Day: March 20, 2010

Stewart Udall, Outstanding Secretary Of The Interior, Dead

Stewart Udall, one of the most outstanding Interior Secretaries in US history, passed away on Saturday of natural causes at the age of 90.

Father of New Mexico Senator Tom Udall, and brother of the late Arizona Congressman Morris “Mo” Udall (who challenged Jimmy Carter for the Presidential nomination in 1976), Udall was in the cabinet during the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations in the 1960s.

He stood out as a advocate for the environment, much like FDR’s earlier Secretary of the Interior, Harold Ickes, in the 1930s and 1940s.

Udall’s death marks the last person to pass away of the Kennedy cabinet, and makes us realize how indeed it has been 47-50 years since the Kennedy Administration, and that is hard to accept! 🙂

A Fantastic Idea: A Public Debate Between Conservative And Progressive Talk Show Hosts For Charity!

A movement is developing online on Facebook to promote a public affairs debate for charity, to be provided to families of war veterans, between leading conservative talk show hosts and leading progressive talk show hosts, and it should be definitely encouraged!

The debate would pit Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and Glenn Beck from Fox News Channel versus Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow of MSNBC and Jon Stewart of Comedy Channel, with Stephen Colbert of Comedy Channel as the moderator.

This would be a great opportunity for a serious debate on political issues, and would put all six talk shows hosts’ “feet to the fire” to prove that their viewpoints are legitimate on the many political controversies dividing this nation!

The question that arises is whether all of these talk show hosts would be amenable to such a challenging debate. This could be the “debate of the century” in the sense that since none are running for public office, it could be a very productive discussion that would be educational to the millions of Americans that would, hopefully, watch and listen to the debate!

I call on all of these talk show hosts to accept the challenge, and to show the public the abilities and talents they possess, and let the people decide for themselves who is to be believed and trusted!

The Menacing, Anarchistic Tea Party Mob And Capitol Hill Demonstrations Against Health Care Reform

Today, Saturday, a day before the big House of Representatives vote on Capitol Hill on Health Care reform, the US Capitol and the surrounding House Office Buildings are being besieged by a mob of chanting, belligerent demonstrators shouting epithets at Democrats, including Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Henry Waxman of California.

These anarchists are causing some to wonder why the Capitol Police do not arrest some of the demonstrators as using inappropriate language, conducting themselves in a menacing mob like mentality, and making many observers wonder if we are going to allow a mob psychology to dictate what the US House does tomorrow!

The fact that GOP members of Congress, led by loony Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, have been encouraging lawlessness and open defiance by these Tea Party activists, is to be condemned, and if any violence occurs, those members of Congress encouraging this lawlessness and anarchy should be arrested along with the bums that are acting worse than animals, and measures should be taken to expel such members from the House of Representatives as having conducted themselves inappropriately and unacceptably as lawmakers!

The fear is there that we could see anarchy in Washington, DC if we do not establish that law and order will be imposed if the misbehaving, law breaking domestic “terrorists” that call themselves Tea Party Patriots do not start acting civil and decent in government buildings!

The right of freedom of speech and assembly survives, but not lawless, anarchistic behavior, which must be cracked down upon and punished promptly! 🙁

Barack Obama’s Popularity Remains High Despite Health Care Controversy

Amidst all of the criticism of President Obama on conservative talk radio and Fox News Channel, the fact is that he remains extremely popular personally. That is certainly infuriating to his naysayers!

While polls this week show Obama down to an all time low of 46 percent, realize that if after all of the venom used against him by Tea Party activists and other conservatives he is still that close to 50 percent, then indeed he is in good shape!

Polls show that 61 percent still find Obama inspiring; 57 percent see him as decisive; 54 percent state that he gives them hope for the future; and 49 percent say he makes them feel proud.

Only about a third feel Obama is arrogant or detached, or makes them feel angry. Only 12 percent of conservative Republicans like the job Obama is doing, but twice that number still find him inspiring.

Early indications are that Obama is in good shape for 2012, considering these polls numbers from the Pew Research Center. While there may be discontent, Obama has not fallen to the low figures that George W. Bush had, and it is, at this point, hard to see any Republican opponent being strong enough to counteract him.