Is There a Shred of Hope?

Greetings.  I'm not sure exactly what to say, but I'm just too emotional and heartsick not to write something.

I want to scream at people - look at the harm that's being done!  I just cannot see how ANYONE of ANY sort of good will could be party to the mess that we're in.  And it's a huge one - that even a certain nutjob's supporters should have seen coming. Our very democracy is under severe attack, there are missile strikes, civil liberties continue to be attacked, and we haven't even touched on climate concerns yet.

I was half expecting bad news about the nefarious SCOTUS nominee - and yes, it was bad. Commondreams.org listed the 4 Dem. Senate collaborators in voting for cloture, and I posted a link to that article in my twitter feed.  The GOP keeps showing us that they have no thought or care for anything but their own power.  Is there any line they won't cross?

But I was NOT prepared for the horrible news of the missile strikes on Syria.  This is wading in to very deep, dangerous territory ---- and it ignores our Constitution and international law. Trevor Timm in his twitter feed  (he's @trevortimm ) tweeted a video where Brian Williams called these strikes "beautiful" numerous times.  I'm sorry, but destruction and loss of life are certainly not MY idea of beauty.  Timm also has several tweets which show the msm for the most part has failed to be even a bit critical and just be submissive in reporting this.  Sounds a lot like Orwell, doesn't it: "War is Peace."  My mind and spirit are so troubled by this development and I can't help but also wonderalong with Peter Van Buren (see his tweet  in the commondreams article in link above) "No one knows where this ends."

That's certainly bad enough.  And there's more.  The  gov't wants to unmask an anonymous "rogue" twitter account user who has been critical of the admin..  And get this, according to an ACLU spokesperson, "on the face of the summons the government has offered no reason for seeking this information."  As a new twitter user, of course I'm concerned; and everyone else should be as well.  Free Speech needs to apply to ALL!  I'm glad that twitter is filing suit and that the ACLU is defending the user.

I know there's quite a resistance around, but is there hope for getting us out of this mess?  The stakes are too high and I'm concerned as I've never been.  The dangers are real, folks.  I'm not sure about answers, but I AM doing a LOT of praying.

And do remember, if you find this post or any post here of value, please do comment (they're GOLD, remember) and/or share.  Thanks!

Heartlessness

Greetings again.  I really thought I'd let the last few posts sit a bit, but in reading the news (yesterday now) I knew I just had to post something about the heartbreak so many immigrants are undergoing. And it's not just here in the U. S., but in other places around the world as well.

I just can not fathom how these people can live with themselves while treating other human beings so cruelly.  I suppose the Milgram Experiment  and the Stanford Prison Experiment explain some of it.

You can read about the "Dreamer" so recently taken into custody by ICE after speaking out.  She's not even the first case that is outrageous, not even the first Dreamer case.  This story details the case of an undocumented women detained after seeking a protection order against an abuser, along with mentions of some other cases. There are some who see the damage these heavy-handed crackdowns are having on the targets and their families.  WHY DON'T MORE OF US?

Since Brexit, there have been many stories of folks having problems staying in the U. K. or being deported.  Here is a very striking example.  This woman is even in a better position than most who find themselves with similar problems, believe it or not.  In the op-ed, Irene Clennell tells her story of being forced to leave her family.  "I’d been in the UK since 1988, married to a British man for 27 years. Yet I was forced from my family, without legal advice, and left in Singapore with just £12."  Further, she adds:  "The authorities have shown their willingness to treat foreign-born people as second-class citizens, no matter how integrated we are – and, worse, treat us like criminals... During my removal from Britain I was treated like a terrorist: I was restrained by the arms, my every word written down, and there were guards on the door when I went to the toilet."

But there is more outrage to come.  I think taking today's low-down prize in heartlessness is the mayor (she has so dishonored the title that NO, I won't capitalize it) of Calais, France.  She is determined to put an end to folks feeding the immigrants that are coming to the area and struggling to survive.  This, the article points out, will particularly hurt young people.  How heartless are you when your lack concern for fellow human beings going hungry is such that you don't even want anyone else to feed them out of concern for their plight?  What kind of heart, what kind of mindset is that?

This really is a challenge for all of us.  Shades of "I was only following orders," one has to wonder about how folks could be so unfeeling (maybe there was something to those experiments after all...). This fine "Views" article from commmondreams challenges all of us.  What would we do?  And this one, also pointed out something I certainly was not aware of;  Nazi death camps were right in urban areas!  Joe Engel, a Holocaust survivor on the tour which gave rise to the article, said: “People say they didn’t know. All the camps were so close to the city. How could they not know? You could smell the ashes, the flesh.”  In his conclusion, the author of the piece also challenges us: "What kind of witnesses shall we be?"  Indeed, each in our own way, WE MUST NOT LOOK AWAY.

If this post or any post here you find to be of value, please do comment and/or share.  Thanks!

Hall of Shame 2

Not feeling very optimistic yet.  But feeling cynical enough to do another edition of  "Hall of Shame."  I hereby present the following exhibits:

• Intolerance Division: Rebbecca Bradley, a WI Supreme Court Justice.  She wrote some extremely intolerant remarks about LGBTQ people when she was a student.  Now, admittedly it was, what, 24 years ago now, and people can (hopefully) grow out of such mindsets. But understand that folks are rightly going to be skeptical, at least.

