Photo from: The Connection @ Lucianne.com
Former CBS News president Richard Salant (1961 - 64 and 1966 - 79) explained the major media's role: "Our job is to give people not what they want, but what we decide they ought to have." ...and to this very day most Americans haven't noticed they're being brained washed! ~ N. Hooben
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Joke That Came True...or maybe it always was
The punchline in the joke below certainly rings true and also relates to that oft used slogan...or rather the definition of insanity, "Doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results." If you have to ask yourself who would do such a thing it would be a good time to look in the mirror for the nearest culprit. Just how many times have you voted to re-elect someone? Did you see any change? Nope...everything just got worse. The 2012 elections are just around the corner so I would suggest that if you would like to see some real change, vote the bums out! Never, never, re-elect the guy that promised you things will get better. The only things that get better are the bank accounts of the politicians.
The following joke has made the cyber space mail route many times and I would suggest that maybe we should not laugh because it's true!
----- Original Message -----
The following joke has made the cyber space mail route many times and I would suggest that maybe we should not laugh because it's true!
----- Original Message ----- From: link removed
To: link removed
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2011 11:28 AM
Subject: FW: The 4th MarriageThe 4th Marriage
A woman who had been married three times walked into a bridal shop one day and told the sales clerk that she was looking for a wedding gown for her fourth wedding.
"Of course, madam," replied the sales clerk, "exactly what type and color dress are you looking for?"
The bride to be said: "A long frilly white dress with a veil."
The sales clerk hesitated a bit, then said, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but gowns of that nature are considered more appropriate for brides who are being married the first time - for those who are a bit more innocent, if you know what I mean? Perhaps ivory or sky blue would be nice?"
"Well," replied the customer, a little peeved at the clerk's directness, "I can assure you that a white gown would be quite appropriate. Believe it or not, despite all my marriages, I remain as innocent as a first-time bride. You see, my first husband was so excited about our wedding, he died as we were checking into our hotel.”
"My second husband and I got into such a terrible fight in the limo on our way to our honeymoon that we had that wedding annulled immediately and never spoke to each other again."
"What about your third husband?" asked the sales clerk.
"That one was a Democrat," said the woman, "and every night for four years, he just sat on the edge of the bed and told me how good it was going to be, but nothing ever happened
The bride to be said: "A long frilly white dress with a veil."
The sales clerk hesitated a bit, then said, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but gowns of that nature are considered more appropriate for brides who are being married the first time - for those who are a bit more innocent, if you know what I mean? Perhaps ivory or sky blue would be nice?"
"Well," replied the customer, a little peeved at the clerk's directness, "I can assure you that a white gown would be quite appropriate. Believe it or not, despite all my marriages, I remain as innocent as a first-time bride. You see, my first husband was so excited about our wedding, he died as we were checking into our hotel.”
"My second husband and I got into such a terrible fight in the limo on our way to our honeymoon that we had that wedding annulled immediately and never spoke to each other again."
"What about your third husband?" asked the sales clerk.
"That one was a Democrat," said the woman, "and every night for four years, he just sat on the edge of the bed and told me how good it was going to be, but nothing ever happened
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Bambi lives to see another day...kudos to the deputy sheriff acting above and beyond the call of duty
Deputy carries frightened deer from road to safety (video)
by Pete Thomas @ GrindTV
Deer are famous for "freezing" in the headlight beams of oncoming cars, but for a doe on a rural Michigan highway, there were not only headlights but a mild collision with a car that left it frozen with fear in the middle of the road. The incident last Friday was captured by the video unit of a patrol car used by Deputy Ryan Swartz of the Huron County Sheriff's Department (the video was released Monday). Swartz, who was responding to the deer-versus-vehicle call, was unable to coax the doe off the roadway, so he just lifted the animal and carried it to the embankment.
"What he did is certainly not recommended but he felt confident enough because of his many years of experience with deer," stated a news release issued by the Sheriff's Department.
The deputy said that when he first arrived he thought the deer was a decoy because it stood totally motionless. He told local TV station WNEM TV5, "I figured as I walked up to it, it would just run off the road [but] it just stood still. It wasn't moving at all. So I went up and I pet it and I was thinking that would get the deer off the road."
When that didn't work Swartz simply carried the deer to one side of the road, then the other, and set the animal down. Eventually it regained its composure and trotted into a field. The entire episode lasted about 10 minutes.
Climate change update...it's not a man-made phenonmenon
by Pete Thomas @ GrindTV
Deer are famous for "freezing" in the headlight beams of oncoming cars, but for a doe on a rural Michigan highway, there were not only headlights but a mild collision with a car that left it frozen with fear in the middle of the road. The incident last Friday was captured by the video unit of a patrol car used by Deputy Ryan Swartz of the Huron County Sheriff's Department (the video was released Monday). Swartz, who was responding to the deer-versus-vehicle call, was unable to coax the doe off the roadway, so he just lifted the animal and carried it to the embankment.
"What he did is certainly not recommended but he felt confident enough because of his many years of experience with deer," stated a news release issued by the Sheriff's Department.
The deputy said that when he first arrived he thought the deer was a decoy because it stood totally motionless. He told local TV station WNEM TV5, "I figured as I walked up to it, it would just run off the road [but] it just stood still. It wasn't moving at all. So I went up and I pet it and I was thinking that would get the deer off the road."
When that didn't work Swartz simply carried the deer to one side of the road, then the other, and set the animal down. Eventually it regained its composure and trotted into a field. The entire episode lasted about 10 minutes.
_____________________________________
Climate change update...it's not a man-made phenonmenon
South African astrophysicist and solar researcher Hilton Ratcliffe (author of "The Virtue of Heresy" and "The Static Universe") tackles Al Gore, climate change, and the myth of Anthropogenic Global Warming head on.
~ Message From A Soldier ~
Letters To The Editor ( The Post-Record Camas -Washougal, Washington)
Message from a soldier
I am a Washougal resident and local middle school history teacher who enlisted in the Army in 2008. Today, I said goodbye to my family to join my team in deploying to Afghanistan for a year. Since so many people in the media and in politics so often love to speak on the behalf of soldiers, I wanted to write you and share with you why I’m doing this, in my own words:There’s been enough written about 9-11, the War on Terror, duty, honor, service, truth, justice and the American Way and all that to fill the Library of Congress, so I won’t regurgitate it here.
And while all of those things carry a very sacred and deep meaning for me and are a part of my motivation, now — on the eve of leaving for war — they’re not where I choose to focus. At the moment, I’m choosing to focus on what I see everyday, and how it all compels me to leave my life for a year to fight in someone else’s country around people who hate me.
I’m doing it for the parents working two jobs to pay their kids’ tuition. I’m doing it so that kids can learn and grow and feel safe at home in a country where they’re free to become whoever they want to be. I’m doing it for that single mom who pulls double shifts everyday and then goes to night school after tucking the kids in. I’m doing it so those kids can hope for a better future than their current present.
I’m doing it for people like my friend, who pours his heart and soul into his non-profit, where he fights everyday to turn his passion into a better reality for South African school children, one soccer scholarship at a time
I’m doing it so that a place like America continues to exist; where people with big hearts and even bigger ideas can pursue better lives for strangers around the world, asking for nothing in return.
I’m doing it for that immigrant who finally succeeded in moving his family here (legally) can taste the American Dream. I’m doing so that American Dream can still exist for his kids and their kids.
I’m doing it for the guys who froze to death crossing the Delaware that Christmas night in 1776, whispering “Victory or Death!” as they lay down forever in the snow drifts, and so that no American ever has to sacrifice that much for our own survival ever again.
I’m doing it for all the wonderful things my family and I enjoyed recently: For pumpkin patches at family farms; so that small family farms can continue to work and thrive in a free country that rewards hard working families.
For things like football on Sundays and World Series that truly are Fall Classics; so that we as a nation will always share in great moments like College Game Day or Game 6.
For sunny days on breezy beaches or rainy days by the fire while watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!”
For all the little moments that make life in America so freaking good; so good in fact, that we almost never realize that our lives and the way we get to live them are the exception, and not the norm in this world.
I’m doing it in the slightest of hopes that it means that someone else, somewhere, someday, won’t have to.
I’m doing it for my students, in the hopes that they can learn, through me, that it’s not enough to read about history, but that to truly understand history is to honor it; to honor the sacrifices of those who’ve come before us in places like Gettysburg, Valley Forge, Normandy and Arlington National.
I’m doing it for my sons, so that they can one day understand and appreciate the price of the freedom they’re still too young to fully get, much less appreciate. And so that, God willing, their daddy is the last Goble to have to fight in the Middle East (though I doubt it).
I’m doing it because at the end of the day, I wouldn’t know how not to. According to my research, a male in my family has been in every American war since the Old North Bridge outside of Concord in 1775. It’s just my turn, and I can’t shy away from that responsibility.
That’s why I joined the Army. That’s why I’m going to Afghanistan. That’s why I fight.
Sgt. Chris Goble, 445 CA Bn, 82nd Airborne Division
Comments for this article here: http://www.camaspostrecord.com/news/2011/nov/08/letters-editor-nov-8-2011/
Message from a soldier
I am a Washougal resident and local middle school history teacher who enlisted in the Army in 2008. Today, I said goodbye to my family to join my team in deploying to Afghanistan for a year. Since so many people in the media and in politics so often love to speak on the behalf of soldiers, I wanted to write you and share with you why I’m doing this, in my own words:And while all of those things carry a very sacred and deep meaning for me and are a part of my motivation, now — on the eve of leaving for war — they’re not where I choose to focus. At the moment, I’m choosing to focus on what I see everyday, and how it all compels me to leave my life for a year to fight in someone else’s country around people who hate me.
I’m doing it for the parents working two jobs to pay their kids’ tuition. I’m doing it so that kids can learn and grow and feel safe at home in a country where they’re free to become whoever they want to be. I’m doing it for that single mom who pulls double shifts everyday and then goes to night school after tucking the kids in. I’m doing it so those kids can hope for a better future than their current present.
I’m doing it for people like my friend, who pours his heart and soul into his non-profit, where he fights everyday to turn his passion into a better reality for South African school children, one soccer scholarship at a time
I’m doing it so that a place like America continues to exist; where people with big hearts and even bigger ideas can pursue better lives for strangers around the world, asking for nothing in return.
I’m doing it for that immigrant who finally succeeded in moving his family here (legally) can taste the American Dream. I’m doing so that American Dream can still exist for his kids and their kids.
I’m doing it for the guys who froze to death crossing the Delaware that Christmas night in 1776, whispering “Victory or Death!” as they lay down forever in the snow drifts, and so that no American ever has to sacrifice that much for our own survival ever again.
I’m doing it for all the wonderful things my family and I enjoyed recently: For pumpkin patches at family farms; so that small family farms can continue to work and thrive in a free country that rewards hard working families.
For things like football on Sundays and World Series that truly are Fall Classics; so that we as a nation will always share in great moments like College Game Day or Game 6.
For sunny days on breezy beaches or rainy days by the fire while watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!”
For all the little moments that make life in America so freaking good; so good in fact, that we almost never realize that our lives and the way we get to live them are the exception, and not the norm in this world.
I’m doing it in the slightest of hopes that it means that someone else, somewhere, someday, won’t have to.
I’m doing it for my students, in the hopes that they can learn, through me, that it’s not enough to read about history, but that to truly understand history is to honor it; to honor the sacrifices of those who’ve come before us in places like Gettysburg, Valley Forge, Normandy and Arlington National.
I’m doing it for my sons, so that they can one day understand and appreciate the price of the freedom they’re still too young to fully get, much less appreciate. And so that, God willing, their daddy is the last Goble to have to fight in the Middle East (though I doubt it).
I’m doing it because at the end of the day, I wouldn’t know how not to. According to my research, a male in my family has been in every American war since the Old North Bridge outside of Concord in 1775. It’s just my turn, and I can’t shy away from that responsibility.
That’s why I joined the Army. That’s why I’m going to Afghanistan. That’s why I fight.
Sgt. Chris Goble, 445 CA Bn, 82nd Airborne Division
Comments for this article here: http://www.camaspostrecord.com/news/2011/nov/08/letters-editor-nov-8-2011/
...a man among men! ~ Storm'n Norm'n
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Life after death...the pay is not too bad! ...we get to vote too!
