TipNow to reduce crime

Now we can all become a little bit like Sherlock Holmes or the nosy neighbor. TipNow is a texting service which allows you to report suspicious or outright criminal behavior and the police will follow-up. Your identity is not revealed. but many computers do have tracking devices. ABC30 TV is also working with this service and you can call 559-475-8886.
Someone accessing porn in the public library, bringing drugs to school, inappropriate around schools or doing other illegal activities...now you can publicize the evidence and let the police take over.

McCain is wrong - No mercenaries

Today, Senator John McCain said that Iraq will continue to need our troops and we need to have continued presence in Iraq. There is some confusion here. McCain is wrong.
Iraq can not control our troops for any reason. Our troops were deployed for WAR. Once the war is over, the troops can return home. Iraq may need Americans to build and modernize their country, but they can not use our troops. Nation-building is not war and it is not a duty for Americans to pay for Iraq nation-building. Iraq has many resources and many private companies are in Iraq making lots of money, along with the corrupt government officials. America has a huge deficit and is paying for the Iraq war with a credit card from China. It does not make any sense
We need to bring all of our military stuff home, along with our soldiers. There are basically three ways for Iraq to get non-war Americans into the country for nation-building. First, Iraq can hire a mercenary military to keep their people under control for years to come. Second, Iraq can hire American corporations, businesses and non-profits to work on various projects and needs. Lastly, Iraq can contract with the US to send non -military volunteer workers for various jobs. Anyone who wishes to volunteer to live and work in Iraq can do so via the State Department and be paid higher wages with benefits by IRAQ, not the United States.
Our military is not mercenary. Hence, countries can not pay our soldiers to come in and fight their wars. The US military only fights to protect and defend the US. The Foreign Legion is a mercenary military  group that takes men from any country to fight anywhere for pay. So, to hire a military, Iraq needs to look into hiring the Foreign Legion. If the US puts non-military persons in peril to build Iraq, there is every chance a war build-up could restart if the safety of these people is jeopardized. Iraq has already said that there will be no immunity and all Americans in Iraq will be subject to Iraqi law. Having seen the videos of Qaddafi's torture and death, I think most Americans will not be prepared for the Iraqi justice system. In addition, there are still hundreds of thousands of IED's hidden throughout the country.
The best situation is for private corporations and non-profits to send employees to Iraq, the companies and workers will be paid by Iraq, and the businesses will be responsible for the care, safety and costs involved. This will also help both the deficit and the US unemployment situation.

Republicans want war extended and more debt

Republicans don't get it. THE WAR HAS BEEN DECLARED OVER and the troops will be home for Christmas!!! The Republican leaders are saying to President Obama, this is too soon and we need to keep our troops in Iraq, and other Middle East countries, until they are stable. Hey, these countries have almost never been stable in our lifetimes. Unlike Americans, they have grown up in a culture of violence and fighting. You can clearly see the difference in how they treated Qaddafi vs. how we treat our "hated ones," like Madoff. We are a different culture with different beliefs. In the Middle East, when one fight ends, another begins.
The final story is, the US war in Iraq is over and we need to ship out our stuff and bring home the troops. This also means that the huge costs of the war, and the aftermath, will markedly decrease. We can stop borrowing as much from China and reduce our huge deficit. Thanks President Obama.
For years we were doing a lot of nation-building in the Middle East - but this is not the proper use for troops. Once the war ends, the troops come home. Now, as far as continual nation-building, we can use American businesses and others who want to contract and profit for various deals. But, not our troops.
We need our public money directed towards improving the American economy, encouraging job development, and improving the financial crisis.
So Republicans get over it, the WAR IS OVER!!!!!

PRESIDENT OBAMA DECLARES WAR OVER

YAHOOOOO!!!!! The day we have waited for for over ten years. President Obama declared today,"the Iraq/Afghanistan war is over" and the President states all troops will be out by the end of the year and hopefully home for Christmas !!!! LET'S DANCE!!!!!!
Republicans say, not so fast. Republicans feel U.S. needs to be involved in the war area for additional years and want to pour more borrowed money into Iraq, Afghanistan, and the corrupt pockets of foreign leaders and contractors. Republicans do not understand that the money used for the war was borrowed from China and has a huge interest component. Our children for generations will be paying of this ten-year plus war debt. We can not afford to increase our debt more and continue a questionable presence in the Middle East.
President Obama is correct. End the war this year, stop the financial waste and borrowing, and allow our troops to come home and get their lives back.
THEY'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Qaddafi DEAD

Now that Muammar Qaddafi is dead - killed by a bullet from his own people after they tortured and beat him - what will the future hold for Libya? Is this the Muslim way? I was really distressed to see the videos with people acting like dogs.
When all effective organizational power is gone, communities can drift into chaos and find themselves separated by various fighting factions. It can end up resembling gang wars in Los Angeles that want to take over leadership - the "turf wars."
I hope the countries that know Libya well, can help devise a transfer of power and reorganization of the country.

Michael Jackson - conspiracy of secrecy

The Dr. Conrad Murray case methodically moves on. Today, one of the doctors involved in Propofol research and an anesthesiologist gave hours of damning testimony. He called Dr. Murray everything negative under the sun. The prosecution repeatedly laid out 13 or more seriously medical negligent acts by Dr. Murray in treating Michael Jackson. The defense has been setting out its side throughout the trial. But the hurdles are too great.
What the defense can say is Dr. Murray was sucked into this scheme. Clearly, this is not what Murray should have been involved with in any way. The case is crushing. I get fatigued just listening to the situation.
I feel sorry that Michael, deep into addiction, needed help. Yet, his show producers, the insurance company and the doctors all failed him. In spite of all of his money and connections, he was alone, making bad judgments at a time when he needed effective help. Michael always thought he was going to die from a drug overdose, like his idol Elvis. He created the scenario that made his prediction come true. Michael Jackson was a very smart person who became an icon. I'm sure Michael knew that taking all of those meds intravenously nightly would lead to death eventually. During Michael's last child molestation court appearance, he appeared very thin and ill. He had may days when he physically could not get to court, he wore pajamas, he went to the hospital. Michael appeared to be near death's door. He was eating small healthy meals, starving, and abusing drugs - that combination never works. In short, Michael was, for whatever reasons, dying. He chose Dr. Murray to complete the action.
LaToya says it was a murder conspiracy. Who knows. Many people internationally wanted Michael's money. In the end, we will all know the last minutes of Michael's life and Michael lost his privacy and secrecy - one of the things he cherished most. But, he still has the secrets of his thoughts.

