NINE TIME ZONES OF OPPORTUNITY
Posted December 13, 2016
While it may be a bit too early to make any judgments as to the direction Donald Trump will take the nation, his initial Cabinet picks certainly seem to suggest some key points in that regard.
First, de-regulation could be his priority, as suggested by his picks for Justice, Education, Energy and the EPA. Second, the profit motive being upper-most in Trump’s mind, consider his choice of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State.
In doing so, Trump has perhaps revealed why he has so assiduously courted Putin’s relationship during the past campaign. Putin presides over a nation of nine(9) time zones. That means 9 time-zones worth of drillable, frackable land mass for Exxon Mobil.
And for Trump? Nine time zones worth of golf courses, hotels and resorts. And by the way, if the frozen tundra that constitutes a good bit of Mother Russia’s acreage is a concern, one might wonder if global warming could solve the problem. This just might explain the President-elect’s recent change of heart on climate change.
Is there any reason to believe that this could be a factor in Trump’s thinking about these appointments? Are these connected in any way?
While we do not know the answer at this time, one thing seems certain: as the nine time zones are developed, not one American job will be created.
So much for “change in America” by “draining the swamp”.
VIOLENCE IN AMERICA: ARE THE POLICE THE PROBLEM?
Posted June 11, 2016
This article addresses the turmoil being experienced in the USA in respect to police violence, specifically in regard to the rash of shootings that have occurred recently.
I do not believe that police are the primary cause of violence in this country and I say this due to lessons learned as a result of a terrible tragedy my family experienced in 1994 when our precious daughter Renée was murdered in Chicago. As awful as it was we had the benefit of some wonderful police work and I have as a result acquired nothing but respect for the men & women in blue who put their lives on the line each and every day trying to keep us safe.
Instead we must look deeper—take a look at what America has become. Our inner cities have become war zones, cesspools of crime, violence, hopelessness and despair. Then we take a bunch of young guys¸ give them a uniform and a badge and expect them to go out and solve the problems that we – all of us – have created.
And so the problems fester. Until we –all of us—begin to take responsibility for the solution to the uniquely American violence phenomenon, today’s problems, as bad as they are, can only get worse.
A STUNNED NATION MOURNS — AGAIN!
Posted June 28, 2016
Do we have the will to face the truth about gun violence? Only time will tell. But first, we must dispel some myths:
First, to the NRA’s clarion call in response to the Newtown massacre: “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun”! Really? There wasn’t just “a good guy” with a gun in Dallas, there were multiple good guys with guns. Now five of them are dead and eight wounded. And the good guys simply weren’t able to stop the slaughter due primarily to the element of surprise, which always accrues to the advantage of the “bad guy”.
Second, let’s finally dispense with the notion that the problem rests with our nation’s inadequate system of mental health. Every nation on earth has difficulty dealing with mental health issues and we are no worse off in that respect than anyone else. The difference is that in America, people with mental health problems have access to whatever murder weapon their hearts could ever desire. In that respect, the USA stands alone! Statistics make the point clearly: the gun death rate in America is many times what it is in other developed countries.
So it’s about time to face up to the need to do something about guns—and if Congress won’t do it, then let’s make the wholesale change in November that has been needed for some time now.