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Wes Side Stories: Thoughts on the coming storm of election season
by Wesley Dugle Apr 22, 2012 4:49 pm Tags: 2012 election, Bill Mahr, Bill Oreilly, Brack obama, election season, elections, Keith Olberman, media, Megyn Kelly, Mitt Romney, Political discourse, politics, President, presidentcy, Wes Side Stories, Wesley Dugle
Wesley Dugle is the Spartan Daily Opinion Editor. His column "Wes Side Stories" appears each Monday.
To slightly paraphrase Ned Stark from “Game of Thrones” — “Brace yourselves, election season is coming.”
Yes, with pro-life senator Rick Santorum effectively “aborting” his presidential bid and Ron Paul wallowing away in obscurity, the Republican nomination process is all but finished.
Now Republican governor Mitt “Money Bags” Romney takes on Democratic President Barack “The Debt” Obama in a no holds barred mudslinging fest for the Presidency.
Prepare for a non-stop political war from now until November as the nominees and political pundits alike trade barbs and try to bribe swing voters to one side or the other.
A long time ago I used to care about this process.
During the 2004 elections, when senator John Kerry faced incumbent George W. Bush for the presidency, I was really into politics.
I was firmly a blue-blooded liberal back then and despite not being old enough to vote I actively campaigned amongst my friends and even their parents to vote for Kerry.
In 2008, I again got into the political scene, phone-banking for the Obama party and casting my first vote in my freshman year for the man who would become our president.
Nearly four years later, though, I’m not nearly as enthusiastic about politics as I used to be, and you can thank the volatile political climate of the past few years for that.
While I wouldn’t say Obama is a particularly bad president, he largely failed to bring the “hope” and bi-partisan politics I was expecting after he was elected.
His inability to fulfill campaign promises, like closing Guantanamo Bay and cutting Bush tax cuts, are among the many things that have made me jaded about his presidency.
The Republicans have not helped their side either.
Their entire campaign strategy since Obama got elected has been too spam voters with as much negative criticism of the president as possible, no matter if it’s fact or not.
Some claims are true, but frivolous attacks such as questioning Obama’s birthplace and attacking his Ivy League school background has made me even more jaded about party politics these days.
Now with the election season about to begin in earnest, we can expect 24/7 coverage of these two politicians trading attacks, questioning one another’s credibility and character and both trying to prove they are more American than the other.
It’s going to be a shit storm, in short.
Most of all, the problem with this process is going to be the media coverage.
Expect media blow-hards and political pundits alike ranting and arguing their side to one another and increasing the negative tension between blue and red voters.
It’s pretty much Crips and Bloods at this point.
There are ways to make this process more clean and less divisive.
For one, I would stop having media and political pundit attention hogs commentate on each candidates platform.
The voters can’t make an unbiased call on a nominee’s views if they're being filtered through Bill Maher’s angry tirades or Bill O'Reilly’s “Spin Zone.”
We don’t need to hear the opinions of people who will do anything to make their side look better than the other.
Next I would encourage the media to simply report each candidate’s platform without giving voice or opinion on it.
I don’t want to hear what Megyn Kelly or Rachel Maddow have to say about ObamaCare, or RomneyCare for that matter — just give me the bare facts and I’ll form my own damn opinion.
Next I would require candidates to ONLY talk about their views and not the views of their opponent, until debate time.
Too often do candidates spend 99 percent of their campaign money making ads purely aimed at destroying the other’s views and choices that we don’t even know what the hell their views are on those issues.
Lastly, I would cut Super Political Action Campaigns because the money they garner to make ads is not good for politics.
The amount of spam voters receive through these non-stop ads cannot possibly promote political balance or unbiased-ness.
You see the problem is all this mud-slinging and negative ad campaigns just creates bigger and bigger divides amongst our nation, to the point where bringing up politics in an average conversation between a conservative and liberal could turn into a full-on fist-fight of words.
It doesn’t need to be this way.
Politics can have healthy discussion if the media and our politicians can rework the way we use political discourse.
If the media can promote unbiased coverage and politicians can focus on themselves more than each other then we voters could actually think for ourselves and make our own opinions instead of them making it for us.
Alas, this is probably a pipe dream and more than likely we’ll be treated to several months of party hackery and bad media coverage.
So once again, my friends, brace yourselves. Election season is coming.
Ted Rudow III, MA ·
The total debt of the U.S. alone is 14 trillion dollars! It's hard to even conceive of how much money that really is, but if you spent one million dollars every day it would take over 8000 years to spend three trillion dollars! The U.S. has gotten to such a totally hopeless, bankrupt state that they know they will never be able to pay off that debt! And yet they continue spending far more than they earn in taxes, getting more in debt every year! To continue their false prosperity they have borrowed heavily from the U.S. Federal Bank!--And where does the Federal Bank get this money? Well, they just print it!...Billions upon billions of paper dollars worth nothing more than the paper they're printed on, & no more valuable than the counterfeit dollars printed by criminals! It's like trying to pull wealth out of an empty hat! But wealth must be made from something of actual value! Only nothing can be made out of nothing!
Ted Rudow III,MA
Class of 1996
Monday, April 30, 2012
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/04/22/18711825.php
Earth day
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com )
Sunday Apr 22nd, 2012
Ecowatch.org revealed that, in September 2008, nearly two years before the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, another BP rig had blown out in the Caspian Sea––which BP concealed from U.S. regulators and Congress.
Had BP, Chevron, Exxon or the Bush State Department revealed the facts of the earlier blow-out, it is likely that the Deepwater Horizon disaster would have been prevented.
Days after the Deepwater Horizon blow-out, a message came in to our offices in New York from an industry insider floating on a ship in the Caspian Sea. He stated there had been a blow-out, just like the one in the Gulf, and BP had covered it up.
But it's this damn use of oil that cause most of the world's troubles--industrially, automobiles, pollution, it pollutes the food, they cook their food on it & all the rest! . Most of man's modern inventions and so-called "improvements" are all dependent on oil, all these plastics and petro-chemicals. It's bad enough that plastics are littering the place and never decay or decompose or anything, but now they're discovering even after they've soaked at the bottom of the sea for a long time, they begin to give off some kind of poisonous substance that's killing the fish! They thought it was bad enough that plastics were just littering up the place & choking up things & killing people, but they found out now if it soaks long enough, sort of like when you burn it, it starts giving off poisonous toxic wastes.
Petroleum oil is what really caused the Industrial Revolution, cheap fuel. It's cheap fuel, but it's dirty fuel, polluting fuel, and coal is the same thing. Coal is nothing in the World but hard oil in rock form, because it gives off the same kind of oily smoke, polluting the atmosphere. It seems to me that instead of a blessing, petroleum oil has become a curse to the World!
Ted Rudow III, MA
Earth day
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com )
Sunday Apr 22nd, 2012
Ecowatch.org revealed that, in September 2008, nearly two years before the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, another BP rig had blown out in the Caspian Sea––which BP concealed from U.S. regulators and Congress.
Had BP, Chevron, Exxon or the Bush State Department revealed the facts of the earlier blow-out, it is likely that the Deepwater Horizon disaster would have been prevented.