Merced - Time to Change

Dr Loraine Goodwin, candidate for Congress 2012, Demands Time for a Change

"We need to rename certain Merced Sites and revise maps to include the changes.

As the State of California begins a project to remove racist names from gold-country landmarks, it is a good time to change the name of Black Rascal Creek, Park, and bridge (and any other such-named sites) in Merced County 

I was not sure of the initial intent in naming the creek, but I had my suspicions. My suspicions were confirmed when a citizen was hesitant to speak the name of the creek because I was in the room. Hence, it's time for the name change. Merced has accepted the responsibility of hosting and nurturing a UC educational system and supporting all of the students who will visit Merced. The naming of the creek, park, bridge (and whatever else) brings negative imagery.

I hope you will join me when I submit my demands to the county. In addition, I hope we will have great support by students in renaming this site."

I want monster hands and feet

If you are a horror movie fan, you may enjoy bidding on items from an LA area prop house.

Auction time 11AM
Date:	Saturday October 22, 2011
Location:	El Segundo CA, USA 90245
Online Bidding:	http://www.icollector.com/Fangoria-s-Annual-Movie-Prop-Auction_as21162

Congratulations Clintons

Hope you caught the online Clinton Foundation 10th Anniversary concert tonight. Lady Gaga, Bono and many more. In a skit some comedians said they were forming a foundation baseball club and the mascot would be the Cheetah.

Military makes excuses to stay in Iraq

I am going to comment on this edited CNN news brief. I am a strong supporter of bringing American troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. We have seen the Middle East leadership playing both sides of the conflict - taking mega money and human lives from the United States and giving American money to the anti-American forces to kill, maim, corrupt, and enslave our patriotic troops.

El Paso, Texas (CNN) -- A brigade of U.S. troops originally scheduled to be among the very last to leave Iraq is being pulled out of the country months ahead of its planned departure, military officials said Saturday (10/14/2011).

The announcement follows news this month that a deal to keep American troops in Iraq past a December 31, 2011, deadline to withdraw was on shaky ground after Iraqi leadership said any remaining U.S. forces would not be granted immunity from Iraqi prosecution. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and other top brass have repeatedly said any deal to keep U.S. troops in Iraq beyond the withdrawal deadline must require a guarantee of legal protection for American soldiers.(Comment: Panetta, why would we stay. The war is over. We have military setting up residence in Iraq.)

The Fourth Brigade Combat Team, First Armored Division, based at Fort Bliss, deployed to Iraq in August to replace two withdrawing brigades. The troops were sent with the understanding they would be among the last to leave the country and were told to expect up to a 12-month deployment (Comment: That's about one year past our promised withdrawal date)

                                              As part of that agreement, the State Department is deploying thousands 
                                              of workers to Iraq to take over where military officials leave off in their 
                                              dealings with the Iraqi government.(Comment: This article clearly                                        
                                              states we have no agreement or immunity with Iraq. So, these 
                                              workers will not have immunity, So,  they can be imprisoned, 
                                              tortured and hanged after trial (or other Iraqi process) in Iraq. Who 
                                              is going to protect these thousands of government workers? Is 
                                              this just another ploy to keep more American troops in Iraq 
                                              beyond the 2011 deadline?)

"At the same time we're building a comprehensive partnership with Iraq under the Strategic Framework Agreement including a robust security relationship, and discussions with the Iraqis about the nature of that relationship are ongoing," said Tommy Vietor of the National Security Council.(Comment: We have no "partnership" with Iraq! Mr. Vietor does not understand for there to be a partnership there must be transparency, agreement, trust and a willingness to follow the terms/rules of the contract. Vietor must be making money under the table.)

"We shouldn't see American soldiers in Iraqi courts on trumped-up charges," he said.(Comment: Get out troops out now!)

The meetings include discussions about the rights of American troops and what will be required in order for those troops to assist Iraqi forces in the future, according to Panetta.(Comment: How clear can Iraq be - no immunity. You have the right to be tried and hung! When did we become Iraqi assistants. We were there for a war. It's over - BRING OUR TROOPS HOME!)

U.S. officials have been pressuring Iraq's leadership for months for an answer to whether it would request a troop extension, with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen saying over the summer that the U.S. needed a a decision by August.(Comment: Who cares if they ask for an extension of the services of our troops. They just shot down another plane full of SEALS. We are not a maid or babysitting service. Of course they want our troops longer, because we send boatloads of money to Iraq as long as they are there. Americans who need jobs will have to go to Iraq to find them. If they request our troops, tell them to pay up and tell the troops the war is over,but they can sign up to "improve Iraq" if they wish. We should not be nation-building there. The troops are not slaves for the rich. )

.

The negotiations have been strained following WikiLeaks' release of a diplomatic cable that alleged Iraqi civilians, including children, were killed in a 2006 raid by American troops rather than in an airstrike as initially reported by the U.S. military.

Shortly after the WikiLeaks cable gained attention in September, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered an investigation into the deaths outside of Tikrit.

U.S. officials have long said they believe Iraq may need help with training, counterterrorism, air defense, command and control and intelligence operations. Any U.S. troops remaining to do those jobs might also need additional security forces.(Comment: This is "crazy land." Iraq will use all of their skills from our training against Americans and our allies at home and abroad. Our troops get pushed into Iraq without that training. Our values are misplaced as we arm the Middle East to win against us.)

The prospect of U.S. troops staying beyond the end of the year sits uncomfortably with many Iraqis, who have routinely questioned American motives following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. (Comment: As we get closer to the deadline, they will kill more and more of our troops.)

Radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose Sadrist political party is closely aligned with al-Maliki, has vowed to escalate armed resistance if the U.S. military does not leave as scheduled, a move that could destabilize the country should his militia repeat the bloody battles it waged against American and Iraqi forces during the height of violence.

