Ann Coulter, please get out of the gutter

Can this woman do any more damage to our collective sense of decency and class? Hasn’t she reached the bottom yet?

Before you start jumping on me for defending anyone she has attacked, I want to tell you right up front that I do not support John Edwards, I do not support any candidate that she has attacked. I support common decency. I also support the idea that everyone has the right to say what they want to say but I believe there is a line that you do not cross. When you cross that line you show the world how little you respect yourself and others. Attacking someone in the mean-spirited manner in which Ann Coulter attacked Al Gore, Bill Clinton, and John Edwards and his family crossed that line.

In my opinion, any person who wants to become a public personality is representing the rest of us. A public personality represents America’s educational system and our collective moral and ethical standards. As a self-appointed spokesperson for all Americans, Ann Coulter should have the common decency to maintain a level of class and decorum and shun ‘hate-speech’. If she wants to talk street trash then she should stay out of the camera’s eye where the rest of the world cannot see her and we don’t have to be subjected to her low opinion of us as American’s. To resort to name calling and character assassination degrades herself and panders to the under-educated citizens who eat this stuff up in the super market tabloids.

I know this woman is better educated than this. I’ve heard her speak and I used to value her opinion, I did not always agree with her but now I won’t even listen to what she has to say. This woman can show some class, as we all can, she chooses not to. Why, only she knows. I have to wonder if she is suffering from some sort of psychological break-down. Is she lowering her standards as an educated person for the pursuit of dollars and notoriety and the hell with what people think?

On a larger scale, the world’s view of Americans is that we are a bunch of uncouth, lower-classed, violent, thugs and lately every time this woman opens her mouth this opinion of us is further substantiated.

Please Ms Coulter, pick yourself up out of the gutter and show some class.

And now for the media’s role in all of this. The media loves controversy and drama. They love outrageous behavior. They love it to the point that they will seek out and support this activity in an attempt to gain something as fleeting and myopic as ratings and ad dollars. The media, in general, and television in particular, is just as guilty of portraying America as a bunch of short-sighted, untrustworthy, self-indulgent, spoiled, brats and as long as it brings money in for the studios it will never stop.

America, we need to raise our standards. Please, think outside yourselves and start looking at a bigger picture. Stop playing the role of fools and show the world that we are not as they think we are.

Don’t mess with this ‘easy mark’

I would like to take this opportunity to tip my hat and salute this gentleman, a 72-year-old ex-marine who gave a would-be low-life pickpocket what he deserves.

A story out of Grand Rapids, Michigan tells how while Bill Barnes was scratching off a losing $2 lottery ticket inside a gas station he felt a hand slip into his front-left pants pocket, where he had $300 in cash.

He immediately grabbed the person's wrist with his left hand and started throwing punches with his right, landing six or seven blows before a store manager intervened.

"I guess he thought I was an easy mark," Barnes, 72, told The Grand Rapids Press for a story Tuesday.

He's anything but an easy mark: Barnes served in the Marines, was an accomplished Golden Gloves boxer and retired after 20 years as an iron worker.

Jesse Daniel Rae, the 27-year-old Newaygo County man accused of trying to pick Barnes' pocket, was arraigned Monday in Rockford District Court on one count of unarmed robbery, a 15-year felony.

Barnes said he had just withdrawn the money from a bank machine and put it in the pocket of his shorts before driving to the Marathon service station and Next Door Food Store in Comstock Park, a Grand Rapids suburb.

He remembers noticing a patron acting suspiciously, asking the price of different brands of cigarettes and other items. While turned away, Barnes felt the hand in his pocket, so he took action.

"I guess I acted on instinct," he said.

Kent County sheriff's deputies said the store manager quickly came around the counter. The three of them struggled through the front door, where two witnesses said the manager slammed Rae to the ground and held him there.

"There was blood everywhere," said another manager on duty, Abby Ostrom, 25.

Barnes was a regional runner-up in Golden Gloves competition in the novice and open divisions before enlisting in the Marines in 1956.

He lived most of his adult life in Comstock Park with his wife Patricia before recently moving to Ottawa County. The couple have three children.

After retiring as an iron worker, he now works part-time as a starter at a golf course.

Barnes said he'd probably do the same thing again under the same circumstances, if for no other reason than what he would face back home.

"I wouldn't want my wife to give me hell for lettin' that guy get my money," he said with a smile.

Way to go Bill, we need a hell of a lot more people like you in this world.

Congress and Ethics

Here is something I just learned. Of the three branches of the federal government, Congress has the fewest prohibitions on conflicts of interest and acts of self-dealing.

Officials in the executive branch and judiciary are required to divest themselves of any investment in or ownership of for-profit entities that may be within the purview of their agency or court. They are also under strict limits on the extent to which members of their immediate families may benefit directly from their position.

Members of Congress are not required to divest themselves of any financial interest, even if that interest is subject to their official oversight and influence. Nor are they required to recuse themselves from voting on issues that may harm or benefit the personal investment interests of themselves or their relatives. They have free reign to pass any legislation that will benefit themselves, their family and their friend (and lobbyists) in anyway that can. And trust me, they do.

I find it very telling about the overall character of the members of congress that they have not yet enacted even the most miniscule ethical measure to govern themselves in this matter. They may not be legally bound by the written law to divest themselves of financial interests, but each member should hold themselves to the higher standard of ‘moral’ and ‘ethical’ laws. Perhaps this is why so many have been caught in ‘conflict of interest’ situations and have been convicted of unethical and downright illegal acts. It seems some people need to have their restrictions and boundaries spelled out for them and written into law before they can appear to be ethical and moral.

Don’t these members of congress take an oath stating that they will not doing anything unethical or immoral?

The extent to which some Members of Congress have taken advantage of this lack of ethical restrictions can be seen in the number of congress members who has brought unfavorable media attention to themselves by bribe taking and power brokering.

In response to unfavorable media attention, Members of Congress have introduced legislation that would deter conflicts of interest in some federal spending decisions, although these limits would apply only to earmarks (whatever these are). Having finally recognized and proposed remedies for the conflicts of interest inherent in one source of spending, a good place for Members to begin expanding the ethics enhancement process would be the $25 billion per year that the federal government spends on subsidies to farmers and ranchers.

