On that auspicious occasion the stakes were raised, the ante was upped and our nation’s leaders declared our independence from the British crown.

It was the beginning of a history that continues to unfold.

Farrah Fawcett born and raised in Texas, came to Hollywood as a young woman and made her mark. At the height of her popularity women everywhere copied her hair style and men purchased her poster making record sales.

Although her fame came through acting in a formulaic series tee vee show Fawcett showed her authentic acting skills performing in dramas on the off-Broadway stage, in feature length films and teevee movies.

For her portrayals of a potential rape victim, a battered wife, the renown photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White, and Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton  Fawcett received high critical acclaim.

There were several Golden Globe nominations. We loved her performance as Robert Duvall’s wife in his independent film “The Apostle”.

Beneath the veneer of a pop icon we discovered a great actress whose groundbreaking performances will long be remembered.

The family requests, in lieu of flowers, donations to support cancer research be made to The Farrah Fawcett Foundation, P.O. Box 6478, Beverly Hills, California 90212.

 As a West Point cadet Dan Choi was trained to  forego cheating, lying and stealing. As a commissioned officer Dan Choi is sworn to practice integrity everyday. The powers that be in the Department of the Army, and the Pentagon have taken steps to court martial and dishonorably discharge Dan Choi for doing what he has sworn to do as an officer in the United States military.

On Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 8 a.m., Lt. Dan Choi of the U.S. Army will stand trial for announcing: “I am gay.”
 
On Tuesday, he will be facing a panel of colonels who will decide whether or not to fire Lt. Dan Choi.– They will consider discharging Lt. Choi for “moral and professional dereliction” under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

Dan wishes to remain in the military. Help him to stay. Sign the petition.
We don’t understand why anyone would want to go into military service in the first place.  We especially do not unerstand why a gay, lesbian, transgender or bi-secual person would want to present himself for the obvious ridicule and abuse by others in the service.  Apparently it is because they have no other alternative.

We do believe someone who is in the army, who has served the nation well, who wishes to remain in service to his country, should be allowed to stay. Dan Choi does not deserve to be disgraced because of a bad law.

We are told by those who know, there are those who remain in all branches of the armed forces who have more serious social issues than simple sexual preference. Horror stories of child and wife beaters, drug and alcohol addicts who were in charge of fixing or flying airplanes, mentally ill officers in charge of many men and women, adulterers, and even a military doctor who was sexually abusing patients, including the widow of a downed pilot. Military officials didn’t throw them out of the service.  There is no justice in a gay person being discharged from the military for no good reason.

We’ve said it before, we will say it again,”Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is a bad law! it should be repealed, but until it is, do not fire any more gay military personnel for simply being themselves.

When it comes to repealing bad laws the Congress of the United States of America and the President should work together to take this very bad law off the books as quickly as possible..

For example both Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett have died. As did Billy Mays a teevee pitchman for organic cleaners who also began his career just like Johnny Carson’s sidekick McMahon, on the boardwalkd in Atlantic City.

We know there is trouble in Iran, THe Honduran president has been overthrown in amilitary coup.

We know the governor of South Carolina is having some marital troubles along with a lack of support from his fellow Republicans. His actions sure take the heat off another Republican named Ensign.

Silvio Berlusconi’s, “I-Did-Not-Pay-For-Sex” scandal has made headline around the world, too.

To those who are critical of the attention being paid to the passing of international super-star Michael Jackson we say consider the mourning that took place when Ronald Reagan died. He certainly deserved the media attention not because of his exceptinal talent; he was afterall an actor in low budget, “B” movies. it was only because he was president of our nation he received overwhelming, some would say excessive, media recognition upon his death.

We think it is only fitting for a man as generous, as talented, as dedicated and hardworking, who touched the lives of so many and influenced the people of the planet for so many years receive our well deserved love and attention.

Now, in other news……

Michael Jackson fans, fans who love the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, and fans of Briney Spears look at these performances.

Michael Jackson died on Thursday, June 25, 2009. He was 50 years old. Jackson, who began his music career at the age of 9 with his brothers in a group known as the Jackson 5, is an influential international super-star performer whose contributions have come to revolutionize the entire entertainment industry.

Michael Jackson, the international super-star who began his career at age nine singing with his brothers, died yesterday at age 50. He will be remembered for his contributions to music, dance, charity, performance, world peace, celebrity and fashion for years to come.

Jackson’s compositions crossed music genre’s and generations. For the past forty years he has been a renown household name around the planet.

We extend our most sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Michael Jackson.

Our video tribute to Michael Jackson follows:
It began like this in Gary, Indiana.

We never can say good-bye to you Michael. Like that other entertainment genius, Sammy Davis, Jr, you, too, never had a childhood. You never were understood. All your millions of fans around the world love you and miss you. Rest in peace.

Happy Father’s Day to everyone who nurtures a child!

This story comes to us from New Mexico where the state, one of 30 other states, is using banks and credit card companies to disburse unemployment benefits by way of debit cards and direct deposits. State officials, and bankers say debit cards help reduce costs such as postage, paper and “processing”.

According to a Citi-bank spokesperson such programs are designed to supply a savings for the state while providing “added convenience without added expense” for the unemployed. Citi is the facilitator of unemployment benefits on pre-paid cards in Kansas and Maryland. The state of New Mexico reportedly realizes a savings of about $1.5 million annually using this procedure.

Sounds really great, right? Anytime a banking product is proclaimed to be good for the consumer, hold on to your wallets, and your underwear. Get ready for the scam…

Good old Skank-of-America is charging 50 cents for  an inquiry about the bank balance, plus another $1.50 for making two withdrawals in one day. On the face of it this does not sound like very much. When one considers the number of unemployed people around the nation, the fact the banks have made out like the bandits they are; the fact it costs about zero dollars for a balance inquiry call or to make a withdrawal, we cry foul!

The Skank -of -America justifies this excessive fee charge by saying  its fee schedule is consistent with what other banks charge for such cards. Apparently the way the program is set up in New Mexico you can apply for direct deposit payment of these benefits, but you most likely will be unsuccessful in receiving your benefit in that way. You will be probably be getting paid by debit card. Because such programs are designed to supply a savings for the state while providing “added convenience without added expense” for the unemployed. Obviously the design and purpose of such programs is different than the reality of how they function. Reality indicates a savings for the state which is in collusion with the financial institution to fill its coffers with cash from those who can least afford to pay.

Way to go Bank Of America and your royal skanky sisters whose fees are consistent with BOA! And we’re giving the back of our hand to the government officials in New Mexico too. Way to care for the citizenry!

This time it’s American dairy farmers. That’s right folks banks across the country are cutting off farmers’ access to credit and at least two dairy farmers have committed suicide in California.
The most recent speculation is the drop in domestic milk prices could result in a loss of  30 percent of the remaining dairy farmers by December 2009. That would be about 20,000 family dairy farmers off the land–out of the dairy farming business by the end of 2009.

Losing so many family farmers around the nation will have a further devastating economic effect on American farmers;  the loss will wipe out more than $52 billion of economic development in less than one year.

Some experts say a critical gap in U.S. food safety will be created as foreign milk protein concentrate (MPC) imports from countries such as Mexico, India and China  will increase dramatically. It is said these countries have lower food safety standards than the U.S.

We ask you to write to the Secretary of the Agriculture, Tom Vilsack , to request he use his authority set forth under Section 608c (18) of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 to adjust the price of milk paid to farmers to “reflect the price” of production. This legally mandated “floor price” should be at least $17.50 cwt.

Once again, we are in a crisis situation. It demands immediate and decisive action.

We, all of us, are friends to family farmers and as the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack  is responsible to alleviate this situation.

YOU must act quickly. Encourage the Secretary ot institute reforms in dairy pricing to ensure a disaster like this  is averted in the future. Our American dairy farmers are counting on you. Contact the USDA today!

Letterman told a joke about Alaska’s governor and her family; he told a specific bad joke about one of her female children. He made a joke about the governor’s appearance, too.

We agree his jokes were not funny. A couple of them were in bad taste. Unlike radio personality Don Imus, David Letterman does not have a history of making coarse, off color remarks about young girls.
All you feminists, both male and female, who are outraged by the poor choice made by a late night teevee comedian to tell a joke that disparages  and exploits females, just hold on for one moment.

Other comedians have told similar jokes about the Alaskan first family. Maybe the governor’s hormones were slightly out of balance last week when some Republican agitator told her about the jokes.  Maybe some people in the GOP encouraged her to gin up the news to make an issue out of nothing. This is a move guaranteed to get her more face time in the press, the blogosphere and the electronic media.

The subject of the jokes has used her feminine attractiveness to obtain the political office she holds. If you remember she was the so-called “hot one” in position number two on the GOP’s 2008 presidential campaign ticket. We remember a comedian, not Letterman, said the governor and her family in the company of Senator John McCain reminded him of a family of grifters.

The governor of Alaska is,  a former beauty queen who knows very well how to use, shall we say exploit, her female comeliness to its best advantage.  she was also for a brief time in a small market a teevee personality.

David Letterman did not invent the culture we have today where women and girls are frequently demeaned. He is not the reason those types of jokes are taken as no big deal.

David Letterman is not responsible for the fact the female of our species is exploited for commercial gain, with or without her knowledge or permission in music, film, and every commercial form of enterprise one can name.

We like Letterman. No amount of bashing Dave, or calls for his ouster will change the fact we have a culture that heavily relies upon sex to persuade and influence decisions from which politico we elect to what car or shampoo or dog food we purchase. We say David Letterman is not the source of our society’s problems in respecting females.

To the governor of Alaska we say you can not have it both ways. One day you have your daughters promoting your candidacy; on another day you have the older of the three working as the public spokesman advocating for abstinence among young people. You heavily publicized your son’s military tour of duty during the presidential campaign last fall. You brought your youngest son to nearly every photo opportunity to show how you are a concerned mother with a child with special needs. Then the next time we hear from you, you are saying leave my children out of the limelight.

You can not have it both ways. If you wish your family to be private then do not parade them about in front of the media.

Now let’s compose ourselves and focus on why President Barack Obama is backing off of the corporations, the banks, the doctors and the health insurance companies. This Letterman-Alaska thing is just a distraction. Let’s get down to the real business at hand.

“Today and every day, we have an opportunity as well as an obligation to confront these scourges…  we have the opportunity to make a habit of empathy, to recognize ourselves in each other, to commit ourselves to resisting injustice and intolerance and indifference, in whatever forms they may take…” President Barack Obama-April 2009 Holocaust Museum Remembrance Day Event.

Stephen T. Johns was a security guard who worked at the Washington, D.C. Holocaust Museum.

On Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Johns was murdered by a very old, very desperate, hate-filled deranged man who has extremely harmful out-dated ideas about people who are Jewish or Black. The man who committed this devastating crime is a menace to our society.

Stephen Johns was a husband. He was a caring father to twelve year-old son, Stephen T. Johns, Jr. and a loving son to his mother. We send our sincere condolences to Mrs. Johns, his wife of just one year; Mrs. Jacqueline Carter, the mother of the deceased Wackenhut security guard; his son, and the entire Johns family and all of Stephen Johns’ friends.

We hope this incident will develop in n Mr. Johns’ young son him a determination courageously chooses to help peacefully rid this society of people like the man who murdered his father. We know it will be challenging to express love. We understand it is not an easy thing to do when all around you are remarking about the coward who committed this heinous crime.

Stephen T. Johns will always be remembered as a hero who saved the lives of many on Wednesday, June 10, 2009.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus the Christ~ New Testament John 15:13 ]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/stephen-t-johns-holocaust-museum-hero-1970-2009.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/dhs-forewarned-dhs-ignored.html http://youthinkwhat.com/dhs-forewarned-dhs-ignored.html#comments Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:40:49 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1411 In recent weeks the Department of Homeland Security gave warning of the possibility of violent right wing activity increasing because of the down economy.

Just as the warning of an attack in September of 2001 was ignored by our government, so this one, too, was ignored. Fortunately the loss of life was not in great numbers. We believe the loss of one life is one death too many. It is unacceptable to allow a violent wrong wing extremist to attack.

We’ve experienced all levels and colors of the rainbow terror alerts for people who have no viable means to come here to harm us.

When there is legitimate reason to believe terrorists, domestic or foreign will do harm to Americans we is our government asleep at the wheel? Are they taking direction from the Joe Scarboroughs of the cable news network world? Scarborough in our estimation is no Fulbright or Rhodes Scholar and he, along with that cry-baby Beck person should be relegated to a program on Public Access tee vee or better yet CCTV.

See how the mainstream media responded to the news from Homeland Security.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/dhs-forewarned-dhs-ignored.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/laurie-moran-confronting-preventing-abuse-and-addiction-to-heal-the-child.html http://youthinkwhat.com/laurie-moran-confronting-preventing-abuse-and-addiction-to-heal-the-child.html#comments Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:02:36 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1401 Laurie Moran Working To Heal The Child

We recently met an interesting and sensitive lady named Laurie Moran. She modestly introduced herself as a music teacher. Laurie is so much more. She is a former rock and roll band member who now plays music to heal the broken souls of children and adults who have been the objects of addiction and abuse. Laurie Moran is  healer.

“There is a circle of love evident in the workshops…people are very present in telling and the healing takes place for them and for me.”~Laurie Moran

Laurie Moran is the creator and director of Heal the Child Program. More than ten years ago she and local therapist Dolores Schafer began delivering the spirit of hope from addiction and abuse through music. They put together an effective child abuse prevention and education project, along with formulating a music therapy program to instruct guidance counselors, parent groups, child development students, churches and community organizations how to help children and adults who are in pain.

Laurie Moran is a generous person who presents her original songs along with sharing her personal story of abuse to audiences across the country to increase awareness for the prevention of child abuse. In doing so she delivers a spirit of hope and healing through music.

Heal The Child, a child abuse prevention and education project as well as a training program for health care professionals, has at its heart the original music written and performed by Laurie Moran. Laurie accompanies herself on guitar and shares her personal experience, inviting audience participation. The musical program consists of songs about the pain of abuse but more importantly songs about the hope of healing and recovery.

Another important feature of the workshops is the prominence of talking. Abuse depends on silence. All around our nation problems such as juvenile crime, teen pregnancy and drug or alcohol dependency can be traced to a troubled child in a family where the children are instructed not to talk about family problems. There is it an inappropriate sense of loyalty associated with the “don’t talk” rule. By talking, the child is presumed to be breaking a trust, somehow betraying the family’s secret.

Heal The Child project teaches parents, teachers and all those adults who have an influence upon the lives of the children, the significance of establishing a safe culture for all of our children to talk, to verbalize, to speak to someone when they believe they are being mistreated.

An added extra is that Laurie’s sharing offers hope, support and a vision of healing that begins with breaking the silence.

Children who come from dysfunctional abusive families often as they grow into adulthood exhibit low self esteem, difficulty establishing healthy boundaries, inability to express feelings, shame and confusion about family loyalties, and ignorance about what a healthy family life is.

One of the great benefits derived from the Heal The Child Project workshops is that parents, adult survivors of child abuse discover they are not alone in their suffering. They reveal they can find acceptance guidance and a genuine hope for change with support.

The Heal the Child program creates an opportunity for dialog for a variety of audiences including teens, parents, teachers, child care advocates, counselors, graduate students and adult survivors.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/laurie-moran-confronting-preventing-abuse-and-addiction-to-heal-the-child.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/gm-files-bankruptcy-while-chrysler-reinvents-itself-as-new.html http://youthinkwhat.com/gm-files-bankruptcy-while-chrysler-reinvents-itself-as-new.html#comments Sat, 06 Jun 2009 23:53:30 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1393 General Motors has filed for bankruptcy. Chrysler has renamed and reformulated itself to be the New Chrysler Company.

Here’s how Mark Fiore one of our favorite political animated cartoonists, described back in April of this year just what we have going on in our automotive industry today. He calls it Barry’s Auto Emporium.Watch. We think this is funny and very true.(scroll down the page)..

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/gm-files-bankruptcy-while-chrysler-reinvents-itself-as-new.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/dr-george-tiller-memorial-to-be-held-today-in-kansas.html http://youthinkwhat.com/dr-george-tiller-memorial-to-be-held-today-in-kansas.html#comments Sat, 06 Jun 2009 11:18:01 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1397 Family and friends will gather to honor the life and contributions to society of the recently slain Dr. George Tiller. Funeral services will be held at College Hill United Methodist Church.

Dr. Tiller was murdered last Sunday as he stood in the foyer at the Reformation Lutheran Church, where he was serving as an usher.

Security is expected to be tight because of the circumstances surrounding the murder of the controversial abortion doctor.

Signatures are being gathered at a web site commemorating more than twenty years of service during which Dr. Tiller and others provided care to women and their families.

Join the thousands who have already sign. Go to Remember Dr. Tiller .
Sign the memorial card. Honor his courage and compassion.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/dr-george-tiller-memorial-to-be-held-today-in-kansas.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/mark-fiore-oppositeland.html http://youthinkwhat.com/mark-fiore-oppositeland.html#comments Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:20:06 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1390 Mark Fiore is another of our favorite political cartoonists. In this animated piece from May 20, 2009 Fiore gives a recap of what is happening since the Obama administration has come into power. Take a look. This pretty scary stuff.(Scroll down to see animation.)

