Meet the Man Who Hopes to Reverse Legal Marijuana in America

Good Day World!

The man in this photo is trying to reverse all medical marijuana laws (23 states and DC) and legal recreational cannabis laws in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon.

His name is James Wootton, and he doesn’t give a damn about the positive aspects of marijuana. He could care less that the majority of Americans want legalized cannabis.

He could give a rat’s ass about what voters want. His personal crusade is to turn the clock back on all marijuana advancements made in the last decade. He cloaks his reason for this by claiming he’s saving America’s youth.

Forget the fact that alcohol kills more young Americans (and old) every year than pot. There’s zero pot deaths every year. That should tell the story to any reasonable person about which choice is more dangerous.

But Wootton doesn’t care. He shucks off facts like fleas on a dogs back. Here’s his online petition:

Lawsuit to Block the Legalization of Marijuana

His tact of using the U.S. Constitution to make his case is a manipulation of legalese coming from a strong conservative viewpoint.

Regardless of Wootton’s interpretation, States do have rights. Voters in those states have rights. The fact that one man is leading the campaign against pot tells you something. He’s not representing the majority of Americans.

Wootton could care less however. He’s using a federal law crafted to fight the mob to give marijuana opponents a new strategy in their battle to stop the expanding industry: racketeering lawsuits.

Wootton’s assault began by suing a Colorado pot shop and a laundry list of firms doing business with it — from its landlord and accountant to the Iowa bonding company guaranteeing its tax payments.

One by one, the defendants (afraid of massive legal fees) agreed to stop doing business with Medical Marijuana of the Rockies. That resulted in the business closing its doors. The owners had to sell off their pot at fire-sale prices.

With another lawsuit pending in southern Colorado, the cases represent a new approach to fighting marijuana. If the federal government won't stop its expansion, pot opponents say, federal racketeering lawsuits could.

Marijuana is legal under state laws. Wootton and cronies are claiming any marijuana business is organized crime under a loose definition of the RICO act.

The last time I looked, voters don’t vote for drug lords. By criminalizing all the people who can now legally use marijuana, Wootton hopes to stake a place out for himself in history.

Much like that ass Harry J. Anslinger who was responsible for making marijuana illegal in America in the first place after campaigning against it for seven years (1930-1937). The lies he spread are still told today. And they were lies.

Wootton continues in the same tradition.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

What Scott Walker and Andrew Carnegie Have in Common

Good Day World!

Presidential wannabe, Scott Walker, has something in common with Andrew Carnegie.

Both thought worker’s shouldn’t have any rights.

In Walker’s latest attack on Wisconsin workers he took away their guarantee of one day off per week. Now employers can force people to work seven days a week!

It’s hard to believe Wisconsin is even in today’s America. Walker, as governor, has turned the clock back more than a 100 years when American workers literally had no rights.  

His union busting has helped employers keep wages down to a minimum.

In 2012 Walker took away workers collective bargaining rights. Like Carnegie, he believes workers don’t deserve a living wage, forcing them into an endless cycle of poverty.

The amendment that Walker introduced dismantled a rule that had been in place since 1927, guaranteeing workers 24 hours off a week. Just another example of Walker administration's efforts to roll back worker protections.

Classical economists saw labor as commodity, to be bought and sold according to market demands. Walker is obviously a follower of that theory.

When Andrew Carnegie saw the move toward cooperation as opposed to competition he lamented “…the destruction of individualism, private property and the law of accumulation is upon us.”

The difference between Carnegie and Walker is that Carnegie finally figured out he’d been a bastard when it came to business and how he treated workers. During the last 18 years of Carnegie’s life, he gave away $350 million to charities, foundations, and universities.

Don’t expect Walker to wise up however. He doesn’t give away money, he collects it, and cronies in the form of PACs collect it for him.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

Fringe elements in Texas are sure martial law will be declared today

Good Day World!

Texas under martial law.

U.S. troops patrolling chaotic streets.

Detention and rounding up of citizens.

FEMA trains that oddly enough look like the trains that the Nazis used in WW II.

A labyrinth of tunnels built under Walmart stores for military attacks on civilians.

A dictatorship under President Barack Obama.

Sound crazy?

Not to some conservative extremists in Texas.

The Texas Republican Party platform has long reflected concerns over federal and international overreach, with calls for a U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations and the elimination of the Federal Reserve.