See how it took media attention to get them to start thinking in the right direction. I don’t believe for a minute that any legislation they come up with on their own will make these guys any more accountable.

Farm Subsidies and Congress

Here's something we 'common-folk' don't hear much about. Farm subsidies. This is a nifty little group of programs that someone came up with to pay farmers to not grow certain crops. We should all be farmers so we can get in on this gravy train.

It turns out that many members of congress receive USDA subsidies. I wonder if somewhere in a new-congress-members 'welcome packet' is a form for them to fill out so they can be sure to 'hook themselves up' with this lucrative benefit.

Anyway, sometime during 2007, Congress will get a chance to reauthorize this legislation and will likely be able to vote on its passage. Wouldn't you like to be in a position to vote on whether or not you get to keep a financial benefit, especially when it involves doing nothing on your part? And, these guys get paid to vote on this! Incredible! Is this a great country or what!?!

What this means to you and me, the taxpayers who get to foot the $35 billion annual bill for these 'benefits', is that our standard of living gets to be reduced even further by the higher taxes needed to fund these farm programs and by the higher food prices caused by agriculture subsidies, and the related unproductive restrictions, and regulations.

Although politicians love to discuss the plight of small farmers, the vast majority of farm subsidies go to the largest farms. In recent years, the biggest 10 percent of farm businesses have received 72 percent of farm subsidies, according to the Environmental Working Group.

In most industries, market prices balance supply and demand and encourage efficient production. But Congress short–circuits market mechanisms in agriculture which damages the economy. Farm programs cause overproduction, the overuse of marginal farmland, land price inflation and excess borrowing by farm businesses.

As with any government backed subsidy there is fraud, the Government Accountability Office found that improper farm payments amount to as much as $500 million each year. Since 2000, the government has paid $1.3 billion in subsidies to people who own "farmland" that is not even used for farming. The government also frequently distributes disaster payments to farmers who don't need them and often didn't even ask for them.

Some farm programs raise food prices and hurt consumers directly. Federal controls on the dairy industry raise milk prices to consumers. Controls on the sugar industry raise U.S. sugar prices to about twice the world level, pushing up consumer costs for breakfast cereals, chocolate and other food products.

For a long list of reasons why farm subsidies should be banned, click here. As someone who is a direct victim of this unconscionable blood-letting I am appalled that our representatives in congress are taking advantage of this gross misuse of taxpayer dollars for their own personal gain.

These programs need to be abolished immediately. But guess who is going to vote on abolishing them. That's right, the very people who benefit from not abolishing them. Can you say conflict of interest?

A little history is in order, many of these programs were enacted during the Great Depression of the 1930’s and others at times when the U.S. farmers' over-production caused a drop in the price that the farmer could get for their crops. As a result of the lower market prices and other factors farmers were loosing their farms. The creation of these programs, while designed with the best of intentions, no longer work in today’s more prosperous and dynamic economy. It has been taken advantage of by the very people who put it into place and therefore congress has no incentive to discontinue these programs.

Members of Congress who benefit from this program financially should either recuse themselves from voting on any farm legislation or forgo any farm subsidies for which they and their families and relatives would be eligible. But, since we are dealing with American politicians, we all know that they will simply find a solution that will allow them to keep this ‘golden egg’ while giving the appearance to the general public that they have somehow sacrificed. This is why abolishing these programs is the only answer.

If you would like to see a list of those congressional members and organizations receiving these free subsidies check it out here.

Home Depot funds extorted by local government

I read an article in Fox News online dated June 27, 2007 that states Home Depot in California was forced to build a separate facility on their property for the illegal day laborers that hang out in the area waiting for jobs. The local governments, Mountain View and Burbank, are holding back building permits required for Home Depot to build their stores unless Home Depot provides security and maintains a facility, complete with restrooms and air conditioning, for these illegals.

What brought this about? The neighbors in the area complained that the day laborers were urinating, etc in the area and they did not want to see this. I would be upset too. But instead of the local government forcing the police force to do its job by moving these guys to somewhere else or arresting them for public indecency like they do to its tax paying citizens, the city council seizes an opportunity to extort money from Home Depot! Is it Home Depots fault these illegals hang out where they do? No! I have seen day laborers standing on street corners in various cities hoping someone will pick them for work and I have never heard of any of those nearby businesses being forced to pay for shelter and facilities for these illegals.

Why is Home Depot being singled out? Is it because they have deep enough pockets to feed the cities’ greedy politicians? Is Home Depot an easy target? This is nothing more than another example of abuse of power by corrupt government officials.

In addition, these money-extorting cities are allowing illegals to thrive in their jurisdictions by not turning them over to Immigration Service. Why are they not turning them in? Why are these local governments not enforcing their laws? Perhaps they are afraid of a backlash from the already bloated population of illegals in their communities? Perhaps they are making money off of these people?

Dealing with illegals is the responsibility of the federal government, so turn them in to the federal government and have them removed. It is plain to see that these cities have ignored this problem for far too long, because their numbers are increasing. The city can’t support them anymore so they extort money from local businesses to do it. Unbelievable! The city managers and councils should be ashamed of themselves!

This is so unbelievable that I have to repeat it to make sure I have it right, Home Depot is being forced to share in the cost of supporting illegal immigration because the local government does not want to kick them out of our country! There must be some financial benefit to these local governments in having illegals in their cities. Can anybody shed some light on this matter? I am perplexed.

U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton: Justice Served Or Overzealous Prosecutor of Border Agents?

President Bush’s pick for U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Nov. 30, 2001, has been vilified in the media and by Border Patrol groups, a few lawmakers and others for his prosecution of several U.S. Border Patrol agents.

On June 30, the San Antonio and Austin Chapters of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. and hundreds of bikers from American Freedom Riders — a group dedicated to stopping illegal immigration from coming across the border — will surround Sutton’s office at high noon and call for him to resign.

"The U.S. Department of Justice provides injustice under the leadership of Attorney General [Alberto] Gonzales, while allowing U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton to protect dopers illegally here, while betraying and preying on young children and violating their civil and human rights," said Andy Ramirez, chairman of Friends of the Border Patrol.

But Sutton, 46, insists his office is not out to put Border Patrol agents or other law enforcement officers behind bars, and he wants to set the record straight.

