Wednesday, October 01, 2014

Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi has PTSD. No one denies that. What was he doing with weapons in his vehicle?

If former Sgt. Tahmooressi didn't have any weapons he would not have been arrested in Mexico.

Mexico is not the USA. Mexico has problems with drug cartels in that they kill citizens. Any opportunity to prevent guns from entering Mexico will be carried out.

Mexico is not the issue. The fact a former USA military officer certified with PTSD has weapons IS THE ISSUE.

I don't have a problem having him come back to the USA but it would be the State Department's pervue, not Congress. 

But, anyone with PTSD should not have weapons. Let's start there for a change and not pointing fingers at Mexico and any success they find in protecting their citizens. Mexico is correct. If the family of Mr. Tahmooressi wasn't relying on FOX and CNN to bring him home, but, asked the State Department to help he might already be home.

An act of Congress and putting on a Hearing about this particular American stuck in a foreign jail isn't going to do a darn thing. Laws passed in the USA don't effect other countries. It is the State Department that has always been successful in working with other countries to bring Americans home, even from Iran.

Ebola, control freaks are going to be troubled.

Everyone would like to have control of Ebola. No doubt in my mind, but, entertain this. If the USA were to demand quarantine of all people in West Africa before traveling to the country what would happen? Would people be willing to cooperate? 

It takes a couple of minutes to record body temperature, it takes 22 days to be sure no one has been infected with Ebola. Would the traveler cooperate with a 22 day quarantine or would they take it on themselves to find a way around the entire mess and travel to the USA without any knowledge by anyone they could be infected?

The tighter the controls of traveling to the USA the more travelers seek a way around it. We don't want that to occur when it comes to Ebola. We want people who travel to and from the USA to be as interested in participating in precautions as everyone else.

There has to be a balance to the controls regarding Ebola otherwise the reality might be it will sincerely become out of control.

A new perspective for the country.

Secret Service Director Julia Pierson (click here) resigned her post under pressure on Wednesday, but the agency’s most important protectee has been notably reserved in his response to the flood of details about incidents that could have threatened him....
This is the first time the general population of the country was exposed to details about the operation of the Secret Service. We always think of them as invincible members of the government that can protect the President from anything. That is not true. They do excellent job, but, their performance has not been met with 100% success. 
There is validity in the statement, "No one was injured." 
Protecting the President is not necessarily as structured as it might seem. The reason there are Secret Service at all is testimony to that fact. If there were prescribed methods that would protect the President 100% of the time the country would be doing it. But, the President of the USA is a person with human frailties no different than anyone else. In protecting the President the Secret Service are body guards.
We always here how the President can disrupt "The Commons" by simply traveling to a rally or meeting. It is a very big deal and while it seems as though the USA can make guarantees to it's citizens about the safety of the First Family, the truth is there is no fail safe.
Body guards react to 'the circumstance.' They go through training, prove to be able to carry out 'the job' AND the most important thing is that they are thinking people who react to the moment. The President engages the public on a regular basis by making speeches, walking rope lines and occasionally simply taking a walk to talk to the folks.
BY: Matthew Continetti
July 18, 2014 5:00 am
“The bear is loose!” (click here) President Obama has been saying, whenever he leaves the White House to visit Starbucks, or sandwich shops, or burger joints, or BBQ shacks, or neighborhood diners, in his increasingly rote and pathetic attempts to “connect” with “real people.”...
Some of the security pitfalls of the events reported are concerning of course, but, at the same time, "The President was not hurt." There have to be times when the security staff at the White House simply takes a deep breath and relaxes a bit when the President or First Family are gone for whatever reason. That is legal. It might be surprising to the public, but, there isn't anything that occurred on any of these occasions. In that might be the problem itself. 
Perhaps, the Secret Service should never feel confident enough to let down their guard. That might be what comes out of all this. And if that is what the country wants for their President, the First Family and their residence, then it should be so. It will no doubt require more funding and personnel, but, if the country demands a much tighter control over the people that serve this country then so be it. The country should, by obligation, insure the complete safety of the First Family. They are serving the country when others are not. They should return to a private life or their choosing when their service is finished.
But, the statement "The President was not hurt." is a very valid statement simply because protecting him is not a science so much as artful.

The best action Julia Pierson could take was resignation.

