tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605203183660342642023-06-15T13:28:44.844-04:00Rabble Rouser's ForumG. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-67798722395970273302009-03-07T13:50:00.000-05:002009-03-10T00:24:44.901-04:00Black & Brown Are the New Colors of Today's Politics<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">BY GABRIELLE DAVID, <a href="http://rabblerouserforum.blogspot.com/">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM</a></span><br /><br />That’s right. Now that Barack Obama is President, black and brown are the new colors in today’s politics. Yes, I’ve said it. On the surface, it appears to be a good thing, but considering the folks coming out of the woodwork these days, maybe not so much.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SbWY5blDHZI/AAAAAAAAAiY/QgQmlAuj4kI/s1600-h/obama-pres1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 247px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SbWY5blDHZI/AAAAAAAAAiY/QgQmlAuj4kI/s400/obama-pres1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311319447976484242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">First, let me say that Barack Obama is a “one of a kind who shocks your mind.” He is a one-of-a-kind achiever. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Actually, there have been a number of one-of-a-kind achievers: Frederick Douglas, W.E.B. Dubois, Marian Anderson, Ralph Bunche, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Lorraine Hansberry, Jackie Robinson, Mae Jamison, Oprah Winfrey; just to name a few, an exhaustive list that Obama is now a member. Obama’s campaign for president is unprecedented and certainly, his presidency has set goal posts and unlimited boundaries for everyone in this country, whether they are black, brown, yellow or white.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here is my recipe for one-of-a-kind achievers: An achiever manages to lead the way in a specific field of endeavor and transcends under the bleakest circumstances. They believe in a universe of unlimited possibilities, and are undaunted by any problems and challenges by accomplishing “firsts.” Always rising beyond obstacles, they set goals and forge ahead. There is joy in living meaningfully, with a clear purpose that uses their creative intelligence. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Having said that, we have begun to swim into some murky waters as of late. I say this because recently, people like Republican National Committee Chairperson Michael Steele, Senator Roland Burris of Illinois, Former Ambassador Alan Keyes and Governor Bobby Jindal (who I have ceremoniously lumped into the “brown” category), have somehow surfaced from the obscure to the surreal as the new “black and brown” in politics. They've tried, unmercifully, to compare themselves to Barack Obama in an attempt to sneak on my list of one-of-a-kind achievers. >><a href="http://rabblerouserforumnews.blogspot.com/">MORE</a></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-37664974676754237402009-03-01T13:50:00.009-05:002009-03-06T02:26:34.594-05:00Welcome to the new and approved edition of RABBLE ROUSER’S FORUM.<span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >Hi. I am Gabrielle David and I run RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM. The Forum consists of three pages: (1) Page One, (2) Politics and (3) Media/Arts. The Politics and Media/Arts sections are primarily comprised of great articles on the web from not-so-main-stream-media (like blogs and alternative media) that you may not otherwise know about, so enjoy!</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >I also updated and added a few goodies. First, there are links to my </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.myspace.com/gdavidnyc">MYSPACE</a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >, </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.imeem.com/people/dp5VRhB">IMEEM</a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >, </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.facebook.com/people/Gabrielle-David/1361841846">FACEBOOK</a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >, </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/gdavid01">YOUTUBE</a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >, </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26091074@N02/">FLICKR </a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >and </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.linkedin.com/myprofile?goback=.hom">LINKED IN</a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" > pages. Please feel free to visit, subscribe or sign up to be my friend. I look forward to hearing from you. I also added a nifty little tool, </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://tellafriend.socialtwist.com/index.jsp">TELL A FRIEND</a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >, which appears at the end of each post and allows you to send articles using Bookmark, Email, and to your friends through IM, Blog and Social websites. The </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://digg.com/">DIGG</a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" > icon appears at the top of each article, so I encourage you to submit and spread the word to all of your friends.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><hr style="font-family: arial; font-size: 180%;" align="center" noshade="noshade" width="200"><p style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">SUBSCRIBE. IT'S EASY AND FREE. JUST HIT THE ORANGE BUTTON FOR AN <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_%28file_format%29">RSS FEED</a> OR SUBSCRIBE THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY VIA EMAIL (RIGHT HAND COLUMN)</span></span><br /></p><hr style="font-family: arial; font-size: 180%;" align="center" noshade="noshade" width="200"></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >Finally, I’ve added PDF files to the website, specifically, for the Cover page articles. Reading short articles online is okay, but reading long articles online can be tedious and difficult. Since printing articles from Blogger doesn’t work very well, for printing purposes, I am using PDF files. Blogger doesn’t let you “attach” PDF files in the traditional sense, so I’m posting PDFs in </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.scribd.com/">SCRIBD</a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" > and linking the articles to the PDF file for you to print. You can also share and send the PDF to others from the SCRIBD menu. To print, just "Download" from SCRIBD and then print it. Happy reading!</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >I use </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://intensedebate.com/home">INTENSE DEBATE</a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" > for my "Comments" because it provides more robust features than Blogger’s native comment moderation tools. The “Comments” link appears at the end of each posting. Just click on it and it opens to a separate page. Now, you will be required to sign up for comments in INTENSE DEBATE, but after that, you just have to log-in and comment to your hearts' delight!<br /><br />Ahhh technology, it's a pain in the butt to pull together, but when it's done and it's working great, ain’t it sweet?</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >Some people blog because they like to hear the sound of their voice in print and could care a less if anyone reads his or her stuff. I am not one of those people. I blog because I’m interested in nurturing a public conversation and would like to hear from you, so please feel free to share your comments and ideas. By the way, don't forget to subscribe to RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM so that you can receive the latest updates (updates are generally done every Sunday night). Also, if you want to submit articles, please submit (with a photo) to </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="mailto:rabblerousertoo@gmail.com">rabblerousertoo@gmail.com</a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >. I look forward to hearing from you and cheers!</span><br /><br /><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/RabbleRousersForum" rel="alternate" title="Subscribe to my feed" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" style="border: 0pt none ;" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" /></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/RabbleRousersForum" rel="alternate" title="Subscribe to my feed" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader (see additional alternatives in the right-hand column)</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-75285723216745965522009-03-01T13:45:00.005-05:002009-03-06T02:28:56.106-05:00The Backlash and Blowback of America<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Part 1: The Makings of an Economic Backlash</span><p face="arial" style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/12933396/The-Backlash-and-Blowback-of-Pt-1"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 108px; height: 54px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/Sax8CBMaFOI/AAAAAAAAAfI/oX8nkcydtfQ/s400/scribd-logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308754434885031138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">“The Backlash and Blowback of America” is a series of investigative articles that examine </span><st1:place style="font-family: arial;" st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="font-family:arial;">’s current economic and foreign policy issues.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">I began writing this as a short commentary, but as I began to read, think, investigate and dig deeper, I quickly realized how complicated this story truly is.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Then I asked myself how did we get into this sorry mess and why didn't we see it coming?</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">While the “how” has been somewhat difficult to pinpoint, I can say, unequivocally that “yes” we did see it coming and surprisingly, we did little to prevent it.</span></p> <p face="arial" style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p face="arial" style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SaxbA5Nq-gI/AAAAAAAAAeg/ln15QcwLwKM/s1600-h/bush-neocons.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 112px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SaxbA5Nq-gI/AAAAAAAAAeg/ln15QcwLwKM/s400/bush-neocons.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308718131679263234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">It would be pretty easy to pin everything on outgoing President Bush and his Neocons, but there are a significant number of interrelated factors that reach as far back as the 1970s that led to today's economic crisis.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">At the center of this story are complex interconnections of our economic and foreign policies that are associated with rising debt, weakening production and investment, stagnant wages, unemployment, growing class inequality, global financial instability, and spreading militarism and imperialism.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">And while this fallout is a direct result of rightwing ideology with Wall Street hijacking our economy, both Republicans and Democrats became enablers of the kind of deregulation that has finally come home to roost in this crisis.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span></p> <p face="arial" style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p face="arial" style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/Saxbzfomy5I/AAAAAAAAAeo/Lt7c0d8jQ7Q/s1600-h/wallst-mainst.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 163px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/Saxbzfomy5I/AAAAAAAAAeo/Lt7c0d8jQ7Q/s400/wallst-mainst.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308719000986241938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">As I stated earlier, we ordinary citizens are also culpable in this crisis.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Americans have steadily saved less and consumed more, with a savings rate that has approached zero in the 2000s.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">When Congress gave the credit card industry carte blanche, we went along, gobbling them up, getting hooked on them, buying on high interest rates, pushing ourselves further into debt.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Then there are folks who bought houses they couldn't afford, either as first-time homebuyers or as part of a “get rich quick” scheme that consumed their way into unreasonable levels of debt.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Alongside that, of course, countless businesses did the same thing, with banks and other lenders passing out money, with little regard for risk.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, there's greed on Wall Street, but there's also greed on </span><st1:street style="font-family: arial;" st="on"><st1:address st="on">Main Street</st1:address></st1:street> too.<span style=""> </span></p> <p face="arial" style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal">Finally, we're responsible for our total lack of participation in the voting process.<span style=""> </span>Voting is a fundamental right that too many in our nation have taken for granted.<span style=""> </span>We don't vote as often as we should, and when we do, we don't keep tabs on our elected officials, nor do we pay attention to the legislative, regulatory or judicial branches of our government, so yes, we're complicit in this financial mess.<span style=""> </span>The credit bubble has finally burst, as inevitably it would, and now we're experiencing a “backlash.”</p> <p face="arial" style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal">Defined, a backlash is an antagonistic reaction to a specific political or social trend, development or event.<span style=""> </span>Economists have been warning for years that Bush’s tax cuts coupled with increased spending (the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, consumer spending) would come back and bite us all in the “you-know-what.”<span style=""> </span>This backlash has a classic double-edged sword.<span style=""> </span>First, it’s comprised of a clear rejection of our politics and poor fiscal judgment and as we go forward, politicians and regulators need to address our problems, reform the system and enhance stability.<span style=""> </span>Second, there's a “blame game” that’s going around. <span style=""> </span>Democrats blame Republicans.<span style=""> </span>Republicans blame Bush.<span style=""> </span>Americans blame the government.<span style=""> </span>Government is blaming capitalists.<span style=""> </span>The list goes on and on.<span style=""> </span>So what’s the point?<span style=""> </span>We need to investigate what went wrong, confront the people and mechanisms that are currently in place, and construct a new financial infrastructure that assures that this will never happen again.<span style=""> </span>This should be a top priority.</p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p face="arial" style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">To make matters worse, there're no easy questions or answers to this mess.<span style=""> </span>This economic crisis is so complex, so Machiavellian with its clever cast of characters and crappy policies one wonders, what was the underlying pathology of these people we entrusted to govern our country?<span style=""> </span>Relative to countless Americans, they have no personal stake in the eventual outcome of their decisions, yet in a very real way their actions directly affect our lives no matter how good some of their intentions may be.<span style=""> </span>This thing is so convoluted that right now there are already scores of analysts and economists still trying to unravel this mess, with a newly elected President who fought so hard for what now appears to be an impossible job.<span style=""> </span>But what's clear is that we're currently experiencing a backlash from some very bad decisions that has perpetuated an erosion of trust in our elected leaders, our financial system and our standing in the global community.</p> <p face="arial" style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p face="arial" style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">There has been much fear mongering and confusion in <st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on">Washington</st1:state></st1:place> as this economic crisis has built to a boil.<span style=""> </span>Faced with a seemingly intractable economic crisis and a Senate mired in the kind of partisan squabbling that we all recognize and hate, few of us really expect the Obama Administration to fix the country in its first few weeks.<span style=""> </span>However, we do expect practical solutions in solving this crisis.<span style=""> </span>So, instead of spending time scaring us with ultimatums, they should devote more time shedding light on some key facts.<span style=""> </span>We need to know the truth and we should demand the truth, but what exactly is the truth?