Now that the post-election dust has almost completely settled, it's time to make an attempt to assess what's happened.
On the national level, much fuss has been made over the Republicans unseating the Democratic governors in Virginia and beloved New Jersey. Those with a national interest in such things proclaim that this is a referendum on the Obama presidency, which seems debatable. Mindful of the old refrain that all politics is local, it's stretching the synapses to declare that voters in two of the original colonies were casting their choice based on their opinion of the President. Having never lived in Virginia, I can't hazard a further guess into the voter mindset for their selection. However, having been born, raised, lived, and worked in the Garden State, I can tell you that any candidate running for election that promises to lower property taxes (current #1 NJ complaint) or insurance rates (historical #1 NJ complaint) will be elected. Conversely, the incumbent in office when the tsunami of concern over an item reaches a truly only-in-Jersey-crescendo has no chance of getting returned to his/her position.
Returning within the borders of NY State, I, like many others, watched with curiosity to see the outcome of the upstate 23rd Congressional district special election. Some may recall that this is the race where the self-proclaimed moderate Republican running for office was assailed by the right-most of the right as not being conservative enough for their liking. Yes, you are already correctly imagining who those names must be: Limbaugh, Palin, etc. As with any other mob scene, rational thought and level-headed direction surrendered to those thundering the loudest, as they inevitably drowned out the sane. Out went the candidate, the Republican hierarchy threw their support behind the Conservative, the shunned moderate stumped for the Democrat, and voila - the Democrat won. It's happened before, with both sides of the aisle: local electorates seem to resent the big, bad party leaders telling them who they should cast their vote for.
More frighteningly, in this particular case, we are seeing the middle of the Republican party being marginalized. As oft-stated here, the majority of Americans occupy the center ground in their politics. We like some things the Democrats advance, while also supporting certain Republicans initiatives. Extremes of either party frighten most of us, myself included, because those who occupy the margins are found to be absent the logic of recognition of the validity of other points, or resistant to the art of compromise. Whether it be family arguments, neighborhood disputes, or political issues, most realize that the meeting on some common solution or position is what normally carries the day. Those who scream that it can only be there way, or that someone differing from their viewpoint cannot be encompassed under the party umbrella, are misguided at best, and delusional at worst.
Locally, we await the final disposition of some 70 write-in votes for the town board elections in Beekman. I have a very difficult time understanding this. (I offer an apology in advance for the rest of this diatribe if the process has changed). From what I recall of having cast an absentee ballot before, it must be submitted well in advance of the date of election. Thus, the ballots are in hand prior to the actual voting commencing, and are obviously capable of being counted as soon as the deadline for submission of them passes. Yet what we endure on a yearly basis is the drama of counting the these votes after the regular voting is concluded, when it becomes a sideshow of review, inspection, and complaints / counter-complaints over validity of the ballots. This process leaves the impression that absentee ballots matter less than regular votes, when the reality is that these individuals have gone to greater lengths to exercise their right than the average voter. Basically, what one can fairly derive from this ludicrous routine is that your votes matter if there's a close vote, but if the margins are wide enough, we don't need to bother. It's completely backwards - count these votes first, end the drama, and know your winners when Tuesday's results are announced.
Voters and candidates deserve better.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
On Politics 11/2/09: Robo Annoyance
We're less than 24 hours away from our civic duty, but were hours and days into our civic annoyance. Yes, there is yet another item besides those colorful signs that reminds us it's election time.
For years, I've wrestled with the Catholic concept of what Hell must be like. It seems odd that it would be just heat and fire, since some people actually like that everyday (see the citizens of Phoenix, Arizona as an example). Over time, I've settled on the thought that Hell must be an amalgamation of your worst dislikes or fears every second you're staying in God's basement. For example, if you've got arachnophobia, you're time below is full of creepy crawly things going back and forth on your flesh. If you're someone who despises waiting on lines (this would be me), life in Hades would be consumed by standing on a line that never moves, with no escaping it yourself. If you're a liberal, you'd be sentenced to a neverending loop of Glenn Beck crying and spewing nonsense. Conversely, if you're a Conservative, you're forever plugged into Satan's iPod, which carries only clips from Air America radio.
Perhaps there is something that would be true punishment for people of all kinds....hmmm...let me think....what could be so infuriating that it would cut across socio-economic levels, political preferences, and racial divides? What could be this powerful, this annoying, this aggravating to all of mankind?
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the political robo call.
Beginning in earnest this past week, and now into full-blown, desperation overdrive as of today, it's ring ring ring, as The Kinks once sang "All day, and all of the night". I used to keep track of which person called the most, either themselves, their staff, or via proxy (more on that in a moment), and then vote for the other person. In this day and age of the collection agency bums who interrupt people's dinner and evenings, we have now added the recorded political exhortations to our meatloaf & potatoes. Not exactly my idea of the cherry on my sundae.
Now, about those proxies calling for others. In perhaps the most frightening occurrence to date, news agencies reported that Sarah Palin's voice has been heard throughout the state of Virginia, asking voters to vote for "Sarah's values" in the forthcoming election, although never mentioning the Republican candidate by name (Bob McDonnell), since he is admittedly fearful (rightfully so) of having independent and center-of-the-political-road voters associating Palin with him. Even more humorous than that is the meditation on what "Sarah's values" must be. Obviously, the most prominent of all these must be the core value of exploiting your children, especially the pregnant teenager and her teenage boyfriend, being "encouraged" to get engaged officially, in time for the primaries, so that we wouldn't have a unwed teenage mother on the platform stage, all this while you keep shouting about abstinence being the proper path for all. Thanks, but no thanks.
Let the hanging up begin.
For years, I've wrestled with the Catholic concept of what Hell must be like. It seems odd that it would be just heat and fire, since some people actually like that everyday (see the citizens of Phoenix, Arizona as an example). Over time, I've settled on the thought that Hell must be an amalgamation of your worst dislikes or fears every second you're staying in God's basement. For example, if you've got arachnophobia, you're time below is full of creepy crawly things going back and forth on your flesh. If you're someone who despises waiting on lines (this would be me), life in Hades would be consumed by standing on a line that never moves, with no escaping it yourself. If you're a liberal, you'd be sentenced to a neverending loop of Glenn Beck crying and spewing nonsense. Conversely, if you're a Conservative, you're forever plugged into Satan's iPod, which carries only clips from Air America radio.
Perhaps there is something that would be true punishment for people of all kinds....hmmm...let me think....what could be so infuriating that it would cut across socio-economic levels, political preferences, and racial divides? What could be this powerful, this annoying, this aggravating to all of mankind?
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the political robo call.
Beginning in earnest this past week, and now into full-blown, desperation overdrive as of today, it's ring ring ring, as The Kinks once sang "All day, and all of the night". I used to keep track of which person called the most, either themselves, their staff, or via proxy (more on that in a moment), and then vote for the other person. In this day and age of the collection agency bums who interrupt people's dinner and evenings, we have now added the recorded political exhortations to our meatloaf & potatoes. Not exactly my idea of the cherry on my sundae.
Now, about those proxies calling for others. In perhaps the most frightening occurrence to date, news agencies reported that Sarah Palin's voice has been heard throughout the state of Virginia, asking voters to vote for "Sarah's values" in the forthcoming election, although never mentioning the Republican candidate by name (Bob McDonnell), since he is admittedly fearful (rightfully so) of having independent and center-of-the-political-road voters associating Palin with him. Even more humorous than that is the meditation on what "Sarah's values" must be. Obviously, the most prominent of all these must be the core value of exploiting your children, especially the pregnant teenager and her teenage boyfriend, being "encouraged" to get engaged officially, in time for the primaries, so that we wouldn't have a unwed teenage mother on the platform stage, all this while you keep shouting about abstinence being the proper path for all. Thanks, but no thanks.
Let the hanging up begin.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
On Politics 11/1/09: Candidate Origins
With two more days left before the voters march en masse (more realistically, a modest gathering; hopefully, at least a little more than a slow trickle) to the polls, I found myself wondering just exactly where do politicians come from. Now, please resist the temptation to utter some sort of colorful profanity and/or descriptive locale in response to reading that previous sentence. Let's delve into it a little bit further.
The Founding Fathers envisioned the farmer or the shopkeeper serving a limited time in the political process, and then returning to their primary walk of life. As the country has evolved, we now have encountered people who are nothing more than full-time political professionals, having never worked at anything but being a politician. Those that take this path are invariably from rich families, as, unlike the vast majority of us, they've never had the concern or worry about having to provide sustenance for their own. Perhaps this gives additional weight to the urban legend quote often attributed to Albert Einstein; that the most powerful thing in the universe is compound interest. It must be a lovely thing to never touch the principal of your monies. Interestingly enough, people of this ilk sometimes envision themselves as "legacies", no different than if they were requesting entrance to the same fraternities enjoyed by their fathers, as if this identification through birth somehow imbued them with political, intelligent DNA.
Those scions of the wealthy seem typically to start at the state-wide level, appearing to consciously skip the lowest local rungs of the electoral ladder. Aspirants to the town and county positions are more usually drawn from the working class; although a life of prominence is yet again helpful. This brings to mind the question most Americans are never asked: Why would you vote for the rich person? Do you think they are smarter thank you because they have more money? About the only logical explanation I can think of is that voters believe the wealthy are less likely to be bribed, since they are rich already. Seriously faulty logic I'm afraid. Voters should emulate the rationale once bellowed by Martin Sheen at his son Charlie Sheen in the epic "Wall Street": "What you see is a guy who never measured a man's success by the size of his WALLET! " We should understand that they're just not smarter than we are.
