Corporatizing America – The Gift & Guilt of Libertarianism & Ayn Rand
Surviving & Prospering in the New Economy
Ideas can be dangerous. And the danger can strike from several different directions. This article gives you the human story along with an analysis of policy and the conversion of the term, ‘privatization’ to mean corporatization.
Ideas were and are the basic building blocks of the human world, the first human tools. It was our thoughts and ideas which gave birth to the innovations which transformed us from Neolithic Hunter-Gatherers to a people who accept change as a continuous progression of ‘things’ which make life more interesting, efficient, and fun. Philosophy, and its mother theology, are sets of ideas organized to build structures within which we live.
If you want human ideas to work you need to make sure the foundations are sound. The final proof for any idea is whether or not it delivers what was expected without unacceptable consequences. But ideas can be presented in ways which make them seductive, allowing us to overlook those unexpected consequences. Ideas can also seduce the originator, who for reasons of ego or profit, refuses to see the problems caused when the idea is used. These missteps can leave monumental destruction in their wake.
All ideas rest on the foundation of previous ideas which may embody mistaken or neglectful compromises. No idea of substance, carrying with it significant potential impact, should be adopted until the problem it is to solve is understood to the foundation.
The Origin of Privatization
The idea of privatization originated with Dr. Robert Poole in the early 1970s. Bob started with trash collection. Now the same idea is being used to justify leasing highways paid for by Americans to foreign interests along with other resources intended to be held, in perpetuity, for future generations of Americans. Additionally, the use of eminent domain is being used to seize land and destroy communities. Water supplies, the oceans, and the ‘right to pollute’ have also been commodified using the same general set of ideas.
These ‘policies’ provide the means to carry out a transfer of wealth of monumental proportions, a consequence Bob might not have anticipated but which he failed either to see or to challenge when he proposed the idea.
If Bob had proposed the Trans Texas Corridor and the use of eminent domain in 1976 he would have had no traction in the then nascent Freedom Movement, then, largely subsumed within the Libertarian Party. But what he proposed sounded good, cutting the cost of government being the stated goal. Clearly, the cost of government has not dropped, however, and trash pickup, outsourced to private corporations, has resulted in more layers of corruption as government converted trash pickup into a way for them to funnel money to their friends. Whole industries have been founded on the idea.
It was not the original, simple idea which was flawed, however. The devil is in the details, as they say but the idea was Bob’s and with origination comes its own form of accountability.
The Goal
The goal for the freedom movement was and is to restore control to individuals as stated in the Declaration of Independence, defined as inherent rights in Natural Law. The tool for carrying out this change was to be the free market. The failure to differentiate between a free market and one which flows through government policy and control caused major problems. This lack of discernment must be placed at the feet of Bob Poole, who failed to keep his own idea on point.
It started with trash collection, or as Ed Crane put it, Garbage Can Libertarianism.
If instead of allowing this tiny slice of individual choice, ‘who will I have pick up my trash?’, to be controlled by government your local town had put the names of contractors on the ballot or enabled folks to choose from a list of businesses willing to collect trash, the right of individuals to choose would have been preserved. That is not what happened, however.
Privatization, as it exists today, is actually corporatization, corporations being included as individuals in the mind of Bob Poole, evidently. The semi-deification of corporations most likely came about through heavy public relations and the helpful writings of Ayn Rand.
Robert Poole, Jr., had a long history in what we call the Freedom Movement. He had earned a Ph. D. at MIT in the late 60s in engineering. The world today is alive with Poole’s intellectual grandchildren, who have provided the means to enslave us. Privatization, among his other ideas, have been employed to chop off tiny slices of our personal autonomy to be sold to corporations, commodified for profit through the power of government. You might ask yourself how a man who prided himself on his ability to think logically could have made such a mistake. I’m going to tell you because understanding how it happened makes undoing the damage easier and amours us against future mistakes.
Introducing Bob Poole
I first met Bob around 1975. He was living and working as an engineer in Santa Barbara, California and in his spare time working on writing, editing, and publishing Reason Magazine.
Bob’s march towards the new fascism started when he began college at MIT with the heady delights of losing his Lutheran roots, discovering Ayn Rand. A strong supporter of Students for Goldwater, where he first met David Nolan, who would go on to found the Libertarian Party, Bob began reading The Liberal Innovator. This was an early magazine to which he subscribed, which introduced him to the ideas of liberty.
It was in the pages of this magazine where Bob saw an advertisement for a magazine, REASON, then produced by one Lannie Friedlander of Boston.
Bob and his wife, Lynn Kinsky, visited Lannie, an undergraduate at Boston U., at his home, where he lived with his mother. Reason Magazine was not doing well financially, consistently going in the hole. But Bob was enthused and interested in becoming involved. The idea of seeing his name and work in print was heady stuff, he said in an interview which took place at Reason Foundation in 1999.
Lannie did not care what Bob wrote, leaving it up to Bob. So the first article Bob produced was on deregulating the air lines, titled, “Fly the Frenzied Skies,” a subject on which Bob felt strongly because of a childhood impacted by not being able to go to Disneyland, then only located in California, from his home in Hyalea, Florida.
Bob’s dad and uncle each worked for an airline, but not the same one. Tom York, Bob’s cousin, was able to go to Disneyland in California because National Airlines flew east and west. Bob’s Dad worked for Eastern which flew north – south. Bob could see the Big Apple for free but not Mickey Mouse. This injustice burned in Bob’s heart, dictating the subject for this first article appearing, according to Bob, in the first offset printed issue. Bob did not realize why he chose this topic until I asked the question during an interview in 1999. His face registered surprise at his own answer.
Bob was lavishly praised for the article and idea, which resulted in the deregulation of air lines in less than ten years. Bob’s reputation was burnished and he was according tremendous respect both from the movement and from the mainstream. Respect, unfortunately, extends trust even when the facts should be more closely examined.
Through Lannie, Bob met Tibor Machan, then living in Santa Barbara and finishing his Ph. D. at the University there. Tibor was also writing for Reason. Bob, Tibor and Manny Klausner, an attorney in Los Angeles, bought Reason from Friedlander in 1970. Their first issue came out in January, 1971. It was this mailing list which was borrowed by Davide Nolan and used to found the Libertarian Party.
Reason Magazine remained mostly a volunteer project, staffed by family and activists until 1978 when the magazine became separate from Reason Foundation, a 501 C3. Running the magazine as a for profit venture was not successful, causing financial and personal pressure on those involved.
In 1976 Poole’s first book, “Cutting Back City Hall,” had been published. The book focused on outsourcing services performed by government to private companies which, through the pressure of competition, would, it was posited, provide better services at lower cost, saving tax payer money while improving the quality of service.
It worked. Immediate improvements in outcomes across a range of applications, starting with trash collection, caused the idea to be applied with increasing frequency while unexpected consequences took over. Some part of the inefficiencies of local government were improved but in the enthusiasm for cutting costs the integrity of individual rights were compromised.
Ratcheting up their readership, Reason Foundation and Freedom Magazine both prospered during the Reagan years which also witnessed the rise in prominence of Cato Foundation, which was funded by Koch Industries but ran as a non profit.
Despite the warm feelings so many had for Ronald Reagan his years in office, in California and then as President, resulted in a rapid shift to centralization of control to government and away from direct control by Americans.
Reagan was never a Conservative, an uncomfortable fact also overlooked by those who listened to rhetoric which seduced them to trust. Reagan’s administrations allowed a far more centralized federal government to come into existence. Reagan’s original supporters for Governor, United Republicans of California, pointed out what had happened in California when they passed a resolution in 1975 begging Americans not to support him if he ran for either president or vice-president.
Government was supposed to be limited.
The original model for American government, exemplified by town government in the colonies, relied on the direct oversight of the people, who could change government as needed. The relationship between the people and government was not as we see it today but one of far simpler cooperation. Few selectmen or moderators, the day to day managers, were compensated, many jobs were carried out by volunteers or were very low paid. ‘Government service’ meant something positive.
Privatization, as proposed by Poole, was outsourcing but due to the already present problems with corruption and the potential for more corruption, given the opportunity, the benefits were short term.
Cutting costs through privatization never resulted in money returned to the tax payers – or even in a cessation of the rise of taxes. Government, local and otherwise, found other uses for the funds. Government also began to look at the sale of ‘services’ like trash collection, in a different light. You can easily imagine them casting their eyes about and assessing how to convert services and property into more money in their pockets, once they saw the opportunity. Government assumed ownership of those tiny slices of our individual autonomy.
Analysis
The Free Market – Competing for the contract to handle trash does bring to bear market force. But if the right of individuals to choose is thereby canceled this does not build a trajectory towards a renewed freedom for individuals. Arguments of ‘efficiency’ are invalid when the focus is our natural right to self-determination. Freedom does not have to be efficient and often is not.
If instead of commodifying the right to collect trash the local limited government had informed residents they could contract with a company and pay less than the price available to them, while at the same time getting out of the trash collection business and eliminating those taxes paid for trash collection this would have advanced the free market. Government would demonstrated respect for the right of the people to control the choice being made.
The issue was never raised as far as I know except in one comment I made to Bob, which he ignored.
Perpetuating the confusion between policy mandated by government and a free market has haunted the freedom movement ever after. In the shuffle, a new generation accepted the new definitions, effectively silencing the authentic voices of both Murray Rothbard and Ludwig von Mises and perpetuating the rebranding of the free market.
The idea of privatization was used to convert the autonomy of choice, by individuals, into a commodity to be sold, rented or traded by corporations through government. Installing a specious personhood for corporations as ‘private individuals’ having taken place due to a clerical error on May 10, 1886. In a comment injected by the clerk, J.C. Bancroft Davis , as his personal opinion, in the transcript of U.S. Supreme Court Decision, Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad, Davis wrote the following, “”The defendant Corporations are persons within the intent of the clause in section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which forbids a state to deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. “
Corporations gained personhood through slow accretion both from the misstatement above and the work of Ayn Rand. Many in the movement failed to question what was according what approached deification.
Business is conducted by individuals, who have inherent rights preceding the existence of government. Neither government or corporations are individuals and have no rights.
In this noisy dichotomy of “government’ vs. “corporate,” the presence of the community as the original place for human cooperation was lost entirely. The community, the cooperative efforts to handle common problems, is far older than government.
The Rhetoric of Freedom becomes The Reality of Fascism
During the period of 1970 – 1990 the centralization of government, formerly opposed by Conservatives and Republicans generally, increased via the rhetoric of freedom coupled to policies which effectively rebranded the meaning of words and ideas inherited from previous generations.
With privatization policies, ‘services’ and control was centralized with tax payers left with no way to impact the onslaught of mandates for which they were forced to pay since these were not set by the people at the local level.
There had been a natural point for dialogue which was never taken up regarding government and its role as a tool of the people. What services did people want? For what were they willing to pay? How could those services be handled cooperatively within their community? This is one of the opportunities lost due to the adoption of privatization, which instead of restoring lost freedom, built a new cadre of control by corporations not answerable to the people at all since they had contracted directly with government.
This happened, ironically, in parallel with the implosion of infrastructure in corporations, taking place through the use of desk top computers to lower their transaction costs. As the potential for a leveler world increased, so did centralized government.
Competition, which produces freedom when exercised by individuals, could not produce a free market outcome when the choices of individuals were muted. In a free market individuals drive choice, creating new choices through need, which begets innovation. When individuals can decide what they want and how to pay for it, as a cooperative community, a free market exists.