</p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">When reading various newspaper accounts and internet reports, people have provided different ideas and viewpoints and have applied contrasting approaches in reporting these truths.<span style=""> </span>For example, some have concentrated on the complex aspects of this economic downturn littered with acronyms (<a href="http://www.thestreet.com/university/askthestreet/10392687.html">SIVs</a>, <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cbo.asp">CBOs</a>, <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cdo.asp">CDOs</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asset-backed_commercial_paper">ABCPs</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-Term_Capital_Management">LTCMs</a>), statistics and graphs, while others debate the legal ramifications and lack of government oversight.<span style=""> </span>Many are blaming the <a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/frseries/frseri.htm">Federal Reserve System</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Greenspan">Alan Greenspan</a>, while others point fingers along party lines and of course, everyone blames Wall Street.<span style=""> </span>The way I see it, everyone is accountable.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">As I poured over some of these reports, I've also come across some extreme “theories.”<span style=""> </span>For example, poor, uneducated, irresponsible people caused the subprime crisis who would otherwise be considered too risky for a conventional loan and therefore should have known better.<span style=""> </span>Besides, why should we be stuck paying “their” bills?<span style=""> </span>(See “<a href="http://engram-backtalk.blogspot.com/2008/04/who-is-to-blame-for-subprime-mortgage.html">Who is to Blame for the Subprime Mortgage Mess</a>” and “<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/162789">Subprime Suspects</a>.”)<span style=""> </span>Another example is that the unions are responsible for the downfall of the auto industry, which I find utterly ludicrous.<span style=""> </span>(See “<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2008/11/17/unions-auto-bailout/">Conservative Politicians Misleadingly Blame Labor Unions For <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Detroit</st1:city></st1:place>'s Woes</a>” and “<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-papantonio/unions-arent-to-blame-for_b_146687.html">Unions Aren't To Blame For Automakers' Woes</a>.”)<span style=""> </span>No matter how implausible it may be, it's so much easier to blame people you never liked in the first place to justify a political position.<span style=""> </span>These are not truths, merely a smokescreen to truths.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Yet in researching this article, what I didn't find was a detailed historical narrative that explains how we got where we actually are today, without the fancy Wall Street lingo.<span style=""> </span>Since I'm neither an analyst nor an economist, I've decided to write an article that provides an historical context, which I hope brings readers closer to understanding why and how this economic crisis has happened.<span style=""> </span>If the legendary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Jones">Mother Jones</a> was right when she said, “Sit down and read.<span style=""> </span>Educate yourself for the coming conflicts,” then we can no longer rely on our politicians or the media for truths, we must instead educate ourselves for the coming struggle.<span style=""> </span>So I'm optimistic this series will help point readers in the right direction and closer to the fundamental truths and answers we all seek.</p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">As always, your comments are welcome.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" face="arial"></p><hr style="font-family: arial; font-size: 180%;" align="center" noshade="noshade" width="200"><p style="font-family: arial;"></p> <p class="MsoNormal" face="arial"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">HISTORY IN AMERICA ALWAYS SEEMS TO REPEAT ITSELF.</span><span style=""> </span>Actually, you'd think we'd know better from some of the painful lessons of our past.<span style=""> </span>When the <a href="http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761584403/Great_Depression_in_the_United_States.html">Great Depression</a> successfully discredited free-market ideology and radical laissez-faire doctrines of the <a href="http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761573015/Calvin_Coolidge.html">Calvin Coolidge</a> era (“<a href="http://www.calvin-coolidge.org/html/the_business_of_america_is_bus.html">The business of <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place> is business</a>”), it was such a colossal practical failure; no one could possibly argue with a straight face that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_market">free markets</a> worked.<span style=""> </span>Commercial banks got greedy. They had become too speculative because they were investing their clients' assets, and buying new issues for resale to the public.<span style=""> </span>They took on huge risks with the promise of even bigger rewards.<span style=""> </span>They got sloppy. Banking objectives became blurred.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial;">We generally ignore the economics of the 1920s because it’s been often overshadowed by the <a href="http://www.pbs.org/fmc/timeline/estockmktcrash.htm">Stock Market Crash of 1929</a>.<span style=""> </span>But up until 1929, the 1920s were a period of vigorous, economic growth.<span style=""> </span>It was the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaring_Twenties">Roaring Twenties</a>," the decade of bathtub gin, the model T, the first transatlantic flight and the movie, a period of great advance as the nation became urban and commercial.<span style=""> </span>It marked the first truly modern decade.<span style=""> </span>This included the rapid adoption of the automobile; growth of the suburbs; the expansion of electric utility networks; and the development of consumer appliances including new types of lighting and heating for homes and businesses.<span style=""> </span>The early introduction of the radio helped to break up rural isolation, as did the expansion of local and long-distance telephone communications.<span style=""> </span>During this period, <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place> witnessed innovations in business organization and manufacturing technology.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial;">The <a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/frseries/frseri.htm">Federal Reserve System</a>, created in 1913, first tested its powers and the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place> crept into a dominant position in international trade and global business.<span style=""> </span>The 1920s signaled an era of Republican leadership, nationalistic and fundamentalist movements, and changing social conventions.<span style=""> </span>Electing Republican presidents who favored business expansion rather than regulation, the American public enjoyed unlimited prosperity.<span style=""> </span>By both nineteenth and twentieth century standards, the 1920s experienced relatively rapid rates of real economic growth considered rapid by even today's standard.<span style=""> </span>So when the Stock Market crashed in 1929, it was a terrible shock to everyone. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal">The economic downturn that followed was unique in its magnitude and its consequences affected the entire world.<span style=""> </span>At the depth of the depression, one American worker in every four was out of a job.<span style=""> </span>The great industrial slump continued throughout the 1930s, shaking society and the foundations of Western.<span style=""> </span>For example, industrial stocks lost 80% of their value; approximately <a href="http://www.econreview.com/events/banks1929b.htm">11,000 <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> banks failed</a>, and about $2 billion in deposits evaporated.<span style=""> </span>The gross national product (GNP), which for years had grown at an average annual rate of 3.5%, declined at one point at a rate of over 10% annually.<span style=""> </span><a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/herberthoover/">President Hoover</a> opposed government intervention but initiated one major action, the <a href="http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/butkiewicz.finance.corp.reconstruction">Reconstruction Finance Corporation (1932)</a> to lend money to ailing corporations, which proved inadequate.<span style=""> </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Hoover</st1:city></st1:place>’s inability to handle this crisis led to his defeat in his re-election bid to <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/franklindroosevelt/">President Roosevelt</a>.<span style=""> </span><st1:place st="on">Roosevelt</st1:place> would later be credited for his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_deal">New Deal</a> initiatives and bringing the country out of the Depression, thereby cementing Democratic control of both Congress and the White House for almost two decades.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal">One of the crown jewels of the New Deal, the <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/articles/03/071603.asp">Glass-Steagall Act</a> (officially known as the Banking Act of 1933), forbade banks from getting into the investment business.<span style=""> </span><st1:place st="on">Roosevelt</st1:place> also established the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Deposit_Insurance_Corporation">Federal Deposit Insurance Company (FDIC)</a> to protect bank deposits granting the Federal Reserve System control over setting interest rates.<span style=""> </span>The entire point was to protect deposits and stop banks from speculating with other people's money.<span style=""> </span>Strictly speaking, the Glass-Steagall Act was a huge success and it restored confidence in <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place>'s banking system for well over six decades.<span style=""> </span>That is, until banks such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citigroup">Citigroup</a> invested a lot of time, money and effort working behind-the-scenes to <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/repeal">repeal</a> not only this Act, but other regulatory laws as well.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal">While Roosevelt initiated numerous stimulus packages through New Deal programs, the truth of the matter is that <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/world-war-ii">World War II</a> was a key factor that led the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place> out of the Depression.<span style=""> </span>During the 1940s, the <a href="http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=138">economy rebounded</a> from depression.<span style=""> </span>Big business recovered its tarnished public reputation.<span style=""> </span>Wages and earnings reached new heights and powerful new sectors of the economy developed, especially in the production of consumer goods and military hardware.<span style=""> </span>Close cooperation with government (and in some instances outright government control) and labor unions produced a stable domestic climate for business, while business and government worked together to develop and build markets overseas. </p> <p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal">The <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place> enjoyed a booming economy that helped shape the blissful retrospective view of the 1950s.<span style=""> </span>A rebuilding <st1:place st="on">Europe</st1:place> was hungry for American goods, fueling the consumer-oriented sector of the American economy.<span style=""> </span>Conveniences that had been toys for the upper classes such as refrigerators, range-top ovens, automobiles and televisions were becoming middle-class staples.<span style=""> </span>Homes became affordable to many apartment dwellers for the first time, and people were buying new technology such as the transistor radio and color television.<span style=""> </span>People also began to work in white-collar jobs more than ever and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_boom">baby boom</a>, coupled with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GI_Bill">GI Bill</a>, laid the groundwork for newly developed communities and suburbs.<span style=""> </span>Other economic activities included buying on credit (the <a href="http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/credit-cards-history-1264.php">first modern credit card</a> was produced), playing the stock market and taking loans from banks.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal">And just to make sure that there was no question that the <a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/aboutthefed/default.htm">Federal Reserve Board</a>, the regulator of <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> banks, stayed on its toes, Congress decided to further regulate the banking sector.<span style=""> </span>In an effort to prevent financial conglomerates from amassing too much power, Congress agreed that it was not good banking practice to bear the high risks undertaken in underwriting insurance. <span style=""> </span>Thus, as an extension of the Glass-Steagall Act, the<a href="http://www.sifma.org/legislative/bank_holding_company_act_of_19.html"> Bank Holding Company Act in 1956</a> further separated financial activities by creating a wall between insurance and banking.<span style=""> </span>In other words, even though banks could sell insurance and insurance products, underwriting insurance was forbidden.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">During the 1960s, the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place> experienced its longest uninterrupted period of economic expansion in history, with aerospace, housing and computer technology leading the way.<span style=""> </span>Big business dominated the domestic economy during this time, and the five largest industrial corporations accounted for over 12% of all assets in manufacturing.<span style=""> </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place>'s overseas investment increased. <span style=""> </span>So did minimum wage, unemployment compensation, social security benefits, emergency relief for feed grain farmers, area redevelopment, vocational training for displaced workers, and federal funding for home building and slum eradication. </p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">I feel it prudent to point out that all segments of the population did not equally share the economic boom that <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place> experienced from the 1940s to the end of the 1960s.<span style=""> </span>African Americans were subject to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws">Jim Crow</a> and consequently did not fully enjoy the benefits of economic growth.<span style=""> </span>Why?<span style=""> </span>They faced discrimination on unprecedented levels: employment, education and housing, with little to no access to business loans and mortgages.<span style=""> </span>Many Latinos and Asians experienced a similar fate, with Native Americans not even part of the equation. <span style=""> </span>The passing of <a href="http://brownvboard.org/summary/">Brown v. Board of Education</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Movement">Civil Rights Legislation</a> didn't guarantee that people of color would automatically reap any real economic benefits.<span style=""> </span>Even today, while minorities overall are doing better economically, there still remains striking gaps in income, employment and wealth that continues to distinguish our economic reality.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">Going forward, during <a href="http://economics.about.com/od/useconomichistory/a/stagflation.htm">the 1970s the country suffered economic woes</a> brought on by the costs of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Society">Great Society</a> and the Vietnam War.<span style=""> </span>Price increases for energy (<a href="http://www.exponentialimprovement.com/cms/oilshock.shtml">the oil shocks of 1973 and 1979</a>) conjured high inflation throughout much of the world for the rest of the decade.<span style=""> </span>As a result, government leaders concentrated more on controlling inflation than on combating recession by limiting spending, resisting tax cuts, and reigning in growth in the money supply.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">Scholars and journalists often give the Nixon presidency, <a href="http://www.watergate.info/chronology/">Watergate</a> aside, a fairly positive review.<span style=""> </span>However, more often than not they’ve painted a vivid picture of the intellectual confusion that laid behind <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/richardnixon/">President Nixon's</a> major economic policy initiatives.