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10
Feb 2013
Feb 2013
There are some sound policy goals in Rep Huizenga’s letter; Amidst some ass-covering verbiage…
08
Feb 2013
Feb 2013
In the Brennan confirmation hearings, someone actually intoned the tired, fallacious meme, that we are somehow better-off “fighting ‘them’ over there, instead of over here.”
About 3,000 people died on 9/11 (a VERY preventable attack); There were only a handful of other deaths in the previous decade of al-Qaeda’s existence; Three times as many have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, over about ten years.
How, exactly, are we better-off fighting them “over there” again…?
15
Jan 2013
Jan 2013
President Barack H. Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Dear Mr. President:
I am writing to address the issues of firearms and firearm-related incidents plaguing The United States of America.
I had an epiphany recently; I suddenly saw, in very stark terms, that “assault weapons,” and all that customarily accompanies such weapons (e.g., high-capacity magazines), are protected by the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. Further, any typical “squad-level” weapon, such as an M-60 machine gun, LAW rockets, and M-203 40 MM grenade-launchers, also are protected by the Constitution.
Before I go on to explain my [ ... ]
12
Jan 2013
Jan 2013
The Political Carnival posted several 2nd Amendment political cartoons, and I was struck by one of them in an unexpected way. The cartoon in question is this:
More powerful weapons than we’d like to believe are covered by 2nd Amendment rights and freedoms. Think about it; The Founders only knew of singe-shot, black-powder weapons. But they were state-of-the-art. They were what was needed to defend a country.
Unfortunately, assault weapons fit that category today. I don’t like the conclusion I’ve come to here. I do like assault weapons, simply because they are what I’m familiar with, [ ... ]
10
Jan 2013
Jan 2013
(See Rep Huizenga’s message to me below my response)
Dear Congressman Huizenga:
Thank you for your response.
The economics of many, if not all, of these issues have been settled via non-partisan groups like the Congressional Research Service. The very fact that you are parroting the patently false claim that “entitlements” have anything but the tiniest, very marginal effect on our debt and deficit is sorely disappointing. More than that, it shows a shameful lack of regard for indisputable facts, and a lack of understanding of [ ... ]
10
Jan 2013
Jan 2013
Senator Schumer,
It has become critical that Democrats take control of state legislatures from recidivist Republicans. This means starting with the smallest of elections, essentially developing a Democratic “farm system,” from which state-level office can be more easily reached.
From Drain Commissions to City Councils to District Attorneys and on and on, we MUST staunch the tide of GOP ideologues, Hell-bent on turning back American progress to the 1890s.
You did not wish to challenge Governor Walker in the recall election, and that’s fine. We definitely need strong leaders like you in Washington, as well. But I implore you to do what you [ ... ]
07
Jan 2013
Jan 2013
For What It’s Worth:
I’m a former college instructor, at an institution where writing assignments were encouraged for every class. There were two main reasons for this (in my estimation): One, writing memos, reports, presentations are important parts of many business jobs, and Two, writing takes practice.
The most frequent misconception “young” writers (“young” meaning only “inexperienced”) have is that prose is easy for good writers, and these good writers were practically born with pen in-hand. Categorically, NOT TRUE.
The writing process is messy, like sausage-making. And the ingredients, when “tasted” before the “product” is finished, can be downright stomach-turning. You write, you [ ... ]
Category: Uncategorized, Whistling Poots
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27
Dec 2012
Dec 2012
I used to believe in the “Pendulum of Democracy,” that trading power between Progressives and Conservatives tended to balance-out policy, and temper ideological shifts. I’ve come to realize that this is no longer true.
The main reason the “pendulum” is no longer relevant is we have learned enough about what makes our country function that most issues have become settled.
We KNOW social programs keep our economy stable. We KNOW human rights MUST include LGBT rights. We KNOW education is the most important factor in our nation’s success. We KNOW our gun policies have driven GUN CRIME. We KNOW health care is [ ... ]
08
Dec 2012
Dec 2012
In a relative nutshell, here’s one person’s experience, being Black in America:
I was standing in the doorway of a buddy of mine’s office (an NCO in US Army); Several other NCOs were in the room, two were my immediate superiors, I was a Pvt2 or PFC.
We were just shooting the shit, kidding around, nothing untoward at all. Out of the blue, one sergeant (my immediate superior in my section) looked at me to make a joke (I’m white, btw). He asked “Hey Rowe; What’s a cocoon?” I shrugged. “It’s a n-n*gg*r.”
Unbeknown to him, a casual friend of mine, an African-American [ ... ]
Category: Beyond Politics, Ethics, Human Rights, Race, Uncategorized
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