"There’s nothing a prosecutor desires less to do than to prosecute a cop or federal agent. These are our friends, these are our co-workers. We see the heroic efforts they make. But when they commit crimes, they need to be held accountable just like everyone else," Sutton told FOXNews.com in an extensive interview.

He added: "We know how dangerous their job is, we know they make split-second decisions …juries are very deferential to the hardships and difficulties of that job. That’s why it’s so rare you see police officers being prosecuted."

It is, however, up to prosecutors to decide whether to try cases in the first place, and Sutton's opponents say he could have opted not to prosecute some of these cases, or at the very least, could have kicked them down to state courts for lesser sentences.

One case in point — the joint prosecution of former Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean for the February 2005 non-fatal shooting of Mexican drug runner Osvaldo Aldrete Davila. A jury convicted the agents in March 2006 of violating federal gun laws and attempting to cover up the shooting.

The two are serving 11 and 12 years, respectively, in federal prisons. Their cases are under appeal, but in the meantime, they've been in prison since Jan. 17. Ramos was beaten by other inmates shortly after he began his incarceration.

Supporters have argued Ramos, 38, and Compean, 28, were just doing their jobs, but Sutton says there’s more to the story. A jury found Compean and Ramos guilty of shooting at Davila as he was running away, making false reports about the shooting and picking up the bullets in an attempt to cover-up the incident.

"That’s very damning evidence that they know that is not a good shoot. Otherwise, there’s no reason in the world not to say ‘Hey, we just arrested a drug runner with 750 pounds of drugs and he tried to shoot on us,’" Sutton said.

Sutton, whose assistants Debra Kanof and Jose Luis actually conducted the court case, pointed out that federal sentencing guidelines regarding gun use mandates 10-year-sentences for the shooting.

He denied charges that he was overzealous and noted that since he’s been on the job, Border Patrol agents have shot at illegal immigrants 14 times while on duty.

In all those cases — except that of Ramos and Compean — the agents came forward, explained why they used deadly force, why they shot their gun, he said. None has been charged. In four of those cases, illegal immigrants were actually killed.

Sutton has also come under fire for prosecuting Border Patrol agent Noe Aleman, who last week reported to a federal prison to serve a one-year sentence.

The 10-year Border Patrol veteran was convicted of harboring and helping illegal immigrants after trying to adopt his wife’s nieces from Juarez, Mexico, as their daughters. The Alemans were approved for the adoption on April 23, 2004. Aleman argues that he reported to federal authorities what he thought was a typographical error on the girls’ visas that said they had only one business day to stay in the United States. He was later arrested and charged with trying to smuggle the girls into the United States. The girls were deported.

Aleman says he got bad legal advice about whether the girls could stay in the country and the paperwork needed for that. Sutton counters the idea that a mere "paperwork error" by Aleman sent him to prison.

"If it’s a paperwork error, how come a West Texas jury that’s sympathetic to Border Patrol would convict him of any crime?" Sutton asked. "Instead, he was breaking (laws) and telling lies and falsifying information."

The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upholding Aleman’s conviction cites evidence that Aleman lied about turning in parole forms when the girls returned to Mexico; that he and his wife lied about the girls living in their home; and that he lied to border officials about the girls’ location in Mexico.

All that was "sufficient for a rational jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that Aleman knew that the aliens were in the United States illegally and to establish criminal intent," the court said.

Then there’s the case of ex-Border Patrol agent Gary Brugman, who while stationed at Eagle Pass, Texas, on Jan. 14, 2001, helped other agents chase down a group of illegal immigrants. When the agents caught up to those fleeing, they ordered them to sit down. Brugman says not all of them were complying and he worried some they may have tried to attack the other agents.

"I ran up to the aliens and with the bottom of my foot I pushed the first alien to the ground (later identified as Miguel Angel Jimenez-Saldana) to the ground and told him to sit down as I said "sientense," Brugman wrote in a Web log about his encounter. "I then turned to a second alien and pushed him to the ground too."

On Feb. 22, 2001, Brugman had a physical altercation with a convicted drug smuggler while responding to a possible narcotics run. During the fight, the immigrant tried to grab his handcuffs while his arm was pinned behind him, Brugman alleges.

"I then punched him in the face three times until he said to me ‘Okay officer, stop hitting me.’" Brugman wrote. "I stopped and told him ‘Then stop fighting!!!" Other agents soon arrived, the man was transported away and later imprisoned.

On March 15, 2001, Brugman was relieved of his weapon. On Aug. 21, 2002, he was indicted for violating the civil rights of Jiminez-Saldana during the first incident and in April 2004, he was sent to prison for two years.

Sutton notes that several other Border Patrol agents testified that they saw Brugman kick or hit at least one of the aliens. As to claims that one agent was coerced into testifying against his colleague, Sutton said: "If there’s evidence of that, let’s see it … there was no evidence that that agent was coerced. ... That agent was very cooperative."

Sutton noted that the two-year sentence is also mandated by federal law and that the career prosecutors in his eight offices in Texas are professionals who are not out to ruin Border Patrol agents.

"They’re motivation is to follow the law and to make sure justice is done," Sutton said. "They use that discretion day in and day out in a very appropriate way. The great irony in some of this criticism is Border Patrol are our witnesses. They work with us day in and day out."

Then there’s the case of Edwards County, Texas, Sheriff’s Deputy Gilmer Hernandez, who was paid $20,000 a year to help keep watch over the city of Rocksprings, Texas, where the battle with illegal immigrants is a daily one.

On the night of April 14, 2005, Hernandez stopped a speeding Suburban that ran through a red light. As he walked to the driver's side, he said, the vehicle peeled away, almost running over his foot. Hernandez fired several shots, one of which blew out a rear tire. Eight or nine people jumped out of the vehicle and ran off, but one woman who had been hit in the mouth by some of the bullets remained.

Hernandez reported the incident and he was investigated. Prosecutors say that because the agent's life was not in danger, he shouldn't have shot at the vehicle. On Dec. 1, 2006, he was convicted by a jury and sentenced to 266 days in prison, including time served; federal sentencing guidelines could have put him away for 10 years.

Sutton said in all of these cases, his office looked at the evidence and first determined if a crime was committed, then used its discretion to determine whether bringing federal charges against the defendant was the "right thing to do." The other option was to refer the case to state prosecutors for lesser sentences.