• Prosecutorial Hubris Division: Kelly Siegler.  After watching the CBS "48 Hours" show on 'Playing by the Rules,' I was totally put off by her blase attitude about giving the defense drips and drops --- and saying still that she gave the defense of David Temple (convicted of murdering his wife, Belinda) 'all he was entitled to.'  But the appeals judge, Judge Gist (who seems to be hard on defendants generally) recommended he be given a new trial, citing 36 points of info the defense should have been given.  Of course the judge, the former prosecutor who looked into the case, and the defense, all of them were wrong but her.  I wanted to find out if the series she was on, "Cold Justice" on TNT would be back or not (hadn't seen or heard anything for some time).  I haven't seen definitely whether or not it has been cancelled, but I did find this:  the show has been sued - twice!  Now I'm all for putting bad folks away but not a) at the expense of a really fair trial and b) not if they're not actually guilty. You readers can decide for yourselves in this case, but I would agree with Judge Gist that a new trial is in order here.  

• Insensitive Racism Division:  Joe's Crab Shack Restaurant in Roseville. MN, where a very racist photo was found embedded on a table.  While the chain apologized and the offending table removed from that restaurant, according to the article, there have been reports of other racist images at other restaurants in the chain in other states.  WHY, in 2016, now are we still going trough this?

• Islamophobic and Misogynistic Division:  The  French Embassy in Wash. D. C..  Saima Ashraf-Hassan said she was harassed at her job there because of her religion, and also that when she informed her supervisor she was pregnant, she was fired.  She sued.  A judge ruled in her favor, although the embassy is still fighting the ruling.

• Intolerance Division (again!): Missouri Republicans. They seem to be intent on passing anti-gay legislation.  Can't they learn that treating some as SECOND CLASS CITIZENS IS WRONG?

• Let's Criminalize the Homeless Division:  LA and its City Council.  They are forcing folks from tiny houses a good-hearted Elvis Summers builds for them.  Believe it or not, other cities have had success dealing with homelessness with tiny houses or other innovative housing solutions.  Unfortunately, there have also been places where homelessness is being criminalized.  Bless Mr. Summers who vows to keep up his activism! 

• The Nasty, Dangerous, Nutjob Egomaniac Division:  You know who.  I hate to give him any more "coverage" here, but if there's one person who still needs to be convinced how awful and dangerous he is, I guess I should include a few links.  The furor over the violence at his rallies, his absolute refusal to take any responsibility, his wanting protesters to be beaten up is absolutely sickening to ANYONE of any good will at all.  First read an excellent article by Robert Mackey at The Intercept.  Then please read Lucia Graves' story at The Guardian.  She has some first-hand perspective on the way the press has been treated by this campaign and what is says about the "candidate."  Then, for a sample of what he has been saying in the wake of this mess here's something from NPR News.  It also covers reactions from other candidates.  Yes, the others SHOULD contemn him, in no uncertain terms, as should we all.  Oh, yes: he supports torture as well.  Although he finally did say he'd abide by laws, a Congressman noted he didn't yet specifically disavow torture.  From the article: The lead Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, said that while Trump "has now said he would obey the law, he has yet to specifically disavow torture or killing the families of our enemies."    Schiff also noted that these are war crimes! There should be no place for this type of total disrespect for : protest and dissent, Freedom of the Press, and treating other human beings with a degree of civility and humanity.  He has stoked "anger" and refuses to see the problems with the mob mentality that's floating around.  This needs to be totally rejected by ALL!

 So there's another edition of our "Hall of Shame."  Would love to have some comments or suggestions.  Would really love some encouragement here.  So - let me hear from some of you.

Anyone There? Any Hope Out There?

Hello.  Is anyone out there?  Really.  Are there any humans actually reading this?  

It's been discouraging lately.  The political climate is so bad.  I hate having the news on now or going to news sites.  How can people go for such bigotry?  Come on, you all know what and who I'm talking about.  And I feel the dangers posed by this are real.

That along with threats to privacy, human rights and civil rights, the refugee crisis, climate crisis, GMO's and other stuff like legal system abuses, it seems there's hardly been any good news around.  I actually have a more hopeful blog post ready to go, but I just couldn't face posting it. Right after I wrote it, I just didn't feel it and still don't.  I've never been so cynical or so very concerned about our country and even the world as I am now.  I know there have been some bad times in the past, but there is just so much potential now for things to get so much worse than we can hardly imagine.

I just don't know what the upshot will be.  I've usually been an optimistic person.  but the way things are now, it's harder and harder to feel any of that.

So.  Anyone reading?  Any hope?

Outrageous - Updated

I hate to move the previous post down.  I may move it back up after a day or so.

But I have to write this:  Trump is doing this "fundraiser" for Wounded Warrior Project tonight at the same time as the GOP debate.  And it's supposed to get tv coverage?  So basically, Trump throws a tantrum because he does't like the Fox Moderator and he gets REWARDED for it?  Any wonder why I'm outraged?  I just saw that C-Span has it on their schedule - to their SHAME.  I just e-mailed them to express my outrage.  However, I first wrote to WWP telling them they should be ashamed for having anything to do with this ludicrous candidate.  CNN phones should be open now, and I will call them.  I'll be right back to let you all know how that call progressed.

When I called CNN, the receptionist said there was no person available so I left a message with my e-mail in case anyone felt like getting back to me.   I didn't find their site very easy to navigate, and just checked my Verizon guide, but didn't see it on CNN schedule (or HLN either) - and I hope it stays that way! I will of course, update if I get any response from them, WWP, or C-Span.