Days after the Deepwater Horizon blow-out, a message came in to our offices in New York from an industry insider floating on a ship in the Caspian Sea. He stated there had been a blow-out, just like the one in the Gulf, and BP had covered it up.
But it's this damn use of oil that cause most of the world's troubles--industrially, automobiles, pollution, it pollutes the food, they cook their food on it & all the rest! . Most of man's modern inventions and so-called "improvements" are all dependent on oil, all these plastics and petro-chemicals. It's bad enough that plastics are littering the place and never decay or decompose or anything, but now they're discovering even after they've soaked at the bottom of the sea for a long time, they begin to give off some kind of poisonous substance that's killing the fish! They thought it was bad enough that plastics were just littering up the place & choking up things & killing people, but they found out now if it soaks long enough, sort of like when you burn it, it starts giving off poisonous toxic wastes.
Petroleum oil is what really caused the Industrial Revolution, cheap fuel. It's cheap fuel, but it's dirty fuel, polluting fuel, and coal is the same thing. Coal is nothing in the World but hard oil in rock form, because it gives off the same kind of oily smoke, polluting the atmosphere. It seems to me that instead of a blessing, petroleum oil has become a curse to the World!
Ted Rudow III, MA
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/04/26/18712151.php
The poor
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com )
Thursday Apr 26th, 2012
The latest census data shows nearly one in two Americans, or 150 million people, have fallen into poverty — or could be classified as low income. "There seems to be a bipartisan consensus in Washington that the poor just don’t matter.
There seems to be a bipartisan consensus in Washington that the poor just don’t matter. President Obama is a part of that. President Obama is a part of that. Poverty is the new slavery. Oligarchs are the new kings. They’re the new heads of this structure of domination."
There is this gap between the haves and the have-nots, a growing gap, in fact. When 1 percent of the people control 42 percent—own and control 42 percent of the wealth, that’s a problem. When one out of two Americans is either in or near poverty—you take the perennially poor or the persistent poor, on top of them the new poor—we argue in this book the new poor are the former middle class—and the near poor, folk who are a paycheck away, that’s 150 million Americans wrestling with poverty.
MITT ROMNEY: The challenge right now—we will hear from the Democrat Party the plight of the poor, and—and there’s no question, it’s not good being poor, and we have a safety net to help those that are very poor. But my campaign is focused on middle-income Americans. My campaign—I mean, you can choose where to focus. You can focus on the rich. That’s not my focus. You can focus on the very poor. That’s not my focus. My focus is on middle-income Americans.
Ted Rudow III, MA
The poor
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com )
Thursday Apr 26th, 2012
The latest census data shows nearly one in two Americans, or 150 million people, have fallen into poverty — or could be classified as low income. "There seems to be a bipartisan consensus in Washington that the poor just don’t matter.
There seems to be a bipartisan consensus in Washington that the poor just don’t matter. President Obama is a part of that. President Obama is a part of that. Poverty is the new slavery. Oligarchs are the new kings. They’re the new heads of this structure of domination."
There is this gap between the haves and the have-nots, a growing gap, in fact. When 1 percent of the people control 42 percent—own and control 42 percent of the wealth, that’s a problem. When one out of two Americans is either in or near poverty—you take the perennially poor or the persistent poor, on top of them the new poor—we argue in this book the new poor are the former middle class—and the near poor, folk who are a paycheck away, that’s 150 million Americans wrestling with poverty.
MITT ROMNEY: The challenge right now—we will hear from the Democrat Party the plight of the poor, and—and there’s no question, it’s not good being poor, and we have a safety net to help those that are very poor. But my campaign is focused on middle-income Americans. My campaign—I mean, you can choose where to focus. You can focus on the rich. That’s not my focus. You can focus on the very poor. That’s not my focus. My focus is on middle-income Americans.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Sunday, April 29, 2012
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/04/29/18712382.php
Biggest con
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com )
Sunday Apr 29th, 2012 6:22 PM
It is the biggest con game going. And the stakes are enormous. And the effort to regulate them is hopeless, because the very people who are in charge of regulating them are the same people who are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the lobbies that run them.
The connection between the legislators and the lobbyists is so intimate that it's not even embarrassing for a senator to say that in front of a room.
The culture is so hermetically sealed from the rest of the country that it doesn't occur to them that there is something deeply outrageous and offensive and corrosive of democracy to admit that the money side of politics and the elected side of politics belong to each other. The other day, the president of CBS, Les Moonves, was reported by "Bloomberg" to have said "Super PACs may be bad for America, but they're … good for CBS." This is a windfall every election season, which seems not to even stop ever, for the broadcast industry. So not only are they raking it in, they're also creating a toxic environment for civic discourse.
So one of the big reasons that things are at the pass they are is that the founders never could have anticipated that a small group of people, a financial enterprise and the technology could create this environment in which facts, truth, accountability, that stuff just isn't entertaining. Instead, the purpose of these debates is in order to have commercials. The suspense and coming back, those are devices deployed, in order to have people watch what happens in between. These are moneymaking propositions. They give bragging rights for those that get high ratings. They have nothing to do with the content.
So because it's not entertaining, because the stations think it's ratings poison, they don't cover it on the news.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Biggest con
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com )
Sunday Apr 29th, 2012 6:22 PM
It is the biggest con game going. And the stakes are enormous. And the effort to regulate them is hopeless, because the very people who are in charge of regulating them are the same people who are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the lobbies that run them.
The connection between the legislators and the lobbyists is so intimate that it's not even embarrassing for a senator to say that in front of a room.
The culture is so hermetically sealed from the rest of the country that it doesn't occur to them that there is something deeply outrageous and offensive and corrosive of democracy to admit that the money side of politics and the elected side of politics belong to each other. The other day, the president of CBS, Les Moonves, was reported by "Bloomberg" to have said "Super PACs may be bad for America, but they're … good for CBS." This is a windfall every election season, which seems not to even stop ever, for the broadcast industry. So not only are they raking it in, they're also creating a toxic environment for civic discourse.
So one of the big reasons that things are at the pass they are is that the founders never could have anticipated that a small group of people, a financial enterprise and the technology could create this environment in which facts, truth, accountability, that stuff just isn't entertaining. Instead, the purpose of these debates is in order to have commercials. The suspense and coming back, those are devices deployed, in order to have people watch what happens in between. These are moneymaking propositions. They give bragging rights for those that get high ratings. They have nothing to do with the content.
So because it's not entertaining, because the stations think it's ratings poison, they don't cover it on the news.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Banana republic
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The term "banana republic" was coined at the turn of the 20th Century in reference to the economic and political domination of weak or corrupt governments in Central America by the United Fruit Company, the corporation now known as Chiquita. (This article will refer to the company formerly known as United Fruit as "Chiquita"). Throughout much of its modern history, Honduras has been the quintessential "banana republic," a poor country ruled by a small group of wealthy elites, with national politics controlled by multinational business interests, particularly Chiquita. In fact, Chiquita has historically been known as "El Pulpo" ("The Octopus") in Honduras, as the company's tentacles had such a firm grip on Honduran national politics.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chiquita maintained its grasp on Central American politics with a range of illegitimate tools, including the use of mercenary force and bribes. Since the birth of modern public relations in the mid-20th century, though, Chiquita has successfully fought many of its battles for political control with the power of spin. Recent revelations suggest they have done the same in the case of Honduras in 2009.
