tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17578993381459169922024-03-15T05:16:19.081-04:00WANDERINGSMedia / Pop Culture / Social IssuesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.comBlogger280125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-31235315618668801912017-01-21T10:33:00.001-05:002017-01-21T10:33:50.979-05:00A Cabinet Made for Rich Anglos<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">By
Walter Brasch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Donald Trump,
the billionaire real estate investor who began his run for the presidency and
was one of the clowns who campaigned on promises that couldn’t be kept and fear
that enveloped his core base, is now President Trump. Hillary Clinton
accumulated about three million more votes than Trump, but the Trump campaign
focused upon the Electoral College that gave him the presidency.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> To see what’s
ahead for the country and the Trump–Pence administration, it’s necessary to
look at his cabinet, which reflects who Trump is. During the presidential race,
the billionaire who pretended he was an outsider to politics who would
represent the middle class now appointed an entire cabinet of millionaires and
a handful of billionaires. For the first time in three decades there are no
Hispanics in the cabinet. Trump probably searched for one but couldn’t find even
one distinguished among the 55 million in the U.S. Most of the cabinet are rich
white men who are right-wing conservatives who don’t agree with 97 percent of
climate scientists that there is a frightening trend of global warming, but still
support fossil fuel extraction, and have little experience for their jobs, but
contributed significant funds for Trump’s election and are loyal to him. This isn’t new in politics, but the enormity
of a cabinet that reflects Trump’s lifestyle and worldviews is over whelming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Let’s start
with his choice for Secretary of State. Rex Tillerson is the billionaire owner
of a gas/oil company who has no regrets when it comes time to build rigs, which
destroy the environment, makes all kind of noises and keeps on its lights on 24
hours a day to mine fossil fuel, but when a 10 story water tower was proposed
near Tilllerson’s home in Texas, he objected because he said it obstructed his
view. Tillerson has no government experience and little experience dealing with
foreign governments, unlike Hillary Clinton and John Kerry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Scott Pruitt is
Trump’s choice for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. As the
Oklahoma attorney general, Pruitt dissolved the state’s environmental
protection agency, claiming there were far too many regulations by both the
federal and state governments. Both Trump and Pruitt, who believe in fracking,
doubt that climate change and the developing hole in the ozone layer were
caused by people using fossil fuels at a higher rate than at any time in
history. This puts their beliefs contrary to that of about 97 percent of
scientists who claim otherwise. Trump, and presumably Pruitt, believe in the
continued use of coal as a primary energy fuel. His signs, “Trump Digs Coal,”
during the election race appealed to miners in Wyoming, Kentucky, Pennsylvania,
Texas, Illinois, and West Virginia, helping assure a plurality of votes in
those states and Electoral College votes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Ryan Zinke, who
has a degree in geology and 12 years as a Navy SEAL, will lead the Department
of Interior, where he will undoubtedly open federal land to oil and gas miners.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Betsy DeVos,
the right-wing daughter of a billionaire industrialist, will become the next
Secretary of Education. She never taught in a school, sent her children to
private schools, and has a degree in business administration. She will push for
school choice while trying to learn about federal rules that regulate public
education. Like most of Trump’s cabinet, she has a bias against the LBGT
community and will probably reverse many of President Obama’s policy directives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Most soldiers
do their jobs well, but still have a thread of revulsion about killing enemy
soldiers. The new Secretary of Defense, a distinguished four-star general,
James (“Mad Dog”) Mattis once said, “It’s fun to shoot some people.” John
Kelly, a retired four-star general, will be the Secretary of Defense. He will
probably be strong in keeping citizens of foreign governments out of the U.S.,
but weak in defense of natural disasters. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Jeff Sessions,
who has a history of racism, is Trump’s choice to head the Department of
Justice. Andrew Puzder, CEO of Carl’s and Hardees restaurant chains, is the
Secretary of Labor. With a bias against labor unions, he’s a perfect fit for
the Trump cabinet. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry has little knowledge about
nuclear power plants and, like Trump denies global warming, so it makes sense
to have him become the Secretary of Energy. Perry once spoke out for dissolving
the Department but now says he regrets the comments. For Secretary of Housing
and Urban Development, the new secretary is Ben Carson, a brilliant surgeon who
has no experience in either housing or urban development. Linda McMahon never
owned a small business, but if you’re a pro wrestler, give her a call; she was
president of World Wrestling Federation, the largest pro
wrestling/entertainment organization in the country. She’ll head the Small,
Business Administration.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Tom Price and
David Shulkin, unlike many cabinet members, have experience in their future
roles. Before his confirmation by the Senate to be Secretary of Health and
Human Services, Price was a House member and 19-year orthopedic surgeon. Shulkin,
a physician, will head the Veterans Affairs. His experience includes times as
chief medical officer and dean of schools of medicine.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> As strange as
some of his appointments, the most frightening is his choice of Steve Bannon as
senior adviser. He has degrees from Virginia Tech, Georgetown, and Harvard, a
resume that includes seven years as a naval officer and almost two dozen major
films as a producer. As editor of the Breitbart News, an extreme right-wing
publication, Bannon has also has a history of speaking out against women, Muslims,
and Jews. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-81045703232174147022017-01-14T10:47:00.000-05:002017-01-14T10:50:41.521-05:00Why the State Needs to Increase Taxes<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 12.0pt 24.0pt 4.5in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 12.0pt 24.0pt 4.5in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 12.0pt 24.0pt 4.5in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">by Walter Brasch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 12.0pt 24.0pt 4.5in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b> </b>Pennsylvanians are
justifiably angry at paying the highest gas prices in the nation. The average
price per gallon is $2.65, 27 cents higher than the highest price in the other
49 states. An additional eight cent tax was added this month. Until 2019,
Pennsylvanians will be paying an additional $2.3 billion a year in taxes and
fees—$11.5 billion total—to improve the state’s infrastructure. In addition to
the increased tax on gas at the pumps, Pennsylvania motorists will also be
spending more for license registrations, renewals, and title certificates. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The primary reason for the highest gas price
is because of fracking. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The Tom Corbett administration and
Republican legislature had welcomed gas drillers to the state and gave them
benefits to drill into the Marcellus shale, using a technology that sacrificed
health and the environment for what has proved to be short-term benefits.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Fracking requires as many as 200 truck trips
per day—each truck bringing water, chemicals, or heavy equipment—to each
developing well site. Those trips cause severe damage to roads that were not
built to sustain such traffic.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The secondary reason for the increased cost
of gas is that for far too many years, the state’s politicians of both major
parties, preaching fiscal austerity—and hoping to be re-elected by taxpayers
upset with government spending—neglected the roads, bridges, and other critical
problems. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Although corporations drilling into
Pennsylvania have agreed to fund repairs of roads they travel that have less
than two inches depth of asphalt on them, the fees don’t cover the full cost of
repair. Had the state imposed an
extraction tax on each well, instead of a much-lower impact tax, there would
have been enough money to fund road and bridge repair without additional taxes
for motorists. Every state with shale gas but Pennsylvania has an extraction
tax.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Gov. Wolf, while supporting fracking, wants
stronger regulation of gas extraction and higher fees from the industry to
cover damage to the state’s infrastructure. But in the circle of economics, both
taxpayers and politicians want to “hold the line” on spending. At some point, there is so much deterioration
of the infrastructure that raising taxes is required, leading taxpayers to
complain about higher taxes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> That time is now.<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> [Dr.
Brasch is an award-winning journalist who specializes in social issues. His
latest book is <i>Fracking America</i>.]<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-48526758310387905912016-12-17T12:51:00.000-05:002016-12-17T12:51:19.994-05:00Trumping the Environment<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">by
Walter Brasch</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump
was elected, the environment is going to suffer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Both have supported horizontal fracking,
the destruction of the earth to extract oil and gas. The use of fracking is so
harmful to the environment and public health that numerous banks refuse to lend
funds to individuals who wish to build or sell their houses near drilling operations.
Numerous lenders have also refused to loan money to corporations that wish to
drill. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Hillary Clinton, while secretary of state,
promoted the use of natural gas within foreign countries. In 2010, she told a
meeting of foreign ministers, <span style="background: white;">“Natural gas is
the cleanest fossil fuel available for power generation today.”</span> One
reason for the Obama/Clinton push for natural gas exploration and distribution
in overseas countries is because geopolitics plays “a significant role in
whether a number of gas projects are realized and come online and where
pipelines are built. . . . Individual country decisions about natural gas
resources can <span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">have dramatic impacts on
responses in international discourse,”</span> according to a research analysis
published by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Amy Myers Jaffe and Dr. Meghan L. O’Sullivan, co-editors of the study,
also pointed out, “The relative
fortunes of the United States, Russia and China—and their ability to exert
influence in the world—are tied in no small measure to global gas develop<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">ments and vice versa.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span>In Romania, the Social–Democrats came to
power in 2012 on a promise to ban shale gas drilling. However, <span style="background: white; letter-spacing: -.2pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">following exten</span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">sive lobbying by Clinton, <span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">the Romanian parliament voted against a proposed
fracking moratorium. </span></span>Thousands
of Romanians, many of them farmers, later protested Chevron’s 30-year lease
with the government to resume drilling. The
protests in Summer 2013 led the government to send in the national police to
suppress the citizens’ rights of assembly and freedom of expression. <span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Clinton does support stronger
environmental laws and an increase in the budget for drinking and wastewater
systems, and several other environmental measures, and now believes in a
moratorium on fracking on federal land in the U.S. She still believes natural
gas is a “bridge fuel” to cleaner energy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: -31.5pt 12.0pt .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Trump wants to make desalination of ocean
water more affordable and has presented some environmentally-friendly
proposals, but his overall environmental policy diminishes in comparison to that
of Clinton and most environmentalists. The incoming president’s environment
record is “one of the most stridently anti-environment platforms of any recent
major party nominee,” according to the 2.4 million member Natural Resources
Development Council.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: -31.5pt 12.0pt .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The
incoming president says he would approve the last segments of the 1,959 mile Keystone
XL pipeline. <span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">TransCanada
is an Alberta-based corporation that is building</span> the controversial pipeline that will carry bitumen—thicker, more
corrosive and toxic than crude oil—through 36-inch diameter pipes from Alberta
tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast, almost all of it to be exported. The northern leg of
the $7 billion pipeline was held up until President Obama either succumbed to
corporate and business pressures or blocked the construction because of
environmental and health issues. There will be only a couple of dozen permanent
jobs for U.S. citizens if the pipeline is completed, and the President vetoed
legislation from the Republican Congress to accelerate construction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: -31.5pt 12.0pt .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The
pipeline would add about 240 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
every year, according to Environment America. To complete the pipeline, the Canadian
corporation used the right of eminent domain, which allows government to seize
private property and pay a fair market share to the owner if it is in the
public good, including building highways and bridges. The pipeline primarily
benefits a foreign nation and a private corporation, does not benefit American
workers, and has already caused significant disruption of the environment and
animal biodiversity. Trump claims eminent domain is necessary but erroneously
says that it’s because the government is paying as much as ten times the value
of the property. He supports private industry being able to dictate the seizure
of land.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: -31.5pt 12.0pt .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Trump announced he would rescind the Clean Power
Plan and end a moratorium on leasing federal coal reserves to private
enterprise. Thousands of signs—“Trump Digs Coal”—began appearing during the
final two months of Trump’s march to the presidency. He claims that digging for
coal will preserve jobs and is a source of energy. However, jobs in the
renewable energy industry now exceed those in the fossil fuel industry, and
coal miners can become renewable energy technicians. Numerous scientists have
determined that mining and burning coal has been a contributing factor in the
expansive hole in the earth’s ozone layers that protect the planet from deadly ultraviolet
radiation from the sun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: -31.5pt 12.0pt .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Trump claims wind farms and solar energy are
unproven, although dozens of large scale operations have been developed over
the past decade, with Iowa producing 20 percent of its energy needs solely from
renewable energy, and other states escalating their renewable programs. He
claims renewable energy is “very expensive,” but neglects facts that reveal
renewable energy costs are now matching those of fossil fuel costs, and are
continuing to plunge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Trump opposes increased environmental
regulation and fracking, and believes the Dakota Pipeline, which is currently
being protested by Native Americans, is necessary. Unlike 97 percent of climate
scientists who believe climate change is the result of humans using fossil
fuels, Trump believes climate change is a hoax “created by and for the
Chinese,” and that the numbers fluctuate. <span class="s1">Anthony Scaramucci, </span>one of his senior advisors, in June declared climate
change to be “irrefutable [and]<span class="s1"> tragic that some people think it’s a hoax,” </span>but during this past week after being
appointed to the transition team said he didn’t know if climate change is
occurring. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> He wants to significantly cut back the
Environmental Protection Agency. His choice to be EPA director, Scott Pruitt,
opposes the EPA, has sued the EPA numerous times, believes global warming is a
hoax, disregards the finding of
environmentalists and other scientists of a connection between fracking and
water pollution, fracking and air pollution, and fracking and earthquakes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Trump’s choice of secretary of state is
Rex Tillerson, multi-millionaire CEO of ExxonMobil, who believes in risk
management <span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">practices</span> that allow
fracking and other dangerous oil/gas extraction to proceed if they are
economical and don’t exceed projected pay-out costs for damage to the
environment and for health care as a result of drilling. This is the same Rex
Tillerson who protested a proposed 160-foot water tower that would be used for
fracking operations. The reason why Tillerson opposed the tower was because it
was near his home and, he says, would have obstructed his view. He has no
problems with ten-story rigs, and noise and light pollution affecting residents
by ExxonMobil carving up the environment, often using eminent domain as a way
to bisect private property and public forests to open up drilling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Sen. Bernie Sanders, who lost the
Democratic nomination to Clinton, and Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party’s
nominee, want a moratorium placed on fracking and stricter enforcement of
current regulation to preserve federal lands and to protect private property
and owner rights. They and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson were the most
environmentally-aware candidates for the presidency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Johnson, the Libertarian Party’s nominee, campaigned
to assure “strict accountability, not government agency and arbitrary
standards, should regulate pollution.” He opposes governments, which he calls
“the biggest polluters of the environment” and corporations, which embed
government fines within increased costs to the consumer. Companies, said
Johnson, don’t have the incentives “to be stewards of the environment [and]
instead are able to stagnate as long as profits are protected by limited
liability laws.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Nevertheless, the protection that Sanders,
Stein, and Johnson would have given to protect the environment will be
subverted by policies preached by President Trump. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <b>[Dr.
Brasch’s latest book is the critically-acclaimed <i>Fracking America: Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term
Economic Benefits</i>.]</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-85061873817961525592016-12-10T14:31:00.000-05:002016-12-10T14:31:22.361-05:00Music, Politics, and Hillary Clinton <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">by
Walter Brasch</span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Five years before the Civil War, Benjamin
R. Hanby, a student at Otterbein College, composed “Darlin’ Nelly Gray,” an
upbeat ballad from the perspective of runaway slave Joseph Selby whose wife was
taken from him. Proceeds from the song would be used to try to buy Nelly Gray’s
freedom, but Selby never saw her after she was forcibly returned to harsh labor
in Georgia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Hanby, an abolitionist active in
the Underground Railroad, would become pastor in the Church of the United
Brethren in Christ, and compose about 60 more songs, the most famous being the
Christmas jingle, “Up on the House Top.”