I would advocate that you readers also let WWP and the media know this event is outrageous - skip the coverage!  Some Media contact info can be found here.   For some reason on the printout I actually use, I blocked out 'option 1' with the CNN# so I guess that's certainly not necessary. WWP can be easily searched out and C-Span has an online contact form. Why the media is pandering to that dangerous bigoted, extremist, is beyond me.  Or should be, as they should stop giving him free passes and a stage for every nasty remark he utters.  And I wonder if his supporters really understood the disdain he was showing for THEM with that "shooting people" remark.  BTW, has anyone heard any candidate or media person who actually condemned that remark?

Here's also something I found at The Guardian and their covering of this debate flap except the first link I have here may not be the one they referred to:

On the heels of news that Republican frontrunner Donald Trump’s luxurious, world-class retweets are disproportionately bestowed upon white supremacists, the billionaire presidential candidate has been called out as a latter-day fascist by none other than Anne Frank’s stepsister.
In an essay published by Newsweek, Eva Schloss, an 86-year-old survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp, decried Trump’s anti-immigrant policies as reminiscent of Nazi Germany:
"If Donald Trump become the next president of the US it would be a complete disaster. I think he is acting like another Hitler by inciting racism.”
The piece, written to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day, compares the plight of Syrian refugees - and global resistance to aiding them - to the experiences of her family in the years leading up to World War II. “I was 11 years old when my family first immigrated to Belgium,” Schloss writes.
“We were treated as if we had come from the moon. I felt as if I wasn’t wanted and that I was different to everybody. It is even harder for today’s Syrian refugees who have a very different culture ... I was shocked that I wasn’t accepted like an ordinary person. I am very upset that today again so many countries are closing their borders.”

...Well said, Ms. Schloss.

UPDATE:

Saw a blub on I think it was Bloomberg news online that nasty Trump actually dominated coverage at CNN and MSNBC during time of GOP debate.  I left online feedback for CNN -  but will it help?  I'm sick and tired of this wacko being shoved in our faces and enabled to spew his hateful rhetoric by the media.  Are there any human readers out there?  And anyone even taking the time to phone or leave feedback for these media enablers?  We complain, but nothing ever seems TO GET DONE.  I do what I feel I can, mostly "armchair/online stuff" but I do make some sort of effort here.  Anyone getting the feeling I'm a bit frustrated?  Yup.  Seeing that ludicrous nutjob continually getting rewarded by the media  - and actually having ANY supporters will do that...

 

Fight the Bile (With Updates!)

I truly shudder at the vile atmosphere the U.S. seems to have descended into.  It seems the mood is increasingly anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, among other things.

I am heartsick that anyone favors Donald Trump and his vileness.  His rhetoric is nastily divisive and his proposals unAmerican and definitely unDemocratic (well, aren't we supposed to be a - Democracy, Republic, something?).

How can we just brush aside the indignities and real threats so many American Muslims are facing right now?  Glenn Greenwald did an overview of some very recent incidents at The Intercept.

Then I just read a heartbreaking story on Yahoo news about the effects such hateful rhetoric is having on Muslim children.  And what have THEY done?

And what else?  Trump actually encouraged supporters to assault a heckler.  Now, if that happened in another country, wouldn't we UNIVERSALLY AND QUITE STRONGLY condemn that?  In fact, if any other presidential candidate here did that, I think their campaign would be in serious trouble if not over.  Juan Thompson at The Intercept wrote about visiting a Trump rally and the the ensuing poor treatment of him and also those who came to protest.

That Trump isn't alone is scary.  Just a couple of weeks ago during C-Span's Landmark Cases - Brown v. Board of Education episode, a caller started spewing the most vile racist filth.  Sue cut him off, but really not soon enough.  I keep asking myself, what year is this?  Many disparate people of good will for centuries have tried to bring us into a society closer to our ideal of  "All men (and I'll add women!) are created equal."  Have we forgotten their struggles?  Have we forgotten to what we're supposed to aspire?  I shake my head and pray.  Pray hard.

It was at least some measure of hope that many added condemnations of this dangerous person to The Guardian's Guardian Witness "assignment" of "# We Do Care" in response to Trump.  I didn't see mine there, though?  What's up Guardian???

Moral of the story:  we must fight the bile.  We must reject hate, fear-mongering and divisiveness.  And we need as many persons of good will as possible to do this.  Stand up NOW!!!

UPDATES:

I don't know if anyone saw this since I so very recently posted it, but I just got on to this story via a report from one of my mailing lists.  It is so excellent - although I don't favor the expletives, just be aware ... Don't Hate All Muslims...

I didn't dare watch that GOP debate; I knew I wouldn't be able to stomach it.  And I was right.  The canddates were competing on - who can drop the most bombs - not seeming to care about civilian casualties?  Check this out.

Related Posts: (in addition to the few just preceding this one:

 Equality Begins With Respect, And... (with Update)

Equality, Equality

Fear-Mongering Alerts - II

Greetings ----

In the previous post, we looked at fearmongering and demonizing groups.  But there's also another dimension to the fear-mongering that's being presented to us, which is: clear threats to our civil liberties.

The Intercept has a very interesting article out. The Pres., intelligence community are really fighting to either stop the spread of end-to-end encryption or mandate that tech companies put in backdoors that intelligence spies and Law enforcement can use.  BAD IDEA!!!  Backdoors just make everyone's data LESS safe.  And that's not just me, but the conclusion of a cyber expert quoted in the article.  And the FBI is calling on tech companies to open backdoors to encryption.  Is anyone paying attention?  Why aren't we howling until this spying is radically scaled back, until mass surveillance is truly stopped???