This point of contradiction, wherein an enterprise which carried the motto, Free Markets – Free Minds, on its masthead forged new shackles along with a hidden threat for ever more intrusive government was overlooked due to the success and prestige allotted to Poole, Reason Foundation, and others, including Cato Institute.
The unasked question was then and remains, “How do we empower people at the most local level so free markets can reinforce and affirm the rights of individuals?”
The example of privatization is only one which has dramatically harmed freedom.
Alan Greenspan, an early adherent of Ayn Rand’s, presumed to understand the free market, also received a pass when appointed as Chairman of the Federal Reserve System. Those who could have been expected to attack the Federal Reserve System and a monetary policy which has destroyed America were elated, believing Greenspan would be working for a return to free market principles. Wrong. Personal greed trumped ideology.
Ask yourself why others, including Cato Institute, failed to blow the whistle. Bob was in love with his idea. Cato was making money for its founders and producing policy which hammered government policy into place from both the right and the left. Greenspan was living the good life while allowing the infrastructure and policies to be put into place we see playing out today.
Violated Trust
Freedom is far too important to be abandoned to misplaced trust. For some years now, at least since 2008, Bob Poole has been working to ‘privatize’ the highway system in Texas, turning it over to the control of multinational corporations. In 2008 I wrote this article, “Bob Poole and Privatization, Enemies of Freedom,” about the efforts of a new generation of freedom advocates to stop the taking of private land owned by individuals and the sale of public assets. Bob was anxious to ensure his remarks to the committee, entirely supporting the sale of highways and eminent domain, did not become public. Bob hs not responded to multiple emails and phone calls on this subject.
Today champions for limiting government and returning control to the people are fighting privatization in Texas and elsewhere through such organizations at TURF, Texans United for Reform and Freedom. Their spokesman, Terri Hall, is the mother of eight who home schools and is facing a future where her children face a very problematical future due to the efforts of Bob Poole.
Bob lives happily in Florida, playing with the model trains which enchanted him as a child, between trips to Texas to pump for corporate fascism.
Why has no one said anything before now?
When missteps are not corrected those coming after simply accept what they find as true and justifiable. Today, many in the Freedom Movement would still place Poole and Reason as sterling champions of the natural rights of individuals. They are wrong but their mistake is very human and understandable.
Below I quote largely from the 2008 article by Senior Editor for Reason Magazine, Brian Doherty. The article is titled, “40 Years of Free Minds and Free Markets: An oral history of reason,” In the article Doherty quoted Nick Gillespie, who was hired on as an assistant editor of reason in 1993. According to the article Gillespie served as editor in chief from 2000 to 2007 and is currently in charge of reason.tv and reason.com. The article quotes Gillespie, who reports an encounter with Karl Rove in 2001.
“Another sign that we were reaching people on a higher level, an experience that was both exhilarating and dispiriting, was at the American Enterprise Institute dinner in 2001. I went to introduce myself to Karl Rove, but before I could finish saying my name he said, “You’re with reason. I read it all the time. I just sent in my change of address card to Mt. Morris, Illinois.
I thought it was great to have the ear of this guy who was a main adviser in a new administration that promised to cut the size and scope of government and push a humble foreign policy. For a while I was thinking it was cool that what we were writing was read at the highest levels of power. Then I realized early on in the administration that either Rove stopped reading reason or he didn’t understand what we were saying.”
I strongly suggest all advocates of freedom read the Doherty article. Both Doherty and Gillespie accept privatization without question as appropriate policy. Having come to adulthood a generation later than Poole they accept Bob’s idea without question. Yet inherent in the idea is the transfer of existing tax-payer funded resources to the control of corporations, eminent domain in the taking of real private land, the destruction of community integrity, and the right of local people to control decisions impacting their community.
The questions should have been asked in 1976 but it is never too late to learn from our mistakes.
In relaying his story of the American Enterprise Institute Gillespie again reveals his own assumptions in his meeting with Karl Rove. For Gillespie the ideas found in Reason are positive, promoting freedom and individual rights. But to what use did Rove and his associates put privatization, deregulation, and outsourcing? It is far more likely that Rove knew perfectly well what he was doing and read Reason because its rhetoric, and suggested policies, including privatization provided raw material for more ways to steal and compile power. Ideas were, after all, the source of his own power, tools put to use to advance the Neocon agenda. Rove is a political opportunist, not an ideologue. He uses politics to accrue power for himself and his ‘team.” Perhaps Rove’s familiarity with the ideas of Reason should have given Gillespie pause.
Today it is far more obvious that the agenda of Leo Strauss was made frighteningly real, played out in the world using ideas gleaned from all sources. Iraq, torture, the death and desolation of American towns and cities, the homelessness of families from all economic levels, the meltdown of the economy, here and around the world, testify to the power of ideas used to deceive.
I personally believe Strauss and the last 60 years will come to known as the decades when conscience died, which precisely defines psychopathy, a condition now known to be present in 1% of the population, the percentage rising as the power to be grabbed is concentrated.
Those of us who care about freedom have much to consider and little time left. Please start now.
Two Oil Tycoons Called Same Town Home
The craggy face of Texas oil tycoon Clint Murchison graced the cover of the May 26, 1954 issue of Time magazine.
The craggy face of Texas oil tycoon Clint Murchison graced the cover of the May 26, 1954 issue of Time magazine.
Absent from the layout but with his old friend in spirit was fellow Athenian Sid Richardson. Both were born in the last decade of the nineteenth century – Richardson in 1891 at Athens and Murchison four years later at Tyler. The Murchisons soon moved to the Henderson County seat, where the head of the family continued a career in banking and the eighth of nine children trapped raccoons and skunks to sell their pelts.
Clint Murchison gave Trinity University the good old college try but lasted less than a semester. Caught shooting craps, the defiant freshman dropped out rather than sign a no-gambling pledge. He toiled as a teller for his dad until the day a bank examiner demanded a strict accounting of his till.
A lay-off a few years before had put 16 year old Sid Richardson on the road to riches. Losing a dollar-a-day job at the cotton compress, he wandered to Louisiana and found his true calling.
Richardson’s impersonation of a down-on-his-luck city slicker elicited so much sympathy from Pelican State farmers they practically gave him their prize calves. On the $3,500 profit from the sale of the charitable contributions, he was able to afford a year and a half of higher education.
Richardson sometimes pulled a stranger’s leg just for fun. Many years after his Louisiana escapade, a hot-shot magazine writer crashed a party planning to interview the “billionaire bachelor.” Introducing himself as his own chauffeur, he supplied the gullible journalist with a fictitious scoop on his reclusive boss.
While Lt. Murchison was winning the First World War, Richardson made his first killing in the Lone Star oilfields. He could not resist flaunting his new-found wealth by rolling into Athens behind the wheel of a shiny new Cadillac. As he recalled decades later with a big grin, “When I left, all those guys sitting on those benches around the square jumped up and followed me right out of town.”
Eager to show his boyhood buddy how it was done, Richardson whisked the skeptical veteran off to the Burkburnett field within days of his homecoming. When it took just 24 hours of buying and selling oil leases to quadruple their $50,000 grubstake, Murchison was hooked.
Each immediately launched his own drilling operation, and by the mid-1920’s the two wildcatters were filthy rich. Confident he could live comfortably on five million dollars, Murchison bowed out of the oil business at the tender age of 30. But he jumped back in the game in 1927 in order to take his mind off the tragic loss of his wife to jaundice.
The fabulous East Texas boom cut both ways for Richardson and most of his contemporaries. He made money hand over fist until the piney woods crude glutted the market in 1931 dropping the price to pennies a barrel.
“I had a monthly income of $25,000. Six months later, my income was $1,600 a month, and the bank was taking it all as payment on the $250,000 I owed. But by March 1932, the price of oil was up again. I had four ten-dollar bills and was ready to go.”
It was full-steam ahead for Richardson, who in 1935 opened the Keystone Field in Winkler County. He not only kept his head above water but became, according to an inside source at Chase Manhattan Bank, the first bona fide billionaire west of the Mississippi.
Murchison was never far behind, though exactly how far he would not say. Irritated by nosy questions about the size of his fabulous fortune, he once snapped, “After the first hundred million, what the hell!”
Murchison spread his risk after World War II by expanding his interests beyond the oil patch. He bought a New York publishing house in the belief that the baby boom was bound to increase the demand for textbooks. Foreseeing a work force with more leisure time, he purchased Field & Stream and a fishing-tackle manufacturer. By the mid-1950’s, the Murchison empire encompassed 48 companies with 50,000 employees.
The key to his success was a keep-it-simple philosophy, which a subordinate learned on an errand to Mississippi. He called Murchison at his downtown Dallas office to suggest there may have been more to the purchase of an insurance company than originally met his eye. “There’s nothing complicated about it,” the tycoon snorted. “A hundred thousand shares at $105. That’s $10.5 million, just a simple business deal.”
Sid Richardson feared the loneliness of retirement and swore, “I’ll still be trading when they bury me.” True to his word, he passed away in his sleep in 1959 on his private island five miles off Rockport.
In contrast, Clint Murchison learned how to take it easy in his twilight years. Prior to his passing in 1968, he ran a county store in his hometown and studied the comings and goings of migratory birds.
Bartee Haile welcomes your comments, questions and suggestions at haile@pdq.net or P.O. Box 152, Friendswood, TX 77549. And come on by www.twith.com for a visit!
Is Wall Street Bluffing?
According to the Los Angeles Times, some Wall Street firms don’t care if a new job applicant went to business school or studied finance. The applicant probably didn’t even have to graduate from high school. The firms are much more interested in how the young man or woman plays poker. That’s right, sometime during the job interview, the interviewer takes out a deck of cards and deals.
According to the Los Angeles Times, some Wall Street firms don’t care if a new job applicant went to business school or studied finance. The applicant probably didn’t even have to graduate from high school. The firms are much more interested in how the young man or woman plays poker. That’s right, sometime during the job interview, the interviewer takes out a deck of cards and deals. Another demonstration of Wall Street’s love affair with poker is that at least one trading firm has their new traders play poker for one full day a week.
Many of those who apply for investment jobs are good at poker because of their experience playing online and watching on television. What is the typical personality of someone who spends hours alone at home playing poker with other people who are alone in their homes? He or she doesn’t exactly sound like a “people person.” In televised poker tournaments, the players who are successful are often dressed like cowboys or sport heavy jewelry like Mr.T used to wear. In this time of precarious finances, would you want these people to handle your money just because they once won a big pot with a six-high-straight?
Some financiers take this poker thing quite seriously. Aaron Brown, an executive director at Morgan Stanley has written a book called “Poker Face Wall Street.” In it, he advises investors to embrace risk, not avoid it. Isn’t that what got America in so much trouble? Is that what we need now, more risk and less caution? Are these “experts” so unhappy with the economy making somewhat of a comeback that they want to see it fall apart again? Try telling the autoworkers in Detroit that risk should be what guides their pension plans again. They’d be tempted to run you over with that new Camaro.
Some point to the fact that people like Bill Gates, H.L, Hunt, and Kirk Kerkorian liked to play poker when they were younger. They probably also liked to sleep, but nobody is pointing to a good mattress as the key to riches. I have the feeling that there were other things besides playing poker with his buddies that made Bill Gates one of the most successful people in the world. It’s just possible that in addition to knowing that a flush beats a straight, Gates is inventive, smart, and creative.
I’m not saying that game playing can have no part in preparing one for success. If you were to ask President Obama about games, I have the feeling he’d say that basketball teaches the player about preparation and teamwork, and about winning and losing. I’d have to agree, but I still wouldn’t ask Charles Barkley to invest my money for me.
About those poker playing investment traders: While there is something to be said for people having the experience of gambling with their own money before they gamble with a client’s, I don’t want someone who’s investing my money to think of it as a game.
Poker might not even be the best game that prepares a young trader for his profession. How about leapfrog? That teaches people how to jump over others, not caring if they knock them over. That could be a game that helps Wall Street types to get ahead. Tic-tac-toe teaches you that some people will play the same game over and over again even if nobody wins. That’s perfect training for grinding out commissions over and over again. One of my favorites is the preschool game of “Duck, Duck, Goose.” I have no idea how this game could prepare someone for Wall Street, but I’d still love to see a video of those guys in their three piece suits, telling their assistants to hold their calls while they run in a circle calling out, “Duck, Duck, Goose.”
Theoretically, a poker face makes it impossible for anybody else to know what you’re holding. Then you can bluff and finally you can put all the money in the pot. They call that “big time poker.” A little while ago, that kind of manipulation was called, “selling sub-prime mortgages and worthless paper.”
Lloyd Garver has written for many television shows, ranging from “Sesame Street” to “Family Ties” to “Home Improvement” to “Frasier.” He has also read many books, some of them in hardcover. He can be reached at lloydgarver@gmail.com. Check out his website at lloydgarver.com and his podcasts on iTunes.
Signs Of The Times
We are all aware of signage wherever we go. Signs are impossible to escape or ignore.
We are all aware of signage wherever we go. Signs are impossible to escape or ignore.
Although many people consider signs as blight upon the land, eyesores to the beauty seeker (as then-1st Lady Lady Bird Johnson noted when she insisted that billboards be barred along Interstate highways), they are a necessity for commerce.
Who would possibly know that Native American artifacts (hand made, in Asia) could be purchased two exits down the road if “Cactus Pete” weren’t allowed to draw tourists in to his snake oil emporium?
Without billboards, nobody would have ever bought and enjoyed one of those wonderful Stuckey’s pecan rolls.
And, on a smaller (sizewise) scale, if not for signs we wouldn’t know where to find the local optometrist office, or how to get to a garage sale, or which houses are up for sale.
The thing is, signage has gone through a huge makeover since the economic belly flop.
Outdoor advertising rentals have dwindled noticeably; wherever I go, more and more billboards are consigned to proclaim the ominous message, “Advertise Here.”
For instance, since the inception of the motorized vehicle and paved roads, a staple of billboards have been those that advertise automobiles. However, with the doldrums manufacturers have gone through in recent years, roadside car adverts have nose-dived.
Restaurants, which often rely upon travelers “just passing through” to increase foot traffic, no longer have the extra income to pay for billboards announcing their presence.
Case in point: The original Dixie Truckers Home, just down I-55 apiece from Normal, up to a few scant years ago was a continuous beehive of activity, with an almost always full restaurant any time of the day or night. Go there now, even during peak mealtimes, and at best maybe 25% of the tables are occupied.
Not so long ago people waited in line at the Dixie’s gas pumps; now it’s rare to see two vehicles total in the “automobiles only” fueling area.
Even the tarmac where semi drivers park while they rest up, shower, and eat used to be crowded at any given time, but these days has very few if any 18-wheelers.
Another observation is a reduction in realtor billboards. Perhaps the most ego-driven line of business short of television newsreaders, for decades it seemed as though every third billboard had some agent’s 15’ high picture smiling down at the passersby.
Now, these home brokers aren’t turning around enough properties to cover the expense of such self-satisfying indulgences.
(FYI: Even in the best of times, if a realtor has enough disposable income to afford a billboard, he or she is already making too much money.)
It isn’t as if houses aren’t being put up for sale. Good gawd, I see “For Sale” signs virtually everywhere.
Often, a given block might have two or three, or more, houses on the market.
What has caught my attention is the fact that most homeowners are eschewing the old school of thought that because it’s too difficult to sell a house on one’s own, one must engage a real estate broker or agent.
I have been noticing not just an upswing in houses up for sale, but most of the signs are of the generic variety.
Many other folks go with For Sale By Owner (FSBO). This is essentially a clearinghouse that provides a source for buyers to search without being hassled by some “enthusiastic” salesperson desperate for a commission. FSBO also assists the homeowner with the ins and outs of selling property.
The rates charged by FSBO for its services are generally less than half of the commissions and fees typically assessed by the realtor.
In this current economic environment, people are finding it increasingly difficult to make payments on a house and maintain same. So, they’re putting their homes on the market.
But, the market is extremely soft, and maximizing return on their investment in property has become increasingly difficult.
Say you have a house that sells for $250,000. Out of that, you’re probably going to shell out on average a 6% commission, or $15,000, to a realtor.
As the seller, you’re already ahead of the game with FSBO at 2% ($5,000).
By acting as your own agent, you can deal the property down to $240,000 and still come out ahead.
It just comes down to simple arithmetic and common sense – if you eliminate fees and commissions by cutting out the middle man, you can charge less yet have a more profitable return, while at the same time expand the pool of interested, qualified buyers.
Then, once we all sell our homes we can live in our cars or SUVs, traversing the North American highways, exploring all the beauty and sights of the continent that we’ve missed while tied to a job just so we could pay off those freakin’ mortgages.
Thus, the increased numbers of travelers will push forward a need for more billboards, resulting in a boon for that segment of the economy.
And, such mobility shall surely benefit roadway eateries and rest havens, such as the Dixie, which shall flourish yet again from the escalation in traffic…
Ain’t America great?
Shalom.
(Jerry Tenuto is an erstwhile Philosopher and sometime Educator. A veteran with seven years of service in the U.S. Army, he holds a BS and MA in Communications from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Depending upon your taste in political stew, you can either blame or thank Jerry for his weekly “Out Of The Blue” feature in The Lone Star Iconoclast. Visit his blog Blue State View at illinoiscentral.blogspot.com)
Malls
I finally figured out today why malls are so popular, not that I had particularly wondered about it before. The answer hit me all of a sudden, out of the blue, and probably not as I might have expected to receive such an epiphany.
I finally figured out today why malls are so popular, not that I had particularly wondered about it before. The answer hit me all of a sudden, out of the blue, and probably not as I might have expected to receive such an epiphany. There I was slowly being sprinkled/splattered/covered with the paint Zack was spraying liberally upon our new carport (still under construction). The weather was warm and windy. I was perched on a scaffold high enough from the ground that stepping off backwards would definitely have left a mark (or worse). My arms were tired from holding the paint can high — attached to the tube of the sprayer —which was attached to Zack. I was trying to anticipate and intuit Zack’s every move, read his mind, stay out of his way, and see that neither of us tripped over the electric cord. I was holding everything high, because Zack can’t do all this himself, doesn’t have the upper body strength he had before he fell ill, nor the balance nor dexterity. He was reaching as high and for as long at a stretch as his recovering arms and hands would allow. (Talk about a challenge. But he insisted on doing this. And honestly, I doubt I could have persevered to do it alone). When Zack tired, we took breaks. The painting has continued for days. It’s this kind of stubborn independence that’s allowed Zack to come back from the complete paralysis of Guillain-Barre. His ambitious projects and recovery are wearing me out.
Oh yes, malls. I’m getting there. I was as protected as possible from the paint. This grew more and more uncomfortable as the day warmed. One bandana covered any stray hair (under my cap). This almost worked. If I had sideburns, they would have been white by the end of the day —and from paint, not gray from the stress of being the trusty assistant to a demanding boss (a close second). As it is, the hair just over my ears was painted, in the area where Dagwood has those trademark “wings”. Another bandana protected my complaining sinuses from fumes. After a week of massive allergies (brought on by exposure to fungicide (rose spray —no good deed goes unpunished), I was taking no chances. My arms were bare and almost chalky white after hours on the job as painter’s helper. (Zack fared worse than I did). Large sunglasses kept my eyeballs from harm. It took fifteen minutes to clean paint flecks from those glasses when we finally stopped each day, and they aren’t pristine even now. If you’d like to learn more about the best methods of cleaning flecks from skin and hair, just ask.
Malls. My mind wandered, trying to escape the unpleasant sensation of wet paint speckling my skin. No matter which way Zack pointed the sprayer, the wind brought a shower of white upon our heads. Murphy’s Law. I wished I were at a mall. The thought popped unexpectedly and unbidden into my head.
I don’t even much LIKE malls. Well, maybe once every season or two. Last Mother’s Day, after over a year of caring for Zack in hospitals and at home, I was doing almost all my shopping on the Internet. I barely left the house except to take him to physical therapy or run to the grocery store or some other local errand. Leaving town to visit a mall or large store was out of the question. My daughter and son decided I deserved a shopping spree. Poor Becca, being the closest geographically, was the obvious choice to accompany me. (Josh turns to mush after a few minutes in a mall. Even if he lived nearby, he would NOT have taken me shopping. It wouldn’t have made for a pleasant holiday for any of us).
Last year, Becca and I left “my patient” alone for the first time since his hospitalization. We prepared food and glasses of sweet tea, left everything in the fridge, ready to eat or drink. Zack wasn’t totally helpless at that point. And he wasn’t ready to use power tools, so we figured he’d be bored but reasonably safe. (I wrote about this shopping spree). Becca and I were away for 9 hours, driving for almost two, round trip. We shopped. We ate. We shopped some more. I out shopped my daughter, but it was unavoidable. Zack survived. I made up for lost time, purchased everything necessary to survive a year or more in style (or at least presentable when I “clean up good.” That was the last time I leisurely visited real brick and mortar stores for MY needs, a year ago. This Mother’s Day all I asked was that Becca to help me list some things to sell on EBay. Forty-three things, to be exact. Several of these items were mistakes I made by ordering online during my “confinement”. Mother’s Day came and went, and the painting resumed.
And so there I was, paint raining down on me, thinking of malls. And I know why. Malls provide mindless escape, more interactive than a movie. You can walk and window shop and eat and visit (if you aren’t alone). You can buy things or not. It’s possible to try on outfits for upcoming events or those that will never happen, imagine entire scenarios of sartorial needs that might prove the old adage of anticipation being better than reality. You needn’t think seriously of anything more than what money you might spend. A shopping person is not painting, doing chores or projects, caring for pets or lawns or flowers or loved ones.
And this, dear friends, is why we have malls.
Gene Ellis, Ed.D is a Bosque County resident who returned to the family farm after years of living in New Orleans, New York, and Florida. She’s an artist who holds a doctoral degree from New York University and is writing a book about the minor catastrophes of life. Check out Genie’s blog at http://rusticramblings.wordpress.com/
Truth About The Dreaded Snakehead Fish
The snakehead fish is one of the most prolific and ferocious fresh water predators on earth. The head resembles a snake’s head and the body is thin, long and muscular with snake-like patterns on either side. The origin of the snakehead is located in parts of Africa and Asia, but the fish is now found in many other places in the world, including in the U.S.
The snakehead fish is one of the most prolific and ferocious fresh water predators on earth. The head resembles a snake’s head and the body is thin, long and muscular with snake-like patterns on either side. The origin of the snakehead is located in parts of Africa and Asia, but the fish is now found in many other places in the world, including in the U.S.
In Asia the snakehead has become a delicacy and health aid and many areas have developed growing farms to cultivate the fish for increasing spawning and profits. For a while snakeheads were sold from Asia via New York City and from there were redirected to other states. Hobbyists were keeping the fish in tanks to grow them and observe them eat other fish. Many people knowingly (to cultivate them) or unknowingly were releasing these violent and aggressive fish in the wild. In 2002 the snakehead began appearing in fresh water lakes, rivers and streams in New York, Florida, Michigan, Texas and other states. At first, fisherman did not identify the unusual fish. Many threw the fish back into the water. National Geographic provided a brief article on the snakehead, as did a few other newspapers in the U.S. People were told that there was a new species of a vicious freshwater predator fish that killed everything in its path and it could hop up out of water and “walk” on land searching for prey or another lake or pond to feed in. Many states have made it illegal to keep, sell or transport snakeheads over state lines. Some of the media referred to the fish as “Frankenfish” and “Fishzilla” and the names stuck. Many people who read the articles or heard the stories believed the fish would walk into their backyards and devour their pets and little children. Most of these stories were myths and newspaper hype.
The truth is that the snakehead is one of the most prolific and ferocious fresh water predators found anywhere on earth. One female may lay over 250,000 eggs in a lifetime. In addition, most of the eggs hatch and survive because the snakehead is extremely territorial and protective of its young. One hatching may provide 2,000 young and most will survive. The snakehead is carnivorous and immediately attacks any moving object that approaches. While the young fish eat in swarms together as the fish grow older they become solitary hunters, attacking immediately and with fierce stabbing accuracy. If not hungry, the snakehead will kill anyway, for the sheer pleasure of killing. There are different types and sizes of snakeheads which may grow on average to 2 feet long, but the largest grow twice that length.
What makes the snakehead a bigger danger is that it is at the top of the freshwater food chain and has no real thread, so between the huge number of hatchlings and the high rate of survival because it has no enemies snakeheads are moving into more of our freshwater areas and devouring the other fish, frogs, crickets and anything else that enters its territory. In fact, the only freshwater predators of the snakehead in the U.S. are crocodiles, alligators and the bull shark which also has been entering fresh water habitats via open ocean gateways. Some states and towns decided to poison certain ponds and lakes to kill off the snakeheads, but the problem do that is it also kills off the other freshwater inhabitants. Experts are rightly concerned about the onslaught of the snakehead and predict a problem regarding the impact of the snakehead on the freshwater environment in the next decade or two.
It is also true that the snakehead can “walk” on land, but not literally. It can use its body and muscular development to flip across land and survive for up to 4 days if the land contains moisture. At times of flooding or lack of food sources in a pond, river or lake, the snakehead may opt to jump onto land to find another freshwater area to hunt for food. The reason for the snakehead’s adaptability to survive in water and on land is that the fish has a chamber in its head that enables the fish to breathe in and expel oxygen. When the fish is underwater, it must surface periodically only for an instant to breathe in oxygen. As for “walking” along and devouring cats, dogs and babies in the backyard, that is a myth, although snakeheads would attack a human in water if the person swam or walked into the fish’s territory. Snakeheads must be monitored and people need to realize where they are found and to stay clear of them. While the proliferation and expansion of snakeheads into our freshwater system is an issue we should be concerned about, there are many myths about the fish that should be recognized as untrue.
Peter Stern, a former director of information services, university professor and public school administrator, is a disabled Vietnam veteran who lives in Driftwood, Texas.
What Are You Doing?
You probably don’t know his name, but Jack Dorsey came up with what might be the most important invention of the 21st century — Twitter. It must be important, because the Library of Congress is going to house every “tweet” that’s ever been twittered. So here’s a memo to those who work at the Library: Move that copy of the Declaration of Independence out of the way, put that first edition of de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America” somewhere in the back, and find some other place for the contents of Abraham Lincoln’s pockets on the night of his assassination. Make room for messages like, “I should really wash my hair.”
You probably don’t know his name, but Jack Dorsey came up with what might be the most important invention of the 21st century — Twitter. It must be important, because the Library of Congress is going to house every “tweet” that’s ever been twittered. So here’s a memo to those who work at the Library: Move that copy of the Declaration of Independence out of the way, put that first edition of de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America” somewhere in the back, and find some other place for the contents of Abraham Lincoln’s pockets on the night of his assassination. Make room for messages like, “I should really wash my hair.”
In case you don’t know, Twitter is an online “social network” in which people say just about anything they want as long as it’s 140 characters or less. You can reach millions of people instantly. It’s as if you were shouting out your window. Really loudly. Every message is called a “tweet.” Some 55 million tweets are posted every day. That makes billions of them so far. Approximately 75,000 tweets have been sent since you started reading this column. I guess they’re going to have to install a few new shelves in the Library to make room for all those tweets.
The Twitter folks suggest that those using Twitter answer the question, “What are you doing?” So the vast majority of tweets are similar to the ego-thoughts that appear on Facebook and MySpace. You find things like, “My head itches,” “I don’t know what to make for dinner,” or “I look really good in green.” These are the kind of statements that will be shelved next to rare copies of the Bible, notes from the House UnAmerican Activities Committee, and that 130-year-old edition of Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass.”
Maybe I’m not being fair. In addition to daily drivel, there have been some news scoops on Twitter. That’s one of the interesting things about it. If you happen to see a tsunami coming your way, all you have to do to let the rest of the world know about it is to type something like, “Whoa, big wave coming. Looks like a tsunami. Get to safety, but first warn everyone you know about it.” Of course, I don’t know if sitting and typing while a tsunami is heading your way is the wisest course of action.
Another example of the site being used for an important purpose occurred when President Obama announced that Joe Biden would be his running mate simultaneously using e-mail, text messages, and Twitter. Presumably, the next time the United States decides to go to war, we will announce our intentions on Twitter: “We warned you, you didn’t listen, so here we come.” On the other hand, just think of all the lives that would have been saved if Twitter had been available in the past. When a warring country was ready to quit, instead of calling for a peace conference and waiting for it to convene while the war raged on, heads of state could have just written, “Surrender. Enough already.”
One drawback of Twitter when it is used for newsworthy events is the 140 character limit. This could cause problems like this: “Have just discovered a cure for the flu virus. I haven’t told anybody else what the secret is. It was really very simple. All I did was syn” Then what happens if the person typing that important message has a heart attack before he’s able to finish his thought, start up another tweet, and pass on his secret to anybody else? If he had just told the researcher who sits across from him instead of tweeting…
If you have the same first reaction that I did, you’re probably thinking that the trivial stuff that’s usually on Twitter has no business in the Library of Congress. However, after thinking about it some more, I feel it’s perfect for the Library to tackle the tremendous task of tagging all the tweets that have been twittered every since twitterers started talking in tweets. Yes, most tweets are trivial. However, this kind of personal trivia is precisely what millions of people are involved in every day. So it will certainly give future generations an idea of how people spent their time in the beginning of the 21st Century. Don’t you think it’s important for those future earthlings to understand why people in our time cared whether a stranger was just about to shave? I’d certainly like to know.
Lloyd Garver has written for many television shows, ranging from “Sesame Street” to “Family Ties” to “Home Improvement” to “Frasier.” He has also read many books, some of them in hardcover. He can be reached at lloydgarver@gmail.com. Check out his website at lloydgarver.com and his podcasts on iTunes.
Why The Tea Party Movement Will Fail
Initially the Tea Party Movement was a good idea to get people involved with political issues within their communities. The point was to meet in small local group to discuss the important issues and to work together with legislators and others in searching for resolutions for problems and to work together to vote-in viable, ethical and responsible individuals to manage our direction at the national, state and local levels. It was a great idea. At first many people responded favorably to the Tea Party Movement; however, it soon became controlled and revamped by the very problems, individuals and groups the movement sought to resolve and/or remove.
Initially the Tea Party Movement was a good idea to get people involved with political issues within their communities. The point was to meet in small local group to discuss the important issues and to work together with legislators and others in searching for resolutions for problems and to work together to vote-in viable, ethical and responsible individuals to manage our direction at the national, state and local levels. It was a great idea. At first many people responded favorably to the Tea Party Movement; however, it soon became controlled and revamped by the very problems, individuals and groups the movement sought to resolve and/or remove.
The movement became a prime target of special interest politics and it was like a Panzer Movement that all but squelched the original Tea Party Movement. Even in Republican Texas, Governor Rick Perry started making appearances at local Tea Parties in the hope to show everyone what a great regular type of guy he is so that he could manipulate the parties and suck-up more votes for his reelection bid in November 2010. Soon, other Republicans and Democratic candidates across the nation started invading and changing the platform of the Tea Parties to encourage contributions and to promote their special interest candidates as well as the reelection of many incumbents who, quite honestly, should step down and let someone else perform the job in the best interest of the community at-large.
When the Tea Party Movement first began many people thought this would be the way to gain local momentum to get rid of the deadwood incumbents who continue to rule at all levels of politics and who have the corporate and wealthy special interest financial muscle to approve legislation and future direction in the interests of the wealthy corporate sector. However, once the initial movement evolved the very politicos who were being challenged by the Tea Party Movement started similar Tea Party Movements of their own. Many believed that this effort was planned to stymie and crush the real movement and in truth the plan was quite successful. The original Tea Party Movement and its real purpose were frozen and the true effort slowed down.
Similar networking efforts occurred with Face Book, Twitter and other avenues of communication that originally were developed as a means for the common people to stay in touch with one another while sharing all sorts of information. Pretty soon politicians and action groups began invading the Internet and all these other communication networking systems as the last several national elections proved that the Internet and other network systems were the next generation of getting votes and reaching out for campaign contributions, which would translate into reaching more people, attaining more money and winning elections.
Originally, the Tea Party Movement was one of the more creative concepts and positive avenues of communication that sought to enhance the community’s involvement in providing legitimate information, to vote-in good and viable political candidates, to generate more monetary and volunteering efforts and to makeover the entire political system as a more positive experience and awareness for the populace; however, the Tea Party Movement already is on its way to failure because the true cause of the movement was hijacked by the very vermin it was created to eliminate. In short, the original Tea Party Movement was a good idea turned bad and as such it is a failure; however, the current Tea Party theme will continue as long as those in power find it a valuable tool for controlling the populace, pushing party platforms, gaining more votes and encouraging monetary contributions that lead to winning more elections.
Peter Stern, a former director of information services, university professor and public school administrator, is a disabled Vietnam veteran who lives in Driftwood, Texas.
Sadly, Flatulence No Longer Has A Place At The Airport
As many of you know, I have a fear of flying. What many of you don’t know is that I also have a fear of being seen naked. Until now, I had the comfort of knowing there was almost no chance of both happening at once, unless I somehow ended up on one of those nude flights, where I would quickly be arrested for refusing to return my tray to its upright position for take-off.
As many of you know, I have a fear of flying. What many of you don’t know is that I also have a fear of being seen naked. Until now, I had the comfort of knowing there was almost no chance of both happening at once, unless I somehow ended up on one of those nude flights, where I would quickly be arrested for refusing to return my tray to its upright position for take-off.
But now, thanks to the latest development in airport security technology, I no longer have to wait until I’m actually in the air and vomiting into the seat pocket in front of me before I can experience total humiliation. That’s right. I can now get things rolling before I even board the plane by stepping into a special X-ray booth and having an airport security professional see me completely naked.
According to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, the technology has been around for several years but hasn’t been introduced as an anti-terrorism tool because of privacy concerns.
“We have now found a way to blur certain areas of the images that would otherwise be too detailed for some people’s comfort,” said TSA spokesman Alto Leering. “It’s a great alternative to a strip search — You know, unless you’re into that sort of thing.”
The machines are currently being tested in Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport, as well as London’s Heathrow Airport, where Prince Charles recently helped demonstrate how areas of concern could be blurred for privacy.
“As you can see, you cannot discern how large my ears are,” he said to reporters. “And my shim-shim is completely gone.”
The press conference ended soon after, when TSA officials admitted there were no alterations applied below the Prince’s ears.
“But when you consider what we were able to do with his ears, you can image what we could do with a standard ‘shim-shim,’” officials said.
Needless to say, this has not helped ease my fears. In fact, it has made them worse by introducing the word ‘shim-shim’ into my vocabulary. Regardless, I thought doing some research to get a better understanding of this new technology might help.
Naturally, I was wrong.
We’ll begin with the name of this technology. I was hoping for something either a) extremely technical, suggesting years of exhaustive research and training, or b) something friendly that would make me feel looked upon in my nakedness with compassion. Instead, I ended up with c) “BackScatter,” which sounds like what could happen if I forget to remove my cell phone before I step infront of the X-ray.
I should also point out that, in addition to revealing metal objects, the images can also help identify the presence of nitrogen, which appears as a cloudy area on the image; nitrogen is emitted by plastic or liquid explosives.
It is also emitted by humans when they flatulate.
As I already stated, I get nervous when I fly.
It doesn’t help knowing I could be tackled by airport security because of a “cloud” on my X-ray that comes as the result of a Taco Bell value meal and my extreme anxiety over flying.
And I don’t even want to think of what will happen if bomb-sniffing dogs become part of the scenario.
So, I’d like to thank the TSA for giving me another reason to freak out the next time I have to fly somewhere. I’m already thinking I’ll need to take a seditive to help with my nerves.
Unless, of course, it gives me gas.
(You can write to Ned Hickson at nhickson@thesiuslawnews.com, or at the Siuslaw News at P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR. 97439)
Our Marines: Ridden Hard & Put Away Wet
Now here’s a touchy subject — recently there’s been spate of suicides by Marines who have just returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan. But here’s the really touchy part: These suicides have all taken place on stateside Marine bases. One Marine recently escaped from a hospital at Camp Lejeune, got hold of a gun somehow and shot himself right there on the base. And another Marine at Quantico jumped in front of a train.
http://jpstillwater.blogspot.com
Now here’s a touchy subject — recently there’s been spate of suicides by Marines who have just returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan. But here’s the really touchy part: These suicides have all taken place on stateside Marine bases. One Marine recently escaped from a hospital at Camp Lejeune, got hold of a gun somehow and shot himself right there on the base. And another Marine at Quantico jumped in front of a train.
However, the Marine high command at these bases is fully aware of this problem and is doing something about it. According to one official Marine publication, “Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the Marine Corps. Even one death by suicide is too many. It is a tragic and preventable loss, causing untold grief to loved ones and units, and is of highest concern to the public, legislators, the Commandant, and all Marines. In addition, suicide and suicidal behavior at all levels can take a tremendous toll on the readiness and resources of the unit involved. For all these reasons, suicide awareness, prevention, and intervention must be of highest priority to all Marines, and especially Marine leaders.”
Returning troops at the major stateside Marine bases are now being routinely shown training films and PowerPoint presentations regarding how to deal with suicidal tenancies — but still. You gotta be pretty damn desperate to jump in front of a train. How many more of our Marines are that desperate? And if so, how did they get that way?
Here’s my personal opinion, based on time spent in Iraq embedded with the Marines. I may be wrong about this, but here it is. “American Marines compose the finest fighting force EVER. Forget about Romans and Spartans. Our guys are the best.” So what happened? Why all the suicides? “Because our Marines are being stretched far too thin. American Marines are being asked to defend the interests of an international corporate structure that has its octopus-like tentacles spread out all over the entire globe. That’s far too much territory to expect even our fabulous Marines to defend.”
But what inflames me even more is that the international corporate structures that our Marines are so gallantly defending aren’t even American corporations! Perhaps one day long ago they USED to be American corporations — but that was back in the days before outsourcing.
Our Marines are being asked to stick their fingers in [dams] all over the world so that wealthy international corporations all over the world can reap the profits. It’s not even Americans who are reaping the profits any more. No wonder our Marines are so stretched. They are daily and constantly fighting the never-ending battles of Endless War so that men who owe NO allegiance to America — or American workers or American Marines either — can make grossly disproportional profits off of others’ pain.
Our Marines are being ridden hard and put away wet so that corporations who don’t even pay taxes in America can still have their billionaire bottom lines protected.
And our Marines do this, day after day, year after year, serving hard time in places like Iraq and Afghanistan and Kenya. And WHY do they keep doing it? Because they are Marines — the best fighting force EVER. And our Marines’ abilities are not only being wasted by being spread too thin throughout the world to the point that when (not if) we will someday need them here at home, there may well be too few of them left to defend America proper and it will be too late.
The international corporations benefit from our Marines’ presence. And the Marine Corps pays the price. And, apparently, individual Marines are paying an even greater price. This fractured practice of using and misusing our Marines has just got to stop.
PS: According to the Jacksonville Daily News, “Camp Lejeune Marines…in the aftermath of the death of a colleague who shot himself during a police chase aboard base Monday said instead of the needed psychiatric treatment they sought they were given a cocktail of antidepressants and sent back to work.” Yes, nine long years of constant war does have a tendency to grind our troops down. Even World War II didn’t last that long.
And we may have unearthed just the tip of the iceberg here. According to Jacksonville’s www.jdnews.com, “A total of 48,086 mental health related visits for all Naval Hospital clinics aboard Camp Lejeune were recorded in fiscal year 2009. In fiscal year 2010, there have been 26,609 mental health related visits through March 31, said Lt.j.g. Tony Skrypek, department head for TRICARE Operations at Naval Hospital.”
Also, according to Salon magazine, PTSDs may still not be getting properly treated at Camp Lejuene — despite all the recent PowerPoint presentations going on. “Internal documents and e-mails show that Navy officials unfavorably doctored a psychiatrist’s performance record after he blew the whistle on what he said was dangerously inept management of care for Marines suffering combat stress at Camp Lejeune, N.C.” http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/01/31/camp_lejeune
PSS: And here’s a quote from my usually reliable Marine Mom source: “I’ve heard several Marines say that Afghanistan is the ‘Worst place on earth’. So instead of sending our Marines out to fight in the countryside over there, let’s start sending out the Afghan Army and Afghan police troops that we have been training for approximately 10 years — and leave the U.S. troops back on base.”
Marine Mom also sent me this video about the recent Nashville flood disaster: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFjaQoOdJvI. “Shouldn’t some of our money have gone to help Nashville — instead of pouring billions into Afghanistan?”
PPPS: The Marines aren’t the only ones being ridden hard and put away wet. The American people are too. While corporatist lobbies are happily siphoning America’s wealth off in order to protect their own interests, we could have used all that money on preventive infrastructure measures back here at home, so that the Nashville flood could have been prevented — not to mention the Ohio flood and Katrina.
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Here’s the link to a Salon article on the subject: Navy supervisor doctored whistle-blower’s records: Fired after criticizing sub-par care for Marines, a psychiatrist finds his good personnel reviews turned to bad. ….As Salon reported in November, Manion warned superiors, on multiple occasions and in writing, that mental healthcare at Camp Lejeune was overwhelmed with Marines suffering psychological injuries from combat. It was a toxic environment, Manion argued, that would only contribute to a rapidly escalating suicide epidemic in the military. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/01/31/camp_lejeune
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Recommended blog article on this subject: Mental care stays are up in military: Disorders outpaced injuries in 2009. http://travelregisterednurse.blogspot.com/2010/05/mental-healthcare-for-troops-draws.html
Texas ‘Guardsman’ Takes Down ‘Oklahombre’ Doolin
Bill Doolin and his outlaw gang with the catchy name “Oklahombres” robbed a bank in Longview, Texas on May 23, 1894 and got away with $4,000 in cold cash.
Bill Doolin and his outlaw gang with the catchy name “Oklahombres” robbed a bank in Longview, Texas on May 23, 1894 and got away with $4,000 in cold cash.
For 10 years, the son of an Arkansas cotton farmer was a workaday cowboy with nothing more than his skill with a six-gun to distinguish him from the other ranch-hands in the Oklahoma Territory. And he might have spent the rest of his days toiling in law-abiding anonymity if not for a chance encounter with a couple of Kansas constables in 1891.
Doolin was drinking beer with friends in a saloon, when the local lawmen crashed the party. They demanded to know whose beer it was, and Doolin piped up, “Nobody owns it. It’s free. Help yourselves.”
Instead of accepting the gracious invitation, the constables declared the foamy brew was illegal in Kansas and announced their intention to pour it out. Doolin cautioned them against taking such rash action warning that someone was liable to get hurt.
But the would-be prohibition agents ignored his advice and proceeded to do their duty. Guns were drawn, shots were fired and both cops fell dead to the floor.
Bill Doolin realized in an instant that he had nothing to gain by waiting around for the authorities to determine who fired the fatal shots. He jumped on his horse and rode off to join three brothers, who had graduated from cattle rustling to robbing trains and banks.
The Daltons welcomed their old friend with open arms remembering what a great shot he was. Doolin proved to be a valuable addition to the gang and took part in numerous holdups and several shootouts over the next year and a half.
Then in October 1892 Bob Dalton’s ego finally got the better of him. Driven by a mad ambition to outdo the James and Younger brothers, he concocted the suicidal scheme of robbing two banks in the same town in broad daylight.
So how did Doolin miss out on all the fun at Coffeyville, Kansas? One story has him looking for a replacement for his lame horse as his comrades are being shot to pieces by the irate citizens of that targeted town. Another alleges he quit the gang after arguing with Bob Dalton over his expected share of the loot.
The third and least plausible version comes from Emmett Dalton, the only brother to survive the slaughter. He claimed in his memoirs written years later that brother Bob fired Doolin for being “too undisciplined,” “wild and unruly” and “mentally awkward.”
Whatever the reason for his no-show at Coffeyville, the demise of the Daltons provided Doolin with a terrific business opportunity. By the spring of 1893, he had organized a gang of his own with the coolest name in the Old West.
The “Okahombres” included at any given time George “Bitter Creek” Newcomb, Ol Yantis, Little Dick West, Roy Daugherty (aka “Arkansas Tom Jones”), Charley Pierce, Dan “Dynamite Dick” Clifton, Bob Grounds, George “Red Buck” Weightman, Alf Sohn, Little Bill Raidler, Tulsa Jack Blake and Bill Dalton, the last of the brothers on the loose.
With this formidable supporting cast, Doolin went on a three-year crime spree in the Oklahoma Territory with an occasional side trip to North Texas. He soon had not one, not two but all three of the legendary “Guardsmen” on his trail.
The trio of U.S. Marshals assigned to the Oklahoma Territory rarely pooled their resources in pursuit of a single outlaw or outfit. But the only way to stop Doolin and the Oklahombres was for Danish-born Chris Madsen, formerly of the French Foreign Legion, Bill Tilghman, who later made a motion picture of his exploits, and Heck Thomas, a bounty hunter that turned down the Texas Rangers for the marshal appointment, to work together.
While Madsen was off fighting with the Rough Riders in Cuba, young Evett Dumas Nix filled in for him. Only an inexperienced marshal like Nix would have tried to take on the Oklahombres on their home ground, the outlaw stronghold of Ingalls, and he paid for his bad judgment with no arrests and a shot-up posse.
Tilghman had better luck in January 1896. Receiving a tip that Doolin was taking the cure for his rheumatism in the mineral waters at Eureka Springs, he disguised himself as a preacher and caught the next train for the Arkansas spa.