Through the next 30 years in Central America, small peasants were pushed off their traditional holdings by local oligarchs flush with money and military equipment furnished by the U.S. The sickness pestilence, starvation disease, war, domestic violence, and civil unrest that every day steals and destroys lives are choices that man has made-choices to turn a blind eye, choices of greed over sharing, choices of selfishness.
Ted Rudow III, MA
live 24/7
var so = new SWFObject('http://www.raisethefist.com/streamplayer/player.swf', 'streambaby', '150', '20', '9');// so.addParam('allowscriptaccess','always');so.addParam('allowfullscreen','true');so.addVariable('type', 'mp3');so.addVariable('autostart', 'true');so.addVariable('title', 'true');// so.addVariable('file', 'http://raisethefist2.dlinkddns.com:8030/listen.pls');// Icecast stream - Proton Radioso.addVariable('file', 'http://raisethefist2.dlinkddns.com:8030/;stream.nsv');so.write('player');
Share comment
Click here to listen
The term "banana republic" was coined at the turn of the 20th Century in reference to the economic and political domination of weak or corrupt governments in Central America by the United Fruit Company, the corporation now known as Chiquita. (This article will refer to the company formerly known as United Fruit as "Chiquita"). Throughout much of its modern history, Honduras has been the quintessential "banana republic," a poor country ruled by a small group of wealthy elites, with national politics controlled by multinational business interests, particularly Chiquita. In fact, Chiquita has historically been known as "El Pulpo" ("The Octopus") in Honduras, as the company's tentacles had such a firm grip on Honduran national politics.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chiquita maintained its grasp on Central American politics with a range of illegitimate tools, including the use of mercenary force and bribes. Since the birth of modern public relations in the mid-20th century, though, Chiquita has successfully fought many of its battles for political control with the power of spin. Recent revelations suggest they have done the same in the case of Honduras in 2009.
Through the next 30 years in Central America, small peasants were pushed off their traditional holdings by local oligarchs flush with money and military equipment furnished by the U.S. The sickness pestilence, starvation disease, war, domestic violence, and civil unrest that every day steals and destroys lives are choices that man has made-choices to turn a blind eye, choices of greed over sharing, choices of selfishness.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Monday, April 16, 2012
Banana re
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/04/16/18711424.php
"Banana republic"
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Monday Apr 16th, 2012
The term "banana republic" was coined at the turn of the 20th Century in reference to the economic and political domination of weak or corrupt governments in Central America by the United Fruit Company, the corporation now known as Chiquita. (This article will refer to the company formerly known as United Fruit as "Chiquita"). Throughout much of its modern history, Honduras has been the quintessential "banana republic," a poor country ruled by a small group of wealthy elites, with national politics controlled by multinational business interests, particularly Chiquita. In fact, Chiquita has historically been known as "El Pulpo" ("The Octopus") in Honduras, as the company's tentacles had such a firm grip on Honduran national politics.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chiquita maintained its grasp on Central American politics with a range of illegitimate tools, including the use of mercenary force and bribes. Since the birth of modern public relations in the mid-20th century, though, Chiquita has successfully fought many of its battles for political control with the power of spin. Recent revelations suggest they have done the same in the case of Honduras in 2009. Through the next 30 years in Central America, small peasants were pushed off their traditional holdings by local oligarchs flush with money and military equipment furnished by the U.S. The sickness‚ pestilence, starvation‚ disease, war, domestic violence, and civil unrest that every day steals and destroys lives are choices that man has made-choices to turn a blind eye, choices of greed over sharing, choices of selfishness.
Ted Rudow III, MA
"Banana republic"
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Monday Apr 16th, 2012
The term "banana republic" was coined at the turn of the 20th Century in reference to the economic and political domination of weak or corrupt governments in Central America by the United Fruit Company, the corporation now known as Chiquita. (This article will refer to the company formerly known as United Fruit as "Chiquita"). Throughout much of its modern history, Honduras has been the quintessential "banana republic," a poor country ruled by a small group of wealthy elites, with national politics controlled by multinational business interests, particularly Chiquita. In fact, Chiquita has historically been known as "El Pulpo" ("The Octopus") in Honduras, as the company's tentacles had such a firm grip on Honduran national politics.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chiquita maintained its grasp on Central American politics with a range of illegitimate tools, including the use of mercenary force and bribes. Since the birth of modern public relations in the mid-20th century, though, Chiquita has successfully fought many of its battles for political control with the power of spin. Recent revelations suggest they have done the same in the case of Honduras in 2009. Through the next 30 years in Central America, small peasants were pushed off their traditional holdings by local oligarchs flush with money and military equipment furnished by the U.S. The sickness‚ pestilence, starvation‚ disease, war, domestic violence, and civil unrest that every day steals and destroys lives are choices that man has made-choices to turn a blind eye, choices of greed over sharing, choices of selfishness.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Social Darwinism
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/04/14/18711314.php
Social Darwinism
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Saturday Apr 14th, 2012
Social Darwinism is a belief, popular in the late Victorian era in England, America, and elsewhere, which states that the strongest or fittest should survive and flourish in society, while the weak and unfit should be allowed to die. The theory was chiefly expounded by Herbert Spencer, whose ethical philosophies always held an elitist view and received a boost from the application of Darwinian ideas such as adaptation and natural selection. The concept of adaptation allowed him to claim that the rich and powerful were better adapted to the social and economic climate of the time, and the concept of natural selection allowed him to argue that it was natural, normal, and proper for the strong to thrive at the expense of the weak. After all, he claimed, that is exactly what goes on in nature every day.
"Wow, what a great leap forward for mankind (or what passes for it these days). Stand you ground partner, but lose your civilization".
Mike Caggiano
Ted Rudow III, MA
Social Darwinism
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Saturday Apr 14th, 2012
Social Darwinism is a belief, popular in the late Victorian era in England, America, and elsewhere, which states that the strongest or fittest should survive and flourish in society, while the weak and unfit should be allowed to die. The theory was chiefly expounded by Herbert Spencer, whose ethical philosophies always held an elitist view and received a boost from the application of Darwinian ideas such as adaptation and natural selection. The concept of adaptation allowed him to claim that the rich and powerful were better adapted to the social and economic climate of the time, and the concept of natural selection allowed him to argue that it was natural, normal, and proper for the strong to thrive at the expense of the weak. After all, he claimed, that is exactly what goes on in nature every day.
"Wow, what a great leap forward for mankind (or what passes for it these days). Stand you ground partner, but lose your civilization".