Then there's Hillary, who in addition to worrying about encrypted apps said:  "And this is complicated. You’re going to hear all of the usual complaints, you know, freedom of speech, et cetera..."    FREEDOM OF SPEECH is now a "complaint?"  I thought it was a portion of The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to our Constitution, which is supposed to be the supreme law of the land.  You know, Hillary, our freedoms are not pesky handcuffs for law enforcement or intelligence spooks.  They were written to ensure liberty and some protections against government abuses. And a certain clown running for President also wants to talk about "closing the internet?"  Trump is really dangerous; more needs to be done to expose his poor fit to be a U. S.  leader.  I find a general lack of respect for civil liberties and human rights that makes me shake my head in dismay when I look over the field of main Presidential contenders.  I'm not optimistic.
 
And look at what's going on outside the U. S., too.  Say, France.  The French are considering some really draconian legislation -- included on the "wish-list" is banning public wi-fi if there is a state of emergency and outlawing TOR browser.  They also have harassed climate change protesters in Paris. Demonstrations have been disallowed and some key protesters placed on house arrest.  From the article: 
Some protesters argue that the permission granted to football matches, trade fairs and Christmas markets in Paris over the summit period suggests that the authorities’ real concern is to suppress dissent.
“We are trying to find grey areas in the law,” said John Jordan, a prominent activist. “At the moment, a demonstration is legally defined as more than two people who share a political message. We are trying to find creative ways around these laws.”

Oh no, the real intent just couldn't be to stifle dissent, now could it?

And the UK is no slouch, either, in the give-the-spooks-what-they-want department.  

It's time to start realizing that this is NOT about keeping us safe.  Not by a long shot.  There is absolutely NO evidence that mass surveillance has foiled ANY large terror plot. Really do some critical thinking, then, about why there is so much push for surveillance and tracking.  Really think about the kind of world we're building.  Really think about not buying into "the internet of things", not buying that new, more invasive gadget, or being so willing to be digitally tracked by ---- whatever site, ad tracker, offered loyalty card, or nefarious government agency wants to.  Wake up, it's getting late.

Related Posts:

My Update on a Classic

Any More Doubts? 

Any More Doubts (2)? 

Fear-Mongering Alerts - I

The news lately has been fairly abysmal, especially after my last post.  The tragedy of San Bernadino certainly dominated headlines.  And there didn't seem to be much other good news around.

But look at what's going on in the aftermath of San Bernadino.  Why the media is giving the extremely dangerous, divisive Trump ANY airtime or credibility is beyond me.  I cringe just seeing his face on news reports.  Literally.  And he has now hit an even new low for him, calling for a ban on Muslims entering the U.S.  On what?  Suspect data, that's what! Then there's Jerry Falwell, Jr., President of Liberty University, urging students to carry firearms.  Seems as though clarifications were issued and the University issued a statement.  Ok, but I will say that Mr. Falwell, Jr.  should pay strict heed to the Moody Blues: "Say What You Mean"  Might help avoid gaffes.

At this point, let's remember a few things. (Since I am a Christian, this comes from this perspective ---- and I hope it's clear that ALL faiths should be respected:) Jesus talked graciously with the Samaritan woman at the well.  Yes, a Samaritan woman, and she noted Jews then generally had no dealings with them.  And what about the parable of "The Good Samaritan"?  We certainly concentrate on the kindness of that stranger in the story, but are we losing another point: that the do-gooder was "one of them (not us!)?"  And I must now include one of my favorite Bible verses here: Acts 10:34-35: "And Peter opened his mouth and said: 'Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him."  (RSV)

We need to reject demagogues who want to demonize whole groups.  We need to see common humanity and use some common sense when addressing "threats."  We need more media folks to expose demagoguery, false data, and bogus claims.  And we need people to wake up to the dangers even such ill-advised remarks have; and ENSURE their rejection in practice.

(Part II is coming...) 

Drone Documents

Sorry if I put too much onto your plates, readers, but this is HUGE:

The Intercept has a series of stories provided by a security agency whistleblower  (the source) providing some details of drone strikes and targeted killings.  I don't think I've read every story, but I have read several and they are chilling.  The disregard for things like due process and not taking innocent civilian lives if not absolutely unavoidable is sickening.

The articles are a lot to take in.  So I'll make a few comments.  Jeremy Scahill had in his stories often termed these targeted killings - extrajudicial killings I'v often used - as assassinations; something that sounds pretty UNlawful to me. Scahill points out at the beginning of story #1, The Assassination Complex, that the POLICY is assassination and Congress has not legislated about nor even defined "assassination." I think we should all take that point and look again at a root cause and make sure we address this underlying mentality that seems to be creeping into the gov't-military-industrial complex.

And I'll reiterate, I HATE drones.  My feeling is SCRAP THEM ALL!!! At least it would make "assassinations" harder to accomplish.  "The military is easily capable of adapting to change, but they don’t like to stop anything they feel is making their lives easier, or is to their benefit. And this certainly is, in their eyes, a very quick, clean way of doing things. It’s a very slick, efficient way to conduct the war, without having to have the massive ground invasion mistakes of Iraq and Afghanistan,” the source said. “But at this point, they have become so addicted to this machine, to this way of doing business, that it seems like it’s going to become harder and harder to pull them away from it the longer they’re allowed to continue operating in this way."

