What do we learn from watching television?

An Open Apology To Fellow Columnist Andrew Sorkin

For the record. I accused Andrew Ross Sorkin, of The New York Post, of being a Conservative. After further review (and a look at his column from last week - see below), it's apparent he's not. I stand corrected.

 He also rightly pointed out that hourly costs that I sited weren't accurate (as I didn't add production costs into the equation). Once again, I stand corrected.

I'm pointing out my mistakes in all fairness.

It's the least I can do for not doing better research on this column ("Conservative media lying about auto worker's wages"). I appreciate his points and his professionalism.

Here's a copy of the email Mr. Sorkin sent me this morning. 

Dave,
I just finished reading your article in The Times-Standard.
I was disappointed to see you place so much blame on me, in part,
because that facts are a bit different than you suggested.
First, I'm not a conservative columnist. Most people who read me
regularly would suggest I'm probably part of the "liberal media" --
though I don't like that label much either. Take a look at my column
from last week:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/business/media/09sorkin.html?ref=media.
Second, and more importantly, I did not come up with the $70 figure.
It's been used by GM and analysts on Wall Street for years. I am
attaching a chart produced by Deutsche Bank's research department,
which was distributed widely prior to my column, that goes through
GM's hourly wage costs line by line. The chart might help explain the
issue a bit better. Please look at the left hand column marked
"2007GM." You'll see that the total price comes to $70.84 an hour.
Toyota, on the other hand, comes to $47.25 an hour (look at the
right hand column.) If you factor out OPEB, you could probably argue
the number is closer to $55, or more likely $61 an hour, which is
still twice the hourly wage of the average American worker. The
additional wages and benefits at GM add an average of $800 per vehicle
over the cost of rivals like Toyota and Honda, making it pretty hard
to compete on price -- which contradicts what you said in your piece.
Also, these hourly costs do not include production costs (steel,
components, etc), as you said in your article, but wage and benefits
costs.
I imagine you may have thought I started the $70 number because that's
what Keith Olbermann said on his program. Keith has since written me
to apologize. Indeed, if you do a search of articles prior to my
column, you'll find at least 143 references to the $70 an hour figure
by other journalists, analysts, etc.
I very much hope that the automobile makers survive – I don't want
them to falter. The column was an effort to offer a solution that
would allow the companies to continue long into the future and make
them stronger.
I hope this is helpful. Please let me know if you want to speak about
this issue further.
Best,
Andrew

Today's AS IT STANDS in The Times-Standard: Conservative media lying about auto workers wages

The Senate rejected a bailout of the Big Three last Friday. Republicans passed memos that talked about busting unions in America, and making the UAW an example.

There's no doubts that those neo-cons want to use this opportunity to attack unions with every lie in their playbook.

The wages that UAW members make is just one front in their war of disinformation against the American auto worker.

They want to see a deal that precludes the union from even being involved with the new structure that the car companies are going to have to take on either after bankruptcy, or in a revised deal with Congress for a bailout.

Read today's AS IT STANDS by clicking here.

Guess which state gets the dubious honor of being 'most corrupt'

So you think that you know where the most political crooks are coming from, right?

You're sure it's got to be Chicago, for it's machine-style politics and its elected leaders have been under investigation for years. But by one measure, you're wrong. Illinois is not even close to the nation's most-corrupt state.

North Dakota, it turns out, may hold that distinction instead!

Federal authorities arrested Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Tuesday after a wiretap allegedly recorded him scheming to make money on his appointment to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama. Blagojevich, a Democrat, ran for election in part on cleaning up after his predecessor, Republican George Ryan, who was convicted in 2006 of racketeering, bribery and extortion.

IN ILLINOIS: Obama 'appalled and disappointed' by Blagojevich arrest

"If it isn't the most corrupt state in the United States it's certainly one hell of a competitor," Robert Grant, head of the FBI's Chicago office, said Tuesday.

 On a per-capita basis, however, Illinois ranks 18th for the number of public corruption convictions the federal government has won from 1998 through 2007, according to Department of Justice.                                                                                                                              

Don Morrison, executive director of the non-partisan North Dakota Center for the Public Good, said it may be that North Dakotans are better at rooting out corruption when it occurs.                                                                                           

                                                                                                                A statue of "Honest John" Burke, governor from 1907 to 1913, stands in front of the North Dakota's state capitol building in Bismarck. North Dakota had the highest rate of public corruption convictions won by federal prosecutors from 1998 through 2007.

I'm working on a AS IT STANDS column for January 2009, which will deal with corrupt politicians and the states that produce them.

Bombs in America: increased usage in crimes climbs

I'm disturbed by the increasing use of bombs in crimes stateside since the Iraqi war. No records have been kept (thus far) on the correlation between the use of bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their use here in the states. All you have to do is follow the headlines from the right coast to the left coast and you can find stories like this one:

DATELINE Woodborn, Oregon - Dec. 13

A bomb blast outside the West Coast Bank Branch of Woodborn, has killed two men, and another is in critical condition. Employees of the bank got a call saying that a bomb had been planted there. Police responded. A state bomb technician and a local police officer where killed instantly when the bomb - which was located outside the bank in some bushes - went off unexpectedly. The town's police chief is in critical condition at a local hospital. Authorities say there are no suspects.