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/mark-fiore-oppositeland.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/demetricia-c-patterson-foundation-provides-prescription-meds-for-central-florida-seniors.html http://youthinkwhat.com/demetricia-c-patterson-foundation-provides-prescription-meds-for-central-florida-seniors.html#comments Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:16:50 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1383 Three months ago, under the guidance of Demetricia Patterson, Consignment Furniture Etc. opened its doors with its mission to provide one half of the profits toward funding a foundation which gives drug assistance to senior citizens.

Demetricia Patterson is the owner of the consignment store and the creator of the Demetricia C. Patterson Foundation, a non-profit drug assistance program for people age fifty plus.

Ms Patterson says she established the foundation because she has witnessed  people in her community who must choose between purchasing necessary medication or buying food.

Ms Patterson says she is dedicated to this cause because many of the people who have to choose between food or medicine are those who helped her in her youth growing up in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. “My heart is full. I have so much gratitude,” says Patterson who helps her older friends with rides, meals and companionship

The Patterson Foundation provides prescription medications for seniors who are afflicted with medical conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, HIV/AIDS, diabetes or cancer.

Donations can be sent by USPS to P.O. Box 1323, New Smyrna Beach, Florida 32170. All donations are tax exempt.

You may call 386-428-8222 for the hours of operation of the store, Consignment Furniture Etc, located 628 N. Dixie Freeway .

To receive an application for assistance visit the Patterson Foundation web site.

We commend Demetricia Patterson for the community service she is providing.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/demetricia-c-patterson-foundation-provides-prescription-meds-for-central-florida-seniors.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/bethune-cookman-university-explorer-program-preps-young-males-for-college.html http://youthinkwhat.com/bethune-cookman-university-explorer-program-preps-young-males-for-college.html#comments Tue, 02 Jun 2009 03:44:46 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1380 Where can a young male between the ages of eleven years-old and 18 years-old, in the Daytona Beach, Florida area go this summer for interesting educational field trips, tutoring in science, math, reading and writing? Where can a youngster who is considered “at risk” go to remove the stigma of that label as he improves himself and prepares himself for his later life at a college or university? What other year-round program offers trips to the Jacksonville Zoo, Epcot and Universal theme parks, the state legislature in Tallahassee with an opportunity to meet the legislators or the Kennedy Space Center?

The answer is Bethune-Cookman University’s Explorer program. On June 8, 2009, from 9am until 1pm orientation for young males who wish to improve themselves as they prepare for a better future will participate in this beneficial program which promotes education and career exploration along with social fun.

It was sixteen years ago when  Daytona Beach educator, Frederick T. Milton, heard about a program offered by Florida A&M University designed specifically for young males to prepare them for the challenges of attending and graduating college.

Mr. Milton took action. He wrote a grant proposal and received funding from the state of Florida for what is now known as the Bethune-Cookman University Explorer Program. It’s a mentoring program where the university students provide guidance to younger males to help them add polish to their abilities.

This college preparatory program developed by Mr. Milton provides young males in grades six through 12, a supportive system and an environment filled with the encouragement young males need to progress to adulthood.

The Explorer program is held year-round during weekends; however this year it is being offered as a summer session with the orientation scheduled in the University’s Fine Arts Building, Room 218. There is a fee of $50 for registration and there are scholarships available for applicants who qualify.

For more information call Frederick Milton 386-481-2143 or 386-252-2425

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/bethune-cookman-university-explorer-program-preps-young-males-for-college.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/president-barack-obama-proposes-prolonged-detention-for-everyone.html http://youthinkwhat.com/president-barack-obama-proposes-prolonged-detention-for-everyone.html#comments Fri, 29 May 2009 11:54:56 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1369 Blanche Africa Reilly Dark, mother of our own ace investigative reporter Clark Dark, is our contributing writer today with a few words about her displeasure with America’s first African-American president.

Everyone knows I am as proud of President Barack Obama as if he were one of my children. He elicits the same feeling among older females as does Eldridge Tiger Woods. He’s everyone’s son; or what every mother hopes her son will be. They are both wonderful role models, and our young people can never have enough of those with or without the obvious role models, moms and dads, in the home.

Over the last few days we’ve been all a twitter about Judge Sotomayor, the female jurist who will become the first Latina on The Supreme Court, President Obama’s first judicial appointment since taking office. It’s all very historic. It’s simply wonderful!It has also been a distraction from the latest proposal concerning the rights of humans everywhere as proposed by the leader of the free world.

This latest proposal made by President Obama in his speech at the National Archives in front of the authentic, original Constitution of The United States of America has got me really angry. I’m disappointed, confused and very upset.

After eight years of the Bush administration with an assist from the likes of Vice President Dick Cheney, John Yoo, Alberto “The Torturer” Gonzales and a host of other malevolent academic thinkers and doers in conservative business clothing…these guys are a dominatrix dream; our first president of color suggests detaining people for an indefinite period of time for the harm they may- could-possibly-we’re -not-sure-if-they-might-could-have the potential-to-we-suspect-they-may based on, not even their past behaviors, based on nothing more than,  our government thinks they could be a threat to harm Americans. What??!!

It’s hard to reconcile a constitutional law professor proposing bad legislation, the kind that can be harmful to many, many people…oh I forgot about John Yoo wrote the so-called torture memos.  Yoo is not only a constitutional law professor, but expert in international law as well as a leading academic.

If I used this logic when I was bringing up my children their shoes would have been nailed to the kitchen floor. They would not have left the house-ever!  if I had used the Bush and the Obama administrations’ logic for keeping Americans safe my children would not have gone to school; not to the circus, nor Sunday School; not even when they were getting on my nerves I would not have allowed the little darlings to be away from home because of fear of the harm that may come to them from some nefarious person.

I wonder what Dr. Martin Luther King would think about this terrible turn of events? It’s like a Clarence Thomas moment where the colored guy, the formerly poor guy turns his back on people of color and people who are poor. You have to know this proposal is bad if Republican neo-cons support it saying things like, “See we Republicans had the right idea all along. We simply executed poorly by not having the paperwork to back up/justify our malicious actions.This African Obama guy isn’t so bad after all.”

Vague terms like “prolonged detention” sounds to me like “extraordinary rendition”. Non-specific in defining how long, the president did hint at five or ten years of detaining those suspected of maybe possibly committing a crime. Oh gracious, future crime, arrested not for what is done but for what might be done as in the sci-fi story “Minority Report” of Philip K. Dick !!

It also looks like President Obama is true to historic form. Once power is acceded to government authorities they are not willing to give it back to the people. In most places that means a fight. As the children say, “It’s on!”

Hmmph!  I guess the next thing President Barack Obama will do is rescind the Emancipation Proclamation! That’s when we’ll know for certain his white side will be showing.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/president-barack-obama-proposes-prolonged-detention-for-everyone.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/memorial-day-may-25-2009.html http://youthinkwhat.com/memorial-day-may-25-2009.html#comments Tue, 26 May 2009 00:03:23 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1345 We honor those who currently serve in the armed forces, as well as those who have served in defense of our nation in the past.

We appreciate the courage shown by the men and women of the military, and we are grateful for the  sacrifices made by their families.
We the people thank you.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/memorial-day-may-25-2009.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/a-banking-faerie-tale-the-royal-skanks.html http://youthinkwhat.com/a-banking-faerie-tale-the-royal-skanks.html#comments Fri, 22 May 2009 13:54:48 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1275 As a  public service YouThinkWhat presents another article to inform and edify banking consumers. We suspect while we’re all focusing on Gitmo, the auto industry and John Yoo, et al, the bankers, taking full advantage of  our attention being diverted from them, are planning their next scheme.

We present A Banking Faerie Tale.

Once upon a time there was a very rich king named Sam Daddy-dearest, who had many daughters. The princesses had names like Skank of America, Sniti Skank, and Wacky Skank.

They were all very rich. Each princess owning her very own kingdom, a domain for which they were in charge with lots of money. Their domain was to collect money from others; just like the aristocracy of old, the counts, the dukes, and the landed gentry who collected taxes, grain, food, livestock and gold from the serfs, except these princesses collected money. But they were not satisfied to have lots of money, and besides they had extravagant habits. They wanted to play skanky banky.

So they met financiers who told them they could multiply their money. They went to these financiers. They followed their advice. They had money for gigolos, gamblers, exotic toilets and all sorts of other useless toys. And because they had more money than brains they multiplied and multiplied, and multiplied their finances until there was nothing left.

They went to their Sam Daddy-dearest, the king crying, “We’ve lost all our money.”

“Oh we can’t have that”, said Sam Daddy-dearest, the king.

And he looked around his kingdom to see where there was some money. He saw all the people with their little bits of money and he said, “There’s some money.” As the king snatched what was left of already meager wages, he declared,  “We’ll take that!” He knew individually their funds did not amount to much, but collectively they could support the princesses in the extravagantly excessive manner to which they had, sadly, become accustomed.

So they did. They took money from the people in their father’s kingdom as well as from the people in their kingdoms. The people resisted, but the king said it would be good for them and their children and their children’s children’s children to work two or three jobs. “Your hard work is very rewarding for my daughters. After all they are princesses; they are too regal, too big to fail.”

Someone suggested the money that was taken from the people for use by the Skanks be used to pay off all the people’s debts to the Skanks; so that the people in rescuing the Skanks would have no more debts to them at all.

But the Skanks said, “We can’t have that. If the money we take from the people is used to pay off the people’s debts then we will have no more income at all because there will be no more debt.”

“We need the people to give us this money for free,” said one Skank.

“Yes,” said another, “then we can loan it back to them at a high interest rate…”

“Because,” another Skank reasoned, ” we took all their money. They don’t have any money left and then they can owe us forever!”

This idea was quickly accepted.

They took money from the people in their father’s kingdom as well as from the people in their own kingdoms. The people tried once more to resist, but the king said “It’s good for you. It’s for your own benefit.”

When someone else remarked plaintively, “But our children and their children’s children’s children will still be working at two or three jobs to pay off this debt.”

The king replied, “It is good for them too. Hard work is a character builder. And besides, it’s for the good of your country.”

“Your hard work is very rewarding for my daughters. After all they are princesses . They are too regal, too beautiful, and too big to fail.”

Tugging at her fathers robes one of the daughters said, “But Sam Daddy-dearest the people will hate us.”

“Who cares?” said the king, who should be re-named Dick Cheney in this tale for his callous attitude toward the people.

Another daughter cried as though she were genuinely concerned, “But their children’s children’s children will still be trying to pay off this debt.”

And the king said, “Either you have a problem with that or I don’t see the problem.”

Finally another of the daughters, the one most like her father, chimed in, “It’s not like it won’t get paid off sooner or later.”

“Or,” said another skanky princess daughter, “like they will be working forever or something.”

“Yes, that’s it. We’re providing for future generations,” suggested another Skank.  All the Skanks agreed,“Their great- great grandchildren have something to look forward to.”

“Now daughters,”  cautioned their Daddy-dearest. “Do not be careless princesses and get caught playing skanky banky. Remember, I am the only one between you and the people with the torches and the pitch forks! Now off with you  and good fortune doing what Skank princesses have always done.”

So the royal Skanks continued to live their high life.

The people continued to pay.

And there was a story that went amongst the people that some day ……..

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/a-banking-faerie-tale-the-royal-skanks.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/colbert-discusses-oped-columnist-yoo-and-the-philadelphia-inquirer.html http://youthinkwhat.com/colbert-discusses-oped-columnist-yoo-and-the-philadelphia-inquirer.html#comments Thu, 21 May 2009 14:47:54 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1328 Watch this video of Stephen Colbert, of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report”, pronounced Col-bear Ree-poorh, as he takes comedic umbrage with the decision of the venerable newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer for its decision to hire  John Yoo, the architect of the Bush administration’s torture policy, to write a monthly column.

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Yes, John Yoo. He is the man who justifies torture. During his 2001 to 2003 tenure in the Office of Legal Counsel as an assistant deputy attorney general, Yoo worked under Jay Bybee in the U.S. Department of Justice. It has bee widely reported Yoo was the author or co-author of the so-called torture memos. These memos provided the Bush White House with the legal advice, read that justification, to use enhanced interrogation techniques.

In one memo John Yoo says:

“The victim must experience intense pain or suffering of the kind that is equivalent to the pain that would be associated with serious physical injury, so severe that death, organ failure, or permanent damage resulting in a loss of significant body function will likely result.”

We agree with Colbert and a legion of other right thinking individuals including  Spanish National Court Judge Baltasar Garzon who is spearheading an investigation of  what is now known as “The Bush Six”. They are William J. Haynes II, then general counsel to the Department of Defense;  Douglas Feith, former undersecretary of defense for policy, John Yoo, Jay Bybee,   David Addington, the chief of staff under former Vice President Dick Cheney and our favorite,  former Attorney General Alberto “The Torturer” Gonzales. Sadly Dick Cheney former Vice President is not included.

Although these six could possibly face criminal charges in Spain
for enabling torture at Guantanamo and elsewher, (we suggest “The Bush Six” take Madrid off the European itinerary); we are not in favor of seeing them imprisoned or tried.  We look forward to see them publicly humiliated, shamed and disgraced for their part in the devastation and disruption of lives around the world.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/colbert-discusses-oped-columnist-yoo-and-the-philadelphia-inquirer.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/floridas-public-education-crisis-50th-isnt-good-enough.html http://youthinkwhat.com/floridas-public-education-crisis-50th-isnt-good-enough.html#comments Tue, 19 May 2009 11:40:37 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1290 You Think Duh!

According to a flier paid for by Volusia County Florida Council of PTAs, Volusia County Schools, like many public schools in the state of Florida, are facing a funding crisis.

We’ve read and reviewed the information. Our proposals for solution of the situation are as nonsensical as the ones being presented by the
Volusia County Council and the state legislators in Tallahassee.
If we were writing this material here’s how we’d say it:

We agree 50th out of 50 states is not good enough. We’re in danger of becoming number 49. We must take every available step to insure no other state including, Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia, can push us out of the bottom slot.

Maximize flexibility and increase local control. Leave it to the local geniuses to reduce school hours to begin at 1100am and end at 2pm with an hour for lunch.

Enact no new K-12 mandates; in fact delay the 2009-2010 school year to begin in autumn 2011, possibly, to be determined.Class size amendment requirements by continuing school wide average. If school wide average must be 25 students per class, and we currently have 100 students per class, then it is necessary to add hundreds of classes with nobody in them until the average is reduced to less than 25. Great savings are to be found here, because there is no teacher, there are no students and there are no classrooms to be heated or cooled. These are virtual classrooms that exist only on paper or the legislature’s imagination, whichever you prefer.

Implement new high school grading and graduation requirements. If you actually get to high school, you automatically graduate.

Implementation of virtual k-8 virtual education. Stay home and learn how to play video games, and when you’re really good at it, we’ll enroll you for a day in high school; you will automatically graduate because you got there!

Expansion of middle school physical education requirements. Having dispensed with any book learning from k to grade 6  learning will be focused on physical education. Reading, writing and arithmetic who needs it?

Potential sources of increased revenue: Elimination of certain sales tax exemptions. Tax every mother-smucker for everything and do not pass it on.

Expanded collection of Internet sales tax revenue. Tax all those children who are no longer going to school and now spend their day ordering things on line.

Raising general sales tax by one percent. These kids are going to be too dumb to work we need to get our income from somewhere.

Repeal reductions in intangible taxes. Intangible taxes are taxes that don’t exist, non-tangible. Repeal their imaginary reductions.

Designation of existing gaming revenue primarily to public education, while tightening the gaming laws and educating the public about the dangers of gambling. This should ensure reduced income.

Increased tobacco and alcohol sales tax by media blitzing the children and adults that they should neither drink nor smoke. Raise the drinking age to 35;  raise the smoking age to 40.

The education of the young in Florida is general speaking a complete write off! Forget it they’re too stupid. We propose more bang for the buck. Make the computer smarter. No need to read or write. Teach the computers to understand “you all” ” youse” and other colloquialisms. Teach the computer to read to the students.

Smarter computers are the solution to everything. For example look at how successful our computers have been in the voting industry. This is a growth, meaning win-win,  opportunity if you are in the computer distribution industry. As everyone knows computers have to be replaced every four years because they are outdated.

Now that we have computers in the voting industry,  in the virtual education, in reading and writing for our children, computer is the industry to be. Like plastics in the movie the “Graduate”.

By insuring our position of 50th out of 50 states we guarantee we will be at the vanguard of popular illiteracy and the computer expansion and distribution industries.

Our children can learn to speak from answering the phones ringing from the telemarketing industry. “Hello. My name is Ravjee and I like would make to you the offer special today….”

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/floridas-public-education-crisis-50th-isnt-good-enough.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/james-baldwin-what-societies-really-want.html http://youthinkwhat.com/james-baldwin-what-societies-really-want.html#comments Tue, 19 May 2009 00:30:50 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1304 We came across an interesting quote by the late American novelist, writer, playwright, poet, essayist and civil rights activist James Baldwin.

“What societies really, ideally, want is a citizenry which will simply obey the rules of society.