Let's not forget also, that there are spy drones NOW in the U. S. and that North Dakota has ok'd drones with non-lethal weapons.  We need to take this seriously, folks.

And PLEASE - would someome comment so I know actual people not robots are reading this? I really need/want to know if this is still worthwile.   I feell as though I'm begging - but some word of encouragament or feedback or something would mean so much.  I try to give good content here - I really do; but is it kinda lonely ----- some company would be so appreciated. 


Related Posts:

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• Have You Noticed - 2

Fantasy Sports - Just Hand Over Your Money - UPDATED!

Hello, Readers ----  good to see page views but some comments would be AWESOME!  Would just love to hear from some of you: your thoughts, insights, rants (civil, of course), whatever.  What's going on with you?

Here in the good ol' U. S. A., it's football season again.  Sorry to say my Seahawks are 0 - 2 (ummm - what's going on, guys?), but that's not what has me ranting right now.

You've probably seen ads for them on tv - fantasy football sites that promise pretty good payoffs. What???  It seems there's always someone waiting to take someone else's money.  And to be honest, I can't think of what else these sites have been created for.

Supposedly these sites are for fun and excitement,  but do folks think about the REALITY of them?  They may promise payoffs, but I'm quite sure they're not in business to lose money, so how are they going to pay off winners if a lot of "users" don't lose?  Do folks who sign up  and the networks and shows that accept their sponsorships think about that?  I also include online gaming sites as needing our disdain (more in a moment...).

Found this recent article at NPR News about just these sorts of sites.  Two things the article brings out that are really concerning about this:  1)  some of the investors are mentioned in the article --- including some sports leagues, teams and some networks, etc.; does this really show respect for fans? and 2) consider this:  "And while players on FanDuel, DraftKings and other sites put up money for a chance to win a lot more, it's not considered betting — thanks to an exemption in a 2006 law regulating online gambling."  As some commenters noted - how, exactly is this different from gambling?  I think the potential for real harm to individuals is quite clear (as did some other commenters).It's too easy to get hooked, thinking - oh, I'll win NEXT week. It would be easy for losses to keep piling up, though, waiting for that win.  I would counsel someone to never go near these sites even with that proverbial ten-foot pole.

To be sure, the lure of "easy money" can be enticing.  But if we either learn from experience or take a step back, we'll see that things that are too good to be true - most often definitely aren't.  I hope that folks will STOP using such sites. SHAME on the networks and shows who accept their advertising.  And DOUBLE SHAME  on the creators of them and the investors.

UPDATES:

Would you believe a manager on one of these sites released data on fantasy teams, then bet and won big on another site?   The story is here.

Would you belieeve the SEC Network will no longer accept commercials from FanDuel and Draft Kings?  Good for them.  Now, can we get other networks to follow?  

Would you believe that fans really need to "Get Smart"?  Maybe we should assign Agents 86 and 99 to the case. :-) 

ANOTHER UPDATE:  
A Congressman from NJ is calling for hearings on fantasy sites! 

Take it Down (Updated)

Following the horrible tragedy in Charleston, there have been prayers, vigils, questions, and a standing-room-only-and-people-also-outside worship service at Mother Emmanuel Church.  All part of coming to grips with the cold reality of the lives lost, not forgotten.

However, this has brought another issue back to the forefront: that of the confederate flag flying now at a confederate veterans' memorial at the State Capitol.  I believe in one recent Guardian article it was stated that a bill will be introduced in the legislature to indeed retire this hateful symbol.  And I make no apologies, for I feel that is exactly what it is.

You can read about the current controversy and the weaseling responses of presidential candidates in this story.  And I don't buy this "it should be decided by the people of the state" argument.  Ideally, yes, you would hope that the residents of say, SC, would do the right thing, but sometimes economic pressure seems to be the only way to overcome resistance.  I hope that if it becomes clearly necessary, folks would institute and support a boycott.

I'm certainly not a lawyer, but to me it seems as though a recently decided Supreme Court case has a certain parallel.  The decision supported Texas (!) in its bid to deny specialty licence plates for Sons of Confederate Veterans. "Texas had rejected the proposed plate, which includes a Confederate battle flag, arguing that it was offensive to a "significant portion" of the public."  The Supreme Court found that since the plate would be issued by the state, it would constitute government speech and Texas was in its rights to be able to refuse.   NPR News has a good recap story.  I would hope that SC would realize that this divisive symbol on government grounds is offensive to any person of goodwill (and by reading comments to The Guardian story above, it emerges that opposition to this flag is not limited to solely one racial or geographic group).

And let's be blunt about it.  It is indeed a racist symbol, there can be no doubt about that.  In the articles and discussions, the racism of the confederacy was chillingly told in some documents that writers and commenters have brought up, including this, from confederate VP Alexander Stephens:

"Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner- stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth."

That was from the so-called 'Corner-Stone Speech' of March 21, 1861.  If you have the stomach, the entire speech is here.

Therefore, I question what kind of Southern pride or heritage the defenders of this racist banner find go great.  

Folks, it is now 2015.
It is time to retire that flag.
It is time to REJECT the racism and divisiveness it represents.
Take down the flag.
Take it down now.