No, the closest to the origins of our country are our local candidates: The fireman, the attorney, the teacher's aide, the county worker. People who work in the community and surrounding areas for which they seek office. In a rare in-blog response to a comment posted on a previous item, I'd like to remind the anonymous commentator that whatever job one has does not disqualify them from elective office, and should not be disparagingly looked down upon, regardless of personal thought on the position. These days, any job is a good one.
Let's all hope that we, the public at large, will always have good choices to choose from. That we will be fortunate to have candidates who make us want to show up every first Tuesday of November, wait on line, sign the registrant book, close the curtain behind us, take that deep breath, read the choices before us, pull the chosen levers down, and then slide the curtains back open to exit, our exercise of citizenship complete.
Let it always be so.
The Founding Fathers envisioned the farmer or the shopkeeper serving a limited time in the political process, and then returning to their primary walk of life. As the country has evolved, we now have encountered people who are nothing more than full-time political professionals, having never worked at anything but being a politician. Those that take this path are invariably from rich families, as, unlike the vast majority of us, they've never had the concern or worry about having to provide sustenance for their own. Perhaps this gives additional weight to the urban legend quote often attributed to Albert Einstein; that the most powerful thing in the universe is compound interest. It must be a lovely thing to never touch the principal of your monies. Interestingly enough, people of this ilk sometimes envision themselves as "legacies", no different than if they were requesting entrance to the same fraternities enjoyed by their fathers, as if this identification through birth somehow imbued them with political, intelligent DNA.
Those scions of the wealthy seem typically to start at the state-wide level, appearing to consciously skip the lowest local rungs of the electoral ladder. Aspirants to the town and county positions are more usually drawn from the working class; although a life of prominence is yet again helpful. This brings to mind the question most Americans are never asked: Why would you vote for the rich person? Do you think they are smarter thank you because they have more money? About the only logical explanation I can think of is that voters believe the wealthy are less likely to be bribed, since they are rich already. Seriously faulty logic I'm afraid. Voters should emulate the rationale once bellowed by Martin Sheen at his son Charlie Sheen in the epic "Wall Street": "What you see is a guy who never measured a man's success by the size of his WALLET! " We should understand that they're just not smarter than we are.
No, the closest to the origins of our country are our local candidates: The fireman, the attorney, the teacher's aide, the county worker. People who work in the community and surrounding areas for which they seek office. In a rare in-blog response to a comment posted on a previous item, I'd like to remind the anonymous commentator that whatever job one has does not disqualify them from elective office, and should not be disparagingly looked down upon, regardless of personal thought on the position. These days, any job is a good one.
Let's all hope that we, the public at large, will always have good choices to choose from. That we will be fortunate to have candidates who make us want to show up every first Tuesday of November, wait on line, sign the registrant book, close the curtain behind us, take that deep breath, read the choices before us, pull the chosen levers down, and then slide the curtains back open to exit, our exercise of citizenship complete.
Let it always be so.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
On Politics 10/27/09: One Week To Go
We now have one week left in our current political election season. Seven days and six nights (people really aren't campaigning in the evening of election day) of frantic robotic phone calls, daily mailbox stuffing, last-minute signage, radio ads, and pressing the flesh wherever possible.
Turning our gaze south towards the isle of Manhattan for a moment, we have the spectacle one of the world's richest men trying to return as mayor of an impossible place to manage. This attempted continuation of the Bloomberg era required some nifty persuasion of the City Council, rewriting the rules to allow Mr. Mike to stage his run for a 3rd term, as well as the sacrifice of a currently estimated $85M of his wealth to fund his ego trip. The only reason I can think that is driving Mayor Bloomberg to go through all of this is best enunciated by The Boss:
"Poor man wanna be rich
Rich man wanna be king
And the king ain't satisfied until he rules everything"
- "Badlands", Bruce Springsteen
Locally, who's to know what will occur in good ol' Beekman. I will say this: As a political junkie, I'm disappointed that the two candidates for Supervisor have not held any debates. I think the public deserves to literally hear their candidates argue about the issues, take their respective turns in trying to convince we the voters of their positions and qualifications in order to garner our support. In short, I'd enjoy them exercising the due political course to earn my / our vote. Having the candidates who desire to lead our town compete in the same setting, queried by the public on the issues, allowing for an appraisal of their knowledge coupled with an evaluation of their poise and polish, is something that truly would benefit the voters.
It's a missed opportunity for them, for us, and for the process.
Turning our gaze south towards the isle of Manhattan for a moment, we have the spectacle one of the world's richest men trying to return as mayor of an impossible place to manage. This attempted continuation of the Bloomberg era required some nifty persuasion of the City Council, rewriting the rules to allow Mr. Mike to stage his run for a 3rd term, as well as the sacrifice of a currently estimated $85M of his wealth to fund his ego trip. The only reason I can think that is driving Mayor Bloomberg to go through all of this is best enunciated by The Boss:
"Poor man wanna be rich
Rich man wanna be king
And the king ain't satisfied until he rules everything"
- "Badlands", Bruce Springsteen
Locally, who's to know what will occur in good ol' Beekman. I will say this: As a political junkie, I'm disappointed that the two candidates for Supervisor have not held any debates. I think the public deserves to literally hear their candidates argue about the issues, take their respective turns in trying to convince we the voters of their positions and qualifications in order to garner our support. In short, I'd enjoy them exercising the due political course to earn my / our vote. Having the candidates who desire to lead our town compete in the same setting, queried by the public on the issues, allowing for an appraisal of their knowledge coupled with an evaluation of their poise and polish, is something that truly would benefit the voters.
It's a missed opportunity for them, for us, and for the process.
Friday, October 23, 2009
On Politics 10/23/09: Momma Said There'd Be Days Like This
Being a candidate for political office, at whatever level, is a unique thing. By default, you begin to cede access to your business and personal life through your candidacy. A proper candidate is also sacrificing their free time, away from family and friends, in order to appear at gatherings, press the flesh at fund-raisers, as well as the time-consuming efforts of carrying out the political process. You may also find yourself in the position of having to explain past comments, actions, or events, as well as negotiating the enormously difficult task of self-editing whenever you speak. Many people, myself included, struggle with the thoughts of these concepts, which is why I have thus far refused the invitations to enter the arena.
Along with all of the above, the candidate must act as the default project manager for his or her candidacy. Yes, there are political operatives or volunteers, depending on the election level, that are designated as the campaign manager, but the reality is that you as the candidate are responsible, fairly or not, for everything that happens within your campaign. Voters react poorly to candidates who attempt to assign fault to underlings, usually recognizing the human sacrifice being made on behalf of the candidate.
All of this leads to our micro-local look from the Center at a tough political day for a candidate in Beekman. Dan French, running for the Supervisor's office in Beekman, had to come forward with an apology for a mailing that appeared to too closely mirror the text and image of the Poughkeepsie Journal. The paper, rightly concerned that the mailing conveyed an official endorsement of his candidacy, requested that French address the issue, which he did, stating that there was no premeditated intent to do so.
People who produce original content, whether they be writers, musicians, or even lowly bloggers, remain overtly sensitive to their output being associated to political concerns without their direct consent. Perhaps the most famous gaffe in this regard was Ronald Reagan's incredibly incoherent use of Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The USA" at a campaign rally in New Jersey, thinking it a song about American greatness, when it was, as an even cursory examination would have revealed, a passionate commentary about a Vietnam veteran returning home from war with no prospects for a better life. Entities such as newspapers or news magazines are extraordinarily sensitive to this, given their position in the public consciousness.
Unfortunately for candidate French, the 24 hour rotation of the Earth contained a further disappointment, perhaps more impactful than the mailing issue. In less-than-fortuitous timing, the Journal, in the same edition of the paper as the apology, endorsed the rival candidate, Barbara Zulauf, for the Supervisor's position. Bill Simmons, the much beloved ESPN Sports Guy, has a scale that he refers to as the "Levels of Losing". One of the entries on that scale is the "Stomach Punch Game". For anyone ever struck in the general area of the solar plexus, you know that as the extremely uncomfortable 2-3 minute period of time as you await the return of air back into your body.
I suspect that would be an apropos description of what occurred for Mr. French yesterday. Many a campaign goes through similar trials and tribulations. It will be interesting to watch what transpires moving forward.
Along with all of the above, the candidate must act as the default project manager for his or her candidacy. Yes, there are political operatives or volunteers, depending on the election level, that are designated as the campaign manager, but the reality is that you as the candidate are responsible, fairly or not, for everything that happens within your campaign. Voters react poorly to candidates who attempt to assign fault to underlings, usually recognizing the human sacrifice being made on behalf of the candidate.
All of this leads to our micro-local look from the Center at a tough political day for a candidate in Beekman. Dan French, running for the Supervisor's office in Beekman, had to come forward with an apology for a mailing that appeared to too closely mirror the text and image of the Poughkeepsie Journal. The paper, rightly concerned that the mailing conveyed an official endorsement of his candidacy, requested that French address the issue, which he did, stating that there was no premeditated intent to do so.