Mike Caggiano
Ted Rudow III, MA
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Bank and special interests
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Peninsula readers' letters: April 11
From Daily News Group readers mercurynews.comPosted: 04/10/2012 07:26:06 PM PDTApril 11, 2012 5:17 AM GMTUpdated: 04/10/2012 10:17:19 PM PDT
Banks and special interests
Dear Editor: The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was passed two years ago in the wake of our disastrous financial meltdown. The president signs it into law, but then we discover the fight's just begun, because the special interests immediately set out to win back what they lost when the reform became law. They spread money like manure on the campaign trails of key members of Congress. They unleash hordes of lobbyists on Capitol Hill, cozy up to columnists and editorial writers, spend millions on lawyers who try to rewrite or water down the regulations required for enforcement. And before you know it, what once was an attempt at genuine reform creeps back toward business as usual.
Especially vulnerable is a key provision of Dodd-Frank known as the Volcker Rule -- an attempt to keep the banks in which you deposit your money from gambling your savings on the banks' own sometimes very risky investments. It will come as no surprise that the financial industry hates the Volcker Rule and is fighting back hard. It stops them from doing speculative trading.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
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obituaries
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bay area newsdata center
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San Mateo County Times,Palo Alto Daily News,Silicon Valley Community Newspapers:Campbell Reporter,Cupertino Courier,Fremont Bulletin,Los Gatos Weekly Times,Milpitas Post,Pacifica Tribune,Saratoga News,Sunnyvale Sun,Willow Glen Resident,Rose Garden Resident,Almaden Resident,Cambrian Resident
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Peninsula readers' letters: April 11
From Daily News Group readers mercurynews.comPosted: 04/10/2012 07:26:06 PM PDTApril 11, 2012 5:17 AM GMTUpdated: 04/10/2012 10:17:19 PM PDT
Banks and special interests
Dear Editor: The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was passed two years ago in the wake of our disastrous financial meltdown. The president signs it into law, but then we discover the fight's just begun, because the special interests immediately set out to win back what they lost when the reform became law. They spread money like manure on the campaign trails of key members of Congress. They unleash hordes of lobbyists on Capitol Hill, cozy up to columnists and editorial writers, spend millions on lawyers who try to rewrite or water down the regulations required for enforcement. And before you know it, what once was an attempt at genuine reform creeps back toward business as usual.
Especially vulnerable is a key provision of Dodd-Frank known as the Volcker Rule -- an attempt to keep the banks in which you deposit your money from gambling your savings on the banks' own sometimes very risky investments. It will come as no surprise that the financial industry hates the Volcker Rule and is fighting back hard. It stops them from doing speculative trading.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
Special interests
San Mateo Daily Journal
Wednesday
11
2012
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Letter: Special interests
April 11, 2012, 05:00 AM Letter
Editor,
The president signs it into law, but then we discover the fight’s just begun because the special interests immediately set out to win back what they lost when the reform became law. They spread money like manure on the campaign trails of key members of Congress. They cozy up to columnists and editorial writers, unleash hordes of lobbyists on Capitol Hill and spend millions on lawyers who try to rewrite or water down the regulations required for enforcement. And before you know it, what once was an attempt at genuine reform creeps back toward business as usual.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act — passed two years ago in the wake of our disastrous financial meltdown. Especially vulnerable is a key provision of Dodd-Frank known as the Volcker rule — an attempt to keep the banks in which you deposit your money from gambling your savings on the bank’s own, sometimes very risky investments. It will come as no surprise that the financial industry hates the Volcker rule and is fighting back hard. Stop them from doing speculative trading.
Using your deposits to go speculate? It would permit ordinary trading to go on but take away the big speculative — big or small speculative activity. You’ve got great advantages if you’re a government-regulated bank. Take the two big remaining investment banks. We used to call them investment banks. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Both during the crisis got a banking license. “While the Volker Rule will surely put a damper on bank trading profits, it will force many firms to go back to the basic blocking and tackling of the financial services business.”
Ted Rudow III,MA
Palo Alto
Wednesday
11
2012
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Letter: Special interests
April 11, 2012, 05:00 AM Letter
Editor,
The president signs it into law, but then we discover the fight’s just begun because the special interests immediately set out to win back what they lost when the reform became law. They spread money like manure on the campaign trails of key members of Congress. They cozy up to columnists and editorial writers, unleash hordes of lobbyists on Capitol Hill and spend millions on lawyers who try to rewrite or water down the regulations required for enforcement. And before you know it, what once was an attempt at genuine reform creeps back toward business as usual.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act — passed two years ago in the wake of our disastrous financial meltdown. Especially vulnerable is a key provision of Dodd-Frank known as the Volcker rule — an attempt to keep the banks in which you deposit your money from gambling your savings on the bank’s own, sometimes very risky investments. It will come as no surprise that the financial industry hates the Volcker rule and is fighting back hard. Stop them from doing speculative trading.
Using your deposits to go speculate? It would permit ordinary trading to go on but take away the big speculative — big or small speculative activity. You’ve got great advantages if you’re a government-regulated bank. Take the two big remaining investment banks. We used to call them investment banks. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Both during the crisis got a banking license. “While the Volker Rule will surely put a damper on bank trading profits, it will force many firms to go back to the basic blocking and tackling of the financial services business.”
Ted Rudow III,MA
Palo Alto
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Special interests?
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/04/10/18711082.php
Special interests?
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.cm ) Tuesday Apr 10th, 2012
The president signs it into law, but then we discover the fight’s just begun, because the special interests immediately set out to win back what they lost when the reform became law. They spread money like manure on the campaign trails of key members of Congress.
-->
They unleash hordes of lobbyists on Capitol Hill, cozy up to columnists and editorial writers, spend millions on lawyers who try to rewrite or water down the regulations required for enforcement. And before you know it, what once was an attempt at genuine reform creeps back towards business as usual. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform and Consumer Protection Act -- passed two years ago in the wake of our disastrous financial meltdown. Especially vulnerable is a key provision of Dodd-Frank known as the Volcker rule -- an attempt to keep the banks in which you deposit your money from gambling your savings on the bank’s own, sometimes very risky investments. It will come as no surprise that the financial industry hates the Volcker rule and is fighting back hard. Stops them from doing speculative trading. Using your deposits to go speculate? It would permit ordinary trading to go on but take away the big speculative-- big or small speculative activity. You've got great advantages if you're a government regulated bank. Take the two big remaining investment banks. We used to call them investment banks. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Both during the crisis got a banking license. “While the Volker Rule will surely put a damper on bank trading profits, it will force many firms to go back to the basic blocking and tackling of the financial services business,"
Ted Rudow III, MA
Special interests?
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.cm ) Tuesday Apr 10th, 2012
The president signs it into law, but then we discover the fight’s just begun, because the special interests immediately set out to win back what they lost when the reform became law. They spread money like manure on the campaign trails of key members of Congress.