When a U.N. agency named the Alamo, the location of a famed 1836 battle in the fight for Texas Independence, a World Heritage Site earlier this month, some Texans saw the move as a prelude to an international takeover.

What’s really frying some Texan’s grits is planned military training drills in the West and Southwest, including in the Lone Star state.

The U.S. Army Special Operations Command exercise, called Jade Helm 15, has brought these fears to a crescendo. Some of the exercises, scheduled from July 15 to Sept. 15, will be held in this city located east of Austin.

FACT

Jade Helm will be held on public and private land, with the permission of landowners. The military said Army Special Operations Forces will train in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado, with the terrain intended to replicate areas where soldiers find themselves operating overseas.

RESPONSE

In a move a Dallas Morning News editorial called "cringe-worthy," Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, said he would dispatch the Texas State Guard to monitor Jade Helm to make sure it does not impinge on Texans' freedom.

Really? Apparently, the fringe element extends all the way to the Governor’s office.

Perhaps, because Texas is such a large state, it’s just a matter of odds – more people, more fringe lunatics. Whatever the reasons, conspiracy theories outnumber jackrabbits in Texas.

You don’t see the other states involved in the exercise going crazy with outrageous accusations. That’s because they’re in touch with reality, unlike the fringe elements in Texas.

The Lone Star state stands alone when it comes to crazy theories, and crazier responses to unfounded accusations.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

Tunnel Tech: Mexican Cartels, U.S. Border Patrol Wage Underground War

    Afternoon update…new story                                

                                      Good Day World!

Mexican authorities have been searching frantically for the notorious drug kingpin known as "El Chapo” after his astonishing, elaborate escape from a maximum-security prison.

In a devastating embarrassment for the Mexican government, the kingpin, Joaquin Guzman, slipped into a shaft through the shower floor of his prison cell and got away in a mile-long, ventilated tunnel outfitted with a motorbike.

When it comes to tunnel tech, Mexicans have become experts.

According to the U.S.Border patrol there are four general methods for detecting tunnels:

Seismic activity (low frequency digging noises and tunnel transit noises)

Magnetic Anomaly (electrical power lines in the tunnel, metal digging tools or metal shoring)

Acoustic Activity (higher frequency noises)

Density Anomalies (the tunnel is a hole and so the amount of earth below the surface changes when you dig a tunnel)

MEETING THE CHALLENGE

One of the best ways to find a tunnel is to make a history of the area and then compare that history with what you initially found.

What is required is to first benchmark the border in such detail that any tunnel large enough to pose a threat can be recorded. The tunnel detector won't know that it found a tunnel, it will just record what it "saw."

Once a history is recorded for the border area of interest then new scans will show changes which would hint at something that is very likely to be a tunnel.

Some tunnels can be 3,000 feet long, three feet wide and seven feet high with concrete floors, railroad rails, electric lights, water pumps, and Port a-Potties half way along the tunnel.

Such tunnels are very deep.

Another good way to detect these tunnels is to detect not the tunnel, but the dirt being hauled away.

If you have a line array of seismic sensors and you listen to all the noises that are coming from south of the border then it is pretty easy to detect the thumps of trucks full of dirt driving over bumps.

By using several sensors it is possible to "point" to the spot where all those bump noises are happening. If this system determines that somebody must be building a ten story building and all that's on the site is a one story wooden house, then TUNNEL might leap to mind.

The best way - according to DHS in their instructions to border people - to find tunnels is to drive your vehicle over the ground and when your wheel falls in a hole, you have discovered a tunnel (really).

Despite the tunnel tech methods I’ve described drug cartels continue to make them by countering with their own methods – adapting after every discovery. So why do they even bother with tunnels?

Simple. Because they’re the cheapest (and safest) way to smuggle drugs and contraband into our country today.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Two Presidential Candidates to Avoid If You’re Pro-Marijuana

Good Day World!

Democratic and Republican candidates running for the presidency have stated their positions on medical and recreational marijuana legalization numerous times in the past.

Now someone has put together a guide detailing what presidential candidates think about marijuana legalization – both recreational and medical.

The folks at the Marijuana Policy Project have released their Voters Guide to the 2016 Presidential Race, detailing the candidates’ positions on marijuana policy.