September 30, 2014
By Bryant Jordan
WASHINGTON – The chairman (click here) of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will ask the Department of Homeland Security to investigate the U.S. Secret Service's failure to prevent a knife-carrying intruder from running through the White House before being apprehended.
U.S. Rep. Darryl Issa, R-California said he did not think the Secret Service could adequately investigate its own failures.
"It is the considered view of the chair, and I believe in concurrence with the ranking member [Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland], that an internal investigation by the Secret Service is not sufficient," Issa said. "I will be working on a letter to the ... Department of Homeland Security asking for a more aggressive and grater independent investigation."
Issa, whose call for an outside investigation was supported by Democrats, spoke during a hearing where Secret Service Director Julia Pierson conceded that the White House force failed in the mission that day.
"I do not know [why security protocols were not followed], and that is one of the main issues I hope to resolve in the course of this investigation," he said....
I am sure she is very talented, but, she was not able to maintain morale and discipline at the same time. She seemed like a minimalist in all that was happening. A sincere security person wouldn't be a minimalist. In order to secure anything adequately there has to be a maximal view of the circumstances and to apply policy, practices and protocols.
The incident on 2011 was extremely disconcerting. There wasn't anything that could be done with the shooter, but, at the same time realizing the opening in the trees would allow a danger there were measures that could be taken. At the very least a sharpshooter on the White House could have been equipped with high powered visual instruments that would allow the discovery of someone on Constitution avenue.
If nothing else put a spy drone out there and have someone spotting trouble.

The picture to the left was one I remembered when the 2011 incident first came to the attention of the public. This is what a First Lady does on the Truman Balcony. She reads while enjoying the sun and breeze, a spot of tea and privacy.

The First Family has a right to feel free. So, spy drones in the vicinity along with some strong native trees will help. But, trees still can't spot trouble before it happens. 

The Ryder Cup is still in England.

September 29, 2014

The morning after the Ryder Cup is rough for everyone – the winning team that is still nursing hangovers, the losing team that is trying to explain what went wrong.
Wearing a yellow hooded sweatshirt, Jamie Donaldson emerged from his alcohol-induced slumber and stumbled into a Sky Sports reporter early Monday morning.
Donaldson, of course, was one of the many heroes for the European side, as the rookie went 3-1 and delivered the clinching point during the team’s 16 ½ to 11 ½ win over the Americans. 

Prime example of how a Republican cannot stand up to the light of day.




September 19, 2014
By Lauren Carroll

...The farm bill and food stamps (click here) merged once again in 1973. Representatives from urban areas and those from rural areas figured this pairing would aid the bill in securing broad support in Congress, according to an article by New York University law professor John Ferejohn.
Since then, a program -- currently called SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program -- has been part of every farm bill that has become law, according to a December 2013 Congressional Research Service report. Today, a farm bill is passed about every five years, reauthorizing food and agriculture policy, including measures such as crop and commodity subsidies, conservation programs, agriculture research and food stamps.
In 2013, the House -- led by Republicans, Cotton included -- became the first chamber to pass a farm bill that didn’t include food stamps. But that bill wasn’t able to pass the Senate, and the final farm bill that became law in February 2014 did include food stamps.
So how does this history illuminate the accuracy of Cotton’s claim?
Obama did support passing a farm bill that included food stamps in 2013, with the White House releasing an extensive report in November 2013, titled, "The Economic Importance of Passing a Comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs Bill."
But the idea of merging the two topics together in one bill hardly came from Obama. It had been that way, uninterrupted, since 1973 -- when Obama wasn’t even a teenager yet.
And while the number of food stamp recipients grew dramatically in the wake of the last recession, which bottomed out around the time Obama took office, food stamps have accounted for a majority of farm bill spending for more than a decade.
Republicans like to call it politics, but, in essence it is nothing but lies. When lies are the politics of the people they are completely disconnected from reality and their government.
The truth is when the electorate of the USA is empowered with facts, they can act on government overreach in elections.
The truth, in the politics of deception, always loses. The people of the USA aren't that stupid.

Could it be there is more circulating capital in the USA?

Any economy runs on profit not greed. Greed sequesters monies and don't circulate it to increase demand. As a result the people that work for a living wage are laid off as demand in the economy falls. They are unable to find work because there is no increased demand. Philanthropy can brag all it wants about generosity, but, it doesn't grow or sustain an economy, it simply answers the needs of the poor.

Once a country's population attains Middle Class status, the removal of any huge liability such as health care only returns more growth and provides for a stable economy whereby a high quality of life is realized by all.