People who produce original content, whether they be writers, musicians, or even lowly bloggers, remain overtly sensitive to their output being associated to political concerns without their direct consent. Perhaps the most famous gaffe in this regard was Ronald Reagan's incredibly incoherent use of Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The USA" at a campaign rally in New Jersey, thinking it a song about American greatness, when it was, as an even cursory examination would have revealed, a passionate commentary about a Vietnam veteran returning home from war with no prospects for a better life. Entities such as newspapers or news magazines are extraordinarily sensitive to this, given their position in the public consciousness.
Unfortunately for candidate French, the 24 hour rotation of the Earth contained a further disappointment, perhaps more impactful than the mailing issue. In less-than-fortuitous timing, the Journal, in the same edition of the paper as the apology, endorsed the rival candidate, Barbara Zulauf, for the Supervisor's position. Bill Simmons, the much beloved ESPN Sports Guy, has a scale that he refers to as the "Levels of Losing". One of the entries on that scale is the "Stomach Punch Game". For anyone ever struck in the general area of the solar plexus, you know that as the extremely uncomfortable 2-3 minute period of time as you await the return of air back into your body.
I suspect that would be an apropos description of what occurred for Mr. French yesterday. Many a campaign goes through similar trials and tribulations. It will be interesting to watch what transpires moving forward.
Monday, October 19, 2009
On Politics 10/19/09: Random Thoughts, Vol. XV
Time once again to collect, corral, and collate various ruminations of the mind. Today, I'm ably assisted by hot chocolate and raisin buns from McKinney & Doyle's Fine Foods Cafe in Pawling, a place you need to go if you haven't been. And away we go...
- Roman Polanski wants us all to believe he has suffered enough for the drugging and rape of a 13 year old girl. He believe that the passage of time should insulate him from further legal jeopardy for his actions. He fled the country after he agreed to to a plea, fearing his jail term would be too severe. Now, he's outraged that the long arm of the law has ensnared him overseas. Various actors, actresses, and directors have signed petitions or announced their support of his release. Tough. This wasn't smoking pot or driving while intoxicated or failure to pay your income tax. I'll repeat - this was the drugging and raping of a 13 year old girl. In the 70's or the 00's that's still wrong. Roman, you did the crime, now do the time.
- We should have immediately known it was a scam when we found out the kid's name was Falcon. Really; Mr. & Mrs. Henne named the balloon boy Falcon. Always nice to bestow the moniker of a bird of prey on your child. Good grief. What's next, Chicken Hawk Henne? So, there you were last week, watching the God-forbid story of a boy trapped in his idiot father's homemade flying contraption either freezing to death in altitude, falling to his demise from it while floating over the countryside, or being terminated when it crashed into the ground when the helium finally gave out. Thankfully none of those dreadful possibilities came to fruition. Instead, we had police, National Guard, camera crews, and a host of others, along with a nationwide television audience, holding its' collective breath waiting for resolution. Here's the resolution I came up with: Charge those parents for every last dime spent by every last agency that had to react to this hoax, if the sheriff's suspicions are true. Make an example of Mr Jiffy-Pop balloon maker.
- Can the NY Rangers really be this good? Please, let it be so.
- Three people have now perished in the Arizona sweatbox fiasco, as part of a course run by yet another "self-help" guru, in this case, James Arthur Ray. If it's self-help, why do you need someone else?
- Did you ever wonder how it is that a curveball or slider in baseball "knows" exactly to go 58-59 feet before it breaks over the plate. Fascinating that it works out that way, with the occasional one bounced into the dirt.
- Why is it that boxes of Funny Bones have only 10 cakes in it, while Yankee Doodles and others have 12. I'd like some consistency in my packaging from the good people at Drake's. Of course, we want more per box, not less.
- Next, we have the case of a justice of the peace in Louisiana who refused to grant a marriage license to an interracial couple. He swears he's not a racist, and but blithely offered up a defense of "these marriages don't last", along with "I was worried about the kids". Here's a fun fact for the clueless justice - worry about your own children figuring out you really are a racist. I'd hazard a guess that it's not a surprise to them. Of course, he wants to remain on the job and thinks nothing wrong of his refusal to honor the request. Well, according to Louisiana law, you do not get to decide whom to give a license to or not. Much like the pharmacists who cite personal religious beliefs in not providing contraception to customers, this is decidedly simple: If your beliefs interfere with your ability to do the job as it is called for and legally required, get another job. Case closed.
- Roman Polanski wants us all to believe he has suffered enough for the drugging and rape of a 13 year old girl. He believe that the passage of time should insulate him from further legal jeopardy for his actions. He fled the country after he agreed to to a plea, fearing his jail term would be too severe. Now, he's outraged that the long arm of the law has ensnared him overseas. Various actors, actresses, and directors have signed petitions or announced their support of his release. Tough. This wasn't smoking pot or driving while intoxicated or failure to pay your income tax. I'll repeat - this was the drugging and raping of a 13 year old girl. In the 70's or the 00's that's still wrong. Roman, you did the crime, now do the time.
- We should have immediately known it was a scam when we found out the kid's name was Falcon. Really; Mr. & Mrs. Henne named the balloon boy Falcon. Always nice to bestow the moniker of a bird of prey on your child. Good grief. What's next, Chicken Hawk Henne? So, there you were last week, watching the God-forbid story of a boy trapped in his idiot father's homemade flying contraption either freezing to death in altitude, falling to his demise from it while floating over the countryside, or being terminated when it crashed into the ground when the helium finally gave out. Thankfully none of those dreadful possibilities came to fruition. Instead, we had police, National Guard, camera crews, and a host of others, along with a nationwide television audience, holding its' collective breath waiting for resolution. Here's the resolution I came up with: Charge those parents for every last dime spent by every last agency that had to react to this hoax, if the sheriff's suspicions are true. Make an example of Mr Jiffy-Pop balloon maker.
- Can the NY Rangers really be this good? Please, let it be so.
- Three people have now perished in the Arizona sweatbox fiasco, as part of a course run by yet another "self-help" guru, in this case, James Arthur Ray. If it's self-help, why do you need someone else?
- Did you ever wonder how it is that a curveball or slider in baseball "knows" exactly to go 58-59 feet before it breaks over the plate. Fascinating that it works out that way, with the occasional one bounced into the dirt.
- Why is it that boxes of Funny Bones have only 10 cakes in it, while Yankee Doodles and others have 12. I'd like some consistency in my packaging from the good people at Drake's. Of course, we want more per box, not less.
- Next, we have the case of a justice of the peace in Louisiana who refused to grant a marriage license to an interracial couple. He swears he's not a racist, and but blithely offered up a defense of "these marriages don't last", along with "I was worried about the kids". Here's a fun fact for the clueless justice - worry about your own children figuring out you really are a racist. I'd hazard a guess that it's not a surprise to them. Of course, he wants to remain on the job and thinks nothing wrong of his refusal to honor the request. Well, according to Louisiana law, you do not get to decide whom to give a license to or not. Much like the pharmacists who cite personal religious beliefs in not providing contraception to customers, this is decidedly simple: If your beliefs interfere with your ability to do the job as it is called for and legally required, get another job. Case closed.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
On Politics 10/15/09: The Ricochet Of Words
In attempting to embody the dream of many a football fan, Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host, firebrand, and self-appointed demagogue, was part of a consortium attempting to bid on purchasing the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. By all accounts, Rush is an avid sportsfan, who enjoys football as his favorite pastime, and was eager to join what is one of America's more private clubs, that of the thirty-two owners on NFL franchises.
However, Rush's participation in the ownership group became extremely tenuous almost immediately, after the recollection by various players of the comments he has previously has made regarding certain players and teams. In 2003, ESPN decided that they wanted a little controversy, some additional outlandishness on it's pregame program, so they brought Limbaugh on board. Well folks, you get what you pay for. Shortly into his tenure, Rush criticized the media for, in his opinion, glorifying the exploits of Eagles QB Donovan McNabb, for no other reason than to elevate a black quarterback as successful. After his affiliation with ESPN had ended, Limbaugh went on to state that a game between the Patriots & Chargers looked like a game between the Bloods and Crips without the weapons (for the uninitiated out there, these are rival gangs originally from California who have migrated across the country, identified by the colors red & blue).
In this day and age of media overexposure, Rush became fatally wounded by the ricochet of his words. Players began to speak publicly of their vows never to play a game for any team that Limbaugh was an owner of. I think it fair to state that if some players were willing to state this on the record, in print and on TV, that the actual clamor in the locker room was even move voluble.
Predictably, Limbaugh has gone on to proclaim himself a victim of reverse racism, left-wing haters, and so on & so forth. I believe Rush has every right to spew whatever hatred he has dreamed up for his daily broadcast to the Dittoheads. It's certainly his misguided right (pun not intended). It's akin to the lesson I am continually trying to teach the beloved children: When you do something wrong, you have no idea when, where, or how it will come back to haunt you, or what else in your life it will affect.
It appears Mr. Limbaugh just found out one way that it does.
However, Rush's participation in the ownership group became extremely tenuous almost immediately, after the recollection by various players of the comments he has previously has made regarding certain players and teams. In 2003, ESPN decided that they wanted a little controversy, some additional outlandishness on it's pregame program, so they brought Limbaugh on board. Well folks, you get what you pay for. Shortly into his tenure, Rush criticized the media for, in his opinion, glorifying the exploits of Eagles QB Donovan McNabb, for no other reason than to elevate a black quarterback as successful. After his affiliation with ESPN had ended, Limbaugh went on to state that a game between the Patriots & Chargers looked like a game between the Bloods and Crips without the weapons (for the uninitiated out there, these are rival gangs originally from California who have migrated across the country, identified by the colors red & blue).
