Essay/Commentary: Smart Phones

Essay/Commentary:  Smart Phones

        Several months ago, Rhode Island disc jockey Geoff Charles mentioned that governments around the world currently have the power in time of crisis to block the photographic and perhaps audio components of Smart Phones, preventing the average citizen the ability to record when the government or other authorities misuse their power or resort to violence or bloodshed to keep the people in line. For instance, when the next Tianananmen Square or Occupy protest upsets the powers that be, the general public can be kept in the dark about what is really going on in this country or anywhere around the world where the authorities abuse their power. This can and likely will have a chilling effect on Free Speech and freedom of action and choice. Shame on the makers of these devices for giving government and other authorities the power to disable these omnipresent machines. (tbc?)

Essay/Commentary: My Take on Toys for Tots

Essay/Commentary: My Take on Toys for Tots

          At this time of year the U.S Marine Corps. and many other individual and oraganizations make a big deal about  Toys for Tots for the offspring of the needy or less-fortunate. After all, as they say,  " 'Tis the Season". I can understand why, at this time of year people who celebrate Christmas or perhaps Chanukah or other holidays want everyone else to also enjoy the Holiday season. However, in my opinion this is short-term thinking, and is arguably a waste of time, money and effort. With the idea of  "Give someone a fish they eat for a day, but teach them to fish they may eat for a lifetime", I have an alternative idea. :  Instead of buying these unfortunate children a toy or toys, why not instead either chip in to give them tutoring or tuition money (or both) for present or future schooling, so when they are of age they will hopefully have the education or skills to procure a satisfactory job or career. The rest is up to them.

Essay/Commentary: I Wish I Came Up With This Idea Myself

Essay/Commentary:  I Wish I Came Up with This Idea Myself

        Today, on Monday December 3rd on "ABC Nightly News"  was a story about a frustrated woman who suggested that if all pay and benefits were denied the U.S. Congress, the President (POTUS), and any other politician unless or until the impending so-called Fiscal Cliff disaster is averted.  Politicians are supposed to represent and act on behalf of  WE the People. Instead, too many of them represent and act on behalf of themselves, their ambition, and the highest bidding lobbyist or campaign contributor(s). For the extreme right-wing of the Republican Party, which is now unfortunately the mainstream of the GOP, they are beholden to the Super Rich, the unaccountable corporate world, and elites like this guy Grover Norquist (the guy with the raise no new taxes or else pledge).I think the Democrats should not abide being blackmailed into screwing over the poor and the less-fortunate so that the wealthy can retain unneeded and undeserved tax breaks.

Essay/Commentary: Internet To Be Regulated?

Essay/Commentary:  Is the Internet to be Regulated?

         According to an article I read in the Boston Metro newspaper (Boston Metro, Wed. Nov. 28, p.6) the  "International Telecommunications Union"  a division of the U.N. could soon regulate the internet if many authoritarian and developing nations have their way. This could have a chilling effect on free speech and free expression both here and abroad. If this happens, hopefully those who object will be exempt. In my opinion, dictatorships should have no say in how democracies allow unfettered access to just about any knowledge, information and entertainment available online or off. It is frankly none of their business.

Essay/Commentary: Is Boener a Hypocrite?

Essay/Commentary:  Is John Boehner a Hypocrite?

        As we quickly sail toward the so-called "Fiscal Cliff" that at the very least will put us back into recession (and at worst cause an economic Depression) not surprisingly the Republican leadership epitomized by Speaker of the U.S. House is being intransigent. Speaker John Boehner has the gall to say that Obama is being uncompromising, but in refusing to raise taxes on millionaires and billionaires (while allowing the rest of us to pick up the slack) it is a prime example of as they say  "the pot calling the kettle black".  THere is plenty of blame to go around, but if the G.O.P. , the losers in the last election won't give an inch, then they are accountable if we do go over the proverbial cliff.  (tbc?)

Poetry: "Celebrating the Election Results"

Poetry:  "Celebrating the Election Results"

        The people have spoken
         They made the right choice
         Hell no to Romney
          We said with our voice
         We still have our problems
          We still have our woes
          The extreme right-wing agenda
          Has got to go.
     

Green Party Candidate Jill Stein

Green Party Candidate Jill Stein:

         If you cannot stomach voting for either smarmy Mitt Romney or the lackluster incumbent Barack Obama, there are some viable third party candidates to choose from. Unfortunately, Green Party candidate Jill Stein and other third party hopefuls were shut out of the Presidential debated process, were given short-shrift by the mainstream media, and were and are greeted by indifference by the average potential voter.  Jill Stein and her veep candidate Cheri Hadaka (?) advocate a Living Wage instead of a Minimum Wage, the support full employment via  "Green Jobs", they support legalization of marijuana, a Universal Health Care system, a fairer tax system, a great reduction of military spending, and much, much more ( info came from JillStein.org). I checked out her web site at  JillStein.org, and I was quite impressed. I would endorse her candidacy and even vote for her except for one thing. If you vote for Jill Stein or another third party candidate as an alternative to the GOP or Dem choice or as a protest vote, you might help Mitt Romney cruise to victory. That would be a disaster because he and paul Ryan's austerity policies will only make the rich even richer and everyone else even poorer. I don't completely like some of what Obama has done or failed to do, but he is definitely the lesser evil in this race. By the way, I know little or nothing about Stein's VP running mate or the Libertarian Party candidate who would probably be to the right of Romney.