They even gave them grades. The two worst grades given out – to no one’s surprise - went to Chris Christie and Rick Santorum.

Christie has even gone so far to say he’d turn the clock back on all of the progress made toward legalizing marijuana. 

Chris Christie

The New Jersey governor not only opposes marijuana legalization, but has spoken out repeatedly against states that have legalized it. He opposed the New Jersey medical marijuana law, which was passed before he became governor, and has hampered its effectiveness with strict limitations he has imposed.

Christie on marijuana policy:

"[Marijuana legalization]’s not gonna come while I’m here … See if you want to live in a major city in Colorado where there’s head shops popping up on every corner and people flying into your airport just to come and get high. To me, it’s just not the quality of life we want to have here in the state of New Jersey and there’s no tax revenue that’s worth that." —International Business Times, July 25, 2014

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[In response to the question,"If you were president, how would you treat states that have legalized marijuana?"] "Probably not well. Not well, but we’ll see. We’ll have to see what happens." —Huffington Post, June 20, 2014

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[When asked if he would enforce federal marijuana laws in states that have legalized and regulated marijuana:] "Absolutely, I will crack down and not permit it." …States should not be permitted to sell it and profit [from legalizing marijuana]." —Huffington Post, April 14, 2015

Rick Santorum

The former US senator from Pennsylvania rejects marijuana legalization for any purpose, does not believe states have the right to set their own pot policies, and supports enforcing federal drug laws even in states that have voted to legalize it.

Santorum on marijuana and drug policy:

"I think Colorado is violating the federal law. And if we have controlled substances, they’re controlled substances for a reason. The federal law is there for a reason, and the states shouldn’t have the option to violate federal law. As Abraham Lincoln said, you know, states don’t have the right to wrong." —HughHewitt.com, April 16, 2015

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"The federal government does have a role in making sure that drug use—that states don’t go out and legalize drugs. That there are drugs that are hazardous to people, that do cause great harm to the individual as well as society to the whole.

And the federal government has a role in making sure those drugs are not in this country and not available and that people who use them illegally are held accountable. Ideally states should enforce these laws but the federal government has a role because it is a public health issue for the country." —Santorum campaign event, Jan. 9, 2012.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

Cruz Caught Cheating, His Book Got Buying Bumps From PACS

    Good Day World!

Getting caught cheating is not a path to the presidency. Its something presidential hopeful Ted Cruz needs to learn.

The New York Times has refused to put his bestseller on their list after finding evidence that his book sales were not authentic.

“According to New York Times spokesperson Eileen Murphy, “In the case of Cruz’s book, the overwhelming preponderance of evidence was that sales were limited to strategic bulk purchases.”

Strategic bulk purchases is a polite way of saying that Cruz, his super PAC, or organization that he cut a deal with, bought the books in bulk to inflate his sales numbers and land him on the bestseller list.

Republicans have been using this tactic for years. Sarah Palin had her super PAC buy $64,000 worth of her books in 2010.

Mitt Romney landed on the bestseller list by declining speaking fees and forcing universities to buy tens of thousands of copies of his book.

Ben Carson’s “bestseller” was fueled by a pro-Carson super PAC buying up $150,000 of his books.

Bestseller list rigging appears to be a uniquely Republican phenomenon. President Obama became a legitimate best-selling author, the same goes for former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.” (source)

For more about how tactics are used by right-wing groups to pressure the media and spread misinformation to the public read The Republican Noise Machine

Republican candidates have been gaming bestseller lists for years, but list makers like The New York Times are beginning to catch on, much to the chagrin of people like Ted Cruz.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Gangsters are a bigger threat than international terrorists

Good Day World

Make no mistake, more Americans are killed by gangsters than from international terrorists.

According to FBI statistics there’s 33,000 violent street gangs, motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs with about 1.4 million members are criminally active in the U.S. today.

Many are sophisticated and well organized; all use violence to control neighborhoods and boost their illegal money-making activities, which include robbery, drug and gun trafficking, fraud, extortion, and prostitution rings.

The number of gangs in the U.S. is on the rise across the country, as is gang-related violence, with no sign that it will let up anytime soon, according to a leading expert.

The gangsters continue to get younger. A fatal shooting allegedly carried out by a baby-faced 12-year-old named Jarrell Milton is the most recent example of gang violence in Nebraska.

Experts all agree that the problem remains a generational one: Gang members raising their children into the lifestyle.

In addition, gangs are using the allure of hip hop stardom to draw recruits. Slickly produced music videos uploaded online show members counting money, cooking drugs and flashing firearms.

To get a current overview of gang activity throughout the country go to the National Gang Center website.

ON THE NATIONAL SCENE

Gang Violence Is on the Rise, Even as Overall Violence Declines

No city is safe from gangs.

While Washington DC deals with multiple neighborhood-based street crews that could span just three blocks, surrounding suburbs are homes to chapters of national gangs, such as Bloods and MS-13.

In the Virginia suburbs, “every town, every city, every county is at risk,” said Robert Vilchez, Arlington County Regional Gang Task Force coordinator. “Nobody is immune from this gang problem.”

The only way to really address our national gang problem is to break the generational gang ties. That’s going to take education and dedication from the communities riddled with gangs.

This idea is nothing new. There’s individual programs in communities that attempt to steer children away from a life of crime, but they are often limited by scant funds and participation from families.

The gang culture has to change. As long as gangsters are idolized by youngsters, they will continue to recruit them through the media, online videos, and from within gang families.

Perhaps that’s why I look at these gangs as domestic terrorists, and more of a threat to our society than international terrorists. 

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

Clueless comments common in presidential campaign

  Good Day World!

It’s absolutely amazing to hear some of the world-class out-of-touch comments coming from political candidates these days.

One of my recent favorites came from Jeb Bush when he told New Hampshire’s The Union Leader that to grow the economy, “…people should work longer hours.”

He later went on to clarify his comment (something he has had to do a lot of since declaring his candidacy). In a statement, a Bush aide clarified that he was referring to the underemployed and part-time workers.

Jeb isn’t the only clueless candidate.

Without a doubt, Donald Trump epitomizes clueless when it comes to politics and what Americans want in a leader. The guy is a joke, but Republicans aren’t laughing because he’s burning their brand with comments such as calling Mexican immigrants, "rapists" and "killers."

The quotes that really rang the bell were Trump’s claiming to have “…a great relationship with the Mexican people.” And, that he was going to “win the Latino vote” in the 2016 presidential election!

Then we have the following:

Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon who believes the human brain is too complex for anyone but God, and who compares gays to child molesters.

“Well, my thoughts are that marriage is between a man and a woman. It's a well-established, fundamental pillar of society and no group, be they gays, be they NAMBLA, be they people who believe in bestiality. It doesn't matter what they are.”

Rand Paul, an ophthalmologist who refuses to talk about the age of the Earth and who thinks people in government are after him.

Paul didn’t help his credibility as a presidential candidate by declaring, during his Monday Senate speech against National Security Agency counterterrorism surveillance, that “people here in town think I’m making a huge mistake. Some of them, I think, secretly want there to be an attack on the United States so they can blame it on me.”

Marco Rubio, a man who doesn’t believe in climate change (despite the opinion of 97% of the world’s climate experts), or that man contributes to it.

“Our climate is always changing,” he said, noting that human activity has nothing to do with it and that any efforts to do something about it “will destroy our economy.”

Ted Cruz, a Harvard-trained lawyer beloved by creationists. He flat-out doesn’t believe in climate change.

Cruz is convinced the whole thing is a hoax. “The last 15 years, there has been no recorded warming,” he told CNN earlier this year. “Contrary to all the theories that they are expounding, there should have been warming over the last 15 years. It hasn’t happened.”

Anyway, I could go on and on, but this is enough for today.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Message to Millennials: Ear Buds Aren’t Your Buds!

                                         Good Day World!

Now hear this…

Pull those ear buds out before it’s too late!

Doctors warn that a steady onslaught of loud noise, particularly through ear buds, is damaging the hearing of a generation wired for sound — although they may not realize it for years.

Earlier this year the World Health Organization warned that 1.1 billion young people are at risk of hearing loss because of personal audio devices, such as smartphones, and damaging levels of sound at entertainment venues like electronic dance music festivals, where noise levels can top 120 decibels for hours, according to an NBC report.

"Probably the largest cause [of hearing damage] is millennials using iPods and [smartphones]," says Dr. Sreekant Cherukuri, an ear, nose, and throat specialist from Munster, Indiana.

