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Follow the money
Last Sunday, “60 Minutes” aired a report highlighting instances in which congressional officials reportedly bought stocks around the same time Congress was discussing legislation affecting those companies or industries. The show looked at the lucrative investments of lawmakers including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama.
Members of Congress reap huge profits using insider information in ways that could put any of the rest of us behind bars. But the politicians allow themselves exemption from insider-trading laws.
A new bill filed by Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive branch employees to make investment decisions from pending information that’s not available to the general public. It would also forbid them from spreading such information public for personal gain.
Ted Rudow III,MA Palo Alto

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On Sunday, "60 Minutes" aired a report highlighting instances in which congressional officials reportedly bought stocks around the same time Congress was discussing legislation affecting those companies or industriesThe show looked at the investments of various lawmakers -- including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama. The retired U.S. representative from Washington's 3rd Congressional District was grieved about members of Congress reaping huge investment dividends using insider information in ways that could put any of the rest of us behind bars. Baird said: One line in a bill in Congress can be worth millions and millions of dollars to a member of Congress who picks up clues during testimony and deliberations for bills. Yet the politicians allow themselves to bypass insider-trading laws. Baird never received more than six co-sponsors for a bill that would make it illegal for lawmakers to trade stocks on nonpublic information. The bill filed Tuesday by Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive branch employees to use information about pending bills that's not available to the general public in making investment decisions. It would also forbid them from making such information public for personal gain. Are not many world leaders driven by the same corruption, the same lust, the same greed? It's just plain greed and selfishness!
Ted Rudow III, MA

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Peninsula readers' letters:November 16

From Daily News Group readers


Posted: 11/15/2011 07:12:51 PM PST
Updated: 11/15/2011 11:11:51 PM PST


Reaping profits

Dear Editor: On Sunday, "60 Minutes" aired a report highlighting instances in which congressional officials reportedly bought stocks around the same time Congress was discussing legislation affecting those companies or industries. The show looked at the investments of various lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama.

Former U.S. Rep. Brian Baird was grieved about members of Congress reaping huge investment dividends using insider information in ways that could put any of the rest of us behind bars. Baird said "one line in a bill in Congress can be worth millions and millions of dollars" to a member of Congress who picks up clues during testimony and deliberations for bills. Yet the politicians allow themselves to bypass insider-trading laws. Baird never received more than six co-sponsors for a bill that would make it illegal for lawmakers to trade stocks on nonpublic information.

The bill filed Tuesday by Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive-branch employees to use information about pending bills that's not available to the general public in making investment decisions. It would also forbid them from making such information public for personal gain. Are not many world leaders driven by the same corruption, the same lust, the same greed? It's just plain greed and selfishness.

Ted Rudow III, MA

Palo Alto

Reaping?

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/15/18699591.php
Reaping?
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Tuesday Nov 15th, 2011
On Sunday, "60 Minutes" aired a report highlighting instances in which congressional officials reportedly bought stocks around the same time Congress was discussing legislation affecting those companies or industries
-->
The show looked at the investments of various lawmakers -- including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama. The retired U.S. representative from Washington’s 3rd Congressional District was grieved about members of Congress reaping huge investment dividends using insider information in ways that could put any of the rest of us behind bars. Baird said: “One line in a bill in Congress can be worth millions and millions of dollars” to a member of Congress who picks up clues during testimony and deliberations for bills. Yet the politicians allow themselves to bypass insider-trading laws. Baird never received more than six co-sponsors for a bill that would make it illegal for lawmakers to trade stocks on nonpublic information. The bill filed Tuesday by Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive branch employees to use information about pending bills that's not available to the general public in making investment decisions. It would also forbid them from making such information public for personal gain. Are not many world leaders driven by the same corruption, the same lust, the same greed? It's just plain greed and selfishness!
Ted Rudow III, MA

Reaping?