If a society succeeds in this, that society is about to perish.”

James Baldwin, “A Talk to Teachers,” 1963

According to data found at Wikipedia

…..” most of Baldwin’s work deals with racial and sexual issues in the mid-20th century in the United States. His novels are notable for the personal way in which they explore questions of identity as well as the way in which they mine complex social and psychological pressures related to being black and homosexual well before the social, cultural or political equality of these groups was improved.”

We thought we’d share it with our readers. It’s thought provoking. It is one man’s opinion.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/james-baldwin-what-societies-really-want.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/introducing-fantasy-banking.html http://youthinkwhat.com/introducing-fantasy-banking.html#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 20:15:51 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1277 Say consumers get in on the latest craze sweeping the nation that’s fun for the whole entire family. It’s called Fantasy Banking! That’s right! Join in on this exciting new way to play like the aristocracy. You can “own” a financial institution.

Just like when you “own” a fantasy sports team you don’t really own a team like the Major League Baseball World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies. You are pretending with your friends who are also pretending they “own” teams like Hal Steinbrenner’s  New York Yankees; or if you  play in a football fantasy league your friend might pretend to “own” the reigning National Football League (NFL) SuperBowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers while you might pretend to “own” the Philadelphia Eagles; or you may have the misfortune to “own” the Detroit Lions, who have the dubious distinction of having the worst record, ever, in the NFL . When you “own” fantasy sports teams you can make decisions just like the real life millionaires and billionaires who have real ownership of real  major league sports teams.

That’s how it is when you and your friends play Fantasy Banking.

When you play Fantasy Banking you have a choice to be in the U.S. Banking markets, the South American Banking markets, the Asian Banking markets or the European Banking markets.

Gosh! Golly kids you and your friends can pretend to have more money than you do as you make financial trades around the globe. You can make boneheaded decisions just like the ones Ken Lewis made when he was Chairman and the CEO of Bank Of America. Like Lewis, you, too, can be forced to relinquish your position by irate shareholders.

You can make purchases with cash you don’t have just like real banks do. You’ll approve high risk loans to individuals and companies that will never in a million years qualify to  meet conventional credit criteria for granting loans to individual borrowers or corporate entities.

Approve mortgages for overpriced houses. Sell mortgages in a securitized bundle of other toxic assets and see the disaster that ensues.

You’ll be charging excessive fees for nearly any service and everything you can think of while you spend the money in fantastic unrestrained creative ways unheard of by bankers from earlier times.  You’ll make so much money from ATM fees alone, you will have to set up a separate corporation just to handle the profits!

And what’s more you can even cause a global monetary meltdown then go to the government and taxpayers for a bailout of more money to stay afloat to either spend recklessly or hoard as you make promises to begin making loans to students, educational institutions, moms and dads for cars and small businesses.

You can drag your feet, cause unnecessary delays on making decisions to help thousands of families in jeopardy of losing their homes. Waste more money by going to foreclosure. Watch the children as they are traumatized by the prospect of not having a home. Decimate communities. See the housing prices plummet because You are the banker.

Or use the newest strategy. When you play Fantasy Banking  as a pretend banker you can pretend to help, like real bankers do; every time your bank accepts an application for loan modification you make more money, even if the loan is unsuccessful You still get paid.

Sign up today for Fantasy Banking! Don’t be the last on your street to join in the fleecing of future generations.

It’s a game you can’t lose!

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/introducing-fantasy-banking.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/health-care-reform-energy-reform-president-obamas-address.html http://youthinkwhat.com/health-care-reform-energy-reform-president-obamas-address.html#comments Sat, 16 May 2009 17:10:08 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1286 A new foundation is the theme presented by President Barack Obama in his weekly address on health care reform and energy reform

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/health-care-reform-energy-reform-president-obamas-address.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/hoax-cell-phone-numbers-go-public-dismiss-as-seasonal-rumor.html http://youthinkwhat.com/hoax-cell-phone-numbers-go-public-dismiss-as-seasonal-rumor.html#comments Thu, 14 May 2009 14:27:00 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1270 It’s that time of year friends. It’s the season when some one begins an interplanetary hoax about cell phone numbers going public. We received an email this morning from one of our fans suggesting we pass this faulty bit of information to our friends.

This baseless rumor has been around for at least four years. The email which sends cell phone subscribers to the panic button has language like:

“Cell phone numbers are being released to the telemarketing companies. “

Or,

“You will be billed for these calls”

and

“You must call from the telephone number you wish to have blocked.”

It’s all a bunch of hooey! Read what the Federal Trade Commission, (FTC), said about this subject more than two years ago. Or check out the article by “The Gadget Hound” Ben Patterson who wrote in January of this year. In it Patterson says:

“Snopes.com—the exhaustive Web-based index of urban legends—has a thorough entry on this particular rumor, which it quickly busts like a piñata. “

As urban legends, rumors and hoaxes go, this one is resilient and seemingly will not die.

Besides after the camflamma over the proposed Food Safety Act of 2009 we’re not likely to publish anything without at least spending sometime conducting the most superficial research.

This one was easy. A quick query into the major search engines using the phrase “Cell Phone Number Go Public” provides enough fodder from the results returned to easily prove this announcement about cell phones to be erroneous. We believe Snopes is a credible source.

We’re dismissing this one for the fake alert it is proven to be….again.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/hoax-cell-phone-numbers-go-public-dismiss-as-seasonal-rumor.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/drmdigital-rights-management-and-cory-doctorows-law.html http://youthinkwhat.com/drmdigital-rights-management-and-cory-doctorows-law.html#comments Wed, 13 May 2009 15:37:57 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1220 DOCTOROW’s LAW:

“Any time someone puts a lock on something you own, against your wishes, and doesn’t give you the key, it’s not being done to your benefit.”

Cory Doctorow, an activist for technology issues, is also a science fiction novelist of renown, and a blogger.

We recently discovered video of a presentation he made earlier this year, during the O’Reilly Tools for Change for Publishing Conference, on the subject of Digital Rights Management or DRM.

We liked what he had to say. In fact, much of what he said with regard to copyright, and the recording industry in particular ,are sentiments we have expressed in the past. We fully support sharing music files.

It’s sort of like buying an article of clothing. Once you’ve made the purchase it belongs to you to do as you wish with it. The same applies to books and recordings of music.

Publishing houses, recording companies and their distributors would have you believe different.

Not only do they want control of the creator of the art form, the author of the work, be it music composer, lyricist or novelist, by wresting ownership of the creation and paying a small amount of the proceeds from the sale of that creation to the originator; they also want to and have begun to have control over the consumer as to how much we pay, how much and how long we have access to the material once we have purchased it. It’s just another example of the world of economic predators. We know a woman who speaks of them as economic terrorists.

Watch the video. It runs about 20 minutes; we believe it is worth your time.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/drmdigital-rights-management-and-cory-doctorows-law.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/florence-nightingale-happy-birthday-to-the-founder-of-nursing.html http://youthinkwhat.com/florence-nightingale-happy-birthday-to-the-founder-of-nursing.html#comments Tue, 12 May 2009 13:49:27 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1261 Today is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the woman credited with founding modern nursing, the reformation of the hospital system and the mathematician.

Florence Nightingale was a pioneer in her time. Women of her upper economic class did not generally attend university nor embark on professional careers.

Her father believed women should be educated, so his daughters learned Italian, Latin, Greek, history, and mathematics. Florence in particular received excellent early preparation in mathematics from her father and aunt. Later she was also tutored in mathematics.

Florence Nightingale is acknowledged for her work in the Crimean War. It is there she conducted statistical research later used for reform of the British military health-care system. While caring for the wounded and dying she noted, by utilizing techniques of statistical analysis,  the incidence of preventable deaths in the military. She made the connection between sanitary conditions and healing, an association that became an established standard.

Her insistence on adequate lighting, diet, hygiene, and activity shows she understood the mind and body work together. She promoted cleanliness, a predecessor to the clean and sterile techniques of today. In doing so Nightingale gave proof sanitary conditions are a major barrier to infection, which is also condusive to healing.

During the American Civil War, Florence Nightingale was called upon by the Union government as a consultant in organizing field medicine. Despite being a published author, and a well known expert for her work in nursing in combat conditions, her suggestions to the government officials were met with resistance. Once again Nightingale’s work  inspired the creation of a volunteer group,  the United States Sanitary Commission which became an official agency of the government through legislation signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1861. 

Florence Nighingale is renown for her two crowning achievements –establishing nursing as a highly respected profession, not an easy task in the Victorian era; and hospital reform a no less daunting project at the time. Nighingale is also the inventor of the polar-area diagram which she used to prove social phenomena could be measured objectively and subjected to mathematical analysis. Nightingale, the Lady with the Lamp, is hailed as an innovator in the collection, tabulation, interpretation, and graphical display of descriptive statistics as well as her  contributions to healthcare and the field of nursing.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/florence-nightingale-happy-birthday-to-the-founder-of-nursing.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/food-safety-act-of-2009-revisited.html http://youthinkwhat.com/food-safety-act-of-2009-revisited.html#comments Mon, 11 May 2009 16:33:22 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1258 In March 2009 we got emails which hammered us for repeating information we’d received from some activists who submit information to us from time to time about topics of concern to them.

We were roundly criticized by some folks who actually read our articles. These folks are activists who had done their homework and tried to pull our coat to tell us what was going on with this interesting piece of legislation.

We read, as promised, the proposed bill. We did not see anything that looked like a red flag. So we went to one of the places we always go to check our facts. It’s the same place we would have gone if we’d had time back in March.
We stand corrected. We thank all of you for your interest in YouThinkWhat. We hope you will continue to tell us what you think and that you will let us know when you think we are wrong. There’s a good chance you could be right.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/food-safety-act-of-2009-revisited.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/wanda-sykes-was-she-too-much-for-the-room.html http://youthinkwhat.com/wanda-sykes-was-she-too-much-for-the-room.html#comments Mon, 11 May 2009 15:27:04 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1252 Over the past weekend the White House Correspondents held their annual dinner.  Only 14 presidents, beginning with President Calvin Coolidge in 1924, have attended this grand affair.

The White House Correspondents Association is in charge of the planning of the event. After all it is their dinner where reporters receive awards for journalism and students receive scholarships. They choose the hotel venue, the menu and the evening’s comedy host. It is a tradition since the 1940s for the correspondents and their guests-usually actors and other  entertainers along with politicians to be entertained by the witty observations of the evening’s featured hired speaker.

This year their choice was Emmy Award winning writer, actor, comedian and author Wanda Sykes. Mostly known for her stand-up comedy Sykes is a talented graduate of Hampton University who has been lauded for smart comedic delivery by her peers. In fact she’s rank among the Top 25 Funniest People in America by Entertainment Weekly.

Some media types are saying Wanda crossed an imaginary line of good taste when she made some barbed remarks about Rush “I hope the Obama administration fails” Limbaugh.

We think Wanda Sykes gave the White House Correspondents their money’s worth. If you are the President or the First Lady you may have been a bit uncomfortable in response to some comments she made about the loud mouth fat guy on the radio who resembles, and we believe,  is often confused with, the mascot for the Grand Old Part (GOP)–the  pachyderm.

Watch the video. You decide if Wanda was out of line. Then make your comments here. We’d love to know what you think.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/wanda-sykes-was-she-too-much-for-the-room.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/lt-dan-choi-gay-us-army-arabic-linguist-you-didnt-ask-he-told-hes-fired.html http://youthinkwhat.com/lt-dan-choi-gay-us-army-arabic-linguist-you-didnt-ask-he-told-hes-fired.html#comments Mon, 11 May 2009 12:26:13 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1232 Just imagine you are a West Point graduate who is also an officer in the Army National Guard.  You are fluent in Arabic and you  recently came back from a tour of duty in Iraq. Then you received notice  the military is about to fire you. You’re going to be getting a pink slip because  you disclosed your sexual preference. You announced you are gay.

That’s what happened to Lt.  Dan Choi. He is one of the founding members of Knights Out, an organization of 35 gay and lesbian military officers , graduates of West Point, America’s prestigious military academy for Army officers, who say they refuse to live a lie. The incongruity is astounding when you consider they’ve been trained as West Point cadets to not lie, to not cheat and to not steal.

These GLBT officers say the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law is illegal, immoral and unethical. They say it’s just plain bad law.

President Barack Obama agrees. The president has stated he “intends to fulfill my commitment by repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”  He says it will take some time because the congress is involved in changing the law.

We think that is a too convenient cop out. If over the past eight years the office of the president used its powers to harm people and disrupt lives by using written presidential directives, we believe this administration is compelled to use the same powers to restore lives.

The military officers and troops, more than 1100 dismissed so far this year alone for disclosing their sexual orientation, each deserve to receive an honorable discharge and associated benefits for service to their country.

Are we so top heavy in Arabic linguists we can afford to be firing any of them who can best demonstrate our sincerity to re-establish good will in the Middle East?

A law that forces men and women to live a lie in order to express love of their country is wrong and should be repealed.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/lt-dan-choi-gay-us-army-arabic-linguist-you-didnt-ask-he-told-hes-fired.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/happy-mothers-day-2009.html http://youthinkwhat.com/happy-mothers-day-2009.html#comments Sun, 10 May 2009 21:50:59 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=1234

“A baseball manager has learned a lot about his job from having played the game, but a parent has not learned a thing from having once been a child.”~ Bill Cosby

Happy Mother’s Day to all who are parenting, and those have parented and continue to parent.

It does not matter if you’ve given birth to the child or children you guide, you provide the consistency in their life;  you are the reliable adult your young humans require for their development.

It does not matter if you are a mother who has given birth or a father who is acting as both mother and father to some youngsters, we honor you all. You males are very special mothers, and that’s one word, not two.

Raising children is an incredibly hard and risky business in which no cumulative wisdom is gained: each generation repeats the mistakes the previous one made.~ Bill Cosby

On this day we offer wisdom from comedian and philosopher and teevee dad extraordinaire,  Dr.William H. Cosby, Jr.,  who holds the Ed.D. degree, better known to those who follow and admire him as Bill Cosby.

“In spite of the six thousand manuals on child raising in the bookstores, child raising is still a dark continent and no one really knows anything. You just need a lot of love and luck — and, of course, courage.”~ Bill Cosby

Last month we told you about the proposed bill in the Florida State House and the Florida State Senate known as SB 956 / HB 7149. It was described as having the potential to be “the most repressive voter bill in the nation.” Here’s an update on that important piece of legislation.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, (ACLU Florida) in cooperation with the efforts of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People); American Association of Retired Persons,(AARP); Progress Florida,  Florida Public Interest Research Groups,
(PIRG); along with the League of Women Voters and about forty other public interest activist groups, was able to defeat the endeavors of the sponsors and supporters of SB 956 / HB 7149 in both the Florida House and the Florida Senate which would have been, if passed, the most repressive voter regulations in the country.

Fortunately, for all voters the largest coalition ever assembled in Florida for this purpose, mobilized their members to stop bad laws that would have further limited the number of IDs that voters could use at the polls, without offering a reasonable alternative.

Also defeated was the further disfranchisement of disabled voters by adding a four-year extension to the date when paper ballots were to be available for voters with disabilities.

The coalition’s action stopped laws that would restrict voter registration efforts and impose unnecessary restrictions on petition-gatherers.

As a result of this incredible union of civil rights, voting rights and civil  liberties organizations they were able to halt a proposal to force more voters to vote unnecessarily on provisional ballots, which have a high rejection rate.

This is a monumental achievement. Anyone who has ever cast a ballot in an election in Florida knows how meaningful, how important this winning action is to bringing a halt to this latest attempt to repress our voting rights.

Success in defeating bad laws came from the grassroots up. Community organizers working with ACLU lobbying personnel in the state capital, Tallahassee, who also worked with the ACLU’s Miami based  Voting Rights Project along with the more than 40 organizations and You. Your phone calls and emails to your circle of influence helped to bring about this astounding change for the better. You struck another blow for freedom.

As Courtaney Strickland, Director of Public Policy for the ACLU of Florida says,

“We wouldn’t have been able to defeat this legislation without you.”

We are glad we all know where the power base is.

The news piece you are about to view deals with one North Carolina suburban teen and his  family’s encounter with law enforcement.
The first part of this story shown in the preceding video deals with the Patriot Act, the fact it was sold to Americans as the panacea for all things pertaining to terrorist acts…especially acts perpetrated by foreign terrorists; or so we thought. The way the law was composed it never specified foreigners, we assumed it was a law to protect us from “them”. It was easy to sell the legislation to the American people at a time following the tragic events of September 11, 2001. It was the time of red, yellow, magenta and other rainbow pastel color alerts to keep us in a heightened state of fear. Fearful people are easiest to control than defiant people. We did not realize the “them” we were being protected from is really “us”….you and me.  Regular John Q. and Jane Q. Public and all the little Publics, too are the targets of this very bad legislation..

The second point in this news story is that it is apparent the government investigators, FBI, Homeland Security, are not up to speed on the latest technology used by criminal types in the 21st Century.

It does not come as a surprise to us a federal agency or two tasked with keeping us safe knows nothing about a technological advance known as spoofing currently in use by nearly every business enterprise from corporate collection agencies to the little genius down the block with entirely too much time on his hands.

