Duty to Warn
There is a movement afoot, originating on the left coast, to amend the United States' Constitution to allow foreign-born U.S. citizens to obtain the highest office in our land. Chiefly, the advent of Arnold Swarzzenegger's Governorship of California is the most recent spark that has again brought this issue to the public forefront. Still, I don't quite buy into it.
Our forefathers safe-guarded the Presidency with this provision for a reason, or several reasons. Certainly we are a nation that is in a large part indebted to emigrants and immigration. Americans born elsewhere have surely made the ultimate sacrifice for their grateful adopted nation. And yes, few or no families (apart from Native American Indians) cannot trace their ancestry beyond our borders; however, all of this is irrelevant to the issue at hand.
Our forefathers safe-guarded the Presidency with this provision for a reason, or several reasons. Certainly we are a nation that is in a large part indebted to emigrants and immigration. Americans born elsewhere have surely made the ultimate sacrifice for their grateful adopted nation. And yes, few or no families (apart from Native American Indians) cannot trace their ancestry beyond our borders; however, all of this is irrelevant to the issue at hand.
Following the president's re-election by the electoral synod last week, the sentimental apoplectic in me couldn't help picturing the last scene in "The Day After," the movie about a nuclear holocaust. Shredded and shrunken, Jason Robards' doctor-character sits on the rubble of his house as the camera pans out to reveal a flattened Lawrence, Kan.
What hydrogen bombs couldn't do to the Democratic Party, Karl Rove and George W. Bush finally did, with a little help from a ringer. Five votes swung the election Bush's way four years ago. It took just one vote this time -- Osama bin Laden's, cast with impeccable timing over the last three years to keep fear the value-added commodity it's been for the Bush administration. Without fear, there could be no crusade (against heathens abroad and at home, but mostly at home), and, without crusade, there could be no appeal to the deciding factor in American politics: the religious bloc. So, the 2004 election panned out as a choice between committed evangelicals and committed secularists. Evangelicals won.
What hydrogen bombs couldn't do to the Democratic Party, Karl Rove and George W. Bush finally did, with a little help from a ringer. Five votes swung the election Bush's way four years ago. It took just one vote this time -- Osama bin Laden's, cast with impeccable timing over the last three years to keep fear the value-added commodity it's been for the Bush administration. Without fear, there could be no crusade (against heathens abroad and at home, but mostly at home), and, without crusade, there could be no appeal to the deciding factor in American politics: the religious bloc. So, the 2004 election panned out as a choice between committed evangelicals and committed secularists. Evangelicals won.
Ohio attorney and prisoner-rights activist Alice Lynd was held in contempt of court and sentenced to jail to Friday until she agrees to testify about an inmate's purported confession to her that he killed an inmate during the Lucasville prison riot in 1993.
In an emotional hearing before Scioto County Common Pleas Judge William T. Marshall in Portsmouth, Ohio, Lynd, 74, refused to testify about what an inmate she referred to only as "Mr. X" told her about the murder because it would violate attorney-client privilege.
Prosecutors argued that Lynd was not the inmate's attorney and that attorney-client privilege did not apply. Judge Marshall agreed, and sentenced Lynd to jail. He offered to stay the sentence while Lynd's attorney sought a stay from the appeals court if she agreed to testify if the appeals court upheld his ruling. Lynd said she could not, in good conscience, testify about what "Mr. X" told her without his permission under any circumstances.
In an emotional hearing before Scioto County Common Pleas Judge William T. Marshall in Portsmouth, Ohio, Lynd, 74, refused to testify about what an inmate she referred to only as "Mr. X" told her about the murder because it would violate attorney-client privilege.
Prosecutors argued that Lynd was not the inmate's attorney and that attorney-client privilege did not apply. Judge Marshall agreed, and sentenced Lynd to jail. He offered to stay the sentence while Lynd's attorney sought a stay from the appeals court if she agreed to testify if the appeals court upheld his ruling. Lynd said she could not, in good conscience, testify about what "Mr. X" told her without his permission under any circumstances.
