements he managed and rewarded the Republicans for doing nothing but scaring people and opposing anything he proposed. The American people rewarded the Republicans for rooting for the President to fail. Why does he think it will be any different for the next two years if all he does is the same thing he has tried in the past? They say you need a fire in the belly to want to be President, someone needs to relight Obama's pilot light.
"...to continue to perform the same action over and over expecting different results."
The Wall Street Journal is full of stories about the electoral smackdown endured by the President and the Democratic Party on November 2, 2010. 60 plus seats lost in the House of Representatives and 7 seats in the Senate. According to various pundits, it was a political tsunami, tidal wave, earthquake or landslide. (Jon Stewart pointed out all of these metaphors kill thousands of people each year) While some stories analyze the results, most are concerned with how the President and resurgent Republicans will get along. The punditocracy is awash with shouts of "...accomodate, knuckle under, no more business as usual, give in, capitulate." Karl Rove, Fred Barnes, David Brooks, Newt Gingrich and others offer Obama advice on how to remain relevant in the upcoming debate. Not surprisingly, they call on Obama to move farther to the center (meaning more regressive), find ways to compromise with Republicans, abandon his agenda or risk losing he re-election big in 2012. Like they really care.
For his part, President Obama is once again reverting to type. After squandering his political capital and alienating his base by trying to find even one Republican to vote with him to reform health care, re-regulate Wall Street and stimulate the economy...after giving away everything but the kitchen sink in order to chase the chimera of bi-partisanship...after abandoning a public option, real competition in health care, comprehensive reform of the banking industry and passing too little too late in the form of economic stimulus, the President is quoted today as being open to compromise on the Bush tax cuts. Here we go again. On the heels of Obama's jelly legged response, barely re-elected Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid chimes in he is open to compromise as well. Will they never learn?
Conservative and moderate Democrats, the so-called Blue Dogs, were slaughtered in the mid terms. 22 out of 53 lost their seats while only 4 out of 83 progressives were defeated. The reason why so many moderates lost is because there was no difference between them and the Republicans. They watered down health care reform, Wall STreet reform and opposed further economic stimulus. I was so please to see Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln get her walking papers. She was a political wind sock and deserved what happened to her. Yet, despite the fact progressives faired well, the President is already making noises about accomodation. He says he has been too tough on business. He says he shouldnt have been so harsh on Wall Street. He hints he might allow the richest taxpayers to continue to enjoy the lowest tax rates since 1951 at a cost of over $1 Trillion to the treasury and added to the deficit. The President has already abandoned his energy bill. Meanwhile, Republicans have announced they will oppose extensions of unemployment insurance and refuse to fund the regulatory agencies needed to oversee health insurance companies and Wall Street.
The latest polls show the highest percentage of voters wants Washington to improve the economy and create jobs. Only 8% want a balanced federal budget as a goal. It's time for the President to "man up" and lead the Democratic party and the nation. Increase taxes on the top 1% of taxpayers and put the money into research and new technology industries. Bring home the troops and cut the military budget and start rebuilding the nation's roads and bridges and electrical grid also creating jobs. Raise the capital gains tax and use the revenue to pay for more students to go to college. Fund high speed rail in key regional corridors creating immediate jobs and developing technology exportable to other parts of the world creating even more jobs. Give tax breaks to business who hire new employees. Dare the Republicans to oppose you. Confront them and force them to defend the rich and the banks and demand they produce a plan to improve the economy , create jobs and not just be the party which opposes everything.
It may not be possible for Obama to fight back. He may not have it in him. Compromising and back-filling and accomodation got him no where in the last 2 years. The American people do not give him any credit for the legislative achievements he managed and rewarded the Republicans for doing nothing but scaring people and opposing anything he proposed. The American people rewarded the Republicans for rooting for the President to fail. Why does he think it will be any different for the next two years if all he does is the same thing he has tried in the past? They say you need a fire in the belly to want to be President, someone needs to relight Obama's pilot light.
Monday, November 8, 2010
WHATEVER YOUR HEART DESIRES
Some of my fellow campers and I were working our way through the Book of Psalms and arrived at Psalm 37. One line stood out. Verse 4 says, "...Find your delight in the Lord who will give you your heart's desire." It provoked a discussion about what does one's heart desire?
Recently, my heart desired a Giant's victory in the World Series. I admit it is a silly subject to bring before God, but the Giant's post season had been a great source of joy for my wife and children and me. It gave us all a shared rooting interest in something. It was positive and fun and it distracted us from the economic uncertainty of the times and the residual pain caused by my stupidity. The World Series win was a poignant moment allowing us to reminisce about many things including my father's and their grandfather's role in bringing the Giants to San Francisco.
Today, when pressed, I was not able to clearly articulate my deepest and most profound heartfelt desires. As I weighed options, it became clear my heart desires my family to be safe. I desire my wife and children be happy and free from fear. I couldn't come up with anything for myself. It was all external to me. My heart desires my children to persevere in the face of adversity and to be compassionate and honorable. I desire my wife find peace and realize how much I love her. All of the above would be good, but somehow it doesnt answer the question enough. The question seems to require a deeper level of awareness.