Hearing loss among today's teens is about 30 percent higher than in the 1980s and 1990s, Cherukuri estimates.

"You (once) had a Walkman with two AA batteries and headphone thongs that went over your ears," he told NBC News.

"At high volume, the sound was so distorted and the battery life was poor. Nowadays, we have smart phones that are extremely complex computers with high-level fidelity."

Cherukuri tells young patients to stop wearing headphones — especially earbuds, which place the sound closer to the ear drum, enhancing volume by as much as 9 decibels.

According to the National Institutes of Health, repeated exposure to sound over 85 decibels can cause hearing loss. Permanent damage can happen in minutes, experts say, and when the damage is done, it's irreversible.

"Noise exposure in kids is a growing concern," said Nicole Raia, a clinical audiologist at University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey.

Raia said she sees more tinnitus in young people, an early sign of hearing loss, but, "we don't catch them until they are in their 20s and 30s."

A study published in 2014 revealed that nerve synapses can be more vulnerable to damage than hair cells in the inner ear.

WHAT TO DO

Experts say the best way to protect young ears is to apply the "60/60" rule: Keep the volume on the MP3 player under 60 percent and only listen for a maximum of 60 minutes a day.

When using headphones in a noisy place like a school bus or subway, the tendency is the turn the volume up, so use headphones that cover up outside noise.

How is your hearing? Take this online audio test

Time for me to walk on down the road…

A 3-D printed car, 5-story apartment building, and other amazing 3-D products

"3D-Printed-Building-5641" by EdytaZwirecka - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:3D-Printed-Building-5641.jpg#/media/File:3D-Printed-Building-5641.jpg

                                       Good Day World!

In the 1960s it was – “Beam me up Scotty.”

In 2016, it will be “Go ahead and 3-D me a car please.” 

I wondered where 3-D technology would go when I first read about it in 2010. What’s amazing is how fast 3-D printing has become commercial. It seems literally anything can be 3-D printed.

Some examples:

Startup Local Motors plans to get into the automotive industry next year when it launches what it promises will be the world's first 3D printed car.

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A Chinese company has successfully 3-D printed a five-story apartment building and a 1,100 square meter villa from a special print material.

World's first 3D-printed apartment building constructed in China

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The 3-D Printing In Zero-G Technology Demonstration (3D Printing In Zero-G) experiment by NASA demonstrates that a 3-D printer works normally in space. In general, a 3-D printer extrudes streams of heated plastic, metal or other material, building layer on top of layer to create 3 dimensional objects.

3D Printing In Zero-G Technology Demonstration (3D Printing In Zero-G)

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What Can 3D Printing Do? Here Are 6 Creative Examples

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What’s next? Are you wondering what’s coming up in the 3-D printer world?

Here’s Five big 3D printing trends to shape the year ahead

Time for me to walk on down the road…

The New Normal: Why I feel like a dinosaur

Good Day World!

I feel like a dinosaur sometimes.

Try to imagine the following scene:

Your standing on the steps of the New York Public Library watching three fat nude women getting their bodies painted by an artist.   

Nearby, little children, and their parents, check out this blatant act of public nudity with curiosity…and not much more.

This event actually happened.

The event was organized by Kimberly Massengill — who goes by the name of Substantia Jones — to mark the eighth anniversary of the Adipositivity Project, which celebrates fat bodies and works to combat sexism.

Okay. So this is supposed to be a good thing.

When I was growing up this same scenario would have been viewed quite differently. All three women, and the artist, would have been arrested for public indecency. Parents would have covered their children eyes up and hoped they weren’t scarred for the rest of their lives.

As my fellow baby boomers and I fade away into history, it’s not without a sense of wonderment, and disgust, at how some things have changed. The new normal has no limits.

I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I just know that once you cross some boundaries there’s no turning back. Like the dinosaurs.

Time for me to walk on down the road… 

When You Know Things are Going Wrong : 3 Brief Stories

                                            Good Day World!

The following three stories that I’ve selected to share with you today go under the category – When You Know Things Are Going Wrong…

1) Things haven’t been going well for the Iraqi Army – their ability to fight ISIS has been called into question numerous times. Think Ramadi. They had 10 times as many soldiers as their ISIS attackers but they fled the moment they came into sight.

How much worse could it be than that?