-->
They unleash hordes of lobbyists on Capitol Hill, cozy up to columnists and editorial writers, spend millions on lawyers who try to rewrite or water down the regulations required for enforcement. And before you know it, what once was an attempt at genuine reform creeps back towards business as usual. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform and Consumer Protection Act -- passed two years ago in the wake of our disastrous financial meltdown. Especially vulnerable is a key provision of Dodd-Frank known as the Volcker rule -- an attempt to keep the banks in which you deposit your money from gambling your savings on the bank’s own, sometimes very risky investments. It will come as no surprise that the financial industry hates the Volcker rule and is fighting back hard. Stops them from doing speculative trading. Using your deposits to go speculate? It would permit ordinary trading to go on but take away the big speculative-- big or small speculative activity. You've got great advantages if you're a government regulated bank. Take the two big remaining investment banks. We used to call them investment banks. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Both during the crisis got a banking license. “While the Volker Rule will surely put a damper on bank trading profits, it will force many firms to go back to the basic blocking and tackling of the financial services business,"
Ted Rudow III, MA
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
PP&J
Peninsula Peace and Justice Center
Peninsula Peace and Justice Centerwww.PeaceandJustice.org Tonight! Join us in the studio and take part in the conversation! OCCUPYTHEFUTUREA Brief History of Economic & Political InequalityAnd what we might do about it ... A talk byPaul GeorgeDirector, Peninsula Peace and Justice Center"We all learned more than we had expected, we have a better understanding of what we are up against, and we are more determined to persist." ~ Mike F., Occupy Mountain View, after Paul gave this talk for OMVOTHER VOICES TV TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 7:00 PMCommunity Media Center, 900 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto [ Map]FREE and open to all. Wheelchair accessible.[This month's Other Voices TV will undergo a slight (and temporary) change in format as PPJC Director Paul George delivers a talk, rather than interviewing a guest. Paul has given this well-received talk all around the Bay Area and PPJC thought it was time he delivered it for PPJC's own audience.]Over the past generation, the concentration of wealth in the hands of a tiny elite in the U.S. has grown at an astonishing rate. Today, a mere 1% of the population controls 40% of the national wealth, an all-time record. This concentration of wealth has also resulted in a concentration of political power, and this concentration of wealth and political power has brought us to what is being called plutonomy: an economy powered solely by and solely for the wealthy. The "average American" consumer no longer exists.In this talk, Paul George, Director of Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, will examine how this concentration of wealth and power came to be. (Unsurprisingly, it was not by accident.) He will explore what it means for a supposedly democratic society. Finally, he will propose some ways in which we might begin to reverse course. As former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis noted, "We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both."Simultaneous live TV broadcast on Mid-Peninsula Cable Channel 27(But please come to the studio and be part of the TV audience!) The origins of the Arab Spring come from within Arab nations and we need a Arab Spring here!
Peninsula Peace and Justice Centerwww.PeaceandJustice.org Tonight! Join us in the studio and take part in the conversation! OCCUPYTHEFUTUREA Brief History of Economic & Political InequalityAnd what we might do about it ... A talk byPaul GeorgeDirector, Peninsula Peace and Justice Center"We all learned more than we had expected, we have a better understanding of what we are up against, and we are more determined to persist." ~ Mike F., Occupy Mountain View, after Paul gave this talk for OMVOTHER VOICES TV TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 7:00 PMCommunity Media Center, 900 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto [ Map]FREE and open to all. Wheelchair accessible.[This month's Other Voices TV will undergo a slight (and temporary) change in format as PPJC Director Paul George delivers a talk, rather than interviewing a guest. Paul has given this well-received talk all around the Bay Area and PPJC thought it was time he delivered it for PPJC's own audience.]Over the past generation, the concentration of wealth in the hands of a tiny elite in the U.S. has grown at an astonishing rate. Today, a mere 1% of the population controls 40% of the national wealth, an all-time record. This concentration of wealth has also resulted in a concentration of political power, and this concentration of wealth and political power has brought us to what is being called plutonomy: an economy powered solely by and solely for the wealthy. The "average American" consumer no longer exists.In this talk, Paul George, Director of Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, will examine how this concentration of wealth and power came to be. (Unsurprisingly, it was not by accident.) He will explore what it means for a supposedly democratic society. Finally, he will propose some ways in which we might begin to reverse course. As former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis noted, "We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both."Simultaneous live TV broadcast on Mid-Peninsula Cable Channel 27(But please come to the studio and be part of the TV audience!) The origins of the Arab Spring come from within Arab nations and we need a Arab Spring here!
Monday, April 02, 2012
Nonsense
The Daily Star
Monday, April 2, 2012
Nonsense
Ted Rudow III, MA, Encina Ave, Palo Alto, CA
One neo-conservative advocate of the invasion had predicted that a "cakewalk" had killed well over a hundred thousand Iraqi civilians, cost nearly 4500 American soldiers their lives, maimed many others, and incurred costs that could reach more than 3 trillion dollars before the last invoice comes due.
Yet here we are, nine years later, and once again the drumbeat sounds for war in the Middle East. This time the bull's eye is Iran, and many of the bloodthirsty cries are coming from the same lusty throats that agitated a decade ago for invading Iraq. Now the neo-con armchair warriors call for hitting Iran before it builds a nuclear bomb to drop on Israel a scenario that remains in doubt.
One would refer to Afghan history here, that this is simply not a place that accommodates foreign invaders who think they know how to run the place better than the local population. Some neo-conservatives believe that somehow we are responsible for the Arab Spring, that the Arab Spring is a natural outgrowth of the Iraq War and the George Bush Freedom Agenda. That's nonsense. The origins of the Arab Spring come from within Arab nations.
© thedailystar.net, 1991-2008. All Rights Reserved
Monday, April 2, 2012
Nonsense
Ted Rudow III, MA, Encina Ave, Palo Alto, CA
One neo-conservative advocate of the invasion had predicted that a "cakewalk" had killed well over a hundred thousand Iraqi civilians, cost nearly 4500 American soldiers their lives, maimed many others, and incurred costs that could reach more than 3 trillion dollars before the last invoice comes due.
Yet here we are, nine years later, and once again the drumbeat sounds for war in the Middle East. This time the bull's eye is Iran, and many of the bloodthirsty cries are coming from the same lusty throats that agitated a decade ago for invading Iraq. Now the neo-con armchair warriors call for hitting Iran before it builds a nuclear bomb to drop on Israel a scenario that remains in doubt.
One would refer to Afghan history here, that this is simply not a place that accommodates foreign invaders who think they know how to run the place better than the local population. Some neo-conservatives believe that somehow we are responsible for the Arab Spring, that the Arab Spring is a natural outgrowth of the Iraq War and the George Bush Freedom Agenda. That's nonsense. The origins of the Arab Spring come from within Arab nations.
© thedailystar.net, 1991-2008. All Rights Reserved
Sunday, April 01, 2012
"Feudal society'
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/04/01/18710510.php
"feudal society"by Ted Rudow III,MA Sunday Apr 1st, 2012
The Koch brothers fueled the conservative Tea Party movement that vigorously opposes Barack Obama, the US president. They fund efforts to derail action on global warming, and support politicians who object to raising taxes on corporations or the wealthy to help fix America’s fiscal problems. They are so rich that their pockets are almost bottomless, and they can keep pouring money into this whole process".
The Koch brothers fueled the conservative Tea Party movement that vigorously opposes Barack Obama, the US president. They fund efforts to derail action on global warming, and support politicians who object to raising taxes on corporations or the wealthy to help fix America’s fiscal problems. They are so rich that their pockets are almost bottomless, and they can keep pouring money into this whole process". The Kochs founded and provide millions to Americans for Prosperity, a political organisation that builds grassroots support for conservative causes and candidates. Americans for Prosperity, which has 35 state chapters and claims to have about two million members, has close ties to Tea Party groups and played a key role in opposing Obama's health care initiative. Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that the Kochs supported have taken the lead in opposing US Environmental Protection Agency efforts to reduce global warming emissions.