The easy devotional answer is to desire to go to heaven. I dont know what that means ultimately and neither does anyone else. Besides, the Psalmist is writing about "now" and Jesus tells us He came to bring us life and life to its fullest now, not later in heaven.
My heart desires to love and be loved. Nothing would be more pleasing than to be able to open each day with a song of praise and gratitude for all I have been given instead of a litany of complaints and grievances which is how we usually greet each day. To pray and feel the presence of God would be a boost to my spirit. Too many times, like Mother Theresa, I feel totally alone. I desire to be a better person, husband, friend and parent. My heart desires to never again let pride lead me to decisions and choices which hurt so many especially me. My heart knows God forgives the moment we sincerely ask. Now, I desire the help to forgive myself which I cannot seem to accomplish.
Every day you are inundated with messages about what your heart should desire. Our society depends on your desires and then your consumption. 2/3 of our economy depends on you desiring an Ipad, Iphone, new car, new clothes, to desire to acquire and gather. How subversive is it to suggest we desire to improve ourselves, be thankful, help those least fortunate and not worry about "stuff" so much? How dangerous is it if Americans answer this question with a desire to be better stewards of the earth, more protective of true valuables and committed to a "full" life rather than a "filled" life?
If today, right now, God would be willing to fulfill your heart's desire, what would it be? Can you articulate what you really want? If not, why not? If you know your heart's desire, why aren't you living in such a way as to make it real?
You all lead oppressively busy lives. You would love an extra hour each day or a respite from the constant demands and pressure. How does one discern their heart when they dont even have time to stop and take a breath? Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your perspective, I have a lot of time to ponder questions. This and others like it have to be answered. I'm working on it. When will you have the time to figure out what you really desire?
Some of my fellow campers and I were working our way through the Book of Psalms and arrived at Psalm 37. One line stood out. Verse 4 says, "...Find your delight in the Lord who will give you your heart's desire." It provoked a discussion about what does one's heart desire?
Recently, my heart desired a Giant's victory in the World Series. I admit it is a silly subject to bring before God, but the Giant's post season had been a great source of joy for my wife and children and me. It gave us all a shared rooting interest in something. It was positive and fun and it distracted us from the economic uncertainty of the times and the residual pain caused by my stupidity. The World Series win was a poignant moment allowing us to reminisce about many things including my father's and their grandfather's role in bringing the Giants to San Francisco.
Today, when pressed, I was not able to clearly articulate my deepest and most profound heartfelt desires. As I weighed options, it became clear my heart desires my family to be safe. I desire my wife and children be happy and free from fear. I couldn't come up with anything for myself. It was all external to me. My heart desires my children to persevere in the face of adversity and to be compassionate and honorable. I desire my wife find peace and realize how much I love her. All of the above would be good, but somehow it doesnt answer the question enough. The question seems to require a deeper level of awareness.
The easy devotional answer is to desire to go to heaven. I dont know what that means ultimately and neither does anyone else. Besides, the Psalmist is writing about "now" and Jesus tells us He came to bring us life and life to its fullest now, not later in heaven.
My heart desires to love and be loved. Nothing would be more pleasing than to be able to open each day with a song of praise and gratitude for all I have been given instead of a litany of complaints and grievances which is how we usually greet each day. To pray and feel the presence of God would be a boost to my spirit. Too many times, like Mother Theresa, I feel totally alone. I desire to be a better person, husband, friend and parent. My heart desires to never again let pride lead me to decisions and choices which hurt so many especially me. My heart knows God forgives the moment we sincerely ask. Now, I desire the help to forgive myself which I cannot seem to accomplish.
Every day you are inundated with messages about what your heart should desire. Our society depends on your desires and then your consumption. 2/3 of our economy depends on you desiring an Ipad, Iphone, new car, new clothes, to desire to acquire and gather. How subversive is it to suggest we desire to improve ourselves, be thankful, help those least fortunate and not worry about "stuff" so much? How dangerous is it if Americans answer this question with a desire to be better stewards of the earth, more protective of true valuables and committed to a "full" life rather than a "filled" life?
If today, right now, God would be willing to fulfill your heart's desire, what would it be? Can you articulate what you really want? If not, why not? If you know your heart's desire, why aren't you living in such a way as to make it real?
You all lead oppressively busy lives. You would love an extra hour each day or a respite from the constant demands and pressure. How does one discern their heart when they dont even have time to stop and take a breath? Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your perspective, I have a lot of time to ponder questions. This and others like it have to be answered. I'm working on it. When will you have the time to figure out what you really desire?
Friday, November 5, 2010
LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL? (Part 2)
I don't believe the government of the United States or any Western democracy can stop
another September 11th from occurring. They can get lucky and prevent one from happening;
but ultimately there will be more attacks. Given that reality, the latest proposal by the
Obama administration seems to have much more to do with failed drug wars, failed law
enforcement efforts, and failed human intelligence than it does with national security.