Philanthropy can then target unaddressed problems within a populous and be appreciated for it's help in ending suffering. Philanthropy is important and Foundations are important, but, they cannot answer the problems that economists need to answer.

October 1, 2014
By Victoria Stilwell

Companies hired 213,000 workers in September (click here) as the labor market continued to strengthen, a private report based on payrolls showed.
The gains in employment last month followed a revised 202,000 increase in August, according to the ADP Research Institute in Roseland, New Jersey. The median forecast of 41 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a September advance of 205,000.
Stronger demand for goods and services is prompting companies to hold the line on firings and expand headcount. Continued progress in the labor market will be needed to boost aggregate income and drive consumer spending, which accounts for almost 70 percent of the economy....

Higher income, larger tax base, more services to people, improved quality of life and more income equity. First the bills get paid and then there is more and more disposable income.

13 States Raised Their Minimum Wage, But This Map Shows We Still Have A Big Problem (click here)


















More disposable incomes means more demand for products and services. More demand for products and services the greater the income to the business owner. The more business the more employees needed. The more employees needed the more circulating capital, etc., etc., etc.

"Capitalism, the REAL Love Story, Everyone is happy" coming to your city soon.

The CDC needs to list the earliest signs of Ebola that are considered a bacterial infection.

October 1, 2014
By ABC News

The country's top medical official (click here) who has vowed to stop Ebola "in its tracks" in the U.S., conceded today that it's "not impossible" that others will contract the disease.
Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said an extensive tracking process is underway in the wake of the first Ebola diagnosis in the United States, with special focus on the patient’s family and health staff.
“We have a seven-person team in Dallas working with the local health department and the hospital, and we will be identifying everyone who may have come in contact with him and then monitoring them for 21 days,” Frieden said....

The patient with Ebola in Texas exhibited earlier signs interpreted as some time of infection that would require antibiotics. It is those signs the rest of the country needs to be made aware of and simply conduct a blood test.

One of the smartest ideas I have ever witnessed was in a medical office where people were separated as to their needs. The people coming into the office with a potentially infectious condition was asked to wait in a separate waiting room from other patients there for annual exams or follow ups to previous visits. I don't know of any hospital that cannot set up a waiting room for infectious disease to their ERs. It is a simple thing to do.

A single blood test could end any further outbreak.

But, but, but it was such a warm farewell, don't you think?




February 17, 2013

Michigan film producers (click here) and some lawmakers say they will lobby to maintain the state's $50 million film credits cap, which could be slashed 50% under Republican Gov. Rick Snyder's budget proposal.

Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, a fellow Republican, said the reduction is "too drastic" and would devastate workers in the film industry....

Republicans hate the film industry, Michael. In North Carolina any incentive to bring the industry to the coastal community where it enjoyed huge success for many, many years has been cut to the bone.

Republicans hate transparency. They can't operate under it. They don't hold up to the light of day.

Michael Moore has brought the truth in large measure to the American public and there have been changes made in this country because of it. There is no way a Republican Governor is going to permit Michael Moore to enhance the ability of filmmakers in Michigan. They want Mr. Moore to go away. 

"Capitalism, A Love Story," is one of the most profoundly honest films about Wall Street in history. Look at Goldman Sachs today. That is a lot more than simply "Ouch." The financial sector is still corrupt and able to intimidate Regulators even today. 

If Michael Moore didn't repeatedly show the American people 'it is safe and not only safe but necessary' to expose the corrupt underpinnings of any industry does anyone actually believe we would know the truth about the power Goldman has over government? Hell no!

So, will Rick Snyder, the man that EXPORTS Michigan brain trust on a regular basis without giving the state the benefit of it's own educational system continue an appointment of Michael Moore within the state's government? Of course, not. 

Michael, this is a huge compliment to the acceptance and loyalty the American people find in your abilities and talents. The Gold Statue is a wonderful tribute to talent, but, this expulsion of the State of Michigan government can't be measured in an accomplishment of fear greater than any that can be achieved in any Horror Film on Halloween Night.

We love you, Michael. There isn't a theater big enough in the State of Michigan to seat everyone that would state that to you.

September 21, 2014
By AP
LANSING, Mich. — Oscar-winning (click here) documentary filmmaker Michael Moore no longer will serve on the Michigan Film Office Advisory Council.

Republican Gov. Rick Snyder has named a suburban-Detroit businessman to replace Moore, the iconoclastic figure who had joined the council as an appointee of then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat....