tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-117102972024-03-07T03:28:40.085-05:00Tully's PageThe political and social commentaries of a man who embraces and loves life. Politics, Economics, Civil Liberties, Freedom, Nautical events, Sports, Culture, and International affairs thrown in. I am probably best described as a "fiercely independent contrarian environmentally conscious libertarian." Just when you think you have me pigeon-holed, I'll surprise you....
Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.comBlogger426125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-29516466640619783782022-06-26T17:47:00.005-04:002022-06-26T19:18:37.040-04:00Post-Roe Thoughts...Especially for my Progressive Friends<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Until this week, <i>Roe v. Wade</i> was one of the most poorly
reasoned, and poorly written decisions in American jurisprudence.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>I am not commenting on the outcome – the constitutional right
to an abortion “up to some vague point,” but to the legal reasoning behind it. The majority in this 7-2 decision was
actually split four ways, with one ‘majority’ opinion and three concurring
opinions. They all disagreed as to the reasoning
behind their decision, and one even doubted that the decision meant what it
said. On a personal note – and I will come
back to this – only Justice William O. Douglas, whose one-man concurrence
insisted that the court find an inherent 9<sup>th</sup> Amendment Right to
Privacy, made constitutional and historical sense. Unfortunately, he was just one among nine, and his
reasoning was not adopted. Instead, the Court
ran with an esoteric “equal protection” and “due process” jargon with little
precedence to support it. We were poorer
then for it, and even poorer now. </p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">That Roe was a disaster from the start was recognized by most
honest liberal jurists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it was
revisited in<i> Casey v Planned Parenthood</i>, the majority gutted Roe’s baseless
assertions that the US Constitution provided different solutions for different
trimesters of pregnancy, and narrowed the decision to recognizing fetal
viability as a dividing line. Even The Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsberg criticized
the reasoning behind Roe, even late in her life, while on the bench.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I have said for years that while I am pro-choice, Roe was
such a poor decision that it would be – and should be – overturned. Liberal friends who look only at results and
not legal process just dismissed me as “impure”
on the issue. Well, friends, the
inevitable is now upon us.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">If Roe was a poor decision, <i>Dobbs vs. Jackson W.H.O</i>. is
even worse.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The initial criticism of Roe in the opinion is valid. The subsequent invalidation of any right to
privacy is an unmitigated disaster.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The entire Bill of Rights of the Constitution is based on
privacy rights as against the government.
The Freedom of religion, the prohibitions against warrantless searches
and seizures, the arcane 3<sup>rd</sup> amendment prohibiting quartering of
troops in one’s home – are all based in the notion of *privacy.* Several critical Supreme Court decisions have noted
this – such as in the 1971 (pre-Roe) <i>Wisconsin v. Yoder</i>, which gave Amish
parents the Constitutional right to home educate their children. It was hinted
at in <i>Griswold v Connecticut</i> (1965), a birth control access case, and again in
<i>Loving v. Virginia</i> (1967) (Interracial marriage).</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">But Roe (1973) said these “privacy rights” were <b><i>not</i></b> a 9<sup>th</sup>
Amendment Right, but somehow connected to general liberty interests in the
equal protection and/or due process clauses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And now that Roe is toast, so is everything else. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So how do we react?</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Forgive my brutal response: If the last few days of social
media reactions are any indication of the future, progressives will make the
same mistake they make in every election cycle, and then wonder why they lose
time and time again: they will shoot every potential ally with strident, nasty,
interest-group politics.</b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">A scroll through my feeds shows the same ‘flavor’ memes over
and over:<br />
<br />"It’s the damned Men."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“If men could get
pregnant,” “If men had to pay,” “If men had vasectomies…”<br />
<br />
Men are not the Enemy here, folks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
fact, according to a 2022 Pew Research survey, men support abortion rights at
nearly the same rate as women.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p>"</o:p>It’s the damned churches!" “Tax the churches!,” “Abort
churches,” “We’re not a Theocracy!” the aggrieved snarl.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">However, the same Pew poll found that the *majority* of
Mainline Protestants, Black churches, Catholics, and Orthodox *support*
abortion rights. Only Evangelicals
oppose them. We often forget that the entire 1960s civil rights movement was
organized *in churches.* The same-sex marriage legislative movement was
spearheaded by the Episcopal Church in numerous states, including New
Hampshire, one of the first to legalize same-sex ceremonies.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Nancy Pelosi took *no time* at all ‘marrying’ the horror of the Court’s
anti-choice decision with its position striking down New York’s clearly unconstitutional gun laws. Guess what Nancy
– there are millions of Americans who are pro-2<sup>nd</sup> Amendment AND
pro-choice.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Progressives, listen up: </b>
I AGREE with you that we need to fight to secure reproductive rights. I’d also like to see us fight for Privacy
rights across the board.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p><b><i><u>But you don’t make allies by directing your vitriol
against men, or churches, or gun-rights activists, or any other “impure”
illiberal group into which you decide to pigeon-hole people.</u></i></b> Politics is a not a forum where you win by systematically
pissing off those who are, or could be, allies, because you only see them as “parts
of a group” rather than as unique, rational, thinking individuals.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Now is the time to THINK, my friends…not a time to show
the world that you hate everyone and everything who doesn’t agree with you 100%
on a laundry list of litmus tests.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Somewhere is a young, white, gun-owning, church-going blue
collar male who just paid for his girlfriend’s abortion. He’s grateful that chapter is behind them, as is
she. He should be your ally. But through interest group politics and
strident, demeaning attacks on anyone in a “group” you perceive as an enemy, you
have effectively neutered him as an active ally.</b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Congratulations.</b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-37742792535877706852022-05-28T17:06:00.002-04:002022-05-28T17:13:40.828-04:00Uvalde, the "Incident Command System," and the American Deference to "Authority."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0QNq-C0d0fOMiDSsetUX3PBluJ0o8A8X3P9ZQ4Pw7rHm4O-OY3D5zK-rS5-ECPmhiIR8i1M2sUE6ruIYQTetVJMQ4exaQ5xIlUqeyp7laVH6zDfvuxjCuURL27oZSuI5IPjJF-opORnjDg3r0FXOEwuZ__PfxmfSCjC2M-QbpUVx3MxOutE/s782/kids.PNG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="782" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0QNq-C0d0fOMiDSsetUX3PBluJ0o8A8X3P9ZQ4Pw7rHm4O-OY3D5zK-rS5-ECPmhiIR8i1M2sUE6ruIYQTetVJMQ4exaQ5xIlUqeyp7laVH6zDfvuxjCuURL27oZSuI5IPjJF-opORnjDg3r0FXOEwuZ__PfxmfSCjC2M-QbpUVx3MxOutE/s320/kids.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><p>So this post is a direct response to the horror in Uvalde. It has nothing to do with guns. </p><p>It has to do with the soul of America since 9/11. </p><p>After 9/11, there was a serious effort at the federal level to design a 'system' to respond to tragedies, of any variety: dam breaks, hurricanes, mass shootings, attacks using airplanes - you name it. As with most federal 'systems,' it was borne of an honest and well-meaning desire to "make things better," in the wake of the chaos on the ground after the attacks on the World Trade Center. For those of you unfamiliar with the system that emerged from that effort, it is called "Incident Command Management System." It is a system that has been implemented nationwide. If you are a police officer, fire fighter, local civil defense manager, national guardsman, red cross worker, or in any way considered a Responder, you have been through this training. I received mine as a member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary.</p><p>The idea of ICM is to designate "who's in charge," and what the action priorities should be in a given incident. The events, as they unfolded (or didn't) in Uvalde is a direct result of this system.</p><p><b>A primary focus of ICM is to designate a lead agency as "in charge</b>" of a local incident. This means that all other agencies who arrive to assist at an emergency take their orders from the lead agency. In Uvalde, the lead agency was the local policing authority. Why did SWAT teams and first responders in Uvalde stand around doing nothing for an hour? Because they took their orders from the lead agency. They followed ICM protocols - until they finally broke ranks and entered the school.</p><p><b>Another focus of ICM is the prioritization of response</b>. In the ICM hierarchy, *containing the problem* takes precedence over *assisting the victims.* In other words, in a hurricane where live wires are down, getting them shut off takes precedence over helping those on the scene who have been electrocuted. In a situation of a failing dam, preventing further collapse takes precedence over rescuing those trapped under water. In a school shooting, containing the shooter takes precedence over rendering aid to the wounded or endangered.<br /><i><b><br />With that in mind, can you see how Uvalde unfolded?</b></i></p><p>There is a third priority, one that is more problematic than the first two. And that is the absolute <b>prohibition on what is called "Self-Deployment."</b> Self-deployment refers to individuals simply doing *what needs to be done* at that moment. NO ONE is permitted to "self-deploy;" an EMT (or any ordinary citizen) who is capable of rendering aid to a victim <i>is *prohibited* from doing so unless they have received specific orders from the Lead Agency chain of command to do so</i>.<br /><br />Parents who were ready and willing to storm the school were prevented from doing so by the police. Why? *<i>NO SELF-DEPLOYMENT</i>.* The real heartbreak here is that we, the American public, <b>actually conform to the orders issued by The State, time and time again.</b> The parents who *did* ignore orders and rescued their own kids at the school engaged in precisely the behavior that we <b>ALL need to engage in. </b></p><p>Putting the gun issue aside, the question here is the official response (or lack of it) and how it happened the way it did.<br /><br />It happened *precisely* the way it is designed. Good, anguished, law-abiding parents questioned it, but ultimately conformed.<br /><br />That conformity must END. The worship of the state must END. The blind belief in "authority" must END.</p><p><br /></p>Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-19852759341473570382021-01-04T14:13:00.001-05:002021-01-04T14:13:11.059-05:00Trump (The Devil) Went Down to Georgia (Thanks to Charlie Daniels....)<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Devil called down to
Georgia<br />
He was lookin' for some votes to steal<br />
He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind<br />
And he had written the Art of the Deal<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
When he came across a State Official<br />
Doin’ his job and keepin’ notes,<br />
And the Devil jumped on the White House line<br />
And said, "Boy, I want them votes!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"I guess you didn't know
it, but I'm a hard-ball player, too<br />
And if you'd care to take a dare, I'll make a deal with you<br />
Now you count pretty good numbers, boy, but give the Devil his due<br />
I'll bet a pardon of gold against your soul<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">'Cause I know I'm better than
you"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The man said, "My name's
Bradford, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I speak for Georgia’s Crowd,<br />
But I'll take your bet, you're gonna regret<br />
'Cause the numbers here are sound.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Raffensperger, take that
call, but hold your ground real hard,<br />
'Cause Hell's broke loose in Georgia and the Devil deals the cards<br />
And if you win and stand up tall, you’ll safeguard every poll,<br />
But if you lose, the Devil gets your soul<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Devil opened up his case
and he said, "I'll start this show"<br />
And insults, lies, and pressure came at Brad to bring him low<br />
And he made some implications that poor Brad committed crimes,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And a band of demon Senators joined
in, to spread the slime<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When the Devil finished<br />
Bradford said, "Your numbers aren’t there<br />
We’ve counted all votes faithfully, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and you’re full of hot air<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"We counted in Atlanta,
in the ‘burbs and by the sea<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In Savannah, down in Macon,
Marietta, and in Lee,<br />
The votes have all been counted, poll workers have my thanks,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We re-checked, and we’ve Certified,
and you’ve run out of pranks.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Devil bowed his head
because he knew that he'd be beat<br />
The efforts in the Senate were now doomed to see defeat,<br />
Brad said, "Devil, just come on back if you ever wanna try again<br />
But it’s said and done, you son of a bitch<br />
You’ll be heading for the Pen!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-13671759214928010172019-08-08T10:14:00.000-04:002019-08-08T15:15:12.389-04:00The Demonization of Guns Contributes to Mass Shootings<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I’m 59 years old, and I grew up in an age when guns were
just another normal tool around the house, like chainsaws and drills and car
jacks. I was 8 or 9 when I fired my first
BB gun, aiming at cans set up on a log.
High Schools still had marksmanship teams, and younger kids all played
with cap guns and water pistols. I
learned safety rules and respect for firearms at a young age. And to be clear, this was not in some rural
southern hill town – it was in a suburb of New York City. <br />
<br />
And while there were always – and will always be – news incidents of crimes
committed with guns, the societal understanding was that the majority – nay,
99+% - of gun owners – were responsible citizens, your neighbors, and the
outrage was focused on the criminal.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to today, and the climate is extremely different.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The message one hears in a constant repetition in both
traditional and social media is that guns are bad. Guns are dangerous. No one needs guns. Grade school kids who engage in the simple
activity of drawing a gun in class are reported to the principal’s office as a
possible danger. Just this morning I
read a Twitter post from someone who commented that anyone who opposed gun
control was a “potentially dangerous person,’ and the author wished to cut all
ties with them. Dick’s Sporting Goods and other retailers have curtailed firearm
sales. <br />
<br />
Rather than sponsoring marksmanship clubs, schools are gun-free zones.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I am still a gun owner.
