Category: Social Behavior

Our Imagination Deficit

This disturbingly accurate description of America today deserves your attention.

Posted on May 29, 2011 on Truthdig.com
By E.J. Dionne, Jr.

While the United States remains utterly frozen in a debate about budget deficits and all the things that government shouldn’t do, other countries are marrying public and private resources to make themselves stronger and more competitive.

While the United States is not even sure we should have gone halfway toward providing health insurance to all of our citizens, other democratic countries long ago began using government to cover all their citizens—and have health costs far lower than ours.

While Americans pay less in taxes than the citizens of other rich countries—and currently pay the smallest share of their incomes for taxes since 1958—one house of Congress thinks the only thing that can be done to help the country is to cut taxes even more.

While other countries have jumped ahead of us in green economics, we have backed away from any effort to put a price on carbon to battle climate change and promote new technologies. In the Republican Party, politicians have to apologize for even thinking about global warming.

Read the rest at Truthdig.com

America Loves Sex!

Not only do Americans love sex they love scandal too!

Americans like to hold themselves above the rest of the world as the leaders in almost everything including morals.  “To love, honor, and obey, till death do you part” really doesn’t seem to be our practice.  The divorce rate supports this fact.

The French, Italians, and others are no different from Americans.  Many Americans comment about European behavior but how is ours any different?  The names Newt Gingrich, Bill Clinton, John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer, and John Ensign pop into my head without Googling.  There have been others who recently had equally bad behavior.

Does anyone really care if IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn had sex with a hotel maid?  If it was rape he will be dealt with but will the maid be paid a bribe?  Kobe Bryant, the basketball player, had a woman in his room who claimed she was raped.  Was that woman given a bribe?

What about Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi?  Does anyone really care as long as there is no rape?  I doubt it.

Americans grow up!  Sex web sites and porn magazines make money. Chatsworth,California is a success thanks to pornography. 

Victoria’s Secret stores aren’t selling ugly.  They are selling sex!  The stores are profitable.

Elsewhere on this website a picture of Larissa Riquelme continues to draw viewers.  Over 3,000 people have looked at the picture.

“Inside Job”

I just finished watching the documentary movie “Inside Job.”  It is outstanding!

This is a 2010 Oscar-nominated documentary that presents in comprehensive, yet cogent detail, the pervasive and deep-rooted corruption that led to the global economic meltdown of 2008.

It’s an appalling portrait of the American financial system.  Interviews are conducted with some of America’s leading economists and politicians.

It’s somewhat long at 1 hour and 48 minutes.  The first and last segments are the best.

“Dancing with the Stars” is a Challenge

“Dancing with the Stars” is obviously a tough challenge for all contestants.  In this current season two of the best professionals have experienced injuries (Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Kym Johnson).

So why were Michael Bolton and Ralph Macchio so upset and believed the judges were unfair is a mystery?  Ralph Macchio said that some of the comments made Monday by judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli were “rude and disrespectful.” Bolton had similar comments when he was voted off the program.

Bristol Palin’s staying power was clearly a vote by an active political group.  The producers need to steer clear of political figures.

The producers of the show need to explain to contestants that they may be voted off the show at any time despite outstanding performances.  Best examples were Brandy in Season 11 and Romeo in the current season.

Money, Power, Sex

Money and power are tools of sexual success.  That is what men want.

The power of office or the awe felt when in the company of a military officer is overwhelming for some women.  Whether it is the prime minister of a government, president of the United States, a senator, a governor, or a general the excitement seems utterly exhilarating.

Many of those men know this fact and have taken advantage of their positions.  Thus in just the past few days it was announced that former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife was divorcing.  We all wondered why?  Today the Los Angeles Times revealed in a front page story that Mr. Schwarzenegger had fathered a child with a house maid.

Not to be out done IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was jailed on Monday of this week on an attempted rape charge.  This man was a possible president next president of France. 

Other names recently in the news include                                                    

-former senator John Ensign who has battled ethics problems stemming from an extramarital affair with a former staffers wife,                    

-former speaker of the house Newt Gingrich who has had three wives (3rd wife, Callista Bisek, was dating and basically living with him while he was proclaiming family values and bitterly criticized the President for his adultery) and is now running for president as a decent Christian with conservative values.

Look back in America’s history and you will find other famous names including General and former President Dwight Eisenhower, JFK, pastor Ted Haggard, and of course Bill Clinton. 

America has no concession on illicit sexual activity.  Google “Berlusconi” and “prostitute” and you get a million-and-a-half links.  Vladimir Putin may also been fooling around to prove his virility.    

There is nothing new here.  My opinion is all the talk about values and beliefs are worthless.  Actions not words are what counts.