<span style=""> </span>In fact, the term “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixon_Shock">Nixon Shock</a>” is often used to describe the different policy measures undertaken during his presidency. </p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">Beginning in 1971, Nixon's domestic problem was the economy.<span style=""> </span>In order to reduce inflation, he tried to control federal spending, but his budget proposals contained deficits of several billion dollars, the largest in American history up to that time.<span style=""> </span>Nixon then announced his “<a href="http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/our-economic-past/nixons-new-economic-plan/">New Economic Policy</a>” in response to continuing inflation, increasing unemployment and a deteriorating trade deficit.<span style=""> </span>This also included an 8% devaluation of the dollar, new surcharges on imports, and unprecedented peacetime controls on wages and prices.<span style=""> </span>These policies produced temporary improvements in the economy by the end of 1972, but once price and wage controls were lifted, inflation returned, reaching 8.8% in 1973 and 12.2% in 1974.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">When <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/jimmycarter/">President Carter</a> came into office, he tried to combat economic weakness and unemployment by increasing government spending, establishing voluntary wage and price guidelines to control inflation.<span style=""> </span>These were largely unsuccessful.<span style=""> </span>A perhaps more successful but less dramatic attack on inflation involved the deregulation of numerous industries, including airlines, trucking, and railroads. </p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">Carter enacted a number of initiatives.<span style=""> </span>He created the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act">Community Reinvestment Act (CRA)</a> in 1977, to prevent “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redlining">redlining</a>.” <span style=""> </span>A phrase coined by <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Chicago</st1:city></st1:place> community activists in the 1960s, redlining is the practice of denying or increasing the cost of services such as banking, insurance, real estate, or limited access to jobs and health care to residents in often economically and racially determined areas.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">It should be noted that there was a time when immigrants, such as the Germans, Irish, Italians and Jews faced similar injustice.<span style=""> </span>However, as these immigrants assimilated and became accepted as fellow “white” Americans; ethnic groups such as the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Filipinos, Indians and Latinos as well as African Americans were for centuries not regarded by most white Americans as equal citizens.<span style=""> </span>So no matter what they may have achieved economically, it was difficult for them to assimilate into <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s “melting pot.”</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">By the 1960s, the areas most frequently discriminated against were African American inner city neighborhoods.<span style=""> </span>Banks would open up branches in those neighborhoods and eagerly accept their deposits, but would not be so inclined to provide the mortgages or loans needed to sustain and expand those communities.<span style=""> </span>Carter understood that something needed to be done.<span style=""> </span>Therefore, the Act was created to encourage banks to meet the needs of all segments of the community, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, regardless of ethnic origin.<span style=""> </span>Ironically, the Community Reinvestment Act would be erroneously tied into the subprime lending fiasco we’re experiencing today.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">The Carter Administration also initiated the <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/30/real_estate/congress_subprime.fortune/">Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act (DIDMCA)</a> in 1980.<span style=""> </span>This Act was aimed at eliminating many of the distinctions among different types of depository institutions, including the removal of the interest rate ceiling on deposit accounts.<span style=""> </span>The Savings and Loans' authority to make <a href="http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/Acquisition-Development-and-Construction-ADC-loan.html">acquisitions, development and construction loans (ADC)</a> was expanded and the deposit insurance limit was raised to $100,000.<span style=""> </span>Support for deregulation in industries as well as banks would continue to escalate beyond the Carter Administration. Marred by the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place> hostage crisis in Carter’s final year in office, he would lose his re-election bid in 1980 to <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/ronaldreagan/">President Reagan</a>.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">A recession marked the early years of Reagan's presidency, hitting almost all segments of the population.<span style=""> </span>The unemployment rate rose above 10% and almost one-third of <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place>'s industrial plants lay idle.<span style=""> </span>Farmers, who borrowed heavily to buy land and increase production, suffered hard times due to crop shortages.<span style=""> </span>Then the rise in oil prices raised farm costs and a worldwide economic slump in 1980 reduced the demand for farm products.<span style=""> </span>As gains in <st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> productivity slowed, economic rivals such as <st1:country-region st="on">Germany</st1:country-region> and <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Japan</st1:country-region></st1:place> won a greater share of world trade.<span style=""> </span>It was during this time that American consumption of goods produced by other countries rose sharply.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">Reagan's domestic program was rooted in his belief that the nation would prosper if the power of the private economic sector was unleashed.<span style=""> </span>A proponent of "<a href="http://www.investopedia.com/articles/05/011805.asp">supply side" economics</a>, a theory which held that a greater supply of goods and services is the swiftest road to economic growth, Reagan sought large tax cuts to encourage greater consumer spending, saving and investment, thus the birth of “<a href="http://mises.org/article.aspx?Id=1544">Reaganomics</a>.”<span style=""> </span>Despite only a slim Republican majority in the Senate and a House controlled by Democrats, Reagan succeeded during his first year in office by enacting the major components of his economic program.<span style=""> </span>The centerpiece was the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kemp-Roth_Tax_Cut">Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981</a> (also known as the “Kemp-Roth Tax Cut”), which provided 25% tax cut for individuals to be phased in over three years.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">The deep recession throughout 1982, combined with falling oil prices, had one important benefit: it curbed the runaway inflation that had started during the Carter years.<span style=""> </span>By early 1984, the economy rebounded and the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place> entered one of the longest periods of sustained economic growth since World War II.<span style=""> </span>Consumer spending increased in response to the federal tax cut, the gross national product (GNP) grew substantially, and the annual inflation rate remained low, creating more than 13 million new jobs.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">Reagan eased or eliminated price controls on oil and natural gas, cable TV, long-distance telephone service, interstate bus service, and relaxed controls on bank interest rates.<span style=""> </span>Banks were allowed to invest in a somewhat broader set of assets and the scope of the antitrust laws was reduced, which severely weakened the Glass-Steagall Act.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">Throughout the 1980s, <a href="http://usconservatives.about.com/od/conservativepolitics101/p/Overview.htm">political conservatism</a> in federal enforcement complemented the Supreme Court's doctrine of nonintervention.<span style=""> </span>The Reagan Administration reduced the budgets of the <a href="http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/about.shtm">Federal Trade Commission (FTC)</a> and the <a href="http://www.newamerica.net/publications/articles/2009/transformative_bureaucracy_9823">Department of Justice</a>, leaving them with limited resources for enforcement.<span style=""> </span>For example, mergers of companies into conglomerates were looked on favorably, with the years 1984 and 1985 producing the greatest increase in corporate acquisitions in the nation's history.<span style=""> </span>Even more significant was that the Federal Reserve allowed large bank holding companies to handle the underwriting of mortgage-backed securities.<span style=""> </span>Sometimes you don't have to change laws outright to get what you want; you simply circumvent them by creating an end-run around them.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal">Steadfast in his commitment to lower taxes, Reagan also signed the most sweeping federal tax-reform measure in 75 years during his second term, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_Reform_Act_of_1986">Tax Reform Act of 1986</a>.<span style=""> </span>This measure, which had widespread Democratic as well as Republican support, lowered income tax rates, and simplified tax brackets and closed loopholes.<span style=""> </span>This was an important step toward taxing low-income Americans more equitably, yet serious problems remained. </p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">It was during the early 1980s when the <a href="http://www.erisk.com/Learning/CaseStudies/USSavingsLoanCrisis.asp">Savings & Loans (S&L) crisis</a> embarked on the horizon.<span style=""> </span>There are two parts to this story: The first part involves the events that caused the S&L problem and the second part is events that helped push it over the edge.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">S&Ls (also known as “thrifts”) differ from commercial banks in that they are specialized banks that use low-interest, federally insured deposits in savings accounts to fund mortgages.<span style=""> </span>During the 1980s, the popularity of money market accounts reduced the attractiveness of savings accounts, so the S&Ls asked Congress to remove these restrictions.<span style=""> </span>This was achieved with the passing of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garn_-_St_Germain_Depository_Institutions_Act">Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act</a> in 1982.<span style=""> </span>This Act allowed S&Ls to raise interest rates on deposits, make commercial and consumer loans, and removed restrictions on loan-to-value ratios.<span style=""> </span>For the first time, the government approved measures intended to increase S&Ls profits as opposed to promoting housing and homeownership.<span style=""> </span>At the same time, the <a href="http://teachmefinance.com/Financial_Terms/Federal_Home_Loan_Bank_Board.html">Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB)</a> regulatory staff was reduced thanks to budget cuts, so no one was watching the store while S&Ls went overboard.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">By 1983, it was clear that S&Ls weren't cutting it under these new regulations, and as a result, were going bankrupt.<span style=""> </span>To compound the situation further, two major banking scandals broke out during the decade.<span style=""> </span>During this time, a wave of <a href="http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Mergers+and+Acquisitions">mergers and acquisitions</a> ensued as the weakest companies fell prey to bigger companies.<span style=""> </span>Meanwhile the investment bank <a href="http://mises.org/journals/scholar/drexel.PDF">Drexel Burnham Lambert</a>, which had virtually invented the modern <a href="http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,969468,00.html">junk bond market</a>, was propelled into the spotlight.<span style=""> </span>This and the market's dizzying rise prompted the <a href="http://www.sec.gov/about/whatwedo.shtml">U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)</a> and the <a href="http://www1.nysd.uscourts.gov/index.php">Southern District of New York</a> in 1985 to begin conducting separate investigations on insider trading.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Although insider trading was illegal, laws prohibiting it were rarely enforced until <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Boesky">Ivan Boesky</a> was prosecuted.<span style=""> </span>Boesky, who was an <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/arbitrageur.asp">arbitrageur</a>, amassed a fortune of over $200 million by betting on corporate takeovers.<span style=""> </span>These stock acquisitions were more often times brazen, with massive purchases occurring only a few days before a corporation announced a takeover.<span style=""> </span>Boesky cooperated with the SEC and informed on financier <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Milken">Michael Milken</a> of Drexel Burnham Lambert, who was then hailed king of the junk bonds and an enabler of corporate raiders.<span style=""> </span>In the end, both men were convicted, fined, received prison sentences and banned from the securities industry for life.<span style=""> </span>The outstanding Drexel Burnham Lambert high-yield bonds, which had been largely invested by many S&L institutions, helped drive the S&L crisis to the brink, while simultaneously tainting the junk-bond name.<span style=""> </span>Eventually, Drexel Burnham Lambert went out of business.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">A U.S. House committee concluded that over three-quarters of all S&L insolvencies appeared to be linked to serious misconduct by senior insiders or outsiders.<span style=""> </span><a href="http://www.rationalrevolution.net/war/bush_family_and_the_s.htm">Neil and Jeb Bush</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Keating">Charles Keating</a> and the “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_Five">Keating Five</a>” come to mind, whose involvement was either largely ignored (as in the Bushes), or was investigated (the Keating Five) only to be reprimanded for "poor judgment.<span style=""> </span>Charles Keating, however, was convicted in 1991 of 17 counts of fraud, racketeering, and conspiracy and was given the maximum 10-year prison sentence.<span style=""> </span>He served only 4-1/2 years in prison.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">In the meantime, the crisis mushroomed and as S&Ls went under, state and federal insurance were running out of money to refund depositors.<span style=""> </span>However, a number of S&Ls remained open and continued to make bad loans while the losses kept mounting.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Finally, on October 19, 1987, a date that subsequently became known as "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Monday_%281987%29">Black Monday</a>," the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 508 points, losing 22.6% of its total value.<span style=""> </span>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S&P_500">S&P</a> 500 dropped 20.4%, falling from 282.7 to 225.06.<span style=""> </span>This was the greatest loss Wall Street had ever suffered on a single day.<span style=""> </span>Unlike what happened in 1929, however, the market rallied immediately after the crash and by September 1989, the market regained all of its value.<span style=""> </span>In fact, the worst economic losses were isolated and actually occurred on Wall Street itself, with 15,000 jobs lost in the financial industry.<span style=""> </span>But the real question, “<a href="http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/black-monday-%281987%29/causes-of-the-crash.html">What caused it</a>?” remains unanswered and a debate to its cause continues to this day.<span style=""> </span>There is, however, one thing the 1987 crash ultimately accomplished, and that is it taught politicians that markets heed their words and actions carefully and react immediately when threatened.<span style=""> </span>Thus, the crash initiated a new era of market discipline on bad economic policy.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">The national debt nearly tripled and an alarming percentage of growth was based on deficit spending.<span style=""> </span>Furthermore, virtually all the growth in national wealth took place in the highest income group.<span style=""> </span>While the rich got richer and free trade increased wealth, only a small number of people benefited.