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Tag Archives: current-events

Middle East or All of Us


“While listening to NPR, several knowledgeable people were assessing the turmoil in the near and mid east, it appears that contrary to popular belief – The members of the  Islamic State” are terrorists under different name. These folks are no better than thugs and criminals in any other country. Now to get to some  related items: What is wrong with the aspiring candidates for the presidency in their under or uninformed ideas of how foreign policy and foreign warfare should be conducted? One stated that we should bomb the insurgents in to oblivion! First it’s been tried (Vietnam, Afghanistan and other places), second the people who suffer the most are the people we purport to be assisting as the “enemy lives among them  and uses the bombings as propaganda against us. The issuing of unfounded statements  is not only irresponsible but inflammatory and aids (if not reinforcing) the enemy’s policies. These statements allow for interpretation of a country (USA) that is divided and unreliable. Free speech is a great asset  if used  with real facts , no innuendo or disingenuousness. It is unfortunate that in essence we have become used to “yellow journalism”, carefully worded news and omission laden speeches. There was a time when we could trust the news while  the networks provided  shows, movies  and  entertainment. What we have now is “entertainment news” that runs for hours on end with the same content delivered with each presenters spin while keeping the company’s owners basic ideals(?).  The middle east has been in turmoil for centuries under one faction or another yet it survives-not according to Euro or American standards but the standards of the area. It is surely reasonable that the area could use some help but the right kind of help. It is possible that the help we have provided is not the help that is needed in today’s world. WE have allowed a Foreign Politician to conduct his campaign in our Congress further exacerbating an already rocky relationship in the region. It is incumbent on the American people to have a real understanding of  the events in the world that affect us now and will certainly affect us later. I am suggesting that we listen to news on events with an ear to call  B— S—! when we hear it and write or call the presenter on it. Do not be entertained by so called on air news, simply laugh and search for the truth on your own or in many of the online venues available. We are already at a disadvantage due to our 535 seat fillers who are always looking at the next election and how they can help their backers (not constituents),  enhance their own image and status.

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The Dog Pile


There appears to be a worldwide tendency to pile on the United States which seems to have begun with our very own Congress and associated backers. I cringe at the idea that our country is allowing closeted and outright bigots to make our laws but given all of the rhetoric and media coverage of the Whitehouse  one has to consider the possibility. The Congressional group and their allies have singlehandedly handed a license to pile on the United States government by rogue and near rogue governments, factions or fringe groups on any initiative, talk or other efforts to work on the world stage. What does the election of Israel have to do with us? Nothing, yet the Senate invited the aspirant to speak in the Senate to reinforce their contempt for the President. Our 535 has been poor at legislating but pretty strong at getting coverage by “faux” news to get their disingenuous message out while running for office at every opportunity. It is these actions by the Congress that should wake the voting public up and start some reforms in Congress. These reforms are no more than electing someone else to serve rather than maintain the same status quo due to lack of information, biases or laziness(?). If we need to elect someone new every election cycle then we should probably do it until we get what we require. It is the duty of the legislators to support the President by supplying correct information as determined by the many ambassadors, committees  and staffers employed for that purpose. Instead the Congressional seat fillers have spent too much time rebutting  and getting the party message out than assisting in a universal  message to all including the world leaders. It is easy to pile on to keep from being piled but a little more difficult to stand up for something different.

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If The Truth Was Known


If the truth was known, Israel would not be blocking a Palestinian state (remember when there was no Israel?). Remember that several countries are involved in the Iranian solution and do not forget our duplicity in the middle east problems years ago (Lawrence of Arabia comes to mind). What is it about perceived “right” that prevents some leaders and countries from seeing the big picture beyond gaining popular support for re-election. Elections do not make a country strong, it is the will and understanding of the issues by the people that create a strong government. If the information is correct not necessarily popular then some of the multiple issues would not exist or at least be less divisive. Truth is the most powerful  tool we have and it is quite often hidden under rhetoric and innuendo. It is wise to remember numbers don’t lie-people do.