"In one outrageous case, the son of a deceased annuitant kept receiving federal benefits for 37 years after his father's death."
The following from: Congress.org
Checks to Dead People
Who is responsible?
Article by: Cal Thomas
According to a report by the Office of Personnel Management and reported in Ed O'Keefe's "The Federal Eye" column in the Washington Post, our government has been sending checks to dead people. "In the last five years," O'Keefe writes, "the Office of Personnel Management has made more than $601 million in payments to dead federal retirees, according to the agency's inspector general. Total annual payouts range between $100 million and $150 million."
This isn't something new. Inspector General (IG) Patrick McFarland had urged OPM in 2005 and again in 2008 to more closely monitor such payments. It appears his advice has gone unheeded.
"Improper payments to dead retirees are up 70 percent in the last five years," cites the OPM report. In one outrageous case, the son of a deceased annuitant kept receiving federal benefits for 37 years after his father's death. OPM didn't learn about the improper payments until after the son died. Of course, the agency never recovered any of the money. Could this be why the government has no qualms about spending other people's money?
Senator Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, conducted an investigation and reported last October on his findings. Coburn discovered that "the federal government had paid nearly $1 billion to at least 250,000 dead people since 2000. That same month, a watchdog reported that the Obama administration's economic stimulus program had made 89,000 payments of $250 each to dead or incarcerated people," writes O'Keefe.
I wonder how many of the dead and incarcerated got to vote and for whom?
As congressional Democrats and Republicans play another round of "chicken" over what, if anything, can be cut from the bloated budget and engage in phony theatrics over another possible government shutdown, those members who wish to be more responsible with other people's money ought to make the issue of wasteful spending central to the upcoming campaign.
After removing the dead and incarcerated from the federal payroll, they can go after an agency that touches all Americans: the United States Postal Service (USPS). According to Citizens Against Government Waste (www.cagw.org), "The USPS has 600,000 employees and is the second largest employer in America behind Wal-Mart. The USPS Office of Inspector General reported that employees were paid $21.9 million for 875,540 hours of 'stand-by' time in FY 2010, and $4.3 million for 170,666 hours in the first half of FY 2011. The USPS also has a 24 percent vacancy rate in its 284 million square feet of interior office space." The problem is that once a federal agency or program is started, it is easier to find an honest politician than it is to cut something from the budget. Ronald Reagan noted the only proof of eternal life on Earth is a government program. Being dead does not have to remove one from the "spread the wealth" mentality of the current administration, or any administration. Misspending is clearly bipartisan.
______________________
Thousands on the rolls after death, creating potential for fraudWoodwick Street was quiet -- with a few residents working in their yards and adding to post-storm brush piles at the curb -- when Texas Watchdog visited on a recent Saturday to try to find Harris County voter Linda K. Hill.
"I'm sorry, but she passed on two years ago," said a mustached man wearing a Dallas Cowboys baseball cap and driving a motorized chair down the street. He was Linda Hill's husband, Henderson Hill Jr.
Read full story here: Ballots cast in Houston using dead voters' names
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Socialism is for the people not the Socialists...only the rich and powerful will remain rich and powerful, all others are doomed !
This video was previously posted on 3 September 2010. I don't know what it will take to get Americans into thinking how bad this economy is and how much worse it will get under the Communist regime presently in power. If you have noticed the increase in basic food (and necessities) prices congratulations on your observations for you have not seen nothing yet. The following is a video depicting Richard Trumka (one of Obama's henchmen) supporting a global tax on all transactions...and if you don't know how that will affect the cost of everything then you need to hone up your observation skills. ~ Norman E. Hooben
1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes. (let me remind you, this is one of Obama's main goals...also a mainstay of the United Nations)
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
3. Abolition of all right of inheritance.
4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the State, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.
6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State.
7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State; the bringing into cultivation of waste-lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
8. Equal liability of all to labour. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equal distribution of the population over the country.
10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labour in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production.
If video fails to load click here:http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2010/09/02/key-obama-ally-works-with-socialists-for-global-tax/
The Communist Manifesto List Of Reforms
(Manifesto of the Communist Party 1848...they've been working on it for a long time!)