How about bombing themselves? An Iraqi military plane returning from a raid targeting ISIS positions mistakenly dropped a bomb on a Baghdad neighborhood on Monday, killing or wounded at least 16 residents, according to an NBC report.

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2) There were more than 2,000 shootings in Chicago last year, and the city is on pace for more this year.

When You Know Things Are Going Wrong

Newspapers run weekend shooting trackers, and the July Fourth holiday numbers are stark: at least 46 people were wounded and 9 others killed — including a 7-year-old boy.

The reality for residents: everyone knows what gunfire sounds like. Families learn to stay away from windows. Parents pray for safety everyday they send their children to school.

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3) Airplanes and terrorists. No more “Friendly Skies.”

Flying anywhere in the world today involves some measure of security – from light to heavy – depending upon the country, destination, etc.

People panic at the slightest thought of a terrorist on board (or waiting to board). If a person fits the description of what a terrorist should look like, sound, and say, they could be arrested.

A recent example, Meditating Portuguese actor mistaken for terrorist on Paris plane 

Sometimes it makes you wonder if the terrorists are winning.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Wow! Here’s two ways no one should have to die

Good Day World!

Warning!

The observations I make about the following two news stories may come across as heartless. It’s not intended to be, although some may disagree.

Photo – Would you set one of these mortar tubes off on your head?

The first news article is one of those cautionary tales. Read sign. Obey sign and stay safe. Ignore at your own risk.  

The owners of a private marina put up a sign warning folks not to go swimming in their stretch of the Sabine River located in Southeast Texas. If anyone wondered why, they explained they had sightings of an 11-foot alligator recently.

Local residents couldn’t miss the sign.

Despite that stern warning local resident Tommie Woodward, decided to go there for a late-night swim with a woman. The 11-foot alligator was also out for a swim. The result; the man was mauled to death. 

From the woman’s account she only jumped from a dock after he screamed for help.

Was the woman aware of the sign? Did Woodward feel lucky despite seeing the sign? Or, is it possible he wasn’t aware of the sign? Here’s the article.

The second news article defies the imagination.

Every year I hear about crazy things people do with fireworks during the 4th of July.

Accidental injuries are as common during the holiday as chicken wings and Apple pie. Sometimes the results are tragic. Very often it’s children mishandling fireworks. But the adults do their part too.

Believe it or not, a 22-year-old Maine man was killed after setting a fireworks mortar tube off on top of his head on the Fourth of July.

According to news reports Devon Staples of Calais was killed in what police described as a "bizarre" accident around 10 p.m. Saturday while drinking with friends and setting off fireworks at one of their homes on South Street.

A bizarre accident? Plain stupidity? A case for banning alcohol?

It’s hard to imagine any adult putting a firework mortar tube on their head and lighting it. But it’s true. Here’s the video/article. 

Time for me to walk on down the road…

A close look at the ways the ‘9 Supremes’ can be unduly influenced

                                 Good Day World!

I don’t begrudge the nine most powerful people in America for earning nearly a quarter of a million dollars a year. (source) Federal Judicial Center.

What concerns me about our Supreme Court Justices is all of the side gigs they have going on.

For example: free travel. The justices do not have to disclose the costs of their reimbursed travels. Anyone can pay their travel expenses to get on their good side, and not worry about the world knowing about it.

Why is that? Are the “Supreme 9” satisfied with this gap in their accountability?

They also make money on books, speaking engagements, and teaching on the side. Almost makes you wonder when they actually spend time adjudicating cases. Each of these activities are open to the possibility of influence peddling.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Read This story , it’s part of Justice Obscured. The book  lifts the veil of secrecy surrounding the financial holdings and activities of the nation’s most powerful judges.

There’s more to this story. Click here to read the rest at the Center for Public Integrity.

FACT: Majority of Supreme Court members millionaires

Related stories:

1. 5 weeks after filing, justices' finances still not public Associated Press
2. 3 Supreme Court justices maintain substantial stock holdings Associated Press
3. Supreme Court justices held stakes in companies who appeared before court MarketWatch

Time for me to walk on down the road….

4th of July: Glad To Be Free Today

On this day, also known as Independence Day, Americans across the land are celebrating in all the traditional ways: outdoor barbecues, firework displays, and leisure activities.

We are blessed to be free in this chaotic world. There’s too many repressive societies that don’t allow their citizens the freedoms we often take for granted. No country is perfect in the real world – and we have our challenges.