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Code of Ethics As Related to Congress


Many companies have stated Codes of ethics which all employees have to read, sign or acknowledge. These codes of ethics are legal documents designed to protect the companies assets and intellectual properties. This is a normal business action and on the surface is benign. In real-time these are more like “swords of Damocles”. Many times the very advocates are the worst offenders however this all looks good on paper and many times a way to get rid of  employees who are for various and assorted reasons less desirable. Ethics being more of a moral nature as opposed to a business one would appear to be something that cannot be ascribed to in writing but rather a personal state of being for  each individual. These “codes of Ethics” are usually written by corporate legal teams and administered by the HR departments neither of which may have no real idea of what the various segments or departments actually do. This little glitch in knowledge can lead to grave errors in judgment and could conceivably  create a legal situation costing thousand or millions in legal fees and damage to company’s reputation. Essentially a code of ethics is something created by folks whose ethics and motives are suspected as a normal occurrence. To cite a recent example: The controversy over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s e mails. The Dupublican Congress is spending more time and effort on issues related to the future Presidential election than doing the daily business they led their constituents to believe they would do. The now anti populist Congress is going down a path that leads to our country being in  permanent gridlock with the big money backers pulling the strings. It is unfortunate that the people who voted them in could not foresee the events taking place at this time. The Dupublicans attack on their opponents by race, gender and any other means keeps the curtain closed on their real intentions. The recent letter to Iran has done more harm than good and added more fuel to a smoldering fire which could have a wider impact than just the United States. The radicals need no other reasons to hate non-Muslims all over the world yet our Congress has added another. Then the invitation to a Radical Israeli politician without the State departments knowledge until it was announced is another annoyance with potential long range problems and another boost to the radicals cause. These 2 items alone have worldwide impacts on our allies. Can we talk about  codes of Ethics? All of this to win an election and make changes that will impact most Americans to a point of  devastation of their families and many companies. Our main resource against this  threat (yes threat) is to vote them out and deny them the office of president and remove as many as possible from office. We, the American voters are the first line of defense against them.

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Andy Shaw’s Guest Column


 

Andy Shaw is president and CEO of the Better Government Association. Email him at ashaw@bettergov.org or find him on Twitter:@andyshawbga. Mr. Shaw wrote a guest column for the State Journal Register in Springfield, IL. This what it is really about! This can be applied to the actions of  the Congress of  the United States.

 

Fighting for access to the transactions of our rulers
In 1788, Revolutionary War hero Patrick Henry said, “The liberties of people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.”

It’s not his most famous line — that’s “Give me liberty or give me death” — but more than 200 years later, it still reflects the ethos of watchdogs like the Better Government Association.

We rely on the Freedom of Information Act to help us shine a light on government and hold public officials accountable. Illinois’ FOIA gives us access to most of the information on where our tax dollars are going and how key policy decisions are being made.

That paper trail detailing “the transactions of our rulers” — our elected and appointed government officials — undergirds countless investigations. And let’s face it, this is Illinois, where transactions are frequently the product of patronage, inside deals and conflicts of interest.

Henry probably would recognize the latest battle in our ongoing fight to make government transparent.

We asked the Chicago suburb of Rosemont — you may recognize it as a neighbor of O’Hare Airport and home to an arena and convention center — for copies of last year’s contracts for entertainment events, including country music superstar Garth Brooks’ concerts. We wanted to see how village officials managed those extravaganzas, but they wouldn’t give us the most important details, including how much they paid out in incentives to attract the performers and what they took in.

Rosemont hid behind a new village ordinance classifying the information as “secret” and claiming authority as a home rule unit of government to make up its own FOIA exemptions.

You don’t need to be Henry to play this one forward: other home rule units of government making the same claim as they stonewall us.

We’ve already seen many other state and local government agencies refuse our document requests on shaky grounds, forcing us into litigation to keep the “liberties of the people” secure. So now we’ve taken Rosemont to court, and we’re encouraged by Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s binding opinion against the village’s intransigence.

Hopefully Rosemont will see the light, but this won’t be our last FOIA fight because there simply aren’t enough disincentives to convince government that transparency is our right. The horror stories we hear from hundreds of regular people who take our FOIA training courses indicate secrecy is an epidemic in Illinois.