<span style=""> </span>Farmers continued to suffer and serious <a href="http://www.heritage.org/research/agriculture/em208.cfm">droughts in 1986 and 1988</a> compounded their distress.<span style=""> </span>Most <a href="http://www.house.gov/jec/middle/crunch3/crunch3.htm">middle-class incomes</a> were barely higher than a decade before and would remain stagnant for the next 20 years, while benefits and social indicators drastically declined.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Many poor and middle-class families actually lost ground, as low- and semi-skilled jobs were eliminated while the chronically poor failed to benefit as the economy improved.<span style=""> </span>Moreover, our ethics took a turn for the worst: private gain over public obligation, special interests over the common good and, wealth and fame over work and family.<span style=""> </span>Thus, the tax cuts and economic growth during the 1980s ushered in a new <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilded_age">gilded age of greed</a>, selfishness, irresponsibility and excess that would eventually leave behind a profound fiscal policy failure and imbalance in our economy.<span style=""> </span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"># # # # # #<br /></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Next Week:</span><span style=""> <span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Part 2.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Presidents Bush (I) and Clinton: The Road to Free Trade and Deregulation</span></p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/RabbleRousersForum" rel="alternate" title="Subscribe to my feed" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" style="border: 0pt none ;" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" /></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/RabbleRousersForum" rel="alternate" title="Subscribe to my feed" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader (see additional alternatives in the right-hand column)</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-78292338035060878632009-01-21T00:38:00.001-05:002009-01-21T18:49:21.451-05:00Barack Obama: From Candidate to President<div align="center"><object width="400" height="300"> <param name="flashvars" value="&offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F34569784%40N06%2Fsets%2F72157612752508015%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F34569784%40N06%2Fsets%2F72157612752508015%2F&set_id=72157612752508015&jump_to="><param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=63961"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=63961" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="&offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F34569784%40N06%2Fsets%2F72157612752508015%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F34569784%40N06%2Fsets%2F72157612752508015%2F&set_id=72157612752508015&jump_to=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here is a pictorial essay of Barack Obama's ascent; from the day he threw his </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">hat in the ring on February 10, 2007 in Springfield, Illinois, to his inauguration as </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">the 44th President of the United States of America on January 20, 2009.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">HIT THE PLAY BUTTON FOR THE SLIDE SHOW</span><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-69308274515563112372009-01-20T11:01:00.000-05:002009-01-21T18:14:43.980-05:00<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SXEjAe6PjRI/AAAAAAAAAVg/JDwjd9VXM2U/s1600-h/happybelatedbdaymotown.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 297px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SXEjAe6PjRI/AAAAAAAAAVg/JDwjd9VXM2U/s200/happybelatedbdaymotown.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292049528341368082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Commemorating 50 Years of </span><em style="font-family: arial;">Motown</em><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Happy Belated Anniversary!</span><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-30231443025116170442009-01-20T00:01:00.000-05:002009-01-21T18:07:29.975-05:00Who suffers first in the death of the press<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">BY JEFF JARVIS, BUZZMACHINE</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> For all the mourning—some of it preemptive—over the loss of journalists’ jobs in the implosion of </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SXEiBaND3GI/AAAAAAAAAVY/f-bi07b3JGI/s1600-h/newspaper-photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 172px; height: 242px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SXEiBaND3GI/AAAAAAAAAVY/f-bi07b3JGI/s200/newspaper-photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292048444746357858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">the news business, let’s remember that it’s the other trades that made papers come out on time that have suffered already and will suffer first and most. Journalists, if they’re smart and daring, might be able to save their careers and craft.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> Steve Yelvington on Twitter pointed me today to the Museum der Arbeit and its exhibit on the printing trade: the “disappearance of an entire profession in the course of industrialization.” Typesetters are long gone as are page compositors and lithographers and mailers (the guys who tied the bundles) and copy boys (a job description that disappeared almost in time for it not to be updated with copy girls) and proofreaders and paperboys and… I worked with people of all those job descriptions and more with titles I can’t remember or find on Google through the eras of hot type and cold. (When I asked for a list of these disappearing newspaper job titles on Twitter, one wag added, “shareholders.”) >></span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/01/12/who-suffers-first-in-the-death-of-the-press/">MORE </a><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-77367328625570271482009-01-19T18:15:00.001-05:002009-01-21T18:52:37.700-05:00So Where Have I Been?<br /><br />As with anyone else who puts together a blog, while it is a labor of love, sometimes life gets in the way. Hopefully, I will be able to stay on top of things, updating on a weekly basis (every Monday) with the best news items coupled with my commentary. So, the RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM lives on!<div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-10768324552677382682008-08-25T23:01:00.002-04:002008-08-25T23:54:53.187-04:00Obama-Biden: A Match Made In Iowa<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">by Beverly David, </span></span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/beverly-davis/obama-biden-a-match-made_b_120830.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Huffington Post</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">, August 23, 2008</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Score one for Obama!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Known for his verbal blunders, Sen. Joe Biden has blundered into the race of his life and most probably, of his near-ultimate dream. He may never be president but he may well become vice president.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SLN2WQzwG8I/AAAAAAAAATA/niXvlVh3Sfk/s1600-h/obama-biden-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SLN2WQzwG8I/AAAAAAAAATA/nVlIT8q1xKk/s320-R/obama-biden-poster.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">His son, Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III, is the current Attorney General of Delaware and is now poised to become the next U.S. Senator from Delaware if his daddy and Obama successfully combat the negative campaigning by Sen. John McCain and his Rovian Republican staff running the show.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first big decision by Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, to choose Joe Biden as his running mate is seen as a smart political move by most of the party faithful, excepting the small but vocal Hillary-supporters still holding a grudge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's a choice the Republicans cannot be pleased with since only Biden -- of all the veep possibilities -- possesses the gravitas, personality, and political savvy to land real blows in a campaign already noted for street fighting. He is exactly what Obama needs in a running mate. &gt;&gt;</span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/beverly-davis/obama-biden-a-match-made_b_120830.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MORE</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-9121170807409923342008-08-24T23:35:00.001-04:002008-08-25T23:07:30.580-04:00Speaking Of A Talent For Speaking<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">by Turkana, </span></span><a href="http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/013041.php"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Left Coaster</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> August 23, 2008</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So much now will be written and said about Joe Biden, from his heartbreaking life story to this mixed record in the Senate. I always have a soft spot for people who survive horrendous personal traumas, but I also agree with those who think Biden's record is too conventional, and the farthest thing possible from real change, when it comes to crime issues. Jeralyn at <a href="http://www.talkleft.com/">TalkLeft </a>is all over that, as it directly touches both her career and the purpose of her blog, but I hope she will end up supporting the ticket. I know that her instinct will be to do so. Those who strongly believe a woman should have the choice to terminate a late pregnancy, should her life or health be endangered, also won't be enthused by the idea of voting for Biden. He's also been much more hawkish on the war than have Barack Obama and most of his supporters, and on the most fundamental level, this career insider is not exactly a face of transformation. Even David Brooks likes him.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SLNzJco_FiI/AAAAAAAAASo/aW5QlBz7m-c/s1600-h/Biden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SLNzJco_FiI/AAAAAAAAASo/efXWJrCcvKY/s200-R/Biden.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most important factor for Obama, in selecting his running mate, should have been to ensure that the person a heartbeat away from the presidency is up to the job. Biden clearly qualifies. The second most important factor should have been to ensure Obama's election against an opponent who truly might be even worse than the worst president ever. On that, Biden was not the best choice. We can debate who would have been best, but there are at least a handful who would have been better. But Biden does bring one critically important strength to the campaign, and it is not his much-touted experience. Paradoxically, it is something for which he is also often criticized- his oratorical skills. An already legendary speaker, himself, Obama must have taken particular notice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As others have pointed out, having conquered a youthful stutter, Biden now loves to speak. Endlessly. He is a one man filibuster. But he also has a unique talent for coining a memorable phrase, and I will be surprised if he doesn't rip a couple zingers that we will all long remember. It was Biden, in the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq, who most concisely excoriated the Bush Administration's initial refusal to seek help from our allies in rebuilding Iraq, with his oft-repeated line that we had to stop acting like we had won some sort of prize. It was also Biden who eviscerated the entire rationale for Rudolph Giuliani's miserable candidacy for president, with what was probably the most memorable line of the campaign season, thus far- "There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun, and a verb and 9/11." People are already riffing on that as McCain reflexively excuses or rationalizes his every failure by recalling his youthful heroism as a POW- now four long decades ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Biden's impact on the election is hard to predict, and for true liberals there are many reasons to be less than thrilled with his selection. But campaigns often turn on the most absurd simplicities of image or rhetoric, and Joe Biden may very well create such a turning point with his quick wit, sharp mind, and unique ability to distill issues and political dynamics into the most searingly effective sound bites. Do not underestimate the importance of such a talent.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-74833780382697680312008-08-24T23:28:00.001-04:002008-08-25T23:10:06.072-04:00Biden As VP: Getcha Popcorn<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">by Blue Texan, </span></span><a href="http://firedoglake.com/2008/08/23/biden-as-vp-getcha-popcorn/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Firedoglake</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> , August 23, 2008</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SLNz2qPL7GI/AAAAAAAAASw/5sk3OsjNpHY/s1600-h/biden2_afp226b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SLNz2qPL7GI/AAAAAAAAASw/n6vtsZQwdmg/s200-R/biden2_afp226b.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The thing I like most about Obama picking Biden is he's got sharp elbows and he's not afraid to throw them. Remember last May when Chimpy went to Israel and compared Barack Obama to Neville Chamberlain? Here's what Biden said:</span><br />
<blockquote>"This is bullshit. This is malarkey. This is outrageous. Outrageous for the president of the United States to go to a foreign country, sit in the Knesset ... and make this kind of ridiculous statement,” Biden said angrily in a brief interview just off the Senate floor.</blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial;">Still pissed off, he added later:</span><br />
<blockquote>“This is the same president, who talks about appeasement, the same one who asks me to get on a plane and talk to Qaddafi,” Biden said. “The same president who made a deal with Qaddafi. He writes letters, ‘Dear Mr. Chairman’ to Kim Jong Il.</blockquote><blockquote>“He oughta get a life here … Under George W. Bush’s watch, Iran, not freedom has been on the march … They’re a lot closer to the bomb… He calls Maliki our guy … Whose policy produced that? Whose watch was that? … Iran’s proxy Hezbollah is on the ascendancy. Don’t take my word for it, look at NIE … Afghanistan, Pakistan, Al Qaeda is stronger now.</blockquote><blockquote>“We should take zero backseat to this pres, talking about appeasement. … Under him, Israel is less safe.”</blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial;">That's pretty damn good stuff. And check out this smackdown of McSame and Lieberman.</span><br />
<blockquote>The idea that John [McCain] and Joe [Lieberman] are going to eliminate any vestige of Iranian influence in Iraq, bless me father for I have sinned. Are they unaware of a border that has existed there for millennium? Are they unaware of the fact that our guy, Maliki is inviting Ahmadinejad to Baghdad and kissing him on both cheeks, literally not figuratively.</blockquote><blockquote>Are they unaware of the fact that this government in Iraq feels compelled to visit Tehran to explain what it is that they are attempting to do with a long-term security agreement?</blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial;">And check out Biden on Cheney:</span><br />