I have lived in rural Vermont, New Hampshire, and western Massachusetts
for the last two decades. And even
though there is a right to carry and few restrictions on firearms in NH and VT,
I have rarely seen anyone carry. In
fact, if I see one person every few months carrying a firearm, it’s a lot. Young people don’t play with toy guns, much
less learn and practice with real ones.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Restrictions on carrying have increased to the point that
it is nearly impossible to legally carry in large cities like New York and
Chicago. Guns are no longer seen as
a useful tool, but something to be tightly regulated and controlled. Gun Free Zones - schools, parks, private malls, Town properties
– are everywhere.<br />
<br />
And yet, in spite of the increase of controls on firearms over time, we live in
an era where mass shootings by troubled individuals seem to dominate weekly –
or daily – news cycles. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Some of the more strident statements – by both
politicians and the general pro-control public – are overly shrill (and I’m being generous.) Gun owners are stereotyped and characterized
as uneducated, scared, or racists. It isn’t
hard to find online posts linking firearm ownership to “toxic masculinity,”
white nationalism, or small-penis-compensation.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Gun manufacturers have blood on their hands.” “The NRA has blood on their hands.” “Children are being sacrificed on the altar
of the Second Amendment.” All of these
statements showed up in my Twitter Feed and Facebook page today. Still another
woman wrote, “If I see you carrying a firearm in public, I’m calling the police,
because I don’t know that you’re not a terrorist.”<br />
<br />
The message has been very loud, and very clear:
Guns, and those who carry them, are Bad.<br />
This message was given moral support when President Obama referred to fearful people
who “cling to guns and religion.” It was
in full display when Hillary Clinton employed the word “Deplorables” describing
certain segments of the population. It
is reinforced every time John or Jane Doe write a screed about anyone who
opposes gun control being an [expletive.]<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
What I am suggesting here is that the strident, virulent attacks
on firearm ownership have had their intended effect: while there are many guns
in the country, a falling percentage of Americans own them, use them, or carry
them. It’s no longer socially
acceptable.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
On the other hand, it has had a terrifying unintended
consequence.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Guns are now ‘counter-culture.’ And therein lies the
danger.<br />
<br />
An entire generation of young people have now ‘grown up’ without casual firearm
exposure, practice, or use. They hear
from their friends, teachers, neighbors, entertainers, and media influencers that
guns are bad, gun owners are bad, gun manufacturers are bad, and they are unnecessary
to have. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In short, “only bad people and idiots need guns.”<br />
<br />
The problem here is that young people – especially troubled young people – gravitate
towards anything they’re not supposed to do or have.<br />
<br />
The story is as old as time itself.
Teenagers smoking cigarettes in the boy’s room. Smoking pot.
Boys growing long hair. Wearing only
a White T-shirt (scandalous when James Dean did it, and indicative of a bad
boy, a rogue, a rebel.) Listening to
Ozzy Osbourne and exulting in the superficial satanic symbols on the album
cover or in the lyrics. Sporting a Confederate flag in some far-northern town.<br />
<br />
For the vast majority of teens and young people, this is normal – a phase of
rebellion that almost all go through to some degree or another.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But we don’t live in a perfect utopia, and there will
always be a subset of young people who exist in a darker place. They feel different, ostracized, and outcast. In short, for one reason or another –
bullying, income level, learning disabilities, unsupportive living arrangements
– they are Angry. Or Hopeless. Or
Outcasts. Or all three.<br />
<br />
And they embrace the moniker of “rebel.”
They take pride in taking on the persona of being that outcast, of being
that rebel. Heck, If I’m an outsider, I‘ll be the best damned outside I can
be.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And if destruction is on their mind, what better idol -
what better symbol of being society’s outcast – than a gun?<br />
<br />
The demonization of guns and gun culture has caused a simultaneous drop in the
use of firearms as a normal tool within general society (with the resulting degradation in the ability to protect oneself), and in increase in its
symbolism as something bad. When you’re
a desperate outcast who can no longer shake the feeling of being “on the outs,’
what better item to grab to “stick it” to those who have put you ‘on the outs?’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Restrictions on guns
have increased, while mass shootings (rare as they statistically are) have
increased. The Average Jane or Joe shies
away from firearms more than in the past, while the image of that tool has become a symbol of the Bad Boy, the counter-culture, and the loner.<br />
<br />
If we continue to demonize firearms as we have, don’t expect any law or
regulation to change a thing: we have a sent a message to troubled young men
that if they feel like outcasts, a gun is a perfect match for them. And just like restrictions on pot, steroids,
cocaine, alcohol or any other prohibited or restricted product, guns will
becomes magnets for those who troubles began long before they thought of acquiring
one.<br />
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<!--[endif]--></span>Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-28405251901071279452018-03-07T21:16:00.000-05:002018-03-07T21:16:36.179-05:00Getting Started in Crowdfunding Investing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5ubH2_hUuRVmuwFJCz7yoMXZJx9gI9o_2s5KHHcsFWt36qygA2fV17AAiZ1VYpiprxHt6x2OtHYxcBzPJk72Iep4YUBC5lm2tChL1jsSr-frmC3R5WQ1CBBMuVDYHn6jKv746A/s1600/ceres1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="714" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5ubH2_hUuRVmuwFJCz7yoMXZJx9gI9o_2s5KHHcsFWt36qygA2fV17AAiZ1VYpiprxHt6x2OtHYxcBzPJk72Iep4YUBC5lm2tChL1jsSr-frmC3R5WQ1CBBMuVDYHn6jKv746A/s320/ceres1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>[Note: I am not an owner or employee of any of these firms, and no one asked me to do this. I am providing this solely as information based on my recent personal experience using the Platforms]</i><br /><br />For a bit over a year, federal law has permitted just about any John or Jane Doe to invest in Business Start-ups or expansions, an activity usually reserved for the wealthy or "accredited investors." Today, often in increments as low as $100 to $500, individuals can get in on the ground floor of a new venture. These investments may take the form of actual stock equity (which can not be easily traded or sold, and are not listed on a stock market); convertible notes (loans which convert to equity, or stock, if certain conditions are met); and revenue sharing, which acts as a loan paid back not over a specific time period, but as a function of the revenue received by the company. The goal on these revenue sharing agreements is to pay back the investor anywhere from 1.2 times to 2.0 times their investment (although I have seen one shooting for 3x investment).<br /><br />And of course, like any company, all investment is at risk and you could lose everything. No one, of course, is hoping for that, but it is a possibility.<br /><br />All of the platforms below are simply web-based platforms designed to 'match' potential investors with companies seeking to raise funds. Once the investment is completed, the investor deals directly with the company they have invested in and the platform has no further intermediatory role between you.<br /><br />Each Platform, with small exceptions, is structured, visually, in a fairly uniform format, so getting familiar with one makes the next one easier. In no particular order, the five that I have found easiest to use are these:<br /><br /><b>1. START ENGINE </b>- This is the largest of the five I am including. s of this date, 68 active companies are listed, representing a broad variety of industries. They provide an excellent, clear tracking of the status of your investments during the process, and are active in sending emails announcing news and updates. If you need to cancel an investment, they are efficient and no-hassle. Each company has a very visible "Terms" button which explains clearly what kind of investment is being offered, with some minor exceptions. Unlike many platforms, they actually permit the use of credit cards (Use with Caution!) to make investments.<br /><br /><b>2. NEXTSEED</b> - Next Seed is small (7 active companies), with a heavy emphasis on "mega-bars" and drinking/entertainment venues. Of all the platforms, it provides the *clearest* indication as to the 'terms of the deal' and the hoped-for returns. The Chat function with the platform is efficient and helpful.<br /><br /><b>3. WEFUNDER</b> - Another large platform, there are 45 companies currently raising funds. There are an excellent set of FAQs for new investors that should be read thoroughly. The site features many tabs to search for precisely the type of company you wish to invest in (tech, main street, software). On the down side, the terms of each deal are not big and bold: they are printed in fine type at the bottom of each company's icons in just a word or two. By clicking on a company icon, you can see the terms in more detail.<br /><br /><b>4. MICROVENTURES</b> This is actually a partnership (not entirely explained) using First Democracy FV as a bridge between Microventures and Indiegogo, a respected company which adds some credence to the viability of the fundraising companies; there are 7 companies currently listed. Some of the companies have very clear terms of the deal, while others take a little more digging.<br /><br /><b>5. FUNDANNA </b>- Whereas many crowdsourcing platforms steer away from start-ups involved in the cannabis industry, Fundanna focuses on such companies. The 6 companies listed have *very clear* terms, and have done a good job explaining their business plans and approach to their businesses, with extensive information for the investor. One gets the impression that Fundanna is a small operation: the website has a few glitches, and is not entirely intuitive, and the chat function is not always on...but when responding to email, it is clear that they are giving highly personal responses rather than pat answers. One nice touch is that they actually accept old-fashioned checks in addition to bank withdrawals for payment. <br /><br />I have used all five of these of that platforms, and will continue to do so as I seek to diversify my investments, which currently include a race horse, a vertical farming operation, an organic dairy, a cannabis growing facility, a boxing club, a Brazilian liquor company, and a sports bar.<br /><br />In addition, some states have set up Non-profit platforms (Such as <b>MILKMONEY VT</b>) to assist local in-state businesses, and which are often only open to in-state residents.<br /><br />Happy Investing! Be smart and be cautious, but know that you CAN get in on the ground floor of the "Next Big Thing!"Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-24507508973689649272018-02-23T10:12:00.003-05:002018-02-23T10:12:31.387-05:00Gov. Scott - NO New Firearms Control in Vermont!<div dir="ltr">
Dear Sen. Nitka,</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I
am a resident of Chester, and am writing to you regarding the proposals
in the Senate regarding increased firearms regulation. I am extremely
concerned for the ramifications of some of these proposals. PLEASE hear
me out.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I am a retired
teacher, who chose to move to Vermont - in spite of the financial burden
on retirees compared to other states - precisely because of the life
style here. I am a fairly liberal gay man who, more than once, has
found myself a target on the streets of New York and elsewhere. To
protect myself, I carry a firearm, because I am my own best line of
defense when these incidents occur.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I
used to live in Massachusetts. In spite of currently being in the US
Coast Guard Auxiliary out of Station Burlington, with Homeland Security
Clearance, having NO criminal record of any kind, and having been
fingerprinted with the FBI no fewer than 11 times (for Coast Guard work
and during the adoption of 6 children and foster care of three others) -
the background check and license I requested there TOOK EIGHT MONTHS to
process (even though the law there said 60 day maximum). No one should
have to wait that long to exercise a Constitutional right to protect
themselves! The background check there was a total disaster. I moved to
Vermont for several reasons, but paramount was the fact that it is the
safest state in the union, and I don't have to beg for permission to
exercise my right to self defense.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
In
a vacuum, Universal Background Checks seem to make sense, to weed out
those with criminal records and mental health issues, and that seems to
be driving this initiative, but there are terrible unintended
consequences:</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
1) The
majority of people with criminal records are non-violent offenders, most
for drug offenses, and many with marijuana convictions - ironic,
considering we have just legalized marijuana in Vermont! A background
check will not only flag these people, but will disproportionately
affect minorities who are caught up in this system (and yes, I have an
inter-racial family). Progressives are appropriately trying to seal
these types of convictions so that non-violent offenders can be
re-integrated into society and get jobs - and yet this throws that
entire effort into chaos.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
2)
As a teacher, I worked frequently with Veterans, many of whom return
from overseas and are assisted with mental health counseling for PTSD.
These are men and women who know how to safely use firearms better than
most - and yet, they are precisely the ones who will be caught up in
mental health check. Are we now going to require that physicians and
counselors report the details of privileged patient-client information
to a government database?</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Similarly,
the effort to raise the age for purchase to 21 is an insult to the
people who we consider old enough to vote for you at age 18. At 18,
they can join the military and carry military-grade automatics, and they
can be trusted as armed police officers in our Towns...but they would
not be able to purchase a hunting firearm in a state with a long, proud
history of hunting?!</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I
realize that in the wake of the tragedy in Florida, people are emotional
and looking for "government to do something;" and yet, this is
precisely the time when legislators make poor choices. The 'crisis of
the moment" lead to the internment of Japanese-Americans in WWII, and it
lead to the Patriot Act and FISA courts - both examples of terrible
losses of Constitutional Rights as a result of an emotional reaction to
tragedy.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I am asking you to OPPOSE any effort to restrict the firearms laws here in Vermont.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Thank you,</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Thomas T Simmons</div>
Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-46617617196884920332018-02-06T16:40:00.000-05:002018-02-14T08:47:23.509-05:00The Investment Series....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBH3yq6s47RHWKXcwq44hNp1dAfb7_sglRq7v6xfOCiDlGeprun9eSmdoHSToiX5valE9KuZTW-7mY6686fYh7mr4WO6g1y3k619-hc5a7ASTC0-iBYXkiQREoEfkIV9TQcA73g/s1600/gmoc.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="689" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBH3yq6s47RHWKXcwq44hNp1dAfb7_sglRq7v6xfOCiDlGeprun9eSmdoHSToiX5valE9KuZTW-7mY6686fYh7mr4WO6g1y3k619-hc5a7ASTC0-iBYXkiQREoEfkIV9TQcA73g/s320/gmoc.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Many years ago, when I first began teaching, I made a decision that most of my fellow teachers did not understand: I opted out of the state Retirement System. I gave up a guaranteed pension for life after 20+ years of service. Instead, I chose an Optional Retirement plan, whereby I invested and controlled my own contributions. Now that I've "retired," that decision is paying off.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now, rather than waiting for a monthly check from the state, I have taken my stash of cash with me, to use as I see fit. And having spent the last 20 years teaching Economics & Business, and working with young entrepreneurs seeking to start their own businesses through the Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative, I am now entering a new phase of "work:" using my accumulated retirement funds to invest directly in new and growing businesses. <br />
<br />
We're not talking stocks here: we're taking making loans and buying equity in small family businesses that are not traded on the markets. It is probably one of the most exciting and rewarding things I have ever done.<br />
<br />
After planning for this for the past year, I have eight deals in various stages of closing. And so today, I reveal my first investment:<br />
<br />
<span class="ember-view" id="ember5028"><u><b>Green Mountain Organic Creamery</b></u> is a 20,000 sq/ft dairy processing plant located in Hinesburg, Vermont. GMOC was founded by Cheryl and John “JD” Devos, organic dairy farmers from Addison County, Vermont. Cheryl and JD own and operate the 200 cow, Kimball Brook Farm, which is capable of producing 3,400,000 pounds of milk per year. GMOC purchases its organic milk primarily from the Farm at fair market value prices and then produces and distributes certified organic, Vermont milk and value-added milk products (flavored milk, cheese, butter, etc.) throughout Vermont, New England, and New York.</span><br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z8DAQII_msk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z8DAQII_msk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-43490720488108595962017-09-05T20:18:00.000-04:002018-06-30T08:59:14.469-04:00"But...My ancestors came here legally!"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYSSTjsC4OOA7gZK_Yu5BkGlckq7jXTjUemdEf6Kz99mAL3MnPiSqEPolf9JSbH1XAPyyW4N5UM2tfEiwu9E-gxUMYdbiKdNMzW4Sp4wft3_DNEBuk21uhjrss85Ll3UZCOeZFA/s1600/blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="199" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYSSTjsC4OOA7gZK_Yu5BkGlckq7jXTjUemdEf6Kz99mAL3MnPiSqEPolf9JSbH1XAPyyW4N5UM2tfEiwu9E-gxUMYdbiKdNMzW4Sp4wft3_DNEBuk21uhjrss85Ll3UZCOeZFA/s320/blog.JPG" width="253" /></a></div>
To all my 3rd and 4th generation-American friends who are complaining about immigrants who "broke the law" and came here "without papers"....how the hell do you think YOUR ancestors got here? And before you shout out, "They came legally and went through all the paperwork!," listen up.<br />
<br />
No, they didn't. They didn't have paperwork. Your Irish ancestors who arrived in the "coffin ships" during the famine had no papers. Neither did your Greek, Italian, and German ancestors fleeing war.<br />
<br />
Many did not know what day they were born on, because they didn't have nice pictoral calendars on their non-existent refrigerators. In fact, they were born at home, and had no birth certificates. They not only lacked a college degree, they lacked a high school degree. They had no social security cards or driver's licenses, because they didn't exist.<br />
<br />
They arrived penniless. Paperless. With little knowledge of US government, the English language, or basic literacy. They arrived at Ellis Island, had an eye test and a TB test, and some official gave them an "americanized" name because most didn't know how to spell their own names so the immigration officers guessed.<br />
<br />
The Dreamers you're bitching about now? *These people are no different than your grandparents and great-grandparents, folks.* It's just that now you've 'made it' so you want to close the door on the next wave who just want a better life.<br />
<br />
Before you bitch about them, go into a quiet room and ask your great-grandma up in heaven what she would say about the immigration experience, the hope of America, and the heartbreak and obstacles she encountered. Ask her what she would have done if after being here 15 years, she was threatened with being<br />
sent back to Europe. And ask her how *she* sees those threatened by Trump's reversal of DACA.<br />
<br />
End of rant.Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-32965968566005425962017-01-28T15:23:00.000-05:002017-01-28T15:23:54.960-05:00Why the 20% Tariff on Mexican Goods Could be an American Economic Disaster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvZs6ctvi3kO_RrVSugcT1NuHsdCZ64C9VlBuSZUf4v5FLeueN02E1Gk407sfLFlwIP65eEcxrfwTjSjjer4vsNXYZ567jU4iplnrnO7j9VCaJxHmnQf7xvU1tKtFuhTvTcTn4A/s1600/dodge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvZs6ctvi3kO_RrVSugcT1NuHsdCZ64C9VlBuSZUf4v5FLeueN02E1Gk407sfLFlwIP65eEcxrfwTjSjjer4vsNXYZ567jU4iplnrnO7j9VCaJxHmnQf7xvU1tKtFuhTvTcTn4A/s320/dodge.JPG" width="320" height="195" /></a></div>In any basic Economics class on Trade, I ask my students why they don't raise their own sheep, harvest the wool, process it into yarn, and make their own clothes. I ask why they don't set up a greenhouse, grow their own coffee beans, and roast their own coffee. I ask why they don't chop down their own tree, mill it with the appropriate tools, and make their own door molding instead of running down to Home Depot.<br />
<br />
Intuitively, students understand how ridiculous this is. They conclude that while they could, if absolutely necessary, do these things, it is highly inefficient. The time and effort needed to undertake these actions means would require so much of their effort that they would have to give up engaging in other activities - such as washing their clothes, going to work, or studying for school. They understand quite easily that it makes far more sense to do what they do best - wait tables, work at a retail store, stock items in a warehouse - and then use the fruit of their labor to purchase those goods they do not or can not make as efficiently (such as a T-shirt, a can of coffee, or a piece of lumber.)<br />
<br />
That, of course, is the basis of trade: nations do what they do best, and trade for those items that others produce more efficiently.<br />
<br />
Mexico is the United States' third largest trading partners. In spite of the social media comments by those who insist they don't buy Mexican goods anyway, we import - quite cost-effectively - billions of dollars of goods from Mexico annually. Beer. Washing Machines. Chevy and Dodge Trucks. Medical Equipment. The United States imports a total of about $295 billion per year from Mexico, including $74 billion worth of vehicles, $63 billion of electrical machinery, $49 billion in machinery and $21 billion in agricultural products. Mexico is the second-largest supplier of agricultural imports to the United States: tomatoes, limes, lettuce, avocados, and more.<br />
<br />
Trump's current proposal is to pay for his wall with a 20% import tariff on Mexican goods. Applying this 20% tax to $295 billion worth of imports would result in an increase in prices to the tune of almost 60 Billion dollars annually.<br />
<br />
How would this affect Americans?<br />
<br />
Well, once again, let's break this down into understandable personal transactions.<br />
<br />
Let's say that I have $100 in my pocket. I go to the store to purchase a tricycle for my child, and it costs $50. I can buy this tricycle for $50, and still have another $50 left in my pocket to spend elsewhere - a pizza for the family for dinner, a bouquet of flowers for someone on their birthday, and one or two new pair of blue jeans.<br />
<br />
Now let's say that tricycle was made in Mexico, and now there is a 20% tax on top of that price. Instead of $50, that tricycle now costs me $60, and I purchase it. But wait, now I only have $40 left in my pocket instead of $50 - in other words, i have $10 less in disposable income than I had before.<br />
<br />
Who loses? I have to give up some other purchase: either the pizza, or the flowers, or one of the pair of jeans. <i>Some American business must lose out</i>, because I no longer have the ability to purchase the same number of goods I could before.<br />
<br />
Now multiply this times all the consumers in the American economy. With the tax, <i>$60 Billion dollars less is available for spending in American businesses.</i> <br />
<br />
But it gets worse.<br />
<br />
Let's say that, due to this new tax and my lower disposable income as a result, that I decided to skip buying the flowers at the local florist. If I *had* purchased those flowers, the ten dollar bill would not have sat in a cash register: the Florist may have used some of that to buy ribbon from a ribbon manufacturer, or to buy some vases in which to display flowers, or to pay their delivery man. And of course, that delivery man would then have used that income to purchase something for himself - perhaps a new windshield wiper, or a baseball for his child, or a ticket to a local performance.<br />
<br />
And since I couldn't buy those flowers, none of those transactions took place.<br />
<br />
And now, multiply that by $60 billion dollars which will no longer multiply throughout the economy.<br />
<br />
The 20% tariff may be a great way for the President to buy political capital and 'pretend' that Mexico is paying for his wall...but the reality is that Americans will pay - over and over - as the economy takes a hit it can not afford to take.<br />
<br />
----------------------<br />
<br />
Thomas Simmons is a graduate of Hofstra University and Hofstra Law School, and has worked as an Economist for the last 30 years. He is the author of three college textbooks on Economics.<br />
<br />
.<br />
Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-34369692438196076102016-09-21T22:54:00.000-04:002016-09-21T22:54:31.177-04:0036 States: 3rd Parties Polling Greater than Margin Between GOP and Dems<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_qqJpJaHSBSM6Bx3IMLsANWRoXwnkNDjEodlZSUVWNFXLZKKgYuJmPm3tnNRxgRLos-yN9xq0HevPcNH7npAWIRimsmNOJnancylFrxInzUZlE3bd_qS1PEfDIV_64PaaJl73w/s1600/3rd+P+Map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_qqJpJaHSBSM6Bx3IMLsANWRoXwnkNDjEodlZSUVWNFXLZKKgYuJmPm3tnNRxgRLos-yN9xq0HevPcNH7npAWIRimsmNOJnancylFrxInzUZlE3bd_qS1PEfDIV_64PaaJl73w/s320/3rd+P+Map.JPG" width="320" height="260" /></a></div><b><i>But...but.....a Third Party Vote is a wasted Vote!</i></b> How many times have you heard that plaintive cry during the 2016 election season? Or the usual follow-ups: "A vote for Johnson (or Stein) is a vote for (Fill-in-the-Blank: Trump or Hillary!)"<br />
<br />
It seems that every strong Clinton supporter, and every strong Trump supporter (or, perhaps more accurately, every Anti-Clinton Voter and every Anti-Trump Voter) has been working overtime in the mainstream media and on social media to convince people not to vote for a third party in 2016. "After all, they won't win...and that will only help Candidate X win," they say. They don't seem to understand that even if there were no third parties, I would not vote for either Clinton or Trump.<br />
<br />
And to be honest, many of them try to give me constructive advice: "Please, this is a two-party nation, and only one of the two major party candidates can win. Why don't you work within one of the major parties to make effective change instead?," they plead.<br />
<br />
Because history has shown that won't work.<br />
<br />
There are only two factors that motivate party policy.<br />
<br />
The first is money. And sorry, I don't have enough to influence either party in that respect.<br />
<br />
The second is votes - and more important, winning elections. <br />
<br />
When they win, they assume they touched on the right issues in the right way, and ran their ground games in an effective and successful way. If what you want is more of the exact same nonsense that both major parties have handed out, then by all means, vote for a major party. They will assume that their win means they did everything correctly, and you can expect more of the same in the years to come.<br />
<br />
When they lose, they must admit that they did something wrong, and begin the process of looking at polls and votes and voter turnout rates to see where they lost ground. <br />
<br />
Want to send a message to the major parties to make them seriously examine what they have done this election cycle? <b>FORCE THEM TO RE-EVALUATE WHAT THEY'VE DONE</b>.<br />
<br />
It is a Media cliché at this point to speak of 'blue states' and 'red states' and 'battleground states.' But the number of states on the edge is far bigger than anyone could imagine this year.<br />
<br />
<i>This year, in 36 states, polls show that the combined support for Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Green exceeds the margin of difference between the Republicans and Democrats. These states represent 358 Electoral votes: far more than the 270 needed to win.</i><br />
<br />
The table below indicates the margin of difference between Clinton and Trump, and the combined 3rd Party support, as published by the Washington Post 50-state poll on September 6:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlmukBj93PeCVHkNJJLnBuj3uP1LBfpMJHxCNep87EPJs-2ckIuOHfTinTr3uwXVFezU_EsmTa8CYmt2q4ZNWyGlkxhOaFfJoKE19RhubbVnR4ZG-8kcp4itV2GmxRxlcFtRGFQ/s1600/spread.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlmukBj93PeCVHkNJJLnBuj3uP1LBfpMJHxCNep87EPJs-2ckIuOHfTinTr3uwXVFezU_EsmTa8CYmt2q4ZNWyGlkxhOaFfJoKE19RhubbVnR4ZG-8kcp4itV2GmxRxlcFtRGFQ/s640/spread.JPG" width="640" height="443" /></a></div>*Maine and Nebraska assign their electoral votes by Congressional District, increasing the volatility of the election in these states.<br />
<br />