FOIA also has been eroded in Springfield by lawmakers who apparently care more about the convenience of their counterparts in local government than the obligation of those officials to be transparent and accountable.

The open records process certainly can be improved — we support changes that make it easier for the public and government — and we’ve encouraged officials to work with us on a balanced reform effort. In fact, that’s the goal of FOIA Facts and Friction, a free BGA “Idea Forum” we’ll host in Springfield next month in partnership with The State Journal-Register and WMAY News Talk 970. Stay tuned for details.

Meanwhile, we’ll continue to fight for the information we’re entitled to, whether it’s in the courts or the General Assembly. Henry and the other patriots who shed their blood and gave their lives to create this great democracy deserve no less. — Andy Shaw is president and CEO of the Better Government Association. Email him at ashaw@bettergov.org or find him on Twitter:@andyshawbga.

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Intelligence


Ignorance subsidized by stupidity equals Bigotry. This statement sums up my feelings about folks who believe everything they read and hear with no filters. Many of us ascribe to one political faction or another and often cross lines because they misunderstand their  Constitutional rights. These rights while broad do not allow for the extreme measures some people (and States) take on certain issues and in some cases. This country which is , if not the freest  is one of the freest allows for personal actions and thinking up to a point of trampling on the rights of others. When these outlaws (as it were) gain followers through radical actions and writings then the time for the general public to look cautiously at them for their beliefs and actions is at hand. Many other countries would immediate attempt to eradicate these people along with their beliefs but here we allow it up to a point. What is apparent is that some who take up their cause for often ill conceived and under informed reasons  are many times the victims in  events that could result in death and imprisonment. This sense of self and being are many times fueled by the nattering’s of the “white” politicians who unfortunately have the innate sense that no one can run the government as well as they can. The current Congress while recently in the majority has never been a good force in the Government as  a whole, primarily because of the  backing received by big money donors (not the “American people ” they are so fond of citing). These Dupublicans have for so long spoken from both sides of their mouths that they can no longer speak straight. (this is true too for the other “major party” too). We have to look and listen carefully at what is being actually said and what is reported to in the media. On the subject of the media we have to closely monitor what is said and printed, the modern media outlets have become more entertainment than information and begs us to depend on what we actually read elsewhere. An example of misrepresentation is the Keystone XL pipeline, this is one item being pushed to show that the majority party has power and is working for “the American people”. This pipeline will connect to the gulf states via an existing (through Nebraska pipeline and will initially provide thousands of jobs in several states but thereafter only about 50 jobs will be permanent. The Dupublicans are gearing up for the 2016 Presidential race and nothing more. If we are not careful we will have a Government of the Richest and not the people.

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Same Old


The Dupublican owned Senate and House are preparing to do nothing again. Speaker Boehner is going for the Benghazi issue. Mr.. McConnell is talking about stopping action on any nominations the President proposes. This is all due to  the Presidents Immigration reform order, which the Congress has been dragging their feet on forever. How is it correct to delay doing your job because you want to get “even” with the President? These two Dupublican “leaders” do not have the interests of the “American people” they are so fond of citing as their reason for doing or not doing the job they were elected  to do. Now Mr. Boehner has invited the Israeli Prime Minister to address  Congress outside of the normal diplomatic lines. This is not a bad thing but it highlights how little will change in Congress as far as moving forward in a cooperative way with the Whitehouse. This has more to do with the easing of sanctions on Iran than anything else. We must remember that there are radicals on both sides (Israel and Iran). In order to get the United States out of the Middle East and allow the area to attempt  to work out their issues we need to allow the ordinary people in these countries to live and grow,  easing sanctions would allow that to happen. Then there’s the Keystone XL pipeline – This excerpt from USA today: As we have written before, the U.S. State Department’s analysis says that during construction there would be approximately 16,100 direct jobs, which would include construction jobs, and 26,000 “indirect and induced jobs,” which would include the purchase of goods and services by the construction contractors and employees. Of the 16,100 direct jobs, the State Department says “approximately 3,900 (or 1,950 per year if construction took 2 years) would comprise a direct, temporary, construction workforce in the proposed Project area.” The reports says the construction jobs would be in Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. It does not mention Hoeven’s home state of North Dakota, which has the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 2.7%. After construction is completed, the pipeline would require 50 jobs to operate: “35 permanent employees and 15 temporary contractors,” the State report says. Hoeven is also correct that the State Department estimated that the project would contribute $3.4 billion to the gross domestic product, but to put that in perspective the report also pointed out that it would add 0.02% to the GDP. All of this because our Congress ( did you know that a group of Baboons is not called a Congress? , what a lift for the Baboons) cannot get beyond politics and do the job they have been elected to do. The recent SOTUS left many Dupublicans scrambling to respond and almost all responses were from the ridiculous to the sublime in their message. Again instead of doing what is required for us (the oft cited “American People) Congress is still politicking  looking ahead to 2016 elections. So we have the Same Old. .

