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Tag Archives: current-events

Brexit Regret


This article from the Washington Post shows what panic rhetoric and unfounded fears and semi facts can cause. Looking at our current elections along with the rhetoric coming out of that should make us think hard about who is running for the Presidency and who we have and will elect to the Congress. Our vote is our only way to manage our Government.

Voters in one fading port town wonder whether  they were misled on Brexit

The Washington Post

Rick Noack 7 hrs. ago

TILBURY, England — After mass layoffs in the 1970s and ’80s, this once-vibrant port town in southeastern England lost much of its glory. Many stores are closed, and windows are broken. A shuttered guesthouse in the town’s center is plastered with advertisements for instant cash loans. “Money matters,” one reads.

Tilbury is one of England’s poorest places — and one of its most Euroskeptic. More than 72 percent of voters here and in surrounding Thurrock voted for Britain to leave the European Union in Thursday’s referendum. Few places voted more decisively.

But by Sunday, the initial excitement among some pro-Brexit voters had already started to disappear, making room for worries about what’s next for an increasingly divided Britain.

Some in this town of 12,000 have also begun to wonder whether they had been misled by politicians advocating to leave the E.U. amid a campaign marked by negativity on both sides.

“I was swayed by the rhetorics, but if I had thought this through, I would have voted to stay in. I would certainly do so now,” said Antony Kerin, 38, who was watching his daughter at a newly refurbished but empty playground.

Concerns about the economic fallout from the vote were on the minds of many here. Many who voted in favor of Brexit work in professions and for companies that could suffer under uncertainty over trade deals, such as car manufacturers. And they predominantly live in poorer regions — those that have received significant subsidies from the E.U.

Tilbury was hoping to receive an E.U. grant worth more than $6 million, but those dreams were shattered by the referendum results.

Kerin, who moved to Tilbury 10 years ago and is unemployed, said he had been trying to move to public housing in a different city. But he will probably have to remain patient: Out of Thurrock’s 165,000 residents, 6,500 are on a waiting or transfer list for public housing.

“They’re making us stay here to rot,” said Kerin, referring to county officials and the British government.

For others in Tilbury, the referendum has had deeply personal implications. The news that Britain had voted to leave the E.U. shocked Kate Clarke, 38, but not her husband.

Antony, 38, said of the referrendum “If I had thought this through, I would have voted to stay in.”

“He voted for a Brexit and told me I was blind. He was shortsighted, but many others were, too,” she said Sunday morning.

“I know people who’ve fallen out with their friends over this,” Clarke said while preparing for a bike tour at the World’s End — one of the last pubs in Tilbury.

Clarke said she understands what might have motivated her self-employed husband to vote to leave the E.U. Over the past years, migrants had increasingly competed with locals in the town and had brought down prices for services — driving some entrepreneurs out of business, she said.

“There is a lot boiling beneath the surface here,” said Steve Liddiard, 65, the local councillor who is a member of the opposition Labour Party. “People’s anger is understandable, but they blame the European Union for what is actually the British government’s fault.”

But not everyone agrees. “I’m so happy we voted out,” Nigel Foster, 45, said as he stood outside a pub next to Liddiard.

A supporter of the right-wing U.K. Independence Party (UKIP), Foster works at Tilbury’s port. “I’ve seen migrants arrive here illegally in containers. Now, we can finally send them back to where they came from,” he said.

“But that has nothing to do with the E.U.,” Liddiard said.

Liddiard later said he would have continued to specify that it was not immigrants who are driving up housing prices in Tilbury, but rather Londoners moving to the outskirts. But before he could continue, he was interrupted by Foster’s 24-year old daughter, Jay.

“I have had a full-time job for years, but I still have to live with my parents because I cannot afford my own home,” she said, adding that she had voted against E.U. membership.

But she insisted the referendum had already made things worse. “We should not have been able to make this decision. There was so much scaremongering on television. And now it’s madness, absolute madness. Nobody knows what will happen.”

Standing inside his laundry shop, Nigeria-born Izuchukwu Eze, 37, smiled when he said people in Tilbury had treated him well over the past eight years. But neither he nor his Polish wife understand the political views of their neighbors.

“They don’t have a clue,” Eze said. “When they hear people like UKIP politician Nigel Farage say on television that we should leave, then they will vote ‘leave.’ ”

Eze said he thinks Tilbury will regret voting to exit the E.U. “Some of my customers have come here over the last two days, loudly asking themselves: ‘Have we done the right thing?’