And, to further drive home the point, here is a map (courtesy of 270towin.com). Red states are runaway Trump, Blue states are runaway Clinton, and the Grey states represent those states where the 3rd Party support now exceeds the difference between them:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEjo4JM9brk6bF3bFVB1HoLggeAQM9PHIkHyIMMTSL79MMbzQtXL7JzR438vjay9RG76mMlRRzZV1BzpMCJ9kWjkfbii08P-i7Po2TgoMwLbOPQzxwZBKiDoat7RbMXYwTauYJQ/s1600/3rd+P+Map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEjo4JM9brk6bF3bFVB1HoLggeAQM9PHIkHyIMMTSL79MMbzQtXL7JzR438vjay9RG76mMlRRzZV1BzpMCJ9kWjkfbii08P-i7Po2TgoMwLbOPQzxwZBKiDoat7RbMXYwTauYJQ/s640/3rd+P+Map.JPG" width="640" height="520" /></a></div><br />
So there you have it. <br />
<br />
Are the chances slim that a 3rd Party candidate will win the election outright? Yes.<br />
<br />
Are the chances large that the 3rd Party vote might tip an election in some of these state one way or another? Yes.<br />
<br />
Are the chances even larger that a party that loses a state - or even comes close to losing - will need to examine what they're doing wrong? <b>ENORMOUS.</b><br />
<br />
No, your vote for a Third Party is <b><i>not</i></b> a wasted vote; rather, it is the most significant way you have demanding change in the system.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-85408950233509177622016-03-03T09:17:00.000-05:002016-03-03T09:17:12.982-05:00Republicans - and Democrats - YOU are responsible for Trump<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZeab8z-2jkrW-Gfmpl6FzcqouUrfamW0QDm32L5b1P0xhQrofzwS1vPpIG7HY10XxRwKyqM6dM7MZDur9sTVw4wQ3P-bZ5DwG9bKst0vemNTRRh9uYsM0lL-5O3a5z91V0DspBA/s1600/trump.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZeab8z-2jkrW-Gfmpl6FzcqouUrfamW0QDm32L5b1P0xhQrofzwS1vPpIG7HY10XxRwKyqM6dM7MZDur9sTVw4wQ3P-bZ5DwG9bKst0vemNTRRh9uYsM0lL-5O3a5z91V0DspBA/s320/trump.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>Both parties deserve blame for creating the rise of what amounts to a Fascist candidate for President.</b><br />
<br />
<b>For years, Republicans have promoted and courted – usually with a wink and a knowing glance – racial and xenophobic politics.</b> Mean-spirited attacks on the poor, demanding drug-testing for those on financial assistance and efforts to cut food stamp benefits – have been laced with an effort to generate warfare against a tiny portion of the population, even while slavishly throwing trillions of dollars at industry and runaway military spending. The purposeful intention has been to create an “us-versus-them” philosophy, blaming the poor, immigrants, and every “easy target” as the enemy. Beginning with Nixon’s “southern strategy” in the late 1960s, the GOP has actively courted a base that sees enemies all around. “Family Values” has become a buzzword in campaign literature for blaming gays and single mothers for the nation’s ills. Memes designed to justify the Police State and marginalize minorities have been carefully constructed to tap the darkest feelings of fear in every working-class, blue-collar white man in America. YOU, Republicans, created this monster: by courting this phenomenon, you always believed you could rely on those votes, without ever thinking that the voting block you created would ever rise, pitchforks in hand, to turn against you. Well, my friends, the chickens are coming home to roost. Trump has seized on this fear, and launched a classic fascist campaign, blaming immigrants and the poor for the economic mess we are in, cheering physical confrontation at campaign rallies, and openly showing disdain for the First and Fourth Amendments. Your subtle – and not-so-subtle – history of using racial and ethnic warfare as a standard campaign tool has created a populace that is actually acting on their fears.<br />
<br />
<b>But Democrats, please do not think you have had no role in this</b>. The GOP has courted these people, but you have enraged them. One only needs to peruse the facebook postings and newspaper Op Ed pages to see how your response has to take this group of the electorate and further marginalize them. Examples of elitist, nasty, and disdainful comments directed against southerners, poor whites, evangelicals, and those who have jumped on the Trump bandwagon are plenty. By viewing – and branding - this group of the electorate as stupid, uneducated yokels, and pick-up driving redneck gun-toters with small penises - you have done what the GOP could never do: you marginalized a group that already feels fear and marginalization, and added to their anger and feelings of isolation. You don’t win hearts and minds by telling people they are stupid. Rather than build bridges and show how your policies might actually benefit these people, you have chosen, in your words and actions, to treat them like sub-Americans.<br />
<br />
In other words, the GOP has convinced these people that there are un-American enemies out there who want to destroy their ways of life. You have answered the call by confirming that you despise these people, and that you need to legislate against their wishes “for their own good.”<br />
<br />
Sociologically, the two major parties have created a disaffected group of low-income and middle-income Americans who are reeling under economic pressures and feel alienated, taken advantage of, and ignored by government leaders. A powerless sub-class. And they have now found their voice in Trump.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, both parties ignore their fears and anger: Both parties have spent us into unending debt, both parties have propped up a corrupt Banking Regime, both parties have refused to fix a broken immigration system, and both parties have acted in the interests of Big Pharma, Monsanto, and crony capitalism. Even as I write, even the Democratic National Committee is moving to eviscerate the Financial Consumer Protection Agency.<br />
<br />
The prospect of a Trump Presidency is scary. But more scary is the situation that both Democrats and Republicans have created by pandering for votes, by playing divide and conquer with racial and class politics.<br />
<br />
The Trump phenomenon is the result of a classic failure of career politicians to lead. He is your creation.<br />
Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-63250181783291328652016-01-12T17:51:00.001-05:002016-01-13T23:06:37.842-05:00A gay man defends his right to keep and bare firearms<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JNvWGIyC46s" width="480"></iframe>Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-81757571793229435952015-09-15T17:50:00.000-04:002015-09-15T17:52:59.013-04:00Dear Kim Davis: This Christian Says "You're 100% Wrong."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbgyrpWZsh2JhO5orPWUfIrcbUCzOEpCZbodJZRLLOhdiA9DLpk4Z0I5RateAQ2VWAvnV2VDFz2fWZ0Pjv9MPq2JIgTOnPdcwJmlijQSLfDngZfvILF1cEduSVRiERBvqNPKCdw/s1600/Kim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbgyrpWZsh2JhO5orPWUfIrcbUCzOEpCZbodJZRLLOhdiA9DLpk4Z0I5RateAQ2VWAvnV2VDFz2fWZ0Pjv9MPq2JIgTOnPdcwJmlijQSLfDngZfvILF1cEduSVRiERBvqNPKCdw/s320/Kim.jpg" /></a></div>Dear Kim, I know you are presenting yourself as a victim of persecution: persecution of religious folk who simply want to excercse their faith, persecution by a totalitarian judiciary that is imposing law on average citizens, persecution by a vocal and strident gay minority who are insisting on violating your sincerely-held beliefs, conscience, and deepest religious convictions. Think Again. <br />
<br />
First, let me introduce myself to you. I am a Christian. I am a Gay man. I am an attorney who fully embraces the civil liberties enshrined on our Constitution. <br />
<br />
Throughout your protestations, you have made fools of the majority of Christians in this country, you have made fools of the people of Kentucky, and you have employed a tortured and innovative interpretation of Constitutional Rights.<br />
<br />
You, Madam Clerk, insist that you are being denied your right to live out your faith. I call Balderdash. <br />
<br />
No one is telling you to marry a woman. No one is telling that you must engage in homosexuality. In fact, no one is even telling you that you should change your mind, your beliefs, or your most sincerely held religious convictions.<br />
<br />
But when you are acting as County Clerk, <i>you are not acting as Kim Davis - you are acting as an agent of the Government.</i><br />
<br />
The First Amendment has a long, time-honored and cherished history in this country. It reads, in part (in case you haven't actually read it) as follows:<br />
<br />
Amendent I: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."<br />
<br />
Amendment XIV: "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States."<br />
<br />
Taken together, this is very simple: Under Amendment I, the federal government may not impose a religion upon the nation, nor may it prevent private citizens from exercising their religion. Under Amendment 14, the prohibitions imposed on the federal government are extended to State governments.<br />
<br />
A lesson in civics, dear: Counties are administrative units of States. When you act as County Clerk, you are acting under the authority of the State - not as a private citizen. You are therefore bound by a Constitution which mandates that States must abide by the same rules as the federal government when it comes to citizen's rights. And what are our rights? <i>To not have a particular religion and it's doctrine 'established' as official policy.</i><br />
<br />
As a private citizen, you may believe as you wish, protest as you wish, worship as you wish, and even campaign for a Constitutional Amendment to overturn Marriage Equality.<br />
<br />
As an agent of the State, <i>you may not impose or establish a religious test on the citizens.</i> It's very, very simple.<br />
<br />
But I'll take it even further: As a Christian, you need to stop speaking for the Church, speaking for God, and making grand pronouncements about what you believe the Bible requires as if your position is Infallible In fact, dear, your statements are erroneous at best, and blasphemous at worst: you have presumed to speak for God on the issue.<br />
<br />
Millions of Christians in this nation support same-sex marriage. Numerous denominations have endorsed same-sex marriage, ordination of gays and lesbians, and full GLBT equality. For you to presume to 'declare' what is or is not biblical, or Christian, or "God's Position" on the issue is the worst form of arrogance: you presume to speak on God's behalf. Shame on you.<br />
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Your approach is not supported legally, Constitutionally, or theologically.<br />
<br />
It's time to retire from public life, consider the damage you have done to other Christians and Kentuckians by association, and reconsider your self-righteous, self-aggrandizing motivations.It's bad enough you have made a fool of yourself and a circus of Rowan County - but in addition, you have betrayed your faith, your God, your public trust, and your Constitution.<br />
<br />
.<br />
<br />
Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-7552000164646370322015-06-18T09:33:00.001-04:002015-06-18T09:34:07.598-04:00Gay Marriage: The Court's Four Choices<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0SQpffq_OHAa9F1lnYMYVzpke-DHtIXl-DSHS8KCW1jYmqKMCQo-41v8t4p0-k8-7ej4O6cvlFiFlS2q00ASZU5Dgz5tc0n9IQT7e1jHoroPQFm7oR9LPx6BJ52vY6l_UpIXHg/s1600/gay%252Bmarriage19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0SQpffq_OHAa9F1lnYMYVzpke-DHtIXl-DSHS8KCW1jYmqKMCQo-41v8t4p0-k8-7ej4O6cvlFiFlS2q00ASZU5Dgz5tc0n9IQT7e1jHoroPQFm7oR9LPx6BJ52vY6l_UpIXHg/s320/gay%252Bmarriage19.JPG" /></a></div>We are counting down the days to the Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. I am not going to use this post to argue the cause for GLBT equality; rather, I am laying out the possible outcomes based on the multiple legal issues in the case at hand. Since news reporters will be tripping all over themselves to be the first to report, it is likely they will report the majority decision without going too deep into the nuances – and the nuances are important.<br />
<br />
Although the case is called Obergefell v Hodges (an Ohio case), there are actually four cases involved: Obergefell v Hodges (Ohio), Tanco v Haslam (Tennessee), Bourke v. Beshear (Kentucky) and DeBoer v Snyder (Michigan). These four cases are from the four states that comprise the 6th Circuit, the only federal circuit court that has ruled against finding a right to same-sex marriage.<br />
<br />
Contrary to popular understanding, Obergefell, Tanco, and Bourke do not directly address the question of whether states must permit same-sex marriage; all three are cases where a valid same-sex marriage was performed in <i>another</i> state, and the plaintiffs are suing to have their marriages recognized in their new home states. Only DeBoer raises the issue of same-sex marriage within their home state Michigan, and even that case is a little tortured because the original suit was brought against a Michigan law forbidding adoption by same-sex couples, not the actual marriage statute; the complaint was later amended to address the issue of same-sex marriage in Michigan.<br />
<br />
With that as background, the Justices have a wide variety of choices open to them. I present them from the narrowest to the broadest possible rulings:<br />
<b><br />
1) Full Faith & Credit</b>: SCOTUS could address the very narrow issue as to whether or not a state that prohibits same-sex marriage must recognize valid same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. The precedents are somewhat divided here: interracial marriages must be recognized across state boundaries, but other marriages – such as that between cousins (which are permitted in some states, but not others) or between young people (state marriage laws vary, some permitting 16 year olds to marry, while one requires an age of 19) have been decidedly inconsistent. In a narrow ruling, the suits would be decided under the Full Faith & Credit Clause of the Constitution. Even if the couples win, it would <b>not</b> require the states in the 6th Circuit to legalize same-sex marriage: it would only require them to recognize valid marriages performed <i>elsewhere</i>. This is the least likely scenario (but it is possible) and would happen only if Justice Kennedy felt it necessary to ‘slow down” the march toward GLBT equality. A win, but a disappointment, and the battle continues.<br />
<br />
<b>2) Gender Bias.</b> Raised as a possibility by Justice Roberts, this approach would apply the existing law that outlaws discrimination based on gender without a compelling state interest. In oral arguments, Roberts asked, “If Sue can marry Tom but John can not marry Tom, isn’t this a simple case of gender bias?" This has several advantages: it would effectively legalize same-sex marriage throughout the US, while creating no new law or precedent; it is also a way for the conservatives to further the issue of same-sex marriage without specifying specific “gay” rights. This approach would probably have a decisive majority of 6-3, or even 7-2, with Roberts (and possibly Alito) joining in the majority. Since this is basic existing law, gender discrimination, no new law, no new rights or ‘protected’ status for gays would be granted. This could be 6-3 or even 7-2, which would add a sense of legitimacy to the court’s ruling, and would be the 'compromise' approach in an effort to gain the widest acceptance of the decision. To me, this is a very possible outcome.<br />
<b><br />
3) Equal Protection Clause. </b> This would immediately result in legal same-sex marriage across the country, and, by applying it to gays and lesbians, would create a new application of this clause. This approach has the advantage of a clear statement concerning GLBT marriage rights, but would be more controversial than choice #2 above; it would likely be a 5-4 (possibly 6-3) decision. This is the outcome most LGBT groups are looking for.<br />
<br />