"They should be given the benefit of the doubt and believe me, they are. But when they shoot at unarmed people and cover up and file false reports, you cannot look the other way," Sutton said.

"I feel very strongly that one of the reasons America is such a great country and so stable and solid is because we enforce the rule of law, we believe the rule of law. We solve our problems, not in fist fights and mob attacks, but in courtrooms and juries and reviews. No one is above the law in this country," he added.

Sutton has also taken flak because of his closeness to President Bush. He previously served as an associate deputy attorney general at the U.S. Justice Department and as a policy coordinator for the Bush-Cheney transition team. He was the criminal justice policy director for Bush when he was Texas governor from 1995-2000. He currently is chairman of the attorney general’s committee that helps formulate and carry out priorities for the department and the president.

Coziness aside, "there’s zero pressure" to prosecute these cases one way or the other, Sutton said.

"There is no pressure but there are priorities. Presidents and attorneys general have priorities and those priorities may change from administration to administration. Generally, they do not because no matter who is in power, we’re going to enforce the laws."

Despite being a whipping post for groups advocating stricter illegal immigrant laws and more protections for Border Patrol officers, Sutton is philosophical about the criticism he has received.

"It is a job that involves conflict, it involves trials, it’s a very satisfying job because you get to stand up for victims and you get to wear the white hat. But sometimes, unfortunately, you have to prosecute cases you don’t want to prosecute because they’re cops or they’re people you might like," he said.

"But when they commit crimes that are serious crimes, the rule of law is more important than what is going to cause you stress or what is going to end friendships. If prosecutors decide, like some agents, they’re going to enforce laws and not others ... it’s the breakdown of the system."

More corrupt elected officials

June 28, 2007
Alabama Mayor Caught Driving Stolen Vehicle

Lipscomb, Ala., Mayor Simon Speights Sr. was found driving a stolen vehicle last Friday Jefferson County Sheriff's Department Spokesman Sgt. Randy Christian told FOXNews.com.

When confronted, Speights reportedly told investigators he had indeed driven the vehicle. The car was originally from Virginia and had been reported stolen in Walker County, Ala., in September 2005.

Christian said the vehicle ended up in Brighton, Ala., where the town mayor there said it had been impounded. While in Brighton, the Virginia license plates on it were switched to municipal ones.

Christian said investigators have contacted the area of Virginia where the vehicle was stolen, but have not made contact with family who owned it.

The stolen vehicle case is just one of the reasons why Christian said an ongoing investigation has been underway in Lipscomb. It reportedly began about a month ago, and the police commissioner in the town was charged with four felonies in early June.

“We’ve had several complaints with residents alleging corruption,” he told FOXNews.com.

Speights could face a felony charge of receiving stolen property, but Christian said this is only the beginning of the investigation.

“We expect that it will go much deeper,” he said.

Civility in Politics?

Before I was of age to vote, I cared very little about politics. Most of what I knew came from newspapers, the nightly televised news and word of mouth, mostly derogatory comments people had to say about the ‘other’ party. I never heard my parents talk about politics, I’ll bet they were from opposing parties. Back then, there were really only two parties. I remember hearing my dad occasionally say something like ‘Damn Democrats!” so I pretty much figured out where his affiliation lay.

I was twelve when President John F Kennedy was assassinated, and I felt the pain and worry about America’s future along with the rest of the country. I couldn’t understand why anyone would kill the President of the United States. Wasn’t he doing good for everyone? I remember the fear that we might now be thrown into war with the U.S.S.R. now that our great leader and protector was gone.

The U.S., of course, was already at war but in a different part of the world and for very different reasons. True it hadn’t really reached full-out war until several years later but as I entered high school and began reading newspapers more regularly I began to see how politics affected how we do things in the U.S. and how the world views America. Trying to remember back that far, I can’t seem to remember any name calling or ‘uncivilized acts’ regarding candidates, but I would not be surprised to learn it happened.

As I learned more about the CIA’s role in Vietnam, I learned that we cannot believe what our government leaders tell us. As I learned more about how J. Edgar Hoover ran the FBI and his personal vendetta against the Kennedy family, I further learned that politics is a very dark and nasty arena to get into. Based on these revelations, I’m sure civility suffered.

The race riots and the war protests of the 60’s were trying to bring about positive change in our society, but the lesson I learned from it all was that the U.S. government does not want to hear from its citizens unless it is on their own terms. And I learned that the very government these protesters were trying to change actually perpetrated some violence against its own citizenry. Where is the civility in these actions?

Many of those protesters gave up, some were killed for what they believed in, some were thrown in jail. In the end, the letter of the law was really the only thing that ever changed. The real change comes from society making it happen on a personal level. Where is the civility in saying things are changing and then writing it down into law books to ‘prove’ it and then change nothing?

I was 17 when Martin Luther King and Robert F Kennedy were assassinated. Again I felt deep sorrow at the senselessness of both of these great leaders deaths. Where is the civility in killing instead of just voting them down or ignoring them? What has gone wrong with this country that to debate is not good enough? Why must people die for their beliefs?

When I became of voting age I was so disenchanted with the whole political party system that I just wasn’t interested anymore. Then I learned that the real political power lies in the electoral college and not so much in the popular vote, so I thought “what is the point of my vote?” where is the ‘civility’ in letting you think your vote counts when someone behind closed doors makes the decision for you?

Today I was traveling in my car and trying to find some good music station to listen to (trust me it is impossible to find a ‘good’ music station these days, am I right?) and landed on one of the conservative talk radio stations. The host was talking about Ann Coulters latest bigoted statement. That alone got my interest, but the program was about civility in politics. This is what got me onto this subject, by the way. He asked the question: Is political name calling and character assassination getting worse? I thought, there really hasn’t been any civility in politics in a very, very long time and yes it is getting worse. One of the main reasons why I don’t bother to vote anymore is that I have grown tired of voting for the ‘lesser of two evils’. There really is no ‘best’ candidate for any office, only one that is not as bad as the other. In the process of whittling down the field to only the two ‘best’ candidates (what a joke that label is), every candidate has had to defend himself or herself from their opponents ‘mud slinging’. And the press plays right into all of it by doing its level best to find as much ‘ dirty laundry’ as it possibly can on every candidate (except the one they back) and to find it before anyone else does.

The name calling and character assassination has become a political way of life. And it became so long before any of us was born. Anyone who has not had their head in the sand knows this to be true. Our forefathers did it. Does anyone remember that the first Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton died as the result of a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr. Has our ‘civility’ fallen from the heights that these two individuals reached? They actually used to do this. So, in this regard, we have gotten more civilized.

The very idea that a political candidate will resort to labeling another person a derogatory name should come as no surprise given that all of human kind in general has become more uncivilized.

Just because politicians wear suit coats and ties does not make them civil. Only their actions can define their civility. Look at how many politicians have been kicked out of office for abusing their power. Look at how many have been convicted. Look at how many are still in office. All of these guys wore suits and ties, was that supposed to make them civil. No!

Are we really surprised that candidates call each other names and resort to under-handed tactics to win? It sickens me to see Americas’ political representatives behave in this manner. All it takes to stop this demeaning pastime is for each individual candidate to decide not to do it. And when you are called a derogatory name, don’t respond! Name calling only illustrates a lack of class and a lack of any substantive material about which the name caller can use against their opponent. This is all so childish, so grade school. Come on people, we are adults, act like it!

Slaying suspect Bobby Lee Cutts Jr. abused his kids.

Why isn’t more being done about anger management? If this guy Cutts had learned respect for other peoples lives he would not have been in the position to kill his ex-girlfriend and their unborn child. If he had been forced to take action to control his anger and his abusive tendencies, then this woman would be alive and this ‘police officer’ would not be on his way to prison where we are all going to have to support him. Society lost two productive members, (three when you count the fetus), a police force and community lost an law enforcement officer, two families lost a father, albeit not a very loving one, and one family lost a son. And don’t give me that ‘alleged’ crap because he already confessed, even though his lawyer will tell him to lie in court to the judge and say he is not guilty.

Months before this tragedy happened, a California court suspended contact between him and his 9-year-old daughter based on evidence that he was emotionally and physically abusive, court documents show. Why wasn’t he directed to get help to control his abuse in addition to being told he can’t see his kid? Was his employer warned of his tendencies? I doubt it. I’m sure the courts hands are tied from going that far. And I’ll wager that they are happy with the fact that they are not ‘required by law’ to take those steps. What about ‘moral law’. Nobody wants to hear about that.

This, by the way, is how this society handles all problem individuals, beginning in grade school where they just push them on to the next grade. Actually, beginning at home where parents push the kids off to school to let them try to teach children the things that should have been taught before they ever reached school age. After school everyone involved hopes the person just goes away so they no longer have to ‘deal’ with the problem. Put it off on someone else. It has become the American Way. No one takes responsibility, especially not the offending person. When are states going to start talking to each other so that these court decisions will follow an individual no matter where they move?

If something had been in place to follow this person into the next relationship then his future partner would have been warned of his abusive past, then she and any future off-spring would not have been victims of his abuse.

Aren’t most murders done at the hands of someone the victim knows? Aren’t most murders done as the result of anger? Doesn’t it make sense then that anger management should become a top priority of this society in order to protect itself from members who cannot control their anger?

Why don’t we have answers to any of these questions?

A person doesn’t become emotionally and physically abusive overnight, people in this mans past had to have seen this coming for years. Why don’t we have some means of forcing this man to take control of his life so that he stops trying to control other peoples lives? We as a society have to take control of his life for the safety of others because he is not doing it on his own. Now, the court’s and the penal system will be forced to do what we did not. Surely it would have been far less expensive in the long run to have taken action before he got this far. I’m not just talking about financial costs here, people would still be alive if we had taken action.

Somebody who knew this person, Cutts, knew that abuse was taking place. Somebody in a position to step in and say something to him or had the opportunity to say something to authorities to at least look into it. Everyone who knew it and did nothing is partly culpable for her death.

And then we have the typical comments from the killers stepmother "A lot of people are looking at him like a bad person, but he's not, he really isn't." To this I say, “wake up lady!” you obviously don’t know this guy. The California court system sees it, now the rest of the world sees it, when are you going to see it?

Pay Attention

Best Advice

This says it all.

Parenthood

I found this on the internet, sorry about not giving credit where due, but no name was given with it.


What my mother taught me…

My mother taught me to appreciate a job well done:
“If you’re going to kill each other, do it outside – I’ve just finished cleaning!”

My mother taught me religion:
“You’d better pray that stain will come out of the carpet.”

My mother taught me about time travel:
“If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you right into the middle of next week!”

My mother taught me logic:
“Because I said so, that’s why.”

My mother taught me foresight:
“Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident.”

My mother taught me irony:
“Keep laughing and I’ll give you something to cry about.”

My mother taught me about the science of osmosis:
“Shut your mouth and eat your supper!”

My mother taught me about contortionism:
“Will you look at the dirt on the back of your neck!”

My mother taught me about stamina:
“You’ll sit there until all that spinach is finished.”

My mother taught me about weather:
“It looks as if a tornado swept through your room.”

My mother taught me how to solve physics problems:
“If I yelled because I saw a meteor coming towards you, would you listen to me then?”

My mother taught me about hypocrisy:
“If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times: don’t exaggerate!!”

My mother taught me the circle of life:
“I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.”

My mother taught me about behavior modification:
“Stop acting like your father!”

My mother taught me about envy:
“There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don’t have wonderful parents like you do!”

Thanks, Mom!


Mothers are such a wonderful gift.
Sounds like such a silly, trite thing to say, doesn't it? It just seems so obvious that it doesn't need to be said.

Well, sadly, there are Mothers out the that don't take this gift seriously enough to hold the honor of being called Mother. They don't want the responsibility. I'm not saying that every woman should 'strive' to be a Mother. Not at all. Some women should never be a mother. But, unfortunately, some of those very same women are mothers.

And the same thoughts I put forth here are applied to fathers as well.

Parenthood is something that should be taken much more seriously than it is. It is a grave responsibility.

It is the very fountain from which we all learn basic societal values such as integrity, responsibility (to ourselves and to others), how to love (how to give love and how to accept love), respectability (of ourselves and of others), how to learn (to know the joy of expanding our horizons to further ourselves). Sadly, too many parents leave the bulk of learning all of these things to our school system. This in itself is being taught to our children, to put responsibility off onto someone else.