But it was “Nelly Gray” that had the most impact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Chorus<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="background: white;">Oh, my poor Nellie Gray, they have taken you away</span></i><i><br />
<span style="background: white;">And I’ll never see my darling anymore</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">I’m a-sittin’ by the river and I’m weeping all
the day</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">For you’ve gone from the old Kentucky shore.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<i><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">~~~~~~~~<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Almost
a century later, Bob, John, and Billy Jack Wills modified the music slightly,
stripped out the lyrics of “Nelly Gray” and replaced it with a similar and
updated set of lyrics. “Faded Love” would become a foundation of western swing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Chorus<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I miss you darlin’, more and more every day</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">As heaven would miss the stars above</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">With every heartbeat, I still think of you</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">And remember our faded love.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">~~~~~~~~<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> It’s
been a month since Donald Trump won enough Electoral College votes to become
the president-elect. During this past month, he trampled upon foreign affairs
by engaging in discussion with the president of Taiwan, engaged in domestic
affairs by unilaterally cancelling construction of a new Boeing 747 for the
president, made questionable nominations for most of his cabinet, danced around
innumerable conflicts of interest, and continued to tweet caustic and generally
irrelevant 140 character messages.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> During
the next few months, Hillary Clinton will be seen less and less in public,
while Trump and his ego will be tweeting, pronouncing, and declaring. Most of
us within the year will probably declare that we miss Hillary Clinton and Lady
Liberty “more and more every day.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">[Dr. Brasch was once a rock musician who
morphed into a journalist. His current book is <i><a href="http://www.greeleyandstone.com/" target="_blank">Fracking America: Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-TermEconomic Benefit</a></i>.]<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">To listen to “Nelly Gray,” click </span></b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4iW4_mkyv8"><b><span style="background: white;">here</span></b></a><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">To listen to “Faded Love,” click </span></b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qASxTCIC3c&t=58s"><b><span style="background: white;">here</span></b></a></span><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-62559113577407921962016-12-02T12:01:00.000-05:002016-12-02T12:01:20.256-05:00Trump Nominee Will Politicize Dept. of Justice<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">by
Walter Brasch</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> In his successful run to the presidency,
Donald Trump spent a lot of time talking about the Second Amendment and
defending gun ownership. He spent very little time talking about the other
amendments, other than to say he supported the Constitution. He knew his core
support came from those who could effortlessly repeat a phrase, “Donald Trump
supports my Second Amendment rights,” without knowing much more than that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> There’s probably a reason why Trump wasn’t
specific about the other rights—he doesn’t know much about the Constitution.
That became apparent this past week when he said he would jail anyone who
burned the flag. However, the Supreme Court, in <i>Texas v. Johnson</i> (1989), ruled that burning the flag is protected
by the First Amendment right of free speech, no matter how hateful or
unpatriotic it may seem. Trump’s tweet was soundly condemned by all media and
civil rights organizations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Trump’s knowledge of the Constitution
isn’t as important as his attorney general’s enforcement of Trump’s political
beliefs. Most attorney generals have been apolitical; Trump’s nomination may
not be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) will face
significant questioning by most Democrats and a few Republican senators during
confirmation hearings. Ronald Reagan withdrew his support for Sessions in 1986
after nominating him for a federal judgeship. The nomination had drawn heated
opposition by numerous groups , individuals, and four Department of Justice
lawyers over Sessions’ history of racially insensitive comments. Among comments
that Sessions made was that the <span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">NAACP, the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the ACLU, and the National Conference
of Churches were un-American.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Sessions says he isn’t a racist. Perhaps that’s accurate, but
let’s see what he said in 2014. In an uninformed opinion about the recruitment
of not-naturalized immigrants into the military, Sessions stated, <span style="color: #444444; letter-spacing: .1pt;">“I just think in terms of who’s going
to be most likely to be a spy: somebody from Cullman, Alabama, or somebody from
Kenya?” Elaborating, he stated, “We don’t have a difficulty getting American
citizens to fill our military slots. That is unbelievable that in a time of
high unemployment and we get a lot of calls — ‘Help my son get in the military.
He’s been turned down, can he get in?’ So I just think this is not the right
thing to do right now.” However, an investigation conducted by the <i>Kansas City Star</i> revealed the problem
wasn’t that the military was turning down American citizens but that the
reduction of ground troops led to increased requirements for recruits and about
80 percent of American citizens who applied were rejected as unfit for service.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #444444; letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"> “Unfit” also applied to the
Klan, which Session says “was OK until I found out they smoked pot.” He claims
he was joking. But he wasn’t joking about his opinion of marijuana. In 2016, he
incorrectly stated, “</span>Good
people don’t smoke marijuana.” Again elaborating on his main theme, the
four-term senator said, <span style="background: white;">“We need grown-ups
in charge in Washington to say marijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to
be legalized, it ought not to be minimized, that it’s in fact a very real
danger.” He opposes sentence reduction and believes in seizing the assets
of those arrested for possession, even before those arrested are convicted, a
distinct civil rights violation to the Constitutional guarantee that persons
arrested are considered to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> He
opposes same-sex marriage, voted against repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell” policy, and believes that the U.S. should be allowed to torture
suspected terrorists.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Sessions
was an early supporter of Trump’s proposal to ban immigration of Muslims to the
United States. He stated there was no vetting process for Syrian refugees, a
claim that wilts in face of the reality that it takes 18 to 24 months of
intensive investigation before immigrants are admitted to the U.S. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;"> Sessions
also argued against the H-1B provision of the Immigration Act that allows
persons who possess significant skills are allowed admission to the U.S. if
there are not a sufficient number of Americans to fill those jobs. The H-1B provision
has often been used to allow physicians and medical workers into the U.S. In
the Senate’s Judicial Committee, Sessions delivered a 30 minute speech about
why there needed to be a ban. </span><span style="background: white; color: #02141f;">“Many people are radicalized after they enter,”
Sessions stated, again inaccurately, and then claimed, “How do we screen for
that possibility, if we cannot even ask about an applicant’s views on religion?
Would we forbid questions about politics? Or theology?” However, the
Constitution and Supreme Court interpretations of the Constitution are specific
in stating that there can be no religious test for immigrants—before or after
admission to the U.S. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #02141f;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> An attorney general has wide latitude on
whom he or she prosecutes or doesn’t prosecute, or what terms are acceptable on
plea bargains. With Jeff Sessions as attorney general, there is every
probability that there will be an overhaul of career staff who are apolitical,
of the prosecution of certain crimes at the expense of other crimes, and the
refusal to pursue many civil rights violations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #02141f;"> </span><b><span style="background: white; color: #02141f;">[Dr. Brasch is an award-winning social
issues/investigative journalist who has covered government and politics for
four decades. His latest book is <i>Fracking
America: Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit</i>.]<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-49154501846111989592016-11-25T09:37:00.001-05:002016-11-25T09:39:36.093-05:00President Trump: The Name Should Be Endorsed By All Americans<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">by
Walter Brasch</span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> When Sen.
Barack Obama was running for the presidency and for most of his two terms, the
Tea Party right-wing claimed he was born in Kenya, that he was a radicalized
Muslim, and was unfit to be president. The rise of the Tea Party led to a rise
of racist ideology and an increase of violence during political rallies.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> After Sen.
Obama’s election, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Senate majority leader, said the
Republicans’ primary direction was solely to block whatever the new President
wanted to do. Other Republicans chimed in that President Obama was out to
destroy the country. The country did not destruct under the Obama
Administration. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Among the many
policies that were enacted during President Obama’s two terms were a
significant improvement of the economy, an expansion of wilderness areas,
increased nutrition programs for public schools, a bail-out of the auto
industry, an elimination of the torture policies of the Bush–Cheney
administration, and a reduction of U.S. forces in Iraq. Equally as important as
dozens of programs to benefit Americans in the lower- and middle-classes, and
improve health care and the environment, was that he avoided any scandal.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> During the
primaries and general election, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton engaged
in the most vicious and poisonous campaign in recent history, while dealing
with scandals and dancing around facts. President-elect Trump now calls for
unity. It has little to do with unifying a divided nation and more of a call to
support Trump himself. During President Obama’s first campaign and his two
terms, the conservative hard core declared, “Not <i>our</i> president.” Hopefully the liberals will not similarly respond
and support the President.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> The Obama
administration was staffed with civility and diversity. The Trump campaign was
marked by a profanity-spewing fear-mongering leader and a staff of largely rich
white males. Trump was usually seen as an angry demagogue, often with a smirk;
in contrast, President Obama was serious when he needed to be, and playful ,
humorous, and joyful at other times. Trump’s mostly outrageous declarations
played to the Tea Party extremists, most of whom had lost any sense of humor
they may have once had. Trump’s public persona helped get him the nomination
and the election. It is a sad and discouraging look at what America has slid
into.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> However, Trump
has reversed some of his more extreme declarations. During the campaign he
proclaimed he would re-institute torture to suspected terrorists, would jail
Hillary Clinton, stated that people don’t contribute to climate change, and
that President Obama was probably a Muslim who co-founded Isis. With the
emerging presidency, he denounced support from the alt-right extreme White
Rights groups, has heaped praise upon both Clinton and Obama, and tacked slightly
more to the center on other issues. He now says the U.S. cannot use torture and
won’t be calling to deport all illegal immigrants. He even softened his
pronouncements about the “lyin’ liberal media.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Trump has
publically acknowledged that he was far more radical during his campaign in
order to get the presidency but that was no longer necessary now that he will
be taking the oath of office in less than three months. His constant flip-flopping does raise the
issue of integrity.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Contrary to his
opinion of himself, Trump will not be one of the greatest presidents, but he
could be a good one if he listens to his advisors, and realizes that although
he won the electoral college victory, Hillary Clinton had almost two million
more voters than he did.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> If President
Trump continues a slow move to the Republican center, the alt-Right hate movement
will continue to disgorge filth and hatred. But there are still Trump’s social
graces. Hopefully, Vice-President Mike Pence, a civil and intelligent
conservative, and some of the Trump advisors might be able to shut down Trump’s
Twitter account and scrub America’s Tasmanian Devil of the anger and hate he
currently expounds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Whatever
happens in the next four years will not result in the deterioration of the
country. Just as all Americans needed to refer to Barack Obama as President
Obama, so should liberals respect the office and refer to Donald Trump as
President Trump.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> <b>[Dr. Brasch
has covered government and politics for more than four decades. His latest of
20 books is <i>Fracking America: Sacrificing
Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit</i>.]<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-6635773428607665462016-11-12T12:15:00.000-05:002016-11-12T12:15:13.677-05:00Donald Trump’s March to the Presidency<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">by Walter Brasch</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The
near-impossible has happened, and Donald Trump is three months from being
President Trump. From local elections to the presidency, this general election
may have been the most vicious since Thomas Jefferson challenged John Adams in
1800. Both major candidates turned to attack ads to enhance their own
campaigns. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b> Donald Trump </b>flourished on the seeds of
hate planted by the Tea Part<b>y, </b>and<b> </b>then<b> </b>played out the dictum of Joseph Goebbels that if you keep telling lies
long enough and blend them with propaganda, they will turn into truth. From the
moment he entered the presidential race until his final triumph, he kept
hammering on two themes. The first strategy was to push the premise that under
President Obama the United States had lost its greatness and only Donald Trump
could restore it. To this concoction he then brilliantly added fear to the
mixture. Name a fear—any fear—and and it was probably in Trump’s campaign
rhetoric. The first part of that fear was immigrants bringing drugs and guns
from Mexico and central America; the second part was that Radical Islamic
terrorists were coming to America from the Middle East. He also instilled the
fear that Hillary Clinton would take away the Second Amendment right if she
became president, something no president could do under the Constitution. Finally
he coated his campaign against Hillary Clinton’s with constant Benghazi and e-mail
scandals and kept repeating it at every rally, and he had a product he force fed
to a gullible public. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b> Hillary Clinton</b> improved her
communication with voters near the end of the campaign, but for much of the
campaign she was protected by a phalanx of assistants who kept her unapproachable
except for photo ops. She should have shut down the e-mail and Benghazi
scandals much earlier than she did; several Congressional hearings had already
proved she was not at fault. The flip-flop press conferences by FBI director
James Comey also led the voters to believe she may or may not have been at
fault in both scandals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b> The Libertarian party </b>cut into Trump’s
base<b>, </b>and the<b> Green Party </b>cut into Clinton’s base,<b> </b>but neither was strong enough to cost either candidate the
election. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b> The Establishment Media </b>at first
dismissed Trump’s politics as just another sideshow. But, Trump kept making
outrageous comments, and the media kept acting as his personal mouthpiece
without doing much fact checking any of his rhetoric. Trump boosted his
candidacy by using the media to attack what he continually called the lyin’
liberal media. He gained momentum with each tweet and every rally, proving he
didn’t need the establishment media to arouse a fan base.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b> The Voters </b>allowed<b> </b>themselves to be led by Trump who appealed to their frustration
with establishment politics and their alienation from government. Trump
emphasized he was an outsider, even though he and the SuperPACs were more
inside the beltway politics than most candidates. Trump’s core was white
alienated males who didn’t have college degrees; Clinton’s core was
college-educated men and women.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Each candidate
relied on the power of<b> outside
organizations </b>to further gain traction in the race to the presidency. For
Clinton, it was primarily organized labor; for Trump, it was the Chamber of
Commerce and the NRA. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> By Nov. 8,
almost all polls had predicted Clinton would win the presidency. There was one
problem—they were wrong. They underestimated the strength of rural America and
overestimated the weakness of urban America.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> At the end of
the day Clinton had had more individual voters, but Trump had more electoral
voters and the presidency. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The next
campaign began Nov. 9. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-8772447893544131032016-11-03T16:13:00.000-04:002016-11-03T16:13:57.346-04:00Please Make It Stop <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">by
Walter Brasch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Pennsylvania,
which had been a no-contest state in presidential primaries because of its late
balloting, is a now a swing state with less than a week until the election.
Just about every voter by now has received dozens of robocalls, e-mails,
letters, postcards, and exposure to almost-uncountable TV, digital, satellite,
and social media ads. Most are attack ads, with similar messages. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The ads focus
upon homeland security, taxes, immigration, pro-life/pro-choice, and bringing
jobs back to America. The conservatives have thrown in the phrase “liberal
extremists” in many of their ads in an effort to shock all America to believe
that liberals are somehow tied to Muslim extremists. The liberals are pushing
an agenda that defines the conservatives as greedy plutocrats who have little
thought for the middle class. This election, from local offices to the
presidency may be the dirtiest since 1800 when Thomas Jefferson challenged John
Adams.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Donald Trump,
who has outsourced much of his clothing line and construction materials, now
says if president he will bring jobs back to America, stop illegal immigration,
defeat Isis, repeal Obamacare, lower taxes for families while miraculously
raising the budget for defense, and perform myriad miracle acts that are not
part of a president’s constitutional responsibility. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> On his march to
the presidency, Trump has focused upon Hillary Clinton’s e-mails, a scandal
that isn’t one. Congressional hearings and the FBI have cleared her;
innumerable times, Trump has continued to attack her. Clinton has already
apologized for using a personal e-mail server during her four years as
secretary of state. What turned up among more than 30,000 e-mails is about 55 e-mails
that received a “confidential” tag, the lowest of three classifications, with
another 55 receiving “secret” or “top secret” classification. As a cabinet
officer, and fourth in line of succession, she had the right to classify any
message. A few of the messages came from other agencies. About 2,100 messages
were classified retroactively. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Clinton, still
ahead in numerous polls, has attacked Trump for his crude behavior. One of her
TV ads, which penetrates</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> almost every TV
show, is a fast-paced collage of his many comments; among them, Trump mocks a
disabled reporter, uses obscene language, and treats women as chattel.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Both candidates
call each other unfit to be president, with Clinton asking voters if they
really want Trump to be the person in charge of unleashing the nuclear arsenal,
and Trump asking voters if they want a corrupt liar in the White House. Trump
has also played upon Clinton’s 30 years of public service, linking her as an
insider and him as an outsider to Washington, D.C. politics. The “outsider”
label has been resonating with voters at all levels of the election campaigns
as voters believe they are outsiders, alienated to government, and are willing
to be led by insiders who claim to be outsiders.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The cost of
airing ads by both candidates for the presidency and members of Congress is
more than $4 billion, and that doesn’t include the cost of producing them. More
than $600 million, spread among all major Democratic and Republican candidates
for the presidency, has been spent on broadcast TV ads, according to Borrell
Associates. During the past 21 weeks,
Clinton has spent about $211 million on broadcast TV ads; Trump has spent about
$74 million, according to data compiled by BloombergPolitics. However, Trump
has used both Twitter and free TV time, due to outrageous statements, to equal
Clinton’s campaign. During the final week prior to the election, Trump will
spend $25 million in broadcast TV ads. Clinton and Trump have each secured $5
million in ad time for Pennsylvania TV stations during the final week. The
Trump totals don’t include a $3 million TV ad buy from the NRA, which stokes
the fire of fear that Clinton, if elected president, will violate the Second
Amendment and take guns away from civilians. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> By Tuesday’s
election, it will be doubtful that either Clinton or Trump will know how many
ads were placed by their campaigns or by SuperPACs on their behalf that aired
on broadcast television.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> In the race for
senate from Pennsylvania, Sen. Pat Toomey and Katie McGinty have each attacked
the other for being millionaires. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> With McGinty it’s
a case of benefitting from going from business to government, where she was the
Department of Environment Protection administrator, back to the energy
business, back to government where she was Gov. Tom Wolf’s chief of staff, and
then to membership on the boards of energy firms she had previously regulated.