<blockquote>"Every single person out there that is of any consequence knows the vice president doesn't know what he's talking about. I can't be more blunt than that," Biden said. "He is yet to be right one single time on Iraq."</blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial;">Biden's mocking contempt of the Bush administration 's failures will be just what the doctor ordered for this campaign. Not that Obama can't throw a punch -- we've seen especially last week that he can. But Biden seems to really relish verbal combat, especially on foreign policy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If there was a man who was made to for the attack dog role of veep on the stump, it's Biden. I've no doubt he'll be better in that role than Lieberman (ack) or Edwards.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-13843137812430807122008-08-23T23:10:00.005-04:002008-08-25T23:18:06.868-04:00Five Things The Biden Pick Shows<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">by Heather Hurlburt, </span></span><a href="http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2008/08/five-things-the.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Democracy Arsenal</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, August 23, 2008</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. National security is now best understood as a litmus test or threshold issue for many voters; they may not decide based on it alone, but if you don't give off a sufficient aura of seriousness, you can't close the deal, especially if you are a progressive. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Taking the time to strategize about the links between national security and domestic policy/politics is, as Madeleine Albright used to say, not just the right thing to do but the smart thing. Joe Biden built an entire primary campaign around being the national security guy -- and being the guy with the loudest, most heartfelt critique of Bush policies. The attack-dog strategy, and a willingness to go a little farther than the next guy, wasn't necessarily what you'd expect from a card-carrying member of the national security establishment. But it worked. In my experience in </span><st1:state w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Michigan</span></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and </span><st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Iowa</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, that's what his fans remember him for. Might he just be the reverse Scoop Jackson of the 21st century? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Nice guys don't finish last, especially when, as Moira notes, they put good teams together to help them. The two parts of the Biden legend I'll personally vouch for are the quality of the staff, since I know many and hired one; and the riding Amtrak home to the family ever night. For a hard year in the 1980s my family thanked our lucky stars that Joe was keeping that Amtrak stop open for our dad, too, as he did the same commute. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. American lives do have second, third and fourth acts. Sorry, F. Scott. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. The mid-atlantic region is the new epicenter of cool, or at the very least the bellwether of </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">America</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> right now. You've got old middle class (industrial, union jobs) and new middle class (insurance, casinos, pharmaceuticals). You've got old-line Catholic Reagan Democrats and brand-new Catholic Hispanic immigrants; you can drink a latte to wash down your hoagie, arugula and funnel cakes. Then you will feel good, bloated and uneasy all at once. That's my </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">America</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. If you don't believe me, check out my friend Lynne Raughley's Lives column in tomorrow's Times, about growing up in </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Atlantic City</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Coincidence?</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-18954260388344985232008-08-23T22:46:00.000-04:002008-08-25T23:02:52.978-04:00Privatizing Foreign Policy: The Road to Iran<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">by Lawrence Davidson, </span></span><a href="http://www.juancole.com/2008/08/davidson-privatizing-foreign-policy.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Informed Comment</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">, August 20, 2008</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Americans' penchant for paying little attention to their nation's foreign policies has powerful and disastrous effects on national politics and policy-making. Here are two important implications: </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SLNxNHZ5fyI/AAAAAAAAASg/QIerUK101a0/s1600-h/cartoon-foreignpolicy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SLNxNHZ5fyI/AAAAAAAAASg/xG9xTZBWT7U/s200-R/cartoon-foreignpolicy.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 1. Popular disinterest in foreign affairs means that the vast majority of Americans abrogate their say in foreign policy formulation to a small number of citizens who do care about specific foreign policies and, constituting themselves as lobbies, are organized to make their influence felt. This can be seen clearly in the case of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. The war was planned and launched by small groups of Americans with specific, ideologically based, perceptions of the world. These ideologically motivated lobbies, whether ethnically oriented or neoconservative in nature, have little connection to the local concerns of the majority of Americans. Yet the consequences of their actions have impacted all of us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2. Because most Americans pay little attention to foreign affairs they lack the knowledge necessary to accurately contextualize the situation when foreign events do seem to intrude upon their lives. The assertion that Iraq was in possession of weapons of mass destruction that were to be used on American targets was an example of such a situation. Having no objective knowledge to assess this claim, Americans had to rely on the information given to them by others, most of the time government spokesmen and media “pundits.” The average citizen had no way of knowing if these alleged experts did or did not know what they were talking about, and if they had reasons to present a biased picture of events. However, the consistent supplying of what turned out to be less than objective information to millions of citizens who were otherwise ignorant, created a “thought collective” capable of moving the entire national population to war. Millions of lives have been lost or ruined as a consequence. This story is not a unique one. It has happened before and could soon happen again with the alleged threatening nation now being Iran. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Iran is a nation that has never invaded another country in modern times. Its civilian nuclear research activities are legal under international law and the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency has reported no evidence of nuclear weapons development. Yet, the same lobbies and politicians who led the United States into Iraq now insist that Iran is also worthy of sanctions and attack. Once again, the vast majority of Americans have no major sources of information on this issue apart from those which have already failed them in the case of Iraq. Nor are our elected officials behaving in ways that might prevent a compounding of the disaster of Iraq with another disaster in Iran. Why is this so?</span><br />
</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-85739783393001308682008-08-10T10:02:00.031-04:002008-08-12T00:00:55.963-04:00ON THE FRONT: From cheesy affairs to a Russian invasion, the world is spinning out of control!<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a quick wrap-up of news items that have caught my eye: </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you hear about John Edwards’ cheesy affair with a
third-rate filmmaking floozy? (Of course you heard about it! You'd have to be blind, deaf and dumb to have not heard about it!) Am I surprised? Not
really. What I don’t understand is, why do we care what a former
litigator, senator, vice presidential candidate and presidential candidate did
in his spare time, way back when? Did he lie? Of
course, most men do when it comes to these things, yet everyone, including
other men kill me with their "surprise, angst and disappointment,"
usually the very same men who have probably lied about their own
indiscretions.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SJ75HTNLYnI/AAAAAAAAAPs/Pmjq9L1hegc/s1600-h/edwards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: left;background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SJ75HTNLYnI/AAAAAAAAAPs/mBgwRVy2ZCw/s200-R/edwards.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial;" /></a><span style="color: black;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">If Edwards had won
the nomination, would he had put the party in jeopardy? One word
answer on this one: </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Clinton</span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">. Yep, </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Clinton</span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> won two
terms under lurid accusations of having affairs with an assortment of
women. Why did he win? Because the public was fed up with
Bush (no. 1) and understood it was more important for </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Clinton</span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> to get into office rather than
penalize him with whom he had an extra-marital affair with. Besides, while I liked Edwards liberal/progressive positions,
there was always something about him that just didn’t click with me, especially
since his senate record never quite reflected what he was advocating to do as
president of the </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> His
wife obviously knew and has (or will) forgive him, which is really none of our
business. The Democratic Machine has hypocritically “banned” Edwards
from the Democratic convention, so what more can they talk about on the
news? And with all that is going on in the world, who really, truly cares?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The real news is </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Russia</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">’s
invasion of </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Georgia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. For
those of you not in the know, </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Georgia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, which was once part of the
U.S.S.R., gained independence in 1991. Two provinces, South Ossetia
and Abkhazia, split from </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Georgia</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in
the early 1990s, and have run their own affairs without international
recognition, all the while building ties with </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moscow</span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Since its independence, Georgia has
been engaged in armed conflicts, with either its neighbors, the breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and/or
South Ossetia; or tensions between Georgia and Russia over
a number of issues, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia,
a staunch </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">U.S.</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> ally,
has a pro-western government and wants to join NATO – a bid </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moscow</span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> regards as
part of a Western effort to weaken its influence in the region. Moreover, </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Russia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, under
Vladimir Putin, is reluctant to let its former vassal states go. </span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SJ75iBf1QBI/AAAAAAAAAP0/2q_uZw4hZQg/s1600-h/georgia_russia_0808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: left;background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SJ75iBf1QBI/AAAAAAAAAP0/JtPOmkZkLdQ/s200-R/georgia_russia_0808.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial;" /></a><span style="color: black;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">So what prompted </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Russia</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> to invade </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Georgia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">? It
appears that </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Russia</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> invaded </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Georgia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> after
a series of violent exchanges over South Ossetia. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">After </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Georgia</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">'s
attack on South Ossetia, Russia sent troops to strike back at </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Georgia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">,
putting the two on the brink of an all out war. Since South Ossetia is still
labeled as part of </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Georgia</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">,
this has been officially labeled a “Russian invasion of </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Georgia</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">,” which has instilled fear in many that </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Russia</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">'s true intent is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">not to free </span><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">South Ossetia, but to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">retake </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Georgia into Russia's empire</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">. The
former Soviet state of </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Kazakhstan</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> may
also eventually support </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Russia</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> in
any future conflicts to come with </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Georgia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">. This attack, of
course, succeeds in preventing </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Georgia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> from becoming a member of
NATO.</span></span></span></st1:place></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">The reason why everyone is on pins and needles is that while </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Georgia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> is
not a member of NATO, it is still a key American ally. The country has lots of
troops in </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Iraq</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">, and </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Georgia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">’s
president is asking for US intervention. Helping </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Georgia</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> is
the right thing to do, but how do you stand up to </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Russia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">? I don’t
have much confidence in the Bush Administration’s ability to do so, but it
would be a difficult thing to do, while not tipping us into war with another
superpower. This scenario could easily create a domino effect, in a way that provoked World War I: when Austria Hungary declared war on </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Serbia</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> –
forcing the Russians to declare war on Austria Hungary due to its treaty
obligations with </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Serbia</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">,
which caused Imperial Germany to declare war on </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Russia</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> .
. . and </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">France</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> too,
since </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">France</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> and </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Russia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> signed
a defense pact. So </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Germany</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> then
invades </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Russia</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> and </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">France</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> . . . but to get to </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">France</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> – they had to invade </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Belgium</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> and </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Luxembourg</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> and
due to treaty obligations with </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Belgium</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">,
the </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">UK</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> had to
honor it's treaty obligations and declare war on </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Germany</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> and
Austria Hungary. Sounds like a complicated tongue twister, but unfortunately, that's how most wars are started. We need to stay alert and tuned in to what is going on and watch how our government handles this very important and dangerous situation.