<b>4) Heightened Scrutiny/Protected Class.</b> This would be the most far-reaching approach, and would affect not only marriage, but every law in every state that discriminates against gays and lesbians (such as employment and job termination, adoption, etc). Under current US law, it IS legal to discriminate between groups if the government has a rational basis. So, for instance, a state may pass a law requiring 7 years of school for doctor licensing, 5 for dentists, and 8 for anesthesiologists if they so choose. This is the standard the 6th Circuit applied to the state laws in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky. However, if a group of people is found to have been the subject of ‘animus’ (hatred) resulting in discriminatory laws, then the government must go beyond a mere rational basis; they must prove a “compelling state interest” in order to discriminate. This is a very high standard, and laws almost never meet it. If the Court decides that gays and lesbians are to be considered a protected class, there are several ramifications: <i>first, nothing might happen initially</i>: the Court could send all four cases back to the 6th Circuit for a re-hearing under the new standard. Justice delayed. However, in the long-term, this would affect single every law in the nation that discriminates against gays and lesbians. It is the most sweeping choice; gays would win the most rights for the long term, and the decision (like Roe v Wade) would also generate the most controversy. It is highly doubtful that this could be anything better than a 5-4 vote…and in fact, somewhat unlikely, Justice Kennedy would need to go further out on a limb than he ever has to make this happen. the dissenting opinion would likely be vicious, and conservative political groups would have the most ammunition against the court.<br />
<br />
Of course, the Supreme Court often surprises…and often the majority vote is fractured into majority and concurring and dissenting opinions, so elements of all of the above may actually be part of a very complicated decision.<br />
Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-48645480413556236692015-05-18T19:10:00.000-04:002015-05-29T15:24:41.836-04:00Dear Chronically Late Student:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJlPtMeyOEh-KIlx6vJZ6XuWYA0yw-6Ro5Nd0eYGoEStOPRbVQfXo_uf6zcvsWHALfaRiLWdPNKFDob52bTFS7o3a-WB4aTaiXau6Y_eVrM8t9ePETrlZJBGUwjTzlw6pWM1-OyA/s1600/excuses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJlPtMeyOEh-KIlx6vJZ6XuWYA0yw-6Ro5Nd0eYGoEStOPRbVQfXo_uf6zcvsWHALfaRiLWdPNKFDob52bTFS7o3a-WB4aTaiXau6Y_eVrM8t9ePETrlZJBGUwjTzlw6pWM1-OyA/s320/excuses.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Dear Student,<br />
<br />
I want to address your criticism and disdain over my “poor attitude” concerning your attendance habits. It is clear that you think I’m some sort of ogre for being annoyed at your constant lateness and cavalier attitude towards actually attending class, submitting work by the assigned deadline, or taking an exam at the appointed time.<br />
<br />
Let me explain something to you.<br />
<br />
This is a class called “Introduction to Business.” It is designed to expose you to the work habits, issues, and dynamics of today’s business world.<br />
<br />
Now, I realize that I may be a little bit old-fashioned. In my day (yes, I hear your groans and see your eyes roll), if the train left the Long Island Railroad Station at 7:15am, I did not wander up to the platform at 7:17 and expect it to be waiting for me. And I knew that the excuse, “Sorry, I missed my train” was not an excuse at all. It was a cause for termination. You see, if I am expected to start work at 9:00 am – and if I expect to get paid beginning at 9:00 am – that does not mean I am combing my hair in the bathroom at 9:15 and then wandering over to the coffee machine and getting around to turn on my computer at 9:30. It means I am working at 9:00 am, so when a customer calls with a problem, I am prepared to efficiently and courteously assist them.<br />
<br />
So you are correct, I am annoyed when you seem to think that it’s perfectly fine to wander into a 9:00 am class at 9:05, 9:15, or even later, because I should somehow be honored that you chose to show up at all. I don’t care that your gas tank was low, that you burned your toast, or that you didn't anticipate that the snow might cause slower travel times. You are interrupting the class and the flow of learning, and worse, depriving your fellow students of all the wisdom you have to impart on the subject we just discussed (The very subject for which you will demand personal tutoring and explanation just before the exam, at your convenience, of course.)<br />
<br />
And that report that was due at the beginning of class on Thursday? No, it’s not “OK if I print it off after class,” or “give it to you tomorrow,” or “just email it over the weekend because my thumb drive wasn’t working right.”<br />
<br />
Let me explain: When I worked in an office competing for government grants, we were given strict deadlines – to the minute – to submit our proposals. When a dozen competing proposals came in, had I sauntered in 5 minutes late with our proposal, it wasn’t “OK;” it meant I just blew a chance of securing a 5 million dollar contract for my office. And it also meant that I was incredibly disrespectful to my co-workers, because all of their work on the proposal was for nothing.<br />
<br />
And yes, when the UPS man is rushing to pick up your line of next season’s designer clothing for the Fashion Show, and you aren’t ready because “tomorrow is good enough,” you just blew your chance to sell a line of clothing to every department store in the country – and 30 months of pre-planning just went down the drain.<br />
<br />
How do you think your co-workers and employer will feel about that?<br />
<br />
I suggest you learn this lesson NOW.<br />
<br />
Yes, sometimes cats run out the door and get hit by cars. Yes, your child suddenly falls ill. Yes, flat tires happen. <br />
<br />
That doesn't mean you get a “freebie.” What it means is that you learn that these are the things that happen in the normal course of life, and if you have a deadline, you plan to meet your deadline ahead of time – you don’t start the night before and then expect a free ride when nothing is ready in the morning. Rushing in at the last minute because it's "on time" is little more than "adequate;" it is the <i>minimum</i> to be expected. It's nothing special.<br />
<br />
Perhaps you’re seeking an employer who is a little more lenient than I am. <br />
<br />
Good Luck.<br />
<br />
Better to learn this now than when your mortgage, auto loan, and kid’s soccer tuition depends upon your steady paycheck.<br />
<br />
Planning on being self-employed so you don't have to put up with being told what to do? I got news for you: you will need to be even more diligent in your work, because your customers won't stand for the quality of delivery that you have exhibited. <br />
<br />
So, call me mean, rigid, and old-fashioned. If I have presented you with a standard that requires you to grow and change – I have done my job. If you're not into that sort of thing, consider dropping the course while you can still get your tuition back.<br />
<br />
I’ll bet that's one thing you will do on time…<br />
Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-90964460360841412582015-05-11T20:19:00.001-04:002015-05-11T20:27:11.756-04:00Fascism and American Sports,,,<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.vikings.com/assets/images/articles/2013/november/military-header-110513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.vikings.com/assets/images/articles/2013/november/military-header-110513.jpg" /></a></div>Let me say at the start that I truly enjoy sporting events, and teach a college course in sports economics. I have raised funds and brought many students to their first professional games: basketball, baseball, soccer. Growing up on Long Island, NY, I was a child of the NY Islanders Dynasty. <br />
<br />
I also have reason to support military veterans, whether it be at the college at which I teach, or from a more personal perspective: My son is a Marine, my uncle was a Navyman, and I’m in the Coast Guard Auxiliary. <br />
<br />
But I am also a student of history, and what I see occurring at sports stadiums today is frightening at best.<br />
<br />
In his 2003 seminal essay, “The 14 Characteristics of Fascism” in Free Inquiry Magazine, political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt summarized the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile). Dr. Britt found they all had 14 elements in common. Some of these include:<br />
<br />
<b>Powerful and Continuing Nationalism</b> – [the] constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, [and] songs….<i>in public displays</i> <br />
<br />
<b>Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights </b>- Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." <i>The people tend to look the other way</i> or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc. <br />
<br />
<b>Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause </b>- The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals...<br />
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<b>Supremacy of the Military</b> - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding... <i>Soldiers and military service are glamorized. </i><br />
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<b>Obsession with Crime and Punishment</b> - The police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. <i>The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. <br />
</i><br />
<br />
Enter the Sport Stadium: the largest on-going collection of citizens in "public displays."<br />
<br />
Now, I expect the National Anthem at the start of a sporting event. I look forward to it, to be honest. And I even appreciate the playing of other nation’s anthems when the match is international. But the trend is now towards something very unsettling – so unsettling that it’s reminiscent of the elements of Fascist Propaganda cited above.<br />
<br />
The last time I went to a Mets game Citifield, I have to admit that I was a little uncomfortable when I was exposed to a “new tradition” in the 6th inning: the announcer required that we all stand, sing God Bless America, and participate in honoring ‘the veteran of the day.’ The fact that a stadium full of thousands dutifully rose as soon as they were told to, in order to honor the military, should cause some pause. In fact, it’s downright chilling.<br />
I thought this was a one-time special event; I have since observed this ceremony multiple times, at multiple baseball stadiums. It’s now the norm.<br />
This past week, the Washington Post revealed a ‘formal,’ paid relationship between the government and the NFL for much the same type of intertwining of the military state and sport. <br />
<br />
As articulately expressed by <a href="http://FreeThought.com">www.FreeThoughtProject.com</a>, <br />
<br />
<i>“The national anthem is a long, drawn-out, pregame event. There’ll be a flyover by the Blue Angels at the perfect, climactic moment. During a break in the action, some soldier returning from Afghanistan or any other foreign war-zone will be reunited with his family while the stadium erupts in deafening applause and heart wrenching sobs.<br />
<br />
Well, hold off on purchasing those tickets just yet, because the Washington Post found something interesting this week. All this patriotic propaganda- the troop-salutes, the banner ads, even the community service events where troops and NFL teams “build or re-build” a playground together, come with a price tag.<br />
Fourteen NFL teams were paid a total of $5.4 million by the Department of Defense to cover the nationalistic propaganda filling downtime during the games.”</i><br />
<br />
That’s right: not some organic, groundswell of thanks to our vets; but a paid program by the Pentagon to create a pro-military groupthink at a captured audience. Think about that.<br />
<br />
So yesterday, perhaps my sensitivity was on high alert, but what I saw at a Major League Soccer game was equally scary. Soccer – often thought of as the international, or even “un-American” sport – took its required worship of the Police State to yet another level.<br />
<br />
In the wake of the murder of NY Police Officer Brian Moore – thousands of police officers from around the nation lined the highways of Seaford, NY for his funeral. It was portrayed as a show of “support” for the officer and his family – but of course, the majority of those in attendance wouldn’t have known him if they had tripped over him when he was alive. Rather, at a time when police wrongdoing is revealed daily on websites such as <a href="http://CopBlock.org">CopBlock.org</a>, this was not a show of respect as much as a show of force: the Blue Line that protects its own, showing its muscle and demanding respect and awe from the public.<br />
<br />
The start of the inaugural match between the New York Red Bulls and the New York City Football Club in Harrison, NJ, was launched with a moment of silence for the slain officer (I could argue that while police officers get such treatment, hundreds of innocent Americans slain by police get no such honor…but I won’t belabor that point.) But then the players entered the field – with black armbands. They didn't read, “Moore” – they read “NYPD.”<br />
<br />
Yes, I have a problem with that.<br />
<br />
At a time when there is a public relations war between the cops and the citizens they are supposed to serve; when police defiantly turn their back on the Mayor of New York City when he dares to criticize their tactics; when courtrooms have revealed the systematic and routine planting of evidence on innocent citizens; when military equipment and armaments are being distributed to civilian forces – yes, I have a problem with two sports teams being required by their league to “take sides.” When I was insolent enough to suggest so on a Supporters Club website, the post was removed by administrators with no explanation.<br />
<br />
When I was merely 2 years old, none other than General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned,<br />
<br />
<i>"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist."</i><br />
<br />
BBC’s documentary “Fascism and Football” is described thusly: “A documentary on how the Fascist regimes of Spain, Italy and Germany made football an important pillar of their propaganda and the lengths they went to in order to control the sport…”<br />
<br />
Sports Fans, take note: The next time the masses at the stadium is told what to do, and how to do it, and when to do it, in an effort to honor the Police State – be aware of how you are being used – and the history behind it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-39269940771075222562014-07-06T12:25:00.000-04:002014-07-06T12:25:50.810-04:00Corporate Personhood - a Historical and Necessary Legal Concept<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you support the right to advertise contraception, even if
it ‘offends’ some people; if you believe that newspapers need to be able to report
on corruption in government; and if you think that big banks need to be
prosecuted when they conspire to manipulate currency and commodity prices –
then thank the concept of Corporate Personhood.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the wake of the Citizens United and Hobby Lobby decisions,
many people are just coming to see that corporations are often treated as ‘persons’
under the law, and are upset about it; many believe it’s an
invention of a runaway, pro-corporate court.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But nothing could be further from the truth.<span> </span>The concept of Corporate Personhood – and of
corporate rights under the Constitution – is as old as our Republic itself.<span> </span>Having grown weary of trying to argue this
point over and over in limited space on Facebook, I decided to put my thoughts
into one longer blog post, and stroll through some of the critically important
background relating to corporate personhood.</span></div>
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</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>1. Freedom of the Press </u></b>– Surely the founding fathers
understood, when they penned that “<i>Congress shall make no law…abridging the
freedom..of the press</i>” (First Amendment) that they meant newspapers and
corporate media, and not just individual reporters. Indeed, two of the most important
decisions in this century protecting a free press protected a corporate entity:
The New York Times.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In 1964, the New York Times claimed that the arrest of Rev.
