Debates: Questions I Would Have Asked
Monday’s Presidential debates are the grand finale of three. I saw the types of questions Bob Schieffer was scheduled to ask and had a problem with it, so I sent him an e-mail. Here it is:
Mr. Schieffer,
I would like to suggest that you change the questions you plan to ask during the third debate in order to bring to the forefront some of the things happening in America that the mainstream media prefers to ignore and to really determine how the candidates think and what they actually know. The current proposed questions will only result in a rehash of rhetoric that is highly speculative and is virtually meaningless to American voters.
I suggest questions such as these:
Does British Petroleum have unnecessary influence over HAARP at its various locations throughout the world and therefore the U.S. Navy?
Can you explain the functions of the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) and its influence on the rise in number of major earthquakes worldwide?
Since there is now proof that the 2004 Presidential election was stolen from John Kerry, do you think that former President Bush and Karl Rove should face prosecution because of their influence on this illegal act?
The 911 Truth Movement has proved that the attacks did not happen as the White House report suggests and the demolition of the buildings was staged in advance. Would you be in favor of a new independent study of this turning point in American history to bring the parties responsible to justice?
To one: Name the first 10 presidents of the United States, in order.
To the next: Name the second 10 presidents of the United States in order.
At what stage do you think the American populace should be told about the incidence of Fukushima radiation entering our country. Now, or after people start to die from it?
Will you be willing to sign an Honesty Bond prior to the election stating that you will step down immediately if, upon election, campaign promises are not kept?
If elected, will you continue to support the use of Drones to kill innocent women and children in foreign countries?
If elected, will you cease the use of executive orders?
If elected, will you promote vigorously a complete audit of the Federal Reserve System and then champion its closing?
If elected, will you redefine all government agencies to eliminate suboptimization, corruption, and abuses of power?
If elected, will you cause independent investigations of each agency of government, including Wall Street, and allow punishment for all crimes that goes beyond financial payoffs and includes incarceration?
If elected, will you actively work to eliminate the use of GMO products in the United States?
If elected, will you see to it that companies that send jobs overseas are fined?
If elected, will you immediately resign from your political party and stand on your own two feet?
If elected, will you immediately see to it that all individuals who have outsmarted the tax system by setting up accounts overseas are fined and prosecuted for robbing from the United States?
Mr. Schieffer, I could list a lot more. I realize that CBS is a very strong pro-war organization and this e-mail will probably not cross your desk, but I am one of the many journalists who are outraged that only “safe” questions with answers that follow party line responses are asked.
I wish you would put the candidates on the spot with these straight-forward questions, so that we can get an idea of which candidate has any guts.
If I were in your shoes, I would throw out the scheduled questions and say that I am ready to get down and dirty to determine what the candidates really think and how aware they are of what America thinks.
If you ask these questions you will become the number one journalist in the world.
About me: I am W. Leon Smith, publisher of The Lone Star Iconoclast, an online independent publication that got its start in Crawford, Texas. My web address is www.iconoclastnews.com.
Respectfully,
W. Leon Smith
UPDATE: After the debate Monday, I sent this e-mail to Mr. Schieffer:
Mr. Schieffer,
Regarding Monday’s debate, you dumped journalistic integrity down the toilet. What a waste of everyone’s time! You are simply a shill for the CBS pro-war machine. That became abundantly clear. At least the Giants and the Cardinals played hardball. You didn’t.
W. Leon Smith
The Lone Star Iconoclast
Newsom: Fair Tax Plan Important
Dear Editor,
The unemployment report at 7.8% with 32 days left before the election gives a false impression. Not counted were those who have stopped looking for a job, unemployment is closer to 14% with over 23,000,000 Americans unemployed or underemployed.
More people are looking to the Fair Tax Plan to solve this nation’s economic woes. It would
(1) give every worker their full paycheck
(2) permit businesses to compete in the world market without having to pay high taxes
(3) Require all the current tax dodgers to pay their fair share.
Any doubters this would work need only think what would happen if everyone has their full paycheck to put back into the economy and if every business and individual did not have to pay federal income taxes or report anything to the IRS ever again.
For more information: fairtax.org.
Roy T Newsom, Granbury, Texas
Moskowitz: Trade Agreement To Hurt U.S.
The Obama administration is currently negotiating another free trade agreement, which will increase the likelihood of awarding federal contracts to foreign companies located on the Pacific Rim. Countries in Southeast Asia will benefit by the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), add jobs, while the U.S. could lose more manufacturing jobs.
If the TPP is approved by Congress, a provision in the agreement will ban “Buy American” requirements in federal government contracts. Over the past 80 years U.S. companies have received needed help in securing federal contracts due to “Buy American” provisions stipulated in the contracts.
In 2011 the Obama administration supported three so called fair trade agreements originally negotiated by the Bush administration. The policies of Bush and Obama have strengthened manufacturing operations in foreign countries and have led to the movement of U.S. jobs overseas. The TPP agreement would mean the U.S. could eliminate any tariffs on goods from the Asia-Pacific countries, which could cost more U.S. manufacturing jobs.
We have to make it more attractive for U.S. companies to keep jobs in this country. Maybe then we will decrease unemployment from near 8% to a more respectable 4% level and decrease our trade deficits with foreign countries.
Donald A. Moskowitz, Londonderry, NH
Terrell: Eliminate Fed Reserve With Sales Tax
There is one thing that would, for certain, jump-start the U S economy and create MANY JOBS. Expect career politicians and congressional lobbyists to resist it mightily. The reason; its adoption would adversely affect all their pocket books and seriously diminish congress’s power over and control of American citizens. It’s called The FairTax.
The FairTax is a “consumption” tax; a national sales tax. The IRS would be annihilated; nobody pays income tax anymore and no payroll taxes paid by businesses or employees. Every earner keeps ALL THEY HAVE EARNED! The price of all American made goods would drop by an estimated 22%. That is the figure researchers estimate the income tax and the payroll taxes add to the cost of everything produced in America.
The national sales tax rate would be 23%. So there’s no increase in cost-of-living for Americans. But economists estimate that in the first year after the FairTax becomes law, the economy will grow over 10%, exports will grow by 26% and capital spending will increase over 70%. There are many additional advantages of the FairTax! Read The FairTax Book to learn much more.
Then ask your congressional candidates about The FairTax and insist they support it!
Glen Terrell, Arlington, Texas
Whole New Ballgame 10 Years From Now
Madame Jame Predicts:
A Whole New Ballgame 10 Years From Now
http://jpstillwater.blogspot.com/2012/09/madame-jane-predicts-whole-new-ballgame.html
“You think that the Giants are gonna be in the World Series this year?” I asked Madame Jane, our local fortuneteller.
“Probably.”
“And also what about 10 years from now?” I’m a die-hard Giants fan.
“Nope. Not a chance. Everything is going to be real different around here in 10 years. Ten years from now, no one will be able to afford $50 a ticket. But there will be other advantages,” M.J. went on to say. “Instead of watching others play baseball, we’ll be out there playing baseball ourselves.”
“Not even watching it on TV?”
“TV will be toast.” Apparently, instead of watching “Survivor,” we will be living “Survivor” 10 years from now. Good grief.
But what else should I ask Madame Jane? “Will Wall Street and war profiteers still be running the U.S.A.?”
“What U.S.A.?”
“How about agribusiness?”
“You will take a stick, punch a hole in the ground and drop in a seed. That will be your agribusiness 10 years from now.”
Too “Little Red Hen” for me!
“But what about L-O-V-E?” I asked next.
“Love? Love? That’s too Christ-like,” she replied. “Love is for hippies and commies. Ten years from now, Christian, Jewish and Muslim extremist madmen will be ruling the day. And we all know that their main message is H-A-T-E.
“And what about children and music and art?”
“We will still have those. We will always have those — as long as human beings have souls. You, however, might have to practice your fiddle underground. But that’s okay because we’ll all be living underground by then due to radiation anyway.”
And all this will be happening to us in just 10 short years? “Hey, don’t blame me. I’m just the messenger.” Then who should I blame? “Right now Americans have allowed a bunch of corporate predators to take over our government — cheered on by a bunch of bozos and sheep who believe everything they see on TV.” Ah, campaign ads.
PS: There appears to be two kinds of Christians, Muslims and Jews — those who believe in killing other human beings for fun and profit and those who do not. I myself stand firmly with those who do not.
PPS: If I were suddenly gifted with super-powers, the first thing that I’d do would be to destroy every single weapon in the world more dangerous than a baseball bat. Then Madam Jane’s current ten-year prediction would never come true.
PPPS: The U.S. intervention in Iran and Lebanon in the 1970s was a disaster that led to putting Islamic extremists in power over there. The U.S. intervention in Afghanistan in the 1980s was another disaster that put Islamic extremists in power over there, too.
The U.S. intervention in the Gulf in the 1990s helped keep Islamic extremists in power over there as well. The U.S. intervention in Iraq in the 2000s gave Islamic extremists a huge advantage there too. And now, in the 2010s, the U.S. interventions in Libya and Syria are putting Islamic extremists in power over there too. Currently there are approximately 250,000 Islamic extremist madmen running around Libya that have been armed to the teeth by NATO with weapons paid for by corporate-owned America.
There’s a moral here somewhere.
Perhaps Madame Jane is correct in predicting that the U.S. is going to Hell in a hand-basket sooner than we think.
PPPPS: Now I finally understand why the greedy 1% are always trying to push charter schools down our throats whether we want them or not — charter schools are non-union! Just another way of obtaining cheap labor. http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2012-09-07/article/40160?headline=Berkeley-Schools-the-Billionaires-and-the-New-Superintendent-News-Analysis—By-Thomas-Lord
PPPPPS: I’ll be going off to Ohio in October. No, not to watch the Republicans steal yet another presidential election there — but to attend BoucherCon http://bouchercon2012.com/, an annual murder-mystery writers’ and fans’ convention being held in Cleveland this year. See you there?
And perhaps Madame Jane will be there also — and perhaps she might even be talked into predicting YOUR future too.
Taxpayers Finance Perry Italian Vacation
Taxpayers are supposed to believe that Rick Perry and Anita Perry were in Italy for one week only to promote the F1 race. Yes, we all know what a boon to the economy Formula 1 racetrack will be for Texas and wealthy entrepreneurs.
However, what a con job Perry is performing in front of hardworking and hardly-working Texans to milk more money from taxpayers so Perry and the missus get a free week-long Italian vacation.
Isn’t it difficult enough to fathom that Texas governor Rick Perry is the highest paid PART TIME governor in the nation? Haven’t taxpayers been ravaged enough by their frivolous and uncaring governor?
When will Texans become fed up with the Governor’s ongoing costly shenanigans, see wealthy special interest driven Perry for what he is and then come out in droves to vote in a better candidate for governor?
Peter Stern, Driftwood, Texas
An Early Winter In Ashtabula
Trees are barely frosted with the brilliance of autumn colors, yet the clouds and rain had surprised everyone in Chi-Gong class. “It’s more like winter than September one student said, ” shaking off the drenching received during the walk from her car, sans umbrella.
Chi, also spelled Qi is generally translated as life energy, life force, or energy flow. Qi is the central focus, the underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts, such as Tai Chi. Gong, also spelled kung, translates as cultivation or work. Together, the two words describe systems to cultivate and balance life energy, especially for health.
Students flow through the class in dribbles, some returning faithfully each Tuesday and Thursday.. Alice has been coming, she says, for years. Henry Story was the first teacher. Now, he is back in class moving slowly but with great focus and concentration.
The roots of the practice date back in ancient Chinese culture more than 4,000 years. Many varieties of Chi-Gong developed in different parts of Chinese society. Traditional Chinese medicine applied the practices for its preventative and curative power. Confucianism applied the same understandings to promote longevity and improve moral character. Practices also include meditation and well known forms of martial arts.
Catherine McKibbin is teaching there now.
In Santa Barbara, Calif. a spontaneous classes also take place in local parks, where in the first dim hours of the morning you see figures moving in the mist, following the ancient forms. These classes take place without a word spoken. They began from the solitary practice of one man, who daily used the park himself, preferring to follow this form of active meditation with his bare feet touching the earth, in a place designed for beauty, and solitude. The last time I walked by, dawn just glazing the mountains in the east, eight figures were following his moves.
Yesterday afternoon a package arrived in my mailbox. Opening it, I found a DVD titled, “Five Element Tai Chi – Medicine for the Organs,” sent by Kathleen Boisen, Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Kathleen asked me to review it.
Last Tuesday, Alice recommended Jade Garden, in Madison. When I walked in, three hours later, she was there.
We live in a world filled with threads of human action, connecting us in ways which may surprise and enrich us. These bring us closer despite considerations of time and distance.