UPDATE:

The SC governor and assorted legislators are calling for the removal of the flag.  A bill is to be introduced.  Note in the account at The Guardian the turnaround of the Gov. and some of those Presidential candidates.  That Gov. is a piece of work.  According to the article: "Haley had long defended the flag’s presence on statehouse grounds, declaring that its removal was not an issue because “not a single CEO” had complained about it."  Oh gee, guess that makes the rest of us the proverbial chopped liver.  Folks, if this is how our leaders see us, get a clue.  

Bring Them Home Safely

Of course I have been noticing reports of the fighting in Yemen.  But quite recently it has been revealed that there are Americans stranded there, needing help from the U. S. - and NOT receiving it.

One of the first reports was about Mr. Mobley - and his situation was recently updated at The Intercept.  Then, I happened to read about more Americans left stranded in the chaos there in this article from The Guardian. 

Why aren't our State Department folks and the Defense people not doing - well, anything to help these people?  Isn't our government supposed to work for US, the citizens?  Seems as though if you're not well connected by wealth, position, or by diplomacy somehow, you're just on your own.

The level of unconcern is staggering. We have this from the wife of Sharif Mobley:  “Anytime I ever had contact with the embassy or State Department was through my initiation,” she told The Intercept in an interview last month. “And I get either no response or a weak response.”

Maybe I closed the Hall of Shame too early.  It seems as though this is one more exhibit, another outrage du jour.

Hall of Shame

Well, I alluded to this in my last post, so here it is.  My effort to shine a glaring light on some shameful darkness.  Therefore, I present the following 'Hall of Shame' exhibits:

• Hall of Shame - Intolerance Division:  Indiana gets a law allowing discrimination  - Once this door is open, who knows whatever groups could be targeted next for what is indeed discrimination.  Did Hoosiers miss the memo about the meaning of the Civil Rights Movement?  I wonder if there will be some movement to challenge this or repeal it.  Or maybe boycott Indiana events?  Anyone and everyone involved should be ashamed.  UPDATE:  There are calls to boycott.  But believe it or not, 18 other states have similar laws.  As does the federal government.  Read more here -  the article has a link to a WaPost article about the various states and these laws.
• Hall of Shame - Who's Above the Law Division:  Glenn Greenwald nailed this story of a court case most of us probably have never heard of.  The ruling:  the gov't intervened - in a private and secretive session with the judge - to stop a private lawsuit on grounds of "national security."  We have NO idea of the nature of the 'threat' or even the agency which felt 'threatened' - yes, that's all been made secret.  The DOJ and the judge should be ashamed.
• Hall of Shame - NSA Continued Overreach Division:  Maybe you've heard of CISA.  Beware, though - this sounds like a bad idea.  Trevor Timm reports it's really a surveillance bill.  For more details, you can check out Marcy Wheeler's take on Emptywheel blog.  The NSA should hang up its intrusive snooping in shame. 
• Hall of Shame - Continuing Shame Division: Gitmo.  That place needs to be closed and the detainees either released or charged and given more humane conditions and access to due process.  We've made mention of Guantanamo Diary here before.  Here's another story of a detainee.  The U. S. should stop this continuing source of shame.
• Hall of Shame - Unconscionable Division: Read about a proposal in CA seeking to get to the signature-gathering stage.  I can't bring myself to type the horrible idea it espouses.  I don't recommend reading the comments to the op-ed link, though - I scanned some and some were pretty intolerant.  There is also a link to a previous article - general news about the controversy.  The originator of the petition should be "run out of town" in shame.  I have no idea how anyone could advocate such a petition and still call him or herself a human being.  I really hope a judge quashes it or the AG follows author Thrasher's recommendation.

Now that we've visited the 'Hall of Shame" - maybe we should say a cleansing prayer to dispel the gloom and drive the forces perpetuating such atrocities into retreat:

A Cleansing Prayer

Heavenly Father:
Cleanse our hearts,
Clear our minds,
And purify our spirits;
Show us better ways
Of promoting general welfare
And securing the blessings of liberty for all
Show us more positive ways of relating to one another
So that we may truly walk together on this journey.
Amen.
 

Any More Doubts?

Well, there always seems to be something that gets my blood boiling.  At least that helps circuation :-)  Easier than exercising, I suppose!

The latest comes from an article at The Intercept regarding Mall of America's spying on a Black Lives Matter rally there.

Documents show that MOA used a fake facebook account to 'friend' members of the activist groups involved in the rally, gather intel about them under this fake premise without the knowledge of the subjects, and create dossiers on them.  The article also mentions intel efforts involving other activist groups.  Disclaimer: I'm not on facebook, intend to keep it that way - and for me, this is just one more reason for staying off it.

If there were any doubt that this mass surveillance that is becoming all to prevalent is being used to target activists and dissenters for their political views, well, this should put that to rest.  This should set off alarms for all of us.  Just remember if you think it's only "them" who have anything to worry about - the next target may be you - or at least a cause that you espouse.

And to ANYONE who keeps saying - "no expectation of privacy online" - I say:
Is THIS how you would want to be treated by private corporations, law enforcement and government agencies?  Do we want a system that creates dossiers on people just because of their political views?  Isn't that what we would condemn if "other countries" were doing it?

Wake up and smell the coffee, folks.  Wake up and stand up for privacy.

Stop Educational Snobbery

An open letter to NPR Ed and Ms. Shereen Meraji:

I thought your article (I almost hate to link to it and give it any more traction) about why smart, low-income students aren't applying to elite schools would be interesting - that is until I read this line:

"These students often wind up in community college or mediocre four-year schools."

I was angered to read that, to say the least.  So I have written NPR Ed. and while the adrenaline is still pumping, am writing this blog post.