The Guardsman got the drop on Doolin in a bathhouse and took him into custody without firing a shot – or throwing a punch, as some accounts had it. On the “perp walk” to the federal lockup in Guthrie, hundreds of fans cheered the “king of the outlaws.”
On July 5, 1896, Doolin broke out of jail taking between 12 and 37 other prisoners with him. He hid out at the Mexican ranch of western writer Eugene Manlove Rhodes before returning to the Oklahoma Territory for his wife and child.
But Marshal Heck Thomas was waiting, and on the night of Aug. 25 he walked right into the Texan’s trap on a dark road. Doolin got off one or maybe two rounds with his pistol before Thomas and a deputy opened up with a shotgun and a rifle.
The famous bare-chested photograph of the dead desperado shows many of the 21 bullet holes that ended Bill Doolin’s life at age 38.
“Secession & Civil War” – newest “Best of This Week in Texas History” collection available for $10.95 plus $3.25 postage and handling from Bartee Haile, P.O. Box 152, Friendswood, TX 77549 or order on-line at twith.com.
The Brits Have It!
In case you weren’t paying attention, know that our British brethren – those good people who gave us our native tongue – have just held an election.
In case you weren’t paying attention, know that our British brethren – those good people who gave us our native tongue – have just held an election.
Despite reading several newspapers from London every day, I’m not entirely up to speed on their electoral cycle or system.
The best I can derive is that they hold an election whenever people get pissed off at the current administration.
Anyway, there were three candidates for Prime Minister: incumbent Gordon Brown of the Labour (I love how they add that “u”) Party; challenger David Cameron, Conservative Party; and, upstart Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg.
After the votes had been tallied, no contender had a distinct majority. Unlike the U.S., where a president might win with a plurality, in the U.K. it is required to have received at least 51% of the vote.
According to their “unwritten Constitution,” as best as I can decipher.
I don’t understand the specifics of the final selection process, but for whatever reason Mr. Clegg was allowed to decide who would become PM.
He selected Mr. Cameron; Mr. Clegg then hired on as Deputy PM. Thus, Mr. Brown was consigned to vacate his digs at 10 Downing Street.
However all that worked out is not what I am writing about today.
What I find fascinating is the aplomb by which the new government is taking shape.
Imagine if we had a Democratic president and a Republican vice-president. That is essentially what the Brits have now, or shall have once the new PM officially takes office.
These two political opponents, Cameron and Clegg, have entered into what they refer to as an era of “new politics”; they are agreed to work together as a coalition government.
All for the sake of a better future for Great Britain.
Imagine that! Leaders from both sides of the “aisle” working in harmony to move their country forward out of the doldrums.
This agreement has resulted in enough Members of Parliament for the Liberal Democrats to be a potent force in British Government for the first time in 70 years.
Beyond that ascertainment, I really can’t go into further depth. I don’t understand the machinations and nuances of British governance enough to elucidate with any expertise on precisely what the nuts and bolts of this congruence entail.
From what I can deduce, even your typical Englishman isn’t real clear on how the process works.
I am playing with a handicap at a game those good folks have lived with all their lives.
It is as if I brought a baseball bat to a cricket match…
My point, and please accept my apology for taking so long to get around to it, is simply this: Members of Congress, both the House and the Senate, need to check their egos and personal agenda at the door when entering their respective chambers and work together.
Take a lesson from our former overseers.
Despite the best efforts of President Obama to work harmoniously for the good of the Nation, he has been stymied at every juncture, not just by Republicans, but self-interested Democrats as well.
You people on The Hill are bringing down America with your whining and pissing and moaning about every freakin’ little obscure fine point within each and every bill or initiative.
Work together, for crying out loud! If the bill passes and proves to be a failure, you can always enact a countermeasure.
Because of several bold visionaries America was at the onset, and remains, a grand experiment. Great Britain is now, thanks to a pair of visionaries, entering into its own grand experiment.
Wouldn’t it be grand if our elected “leaders” pushed aside their own self-interests and just engaged in some lawmaking?
To all Congresspersons and Senators, pull your heads out of your (or each other’s) asses and move America forward.
Sheesh!
Shalom.
(Jerry Tenuto is an erstwhile Philosopher and sometime Educator. A veteran with seven years of service in the U.S. Army, he holds a BS and MA in Communications from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Depending upon your taste in political stew, you can either blame or thank Jerry for his weekly “Out Of The Blue” feature in The Lone Star Iconoclast. Visit his blog Blue State View at illinoiscentral.blogspot.com)
Going Back To 1776
I recently took a nine-day driving trip from Central Texas to Philadelphia and back to visit my sister and brother-in-law. The voyage by car took me through Texarkana, Memphis, Nashville (right after the flood), and on into Pennsylvania, from flat land to mountains with lotsa trees, big ones.
I recently took a nine-day driving trip from Central Texas to Philadelphia and back to visit my sister and brother-in-law. The voyage by car took me through Texarkana, Memphis, Nashville (right after the flood), and on into Pennsylvania, from flat land to mountains with lotsa trees, big ones.
My stop in Gettysburg was unforgettable, as was a trek into Amish country in Lancaster County on the way.
Upon arrival at my destination and tired of fighting the interstate, I parked my car in front of my hosts’ house and they gave me a break from driving and transported me to Independence Hall, to Betsy Ross’s house, and to many, many other locations (I got a close-up look at the Liberty Bell, among other things). On day two we ventured into Atlantic City where I got to stroll on the Boardwalk and pick up shells on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean.
Prior to my journey back to Texas, I returned to my abandoned car to jot down how many miles I had driven to get there (I had set the trip meter before leaving). To my great surprise the mileage was 1,776 miles! What are the odds?
I went through the Smoky Mountains and saw other landscapes on my way home, which ended at the 3,813 mark for the whole trip. While on my return, I took a short detour to Florence, Ala. to try to find out more information about one of my great-great-great grandfathers who died fighting in the Civil War and visited a remarkable public library there that had an extensive genealogy center. Everyone in Florence was helpful and friendly.
When at Independence Hall earlier in the trip, the tour guide explained how the Declaration of Independence was written and debated by our founding fathers. His remarks at the end were on point and dealt with the requirement for strict adherence to the Constitution, something our corporate officials of today try to ignore and are attempting to destroy.
At home, one of the first things I did was check on my keyhole gardens <www.keyholefarm.com>. The plants had more than doubled in size!
During the drive, I listened to radio stations that pertained to where I was at the time. Interesting. Garmin and I had a few disagreements on the trail (“recalculating” she said quite often), but overall the trip was a big success and my appreciation for the Lone Star State was enhanced some.
My brother wanted me to sing “Texas, Our Texas” upon leaving the state and crossing back over, but the song that came to mind more for me was “Deep In The Heart of Texas.” Don’t worry. I didn’t torture Miss Garmin with my vocals.
How Acupuncturists Can Further The Education Of Medical Students
One of the best practices acupuncturist present to further the education of medical students is to think “out of the box” and to treat patients more holistically instead of focusing on one or two areas of the human body for healing. The medical profession diagnoses an illness or pain and then tries to heal the patient without any regard for the whole being and what is going on for the “entire” patient physically and emotionally.
One of the best practices acupuncturist present to further the education of medical students is to think “out of the box” and to treat patients more holistically instead of focusing on one or two areas of the human body for healing. The medical profession diagnoses an illness or pain and then tries to heal the patient without any regard for the whole being and what is going on for the “entire” patient physically and emotionally.
In addition, as being linear to the above concept, acupuncturists know that there is a network of meridians and points in the human body that are interconnected and that promoting healing by reviewing and considering all such meridians healing the entire psycho-physical being will promote greater and quicker healing response time and will further encourage preventative maintenance instead of the western process of simply healing the local area of pain or illness.
Our society not only teaches its doctors to heal with pharmaceutical methodologies, but we also encourage patients via TV, radio, brochures and magazines advertising to suggest possible medication to their doctors if they have the symptoms discussed in the ad. The pharmaceutical industry pushes its medical products to pursue huge profits. Little emphasis is presented on natural healing methods and preventative maintenance.
Furthermore, the medical and health care providers seldom promote the ancient and/or alternative healing options, e.g., acupuncture, herbal remedies, traditional Chinese medicine, or chiropractic methodologies, even though these have had years of positive results. In fact, health care plans seldom pay or reimburse patients when they visit alternative practitioners.
Acupuncture is a part of traditional Chinese medicine which has been practiced for more than 5,000 years with much success. Modern medicine should reconsider teaching acupuncture processes to medical students not only as an alternative option, but as a learning guide to how all parts of the body are connected to each other and how the meridians of the body function together to promote a healthy balance, instead of modern medicine continuing to teach future doctors to focus on a physical problem area and then try to prescribe medicine to heal that area, which does little to promote overall health in the entire body and psyche. It would provide better oversight and awareness to heal a patient holistically, establish an ongoing plan of preventative maintenance and will also keep down the high cost of health care.
Peter Stern, a former director of information services, university professor and public school administrator, is a disabled Vietnam veteran who lives in Driftwood, Texas.
Halley’s Comet 100 Years Ago
About every 76 years, Halley’s Comet becomes visible in our night sky for several weeks, and like surely many of you, I vividly recall its most recent return in 1986. Having heard of the famous comet from my 81-year old stargazing mentor, Margaret Willits, in 1954, I was thrilled to finally see it after a three-decade wait.
About every 76 years, Halley’s Comet becomes visible in our night sky for several weeks, and like surely many of you, I vividly recall its most recent return in 1986. Having heard of the famous comet from my 81-year old stargazing mentor, Margaret Willits, in 1954, I was thrilled to finally see it after a three-decade wait.
It was Ms. Willits who ignited my childhood interest in astronomy, but it was seeing Halley’s Comet that rekindled the flame that has been burning brightly ever since. While Ms. Willis told me of her excitement at seeing the comet during its 1910 visit, she didn’t tell me about the stir it caused at the time.
Comet Halley is one of several comets whose orbits intersect with Earth’s orbit. Of course, should Earth and a comet pass through the same place at the same time, there would be a major catastrophe, such as the one believed to have led to the extinction of the dinosaurs — but fortunately that’s quite rare.
However, the intersection of the orbits of Earth and a dozen or so comets does have some interesting consequences, the most common of which are annual meteor showers. Comets leave tiny pieces of dust, ice and rocks scattered along their orbital path. So when Earth, which is orbiting the Sun at the incredible speed of 67,000 miles per hour, passes though the debris-laden path of a comet, friction between the debris and Earth’s atmosphere causes bits of debris to burn and glow, producing meteors, those brilliant streaks that flash across the night sky, also called shooting stars.
Twice each year we pass through Halley’s path, producing the Eta Aquarid meteor shower in May and the Orionid shower in October.
But when Halley came by in May 1910, the encounter was closer than usual as Earth actually passed through the end of Halley’s 24-million mile long tail.
Throughout history comets have elicited fear and dread. They have even been seen as harbingers, if not the causes, of dreadful things like earthquakes, volcano eruptions, wars, epidemics, fires, and even massacres. (Isn’t it curious how natural events are so often blamed for human-caused catastrophes?)
When scientists announced that Halley’s tail contained traces of poisonous cyanide, though not nearly enough to be of concern, the last part of the message wasn’t heard by all. Some panicked while others cashed in on the irrational fears by selling “anti-comet” pills and “comet-protecting gas masks.” Of course, Halley’s Comet passed uneventfully, only to return 76 years later to help inspire me to begin writing this column.
• Sky Calendar.
May 16 Sun. evening: The crescent Moon is above Venus.