“I don’t think so,” Eze said.

But despite uncertainty over his future residence status, Russian-Estonian migrant Vladislaw viewed the referendum outcome more positively. He declined to give his full name because of concerns about employment.

The 22-year old chef, who moved to Britain a year ago with an E.U. passport, does not believe Britain’s decision to leave the E.U. will have a significant impact on his own future.

“I’m not an idiot, he said. “This country needs us.”

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The Real Term


Every news report and taking head keeps repeating the words “gun control”, this indicates some sort of activity affecting firearms. The real term needs to be related to the real issue which is the people who apparently are outside the norm and who own and use firearms in a bad way. This bad way includes robbery, murder (in any form) and threats by legal (mostly) firearms owners. These individuals are and should be the focus of any law that involves the ownership of firearms . The NRA takes a broad stroke on this issue whenever it takes the stage but their rationale is purely self serving and designed to garner support and funding (incidentally the NRA does not have the broad member support they purport to have) . Our Congress is looking at potential election blowback by standing up to the NRA”s deep pockets and under informed voters . If an elected official is truly a statesman or representative then they should be able to get the correct information on an issue and decide from that their course of action. It is unfortunate that this is an event that does not happen because of party lines , fear of voter anger and the loss of big donations. I have never found anyone so far that given the truth cannot have a discussion about an issue. This is not to say that disagreement cannot occur but a sensible discussion is possible. The general public has become so angry with the Government because our legislators want it that way so they can paint themselves as friends of their constituents. If the 535 were really interested in the welfare of the country and “the American People” (who they cite so often) then our current state of division would not exist, the NRA would wield no power to influence and perhaps we can arrive in the 21st century politically. The issues that we the American Voter can change are: .

1.Dump the 2 party system

2.Stop believing the same lies year after year

3. Keep in mind all newly elected people will become tainted by the current sitters so get rid of the old ones first!

4. Ask for things that can be changed for the betterment of ALL Americans

Remember taxes are what allows the government to function and the changes need to be to the tax structure but with a dose of common sense and in a reality mode.

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Charlie Rangel: Trump has ‘pulled the sheet off the Republican Party’


The full article also appeared on Yahoo news and was written by Alex Bregman.

Alexis Christoforous

June 24, 2016

By Alex Bregman

Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel of New York spoke to Yahoo Finance Anchor Alexis Christoforous on “Yahoo News Now” about Sen. Bernie Sanders saying for the first time that he will vote for Hillary Clinton in November and the parallels between the Brexit vote and the U.S. general election.

Rangel, a Clinton supporter, told Christoforous that Sanders’ support was a very important step for party unity. “As his makeup guy would say, it’s very, very, very, very important,” Rangel said. “But the problem we’re having in our party is like a pimple on an elephant’s behind compared to what the Republicans have. We have a different way as Democrats to talk about our unity. We just don’t sit down and say, ‘Can we do it?’ We fight like hell for those things that we believe in. And while I had no idea that Bernie Sanders was so popular when he was in the House and Senate, I really believe he’s made my candidate even a better candidate, because there’s no question in my mind that her qualifications are outstanding.”

The congressman isn’t worried about Sanders’ supporters backing Trump. “There is no problem in my mind of any of Bernie Sanders’ people supporting Trump. None. Because they’re rational-thinking people,” he said.

Rep. Charlie Rangel: Trump has ‘pulled the sheet off the Republican party’

On June 24, 2016, Rep. Charlie Rangel discussed the Brexit saying, “being disgruntled and frustrated doesn’t mean you build a wall; it means you try to tear down a wall.” He also discussed Donald Trump saying, “now that he’s completely destroyed the party of Lincoln, I want a decent two party system when this election is over.”

On whether he sees any parallels between those who voted for Britain to leave the European Union and those who support Donald Trump for president, Rangel said, “You bet your life.” He continued, “It strengthens the fact that being disgruntled and frustrated doesn’t mean you build a wall. It means that you try to tear down a wall. That’s what international trade agreements are for. That’s what the European Union was all about.”

Rangel then got into who Trump is appealing to in the U.S. “He’s tapped into those people who don’t like immigrants, who don’t like Muslims, who don’t like blacks, who hate Latinos, who don’t like Asians,” he said. “You bet your life he’s tapped into it.”