The Kochs contributed to 62 of the 87 new members of the US House of Representatives in 2010. Rich just because there are a few feudal landlords(like the Kochs) who own every thing and are very rich, so they say the country's rich, when most of the people are mere serfs, slaves, peons and peasants on the land, like South America! There is also a broader definition, as described by Marc Bloch (1939), that includes not only warrior nobility but the peasantry bonds of manorialism, sometimes referred to as a "feudal society".
Ted Rudow III, MA
"feudal society"by Ted Rudow III,MA Sunday Apr 1st, 2012
The Koch brothers fueled the conservative Tea Party movement that vigorously opposes Barack Obama, the US president. They fund efforts to derail action on global warming, and support politicians who object to raising taxes on corporations or the wealthy to help fix America’s fiscal problems. They are so rich that their pockets are almost bottomless, and they can keep pouring money into this whole process".
The Koch brothers fueled the conservative Tea Party movement that vigorously opposes Barack Obama, the US president. They fund efforts to derail action on global warming, and support politicians who object to raising taxes on corporations or the wealthy to help fix America’s fiscal problems. They are so rich that their pockets are almost bottomless, and they can keep pouring money into this whole process". The Kochs founded and provide millions to Americans for Prosperity, a political organisation that builds grassroots support for conservative causes and candidates. Americans for Prosperity, which has 35 state chapters and claims to have about two million members, has close ties to Tea Party groups and played a key role in opposing Obama's health care initiative. Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that the Kochs supported have taken the lead in opposing US Environmental Protection Agency efforts to reduce global warming emissions.
The Kochs contributed to 62 of the 87 new members of the US House of Representatives in 2010. Rich just because there are a few feudal landlords(like the Kochs) who own every thing and are very rich, so they say the country's rich, when most of the people are mere serfs, slaves, peons and peasants on the land, like South America! There is also a broader definition, as described by Marc Bloch (1939), that includes not only warrior nobility but the peasantry bonds of manorialism, sometimes referred to as a "feudal society".
Ted Rudow III, MA
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Drum beat for another war
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Peninsula readers' letters: March 31
From Daily News Group readers mercurynews.com
Posted: 03/30/2012 08:43:44 PM PDT
March 31, 2012 6:52 AM GMT Updated: 03/30/2012 11:52:46 PM PDT
Drum beats for another war
Dear Editor: One neo-conservative had predicted the invasion of Iraq would be a "cakewalk." The war has killed well over 100,000 Iraqi civilians, cost nearly 4,500 American soldiers their lives, maimed many others and incurred costs that could reach more than $3 trillion before the last invoice comes due.
Yet here we are nine years later and once again the drumbeat sounds for war in the Middle East. This time the bullseye is Iran, and many of the bloodthirsty cries come from the same lusty throats that agitated a decade ago for invading Iraq. Now the neo-con armchair warriors call for hitting Iran before it builds a nuclear bomb to drop on Israel -- a scenario that remains in doubt.
One would refer to Afghan history here -- this is simply not a place that accommodates foreign invaders who think they know how to run the place better than the local population. Some neo-conservatives believe that somehow we are responsible for the Arab Spring, that it was a natural outgrowth of the Iraq war and the George W. Bush freedom agenda. That's nonsense. The origins of the Arab Spring come from within Arab nations.
Ted Rudow III,MA
eEdition / Subscriber Services
Mobile Mobile Alerts RSS
News breaking news
obituaries
crime and courts
bay area news
data center
science
earthquakes
politics / government
california
nation / world
Opinion columns
editorials
letters
Publications San Mateo County Times
Palo Alto Daily News
Silicon Valley Community Newspapers:
Campbell Reporter
Cupertino Courier
Fremont Bulletin
Los Gatos Weekly Times
Milpitas Post
Pacifica Tribune
Saratoga News
Sunnyvale Sun
Site Web Search by YAHOO!
Peninsula POWERED BY
Peninsula readers' letters: March 31
From Daily News Group readers mercurynews.com
Posted: 03/30/2012 08:43:44 PM PDT
March 31, 2012 6:52 AM GMT Updated: 03/30/2012 11:52:46 PM PDT
Drum beats for another war
Dear Editor: One neo-conservative had predicted the invasion of Iraq would be a "cakewalk." The war has killed well over 100,000 Iraqi civilians, cost nearly 4,500 American soldiers their lives, maimed many others and incurred costs that could reach more than $3 trillion before the last invoice comes due.
Yet here we are nine years later and once again the drumbeat sounds for war in the Middle East. This time the bullseye is Iran, and many of the bloodthirsty cries come from the same lusty throats that agitated a decade ago for invading Iraq. Now the neo-con armchair warriors call for hitting Iran before it builds a nuclear bomb to drop on Israel -- a scenario that remains in doubt.
One would refer to Afghan history here -- this is simply not a place that accommodates foreign invaders who think they know how to run the place better than the local population. Some neo-conservatives believe that somehow we are responsible for the Arab Spring, that it was a natural outgrowth of the Iraq war and the George W. Bush freedom agenda. That's nonsense. The origins of the Arab Spring come from within Arab nations.
Ted Rudow III,MA
Friday, March 30, 2012
The Arab Spring
The Arab Spring
literally the Arabic Rebellions or the Arab Revolutions) is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010. To date, rulers have been forced from power in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya,and Yemen; civil uprisings have erupted in Bahrain and Syria; major protests have broken out in Algeria, Iraq,< Jordan,< Morocco, and Oman; and minor protests have occurred in Lebanon, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, and Western Sahara Clashes at the borders of Israel in May 2011,as well as protests by Arab minority in Iranian Khuzestan,] have also been inspired by the regional Arab Spring.The protests have shared techniques of mostly civil resistance in sustained campaigns involving strikes, demonstrations, marches, rallies, as well as the use of social media to organize, communicate, and raise awareness in the face of state attempts at repression and Internet censorship.
literally the Arabic Rebellions or the Arab Revolutions) is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010. To date, rulers have been forced from power in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya,and Yemen; civil uprisings have erupted in Bahrain and Syria; major protests have broken out in Algeria, Iraq,< Jordan,< Morocco, and Oman; and minor protests have occurred in Lebanon, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, and Western Sahara Clashes at the borders of Israel in May 2011,as well as protests by Arab minority in Iranian Khuzestan,] have also been inspired by the regional Arab Spring.The protests have shared techniques of mostly civil resistance in sustained campaigns involving strikes, demonstrations, marches, rallies, as well as the use of social media to organize, communicate, and raise awareness in the face of state attempts at repression and Internet censorship.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Nonsense
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/03/29/18710356.php
Nonsense
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Thursday Mar 29th, 2012
One neo-conservative advocate of the invasion had predicted would be a "cakewalk," had killed well over a hundred thousand Iraqi civilians, cost nearly 4500 American soldiers their lives, maimed many others, and incurred costs that could reach more than 3 trillion dollars before the last invoice comes due.