Toomey also attacked her for tossing about $2.8 million of state funds to two
non-profit organizations that her husband is an advisor. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> With Toomey,
the attacks are because he was a stock broker who went into politics, favors Wall
Street, and owned a bank that foreclosed on numerous customers. McGinty’s ads
stress her blue-collar family of 12, emphasizing that her mother was a
restaurant hostess and her father was a police officer. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The two
candidates’ campaign committees and their SuperPACs have spent more than $55
million to be elected to the Senate, according to the Center for Responsive
Politics; it’s a job that pays $174,000 a year. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> There is one
reality in all the advertising— negative ads generally don’t work, and exist
only to reinforce a candidate’s base of support.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <b>[Dr. Brasch,
who has covered politics and government for four decades, is author of <i>Fracking America: Sacrificing Health and the
Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit</i>.]<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-46149641668309535482016-10-22T15:37:00.000-04:002016-10-22T15:37:21.312-04:00Lies and Voter Rigging<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">by
Walter Brasch</span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Donald Trump, losing to Hillary Clinton in
every major national poll, long ago brilliantly figured out how to continue to
rally his base. Instead of dealing with issues, he attacks Clinton, the mass
media, and calls the election rigged.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The campaign rhetoric has been one not of
issues but of personalities. Hillary Clinton calls Trump unfit to be president,
so Trump retaliates by accusing her of being unfit. Most of their television
ads are attack ads. In personal appearances, their speeches focus upon what’s
wrong with the other candidate not what their own presidency will be about. The
last time a presidential race was this vicious may have been in 1800 when
Thomas Jefferson was challenging President John Adams.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The Trump strategy is to make outrageous statements,
talk over his opponent or anyone who questions his pseudo-facts, and then quickly
change the topic to avoid having to present any evidence. That strategy was
apparent during the three televised debates when he bobbed and weaved around
questions. His entire campaign the past year has been loaded with lies,
innuendoes, and attacks not only upon Clinton but also upon his fellow
Republicans. Analysis by the independent Politifacts shows that that during the
campaign, only 15 percent of Trump’s statements were true or mostly true.
Politifacts determined that 51 percent of Clinton’s statements while
campaigning were true or mostly true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Several top Republican leaders, including
Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, refused to go to the Republican
National Convention after it was obvious Trump had enough votes to be the party’s
nominee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Between the convention and the last of
three debates with Clinton, evidence began piling up that Trump, while married,
groped and fondled women; evidence also exists that he committed adultery
during his first two marriages. A videotape has him using foul and obscene language
about women, and then claiming it was “locker room talk.” But when he tried to
defend himself, the best he could do was to state that one of his accusers was
too ugly for him to fondle. And yet he believes that no one respects women more
than he does. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> One of the reasons he is behind in the
polls, says Trump, is because of a corrupt media. As with everything in his
campaign, he presents no evidence to back up his claim. But it is the media
that helped propel him to the Republican nomination by giving him significant
more air time and newspaper ink than any other candidate, and by not
questioning or digging deep into the truth of his public statements. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> In the third debate, Trump said there is
widespread voter fraud, which benefits the Democrats. A data analysis by the Brennan Center for
Justice at New York University School of Law reveals not widespread election
fraud but that such allegations are highly exaggerated. The numbers are in the
hundreds not the millions that Trump alleges.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Trump claims he knows—<i>absolutely</i> knows—that the Democratic National Committee and the
Clinton campaign have conspired to deprive him of the presidency. He bloviates, gestures, and hopes to blow
down the brick house of elections, but has provided no evidence. To expand his
conspiracy claims, he says he will not concede the election—or, maybe, he will
concede the election—if he loses. But, then again, he is keeping that decision
a secret. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> He claims rigged elections were used
during the primaries to throw his Republican rivals off their strategy. He
claims Ted Cruz stole the election in Iowa. He claims the election in Wisconsin
was rigged. The further the separation from likely voters casting the ballots
for Clinton instead of Trump—or even Gary Johnson of the Libertarian party or
Jill Stein of the Green party—the more animated Trump becomes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> His hyperbole and paranoia extend beyond
his political life. Trump previously declared that balloting for the Emmys is
rigged, and that his show, “The Apprentice,” should have won an Emmy several
times. The <span style="background: white;">Academy of Television Arts &
Sciences, and its 20,000 members, disagreed with Trump’s opinion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Trump’s tactic is resonating with his
hard-core base that see conspiracy and deception in every corner—in workplaces,
in government, and under their beds. They are willing to be led by a demagogue
who identified the many seeds of alienation and dissatisfaction, and watered
and nurtured those seeds of discontent to amplify the people’s problems. In following
Trump they have placed blinders upon themselves and see a reality and an
explanation that Trump throws right back at them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><b><span style="background: white;">[Dr. Brasch, an
award-winning journalist, has covered government and politics for four decades.
His latest book is <i>Fracking America:
Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit</i>.]</span></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-49312700781716635422016-10-14T14:10:00.000-04:002016-10-14T14:10:25.138-04:00Pushing Politics to Extract Payments<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">by Walter Brasch</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> My wife,
Rosemary, a registered Republican, received a black and white poll in the mail.
Plastered across the top of the sheet in bold black letters was the title: “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.” I wonder who that
could be.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> On to the
questions. All she had to do was to check the appropriate box and return the
ballot. The survey indicated name, survey number, and a processing code, all
with a bar code for identification. She
just had to check the appropriate box beneath a picture of Donald Trump,
Hillary Clinton, or “no opinion.” Seemed simple enough. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> First question:
“Hillary Clinton is working hard to win the White House so she can carry
forward Barack Obama’s disastrous policies—including increased taxes—which have
been so harmful to our nation’s economy. Donald Trump is dedicated to lowering
taxes and instituting responsible reforms that will create jobs, strengthen
free enterprise and boost economic growth. Which candidate do you trust more to
put America on a secure and prosperous economic path.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Gee, this is a
hard one. Let’s think about it awhile. OK, time’s up. I guess, based upon the
question, the demon Clinton wasn’t the right answer. Rosemary needed to check
Trump as the one to keep the country moving forward.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> There were nine
questions, all similar to the first one. The other questions had to do with the
federal debt, foreign policy, the nomination of federal judges, immigration,
environment, and ObamaCare. The ninth one asked the most vital question: “Are
you willing to financially help the Trump Make America Great Again Committee in
making sure our nation finally leaves behind the ruinous policies of the past
eight years and elects a Republican president who will Make America Great Again?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Below that
question was a form to fill out to donate. All my wife had to do was to check
one of the boxes of suggested donations, starting with $35 and increasing to
$5,000; fill in the boxes with her occupation, employer, phone number, email
address, and credit card information, and mail it back in a postage-paid
envelope. She could also call a campaign number and give them her personal
information and make that donation. She chose an alternate procedure. She
didn’t fill out the poll, which was a not-so-subtle way to withdraw money from
her wallet, and sent them a bookmark for my latest book. (I do that for all
junk mail that includes a self-addressed stamped envelope, especially one that
wants money. I doubt anyone is really tabulating the results—or even cares
about the answers.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> What came in
the mail was a “push poll.” The questions were designed to “push” the recipient
to vote for the preferred answers, to make the politician’s supporters believe
they matter, and to energize the base of the support. Most push polls are
designed to attack an opponent in a political race. A legitimate poll is drawn
from a random sample of voters, has no identification of whom the recipient is,
has neutral questions, and doesn’t want money. The results are tabulated,
analyzed, and published. But why analyze and publish the results when more than
90 percent of the recipients of the poll are going to be pushed in the
direction that the not-so-independent campaign committee wants. The only real
analysis of those who send out push polls is who gave what amount and is there
a correlation to determine how many more attempts—by email, by phone—the campaign committee should devote
to getting even more money. Rosemary usually just trashes the myriad requests
for money to help Republican candidates. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Unfortunately,
the Trump committee isn’t alone in using this tactic. The first push poll was
in 1946 when Richard Nixon ran for Congress and used the technique by direct
mail and phone “interviews” to drop fear that the sitting congressman, Jerry
Voohis, who represented a southern California district, was a communist. Nixon
began his political career; Voorhis, who wasn’t a communist, lost his. George
W. Bush used push polls extensively in his first race for the governorship of
Texas and again in his campaign for the presidency.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> The Democrats
use it continuously, also sliding in huge globules of fear in each question, to
solicit funds. The Democrats usually have space to enter comments. Usually, I
don’t answer the poll. With Democrats, I will often write a note about the
unfairness of the poll, ask them to contact me when they want my real opinions,
and put a bookmark into the return envelope. So far, no one from the Hillary
Clinton campaign or the Democratic National Committee has called to solicit my
professional opinion or assistance—and to my knowledge, no one has bought any
books.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>[<b>Dr. Brasch is an award-winning journalist who has covered
politics/government and social issues for more than four decades. His latest book
is Fracking America: <i>Sacrificing Health
and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit</i>.]<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-74821131942625333262016-10-06T11:39:00.000-04:002016-10-06T11:39:14.896-04:00Path to the White House is Paved by Billions of Dollars<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">by
Walter Brasch</span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> With a month left before the November
general election, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are trash-talking each other
in a financial race to the White House.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> According to the latest filing with the
Federal Election Commission, Clinton has raised about $516.8 million for her
campaign. Total spending by outside groups and SuperPacs supporting her was an
additional $31.7 million; the total spent opposing her was about $40.2 million.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Trump has raised about $205.9 million.
About 45 percent of his income is from individual contributors; one-third is
from Trump himself. Total spending by outside groups and superPACs supporting
Trump is about $69 million; opposition spending is about $139.7 million. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Both Clinton and Trump are spending heavy
on TV ads. Clinton and pro-Clinton outside groups have spent about $190 million,
and Trump and pro-Trump outside groups have spent about $50 million, according
to data compiled by Advertising Analytics. However, Trump has mitigated the
difference by a barrage of Tweets to 12 million followers, and by constant
calls to TV stations. In Pennsylvania, one of nine “swing states,” Clinton has
outspent Trump, $17 million to $6 million.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Trump’s problem isn’t a case of having
less income than Clinton. Every time he opens his mouth, network TV and cable
news stations are more than willing to air whatever he utters. His problem is a
malignant case of braggadocio. He brags
about how great a businessman he is, and says he is smart because he doesn’t
pay taxes but he uses every tax code loophole he, his attorneys, and
accountants can find. This past week, the <i>New
York Times</i> disclosed he took a $917 million loss in 1995, and could easily
have written off income for every year since then. In a twisting logic that
baffles even those who never studied philosophy, Trump blames Clinton because,
he says, “<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Why didn’t she ever try to change those
laws so I couldn’t use them?” </span>His
four bankruptcies helped assure his companies would have losses. However,
because he refuses to release copies of his taxes, unlike every major party
candidate in the past four decades, it’s difficult to determine if Trump is a
great and experienced businessman or just a great and experienced juggler.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Also within this past week, the New York
attorney general issued a cease and desist order against the Trump Foundation
for not registering with the state’s Charities Bureau and for violating state
rules by making several donations from the Fund to politicians and political
groups. The <i>Washington Post</i> reported
that the Foundation probably violated IRS regulations by spending $20,000 for a
portrait of Trump, and $12,000 for a jersey and a football helmet autographed
by Tim Tebow. The newspaper previously reported that the Foundation has spent
about $250,000 to settle lawsuits. His problems won’t end with New York. The
Foundation wasn’t registered in the 40 states that require registration. It is possible
that Pennsylvania, California, and Illinois, three of the states that are
rigorous in enforcing rules for charities may file against the Foundation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> A third problem that surfaced this past
week is an Associated Press story, based upon statements by about two dozen
crew members and contestants of Trump’s “The Apprentice USA” TV reality show.
According to the AP, citing the sources, <span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Trump repeatedly
demeaned women with sexist language,” including rating “female contestants by
the size of their breasts and talked about which ones he’d like to have sex
with.” The cast and crew of his show also told the AP that Trump wanted his
female celebrity contestants to show more cleavage and wear shorter dresses. Hope
Hicks, speaking on behalf of Trump, called the statements “outlandish,
unsubstantiated, and totally false claims fabricated by publicity hungry,
opportunistic, disgruntled former employees [and they] have no merit
whatsoever.” However, the AP’s story confirms that Trump has a history of
demeaning women, something the Clinton campaign has seized upon in its TV ad
campaign that has a series of comments by Trump who calls women pigs, fat,
bimbo, ugly, and other names not suitable for a family-based newspaper. That
and his frequent use of obscenity and disregard for civility alone makes him
unsuitable for the presidency, according to the ad campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Trump
has attacked Clinton for her e-mail scandal, something she should have
acknowledged months before her public apology. In response to her attacks upon
him not being suitable for office, Trump charges Clinton as unfit for office,
and adds crook and liar to his definition of who she is.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The
independent Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CFRB) analyzed each
candidate’s economic plans and concluded that Clinton’s proposed budget would
increase the debt during the next decade by $200 billion, and Trump’s business
model proposal would increase the debt by $5.3 trillion. The CFRB noted,
“Neither candidate has presented a proposal to address our growing national
debt and put it on a more sustainable path, nor have they offered a proposal
for shoring up the Social Security, Medicare, or Highway trust funds.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> By the election, each candidate, their
SuperPacs, and outside groups will have spent more $1 billion to be elected to
an office that pays $400,000 a year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> By contrast, the Libertarian Party’s Gary
Johnson raised about $8.5 million, and the Green Party’s Jill Stein raised
about $1.9 million. Both have solid platforms and strong ideas that might
benefit all Americans, but Americans don’t hear them. Neither candidate has the
financial income the Democratic and Republican candidates have; they don’t
receive the funds from numerous lobbyists; they don’t get the attention of the
mainstream media. Just as important, Congress, made up of Democrats and
Republicans, with Bernie Sanders as the only independent, are reluctant to pass
campaign finance reform.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> And that is why a third party candidacy
can’t survive at this time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b> </b><b>[Dr.
Brasch’s latest book is Fracking America<i>:
Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit</i>.]<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-60483044931915769632016-09-24T13:16:00.000-04:002016-09-24T13:16:16.225-04:00Readers Want News Not Fluff<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">by Walter Brasch</span><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The <i>New
York Post</i>, a Rupert Murdoch tabloid publication that isn’t likely to win a
Pulitzer Prize anytime soon, splashed a full page picture of a smiling Jennifer
Anniston on its Sept. 21 front cover. In the upper left-hand space it placed all-capitals
text: “BRANGELINA
2004–2016.” Inside the<i> Post</i> were four full consecutive pages,
and a half page and part of a column deeper in the newspaper, all devoted to
one of the most critical social issues facing the country—Brad Pitt and
Angelina Jolie are getting a divorce.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>People</i>
magazine put the multi-million dollar couple on its cover, and teased us with
the text: “WHY SHE LEFT” and “THE REAL STORY.” <i>US</i> magazine had an “EXCLUSIVE.” ABC, CBS,
CNN, FOX NEWS, MSNBC, and NBC evening newscasts all devoted air time to the divorce.