Cinco de Mayo is not the Mexican celebration of independence from Spain. Mexican Independence Day is September 16th.

In 1862, in the city of Puebla, the outnumbered Mexican Army defeated the French who had invaded Mexico late in the previous year to force payment of an outstanding debt. The victory by the Mexican Army, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín, is noted because they not only conquered the larger, better trained and better equipped armed forces from France, they vanquished an army that had not been defeated in fifty years.

The Mexican defeat of the French attack at Puebla was a short lived success. In 1863 France invaded and occupied Mexico City, installed Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph, an Austrian, Maximilian I as Emperor of Mexico.

May 5th, however, is commemorated for its historical significance, though not a federal holiday in Mexico, it is proudly celebrated in the City of Puebla, as well as cities across the United States and a few locations around the world.

These homes have been destroyed  because of the decision by the bankers. That’s right… bankers. The decision was made by the bankers,  encouraged by avaricious politicians to destroy new homes. You may wonder why the bankers and the politicians are demolishing homes when so many are being dispossessed of their homes, but students of U.S history and especially the history of the Great Depression will understand that while people were starving in the Great Depression large oversupplies of food grown were being dumped into the ocean.

There are more than 100,000 people who are homeless in the City of Los Angeles alone. It is very strange that all this talk of surplus and excess homes seems to result in more and more people dispossessed.

If you believed the hype there should be two homes for everyone, at least that would make more sense than knocking them down, but not when you have bankers to rescue.

Here’s the story as reported by Patrick Thatcher of VVDailyPress.com

“Victorville-The housing collapse is taking a literal form for one bankrupt housing development.
Four model homes and 12 nearly finished spec homes at Bear Valley Road and Highway 395 are being demolished.
The developer filed bankruptcy about 18 months ago and the foreclosed property went to Guaranty Bank in Irvine.”

Guaranty Federal Bancshares, Inc is a holding company of Guaranty Bank which received a portion of the $750 Billion taxpayer bail out money last fall.

We did not support the bail out then. Sadly we are seeing the result of throwing more and more good money into the sewers, as if money could rescue money if only the pile is high enough.

The executives at Guaranty Bank led by Kenneth R. Dubuque, President and Chief Executive Officer in association with Chief Financial Officer Ronald D. Murff and Mark A. Crawford, Chief Risk Officer have as their core values conducting business “with the highest degree of integrity, honesty and efficiency.”

Watch the video you’ll see some of those core values being demonstrated as new homes are demolished because the decision makers at Guaranty Bank decided their “only option is to tear new buildings down.” If you think like a Guaranty banker you’ll conclude there’s no good reason why a good property should be sold at a loss allowing someone else to benefit, when it can be reduced to rubble allowing no one to benefit.

Tear it down they say. It’s their way of having a “significantly positive impact on the community….”.

It’s part of their strategy to show mutual respect, be passionate about business, playing to win, scorched earth style “Take no Prisoners”!

Rapunzel Rapunzel throw down your hair. The prince climbed up to the top of the tall tower, but when he got to the window he was met by a greedy banker who pushed him backwards down into the thorns where he was blinded.

The greedy bankers and politicians only hope we will be blinded, wandering confused, without memory or direction.

Great Kids Explorer Club, a not-for-profit 501(C)(3) organization is partners with Volusia County schools, churches and civic organizations in order to provide no charge after school programs for elementary school youngsters who are considered at-risk and economically disadvantaged.

The Great Kids Explorer Club programs are designed to  inspire children of elementary school age to improve their lives through building a better self image,  improved behaviors, more productive attitudes toward learning,  developing the ability to handle life’s challenges and strengthen their academic skills. Important qualities  such as self-respect, respect of others, and a desire to do their best are instilled in these youngsters through interaction with teams of dedicated, passionate volunteers.

In the free  program the youngsters learn skills useful for a lifetime. Among those skills the ability to deal positively and effectively  with difficult issues they are confronted with now and those they will face in the future. The great kids who participate in the club have shown impressive improvement. They earn better grades, and they are more confident. These students are better equipped to make healthy decisions. We are hoping  with this training they’ll be able to make better decisions that will determine their income and lifestyle as adults.

Through positive reinforcement and acknowledgment of good behavior, interesting group activities and tutoring at no charge, provided by a team of reliable volunteers from across Volusia County, these children receive the tools they need to be successful productive adult citizens.

We hear the Great Kids organization has given hundreds of low-income children tutoring in reading and math. These are essential skills  many adults do not have. We think there ought to be a Great Grown-ups Literacy Club for adults who lack these basic abilities.

We’ve been told how the club’s volunteers teach life skills, and supply social skills training to these elementary school children. It’s all done at no cost to the schools or the families served.

Friends of the organization tell us that in 2008, in the  “Bridges for Success” education project of the Great Kids organization, there were 187 children enrolled in tutoring and enrichment Great Kids programs across Volusia County, including programs in Ormond Beach and Port Orange.

We’ve heard that because funding is a problem there is no program for schools in Daytona Beach at this time. If you are a teacher, parent or otherwise interested adult who knows students in elementary school who may qualify to be in the Great Kids Explorer Club program and you can provide transportation for their participation contact the club.

Funding is always an issue for an all volunteer program. That is why this Sunday afternoon, May 3, 2009 at 1pm at the Pirate’s Island Miniature Golf Course,  located 3420 S Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach, Florida 32118; there will be a fund raising event for this  organization which fulfills an important need. Tickets are $10 and include snacks and soft drinks.  We think that’s a minuscule amount to pay for an investment in the children,  our future.

For more details contact Great Kids Explorer Club Volusia County. Telephone 386.676.0276 and ask for Sandy Rakes, the Executive Director. She’ll give you information about this event and the Cinco de Mayo fundraiser on Tuesday, May 5, 2009.

By the way, we think all kids are great kids. They just need access to opportunity, guidance and a reliable, consistent support system to reach their full potential.

Last fall it was announced, among other proclamations pertaining to the economic crisis and the banking industry, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-FDIC, would increase by double the amount of money covered in the event a bank defaulted. Everyone cheered. Bankers, government officials and the banking public were delighted and relieved.

Every week, since last October, banks continue to default .

We have been told up to $250,000 U.S.  in our accounts would be protected. This change in policy was received as wonderful news, and the general public is confident without knowing it is a temporary condition. It is a false confidence.The fact is this fantastic insurance benefit is not perpetual. It is a limited time offer good only through the end of 2009.

We’ve been convinced it’s a pretty good deal, and  it is at first glance a unique selling proposition designed to lure customers into making deposits into those greedy, sleazy banks that continue to mishandle our tax dollars and our personal money.

And the U.S. government is in on the campaign that is only “good until December 31, 2009.” It’s something not many bankers nor government officials are talking about.

This is how we imagine it might have taken place:
GOP National Committee Receptionist: “Hello it’s a great time to be a Republican. The party of Lincoln. My name is Cheryl. I can help you.”
Senator Arlen Spector, former Republican, now Democrat from Pennsylvania: “Uh-hello. This is Arlen Spector.  Is Michael Steel available? I must speak to him.”

GOP National Committee Receptionist: “No, Senator. Mike’s not able to take a phone call right now. He’s out parking Rush’s car. I can help you.”

Senator Spector:“Just take a message for me. Tell Chairman Steel I’m switching parties. I’m announcing as soon as possible. Tell him it’s too bad he has to hear about it from a phone message. I’ve tried to arrange an appointment with him, to tell him in person of my intention to leave the GOP. But he’s always busy doing some minimum wage task for some wealthy Republican like Lady Lynn de Rothschild.”
That’s the way we imagine things are happening over on the dark side of town in D.C  That’s the way we think  it happened behind the scenes of this historic event.

There are, no doubt, some who believe Spector’s recent cancer battle may have affected his decision to change parties. We suspect it may be the wrong thinking backward moving strategies of the party of Lincoln that brought on his change of political heart. Spector has bumped heads with the party leadership on several issues in the long ago past and the very recent past. Spector’s actions should come as no surprise to the GOP leadership

Arlen Spector has always been for many of us an admired public servant.  He is a bright,  skillful and clever politician. From his early days as a registered Democrat who ran on a Republican ticket to win the election over his form boss; to his terms as District Attorney in Philadelphia to his chairmanship of such senate committees as the Select Committee on Intelligence, Committee on Veterans Affairs, and the Senate Judiciary Committee ,Arlen Spector has consistently proven himself to be dedicated to the task of representing his constituency. As a result he enjoys great popularity among them. In 2006 Time Magazine selected Spector as one of the ten best senators in the country.

We like the guy. We’re happy to see he’s fully engaged in the game.

We said this move by Spector is a wake up call for the Grand Old Party. It’s another wake up call signalling the party is over. New game. New rules. Get into the game or you will be extinct.

After we seeing the reports of the amazing profits made by the likes of major surviving banking institutions Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and, our very special favorite, Bank of America we wondered why the banks have not used the same enchanting number manipulation on the mortgage, credit card or checking accounts of John and Jane Q. Public.Wouldn’t it be just swell to know the entire month of say, December, with all the regular bills for necessities like food, shelter, utilities and clothing that came due, plus all the money that was spent for the children’s holiday presents, and associated celebration activities, when those bills came due in January they were simply  Poof! disappeared!?

That’s what Goldman Sachs did. Goldman Sachs changed its reporting calendar thereby, obliterating a huge,  what would be considered a really big loss, in the minds of mere mortal beings, of a $1.5 billion during that thirty-one day period.

We know a man who is a sleight of hand artist. His name is Mystical Mel. I bet he’d give anything to be able to perform a feat of that magnitude of amazement.

Our favorite financial skank establishment, Skank of America sold its shares in China Construction Bank. That’s perfectly legal we are told by experts in the matter. To have the esteemed banking executive Ken Lewis say the profit from the transaction isas “a testament to the value and breadth of the franchise” is just os much hooey!

According to Sydney Finkelstein,  professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, Bank of America booked a $2.2 billion gain by increasing the value of Merrill Lynch’s assets  acquired last fall to prices consderably higher than Merrill had rated them.

Professor Finkelstein, says this strategy is legal but he believes it is also,
“perfectly delusional, because some day soon these assets will be written down to their fair value, and it won’t be pretty.”

That’s why we ask, “Why should the banks be the only ones to benefit from all this fancy mathematical cipherin’?” Let the common man and woman derive some of the perks of this convoluted arithmetic.

We realize it’s this kind of record keeping that got us in this economic banking crisis predicament, but why should the bankers be allowed to have all of the fun? if we’re going to hell in a hand basket let’s make the most of it and happily boogie our way to the final financial disaster.

We believe it is right because we can take a stand to make amends for the many times in history where it seemed expedient to allow the perpetrators of the most heinous crimes to not only go free, but continue with their liberty and dignity intact without criticism of their acts; no public fault finding of their behavior as shameful. They were not humiliated,  nor made to feel remorse; They were not given any indication how extremely  offensive their behavior was to the population of the planet. Their crimes against humanity were totally unacceptable and repulsive.There are several examples of this so called “free-pass” from social/political leaders. The result of turning a blind eye to bad behavior remain with us today in the crimes of the Turks against the Armenians; the crimes of the British Empire,  all the nations of Europe against every sovereign nation ever invaded especially in Africa and Asia. There are the crimes of the Americans with their unique form of slavery along with all the countries that pursued slavery, and all those sovereign places that still continue to enslave human beings.

There are few in this world who have the courage to take a stand for what is right. We must do what is right. We must, for the sake of those who gave their lives, stand up to say, “Torture is wrong. America does not do it!” Those who did must be publicly shamed.

We can only think of one instance where a nation was roundly criticized and the perpetrators of horrendous inhumanity were brought to justice by trial with tremendous publicity. The judgment at Nuremberg at the end of World War II is the only time we know of when an  entire nation was made to feel shame for the horrific acts of its leaders.

If the same kind of judgment had been rendered by the nations of the world toward the U.S. after its war in the 1860s over slavery, there probably would not be any extended discordant discussion about race in America; there would probably be fewer instances of racist incidents because of the shame associated with slavery’s inhumanity. We’d probably be having our
tenth elected black president.  The issue of race would possibly be of minimal concern.

Torture is an inhuman act with its purpose to psychologically humiliate, demean and physically harm the victim. It’s control and power over another human for vicious reasons.

The government of the United States, under the recent Bush administration approved torture. The agents of the United States of America performed torture at the behest of the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the head of the CIA, and certain Justice Department officials. Many are called upon, even compelled to be accountable for the pain, suffering and disruption of millions of lives around the world.

We believe the world public should know who they are. We believe they should be publicly reviled for their actions.

According to sources such as the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, the proposed law set for a vote in the Florida State legislature today, Friday, April 24, 2009, the new law will make it harder for citizens  to exercise their constitutional right to vote.The bill known as SB 956 / HB 7149 covers every aspect of voting in Florida from soup to nuts. We’ve looked over it and it simply means more hoops to jump through for the citizens who wish to express their political opinion in Florida at the polls. This is more bureaucratic red tape for Florida voters.

We urge you to contact your Florida State Representative or your Florida State Senator today. Tell him or her you are a constituent and that you’d like  the Representative/Senator to vote “NO” for bill SB 956 / HB 7149. You may want to remind the staff person as a constituent you’ll be watching the performance of the elected official who is to represent your interests in the state legislature. Remind him/her if they perform well, do a good job, they’ll get to return to Tallahassee following the next election; if not they will join the millions of Americans seeking other employment.

In the United States and all over the world people are creating ways to conserve the planet’s natural resources. Nearly forty years after the first Earth Day commemoration we are still trying to save the planet.

Over the years since the very first Earth Day we’ve managed to develop more gas guzzling vehicles, more dangerous pesticides harmful to people as well as to insects and other pests,  more non bio-degradable products and an entire economy that is petroleum based from fertilizers to milk containers, carpets and clothing. We’re just been plain old disrespectful to Mother Earth.

Here’s hoping we can restore what has been lost and that everyday will be celebrated as Earth Day.

Camp is struck by the fact that nearly every article about Boyle names her an “unlikely star”.

Our society has developed many undesireable qualities. Superficiality and insincerity rank as the top offensive behaviors along with being predatory and coldhearted.

Watch Camp’s video. See if you agree….

Could it be this quality is a distinct disadvantage when people so frustrated by the candidate’s efforts begin to throw eggs at him?
Good people who deserve proper representation are being denied their rights. This is no longer about you, Norm. Give it up, will ya?

Al Franken is the new senator from Minnesota. Accept it. The voters are just not that into you, Norm.

We advise Mr. Coleman to choose one of several suggested options:

Lay it down! Give up the ghost. Fagedd-aboud-it! Move on.

We encourage the last option…moving on. You can write a book about your many legal and procedural defeats. Many people love war stories, especially political war stories. Your book could become a movie of the week; maybe even a right-wing political documentary.

If you agree with us that Norm should stop campaigning for a seat he’s lost repeatedly in the courts, sign the petition to tell Norm Coleman it’s over and that he must concede for the sake of being a great patriot and to save what’s left of his face.

Wave your little hand and whisper, “So long,” Norman. Norman should have said so long so long ago!

“Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast”

wrote the popular late 17th Century English poet and playwright William Congreve.

A friend to, and a contemporary of Jonathan Swift,  William Congreve’s words have not been more true since they were first written and first spoken on stage in his tragic play The Mourning Bride in 1697.

With all the drama, trauma, wars, rumors of wars, natural weather disasters and the economic hell some predatory humans put other humans through; making it unnecessary to experience punishment in an afterlife when there is hell on earth as reality. The existence of an organization known as Playing For Change which offers welcome musical relief is a soothing balm for our world weary souls.

Watch this beautiful video from a group of artists and inspired people who have come together to connect the world through music. It illustrates the power of music and it soothing, joyful, communicative effect on human beings.

Playing For Change | Song Around The World “Stand By Me” from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

The tune is “Stand By Me” written by Ben E. King who originally recorded the tune in 1961. In this version it is performed by musicians from around the world.

Join the movement to provide resources to musicians and their communities around the world Playing For Change.

Article based on an email from Mystical Mel

The word is out about how Time Warner that mega entertainment communications conglomerate wants you to pay more for usage of the Internet. This plan to squeeze more money from your already tight budget comes from the Cable Division of the Time Warner company.According to reports  from Free Press Time Warner has already announced plans to impose unfair Internet metering fee as a penalty in parts of Texas, North Carolina and upstate New York.

Reportedly the plan would cost customers $15 per month for one gigabyte — the equivalent of one 30-minute HD television show — with a penalty fee of $2 for every additional gigabyte over the limit. This fee would be added to whatever Time Warner Cable charges as your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for access to the Internet.

It is believed this plan is devised to make customers reconsider canceling cable TV service and finding the shows they want online to view at their  convenience.

We encourage you to contact your congressional representative to  urge him/her to join other representatives in a call for an investigation of Time Warner Cable’s plans to impose an unfair penalty against Internet users.