Yet here we are, nine years later, and once again the drumbeat sounds for war in the Middle East. This time the bull’s eye is Iran, and many of the bloodthirsty cries come from the same lusty throats that agitated a decade ago for invading Iraq. Now the neo-con armchair warriors call for hitting Iran before it builds a nuclear bomb to drop on Israel – a scenario that remains in doubt.
One would refer to Afghan history here, that this is simply not a place that accommodates foreign invaders who think they know how to run the place better than the local population. Some neoconservatives who believe that somehow we are responsible for the Arab Spring, that the Arab Spring is a natural outgrowth of the Iraq War and the George Bush Freedom Agenda. That's nonsense. The origins of the Arab Spring come from within Arab nations.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Nonsense
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Thursday Mar 29th, 2012
One neo-conservative advocate of the invasion had predicted would be a "cakewalk," had killed well over a hundred thousand Iraqi civilians, cost nearly 4500 American soldiers their lives, maimed many others, and incurred costs that could reach more than 3 trillion dollars before the last invoice comes due.
Yet here we are, nine years later, and once again the drumbeat sounds for war in the Middle East. This time the bull’s eye is Iran, and many of the bloodthirsty cries come from the same lusty throats that agitated a decade ago for invading Iraq. Now the neo-con armchair warriors call for hitting Iran before it builds a nuclear bomb to drop on Israel – a scenario that remains in doubt.
One would refer to Afghan history here, that this is simply not a place that accommodates foreign invaders who think they know how to run the place better than the local population. Some neoconservatives who believe that somehow we are responsible for the Arab Spring, that the Arab Spring is a natural outgrowth of the Iraq War and the George Bush Freedom Agenda. That's nonsense. The origins of the Arab Spring come from within Arab nations.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Real fraud
Palo Alto Weekly
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Real fraud
Issues Beyond Palo Alto, posted by Ted Rudow III, MA, a member of the Palo Alto High School community, Bank of America exposé
Dear Editor: In the article "Bank of America: Too Crooked to Fail," Rolling Stone reporter Matt Taibbi chronicles the remarkable history of the rise of Bank of America, an institution he says has defrauded "everyone from investors and insurers to homeowners and the unemployed."
In 2008, Bank of America received a $45 billion taxpayer bailout, but the bank has also received billions more in what could be described as shadow bailouts. The bailouts have helped Bank of America's market share grow. It now controls more than 12 percent of the nation's deposits, as well as 17 percent of all home mortgages.
But new questions have arisen over how Bank of America may actually benefit from the deal because the settlement includes a legal waiver to allow banks to escape billions of dollars in lawsuits. There are much, much bigger problems in the areas of creating loans and securitizing the loans. The real fraud was when Bank of America or some company went to a union and said, "Here's a whole bunch of mortgages we want you to buy. They're AAA-rated. They're all good." And they left out derogatory information about how bad the loans really were. That was the real fraud.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
Sign up for ExpressNew from Palo Alto Online, Express is a daily e-edition, distributed by e-mail every weekday.Sign up to receive Express!
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HomeNews Palo Alto Weekly The Almanac Mountain View VoiceFogster ClassifiedsTown Square ForumsSports E-mail this topic. Print this topic.
Real fraud
Issues Beyond Palo Alto, posted by Ted Rudow III, MA, a member of the Palo Alto High School community, Bank of America exposé
Dear Editor: In the article "Bank of America: Too Crooked to Fail," Rolling Stone reporter Matt Taibbi chronicles the remarkable history of the rise of Bank of America, an institution he says has defrauded "everyone from investors and insurers to homeowners and the unemployed."
In 2008, Bank of America received a $45 billion taxpayer bailout, but the bank has also received billions more in what could be described as shadow bailouts. The bailouts have helped Bank of America's market share grow. It now controls more than 12 percent of the nation's deposits, as well as 17 percent of all home mortgages.
But new questions have arisen over how Bank of America may actually benefit from the deal because the settlement includes a legal waiver to allow banks to escape billions of dollars in lawsuits. There are much, much bigger problems in the areas of creating loans and securitizing the loans. The real fraud was when Bank of America or some company went to a union and said, "Here's a whole bunch of mortgages we want you to buy. They're AAA-rated. They're all good." And they left out derogatory information about how bad the loans really were. That was the real fraud.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
United States Senate
Dear Mr. Rudow:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the withdrawal of United States combat forces from Afghanistan. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.
I strongly believe that it is time to significantly decrease the presence of U.S. combat forces in Afghanistan. That is why I proudly co-sponsored an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act requiring President Obama to accelerate the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and report to Congress on the progress of his plan. I was pleased that language based on this amendment was included in the final bill.
I believe that the United States has accomplished much of what it set out to achieve in Afghanistan and that the current cost - both to our armed forces and to the American taxpayer - is far too high. Ten years ago, the United States Senate unanimously voted to use all necessary and appropriate force against those responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001 - the al Qaeda terrorist network. On May 2, 2011, the United States dealt al Qaeda a major blow by killing its leader, Osama bin Laden.
Although we must remain vigilant in our efforts to defeat al Qaeda and continue our support for the Afghan people, there is simply no justification for the continued deployment of roughly 90,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Our current forces should be drawn down to a point where they are sufficient only to conduct targeted counter-terrorism operations, train Afghan security forces, and protect American and coalition personnel.
As a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, be assured that I will continue to advocate for a plan to accelerate the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Afghanistan while protecting U.S. national security.
Again, thank you for writing to me. Please feel free to contact me in the future about this or any other issue of concern to you.
Sincerely,Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
Please do not respond to this message. If you would like to comment on legislation, please visit my website and use the correspondence form at https://www.boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm.
Thank you for contacting me regarding the withdrawal of United States combat forces from Afghanistan. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.
I strongly believe that it is time to significantly decrease the presence of U.S. combat forces in Afghanistan. That is why I proudly co-sponsored an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act requiring President Obama to accelerate the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and report to Congress on the progress of his plan. I was pleased that language based on this amendment was included in the final bill.
I believe that the United States has accomplished much of what it set out to achieve in Afghanistan and that the current cost - both to our armed forces and to the American taxpayer - is far too high. Ten years ago, the United States Senate unanimously voted to use all necessary and appropriate force against those responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001 - the al Qaeda terrorist network. On May 2, 2011, the United States dealt al Qaeda a major blow by killing its leader, Osama bin Laden.
Although we must remain vigilant in our efforts to defeat al Qaeda and continue our support for the Afghan people, there is simply no justification for the continued deployment of roughly 90,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Our current forces should be drawn down to a point where they are sufficient only to conduct targeted counter-terrorism operations, train Afghan security forces, and protect American and coalition personnel.
As a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, be assured that I will continue to advocate for a plan to accelerate the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Afghanistan while protecting U.S. national security.
Again, thank you for writing to me. Please feel free to contact me in the future about this or any other issue of concern to you.
Sincerely,Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
Please do not respond to this message. If you would like to comment on legislation, please visit my website and use the correspondence form at https://www.boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Are you a good sport?