“Entertainment Tonight,” “TMZ,” dozens of entertainment-fueled TV programs, Reuters
and AP news services, hundreds of daily newspapers and countless online blogs all
had coverage of the epic event. The news also dominated the social media,
especially Twitter and Facebook. <br />
Barely covered that day by the
establishment media was in-depth coverage and analyses of President Obama’s
speech the day before at the United Nations general assembly. Also lightly
covered was a petition to the UN Human Rights Council by <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">the Standing Rock Sioux sovereign nation to halt construction of
a $3.8 billion 1,150 mile pipeline that <span style="background: white; letter-spacing: .1pt;">would not only disturb that nation’s sacred burial grounds and
could possibly pollute the Missouri River, but would be built on ground seized
by eminent domain by </span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Energy Transfer Partners<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background: white; letter-spacing: .1pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">of Dallas, Texas. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; letter-spacing: .1pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Why there was negligible coverage of public affairs issues and
maximum coverage of a celebrity divorce is based upon economics and poor
business practices. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; letter-spacing: .1pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Media profits, once running anywhere from 5 to 30 percent,
depending upon the medium, declined significantly in the Great Recession during
the last two years of the Bush–Cheney administration. Businesses significantly
cut their advertising budgets; consumers stopped subscriptions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; letter-spacing: .1pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> It wasn’t long before consultants, not editors, were making
decisions about ways to increase profits. The consultants, some making $500 per
hour, advised owners to compensate for the decline of profits, they needed to
cut back on the news staffs, as well as the budgets for in-depth coverage and
salaries. With the decline of newsroom positions came more work for those who
stayed on news staffs but, overall, fewer locally-produced stories, and
increase in errors because of fewer copyeditors. The cuts in circulation now
came not just from those who couldn’t afford the newspaper or magazine, but from
those who saw a diminished news product and turned to other media for their
information. With the decline in circulation came a forced decline in the cost
of an ad leading to further declines on advertising revenue. The consultants
often recommended turning to syndicates for news and to increase entertainment
and celebrity news. The consultants were wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; letter-spacing: .1pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Studies by the Pew Institute and the American Society of
Newspaper Editors revealed that consumers wanted news not fluff. A Pew Study
showed that during the first decade of the 21st century, only 17 percent of
consumers who turned to mass media for news followed personalities,
entertainment, and celebrity scandals “very closely.” Of the 19 categories,
only coverage of other nations and science/technology ranked lower. Studies by
the ASNE of interest in the current decade place celebrity news and scandals at
the bottom of all categories. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; letter-spacing: .1pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The evidence is obvious—Americans want, and need, news. Hard
news and not fluff. They want to know about weather, crime, and politics. They
also want to see and read stories about health, the environment, and social issues
that directly affect them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; letter-spacing: .1pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> But editors and media owners, for the most part, still believe
entertainment and celebrity news is the way to restore circulation. And that’s
why celebrity marriages, divorces, and scandals seem to be at the core of so
many publications—and a major reason why circulation is declining for print
newspapers and viewership in non-print media is not as strong as it could be. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; letter-spacing: .1pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Journalists and owners can blame the rise of digital and social
media for stealing readers, but they are wrong. When news returns to
newspapers, readers will follow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; letter-spacing: .1pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <b>[Dr. Brasch is professor
emeritus of mass communications/journalism from Bloomsburg University. His
latest book is <i>Fracking America:
Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit</i>.]<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="background: white; letter-spacing: .1pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-44987260423996790552016-09-17T12:20:00.001-04:002016-09-17T12:20:46.580-04:00The 24/7 Sneeze Factor<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none; tab-stops: .25in center 3.4in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none; tab-stops: .25in center 3.4in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">by Walter Brasch</span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Hillary Clinton is recovering from a mild
case of pneumonia. However, shortly after she collapsed at Ground Zero while
part of the 15th annual memorial of 9/11, her campaign staff said she was just
exhausted and suffered heat exhaustion. It took a couple of days for her to
reveal the extent of her medical issue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Donald Trump, who had many times this past
year questioned Clinton’s health and suggested she should leave politics, now
tweeted he was hoping his Democratic opponent would have a quick recovery. However,
the Renegade Republicans, fueled by scandal-makers of the conservative media,
think Clinton is a piñata, and are hitting her hard—she has Parkinson’s disease;
she suffered from a concussion; the Democratic National Committee is working on
how to replace her because she is so ill; she is on her death-bed, and a body
double is the one the public is seeing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Prior to Clinton’s bout with pneumonia, she
had released a two page letter from her physician stating medical specifics
about her health; he concluded Clinton is in excellent health.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Donald Trump is still bobbing and weaving
on releasing his medical records. Long after Clinton provided her medical
statement, Trump released four paragraphs of juiced-up superlatives that read
more like a campaign PR release than something a physician would write—Trump is
“the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency . . . [His] <span style="background: white;">strength and
physical stamina are extraordinary . . .
[his] laboratory test results are astonishingly excellent . . . [his] his blood pressure and lab results were
astonishingly excellent.” He followed that up with an appearance on the Dr. Oz
TV show where he deposited more PR poop.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Libertarian
candidate Gary Johnson, who had said Clinton’s medical problems should not be
an issue, declared, “I will be the fittest president of the United States
ever.” Jill Stein, the Green party nominee, isn’t questioning anyone about
personal health care problems, but may know more about medical issues than all the
candidates—she’s a physician.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> All presidents had medical issues, but
were still effective. Among the maladies, George Washington had recurring
infections and malaria, Thomas Jefferson suffered from severe headaches, Woodrow
Wilson had several strokes, Warren G. Harding had congestive heart failure,
Franklin D. Roosevelt suffered from polio, John F. Kennedy had severe colitis
and back problems, and Ronald Reagan had severe eye and ear problems, colon
polyps, and early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease while in office.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;"> However, the 24/7 news media, desperate to
fill time and pretending to be investigative journalists, have spent more time
in the past decade peeling away layers of presidential candidate health
histories than they have spent in asking tough policy questions. No matter who
becomes the next president, one thing is clear—the media will be milking every
detail for at least a week before finding some other story to report. Here is a
scenario of how the media will probably deal with a president’s health issues.<br />
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>TV Anchor:
</i>This is Clyde Sparrow. The President sneezed about 2:45 this afternoon. We
understand it lasted about three seconds. We have team coverage for this urgent
and breaking news. We now take you live to the emergency room of the Bethesda
Naval Hospital. Standing by LIVE with an exclusive you’ll hear only on Eye
Witless News is Lance Redux.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Lance
Redux:</i> The President hasn’t yet arrived, but in the meantime we’ll be
interviewing bystanders, orderlies, and maybe even a nurse or two. Security is
extraordinarily tight, and only the 237 accredited reporters have been allowed
into the ER at this point. Back to you, Clyde.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Clyde
Sparrow:</i> With an exclusive live interview, heard only on our network, we go
to Susie Sweetwater with Sen. Porkbelly Pineapple at the Capitol.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Susie
Sweetwater:</i> Sen. Pineapple, we just heard that the President’s sneeze was
in sympathy with the plight of Americans everywhere. Do you agree?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Sen.
Pineapple: </i>While all of us Americans are concerned about the President’s
health, this particular sneeze was the result of a President who has
disregarded the wishes of the people and the Congress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Clyde
Sparrow</i>: For an opposing view, we turn to Rep. Horace Sludgepump. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Rep.
Sludgepump: </i>While I don’t wish to disagree with my esteemed and most
distinguished colleague from the other side of the capitol, I should point out
that the cretins from the other party filibustered the death of so many of our
great and glorious programs which were designed by our party to help the
working class, and that’s why the president put a chicken in every pot in this
glorious country, sneezed, and—.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Clyde
Sparrow (interrupting): </i>The President’s personal physician is about to make
an announcement. We now go live to the White House.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Dr.
Alfred Chiu:</i> The sneeze was probably caused by a pollutant in the air, but
we haven’t identified it as yet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Reporter
1:</i> Harry Hotlips. ABC News. Doctor, can you identify that pollutant? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Dr.
Chiu: </i>As I mentioned, we haven’t yet identified that pollutant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Reporter
2:</i> Judy Jumpstart, CBS-TV. Just how serious is this pollutant? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Dr.
Chiu: </i>We can’t determine how serious the pollutant is until we can identify
it, but we’re pretty sure the sneeze poses no problem to the president’s health
or threatens anyone near the president. I classify it as insignificant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Reporter
3:</i> Darla Dazzling, NBC-TV. Doctor, what kind of pollutant could that have
been? And does it have long-term effects?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Dr.
Chiu: </i>I don’t know, but we will try to find out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Reporter
4:</i> Sid Serious, CNN. Doctor, could you indicate what you believe would be
the world consequences of this particular sneeze, and is the president or the
Secretary of State notifying world leaders? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Dr.
Chiu: </i>The president doesn’t believe this is important enough to notify
anyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Reporter
5: </i>Polly Prattle, <i>New York Post</i>.
What kind of illegal drugs has the President been taking? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Dr.
Chiu:</i> The sneeze doesn’t call for drugs at this time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Reporter
6:</i> Suzy Tanktop, Fox News. Can you identify the illegal drugs? And, how
long has the president been snorting cocaine brought into the White House from the
Colombian cartel?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Dr.
Chiu: </i>The president is healthy and no drugs are necessary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Reporter
7:</i> Edie Excrement, TMZ. So, the sneeze is the result of taking too many
drugs. Is it because the president is in the process of a divorce or is it
because the president is nervous because of preparing for a screen test?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Dr.
Chiu:</i> I think I’m becoming ill . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Clyde
Sparrow: </i>We have breaking news. LIVE from Dubuque, Iowa is Pauly Populist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Pauly
Populist</i>. In an exclusive you’ll only hear on the Eye Witless News Network,
we are live from Dubuque, Iowa. Again, we are LIVE in Dubuque with breaking
news. With us is Creepshot Commoner, an assistant night shift manager at
McDonald’s. The entire world wants to know your opinion of this cataclysmic
event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Creepshot Commoner: </i>I think this latest
health crisis is so severe that the president needs to step down for the good
of the country. And, whoever the vice-president is should not become president
because he’s probably also been infected. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Clyde
Sparrow. </i>We temporarily interrupt our own in-depth team coverage to return
you to the White House where the president’s physician appears to be babbling
incoherently.<br />
<b> [Dr. Brasch isn’t making any guesses about
anyone’s health condition. But, he does recommend his latest book: <i>Fracking America: Sacrificing Health and the
Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit</i>.]</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-84278103044168326972016-09-09T13:30:00.000-04:002016-09-09T13:36:17.726-04:00O Say Can You See the First Amendment?<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">by
Rosemary and Walter Brasch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Before a football game against the Green
Bay Packers two weeks ago, Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers quarterback,
refused to stand for the pre-game patriotic ceremony that is wound around the
singing of the “Star Spangled Banner.” Kaepernick later said he was <span style="background: white;">“not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a
country that oppresses black people and people of color,” and said his stance,
a quiet form of civil disobedience, was to him “bigger than football and it
would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the
street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” Several
professional athletes had previously protested what they saw as police
brutality directed against Blacks; about 70 percent of NFL players are Black.
However, </span>Kaepernick<span style="background: white;">’s actions received
far more attention because he was the quarterback to a Super Bowl championship
team and the 49er–Packers game was televised to a national audience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"> The NFL, many of </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Kaepernick<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">’s team mates, and civil rights activists across the
country supported his right of protest; that right was burnished into the First
Amendment. Others said he was unpatriotic, a disgrace, and a hypocrite for
taking a six year $114 million contract, with $61 million guaranteed and the
rest based on various bonuses. The Santa Clara police union issued a threat—its
officers might not wish to work at future 49er games if the team’s management
didn’t discipline Kaepernick. About 70 police are security for each of the home
games. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"> Before the game against the San Diego
Chargers this past week, </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Kaepernick<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> said </span></span><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254); font-weight: normal;">“The media
painted this as I’m anti-American [but] that's not the case at all.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254); font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">During the 1960s, hippies often sewed flag patches to their jeans to
cover up holes. The establishment coiled up in fear that those who looked and
acted different from them not only were unpatriotic but posed a threat to God,
mother, and apple pie.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Today, just about every sub-group of
society, from homeless teens through affluent senior citizens wear T-shirts,
shorts, bandanas, and every kind of clothing imaginable with the American flag
depicted on it. At the Olympics, American athletes even wrapped themselves in
oversized flags. And no one complained about their disrespect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> During the late 1940s to the 1970s,
thousands of persons, mostly in the arts, were subjected to Congressional
hearings that were ways to ferret out those whose political beliefs did not
match the two major political parties’ idea of what a “true American” should
be. Businesses and numerous governmental bodies demanded workers to sign
loyalty oaths. Those who had no allegiance signed; thousands who were patriots
did not and stood up to the politicians and business owners, risking their own
careers but knowing such oaths were unconstitutional and discriminatory.<br />
In the 1960s, a few million
Americans sat down at lunch counters or on the streets to demand that state and
the federal governments adhere to the Constitution to allow all citizens the
right to vote and to receive equality under the law. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> In thousands of classrooms in 26 states,
the day begins with an obligatory recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, written
by a socialist in 1892 and adopted by Congress as the national pledge in 1945.
Those who refuse to stand or who stand and remain silent or who don’t mouth
“under God,” are exercising their First Amendment rights. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"> Colin </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Kaepernick<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> repeated
his constitutional right of dissent this past week when he kneeled down during
the ceremony. Next to him was safety Eric Reid who also took a knee rather than
stand.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Kaepernick did not rant and rave; he did
not destroy property or threaten anyone’s life. He just refused to stand.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Those who condemned him for what they
mistakenly saw as his anti-American action might be the ones who defame the
flag and American patriotism. Here’s are some questions that need to be
answered.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The Flag Code suggests that when the
National Anthem is played, persons should stand and cover their heart with
their right hand. There is no federal law that requires anyone to stand, but
how many who do stand take off their baseball caps and put their right hand
over their heart?<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> How many Americans fly tattered and
weather-worn flags in front of their houses, businesses, and municipal
buildings, also Flag Code violations?<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">How many Americans get rid of the worn-out flags, according to the Flag
Code?<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> June 14 is Flag Day. How many American
newspapers run full color, full page depictions of the flag—and tie advertising
blocks to it?<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">During the first Gulf War in 1991, how many Americans flew the flag to
show American pride, but were intolerant of minorities and those who rightfully
protested that war or who didn’t put a flag in their house windows or by their
mail boxes? It was during that war that thousands of businesses flew flags,
believing the larger the flag, the greater the patriotism, but still treated
their workers shabbily or outsourced jobs to other countries. Just how
patriotic is that?<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">How many Americans are willing to send their youth to war, but when they
return home don’t give them jobs, counseling, or adequate medical assistance?
