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Senator John McCain Vs. Donald Trump: The War Hero And The President With No Dignity, Class, Decency!

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Arizona Senator John McCain is a great American, a war hero, a courageous and gutsy politician who suffered as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years.

As the son of a famous Admiral, McCain could have been released and sent home by his captors, if he was willing to repudiate the US government for the war in Vietnam, that he had participated in as a Navy pilot who was shot down.

He refused to do so, and to abandon his own comrades, and was tortured and beaten so badly that even today he cannot raise his arms above his head.

John McCain suffered great pain and torment, and now is suffering again with terminal brain cancer.

In the midst of this, John McCain has worked against the destr4uction of ObamaCare, which he had opposed when it passed in 2010, but unwilling to see 32 million people lose their health care, and wanting “regular order”, a bipartisan effort to improve, rather than destroy ObamaCare.

McCain fought a bitter election against Barack Obama, but he acted as a gentleman when a rally attender called Obama an Arab and A Muslim, and always showed respect for the 44th President, even when they disagreed on policy.

McCain has been a hero in the fight against the abuses of the Donald Trump Presidency, and he had to suffer the statement of Trump during the 2016 Presidential campaign that McCain was not w war hero, and for which Trump has never apologized.

Now Trump uses McCain as a whipping boy for the failure to destroy ObamaCare, which has been Trump’s goal from Day One, and he has encouraged his base to boo, degrade, and denounce McCain.

So we have seen ugly taunts on social media wishing McCain suffering and painful death, a true sign of mental illness by the deplorables who back Trump no matter what.

Donald Trump has demonstrated no dignity, class, decency in his dealings with anyone on any issue, and is the most disgusting excuse for a human being ever to serve in the Presidency.

If there was justice in the world, which sadly there often is not, then it would not be McCain suffering from terminal brain cancer, but rather Donald Trump for his despicable and unconscionable behavior toward McCain, and his disgraceful and hateful behavior, which is racist, nativist, Islamophobic, and misogynistic. His aim is not to unite, but divide the American people, and he has no limits in his willingness to be a demagogue, and a danger to American democracy.

But there is Karma, and somehow and some day, Trump will be held accountable for his transgressions, not only against John McCain, but also the pain and suffering he has caused so many Americans, as well as our allies overseas, by his evil doings in domestic and foreign policy.

The Issue Of Punishing Neo Nazis, Ku Klux Klan, White Supremacists, Alt Right By Firing Them From Their Jobs: Why It Is Proper To Do It!

Ronald 1 Comment

The issue has arisen about, in the aftermath of the Charlottesville, Virginia White Supremacy tragedy, whether it is proper for employers to punish Neo Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members, White Supremacists, and the Alt Right, by firing those who work for them. A number of participants have already been fired by their employers for participation in the despicable rally.

The argument is that they do not reflect the value systems of the companies they work for, and that their prejudiced views are worthy of dismissal.

Many of the young men at the Charlottesville rally were “outed” by social media, and became “victims” of the outrage of millions of Americans.

Certainly, anyone has a right to his or her own political, social, and economic views, but it is well known that employers have complete authority to hire and fire, and often do it on grounds that are unjust, including against women, gays and lesbians, Latinos, Muslims, African Americans and Asian Americans.

But these cases just listed are based on discrimination grounds, and should and are often fought in the courts under the civil rights laws.

So if one’s extremist views are the issue, it is not the same as one’s gender, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity.

Promoting hate, violence, and bloodshed is a very different issue, and IS justifiable grounds for dismissal from work.

Maybe these young men can reform themselves, when they see the visceral reaction of decent people, and the hope is that they will reform, and change, and repudiate their biased views, and then forgiveness can be considered.

Otherwise, they are on the road of criminality and federal and state prison, and a disgrace to their families, so this situation can be a learning experience.

Top 10 Political Stories Of 2015

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As the year 2015 ends, we look back on the major political stories of this eventful year.

The ten major stories of the year are as follows:

The rise of Donald Trump, and the threat he represents to the Republican Party, the conservative movement, and to the American people in general. He is promoting a Fascist agenda, including nativism, racism, misogyny, and a belief spreading among white working class men that somehow he is the new Messiah, who will solve all of the problems brought about by the failings of the George W. Bush Administration.  These  include the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, which fueled terrorism; and the Great Recession of 2008, which is still reverberating among those less educated and more suspect to demagoguery. And also,those who refuse to accept Barack Obama as a legitimate President find Donald Trump appealing.