However, I’m still proud to say I’m an American. 

There’s all kinds of Fourth of July activities going on where I live today – check out The Medford (Oregon) Chamber of Commerce’s/Jackson County program – it’s supposed to be the biggest ever.

Interesting fact: The Fourth of July has only been a Federal holiday since 1941. Of course we were celebrating our independence as far back as the American Revolution (1775-83), but Congress never got around to making it official until 1941.

“My dream is of a place and time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope on the planet.” Abraham Lincoln

“I saw courage both in the Vietnam War and the struggle to stop it. I’ve learned that patriotism includes protest, not just military service.” John F. Kerry

Time for me to walk on down the road…

There’s 3 things you seldom see in the news

Good Day World!

There’s three things you seldom see in our mass media/social media.

In a nutshell:

1) Unbiased reporting.

2) The whole story.

3) and, management’s agenda.

About #1) To accurately identify different types of bias, you should be aware of the issues of the day, and the liberal and conservative perspectives on each issue.

Be aware:

A recent study shows that headlines can have more of an effect on a reader’s interpretation of an article than the text in the article itself – even if the whole article is read.

About #2)

When it comes to our government we seldom – if ever – get to hear the whole story. For example, check out this video: OPM Hack, ‘do we have the whole story?’

The only thing we can absolutely count on is to take whatever our government says with a grain of salt. Then research, and verify.

About #3)

On management agendas; anyone with even a shred of common sense can watch just a handful of Fox News shows and see that the entire channel is nothing more than a propaganda mechanism for the Republican party.

Pundifact found Fox News to have only told the truth 18 percent (15 of 83) of the time for the statements they checked.  And even of that 18 percent, only 8 percent of what they said was completely “True.”  The other 10 percent was rated as “Mostly True.”

It isn’t just Fox News either folks. MSNBC and CNN distort (and select) news items to fit their management agendas which are obviously liberal.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

What this country needs right now is a racist president

Good Day World!

What this country needs right now is a racist president.

Fortunately, we have one running. His name is Donald Trump.

Despite having pinatas made in his image (photo left) by Mexicans on both sides of the border, Trump claims to have a great relationship with Hispanics;

“Thousands of people over the years have worked for me from all the different the Latin countries,” he recently told reporters.

Apparently not all the Hispanics who worked with him, and for him, feel he would make a good president.

Last week, Univision, which also airs the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, announced it would end its relationship with Trump over his “insulting” remarks.

Yes, the Donald started off his bid for the presidency by calling Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists and suggested they were pouring over the border non-stop.

You can bet that will galvanize Hispanic voters to vote for him – wink! wink!

NBC announced it was cutting ties with Trump over his racists comments in which he vowed to build a wall between Mexico and the United States to keep Mexican criminals and “rapists” from crossing the border if he were elected president.

While the rest of the campaigning Republicans are looking for ways to connect with Hispanic voters, the Donald is busy accusing them of being scum. Pretty crazy strategy eh?

Here’s the scary part…according to the results of a CNN/ORC survey released Wednesday, Trump, at 12 percent, sits second behind former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (19 percent) in the race for the Republican nomination.

OMG!

The Donald managed to jump 9 points in the polls after making his racist announcement! What does that say? I’m no pollster, but it looks like some people would like to have a racist president.

Like I said earlier…fortunately – for some – the Donald looks like presidential material.

Time for me to walk on down the road… 

 

8 Interesting Things About Today

Good Day World!

Here’s eight important events that took place on this day (July 1st) in history:

1. 1905 - Albert Einstein introduces his theory of relativity.

What do you know about this famous theory? The graphics on the left will give you the real lowdown.

2. 1907 - World's 1st air force established (US Army).

The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) were the military aviation service of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, successor to the United States Army Air Corps and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force.

3. 1916 - Coca-Cola brings current coke formula to the market.

During the 1916 bottler's convention, Coke’s new contour bottle was chosen over other entries and was on the market the same year.

4. 1919 - US 1st class postage drops from 3 cents to 2 cents.

Wow! Congress actually lowered the price of a stamp. That never happened again!

5. 1923 - 1st permanent radio network-AT&T (WEAF NY & WMAF Mass).