In this day and age of media overexposure, Rush became fatally wounded by the ricochet of his words. Players began to speak publicly of their vows never to play a game for any team that Limbaugh was an owner of. I think it fair to state that if some players were willing to state this on the record, in print and on TV, that the actual clamor in the locker room was even move voluble.
Predictably, Limbaugh has gone on to proclaim himself a victim of reverse racism, left-wing haters, and so on & so forth. I believe Rush has every right to spew whatever hatred he has dreamed up for his daily broadcast to the Dittoheads. It's certainly his misguided right (pun not intended). It's akin to the lesson I am continually trying to teach the beloved children: When you do something wrong, you have no idea when, where, or how it will come back to haunt you, or what else in your life it will affect.
It appears Mr. Limbaugh just found out one way that it does.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
On Politics 10/13/09: Scary Numbers
It's October; or "Rocktober", depending on your radio station of choice. Ghouls and goblins abound, and costumes and masks are the order of the season. The month where scary is king, and frightening people is usually perfectly acceptable. Except for this: The Town of Beekman has announced a preliminary budget which includes a possible tax increase of 26.5%.
Quite possibly, the scariest and most frightening thing I've ever heard of.
Now, preliminary does not equate to to final, but the fear of large numbers remain. Nevermind the dreaded double-digit tax increase, that causes the bravest of citizens to quake. In this proposal we have a full quarter of the current tax levy as an increase, plus an additional 1.5% on top of that, your very own costly cherry on the tax bill sundae if you will.
There's a public meeting this evening at Beekman Town Hall, which I'm sure will be well attended. Perhaps we'll be able to convert the misguided tea party attendees into extras from the old Frankenstein movies, complete with the torches and shouting chasing after the tax monster. We have that single, unifying, cuts-across-all-party-lines event, a we-shall-fight-them-on-the-beaches-and-in-the-streets-moment, the I'm-just-as-mad-as-hell-as-you-are scenario, the imminent threat of more money leaving our pockets.
Truly, a great equalizer.
Quite possibly, the scariest and most frightening thing I've ever heard of.
Now, preliminary does not equate to to final, but the fear of large numbers remain. Nevermind the dreaded double-digit tax increase, that causes the bravest of citizens to quake. In this proposal we have a full quarter of the current tax levy as an increase, plus an additional 1.5% on top of that, your very own costly cherry on the tax bill sundae if you will.
There's a public meeting this evening at Beekman Town Hall, which I'm sure will be well attended. Perhaps we'll be able to convert the misguided tea party attendees into extras from the old Frankenstein movies, complete with the torches and shouting chasing after the tax monster. We have that single, unifying, cuts-across-all-party-lines event, a we-shall-fight-them-on-the-beaches-and-in-the-streets-moment, the I'm-just-as-mad-as-hell-as-you-are scenario, the imminent threat of more money leaving our pockets.
Truly, a great equalizer.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
On Politics 10/7/09: Fall Planting Has Begun
Yes, it's that time of year, again. In golf, they refer to this period of time, each October through January, as the "silly season". For me, that's not what makes October and November part of the silly season. Rather, it's the appearance of that most unusual fungi of all, the political candidate sign.
Now, as I've previously written on this subject, it's bad enough that my mailbox becomes inundated with the various postcards, flyers, leaflets, etc. that are mass produced in some dungeon or factory, who's proprietor must gleefully watch the machines turning out the same identical frozen smile of the candidate, usually with perfect white teeth and expertly coiffed hair, nary a strand out of place. Just today, I received such a missive from "Team Beekman", who were lovingly and glossily captured in a group photo at town hall and transferred onto a thick, heavy postcard for residents to receive. While resisting the urge to immediately place it in the "circular file", I wondered to myself how long will it be before they place those mocking words from the old computer punch cards: Do not fold, spindle, or mutilate. That won't stop me, after completing the review of the material. Come to think of it, does anything other document have a shorter lifespan once it's in the hands of the intended audience?
Yet, in addition to that, we now have the modern-day equivalent of the Biblical plagues, the campaign sign on the corners. I live on a block where it's hard enough to peek around the foliage to see if someone is speeding down the hill in their car, threatening to decapitate the remaining Kraft bloodline. In the silly season, we'll now have to negotiate signage that encumbers our view as well. It's not as if they even bother to ask my neighbors if they can put up the signs before they do so. In the political version of the miracle of Christ's birth, we will now witness these wood and cardboard creations appear, fully grown, without a seed from which to have been sprung from. I only wish our yearly effort at tomato plants were so instantly fulfilled.
I think we should tag along with the approach some municipalities are doing with holiday season decorations. Pick out a public piece of land, put all of the signs there, make them uniform in height and size (they're already all red, white, and blue in color - yes, we get the point you're all patriotic), and stick them there. Perhaps the "sign garden" will become a pleasing visual to those who pass; perhaps not.
What I do know is that it's a far better thing than to see it on every corner.
Now, as I've previously written on this subject, it's bad enough that my mailbox becomes inundated with the various postcards, flyers, leaflets, etc. that are mass produced in some dungeon or factory, who's proprietor must gleefully watch the machines turning out the same identical frozen smile of the candidate, usually with perfect white teeth and expertly coiffed hair, nary a strand out of place. Just today, I received such a missive from "Team Beekman", who were lovingly and glossily captured in a group photo at town hall and transferred onto a thick, heavy postcard for residents to receive. While resisting the urge to immediately place it in the "circular file", I wondered to myself how long will it be before they place those mocking words from the old computer punch cards: Do not fold, spindle, or mutilate. That won't stop me, after completing the review of the material. Come to think of it, does anything other document have a shorter lifespan once it's in the hands of the intended audience?
Yet, in addition to that, we now have the modern-day equivalent of the Biblical plagues, the campaign sign on the corners. I live on a block where it's hard enough to peek around the foliage to see if someone is speeding down the hill in their car, threatening to decapitate the remaining Kraft bloodline. In the silly season, we'll now have to negotiate signage that encumbers our view as well. It's not as if they even bother to ask my neighbors if they can put up the signs before they do so. In the political version of the miracle of Christ's birth, we will now witness these wood and cardboard creations appear, fully grown, without a seed from which to have been sprung from. I only wish our yearly effort at tomato plants were so instantly fulfilled.
I think we should tag along with the approach some municipalities are doing with holiday season decorations. Pick out a public piece of land, put all of the signs there, make them uniform in height and size (they're already all red, white, and blue in color - yes, we get the point you're all patriotic), and stick them there. Perhaps the "sign garden" will become a pleasing visual to those who pass; perhaps not.
What I do know is that it's a far better thing than to see it on every corner.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
On Politics 10/4/09: Tenor & Tone
In the movie "Top Gun", Tom Cruise's character Maverick reacts when his fire-control system locks onto a target by exclaiming "I've got tone!" He then proceeds to launch an air-to-air missile which explodes his target into a fiery ball. The lovely Kathy occasionally looks at me when I am speaking at our beloved children to remind me that I am acquiring a "tone" in my discussion with the kids. Just another number in my legion of faults :-).
Recently, there has been much discussion regarding the current tenor and tone of our political debate. From multi-Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Friedman's piece on comparing the current political climate to the one that preceded the assassination of Yithzak Rabin in Israel in the 90's to the incessant chatter of various talking heads on cable news, it's become the latest flashpoint of argument for American citizens. I've broached it a couple of times myself in previous blog entries.
The vitriol does seem to be the most strident I can remember. Growing up, my first recollections with televised memories were the daily body count figures on the national evening news (we were always a NYC channel 7 family; interesting, isn't it, that families followed one channel for the news, and weren't you always surprised when you went to someone else's house and they didn't follow the same one?), I was not young enough to understand why the protesters were in the street, other than to ask my conservative parents who they were, with the expected disclaimer as to the protesters support of America as their response. As I grew older, I remember learning more on my own about what was happening. We then moved through the laissez faire of the 70's, then into the resurgent 80's, where the most common insult was if Reagan was really acting or did he think really understand he was the President. The 80's begat the 90's, television became cable or satellite TV, "Crossfire" and "The Morton Downey Show" became a thousand other shouting matches, and things got more heated. However, never once did I see armed people attending a President's speech, or the President's face become Hitler-ized.
I do believe it's worse, and surely not for the better. Bitter births anger, resentment delivers hate, and dreams of violence construct attacks in reality. Would you be surprised if something egregious were to happen now?
How could you be?
Recently, there has been much discussion regarding the current tenor and tone of our political debate. From multi-Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Friedman's piece on comparing the current political climate to the one that preceded the assassination of Yithzak Rabin in Israel in the 90's to the incessant chatter of various talking heads on cable news, it's become the latest flashpoint of argument for American citizens. I've broached it a couple of times myself in previous blog entries.