Shouldn’t that be unpatriotic?<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">How many Americans who flew flags after 9/11 thought it was acceptable to
violate the Constitution by rallying behind a government that was engaged in
overt practices to deny American citizens their First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth,
Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights? How many Americans disregard the part
of the First Amendment that protects freedom of religion, and attack American
citizens who are Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, or any religion other than
Christian? <o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">How many Americans don’t know much about history, political science, or
current events, yet screech bar-room ignorance about what they think is wrong
with the country, while doing nothing to improve it?<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In the last two months of a presidential election, how many Americans
follow politicians who stand in front of large American flags, wear tiny metal
flags on their lapels or collars, and condemn other politicians who don’t wear
flags? <o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> How patriotic is it when a millionaire
politician hides money in an off-shore account to avoid paying his or her fair
share of taxes?<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">About 94 percent of all American flags are produced in China, according
to the U.S. Bureau of the Census. How many Americans buy flags and all kinds of
merchandise made in other countries, while neglecting American-made products?<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;">The American flag is material. It is not who we are or what we believe,
nor is singing or standing for the “Star Spangled Banner,” which became the
national anthem only in 1931, 155 years after the Declaration of Independence
was signed. The Constitution allows for divergent beliefs. Those who don’t
recite the Pledge or sing the Anthem are no less of a patriot than those who
are determined to make their voice the loudest in the room, while their own
actions show them to be nothing more than jingoistic opportunists.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Patriotism can mean standing up—or sitting
down—for social justice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> [Rosemary Brasch before retirement was a
secretary, Red Cross family services national disaster specialist, and
university instructor in labor studies. Walter Brasch is an award-winning
social issues journalist, patriot, and professor emeritus of mass
communications from Bloomsburg University, who refused to sign a loyalty oath
to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. His latest book is <i>Fracking America: Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term
Economic Benefit.]</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-43498177612095737622016-08-28T12:07:00.000-04:002016-08-28T12:07:32.508-04:00Race Issues Dominate White House Race<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">by Walter Brasch</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(part 2 of 2)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"> Donald Trump says he watched the destruction of the World Trade Center, and saw “thousands and thousands of people [who were] cheering as that building was coming down.” Every non-partisan fact-checking site and news medium debunks Trump’s faulty recollection. But 9/11 burnished an image in his mind of terrorism by Muslims. His solution is to issue an unconstitutional moratorium against Muslims who wish to emigrate to the U.S.<br /><br /> He plays to the fears of Americans by declaring President Obama has plans to bring 250,000 Syrian refugees into the country, and says, “We don’t know anything about them.” But, we do know about “them” because the vetting process for admitting persons to the U.S. is about two years; the U.S. in fiscal year 2016 plans to admit only 10,000 Syrian refugees.<br /><br /> The extreme right wing denounce President Obama for attending an elementary school in Indonesia where, they claim, he was indoctrinated in anti-American propaganda and became a Muslim. For the past 12 years, the right wing has referred to the president as Barack HUSSEIN Obama, emphasizing his middle name. What they don’t emphasize is that the Founding Fathers were adamant that there is a separation of church and state, and that no one religion is included or excluded from persons running for any office. Nevertheless, the President was baptized in the United Church of Christ and is a Protestant.<br /><br /> On the last day of the Democratic National Convention in July, Khizr Khan, the father of Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed in combat in Iraq, asked Trump if he “even read the United States Constitution. I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words ‘liberty’ and ‘equal protection of law.’” After pulling a pocket-sized Constitution from his suit jacket, he then asked, “Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery? Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America. You will see all faiths, genders, and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing—and no one.”<br /><br /> Some of Trump’s advisors claimed the Khans, who are Muslims who emigrated from Pakistan, could have been terrorists—Trump himself didn’t rebuke them for their comments—and then insensitively said he also sacrificed because he “created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I’ve had tremendous success. I think I’ve done a lot.” He also challenged Ghazala Khan, Capt. Khan’s mother who, he said, had stood mute besides her husband and had “nothing to say. She probably—maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say.” Ghazala Khan responded in a commentary in the Washington Post that she told her husband she could not overcome her grief to speak because “hearts of pain can never heal as long as we live. Just talking about it is hard for me all the time. Every day, whenever I pray, I have to pray for him, and I cry. The place that emptied will always be empty.”<br /><br /> There is also a strain of anti-Semitism in the base of Trump’s hard core supporters. With Hillary Clinton increasing her lead over Trump, according to several polls, Trump replaced campaign chair Paul Manafort with Steve Bannon, who had been CEO of Breitbart News, an extreme right-wing online news site that promotes white nationalism and opposes immigration of individuals who would be part of minority cultures in the United States. Bannon’s ex-wife, Mary Louise Piccard, accused him of anti-Semitism during a child custody fight in 2007. In a sworn statement to the court, she said Bannon opposed sending their twin daughters to the Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles. “The biggest problem he had with Archer is the number of Jews that attend,” Piccard said. She also testified that Bannon said “he doesn’t like the way they [Jewish parents] raise their kids to be ‘whiny brats’ and that he didn’t want the girls going to school with Jews.” A spokesman for Bannon denied the truth in Piccard’s statements. <br /><br /> An individual created a print ad of a picture of Hillary Clinton, with a red Star of David over a stack of $100 bills; inside the Star in white lettering was “Most Corrupt Candidate Ever!” That anonymous person, who regularly posts anti-Semitic material, then posted the graphic on Twitter. Trump never disavowed the anti-Semitism of that graphic, and re-tweeted it to his 11 million followers. He later said it wasn’t a Star of David but a depiction of a sheriff’s badge, but sent out another tweet, this time with the words in a circle instead of the Star of David.<br /><br /> Several Jewish journalists who have covered the campaign and have written stories about Trump and his campaign report they have received anti-Semitic email from Trump supporters; Trump himself, while insensitive to Jews, may not be anti-Semitic.<br /><br /> A few of Trump’s advisors are Jews, and his daughter, Ivanka, converted to Judaism in 2009. However, most Jews are liberals who are willing to stand up for the rights of all minorities and are strong advocates of social justice. They see in Trump personality traits that that remind them of more than four millennia of anti-Semitism from numerous rulers, demagogues, and masses who believed their own problems were caused by Jews and other minority religions and cultures.<br /><br /> Hillary Clinton said Trump “is taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over the Republican Party.” She accuses him of being “xenophobic, racist, misogynistic,” and asked, “If he doesn’t respect all Americans, how can he serve all Americans?” Trump’s response was to criticize Clinton and the Democratic party for using race-baiting and fear mongering tactics. At a campaign rally this past week in Jackson, Miss., he blurted out, “Hillary Clinton is a bigot who sees people of color only as votes, not as human-beings worthy of a better future. She’s going to do nothing for African Americans. She’s going to do nothing for the Hispanics. She’s only going to take care of herself, her husband, her consultants, her donors—these are the people she cares about. She doesn’t care what her policies have done to your communities. She doesn’t care.” <br /><br /> Most of the 13.4 million Americans who voted for Trump in the primaries are White middle-class individuals who believe they are alienated from the political and business worlds, and are willing to follow a billionaire businessman running for the presidency who can channel their bar-room hate. Of the 2,472 delegates to this year’s Republican National Convention, only 18 were Blacks. Trump never protested or even discussed how the Republicans should be doing more to get diversity within the party. Trump’s campaign rallies are dominated by Whites. No matter what he says or does, that isn’t likely to change. <br /><br /> When many of the extreme right-wing look into mirrors, they see Donald Trump.<br /><br /><b> [Dr. Brasch, an award-winning journalist, has covered government and politics at all levels for four decades. His latest book is <i>Fracking America: Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Gain</i>.]</b></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-85288319408646442492016-08-27T13:23:00.000-04:002016-08-27T13:23:36.611-04:00Race Issues Dominate White House Race<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Walter Brasch</span><br />
</span></strong><strong><span style="background: white;">(part 1 of 2)</span></strong><strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"> Donald Trump, who is commanding all of 1
percent of Black voters, according to an impartial </span></strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Quinnipiac
poll</span>, says he
could get as much as 95 percent of the Black vote in a second term. In June
2011, he had said, <span class="apple-converted-space">“</span>I’ve
always had a great relationship with the blacks.” It’s
nothing less than political hyperbole in a campaign for a first term, and meant
to get a few thousand more votes in key states. <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">However,
Trump’s past actions don’t mitigate whatever future plans he has. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> In 1973, the
Department of Justice sued Trump Management for civil rights violations for
refusing to rent apartments to Blacks and Latinos who wished to live in
complexes that housed mostly whites. Trump, who was the corporation’s president
at the time, agreed he would drop a $100 million counter-suit, would provide lists
of vacancies in the 14,000 apartments Trump Management owned, and would cease
discriminating against minority applicants in exchange for the Department of
Justice dropping felony charges. Three years later, the Department of Justice
again filed against Trump for not fulfilling his promise. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="canvas-text" style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"> T<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">rump previously had declined
invitations to speak to conventions of the NAACP, Urban League, and the
National Association of Black Journalists. However, with Hillary Clinton’s
polling numbers rising and his decreasing, he has begun talking with Black and
Hispanic groups.</span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> He is outspoken in
his hatred for President Obama, and is a leader of the “birther” movement that
claims the president was born in Kenya and, thus, unqualified to be president.
But, the birthers, who clinging to the flimsiest of all evidence to discredit
the nation’s first Black president, refuse to understand that Barack Obama’s
birth certificate was issued by a Hawaiian hospital and that his mother was an
American citizen, making him an American citizen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Trump has called
Black Lives Matter a “threat,” and vowed if he is president he would tell his
attorney general to investigate the group. He didn’t say if he would
investigate White Lives Matter or numerous militant white nationalist groups
that support his campaign. He never repudiated the support of Ku Klux Klan
grand wizard David Duke or of campaign contributions by white supremacists and
racists.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> Trump </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;">claims, with no evidence, that Afghanistan is “safer than
living in some of our inner cities,” and vowed if he were president he would
eliminate crime in the inner cities. He didn’t say how he would do that, but he
may be hiding a team of magicians in his advisory cabinet.</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> In a campaign appearance in Wisconsin last
week, he told Blacks they should vote for him because, “</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">You live in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 percent
of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose?” He might just
as well have smeared burnt cork on his face and called himself Rastus.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;">On June 16,
2015, the day he announced he was running for president, Trump declared,</span></strong><span style="background: white; letter-spacing: -.05pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> “When
Mexico sends its people [to the U.S.], they’re not sending their best. . . .
They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those
problems with them. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re
rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” The first reality is that Mexico
doesn’t send anyone to the U.S.; they come without government assistance or
sanction. The second reality is that most immigrants from Mexico and central
America countries are not criminals, rapists, or those who have problems; most
are hard-working people who wish to improve their lives and live on the fringes
of American society, often working in low-wage jobs, trying to blend into
American culture, without drawing attention to themselves. They don’t receive
welfare, food stamps, or free medical and hospital care. That’s because most
don’t apply for those benefits because they don’t want to attract attention
that could lead to their deportation. There’s a third reality. Trump and many
of his followers don’t recognize that Mexico has significant restrictions on
gun purchases, and most guns used by the cartels come from the United States. The
criminals who do come into the U.S. come with American-made guns.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; letter-spacing: -.05pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Nevertheless,
Trump’s </span><strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;">solution to the immigration
problem is to </span></strong><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">round-up and deport 11 million undocumented persons from many
countries. To make sure the U.S. is safe from immigrants, he has trumpeted a
call to build a 25–55 foot tall wall stretching almost 2,000 miles on the
U.S./Mexico border, and have Mexico pay for the $15–25 billion construction
cost. The estimate doesn’t include the yearly cost of adding border patrol
agents and equipment or the cost of sending the undocumented workers back to
their native countries. He also hasn’t addressed concerns about Mexican and
central American workers digging vast and elaborate tunnels beneath the walls,
nor illegal immigration by those who slip past the Coast Guard and enter the
country by private plane or boats. There’s also no provision to fence off the
northern border with Canada; apparently, Trump believes white-skinned Canadians
are more acceptable than brown-skinned Mexicans. Of course, there’s another
reality—Canadians, for the most part, have little desire to emigrate to the
U.S.<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Trump said
federal judge Gonzalo Curiel could not be objective in a case involving fraud
charges against Trump University because “he’s a Mexican.” Curiel, a former federal
prosecutor, was born in Indiana. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) called
Trump’s statements “racist.” Other Republican politicians have begun distancing
themselves from Trump. Nevertheless, trying to capture votes from the Hispanic
community, on Cinco de Mayo this year Trump tweeted a photo of himself eating a
taco bowl in a restaurant in Trump Tower, and said, “I love Hispanics.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> The </span><span style="background: white; letter-spacing: -.05pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Mexican
newspaper <i>Milenio</i> said Trump was “the
man who managed to make us miss the Bush clan.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> </b><b>[Tomorrow:
Part 2—Donald Trump’s views about Jews and Muslims. Dr. Brasch is an
award-winning journalist who has covered government and politics at all levels
for four decades. His latest book is <i>Fracking
America: Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Gain</i>.]</b><strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-1491916600990215792016-08-21T10:54:00.000-04:002016-08-22T12:28:03.090-04:00The Quotable Contradictory Donald Trump<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">by Walter Brasch</span></span></strong><strong style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></strong><strong style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> The man formerly known as The Donald is
entwined in a ball of contradiction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> He was a registered Republican until 2001
when he became a Democrat, and then eight years later switched back to the
Republican party. He says he believes in democracy, but also says if he loses
Pennsylvania in the November general election it will be because the election
is rigged.<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> He campaigns on a platform that boldly
proclaims him to be an outsider to politics and a great business executive who
will “Make America Great Again!” But Trump is not an outsider—he has the
presence to command legislators, lobbyists, and business executives from the
highest levels. Although he claims to be worth about $10 billion, companies
under his control have filed for bankruptcy four times—Trump says it’s just
good business practice; if he becomes president, he won’t have that option to
reduce the nation’s debt. He believes the U.S. is the best place to live, but uses
an empty campaign slogan to rally his hard-core ultra-right base of voters. <o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> He says he’s a “nice guy,” but this “nice
guy” committed adultery with several women, constantly uses profane language, opposes
unions and minimum wage, has refused to pay the full bill to dozens of
contactors, and mocked a <i>New York Times</i>
reporter who has a disability. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> He demanded seeing 10 years of tax returns
of all finalists to be his vice-president, but has refused to release his own
income tax filings.<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> He once supported the ban on assault
weapons and believed there should be </span>“a slightly longer waiting period to purchase
a gun.”<span class="apple-converted-space"> But, in his run to the
presidency he now says, “</span><span style="background: white; letter-spacing: -.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Government
has no business dictating what types of firearms good, honest people are
allowed to own,” and basks in the glow of an NRA endorsement and NRA-sponsored TV
ads. He erroneously claims Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton want to </span><span style="background: #FEFEFE; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“take your guns away.” Early this year, while campaigning in New
Hampshire during the primaries, had said, </span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“The Second Amendment is so
important, they’re not going to take your guns away.” In a campaign speech, he
said he could </span><strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;">“stand
in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot people and I wouldn’t lose voters.” </span></strong><span style="background: white; letter-spacing: -.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> He was pro-choice until he began his run
for the presidency when he became pro-life. He says he would block funding for
Planned Parenthood because it supports abortion, although federal law currently
bans public funds being used for abortion; only 3 percent of Planned
Parenthood’s budget goes to abortion expenses and only 10 percent of client
services are abortion related.<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> He said in 2011 he opposed same-sex
marriage, but less than four years later said gay marriage is a reality, but
each state should determine if it condones or condemns same-sex marriage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"> Trump never objected to the support he
received from Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke, but faced by a reality that
a <i>Washington Post </i>poll determined
fewer than 6 percent of Blacks say they would feel comfortable with him as
president, now says, </span></strong>“No group in America has been more harmed by Hillary Clinton’s
policies than African-Americans.”<span class="apple-converted-space"> Using
a racial stereotype, he asks Blacks, “</span><span style="color: #111111;">What
do you have to lose by trying something new like Trump? You live in your
poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth
is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose?”</span><strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> He pompously claims his IQ “is one of the
highest—and you all know it! Please don’t feel so stupid or insecure, it’s not
your fault.” But, he disregards the voice of scientists and environmentalists,
and planted himself in the corner with the ultra-conservative wing of the party
when he tweeted in 2012 that global warming “was created by and for the Chinese
in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"> China is also where most of his clothing
line, and all of former wife Ivana’s clothing line are manufactured. Clothes
not produced in China are produced in a dozen other countries. But, he invokes
patriotism when he tells thousands of cheering supporters at his campaign
rallies, “</span></strong><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We need to bring manufacturing jobs back home where they belong.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"> </span></strong>He says he opposed the invasion of Iraq,
but after George W. Bush ordered troops into Iraq, he supported the invasion.