The surprise appeal of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who is gaining support among the millennial generation, and men and women under 45, who are more educated than average Americans, and find his democratic Socialist ideas appealing.  There is no question that the younger generation is much more liberal than other Americans, and this bodes well for the Democratic Party, if Hillary Clinton continues her move to the left, pushed that way by Sanders’ agenda.

The final acceptance of gay marriage and the advancement of gay rights on all fronts, including the rights of transgender people, but with much discrimination still evident by those who resist change.

The disappearance of John Boehner and the rise of Paul Ryan to the Speakership of the House of Representatives, and the issue of whether Ryan can be any more effective in dealing with the Tea Party Movement, which helped to bring Boehner to the point of resignation.

The growing racial tensions in the nation, due to increased examples of police abuse toward African American men, and even women, along with Latinos, and the growing militarization of law enforcement, a dangerous trend.

The rise of more domestic terrorism, including in Charleston, San Bernandino and elsewhere, some of it inspired by ISIL (ISIS), but also by right wing Christian extremism.

Barack Obama’s changed foreign policy, including opening up to Cuban diplomatic relations; making a deal with Iran’s government on nuclear weapons; attempts to cooperate with other nations to deal with Islamic terrorism, meaning ISIL (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria; and trying to work with a hostile Israeli government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, who made life more difficult for Obama by openly consorting with Republicans over the President.

The growing impact of social issues on American politics, including not only gay rights and gay marriage, but also abortion, gun control, immigration reform, and climate change.  All of these controversies will impact politics in a dramatic fashion in 2016 and beyond.

The issue of individual rights to privacy, and the growing role of intelligence gathering and government snooping, including the Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Agency, and other government agencies, who feel that they must intrude and investigate all social media and phones and computers, to protect us.  This is seen by many critics as a violation of our civil liberties.

The evident deterioration of the effectiveness and competence of the Secret Service, in its role as protector of the President and his family; the Vice President; the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and all Presidential candidates, as the Presidential Election year of 2016 awaits us.  The last thing we need is any incident that affects the health, safety, and lives of any of the candidates or the top leadership of government.  If such were to happen, it would undermine our whole political system and stability in massive ways!

 

Predatory Capitalism: The Pharmaceutical, Petroleum, Automobile, Banking And Other Industries Create A New “Gilded Age”!

Ronald 7 Comments

Recent news about many industries make it clear that we are living through a new “Gilded Age”, following the original predatory capitalism of the “Robber Barons” of the late 19th century, followed by the abusive practices of the Ronald Reagan era, predated by the Richard Nixon administration.

Now we have the pharmaceutical industry holding hostages of the sick, disabled, and elderly, with the price of medication going sky high, as with the despicable young hedge fund billionaire who raised a price 5,000 percent until social media forced him, finally, to drop the price increase.

We have the petroleum industry, which does not give a damn about pollution damage, as in the British Petroleum oil spill in 2010, which will damage the long term environmental future in the Gulf of Mexico.  And now oil companies want to drill for oil in Alaska, the worst possible outcome, as we should learn from their mistakes, which have been many over the years.

And we also have Volkswagen having purposely avoided meeting the emission standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency, which should lead to billions in assessment, but also put corporate leaders in prison.  And the General Motors scandal on faulty ignition switches, which caused many deaths and many injuries, should also  lead to prison time and major fines to punish that automobile company.

The banking industry continues exploiting homeowners and their mortgages, and has no conscience in their practices, and their leaders come to Capitol Hill and are worshiped by many members of Congress, when instead, they should be facing prison time for their illegal and unethical business practices.

It is long past time for a major increase in government regulation and intervention to make all corporations accountable, and force them to change their practices, which include horrible exploitation of their work force, as well as consumers.

A new Progressive Era, that promoted by Theodore Roosevelt, needs to develop, along with expansion of the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Great Society of Lyndon B. Johnson, along with the reforms under Barack Obama.

But to do so, the right wing Republican party , which stands in the way of regulating capitalism appropriately, must be defeated for the Presidency, as well as Congress.  And only a future Democratic President can make judicial appointments to insure the long range future of regulation and intervention of the corporate world!

The Rising Odds Of A President Leaving Office Involuntarily!

Ronald 8 Comments

When one thinks about it, the odds of a President leaving office involuntarily are growing.

The possibility of a President being impeached, specifically President Obama, has grown by leaps and bounds, at least if one pays attention to the lunatic Tea Party Movement crowd, which infests a portion of the House Republican Conference, and a few United States Senators, headed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz!