The vitriol does seem to be the most strident I can remember. Growing up, my first recollections with televised memories were the daily body count figures on the national evening news (we were always a NYC channel 7 family; interesting, isn't it, that families followed one channel for the news, and weren't you always surprised when you went to someone else's house and they didn't follow the same one?), I was not young enough to understand why the protesters were in the street, other than to ask my conservative parents who they were, with the expected disclaimer as to the protesters support of America as their response. As I grew older, I remember learning more on my own about what was happening. We then moved through the laissez faire of the 70's, then into the resurgent 80's, where the most common insult was if Reagan was really acting or did he think really understand he was the President. The 80's begat the 90's, television became cable or satellite TV, "Crossfire" and "The Morton Downey Show" became a thousand other shouting matches, and things got more heated. However, never once did I see armed people attending a President's speech, or the President's face become Hitler-ized.
I do believe it's worse, and surely not for the better. Bitter births anger, resentment delivers hate, and dreams of violence construct attacks in reality. Would you be surprised if something egregious were to happen now?
How could you be?
Friday, October 2, 2009
On Politics 10/2/09: Painful Yes, But Necessary
I am, on principle and action, loathe to enforce voluntary decisions as mandatory onto individuals. I hate being told what to do, even if it is correct, since I am somehow imbued with a fiercely stubborn I-am-smarter-than-you streak, however typically erroneous that may prove to be. No, I am not blaming you for this Mom and Dad, so please hold the angry e-mails from Florida.
However, a recent ongoing crisis in the area of the don't-tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-body arena has caught my attention. Some local health care workers are refusing the directives from our area hospitals that these employees receive a flu shot for the forthcoming influenza season. Mild protests have risen up, but not all of the staff members are resisting this request, and are not joining their disagreeing brethren in this revolt.
On the surface, this would seem to be rather straightforward - you work for an entity that gives you a business mandate; comply or risk losing your job. On one hand, the issue becomes murkier because of the lack of available resources for hospitals and medical establishments, while on the other hand it's disconcertingly illuminating that some professionals in the field are leery of inoculation (they just have that same stubborn gene as me).
In this particular scenario, I do think the hospitals and healthcare centers are in the right. Beyond the civil liberties aspect of this protest, why wouldn't someone who will be in direct, physical contact with people ill with a disease be resisting a safeguard against it? As our first line of defense against the spread of the "normal" flu and the omnipresent, looming specter of the more dangerous swine flu, the public health aspect of this issue takes precedence. We cannot have people refusing the orders of their employers designed to keep themselves, and all of us, safer during a health crisis.
It's painful, but necessary.
However, a recent ongoing crisis in the area of the don't-tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-body arena has caught my attention. Some local health care workers are refusing the directives from our area hospitals that these employees receive a flu shot for the forthcoming influenza season. Mild protests have risen up, but not all of the staff members are resisting this request, and are not joining their disagreeing brethren in this revolt.
On the surface, this would seem to be rather straightforward - you work for an entity that gives you a business mandate; comply or risk losing your job. On one hand, the issue becomes murkier because of the lack of available resources for hospitals and medical establishments, while on the other hand it's disconcertingly illuminating that some professionals in the field are leery of inoculation (they just have that same stubborn gene as me).
In this particular scenario, I do think the hospitals and healthcare centers are in the right. Beyond the civil liberties aspect of this protest, why wouldn't someone who will be in direct, physical contact with people ill with a disease be resisting a safeguard against it? As our first line of defense against the spread of the "normal" flu and the omnipresent, looming specter of the more dangerous swine flu, the public health aspect of this issue takes precedence. We cannot have people refusing the orders of their employers designed to keep themselves, and all of us, safer during a health crisis.
It's painful, but necessary.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
On Politics 9/26/09: Preserving The Future
I grew up in suburban Paramus, New Jersey (which in Native American must have meant "land of shopping center"), on a quarter-acre lot in a post World War II, exodus-from-New York City development. Neatly arranged homes, streets, schools, with a few parks sprinkled in. As kids, we never thought of a need for additional parks or open spaces, as the front / back yards of our homes, then the street itself, became the locale for football, basketball, baseball, street hockey, etc. Yes, it was always annoying when a car would come down the street, causing a momentary interruption in the flow of the game, but it was part of the natural rhythm to which we played. Of course, there were outliers to this (overt Malcolm Gladwell reference; read the book), as when my grandmother would chug along the block, the speedometer of her original year Pinto never threatening to exceed 20MPH elongating her interruption of the game, our annoyance of this barely masked behind the fixed smiles plastered on our faces. You can never yell at Grandma :-).
Nary a thought was given to "open spaces" or "park-land", since we had Van Saun Park within walking distance. Around the corner, across Forest Ave, over Spring Valley Road (yes, in those days parents actually allowed their children to walk 1/10 of a mile without watching them or convulsing in fear they wouldn't get there), and there we were, with as much open space as was necessary for the tackle football games of sufficient participant size. The largest obstacles we had to overcome was who would donate a jacket or shirt to use for an end-zone marker, or the dreaded 4th down inquisition from the defense as to whether we were "kicking or going".
Fast forward to today, and to the suburb where I live now, Beekman NY (which in Native American must mean "land of high taxes"), where "open space" is quite the concern. Thankfully, through bipartisan political and community efforts, much progress is being made. This week, the town announced the transaction whereby the future development rights of a 304 acre parcel was permanently purchased. Yes, the cost was $2.4M, but you have to pay for what you buy, and this was heartily endorsed by the citizens of Beekman when they voted overwhelmingly (approximately 81% favorably) to fund a $3M pool to make such transactions.
As part of the three-year, Monday Night Football interrupting Beekman Comprehensive Plan Review Committee (CPRC), this was an area of uniform agreement and priority amongst members, which was then carried forward into the town's revised plan for the future. The work down locally, in conjunction with the broader efforts being led in Dutchess County with the rail trails, walkways, and revitalization of the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge show an wide commitment to this rationale being employed in multiple locations. This is a very, very good thing; for which all involved should be congratulated.
There may be some that say all this is unnecessary. Those that do should visit the library in Paramus, to see the pictures of town from the 1950's. No one thought it was necessary then, and look what happened.
Programming Note: You can now follow me on Twitter @takraft. I'll be tweeting when I update the blog. As always, thanks for reading.
Nary a thought was given to "open spaces" or "park-land", since we had Van Saun Park within walking distance. Around the corner, across Forest Ave, over Spring Valley Road (yes, in those days parents actually allowed their children to walk 1/10 of a mile without watching them or convulsing in fear they wouldn't get there), and there we were, with as much open space as was necessary for the tackle football games of sufficient participant size. The largest obstacles we had to overcome was who would donate a jacket or shirt to use for an end-zone marker, or the dreaded 4th down inquisition from the defense as to whether we were "kicking or going".
Fast forward to today, and to the suburb where I live now, Beekman NY (which in Native American must mean "land of high taxes"), where "open space" is quite the concern. Thankfully, through bipartisan political and community efforts, much progress is being made. This week, the town announced the transaction whereby the future development rights of a 304 acre parcel was permanently purchased. Yes, the cost was $2.4M, but you have to pay for what you buy, and this was heartily endorsed by the citizens of Beekman when they voted overwhelmingly (approximately 81% favorably) to fund a $3M pool to make such transactions.
As part of the three-year, Monday Night Football interrupting Beekman Comprehensive Plan Review Committee (CPRC), this was an area of uniform agreement and priority amongst members, which was then carried forward into the town's revised plan for the future. The work down locally, in conjunction with the broader efforts being led in Dutchess County with the rail trails, walkways, and revitalization of the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge show an wide commitment to this rationale being employed in multiple locations. This is a very, very good thing; for which all involved should be congratulated.
There may be some that say all this is unnecessary. Those that do should visit the library in Paramus, to see the pictures of town from the 1950's. No one thought it was necessary then, and look what happened.
Programming Note: You can now follow me on Twitter @takraft. I'll be tweeting when I update the blog. As always, thanks for reading.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
On Politics 9/23/09: Reality Check
I happened to be in New York City yesterday for a business meeting. While obviously cognizant of current events and being a veteran of many a parade, holiday season or sporting event visit, my initial interaction with the increased security measures being conducted around town still gave me sufficient pause.
As we exited our train in Grand Central, my fellow riders and I moved briskly into the main hall, only to immediately encounter a few of New York's Finest accompanied by a bomb-sniffing German shepherd. Upon embarking from the building at the Vanderbilt Avenue exit and walking towards the taxi stand to get in line, I was passed on my right by two members of the SWAT team, complete with helmets, Kevlar, and rather fierce looking automatic weapons.
Hopping into the back of my soon-to-be-streaking yellow missile with four wheels, I began my usual staring out the window. No matter how many times I've been there, it's always entertaining to visually absorb the kaleidoscope of images that occupy the streets of NYC. However, even amongst seeing the usual sights of angry homeless people, briskly walking aspiring models, and suit-jacketed bankers/lawyers/thieves, it was impossible not to be taken aback by the sheer numbers of law enforcement demonstrably visible on the avenues. Coming closer, then passing by the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, where the President and other dignitaries are staying, I was stunned to see three extra-large Sanitation dump trucks, filled with sand, staggered front-to-back diagonally as a barricade in front of the entrance, with the side streets surrounding the hotel closed to traffic, and the Secret Service clearly walking around in front of the building. A surveillance tower, the likes of which I had not seen before (think the old football coach's tower, except with smoked-out glass and NYPD logos), extended up at least 20 feet in the air across from the Waldorf, overtly keeping an eye out for any possible threat.