He says for several years he opposed invading Iraq, but now says it is sensible
for the U.S. to send ground troops into Iraq to destroy ISIS, although Russia
will find itself in a quagmire for its campaign in Syria to destroy ISIS. He
says he is “a very militaristic
person, but you have to know when to use the military.” Somewhere in his logic,
Trump, who believes in reducing the national debt, says the U.S. should take
$1.5 trillion from Iraqi Oil and give $1 million to every family who lost
someone in that war. He doesn’t say how the U.S. will be able to get $1.5
trillion in oil sales.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> In 2008, Trump had praised Bill and
Hillary Clinton, declaring, “Hillary is smart, tough and a very nice person,
and so is her husband. Bill Clinton was a great President. They are fine
people. Hillary was roughed up by the media, and it was a tough campaign for
her, but she’s a great trooper. Her history is far from being over.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> But in 2016, Trump calls the Democrats’
nominee for president “Crooked Hillary” and “Lyin’ Hillary,” and claims that
“without the woman card, Hillary would not even be a viable person to even run
for a city council position.” He says she is unfit to be president. Apparently,
he overlooked her six years as a U.S. senator and four years as secretary of
state, and the fact he and the Clintons were bosom buddies just two years
earlier. Trump has never been elected to any office nor has he ever served in
government.<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;"> Trump once declared, </span></strong>“The world is excited about Barack Obama and
the new United States. Let’s keep it that way!” A year after Obama’s
inauguration, Trump was equally enthusiastic: “What he [Obama] has done is
amazing. The fact that he accomplished what he has in one year is truly
phenomenal.” But, he has also been an attack dog, tenaciously holding onto a
bone called “birther,” calling on President Obama to release his birth
certificate to prove he wasn’t born in Kenya and constitutionally ineligible to
be president. When the President released his birth certificate, proving he was
born in Hawaii to a mother who was a U.S. citizen, Trump and the ultra
right-wing challenged its legitimacy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Trump supported Sen. John McCain in his
2008 campaign for the presidency, but never challenged his citizenship; McCain
was born in Panama. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> <strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;">Trump struts,
puffs out his chest, and says he supports the military, but took four
deferments from service and managed to party, enjoy the life of being a
millionaire’s son, and rise up in his father’s company during the Vietnam War.
He said of Sen. McCain, who was confined to a North Vietnamese prison camp and
tortured for five years and walks with a limp, “He is a war hero because he was
captured [but] I like people who were weren’t captured.” </span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Danish foreign minister Kristian Jensen
says Trump “changes opinions like the rest of us change underwear.” Trump’s
underwear may be clean, but his opinions are definitely soiled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> </b><b>[Dr. Brasch
is an award-winning journalist who has covered government and politics at all
levels for four decades. His latest book is <i>Fracking
America: Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit</i>.]<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-5022868754593125992016-08-11T12:14:00.000-04:002016-08-21T11:02:03.812-04:00Taking the Wind out of Trump’s Energy Policy<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">by Walter Brasch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Black letters against a yellow background.
Black letters against white. White letters against black. On yard signs. On
T-shirts. On baseball caps. All with the same message: “Trump Digs Coal.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Donald Trump says there are “ridiculous
regulations [on coal] that put you out of business and make it impossible to
compete.” He says if he is president, he would reduce those regulations. Those
regulations that Trump doesn’t like are enforced by the Environmental
Protection Agency to protect miners and the public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> In speech after speech in the
coal-producing states, he has said, <span style="background: white;">“We’re going
to get those miners back to work . . . the miners of West Virginia and Pennsylvania .
. . [In] Ohio and all over are going to
start to work again, believe me. They are going to be proud again to be miners.”</span> He also says the voters in coal-rich states
“are going to be proud of me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> As expected, his comments are met by
extended cheers. However, other than splashing rhetoric to get votes, he doesn’t
say how he plans to put miners back to work, nor does he address the issues of
the high cost to create “clean coal,” or that a president doesn’t have absolute
power to reduce federal legislation. But his words sound good to the mining
industry in Wyoming, West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, the
top five states in coal production.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Trump is also a vigorous proponent of
using fracking to extract natural gas and oil, a position that has led the
American Energy Alliance (AEA) to endorse him for the presidency. In 2012, <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Trump tweeted</span>: “Fracking
will lead to American energy independence,” a statement parroting a major
argument of the oil and gas industry, but which is inaccurate. In March, he erroneously
said, “Did you know, if they fracked in New York [which has a ban on fracking],
New York would lower its taxes, would have no debt, would have made a fortune.
Instead, Pennsylvania [which permits fracking] took all the money.” Like the AEA and Chambers of
Commerce, he disregards the effects upon the environment and public health. But,
he also sends a mixed message about fracking. He argues that local governments
and voters should have the right to ban fracking. It is a position the oil and
gas industry, as well as numerous politicians oppose, but which moderate
environmental groups accept as a reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Hillary Clinton is also trying to get
votes and, like Trump, she sends a mixed message. She says she supports the use
of fracking to extract oil and gas but has also said, <strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;">“We’ve got to move away from coal and all the
other fossil fuels,” and that she has</span></strong><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"> “</span></strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">long been in favor of states and cities within states
making up their own minds whether or not they want to permit fracking.” W</span>hen
she was secretary of state, she spearheaded the development of the <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">Global Shale Gas Initiative</span>, which
promoted fracking and the use of fossil fuel as an energy source. In 2010,
Clinton told a meeting of foreign ministers, <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">“Natural
gas is the cleanest fossil fuel available for power generation today.” Two
years later, she convinced Romania to overturn its ban on fracking and sign a
30-year mining lease with Chevron. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> </span>Gary
Johnson, former governor of New Mexico and the Libertarian party’s nominee for
president, supports fracking but wants increased regulation and oversight. He
says he will <span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> </span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">“keep an open mind” about fracking, and argues, “the
fact that in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Pennsylvania<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>you could turn your faucet on and get
water before fracking, and afterwards you could light it—that’s a concern.
That’s a real live concern.” Both Johnson and Bill Weld, former governor of
Massachusetts and the Libertarian Party’s vice-presidential nominee, are strong
environmentalists.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Dr. Jill Stein, a physician
and the Green Party’s nominee for president, is the only major nominee to oppose
fracking and the use of fossil fuel energy. In the 1990s, as an environmental
activist, she was a leader in the protests against coal plants in
Massachusetts. She and her party demand a ban on fracking, and push for the
development of renewable energy. “<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In the real world,” says Stein, “wells leak and pipelines
spill. The supposed climate benefits of burning natural gas are being revealed
as nothing more than greenwashing by the fossil fuel industry.” Fracking, she says,
</span>“is a national threat to our water,
our health, and our future [and] it’s time to work for a national ban on fracking
and a just transition to 100 percent clean renewable energy by 2030.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Several states have placed moratoriums on
the use of fracking. In June 2013, the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee
approved a resolution to establish a moratorium, but the party leadership
ignored the will of the delegates. The delegates to the Democratic National
Convention in June rejected a resolution to support a moratorium or ban on
fracking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Sen. Bernie
Sanders, Clinton’s primary opponent, is adamant that fracking must be banned in
order to protect both the environment and health. However, in the West Virginia
primary Sanders took 55 percent of the Democratic vote to Clinton’s 29 percent.
In May, he said, the U.S. needs “to combat climate change to make our planet
habitable for our children and our grandchildren, [but] we cannot abandon
communities that have been dependent on coal and other fossil fuels.” He
proposed spending $41 billion to “rebuilding coal mining communities and making
sure that Americans . . . all over this
country receive the job training they need for the clean energy jobs of the
future.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> Pandering for
votes and to the fears that unemployment and bankruptcies in the fossil fuel
industry will increase under any administration other than his own, Donald
Trump overlooks a reality that workers are not melded to their jobs. If given
an opportunity, as Sanders and others have proposed, most skilled workers in
the fossil fuel industry would leave the mines and the oil and gas fields to be
re-trained for jobs in the cleaner renewable energy fields. Jobs in the fossil
fuel industry decreased by 18 percent last year, according to a study by the Brookings
Institute. Long-term losses could be </span><span style="background: rgb(250 , 250 , 250); color: #101010;">226,000 to 296,000 drilling-related jobs,
according to the Institute. While the fossil fuel industry is cutting back on
employment, jobs in solar energy increased by 22 percent last year, and jobs in
wind energy increased by 21 percent. For the first time, jobs in the renewable
energy industry are more than for the entire fossil fuel industry, according to
the</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"> </span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">International
Renewable Energy Agency.</span><span style="background: rgb(250 , 250 , 250); color: #101010;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(250 , 250 , 250); color: #101010;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Trump,
other politicians, and the conservative Chambers of Commerce that support
fracking should be looking forward to renewable energy employment rather than
backward at fossil fuel employment. If they do so, they will capture the voters
not from fear but from opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background: rgb(250 , 250 , 250); color: #101010;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> <b>[Dr. Brasch is a social issues journalist
and professor emeritus from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
His current book is <i>Fracking America:
Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit</i>.]<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: rgb(250 , 250 , 250); color: #101010;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-78037125468137362712016-08-05T11:52:00.000-04:002016-08-05T11:54:39.996-04:00Free Speech Not Present at Some Universities<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">by Walter Brasch</span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Like most Jews,
Benjamin Aaron Shapiro, a respected journalist, is an advocate for social
justice, following the Jewish concept of <i>Tikun
Olam</i>, literally translated as “repair of the world.” Unlike most American
Jews, Shapiro is a conservative whose views of the nation are closer to those
of Ted Cruz than of Bernie Sanders. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"> Shapiro is a <i>summa cum laude</i> graduate of UCLA, and an
honors graduate from the Harvard University school of law. He backs up his
views and political philosophy with facts, historical allusions, and a strong interpretation
of the Constitution. </span><span style="color: #333333;">His conclusions and
opinions, however, often go far outside what even the far-right believe.</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #252525;"> He
says “Sesame Street” and “M*A*S*H” are left-wing propaganda, and “Happy Days”
has a theme of pacifism. He is a strong proponent of gun rights legislation and
an opponent of the “Black Lives Matter” social movement. </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">His speeches, syndicated
newspaper column, and his radio commentaries sometimes lead to civil disorder,
often begun by those who don’t share his ultra-conservative views.</span><span style="background: white; color: #252525;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #252525;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">One of Shapiro’s
six books is </span><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;">Brainwashed: How Universities
Indoctrinate America’s Youth</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;"> (2004), published
shortly after he graduated from UCLA. What happened at a few universities affirms
some of the argument in that book.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #252525;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">In February,
the president of Cal State/Los Angeles cancelled a forthcoming speech by
Shapiro after students claimed what he had to say would be “hate speech.”
President William Covina said Shapiro could speak at a time when a suitable
opponent was found; however, Shapiro pointed out that Cal State allowed liberal
speakers without having a conservative respondent. Covino reversed his position
three days before the speech. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"> On the day of the
speech, several hundred students blocked the entrances of the Student Union
Building, intimidating those who wanted to hear what Shapiro had to say, and
blocking those inside the building from leaving. <i>The</i> <i>Daily Caller</i>, a
conservative newspaper, reported there were several fights outside the
building. Following the speech, students moved to the president’s office, held
a sit-in, and demanded his resignation for allowing the speech. Cal State later
charged Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), the sponsoring organization, </span><span style="background: white; color: #3c3c3c;">$621.50 for additional security; it did not charge other
organizations that brought speakers to the campus. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #3c3c3c;"> In
April, Shapiro spoke at Penn State; several dozen protestors shouted, banged on
the doors to Sparks Hall, and played pre-recorded music at a high volume,
trying to disrupt Shapiro’s speech, according to <i>The Daily Collegian</i>. The title of his speech was “When Diversity
Becomes a Problem: The Fascist Nature of Liberalism.”</span><span style="background: white; color: #252525;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #252525;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">Last week, DePaul
University blocked an invitation by the YAF chapter to host Shapiro. Citing the
Cal State and Penn State episodes, the 24,000 student Catholic university in
Chicago, according to an official statement, “determined, after observing
events which took place when Mr. Shapiro spoke elsewhere, that it was not in a
position to provide the type of security that would be required to properly
host this event at this time.” DePaul’s argument—one of safety—was a lame way
to deflect criticism that it was blocking free speech. Certainly, a university
with a large on-campus police force and a Campus Violence Prevention Plan and
the ability to ask local community police for additional protection should not
have been able to hide beneath the cloak that the words of one person
threatened campus security. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"> </span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In
1644, before the English parliament, poet John Milton boldly spoke out against
censorship, arguing that mankind is best served when there is a “free and open
encounter” of all ideas. It was a revolutionary concept in an empire that
required printers to get a license and be subjected to the whims not only of a
monarch but the government as well. </span><span style="background: white; color: #181818;">“Let her [Truth] and Falsehood grapple;
who ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter?<span class="apple-converted-space">” Milton rhetorically asked.</span></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> In the
18th century, Lord Blackstone, one of the kingdom’s most distinguished jurists,
spoke against prior restraint of free speech and of the press. The views of
Milton and Blackstone became a basis of The First Amendment, one of the most
liberal parts of the U.S. Constitution. It was this amendment that assured
freedom of the press, speech, and religion; that amendment allows people to
peacefully assemble and, if they wish, to protest government actions; it gives
the people the right to petition the government for a “redress of grievances.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> During the
next two centuries, others cemented this belief into American law. In the
mid-19th century, philosopher John Stuart Mill stated, “We can never be sure
that the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle is a false opinion, and if we
were sure, stifling it would be an evil still.” At the beginning of the 20th
century, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said that democracy is
best served in “a marketplace of ideas.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="color: #252525;">The<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
developed by the United Nations after World War II, declares “</span></span>Everyone has the right to freedom
of thought, conscience and religion . . . [and] the right to freedom of opinion and expression, which implies the
right . . . to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and
impart information regardless of frontiers, information and ideas through any
media whatsoever.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> America’s First
Amendment applies only to government interference, and not to the suppression
of free speech in the private sector. But, every university s</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">hould be a
place where all views are heard, analyzed, and debated. Professors in several
departments—including history, political science, criminal justice, sociology,
psychology, philosophy, and journalism—could have had discussions about
Shapiro’s speech and made it a “teachable moment” within the confines of their
own discipline. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Instead of
blocking opposing views, students should be aware that the solution to shutting
down opposition beliefs is not by censorship or prior restraint, but in
applying Milton’s belief that facts and civil discourse will allow truth to
emerge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"> </span><b><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">[Dr. Brasch, an award-winning journalist and professor
emeritus of mass communications/journalism from Bloomsburg University, is a
liberal Jew and an ACLU member and officer. For more than four decades, he has
been an outspoken advocate in defending the First Amendment rights of all
people, no matter what their political, religious, or philosophical views are</span></b></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">. </span><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">His current book is <i><a href="http://www.greeleyandstone.com/books/frackingamerica.html" target="_blank">FrackingAmerica: Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit</a></i>.