1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes. (let me remind you, this is one of Obama's main goals...also a mainstay of the United Nations)
Gridiron Politics...Have we gone too far?
The following from Yahoo Sports
On Veterans Day weekend, Decker penalized for saluting troops
by Chris Chase
Legal in the NFL: Scoring a touchdown and then running 100 yards down the sideline to give the ball to your girlfriend who's a cheerleader for the opposing team.
Not legal in the NFL: Scoring a touchdown and saluting the troops on Veterans Day weekend.
Denver Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker(notes) was assessed with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Sunday after dropping to his knee and saluting in the end zone after a 56-yard touchdown reception from Tim Tebow(notes). The flag was thrown because Decker went to a knee, a celebration which has been illegal in the NFL since 2009.
Later, Decker posted a tweet about the penalty:
To go that way would ignore the long history the league has of supporting our nation's armed forces. November has been a "Salute to Service" month in the NFL, a celebration which will include events for military personnel at all 32 NFL stadiums. The league has had a relationship with the USO since 1965, supports the Wounded Warrior Project and is partners with the Pat Tillman Foundation. Penalizing Decker doesn't mean the NFL doesn't care about veterans.
What it does care about is protecting its image, no matter the cost. The league is fine with honoring, remembering and supporting causes, so long as it's done the NFL's way. Wear league-approved pink shoes and towels to support breast cancer awareness month, don't pull out a ribbon from your sock to honor your aunt with the disease after scoring a touchdown. A team helmet sticker to honor a deceased player is all right, but not writing his number on your cleats.The NFL is worried about the snowball effect of these acts. Decker's military salute will turn into a player honoring his alma mater in the end zone which will turn into a defender writing his daughter's name on his cleats because she has a piano recital that day. Pretty soon celebrations are all personal in nature, and shoes and jerseys are cluttered up like a sixth-grade girl's notebook.
Penalize Decker because he broke the rule by going to a knee, not because he saluted. When it comes time to assess fines for this week, let him slide. Decker's timing and technique may have been off (who salutes from one knee?) but his intentions were in the right place.
ps: The commentary may have explained it all but I do not agree with it...sometimes we have to take into consideration who it is we are on bended knee for...I believe that this was a Winston Churchill never-never moment. It would have made good sense if the referee kept the flag in his pocket. Of course I may be a bit biased; I'm a veteran. ~ Norman E. Hooben
___________________________
Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never, in nothing, great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. - Winston Churchill
Monday, November 14, 2011
Soldiers Are Murderers Who Are Unworthy Of Our Support, Professor Michael Avery, Suffolk Law School ..."The very people that protect your right to speak your mind no matter how warped it is."
Some things need to be put into perspective and to compare support for our troops to that of Americans who are losing their homes and other unwarranted areas described by Professor Avery places Avery in the un-American school of thought. How one becomes a professor who has to ask such questions as, "Why do we continue to have this oversized flag in our lobby?" Maybe the flag is not oversized enough for the professor to see the definition... It's called patriotism professor! Having to explain it to you further amplifies your un-American stance regarding your disrespect for the American military...the very people that protect your right to speak your mind no matter how warped it is. ~ Norman E. Hooben
The following from Boston Barstool Sports (I would not have selected the title but the Post Script (PS) is one of the best I've seen lately. Norm)
Does This Look Like The Face Of A Suffolk Law Professor Who Hates Our Troops And Thinks Soldiers Are Murderers Who Are Un Worthy Of Our Support
MichaelGraham.com – On Wednesday a member of the Suffolk Law School staff sent out an email soliciting “much needed supplies to put in care packages to be sent to deployed troops.” You know, stuff like beef jerky, instant coffee, trail mix, etc? Scout troops do stuff like this all the time. In fact, the email specifically mentioned that one Suffolk Law student deployed to Afghanistan would be a recipient. Pretty basic, patriotic stuff, right? Well, read this response from one of the Suffolk Law professors who received it, a (ahem) “gentleman” named Michael Avery:
Michael Avery’s Letter
“I think it is shameful that it is perceived as legitimate to solicit in an academic institution for support for men and women who have gone overseas to kill other human beings. I understand that there is a residual sympathy for service members, perhaps engendered by support for troops in World War II, or perhaps from when there was a draft and people with few resources to resist were involuntarily sent to battle.