MY TAKE ON THIS - Someone wanted to kill cops. Why else would someone plant the bomb outside and no where near the bank's vault? I also suspect it was remote detonated, a trick that the bad guys in Iraq and Afghanistan use on a daily basis. The technology is out there.

MY MILITARY BACKROUND - I was a Combat Engineer (31st Eng.Battalion), and demolition was my primary MOS. I spent many grueling days sweeping mud roads for enemy bombs in Vietnam and Cambodia. I also searched many villages for hidden booby traps that ranged from holes filled with sharpened punji sticks and covered over, to "Bouncing Betties" carefully concealed near tunnel entrances.

If "Charlie" would have used remote detonation (after all the technology was there several decades ago) I wouldn't be writing this blog right now! My guardian angel was looking out for me back then. I once stepped on a weight detonated French landmine, out of sheer stupidity and exhaustion (I didn't spot the indentation).

My squad leader told me to freeze when I first stepped on it. We both knew at about the same time that I may have made a very bad mistake. He ordered the rest of the squad off the dirt road and pulled out his K-bar and started probing around my foot.

As the seconds ticked by I pissed my pants in terror, not yet aware I was too light to set it off. Finally, my squad leader looked at the partially exposed landmine and gave a sigh of relief. "It's a tank mine," he said. "You have to weigh over 500 pounds to set it off." He got up and told me to go ahead and jump when he did. The rest is history.

SUMMARY - The scary thing is how small bombs are these days - note the illustration of the shoe bomb - and how the ability to make them has become common knowledge. The Internet, with it's never-ending flow of knowledge, doesn't morally discern about such things as making bombs or making nasty birthday cakes. 

 

Young children are not always excited to see Santa Clause!

   Especially if he's not real!

Conservative media is lying about auto workers wages

United Auto Workers president Ron Gettelfinger (right), said the UAW is willing to renegotiate and change its contracts with U.S. Auto makers.

He said the union would accept payments of billions of dollars to a union-run health care trust to do its part to help the struggling companies secure $34 billion in government loans.

The House passed the Big Three's request for $34 billion dollar loan but the Senate killed it.

Meanwhile, the conservative media is circulating lies about what the auto workers really make. They keep using a number of $70-per hour, which is inaccurate.

How did the misinformation start about what the workers got? I'll tell you who, what, and when, the lies started in this Sunday's AS IT STANDS in the Times-Standard.

Gates Memo Announces Final Assimilation of National Guard and Reserve

The Gates memo declares that it will make changes with state governors and representatives "as appropriate" which is code for including only those persons who are amenable to federal control, and naturally exclude any governor or representative who truly asserts their rights and those of the People.

Last October's AS IT STANDS column, "American In Crisis: Are We Preparing For Martial Law" is still moving through cyberspace and I noticed it came up on the Times-Standard Topix Forum this afternoon.

I still get emails from people around the country in response to this column.

Now, as the Gates memo is examined, you can see what I'm talking about. What's really going on? Alex Jones' Inforwar blog has this interesting article on the subject. Just click here and see for yourself.

Meditations on Millie My Pug...

The graphite drawing to the right is not Millie. She doesn't want her cute little face spread around, so I had to settle for this drawing of an unknown Pug. Millie is going on five-years-young and is a vital, full of life, little character.

She is my daily companion. If it wasn't for Millie I wouldn't take long walks everyday, because I'm basically lazy! But when she starts pawing at me (usually around noon), I don't have the heart to turn her down. She loves her walks!

When we first started walking together I only took her short distances, thinking that I didn't want to wear her little legs to nubbins. It wasn't long however, before I realized that she could out walk me any day of the week!

Needless to say, she is in good shape, and all the male dogs on our walks howl with delight when she prances by. And she does prance! You should see her take on for those mutts! She has a habit of speed walking, that I still haven't got slowed down to a casual stroll yet. She takes me for a walk.

I realize that at her age, some things aren't going to change. And she is very pugnacious. If she wants to act stupid, she does it very well, like a clown you might say. She turns her head one way then another regarding you with those bulging brown eyes, when you ask her to do something.

One of the many things I love about Millie is how she seems to sense my moods, and acts accordingly. If I'm sad she snuggles me and licks my face. When I'm happy her little tail is curled tight and she's happy. When she's bummed-out her corkscrew tail hangs straight down. A sure sign. I usually give her a treat, or pet her a lot, and she perks right up.

They say dogs are man's best friend. I have to agree. Their absolute love and loyalty to you, is without bounds. I can talk to her and she never judges me. At times, I swear she understands me when I ramble on. Kinda like I'm doing right now.... 

It took nine years and 24 generations to get these little pigs

   

Pennywell miniature pigs are bred by Pennywell farms in Buckfastleigh, Devon, England. The spotted pigs grow no bigger than a Cocker Spaniel. Most are sold as pets. It took Chris Murray 9 years and 24 generations to create these mini pigs. These pictures are the smallest the farm has produced. Thanks to fuzztime for these photos.