All of this as a result of the the opening of the United Nations general assembly, who's roster of speakers for the day included The Good (Obama), The Bad (Ahmadinejad of Iran), and The Ugly (Gaddafi / Khadafy of Libya, you pick the spelling because he's the same amount of C-R-A-Z-Y no matter what letters you use), coupled with the ongoing terrorist threat being investigated against various locales within the city. For even the most jaded of Big Apple residents, it was unlike anything seen since the dark days following 9-11.
Its' a very vivid reminder of the cost that freedom requires. I've discussed on many entries the sacrifice made by those who serve on our behalf in the various uniforms of our armed forces. It's also proper to remember to include those domestically protecting us, as witnessed on my trip. Protecting what makes us great, what makes us the envy of other countries, what makes us the the place that others leave their homes for, requires more than we can imagine. It takes the work of a friend of ours, leaving his family behind, working an overnight shift in the city as part of the State Police augmentation to the other agencies involved. It takes the vigilance of ordinary citizens, watching for the odd stranger carrying a bag or backpack, that doesn't quite fit or is acting far too nervously.
Defending who we are, what we are, and what we will be takes all of us.
As we exited our train in Grand Central, my fellow riders and I moved briskly into the main hall, only to immediately encounter a few of New York's Finest accompanied by a bomb-sniffing German shepherd. Upon embarking from the building at the Vanderbilt Avenue exit and walking towards the taxi stand to get in line, I was passed on my right by two members of the SWAT team, complete with helmets, Kevlar, and rather fierce looking automatic weapons.
Hopping into the back of my soon-to-be-streaking yellow missile with four wheels, I began my usual staring out the window. No matter how many times I've been there, it's always entertaining to visually absorb the kaleidoscope of images that occupy the streets of NYC. However, even amongst seeing the usual sights of angry homeless people, briskly walking aspiring models, and suit-jacketed bankers/lawyers/thieves, it was impossible not to be taken aback by the sheer numbers of law enforcement demonstrably visible on the avenues. Coming closer, then passing by the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, where the President and other dignitaries are staying, I was stunned to see three extra-large Sanitation dump trucks, filled with sand, staggered front-to-back diagonally as a barricade in front of the entrance, with the side streets surrounding the hotel closed to traffic, and the Secret Service clearly walking around in front of the building. A surveillance tower, the likes of which I had not seen before (think the old football coach's tower, except with smoked-out glass and NYPD logos), extended up at least 20 feet in the air across from the Waldorf, overtly keeping an eye out for any possible threat.
All of this as a result of the the opening of the United Nations general assembly, who's roster of speakers for the day included The Good (Obama), The Bad (Ahmadinejad of Iran), and The Ugly (Gaddafi / Khadafy of Libya, you pick the spelling because he's the same amount of C-R-A-Z-Y no matter what letters you use), coupled with the ongoing terrorist threat being investigated against various locales within the city. For even the most jaded of Big Apple residents, it was unlike anything seen since the dark days following 9-11.
Its' a very vivid reminder of the cost that freedom requires. I've discussed on many entries the sacrifice made by those who serve on our behalf in the various uniforms of our armed forces. It's also proper to remember to include those domestically protecting us, as witnessed on my trip. Protecting what makes us great, what makes us the envy of other countries, what makes us the the place that others leave their homes for, requires more than we can imagine. It takes the work of a friend of ours, leaving his family behind, working an overnight shift in the city as part of the State Police augmentation to the other agencies involved. It takes the vigilance of ordinary citizens, watching for the odd stranger carrying a bag or backpack, that doesn't quite fit or is acting far too nervously.
Defending who we are, what we are, and what we will be takes all of us.
Friday, September 18, 2009
On Politics 9/18/09: Random Thoughts, Vol. XIV
It's time for you to join with me as I venture yet again into the various nooks & crannies of the cerebrum for all things political and otherwise. No food, no water this time, it's all thoughts. And away we go...
- Latest Reason To Be Worried About the Intelligence of America: The 4th most purchased player jersey in the NFL players over the last 5 months was Michael Vick's. I've often thought that the most effective crime deterrent would be the application of the crime to the criminal himself once apprehended. Electric shock and drowning seem appropriate to me for what Vick did to defenseless animals. That doesn't stop the fine fans of Philadelphia from purchasing his jersey however. Then again, this is the same group of people who once infamously booed an appearance by Santa Claus, and cheered for the tackle that concussed Michael Irvin as he lay motionless on the field.
- All Beekman residents should take the opportunity to have their voices and ideas heard at the Recreation Commission's public forum occurring next Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Rec Center. I've articulated for years my distaste for those who complain without volunteering, who whine without attending meetings, and who fail to actively participate in what their children partake of. Come down and have your opinion heard, or forfeit your right to have a say in the process.
- TV You Should Be Watching Now: "Sons Of Anarchy" on FX (definitely not for kids, and continuing the new-found terrific tradition of this channel, following "The Shield" & "Rescue Me"); "Wipeout" on ABC (great family fun, and laugh out loud funny); "Dexter" on Showtime or DVD (another adult-only recommendation, and illuminating in that it gives you pause to gauge your feelings on whether you can like a serial-killer who preys on terrible criminals).
- Great job by all who assisted in the services Wednesday for an unknown soldier of the Civil War who passed through Hyde Park on his way upstate. From the American Legion to the Patriot Guard Riders Association, this procession of honor for an American who fell some 147 years ago at Antietam reminded all of us, young and old, that sacrifices in the name of our freedom touch youth of every century (through testing, the soldier was determined to be between 17-19 years of age). For me, this hit very close to home; my great-great-great grandfather was also killed in Antietam (I'm sure my mother will correct me if I messed up the number of "greats").
- Continuing in the death vein, Norman Borlaug passed away this week. I vaguely recall reading about him in a science class years ago, but after reviewing the appropriate, widespread coverage of his passing, it's hard to imagine someone who's life more positively affected the human race. For the uninformed, Borlaug was the scientist who developed strains of wheat that increased yield and production, ending sustained shortages first in Mexico, then later in India & Pakistan. It is said that a person who saves one life saves the world; how many saved lives can be attributed to the man who brought food to millions? Estimates bandied about after his passing estimated one billion lives to Mr. Borlaug's ledger. In recognition of this work, he received everything from the Nobel Peace Prize to the Congressional Gold Medal to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Perhaps a more succinct affirmation of his contribution to our world would simply be a picture of a cross-section of people from around the planet, a living reflection of his life's work.
- An interesting, possibly polarizing dynamic has arisen as a side issue during the ongoing attacks launched against President Obama, ostensibly emanating from the healthcare debate. Many people, including former President Carter, have attributed the particularly vicious vitriol being directed the President's way to racism as a root cause. In thinking about this in some depth, I have little doubt that, for some Americans, the ongoing sight of a black man occupying the Oval Office is mistakenly, overwhelmingly repulsive. This, coupled with the unrelenting statistical analysis showing that Caucasian Americans will be a minority by 2050, appears to unnerve and unhinge these citizens. A lack of history obviously plays into this stunted judgement, as a census performed in the late 1600's / early 1700's would have showed Native Americans as the dominant population group, before our forefathers so less than graciously systematically removed them from their own land. The net is America has constantly evolved, changed, and revised its composite population ethnicity. It will continue to do so. Stubbornly clinging to the hope that your race or color will be the predominant one shows a frightening lack of grasping the obvious future. However, let's be clear on one point - all Presidents, regardless of complexion, can and should be criticized as the occasion warrants. To stifle criticism is un-American, and our very recent example of the Bush White House efforts to muzzle critics of its' numerous failed economic and war policies was a disgusting example of American censorship at it's worst. As referenced here on other entries, it's competence, not color, that matters.
- Latest Reason To Be Worried About the Intelligence of America: The 4th most purchased player jersey in the NFL players over the last 5 months was Michael Vick's. I've often thought that the most effective crime deterrent would be the application of the crime to the criminal himself once apprehended. Electric shock and drowning seem appropriate to me for what Vick did to defenseless animals. That doesn't stop the fine fans of Philadelphia from purchasing his jersey however. Then again, this is the same group of people who once infamously booed an appearance by Santa Claus, and cheered for the tackle that concussed Michael Irvin as he lay motionless on the field.
- All Beekman residents should take the opportunity to have their voices and ideas heard at the Recreation Commission's public forum occurring next Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Rec Center. I've articulated for years my distaste for those who complain without volunteering, who whine without attending meetings, and who fail to actively participate in what their children partake of. Come down and have your opinion heard, or forfeit your right to have a say in the process.
- TV You Should Be Watching Now: "Sons Of Anarchy" on FX (definitely not for kids, and continuing the new-found terrific tradition of this channel, following "The Shield" & "Rescue Me"); "Wipeout" on ABC (great family fun, and laugh out loud funny); "Dexter" on Showtime or DVD (another adult-only recommendation, and illuminating in that it gives you pause to gauge your feelings on whether you can like a serial-killer who preys on terrible criminals).
- Great job by all who assisted in the services Wednesday for an unknown soldier of the Civil War who passed through Hyde Park on his way upstate. From the American Legion to the Patriot Guard Riders Association, this procession of honor for an American who fell some 147 years ago at Antietam reminded all of us, young and old, that sacrifices in the name of our freedom touch youth of every century (through testing, the soldier was determined to be between 17-19 years of age). For me, this hit very close to home; my great-great-great grandfather was also killed in Antietam (I'm sure my mother will correct me if I messed up the number of "greats").