19 Wed. evening: The Moon is below Mars.
20 Thu. evening: The Moon is at 1st quarter.
22 Sat. evening: The Moon is below Saturn.
27 Thu. all night: The full Moon, called Milk Moon, Flower Moon, Corn Moon, and Planting Moon, accompanies Scorpius’ reddish star Antares across the sky all night.
June 4 Fri. morning: The Moon is at 3rd quarter.
• Naked-eye Planets. (The Sun, Moon, and planets rise in the east and set in the west due to Earth’s west-to-east rotation on its axis.) Evening: “Evening star” Venus now dominates the early evening sky in the west; Mars is high in the southwest; Saturn is high in the south. Morning: Jupiter, now rising 3+ hours before sunrise, is well up in the southeast by morning; Mercury is at its best late in the month low in the east at dawn.
Stargazer appears every other week. Paul Derrick is an amateur astronomer who lives in Waco. Contact him at 918 N. 30th, Waco, 76707, (254) 753-6920 or paulderrickwaco@aol.com. See the Stargazer Web site at stargazerpaul.com.
Lost In Juarez: Everything America Touches Turns To Death?
Every day when I open my inbox, I get at least one press release from various American armed forces in Iraq, letting me know that some insurgent there has just been killed or some AQI group has just been captured. Even now, over seven years after the Iraq occupation began, our troops are still out hunting and capturing insurgents and rebel groups there — and the bombings are still going on. Does that mean that Iraq is still unstable? What else am I supposed to think? That constant stream of e-mails seals the deal.http://jpstillwater.blogspot.com
Every day when I open my inbox, I get at least one press release from various American armed forces in Iraq, letting me know that some insurgent there has just been killed or some AQI group has just been captured. Even now, over seven years after the Iraq occupation began, our troops are still out hunting and capturing insurgents and rebel groups there — and the bombings are still going on. Does that mean that Iraq is still unstable? What else am I supposed to think? That constant stream of e-mails seals the deal.
Then we have Afghanistan, the world’s most productive narco-state by far, source of most of the heroin on the market today. Heroin is deadly. Worldwide, how many addicts have died from overdoses or AIDS or violence resulting from their use of heroin that has been supplied by American-occupied Afghanistan? One million? Two million? I can’t even begin to guess.
Palestine is another killing field that America finances. “Why are you always running off at the mouth about Palestine,” I’m always asked. Why? Because Israel and Palestine would have worked out all their problems in a manner acceptable to both sides decades ago if America hasn’t kept pouring gasoline on the fire in the form of weapons, weapons, weapons and more weapons.
And let’s not forget to mention Pakistan, America’s good ally which is now yet another killing field. And then there’s Columbia, home of Latin America’s longest-running bloody war on farmers and trade unionists, bought and paid for by America the beautiful.
“I would really like to go back and embed in Iraq,” I keep telling my son Joe and my daughter Ashley, “but, frankly, I’m just not up to it physically — the flight there is just too long for me. 20 hours in the air? Followed by days and days of jet-lag? Forget it. And I’d like to embed in Afghanistan too. And also go and report on the brutal siege of Gaza as well. I’d like to be everywhere in the world that the action is. I want to be able to see for myself — up front and personal — all of the places where America’s treasury and America’s future are all being pounded down into a bunch of bloody rat-holes.”
I want to go where the blood flows, to bear witness and to send messages back to America that all this warfare and bloodshed and killing is not necessary, is a waste of time and money, does NOT make us safer, goes against every religion we believe in — and doesn’t even make sense.
But I’m getting less and less willing to face all the hassle of interminable plane rides across the globe and wearisome jet-lag that lingers for weeks.
“Hey, no problem,” replied my friend Larry, who lives in Texas. “No need to travel to the other side of the world to see American violence and American weapon sales and American bloodshed in action. You can always just go down to Juarez.”
Ah. So now there’s also Juarez, bloody Juarez, to consider — where people die as violently on the streets of Juarez as they die on the streets of Kandahar or Baghdad.
According to one CNN report, “Tim Crockett, head of the security firm Pioneer Consulting and security adviser for CNN, described Ciudad Juarez as ‘probably more dangerous for journalists than the Middle East’.” Probably more dangerous for journalists than even the Middle East? Yikes!
Remember back in 2007 when I embedded in Iraq and the Army told me that if I left the fortified Green Zone area and walked across the 14th of July Bridge into Baghdad itself, I’d most likely be dead within five minutes? Well, according to several articles that Larry just e-mailed me, there’s almost exactly the same situation happening in Juarez right now. Juarez is a war zone. Juarez is a failed-narco-state. Juarez has insurgents, a military build-up of American weapons, American occupation advisers who run a surrogate war from DC and terrified citizens who keep turning up dead.
“But the beautiful thing about Juarez, Jane,” continued Larry, “is that Juarez is only five miles from Texas. You could hop a plane in the morning, fly to El Paso without getting jet-lag, be inside a war zone in time for lunch — and be getting your head blown off by dinnertime.” Plus it wouldn’t be too hard on my poor knees — and I wouldn’t be required to bring a flak jacket either. Sign me up!
PS: Here’s a headline from a Los Angeles Times article that Larry sent me on the subject, just in case you think I might be exaggerating: “Mexico under siege, the drug war at our doorstep.” The Times then goes on to state that 45,000 troops have been deployed so far and that 10,031 people have been killed. “That’s more than the U.S. fatalities in the Iraq war.” http://projects.latimes.com/mexico-drug-war/
And here are some more articles from Larry:
From the Overseas Security Advisory Council: The U.S. State Department has issued a warning about Juarez. “Mexican cartels battling for control of drug trafficking routes cause widespread disruption in the city and state.”
https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=113317
From Current News: Gunmen murdered 19 people this weekend, including two U.S. citizens associated with the American consulate. http://current.com/news/92323550_in-juarez-mexico-gunmen-murdered-19-people-this-past-weekend-including-2-us-citizens.htm
And here the Huffington Post seems to be hinting that America is losing the drug war in Juarez as well. Shades of Afghanistan! I wonder how many drug addicts in the U.S. have died from drugs illegally imported by the Juarez cartels?
“Sinaloa takes over Cuidad Juarez: After a two-year battle that has killed more than 5,000 people, Mexico’s most powerful kingpin now controls the coveted trafficking routes through Ciudad Juarez. That conclusion by U.S. intelligence adds to evidence that Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman’s Sinaloa cartel is winning Mexico’s drug war…. [The] Sinaloa cartel has edged out the rival Juarez gang for control over trafficking routes through Ciudad Juarez, ground zero in the drug war. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/09/sinaloa-takes-over-ciudad-juarez_n_531378.html
Challenges For Offshore Oil And Gas Production
One of the greatest challenges for offshore oil and gas production is to preserve our fragile ecosystem and to protect humans, wildlife and natural vegetation throughout the world. Safety guidelines and regulations have been developed and documented for all offshore drilling companies.
One of the greatest challenges for offshore oil and gas production is to preserve our fragile ecosystem and to protect humans, wildlife and natural vegetation throughout the world. Safety guidelines and regulations have been developed and documented for all offshore drilling companies. In addition, in most cases there is government oversight to ensure that oil companies are abiding by the regulations; however, as may be seen by the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and also from the several incidents during the past several decades, that accidents continue to happen — mostly due to lax government enforcement of the regulations and the company’s inability or conscious effort not to follow all the safety mechanisms in place. Approximately 20 years ago the Exxon Valdez, the company’s storage tanker, was involved in an avoidable accident in its transportation of oil. The human element in part for the tragedy was determined to be the Captain’s alcohol consumption. We are in the 21st Century and by now we all know the risks of offshore drilling and transport of oil, yet many of those in charge of oil drilling and transportation have acted irresponsibly in complying with the rules of safety.
Last week another oil tragedy occurred when an offshore oil rig operated by British Petroleum (BP) exploded in the Gulf of Mexico killing 11 of the crew members and spewing millions of gallons of crude oil into surrounding waters. Immediately the fail safe mechanism called the Blowout Protecter (BOP) should have been engaged first by the drilling crew, which maintains ongoing random BOP safety drills during regular operations that includes activating the BOP to shutdown the drilling rig that prevents spilling oil into deep waters. Since 11 of the crew had been killed by the explosion and could not activate the BOP, there are two additional backup mechanisms to activate the BOP, one of which includes a “dead man’s switch” that is supposed to activate automatically and access to the BOP via a remote electronic device. The BOP was not engaged.
BP is telling the public that the explosion is unexplained so far and that the company does not know why the BOP was not engaged. During the past several decades British Petroleum has not been an exemplary oil drilling company. Approximately 20 years ago 14 members of a BP drilling crew were killed from an explosion on a similar rig to the one last week that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. BP has not issued a statement of its responsibility for this tragedy, but it also never pleaded guilty or admitted to its responsibility for the former oil rig accident. BP also has a history of being caught and fined for safety violations that have been thought of by many in the field as avoidable and caused with prior knowledge. In short, there are many who believe that BP is more interested and motivated by profits than it is to ensure the safety of the environment and its personnel.
It should be quite obvious by now that British Petroleum is not following the safety regulations and standards most other oil companies abide by. The company is responsible for the death of its personnel and it has directly caused the oil spill that still is dumping millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This is exactly the scenario and the reason that the safety rules and regulations were developed and provided for oil companies drilling for offshore production. The safety regulations are supposed to prevent oil spills. Once the spill occurs, it is a losing proposition for the company and the environment.
In the aftermath of the explosion and oil spill BP is now spending billions of dollars to try to contain the spill. It is using chemicals that attach to the surface oil to try to keep the surface slick from spread further out to sea and closer to land. There are floating beams used to keep the slick from extending. BP is using robotic submarines that are supposed to shut off the flow valves on the pipes producing the majority of the spillage. BP designed and is building a huge capping device that no one has any idea if it will work in such deep waters. Another attempt to quell the spill is to use another drilling rig and to drill on an angle into the pipes that are the main source of the leak to divert the leak through the new pipes and into a floating vessel to haul off the oil spill. Fighting to contain an oil spill is a challenge that can be avoided with the adherence to proper safety regulations and making sure that safety devices are in the best working condition if and when they are needed. Running around trying to stop a spill as it is pouring millions of gallons of oil into our sea beds and destroying our environment is a poor second option.
The bottom-line is that engineers and many others have designed many safety mechanisms that are a challenge to prevent spill of intense proportions, such as the current one in the Gulf of Mexico, and yet BP is one of the companies that seems to have an ongoing problem adhering to the safety regulations and keeping safety equipment in working order. While other companies view the safety regulations as a necessary part of the cost of drilling, which ensures a better control over the process and to protect the environment and human life, British Petroleum has failed time and again as a safety conscious oil company and the public needs to know that those in charge of drilling and enforcement oversight of the industry will make an example of BP. It is time to make sure that all oil companies rise up to accept the challenges.
Peter Stern, a former director of information services, university professor and public school administrator, is a disabled Vietnam veteran who lives in Driftwood, Texas.
Giant Chunk Of West Texas Cost Of New Capitol
Thousands of Texans showed up in Austin on May 16, 1888 for the grand opening of the new state capitol paid for with three million acres of West Texas real estate.
Thousands of Texans showed up in Austin on May 16, 1888 for the grand opening of the new state capitol paid for with three million acres of West Texas real estate.
Billowing smoke and the crackling of a raging inferno interrupted Austinites’ lunch on Nov. 9, 1881. Frantic cries of “The capitol is burning!” alerted everybody to the disaster, but breathless diners arrived too late to save the historic landmark.