I believe that parenthood is too big of a responsibility for some people. It can be overwhelming to some. We, as a society, should be able to receive help from others in raising our children. We, as a society, should be able to step into a situation where we see a parent is struggling with a child. Perhaps someone has experience in a given situation that another parent does not and is failing terribly. There should be no stigmatism at not being able to handle 'every' situation perfectly. That is a lot of pressure.

Being a parent should not be a 'hit or miss' proposition. We do get only one chance per child to do it correctly. Something this important should not be such as crap shoot.

Overall, we are not doing a stellar job at raising our children. We are not all experts at it. Who is? Why can't we have some repository where we can go to learn from mistakes that others have made so that we can learn how to handle a given situation, or be given the best advice on how to behave in a given situation.

Wouldn't it be great to be able to take lessons, or whatever, to learn how to be a parent, how to raise a child. We could all learn what is needed to 'mold' them into being better (I mean more productive) citizens. I know this sounds too much like mind control, but isn't that what rearing children entails?

We could raise people who know of the importance of pulling our own weight, of not being a burden to others. We could all learn that when we hurt others we are truly hurting ourselves.

I for one think we could be so much better off without those 'leeches' in our society that 'live off of' the rest of us. Everyone knows who I am talking about. The criminal element who would rather steal from someone else than work for what they need to live. And those people who kill someone, often for very selfish, short-sighted reasons and then become someone the rest of us have to support.

Think of how much more productive our society would be if we did not have to support the prison system, welfare, greedy CEO's who get paid way too much, thieving people in positions of power who think it is their 'right' to take from others who depend on them. I know these human traits are just human nature and everyone says we cannot doing anything about it. But that is just a cop out.

Many of these values I would like to see more people display could be learned through a religious education. Unfortunately, the connotation of a 'religious education' leaves a bad taste in many people's mouth's, mine included. But you see, even something as 'good' and 'beneficial' as learning how to 'love thy neighbor' has even been spoiled to the point that too many of us can't bring ourselves to try to teach that to our kids.

I don't know if people think that if you go too far with religion that you are opening yourself up to others taking advantage of you. I guess there is some reality in that fear, and that is very unfortunate.

We are sinking, quickly. We are all losing faith, in ourselves, in others, and in what we know is right.

We need some 'heroes'. We need someone we can look up to. We need mentors who will not be found out to be taking advantage of us. If there is someone out there who is not just in it for themselves, I really wish they would step forward.

The 'heroes', the 'mentors', the 'leaders' we have known throughout history have all been found to have faults. After all, they were just human and we all have faults. I am willing at this point to accept some faults if the right 'hero' or 'mentor' would only show up but the frequency at which these people come along seems to be getting less and less.

It used to be that they could be found almost anywhere, a politician, perhaps a policeman or a firefighter, maybe a judge, a carpenter, or even a parent.

Lack of education in adults.

Has anyone noticed the poor English that people speak?
I’m talking about adults who have ‘graduated’ from America’s high schools. It is illustrative of the poor education we are receiving or should I say the poor education we are leaving high school with. Blame rests on the shoulders of both educators and students.

I have been hearing poor English spoken for years and I finally just have to say something, it is getting worse.

I have several examples to illustrate my point: this sentence “Where you at?”.
Any sentence that ends with the word ‘at’ will make an English language teacher cringe.
For those of you who use this sentence let me inform you that the correct wording is “Where are you?” Doesn’t that sentence sound more intelligent? Doesn’t it paint a more favorable picture of that persons educational level? The person that says “Where you at” displays his/her education level somewhere around grade school level. To hear grown adults speak like this is just embarrassing.
It is not cool to use this language. It is not cool to dumb yourself down. Take some pride in your native language.

Here is another example to illustrate my point: using phrases such as ‘like’ and ‘sort of’ and ‘kind of’.
As an example: “He was sort of walking down this road.” Think about how dumb that sounds. He was either walking down the road or he wasn’t. You cannot ‘sort of’ walk down a road. I don’t know, maybe he was crawling down the road, if so then say he was crawling down the road. If he was stumbling down the road then use the word stumbling. Being articulate paints a much clearer picture of what is happening. After all we speak in order to communicate ideas to each other. Don’t you want to communicate accurately? Don’t you think you have the ability?
This example also shows a lack of belief in what you say. Take a stand. When you express yourself by saying ‘sort of’ or ‘kind of’ you are putting forth the fact that you don’t truly believe in what you are saying. Show your intelligence by saying that he actually did walk down this road, don’t leave us wondering whether he did or not.
Take some pride in your intelligence and your native language? Does it no longer mean anything that we are intelligent human beings?
Next time you speak, make a conscious effort to leave out these phrases and see how people around you respond to you. You will be surprised how their view of you will change for the better. They will start to think of you as being intelligent. Which you are! You are choosing to ‘dumb yourself down’ by being inarticulate.

Another example is seen in the use of profanity as a language substitute. Using profanity only illustrates your lack of education and your lack of respect (for yourself and for others).

It especially bothers me when the news media use poor English. These people are paid to communicate using the English language. The least they could do is actually speak proper English.
They are continual examples of how to communicate ideas. They should realize that they illustrate, by example, how ideas are spread. If they use improper language then that improper language is accepted and will then perpetuate. If they use proper language then the use of proper language will spread.
It is not that they themselves are this ‘all-powerful’ and influential force that teaches people how to speak, but their example can go a long way.
When they speak poor English they illustrate that getting a good education doesn’t matter.

Everyone knows it is true that it is easy to spot an intelligent person, just listen to him/her speak. Do you not want to sound intelligent? Do you not want to use your intelligence to advance in whatever field you work in? We are all born with this intelligence, the ability to be intelligent. Why do we choose to suppress it?

Listen to a successful person speak, and I’m not gauging success by the amount of money someone has. Being financially wealthy does not in itself make someone successful.
Trust me, there are illiterates who have a lot of money. You only have to listen to sports people or entertainers speak in order to find some under-educated people. Don’t get me wrong, I am not knocking all sports people and entertainers. But it seems to me that when some of these people speak our collective intelligence level drops another notch on the human evolutionary chain.
I hope everyone realizes that a lot of entertainers are told what to say and how to say it. It is only when they are one-on-one without cue cards that their true intelligence or lack there of comes out.
Have you ever heard the phrase ‘brain over brawn’? An intelligent person will quickly rise above others in every situation.