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/15/18699591.php
Reaping?
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Tuesday Nov 15th, 2011
On Sunday, "60 Minutes" aired a report highlighting instances in which congressional officials reportedly bought stocks around the same time Congress was discussing legislation affecting those companies or industries
-->
The show looked at the investments of various lawmakers -- including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama. The retired U.S. representative from Washington’s 3rd Congressional District was grieved about members of Congress reaping huge investment dividends using insider information in ways that could put any of the rest of us behind bars. Baird said: “One line in a bill in Congress can be worth millions and millions of dollars” to a member of Congress who picks up clues during testimony and deliberations for bills. Yet the politicians allow themselves to bypass insider-trading laws. Baird never received more than six co-sponsors for a bill that would make it illegal for lawmakers to trade stocks on nonpublic information. The bill filed Tuesday by Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive branch employees to use information about pending bills that's not available to the general public in making investment decisions. It would also forbid them from making such information public for personal gain. Are not many world leaders driven by the same corruption, the same lust, the same greed? It's just plain greed and selfishness!
Ted Rudow III, MA

Vets day

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Nov. 10 Readers' letters
From Mercury News readersPosted: 11/09/2011 08:00:00 PM PST

Visit veterans hospital, learn about sacrifice
Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is Nov. 11, and it commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at 11 o'clock in the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918. In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. Congress amended this June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans," and it has been known as Veterans Day since. If you want a glimpse of what war is all about, go down and volunteer at one of our hundreds of veterans' hospitals. Talk to the vets and see what war has done to change their lives. See what the price is in limbs, eyes, and minds.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto

Veterans Day

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Veterans Day

Editor,

Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is on Nov. 11 and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.

World War I — known at the time as "The Great War" — officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France.

However, fighting ceased seven months earlier. For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of "the war to end all wars." In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day.

In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas, man named Stephan Riod, the owner of a shoe-repair shop, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans," and it has been known as Veterans Day since.

If you want a glimpse of what war is all about, go down and volunteer at one of our hundreds of veteran's hospitals. Talk to the vets and see what war has done to change their lives. See what the price is in limbs, eyes, and minds.

Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto

If you want a glimpse of what war is all about

RSN




If You Want a Glimpse of What War is All About

by Ted Rudow III Thursday, 10 November 2011
Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. He said, "America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations".
In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas, man named Stephan Riod the owner of a shoe repair shop, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans," and it has been known as Veterans Day since. If you want a glimpse of what war is all about, go down and volunteer at one of our hundreds of veteran's hospitals. Talk to the vets and see what war has done to change their lives. See what the price is in limbs, eyes, and minds.
Ted Rudow III, MA

History of Veterans Day

San Mateo Daily Journal
Friday
November 11 2011
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Letter: History of Veterans Day
November 11, 2011,
Letter
Editor,
Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is on Nov. 11 and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o’clock in the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918. World War I — known at the time as “The Great War” — officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France.
However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice. For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. He said, “America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations”.
In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas man named Stephan Riod the owner of a shoe repair shop, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing “Armistice” with “Veterans,” and it has been known as Veterans Day since. If you want a glimpse of what war is all about, go down and volunteer at one of our hundreds of veterans’ hospitals. Talk to the vets and see what war has done to change their lives. See what the price is in limbs, eyes and minds.


Ted Rudow III,MA
Palo Alto

What war is all about

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/10/18698637.php
If you want a glimpse of what war is all about
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Thursday Nov 10th, 2011 11:03 AM
Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.
-->
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. He said, "America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations". In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas man named Stephan Riod the owner of a shoe repair shop, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans," and it has been known as Veterans Day since. If you want a glimpse of what war is all about, go down and volunteer at one of our hundreds of veteran's hospitals. Talk to the vets and see what war has done to change their lives. See what the price is in limbs, eyes, and minds.
Ted Rudow III, MA