But of course, even if Barack Obama were to be impeached, the chance of gaining two thirds of the US Senate ready to convict and remove him, is extremely remote, and basically would never happen!

And yet, death threats are multiplying against President Obama, and the Secret Service monitors an average of 30 threats per day, not all serious, but still threats that have to be investigated, whether by someone in person, on the phone, in mail, or email, or on social media.

The author is finishing a book on Presidential assassinations, attempts, and threats, and has uncovered at least 35 serious enough threats against Barack Obama, in the sense that they have been reported in the news media, but it is clear that many more in multiple numbers, not public knowledge, have occurred!

Thank goodness the Secret Service and other agencies are doing what seems to be a great job in protecting the President and First Family, as well as Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, but all it would take is one breakdown in security, and a dirty deed could be accomplished, creating a national tragedy!

The problem is the level of hate is so intense, that many “religious” people, racists, and right wing nuts, including talk show hosts and politicians, fuel the fires, and incite people by their rhetoric, so that some whacko could get off shots at our leadership, and one can be sure that were something untoward to happen, there would be some elements of the population, which would applaud such a horrible deed!

So the odds of a tragedy, or possibly of a natural death in office grow, particularly when one considers, that we had a President die in office, either naturally or by assassination every generation from the 1840s to the 1960s, about 20 years apart in most cases, followed by the resignation of Richard Nixon forty years ago this summer.

Since the first demise of a President, William Henry Harrison, in 1841, 52 years after the establishment of the Constitution, we have had nine President leave office, four by assassination, four by natural death, and one by resignation.

But the last President to die naturally was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, 69 years ago! The last President to die in office, and by assassination, was John F. Kennedy in 1963, 51 years ago, meaning the longevity of no deaths between 1789 and 1841 is about to be matched next year! And even the last President to leave office, Nixon resigning in 1974, is 40 years ago, double the average time between deaths of Presidents over a period of 122 years from 1841 to 1963!

So one cannot help but have trepidation at the rising odds of a President leaving office involuntarily, as the years tick by! With exactly two years and seven months left in office for Barack Obama, as of today, all decent people, whether supportive or critical of his Presidency, must pray for his continued good health and safety as he faces the challenges of his times with courage and principle!

The Crisis Of American Education: Inability To Evaluate And Analyze Information

Ronald 11 Comments

American education is in a major crisis, with the average teenager unable to evaluate and analyze information, part of the success story required as an adult competing in a world economy.

The nation is fraught with danger if this reality is not overcome and soon. How can we have a thriving democracy if much of the population is unable to make good judgments on all kinds of issues, including, but not limited to who should govern them?

Sixty five countries were evaluated on reading, science, and math skills, and American 15 year olds ranked 19th in reading, 22nd in science, and 29th in math!

Asian countries rank at the top, including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and South Korea. European nations, including Finland, Germany, and Poland also scored much better than the United States.

Reading has become a lost art, as young people have demonstrated that their attention spans and concentration powers are weaker than in past generations, a lot due to too much time spent on video games social media, and cell phone trances, and in the process losing valuable time in learning that comes from reading all kinds of materials.

Science is in crisis, as more than ever, people are being influenced by religious fundamentalism, which denies scientific reality, and endangers the future of human existence, in favor of belief in faith over facts.

Math is also a disaster area, as most people cannot do basic math skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and percentages, let alone higher math requirements for society to advance.

Poverty is a major issue, but also the lack of enough days of schooling, with the average American only attending 180 days a year, while in many other nations, especially in Asia, students attend 230 days, a difference of 10 weeks of education annually!

Trying to attract the top talent into teaching is also in crisis, as pay is very low overall in America, and men in particular are not drawn into the profession in any field of study, with the potential to make more in the business world.

CNN And The Steubenville, Ohio Rape Coverage: Disgraceful!

Ronald 1 Comment

CNN has been declining in quality rapidly, and is losing its reputation as, supposedly, the most “balanced” cable news channel!

To watch Anchor Candy Crowley and correspondent Poppy Harlow talk ad infinitum about the loss of potential in two young football players in Steubenville, Ohio, who were convicted of raping a 16 year girl at a party, taping it, spreading it through social media, and bragging over their conquest, was enough to make one want to vomit!

What is the matter with these women, particularly the fact that they are WOMEN, that they express no concern or empathy for the female victim of the rape?