You might think I am being overly critical of this subject. I believe that in order for America to gain a more respectful role in this world community we had better get our education level up. We are falling behind, regardless of what statistics say. Statistics can be made to say whatever we want them to. Speak to the everyday person on the street and it is appalling what they don’t know. Has anyone watched Jay Leno of the Tonight Show do his ‘Man on the Street’ routine? He asks college students questions concerning very basic high school level topics and current events. These college students should be ashamed of themselves concerning the answers they give, as well as the ‘educators’ that allowed these students to leave high school in this condition. As I watch this I see the majority of these ‘dumbed down’, under-educated students just laugh it off. Their response to being found out to not to be as intelligent as they would like people to think they are is to make a joke of it. Well, it is a joke. But they are the punch line.

Take a look at our president George W. Bush. There have been all sorts of jokes about how dumb this guy is. And he made it all the way to the presidents office! This is astounding! Do you think our reputation has been damaged by having this man as our president? Of course it has. World leaders laugh at him behind his back and it reflects poorly on the rest of us.

I have no answers that will correct this situation, at least nothing anyone wants to listen to. My ideas would require parents and children to change their behavior toward hard work, responsibility, respectability and the belief that it would all be worth it in the end. We have become a nation of sloppy, lazy, narcissistic, arrogant people who think that we have a God given right to be ourselves without any regard as to how other people view us.

If history recalls, every great civilization has reached this same point, and they no longer exist. The cycle will continue and at some point some other nation will unseat America. You can on it, unless we change our ways.

Immigration

I am angry that this immigration debate has not been resolved.

The reason it has not been finalized is that this country needs illegal immigrants to work here. If there were no illegal workers (Mexicans in particular) this economy would fall flat on its face.

I used to be upset about these particular immigrants (remember there are more than just Mexicans coming over here illegally) coming to the U.S. supposedly taking jobs away from U.S. workers. I now understand that U.S. workers have opened up these opportunities for foreign workers. They have done this by demanding too high wages. They have done this by not wanting to do certain jobs. They have done this by placing themselves in the ‘Prima-Donna’ position of thinking they are too good to do these everyday low-level jobs that need to be done.

Think about this. If these immigrants were not here, who would do the jobs they do? It would not be Americans, for the reasons I just gave. Still don’t believe me? Think about this, if Americans would do these jobs in the first place at a reasonable pay rate then why were immigrants hired to do them? Why did the employer who hired immigrants look outside the American workforce? Americans were already here. Americans said they weren’t going to do it.

We all benefit by having the immigrants here in this country cleaning our homes and offices, mowing our lawns and putting food on our tables. We all benefit by having immigrants here working in construction jobs. You think prices are high now? Think about how high they would get if we had to pay an American workforce to do these same jobs.

Now the part that really ticks me off about this issue, is that while American politicians refuse to find an agreeable solution to this problem (I think the reason is that politicians benefit from having them remain illegal), the Mexicans are taking their hard earned American dollars and sending it all to Mexico. Don’t you think the money they earn here should be spent here?

Give them legal status, it won’t be long before they become Americanized and we will have to find some other illegal immigrants to come in and do our ‘dirty work’.

Switching gears a bit, I want to touch on the ‘endangered educated American’, which is another side of why we are in this mess.

A recent article in Industry Week entitled ‘American’s workforce talents fall short of industry needs” states:
"Manufacturers across the country are facing labor shortages despite the availability of good, high-paying manufacturing jobs". "These jobs are going unfilled due to a lack of employees with the qualifications needed in modern manufacturing. If the U.S. wants to continue being a leader in manufacturing -- and we do -- then we must ensure that every student has the knowledge and skills necessary for a high tech workforce."

I am pretty sure I have been hearing this said for the last 30 years. Why am I still hearing it? Because our education system sucks. It isn’t just the fault of the educators. There are some fine teachers out there. It isn’t just the fault of the students, there are some who really want to learn. The problem is, there isn’t enough of either group to improve our situation.

In another report, this by the National Advisory Council on Continuing education, only thirteen percent of all adults participate in continuing education. That number is really quite sad and depressing.

CEO’s have been saying for several years that our American workforce is falling behind the rest of the world. The number of American math and science graduates is dwindling. The number of foreign students being attracted to American universities is increasing. These foreign students are reluctant to stay in America so they are taking their skills to their homelands. India and China are increasing their number of engineers and will soon take over America’s role as the technological leader.

I have said it before and it bears repeating, if we don’t get our educational level up to world standards then we deserve the fall that is surely coming. We are losing our status as world leader in just about every category and industry.

The fact that there aren’t enough skilled American workers and very few who want to improve themselves coupled with the fact that American workers don’t want to do menial jobs means that America is headed toward a gloomy future. It just further illustrates what I have been saying, that American workers have become Prima Donnas. They think they should have it all just given to them. One cause of this starts right in the home. Parents, you better start teaching your kids some responsibility and stop giving them every thing they want. Make them work for it. We all want the future to be brighter for our children than it was for us, but not teaching them responsibility is not the way to make that rosy scenario come about.

Our jobs are being given to foreign countries, everyone knows someone who has lost their job due to their company moving overseas. We are left with only low-paying service jobs. One day we will be the illegal immigrants in a foreign country trying to earn more money than we can here at home.

What each of us does individually and locally does affect each of us collectively and globally. The entire global economy depends on our actions as a nation. We are loosing our grip on world power.

George W Bush has placed all of his bets on military power and that is a fatalistic move. He will only help his good friends and he is running out of those. The rest of us better stop fighting illegal immigration and start helping our neighbors improve themselves. Embrace the fact that we are no different than they are because one day, my friends, we will be in their position.

Society’s Cancer: Sex and Violence

I recently read that sex offenders are younger and more violent.

An Associated Press review of national statistics found, and treatment professionals say the offenders are getting younger and the crimes more violent.

Does this finally, once and for all, show you foolish, selfish adults out there how children learn from their parents? It should. Children learn everything from adults until they get into school where they also learn from other children (who themselves have learned from the adults they have been exposed to).
I find it very difficult to believe that children just pick this behavior up on their own. It is shown them, they learn it from adults.