- Continuing in the death vein, Norman Borlaug passed away this week. I vaguely recall reading about him in a science class years ago, but after reviewing the appropriate, widespread coverage of his passing, it's hard to imagine someone who's life more positively affected the human race. For the uninformed, Borlaug was the scientist who developed strains of wheat that increased yield and production, ending sustained shortages first in Mexico, then later in India & Pakistan. It is said that a person who saves one life saves the world; how many saved lives can be attributed to the man who brought food to millions? Estimates bandied about after his passing estimated one billion lives to Mr. Borlaug's ledger. In recognition of this work, he received everything from the Nobel Peace Prize to the Congressional Gold Medal to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Perhaps a more succinct affirmation of his contribution to our world would simply be a picture of a cross-section of people from around the planet, a living reflection of his life's work.
- An interesting, possibly polarizing dynamic has arisen as a side issue during the ongoing attacks launched against President Obama, ostensibly emanating from the healthcare debate. Many people, including former President Carter, have attributed the particularly vicious vitriol being directed the President's way to racism as a root cause. In thinking about this in some depth, I have little doubt that, for some Americans, the ongoing sight of a black man occupying the Oval Office is mistakenly, overwhelmingly repulsive. This, coupled with the unrelenting statistical analysis showing that Caucasian Americans will be a minority by 2050, appears to unnerve and unhinge these citizens. A lack of history obviously plays into this stunted judgement, as a census performed in the late 1600's / early 1700's would have showed Native Americans as the dominant population group, before our forefathers so less than graciously systematically removed them from their own land. The net is America has constantly evolved, changed, and revised its composite population ethnicity. It will continue to do so. Stubbornly clinging to the hope that your race or color will be the predominant one shows a frightening lack of grasping the obvious future. However, let's be clear on one point - all Presidents, regardless of complexion, can and should be criticized as the occasion warrants. To stifle criticism is un-American, and our very recent example of the Bush White House efforts to muzzle critics of its' numerous failed economic and war policies was a disgusting example of American censorship at it's worst. As referenced here on other entries, it's competence, not color, that matters.
Monday, September 14, 2009
On Politics 9/14/09: Mad Marching
In some respects, it seems like something out of the pages of Mad magazine. People gathering to parade in protest something that works, that they partake in and are covered by, yet who are working themselves into a delusional frothing in objection about.
On Saturday we witnessed the latest gathering of these Glenn Beck-beguiled, revolutionary hero wannabes taking to the street of our nation's capital in their latest lame recreation of what they believe our founding father's heroic activities were. The only thing that could make these events more unintentionally humorous is if they all started wearing powdered wigs and tri-corner hats. At least they'd look the part, and provide the rest of us a living re-enactment of that period's high fashion. It's reached truly scary proportions when some of those gathered refer to themselves as "patriots"; as if those of us in disagreement with them or actually informed on what a "public option" really is are any less patriotic. Never underestimate the power of people to be fooled by those spurring them on in the name of God or country.
For those doubting the ability of people to be willing misled, you always have to remember that Jim Jones once got 900 people to drink poison Kool-Aid to kill themselves, and David Koresh once convinced 80 others to burn alive in Waco, both men telling those unfortunate sycophants that heaven awaited them. In the non-lethal version of this, we've now got people willing listening to someone who's called the President a "racist", and who they themselves receive government-run healthcare, parading around with signs demanding that government is kept out of their healthcare. Again, as always, you just cannot make this stuff up.
With Americans, anything is really possible, good and bad.
On Saturday we witnessed the latest gathering of these Glenn Beck-beguiled, revolutionary hero wannabes taking to the street of our nation's capital in their latest lame recreation of what they believe our founding father's heroic activities were. The only thing that could make these events more unintentionally humorous is if they all started wearing powdered wigs and tri-corner hats. At least they'd look the part, and provide the rest of us a living re-enactment of that period's high fashion. It's reached truly scary proportions when some of those gathered refer to themselves as "patriots"; as if those of us in disagreement with them or actually informed on what a "public option" really is are any less patriotic. Never underestimate the power of people to be fooled by those spurring them on in the name of God or country.
For those doubting the ability of people to be willing misled, you always have to remember that Jim Jones once got 900 people to drink poison Kool-Aid to kill themselves, and David Koresh once convinced 80 others to burn alive in Waco, both men telling those unfortunate sycophants that heaven awaited them. In the non-lethal version of this, we've now got people willing listening to someone who's called the President a "racist", and who they themselves receive government-run healthcare, parading around with signs demanding that government is kept out of their healthcare. Again, as always, you just cannot make this stuff up.
With Americans, anything is really possible, good and bad.
Friday, September 11, 2009
On Politics 9/11/09: Very Bad Manners
We have now had our political discourse reduced to heckling the President of the United States during a joint address to Congress. I'm not sure if there could be any more definitive sign of the apocalypse than this, but perhaps the sun will rise during the evening this weekend, or the Mets may actually win three games in a row to confirm it is occurring.
Throughout history, the decorum in our chambers of government has distinguished our democracy from others. As some may know, you can see on the BBC or other public-broadcasting outlets the serve-and-volley of our political ancestors, the British Parliament, as they less than politely query the Prime Minister when he appears before them. On many news outlets, the semi-regular anarchy events of the South Korean legislature is shown for its shock value, as punches are thrown and piles of men in expensive suits have at each other in disagreement.
In America, this is not nor never should be the norm. Yet Joe Wilson of South Carolina decided to change all of that. His insult, shouted loud enough for television to capture, the President to acknowledge, and the other attendees to recoil in horror, denigrated all of us in one fell swoop. The veneer of politeness and protocol manners may be transparent to all who know the inside politics game of rough and tumble deal-making. However, for those viewing their supposed leaders from the comfort of their couches, the unsettling nature of a single act of unrestrained rudeness may coagulate all the ill will already felt towards these elected bodies.
In the first knee-jerk reaction to the event, donations poured in to finance the campaign of Mr. Wilson's forthcoming opponent for his seat. I'm certain that other uncomfortable things are sure to come his way shortly. You never know when the IRS or some other government agency may decide to take a closer look at your life.
Interestingly enough, Mr. Wilson, sounding far removed from contrite, stated in the immediate aftermath of his historic faux pas that Republican leadership had asked him to apologize, as if the thought had not spontaneously occurred to him after removing his foot from his mouth. I'll be curious to see how the de facto managers of the right in media and print decide to spin this. I suspect, after the immediate furor dissipates, that we'll hear something of the "what he did was wrong, how he did it was inappropriate, but his message was correct" dribble before long.
As often stated here, I hate people who are rude and impolite. I can understand how people have disagreements with others, including those who occupy the Oval Office. I know my own frustrations in watching its previous occupant give Americans a less than full accounting of the rationale for our ongoing wars, etc.; feelings that I believe might have been shared by some in the same chamber as Wednesday evening. However, it is never justifiable to exhibit the lack of respect for the office of the President that Mr. Wilson did.
Without observing this practice, they might as well just go into separate corners and come out swinging, followed by your late local news @ 11.
Throughout history, the decorum in our chambers of government has distinguished our democracy from others. As some may know, you can see on the BBC or other public-broadcasting outlets the serve-and-volley of our political ancestors, the British Parliament, as they less than politely query the Prime Minister when he appears before them. On many news outlets, the semi-regular anarchy events of the South Korean legislature is shown for its shock value, as punches are thrown and piles of men in expensive suits have at each other in disagreement.
In America, this is not nor never should be the norm. Yet Joe Wilson of South Carolina decided to change all of that. His insult, shouted loud enough for television to capture, the President to acknowledge, and the other attendees to recoil in horror, denigrated all of us in one fell swoop. The veneer of politeness and protocol manners may be transparent to all who know the inside politics game of rough and tumble deal-making. However, for those viewing their supposed leaders from the comfort of their couches, the unsettling nature of a single act of unrestrained rudeness may coagulate all the ill will already felt towards these elected bodies.
In the first knee-jerk reaction to the event, donations poured in to finance the campaign of Mr. Wilson's forthcoming opponent for his seat. I'm certain that other uncomfortable things are sure to come his way shortly. You never know when the IRS or some other government agency may decide to take a closer look at your life.
Interestingly enough, Mr. Wilson, sounding far removed from contrite, stated in the immediate aftermath of his historic faux pas that Republican leadership had asked him to apologize, as if the thought had not spontaneously occurred to him after removing his foot from his mouth. I'll be curious to see how the de facto managers of the right in media and print decide to spin this. I suspect, after the immediate furor dissipates, that we'll hear something of the "what he did was wrong, how he did it was inappropriate, but his message was correct" dribble before long.
As often stated here, I hate people who are rude and impolite. I can understand how people have disagreements with others, including those who occupy the Oval Office. I know my own frustrations in watching its previous occupant give Americans a less than full accounting of the rationale for our ongoing wars, etc.; feelings that I believe might have been shared by some in the same chamber as Wednesday evening. However, it is never justifiable to exhibit the lack of respect for the office of the President that Mr. Wilson did.