Rangel continued, “If you want to force me to say something good about Trump, I would say, yes, I am so glad he’s pulled the sheet off the Republican Party, because now that he’s completely destroyed the party of Lincoln, I want a decent two-party system when this election’s over.”

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2nd amendment


U.S. Constitution – Amendment 2

Amendment 2 – Right to Bear Arms
A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The note below is taken from a historical fact and seems pertinent now:

The biggest frustration for Continental Army soldiers was the ineffectiveness of Congress and the lack of support they received from the political body that espoused the same cause. Mutiny at times raised its head. This would play a role in the future of the nation after it was created, with those arguing for a strong central government, basing their arguments on the limited ability and lack of performance by Congress during the war.

Looking at this amendment which is so often tossed around, quoted and cited many people have no idea what it really means. Many do not (or cannot) even cite the entire amendment. The first thing to know is the “Constitution” is considered a “living” document which mean it can interpreted according to the population and country’s needs as it grows and evolves. This was written when every citizen was involved or could be involved in the protection and safety of the fledgling country. At that time there were only 13 colonies and an estimated population of 2.5 million people. Of those people an estimated 30 thousand aged 15-45 years old including patriots and farmers were in the Continental Army.(2010 census shows 310 million people with  approximately 4.1 active in all service and just under 1 million in reserves of all services). Given this information, I would say that we have a well regulated militia and the first part of the 2nd Amendment is met and has little to do with  “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms”. This being said there seems to be a need to modify this part of the amendment to reflect modern times. This is not say citizens cannot own guns but it has been demonstrated that there needs to be a better way to control who has access or can own and obtain firearms. The many ways to do that have been thwarted by the NRA by playing the patriot card and screaming louder than everyone else while plying Congress with massive amounts of money. This method of managing the Congress has left us with weak laws which could (or should) be in place to make us safe from ourselves. The political process has been subverted by big donors purely for the donor’s purposes and to the detriment of the US population overall. The key words is not “gun Control” as the gun is controlled by the owner of the gun which leaves the control to be on the owner if that owner is someone through circumstance or legality should not be a firearms owner. Any Firearms laws should be common sense and National so that each instance is treated the same, there will always be an issue of “States Rights” and if each Congress member took time to really consider the issue without worrying about funding from outside sources we could conceivably get some legislature that makes sense and works for all. An overlooked item is the Federal law governing Marijuana, several states now allow the use and sale of medicinal and/ or recreational marijuana while  it’s  illegal on The Federal level. The Congress has the power to change this has not and apparently is turning a blind eye. Our 535 again has decided to keep the status quo as long as it benefits them. Our opportunity to affect change is the vote but only when properly informed.

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Elections


The long season of elections is wearing me out. The ongoing attacks and counterattacks are at once ridiculous and unnecessary. I am not sure when we came to this point but all of rhetoric is off-putting and serves no good purpose. The merits of the candidate should be the focus not some past non relevant information. It is true that some candidates should not be candidates at all but this is America and that’s how we roll. Right now we have a race based too much on Race and sound bites that sound true but ring false. The truth is what comes out later but the falsehoods have already been implanted like a germinating plant. We already have a dysfunctional Congress and we certainly need to address that as much as possible in this electoral cycle but pressuring the current Congress is equally important as there are many members who should have been gone years ago as they have added nothing of note to our progress as a country if it did not directly benefit them. These are the “elder Statesmen” who make seemingly profound statements that in fact are no more than campaign speeches in disguise. We voters have lost the ability to reason out who actually represents the “American people” that they quote regularly. We cannot allow the 535 seat fillers to continue to do what they want to do in our names, in my opinion trust in the Government is lost due to the long serving Congress as we    have given them the OK to do what “they” think is correct and at the same time is a benefit to them and theirs. The political establishment is actually the voters as we have kept these folks in the job too long. I believe no one should  remain in the office long enough to be pensioned out, when we the American People look beyond the rhetoric we will see that the Congress is not representative of the voters who elected them. There could be a case made for long term service but I am hard pressed to see it.