Martin Luther King, Jr. for perjury in Montgomery, Ala., was part of a campaign
to destroy King's efforts to integrate public facilities and encourage blacks
to vote. In response, Montgomery city commissioner L.B. Sullivan filed a libel
action against the newspaper as a corporation.<span>
</span>The Court ruled, in <i><u>New York Times Co. v. Sullivan</u></i>, that even though some
of the newspaper’s statements were in fact false, that the corporation was
protected by the First Amendment.<span> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Seven years later, a second blockbuster case arose involving
the NY Times: <u><i>New York Times Co. vs. United States.</i></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">In 1971, as the nation heatedly debated its involvement in the Vietnam War,
the Times obtained a copy of an internal Defense Department report detailing
government discussions about the war. These confidential documents would become
famously known as the <strong>Pentagon Papers</strong>. At the U.S.
government's request, the district court issued a temporary injunction ordering
the New York Times not to publish the documents, claiming that the publication
of the documents would endanger national security. The Times appealed, arguing
that prior restraint (preventing publication) violated the First Amendment.
Once again, the Supreme Court ruled (6-3) in favor of the Times. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, the Corporation had rights under the Constitution, even as against government arguments of national security. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>2. Freedom of Speech:</b></u> <span> </span>“<i>Congress shall
make no law…abridging the freedom of speech.”</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">In the 1970s, New York State enacted a law prohibiting anyone other than a
licensed pharmacist from distributing nonprescription contraceptives to persons 16
years of age or over, prohibiting the distribution of nonprescription
contraceptives by any adult to minors under 16 years of age, and prohibiting
anyone, including licensed pharmacists, from advertising or displaying contraceptives.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Population Services International</b> was a North Carolina corporation that distributed
birth control knowledge and services. The corporation sold and advertised
contraceptives to New Yorkers <span> </span>primarily
through mail-order retail sale of nonmedical contraceptive devices, which was a
violation of the New York law. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">In <i><u>Carey v. Population Services International</u></i>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">431 U.S. 678</span></a> (1977), the Supreme Court
held that the law was unconstitutional: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div style="-moz-border-bottom-colors: none; -moz-border-left-colors: none; -moz-border-right-colors: none; -moz-border-top-colors: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none none double; border-width: medium medium 2.25pt; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>“The prohibition of any
advertisement or display of any contraceptives that seeks to suppress
completely any information about the availability and price of contraceptives
cannot be justified on the ground that advertisements of contraceptive products
would offend and embarrass those exposed to them and that permitting them would
legitimize sexual activity of young people. These are not justifications
validating suppression of expression, which are protected by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amendment_I" title="Amendment I"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Amendment I</span></a>.
The advertisements in question simply state the availability of products that
are not only entirely legal, but also constitutionally protected</i>."</span></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The case is critical because it
ruled that a <b><i>corporation</i></b>, Population Services International, had free speech
rights. Without corporate personhood, New York State could have legally squashed
advertising for contraception.</span></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>3. The </b></u><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><b>Fourth
Amendment </b>to the United States Constitution</span></a> provides that:</span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></i><i><span style="font-size: large;">"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers,
and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated,
and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or
affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the
persons or things to be seized.”</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">For almost 100 years, this right of <span> </span>“the
people” has been extended to corporations.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">In 1924, the US Federal Trade Commission – acting on its own - demanded
internal documents and private communications from the American Tobacco Co.,
and denied that any warrant or cause was needed.<span> </span>In <span><i><u>FTC
v. American Tobacco Co</u></i>. - 264 U.S. 298 (1924), the Court held,</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span>“</span>A governmental fishing
expedition into the papers of a private corporation, on the possibility that
they may disclose evidence of crime, is so contrary to first principles of
justice, if not defiant of the Fourth Amendment, that an intention to grant [that]
power to a[n]agency will not be attributed to Congress unless expressed in most
explicit language…<span class="headertext">We cannot attribute to Congress an
intent to defy the Fourth Amendment, or even to come so near to doing so as to
raise a serious question of constitutional law.”</span></span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="headertext">And so yes, your desk and office and items in your
workplace are subject to the same protections that you have elsewhere…because 4<sup>th</sup>
amendment rights have been bestowed on businesses as well.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="headertext"><u><b>5. Double Jeopardy </b></u>– most of us growing up watching
police dramas know that you can not be tried for the same crime twice once you
are acquitted.<span> </span>It is the <b>5<sup>th</sup>
Amendment</b> that offers us that protection:</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span>[N]or shall any <b>person</b> be subject for the same offence
to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb . . .</span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">Note that the wording is very specific: no person.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And yet, this too has always been seen
as applying to corporations.<span> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In 1977,
the Martin Linen Supply Company was brought up on charges for collusion, and
after a trial by jury, acquitted.<span> </span>The US
Government sought to bring the same charges again, and in a unanimous decision,
the Supreme Court held that the right against double jeopardy clearly applied
to the company, and the suit was tossed. (<span><i><u>United
States v. Martin Linen Supply Co</u></i>, 430 U.S. 564 (1977).</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span><u><b>6. Due
Process and Equal Protection </b></u>– Two places in the Constitution address these
rights.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span><b>The 5<sup>th</sup>
Amendment </b>provides:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span>[N] or shall any <b>person</b> . .
. be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law . . . ,
and </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span>Section One of the <b>14<sup>th</sup>
Amendment</b> provides:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span>[N]or shall any <b>State</b>
deprive any <b>person</b> of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law .
. .</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span>In general, these two
clauses require that laws be transparent and equitably enforced by both the federal
government and state governments. A law must be clear, fair, and have a
presumption of innocence to comply with procedural due process; all have a right
to a fair and public trial conducted in a competent manner, the right to be
present at the trial, and the right to an impartial jury; Taxes may only be
taken for public purposes, property may be taken by the government only for
public purposes, and owners of taken property must be fairly compensated .</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span>The 14<sup>th</sup>
Amendment was adopted after the Civil War, and even though it clearly states ‘<b>person</b>,’
the same generation that adopted the amendment understood it to apply to <span> </span>corporations. In </span><span> </span><i><u><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Clara_County_v._Southern_Pacific_Railroad" title="Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad"><span style="color: windowtext;">Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad</span></a></u></i>
– 118 U.S. 394 (1886), Chief Justice Morrison Waite began oral arguments on a
case by stating, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"The court does not wish to hear argument on the question
whether the provision in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Fourteenth Amendment</span></a>
to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_United_States" title="Constitution of the United States"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Constitution</span></a>, which
forbids a State to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal
protection of the laws, applies to these corporations. We are <b>all of the
opinion that it does.</b></i>"<sup id="cite_ref-2"><span> </span></sup></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><sup id="cite_ref-2"><span><br /></span></sup></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><sup id="cite_ref-2"><span></span></sup></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><sup id="cite_ref-2"><span> </span></sup></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">7. The view that corporations are ‘persons’ within the meaning of the law is
not just limited to Constitutional Law, but to statutory Law as well, for well
over a century.<span> </span><b><u>The Sherman Anti-Trust
Act</u></b> of 1890<span> </span>- which is still alive and
valid today – was the first federal law to go after monopolization and
corporate collusion. And yet, read this critical section:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span>Section 2: </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div style="-moz-border-bottom-colors: none; -moz-border-left-colors: none; -moz-border-right-colors: none; -moz-border-top-colors: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none none double; border-width: medium medium 2.25pt; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span>"Every <b>person</b> who
shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any
other person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among
the several States, or with foreign nations, shall be deemed guilty of a felon.”</span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span>“Person.”<span> </span>And for 124 years, we have understood that “person”
also refers to corporations.<span> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span>In fact, just two weeks
ago, it was reported that </span><a href="http://www.law360.com/companies/jpmorgan-chase-co"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">JPMorgan
Chase & Co</span></a>., <a href="http://www.law360.com/companies/goldman-sachs-group-inc"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Goldman Sachs
Group Inc</span></a>. and the London Metal Exchange Ltd. were hit with a class
action in New York federal court alleging they schemed to manipulate zinc prices
by hoarding it in LME warehouses in order to artificially spike its price.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The suit against the corporations was
brought under section 2 of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, which addresses “persons.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">8. Finally – and perhaps conclusively – is the
<u><b>Dictionary Act of 1947 </b></u>(Ch <span class="ptext-5800-53">388, <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/usc-cgi/get_external.cgi?type=statRef&target=date:July%2030,%201947ch:388statnum:61_633" title="61 Stat. 633"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">61 Stat. 633</span></a>; commonly referred to 1 US Code
Section 1.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ptext-5800-53">It defines terms for
US laws this way:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span>In determining the meaning of any Act of
Congress, unless the context indicates otherwise— </span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span>words importing the singular include and apply
to several persons, parties, or things;</span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span>words importing the plural include the singular;
</span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span>words importing the masculine gender include the
feminine as well; </span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span>words used in the present tense include the
future as well as the present; </span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span>the words “person” and “whoever” include
corporations, companies, associations, firms, partnerships, societies, and
joint stock companies, as well as individuals</span></span></i></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div style="-moz-border-bottom-colors: none; -moz-border-left-colors: none; -moz-border-right-colors: none; -moz-border-top-colors: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none none double; border-width: medium medium 2.25pt; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span>The notion of Corporate Personhood has been supported by almost every provision of American Constitutional Law and legal jurisprudence, and has been since our
founding.<span> </span>You may not like some of the
decisions that rely on that concept, but, over the course of American history,
the concept has carried out what the Constitution was designed to do:<span> </span>enhance the rights of private entities, of
whatever make-up, and restrict the power of government.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span>. </span></span></div>
Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-91340652443863189282014-06-16T16:28:00.000-04:002014-06-16T17:02:49.269-04:00100 Years of Western Meddling in the Middle East (Or, Is the Friend of the Enemy of my Enemy's Friends an Enemy - Always?)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcORM3k0lJpUZCSNVLuhKVM5FghSWYCNn5JydbEaWp-RR1eJDoULSR8cF0cAyeAhNCngthETRdMz0wLubwAn6fKISL76su9giCMluVwTt9G8eDAhtqH2YDShdqNjCOuzkEfLhdqw/s1600/ISIS.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcORM3k0lJpUZCSNVLuhKVM5FghSWYCNn5JydbEaWp-RR1eJDoULSR8cF0cAyeAhNCngthETRdMz0wLubwAn6fKISL76su9giCMluVwTt9G8eDAhtqH2YDShdqNjCOuzkEfLhdqw/s1600/ISIS.png" height="320" width="310" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"> In the timeline below, I'm not even including Afghanistan, long a proxy war between the US and Russia ... nor am I including the usual focus on Israel and Palestine. This is just an overview - a brief timeline - of the chaos that has been caused in a large part by the US, Britain, and France in the nations of Iran, Iraq, and Syria over the last 100 years. Follow along....if you can.....</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1911: WWI: Russia
and Britain occupy Iran. Britain stays10 years.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1916: Britain and
France develop the Sykes-Picot Agreement, a secret Plan to divide the entire
middle east outside of the Arabian peninsula.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1920: Britain receives Palestine, Jordan, and what is now Iraq, and installs
Sunni elites into power. France occupies what is today Syria and Lebanon.