By congressional mandate the Internet has been made available for widespread use, an  affordable and free-flowing means of communication for our economic recovery. Free Press says “Time Warner Cable’s price-gouging scheme limits consumers at a time when we need Internet access the most. ”

We agree. We, the people, through a congressional investigation into Time Warner Cable’s anti-competitive practices should be pro-active in this issue. Let’s find out about this price increase before it becomes an industry-wide, nationwide problem.

We do not know if this was an act of terrorism, the domestic kind. We can say unequivocally it was an act vandalism. It was an act that put the lives of thousands of Californians in jeopardy; in addition to affecting the wheels of commerce and interrupting the social activities of many on the Left coast.

High levels of inter connectivity and the knowledge there is no back up or safety net for this integral system, means Thursday’s incident brings to the attention of all the authorities the extent to which our telecommunications is exposed and is completely vulnerable.

What will they do to protect us?

Authorities report segments of the three counties experienced service outages at hospitals, computerized medical records, stores, Internet service and banks; ATMs and credit and debit cards were similarly affected by the sabotage. Police and fire departments that rely on 911 calls were crippled by this purposeful act of inconsideration.

Service to Verizon’s more than 52,000 landline customers in southern Santa Clara County, was also interrupted. Verizon depends on AT&T cables in the South Bay to provide landline service. A Verizon spokesman reports service in the Gilroy and Morgan Hill areas was also affected. Verizon is the only provider of landline service to southern Santa Clara County.

Sprint landline customers in the San Carlos area were out of telephone service, too. Rerouting telephone traffic restored service to some of its business customers in the area.

Verizon Wireless and Sprint wireless, both companies depend on AT&T to carry phone traffic back to their cellular networks, along with T-Mobile and AboveNet cell phone customers who were also affected by this crime.

People who were unable to call for emergency ambulance service were driven by private car to hospital emergency rooms.

A spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation says so far there is no indication of terrorism.

Local police say the attack began shortly before 130am PDT in an underground vault where the cables belong to AT&T. It is belived most of the service disruption came from this initial attack.

Police investigators say about two hours later at two locations near each other in San Carlos four more underground cables were cut. At least two of the four underground cables cut belong to AT&T. Two additional lines were also sliced  in south San Jose.

In order to accomplish this deed the vandals had to remove heavy manhole covers using a special device, climb down a shaft and chop through heavy cables. The four cables cut in San Jose were about the width of a silver dollar and were encased in tough plastic sheath. One cable contained 360 fibers, and the other three had 48 fibers each.

It requires hours of work to splice the at least 500 total fiber-optic strands that were cut, and each has to be painstakingly repaired.

Service was restored to most affected areas around 430pm PDT. Service to all affected communities was expected to be restored by early Friday morning.

Police and telecommunications authorities have noted the attacks come at a time when AT&T is in negotiations with representatives of the Communications Workers of America who represent more than 80, 000 employees. CWA members have been working under their old contract which expired on Saturday, April 4, 2009. CWA members in a vote taken in late March 2009 authorized a strike but so far have not scheduled one.

A spokeswoman for the union, CWA, gives assurances no union members took part in the act of vandalism; she further states, “There is an investigation going on, and we’ll fully cooperate. But our members are working. They’re on the job.”

An AT&T spokesman reports the company has a good relationship with the CWA and continues contract negotiation with the union.

There are reports  various local and federal law enforcement agencies are sharing information and police authorities will present a more visible presence in the attack areas. Additional firefighters and other emergency personnel and vehicles have been scheduled.

AT&T is offering a reward of  $100,000 for information leading to the conviction of the perpetrators.

As of Friday police said they have no suspects.

“Unfortunately, due to the high volume of responses, Mr. McGlynn’s USDA email box has exceeded capacity. This is highly unusual, but a testament to our successful efforts.”

Today, Monday, April 6, 2009 is the last day for the comment period on payment limitations in order that your voice be heard, the USDA has provided an alternative email address to send your comments.

Send comments to: Dan McGlynn via Mara Villegas at: mara.villegas@wdc.usda.gov

Just as President Obama believes this is an important issue we, too, believe this matter is of great importance. We appreciate your continued efforts and support.

To insure your opinion is expressed:

1. You can resend your comments to mara.villegas@wdc.usda.gov
2. Fax the letter to: (202) 690-2130
or
3. Visit Regulation.gov and send your message using the form on the website.

Add huge multi-millionaire  corporate farm businesses to the growing list of industries– banking institutions, auto manufacturing companies, drug makers and insurance companies, that are daily exploiting Americans.

Who among us regular folk does not want to stop corporate welfare? You can join the effort to close the loophole for millionaire corporate welfare to agri-businesses where more of our really big taxpayer bucks are given to the big time farm businesses that are putting small family owned farms out of business.

Time is of the essence. Sign the petition or send a message to Dan McGlynn, Acting Deputy Director in charge of this matter at dan.mcglynn@wdc.usda.gov

President Obama in his recent speech to both houses of the federal legislature called for ending “direct payments to large agribusinesses that don’t need them.” In the president’s 2010 budget he has proposed phasing out direct payments in an attempt to save about $1 billion over the next ten years; this is seen as an indication of presidential advocacy on behalf of farm families rights to have access to and fully participate in fair market conditions

The farm Bill of 2008 provides subsidies. The money,  millions of dollars, is awarded to millionaires. The subsidies, our tax dollars provide profitable corporate farms with cash that has been used to buy out family farms.

For years billions of dollars have been paid to the largest and richest farm businesses in the country.

The identities of those who have benefited from the receipt of this federal money have been obscured by way of clever business structures to hide their personal claims to the federal money derived from taxpayers.

Writer Lola Wheeler,  in a July 2007 article wrote about the then proposed Farm Bill stating:

“Eligibility for farm subsidies is determined not by income or poverty standards but by the crop that is grown.

Growers of corn, wheat, cotton, soybeans, and rice receive more than 90 percent of all farm subsidies, while growers of most of the 400 other domestic crops are completely shut out of farm subsidy programs. While the farm bill is a big bonanza for large producers of favored crops such as corn, soybeans, and cotton, small family farms are shortchanged. It is no exaggeration to say the new farm bill gives away the farm.

Further skewing these awards, the amounts of subsidies increase as a farmer plants more crops.

Thus, large farms and agribusinesses–which not only have the most acres of land, but also, because of their economies of scale, happen to be the nation’s most profitable farms–receive the largest subsidies.”

Wheeler went on to report family farmers receive little or nothing in subsidies. Instead of being a safety net for poor farmers, farm subsidies comprise America’s largest corporate welfare program.

Put an end to this loophole.

The deadline for sending to the USDA your comments on the farm payment limitation rule is the close of business today Monday, April 6, 2009.

Send a message to Acting Deputy Director Dan McGlynn
dan.mcglynn@wdc.usda.gov that you urge the USDA to close the “actively engaged in farming” management loophole in order to strengthen family farms, rural communities and help restore integrity to a program which is abundant with instances of abuse.

Tell the USDA to require those who qualify solely by providing active personal management and no personal labor to:

1. Provide at least half of the total management required to run the farm;
or

2. Provide at least half of the total management that would be necessary to conduct a farming operation commensurate in size with his/her requisite share of the operation.

Do it by the close of business today. Help the small farmers.

We do not know who this person is, but we are told by our sources the author of the very first article to be published on the web about the proposed law, misunderstood the legislation. Hmmmm…really? While the article writer, who is unknown to us, sings a chorus of the BeeGees’ “I Started A Fire (That Set The Whole World Burning)” because he did not comprehend what he’d read in the proposed bill, we are wondering why we can not find the original pdf of the planned bill on the Internet in order that we, along with other interested parties, may read it for ourselves; especially now that there are more questions about the intention of the proposed law establishing an administration to better protect the public food supply.

Our sources tell us there is nothing wrong with the bill; it does not prohibit organic farming. The congressional leader who is the primary sponsor of the bill, 10 term Representative Rose De Lauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, has pulled the original pdf from Internet public view because “she’s getting too many phone calls from outraged citizens inquiring” about the portion of the bill that is said to threaten organic farming. We would think that after ten terms in the House Rose De Lauro would know how to handle constituent questions. In fact we think referring inquiring minds to a pdf online to read for themselves would be the perfect solution to her quandary.

Representative De Lauro is married to Stanley B. Greenberg, Chairman and CEO of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, a firm providing strategic advice and research for companies, organizations and campaigns trying to advance their issues amid shifting social currents. Among its private sector clients are BP, Boeing, Comverse, Sun Microsystems, United HealthCare, the Business Roundtable, and the organizing committee for the 2004 Olympics in Athens as well as Monsanto one of the agri-chemical companies supporting the bill.

We think if there is nothing wrong with the proposal then let us, the public, do what so many congressional leaders do not. Let us read for ourselves this very important piece of legislation governing the safety of our food supply.

We think it is mighty peculiar after sounding the alarm for the expectation this bill banning organic farming will be getting the rush through the The House and The Senate, with the added alert major agri-petrochemical companies support the bill– that now it’s being hush-hushed, hidden from public view. There’s no sale here for the lame explanations we been given. We’re skeptical and we’re not buying what Representative De Lauro is selling.

We know how quickly the laws for bail out money for the auto manufacturers, banks and nearly any other related industry were passed through both houses. The Food Safety Modernization Act Of 2009 could very well be another example of a law enacted very quickly. It could be another law enacted so quickly the public wouldn’t know until it was too late to do anything about it..

than Michelle Obama’s sleeveless style or Mrs. Obama alleged breach of protocol by touching a British royal; a touch which was reciprocal, since the Queen initiated the touchy-feely expression

In fact we think the current flap is to distract from something far more reprehensible. No, it’s not racism; though some observers can not stomach the idea of a black touching a member of the royal family in a way that displays affection and caring.

We found this video explanation from The Daily Show’s resident expert on all things British, John Oliver, who tells us the real reason to never touch a British royal

We have had much discussion about the disparity of treatment of two industries.  The chief executives in both the banking and the auto industries have made major mistakes in handling the money. Poor decisions abound.

We offer our explanation of the reason for the different treatment of the two major businesses.

Americans can understand what the auto industry produces. CARS. Americans understand the car manufacturers have provided employment for several generations of citizens to become middle class and to improve their way of life. Immigrant families, minorities and women have prospered from employment in the auto industry and its associated industries. Auto manufacturing is the backbone of American industry.

On the other hand with financial institutions, the banking industry, few people really understand what the banking industry produces. It’s  too complicated to try to understand. That is why it is easier to just give them the money and not try to monitor what they do with it; because if we monitor their activities we would have little comprehension of what bankers are doing with our tax dollars and we would not be able to know when they are doing something wrong or foolish.

Besides, in the era of Obama, the rules of engagement have changed from the BushCo era where banks could do as they wish and no one questioned their activities.

Under the Obama administration banks must be accountable. They must open their records to government scrutiny if they wish to retain the bail out dollars. It is for this reason many banks, among them Bank of America, Citi-Group or Citi-Corp or whatever name they are going by these days; along with several other familiar smaller banking companies, are returning the money they received last fall.

We suspect the bankers have held the money just  long enough to have invested and gotten a small return on the funds they received from taxpayers.  Bankers often know where to get a good return on their investment. The profit part they will keep for themselves. Think of it as a short term loan with no interest paid to the government.

The long and the short of it is this: We know the auto manufacturers produce cars and pay union wages. There are many among us, rightly or wrongly, who blame unions for the condition of the American economy. Everyone who has ever owned an American made vehicle can tell of an unpleasant experience with a car dealership during the purchase or service to the car, truck, SUV, wagon or van  .

Even though we know about excessive fees accessed by the banks on our accounts and transactions, none of us can accurately say what banks do. Can you say what product banks produce?

The banks have never been forced to tell us where they invest the money we give them or the results of those investments. We dare say there are millions of dollars in speculative, risky transactions made by U.S. banks that have been unsuccessful. As consumers we are not asking about them because we do not, for the most part know such transactions exist. We do not have a clue about them, and the banking officials are not telling us about them.

It’s kind of like when the spouse who’s been cheated on finds out they’ve been the sap. That is why President Obama can tell bankers: “My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.”

It’s traditional to let the banks have their way. In Roman times the emperor went to extraordinary lengths to save the banks; but that is the difference.

While General Motors is the largest corporation in the world, $20 million was spent to send its CEO packing while sparing the institution from extinction. A more than adequate amount of money has been given to the banks to save those financial institutions. Save the banks. Ditch the bankers.

Bateman asks if we remember the Ford Pinto as he wonders if he’ll ever get a car loan again.

In that post we encouraged you to contact the representatives who were not present to ask them what their position is on issues of county community concern such as employment, affordable housing, childcare, crime illegal use of drugs and the incarceration of the mentally ill in the county prison facility.

It occurred to us we should give out a few “at-a-boys” to the members of the Volusia County Council  and to the mayors from the cities in Volusia County who took the time to be present at that important assembly on Monday evening.Positive feedback is as important to our legislative leaders as the negative critiques. Everyone likes to know when they’ve done at least one thing right. We must let them when they are doing a good job. Tell them we appreciate them doing their jobs. We appreciate and support them as they represent the interests of the common John or Jane Q. Public, and we want them to continue to perform the job they were “hired”/elected to do the way they promised they’d do it.

We want to give a thank you shout out to Volusia County Chairman Frank Bruno; to the “new kid” on the council Josh Wagner, District 2; Andy Kelly, of District 1 and Carl Persis, who represents District 4.

Elected officials from Daytona Beach, Deltona, New Smyrna Beach, Ormond Beach and Port Orange deserve a pat on the back for attending a meeting where hundreds of constituents witnessed the mayors make their commitment, along with assurances from the county representatives, to work for the betterment of the community on the issues of greatest concern.

If you are pleased with their performance contact these elected officials to tell them.

We believe if there is an important matter you believe needs attention in the county or your city contacting these representatives could be beneficial. They may be able to help you.

Volusia County Council
Thomas C. Kelly
Administration Center
123 W. Indiana Ave
DeLand, Fl 32720

Frank Bruno, County Council Chairman
386-626-6582

Josh Wagner, District 2
386-239-7745/fax 386-304-5536

Andy Kelly, District 1
386-740-5224

Carl Persis, District 4
386-740-5224/fax 386-676-1389

The City Mayors

Daytona Beach
Mayor Glenn Ritchey
301 S. Ridgewood Ave.
Room 200
Daytona Beach, Fl 32114
386-671-8007/fax 386-671-8015

Deltona
Mayor Dennis Mulder
2345 Providence Boulevard
Deltona, Fl 32725
386-878-8100/fax 386-878-8501

New Smyrna Beach
Mayor Sally MacKay
210 Sams Avenue
New Smyrna Beach, Fl 32168
386-424-2112/fax 386-424-2109

Ormond Beach
Mayro fred Costello
City Hall P.O. Box 277
Ormond Beach, Fl 32175
386-677-0311

Port Orange
Mayor Allen reen
1000 City Center CIrcle
Port Orange, Fl 32129
386-506-5501/fax 386-756-5208

The activist group, comprised of more than two dozen Volusia County area faith-based organizations, was formed in 1996 and held its first meeting in 2000. Each autumn F.A.I.T.H. holds its Annual Assembly where is votes on the top five issues of community concern to be addressed in the coming year.

It is proof Roman Catholics, joining with  members of Temple Israel, Methodists, Baptists, both black and white, and nearly every protestant denomination including the Unitarian Universalist Society of Daytona Beach can provide positive results for the communities and cities of the County of Volusia. These faithful people know they can make a difference in the improvement of the quality of life for all county residents.

Hundreds of residents were in attendance at the meeting to hear elected officials give their response to major county issues such as jobs, high unemployment, affordable housing, crime, illegal drug use, and help for the county’s mentally ill population, many of whom are wrongly held in the county prison facility.

To begin the momentous event a very inspiring explanation of the reason and purpose of the gathering was presented by the pastor of the New St. James Missionary Baptist Church, Rev. C.L. Robinson of Daytona Beach.

Pastor Richard “Bud” Murphy of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Daytona Beach represented county citizens as the questioner of the elected officials on local hiring for employment and affordable childcare a necessary component to successful employment practices.

Featured elected officials were Volusia County Council Chairman Frank Bruno; attorney Josh Wagner, who is newly elected to the Volusia County Council, representing District 2; Andy Kelly, District 4 and Carl Persis, District 4.

The mayors from Daytona Beach, Deltona, New Smyrna Beach, Ormond Beach and Port Orange were present as well.

All of the elected officials present gave their verbal support and committed to do their part in consulting with representatives from F.A.I.T.H. to make a difference in the lives of the residents of the county when drafting or approving legislation to resolve the issues of greatest concern to all.

Conspicuous in their absence were Volusia County Council members Joie Alexander, Vice Chairman; Jack Hayman, representative District 3 and Pat Northey who represents District 5.

If you live in the areas represented by the officials who were absent from this important meeting call them and ask why they were not present and inquire about their position on the issues.

Joie Alexander, Vice Chair
386-740-5224/fax 386-604-55517

Jack Hayman, District 3
386-740-5224/fax386-423-7123

Pat Northey, District 5
386-789-7200/386-740-5247
fax 386-789-7501

Or send letters by snail mail to:

Volusia County Council
Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center
1223 West Indiana Avenue
DeLand, Florida 32720

“To establish the Food Safety Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services to protect the public health by preventing food borne illness, ensuring the safety of food, improving research on contaminants leading to food-borne illness, and improving security of food from
intentional contamination, and for other purposes.”

H. R. 875 proposed February 4, 2009 to be enacted by the United States House of Representatives and the Senate.

Read the proposed “Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009″ here.

This seemingly innocuous proposed bill, also known as the  “Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009″, has started a firestorm of controversy among many American citizens who are proponents of organic gardening.

The federal legislative bodies are in a rush to get this bill passed. It is has the support by major chemical companies such as ADM, Monsanto and about thirty other companies with a vested interest in making sure the nation continues to use the petroleum based fertilizers and growth chemicals already in use. Chemicals that have over a period of years have contributed to the erosion of the public health.
There is grave concern should this bill be approved, with its requirement  organic farms to use specific fertilizers and harmful insect sprays as dictated by the newly formed agency to “make sure there is no danger to the public food supply”, more harm than good will be done to the population.

Do you recall how tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, mushrooms and any number of varieties of produce grown using petrochemicals–fertilizers and pesticides, have been recalled or banned because of contamination most often from the run off of contaminated water coming into contact with our least expensive food supply.

Even back yard gardens, which are making a resurgence due to the down economy, in which  food is grown for family/personal use only, and not for sale will be affected. If this bill is passed no longer will so-called clean  heirloom seeds be available. The only seeds available to the general public and big farm business will be Monsanto genetically altered seeds that are now manifest unexpected diseases in humans.

And as if the contaminated water supply of many urban and rural areas isn’t enough to make the public cry out and demand purification standards be increased; (Prozac, birth control  drugs and other prescription medications have been found in the water supply of major cities; natural water supplies in rural areas have been contaminated by industries such as oil and coal mining.) there is a suspicion this proposed legislation, the “Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009″ is part of a greater nefarious plan to control the people. As one writer stated  “putting chemicals in foods is a huge business and a tactic to use in order to keep a population chemically subdued. It is a way to drug a population so those in power have an easier path to do what they want. The chemicals break down the will of the people and their health.”

Any time the federal government is in a rush to pass a law there is cause to investigate to find out why the rush to pass a new law.

Remember the rush to pass the financial bailouts bills for the banking and automotive industry where the banks got a pass, the auto companies got a lemon and the consumers got more federal debt? Or how about the telecommunications legislation of recent years; you know the ones where the major telephone companies that helped spy on citizens private communications will not be nor can they be held accountable in a court of law for the breach of our constitutional right to privacy.

Read the proposed “Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009″ here.

Contact your U.S. Congressional legislator or your U.S. Senator

Tell them you want food grown without chemicals and pesticides. Tell them their jobs depend on properly representing the public interest and not the interests fo the lobby group with the most cash and perks.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/us-congress-proposes-food-safety-admin-to-protect-the-public-health.html/feed http://youthinkwhat.com/john-hope-franklin-1915-2009-historian-for-all-people.html http://youthinkwhat.com/john-hope-franklin-1915-2009-historian-for-all-people.html#comments Wed, 01 Apr 2009 04:37:39 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=981 We treasure the wisdom of the elders. We hold in high esteem their life experience; that is why we celebrate the life of the late John Hope Franklin who departed this existence on March 25, 2009. He was 94 years old.

The late John Hope Franklin was a chronicler of American history and a civil rights activist.

He was president of Phi Beta Kappa, the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association, and the Southern Historical Association. He was Professor Emeritus of History at Duke University.

Franklin is probably best known for his work “From Slavery to Freedom”, first published in 1947, and regularly updated. This historic writing has sold an more than three million copies have been. In 1995, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

“My challenge was to weave into the fabric of American history enough of the presence of blacks so that the story of the United States could be told adequately and fairly.”
~ John Hope Franklin, PhD

John Hope Franklin began his illustrious career at Fisk University where he received his undergraduate degree in 1935. He later attended Harvard University where he was awarded a masters degree in 1936 and five years later he became Dr. Franklin when he won his PhD in history.

Franklin was a prolific chronicler of the American saga with emphasis on the American south.

He taught in countries all over the world from China, to the then Soviet Union; from Australia to Zimbabwe.

John Hope Franklin is survived by his son.

John Hope Franklin is the reason we can say with pride black history is American history.

John Hope Franklin recorded the American experience from the black perspective in order to give the world and its future generations the full story of this incredible nation.

“My specialty is the history of the south. That means I teach the history of blacks and whites.”~  in a 1990 interview, John Hope Franklin , historian

Franklin, himself, was born  in a flourishing, separate black area of Tulsa, Oklahoma. His father, Buck Franklin, was a lawyer and his mother, Molly Parker Franklin, was a teacher.

We can not think of anyone better equipped to become the historian of note on the subject of race in America than the young John Hope Franklin who experienced first hand the trauma of hateful acts when his father’s law office was burned down during the shameful riots in Tulsa during 1921. About the same time Franklin and his mother were thrown off a train when she refused to accept accommodation in an overcrowded Negroes only carriage. It was at this time as they walked back home he was challenged by his mother to “prove you’re as good as any of them.”

After graduation from a segregated high school, Franklin went on to attend the historically black Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. After graduation he went on to study at Harvard University to receive both a masters and a doctorate in history.  By 1941 he was Dr. John Hope Franklin, and husband to his college sweetheart, whom he married in 1940. Aurelia Whittington, librarian became his wife and his editor. Upon her demise in 1999 they had shared a life together as husband and wife for nearly sixty years.

Franklin returned to Tennessee to teach at Fisk. While researching his first book at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, he was forbidden to to approach white female librarians, or to use the library’s cafeterias or washrooms. The book being researched at the time was “The Free Negro in North Carolina”. Published in 1943 it dispelled many ill-perceived notions about life in the segregated southern U.S.

Four years later the ground breaking “From Slavery To Freedom” was published. In 1947 Franklin’s book was received as innovative not just because it was written by a black scholar, but because as a chronicler of American history he refused to concede to the idea the African slaves in the United States and their descendants a history separate and distinct from the rest of Americans.

More than ten years later, in 1956, Franklin wrote of the sixty year period 1800 to 1861 in which he suggested the heinous institution of slavery increased and promoted, even stimulated a violent mindset among some whites.

It can be said John Hope Franklin through his books and articles helped to formulate many of our ideas about and policies toward race in America.

The John Hope Franklin Collection for African and African-American Documentation resides at the Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library and contains his personal and professional papers

He is the recipient of the nation’s highest civilian honor. In 1995, in a special ceremony, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Among his academic achievements and scholarly awards:

The first black man to deliver a paper to  Southern Historical Association. In 1970 he was elected president of the previously segregated organization.

The first black president of the American Historical Association.

He was instrumental in the opening of the first chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa “honor society” - a national organization which inspires academic excellence - at  historically black university, Fisk University, where Franklin began his own higher education.

In Britain, he held the Pitt professorship of American history and institutions at Cambridge University.

Franklin taught all over the world - in China, the Soviet Union, Australia and Zimbabwe.In 1976 he became the first African-American to deliver the National Endowment for the Humanities Jefferson Lectures, which was the basis for his book, Racial Equality In America.

In 1983Dr. John Hope Franklin returned to Duke, where he courageously held out against discrimination 40 years before; this time as James B Duke professor of history; a position  he retained as emeritus after 1985, when he “retired” to teach legal history at Duke’s law school.

Forty years of work concluded in the publication of his biography of George Washington Williams, a self-educated soldier and minister who is said to have coined the term “crimes against humanity” after visiting the Belgian Congo in 1881.

In 1995 President Bill Clinton awarded Franklin the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Two years later, Franklin was named head of Clinton’s Initiative On Race. when Franklin’s report was published, it was criticized, both by other minority groups,  supporters and conservatives.

It is interesting to note in The Color Line, Franklin’s 1993 book,  he argues that America’s greatest challenge remains providing equality in the 21st century. Franklin further stated this notion be considered in the light of his own scholarship into black achievement under trying circumstances.

According to Walter Dellinger, his former colleague at Duke University in North Carolina, Dr. Franklin, like many Americans, was astonished by the presidential nomination of Barack Obama.

“I never expected to live 90 years, but even if I had, I still would not have thought that would be long enough to see this happen.”

John Hope Franklin American Historian

The following is another in a continuing series to educate and inform visitors to this site-consumers,  about the banking/financial industry especially in America.

Today we are pleased to present Scott Bateman a political cartoonist of renown. We’re fans of Scott. We hope you will be joining us as we follow his political cartoons.

Here now Scott Bateman provides answers to a 1947 film that promotes the idea that all of us should be to going to the bank.

Firstly, that the serious interview can only come on a comedy news program is almost a tragedy and says loads about where we are in this country concerning money matters.

Secondly, that only on a comedy show, and on a basic cable comedy show,  is it being mentioned and even admitted this financial crisis was no accident but something those in the industry could see coming and have been building towards for more than 10 years, speaks to the deliberate ignorance and deceit in which the public is kept.

Thirdly, that these financial reporting experts, with their own financial experts not only knew what was going to happen, but planned it to happen, and then turned around and blamed the ordinary homeowners, the ordinary Americans who no one ever claimed or expected should be knowledgeable in finances–that’s why they trust experts–while taking none of the blame themselves, speaks of unmitigated gall, indecency and should arouse, but for some reason does not, true outrage.

The average American is so financially astute that there are many people who can not make correct change from a dollar when the item costs thirty-nine cents. There are unprecedented numbers of people who do not have a clue about the economy, or banking which is the way certain people in our society like it.Back to the ground breaking eye-opening interview about this current money crisis. Stewart nailed it when he stated Cramer, CNBC and all the financial news reporters and economic experts knew this bubble could not last. They knew it would come to an end at some point. They just did not know when. So they rallied everyone who could to continue to invest in shaky instruments for unrealistic rewards and profits.

Cramer said he did not know Bear-Stearns was going to go under. He says he expressed concern when the stock price dropped to forty; but false assurances from a top Bear Stearn s CEO who knew better, a man whose word Cramer says he trusted and therefore this CEO’s words justified his faith that the end of the rally was not near.

Cramer ran a hedge fund several years ago. He knows the ins and outs of the money business. Cramer knows how the money was stolen, where the bodies are buried and who the criminals are.

We are grateful to Jon Stewart for taking a stand against the money guys who ripped us off. We are glad he’s let them know and the news agencies that are supposed to be asking the questions on our behalf, that we know they were all complicit in their complacency if not in their enthusiastic support of the theft that took place. When it comes to Ponzi scheme thievery Madoff is small time compared to some of these guys .

There are several good reasons why a Wal-Mart Bank would work. The economic times have changed requiring radical solutions. A Wal-Mart Bank is one result of “thinking outside the box”.It is reported that nearly two years ago Wal-Mart withdrew its application to become an industrial loan company due to the overwhelming opposition it faced from the usual anti-Wal-Mart interest groups, as well as the Federal Deposit insurance Corporation and other banks such as Bank Of America. They all feared the possibility Wal-Mart could decimate the local banks and be a substantial competitor to the bigger banks because Wal-Mart is financially healthy. As we all well know many of the largest U.S. banks, Citi and BOA, are not.

There are 4,200 Wal-Mart stores–see them as branches, in the United States. Wal-Mart already has some financial service systems in place. It would be very easy and cost effective for the company to adapt its technological infrastructure to becoming a bank; it could be more than just a clearing house for payments  from customers, wholesalers and suppliers as are some of the existing money institutions like Skank Of America.

David Reilly, a columnist at Bloomberg, says,

“The cost to investors of insuring against a default by Wal- Mart on its debt, a sign of its perceived risk, is a fifth that of Citigroup Inc. and about 40 percent lower than that of JPMorgan Chase & Co.”

Wal-Mart has a banking license in Mexico. So the company has experience.

We are certain there are many more reasons why Wal-Mart as a bank isn’t such a terrible idea. We laso realize there are organizations like Skank Of America that support the statu quo. Among them are the National Association Of Realtors and the United Food & Commercial Workers Union; both groups support leaving our nation’s economic matters in the hands of the traditional banking companies.

Today Wal-Mart says they have no “strategy for banking”. Warren Buffet, super-de-duper investor expert says among other things, “This is a great time to be in banking.”  We bet if given the opportunity Wal-Mart decision makers would be totally onboard.

Any company that does not have old toxic loans would find banks’ cost of capital is low when compared with the interest they can charge for loans. This would mean higher profit margins. There is opportunity to make a profit.

The Dow or DJI is one of several stock market indicators, created by Wall Street Journal editor and Dow Jones & Company co-founder Charles Dow during the 1800s. It is a way of showing how certain stocks have traded.
Dow compiled the index to gauge the performance of the industrial sector of the American stock market. After the Dow Jones Transportation Average, which Dow also created it is the second-oldest U.S. market index.

You would think after taking as much of our money as both Skank of America and Shiti-Group have taken they could hold onto their positions as leading indicators of the U.S. economy…

In keeping with its image, BAnk Of America, “the bank that cares”, presents its newest security product called SafePass® which promises to be  “Bank of America’s strongest protection in guarding against Online Banking fraud and identify theft.”  BoA’s strongest protection to guard against fraud and identity theft is like using a condom with a hole in it. Since they are selling identity theft protection it makes sense they’d offer an innovative product that would increase the reason for purchasing an ID theft protection program.According to information found on the Bank Of America web site , “With SafePass, you get a 6-digit, one-time passcode sent as a text message1 to your mobile phone or generated from a convenient wallet-sized card2. ” (sic)

This is the part that solidifies the stringent precautions Skank of America is taking to protect your money and your privacy:

“Since the passcode is sent privately to your personal device, you get an unrivaled extra layer of security when authorizing sensitive transactions (Note: the code is temporary and expires as soon as you use it). With this convenient added layer of protection for Online Banking, you can be confident that only you are authorizing new payees in Bill Pay and adding new accounts for online transfers. SafePass also enables transfers with higher daily and weekly limits as well.”

Aside from the fact sending a passcode or any other sensitive private information to a cell phone is not advised by experts, there has recently been publicized a new way to gain illicit access to web sites that are using Secured Socket Layer protection.

Once again Bank Of America provides the answer to the question asked by  Virginia Hammerness, the granddaughter of its founder, “What kind of idiots are running that bank?!”

We’ve observed they are the kind who once they get your money,  treat it like it’s their own, because it is!

We’re hoping the scandals surrounding the banking institution some are calling SKANK of America, will somehow eventually resolve into benefits for the American consumer.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has issued a subpoena in his ongoing investigation of Bank Of America Corporation to get the names of Merrill Lynch executives who received $3.6 billion in year-end bonuses.
It seems Chief Executive Ken Lewis failed to provide those details during a lengthy deposition Thursday evening.

Lewis said he “answered the questions that were asked to the best of my knowledge.”
The New York Attorney General is looking into the timing of Merrill Lynch’s bonuses and whether proper disclosure was made to shareholders about the size of the bonuses. Not only were the bonuses granted just before Bank of America’s acquisition of Merrill closed, but just as that bank was seeking additional government aid on top of $25 billion it had already received.

Take note of more “in-your-face-arrogance” on the part of BoA CEO Kenneth Lewis.  At a time when bailed-out banks face extreme scrutiny over executives’ use of private corporate aircraft Ken flew to New York on the company’s private jet.

The contemptuousness displayed by Lewis for the American public is an attitude that is part of Bank Of America’s corporate culture. It trickles down into the banking centers and is apparent in the telephone customer service conversations.

A company spokesman says it was due to the timing of the meeting, “…we felt it was necessary to use corporate aircraft.” Really? Is that so? We presume Lewis would be traveling from the corporate headquarters in North Carolina. Are there no commercial flights from Charlotte, North Carolina to New York City? Was it possible to hire an SUV and driver to bring Lewis to New York?

Too bad being prompt for the meeting did not have the same level of priority as giving important details at the meeting. Details we agree should be disclosed.

There are reports that New York’s Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is disappointed and frustrated with the lack of cooperation his investigators are receiving. Obviously Cuomo does not have banking business with Bank Of America. Being uncooperative is something they do very well.

Bank Of America is headquartered in North Carolina. There is no safety in that state from investigation; in fact North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper has demanded information about the bonuses, who received them and how much they got.

Bank of America has repeatedly said Merrill Lynch was an independent company last year, and its board of directors had ultimate approval over how much to pay employees. It has not been publicly disclosed whether Lewis had the authority to stop the bonuses from being issued.

Stay tuned as the thick plottens for one of our favorite banking institutions….

The 75 year-old Hammerness says her grandfather would be turning over in his grave with the knowledge of the quality of decisions being made by modern day bank CEO Kenneth Lewis.

When asked if she keeps her money at Bank Of America Hammerness confessed she does only because it’s convenient. She’s like many of us.

“… I have no loyalty to it. It’s just there because I’m too lazy to go somewhere else… That’s the honest to God truth, just too lazy to move it somewhere else.”

Although she now expresses concern the bank’s continuing decline may leave little of the family fortune for future heirs, we can not help but wonder why as someone who holds a significant number of shares in the bank she did not speak up sooner about the caliber of personnel being hired as managers.