The White House wants legislation mandating any service which facilitates
communications have a built-in back door so the government can listen in or read whatever
it wishes. This requirement would include encrypted e-mail platforms like Blackberry, social
networks like Facebook, and any software which allows "peer to peer" communications like
Skype. Any encryption software would have to provide a way for the government to
unscramble the message.
The government would have to get a warrant to tap these communication systems; but
with the evisceration of the Fourth Amendment, the government can get a judge to agree to
a wiretap easier than Glenn Beck can produce tears.
Do I need to remind you the Bush administration didn't ask for warrants as it used
telecom companies and the NSA to "data mine" American's cellphones, e-mail, Internet
activities, Blackberries, and Smartphones? The FBI used national security letters to force
libraries and other institutions to turn over records of what Americans were reading and
researching (illegal by the way). We have no way of knowing if the Obama administration
discontinued these practices; but we do know a feckless Congress passed legislation granting
the telecom companies immunity and making these illegal acts legal.
Despite all the spying and illegal wiretaps and unconstitutional searches, the government
has not caught a major terrorist or terrorist cell. They didn't catch Richard Reed, the shoe
bomber, nor did they stop the Christmas Day underpants bomber. They completely missed
the Times Square bomber and the Fort Hood shooter. As of today, containers still come into
American ports unexamined and radicalized Americans still seem to be able to get to Pakistan
and Yemen for training without the U.S. government's knowledge. Even as they try to scare us
into giving up more of our civil liberties; law enforcement really wants these new tools to
continue a drug war they are losing, to spy on Americans who engage in political dissent, and
to catch little fish like the Fort Dix pizza delivery guys to justify monstrous budgets.
In Part One of this piece, USA Today uncovered the practice of U.S. attorneys lying,
covering up evidence, engaging in prosecutorial misconduct all in the name of getting the job
done. The result was innocent Americans going to prison for crimes they didn't commit.
The New York Times chronicled how FBI agents were so desperate to arrest a group of alleged
terrorists; they use their informant to try to entrap them into illegally buying a gun just in case
the evidence in the case was too thin and the case might "go south". In a recent editorial, the
Times excoriated an FBI agent sent to spy on an anti-war rally in Pittsburgh. He took pictures
of demonstrators and filed a report on who attended. The FBI lied when confronted by
the ACLU. They claimed the agent was there looking for a possible terrorist who might show
up at the rally. They lied to cover up their real purpose. FBI director Robert Mueller used
the lie when testifying in front of a Congressional committee. Every time the government
wants more power to spy on us and to invade our privacy. They promise us there are checks
and balances in the system to protect our Constitutional rights and every time we discover
that nothing could be further from the truth.
They say "trust us" and then we find out evidence is suppressed, agents lie, warrants
aren't worth the paper they are printed on and judges simply rubber stamp anything the
government wants to do as long as they claim it involves national security. The greatest
scandal of our criminal justice system, resulting in the gutting of the Fourth Amendment,
is caused by judges who fail to do their job and protect the rights of average Americans.
Now the Justice Department wants new laws to enable them to tap the Internet and turn it
into a facsimile of the old telephone system. Experts say this could stifle innovation because
software engineers won't be able to design new capabilities if they spend all their time
designing ways for the government to get in the back door. Of even more concern, is the
security threat "backdoors" represent. There have been a number of occasions where
cyber-attacks were successful because hackers used the built-in "backdoors" to get into
government and private industry information systems. In Greece, in 2005, hackers used a
mandated "backdoor" to spy on top official's phones including the Prime Minister's.
Imagine a U.S. Attorney, a zealot, salivating at getting a bad guy and he thinks you may be
the one. This U.S. Attorney can use the Patriot Act to secretly enter your home to bug your
computer and mine all Internet activities. National security letters can be used to check on
what you are reading or what your other interests might be. Your car is followed by access
to On-Star-like systems, your cellphone can be tracked and telecom companies will let them
listen in to all your calls.
Despite all this massive intrusion into your privacy, they uncover evidence which totally
exonerates you. What do you think the U.S. Attorney will do? After spending all that money
and time, will he just give up and slink away into the night?
If I thought the judiciary would act in its role as a check against executive power, maybe
these new proposals would be less troubling. However, we know the FISA (Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act) court, which meets in secret, grants warrants in over 98% of
the cases brought to it by the government. We know the FBI and CIA lie about the reasons
they need warrants to spy on us, if they ask for them at all. We know the U.S. Attorneys will
convict innocent Americans and cover up evidence which proves their innocence. Who is left
to protect "us" from "them"?
It is up to you. What will you tell your member of Congress to do regarding privacy,
the Fourth Amendment, and the government's request for even more spying authority? In
the past, Americans have been cavalier about their civil liberties until they are gone. Will
this be the case again? What do you think? I welcome your comments and rebuttals. Please
send them to lionoftheleft@gmail.com
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