France transfers some Lebanese territory to Syria, and continues occupation of
both until 1946.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1921: Britain
withdraws from Iran, and Reza Khan becomes Shah of Iran.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1941: WWII begins. Iraqis overthrow puppet British
government in Iraq. Britain and Russia occupy Iran and Iraq to guarantee oil
supplies for the Allied effort. Shah Reza Khan is deposed by the superpowers; his
son Reza Pahlavi is installed as new Shah of Iran in return for western access to oil. Britain stays in Iraq until
1948.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1943: Lebanon gains independence from France; Britain
occupies both Lebanon and Syria to avoid alliances with Germany.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1948: State of Israel established. Syria, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria declare war on
Israel. Syria undergoes years of internal revolts following their defeat, many
based on ethnic and religious rivalries.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1951: Iranians elect Mosaddegh as Prime Minister.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1953: Mosaddegh nationalizes oil fields, and is subsequently overthrown in US-UK led coup d’etat. The Shah assumes complete
control and crushes opposition with torture and secret police with US-UK support.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1958: Iraqis revolt against British-installed Monarchy
and Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist party assumes control. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1966: Ba’athist Party also takes control in Syria, but the group
is divided between pro and anti Iraq factions.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1970: The
Anti-Iraq wing of the Ba’athist Party, supported by the military, overthrows the
Syrian government and installs anti-Iraq Ba’athist Hafez el-Assad as leader.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1975: Civil War breaks out in Lebanon.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1976: Syria begins a 30 year occupation and effective control
of Lebanon.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1978: Iranians revolt against the Shah; The Iranian
Revolution installs Ayatollah Khomeini in a theocratic state.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1979: US refuses to return the Shah to Iran to face
trial; students take Americans Embassy hostage for 444 days.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1980: Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invades Iran, receiving
financial, military, and chemical weapons from the US.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1988: Hussein’s Iraq launches chemical genocide against
Kurdish minority in northern Iraq.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1990: Iraq annexes Kuwait. US, France, UK, and Syria enter the Gulf War
against Hussein; Kurds rebel in the north.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">1998: US President Clinton signs Iraq Liberation Act,
calling for “regime change” in Iraq.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">2000: Syria’s Hafez el-Assad dies; his son Bashar al-Azzad
takes control.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">2001: Al Qaeda attacks the United States. US State Department meets with Iran secretly
in Switzerland to obtain cooperation on the overthrow of the Taliban in
Afghanistan and al qaeda throughout the region.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">2002: President Bush refers to Iran as being part of the “Axis
of Evil” and US-Iran relations deteriorate quickly. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">2003: US-led coalition enters Iraq and overthrows
Hussein. Shi’ite led coalition government installed, with a semi-autonomous
Kurdish region in the north.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">2005: A series of assassinations of Lebanese officials is
blamed on Syria’s Assad; protests and pressure from the west result in Syria’s withdrawal
from Lebanon.</span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">2008: Lebanon’s new Cabinet establishes Hezbollah, a Shi’ite
paramilitary organization, with legal status. Hezbollah is committed to driving
the Americans, French, and British out of the Levant, is funded by Iran, and
allied with Syria’s Assad in the Syrian Civil War.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">2011: US Troops leave Iraq, and Sunni-Shi’ite struggles
accelerate. The “Arab Spring” spreads to Syria and full-scale civil war ensues,
resulting in over 100,000 deaths and 2 million refugees. Anti-Assad forces include Kurds and ISIS (“Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant”) allies in the northeast of Syria.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">2014: The Sunni-dominated ISIS military assume effective
control over eastern Syria, and begin successful invasion of Western Iraq. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">News outlets and US Government Hawks reduce the march of ISIS to that of "al qaeda linked militants" - a simpleton's version. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;">. </span></div>
Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-10796044232238119602014-05-31T17:29:00.000-04:002014-05-31T17:29:09.568-04:00Honeybees and a Tale of Two Companies: Mann Lake vs. Monsanto<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSj0NaN-3fx8w17IAPbl2-d2QDgSrigodCxNinH1-3HXktuRNxky0kuyRLhIwTO6KCYeQ9iRW98UISAKW0vhRP1lmRUoikMuUpeUCSAS6NAvuvyK1tLC2RnXE2jCHL7ZXnL0b4_A/s1600/bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSj0NaN-3fx8w17IAPbl2-d2QDgSrigodCxNinH1-3HXktuRNxky0kuyRLhIwTO6KCYeQ9iRW98UISAKW0vhRP1lmRUoikMuUpeUCSAS6NAvuvyK1tLC2RnXE2jCHL7ZXnL0b4_A/s1600/bee.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="articlelocatiospann"> Honey bees, crucial in the pollination of
many U.S. </span><span class="articlelocatiospann"><span>food </span>crops, </span><span class="articlelocatiospann"><span>continue to die off </span>at an</span><span class="articlelocatiospann"><span> alarming rate. </span><span> </span></span>Total losses of managed honey bee
colonies was 23.2 percent nationwide for the 2013-2014 winter, according to the
annual report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the
"Bee Informed Partnership," a group of honeybee industry
participants.</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="midArticle_2"></span>The death rate for the most recent winter,
October 2013 through April 2014, follows a 30.5 percent loss reported for the
winter of 2012-2013, and a 21.9 percent loss in 2011-2012.<span> </span>At this rate, bee populations have been dying
at a rate the <i><u>U.S. government says is economically unsustainable.</u></i>
Honey bees pollinate plants that produce about a quarter of the food consumed
by Americans, including apples, almonds, watermelons and beans, according to
government reports.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="midArticle_4"></span>Scientists, consumer groups and bee keepers
say the devastating rate of bee deaths is due at least in part to the growing
use of pesticides sold by agrichemical companies to boost yields of staple
crops such as corn.<span> </span>On May 9 the Harvard
School of Public Health released a study that found that two widely used
neonicotinoids — a class of insecticide — appear to have significantly harmed
honey bee colonies over their winter dormant period. </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="midArticle_6"></span>"With the damning evidence mounting,
pesticide companies can no longer spin their way out of this crisis," said
Michele Simon, a public health lawyer who specializes in food issues. </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="midArticle_7"></span>The guilty parties? Monsanto Co (whose
executives have close ties with both the Obama Administration and with Bill and Hillary Clinton)
and DuPont, <span> </span>both of whom are responsible
for producing the majority of the defoliant Agent Orange which affected generations of
Americans during the post-Vietnam war years.<span>
</span> </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Last year, organic farmers were outraged to discover that the Illinois
Department of Agriculture had actually seized and destroyed healthy bee colonies belonging
to a scientist who spent 15 years developing a strain that was resistant to the
toxic effect of Monsanto’s chemical Roundup.</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="midArticle_8"></span>Meanwhile, the entire European Union has
enacted an outright ban on the use of neonicotinoids on crops, home lawns, and
gardens</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><strong>But in the small town of H</strong><span>ackensack, Minnesota, a small
company named <a href="http://www.mannlakeltd.com/" target="_blank">Mann Lake Limited </a><span> </span>stands as David against Goliath.</span></strong></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLl1yGt-HFkRAFo7-YnhleMEWux82eL7uYievA6tCyuOmF7viPXKBv4o2ZbQ9WfqM8cUECfWJgIphTwcRQtasML8hRNBKfB-uQBCWmh118WeMHNwLQ-m6p6-XRUDw_ciJr0oQhA/s1600/jack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLl1yGt-HFkRAFo7-YnhleMEWux82eL7uYievA6tCyuOmF7viPXKBv4o2ZbQ9WfqM8cUECfWJgIphTwcRQtasML8hRNBKfB-uQBCWmh118WeMHNwLQ-m6p6-XRUDw_ciJr0oQhA/s1600/jack.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></strong></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The company was started by Betty and Jack Thomas, who were hobby beekeepers
30 years ago. But as bees and supplies grew scarce, they took matters into
their own hands.<span> </span></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“Let’s start a little bee keeping supply business as a cottage industry out
at the lake,” Jack said.</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>It wasn’t long before business boomed. They now employ 350
people, making their business larger than the town in which they are located. Those
350 employees make everything from the hives to the food bees eat in the off season.
They supply beekeepers large and small, from Minnesota to the Middle East, and
have recently opened a new facility in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“When you are a hobby beekeeper you start out with the equipment which we
make,” Jack said. “Now you need bees to put in that equipment.” And so, millions of
bees arrive at Mann Lake Limited in early May, after a 30-hour nonstop run from
California, where the new bees are bred. They come in 2,000 wooden crates,
stacked onto pallets.<span> </span>Each box holds a
queen, and 15,000 worker bees.</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Nationwide, the problems that both commercial and
hobby beekeepers have is keeping their bees alive and away from the pesticides that appear to be annihilating them. </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“Always in the back of the mind is: What else can we do?” Jack said. “Where
can we expand? What new products can we come up with?”</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>It’s all to give bees a fighting chance. </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Betty and Jack, like some other socially responsible businesses such as Juan
Valdez Coffee and New Belgium Brewing, <span> </span>have since turned their business over to their
employees through an employee stock ownership plan.<span> </span>In essence, their business’ “worker bees” are also now the owners “the colony,” and all share a vision to prevent a catastrophic collapse of
the nation’s food supply.</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>One can only hope that as in the biblical story, David defeats the mighty Goliath.</b></span></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QsuXhIBxVnTP7yBK5KFI5Qf5fHZpqKrF2zTfX-uh2sIvTq9R9ess4QF5mb7f5yk0BPyyjijG821ogfSGa64lukJX9C2SV8V0qWxGl56Fopg4_7f7_pEP4mAC-9Z7cYfOBTVOMA/s1600/apples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QsuXhIBxVnTP7yBK5KFI5Qf5fHZpqKrF2zTfX-uh2sIvTq9R9ess4QF5mb7f5yk0BPyyjijG821ogfSGa64lukJX9C2SV8V0qWxGl56Fopg4_7f7_pEP4mAC-9Z7cYfOBTVOMA/s1600/apples.jpg" height="246" width="320" /></a></b></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>. </b></span></span><br />
Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-63179693556134464372014-05-19T21:26:00.003-04:002014-05-19T21:26:40.707-04:00NBA: Legal Route is to Toss Clippers as an NBA TeamFrom the just-released Summary of Termination Charges (last paragraph says it all):<br />
<br />
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.Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-89477476554527689332014-04-18T10:59:00.001-04:002014-04-19T10:51:40.210-04:00Fed Logic: Let Stranded Marine Mammals Die (Because you might hurt them if you help them)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqiVR-oau77KHOyuUoZIR-9m_-lnXcIXhYtNkZ2jrTyJ77rk7a-4wiAQZW0otBE2LlI0f0B1iT8_4Yefbh8buX4tqw54EwjFYS0x5N6ac6IkMMr12IZk3fCqaeAkT4HcRfyyg5g/s1600/seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqiVR-oau77KHOyuUoZIR-9m_-lnXcIXhYtNkZ2jrTyJ77rk7a-4wiAQZW0otBE2LlI0f0B1iT8_4Yefbh8buX4tqw54EwjFYS0x5N6ac6IkMMr12IZk3fCqaeAkT4HcRfyyg5g/s320/seal.jpg" /></a><br />
It is a tale of twisted logic that only a government bureaucracy could create.<br />
<br />
Each year, particularly in the spring, marine mammals find themselves stranded on sand bars and beaches along America’s coasts. Seals, dolphins, small whales and other critters somehow make a wrong turn and find themselves beached and unable to return to the water. Many of these strandings occur on shifting tidal sand bars and barrier beaches, particularly in places like Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, the north shore of Massachusetts, and Fire Island and Montauk in New York. Without human assistance, many die.<br />
<br />
At the same time, in order to protect sea mammals from harassment, the federal government prohibits anyone from coming within 150 feet of a sea mammal, unless they are part of a recognized rescue partner organization. Trained, certified volunteer responders may not operate without an oversight organization over them on location; this is a provision of the 1992 Marine Protection Act, which set up the “Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program,” administered by NOAA.<br />
<br />
On Wednesday, NOAA admitted one flaw in this arrangement: there is only one such "certified" partner organization in the region qualified to respond to mammal strandings: the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and they only respond to calls on Cape Cod.<br />
<br />
It has no such partner organizations anywhere else in New England. A panicked request to the Towns of New England was issued by NOAA this week to try and find some partners.<br />
<br />
So, under Government logic:<br />
<br />
If an animal is stranded, you may not help.<br />
<br />
Only NOAA-certified volunteers working under a parent organization can assist the distressed animal.<br />
<br />
There are no such organizations in most of the northeast.<br />
<br />
So, if a whale or seal is stranded, it must be left to die. Because, like, if you just go and assist it, you might hurt it. <br />
<br />
<i><b>Huh?</i></b><br />
<br />
This is a prime example of what I call “The Cult of License,” or the tendency for Americans (or at least their government) to believe that regular people can’t do anything without Government Certification. <br />
<br />
In a national disaster, you’re not supposed to help a neighbor, but just listen to government orders (helping your neighbor evacuate is called “Self-dispatching” in FEMA terminology.) You’re not supposed to braid your neighbor’s daughter’s hair without a cosmetology license. You’re not supposed to home educate your children without a teaching license. You’re not supposed to sell homemade cupcakes without a commercial kitchen license. On and on and on…<br />
<br />