Who cares about whether these two young men are now to be listed as sex offenders, and that they will have a police record that will haunt them for the rest of their lives? Who cares that they will be incarcerated for their horrific crime?

This is a sign of what has happened in our society, the lack of respect for women and their basic human rights!

And when you have Christian pastors and Republican politicians who make clear their contempt for the rights of women, and can even justify rape as possibly having its virtues, including requiring that a child conceived in rape should be taken to birth, it makes one understand that with all of the great advancements for women in the past fifty years, there is still a long road to true respect and equality for women, in relation to men who seem to think, whether they are high school football players, clergymen, or politicians, that they should, somehow, be able to control women and their every action, including their pregnancies, their manner of dress, and their overall behavior, as, after all, men should, somehow, not be held accountable for their own actions, statements, and behavior!

It is also way past time for the news media at all levels, including social media, to stop degrading women in all kinds of ways, and for women reporters and anchors to do so, makes it even worse, so SHAME ON YOU to CNN, and a profuse apology is required!

The Death Of Andrew Breitbart: Not A Time To Celebrate

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Andrew Breitbart, an infamous right wing blogger, who ruined the reputation of Shirley Shirrod, who worked in the Department Of Agriculture; and participated in the destruction of ACORN (Association Of Community Organizations For Reform Now), a community based organization promoting voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues, died yesterday at the age of 43.

Utilizing lies, deception, falsehoods, and with no basis of fact, Breitbart had no problem with destroying the reputation of others in his mad quest for influence and power in the media.

His attempted destruction of Shirley Shirrod as racist was proved to be false, and she moved ahead to sue him, and was doing so at the time of his death. But she proved she was better than him, by expressing shock and sadness at his sudden death at a young age, a sign of her classiness.

ACORN, sadly, was destroyed, with Fox News Channel assisting in the dirty deed, based on false realities and facts.

Breitbart also helped to expose New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, who was stupid and arrogant enough to post inappropriate pictures on social media, and delighted in that expose, leading to Weiner’s resignation.

Breitbart had no ethics or morals when it came to destruction, and yet that is not a just cause for some to celebrate his passing. He was a devoted father and husband, and no one should celebrate the demise of anyone, other than a vicious dictator. And he was so young, only 43, dying suddenly of heart trouble.

So we can condemn his activities and lack of ethics, but still feel it is not a time to celebrate, and wish his family well.

The Growing Danger Of Social Media, Social Networking: Growing Discontent Among Young People Who Are Unemployed Leads To Potential Violence And Revolution!

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Social Media such as Facebook and Twitter have brought people together in all kinds of great causes and crusades, including the “Arab Spring” in many Middle East nations that are autocracies.

At the same time, social networking has also been leading to the ability of crime gangs to promote chaos and anarchy, as has been occurring recently in Philadelphia; to demonstrations interfering with freedom of movement in the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) system in San Francisco; and to authorities attempting to shut down social media and cell phones to prevent such confrontations and violence, but in the process interfering with civil liberties, and the ability to communicate for law abiding citizens.

When one realizes that a lot of what has happened in the “Arab Spring” is not just based on politics, but also on the inability of many young people in the Middle East to find work or make an adequate living even with those who have educational attainment, one must also realize that millions of young Americans, who would never be ordinarily considering being lawless, MIGHT with growing unemployment and frustration help to cause some firebrands to incite people to rise up in violence and bloodshed in opposition to the lack of federal and state governments doing what they can to promote job creation. Whether with business assistance or through public works projects, as during the Great Depression, when millions of people contributed to the growth of infrastructure through the Works Projects Administration and other agencies, giving them faith in the future and a steady paycheck, it is ESSENTIAL that actions be taken immediately to prevent such an occurrence!

The fact that the US government under Republican House leadership has done NOTHING to promote job growth, and that state governments are cutting employment at the same time, means that unemployment is likely to grow, apparently part of the plan of the GOP to make Barack Obama look bad. But in the process, it is likely to provoke eventual violence and bloodshed, which can be fueled on the internet through Facebook and Twitter and other social media!

The potential for trouble is alarming, and the events in the Middle East, Philadelphia and San Francisco should ring alarm bells in our government at all levels, that we CANNOT allow widespread unemployment to grow and claim there is nothing that government can do, as they indeed did a GREAT DEAL during the New Deal years of Franklin D. Roosevelt and saved the country from revolution!

It is time for Congress and the states to stop the politics, and start promoting job opportunity, whether privately inspired or publicly created, and not later, but NOW!