“Richard Burr says he’ll vote to increase defense spending.” The words of the television ad hung in the air like the cigar smoke in a back room of the Old Boys Club. Surely there must be a mistake. But no, a visit to Burr’s own website confirmed what my ears refused to accept.
Increased Budget for the Military
After fighting the Clinton Administration's efforts to cut the military's budget for 8 years, I have supported increased funding for national defense under President Bush's leadership. This is increasingly important with troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Source: http://www.richardburrcommittee.com/issues.html
After fighting the Clinton Administration's efforts to cut the military's budget for 8 years, I have supported increased funding for national defense under President Bush's leadership. This is increasingly important with troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Source: http://www.richardburrcommittee.com/issues.html
When the Iraqi Survey Group released its long awaited report last week that
said Iraq eliminated its weapons programs in the 1990s, President George W.
Bush quickly changed his stance on reasons he authorized an invasion of
Iraq. While he campaigned for a second term in office, Bush justified the
war by saying that that Saddam Hussein was manipulating the United Nation's
oil-for-food program, siphoning off billions of dollars from the venture
that he intended to use to fund a weapons program.
The report on Iraq's non-existent weapons of mass destruction, prepared by Charles Duelfer, a former U.N. weapons inspector and head of the Iraqi Survey Group, said Saddam Hussein used revenue from the oil-for-food program and "created a web of front companies and used shadowy deals with foreign governments, corporations, and officials to amass $11 billion in illicit revenue in the decade before the US-led invasion last year," reports The New York Times.
The report on Iraq's non-existent weapons of mass destruction, prepared by Charles Duelfer, a former U.N. weapons inspector and head of the Iraqi Survey Group, said Saddam Hussein used revenue from the oil-for-food program and "created a web of front companies and used shadowy deals with foreign governments, corporations, and officials to amass $11 billion in illicit revenue in the decade before the US-led invasion last year," reports The New York Times.
The RAD ALERT Conference: Nuclear Dollars versus the Common Good was held in Columbus on Sept. 25th complete with national and international level speakers. It seemed to be of a greater relative interest to the domestic psyops corps of the US Military. The central intent of the conference was to provide the necessary information to understand several current nuclear issues.
What I am most interested in here is the coverage given to the conference by the Columbus Dispatch. It actually provides several insights into the motivations of its editorial staff in its effort to provide what they tell us is "news." It is true that the subject matter of the conference had a strong technical element. It is also true that typical journalism graduates tend toward the liberal arts range of preferences and less toward the technical side of issues. This indicates a deficiency in our educational expectations. It is also true that corporate filtered news tend toward the bland and the pretense of fairness, rather than the substance
What I am most interested in here is the coverage given to the conference by the Columbus Dispatch. It actually provides several insights into the motivations of its editorial staff in its effort to provide what they tell us is "news." It is true that the subject matter of the conference had a strong technical element. It is also true that typical journalism graduates tend toward the liberal arts range of preferences and less toward the technical side of issues. This indicates a deficiency in our educational expectations. It is also true that corporate filtered news tend toward the bland and the pretense of fairness, rather than the substance
Long before the Florida election the CIA had been active in influencing
the American electorate.
We've witnessed the Iran Contra scandal and all those involved affect the outcome of elections in the nineteen eighties. Although the information acquired from this scandal was a bit more complicated than the average human listener had time for or attention span to understand, none the less the outcome was obvious.
The hostage crisis in Iran ended in a fallacy that undermined quest for a firm foundation of democracy in the United States. On this basis, the Republican Party maintained power for twelve years under the guise of a dogooder for the US populace. The same party oversimplified political ramifications of they're debt creating overextended government bureaucracy. Today we see a continuation of this bombastic upheaval of democracy being led by a military industrial complex.
We've witnessed the Iran Contra scandal and all those involved affect the outcome of elections in the nineteen eighties. Although the information acquired from this scandal was a bit more complicated than the average human listener had time for or attention span to understand, none the less the outcome was obvious.
The hostage crisis in Iran ended in a fallacy that undermined quest for a firm foundation of democracy in the United States. On this basis, the Republican Party maintained power for twelve years under the guise of a dogooder for the US populace. The same party oversimplified political ramifications of they're debt creating overextended government bureaucracy. Today we see a continuation of this bombastic upheaval of democracy being led by a military industrial complex.