Odierno said last month that there would be risks in leaving a large force of U.S. troops in Iraq, noting such a force could provoke new claims of U.S. occupation and distract from efforts to develop the Iraqi military's abilities. He would not comment directly on reports that the White House administration had decided to leave between 3,000 and 5,000 troops, should they be requested by Iraq.(Comment: Hogwash!!)

Odierno, who served as the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said that training of Iraqi security forces was not complete.(Comment: No, we have not completely taught you how to kill us and take over our country, security and economy.)

"We need to probably be there to assist them at certain levels for a while," he said last month in a question-and-answer session with journalists at the Pentagon.(Comment: Odierno is NUTS!!!)

As of last week, 41,000 U.S. military personnel remained in the country, according to Major Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, spokesman for U.S. Forces-Iraq. Buchanan said Wednesday that "we are on track, and we will meet our requirement to redeploy the last remaining military personnel from 41,000 down to zero by the end of the year." A brigade typically consists of between 3,000 and 5,000 soldiers.(Comment: We are watching. All troops and our secret stuff out of Iraq and Afghanistan by the 31st deadline!!)

Cut the deficit?

Do the Republicans want to cut the deficit? I don't think so. So far we have spent over a ½ trillion dollars on the Afghanistan/Iraq war. Want to cut billions of dollars from the budget, send the troops home. All of this money on credit from China - plus interest. Anyone who has handled a budget knows this is failure. Spending on war must stop. But many make huge profits from wars, so the opposition is strong. War using a credit card.

With our expensive borrowed money, the corrupt governments in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and more buy weapons and kill Americans, get our soldiers hooked on drugs, infiltrate America with more corruption...

Those soldiers who return to the US and are not addicted to drugs, not corrupted and have escaped death now must face lifelong medical/social care and repercussions from PTSD and physical disfigurements. In addition, unemployment eats at the soul and contributes to additional depression, obesity, anger, violence, divorce and addictions. The effects of war will last generations. Additional billions of dollars will be needed to care for the veterans and their families. Everyone suffers when the PTSD leads to suicide and violence in the families and communities.

The Karzi government is corrupt and wants to entice us into many additional years of war. The people in the Middle East must pay for and fight their own wars. We Americans must leave now.

Dr Murray defense reels in Jackson trial

The Michael Jackson death trial is historic in a very odd way. This is the first trial I have ever heard of where millions are being spent to prove Michael Jackson, a Black male, received poor medical care. Blacks in America are often subject to inferior medical care for various reasons. In this case, everyone is angry that Michael Jackson received inferior care. I'm moved and I think America has graduated to a new level of humanity.
I listened to the trial today, and the Dr. Murray defense team was sent reeling from the numerous accusations of negligence. The story was laid out clearly and I know Dr. Murray was watching his career fly out the courtroom window. Feelings were clear and the medical professionals who testified about the standard of care deviations were adamant that Dr. Murray has no defense in this case and was absolutely the direct cause of Michael Jackson's death.
True, this trial still involves a Black male as the defendant, but to have the State prosecutors advocating that Michael deserved better medical care is historic. It brings a tear to my eye. I hope all minorities will take note and realize that they deserve great medical care too.
Probably the most hurtful testimony against Dr. Murray came from the California Medical Board Medical Review Officer. This person has control of his state medical license and things look grim.
The real zinger of the Jackson case is that Dr Murray could have helped himself and reduced his problems if he had told his girlfriend, who was listening on the phone, to CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY. What a difference that act might have made.
It is a shame that Dr. Murray got caught up in this high finance web of providing medications casually to a suspected drug abuser, Michael. Dr. Murray's talents are needed in many parts of the world and he is highly trained. He just went wild once he entered this world of money and excess. He developed a "big head" and set aside his medical training. I think he is seeing things much more clearly in the courtroom.

You're the best gift of all

If you would die tomorrow, what would people tell about what you meant to your world? This is a question which haunts most of us throughout our lives. We all want to have a meaningful life. Of course, a meaningful life has a different meaning for every person. Most of us will not be remembered by the nation or the world. Many will not even be really remembered in their city or town. We can be remembered by our family, who will carry memories of you for many years to come. Hopefully, your story will have an impact, maybe it will motivate.
I had an uncle Bill who left a legacy of jokes and fun times. I can't even think about him without smiling. His death also had an impact on me because he died of restrictive lung disease  which came from smoking and jobs which exposed him to occupational pollutants. I am glad that I had an opportunity to know him.

That is the same impact we can all have. We can create great memories by telling your life stories. During the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, I hope you will sit in the living room or at the dining room table and tell some of your tales. I can assure you the kids and others will love them and it will open you up to closer family relationships.

We must stop the predators

Joseph Son, 40, was convicted of one count of torture in August after his DNA linked him to the abduction of a then-19-year-old victim as she walked her dog near her apartment on Christmas Eve.

Son and a co-defendant, Santiago Lopez Gaitan, 40, drove the woman to Huntington Beach at gunpoint, where they raped and sodomized her in the back of the car. They repeatedly threatened to kill her, hitting her with the pistol and telling her she was going to die.

The badly injured woman begged for her life, prosecutors said, and the two men released her naked and blindfolded with her own pants.

Police collected DNA evidence, but couldn't match it to her attackers until Son was required to provide a DNA sample after he pleaded guilty to felony vandalism in 2008 and violated probation.

Son's co-defendant was sentenced to 17 years and four months in state prison after he pleaded guilty in January to five felonies, including kidnapping and sodomy by force in concert.

Stop Child Sex Trade

The child sex trade is a huge problem in the US and abroad. No country is immune. In the US kids are often lured via the internet or corrupted neighborhood kids and adults. Girls and boys are bullied or lured with promises of love, money or other things. Usually the kids who are targeted are from broken homes and demonstrate emotional problems. The child may have already suffered issues of abandonment, neglect, low self-esteem, and physical and/or emotional abuse. The child may be in the foster care system or even disabled. She or he may be looking for food, money, self-worth, and shelter.
What the child finds is more violence and abuse when the man takes the child to a hotel room where he/she is beaten, sedated and confused with drugs and raped.
Then child is then sold via the Internet, transported to various areas around the country and the world, and sold to other pedophiles.
This is sex slavery and it even happens to adults, especially people who audition to be models.
Of note, churches often send their pedophile priests to foreign countries, like Africa, where they can escape American laws and continue to interact with children under the guise of priest.
I even heard of one country that incarcerated an American in a dungeon-like prison. The American was surprised to find he could buy a child in the prison to be his slave. He bought a child.
We must protect our children from these abusers of children.