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You Never Had To


Americans who are what I call regular people are the Americans who grew up white may or may not understand the following statement: “You never had to face discrimination due to skin color so you do not understand what it’s like”. The reason for this is that you as normal people are color blind and are reminded sometimes of color or ethnicity when it is put before you. This is not a failing  but more a lack of exposure to the issues  that face non white Americans. We all hear and see the same news and information from the same sources generally but there are pockets of information on both sides that would enlighten and unite us all as Americans. The title “American” should be worn with pride by all of us and unfortunately we have allowed our leaders to keep an implied or even specified difference between us aside from the natural differences inherent in all humans. These implications are what has allowed the rise of the Donald Trumps as viable candidates for the Presidency of the United States. Those of you old enough to look backwards a number of election cycles will understand that our two-party system is flawed and too often do produce the best leaders (not necessarily the President) via the Congress. The real problems in a Democracy is  weakest when  the people we elect to serve are allowed to remain too long in office and then cross over the private sector to further influence the lawmaking process. Our true power as voters is to forget the hot button issues and buzzwords such as Race, religion and citizenry but to look at the long serving legislators who so easily use “the American People” as a reason for not doing their job. If you were able to get a straight answer from any of them you would find that they have not asked too many of “the American people” for their opinion. This is a classic case of “when I want your opinion, I will give it to you”. Our focus as “Americans” is to begin the process of reasonable assessment of our legislative leaders at the State and Federal levels and ignore the reality show atmosphere of modern politics. Beware of the man behind the curtain.

Friedman Says It Better.


I blogged about Paul Ryan and his strange semi endorsement of Donald Trump but this article from Michael Walsh covering  Mr. Friedman states it better.

Thomas Friedman calls GOP morally bankrupt, criticizes John McCain

Thomas Friedman is drawing attention for his blistering column about the state of the Republican Party, which he thinks should “declare moral bankruptcy” and start over.

The three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist said the United States needs a healthy two-party system but that the Grand Old Party is not doing its part, which traditionally has been to advocate for market-based solutions and sound fiscal policy. Instead, he said, it’s merely an empty shell willing to sell itself off to the highest bidders — untethered from principled, center-right conservatism.

On Tuesday, in an opinion piece for the New York Times, Friedman lambasted top Republican leaders — who had been willing to buck the party line in the past — for throwing their support behind Donald Trump despite his history of off-color comments.

He was perplexed that Ryan would still endorse Trump after the businessman questioned Judge Gonzalo Curiel’s ability to preside over the Trump University lawsuit without bias because of his Mexican heritage. Ryan called this a “textbook definition” of racism but said it’s worth backing Trump because he will sign off on a Republican agenda.

“Really? Mr. Speaker, your agenda is a mess, Trump will pay even less attention to you if he is president and, as Senator Lindsey Graham rightly put it, there has to be a time ‘when the love of country will trump hatred of Hillary,’” Friedman wrote. “Will it ever be that time with this version of the G.O.P.?”

Friedman also reprimanded Arizona Sen. John McCain and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

“Et tu, John McCain? You didn’t break under torture from the North Vietnamese, but your hunger for re-election is so great that you don’t dare raise your voice against Trump? I hope you lose. You deserve to. Marco Rubio? You called Trump ‘a con man,’ he insults your very being and you still endorse him? Good riddance.”

Trump sparked controversy back in July when he said McCain is not a war hero, even though he spent more than five years in a notorious North Vietnamese prison: “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured. OK, I hate to tell you.”

In an interview with “Morning Joe” Wednesday morning, Friedman admitted to being deeply disappointed in McCain because of how much he respects him. But, Friedman said, McCain wants to get reelected in Arizona, where the party’s base has backed Trump.

“Truly a war hero. A great American patriot,” he said of McCain. “Imagine if John were out there right now talking the way you both have been talking this morning. Clear. Principled. I don’t think Trump would survive. I think this thing would be in a very different place right now. There are few people in that party whose voices count more than others, and his is certainly one of them.”

In the op-ed, Friedman also went after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a man who famously (or infamously depending on which side you’re on) worked with President Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy despite a fast-arriving general election. Now, according to Friedman, it seems that Christie is more interested in currying favor with the potential future president than defending his minority constituents against slander.

“Chris Christie, have you not an ounce of self-respect?” Friedman wrote. “You’re serving as the valet to a man who claimed, falsely, that on 9/11, in Jersey City, home to many Arab-Americans, ‘thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down.’ Christie is backing a man who made up a baldfaced lie about residents of his own state so that maybe he can be his vice president. Contemptible.”

