Global Warming and Climate Change: The Debate is Over

It is a fact.  The debate is over.  Done.  Climate scientists agree that the Earth's temperature is rising and that it is a man-made event.  Evidence continues to pour in bolstering what we already know.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association just reported that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have hit their highest levels in over 800,000 years.  After one of the most extreme winters people in the US have ever seen, scientists are pointing to pollution from Asia as a contributing factor.

Now the issue facing us is just what are we going to do with this information.  Are we going to attack this threat head-on, as environmentalists want to do, or bury our heads in the sand as many business leaders and congressional GOP would prefer.  

Two stories caught my eye this week.  First, it was reported this morning that the Obama administration has once again punted on approval of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.  Not what environmentalists wanted to hear as a more preferable decision would have ended this highly polluting debacle here and now. But we will take what we can get for now.  Small victories are better than none at all.

But then there is this little ditty out of Oklahoma.  It just has to make you wonder where people's priorities are.  Do we want to clean up this planet and leave a better place for our children and our children's children?  Or are we going to continue to run it into the ground until it's too late?

Time is running out. 

The High Cost of Prescription Drugs and the Deficit

If you are not a follower of CBS's 60 Minutes you probably missed this excellent report from correspondent Steve Kroft back in 2007 and which demands a rerun now.  In it, Kroft details how the Prescription Drug Act - a piece of legislation that was written by the prescription drug industry and signed into law by President Bush - was wrangled through Congress through extraordinary measures such as threatening members and extending the voting period.  The piece shows how the original $395Bn cost of the program ballooned to a whopping $534Bn - a number that was withheld from Congress before the vote.  When Republican members decide to hold the Government hostage again in the name of deficit reduction, they need only look to this UNPAID FOR piece of legislation as one reason for that deficit.  It's all in there.  The reasons why the cost of drugs in this country is sky-high.  Why the Government cannot negotiate lower prices.  How former members and staffers of Congress leave for lucrative lobbying jobs with Big Pharma.  The clip is less than 10 minutes.  If you haven's seen it you should.  If you have, watch  it again then call/write your congressional delegation.     

The Video You Need To See Before You Spend Another Second Arguing About Health Care:

'via Blog this'

Restrictive Voting Laws

So far this year there have been at least 92 restrictive voting laws introduced in 33 states to combat the unsubstantiated issue of voter fraud.  There are 13 bills pending in 5 states, 5 restrictive bills are currently active in 2 states and 8 states have already passed 9 pieces of legislation restricting voting rights.*

As I have stated numerous times, I believe that voter suppression is a defining issue of our democracy.  Will we allow our elections to to be decided by denying individuals their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote by gerrymandering districts and disenfranchising voters with restrictive laws?  How can we fight for the ideals of democracy for people around the world and yet deny those same rights to our own people?

Only time will tell.

*All data courtesy of MSNBC's "UP with Steve Kornacki"

The Govenrment Shutdown and Giving the American People What They Want

As the GOP battle to repeal, replace, defund or delay the Affordable Care Act, AKA ObamaCare, we hear one Republican after another saying they are only doing what the American people want.  We hear it over and over like a drum beat; "the American people do not want this...blah blah blah".  In one of the latest WSJ/NBC polls 38% of respondents say the law is a good idea versus 43% who say it’s a bad idea.  So, Republicans are listening to and supporting an entire 43% of the American people.  

How admirable of them. 

What I want to know is why are they not listening to and supporting the American people when it comes to passing some common sense laws requiring stiffer background checks on ALL gun purchases?  A Quinnipiac University poll taken Sept. 23-29, 2013 found that 89% of the American people polled support requiring background checks for ALL gun purchases.  This includes 82% of the Republicans, 95% of Democrats and 89% of Independents.  In addition, 74% of NRA members also support universal background checks.

Obviously, the Republicans are having an issue with what I like to call SHL or Selective Hearing Loss.  They will shut the government down for 43% of "the American people" who do not like ObamaCare, but do not hear the 90% of those same American people who want universal background checks.  

Yeah, it's all about what the American people want.

Understanding the Debt Ceiling Crisis

When I read Facebook posts and tweets about the debt ceiling it is clear that there are still many people that do not realize what the debt ceiling really is.  This explains why they do not also understand the consequences of default.  Here is a quick Economics 101 explanation.  According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury website: 

     "The debt limit is the total amount of money that the United States government is authorized to borrow to meet its existing legal obligations, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, military salaries, interest on the national debt, tax refunds, and other payments. The debt limit does not authorize new spending commitments. It simply allows the government to finance existing legal obligations that Congresses and presidents of both parties have made in the past."  

Simply put, raising the debt limit - or ceiling - allows the Federal Government to pay the bills that were created by a budget that was already passed.  I cannot emphasize that enough.  This does not allow the Government to spend more money.  In other words, they all got together and said we are going to fund programs that cost $X but we only have $Y to pay for them so we will just borrow the additional money.  In effect, we are putting the needed revenues on the Government credit card.  This is called deficit spending.  Now the time has come to borrow the money to pay for those programs; to pay our credit card bill that has come due.  Again; this is money that has already been authorized and spent.  However, now the Republicans are saying they will not allow that to happen.  They will not allow the Government to borrow that money to pay those bills.  Again; they already agreed to spend it.  What would happen to your credit if you refused to pay your credit card bill?  Now imagine that your credit card is the basis for the world economy.  

We already saw our credit rating take a hit from AAA to AA status in 2011 when the Republicans took the country to the brink of default before President Obama caved to their demands.  To be fair, the President has agreed to sit down and discuss spending - and new revenues - but not while the GOP is holding the full faith and credit of the United States hostage to get their way.  This is not the way we do things in America.  At least it's not the way we are supposed to do things but more and more this is becoming the case with the GOP.  This is not just a debt limit fight this time but a fight for the very way our democracy is supposed to function.  

Stand firm Mr. President.

Taking Care of the Blue Marble

All of these news headlines appeared on the same day:

Mercury contamination in fish expected to rise in coming decades  

In US, 'rivers on Rolaids' are legacy of acid rain

Ocean Acidification Will Make Climate Change Worse

Russian Arctic: Wildlife at risk from oil drilling

Take a moment to click on each link and read each of the articles.  We have mercury levels in fish rising out of control threatening a vital link in the ecosystem.  Acid rain causing high levels of alkaloids in streams and rivers making them dangerous for wildlife and crop irrigation.  That same acid rain is making our oceans more acidic threatening fragile coral reefs and potentially speeding up the rate of global warming.  And finally, Russian plans to drill in the arctic that will threaten wildlife habitats.  

To put it mildly, this is scary stuff.

When are we going to wake up and start taking care of this home that we call Earth so that our children, their children and their children's children can enjoy its wonders as we have.

The NSA vs. Facebook

In recent weeks people across the country have been railing against the NSA archiving of all sorts of personal data associated with them in it's effort to keep us safe from terrorist attacks.  However, everyday at this same time, people all across this great nation of ours share mounds upon mounds of personal data willingly on social media sites - Facebook in particular - with no thought what-so-ever as to what is happening with that data.  We trust that the "security settings" provided us in Facebook will prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to information about us that we only want to share with "friends". 

Now it appears that whatever trust we had in Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook has been severely compromised.  It seems that Facebook has been keeping "shadow profiles" of us that contain more personal information about us than we have been providing and that for approximately a year a data leak exposed this data to untold numbers of people.  What damage this leak may have caused - or will cause - has yet to be determined.  I highly advise you to read the linked story for more information.  What I for one would like to know is whether this is the extent to which Facebook is collecting our personal data or whether this is just the tip of a very large iceberg.

So.  We have this massive data collection by the NSA being done to ensure our security with oversight by the court, Congress and the Executive branch of government.  And we have Facebook collecting unauthorized personal data to be used for undisclosed purposes with zero oversight from anyone.  It is all personal data.  It is all being collected but for very different reasons.  Why haven't we heard more about Facebook's activity?

A New Take On The Guns Don't Kill People Arguement

For years gun advocates have used this reasoning to defend gun possession:

"Guns don't kill people - People kill people"

If one follows that logic than it is people we need to worry about in the gun debate.  Need to simplify it further?  People are the problem.  It serves to reason then that we need to take a closer look at the people who are handling those guns.  It then serves to reason that we need a process that will allow us to that closer look.  Unbelievable as it may seem, we already have that process:  the background check.  We just need to make it universal for all sales. 

Keystone Pipeline or Clean Renewable Energy

The recent events in Arkansas are just another example of why President Obama must take a deep breath and not be bullied into approving the Keystone pipeline.  Already there is evidence that ExxonMobil is going to great lengths to cover up how bad this spill really is.  The original Exxon estimate was "a few thousand barrels" but the EPA is putting the spill at around 7,000 barrels.  

This follows the 2011 ExxonMobile spill from a pipeline carrying oil across Montana dumping 42,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone river.  Then there was the 2010 spill in Michigan that polluted the Talmadge Creek and about 36 miles of the Kalamazoo river.  

Read the documentation.  Do some research.  We already have over 127,000 miles of pipeline buried underground and criss-crossing the country.  The homeowners in Arkansas didn't even know that there was a pipeline running under their homes.  

This "oil" is a disaster already in the making.  Look at the video again and pay special attention to the 1:08 mark.  Just look at "high tech" solution that Exxon is employing to clean up this spill.  It looks like they bought up all the Bounty paper towels in town and tossed them on the spill.  This is what we have to look forward to with Keystone.   

Profits and Greed

On  February 26, 2013 we saw this headline:  Profits at U.S. banks up 37% - CBS News:  The very next day we were treated with the news that JPMorgan Chase would be cutting 17,000 jobs.  Today - despite the uncertainty in the economy with the sequester taking hold - the Dow hit a new record high while at the same time we still see the unemployment rate remaining high.  What's up?  Simple.  It's that major greed factor setting in again.  The wealth is piling up at the top and at this point it isn't even trickling down to those of us in the struggling, disappearing Middle Class.  To get an excellent graphical representation of the true extent of wealth inequality in America check out this video.  It is both informative and enlightening.

I'll Be Back...

I had to take a break after that fiercely fought presidential campaign.  But in the immortal words of Arnold...

"I'LL BE BACK"

Completely Wrong? I Think Not.

Mitt Romney is now saying that his caught-on-video remark about the 47% was "completely wrong".  He says:

"Clearly in a campaign with hundreds if not thousands of speeches and question and answer sessions, now and then you’re gonna say something that doesn’t come out right,”

True enough, had this been a normal campaign stop giving a speech in front of a group of your supporters.  But it wasn't.  His 47% remark was made at a fund raiser in front of a slew of wealthy supporters looking to give him money in order to put him in the White House.  Not the same thing.  In his original press conference he defended the remarks as being:

"...not elegantly stated, let me put it that way. I was speaking off the cuff in response to a question," 

Speaking "off the cuff" is defined as "candid" or "impromptu".  So what we see in the video is Mitt Romney speaking - by his own admission - candidly to his wealthy donors regarding a segment of the population that he basically called freeloaders and deadbeats because they do not pay federal income taxes. 

Of course, he also forgets that there are numerous of his wealthy friends in that elite top 1% who, through the use of various legal deductions and shelters, pay no income tax either.

But that's OK.

More Romney Lies

Mitt Romney thinks people are stupid.  Mitt Romney believes that he can say anything and not be held accountable.  Mitt Romney believes that if he repeats something long enough that it will eventually become the truth - something he accused President Obama of last night at the debate.  This is typical of Romney's "pot calling the kettle black" campaign strategy.  

Now he and his partner in crime, Paul Ryan, are telling another one and it's a whopper.  They are saying that if President Obama is re-elected he will raise taxes on the Middle Class.  Let me tell you something, Mitt-ster.  We the people of that Middle Class know that it is President Obama who has our back - just as we have his.  We the people of the Middle Class know that it is YOU Mitt Romney who will look to hammer the Middle Class with higher taxes at the same time you favor your wealthy friends.

Mitt Romney, you are the most pathological liar that Americans have ever seen running for the highest office in this country.  Tell your lies.  Just don't expect us to believe them.  They just make you look foolish.

A Disgraceful Vote

I am outraged.  I am outraged and pissed off and every single person in this country who calls himself an American should feel the same way.  

Why?  

Because yesterday Senate Republicans blocked a vote on the Veterans Job Corps Act of 2012.  What is that you ask?  This was an entirely bipartisan, fully paid for piece of legislation that would have created a $1 billion jobs program designed to lower the high unemployment rate among military veterans by giving grants to federal, state, and local agencies if they were to hire veterans.  But now it's dead at the hands (votes?) of Senate Republicans.  The result of this action is that this bill cannot be brought up for a vote again this year.

What could possibly be wrong with a bill like this that would cause Republicans to block it?  Who in America doesn't feel we have a debt to pay to all vets who have fought this country's wars.  Since the draft was ended and America transitioned to an all-volunteer military less than 1% of the population has been tasked with protecting the remaining 99%.  Honestly, I could write pages but it is easier if you click here to read about it or here to see a video report by Rachel Maddow from her show on 9/19.  Now, there are many people that do not agree with Rachel's politics, but take my word for it;  you NEED to see this.  This story should by the top story on every network and in every newspaper.  All of America needs to know what the Senate Republicans did to our veterans.  

Every Republican - save for 5 that did cross party lines to vote for it - should be ashamed of himself.  If there was any doubt that Senate Republicans are obstructionist this should lay that to rest.

It's disgusting.  It's embarrassing.  It's a disgrace.

 - In a totally hypocritical turn of events; House Speaker John Boehner came out today saying that the presidential campaigns had gotten off the real message that Americans care about.  That message?  "Where are the jobs"?

The veterans know.

     

The Freedom of Speech and the Libyan Attack

I got into a discussion with a co-worker today about the events surrounding the attack on the American Consulate in Libya.  At the time the belief was that this was a result of a anti Muslim video - something now that appears not to be the case.

My friend's position was that the production of the video was an example of freedom of speech and we should defend that freedom.  People, according to my friend, should be allowed to say anything anytime and not have to worry about "hurting some one's feelings".  Now, I am not one to deny anyone their constitutional rights - the Second Amendment not withstanding - but I have to draw the line here.  Everyone knows that freedom of speech does not mean that you can shout "fire" in a crowded movie theater.  I see this as much the same thing.  By now we know that things of this nature can stir anti-American, sometimes violent, reactions from Muslim fundamentalists.  We know this.  We know because Salman Rushdie was targeted for assassination after publication of his book "The Satanic Verses".  When Florida Dove World Outreach Center pastor Terry Jones' planned "International Burn a Koran Day" American General David Patraeus said, "It could endanger troops on the ground and could endanger the overall effort in Afghanistan."  

We know this is a bad idea.  Free speech?  Sure.  But free speech must be tempered with common sense and consideration for what the result of that speech is going to do. When those kids bullied the bus monitor wasn't that freedom of speech?  Yet those kids were roundly criticized and held to account - as we expect all bullies to be - for their actions.  I'm all for free speech, but if you know someone could die because of what you say do you stand on your "Free Speech" soapbox and say it just to make a point?

I think not.  

I, Too, Will Never Ever Forget

When I was working for Thirteen/WNET in 2006 I was asked to do an event as the Cyberchase character (AKA my alter-ego) Digit at the South Street Seaport.  The event was a holiday party for the benefit of children of police officers and fire fighters who had been killed in the line of duty.  I had done a number of publicity gigs as Digit but somehow I knew this would not be the usual run-of-the-mill appearance.  

Right from the start I could see it was a celebrity studded event with many well known actors making an appearance in support of these children of heroes.  Digit was photographed with the likes of James Gandolfini, Martin Short, Albert King, David Blaine and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly among others.  But it was the kids that I was there to see and entertain and there was one little girl who caught my attention and became my shadow for much of the event.

She had long brown hair tied back with ribbons and wore a beautiful green dress.  And she was adorable.  She asked for and received Digit's autograph.  We walked the floor hand-in-hand and danced.  Oh, how we danced.  She giggled as Digit twirled her and laughed as he applauded her skill on the dance floor.  We danced alone and with some of the other kids.  She had such life.  At this point I had no idea who she was or what was coming my way.

As I got down on one knee to give her a hug and pose for a picture with her I noticed that she was wearing a necklace with what appeared to be a picture on a locket of some sort.  I pointed to it and mimed that I wanted to know who that was.  Her reply was emotionally devastating:  

"That's my mom.  She was one of the heroes on 9/11."

As I hugged her tight and posed for more pictures I was crying my eyes out inside that costume.  I released my grip on her and signaled to my handler that I needed to take a break.  I made my way to the break room as quickly as possible considering that I could hardly see due to the flood of tears.  I entered the room, took off the big Digit head, sat down and bawled my eyes out.  As I sat there taking an extended break I thought about the courage that little girl showed and how matter-of-factly she told me about her mother.  It was such a simple statement but had such amazing power behind it.  Her mother was a hero.  Her mother had been killed rescuing others.  That fateful day in September of 2001 brought up close and personal was hard to take.  I went back out for my final appearance and we spent some more time together before the event came to a close.  I knew I would never forget that day but, even more so, that little girl with the green dress and ribbons in her hair who broke my heart. 

I was so touched by her that, upon my return to work, I spoke to some friends and they gathered some Digit/Cyberchase swag and sent it to that little girl whom I now learned was Patricia Smith.  I read online about how her mother, NYPD Office Moira Smith guided dozens of people to safety that day.  And how she went back into the South Tower to rescue more but was killed when it collapsed before she could make it back out.  She was the only female member of the NYPD to die that day.  Officer Moira Smith was a true hero.  I knew I would never forget her.

I got up this morning on a beautiful September day and, in accordance with my usual routine, brought in the Sunday paper to read over breakfast.  I pulled the paper from its protective plastic bag and spread it open on the table.  Tears immediately filled my eyes as on the cover of the Sunday Newsday I was looking at that same little girl who broke my heart 6 years ago.  Except now she is a beautiful 13 year old.  I opened the cover and read the story, eager to know how she is doing now 6 years later.  Through tear filled eyes I learned that she has taken on the role of representative of her mother’s legacy.  That she has met Presidents Bush and Obama and even British Prime Minister Tony Blair.  And that for the first time she will not be at the Ground Zero ceremony this year.  Instead she will be in school surrounded by her friends as her mother would want her to be.  She wears a blue rubber bracelet that reads:  “9-11 Never Forget P.O. Moira Smith."

I know I never will.

Mitt Romney's Foreign Policy Team

Let's just state some facts:

Mitt Romney has ZERO foreign policy experience.

Paul Ryan has ZERO foreign policy experience.

Mitt Romney is a HUGE fan of Dick Cheney.

Out of the 24 foreign policy advisers for Mitt Romney 17 served in the Bush/Cheney administration.

Think about that.

The Romney-Cheney Doctrine - By Representative Adam Smith | Foreign Policy:

Vote Obama/Biden to keep us out of war.

'via Blog this'

Placing the Blame Squarely Where It Belongs

Mitt Romney and company continue to blame President Obama for the condition of the U.S. economy but the polls continue to show that people believe otherwise.

Never before in our history have we fought a war - never mind 2 wars - while cutting taxes at the same time.  These acts are primarily to blame for the huge deficits we are seeing today. 

Jeb Bush: Obama needs to 'move on' from blaming my brother - POLITICO.com:
'via Blog this'

The Foundation of Democracy

 This next entry was supposed to delve into the issue of the Keystone pipeline and whether it should or should not be built.  However, another hot-button issue has jumped out into the forefront:  The prevalence of voter suppression bills that have been passed by Republican state legislatures all around the country.  This is a huge issue facing this country and one that should not just offend, but deeply piss off, any person who truly calls himself an American.

The right to vote is the foundation of any democracy.  it is a right that most of us take for granted and one that defines America as a democracy.  It is the standard by which we judge other countries and it is a right guaranteed in the Constitution.

Look at this picture.

These are Iraqi police showing their ink stained fingers - proof that they voted in Iraq's first free election in 2005.  In 2010, despite mortar attacks, bombings and grenades that claimed 36 lives, Iraqis turned out in droves to vote.  This is what democracy is all about.  It was the foundation for George W. Bush's foreign policy in the Middle East.  Remember that? 

And yet, here, in America, the country that gave birth to Democracy, Republican legislatures all across the country have been passing new restrictive voting laws that in the end will suppress the voting rights for millions of Americans - the majority of whom are elderly, poor or minorities. All of whom generally vote Democratic.

The Republican Party.  The party that wraps itself in the American flag.  The party that came up with the Patriot Act.  The party who for generations has claimed the mantle of Protector of America.  I don't have the space here to report on all of the voter suppression efforts but you can click here to read all about them for yourself.  I encourage you to do so. 

I can hardly contain my anger about this subject.  I am pissed.  I mean really really pissed.  There are posting going around now that say "If you have to prevent people from voting, then your ideas suck!".  Funny.  Yes.  True.  Also yes.  But it is so much more than that.  There is something incredibly... profane about denying American citizens their fundamental right to vote.

I am pissed.  You should be too.    

I Don't Buy It

Nope.  Representative Akin, you said it.  You own it.  We have seen the video.  You went on and on making your point about what your position is on abortion and rape.  When first called out on your disgusting comments you took the cowards way out claiming you "misspoke".  We just don't buy it.  Now, with your senate campaign heading into the toilet as even those in your own party disavow your comments, you come grovelling to us with an "apology".

Well, Representative Akin, apology NOT accepted.  So, you can just pick up your campaign and go home.  You will not be going to the Senate.  Oh, and Claire says. "Thanks!"