The following is excerpted from Staughton Lynd’s forthcoming book, LUCASVILLE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF A PRISON UPRISING (Temple University Press).
One of the many ways that Attica lived on in the uprising at Lucasville had to do with race.
Tom Wicker’s memorable book on the Attica rebellion drew on the experience of a prisoner named Roger Champen.
“You’re always going to have a problem” with black-white relations, Champen believed. But in D-yard, “as days went by, food got scarce and the water began to be scarce, [blacks and whites] became more friendly. The issue about race became minimal. . . . Nothing means anything except the issue at hand.” When he made his first D-yard speech, Champ saw that “the whites had backed off and had a little, like, semi-circle off to the left.” He told them that the revolt was not a “racial thing,” that they had “one common enemy, the wall. The wall surrounds us all. So if you don’t like me, don’t like me, don’t like me after, but in the meantime, let’s work together.” That advice had prevailed . . ..
One of the many ways that Attica lived on in the uprising at Lucasville had to do with race.
Tom Wicker’s memorable book on the Attica rebellion drew on the experience of a prisoner named Roger Champen.
“You’re always going to have a problem” with black-white relations, Champen believed. But in D-yard, “as days went by, food got scarce and the water began to be scarce, [blacks and whites] became more friendly. The issue about race became minimal. . . . Nothing means anything except the issue at hand.” When he made his first D-yard speech, Champ saw that “the whites had backed off and had a little, like, semi-circle off to the left.” He told them that the revolt was not a “racial thing,” that they had “one common enemy, the wall. The wall surrounds us all. So if you don’t like me, don’t like me, don’t like me after, but in the meantime, let’s work together.” That advice had prevailed . . ..
Recently I had the pleasure of attending a family reunion in a small town in the Northwest corner of Arkansas. Being in the Ozarks allows one to appreciate some of America’s natural beauty. We were in the retirement community of Bella Vista, just north of Bentonville. Never heard of it? Bentonville is the world headquarters of Wal-Mart. That’s right, I was in the belly of the beast.
One evening my vegan brother-in-law and my vegetarian wife decided it was time to purchase some food for our rented townhouse. We were told the only place to go would be the community market. We were thinking a community market would be like our very own in Clintonville, Ohio. As we pull in, my wife quickly points out that it is in fact, a “Wal-Mart Community Market.”
After reluctantly entering and shopping, we went to the checkout line. The other two quickly said, “We’ll be outside.” Alone with the cashier, I was saddened and distraught by feeling forced to give money to Wal-Mart -- not unlike the feeling of a progressive voting for John Kerry.
One evening my vegan brother-in-law and my vegetarian wife decided it was time to purchase some food for our rented townhouse. We were told the only place to go would be the community market. We were thinking a community market would be like our very own in Clintonville, Ohio. As we pull in, my wife quickly points out that it is in fact, a “Wal-Mart Community Market.”
After reluctantly entering and shopping, we went to the checkout line. The other two quickly said, “We’ll be outside.” Alone with the cashier, I was saddened and distraught by feeling forced to give money to Wal-Mart -- not unlike the feeling of a progressive voting for John Kerry.
The United States has a long history of protecting and preserving freedom
of the press. As early as 1789 Madison's version of the speech and press
clauses, introduced in the House of Representatives on June 8, 1789,
provided: ''The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to
speak, to write, or to publish their sentiments; and the freedom of the
press, as one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable."
In the last 40 years the United States emerged as a worldwide leader insuring uninhibited public debate on governmental matters. This principal was permanently weaved in the social fabric of America Society in 1964 when a unanimous Supreme Court stated in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254, 270 (1964): ''we consider this case against the background of a profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and that it may well include vehement, caustic and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.''
In the last 40 years the United States emerged as a worldwide leader insuring uninhibited public debate on governmental matters. This principal was permanently weaved in the social fabric of America Society in 1964 when a unanimous Supreme Court stated in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254, 270 (1964): ''we consider this case against the background of a profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and that it may well include vehement, caustic and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.''