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Election 2016


The real election is upon us and we have some serious issues. The Dupublican party has some deep-rooted problems. To begin with many supporters have no idea what a conservative is or perhaps do not realize what the party is  actually about. What has excited them is a candidate who does not hold his tongue and plays to their anger in general with the Congress and by extension the Presidency (perhaps). These supporters are basically anti anything government but many have voted by rote for years with no examination of the candidates qualifications are or if they are running for re-election , what they have done while in office. This applies to the Scamocrats too. The path of this country will never be smooth as the history of our beginnings began with conflict and prospered due to outside conflict. We became a world power due to War but we never recovered from our internal war in mind and spirit. This Presidential election uncovered the open wound of Racism and greed that was part of the Civil war that divided us over a century ago. The negative tone of the current election season was set 8 years ago and has only progressed with the ascension of longtime rote elected politicians in our Congress and some states. The real suffering will occur if the voting public decided to make a change based on rhetoric, fear and hate instead facts and information. There will never be a perfect candidate for any elective office but an informed voter can always make a reasonable choice and be prepared to change that choice should it prove to wrong. We must not be caught up in politispeak and campaign rhetoric since neither of these make policies that affect us. Remember “talk is cheap”. The world stage is so diverse that we (U.S.A.) cannot afford to ignore the events in other countries as these events will affect us now and in the future (whether we like or not). If we elect a President who espouses any bias towards other countries , religions and races then we are sure to become isolated in the world. That isolation will affect us financially now and in the future.

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Paul Ryan


 

 

 

 

The article below is taken from the newspaper “The Hill” and the statement is from Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House. It appears that the Dupublican Party has put themselves in a hard to defend position with Mr. Trump as the 800 pound elephant in the room. Their inability to support the candidate they wanted and failure to stop Mr. Trump will be their ending as a force in the political arena. This is not a David and Goliath story , it is just a tragedy in the making of a political party that seems to be imploding with the help of a reality “star”. Even taking the point of Hillary being bad how will the “party” survive. Mr. Trump has garnered a lot of support but with some of the worst elements of our society. If we as a country are to continue as a respected world player, the Dupublican base  will have to break from strict party lines and insure “the Donald” does not gain the Oval office. This is not an endorsement of Scamocrats or Dupublicans, just a statement that Mr. Trump is too dangerous to be President.

Donald Trump’s comments criticizing a judge because of his ethnic background are “the textbook definition of racist comments,” Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Tuesday during an event on poverty in Washington D.C.

“I regret these comments that he made,” Ryan said. “Saying a person can’t do their job because of their race is sort of the textbook definition of racist comments. … I think that should be absolutely disavowed.”

Ryan, who also criticized Trump’s comments last week, was bombarded with questions about Trump at an event to highlight the House GOP’s policy agenda – beginning with poverty reform.

“I think they’re wrong. I don’t think they’re right-headed,” the Speaker, who endorsed Trump last week, said of the remarks.

He later called the comments “indefensible” but would not say he’s rescinding his endorsement.

The flurry of questions about the presumptive GOP nominee highlights the difficult challenge faced by Ryan and other GOP leaders, who are backing Trump as their nominee but seeing his controversies crowd out their efforts to talk policy.

Ryan conceded that Trump’s comments do “undercut” the House GOP’s efforts to put forth a policy agenda this election year.

“I’m not going to even pretend to defend them,” Ryan said. ” I’m going to defend our ideas. I’m going to defend our agenda. What matters to us most is our principles and the policies that come from those principles, and our ability to give the people of this country a better way forward.”

Ryan repeatedly said Tuesday that he was backing Trump because he believes the nation is far better off with the Republican nominee than Hillary Clinton as president.

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Rape As A Tool


Recently a Presidential candidate spoke about immigrants being rapists. This sentiment has been brought forth before in the words of segregationist whites who stated with complete confidence (but no proof) that Black men will rape White women and thereby cementing the idea of the evilness of Blacks. This sentiment was apparent in ancient times and recent times until today with the various mini wars around the world. To get back to the American Black white rape deal, does anyone remember or chose to remember how many times Black women were raped when captured in Africa, on board the slave ships and after reaching America on the plantations. Since the White masters felt they were better than the Slaves they “owned”, there was no guilt associated and the general population paid no mind because the Blacks were considered sub-human. So what made these “master” and the populace in general fear the Black male so much? Could it be an innate “human Guilt”?  The Rapes were used as a tool to control the population of slaves by demeaning them as people and a control (This is the same method used on native Americans during the “settling” of the West). The long-range effect is and has been a long line of mixed race folks whose original ancestry is often lost to the ages due to poor record keeping possible on purpose or through ignorance. The best that can be said is that we are all Americans   and the bias minded Americans need to get over it and move into this Century.

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