Die zeit ist um _ time time time

The High Speed Rail(HSR) debate goes on. Some people, like Republican congressman Jeff Denham said "just widen highway 99 - high speed rail is not needed and too expensive."


Now, today, other Republican obstructionists are coming out to propose - "just expand our already existing Amtrak lines. Much cheaper and could get the train to go up to 110 MPH." 


Amtrak currently runs from Oakland to Bakersfield area, then you switch to a bus to go over the mountains. I took this trip a couple of years ago and I seem to remember using 2 buses and 2 trains, then a taxi, to get to my destination. Quite a trek. I did not save much time, but it was more relaxing than driving. I love Amtrak and would love if we could crank it up to do the job.


The truth is the central valley has been is dire need of a transportation overhaul for over thirty years. Unfortunately, none of the city councils, county supervisors, state senators, state assemblymen, or transportation heads have ever addressed the issue. so, the valley has crumbled and existed as a "difficult to reach" area with sluggish economies. 


Now, we finally have a president who is interested in growing the valley and willing to commit federal cash to get the job done. Obstructionists fail to see that the project will be expensive because they have ignored the valley for decades. State senator Jeff Denham did nothing to improve valley jobs, improve valley transportation, or improve the valley housing market. Now, as a valley congressman, Denham continues to want to impede valley economic growth, safety, and transportation. It is stupid and totally irresponsible to say the transportation solution is to just widen highway 99. I want even more from this transportation overhaul, but the High Speed Rail Authority has repeatedly told me they do not want to address the huge volume of trucking traffic along highway 99 with this current HSR package. Too bad - it is a huge, huge problem and it makes a lot of sense to address the trucks at the same time.


The HSR system is elevated, so there should be fewer collisions between trains and people, cars, and various pieces of junk placed on the tracks. This is a big advantage over the current Amtrak tracks. Also the HSR will be quieter, so residents living near the tracks will be less stressed from train noises.


Obstructionists complain HSR will cost $13 billion for the Merced to Bakersfield route. Well, let's face it, every year you wait to get the job done, it will cost more. The costs will not go down. In the meantime, the valley suffers. Maybe we can improve the valley economy and get some locals significant employment and careers. Certainly cities with HSR stations will grow greatly. The complainers of HSR are probably the same people who blocked UC from building a valley campus for so many years. Now, UC Merced is a continuing success story with many benefiting from the investments.


The main thing about HSR is that it must be completed in time to handle the aging "baby boomers" who will be losing their driving capabilities over the next decade. They will use HSR in large numbers. After the baby boomers, there is a population drop, so ridership will depend more on costs, convenience, etc. So, time is of the essence. 

B of A shake-up

Bank of America website was reportedly down for the 4th day. Good going! Let’s face it, Bank of America can’t make money or exist without people. So people, keep it up. The bank is here to serve the people. We are not here to serve the bank. And keep drinking that coffee!!!

Gun control for some?

Conservative radio commentator, Mike Levine says now he wants gun control. Why?  Well, Mike is angry that the criminals involved in the drug trade in Mexico are committing horrible crimes with weapons, allegedly purchased with American money, and American border guards are being killed. So, let’s see…no gun control in the US because “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” Now, since the Mexicans are creating problems with guns, Mike wants federal gun control and he wants the Obama administration to head this project. Mike needs to understand laws don’t work against just one group of people. The Republicans want no gun control, so that is what we have. If they are committing crimes with guns, go after the people, not the guns.
Also, when President Bush started the wars in the Middle East, many American military and innocent civilians were killed by weapons purchased by the enemy with American money. Often they used American payments to buy American weapons to kill Americans. We have a long history of giving large amounts of money to hostile groups abroad, even as Americans are in great financial need.
Pray that President Obama can get our remaining military out of this quagmire fast and safely.

Whether you support the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan or not, I agree with General Allen. All of the men and women who volunteered for military war service are heroes,

It takes more than hollow words to respect our military. Respect is shown by your actions, and booing the military shows what Republicans really think of our volunteer military heroes.

Congress fundraising specialists - no work

Our congressmen are finally coming back to DC after another long vacation. Yes, they return to work at 2PM on Monday. I call this the three day work-"week" because they will probably have a short day on Friday. They will work for a few weeks, then start the holiday breaks. But don't expect any real work out of these people. I assume there will just be more of the same - fighting, repeating party lines and lots of TV sound bites. The goal for Republicans will be blocking all efforts to get anything done, as requested by the President. Reducing the deficit by eliminating the Dept. of Education, Planned Parenthood and the EPA, cutting Social Security, turning Medicare into a $6,000 voucher system, protecting tax cuts for the multimillionaires and billionaires,etc., will have the Republicans again dig in their heels. I predict the super-committee will be pressured into ineffectiveness.

Disgraced Unpatriotic Republicans lie

Below is a story from the AP stating candidate Cain said he should have defended the soldier who stated he was gay at the Republican debate and the Republicans began booing loudly. The Republicans just don't get it. Perry and others tried to claim they did not hear the booing - an obvious and pitiful lie, because the booing was loud and prolonged. You could see the Republican candidates keeping their heads down to avoid having to deal with the problem.
The issue is not defending this one soldier, it's respecting our military and EVERY soldier who volunteered to put his/her life in danger to fight for our country and the freedoms and lifestyle we enjoy. I expect anyone who wants to become president to, by natural instinct, jump to the forefront and defend any US soldier. These delayed excuses by the Republican candidates are insincere calculated answers, unacceptable and a national disgrace.
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!!!!!


WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said Sunday that he should not have stayed silent after the audience at a GOP debate booed a gay soldier serving in Iraq.
The Georgia businessman told ABC's "This Week" that it would have been "appropriate" for him to have defended the soldier. None of the candidates on stage at the Sept. 22 forum responded to the boos.
"In retrospect, because of the controversy it has created and because of the different interpretations that it could have had, yes, that probably — that would have been appropriate," Cain said, when asked if he should have asked the audience to respect the soldier.
Cain said it wasn't immediately clear to him what had drawn the audience's scorn, adding, "I happen to think that maybe they were booing the whole 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal more so than booing that soldier."
The so-called don't ask, don't tell policy barring gays from serving openly in the military was officially lifted last month.
Cain's remarks came after President Barack Obama on Saturday chastised the GOP candidates at the debate, saying one of the duties of the nation's commander in chief is to stand up for Americans in uniform.
Separately, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said that the GOP candidates at the debate should have defended the soldier. "The fact is we should honor every man and woman who is serving in the military and should in no way treat them with anything but the highest regard," he told CBS' "Face the Nation."
McCain added that the GOP candidates may have been thinking about how to respond to the soldier's question rather than paying attention to the booing. "I would bet that every Republican on that stage did not agree with that kind of behavior," he said.
Last December, McCain led Senate opposition to the repeal of the restriction on gay service

===========================
If the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier was found to house a gay, should he be exhumed and tossed out by the Republicans?

Bank of America complains it needs more money

Bank of America states it wants to squeeze more money from Americans and those who chose to use that bank's debit card. Now, that they are entangled with B of A, B of A wants to close the noose. They want to charge $5.00/month for using the debit card and many customers find other unwarranted fees slipped onto their monthly bank statements. Check those statements every month.

I say fight back. Drop the debit card. Read all bank correspondence and if the bank will not drop the fees, move your account to a place like Allied Bank. Don't use ATM's. Pay off your credit cards. As a nickel-and-dime protest, go into the bank everyday and drink their coffee for free. Five cups of coffee a month will equal the cost of five McDonald's coffees and erase the effect of the debit fees on your finances. The coffee protest is more of a visual protest.

Apple iPad vs Kindle Fire

Apple's 10-inch, 16GB iPad vs the 7-inch, 8GB first-generation Amazon Kindle Fire.

Both a called tablets, so which one to choose after you decide you want to buy a tablet. 

Unless you're a banker or a Wall Street scammer and doing really well this recession, it would be hard to justify shelling out money for both an iPad (at $499) which has been out for 18 months

and a Kindle Fire (which costs $199). The iPad has a bigger screen, more apps, and more memory.

The Kindle Fire has advantages over the iPad. The biggest advantage is the price. At $199 it makes real financial sense and most people will not even enjoy all of the benefits of their Apple iPad, before the next model appears on the shelves at another $700.00. I love to read Google books because it remembers my last page. Well, Kindle Fire does the same thing with books, TV shows and movies. You don't have to lose your spot. It also has Flash.

Considering the price difference, I would go for a $200 model in this economy and consider an updated iPad in later.years. I don't like the 8GB memory though. Yes, the kids will feel inferior against the rich kids, but the parents will not be into bigger debt, there are fewer problems if it is lost or stolen and the kids can still get their work onto the Kindle Fire. Other models are lowering prices to meet the Kindle Fire and we just might see a good price war for Christmas. So, I say wait for the holiday price changes, then decide what works best for you.

Madera redistricting complete

Madera is faced with 3 redistricting plans which will affect future city elections and who will represent you. The public comment period has expired. An ordinance will be introduced on October 5th and will be adopted by the city council on the 19th. On the 31st all will be complete. A copy of the districts can be picked up from city hall at 200 West Fourth Street or you can contact city hall via internet.

Just how polluted are our waters?

Just how polluted are our waters?

I saw a film yesterday discussing how many of the fish we eat are laden with worms and must be protected from bacterial and fungal infections. Hence, the fish caretakers lift the fish in batches out of the water and give each fish inoculations to keep them healthy and alive. So much for the healthy fish diet. We must keep our waters clean and clean up the messes we have ignored for too many years.

Drugs: a danger and pollutant

The US war on terror is now increasingly focused on water and underwater invasions. Not only are terrorists being viewed as a threat, but drug traffickers, long users of boats for trafficking, are also using submarines in murky water to access the states. So, the submarines are quiet and not visible by regular observation. While these drugs are moving in our waters, they are also polluting everyone's water. Whenever the traffickers dump their tons of cargo for security reasons, our fish and water become polluted and anyone using them will be exposed.
While we spend billions to decrease US drug activity, the users of these drugs must also be held accountable for the huge financial and societal costs. Without user demand, the drug-related problems would decrease.

China emerges - China Summit

I attended the China Summit today and certainly came back with the message that China wants to do business and that China has "worldwide" goals. What these goals are, were left unstated. During the meeting the participants listed a number of problems with the China-US relationship.
I noted during the meeting that the US participants were not fully on board with resolving our US financial problems within the next two years. They had a goal of 3 to 5 years.
This disturbed me because the American people are clammering for jobs and business. Even one Chinese participant said, if you don;t have anything planned now, why not try something with China? One of the US participants answered saying the US is not very welcoming of Chinese investment in the US for various reasons.
It was during this part of the discussion that I realized that the youth of America must make these old millionaires move on or move over. Most families in the US do not want to wait for three years to improve US business and develop jobs. China also has a lot of older immobile people as business and political leaders who are reluctant to change. The youth will have to prepare themselves mentally to take on business and develop these obvious needs of both countries.
This can not be done with ignorance, as Google found out when it tried to develop a Chinese component of  Google. The participants agreed China spies heavily on visitors and steals technology from China-based businesses. It was admitted that, in China, if you are not carrying your important papers, someone is probably copying them.
It was stated the US is hesitant to deal with Saudi Arabia, Russia and China due to cultural and policy differences and the large amount of crime. Of course, many had that same statement about American crime for many years. True, the trust is not there.
China is an emerging giant and it will be up to the youth in both countries to develop the international relationships needed. Oh yes, and American youth must learn Mandarin Chinese.

Syria torturing its citizen protesters

Zainab, Syrian teen killed while in custody. Her body had been burned and mutilated in areas. Decapitated with her arms severed, her body was returned to her family. Zainab was held because her brother was a activist sources say. Her brother was also killed. His body also showed signs of severe torture and gunshot wounds to multiple body areas.

A Bankrupt Uncle Sam Hypocritically Lectures Europe on Debt

by Doug Bandow

This article appeared in Forbes on September 26, 2011.

Europe's worsening debt crisis, highlighted by the threat of default by Greece, was the top topic as finance ministers from around the world gathered in Washington for the annual International Monetary Fund meeting. Despite frantic European efforts to prop up the Athens government's finances, investors have been fleeing to safer investments, driving German bond yields down to record lows. European governments remain divided, lacking answers and time.

Uncle Sam should declare bankruptcy. The government faces debts and unfunded liabilities on the order of $211 trillion, according to economist Laurence Kotlikoff. That's about 15 times America's official national debt — and GDP. Yet the Obama administration continues to lecture the rest of the world on how to get its economic house in order.

President Barack Obama has been pressing European leaders, most importantly German Chancellor Angela Merkel, to follow his profligate policies in the U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner even attended the recent European Union summit on the continent's economic crisis to lobby his counterparts.

Geithner gave his hosts the benefit of his thinking whether they wanted it or not. Some did not. Maria Fekter, Austria's finance minister, noted archly: "I found it peculiar that even though the Americans have significantly worse fundamental data than the Euro zone that they tell us what we should do." Jean-Claude Juncker, both prime minister and finance minister of Luxembourg, declared: "We are not discussing the expansion or increase of the [financial stability fund] with a non-member of the Euro area."

To be fair, the administration was not without something to say. But any advice should have been what not to do.

Don't engage in counter-productive, large-scale bail-outs. Don't waste hundreds of billions of dollars on ineffective "stimulus" programs. Don't initiate massive new regulatory programs that create expense and uncertainty without addressing the most important causes of the last crisis. Don't put off tough budget decisions involving domestic entitlements and military outlays.

However, that's not what Secretary Geithner said. True, he admitted that "we're not in a particularly strong position to provide advice to all of you." But that didn't stop him from doing so.

He warned of "catastrophic risk," as if his European counterparts were blind and deaf. He insisted that "the big countries in Europe, the leaders in Europe must meet and take a decision on how to coordinate monetary integration with more effective coordinated fiscal policy," as if the EU was a centralized nation state like America.

He told the other participants to act "decisively" even though the administration in which he serves has failed to address this country's toughest spending issues. He urged the EU members to stimulate their individual economies and expand their continental bail-out fund, even though the Obama administration's comparable domestic efforts have failed. The Europeans have the capacity to deal with their problems, he declared: they "just have to choose to do it." As Americans have not done.

The Europeans face severe economic difficulties. Successive bail-outs increasingly seem unlikely to prevent default by Greece, which would threaten banks across the continent, including in Germany, heretofore Europe's growth engine. Some investors worry about a reprise of the 2008 financial crisis.

Contagion threatens to spread well beyond Greece: Ireland and Portugal already have collected a hand-out from their European brethren. Worse, Spain and Italy, with far larger economies, face uncertain futures.

EU heavyweights, like President Obama, have lined up to demand that Chancellor Merkel show "bold leadership" — meaning commit more of her countrymen's money to prop up Europe's most improvident states. However, German citizens have begun to shout Nein! A majority wants to abandon their spendthrift friends and bring back the hallowed Deutsch Mark.

The normally sober Economist magazine declared that she just "needs to explain to her people" that the alternatives are worse. But even the fabled German economy can't forever underwrite the rest of Europe. No wonder Germans are worried, punishing Angela Merkel's governing coalition in regional elections despite a growing economy.

Nevertheless, so far the Eurocratic elite, a motley collection of politicians, bureaucrats, journalists, businessmen, and academics which dominates the European Union, is determined to save the Euro zone by strengthening continental control over national budget and economic policy. In essence, this group is hoping to create a Europe more akin to that of the United States, a quasi-nation state which will take its place as a Weltmacht alongside America and China.

There's nothing wrong in principle with such an ambition — except for the fact that no one in Europe other than the Eurocrats wants to turn Brussels into Washington. Most Europeans, at least the ones working, paying taxes, and suffering under the EU's regulatory dictates, are either indifferent or strongly opposed to further continental centralization.

Indeed, the only way EU leaders were able to win ratification of the so-called Lisbon Treaty, which further concentrated political authority in Brussels and created a European president and foreign minister, was to press the Irish to vote twice, after they defeated the agreement the first time, and prevent anyone else from voting. Polls indicated that citizens in half of the EU countries would have rejected the treaty if given a chance.

Today expanding Brussels' authority over national budgets faces resolute opposition, including from many governments. Yet without a more unified European fiscal policy, the Eurozone — to which 17 of the 27 EU members belong — could shrink, if not collapse. The costs of a messy economic divorce likely would be huge.

Europe's total debt to GDP is around 80%, but several nations have more serious problems. As of last year Greece's ratio hit 143%. Italy's was 119%. The debt ratios for Belgium, Ireland, and Portugal all exceeded 90%. Other countries like Great Britain are making painful budget cuts to avoid their own debt crises.

There are no easy answers. Nor are there any painless ones. Who should pay for whom? Who should have political authority over whom? Certainly the U.S. has no answers. Washington should offer Europe good wishes and little more.

There's an even better reason for U.S. officials to shut up. They have no credibility to instruct the Europeans. Maria Fekter observed: "I had expected that, when [Secretary Geithner] tells us how he sees the world, that he would listen to what we have to say."

First, the U.S. has struggled with the issue of political centralization even though the American colonies shared a common culture, fought a war together to win their independence, and only once battled among themselves. Even today, political centralization remains controversial — for good reason, given Washington's many manifest policy failures.

Second, the U.S. has an abysmal fiscal record. Total federal debt, which includes "loans" from the Social Security Administration to the Treasury Department, approaches 100% of GDP. These intra-government debts are artificial, but over time their "redemption" as the government pays Social Security benefits will add to the publicly held debt, which accounts for about 67% of GDP today.

Moreover, the U.S. has its irresponsible states which don't know how to say no. In terms of debt/GDP, Massachusetts leads the pack, at 20.43% (2009 figures). Rhode Island follows at 19.19%. Despite its oil wealth, Alaska is at 14.42%. Supposedly frugal New Hampshire is at 14.16%. Vermont is at 13.47%. Montana stands at 13.25%. Connecticut comes in at 12.49%.