The book includes numerous examples of how local and state governments, working
with the oil/gas exploration industry, have breached First Amendment rights.]</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-58227456107893107092016-07-29T13:54:00.000-04:002016-07-29T13:54:16.536-04:00Division in the Nation’s Political Parties<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">by
Walter Brasch</span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Hillary Rodham Clinton limped into the
Democratic National Convention with enough pledged delegates to claim the
Democrats’ nomination for the presidency and enough hubris that forced her and
her senior advisors to spend time and resources dealing with her own party
rather than targeting Donald Trump.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> She had emerged from numerous
Congressional hearings about Benghazi and the e-mail scandals with minimal or
no culpability, but was sprayed by maximum venom by Trump, other Republican nominees
for the presidency, and almost every conservative in the country who regularly
watches Fox News and listens to partisan talk radio.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Numerous polls had revealed about 58
percent of voters disliked both Clinton and Trump, with the numbers of voters
favoring each of them trending downward.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The Republican convention had been marked
by a sharp division among Trump, Tea Party favorite Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas),
and moderates who didn’t like either of the last two remaining Republicans for
their party’s nomination. Many of Cruz’s both ardent supporters were thinking
about voting for Gary Johnson of the Libertarian party.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The Democratic convention, which closed
this past Thursday, was also marred by a major split. Clinton—a child and
social justice advocate, First Lady, U.S. senator, and secretary of state—is
seen as more conservative and less trustworthy than Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.),
a Democratic Socialist who has led a major revolt against establishment politics
and policies. During the primaries, he accumulated about 12 million votes and
1,894 delegates to Clinton’s 16 million votes and 2,807 delegates. For much of
the campaign, while Sanders was drawing as many as 20,000 to his rallies, and
was broadening his appeal to those who wanted to follow his leadership on
liberal issues, the national media gave him significantly less coverage than
they gave to the Tweeting Trump.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Three days before the convention, Clinton,
who would become the nation’s first female candidate from a major political
party, announced that Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who had been chair of the
Democratic National Committee, 2009–2011, was her choice as vice-president,
angering the Sanders’ supporters who saw Kaine as representing the established
Democratic leadership. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> On the Sunday afternoon before the
convention, a protest and a resignation furthered the division. The protest was
carried out by more than 10,000 anti-fracking activists who marched a mile from
City Hall to Independence Hall; the march was barely covered by the major
national media. Clinton favors fracking as one part of an “all of the above”
approach to energy exploration and delivery. Sanders is adamant there should be
a ban on fracking and a greater push for renewable energy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The DNC platform committee closed some of
the division between Sanders and Clinton’s supporters by accepting or modifying
some of what Sanders and his 12 million voters were fighting for, including a
federal minimum living wage of $15 an hour, plans to break up large Wall Street
banks, free tuition for most students attending public colleges, and several
policies that would protect the environment and enhance medical coverage for
citizens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The resignation was from Rep. Debbie
Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the DNC chair who was caught in an e-mail scandal
of her own. Among thousands of internal e-mails among Democratic politicians
and senior staffers that were hacked, and then posted on Wikileaks, were those
that had revealed a partisan campaign by DNC officials to discredit Sanders and
to support Clinton. The release of the e-mails occurred three days earlier. The
FBI said that cyber-tech experts hired by the DNC believed the hacking was done
by Russians who preferred to deal with a Trump presidency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Trump, on the third night of the
Democrats’ convention, grabbed the media spotlight by suggesting Russia could
hack into DNC and Clinton e-mails and make them available to the American
citizens. A senior campaign aide hours later said Trump was being sarcastic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Trump’s campaign staff had choreographed much
of the Republican convention. Seeking to unify the party, they gave Cruz a
speaking slot on the third night. Cruz, who was expected to endorse Trump,
listened to his followers, spoke about Republican issues, did not endorse
Trump, and told the 2,472 delegates they, and the nation’s Republican voters,
should “vote your conscience.” There was only one day to counter the stinging
rebuke by a large segment of the party that was divided before and during the
convention, and is likely to remain divided for at least the next three months.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The Democrats had learned a lesson. The
liberal wing of a liberal party got prime-time speaking slots the first day of
the convention. If there was any problem, it could be addressed the next three
days and, hopefully, forgotten by Friday. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Addressing the delegates during the
prime-time first night, which carried the theme of “Unite Together,” were Michelle
Obama, Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Al Franken
(D-Minn.), all of whom enthusiastically praised Clinton, all of whom attacked
Donald Trump, but didn’t mention his name. Sanders, who had previously endorsed
Clinton and spoke on her behalf the first night of the convention, had angered
many of his followers who wanted him to defect to an independent race or, at
the least, support Jill Stein, the Green Party’s nominee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Nevertheless, the delegates pledged to
Sanders were still largely loyal to the 74-year-old fiery politician who spoke
of social justice and could be anyone’s nice Jewish crotchety grandfather. The
delegates were still upset by party rules that favored Clinton, who Sanders’
supporters believed was too close to corporate interests and corporate money to
earn their trust; many believed that Sanders, who enthusiastically endorsed
Clinton and said he’d work for her, as a sell-out. When speakers mentioned her
name, they booed. More important, they correctly perceived Sanders’ campaign as
one of a bottoms-up political revolution, swelling from and empowering the
grassroots masses, similar to the one carved out by Sen. Gene McCarthy against
President Johnson in 1968; Clinton, they also knew, was a “top-down”
politician. Their rebuke, and possible defection to the Green Party or staying
at home for the general election, came not from the politicians, but from a
comedian. Sarah Silverman, a strong supporter of Sanders, in one sentence on
stage silenced many of them—“<span style="background: white;">Can I just say to
the Bernie or Bust people: You’re being ridiculous.” </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The Republicans paraded a couple of
actors, Scott Baio and Antonio Sabato Jr., to praise Trump. The Democrats
countered with Meryl Streep, Angela Bassett, Susan Sarandon, Sigourney Weaver, Debbie
Massing, Lena Dunham, America Ferrara, and the support of most of Hollywood’s
“A-list.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Bill Clinton spent the first 25 minutes of
his speech on the convention’s second day rambling about how he and Hillary
Clinton met and were intertwined as a team, perhaps hoping to humanize the
woman who constantly faced claims, by persons across a wide political spectrum,
that she was cold, calculating, untrustworthy, and someone who was
well-shielded by layers of gatekeepers who kept the public away from her except
for photos.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The stars on the third night of the Democratic
convention were people the Republicans wished they had—the president and
vice-president of the United States. The president told the delegates that
“homegrown demagogues will always fail,” a blunt reference to Trump. He brought
even more cheers when he talked about Teddy Roosevelt’s idea of a great leader
being one who “<span style="color: #02141f;">strives valiantly, who errs, but who
in the end knows the triumph of high achievement,” and said he knows Clinton is
such a leader. </span>But, even having Barack Obama and Joe Biden didn’t mend
the Democrats’ division; the DNC revoked credentials of several dozen delegates
who were pledged to Sanders, and walked out of the convention hall after the
votes were recorded the day before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> For three days, the TV cameras recorded a
sea of delegates who reflected America—Christians, Jews, and Muslims; straight
delegates and those who were part of the LGBTQ community; working class
Americans who were supported by labor unions, and business executives who drew
six-figure salaries; Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and persons whose parents came
from Asia. No one had to say it, but the cameras showed a difference between
Democratic and Republican issues and values.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> For much of the four-day convention, senior
retired military officers, law enforcement officers, and the mothers of children
killed by gun fire on America’s streets and mothers of soldiers killed in
Afghanistan and Iraq, told the delegates why they supported a Clinton
presidency. For much of the convention, teachers, politicians, musicians, social
workers, and middle-class union workers addressed the delegates. But, it was
Hillary Clinton who brought the delegates to the feet, shouting and clapping
and laughing in all the right places, and closing the last night of the last
convention. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Donald Trump has preached the doctrine of
fear; Hillary Clinton has calmly explained her vision of strength and
improvement. Trump, who egotistically proclaimed, “I, alone, can fix it,” was
diminished by Clinton’s “It takes a village” approach to solving problems.<br />
And that’s just two of the major
reasons the next president will be the first woman elected to the office—division
or no division.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <b>[Dr.
Brasch has covered politics and government for more than four decades. His current
book, his 20th, is <i>Fracking America:
Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit</i>.]<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-43776922055098367112016-07-23T13:30:00.001-04:002016-08-21T11:07:40.753-04:00Lessons from the Trump-a-Thon<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">by
Walter Brasch</span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> The four day
Trump-a-thon, sometimes noted as the Republican National Convention, ended this
week in Cleveland, with the Republican party still divided and Donald Trump’s
ego inflated larger than a Macy’s parade balloon. Trump was all over the
convention hall, the hotels, and in the media, chatting, arguing, scowling, and
boasting. It was Trump’s convention, and he knew it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Trump had begun
his run for the nomination with a simple but powerful campaign theme, “Make
America Great Again,” refusing to accept the reality that most countries see
the United States as the world’s most powerful country and its president is one
of the world’s most respected leaders. Slipping into the campaign, promoted by
the Tea Party wing, is a plea to “Take Our Country Back.” Back to what? To the
Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s and the House Un-American Activities Committee
witch hunts of the 1950s? To the worst recession since the Great Depression
that had begun in 1929? To the race riots of the late 1960s? The two slogans,
appearing on almost every piece of campaign memorabilia, are part of what
“communicologists” call “branding.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> In his run to make America great, Trump used
vulgar language to ridicule a Fox News female anchor, questioned the integrity
of a judge who has Mexican parents, mocked a disabled reporter, declared he
would build a wall on the U.S./Mexican border and require Mexico to pay for it,
demanded that the U.S. block the entry of anyone who is a Muslim, declared if
he was president he would abolish Obamacare, claimed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
was no hero for enduring almost seven years in a Vietnamese prison camp, boldly
stated he would be able to destroy ISIS, demanded that his potential
vice-president candidates submit 10 years of tax returns while he refused to
release any of his own financial reports, and juggled the facts worse than any
circus clown with grease on his hands. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> State after
state, Trump energized the disgruntled and disillusioned who believed they were
ignored by the leadership of their party and who opposed just about anything
the Obama administration tried to do. He got sustained applause when he
attacked the “lyin’ lib’ral media,” but was adept at using the media to get his
message to the conservative wing of the party. His speeches and constant
Twitter messages established him not as a savior of Republican values, but as a
populist demagogue. However, his greatest trick was to convince Republican
voters that a billionaire real estate tycoon who had a small fleet of airplanes
and boats, who once was a Democrat, and who once praised Hillary Clinton, was
an outsider who could relate to them. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> In December,
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) condemned Trump for his bigotry—which was
embraced by several million Americans who had given him the nomination. “It’s
not who we are as a people or a country,” said Ryan, who now in the convention gave
Trump his endorsement. Ironically, while the conservative base refuses to
accept LGBTQ individuals and condemns same-sex marriage, Trump has repeatedly
said they have civil rights that must be acknowledged. There is just enough in
Trump’s political beliefs to entice moderates and even liberals. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> On the first day of the convention, long after
Trump had secured enough votes to be the party’s nominee, the Colorado
delegation, which supported Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), walked out, showing
disrespect for the leadership that wasn’t open to modifying party rules.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Boycotting the convention were several
prominent Republican leaders, including six governors and 21 senators, as well
as former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, Sen. McCain, the
party’s nominee in 2008, and Mitt Romney, the party’s nominee in 2012, none of
whom were pleased that Trump would be the 2016 standard bearer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Also missing
was Ohio Gov. John Kasich. About one-fifth of the Ohio delegation told the <i>Columbus
Dispatch</i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;"> </span>they
would not vote for Trump under any condition; about two-fifths of the Ohio
delegation said they would not campaign for him. About 85 percent said Trump—who
has been married three times, who has committed adultery, whose profanity-laced
rhetoric and outrageous comments about other Republicans in the primary race—was
not the best choice to lead the self-proclaimed “family values” party into the
November general election. To blunt those who wanted their candidate to reflect
the family values that pervaded 1950s TV shows, Trump constantly praised his
wife and children, something necessary
to establish the nominee as a family member and keep any more delegates from
defecting. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> The division
became more hostile on the third night of the convention when Cruz, the last of
a field of 17 major Republican candidates to seek the Republicans’ nomination, and
a strong supporter of Tea Party politics, didn’t endorse Trump and asked the
nation to “vote your conscience.” His declaration of separation was greeted by cheers,
boos, and phrases that aren’t usually published or aired by establishment
media.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> The prime-time speeches were short on
substance and heavy with hyperbolic rhetoric, filled with fear-mongering and
jingoistic appeals to a conservative base that is largely middle-class whites. Rep.
Steve King (R-Iowa) summed up much of the Republican grassroots base when he
claimed whites contributed more to civilization than any other group. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Melania Trump’s first night speech was so
well delivered that the speech writer resigned. The Trumps refused to accept
her resignation, however, saying that all people make innocent mistakes. Her
mistake, as reported by almost every reporter at the convention, was that she copied
a few sentences from Michelle Obama’s speech at the 2008 Democratic convention.
Trump spent almost two days denying plagiarism charges before acknowledging the
problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Most of the speakers, possibly lining up
to get cabinet appointments and ambassadorships in a Trump presidency,
reflected Trump’s views of society. They </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; text-indent: 0in;">touted his
business acumen as an indicator he would be far superior than anyone else in
dealing with the economy, even though most economists from all political
perspectives have debunked Trump’s economic plan, which would add about $30–35
trillion to the national debt, and would rival the recession of the last two
years of the George W. Bush presidency. The convention speakers didn’t mention
anything about Trump’s four bankruptcies, his proposal to give additional tax
breaks to millionaires and corporations, or lawsuits filed by individuals and
the state of New York against Trump for illegal business practices and for defrauding
students who enrolled in Trump University, which was neither accredited nor
gave college credits. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">
The speakers, facing TV audiences
that varied from 20 to 30 million viewers, praised Trump’s philosophy that a
livable wage of $15 an hour is too much for businesses to survive, and that a
low minimum wage is desirable. They didn’t mention that during the primary
campaign Trump pushed for American-made products while he outsourced much of
his Trump-named products to countries where 12-hour working days, unsafe work places,
and low wages are common. To thunderous applause, they did mention that Trump
would curb the power of unions, something that the candidate has already done
with many of his properties where workers don’t have unions to protect them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Conservatives emphasized that they, and
they alone, are patriotic Americans. For those on the far-right of the
political spectrum, being a patriot to conservatives means being willing to spend
more than half of the nation’s budget on defense and having the power to send
youth to fight wars half a hemisphere away. It doesn’t align with Dwight
Eisenhower’s philosophy that <span style="background: #FEFEFE; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Every gun that is made,
every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a
theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not
clothed.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> The conservative movement, represented by 2,472
delegates claimed they, and they alone, could be entrusted to defend the
Constitution, although the part they know seems to be confined to nuzzling up
to the NRA and the 2nd Amendment, and defending a non-existent right to own
every kind of weapon short of a nuclear bomb, but were pleasantly secure within
a gun-free zone that surrounded their convention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> They frequently declared they, and they
alone, would be the ones best able to lower crime, disregarding numerous
studies that show a decline in crime during the the Obama administration. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> They also believe in creationism, question
the theory of evolution, believe that merging religion and the state is
acceptable, and Planned Parenthood isn’t. They oppose abortion, even if it’s to
preserve a mother’s life, and then devote millions of dollars to oppose
programs that help low-income families.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Climate
change is a liberal myth say a solid minority of delegates. Fracking is good
and would make the U.S. energy-independent, they claim, skating around the
facts that oil and gas corporations, which accept more than $20 billion in
taxpayer subsidies a year, are exporting oil and natural gas. Fossil fuel is
the past, present, and future, they claim, blindly ignoring the reality that
there are more jobs in the renewable energy industry than in fossil fuels, and
that most nations, especially those in the Middle East oil-exporting countries,
are significantly increasing the use of solar and wind energy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> They believe
in private schools, private retirement plans, and want to sell off public land.
They want to “reign in” the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and
Drug Administration, which they see as having too much regulatory power,
apparently believing that oil and gas and food and pharmaceutical corporations
will do what’s best for the consumer and not what’s best for the stockholders.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Throughout the convention, the delegates
and speakers unleashed their venom on Hillary Rodham Clinton, Trump’s
Democratic opponent, calling her evil, corrupt, a liar, and someone who should
be in prison. Many delegates compared her to Satan. Licking County
(Ohio) Commissioner Duane Flowers said Clinton “should be hanging from a tree.”
Clinton, said Al <span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Baldasaro, a senior Trump advisor and a delegate from
New Hampshire, “should be put in the firing line and shot for treason.” Their
statements reflected the far-right demeanor that has been guiding the party.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span>Donald
Trump, who can be charming, seldom smiles, his demeanor noted by his lips, which
are constantly frowning or sneering, reflecting his party’s campaign strategy
of bar-room profanity-laced anger rather than substance. He is the face of what
the Republican party has become.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">[Dr. Brasch, an
award-winning journalist and university professor, has covered politics and
government for more than four decades. His latest book is <i>Fracking America: Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term
Economic Benefit</i>.] </span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-69333174820603594962016-07-15T11:49:00.000-04:002016-07-15T11:49:34.666-04:00Bathrooms are the New Battlefields for Politicians<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">by
Walter Brasch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> When I was a
junior at San Diego State, I had a sudden urge to need a restroom. The closest
one was clearly marked, “Faculty Men Only.” The nearest one for male students
was on the other side of the building.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> I did what any
rational person would do—I used the faculty restroom.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> One of the
professors, who was using a urinal a couple spaces away, told me the restroom
was for professors only. (I assumed there were separate restrooms for staff.)