Recently the New York Post published an extremely controversial political cartoon depicting a chimp as the author of the economic stimulus bill just approved by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Obama.

Many people, both blacks and whites,  are offended by the violent racist messages in this political illustration. Some see the simian in the cartoon as a subtle reference to our new president who just happens to be our first black African-American president. Others see the cartoon as a definite statement of disrespect for the leaders of the House and the Senate as well as the office of the President Of The United States. To suggest violence against any or all of these institutions of government is not just impudent but irresponsible.

The illustration reinforces the long standing abhorrent tradition in this country of comparing black Americans to monkeys.

The argument comparing blacks to monkeys is a ridiculously specious one simply because monkeys are more closely related to whites than blacks. Underneath their furry exterior members of the species apes have white skin. They also have thin lips.In relating the unfortunateepisode of a chimp in Connecticut gone wild where the incident ended in police fatally shooting him, to the passage and signing of the economic stimulus legislation, the editorial staff and the cartoonist at the New York Post seem to sanction political assassination.

Maybe the cartoonist was expressing in his drawing of the chimp his idea of Rupert Murdock, the owner of the Post. Outside of reports the newspaper is losing money or on the brink of shutting down I believe this is the most publicity the Post has received in recent years.

I would dare to say this is not the first time in his life President Barack Obama has been compared to an ape. It will probably not be the last. I am sure during his lifetime and especially during his political life someone, friend or foe has made an uncomplimentary comparison of him to an  animal or made an unkind  pejorative  remark about him either behind his back or to his face.  Even his ideal, his predecessor, Abraham Lincoln
was compared and depicted as an ape. Mr. Obama is in good company when it comes to being compared to an ape.

I am confident the always cool, calm, unruffled Mr. Obama has done what his mother taught him always to do: simply brush off the insult and move on his dignified way. Pay no attention to the people who make insults. Be aware of them. Forgive them.

Thanks to  the stupid ones among us for holding on to the contemptible racist notion blacks and monkeys are the same.  I thought, as I am sure many others did, we’d grown beyond this kind of foolishness. 

This current race controversy and dispute about violence means it is time for Americans to have a long overdue conversation about race and violence.

 At this time in our history we must work to resolve such obstacles in our society if we are to advance as a nation to be a good neighbor in the global community.

We think Jon’s idea, like Ifill’s new book about political breakthroughs in this country, is indeed an idea to promote an economic advance in our system.Basically Stewart proposes the feds give the bail out money to the consumers to pay off debt; money specifically designated to pay off mortgages and other consumer debt. We, consumers, give it to the banks; the lenders wipe the slate clean. The banking institutions get the funding they need to make loans for college tuition, mortgages, new cars and businesses. It’s a winning idea for everyone.

We think the Obama administration and the Congress should implement this idea, make it policy as soon as possible.

Watch the video. Jon makes his proposal around five minutes into the interview.

Mike Quick regularly performs his original music with his band, The Mike Quick Band, where he takes center stage at his club the Corner Stage, a blues club in Middletown, New York.For the past week Mike has been in the Central Florida area to jam his 21st Century version of the blues. He’s been hailed as a musical sensation in Daytona Beach as well as the Tampa area where he’s been invited to return to entertain audiences who really appreciate his gutbucket machine blues style.

If you’re in Daytona Beach, Florida on Wednesday evening, February 18, 2009 stop by the Bank and Blues Club on Main Street to hear this wonderful singer, composer guitarist at the spot’s weekly jam session.

For more details visit Mike Quick Band

February was chosen , not because it is the shortest month, but because it is the month of the birth of Abraham Lincoln the president who emancipated all the slaves.  Not every person who was a slave was Black or Native American. Many whites were indentured slaves.  Today the  financial institution executives have made many of our citizens modern day indentured slaves.

Included in that history are the trials and tribulations of being enslaved; but the joyful part of the history is the celebration of the achievements of the progeny of former black slaves.

At YouThinkWhat we acknowledge the successes and the triumphs in the face of extreme adverse conditions faced by men and women who despite those obstacles have contributed to the culture that is known around the planet as being uniquely American in its style.

And Kwame Kilpatrick, the former mayor of Detroit, Michigan and his former aide and paramour Christine Beatty,   with their lies, deceit and adulterous affair did little to endear themselves to the community, but  their crimes are not as serious as those of former the Vice President Of The United States Dick “Dr. Evil” Cheney or any of those Republican men caught having illicit sex with underage males.

There is real news being made on Capital Hill. There is news that pertains to the economic future of our country.  Last fall decisions were made by the previous administration that will have a reverberating effect on our lives for years to come. The news today is that for every one hundred dollars spent on the banks last fall the government only received about sixty-six dollars of value; experts say this amounts to about $78 billion  of over-expenditure. We got ripped off by the banks…again!

So let’s start paying attention to our finances on a personal and a national level. Skip the news about Brangelina, Jennifer, Miley, Rod, Kwame, Elliot and the rest.

Last fall we voted for change in the way business is conducted in Washington, D.C.. Let’s pay attention and make sure our money is spent the way we want. Let’s make sure everyone is accountable for how our money is being spent….and yes we support the stimulous plan proposed by President Barack Obama.

Really? Would that be growth at the expense of the shareholders and depositors?

Bank Of America is reportedly in negotiations with the New York Yankees for sponsorship of Yankee Stadium.

According to ABC News Bank Of America spent $10 million to sponsor the 850,000 square foot event at Super Bowl XLIII known as the NFL Experience.

Sports related sponsorships combined with the current free checking campaign are the ways  to lure unsuspecting consumers into the BOA vortex of financial terrorism.

Heed this warning Sam and Sue sports fan: Party today with BOA,  you’ll be paying excessive fees, and in other ways unbeknown to you, ripped off for your hard earned dollars at the altar of Bank Of America tomorrow.

If you wish to apply public pressure to Kenneth Lewis and his thuggish associates for the thoughtless decisions they are making about how they spend our money send an email from here
http://www.bankofamerica.com/state.cgi?section=contact&update=&cookiecheck=yes&lob=general

Send Bank Of America a message.  We are sure the bank that cares would love to hear what you think.

We concur. What they do as perpetrators of financial terror is akin to strapping on a bandoleer of explosives and detonating them in your home as physical terrorists would do causing harm, serious injury, even death to you and your family.

That is why we continue to alert the banking public to the actions of the largest bank in the U.S. by assets; assets that come from your deposits and excessive fees paid by you the depositor.Myriad lawsuits have been filed against Bank Of America. We think the Sklar case filed in New York’s federal court last month will have some traction. Just as we believe  the University of California’s fraud case against former Enron Corporation banks which includes Merrill Lynch now owned by–that’s right, Bank Of America, will be successful.

Last month the general counsel for the  UC asked for court permission to amend its securities-fraud complaint. The university will want to proceed individually with the state claims only if the court rules against it on a request by the lenders to dismiss federal, class-action securities-fraud claims, according to the filing.

It’s getting to the point if there is fraudulent activity in the air you’ll find Bank Of America there.

BTW if you have a few extra dollars you may want to  buy some Bank Of America stock. According to Bloomberg Bank of America Corporation. (BAC US) slipped 3 percent to $6.39, and earlier dropped as much as 8 percent, the most in three days.

President Barack Obama said some banks remain “very vulnerable” and it’s likely they haven’t fully disclosed all of their losses. The president said that banks getting relief would have to abide by certain conditions on executive compensation.

Hmm sounds to us like Bank Of America could be one of the banks the president is referencing.

According to a complaint filed in January 2009 by bank shareholder Steven Sklar in federal court in New York, the October 31, 2008 proxy statement on which the vote was based had not been revised to account for the investment firm’s poor performance in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Sklar said in his complaint, “Despite his knowledge of Merrill Lynch’s staggering losses,” Bank of America Chairman Kenneth Lewis didn’t relay that information to the bank’s investors and allowed the deal to close.

Just one more service Bank of America, “the bank that cares” provides for the public as a courtesy.

Named as defendants in Sklar’s lawsuit are Kenneth Lewis and John Thain, the final chairman of the securities firm who redecorated his office for more than one million dollars including the purchase of a $35,000 crapper that can not be used for the alleged purpose for which it was designed; the filing seeks class-action, or group, status on behalf of all Bank of America shareholders who were eligible to vote on the acquisition, plus unspecified money damages for the loss of value of their holdings.

We suggest if you or a loved one have been the victim of this kind of financial terrorism by Bank Of America you may want to contact Levin Papantonio a law firm we have heard is accepting cases for Bank Of America shareholder losses. We’ve also heard the firm’s total settlements have exceeded one billion dollars

We’re also told Peter J. Mougey a shareholder with the Pensacola, Florida law firm of Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Echsner & Proctor  is head of the Business Torts Department at the firm. He concentrates his practice in the areas of securities arbitration and litigation as well as commercial, antitrust, and construction litigation.

His nationwide practice includes the representation of several state and municipal pension funds in various investment disputes.

In addition, Mr. Mougey has represented more than a thousand securities fraud victims in state and federal court and securities arbitrations across the country. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (”PIABA”)

You are encouraged to seek reparation for yourself or loved ones if you as a shareholder have been victimized by the financial terror tactics of Bank Of America.

The case is Sklar v. Bank of America Corp., 09cv580, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

It seems former Bush Former White House chief of staff Andrew Card complained to a right-wing talk-show host that President Obama is insufficiently respectful of the presidency. Apparently, one demonstrates respect for the presidency by their choice of attire.

We think Andy Card is out of order. President Obama was photographed at his desk wearing a shirt and tie, and some of the political establishment gasped because he was seen sans jacket. (Obama, a Hawaii native, reportedly prefers a warm office. Adviser David Axelrod said, “You could grow orchids in there.”) Suits are common on weekdays, but the president issued an informal edict for “business casual” on weekends. That, apparently, means slacks and a buttoned-down shirt. It’s not as casual as say a fraternity house on the campus of an American college.

We are wondering if George W. Bush, while wearing nice clothes and demanding that his staff do the same, was concerned about the fact he oversaw a scandal-plagued White House that trashed constitutional norms and routinely ignored the laws that as president he twice swore to faithfully execute.

We think one respects the office by honoring its place in a constitutional system, not by wearing a suit. We believe for those who serve with Obama, it’s about honoring institutional limits and the rule of law.

Victims of an Internet-based Ponzi scheme have filed a lawsuit against Bank of America and the organizers of the scheme in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Using elaborate misrepresentations, including numerous video postings on YouTube, organizers induced victims from around the country to purchase so-called “ad packages” from the following entities: AdSurfDaily, AdSurfDaily Cash Generator, Golden Panda Ad Builder, and La Fuente Dinero. The scheme promised that participants could earn large rebates for viewing web advertisements and commissions for referring additional participants.

Hundreds of millions of dollars were collected from approximately 140,000 victims across the country, in amounts ranging from $500 to $250,000 at large rallies and through online deposits…

At least one other financial institution closed the accounts of the organizers for suspicious activity, according to a sworn government complaint. VISA also considered the enterprise suspicious and would not process charges directed to the scheme by would be victims. And the very popular PayPal payment system rejected efforts by participants to purchase “ad packages” using their system.

Beginning in November of 2006, Bank of America allegedly allowed the scheme’s main perpetrator carte blanche at the bank. The complaint claims the scammers opened and maintained at least 10 separate accounts for running an unlawful Ponzi scheme. These accounts were opened at a tiny Bank of America branch in Quincy, Florida under various “doing business as” designations.

The suit claims Bank of America looked the other way when these accounts amassed deposits in the tens of millions of dollars from thousands of individual transactions.

There is an established range of regulations requiring oversight from bankers over activities like these. Most require reporting suspicious activity to the Feds. Surely looks like someone in the food chain at BofA was looking the other way.

You haven’t closed your Bank Of America account, yet? What are you waiting for?

In previous articles we have spoken of the security lapses at the web site for Bank of America customers. We’ve found another writer has noticed what we’ve noted and written about Bank Of America and its “illusion of security” for its web sites and accounts.

Bank of America Email Policies Invite Fraud

One good way to fight bank email phishing is to send all your official bank email from servers whose forward confirmed reverse DNS resolves back to their domain name. For example, Wells Fargo Bank does it right. Everything that comes from Wells Fargo is sent by a host named *.wellsfargo.com. So if it matches that, it’s good and if it doesn’t — it’s spam. Same is true for PayPal, but not Bank of America. I have an email from them that is real, but the host name it came from is tr202154.cv47.net. So as a spam filtering operation how am I supposed to know that cv47.net is really Bank of America? Why can’t they send email from *.bankofamerica.com servers like secure banks do?

But - I guess it doesn’t matter because they are getting bailout money so they can afford to subsidize the Russian mafia and make it up in higher credit card fees to honest people. But it’s clear to me that their IT department doesn’t give a f**k about fraud or security or they would at least take some minimal precautions to help people avoid getting ripped off.

emphasis added by YTW

If you follow our suggestion to close your accounts at Bank Of America–we’re talking close those credit card accounts, mortgages, auto loans, refinanced mortgages, home equity lines of credit, savings, money market and checking accounts non-interest bearing and interest bearing accounts, their casual attitude about Internet security will no longer be an issue for you. Coincidentally Bank Of America, like most financial institutions, offers for the convenience of the consumer, for a  monthly fee, an identity theft protection/prevention program. Identity theft has spawned a huge money making opportunity for companies to provide protection to consumers of their identity.

You’ll be saving a bundle because you won’t be paying excessive fees to a company that does not deserve them a  does not give a care about its customers or its employees. Remember last December 2008 when Bank Of America’s CEO Kenneth Lewis announced plans for cutting 30,000 to 35,000 jobs over the next three years, about one third of Bank Of America’s work force as it assumes control of its Merrill Lynch acquisition? With fewer people to pay, and many more of them being paid low wages, we predict Bank Of America will increase fees, while collecting more of our hard earned tax dollar bailout to reward incompetent executives,  including Lewis.

Ledbetter’s intention was not to be an activist; hers was a personal quest at the start, but after the Supreme Court ruled against her, she decided it was time to become a labor activist for the sake of her daughters and the daughters of working people everywhere.

As you read this woman’s story keep in mind she was employed by
Goodyear an international company named by Fortune magazine as the World’s Most Admired Motor Vehicle Parts Company in its 2008 list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. The publication also ranked Goodyear No. 1 in innovation, people management, use of assets and global orientation. The company is also listed on Forbes magazine’s list of the Most Respected Companies in America and its list of the Most Trustworthy Companies in America. CRO magazine–the publication for executives charged with Corporate Responsibility, ranks Goodyear as number 72 of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens. Goodyear employs about 70,000 people and manufactures its products in more than 60 facilities in 25 countries around the world.

Ledbetter, a 70 year-old widow whose husband died last December, was hired in 1979 to work as an overnight supervisor from 7PM to 7AM at the Goodyear plant. She worked for nearly twenty years and says with reference to her work ethic,”There was nothing I wouldn’t do, no matter how dirty or hard.”

During her career at Goodyear, Ledbetter experienced sexual harassment and day-to-day discrimination. In her testimony before Congress in 2007Ledbetter told how a supervisor once asked for sexual favors in return for good job performance evaluations. After Ledbetter complained about the supervisor to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), he was reassigned, but Ledbetter said she felt isolated at work and experienced a long-term pattern of discrimination.

Ledbetter received periodic pay increases. She even received an award for Top Performance in 1996. But just as she was about to take early retirement in 1998 an anonymous co-worker slipped a note into Ledbetter’s mailbox at work comparing her pay to the pay of three other male counterparts. Ledbetter filed a complaint with the EEOC and was then assigned to lift heavy tires, which she felt was retribution. (Ledbetter was making $3,727 per month, while men doing the same job were paid $4,286 to $5,236 per month.)

She sued Goodyear, which claimed it paid Ledbetter less than other male workers because she was not a good worker. A jury awarded Ledbetter about $3.3 million, but the amount was later reduced to around $300,000. Subsequently, the Supreme Court, in May 2007 voted 5-4 that Ledbetter was not entitled to compensation because she filed her claim more than 180 days, six months, after receiving her first discriminatory paycheck.

“A worker knows immediately if she is denied a promotion or transfer, if she is fired or refused employment. And promotions, transfers, hirings, and firings are generally public events, known to co-workers. When an employer makes a decision of such open and definitive character, an employee can immediately seek out an explanation and evaluate it for pretext. Compensation disparities, in contrast, are often hidden from sight.”
— Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, dissenting with the majority opinion that found Ledbetter’s case was invalid, May 29, 2007

Ledbetter says she lives paycheck to paycheck and has no expectation of ever getting any restitution from Goodyear Tire.

Lilly Ledbetter met President Obama when he was a senator and campaigned on his behalf. Obama and the future First Lady talked about Ledbetter regularly on the campaign stump and the Alabama native rode with Obama as he took a celebratory train trip to Washington, D.C. before the inauguration. Ledbetter attended the inauguration and danced with the President at a ball afterward.

With reference to the fact her retirement benefits are based on the discriminatory pay she received from Goodyear Tire, Ledbetter says, “I will be a second-class citizen for the rest of my life … It affects every penny I have today.”