That sympathy is not particularly rational in today’s world, however. The United States may well be the most war prone country in the history of civilization. We have been at war two years out of three since the Cold War ended. We have 700 overseas military bases. What other country has any? In the last ten years we have squandered hundreds of billions of dollars in unnecessary foreign invasions. Those are dollars that could have been used for people who are losing their homes due to the economic collapse, for education, to repair our infrastructure, or for any of a thousand better purposes than making war. And of course those hundreds of billions of dollars have gone for death and destruction.
Perhaps some of my colleagues will consider this to be an inappropriate political statement. But of course the solicitation email was a political statement, although cast as support for student activities. The politics of that solicitation are that war is legitimate, perhaps inevitable, and that patriotic Americans should get behind our troops.
We need to be more mindful of what message we are sending as a school. Since Sept. 11 we have had perhaps the largest flag in New England hanging in our atrium. This is not a politically neutral act. Excessive patriotic zeal is a hallmark of national security states. It permits, indeed encourages, excesses in the name of national security, as we saw during the Bush administration, and which continue during the Obama administration.
Why do we continue to have this oversized flag in our lobby? Why are we sending support to the military instead of Americans who are losing their homes, malnourished, unable to get necessary medical care, and suffering from other consequences of poverty? As a university community, we should debate these questions, not remain on automatic pilot in support of the war agenda. [all emphasis added]“
Happy Veterans Day everybody! All things considered this is probably the most infuriating letter we’ve ever posted on the Stool. Honestly how delusional do you have to be to write something like this? To protest sending care packages to soldiers who are risking their lives defending our country? It has nothing to do with whether you’re pro war, anti war or what. Obviously everybody is entitled to their opinion. But you seriously must have a brain malfunction if you can’t separate protesting policy decisions and supporting our soldiers. Our troops do what our elected leaders feel is in the best interest of the country. You want to protest Washington go ahead. But the second you start protesting anything that enhances our troops quality of living than you deserve to be excommunicated in my mind. You just have no grasp on reality or how many families are being effected. You have grasp on how big the sacrifice is. You put more importance on your ego and opinions than the lives of America heroes. If you can’t appreciate that from you cozy little office at Suffolk than you lose your right to live here nevermind spread your nazi propaganda to students. Let’s just hope Suffolk does the right thing and fires him because in no way does this lunatic deserve a job teaching kids.
PS – Yes as always in situations like these the great irony is that the very freedoms that our troops risk their lives protecting is what allow assholes like this to express their moronic views. Just such a shame.
See also: 96.9 FM Boston Talks
The following from Boston Barstool Sports (I would not have selected the title but the Post Script (PS) is one of the best I've seen lately. Norm)
Does This Look Like The Face Of A Suffolk Law Professor Who Hates Our Troops And Thinks Soldiers Are Murderers Who Are Un Worthy Of Our Support
MichaelGraham.com – On Wednesday a member of the Suffolk Law School staff sent out an email soliciting “much needed supplies to put in care packages to be sent to deployed troops.” You know, stuff like beef jerky, instant coffee, trail mix, etc? Scout troops do stuff like this all the time. In fact, the email specifically mentioned that one Suffolk Law student deployed to Afghanistan would be a recipient. Pretty basic, patriotic stuff, right? Well, read this response from one of the Suffolk Law professors who received it, a (ahem) “gentleman” named Michael Avery:Michael Avery’s Letter
“I think it is shameful that it is perceived as legitimate to solicit in an academic institution for support for men and women who have gone overseas to kill other human beings. I understand that there is a residual sympathy for service members, perhaps engendered by support for troops in World War II, or perhaps from when there was a draft and people with few resources to resist were involuntarily sent to battle.
That sympathy is not particularly rational in today’s world, however. The United States may well be the most war prone country in the history of civilization. We have been at war two years out of three since the Cold War ended. We have 700 overseas military bases. What other country has any? In the last ten years we have squandered hundreds of billions of dollars in unnecessary foreign invasions. Those are dollars that could have been used for people who are losing their homes due to the economic collapse, for education, to repair our infrastructure, or for any of a thousand better purposes than making war. And of course those hundreds of billions of dollars have gone for death and destruction.