More on this at </span><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/goog_1218376965978"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Slate:
World Inaction </span></a><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/goog_1218376965978"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">RUSSIA</span></a><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/goog_1218376965978"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> INVADES </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/goog_1218376965978">GEORGIA.</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am even more convinced these days that politics has
taken over every aspect of our lives. And what makes it frightening is that the elite few are willing to manipulate the powers that be
to double its profits at the expense of the citizenry. Case in
point: Wal-Mart, known for exploiting its workers, trampling on independent
businesses and bulldozing their way through Anytown </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">USA</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and
abroad, have jumped onto the political bandwagon. You see, way back
when, Barack Obama, an ardent supporter of unions, began citing Wal-Mart as a
key example of the problem thousands face with their employees (see </span><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">USA Today: Obama says Wal-Mart is part of
necessary debate on pay and benefits, 2006</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> ). This prompted the Senator to sponsor a piece of labor and employment legislation that would make it easier for employees to unionize. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SJ76C0d1WMI/AAAAAAAAAP8/BhmndiSZ66Q/s1600-h/walmart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: left;background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SJ76C0d1WMI/AAAAAAAAAP8/RomZFSrzCfQ/s200-R/walmart.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial;" /></a><span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">This impending labor bill would enable workers to petition the Treasury Secretary for clarification
of their status; prohibit employer retaliation against any
workers filing these petitions; and require notification of the petition
process be posted in the workplace. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">This bill is part of a sum total of various </span><a href="http://www.abanet.org/labor/fldcom/pdf/6-27-2008-Grid.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">pending labor bills</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> (which ironically are all sponsored by Democrats) that are stuck in the Senate. While the House passed the card-check
bill last year by a 241-185 vote, it was blocked in the Senate where
Democrats fell nine votes short of the 60 votes needed to end a GOP
filibuster. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So naturally, Wal-Mart is not down
with this or any other labor bill that benefits its employees, and while it "claims" it is not telling anyone how to vote, it has made
its message clear to its employees: Vote for Obama and you’ll be
sorry. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">More on this in the </span><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/goog_1218376966044"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Wall Street Journal</span></a><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121755649066303381.html?mod=googlenews_wsj"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">:
Wal-Mart Warns of Democratic Win</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">. Definitely check out the
anti-Wal-Mart website, </span><a href="http://wakeupwalmart.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">wakeupwalmart.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> for
more details. Send them a donation to help them further a cause that
not only affects Wal-Mart workers, but workers throughout the </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember HIV/AIDS? A deadly epidemic that struck
our communities some 25 years ago? Some people think, especially in this
country, that HIV/AIDS has gone away. Well, they are wrong. </span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a speech given on December 1,
2006, World AIDS Day, Kofi Annan declared HIV/AIDS to be the greatest challenge
of our generation. This dreaded infectious disease has claimed the lives of
over 25 million people worldwide and infected 40 million more. In the </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">United States</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> alone,
1.2 million are infected with the HIV virus and more than 500,000 have died. No
virus has been as well studied or understood as the human immunodeficiency
virus, yet we are far from controlling this pandemic.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://the-aids-pandemic.blogspot.com/2007/02/history-of-hivaids-in-united-states.html">The Aids Pandemic</a></span></span></span></span><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SJ8ABzaLaLI/AAAAAAAAAQE/Lfk-ibLK7Xs/s1600-h/aids-redribbon.gif" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: left; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SJ8ABzaLaLI/AAAAAAAAAQE/wBjb_0JbqBk/s320-R/aids-redribbon.gif" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial;" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Well, the 17th
International AIDS Conference-2008 in </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Mexico
City</span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> recently concluded its week-long meeting to discuss
the current state of the pandemic. </span><a href="http://AIDS2008.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">The
AIDS Conference-2008</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> is an independent community resource sponsored
by </span><a href="http://www.champnetwork.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #CC6714;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> (CHAMP)
which was attended by over 25,000 delegates. This year’s
conference covered topics such as: (1) the need to redirect U.S.
resources away from war and towards the domestic and global AIDS crises; (2)
Presidential candidates Obama and McCain on AIDS; (3) the rise of HIV infection
rates in key communities, most dramatically in Black gay men; (4) how the
HIV/AIDS epidemic is intertwined with the system of mass imprisonment including
social, political and economic disparities; and (5) questions about treatment,
clinical trials and effective prevention strategies. To further
illuminate some of the issues the delegates discussed, check out the
report below:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The report, published by the
Public Health Watch HIV/AIDS Monitoring Project of the Open Society Institute
(OSI), provides the first comprehensive analysis of how the </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">United States</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is responding to the domestic
AIDS epidemic and calls on the </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> government to step up
prevention and treatment efforts.<br /></span></div>
</blockquote>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Based on extensive consultation
with experts and review of U.S. AIDS policy and outcomes, the report—HIV/AIDS
Policy in the </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">United
States</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">: Monitoring the UNGASS Declaration of
Commitment on HIV/AIDS—reveals, among other findings, that:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">U.S.</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> efforts against the disease are uncoordinated, with
no national plan for comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, and support.</span></span><br /></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Half the people in the </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> who
need HIV treatment are not receiving it.</span><br /></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">The number of new HIV infections
in the </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">—40,000
a year—has not decreased in over a decade.</span><br /></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">HIV/AIDS continues to have a
devastating impact on communities of color, gay men and men who have sex with
men, injecting drug users, and the poor.</span><br /></li>
</ul>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">“</span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">America</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> has no deficit of
dedicated scientists, health care workers or prevention providers, but chronic
rates of HIV incidence and inadequate access to care reveal a shocking level of
systems failure,” said Chris Collins, the report’s author and Public Health
Watch consultant. “This is not the fault of any one president or Congress, but
an ongoing shared responsibility. Still, this report shows that the federal
government is becoming even less responsive to the growing needs of those most
affected by the epidemic here at home.”</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.soros.org/initiatives/health/focus/phw/news/usreport_20060523">Open Society Institute, News and Announcements</a></span></span></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">While publicity campaigns have
countered the often vitriolic and homophobic perception of HIV/AIDS, making the
general public aware of the dangers of the disease to people of all sexual
orientations, not enough has been done <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">in recent years.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">AIDS, for some reason, has fallen off the
urgency radar, and needs to be put back on.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Today, HIV/AIDS threatens the welfare and well being of people
throughout the world. At the end of the year 2007, 33.2 million people were
living with HIV and during the year 2.1 million died from AIDS-related illness.
Combating stigma and discrimination against people who are affected by HIV/AIDS
is as important as developing new medicines in the process of preventing and
controlling the global epidemic. We need to stand firm when it comes to financing HIV/AIDS programs, including research and educating the public about testing and practicing safe sex. "Just Say No" is just not enough!</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SKBYqWhUtII/AAAAAAAAAQc/7wywIXyKr_I/s1600-h/military+women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: left;background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SKBYqWhUtII/AAAAAAAAAQc/IejT4Ku3upw/s200-R/military+women.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial;" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: Arial;">S</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">peaking of sex, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/31/military.sexabuse/index.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Sexual
assault in military ‘jaw dropping,’ lawmaker says</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> appeared in a recent CNN report,
but really, is it “jaw dropping”?</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Sexual
assault in the military has been going on for years, with servicemen attacking
civilians and service women.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Yes,
service women.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">To the extent that nowadays,
most military camps have posted signs in female showers and other locations
that require </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">
servicewomen to be in the company of a "battle buddy" especially at
night, for their safety.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">But there’s
more!</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">There has even been an emergence
of sexual assault amongst gay men and men who have sex with men.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Yikes!</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">
</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">But let’s be for real.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">According to the report below, the records of
rape prosecutions date back as early as 1780.</span></span></div>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rape by Military Personnel has
been notoriously common throughout the history of warfare, leading many to view
rape as an inevitable concomitant of war. Gen. George S. Patton remarked during
the American occupation of </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Morocco</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
in 1942 that “in spite of my most diligent efforts, there would unquestionably
be some raping.” In recent years, however, change has begun to be seen in
American military attitudes and policy on rape. By the early 1990s, each
service had announced a policy of “zero tolerance” of sexual assault or
harassment by personnel. The long</span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‐</span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">term
effects of such policy change remain to be seen. Relatively little is known
about the actual historical incidence of rape by American military personnel.
No systematic compilations exist of rape incidence prior to World War II.
However, individual records of rape prosecutions dating back to the earliest
years of the republic can be found. George Washington's notes for 22 July 1780
indicate that a Thomas Brown of the Seventh Pennsylvania Regiment was sentenced
to death for rape. The few historians who have commented on the subject suggest
that the rape incidence during the Civil War was relatively low. Rape by non</span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‐</span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Americans during World War I has been written about
frequently, yet rape by </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
personnel in that war has not been explored in any comprehensive way.For World
War II, comprehensive statistics of prosecutions of American military personnel
are available for the European theater of operations. Those statistics indicate
that rape was extensive. Indeed, rape of French women was sufficiently
pervasive to cause Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's headquarters to issue a
directive to U.S. Army commanders announcing the general's “grave concern,” and
instructing that speedy and appropriate punishments be administered.</span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Court</span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‐</span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">martial statistics are available also for the Korean War
and the Vietnam War. From 31 May 1951 through 30 May 1953, twenty</span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‐</span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">three U.S. Army personnel in </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Korea</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> were convicted of rape, and
nine of assault with intent to rape. In </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vietnam</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, from 1 January 1965 to 31
January 1973, twenty army personnel and one air force man were convicted of
rape, and fourteen army personnel were convicted of attempted rape or assault
with intent to commit rape. In </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vietnam</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
(1970–73), one navy serviceman and thirteen Marine Corpsmen were convicted of
rape. According to many reports, however, these conviction numbers in no way
reflect the actual number of incidents.</span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the Persian Gulf War,
twenty</span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‐</span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">four female American military personnel were subjected to
rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault by American military men, according to
official records.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/rape-by-military-personnel">Answers.com</a></span></span></span><br /></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;color: #111111;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The problem here is our government's policies
and how they are structured.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
military pretty much gets to do whatever it wants when it comes to
prosecuting and punishing its own (which is usually minimal, if not at all). There has never been any true statistics as to how many civilians and service women and men have been attacked, how many reported or not reported, and so on. As far as I am concerned, one attack is horrifying in itself.</span></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, this Administration has not been very big on handling legal issues in a jurisprudential manner that protects its citizens' constitutional rights (see </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.truthout.org/article/rape-hobbles-bush-administration-policies">Rape
Hobbles Bush Administration Policies</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">). Instead of being "in shock and awe" and responding with "jaw dropping" rhetoric, we need to do something and do it soon before our military loses all its credibility. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sexual assault and rape of
women in countries where US military forces are stationed must be stopped, as
must the rape of one in three women in the </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">US</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> military by their fellow
military service members.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is
disturbing is how poorly this problem is being handled. Those in positions of
authority from junior NCOs to the stars at the top of the food chain need to be
held personally accountable. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: Arial;">That's it for now. Check out more articles in the <a href="http://rabblerouserforumnews.blogspot.com/">POLITICS</a> and <a href="http://rabblerouserforumart.blogspot.com/">MEDIA/ARTS</a> sections. See you next week!</span></div>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-3521081039347793272008-08-08T15:00:00.005-04:002008-08-11T11:49:32.304-04:00Who's Really Running Iraq?<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by Patrick Cockburn, </span></span><a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/patrick08022008.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CounterPunch,</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> August 2, 2008</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">American politicians and journalists have repeatedly made the same mistake in Iraq over the past five years. This is to assume that the United States is far more in control of events in the country than has ever truly been the case. This was true after the fall of Saddam Hussein when President Bush and his viceroy in Baghdad, Paul Bremer, believed that what Iraqis thought and did could safely be ignored. Within months, guerrilla war against American forces was raging across central Iraq.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ability of America to make unilateral decisions in Iraq is diminishing by the month, but the White House was still horrified to hear Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki appearing to endorse Barack Obama's plan for the withdrawal of American combat troops over 16 months.<br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This cut the ground from under the feet of John McCain, who has repeatedly declared that "victory" is at last within America's grasp because of the great achievements of "the Surge," the American reinforcements sent to Iraq in 2007 to regain control of Baghdad. >><a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/patrick08022008.html">READ MORE</a></span></div>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-47828053452393696712008-08-08T14:45:00.004-04:002008-08-11T11:47:32.480-04:00Corporate America Prepares for Battle Against Worker Campaign to Roll Back Assault on the Middle Class<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">by Joshua Holland, </span><a href="http://www.alternet.org/workplace/94004/corporate_america_prepares_for_battle_against_worker%20_campaign_to_roll_back_assault_on_the_middle_class_/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">AlterNet</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">, August 8, 2008. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Big business has prepared a war chest of at least $150 million to stop one of the most progressive pieces of economic legislation in decades.