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Innate Racism?


The now empowered Dupublican Congress has been warming up to push its agenda which will not benefit most Americans (or “The American People”) that the Dupublicans are so fond of “quoting”. Currently the now empowered Congress is moving on a path of party implosion with the internal  sub sects jostling for power while advocating for their most vocal (and well-heeled) supporters (not “the American People”). At this time the Congress is busy trying to undo the Dodd -Frank bill which regulates the banking industry in favor of “the American People”, the immigration reform which favors “the American People” and the Keystone XL pipeline which does not favor “the American People”. Given that “the American people” is composed of many ethnic groups who range in skin tone from black to snow white could we make the case of “innate racism”  by the now empowered Dupublican Congress?

A quick quip


Jan 8 at 10:43 PM

My friend Jim sent this to me and it sums up a lot of world wide issues.

“All the major religions of the world should get along. After all, Jews,
Christians AND Muslims (and several others) can trace the origins of
their belief systems back to the prophet Abraham. Thus this is the first
example of prophet sharing.”

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A collection


All of the recent controversy over Cuba, immigration and other Presidential acts have overshadowed the long range effect of these actions.  The immigration action which was avoided by the Dupublicans and some Scamocrats because of mid term elections has not aided these factions because with the actions of this immigration initiative more people will be able to take a drivers test, be accounted for on the tax rolls and  pay taxes. Many of the affected will coincidently not spend nights in jail for driving illegally. The normalization of relations with Cuba negates some of Russian influence on the island and allows families to resume legal visits. There is no doubt the Castro regime will not necessarily do a 360 change but the people will reap the benefit of a “freer” society and educational opportunities. There are those who feel that the Regime is  evil and that feeling may never change but for many this change will be of great benefit. The promise of Cuba is in the new type of freedom , limited as it is. The political aspirants in this country who are of Cuban descent should recognize the potential of this situation but they have staunchly  railed against it. Perhaps these aspirants are not the people we should elect to higher office.

The Dupublican majority has stated the intention of dismantling the ACA (Obama care) leaving millions with no coverage (good luck on that one) forgetting that future elections may depend on their actions. One of the best things to happen with the Dupublican being in majority is Senator John McCain’s election as head of Armed Forces Chair. Senator McCain is one of the better informed members of Congress and his knowledge of the armed forces is extraordinary.  briefly: Bill Cosby-Does it matter after 30 years? A 15-year-old at the playboy club (where were her parents?). Any other alleged incidents why now and there is no gain or win in this at all.

Mitch McConnell: 30 years of opportunistic flip-flopping and targeted horse changing to be the Senate leader, can he be trusted? Finally Rush and Bill. Is Mr. Limbaugh so racist that he would deny an actor’s ability to play a role because it doesn’t fit his idea of the character? Further how can speak for another country just because they are racially similar, get a grip   Rush. Bill (O’Reilly) do you really know anything about Mayor Di Blasio and the New York situation? When you have researched it as you supposedly have done in your books, then perhaps you can comment. Being a commentator on Faux news does not negate the need for factual reporting or comment.

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