Without observing this practice, they might as well just go into separate corners and come out swinging, followed by your late local news @ 11.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
On Politics 9/8/09: Irrational Objections - Postscript
As a follow-up to my previous blog entry, attached below you will find a few selected excerpts from President Obama's terrific speech to American students today. Hopefully, you'll conclude as I do, that the most dangerous thing to arise out of all of this was the exposure of parental lunacy to the children of those adults irrationally opposed to their President speaking to our schoolchildren. As my father once said, if you let stupid people speak long enough, or in this case, put a microphone in front of them, they eventually reveal their stupidity. Read on to discover what is easily and immediately recognizable as a reinforcement of the values and goals that everyone should be telling their children on a daily basis.
"When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and
my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning. Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster." "
"But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed."
"I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide."
"And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it. And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future."
"We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country."
"But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying."
"That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn."
"No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in. "
"Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it."
"When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and
my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning. Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster." "
"But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed."
"I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide."
"And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it. And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future."
"We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country."
"But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying."
"That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn."
"No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in. "
"Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it."
Sunday, September 6, 2009
On Politics 9/6/09: Irrational Objections
In yet the latest example of why it's infuriating to be an American at times, we are now suffering a chorus of objection to President Obama's planned speech to schoolchildren this coming Tuesday. Various and sundry news reports reflect that opposition of the speech is loudest amongst those identifying themselves as members of the Republican party, including various elected officials and state GOP party chairmen.
These voices, from the same people who championed Bush 43 as an educational President and as the architect of the No Child Left Behind Act, are indignant that Mr. Obama is taking the opportunity to speak to children about staying in school and studying hard. It seems odd that any American would not want to capitalize on the story of a mixed-race child from a single-parent home utilizing those scholastic traits to gain entrance to Harvard and become the first President of color in our country's history. What better real-life example of what dedication and effort can result in for any child who applies themselves than this? Should we revert back to the days of 43's horrific grammar, terrible sentence construction, and inarticulate delivery as the preferred example for our young minds? For God's sake, let us hope not.
The other bile forthcoming from those objecting is their pronouncement that, heaven forbid, this talk with our nation's youth may mention the ongoing health care debate, and the issues surrounding it. I can only think what the children might ask if the President mentioned to them that some of their very own classmates cannot afford to go to the doctor, or that the pills Mommy takes are too expensive because the people in Washington don't allow for the generic drug production or price competitiveness to reduce costs, or if they ask why people that used to be elected by their parents now work for organizations designed to help businesses, not people?
To paraphrase the old Biblical saying, out of the mouth of babes can come uncomfortable questions.
These voices, from the same people who championed Bush 43 as an educational President and as the architect of the No Child Left Behind Act, are indignant that Mr. Obama is taking the opportunity to speak to children about staying in school and studying hard. It seems odd that any American would not want to capitalize on the story of a mixed-race child from a single-parent home utilizing those scholastic traits to gain entrance to Harvard and become the first President of color in our country's history. What better real-life example of what dedication and effort can result in for any child who applies themselves than this? Should we revert back to the days of 43's horrific grammar, terrible sentence construction, and inarticulate delivery as the preferred example for our young minds? For God's sake, let us hope not.
The other bile forthcoming from those objecting is their pronouncement that, heaven forbid, this talk with our nation's youth may mention the ongoing health care debate, and the issues surrounding it. I can only think what the children might ask if the President mentioned to them that some of their very own classmates cannot afford to go to the doctor, or that the pills Mommy takes are too expensive because the people in Washington don't allow for the generic drug production or price competitiveness to reduce costs, or if they ask why people that used to be elected by their parents now work for organizations designed to help businesses, not people?
To paraphrase the old Biblical saying, out of the mouth of babes can come uncomfortable questions.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
On Politics 9/2/09: Incorrect Labels
Over the past few days, I've watched and re-watched a terrific new program on the National Geographic channel called "9/11: Science and Conspiracy". As the title suggests, the people at Nat Geo (they've re-named their channel and themselves to a more slang-like moniker) have put time, money, and energy in having experts in the necessary respective fields debunk the various fallacies put forth by by people laughingly calling themselves "truthers".
One would think that the label "truther" would refer to someone who believes in things that are absolute and proven to be correct. From a mathematical perspective, this would translate to an equation like 2 + 2 = 4; no matter how many different way you try to swizzle the numbers, it never changes, the result always being the same. From a science perspective, it could be the daily actions of the sun; always rising, every 24 hours, every day.
Here we have the opposite: the people anointing themselves with this nomenclature are non-believers, self-proclaimed heretics of the answers provided by their government and science. These presumably intelligent people would have us believe that the Twin Towers were blown up by our government, and that the Pentagon was struck by a missile, not an airplane. Listening to those representing this viewpoint during the broadcast makes you fondly wish for the days of Hilary Clinton's vast right-wing conspiracy; for those believing this bunk by default implicate merely the military, political, and judicial branches of our country.
The most criminal aspect of all of this is not what the "truthers" say is the crime, that our government specifically targeted us on that day for elimination, but rather that their argument obfuscates and distracts from what the message should be, that of furious anger and salivating revenge on those who actually perpetrated the crime. This time-soak of mindless, inane accusations dishonors those who fell that day.
The program, which I heartily recommend, goes to great detailed length and conclusive scientific experimentation to blow apart the insanity of the "truther" arguments, theories, fantasies, and alternate realities. The producers even invite the truthers to view the footage of the experiments negating the implausible claims they profess. Of course, they merely state that their evidence is incontrovertible and that the experiments are flawed. A terrific moment in the show occurs when one of the "truthers", a PhD himself, discusses an experiment with the PhD from the testing company who created and conducted it. The "truther" says that the successful experiment proves only one theory of how the building collapses, to have the testing firm scientist reply "what other theory?" to the implication that there could be any other cause. The predictable uncomfortable silence follows, before the "truther" sputters out that they do not have the time to go into those competing theories at this time.
As also noted in the program, Americans seem to always want there to be more behind our tragedies. The examples utilized, Pearl Harbor, JFK, and 9/11 are all associated with various "hidden stories", such as FDR wanting us in WW II, Lee Harvey not acting alone, and the government again in the 9/11 attacks. Sometimes, the simplest explanations are such because they are true; we were attacked by surprise on December 7 and September 11, and the disgruntled loner sitting in the corner of a book depository somehow channeled his military training to pull off two perfect shots at a moving target. It hurts to think that another country got the drop on us or terrorists exploited our lack of security to do us harm, but it did happen. Perhaps that's too painful for certain people to admit, that causes the spontaneous generation of those who want to believe, like Fox Mulder in the X Files, that something else is the cause. We all do know that our government is flawed and never perfect, that information on items has been kept from us, theoretically for our own good.
Given that history, is it enough to believe that the U.S. murdered 3,000 of its' citizens? Even I am not that cynical.
One would think that the label "truther" would refer to someone who believes in things that are absolute and proven to be correct. From a mathematical perspective, this would translate to an equation like 2 + 2 = 4; no matter how many different way you try to swizzle the numbers, it never changes, the result always being the same. From a science perspective, it could be the daily actions of the sun; always rising, every 24 hours, every day.
Here we have the opposite: the people anointing themselves with this nomenclature are non-believers, self-proclaimed heretics of the answers provided by their government and science. These presumably intelligent people would have us believe that the Twin Towers were blown up by our government, and that the Pentagon was struck by a missile, not an airplane. Listening to those representing this viewpoint during the broadcast makes you fondly wish for the days of Hilary Clinton's vast right-wing conspiracy; for those believing this bunk by default implicate merely the military, political, and judicial branches of our country.
The most criminal aspect of all of this is not what the "truthers" say is the crime, that our government specifically targeted us on that day for elimination, but rather that their argument obfuscates and distracts from what the message should be, that of furious anger and salivating revenge on those who actually perpetrated the crime. This time-soak of mindless, inane accusations dishonors those who fell that day.
The program, which I heartily recommend, goes to great detailed length and conclusive scientific experimentation to blow apart the insanity of the "truther" arguments, theories, fantasies, and alternate realities. The producers even invite the truthers to view the footage of the experiments negating the implausible claims they profess. Of course, they merely state that their evidence is incontrovertible and that the experiments are flawed. A terrific moment in the show occurs when one of the "truthers", a PhD himself, discusses an experiment with the PhD from the testing company who created and conducted it. The "truther" says that the successful experiment proves only one theory of how the building collapses, to have the testing firm scientist reply "what other theory?" to the implication that there could be any other cause. The predictable uncomfortable silence follows, before the "truther" sputters out that they do not have the time to go into those competing theories at this time.
As also noted in the program, Americans seem to always want there to be more behind our tragedies. The examples utilized, Pearl Harbor, JFK, and 9/11 are all associated with various "hidden stories", such as FDR wanting us in WW II, Lee Harvey not acting alone, and the government again in the 9/11 attacks. Sometimes, the simplest explanations are such because they are true; we were attacked by surprise on December 7 and September 11, and the disgruntled loner sitting in the corner of a book depository somehow channeled his military training to pull off two perfect shots at a moving target. It hurts to think that another country got the drop on us or terrorists exploited our lack of security to do us harm, but it did happen. Perhaps that's too painful for certain people to admit, that causes the spontaneous generation of those who want to believe, like Fox Mulder in the X Files, that something else is the cause. We all do know that our government is flawed and never perfect, that information on items has been kept from us, theoretically for our own good.
Given that history, is it enough to believe that the U.S. murdered 3,000 of its' citizens? Even I am not that cynical.
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