“What department are you in,” asked the prof.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> In my deeper
voice, I responded I was with sociology, hoping he knew little about the
sociology faculty. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> “Just out of
grad school?” he asked.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> “Yeah,” I
replied, hoping that I looked much older than my 19 years. I wasn’t lying. I
was “with sociology”—as a student, though. And, since I had no plans to go to
grad school, I was truly “out of grad school.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The prof. said
nothing more, apparently finished with emptying his bladder and, hopefully,
needing to rush to the sink and then a class.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> That brief
encounter burnished a memory into my mind.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> San Diego State
no longer separates students from staff or faculty, but states do discriminate.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Twenty-two
states have filed suits in federal courts to block a federal government
regulation requiring public schools to allow transgender students to use the
restrooms of whichever sex they identify with.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The Department
of Justice says the new regulation conforms to the will of the Civil Rights
Act. The attorneys general of the states that filed the suit claim the
government’s regulation is an over-reach that violates the authority of local
school districts while also violating student, staff, and faculty privacy. U.S.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch says the regulation is enforceable. Jay Kaplan,
an attorney with the Michigan ACLU, told the AP the suits are not only a waste
of taxpayer funds but also “an assault on the dignity of transgender youth.”
Perhaps society is best served by separating politicians from the public—straight
male Democratic politician; lesbian female Republican politician; there could
be 10 or so such restricted restrooms to identify most sexual and genetic
orientation. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Unlike gays and
lesbians (who identify with persons of the same sex), transgender
individuals—unlike actors and entertainers (many known as drag queens or drag
queens) who portray persons of the opposite sex—are those whose fetal brains
and gene structure, rather than external anatomy, identify them by gender
rather than sexual orientations. Transitioning
requires more than surgery; the anatomy and genetics are just a part of who an
individual is. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Both the
American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association in
the mid-1970s determined that LGBT individuals did not suffer from
psychological disorders or mental illness and had to be “cured.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">About 6 percent of Americans (1.4 million) identify as
transgender, with California, Florida, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Texas, having
the highest proportion of transgender individuals, according to a study from
UCLA.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Like gays and lesbians, most transgender individuals hide
their identities until at least when they become adults because of the fear of
discrimination. A study by Angela Dallaria for GLAAD revealed about 90 percent
of all transgender individuals believe they are discriminated at work and in
receiving health care. They are not protected under civil rights laws of most
states. However, in 2010, New York extended equal rights to the LGBT
individuals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Numerous scientific and criminal justice studies have
discredited the belief that LGBT individuals have any tendency toward bestiality,
child abuse, incest, or pedophilia. “Such claims, innuendoes, and associations,”
according to GLAAD, “often are used to insinuate that LGBT people pose a threat
to society, to families, and to children in particular.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Discrimination against LGBT individuals
because of dictates in the Bible or Koran are easily dismissed. As their
societies have become enlightened, there are numerous verses and requirements
of daily living that are no longer practiced by Christians and Muslims, nor any
other religion. Both Jews and Christians, using the same Old Testament, have
different interpretations of their religious literature. Most Jews, as well as
several Protestant denominations, tend to be more tolerant and accepting of the
LGBT community; most evangelical Christians tend to be more discriminatory.
Pope Francis urged Catholics to be more tolerant and accepting of
non-heterosexual individuals, writing, <span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“A
pastor cannot feel that it is enough simply to apply moral laws . . . as if they were stones to throw at people’s
lives.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> And
yet, 22 U.S. states have filed suits to force those who honestly believe they
are a different gender than their external anatomy to use “gender-appropriate”
restrooms. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Pre-pubescent
children of all sexual and gender identities play together—and accept each
other. Discrimination later in life comes from parents, relatives, the media,
and general society. Most children, probably from fears of bullying and
harassment, will still use restrooms that are marked the same as their external
anatomy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> It
is time to have teachers and school boards retrained, using psychological and
medical studies, and for the federal rules to be implemented for those who identify
as LGBT individuals. Perhaps in another generation or two, public restrooms for
all individuals will be acceptable, unlike the classrooms that were once common
and accepted at my undergraduate university, and are still accepted throughout
the country. In the meantime, politicians should be focusing more on greater
issues than who uses a bathroom.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <b>[Dr. Brasch is an award-winning journalist
and professor emeritus from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
His latest book is <i>Fracking America:
Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit.</i>]<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-42712546856441766912016-07-08T12:17:00.000-04:002016-07-08T12:17:25.339-04:00Clinton Drops Baggage; Conservatives looking for Another Scandal<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">by
Walter Brasch</span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Three weeks before the Democratic National
Convention in Philadelphia, Hillary Rodham Clinton unloaded heavy baggage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> In an extremely rare news conference, FBI
director James Comey summarized the conclusions of a seven month FBI
investigation into Clinton’s use of a personal email rather than more secure
governmental servers during her four years as secretary of state. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Clinton’s role in the attack upon the U.S.
consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that left four dead in September 2012, had been a
major campaign issue. Conservatives and 16 major Republican candidates for the
Republican nomination for president had used what they said was her slow defense
of the consulate to attack her. However, several investigations by
Congressional committees, chaired by Republicans, found no culpability on
Clinton’s part. The cost is about $7 million.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Unable to gain significant traction, the
conservatives looked for another possible scandal, and found it with her use of
personal email to conduct government business. For more than a year, they have
hammered on this scandal. Their hope had been to pull votes from Clinton to
Bernie Sanders, believing that Sanders, if nominated, was the weaker opposition
to the final few Republican candidates. What has resulted is a debt incurred by
taxpayers that is at least $20 million for the investigation, according to the <i>Fiscal Times</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Clinton hurt her campaign by delayed
response to the allegations she compromised national security and then by
dodging and weaving on her public comments, allowing the scandal to fester and
explode. The conservatives got additional ammunition when a meeting between
Bill Clinton and Attorney General Lynch fell into their laps. Both claim the
meeting in Phoenix was accidental, and the main topic was grandchildren. The
conservatives pounced on that; even liberals, moderates, and independents thought
it was inappropriate for the attorney general who might become the prosecutor
to be chatting with the husband of the presumptive nominee for president who
was the target of a federal investigation.
Both Lynch and the 42nd president, who met on the attorney general’s
government aircraft, later acknowledged they should not have met, even if the
only conversation was social.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> In front of news cameras and the press,
Comey revealed that from more than 30,000 emails the FBI read, sorted, and
analyzed, “110 e-mails in 52 e-mail chains have been determined by the owning
agency to contain classified information at the time they were sent or
received.” Eight chains, said Comey, contained top secret information; 36
contained secret information; and eight contain confidential information. About
2,000 e-mails were later “up-classified.” The FBI also interrogated numerous
individuals who had knowledge of, and access to, the e-mails. There was no
hacking of Clinton’s server, no leaks of e-mail content, and no evidence of any
deletion of the e-mails by Clinton or anyone else, said Comey. Based upon
federal laws, the FBI determined, “our judgment is that no reasonable
prosecutor would bring such a case [into court].” This past week, Attorney
General Loretta Lynch announced that the Department of Justice would not pursue
felony charges against Clinton.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in 22.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> However, Clinton didn’t skate free. Comey
pointed out that Clinton and the Department of State were “extremely careless
in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information,” that “there is evidence to support a conclusion
that any reasonable person in Secretary Clinton’s position, or in the position
of those government employees with whom she was corresponding about these
matters, should have known that an unclassified system was no place for that
conversation,” and that “none of these e-mails should have been
on any kind of unclassified system, but their presence is especially concerning
because all of these e-mails were housed on unclassified personal servers not
even supported by full-time security staff, like those found at Departments and
Agencies of the U.S. Government—or even with a commercial service like Gmail.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> House Speaker Paul
Ryan said the FBI recommendation not to prosecute Clinton </span>“defies
explanation.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) questioned Comey’s
integrity, although Cruz had voted to confirm him in 2013 to be FBI director.
Comey, a Republican, was first appointed U.S. Attorney and then deputy attorney
general during the Bush–Cheney administration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican
nominee who had spent much of the primaries calling Ted Cruz a liar, after Cruz
dropped out of the race now threw venom on Clinton, innumerous times calling
her a liar and a crook. Following the press conference, Trump said “the system
is rigged . . . <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">very unfair! As usual, bad judgment.” He then launched an attack upon
Lynch, stating, without evidence, “It’s a bribe. . . The Attorney General is
sitting there saying, ‘If I get Hillary off the hook, I’m going to have four
more years or eight more years. But if she loses, I’m out of a job.’ It’s a
bribe. It’s a disgrace.” Trump also bellowed, continuing his campaign of
shoving misinformation in front of the voters, that President Obama was part of
a conspiracy to drop charges against Clinton.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> The FBI’s recommendation, said </span>Republican
National Committee Chair Reince Priebus, was “a glaring indictment of Hillary Clinton’s
complete lack of judgment, honesty, and preparedness to be our next
commander-in-chief, and they confirm what we’ve long known: Hillary Clinton has
spent the last 16 months looking into cameras deliberately lying to the
American people.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The conservatives,
especially Trump, will continue to push Benghazi and e-mails, no matter what
the evidence shows, and will be looking for anything they can find that may
lead to another scandal—and several million dollars to investigate it. They who
have lied to be elected and continue to chop apart truth will push to have a
hearing they hope will result in Clinton being held in contempt of Congress for
lying. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> As far
as Clinton is concerned, there have been many lessons from the Benghazi and
e-mail scandals, but the major one is that a candidate can’t allow the
opposition to control the message, but must be open and, if wrong, apologize
and correct a problem before it explodes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> [Dr. Brasch, an award-winning journalist,
has covered government/politics for more than four decades. His latest book is <i>Fracking America</i>.]<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-544617518124223962016-06-27T15:27:00.000-04:002016-06-27T15:29:15.588-04:00What Does the U.S. Care About<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">by Walter Brasch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Compared to their inaction on other agenda
items, the U.S. Senate is brilliant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> The one issue it had success was to block
President Obama’s immigration plans by not allowing a hearing or a vote for the
ninth Supreme Court justice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> President Obama by an executive order had
allowed children born in the U.S. of undocumented parents and their parents to
remain the U.S. The reasoning was that the children were born in the U.S., but
the parents were still undocumented—some call it the children “anchor” babies—and
by returning the parents to their native country, it would impact their
children’s lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Refusing to discuss the ninth justice left
eight justices. The 4–4 vote, liberals v. conservatives, essentially defeated
the President’s executive order. The tie vote lets stand rulings by federal
appeals courts. The vacancy was created with the death of Associate Justice
Antonin Scalia in April.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> If Donald Trump were to be elected, he
would nominate a right-wing justice who would undo much of President Obama’s
policies, tilting the Court to a 5–4 conservative; all actions would probably
be supported by the Republican majority of the Senate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> If Hillary Clinton were to be elected, she
would nominate a justice who would tilt the Court liberal. However, with that
5–4 Supreme Court majority and the conservative majority in the Senate, the
president’s action would still be blocked or reversed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Those who would be immediately affected in
Pennsylvania would be about 136,000; about 19,000 undocumented children 16
years or younger when they came to the U.S. and 32,000 parents would also be
affected, according to the Migrant Policy Institute (MPI). Most of the rest are
undocumented workers without children and children born in the U.S., who are
legal citizens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> In New Jersey are about 510,000
undocumented individuals, about 200,000 of them children under 16 and their
parents. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> The President’s order affects about half
of the 11.3 million undocumented immigrants. About 60 percent of undocumented
immigrants live in six states: California, Florida,
New York, New Jersey and Illinois, and Texas. Most of all undocumented
workers, 5 percent of the U,S. population, are employed and pay taxes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> The President’s executive order directly
affects those who have not entered the U.S. For the next seven months, those in
the country would not be deported. However, the President’s powers do include
those who come to the U.S., and he has broad discretionary powers, all of which
related to immigration would be reversed by Trump.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> “In November,” said the President,
“Americans are going to have to make a decision about what we care about and
who we are.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16021749866816216608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1757899338145916992.post-15561008364065371332016-06-18T14:04:00.000-04:002016-06-18T14:05:33.575-04:00Donald Trump v. The First Amendment<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">by
Walter Brasch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> If Donald Trump
should become president, don’t expect his administration to be a transparent
one or one that tolerates dissent and believes in the First Amendment.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> At his campaign
rallies, even those held at public venues, he forbids, according to his press
advisories, “homemade signs, banners, professional cameras with a detachable
lens, tripods, monopods, selfie sticks, back packs or large bags.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: .25in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The restriction
on “professional cameras” is targeted to the media. Apparently, he doesn’t want
unflattering pictures of him and his extra large baggage mouth to get to the
public, although he is adept at positioning himself in front of the media for
every possible story angle. If he were president, he would not have a choice of
who can and cannot photograph him, because the First Amendment guarantees that
public officials cannot invoke a “prior restraint,” which is what a restriction
on photography would be. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Why he doesn’t
want “back packs or large bags” is probably because he fears weapons at his
rallies. Of course, he has said numerous times that he believes in the Second
Amendment right to own and carry weapons, even assault weapons like the handguns
and semi-automatic assault rifles that were used to kill 26 at the Sandy Hook
elementary school, the 14 killed in San Bernardino, and the 49 killed in an
Orlando nightclub.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Not allowing
the public to make signs and banners is such a huge violation of the First
Amendment that even the most rabid conservatives, and every judge—no matter
what their judicial or political philosophy is—would laugh themselves silly at
Trump’s belief that as a president he could control the message, like he is
doing as a candidate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Trump also revoked
the press credentials of several newspapers, including the <i>Washington Post</i> and the <i>Des
Moines Register</i>, solely because he and his combed-over ego believe the
publications didn’t treat him fairly or that they were inaccurate in coverage.
If he were to become president, such restriction would also be unconstitutional
because having a thin skin is not a reason to deny press credentials. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Access to a
president is critical for White House reporters. Legally, Trump may decide not
to grant interviews or to allow certain reporters to accompany him on Air Force
One, placing those he believes are unfriendly to him to a trailing press plane.
To gain access, reporters may compromise their reporting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Trump follows
the practices of Richard Nixon, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Nixon not only
had an enemies list, but he also unleashed numerous unconstitutional First
Amendment violations against dissenters and the media, including numerous
“dirty tricks” against those opposing the war in Vietnam.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The Bush–Cheney
administration established “free speech zones” as far as a mile from where
either Bush or Cheney were speaking. These zones were to keep dissenters and
their signs and banners away from the media, most of which followed the
president and vice-president, and ran stories and photos of friendly audiences,
while not venturing off to write about and photograph the large crowds that
disagreed with the administration’s policies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Trump will
figure out how to skirt the First Amendment at his public speeches while crossing
ethics guidelines.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> In 1789, Thomas Jefferson, wrote, <span style="background: white; color: #333333;">“Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that
cannot be limited without being lost.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"> </span>The First Amendment protects not just freedom
of the press and speech, but also the freedom of religion, the right of people
to peacefully assemble and support or dissent from government policy, and the
right to petition government to address grievances. Most public officials,
while running for office demand adherence to the First Amendment, but once in
office try to suppress some of the rights of the First Amendment. If elected,
Trump would probably be among the top five of 45 presidents to try to control
the media and violate the First Amendment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <b>[Dr.
Brasch, an award-winning journalist is also a First Amendment scholar and
advocate who taught media law while a university professor. As a reporter, he
wrote about Nixon illegally reviewing IRS returns of other reporters and those
on his enemies list; the following year, “coincidentally,” his own IRS return
was audited. He was also thrown out of a Dick Cheney re-election rally at a
public university, although he had press credentials issued by the Republican
National Committee. The latest of his 20 books, <i>Fracking America: Sacrificing Health and the Welfare for Short-Term
Economic Benefit</i>, includes numerous case studies of government violating
the First Amendment.]<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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