The introduction of vacuum-tube amplification for telephone lines allowed AT&T to experiment with sending speeches to distant audiences that listened over loudspeakers.

6. 1961 – Diana, Princess of Wales, was born on this day.

Diana was born into a family of British nobility with royal ancestry as The Honorable Diana Spencer.

7. 1963 - Beatles record "She Loves You" & "I'll Get You."

"She Loves You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney for release as a single in 1963.

"I'll Get You" was written by Lennon–McCartney, and released by the Beatles as the B-side of their 1963 single "She Loves You". The song was initially titled "Get You in the End."

8. 1966 - Medicare goes into effect…

After legislation was signed by President Lyndon B Johnson – Americans started receiving Medicare health coverage. Today, Medicare continues to provide health care for those in need.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Happy Birthday Superman!

Good Day World!

“He’s faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! ("Look! Up in the sky!" "It's a bird!" "It's a plane!" "It's Superman!")

Happy Birthday big guy!

Fan’s worldwide will be celebrating the introduction of the world’s first superhero today.

IN THE BEGINNING

Action Comics #1 (June, 1938) is the first issue of the original run of the comic book series Action Comics.

It featured the first appearance of several comic book heroes—most notably the Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster creation, Superman.

For this reason it is widely considered both the beginning of the superhero genre and the most valuable comic book of all time.

On August 24, 2014, a copy graded 9.0 by CGC was sold on eBay for $3,207,852. It is the only comic to have sold for more than $3 million for a single original copy.

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were paid $10 per page, for a total of $130 for their work on this issue.

The original panels were rewritten and redrawn to create the first page of Action Comics #1:

1. Baby Superman is sent to Earth by his scientist father in a "hastily-devised space ship" from "a distant planet" which "was destroyed by old age".
2. After the space ship lands on Earth, "a passing motorist, discovering the sleeping baby within, turned the child over to an orphanage".
3. The baby Superman lifts a large chair overhead with one hand, astounding the orphanage attendants with "his feats of strength".
4. When Superman (now named Clark Kent) reaches maturity, he discovers that he can leap 1/8 of a mile, hurdle 20-story buildings, "raise tremendous weights", outrun a train, and "that nothing less than a bursting shell could penetrate his skin".
5. Clark decides that "he must turn his titanic strength into channels that would benefit mankind, and so was created 'Superman', champion of the oppressed...."

Time for me to walk on down the road…

GOP Fashion Show Should Be Inspirational

Good Day World!

I’d like to invite you to sit back, relax, and to enjoy the following fashion show highlights featuring GOP presidential wannabes strutting their stuff.

There’s already 14 contestants who have declared their intention to run for president.

Like any good fashion show there’s favorites – stars if you will – and newcomers to the catwalk. Here’s the top 7 by my measure.

Jeb Bush will be the first person walking down the runway (all polls indicate this) followed by Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, and we must not forget Donald Trump!

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE STARS?

After huddling with political fashion experts, I’ve come to the conclusion this will be a very entertaining show. Here’s what to look for:

Jeb Bush, decked out in a red-white-and blue jumpsuit, will tap dance down the walkway to the tune of "A More Perfect Union" by Titus Andronicus.

Ben Carson, sporting a gold sequined tuxedo, is expected to moonwalk down the catwalk to the sounds of Jimi Hendrix’s version of the Star Spangled Banner.

Ted Cruz, in a silk red and white dinner jacket over white shorts adorned with maple leafs (a nod to where he was born in Canada), is expected to shuffle down the walkway to strains of "This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie.

Mike Huckabee will be wearing a stunning J.Edgar Hoover-inspired design in satin and lace while waltzing down the walkway to Simon and Garfunkel’s America.

Rand Paul, who can’t dance, will stride down the catwalk wearing an American flag-themed two-piece bathing suit to the sounds “Living in the USA” by the Steve Miller Band.

Marco Rubio is expected to cause a sensation in his Miami Vice white jacket, orange body shirt, and flowing white trousers trimmed in 14-carat gold. When he comes down the catwalk to “One Nation Under a Groove” by Funkadelic , conservative hearts will flutter!

Donald Trump, wearing a designer version of Uncle Sam’s red-white and blue suit will be sure to turn heads with his fancy footwork down the catwalk to the Spanish version of America The Beautiful.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed the show.

Time for me to walk on down the road…