Last year, on Fire Island, I came across a newborn fawn separated from its mother by a cyclone fence. And yes, I worked to reunite the two, and came within inches of the fawn to direct its steps home.<br />
<br />
And, I got news fer ya… if I see a stranded mammal, as a human being, I will help it. <br />
<br />
So arrest me already.<br />
<br />
<br />
.<br />
Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-85131367842176606312014-03-22T12:46:00.001-04:002014-03-22T15:37:43.398-04:00Marois and the PQ: Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory in Québec<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp93vzNEzv56aog9-DitB8Sy2518xWKAOqPEtyJgHRE3a0pYAc_z4t7BR8yhffZ5Mb7-YF9mCvJfdKHNRiXu3ndzaiJLjyR1AfnPO4_V1_SFkdkcB7wEToQH3Z45gju1dzPFCDAg/s1600/charte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp93vzNEzv56aog9-DitB8Sy2518xWKAOqPEtyJgHRE3a0pYAc_z4t7BR8yhffZ5Mb7-YF9mCvJfdKHNRiXu3ndzaiJLjyR1AfnPO4_V1_SFkdkcB7wEToQH3Z45gju1dzPFCDAg/s320/charte.jpg" /></a></div>I freely admit to being a Francophile. In junior high school, when many of my friends were taking Spanish as their “foreign” language (a decision that makes a lot of sense in New York), I enrolled in French, and continued taking it through high school. Two years ago I took an intensive conversation-immersion class at the college where I teach in January, just to brush up on my skills, skills that come in handy on my annual March vacation in Québec. And in fact, in five days, I will once again be travelling to Montréal, proudly sporting a fleur-de-lis tattoo on my left shoulder, diving into mounds of Poutine and eating myself silly at a Sugar Shack.<br />
<br />
It should come as no surprise, then, that I am following the upcoming Provincial elections in Québec with some fascination and interest. Just two years ago, on this blog, I chronicled (and predicted) the rise to power of Pauline Marois and le Parti Québécois, with their vision of an independent Québec (<a href="http://tullyspage.blogspot.com/2012/08/separatists-poised-for-quebec-election.html">Separatists Poised for Québec Election</a>) And I must admit, whether we are discussing Scotland, Kurdistan, or the Tuaregs of Mali, I sympathize with people-groups seeking their right to self-determination. As the largest and most significant French-speaking and French-cultured people in the entire western hemisphere, Québec sovereignty is something I can support – at least theoretically.<br />
<br />
But, with the elections only 16 days away (April 7), it appears that Marois and the PQ will suffer a deserved defeat.<br />
If it is possible to go overboard on a principle, the PQ has found a way to do it.<br />
<br />
In their efforts to preserve what is unique about Québec, the Province has won concessions from the rest of Canada on a variety of issues, most notably immigration. Canada scores and rates potential immigrants based on a number of factors, including job skills, education, etc. Québec won a concession that permits that province to give “extra points” to would-be immigrants for whom French is their mother tongue.<br />
<br />
One unforeseen consequence of this (being that there are so few places where French is spoken as the primary language) is that Québec has seen an increase in immigrants from places like Algeria, Morocco, and Lebanon, all places where French colonialism’s tentacles established French as the national language.<br />
<br />
But, from at least one perspective, that creates an entirely new set of “Un-Québec” problems: these immigrants and students are Muslim. Some were burkas or other religious head gear. And if there is any way to bring out an ugly xenophobia or a parochial mindset, it is to drop immigrant Muslims into the midst of a French culture that already sees itself as “under siege” by a dominant English-speaking Canada.<br />
<br />
And so, Marois unveiled the party’s “Charter of Values,” which purports to codify in law the values that identify Québec’s uniqueness. Within that Charter are provisions that make it illegal to wear conspicuous religious symbols (Jewish yarmulkes, Muslim burkas, and Sikh headgear) in government offices or as government employees. In Québec, that means not only the huge government sector, but schools and hospitals as well. In a well-publicized (and ridiculous) exercise in linguistic zealotry, the province’s Language Police went after a Montréal restaurant for printing the word “pasta” on a menu (“pasta” is Italian, and not French, and therefore a violation of new requirements mandating business be conducted in French.) Other PQ candidates have pushed the sovereignty issue way too hard, forcing Marois to concede that the borders would remain open, promising continued use of Canadian currency, and insisting that a Québecker would continue to sit on the governing board of the Bank of Canada, none of which are credible promises that an independent Québec could guarantee.<br />
<br />
To be fair, the majority of Francophones support the Charter of Values. However, minorities, Anglophones, civil libertarians, and younger people have begun to roll their eyes at the intolerance coming from the PQ. Protests have sprung up, especially in Montréal. On Tuesday, The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne released a public statement saying Quebec sovereignty would create "very real concerns" for the First Nations community. “If Quebec ultimately chooses to separate, I would advise our Council and community to hold our own vote in order to determine whether we would stay within the borders of Quebec or separate ourselves,” said Chief Mike Kanentakeron Mitchell.<br />
<br />
<br />
Having defeated all other parties just two years ago, the PQ appears to be heading for crushing defeat in just two weeks. The most recent polls are in significant agreement: <br />
<br />
45 per cent of likely voters currently intend to vote for the opposition Liberal Party, compared to just 32 per cent for Pauline Marois’ PQ. A third party, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) was in third place with 13 per cent, though it is likely that the Liberals and the CAQ would form a coalition together to keep the PQ out of power altogether.<br />
<br />
Some of the strongest opposition to the PQ is coming from Montréal, long a cosmopolitan crossroads in Québec, and the center of a student uprising against tuition hikes that help defeat the Liberal Party two years ago and catapult the PQ to power (<a href="http://tullyspage.blogspot.com/2012/05/montreal-student-labor-and-citizen.html">Montréal Students, Labor, Citizens</a> ). It would appear that the PQ has lost this group of voters. In fact, within moments after completing this post, the following news item came across my feed: <br />
<br />
"...Some 75.7% of voters in the riding of Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques, in downtown Montreal is French. However, since last Monday, more than half of the people who have to get the right to vote for the first time are English or allophones. This is a demographic phenomenon observed in several districts of the metropolis, and a concern at the highest levels for electoral authorities..." (Original: Quelque 75,7 % de l’électorat de la circonscription de Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques, au centre-ville de Montréal, est francophone. Pourtant, depuis lundi dernier, plus de la moitié des personnes qui se présentent pour obtenir le droit de voter pour la première fois sont anglophones ou allophones. Un phénomène démographique observé dans plusieurs circonscriptions de la métropole, et qui inquiète au plus haut point les autorités électorales. - Le Devoir: libre de penser)<br />
<br />
It will be an interesting visit this year. I expect to be welcoming Liberal Party Leader Philippe Couillard as the next Premier in Québec. <br />
<br />
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Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-80505350234089902902014-03-21T11:28:00.000-04:002014-03-21T11:28:34.710-04:00Pearson PLC and the Mis-Education of America's Youth<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipg28lPeEOa_o3j0KR2BPiC5aHzgslI1XzoX5i0NOKCaYf53RGk4jP6QaVgiPqtZCiwsItpJbhc5gVnWxSnWG3TStj7ROX7DxwJX5Sm2Xm_g13iqbn-4DNtBzp5cYDmKLATKijYA/s1600/pearson.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipg28lPeEOa_o3j0KR2BPiC5aHzgslI1XzoX5i0NOKCaYf53RGk4jP6QaVgiPqtZCiwsItpJbhc5gVnWxSnWG3TStj7ROX7DxwJX5Sm2Xm_g13iqbn-4DNtBzp5cYDmKLATKijYA/s320/pearson.jpg" /></a>Sounding like the grumpy old man I have become, I often shake my head and complain about the lack of basic knowledge among young people today when it comes to government, history, geography, literature, and civics. Ask a college-aged student about the branches of government and Constitutional provisions, and one gets blank stares or impassioned (though incorrect)pronouncements more often than accurate answers. I know I have not been alone in throwing my hands up and asking, “what are they teaching these kids?!” (And I’m a teacher!)<br />
<br />
Well this week I found at least one of the answers – and it lies in the textbooks and textbook companies being chosen.<br />
<br />
<b>Pearson PLC </b>is one of the largest textbook manufacturers in the United States, with sales in 70 countries. Like most large text publishers, they seek multi-million dollar monopoly contracts to supply books for all public schools throughout a state via state education departments. But they have also wrapped their tentacles around more than just printing books, as they have now become the predominant publisher of testing systems as well (in spite of a 2012 discovery in New York State that at least 30 of their answers on such student tests were incorrect.)<br />
<br />
Last year, I was hired by Pearson on a temporary contract to grade qualifying exams submitted by new teachers. These were individuals who were seeking to become certified public school teachers, and they took essay tests relating to their chosen subject area. As a college business teacher, I was selected to help grade aspiring high school business teacher exams.<br />
We were told to grade essays on a 1-4 scale. If a candidate at least<i> "grasped some of the issues"</i>, we were instructed to grade that essay a 3 out of 4 - a passing grade. It was a group effort, whereby scores were agreed upon by consensus, and I was constantly critiqued for scoring essays too low. I was also overruled.<br />
<br />
The most frustrating part is that we were told specifically that we <i>could not reduce our scoring for spelling, grammar, or organization.</i><br />
<br />
Yes, that’s right. America’s next generation of teachers: spelling, grammar, and organization are unimportant for the purposes of obtaining teacher certification. Perhaps that's part of the problem...<br />
<br />
But now I've run across this textbook gem, currently making the rounds on Facebook… I'd like to say it's a hoax, but, I am sad to say, it’s been verified.<br />
<br />
<b>The American Nation</b>, a Pearson textbook (ISBN 0131817159), is a mandated textbook used throughout New York State. On page 237, the text discusses the Constitutional Rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights. Rather than allowing the Constitution’s words to speak for themselves, and rather than drawing on legal principles, the text explains the Second Amendment this way:<br />
<br />
<i>“Each state has the right to maintain a militia, an armed force for its own protection. Today, the militia is the National Guard. The national government and the states can and do regulate the private ownership and use of firearms.”</i><br />
<br />
That’s not fact: that's pure political sentiment. As a matter of Constitutional Law, it is a complete failure.<br />
<br />
In striking down the Firearms Control Regulations Act as unconstitutional, the U.S. Court of Appeals held as follows:<br />
<br />
“[The Second Amendment] protects an individual right to keep and bear arms…the [right] was premised on the private use of arms for activities such as hunting and self-defense, the latter being understood as resistance to either private lawlessness or the depredations of a tyrannical government (or a threat from abroad)." <br />
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They also noted that though the right to bear arms also helped preserve the citizen militia, "<i><b>the activities [the Amendment] protects are not limited to militia service, nor is an individual's enjoyment of the right contingent upon his or her continued or intermittent enrollment in the militia.</i></b>" The court determined that handguns are "Arms" and concluded that thus they may not be banned by the District of Columbia.<br />
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On appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court (<b>District of Columbia v. Heller</b>, 554 U.S. 570 (2008)), the Court affirmed the decision, holding that text and history of the Second Amendment demonstrate that it connotes an individual right to keep and bear arms, not a right restricted to national guards or formal militias.<br />
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Pearson’s textbook is absolutely, legally, and ethically, incorrect. And if you wonder why today’s young people don’t understand their government, country, or history, here is a prime example why.<br />
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Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-84568398372055457502014-03-15T16:22:00.000-04:002014-03-15T16:36:21.630-04:00One Quarter Million Views as of Today....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCW9JWTI8nWYdohSVzx8vCCIRHJItWZeMk46LSewITRwO5A4CBVC3XlDIBHd8KCJcS1eeFBJsrsUj1dKue8u__IexlVqMfqjvvnteh0avf99RWiCnStUsgYLVSxabohdi_jITxQ/s1600/250.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCW9JWTI8nWYdohSVzx8vCCIRHJItWZeMk46LSewITRwO5A4CBVC3XlDIBHd8KCJcS1eeFBJsrsUj1dKue8u__IexlVqMfqjvvnteh0avf99RWiCnStUsgYLVSxabohdi_jITxQ/s320/250.png" /></a>On June 15, 2005, I began this blog with a post expressing my annoyance at Congressional investigations into "performance enhancing substances" in Major League Baseball. The combination of breast-beating self-righteousness along with an obvious complete lack of understanding regarding anything they were talking about was making me crazy. 9 years later, I am no less disgusted with self-righteous politicians passing new regulations about things they know nothing about in an endless quest for power and control. And scrolling through these 409 posts has been like a 'walk down Memory Lane." <br />
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Back in 2005, I didn't even know that the NSA existed. Back in 2005, gay marriage was not legal anywhere in the US. Who would have thought that in the 9 years this blog has been in existence that such a tidal change would have occurred in the quest for marriage equality? What a long, unbelievable ride it's been...and it's all been chronicled right here. <br />
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As of today, according to Google Analytics, this page has now been visited 250,000 times - one quarter million readers from every continent, including translations into multiple languages. <br />
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Wow. Thank you to all of you who have enabled this blog - merely one's man's hobby, an effort to chronicle world and national events - to grow and survive this long. <br />
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Thom .Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11710297.post-52905653847496385472014-03-02T20:06:00.000-05:002014-03-02T20:09:23.637-05:006 DAYS UNTIL OPENING DAY!!!<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/N8t-8ekuWlE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Join%20my%20league%20http://fantasy.mlssoccer.com/my-leagues/1318/join/?autojoin-code=4558-1318" target="_blank">Join my fantasy league while you're at it!</a>Thom Simmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171033101065452427noreply@blogger.com0