I am a proud graduate of a community college; the college at which I later proudly taught.  I am also a proud graduate of a state college now university.  I am also a proud graduate of a private Catholic liberal arts University.  Not elite schools, but I would describe my education at them all as excellent.

We need to dispel the notion that not being an Ivy Leaguer is a condemnation to educational "Siberia" and a roadblock to success.  Take Dr. Yvonne Thornton, author of The Ditchdigger's Daughters.  She attended Monmouth College (yes, here in NJ!) and became the first of their students to be accepted in to a Medical School (Columbia U., College of Physicians and Surgeons), so I think her undergrad experience at Monmouth U. ended up serving her pretty well.  She was also very talented, of course, and extremely motivated.  I've long felt that educationally, the student's motivation and efforts are what determine his or her achievement.

Of course, the article states that graduates of elite colleges turn out better financially.  But I'm not at all sure of all the reasons for that.  There may be biased perceptions that lead employers to favor graduates of elite schools, even if the two candidates are otherwise equal.  Graduates of elite schools probably also have access to more as well as higher-powered networks. There may be more at play here so just looking condescendingly at non-elite colleges isn't bringing those factors to the discussion.  And by not discussing them, we're not getting closer to actually addressing them.

This is an issue that deserves our attention, but this article doesn't come close to doing it justice.

Revisiting "A Modest Proposal"

Almost exactly a year ago on my Daisies and Diamonds blog, I posted a small rant against commercials.

Well, as viewing would have it, I feel it's time to revisit. Just for now, my primary consideration is tv commercials; but internet ads are also far too invasive and ubiquitous.  It seems to me that the tv situation has probably gotten worse!  I haven't sat with a stopwatch yet (two would be good - one to track actual show time, one to track commercial time), but I've noticed that we're lucky to get ten minutes of show time between commercials.  It seems closer to around 8. This article has some Nielsen stats as of May of last year. 
guess what?  I just found some more recent stats - and commercial time has increased again!  And I read somewhere we allow more commercial time than does most of Europe. Then there's the matter of the commercials themselves.  Well, the aforementioned article says that there has been an increase in short (15 second) commercials.  Maybe.  But I also seem to notice some long ones -  those that run around FIVE minutes (think vacuum, weight loss system, the 'not shampoo' haircare line, and some creepy thing to wear over your eyes while sleeping).  All those overly long commercials are extremely annoying and quite unwelcome - to me, anyway.  Oh yes, and if you feel the networks are jamming in more commercials; you are correct!

What is this doing to us? First, a big item: this affects our democracy.  Really.  John Nichols and Robert McChesney, authors of Dollaracracy, have written this overview article.  Pay attention to their points about political ads found on page 2!

Second, what does it do to us to be so relentlessly subjected to sales pitches?  Although I'm not quite as negative as the author of this article, he did hit on a point I feel is very on target. From the article:  "It is not the cacophony of the commercial claims on our attention that has shortened our attention spans; it is the soullessness that the market economy demands that has sent us searching for self-medication."  He also has some great stuff about Neil Postman's prediction about entertainment conquering social domains and the fears arising from monetizing attention in the paragraph just following that quote.  There was also something I saw about a fellow who said that tv was now just a medium for getting us to pay attention to commercials - but I've even combed through my history several times and haven't found it.  But that observation does have the ring of truth, doesn't it?


But to inject a humorous vein and in an effort to shame the offenders, here are nicknames I propose for some of our tv networks, although rampant proliferation of commercials seems to be across the board:

• Americans Broadcasting Commercials
• Commercial Broadcasting Service
• Nothing But Commercials
• Greeting Card Channel Sales and Promotions
• Hawking Quite Zealously (think of the letters that are two before each starting letter alphabetically)
• Commercial Nirvana Nightly
• Totally Broadcasting Spiels
• Advertising Massively Channel
• Ultimately Serving Advertisers
• Every Sponsor's Product Network
• Advertisements & Endorsements

And the matter of those "Pledge Break Stations" is another discussion entirely!

If the commenters on some of these articles are any representation, at least some folks are disgruntled about this ad creep.  So - what can we do to scale these commercials, ads, and promos back to some reasonable level?  How can we push back about the relentless advertising - not just on tv, but on the internet and so many other places all around us?  Thoughts?

This Must be Stopped

It was hard to come up with a title for this post. How can you rationally talk about torturers and apologists dominating the media?  How can you rationally talk about torturers, those who developed the programs, those who authorized these depraved acts, tried to rationalize them, and still defend them, NOT yet being held in any way accountable?

For starters, why has the media so obediently allowed torture apologists to dominate coverage?   And that article was even before Cheney was his despicable self on NBC's Meet the Press.  I have called ABC's World News Tonight and e-mailed the NPR News ombudsman about this.  Oh yes, and NPR as well as the Washington Post don't use the word torture here.  Shame on them for using euphemisms!  I told the receptionist at WNT that I objected to them having Brennan on to "defend the indefensible."

There is a new article up at The Intercept looking at the CIA officer in charge of one of the black sites operated by the CIA and the man who died there - frozen to death.  The death of Mr. Rahman is one of the worst cases uncoverd so far in investigations of CIA torture.

So let's get this straight:

• Detainees get tortured, with lasting effects I would imagine, and Mr. Rahman dies... but this CIA officer does well for himself
• Torturers, program architects and authorizers, and apologists for depraved acts walk around with impunity while John Kiriakou, the whistleblower, is the only one so far even prosecuted
• The msm, main source of news for many citizens gives plenty voice to torture defenders

While I'm left wondering...WHERE'S THE OUTRAGE?

I have been somewhat heartened by the diverse spectrum of citizens protesting police violence following the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, John Crawford III, and Tamir Rice.  We desperately need some of this adrenaline to spur some protests and action against torture.  We must fight to see that it never happens again. We must fight to see all those involved brought to justice.  We must fight to not let there be any argument about "if it works."  We must oppose it on absolute moral grounds.  We must fight the media who are by default, siding with torturers while they want to claim "objectivity."

So I do hope that you readers (if there are any!) will lift your voices against torture.  The FAIR article at the above link has some contact info for some major media outlets.  I also posted a list of phone numbers in the comments.  I'm also going to post that link here.  Let them know we are watching, listening, and oppose torture and its defenders.

media phone contact list

Women's Voices 2 - Another Outrage

Right now I'm steaming.  I'm steaming at a Mr. John Berman who let Mark O'Mara and another fellow talk all over the other guest in the segment (on possible mishandling of evidence in the Michael Brown case), a lady, a CNN legal analyst herself, Sunni (?) Hostin.  If you didn't see it, it may be available on demand or online - it was during the 8 p.m hour of Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN.  I immediately got online and sent CNN an e-mail and followed also with a voice message (yeah, just TRY getting a human with these voice messaging systems).  It anyone reading this is on Twitter and also feels outrage, I hope you send out a tweet or two!

This is NOT the first time I've witnessed such cavalier attitudes toward female commentators.  Ted Koppel was guilty of letting another MP talk all over a female MP on a segment of Nightline some years ago.  Yes, I was outraged then, but e-mail was probably just getting going around that time and I probably didn't think to do a phone call. 

I am really tired of seeing women's voices being treated so offhandedly.  This needs to stop!  Not to mention, I feel that letting one guest talk over another is quite bad form.  The host should see that all voices are treated more respectfully.

Raise your voices, sisters!!!

UPDATES:

I just remembered another, semi-recent  incident related to this topic.  Jill Abramson (former NYT Exec. Ed.) and Janine Gibson (a former Guardian editor were on a panel about journalism post-Snowden with two fellows (Cass Sunstein and someone I can't remember now). At one point, Ms. Abramson reminded the moderator that the gentlemen had gotten a lot of time in the discussion and the ladies needed some time to balance this out (can't quote her exact words, but that was the gist of it).  And the moderator was a woman!

And :-) to SH.

Response to Ms. Vargas-Cooper

This is written in response to an article by Natasha Vargas-Cooper published here at The Intercept.

Dear Ms. Vargas-Cooper:

The more I think about it, the more I have found your article to be less than satisfactory. 

First of all there was this:  “We should disabuse ourselves of old ideas, especially this hold-over notion from the baby-boomer generation that somehow social institutions can be jammed, subverted, reformed, or overthrown through buying stuff.”  Aside from boomer-bashing, you offered not one reference to support your contention or put it into context.  Was this somehow a resolution passed in a Boomer Congress I wasn’t aware of?

Does ‘buying stuff’ matter?  Another way to reframe the question is to ask: ‘Does the way we spend our money make a difference?’  Throughout history, consumer activists have answered “yes.”  A scholarly book by Lawrence Glickman, published in 2009 explores such activism, and is reviewed here .

You have not mentioned political activities which have impacted women’s rights, which in an election year might seem an obvious thing to do.  Of course there are varying viewpoints, even among feminists, so I’ll just suggest a few starting points for further reading and investigation.  My own state of NJ has elected its first African-American woman to serve in Congress!  Here’s a roundup of some critical issues that were up for votes across the country.  I confess I don’t know how all of them fared, but those curious can do a search, I’m sure.  Here’s a look back at the mid-term elections.   And here’s an alternative view.

I think almost everyone would agree that grassroots, people-by-people activism has declined.  But I truly believe it’s way too simplistic to “blame the boomers.”  What about examining societal forces that have fractured such efforts?  For example, there was the throttling of the Occupy Movement.  What about the way protests are greeted?  The Intercept and other outlets have detailed the sometimes overly harsh reaction to protests in Ferguson, MO.  Fast food protesters were often met with riot police – and not a whole lot of media coverage.  And what of the ramifications of the rise of digital communications which has enabled “connections” online?  How has this affected face-to-face organizing?  And then there’s a big question: with the economy as it is, is it any wonder that so many are just too tired or stressed from making a living to be activists?  Many posters at The Intercept and also The Guardian have made that observation.  Here are some articles related to the number of hours worked by Americans:  ABC News article, detailing Gallup poll results, and this one, comparing us to a few other countries.  It seems as though there is some evidence which might support those posters’ suppositions.

Then there’s the matter of toys.  Do the toys we buy our children (girls, specifically) make a difference or not? Your argument is that they do not.  But not everyone sees it that way. Here’s one researcher  that does not.  Now this leads me to conclude that whatever side one might favor, the issue is worthy of thoughtful consideration – and debate.  Certainly not a “Shut up.”

That leads me to my final problem with your article.  I found that ending by telling your readers to “Shut up.” was both rude and condescending.  Not to mention it was no way to encourage me, at least, to your viewpoint.  I would think that as a journalist, you would encourage readers to be vocal on the issues. 

All in all, I felt the article fell far short of the quality I would have hoped for.