In recent years California has made a practice of borrowing to fund its profligacy. Its debt/GDP ratio is "only" 7.12%, but $134.6 billion in official debt is supplemented by $62.4 billion in unfunded health care and other liabilities and $59.5 billion in unfunded public pensions. Illinois has $57 billion in debts and, following Washington's lead in creating unfunded liabilities, another $54.4 billion in unfunded public pensions. New York suffers from a debt/GDP ratio of 11.22%; its $122.7 billion in official debt is augmented by $56.3 billion in unfunded health care and other liabilities.

Neither Republicans nor Democrats offer real solutions. This year's vaunted budget deal focused on domestic discretionary spending, yet these outlays make up only about 15% of the federal budget. Democrats hate cutting even these programs, while Republicans bridle at proposals to simply slow the growth of military outlays. And no one wants to take on the great budget boulders, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

The Congressional Budget Office sees only more red ink and debt. The most positive alternative fiscal path is merely horrible. According to CBO: "Even with declining deficits, debt held by the public would continue to grow in the near term relative to the size of the economy — from 67% of GDP this year to a peak of 73% by the end of 2013. After that, debt held by the public would gradually fall to 61% of GDP by 2021, an amount well above the annual average of 37% recorded over the past 40 years."

That's not all. "That substantial debt, coupled with rising interest rates, is projected to cause the government's annual net spending for interest to nearly double as a percentage of GDP between 2011 and 2021." Worse, so-called "mandatory" spending will continue to increase. In the next few years other spending, such as unemployment compensation, is expected to drop (assuming Congress doesn't up outlays, as it has in the past), helping to mask the impact of the entitlements increase. But in the latter years of this period, "rising spending on those health care and entitlement programs will cause mandatory outlays to increase again at a faster rate than the economy."

That is, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will continue racing upward, threatening to swamp the rest of spending. Or as CBO put it: "the aging of the population and rising costs for health care would almost certainly push federal spending up sharply relative to GDP after 2021 if current laws remained in effect." This is supposed to be the good news!

The more realistic scenario is frightening. Simply assume that Congress does what Congress normally does: refuse to make hard decisions and retreat from any hard decisions it made in the past. If "revenues remained near their historical average of 18% of GDP" while spending increased as past experience suggests, noted CBO, "debt held by the public would balloon to nearly 190% of GDP by 2035. Although new long-term projections reflecting the latest 10-year projections would differ, the amounts of federal borrowing that would be required under those policy assumptions clearly would be unsustainable."

Indeed, such a fiscal policy would shrink the economy. Economist Carmen Reinhart warned Congress last year that "across both advanced countries and emerging markets, high debt/GDP levels (90% and above) are associated with notably lower growth outcomes."

The CBO similarly predicted that "Large budget deficits and growing debt would reduce national saving, thus leading to higher interest rates, more borrowing from abroad, and less domestic investment — which in turn would lower real GDP and income in the United States relative to what would otherwise occur. Furthermore, paying for the rising costs of interest through higher marginal tax rates could discourage work and saving and reduce output even more." Finally, such a debt increase "would boost the probability of a sudden fiscal crisis, during which investors would lose confidence in the government's ability to borrow at affordable rates."

America's debt crisis is not a partisan issue. George W. Bush and his GOP congressional allies were extraordinary wastrals, upping federal outlays on most everything. His Medicare drug benefit was almost as large a budget-buster as was President Obama's health care "reform" bill. During the financial crisis the Bush administration encouraged the presumption that everyone everywhere would be bailed out for everything. The national debt doubled on President Bush's watch.

Under President Obama the bail-outs continued, money was wasted on ineffective economic "stimulus," welfare reforms were abandoned, and an expensive new entitlement, subsidized health insurance, was created. Each new budget has forecast higher outlays, debt, and interest payments. The administration pressed for "financial reform" while ignoring the epicenter of the 2008 disaster, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which degraded lending standards and securitized bad mortgages. These two bodies are still operating, losing ever more money. Wall Street rampent with greed and fraud took advantage of access to financial markets and engaged in Ponzi schemes which crashed upon everyone in the US - but the people who headed the scams were still hugely financially rewarded.rest of the world.

The administration is now pushing the same policies overseas. It's unfortunate for Americans; we have learned so little from our experience over the last three years. It's unfortunate for people elsewhere that the denizens of Washington believe themselves qualified to lecture the rest of the world.

Congress adjourns for week with no help to citizens

Congress is unable to function and will lead our country into further disaster.The dysfunction and political division has made Congress a place for grandstanding and hot rhetoric, but at the cost of national unemployment and no confidence in the economy. Politicians can't even decide if the federal government should give FEMA money to help citizens who are victims of national disasters. Republicans say they will vote to fund FEMA, if the money comes from current programs that help US children and the poor.
I think most Americans want to help people who suffer from natural disasters. The stagnation in Congress is hurting us all - a different type of national disaster. Republicans had hoped they could force Senate Democrats to accept a partisan budget cut on the threat that disaster victims would otherwise be deprived of assistance for days or even weeks.
We in the valley must assuredly work to get Denham out of the valley as a representative. We will never get a reduction in the deficit via the congressional super-committee with this group in office - that means cuts in Medicare, social security, medicaid, etc.. We must vote the obstructionist Republicans out in 2012, so we can move forward.
Then, after spending billions of dollars fighting whether to fund FEMA or fighting  to suspend clean air and water regulations and spend billions on studies to see if clean air improves health, the Congress adjourns for a week-long vacation.
This Congress takes too much time arguing and needs to spend more time in DC in session working and attempting to come to some needed agreements.
Americans are suffering, but congressmen are deaf to the cries.

Denham wants EPA out as he violates ethical standards

Rep. Jeff Denham (CD 19 Stanislaus,Fresno, Turlock, Madera, Sonora) spoke in the House on Sept. 23rd  urging the House to pass the Train Act and give the job of information gathering required in the Act to his friends in the House balcony. Republicans feel the EPA is a rogue agency and want to end the regulation of mercury, etc.
HOUSE’S TRAIN ACT THREATENS TO DERAIL CLEAN AIR | “The House is slated to vote this week on a proposal that mandates at least a years-long delay of two major air pollution rules and, senior Democrats say, badly weakens EPA’s ability to limit mercury and other air toxics from power plants,” E2 Wire writes. The White House has threatened a veto. Last night, the House Rules Committee set the rules for debate on the TRAIN Act (HR 2401), a “bill that mandates interagency economic analyses of EPA rules, and delays two rules on power plant emissions.” The White House has threatened a veto.


Paying for a huge study to report the effects of muecury, etc. is a huge waste of public money. WE MUST CUT UNNECESSARY COSTS AND WASTE - not continue the old wasteful ways of spending and increasing the deficit - especially when Denham stated on the House floor that he had a pecuniary, unethical interest which is related to his political campaign.

Pharmacies make a move for control and cash

Pharmaceutical companies were given a huge advantage in the asthma market to push OTC asthma medications off the shelves. The FDA stated the OTC asthma inhalers would no longer be sold - they are now considered dangerous - and all inhalers must be by prescription. The OTC inhales cost around $20 - the prescription inhalers cost around $60 to $80 plus the cost of a medical visit and any tests the doctor/nurse/PA may order. As the pharmacies agrued in front of congress last week for the approval of a large pharmaceutical merger, it is clear the pharmacies, as they attempt to have more say in medical care by assuming some clinic responsibilities, are also trying to sharply increase corporate profits at the expense of those who can least pay the inflated prices and are just struggling to live. The merger, if it goes through, will also push out smaller pharmacies, who may be ensuring the contaminated meds from abroad do not reach American consumers, and give large corporate pharmacies access to almost everybody's medical information.

Republicans angry at minorities and women

(CNN) -- Campus Republicans at the University of California Berkeley have cooked up a storm of controversy with their plans for a bake sale.

But it's not your everyday collegiate fundraiser they've got in mind. They've developed a sliding scale where the price of the cookie or brownie depends on your gender and the color of your skin.

During the sale, scheduled for Tuesday, baked goods will be sold to white men for $2.00, Asian men for $1.50, Latino men for $1.00, black men for $0.75 and Native American men for $0.25. All women will get $0.25 off those prices.

"The pricing structure is there to bring attention, to cause people to get a little upset," Campus Republican President Shawn Lewis, who planned the event, told CNN-affiliate KGO. "But it's really there to cause people to think more critically about what this kind of policy would do in university admissions."

Lewis says it's a way to make a statement about pending legislation that would let the California universities consider race or national origin during the admission process.

But the young Republicans have been on the receiving end of a fierce backlash. Reaction has been so negative they've been forced to cancel their customary lunchtime tabling duties, according to KGO.

Lewis told CNN's Don Lemon that they expected a certain amount of opposition but not the level of outrage they experienced.

"We didn't expect the volume, the amount of response that we got," Lewis said. "In the first few hours, hundreds of posts on our Facebook page. And the tone of some of the responses -- we expected people to be upset. We didn't expect personal threats to be made. They were implicit and explicit threats made to the organizers of the event, from burning down the table to throwing our baked goods at us and other kinds of physical threats."

Tim Wise, author of the book "White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son," calls the bake sale a "sarcastic and rather smarmy slap at people of color."

"There are a lot of ways to make a point about your disagreement with affirmative action," Wise told Lemon Saturday night.

"I get the joke," he continued. "How very original. It's been done for 15 years. The point that I think needs to be made ... is that by the time anyone steps on a college campus ... there has already been 12- to 13-years of institutionalized affirmative action for white folks, that is to say, racially embedded inequality, which has benefited those of us who are white. And it's only at the point of college admissions that these folks seem to get concerned with color consciousness."

Lewis insists, however, that Campus Republicans will go ahead with their bake sale and are committed to their controversial pricing structure.

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COMMENT: The irony is that Asians have for years out-performed whites in placement testing. So, more Asians would have gone to their first-choice schools, if not for racial bias which limited the Asian admissions. 

Blacks have been excluded from quality education at all grade levels for over 200 years. The civil rights movement was able to change laws in the sixties, but racial hatred and discrimination persisted - and continues to this present day. Blacks will need at least three generations of education security to reduce the damage done by slavery, systematic exclusion and institutionalized racism. I feel it will take until 2055 to eliminate the imposed educational achievement gap and special race considerations and assurances will be needed for approximately fifty more years.

As we get closer to 2055, whites will feel all of the damage is gone and feel jealous that Blacks have an "educational advantage." Learning, education and cultural development goes deep - cytoplasmic. It can not be rushed.  Many Blacks are still caught in the web on the 1950's. Their cytoplasm is still untouched. Reversing the evils of the past will produce benefits in the future for all Americans and is necessary. As you enjoy the TV show "Pan Am" today, remember those glorious Pan Am days depict a time when Black women we not allowed to work as a stewardess, Black males were allowed to be porters or skycaps. I imagine Black women were allowed to be janitors. Blacks were forced into the lower class and, for most Blacks, education was not a reality. White universities would not accept more than a few Blacks as students and most Blacks were educated at segregated institutions. Yes, this was America. Don't forget US history just because you are at Berkeley.  

Just as current adults are leaving a debt for our children's children, the adults of early American created a huge debt for you and your children to pay off. No one wants to pay their debts. But, they must be paid, and once paid, all is well in the US again.



Example: Consider the life if racism and obstruction incurred by First-lady Michelle Obama: Luckily, she was smart and succeeded. http://womensissues.about.com/od/influentialwomen/p/MichelleObama.htm
Consider her generation 1, her children are generation 2,and their children will be generation 3.

Republicans boo military

At the Republican debate for presidential hopefuls, a huge wave of BOO's were heard when a gay soldier spoke. As he risks his life for his country and our freedom, they BOO'd him because he wants to be with a male. I hope they will more strongly boo the male multimillionaire who was found guilty yesterday of killing his wife. Is he better because he is heterosexual?
I respect and honor every soldier, regardless of race, gender or religion. I want to hear their words and feelings. I hope one day we will move from a nation divided by hate, to a nation unified for a better tomorrow.