Stopping the Mitt-Dystopia: Open Mouth Insert Foot

Stopping the Mitt-Dystopia:  Open Mouth Insert Foot

         Yesterday (Mon. Sept. 18) Mitt Romney showed his true colors by insulting almost half of the country's eligible voters (those likely to vote for Obama instead of him). Romney cavalierly and arrogantly dismissed the 47% of voters likely to help reelect Obama as people with a  "victim" mentality who are sponging off the system, and who expect government to provide  "housing, health care and food"  (paraphrased)  By the way, housing , health care and food ought to be a right, not a privilege. Also , contrary to what Romney believes, corporations are not people. Only human beings are people. The arrogant attitude Romney shows toward the less-fortunate and his disdain for those who haven't had the privileges or connections Mitt had growing up are all reasons not to support former governor Romney for President or for any other elected or appointed office. (tbc?)

Essay/Commentary: "Political Conventions Are a Waste of Time and Money"

Essay/Commentary:  "Political Conventions Are a Complete Waste of Time and Money"

        The other day I looked up the cost to the U.S. taxpayer for both the Republican and Democratic Presidential Conventions. The number is an exorbitant one hundred million plus, when you take security into account. This money could certainly be put to better use, such as paying down the deficit or helping those people (usually through no fault of their own) who are struggling in this horrible economy. Unfortunately, instead the money will go to waste for the usual false promises, deceptions and blatant lies; and in the case of the GOP convention, cheerleading the usual pernicious policies and insidious agenda of the extreme wrong-wing of the Republican Party which caused our economic woes in the first place under George W. Bush's so-called leadership, and now threatens many of the freedoms many of us take for granted.

http://www.94hjy.com/pages/onair_charles.html

http://www.94hjy.com/pages/onair_charles.html

Essay/Commentary: "Missouri Pols Mysogyny"

  U.S. Representative Todd Aiken's controversial comments about  'Legitimate Rape' could help the Obama campaign counteract the influence of conservative con-artist money from the Koch Brothers and other well-to-do folk whose agenda(e) is diametrically opposed to the collective best interest of the Common Man (aka the  99%). Apparently Aiken believes the BS that (according to him, paraphrased: "Female rape victims bodies can avoid getting pregnant due to rape."  Hopefully, the majority of voters, especially females will realize how dangerously out of touch the extreme wrong wing of the Republican Party is to our freedom of action and choice. Not only do many of these SOBs want to outlaw abortion, but they want to ban birth control as well.

Essay/Commentary: "Another Reason to Vote Against Mitt Romney"

Essay/Commentary:  "Another Reason to Vote Against Mitt Romney"

           As if you don't have enough reasons to vote against 'vulture capitalist' Mitt Romney, the former Republican Massachusetts governor chose divisive forty-two year old, heartless Ayn Rand- loving, poor and vulnerable sneering, and union-busting Wisconsin Senator Paul Ryan as his running mate. (the same Paul Ryan who wants to replace Medicare with so-called vouchers for private insurance, and to eviscerate Social SEcurity benefits and the Social Safety Net). This will energize Tea Party types, semi-racist Obama haters, and die-hard conservatives, but on the other hand, it will have an equal and opposite reaction from Democrats and presumably many Independents who won't like being screwed out of their entitlements. Other than his extremist views, Ryan seems to be a nice enough fellow, but if I were you I wouldn't trust him to become a heartbeat away from the Presidency.

Essay: "Say It Isn't S'Obama

Essay: "Say It Isn't S'Obama!"

This week the United States Supreme Court upheld, in another controversial 5-4 decision, that anyone arrested for any reason, including such minor 'crimes' as peaceful protesting and minor traffic violations can legally and Constitutionally be subject to demeaning and humiliating strip sources without recourse. It doesn't at all surprise me that those on the right of the political spectrum, including the Usual Suspects (Roberts, Elite-o, Thomas and Scalia) would support this odious ruling, but shockingly, the Obama administration lobbied for the overreach of strip and/or body cavity searches of potentially anyone, except of course the politically important and connected. Shame on Obama for supporting this.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Barack Obama's uncle was nabbed for drunk driving and received a "hardship license" anyway. By the way, the President's uncle has been illegally in this country for two decades and may soon be subject to deportation.

Essay: Mitt Romney Confirms Indifference to the Plight of the "Very Poor"

Essay: Mitt Romney Confirms Indifference to the Plight of the "Very Poor"

A day or two ago Mitt Romney made a gaffe in which he admitted that he evidently could care less about the very poor. He said in part, "I'm not very concerned about the very poor, we have a safety net there..." I would wager that all of the G.O.P. Presidential candidates, whether they say so or not, feel the same way. After saying that, if any poor people or Occupy Wall Street/America people pull the lever for Romney, then they are certainly voting against their own best interests. Another reason to vote against Mitt Romney is that Donald Trump endorsed him.(tbc?) The so-called "safety net" is starting to fray and break due to right-wing Republican policies.

Update on "Mourning the Wrong Person"

Update on Earlier Blog Post: "Mourning the Wrong Person"

A few weeks ago I wrote about how so many North Koreans are openly sobbing in the streets after the demise of their so-called "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-Il . Jong-Il is the despicable despot who lived in extravagant wealth and built up his countries nuclear and conventional weapons arsenal while allowing his people to practically starve. According to a radio program I had on, there may be an explanation why so many of these hapless, beleaguered, and beaten down peasants are sobbing so openly and mourning the death of such a ruthless and despicable bully: It appears that any North Korean peasant who doesn't openly mourn the loss of the ironically described "Dear Leader" are subject to "six months of hard labor" for failure to openly and convinceably mourn the death of their leader/tormentor. North Korea is an even worse of a place to live than I expected. I'm fortunate to live in a free country, even if those who govern and run for the privilege to govern here are often complete self-serving a-holes.

Essay: "THe U.S. Governernment and Public Transsportation"

Essay: "The U.S. Government and Public Transportation"

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (the MBTA) just announced substantial fare increases across the board and simultaneous draconian service cuts due to an immense debt. I know that times are tough for everyone, but public transportation is important, even vital for some riders. Not only that, but the use of mass transit results in less traffic congestion on our roads and highways plus less air pollution. Therefore, regardless of the indebtedness of the MBTA and other public transportation agencies across the US the government should step in and fully fund public transportation. It really is a win-win situation if mass transit is funded. After all, there are some things that only government can fund, like roads, bridges and infrastructure. Since so many people rely on the T, doesn't it make sense to fund it? Also, if mass transit is funded, more people from elsewhere are more likely to spend their money when they do travel by bus, train or subway. THe MBTA plans to eliminate weekend train services. The weekend is a time when a lot of people have the time to attend cultural and similar events in the city.

Essay: "Mitt Romney: The Lesser of Eight Evils"

Essay: "Mitt Romney: The Lesser of Eight Evils"

Today (Tuesday Jan. 3, 2012) is the Republican caucus in Iowa to help determine who will face off against sitting President Barack Obama in the near future. If I were a Republican I would be more than a little bit worried. All eight of the candidates either have some kind of baggage or are too extreme ("radcons" or "Radical Conservatives") as former Clinton cabinet member Robert Rich would call them.

The eight Republican candidates are: Michelle Bachmann, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry, Buddy Roemer, Rick Santorum, and Herman Cain (if he is still running). "Crazy Eyes" Michelle Bachmann is a Tea Party extremist, and anti-choice religious fanatic, who I would no sooner vote for dog catcher, never mind President. She is as bad as, if not worse than the much reviled Sarah Palin.

Ron Paul is popular among his supporters, but his agenda is way too extreme for the rest of us. He wants to eliminate a lot of programs which will hurt a lot of people.

Newt Gingrich seems like a very intelligent man. He is erudite and has written a number of books. However, he has a lot of baggage. He is notorious for leaving his wife when she was boing treated for cancer, he was busy philandering at the same time he pushed for ex-President Clinton's impeachment for lying about an extramarital affair. This makes Gingrich a hypocrite and it calls his character into question. He is also very arrogant. He is very partisan, and while Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives he allowed the government to shut down out of stubbornness. Newt has been compared to a Neutron Bomb. He destroys people while leaving buildings intact.

Jon Huntsman is too conservative to be President, in my opinion.

Rick Perry is a religious extremist who is too willing to cut benefits for the poor and less-fortunate. He has also executed a lot of people, some of which were probably innocent of their crimes.

Rick Santorum supports "the Iraq War" and the "War on Terror", he supports the cockamamie idea of making "Social Security privatized" (from Wikipedia). That alone, in my opinion, should disqulaify him as a potential nominee.

I don't know much about Buddy Roemer, but in his on-line biography I learned he once had a triple bypass operation, which should disqualify him.

Herman Cain is a former pizza magnate who has a lot of women complaining about his behavior toward them. Overlooking that, his disdain for the Occupy Wall Street/America movement, and his anti-poor and extreme anti-choice views disqualify him as a potential nominee.

Last but not least is Mitt Romney, the former governor of my home state. Personally I would go with none of the above, but if I had to hold my nose and pick one candidate I would choose Romney because he accomplished near Universal Health Care in Massachusetts and he is the least conservative of the rogue's gallery of nominees. (tbc?)