Does this finally illustrate how adults need to take more responsibility for their actions concerning children? I hope everyone sees this and somehow, by some miracle begin to show children that the adult world does not have to be a mean, hateful, self-gratifying place to live.

There are good, caring, loving parents. They do exist. There are not nearly enough of them. Being a good parent is not easy. We are faced with far too many other irresponsible people who think that feeding their own greed and lust is more important than what some kid thinks or sees. These selfish people don’t see how our society as a whole suffers from these irresponsible acts. They don’t care.

Our society has become saturated with sex and violence. Nobody can deny this. There are low-life adults who will force themselves onto children for their own gratification. I think the majority of people believe these individuals should be hung up by their privates. That there is no punishment strong enough for these individuals. Bleeding heart liberals will cry that they should be given another chance and for far too long we have given these ‘bottom feeders’ a another chance and another chance. All along while we have set back waiting to see if these second chances are having a positive effect on these predators, only to find out that nothing is working. These predators should be castrated and put away in a very special place where they will never have contact with children and therefore cannot perpetuate their disease. This is how you break this senseless cycle.

This cancer needs to be eradicated now. There are far too many in the position to do something about it who are too weak minded or just don’t have the stomach for it. Our laws should be toughest on these predators above all others. Politics, money, power should never enter into the equation toward the making of laws to punish these people severely.

I heard a line in a movie that went something like this: ‘You have to have a license to drive a car, to own a dog or get married, but any @#$*%^& can be a parent.” That is a powerful statement about how we as a society view ourselves. There are a lot of irresponsible people out there who are having kids. These irresponsible people raise irresponsible adults who procreate and raise more irresponsible adults, and the beat goes on.

List of topics I will go on about

I am angry that U.S. couples go to foreign countries to adopt children when there are so many here in the U.S. that are just as deserving.

The bureaucratic nightmare in the U.S. is a large reason why Americans go overseas, but I believe it is also due to misplaced loyalties.

I am angry that I cannot drive on any street at the posted speed limit without having some fool rush up behind me because I am not ‘moving fast enough’.

And the police are not doing anything to curb this behavior.

I am angry that the U.S. federal government has turned its back on Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, two U.S. Border Patrol Agents who have been jailed for doing their job. They are facing 11-12 year sentences because an ‘illegal’ immigrant, drug-smuggling, looser was shot during an attempted arrest while carrying 743 pounds of marijuana.

I am angry that ‘illegal immigrants’ are given ‘free’ health care while my mother, an ‘American’ tax-paying citizen has to pay through the nose for health care that is draining her bank account and all future earnings.

I am angry that a drunken ‘illegal’ immigrant, who left his vehicle, smashed from a single-vehicle accident, laying on its side in the middle of the road, while he walked home, where a nurse who in a compassionate effort to check on the condition of its occupants was struck and killed by another vehicle who claims they ‘didn’t see the vehicle’.

(I am also angry that this driver of this second vehicle was not paying close enough attention to road conditions and allowed this second accident to happen.)

(I am also angry that this second driver will not face a stiff enough penalty for not putting the safety of everyone else on the road ahead of his or her own while driving on our public roads.)

(I am also angry that this ‘illegal’ dirt-bag who has done nothing toward the adding to the better quality of life of Americans, will not get a stiff enough penalty for taking away a selfless American citizen who dedicated her life to helping others. She was a nurse, what did this loosed ever give to society. Not a damn thing.)

I am angry that people try to weasel out of paying fines for breaking the law, and the cops that allow them to. If you break the law and get caught, be an adult and pay the fine!

I am angry that the FBI doesn’t care enough about our security to keep better control over their weapons and laptops.

On Feb 13, 07 it was reported that more than 320 weapons and laptops from around the country, from FBI offices no less, have ‘gone missing’ over a period of 44 months..

The laptops contained everything from software for creating identification badges to sensitive or classified information.

This indicates a general lack of care in protecting the general public.

Just put in your time and collect a paycheck.

Someone, an FBI employee is selling these to the highest bidder.

Feb 24, 07 FBI agents pose as mobsters, sting Florida cops.

I am angry that law enforcement can so callously throw away the laws they are sworn to uphold so they can make some extra money.

Mar 31, 07

Read a story yesterday about two 10 year old boys beating on a homeless man.

A 17 year old was walking down the street with these two 10 year olds and they saw a homeless man. The 17 year old began yelling at the man and throwing rocks at him knocking him to the ground.

He actually encouraged the 10 year olds to hit the man with rocks and sticks.

They beat this man because….why?

There are so many questions to insert here.

Why did this 17 year old think it was acceptable to belittle this man?

Why did this 17 year old think he could throw rocks at this man?

Why does this 17 year old have this prejudice in him?

Why does this 17 year old lack respect for human life?

Why is this 17 year old intolerant of other people?

Why did this 17 year old think that it was acceptable to teach his beliefs and prejudices to these 10 year olds?

Why was this 17 year old allowed to be a role model for anyone? I'm sure there was some indication that this looser was not a good role model for kids.

Why did this 17 year old not receive the guidance needed to teach him respect for human life?

Why was this 17 year old not taught tolerance of other people?

If he had been taught tolerance and respect then why were they not enforced?

Is the problem the responsibility of his parents or society as a whole?

Where did this 17 year old get the idea that this behavior is okay?

Did he receive a high school education, evidently not.

He may have had this education put in front of him but he did not accept it. Why not?

Did he receive any religious guidance, evidently not.

He may have had this guidance put in front of him but he did not accept it. Why not?

Has drugs once again interrupted the development of yet another childs’ social development?

These 10 year olds now think it is acceptable to hate another person because of that persons ‘life style’ or that persons condition.

This 17 year old interrupted the social development of these 10 year olds by teaching them hate, prejudice and intolerance.

None of these kids ever thought about the possibility that this man is this far down on his luck because of circumstances out of his control.

None of these kids ever thought that one day they may end up in this same situation as this man.

Where are these kids headed in life?

What is the future of our society if this is what is growing within our society?

I am angry that we as a whole have failed these kids, this homeless man and our future.

Learned today of another case of a drunk driving incident by an unlicensed low-life taking the life of someone who contributed to our society.

These scum-bags survive these accidents and do not get enough penalty to fit this totally avoidable asinine act!

When is this society going to do something meaningful to take these damn fools off of our streets?!?!?!