Perhaps some of my colleagues will consider this to be an inappropriate political statement. But of course the solicitation email was a political statement, although cast as support for student activities. The politics of that solicitation are that war is legitimate, perhaps inevitable, and that patriotic Americans should get behind our troops.
We need to be more mindful of what message we are sending as a school. Since Sept. 11 we have had perhaps the largest flag in New England hanging in our atrium. This is not a politically neutral act. Excessive patriotic zeal is a hallmark of national security states. It permits, indeed encourages, excesses in the name of national security, as we saw during the Bush administration, and which continue during the Obama administration.
Why do we continue to have this oversized flag in our lobby? Why are we sending support to the military instead of Americans who are losing their homes, malnourished, unable to get necessary medical care, and suffering from other consequences of poverty? As a university community, we should debate these questions, not remain on automatic pilot in support of the war agenda. [all emphasis added]“
Happy Veterans Day everybody! All things considered this is probably the most infuriating letter we’ve ever posted on the Stool. Honestly how delusional do you have to be to write something like this? To protest sending care packages to soldiers who are risking their lives defending our country? It has nothing to do with whether you’re pro war, anti war or what. Obviously everybody is entitled to their opinion. But you seriously must have a brain malfunction if you can’t separate protesting policy decisions and supporting our soldiers. Our troops do what our elected leaders feel is in the best interest of the country. You want to protest Washington go ahead. But the second you start protesting anything that enhances our troops quality of living than you deserve to be excommunicated in my mind. You just have no grasp on reality or how many families are being effected. You have grasp on how big the sacrifice is. You put more importance on your ego and opinions than the lives of America heroes. If you can’t appreciate that from you cozy little office at Suffolk than you lose your right to live here nevermind spread your nazi propaganda to students. Let’s just hope Suffolk does the right thing and fires him because in no way does this lunatic deserve a job teaching kids.
PS – Yes as always in situations like these the great irony is that the very freedoms that our troops risk their lives protecting is what allow assholes like this to express their moronic views. Just such a shame.
See also: 96.9 FM Boston Talks
Congress? Are there any honest politicians in either house? (a must see video !)
The following from CBS News
Congress: Trading stock on inside information? (see video below)
(CBS News) Washington, D.C. is a town that runs on inside information - but should our elected officials be able to use that information to pad their own pockets? As Steve Kroft reports, members of Congress and their aides have regular access to powerful political intelligence, and many have made well-timed stock market trades in the very industries they regulate. For now, the practice is perfectly legal, but some say it's time for the law to change.
The following is a script of "Insiders" which aired on Nov. 13, 2011. Steve Kroft is correspondent, Ira Rosen and Gabrielle Schonder, producers.
The next national election is now less than a year away and congressmen and senators are expending much of their time and their energy raising the millions of dollars in campaign funds they'll need just to hold onto a job that pays $174,000 a year.
Few of them are doing it for the salary and all of them will say they are doing it to serve the public. But there are other benefits: Power, prestige, and the opportunity to become a Washington insider with access to information and connections that no one else has, in an environment of privilege where rules that govern the rest of the country, don't always apply to them.
Questioning Pelosi: Steve Kroft heads to D.C.
When Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner, and other lawmakers wouldn't answer Steve Kroft's questions, he headed to Washington to get some answers about their stock trades.
Most former congressmen and senators manage to leave Washington - if they ever leave Washington - with more money in their pockets than they had when they arrived, and as you are about to see, the biggest challenge is often avoiding temptation. Story continues at CBS News
Video from CBS News
Congress: Trading stock on inside information? (see video below)
(CBS News) Washington, D.C. is a town that runs on inside information - but should our elected officials be able to use that information to pad their own pockets? As Steve Kroft reports, members of Congress and their aides have regular access to powerful political intelligence, and many have made well-timed stock market trades in the very industries they regulate. For now, the practice is perfectly legal, but some say it's time for the law to change.The following is a script of "Insiders" which aired on Nov. 13, 2011. Steve Kroft is correspondent, Ira Rosen and Gabrielle Schonder, producers.