Fascism

The question of what is a Fascist is brought up because Fox News and right-wing talk radio shows keep talking about IslamoFacists.  Most of us know that Fascism existed in Nazi Germany.  My question is what is Fascism?  I researched Wikipedia, on-line dictionaries, on-line commentaries and my own American Heritage Dictionary.  Here is what I found.

Fascists are not merely dictators. The most notable characteristic of a fascist country is the separation and persecution or denial of equality to a specific segment of the population based upon superficial qualities or belief systems. 

Simply stated, a fascist government always has one class of citizens that is considered superior (good) to another (bad) based upon race, creed or origin.  It is possible to be both a republic and a fascist state. The preferred class lives in a republic while the oppressed class lives in a fascist state.  Thus parts of the United States that legalized oppression were Fascist.  Oh, that hurts. 

IslamoFacists apparently are Muslims who are also fascists.  That might be every dictator, president, king and his followers in North Africa and the Middle East.  I call them potentates.

Schwarzenegger and Shriver Part Ways

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver at Inauguration

The California divorce rate is reported to be about 75%.  Most likely it is even higher in Los Angeles.  There is too much money and too much glamour.  Look at the people who live here.  Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson, and Charlie Sheen are just four of the many “stars” who have no use for a normal life.  Turn on “Dancing with the Stars” and look at the audience.  It is filled with famous entertainment faces that are looking for the next excitement.  Real love is not part of their purpose.  That attitude trickles down to us mere mortals.  Fortunately my wife is a star so I am still dancing.

For the Sake of Safety

Two Muslim religious leaders say they were removed from a commercial airliner in Memphis on Friday and were told it was because the pilot refused to fly with them aboard.

Masudur Rahman, who is also an adjunct instructor of Arabic at the University of Memphis, said by telephone from the terminal at Memphis International Airport that he and another imam had already been allowed to board their Delta Connection flight to Charlotte, N.C., before they were asked to de-board.

It was reported that airline officials at Memphis tried to resolve the situation, but the pilot refused even after a 30 minute discussion.  One man was dressed in traditional Indian clothing and his traveling companion was dressed in Arab garb, including traditional headgear.

In January 2010 a teenage airplane passenger using a Jewish prayer object caused a misunderstanding that led the captain to divert a Kentucky-bound plane to Philadelphia and prompted a visit from a bomb squad.

I too would have been fearful of people dressed in a manner that is not customary in America.  Is it racisim or fear of the unknown?  Should we have the right to doubt someone’s intentions?

For the sake of safety I believe the pilots were correct in both instances.

America Needs a New Leader

While everyone is celebrating the capture and death of Osama bin Laden, no one is watching the stove.  The water isn’t boiling over.  The pot is burning. I mean the economy.  Weekly Initial Job Claims increased by 43,000 people. Total initial claims were 474,000 people and have not been this high since the week of August 28, 2010.  (May 6, 2010: Unemployment rose from 8.8% to 9.0%).  Home values in Los Angeles have continued to drop to ever lower levels. The Median price is now $325,000.  That is more than 2% below last years March number.  In 2007 the median home price was $560,000.

So I ask, what laws have been passed or what actions has the government taken to reverse the trend?  NONE.  The recent reduction in new job claims cannot be attributed to any government activity.  Commodity prices have been driven up by speculators but there is no justification for the price increases.  World demand doesn’t spike in just a few days or weeks.

Neither political party has a clue on ways to revive the economy.  They know they have no ideas.  Thus they march out diversions.  It’s the budget issues, Planned Parenthood, the national debt, Medicare, or anything else that will divert your attention.

We need leaders with new ideas.  Sadly none are on the horizon.

Bin Laden’s Sea Burial is a Hoax

It hasn’t been two days since the killing of Osama bin Ladin and already the newspapers are reporting conspiracy theories about his death.  It seems that whenever anything consequential happens the theorists offer their own version.  There is even a conspiracy theory website.  http://listverse.com/2007/08/21/top-10-conspiracy-theories/ 

The above site starts with this introduction. 

“Everyone enjoys hearing about a good conspiracy theory and many people enjoy coming up with new ones. You can spend an incredible amount of time reading about theories and wondering if there is any truth to them. This list is the top 10 conspiracy theories.”

  1. 9/11 was Planned by the US Government
  2. UFO Recovered at Roswell
  3. John F. Kennedy’s Assasination
  4. Global Warming is a Fraud
  5. Princess Diana was Murdered by the Royal Family
  6. Jewish World Domination
  7. Apollo Moon Landing Hoax
  8. Pearl Harbor Was Allowed to Happen
  9. The Third Secret of Fatima
  10. The Philadelphia Experiment

Now add to this list the idea that Osama bin Ladin was not killed this past Sunday. Proof is the dumping of his body into the Arabian Sea. No one outside of those involved in the White House plot actually saw his remains. The reason for conducting this hoax is to put the search efforts to rest and improve President Obama’s re-election chances. The complete hoax theory was printed in the Los Angeles Times.