Flames quickly engulfed the building and in a matter of minutes caused the roof to collapse. By dark the capitol was a smoldering skeleton with only scorched walls still standing.
The blaze was blamed on a careless maintenance worker, who placed a red-hot stovepipe against the plank and paper walls of a storage room. Once the sides of the cramped cubicle ignited, stacks of old books provided plenty of kindling.
The conflagration consumed rare documents and treasured relics. The complete records of the state supreme court were lost as well as prized portraits of immortal Texans and archives dating back to the proud past of Lone Star independence.
Construction of a temporary capitol began immediately at the present intersection of Congress Avenue and 11th Street. Ready for business in 14 months, the modest substitute sheltered officials until the completion of the permanent replacement. Ironically the forgotten temporary capitol also burned to the ground around the turn of the century.
Prior to the 1881 catastrophe, Texans regularly entertained ambitious plans for a new and improved state capitol. As early as November 1875, a proposal was approved to finance the expensive enterprise by selling off a huge chunk of West Texas.
The State of Texas held title to 61 million undistributed acres, mainly in the sparsely settled western region, in addition to 20 million set aside for the educational purposes. With a combined holding of 81 million acres, nearly half of the original Republic’s total land mass, the public eagerly bought the idea of swapping a piddling three million for a first-class government headquarters.
Although future generations would criticize the scheme as a short-sighted giveaway, Texans at the time thought it was a heck of a bargain. Appraised at 50 cents an acre, the Panhandle parcel was worth only a million and half dollars on the open market. In exchange for what was generally considered wasteland, Texas received a capitol that cost a staggering $3,750,000 and was the envy of the nation.
In spite of coast-to-coast publicity, just two builders submitted bids. The winner was an Illinois contractor, who turned a fat profit by selling out to a Chicago syndicate.
The pleased proprietors of the XIT Ranch, the largest cattle spread in all of Texas, were a dry-goods merchant, his congressman brother, another politician and the man who raised Chicago from the ashes of the Windy City’s famous fire. But the glory of the Panhandle ranch was short-lived. By 1900 serious financial setbacks forced the systematic sale of sizable sections, and what was left of the XIT ceased breeding beef in 1912.
Although ground was broken in February 1882, construction of the capitol was postponed for a year. Problems aplenty plagued the project and occasionally halted progress for months at a stretch.
Two years into the endeavor, the superintendent rejected as inferior the initial sample of limestone from a local quarry. After a few years exposure to the elements, he argued, unsightly streaks were certain to appear.
The suggestion that a better grade of limestone could be obtained in Indiana raised Texan hackles. Adorn the Lone Star capitol with a midwestern mineral? Never!
Construction stayed at a standstill under the summer of 1885. A way out of the impasse came from the generous owners of Granite Mountain outside Marble Falls, who donated their rock free of charge. Fifteen thousand carloads of the red granite were required for the building’s beautiful exterior.
The terms of the contract stipulated the state would supply convict labor, a practice in tune with the Texas tradition that inmates should earn their keep. In protest of this “unfair competition,” the granite cutters staged a boycott and stonecutters brought in from Scotland finished the job.
A gala parade preceded the dedication ceremony in May 1888. State senator Temple Houston, the colorful 27 year old son of the San Jacinto hero, eloquently accepted the magnificent edifice on behalf of his fellow Texans.
Touring the imposing structure, citizens were awed by its sheer immensity. The seemingly limitless interior contained 392 rooms, 18 vaults and 404 doors with natural light provided by 924 windows.
The architectural achievement was proudly described as “second in size only to the National Capitol at Washington, D.C. and larger and finer than the German Reichstag or English Parliament buildings.” After all, the people of the greatest state in the Union would settle for nothing less than the biggest and the best.
Bartee Haile welcomes your comments, questions and suggestions at haile@pdq.net or P.O. Box 152, Friendswood, TX 77549. And come on by www.twith.com for a visit!
Bank Customers Must Take Action To Continue Overdraft Protection
Texas community bankers are alerting customers of an important federal rule change that will prevent authorization of courtesy overdraft protection for ATM and everyday debit transactions unless positive action is taken by the accountholder.Members of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) are conducting an informational campaign alerting customers that they must take affirmative action to continue to receive the coverage before the federal rule becomes effective Aug. 14.AUSTIN — Texas community bankers are alerting customers of an important federal rule change that will prevent authorization of courtesy overdraft protection for ATM and everyday debit transactions unless positive action is taken by the accountholder.Members of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) are conducting an informational campaign alerting customers that they must take affirmative action to continue to receive the coverage before the federal rule becomes effective Aug. 14.
Members of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) are conducting an informational campaign alerting customers that they must take affirmative action to continue to receive the coverage before the federal rule becomes effective Aug. 14.
Accountholders at banks with courtesy overdraft protection will receive a notice disclosing the fees and terms associated with their bank’s courtesy overdraft program. Customers who fail to opt in will not receive courtesy overdraft protection for ATM and debit card transactions, but will otherwise receive the same account terms, conditions and features provided to consumers who do opt in. Customers can change their mind at any time and revoke their opt-in or choose to opt in later.
“The rule is very specific, mandating that a customer must opt in by phone, email, in person or by mail,” IBAT President/CEO Christopher Williston said. “It will inhibit a bank from authorizing, paying or charging on most courtesy overdrafts unless the customer has consented to pay the fee and written confirmation has been sent by the bank by mail or electronically.”
The only things not affected by the new rules will be courtesy overdraft protection for automatic bill payments, checks and other transactions using a customer’s checking account number, and overdraft lines of credit or a checking account linked to a savings account.
“We hope that this informational campaign by our members across 700 Texas communities will result in a positive response from consumers and avoid any unexpected embarrassment for a debit card user being refused service because they forgot to opt in,” Williston said.
Why you need to opt in to overdraft protection:
If the accountholders in either of these scenarios had opted in, the transactions probably would have been authorized. However, soon these—and similar scenarios—will repeat themselves over and over again across the country.
• Your son is driving home from college for the weekend and stops for gas. When he swipes his debit card at a gas pump, it is denied because his account is overdrawn. He can try the service station’s ATM machine, but it will be denied also. When he calls home, pretty much all you can do is tell him that you will be there as soon as you can, and to call 9-1-1 if he feels threatened.
• A young mother just endured two hours of shopping for clothes and groceries with her three small children at the Supercenter. Her cart is overflowing and her nerves are shot. She unloads the cart and the associate rings up the total—$437.89. While herding kids, she searches her purse, finds her debit card, and swipes it. It is denied three times because her paycheck isn’t deposited until tomorrow. She pulls out her checkbook, but the store will not take her check because they suspect she doesn’t have money in her account. Frustrated, she rounds up the kids and heads for the door, knowing that she’ll have to do this all over again tomorrow.
Predicting Political Beliefs Among America’s Middle Class
Politics has become a Main Street cancer among America’s middle class. It is like a Two-Party Failure Reality Show, and Lord knows we do not need another reality show — especially in Washington. There is an ancient saying, “The people are a many-headed beast,” and it must be appropriate when we consider that approximately 90% of propositions on ballots get approved by a mere 4 to 6% of the total number of registered voters.
“We demand that big business give the people a square deal; in return we must insist that when anyone engaged in big business honestly endeavors to do right he shall himself be given a square deal.” — President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, Letter to Sir Edward Gray, Nov. 15, 1913
Politics has become a Main Street cancer among America’s middle class. It is like a Two-Party Failure Reality Show, and Lord knows we do not need another reality show — especially in Washington.
There is an ancient saying, “The people are a many-headed beast,” and it must be appropriate when we consider that approximately 90% of propositions on ballots get approved by a mere 4 to 6% of the total number of registered voters.
The Republicans and Democrats together initiated the U.S. wars in the Middle East (Iraq, Afghanistan) under the double Bush administrations and now Obama, instead of cutting our costs over there, is continuing an ever-lasting Afghan assault.
In some ways, it is reminiscent of German and Italian forces during WWII plunging blindly headfirst into Russia, into Siberia and freezing their Nazi logos and collective butts due to the harsh sub-zero rugged terrain, just wasting lives and money in a no-win situation. In many ways, we’re doing the same thing in the Middle East.
Look at the sheer waste of taxpayer dollars versus the enormous profits being made by U.S. approved contractor services. Where is the trickle-down to us domestic citizens?
AND THEN… the government promises jobs, but does NOT keep that promise and then based on some obscure and absurd statistics, disallows a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for all those on Social Security, Disability and Veterans benefits.
What does our government do to help the unemployed? It’s increasing the unemployment tax for businesses and plans to stop extensions for those running out of benefits again, sometimes for the 5th or 6th time. What happens to the masses of unemployed NOT getting their benefits?
Objectively, what is going to happen to the middle class in the U.S.? The middle class once held the largest number of American citizens. Today, it is nearing extinction.
Furthermore, job outsourcing is killing average Americans, along with lax immigration laws that continue to permit employers to hire legal and illegal immigrants at a fraction of the cost of hiring American citizens.
Obama wants Americans to cross-train into other fields. He wants single moms to return to school. He wants returning veterans to go to college. We should be asking Obama, “Why?” because what good is doing that if there are no jobs with or without a degree?
In short, plain and simple: we are a mess as a nation.
We remain at the mercy of greedy, powerful and disrespectful leaders in government and commerce. The groups in Washington, DC form a Legislative Mob. They are viciously pillaging American citizens and are destroying our once-great nation.
We are out of control. We are becoming more like the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Historically, such cities and civilizations crumbled and decayed. They vanished from the face of the earth.
It is questionable whether we can return to some semblance of stability and normality. Look at our TV programs and even how we drive. Look at our impatience, hostility and disregard for one another.
Look at all the political and corporate games that enable governors like Sarah Palin and Rick Perry, or Senators like John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi to gain such power and control over our lives. These people have myopic vision and it trickles down to middle class voters – at least, the ones who vote.
I’m sorry to rant here, but where the heck did our nation go? Where is our self-respect and respect for all of our American virtues and priorities? Where is the respect we used to show for one another? Reality shows are causing us to lose sight of our reality!
I wish we could get rid of the Two-party system. It is killing the U.S. and is driving the middle class over a cliff to its extinction, much the way cavemen used to hunt Wooly Mammoths, which also became extinct.
In closing, I believe that the state GOP organizations AND the National GOP need to rethink more intelligently a new platform and direction, to climb out from the self-made muck that is consuming and defeating the Party’s success and survival. I think the Democrats at the state and national levels should do the same.
We are scraping out the barrel for candidates who never should be considered for the offices they run for. We need to find higher quality candidates, people with brains and who care about American communities.
I also believe that the two-party system is failing most Americans and our economic well-being. The middle class is vanishing into the significantly wealthy and the extremely poor.
I further believe we need to get rid of all parties and simply vote for the BEST person for each position.
We need to limit significantly or eliminate excessive campaign contributions so that wealthy lobbyists, corporations and/or individuals can NOT purchase the best government money can buy.
Then, we need term limitations. Any elected official gets 2 terms max! After 2 terms THEY ARE GONE! Like crop rotation. Call it my LIP – Legislator Incentive Plan!
Think about it. All these suggestions will ensure that we can maintain a continuous flow of fresh, honest and ambitious slew of elected officials who will NOT be bought and who will perform their duties in the best interests of the community they serve within a 2-term limit!
Foremost, Americans need jobs!
If we continue to do little or nothing, the middle class will remain a doomed species, with its extinction in the near future.
Peter Stern, a former director of information services, university professor and public school administrator, is a disabled Vietnam veteran who lives in Driftwood, Texas.