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NFL suspensions in Saints' bounty program scandal are justfiedby Nick Celario Mar 21, 2012 5:44 pm Tags: Bounty program, football, Gregg Williams, illegal incentives, New Orlean Saints, new orleans, NFC, NFL, Roger Goodell, Saints, Sean Payton, Sports, suspensions
Nick Celario is a Spartan Daily Sports Editor.
Last semester, I wrote that the NFL should be played with intensity and toughness.
I am not retracting what I said because football is a violent sport, but acts of violence, and receiving payoffs for them, are just not acceptable.
ESPN reported New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton will be suspended without pay for the 2012 season and St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, formerly of the Saints, was banned from the league indefinitely for arranging a bounty program that paid its players additional cash for targeting main opposing players.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis will be suspended for eight regular season games and assistant coach Joe Vitt will be suspended for six games.
The Los Angeles Times also reported the Saints' organization was fined $500,000 and will have to forfeit its second-round draft picks in 2012 and 2013.
"We are all accountable and responsible for player health and safety and the integrity of the game," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement reported by USA Today. "We will not tolerate conduct or a culture that undermines those priorities.
"No one is above the game or the rules that govern it. Respect for the game and the people who participate in it will not be compromised."
I completely agree with this statement.
While I typically oppose Goodell's "No Fun League" type punishments, I feel these suspensions are justified.
According to USA Today, the bounty program occurred as far back as 2009 during the Saints' Super Bowl run and that such "non-contract bonuses" violate NFL rules.
It was also reported that Williams directed the program, and while Payton did not directly participate, he was aware of it and did not take any action to end it.
Williams' indefinite suspension is with good reason.
If he encouraged his players to cause possible career-ending injuries to their opponents, then he should not have a coaching position in the NFL.
If the league did not punish Williams, it could possibly send a message to college and high school players that such behavior is acceptable.
In a sport as aggressive and forceful as football, where serious bodily injury is already an enormous risk to those who participate, urging players to intentionally harm is cruel.
People who promote this kind of conduct should not have a place in professional or amateur sports — period.
Payton's suspension is also just.
ESPN reported Payton ignored instructions from the NFL and the Saints' owners to ensure a bounty program was not in place.
Condoning these acts makes him just as responsible.
USA Today reported an investigation from the NFL revealed that more than 20 Saints defensive players were involved in the program from 2009 to 2011 and were rewarded with cash, and while no punishments were handed down yet, the league plans to do so soon.
USA Today also said Saints middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma became synonymous with the program when SI.com reported he offered $10,000 to any Saints player who could knock out then Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre out of the 2009 NFC Championship Game.
Any Saints players who participated in the system, or anyone in the league who has, should be ashamed of themselves.
To be privileged to play professional football and be paid thousands, if not millions, of dollars and then take part in this inexcusable.
In addition, these players are looked up to by numerous fans, several of whom are probably football players, anywhere from Pop Warner, high school to college.
If they modeled themselves to pros who opt into this kind of playing, I can't imagine what the future of professional football would be.
Why take football and lower it to barbarism?
Despite its intensity, football can still be played with respect and sportsmanship.
I hope these suspensions gets that message across to everyone in the league and weren't for nothing.
@TedrTed ·
Did you know that the Nicaragua-El Salvador war, in which 20,000 people were killed, started over a football game? In fact, Ernest Hemingway, the world famous writer, who spent so much of his time in Latin America and Spain, said you could eliminate most Latin American wars and their causes by simply banning football or soccer! Those games get them so worked up into a frenzy against each other that nothing but a total all-out war can truly satisfy the spirit of it The ultimate fulfillment of sports is war!--Destroying the other guy's body that your body might live! War is the ultimate fulfillment of the competitive spirit: the destruction of others for self-preservation. Sports is war in disguise, and the Olympics disguised all this under the totally false and contrary theme song of "Peace"! That's their theme!--Isn't that something! So they speak peace while war is in their hearts, and they talk peace while they prepare for war--prepare their bodies for war.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Class of 1996
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Real fraud
MercuryNews.com
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document.write('\n') Peninsula readers' letters: March 24
From Daily News Group readers mercurynews.com Posted: 03/23/2012 06:43:58 PM PDT March 24, 2012 6:35 AM GMT Updated: 03/23/2012 11:35:16 PM PDT
Bank of America exposé
Dear Editor: In the article "Bank of America: Too Crooked to Fail," Rolling Stone reporter Matt Taibbi chronicles the remarkable history of the rise of Bank of America, an institution he says has defrauded "everyone from investors and insurers to homeowners and the unemployed."
In 2008, Bank of America received a $45 billion taxpayer bailout, but the bank has also received billions more in what could be described as shadow bailouts. The bailouts have helped Bank of America's market share grow. It now controls more than 12 percent of the nation's deposits, as well as 17 percent of all home mortgages.
But new questions have arisen over how Bank of America may actually benefit from the deal because the settlement includes a legal waiver to allow banks to escape billions of dollars in lawsuits. There are much, much bigger problems in the areas of creating loans and securitizing the loans. The real fraud was when Bank of America or some company went to a union and said, "Here's a whole bunch of mortgages we want you to buy. They're AAA-rated. They're all good." And they left out derogatory information about how bad the loans really were. That was the real fraud.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
eEdition / Subscriber ServicesMobile Mobile Alerts RSS
News breaking newsobituariescrime and courtsbay area newsdata centerscienceearthquakespolitics / governmentcalifornianation / world
Opinion columnseditorialsletters
Publications San Mateo County Times,Palo Alto Daily News,Silicon Valley Community Newspapers:Campbell Reporter,Cupertino Courier,Fremont Bulletin,Los Gatos Weekly Times,Milpitas Post,Pacifica Tribune,Saratoga News,Sunnyvale Sun
Site Web Search by YAHOO! Peninsula POWERED BY
document.write('\n') Peninsula readers' letters: March 24
From Daily News Group readers mercurynews.com Posted: 03/23/2012 06:43:58 PM PDT March 24, 2012 6:35 AM GMT Updated: 03/23/2012 11:35:16 PM PDT
Bank of America exposé
Dear Editor: In the article "Bank of America: Too Crooked to Fail," Rolling Stone reporter Matt Taibbi chronicles the remarkable history of the rise of Bank of America, an institution he says has defrauded "everyone from investors and insurers to homeowners and the unemployed."
In 2008, Bank of America received a $45 billion taxpayer bailout, but the bank has also received billions more in what could be described as shadow bailouts. The bailouts have helped Bank of America's market share grow. It now controls more than 12 percent of the nation's deposits, as well as 17 percent of all home mortgages.
But new questions have arisen over how Bank of America may actually benefit from the deal because the settlement includes a legal waiver to allow banks to escape billions of dollars in lawsuits. There are much, much bigger problems in the areas of creating loans and securitizing the loans. The real fraud was when Bank of America or some company went to a union and said, "Here's a whole bunch of mortgages we want you to buy. They're AAA-rated. They're all good." And they left out derogatory information about how bad the loans really were. That was the real fraud.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
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