The next national election is now less than a year away and congressmen and senators are expending much of their time and their energy raising the millions of dollars in campaign funds they'll need just to hold onto a job that pays $174,000 a year.
Few of them are doing it for the salary and all of them will say they are doing it to serve the public. But there are other benefits: Power, prestige, and the opportunity to become a Washington insider with access to information and connections that no one else has, in an environment of privilege where rules that govern the rest of the country, don't always apply to them.
Questioning Pelosi: Steve Kroft heads to D.C.
When Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner, and other lawmakers wouldn't answer Steve Kroft's questions, he headed to Washington to get some answers about their stock trades.
Most former congressmen and senators manage to leave Washington - if they ever leave Washington - with more money in their pockets than they had when they arrived, and as you are about to see, the biggest challenge is often avoiding temptation. Story continues at CBS News
Video from CBS News
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Video: Is this the largest wave ever ridden?
Is this the largest wave ever ridden?
By: Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com
Garrett McNamara rode what members of his group implied was the largest wave ever successfully negotiated during a tow-surfing session Tuesday off the coast of Nazare, a small fishing town 70 miles north of Lisbon, Portugal. The wave face measured "around 90 feet," according to a news release announcing the feat. ...Read full story here.
CBS Caught Red-handed: CBS News planned all along to snub Michele Bachmann...just another reason never to trust CBS News!
red-handed ~ 1819, earlier red-hand (early 15c.), originally in Scottish legal writing, from red (1) + hand, presumably from the image of a murderer caught in the act, with blood on the hands. ~ Dictionary.com
CBS news has been manipulating the news for as long as I can remember. Surely most people can remember the brainwashing we took over the 'most trusted man in America' Walter Cronkite...in reality, the most trusted man in the cabal to destroy America! (see video link) ~ Norman E. Hooben
The following from World Net Daily
Leaked CBS memo backs Bachmann 'snub' charge
Campaign says network debate manipulated to shut her up
WASHINGTON – Michele Bachmann's plenty steamed about her treatment in tonight's CBS News/National Journal debate between GOP presidential candidates.
Several times throughout the course of the 90-minute presentation, Rep. Bachmann, R-Minn., attempted to follow-up questions and answers by other candidates – just as the moderators of the debate suggested they would be allowed to do at their discretion.
But despite often vociferous attempts to weigh in, the moderators chose other candidates.
Now the Bachmann campaign is going public with evidence CBS News planned all along to snub her.
Keith Nahigian, Bachmann’s campaign manager posted on her Facebook page an email exchange between CBS News political director John Dickerson and correspondent Caroline Horn in which Dickerson suggested before the debate "she's not going to get many questions."
Nahigian commented that the memo represents "concrete evidence of what every conservative knows – the liberal mainstream media elites are manipulating the Republican debates by purposely suppressing our conservative message and limiting Michele’s questions."
CBS news has been manipulating the news for as long as I can remember. Surely most people can remember the brainwashing we took over the 'most trusted man in America' Walter Cronkite...in reality, the most trusted man in the cabal to destroy America! (see video link) ~ Norman E. Hooben
Leaked CBS memo backs Bachmann 'snub' charge
Campaign says network debate manipulated to shut her up
WASHINGTON – Michele Bachmann's plenty steamed about her treatment in tonight's CBS News/National Journal debate between GOP presidential candidates. Several times throughout the course of the 90-minute presentation, Rep. Bachmann, R-Minn., attempted to follow-up questions and answers by other candidates – just as the moderators of the debate suggested they would be allowed to do at their discretion.
But despite often vociferous attempts to weigh in, the moderators chose other candidates.
Now the Bachmann campaign is going public with evidence CBS News planned all along to snub her.
Keith Nahigian, Bachmann’s campaign manager posted on her Facebook page an email exchange between CBS News political director John Dickerson and correspondent Caroline Horn in which Dickerson suggested before the debate "she's not going to get many questions."
Nahigian commented that the memo represents "concrete evidence of what every conservative knows – the liberal mainstream media elites are manipulating the Republican debates by purposely suppressing our conservative message and limiting Michele’s questions."