Spartan Daily

Spartan Daily
last update 2:05 amNovember 10, 2011


What happened to Thanksgiving?
by Brittany Patterson Nov 8, 2011
Brittany Patterson
Last weekend I was on the hunt for Thanksgiving-themed merchandise. My ultimate goal: two-dozen cupcake liners with cute cartoon turkeys pasted on the side, and maybe a pilgrim or two.
Instead, I was assaulted with candy canes, mistletoe and cinnamon-scented pine cones.
Don’t get me wrong, I love cinnamon-scented pine cones — in fact, they are probably one of my favorite parts of the whole Christmas establishment — it’s the time element that disturbs me.
People, it’s the beginning of November. Half of the country is still eating their Halloween candy.
If I’m not mistaken, here in America (and apparently in Canada, too), we have this weird holiday that comes near the end of November in which we celebrate when the Wampanoag Native Americans helped the Pilgrims at the colonial settlement in Plymouth in 1621, by providing them with seeds and teaching them how to fish. Apparently we sat down and shared a harvest meal together.
Maybe you’ve heard of it — we call it Thanksgiving.
To honor their generosity, Americans deep-fry turkeys, gorge themselves on stuffing and green bean casserole and fight with their families.
We also have this curious case of amnesia when it comes to the fact that later on, Americans systematically wiped out most of the Native Americans in this country.
We compensate with pumpkin pie — lots of it, topped with Cool Whip.
But all snarkiness aside, Thanksgiving is this a nationwide excuse to eat gluttonous amounts of comfort food with family. As college students, come October we’re practically willing time to travel faster to get to Thanksgiving break. And it’s not just the break from classes — many of my friends are genuinely excited to go home and see their parents, friends and pets.
According to the History Channel’s website devoted to Thanksgiving, in 1863 President Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. Congress finally made Thanksgiving Day an official national holiday in 1941.
This holiday has been celebrated for hundreds of years, and yet when I went to Michaels craft store yesterday, I was bombarded with ornaments, Frosty the Snowman gift tags and gingerbread houses.
Christmas wreaths and glitter-covered fake poinsettias snagged me as I wandered in disbelief down the aisles.
Where were all the poorly drawn pictures of turkeys dressed as pilgrims? Why were there no fake gourds, pumpkins or Indian corn to be found?
Target was no better.
Fake trees and shimmering garlands galore.
We’re a country that loves our holidays. I mean, we fabricated Valentine’s Day so we could give one another little pieces of paper marked with clichés and eat lots of heart-shaped candy.
So why do the retail giants seem to have forgotten about Thanksgiving?
Maybe recently the collective American psyche has grown a conscience and we feel guilty about our past.
But our solution, to stretch out the Christmas season an extra month, is worrisome on its own.
I worry that if the current rate of pushing up the Christmas season continues unchecked, by the time I’m 30, the familiar melody of “Jingle Bell Rock” will be heard immediately following “The Star-Spangled Banner” and fireworks on the Fourth of July.
Americans will watch in awe as brightly colored lights explode above us, while we manically shove hot dogs down our throats, followed by a mass migration to the nearest Walmart. Proceed to Christmas. Do not have other holidays. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.
We’re going to jump straight to Christmas and completely ignore the millions of turkeys that are currently sitting naked and frozen in grocery stores across the nation.
According to the American Psychological Association’s 2008 holiday stress poll, they found that more than eight out of 10 Americans anticipate stress during the holiday season.
The holidays stress me out — the pressure of buying the perfect gifts, the subsequent economic strain caused by purchasing said gifts, traveling all over to meet with family all while fighting the urge to eat my body weight in chocolate and ham.
I take the whole year to recover from the previous year’s Christmas season. The last thing I think this already stressed-out country needs is a shorter recovery period for one of the most stressful times of the year.
Regardless of Thanksgiving’s checkered past, it’s current role is to bring families together. Whether you’re watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, football or just stuffing your face, Thanksgiving is important. It is by all counts a national holiday and more importantly so, it’s unadulterated family time. There’s no hiding behind gifts — just your massive food baby — and sometimes I think we need to have a day where our biggest concern is how many pieces of pie we should eat.
Relax, the turkeys are already dead. We might as well enjoy them.
...................................................................................................................
There are those who wear a smile, yet ache inside; those who are engulfed in a sea of emptiness; those who suffer from pain, guilt, bitterness, and condemnation; those who feel remorse over the past or fear the future.-So many lost and desperate folks in the world today! It reminds me of the words to that old Beatles song, “All the lonely people, where do they all come from?” Well, I’ll tell you where they come from-all the lonely people come from selfish living. All the lonely people, the lost and the forlorn, come from a society where people look to their own needs and not to the needs of others. That’s where all the lonely people come from-from a dog-eat-dog society, from a lot of wrongful living.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Class of 1996

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Peninsula readers' letters: November 9Nov 9, 2011 mercurynews.com
then go right ahead. I'll put my faith in government of, by and for the people. to be learned from Argentina's default on its debt in 2001 is the exact opposite of Ted Rudow's... In this article: IMF , Poverty , World Bank ,...Read more...

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Rage in the streets, workers thrown from their jobs, creditors demanding their moneys Greece, but nearly a decade ago, that scenario played out in this region of South America. In a story that may provide a lesson for Europe. Argentina, spiraled into a chaotic default and remains a pariah in world financial markets. With uncertainty still hanging over a European bailout package, it remains possible that Greece could default on its debts entirely, making it an outcast like Argentina.
But the tales of other countries in crisis have shown that it's possible to push through tough measures and emerge with growth on the other side. It is a scenario that is beginning to resemble what happened in Argentina, whose $100 billion default in December 2001 was the biggest in history.
In the Argentine case, five presidents stepped down in two weeks, deadly riots shook Buenos Aires and Argentines lost their life savings. Much later, Argentina issued a take-it-or-leave-it offer to bondholders, offering to pay about 35 cents on the dollar. Today, the government still owes about $15 billion to hard-core creditors and has lost judgments in U.S. courts to pay up. With the country still blocked from tapping international capital markets, it is mostly because of booming demand for its agricultural products that Argentina has been lifted from economic calamity. Ted Rudow III, MA

Debt

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Greece could be like Argentina

Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Dear Editor,
Rage in the streets, workers thrown from their jobs, creditors demanding their money - that's Greece; but nearly a decade ago that scenario played out in South America. In a story that may provide a lesson for Europe, Argentina, spiralled into a chaotic default and remains a pariah in world financial markets. With uncertainty still hanging over a European bailout package, it remains possible that Greece could default on its debts entirely, making it an outcast like Argentina.
But the tales of other countries in crisis have shown that it's possible to push through tough measures and emerge with growth on the other side. It is a scenario that is beginning to resemble what happened in Argentina, whose $100-billion default in December 2001 was the biggest in history.
In the Argentine case, five presidents stepped down in two weeks, deadly riots shook Buenos Aires and Argentines lost their life savings. Much later, Argentina issued a take-it-or-leave-it offer to bondholders, offering to pay about 35 cents on the dollar. Today, the government still owes about $15 billion to hard-core creditors and has lost judgements in US courts to pay up. With the country still blocked from tapping international capital markets, it is mostly because of booming demand for its agricultural products that Argentina has been lifted from economic calamity.
Ted Rudow III, MA

Palo Alto, California

USA

Tedr77@aol.com
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/letters/Greece-could-be-like-Argentina_10118499#ixzz1d8Z6ke

The Lesson

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Peninsula readers' letters: October
From Daily News Group readers Posted: 11/07/2011 04:15:17 PM PSTUpdated: 11/07/2011 10:52:00 PM PST
The lesson of Argentina
Dear Editor: Rage in the streets, workers thrown from their jobs, creditors demanding their money -- that's Greece. But nearly a decade ago, that scenario played out in South America. In a story that may provide a lesson for Europe, Argentina spiraled into a chaotic default and remains a pariah in world financial markets. With uncertainty still hanging over a European bailout package, it remains possible that Greece could default on its debts entirely, making it an outcast like Argentina.
But the tales of other countries in crisis have shown that it's possible to push through tough measures and emerge with growth on the other side. It is a scenario that is beginning to resemble what happened in Argentina, whose $100 billion default in December 2001 was the biggest in history.
In the Argentine case, five presidents stepped down in two weeks, deadly riots shook Buenos Aires and Argentines lost their life savings. Much later, Argentina issued a take-it-or-leave-it offer to bondholders, offering to pay about 35 cents on the dollar. Today, the government still owes about $15 billion to hard-core creditors and has lost judgments in U.S. courts to pay up. With the country still blocked from tapping international capital markets, it is mostly because of booming demand for its agricultural products that Argentina has been lifted from economic calamity.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto

Outcast?

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/07/18698086.php
Outcast?
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Monday Nov 7th, 2011
Rage in the streets, workers thrown from their jobs, creditors demanding their money—that’s Greece, but nearly a decade ago, that scenario played out in this region of South America. In a story that may provide a lesson for Europe. Argentina, spiraled into a chaotic default and remains a pariah in world financial markets. With uncertainty still hanging over a European bailout package, it remains possible that Greece could default on its debts entirely, making it an outcast like Argentina.
But the tales of other countries in crisis have shown that it’s possible to push through tough measures and emerge with growth on the other side. It is a scenario that is beginning to resemble what happened in Argentina, whose $100 billion default in December 2001 was the biggest in history.
In the Argentine case, five presidents stepped down in two weeks, deadly riots shook Buenos Aires and Argentines lost their life savings. Much later, Argentina issued a take-it-or-leave-it offer to bondholders, offering to pay about 35 cents on the dollar. Today, the government still owes about $15 billion to hard-core creditors and has lost judgments in U.S. courts to pay up. With the country still blocked from tapping international capital markets, it is mostly because of booming demand for its agricultural products that Argentina has been lifted from economic calamity.
Ted Rudow III, MA

Spartan Daily

Spartan Daily
last update 2:50 amNovember 4, 2011

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There Will Be Snacks: What happened to rule of law in the US?
by Matthew Gerring
Oct 31, 2011 10:11 pm
Matthew Gerring
So, we kill U.S. citizens, without trial, with robots now. It’s officially a thing. We’ve done it a few times and so far, no harm no foul, so we can all expect to see more of it in the future.
Not just adults, either — we now also assassinate 16-year-olds without trial, with robots.
By the way, the three men — Anwar al-Awlaki, Samir Khan, and al-Awlaki’s son Abdul Rahman al-Awlaki — were killed in Yemen, where there is no declared war whatsoever. But that’s old hat now. That’s so 2005. Undeclared war all over the Middle East is a given.
The U.S. citizens thing, though, that’s new.
This definitely isn’t the first time we’ve killed U.S. citizens without a trial, but probably the first time it was premeditated and done openly, and probably also the first time that people heard about it and just sort of yawned and went back to whatever they were doing.
Their names are going to fade into history, and most people will continue to live their lives not knowing who they were or why they should care.
Yes, the information is out there, and nerds like me, who care about such stupid, annoying stuff as constitutional rights and due process or whatever, will absolutely remember their names, but most people won’t.
Their alleged crime was producing propaganda for al-Qaida.There is precedent for this. Benjamin Gitlow was an outspoken Communist in the 1920s, and wrote a manifesto calling for the overthrow of the U.S. government. His case went all the way to the Supreme Court, and the justices decided that calling for overthrowing the government went beyond what’s allowed by free speech, so he went to prison.
Prison. Nobody shot the guy.
You could argue that all three men killed by drone attacks were traitors, and you might also argue that they committed crimes, and possibly deserved to die, and I don’t really have a problem with any of that.
The problem is they were U.S. citizens, and as such were entitled to a trial by a jury.
Democratic countries with independent judiciaries don’t just murder their citizens. We’re supposed to be better than that. We’re supposed to extend the same rights to all our citizens, and apply the same measure of justice when they violate our laws.
But assassinating our citizens is just a thing we do now. It’s no longer an isolated incident. And nobody cares except for a handful of liberal nerds, because none of those assassinations happened here.
Normally I wouldn’t write the next line here, because I really hate being dramatic and heavy-handed. It makes me cringe, much like listening to a retired former hippie with a MoveOn button on his jacket, reading annoying rhyming poems with lame slogans about George Bush in 2011.
But it has to be said, because there’s just no limit anymore. Everything is on the table. First it was spying on innocent Americans, then it was torture, then it was random incursions into countries where the congress has not approved a war, and now it’s assassinating our own citizens on the opaque orders of the military.
And as I was saying, nobody cares, because none of the assassinations happened here.
Yet.

........................................................................................................................
The United States has confirmed the killing of the radical Yemeni-American cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, in northern Yemen. "If you are somebody that believes the President of the United States has the power to order your fellow citizens murdered, assassinated, killed without a shred of due process ... then you are really declaring yourself to be as pure of an authoritarian as it gets." (Constitutional scholar Glenn Greenwald)
I thought what we did with the Germans after World War II was the right thing. They were put on trial and given their day in court, and a historical record was created and the message was sent that this is what will happen to you if you commit mass murder, we believe even the most heinous person should have their day in court because we're going to try to be civilized even though they're uncivilized, even though they're barbaric. We're not going to be that way.That used to be a standard we tried to aspire to, or at least say that we aspired to it.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Class of 1996

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/03/18697019.php
Zombie higher education
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Thursday Nov 3rd, 2011
The student loan market is back in the news as it makes its unrelenting march to the $1 trillion mark. This crippling figure comes in the face of a decade of lost wages for middle class Americans. Just like the housing bubble people were supplementing a disappearing middle class with more debt.
The allure of housing was that never in our history have we seen national home prices fall, until they did in dramatic fashion. The same cultural nostalgia for education in every respect has created a zombie higher education system that is now expanding like the mortgage markets at the height of the housing bubble. This is a subject of increasing concern to the Obama administration, which, remade the federal student loan program, and is now proposing changes that may make it harder for the for-profit colleges to qualify. In the five years since Congress deregulated online education, enrollments at for-profit colleges have nearly doubled. Six major corporations owning for-profit institutions have enjoyed initial public offerings on Wall Street. Graduates of another for-profit school -- a college nursing program in California that they received their diplomas without ever setting foot in a hospital. We have heard countless stories of people going to for-profits only to land minimum wage jobs once they graduate. Just like the subprime debacle, many of these people will remain silent and the market will pretend nothing is wrong.
Ted Rudow III, MA

PP&J

Peninsula Peace and Justice Center
www.PeaceandJustice.org OCCUPYTHEFUTURE
TonightOtherVoices TV: An Activists' Round Table Discussion and A Live TV Speak-Out Featuring You!Tuesday, November 1, 7:00 PMCommunity Media Center, 900 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto
Panelists:
Hilton Obenzinger - Author of "Busy Dying", an account of the 1968 occupation of Columbia University / Stanford writing teacher
Joshua Schott and Donni Wang - Stanford students, Occupy Stanford Activists
Event URL: http://www.peaceandjustice.org/programs/Other_Voices_TV/Occupy the Future 2011-11-01 19:00:00 - 2011-11-01 20:00:00 Community Media Center An Activists' Round Table Discussion and A Live TV Speak Out Featuring You the 99%! Bring your thoughts, hopes, and desires ... And bring signs! Your messages will be sent to The White House and Congress. Occupy Wall Street actions are spreading around the world. The rich and powerful are responding with increasing violence, only to be met with renewed and increased determination. What is it all about? Where is it all going? How do we turn our anger over flagrant economic inequality into meaningful changes in the system that has brought us to this point? We will gather a panel of activists and analysts to discuss the many aspects of Occupy Wall Street (people to be annoucned). But YOU will be the vital part of this installment of Other Voices TV -- we intend for this to be a live, on-air SPEAK OUT about what is happening in our country. I spoke out as I call and said that I was thankful for the students of Stanford who were going actived. I quoted from Toynbee, who said that "The only thing we learn from history is that we never learn from history!" Bring your thoughts, hopes, and desires ... And bring signs! PPJC will send DVD copies of this program to The White House and our Congressional Representatives. Join us and add your voice! FREE and open to all. Wheelchair accessible. Other Voices TV can be seen live at 7:00 PM on the first Tuesday of each month on mid-Peninsula cable channel 27. The program is also streamed live on the internet (select channel 27). On demand video streaming is available on our website beginning two days after the initial broadcast. The current program is rebroadcast throughout the month on cable channel 27 (an internet webcast can also be seen at these times): Tuesdays 7:00 PM Wednesdays 2:00 AM & 10:00 AM Thursdays 11:00 PM Fridays 6:00 AM & 2:00 PM Saturdays 4:00 PM

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The true name of Halloween is Samhain, This was the Celtic Lord of the Dead. For 3 days from Oct 29-31, the Celtic people, along with their priestly class called Druids, would hold an ancient rite which would mark the beginning and the end of the year. A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age. Very little is currently known about the ancient druids because they left no written accounts about themselves.The druids then also appear in some of the medieval tales from Christianised Ireland like the Táin Bó Cúailnge, where they are largely portrayed as sorcerers who opposed the coming of Christianity. Usually a week before the rites of Samhain began, the Druid had ordered the people of the Celtic tribe to disperse throughout the countryside and gather thousands of wicker reed.This is a very strong and durable stick. Wicker furniture has been made from it and most of us are familiar with it. They would then construct a giant human effigy that would stand from 30 to 50 feet, as the Wicker Man. A wicker man was a large wicker statue of a human used by the ancient Druids (priests of Celtic paganism) for human sacrifice by burning it in effigy, according to Julius Caesar in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico In modern times the figure has been adopted for festivals as part of some neopagan-themed ceremonies, notably without the human sacrifice element. Many cages had been built within it. Each prisoner would be tied to one of the cages.Then the Druids began their idea of fun and games. Yet, I have seen many Christian churches throughout this nation hold Halloween Parties within the church building. Every single one of these things is directly from the celebration of Samhain. You are simply trying to turn something evil into something good!
Ted Rudow III,MA