The new bill, named for Ledbetter, changes the Civil Rights Act so workers can sue up to 180 days, six months, after receiving any discriminatory paycheck.

Despite the recent negative news coverage of the company’s role in the Lilly Ledbetter wage discrimination matter Fortune magazine named Goodyear the World’s Most Admired Motor Vehicle Parts Company in its 2008 list of the World’s Most Admired Companies.

The publication ranked Goodyear No. 1 in innovation, people management, use of assets and global orientation. The company is also listed on Forbes magazine’s list of the Most Respected Companies in America and its list of the Most Trustworthy Companies in America and CRO magazine’s ranking of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens. Goodyear employs about 70,000 people and manufactures its products in more than 60 facilities in 25 countries around the world.

When we consider the facts in the Lilly Ledbetter case we think the respect for Goodyear is misplaced. We think the criteria for judging corporate citizenship is skewed. We certainly do not rank this international corporate giant as being worthy of anyone’s trust.

On Thursday, January 29, 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama signed legislation into law making it easier for employees to sue for wage discrimination, a measure he said is an important step toward “fundamental fairness” for U.S. workers.

At a White House bill-signing ceremony President Obama said:

“It is fitting that the very first bill that I sign … is an important step, a simple fix to ensure fundamental fairness for American workers.”

The bill known as the Lilly Ledbetter bill in honor of an Alabama woman who worked for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, passed the House in a largely party-line vote Tuesday. The bill was approved by the Senate last week. It was a priority for the Democrat-controlled Congress, and becomes the first law to be signed by Obama.

The legislation effectively reverses a U.S. Supreme Court decision from 2007 that limited Ledbetter’s ability to sue for pay discrimination. Ledbetter, who joined Obama at Thursday’s ceremony, worked for Goodyear for almost 20 years before discovering her employer was paying higher salaries to her male colleagues.

Previously, in 2007, the Supreme Court ruled Ledbetter had not filed her discrimination suit within the required statute of limitations. The court said workers had to file suits within six months of when their employer first decided to pay the female employee less than her male counterparts.

Under the new law, employees can sue six months after the last paycheck they receive that is less than other employees at their level.

Ledbetter first realized she was being paid less in 1998 and an initial court ruling awarded her $3.8 million. Because of the Supreme Court decision, however, she won’t personally benefit from the legislation that bears her name, a fact she acknowledged at a White House reception following the bill signing.

“Goodyear will never have to pay me what it cheated me out of. In fact, I will never see a cent from my case, but with the … president’s signature today, I will have an even richer reward. I know that my daughters and granddaughters and your daughters and your granddaughters will have a better deal.”

When asked for comment a Goodyear spokesman said Ledbetter’s pay at the firm was comparable to other workers with similar performance, including men. The spokesman for the world’s largest tire company with its US and international subsidiaries and joint ventures, further referenced a judicial finding of no discrimination with respect to pay in the years just before Ledbetter took an early retirement.

On Thursday at the bill’s signing ceremony President Obama noted women in the U.S. make 78 cents for every dollar men earn, but said equal pay isn’t simply a women’s issue.

“It’s about parents who find themselves with less money for tuition and child care, couples who wind up with less to retire on, households where one breadwinner is paid less than she deserves. That’s the difference between affording the mortgage or not, between keeping the heat on, or paying the doctor bills, or not.

And in this economy, when so many folks are already working harder for less and struggling to get by, the last thing they can afford is losing part of each month’s paycheck to simple and plain discrimination.” President Barack Obama

I had the pleasure of being in central Florida during the days leading up to the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama. As you know the day before this momentous occasion was the official federal holiday celebration of the birthday the slain civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who would have been eighty years-old.

I was invited by friends to join members of the Daytona Beach community at a breakfast, march and church service sponsored by the good people of the Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church where Father Phil Egitto is the pastor.We arrived for breakfast in the church social hall around 845 on the morning of January 19. The menu was simple with church ladies assisting by serving the guests coffee, water, breakfast quiche, grits and corned beef hash along with assorted pastries.

Father Egitto blessed the meal with a prayer that not only sounded Baptist in its delivery but gave me the idea he just might deliver a sermon before the meal.

After we went directed to the sanctuary to receive our instructions for the march which would begin at 930AM.

Our Lady of Lourdes offers a beautiful sanctuary of modern design. For this very special occasion on the wall at the front of the church was a painting of a black Jesus with broken chains and shackles on His wrists. The pulpit area was also decorated with boat sails of African patterned cloth symbolic of the ships that brought people from Africa against their will to these shores more than 400 years ago.

While we waited for marching instruction we sang with the church and school choir in an atmosphere that was tinged with excitement, warmth and love. It was a beautiful thing to see and experience. There were blacks and whites, people of goodwill all gathered together at this place of worship.
Continued next post

That’s what happened when the Illinois state legislature conducted a very public impeachment trial of former Governor Rod Blagojevich. We knew, as did the governor, when he was arrested on December 9, 2008, that it was just a matter of time before he was ousted from the office with much fanfare. The publicity, flamboyance and circus atmosphere surrounding Blagojevich’s actions while governor and his subsequent trial were equal to the way he conducted himself while governor.

We have no fault with what he did. As far as we can see he did nothing wrong. No lives were lost; no one was irreparably harmed. Yet on Thursday, January 29, 2009 the Illinois State Senate voted unanimously, 59-0, to remove Rod Blagojevich from the office of governor, never to hold public office in the state again, for abuse of power.

We want to say we like Rod Blagojevich. What would our American politicians be without the ability to leverage, negotiate to get people and laws into place that will benefit the people to whom they are accountable? Blagojevich was just doing what every other politician does. It’s just that while doing his job he angered, annoyed and blocked some opposing legislators; we suspect some of these people may have had it in for him because of his immigrant heritage, his administrative style and his political success.

We want to say, as that famous Hispanic-Jewish tee vee reporter said, Blagojevich got a raw deal. He never committed a crime. His discussions by phone or in person were sometimes profanity laced rants that can also be described as passionate for the topic of a vacated U.S. Senate seat. Acknowledging the value and stating his reluctance to give it up for nothing does not necessarily mean he was trying to sell the seat for cash.

We believe Rod Blagojevich is another in a long list of distractions for the American people. True he’s a former Illinois prosecutor, congressional representative with lots of experience in the law and politics, a bigwig whom many believe should have his comeuppance.

But we find his trespasses are far less offensive to us than those of say, Karl Rove, who was instructed by the Bush administration lawyers to ignore any subpoenas to escape being accountable for his part in the illegal Bush administrations’ activities–think Valerie Plame out CIA operative; or Dick Cheney who arrogantly disclosed in television exit interviews his part in the decision to go against treaty agreements that prohibit torture. Or for that matter the former occupant of the White House George W. Bush, himself, who is responsible for the deaths of countless numbers of young Americans and Iraqi civilians. Talk about abuse of power. GWB lied and provided false evidence to start a war that no one wanted.

We think the actions by state Attorney General Lisa Madigan–look for her in the future as a candidate for governor; federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, and the legislative leaders in both state houses, who told Blagojevich in December that if certain things did not happen he’d be removed from office, (they were using their political leverage), are more offensive to us than anything the former governor said or did.

Just know that if it can happen to him. It can happen to you. We still do not know how it is the ex-governor’s actions came to the attention of the federal prosecutor who on December 9, 2008 at a news conference about the then governor’s arrest behaved as though the federal part of this case had been held with a favorable verdict for the government and the case closed. We had believed in the past Fitzgerald was fair. Guess we were wrong about that assessment.

We expect Rod Blagojevich’s federal case to never come to trial; just like Elliot Spitzer’s federal case. We find it interesting how certain governors are removed from office amid lots of scandalous publicity, federal charges of wrong doing and nearly 24/7 news coverage mostly to keep the public from questioning the real crimes being done in business and government while determining, once the subject has been removed from the power position, there is no point in going forward with the trial on federal charges.

We expect to hear more from private citizen Blagojevich. We hope he and his family will do well.

He has ordered Guantánamo Bay shut down. Our new president has
banned torture, and ordered a full review of U.S. detention policies and procedures; and President Obama has delayed the trial of Ali al-Marri, an ACLU client whose case is at the center of the Supreme Court’s review of indefinite detention policies.

Although these acts are commendable we believe the new president has dropped the ball  on the issue of warrantless eavesdropping by government agencies.

In the matter involving U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco, President Obama has sided with the previous administration, by substituting its name as defendant in a wherein the Bush administration has urged a federal judge to set aside a ruling in a closely watched spy case weighing whether a U.S. president may bypass Congress and establish a program of eavesdropping on Americans without warrants.

The legal camflamma concerns Walker’s decision to admit as evidence a classified document allegedly showing that two American lawyers for a now-defunct Saudi charity were electronically eavesdropped on without warrants by the Bush administration in 2004.

The lawyers — Wendell Belew and Asim Ghafoo — sued the Bush administration after the U.S. Treasury Department accidentally released the Top Secret memo to them. At one point, the courts had ordered the document, which has never been made public, returned and removed from the case.

Torn_paper2_660x

The document’s admission to the case is central for the two former lawyers of the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation charity to acquire legal standing so they may challenge the constitutionality of the warrantless-eavesdropping program Bush publicly acknowledged in 2005.

The Friday hearing is needed, because disputes with pretrial decisions generally require the trial judge to permit an appeal.

The Obama administration is also concurs with the former administration in its legal defense of July legislation which provides immunity for the nation’s telecommunications companies from lawsuits accusing them of complicity in Bush’s eavesdropping program, according to testimony last week by incoming Attorney General Eric Holder.

President Obama voted for the legislation when he was a U.S. senator from Illinois. The immunity from being sued was included in a broader spy package granting the government wide-ranging, warrantless eavesdropping powers on Americans’ electronic communications.

A decision on the constitutionality of the immunity legislation is pending before Judge Walker in a separate case brought by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

We find there is a duplicitous nature to the actions taken by the new president and his administration with regard to the rule of law.

As radical an idea as it may seem, we believe if any government entity is going to eavesdrop on Americans a warrant to do so should be required.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

“Let it be told to the future world … that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it).”

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

In the presence of members of both federal legislative bodies, the members of the Supreme Court, with the presidential oath of office administered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States as prescribed by the U.S. Constitution, Barack Obama became the first Black African American of our era to become the leader of the free world.Millions of U.S. citizens filled the national mall to witness this monumental moment in history as millions around the planet were also witness to this remarkable event.

We offer our proud, excited congratulations and best wishes to the new president, his cabinet and his wife and family as he begins this journey to lead our nation from the depths of despair to attain the highest levels of achievement as our national reputation and respect is restored among in the nations of the world.

We are happy to know we will be seeing an openly affectionate married couple in the White House; a couple that is not as demonstrative as Tipper and Al Gore, but a couple anyone can clearly identify as rock solid stable.

We are thrilled to know this graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law will restore elegance and style to the White House while being the national ideal model loving, supportive wife and nurturing caring mother.

What an awesome birthday celebration this is for Michelle Obama with her husband traveling to Washington, D.C. to be installed in a new job as President of the United States, and all of the festivities that go along with venerable tradition.

This just has to be the best birthday ever.

As Americans we are compelled to have long holiday weekends. The King holiday is no exception and with the upcoming presidential inauguration of the first non-white, African American the next few days will be filled with national celebration.All Americans should know had it not been for the willingness of Martin Luther King, Jr. to serve his fellow man by speaking out about the injustice being done to  a race and a class of people we would not have the strong feeling and evidence of unity in our country today.

It is because of the sacrifices of Martin Luther King, Jr. and other courageous individuals who participated in the Civil Rights Movement that we stand at the threshold of a new era in American history and politics.

The parents had hoped to stay there as their daughters were to begin attending the prestigious Sidwell Friends School earlier this month.

White House staffers informed the Obamas Blair House would not be available until nine days after, because it was booked for a diplomatic guest, even though the State Department, folks who should know, said there was no dignitary expected to arrive to stay in Washington. Blair House is often used to house visiting diplomats and dignitaries.

Turns out the visiting foreign guest is a former prime minister of Australia. Say what?! That’s right in the world of diplomacy a foreign former head of state trumps our president-elect.

Instead of the Obamas staying in a hotel why couldn’t this former head of Australia, John Howard, a close ally of George Bush, be made comfortable in a hotel instead of the Obamas? Don’t the same rules apply as when guests come to your home? We think John Howard is a bad guest. He should have shown deference to the incoming president and his family by stating he’d be comfortable in a hotel. We are sure that just as for the president-elect luxurious comfort, security, extra rooms and even floors are part of the booking arrangement.

George Bush is in search of ways to clean up his record before he says his final good-bye to the nation. There were no hard feelings on the part of the Obama family. Barack Obama displayed his usual adroitness. We believe George Bush putting up his friend John Howard in a hotel would not have caused an international scandal; in fact it would have helped to leave a less bitter taste in the mouth of Bush critics worldwide. If John Howard had acquiesced to the request of a family for its children his actions would have shown him to be gracious, considerate and understanding.

We bid a fond farewell to George and his international cronies.

We think that after nearly three weeks of unrelenting slaughter of people who are abused, forced to try to survive without water and corralled like cattle behind a big concrete wall,  someone among the other so-called civilized nations of the world should present a resolution to halt the wholesale massacre of civilians, including children.

We think  if the Bush State Department, (comprised of big Republican liars telling Big Republican lies) along with the media Talking Dogs are behaving as talking dogs are expected to behave; and if it turns out the Prime Minister of Israel’s version of what took place during last Thursday’s UN Security Council resolution vote on a Gaza cease-fire is in fact what happened, then  Secretary Rice should have handled the matter like this.

Secretary Rice received the phone call from GWB, just moments before the vote was taken;  Olmert says Bush was in Philadelphia about to deliver a speech when he called him. At Olmert’s behest Bush directed Rice to abstain on the cease-fire vote for the proposal she was instrumental in authoring. We think she should have assured him she would do what is best for the parties involved. With that she should have returned to the chamber and cast her ballot representing the United States, in favor of putting a temporary halt to the hostilities.

We imagine the scene upon her return to Washington when she is called in to explain her actions in direct opposition to the POTUS directive.

W: “Now Condi, why in the hell didn’t you abstain like I told you?”

Secretary Rice: “Mr. President in the best interest of the people of the Middle East it was important to achieve a cessation of the fighting. There’s enough going on there with our troops, more than 7,000 of them dead in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

W: “Do you realize Olmert’s people, the Iraelites and the American Israelites are hoppin’ mad about what you’ve done? They say they are vulnerable to attack by terrorists firing missiles into Israel!”

Secretary Rice:“With all due respect, Mr. President, the Israelis are in no danger from Hamas at this time. Besides you are looking for something to have as your legacy in that part of the world. Now you have one. You stood up to Isreal and you’re responsible for a temporary peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis. After all you’re leaving in less than a week. Your term in office will be over. It will no longer be your problem. The new president will handle it.

That’s our take on a very serious matter that is being reported like just so much entertainment Hollywood he said-she-said gossip. We are offended by Olmert’s and Bush’s actions. We are sorry to know Secretary Rice is so much the team player she followed her boss’ directive  abstaining on the Gaza cease-fire resolution and the killing continues.

Damon has received the press pass to attend the event. Now he needs to secure the interview with Mr. Obama. To encourage a favorable response from Obama and advisors Weaver has asked an NBA expert to give him an assist with his request. Take a look….

Please, Mr. Obama won’t you make some time for Damon Weaver, the boy some refer to as “The Future of Journalism” , to ask the important questions of interest to us all, especially his peers?

Free tickets are being handed out via MSNBC.com to see the inauguration and parade from 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET at the 27 theaters run by 11 exhibitor partners in 21 markets. Midday Tuesday isn’t necessarily a big movie time, so it helps to fill the theater — and boost popcorn and soda sales — at a time when it’s not usually busy.Screenvision was approached by MSNBC last year about carrying the coverage in some of the same theaters that take Screenvision’s preroll video, executive vp exhibitor relations Darryl Schaffer said. Since August 2007, Screenvision has had an alternative programming division that has exhibited New York Mets baseball games, operas and other events live via movie theaters. Schaffer said that Screenvision had the capability to do as many as 200 locations, though MSNBC was looking for a smaller event than that.

We say wait just a minute MSNBC this is a monumental event in American history. There is technology to support nearly ten times the number of theaters reserved but “MSNBC was looking for a smaller event”! If this is true we think someone over at MSNBC dropped the ball.

We want our inauguration in as many outlets as possible!

One thing we can say is he’s added many new words to the American English lexicon. He’s brought the use of malapropisms to a new high. One term recently heard that comes to mind is “misunderestimated”; this word was used by the president in his farewell news conference earlier this week. We think he’s saying   he was a lot worse as president than we could even imagine.

We think the best way to sum up the Bush years,  a time that could be called  bush league- only the era is worse than simply being inferior, is to turn to a quote from American writer Mark Twain who said:
“To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.” To this we are audacious to add, “…and a well connected family name.”

So good-bye George Bush and amen. Here’s hoping we do not meet now and then. It was not great fun, but it was just one of those - once in a lifetime, for this we are eternally grateful, incredibly bad things.