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SJyXZhBi6qI/AAAAAAAAANU/7dTyEjKthIk/s1600-h/corporatepark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: left;background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SJyXZhBi6qI/AAAAAAAAANU/uWPYYbviEA0/s320-R/corporatepark.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial;" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is nothing more terrifying to corporate America than the prospect of dealing with its workforce on an even playing field, and, along with allies on the Right, it's pulling out all the stops to keep that from happening. At stake is much more than the usual tax breaks, trade deals and relentless deregulation; corporations are gearing up for a fight to preserve a status quo in which the largest share of America's national income goes to profits and the smallest share to wages since the Great Depression -- in fact, since the government started tracking those figures.
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There will be many heated legislative battles if 2008 shakes out with larger Congressional majorities for Democrats and an Obama White House -- fights over war and peace, energy policy, health care reform and immigration. But it may be a bill that many Americans have never heard of that sparks the most pitched battle Washington has seen since the Civil Rights Act. It's called the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) -- a measure that would go a long way toward guaranteeing working people the right to join a union if they so choose -- and it has the potential to reverse more than three decades of painful stagflation, with prices rising and paychecks flat, for America's middle class and working poor. >><a href="http://www.alternet.org/workplace/94004/corporate_america_prepares_for_battle_against_worker%20_campaign_to_roll_back_assault_on_the_middle_class_/">READ MORE</a></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-71406050073236136752008-07-29T10:28:00.003-04:002008-07-28T21:17:50.468-04:00ON THE FRONT: Obama for President of the World and Other Interesting News Items<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SI3j93TGWBI/AAAAAAAAALY/Rv2-SClTw50/s1600-h/obama+germany.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SI3j93TGWBI/AAAAAAAAALY/hnt1D9IDb28/s320-R/obama+germany.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" /></a><br />
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Here is a quick wrap-up of news items that have caught my eye: </div>
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I never thought in my lifetime I would witness an African American successfully step to the center of the world stage. People overseas, who have been closely following the presidential election, are excited at the prospects of an Obama Presidency. Not only are leaders from around the world thrilled with Obama, as reported by <a href="http://www.politico.com/">POLITICO</a>'s Ben Smith, "<a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/12062.html%20">Everybody wants a piece of Obama</a>," interestingly, the naysayers, who initially challenged Obama into taking an overseas trip in the first place, are now "tripping" from it's success. <a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/">CROOKS & LIARS</a>' Steve Benen points out this ludicrousy in his piece, "<a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/07/25/maybe-it-has-something-to-do-with-leading-the-free-world-again/" rel="bookmark">Maybe it has something to do with leading the free world again</a>." Michael Cohen at <a href="http://democracyarsenal.org/">DEMOCRACY ARSENAL</a> question those who are taking a "more gimlet-eyed view" at Obama's trip in "<a href="http://democracyarsenal.org/">Americans and the World</a>."
And Frank Rich of the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/">NEW YORK TIMES</a> provides a full analysis of Obama's trip and its impact on the international community in "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/opinion/27rich.html?_r=1&oref=slogin">How Obama became Acting President</a>." Poor John McCain, he doesn't know what to do with himself!</div>
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Recently, an old argument has resurfaced regarding censorship of war photographs. In <a href="http://www.talkleft.com/">TALK LEFT's</a> "<a href="http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/7/26/11712/2022">Censoring Pictures of the Dead in Iraq</a>," they ask the question, "If things are going as swimmingly in Iraq as John McCain would like us to believe, why is the military so desperate to control the visual message?" The <a href="http://www.turkishweekly.net/">TURKISH WEEKLY</a> (a Turkish newsource in English language mainly on international politics) recently published, "<a href="http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=57019">Say 'No' to Censorship: A War Photographer's Fight for Truth</a>," bringing to light Zoriah, an internationally acclaimed photojournalist who is being harassed by the military for shooting and publishing powerfully potent photos from the Middle East.</div>
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Finally, the horrible killings of Hafd Abood, a 57-year old Iraqi banker and his two female colleagues by US troops on the Baghdad airport road remains, at best. under the MSM's radar. The question of how US troops can "accidentally" kill civilians remain a key issue in the Iraq war. <a href="http://amleft.blogspot.com/">AMERICAN LEFTIST</a> has been keeping tags on this investigation in its continuing piece, "<a href="http://amleft.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_amleft_archive.html">Free Fire Zone Iraq</a>."</div>
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See you next time ON THE FRONT. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-65719271112016276172008-07-28T11:13:00.004-04:002008-07-28T14:29:21.515-04:00McCain: Nothing More Than an Albatross<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 95, 6);">
<font size="4"><b>Column for 27 July, 2008</b></font></div>
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<font size="2">by <a href="http://thelocalcrank.blogspot.com/2008/07/column-for-27-july-2008.html">The Local Crank</a>, July 27, 2008 </font></div>
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“Be strong and be courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.”</div>
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--Joshua 1:6</div>
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<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SI4PvvA_H4I/AAAAAAAAALo/hTJugvuS0LY/s1600-h/john_mccain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SI4PvvA_H4I/AAAAAAAAALo/Z7vVWF5m66I/s200-R/john_mccain.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" /></a>It
is rapidly becoming evident that John McCain is the albatross leading
the GOP to what may well be a historic electoral whooping, in spite of
the obsequious fawning of the Mainstream Media, which grants him a pass
on every misstatement or flat-out lie. When McCain confused Sunnis and
Shiites (several times), when he falsely stated that Hurricane Katrina
spilled “not one drop” of oil, when he claimed the so-called “Anbar
Awakening” was the result of the Surge (it actually began half a year
before the Surge), when he forgot that the “Iraq-Pakistan border” is
called Iran; in every instance, the supposedly liberal media scurried
to cover McCain’s back. CBS even edited its own footage of McCain to
cover his Anbar gaffe. To some extent, this media boot-licking is a
function of the “man bites dog” meme; to the media, an election isn’t
newsworthy unless it’s a horse race. Recent state-by-state polls have
given Obama 300+ electoral votes, but the coverage is all about “voter
doubts” over Obama. >><a href="http://thelocalcrank.blogspot.com/2008/07/column-for-27-july-2008.html">Read More</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-407294969884114082008-07-27T12:57:00.015-04:002008-07-29T02:18:38.498-04:00The Color Line Online<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<font size="2">Here is a great report on black bloggers which has been in the back of my mind for quite some time. Below is an excerpt:</font></div>
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<font size="2">by Amy Alexander, <a href="http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080804/alexander">The Nation</a>, July 16, 2008 </font></div>
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<font size="2"><i>This article appeared in the August 4, 2008 edition of The Nation</i></font></div>
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<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SI4QK87DVII/AAAAAAAAALw/5NDJIWdPTgE/s1600-h/computerblackhand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SI4QK87DVII/AAAAAAAAALw/5tAT_iAZ3C0/s200-R/computerblackhand.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" /></a>"The blogosphere is like the real world in many ways," says Chris Rabb, founder of <a href="http://afro-netizen.com/">Afro-Netizen.com</a>, a blog focusing on African-American news, information and activism. "Some of the same obstacles, challenges and inequalities that exist in the real world exist in the blogosphere, too." In 2004, for example, Rabb was the only blogger with a predominantly African-American readership to receive credentials for the Democratic National Convention. This raised concerns among black bloggers that a cyber-hierarchy was emerging, and the nascent "A-list" blogs --<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/">The Huffington Post</a>, <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/%20">DailyKos</a> and <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/">Talking Points Memo</a> -- all seemed to reflect a white middle-class orientation. And that the DNC, by failing to credential more than one African-American blogger, validated that "A-list." </div>
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Of course, there aren't supposed to be any "bosses" in cyberspace. And yes, the landscape has changed with the launch of several high-profile blogs and websites by and for people of color. I am an occasional contributor to some of them, including <a href="http://theroot.com/">TheRoot.com</a>, which is backed in part by the Washington Post Newsweek Interactive and was co-founded by Harvard black studies professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. The independent <a href="http://blackcommentator.com/">BlackCommentator.com</a> has also provided a forum for lively commentary by people of color. Moreover, this year's mid-July meeting of the YearlyKos Convention--now called <a href="http://www.netrootsnation.org/">Netroots Nation</a>--boasts a lineup of panelists and speakers that includes dozens of black, Latino, Asian, gay and working-class bloggers and activists. Markos Moulitsas, founder of <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/%20">DailyKos</a>, said in an e-mail interview that anyone who criticizes his site, or the blogosphere in general, on grounds of racial exclusion simply does not understand the nature of the beast. "It's an open medium. Anyone can participate, and in fact, 95 percent of the time we have no idea if a participant [at DailyKos] is white, black, brown, female, male, gay, straight, left-handed, right-handed, or ambidextrous," Moulitsas wrote, adding that <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/%20">DailyKos</a> is separate from the <a href="http://netsrootsnation.org/">Netroots Nation</a> annual gathering.</div>
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The DNC has also stepped up its outreach efforts to blogs and websites run by people of color. It issued more than a dozen credentials to ethnic bloggers for this year's convention, according to spokesman Damon Jones--although those credentials were granted after some black bloggers, including Wayne Hicks of <a href="http://elecvillage.com/">ElecVillage.com</a> and Pam Spaulding of <a href="http://pamshouseblend.com/">PamsHouseBlend.com</a>, wrote highly critical posts about having been excluded from the first round. </div>
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In economic terms, the entrepreneurial, run-it-from-your-garage nature of the blogosphere limits the likelihood that many people of color can devote themselves full time to building a site or blog. The business model of blogs-- small staffs, modest digs, no- or low-pay contributors--shuts out those who don't have the financial resources to allow them to survive by blogging alone. "How many of us can afford to sleep on someone's couch and survive on Cheetos for five years while you're working on your blog, building it up?" asks Rabb of Afro-Netizen.
Compounding that cold-hard-cash reality, at least for journalists of color who've made careers in traditional media, is sometimes an unfamiliarity, or even discomfort, with the pungent advocacy that characterizes much of the blogosphere. The professional identities of black journalists like myself developed under the strictures of "objective" journalism, though we also learned from experience how to cover news that mattered to historically underrepresented communities. The <a href="http://nabj.org/">NABJ</a>, the largest professional trade group for journalists of color, was founded in 1975, in large part because of the desire to protect black journalists within the industry--by providing technical training and guidance on surviving the politics of predominantly white news organizations. Yet the NABJ and the two other leading ethnic professional groups, for Latino and Asian journalists, have so far been powerless to protect their members from the rampant downsizing taking place in the news business--or to help them crack the emerging hierarchy of blogs.</div>
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Nonetheless, bloggers of color--many of whom are not journalists--are getting busy building their sites, often beneath the radar. Historians will mark 2008 as the year a presidential candidate, Barack Obama, capitalized on the vast reach of the Internet to build a powerful fundraising and information network into his campaign. Yet progressives who have been enthralled with Obama's Internet presence should know that it is rooted not just in the algorithms, e-mail lists or social networking framework of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/%20">DailyKos</a> or <a href="http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/%20">TPM</a>; it grows also from a community of independent black, women and Latino bloggers who have quietly built a parallel activist universe. </div>
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Gina McCauley, a 32-year-old Austin lawyer who organized the <a href="http://bloggingwhilebrown.com/">Blogging While Brown </a>conference, cites some of the same motivations that led to the founding of the NABJ: a need to protect and secure its members within the larger industry. She conceived the conference last year, "after a lot of black bloggers I know complained that they weren't included in some other big blog conventions." How could that be, I asked, if the freewheeling, open-source nature of the Internet is supposed to be inherently inclusive? "Well, some folks that I know said that they felt shut out of the YearlyKos conference, and even the <a href="http://www.blogher.com/%20">BlogHer</a> meeting," McCauley said, referring to the previous incarnation of Netroots Nation and to a smaller blog community built around women, which held its first conference three years ago.
"So I thought, Well, the solution to that is simple: we need to hold our own conference," she said. >><a href="http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080804/alexander">Read More</a></div>
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<font size="4"><b>Blogging While Brown News and Notes</b></font></div>
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<font size="2">by Pam Spaulding, <a href="http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=6271">Pam's House Blend</a>, July 26, 2008</font></div>
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I just want to share some of my notes and impressions of Blogging While Brown sessions to give folks an idea of the range of topics and initiatives we're discussing. Most of the liveblogging will be below the fold.<br />
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<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SI60Hm_DX7I/AAAAAAAAANI/PwJeqBByEK8/s1600-h/BWB2008Group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SI60Hm_DX7I/AAAAAAAAANI/R6ZaSkxpwp0/s200-R/BWB2008Group.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" /></a>9:45 AM: I'm sitting in the World Congress Center with Wayne Hicks of Electronic Village and Carmen Dixon of All About Race and we're discussing how the presidential race shouldn't even be close -- McCain is such a weak, tired candidate, truly worthy of the moniker McSame, with a hair-trigger temper to boot.</div>
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9:50 AM: The importance of Net Neutrality is being discussed by Jordan of FreePress, touting support for the bipartisan HR5353. >><a href="http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=6271">Read More</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-6023596833266501532008-07-15T17:35:00.001-04:002008-07-15T18:18:01.172-04:00Hillary's Failing: It Was All Someone Else's Fault<b>by Gabrielle David, a</b><b> Huffington Post Exclusive </b><br />
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<b>IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS</b>, we've been hearing that women and erstwhile
Hillary Clinton supporters are ticked off she didn't win the Democratic
Presidential nomination. They are especially angered by what they
consider sexist news coverage, and that the Democratic "machine" did
not support her wholeheartedly. Many have threatened to make a stink at
the Democratic convention to push for a Clinton vice presidency; others
have stated that they'd rather vote for John McCain than for the
Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, some refusing to vote at all.<br />
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<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SH0iAJq4hrI/AAAAAAAAAJo/FFWmmbp7vIE/s1600-h/hillary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SH0iAJq4hrI/AAAAAAAAAJo/ihkjqK4KL7I/s320-R/hillary.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" /></a>There are many ideas floating around about why Hillary Clinton
failed in her quest to become the first woman president of the United
States. Hillary's vote for the Iraq War and how she handled the
fall-out has been seen by many as a major blunder going into the race,
but there were other issues that culminated into her failed candidacy.
It's no secret in my immediate circle that I was never hot for Hillary
and I've said for years that her nomination would be a bad idea. This,
of course, is my opinion. For those who backed Hillary and continue to
believe that she is the better candidate, I bear no grudge -- this is
America where everyone is entitled to their own opinion and preference
for a particular candidate. What I don't understand is how Hillary
supporters insist that their candidate was treated unjustly by
continuing to grind the "woman's vote" and "sexist coverage" into the
ground, giving teeth to an issue that doesn't jibe with what actually
happened to Hillary's campaign and her role in it. >><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gabrielle-david/hillarys-failing-it-was-a_b_112763.html">Read More</a><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-43047850014646374462008-07-14T01:33:00.006-04:002008-07-14T02:06:25.070-04:00<font size="4" style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);"><b><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Afghanistan: Bombing in Kabul</span></b></font><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">by Joshua Foust, <a href="http://globalvoicesonline.org/">Global Voices</a>, July 9th, 2008</span><br />
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<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SHrmiwEJNbI/AAAAAAAAAI4/ni5a12mrg8Q/s1600-h/Afghanbomb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SHrmiwEJNbI/AAAAAAAAAI4/NLmjz2dTp6g/s320-R/Afghanbomb.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" /></a><div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">There was a massive suicide bombing at the Indian Embassy in Kabul Monday, killing upwards of 40 people and injuring hundreds more. Many expats and locals are confused at why the crowds near the Indian embassy— which resides on a pleasant and well guarded street by most accounts filled with bookstores and shops—were targeted for destruction. Local bloggers have reacted quite strongly to the attack, as it carries some complex geopolitical implications.</div><br />
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<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Sanjar notes that the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, and posts some disturbing pictures of the aftermath. He even makes the importance point that it is not just the Taliban who kills scores of civilians in bombing attacks—the U.S. and NATO do as well, sometimes with far greater frequency. >><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/%20http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/07/09/afghanistan-bombing-in-kabul/">Read More </a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-77396334785874926732008-07-14T01:22:00.002-04:002008-07-14T02:58:56.483-04:00<div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"></div>
<font size="4" style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);"><b><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Katrina Trailer Makers Defend Record in Congressional Testimony</span></b></font><br />
<font size="1"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/health/july-dec08/trailers_07-10.html" style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Onlne News Hour/PBS</a></font><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font size="1">, July 10, 2008 </font> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Four companies -- Gulf Stream, Forest River, Keystone and Pilgrim International -- testified in a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform as part of a probe into allegations that the materials used to build the trailers contained health hazards.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">"[Gulf Stream] found pervasive formaldehyde contamination in its trailers, and it didn't tell anyone," committee chairman Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said, according to the Associated Press.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">But Republican lawmakers defended the companies, blaming the trailers' problems on unclear federal regulations on acceptable formaldehyde levels. >></span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/health/july-dec08/trailers_07-10.html" style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Read More</a> <br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-82476111396842350552008-07-14T01:17:00.004-04:002008-07-14T03:00:32.233-04:00<font size="4" style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);"><b><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Lugar: Withdrawn Iraq troops could go to Afghanistan</span></b></font><br />
<font size="1"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">by Klaus Marre, <a href="http://www.thehill.com/">The Hill</a>, July 13, 2008</span></font><br />
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<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">With the White House discussing the possibility of withdrawing additional troops from Iraq, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) said Sunday those forces might need to be shifted to Afghanistan where he sees the need for military personnel as “intense.”</div><br />
<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SHriUa8whfI/AAAAAAAAAIo/wf3wqEB8Syg/s1600-h/iraq-soldiers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="166" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SHriUa8whfI/AAAAAAAAAIo/bxgt4a6ytu4/s320-R/iraq-soldiers.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" width="257" /></a>
<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">“The battles on the border with Pakistan, with the al Qaeda forces assisted by the Taliban are a source of more killing of American troops right now than anything occurring in Iraq,” Lugar said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”</div><br />
<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Discussions over further force reductions have increased this week, fueled by reports that President Bush is considering speeding up the troop withdrawal in the fall. In addition, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for the first time pushed the U.S. for a timetable indicating when U.S. forces would leave the country. >><a href="http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/lugar-withdrawn-iraq-troops-could-go-to-afghanistan-2008-07-13.html">Read More</a> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-2919181005688262312008-07-11T23:10:00.005-04:002008-07-14T00:45:37.362-04:00<b style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);"><font size="4"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Is McCain trying to lose the Latino vote?</span></font></b><br />
<font size="1"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">By Gerry Vázquez, <a href="http://americantaino.blogspot.com/">American Taino</a>, July 10, 2008</span></font><br />
<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">If he isn't -- and he really, honestly wants at least a W '00 size Latino vote this fall, he has a funny way of </span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">showing it.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SHgh7RJBokI/AAAAAAAAAF4/Xyy0zIUAu0s/s1600-h/mccain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SHgh7RJBokI/AAAAAAAAAF4/PRsizdJeuuU/s200-R/mccain.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Consider that McCain was for fixing the U.S. immigration system when he needed Latino votes in his U.S. Senate contests in Arizona--a cause he promptly abandoned this year in his quest for the nomination of a nativist GOP.</div><br />
<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">McCain follows that insult with his speech at the NALEO conference in which he first berates his Latino hosts for </span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">not giving him a townhall speaking format. (Later in his speech a few of the attendees returned the favor by </span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">heckling McCain as a flip-flopper.) >><a href="http://americantaino.blogspot.com/2008/07/is-mccain-trying-to-lose-latino-vote.html"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Read More</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-64785311228685352152008-07-11T22:54:00.013-04:002008-07-14T00:41:59.651-04:00<b style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);"><font size="4"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">After Houston complaint, Wal-Mart pulls comic bookStore apologizes to blacks offended by main character</span></font></b><br />
<font size="1"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">by Neil Stratton, <a href="http://www.chron.com/">Houston Chronicle</a>, July 10, 2008</span></font><br />
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<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SHrS2M2y3nI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/kte-zC5lF28/s1600-h/Memin_pinguin_comic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SHrS2M2y3nI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/o3xedvCGnYw/s200-R/Memin_pinguin_comic.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" /></a><div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">The black comic book character Memín Pinguín — whose face resembles a monkey — is hugely popular in Mexico, but its stereotypical image has proven to be too offensive for some north of the border.</div><br />
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<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Wal-Mart announced Wednesday it will no longer sell the controversial comic book featuring Memín. The national chain recently made the comic book available in its stores as part of a series of Spanish-language titles. The books prompted outrage this week from community activist Quanell X, who demanded that Wal-Mart apologize for selling the racially charged books. >><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/%20http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5879616.html%20">Read More</a> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1460520318366034264.post-23893750584696041312008-07-11T22:25:00.003-04:002008-07-14T02:53:38.932-04:00<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><b style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">Jackson Barks, but Does He Still Have Bite?</b></font> </div>
<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font size="1">by Patrick Healy, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/">New York Times</a>, July 11, 2008<br /></font></div>
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<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">It used to be called “the Jesse Jackson problem”: Democratic presidential candidates fearing they would lose black votes if they got on Mr. Jackson’s bad side, given the influence he accrued as a civil rights activist and his history-making races for the White House in 1984 and 1988.</div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SHqtMqV0jsI/AAAAAAAAAIA/aKssm1NrhAc/s1600-h/jesse-jackson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_A2xb2T2uJeE/SHqtMqV0jsI/AAAAAAAAAIA/S8ZlR_tagTE/s200-R/jesse-jackson.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" /></a>But if his recent critical comments about Senator Barack Obama prove anything, Democrats and political scientists said Thursday, it is that a Jesse problem these days can actually help a candidate like Mr. Obama — with white voters who have questions about whether Mr. Obama shares their values, and with black voters who see Mr. Jackson as a figure of the past. >><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/us/politics/11jackson.html?em&amp;amp;amp;amp;ex=1215921600&amp;amp;amp;amp;en=2a8f9441067cee85&amp;amp;amp;amp;ei=5087%0A">Read More</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">RABBLE ROUSER'S FORUM: Where dissent is welcome!</div>G. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829616563844071627noreply@blogger.com0