We Have Crossed the Rubicon

Today, with permission, I am posting an article by Eric Peters.   I think we should all be very leery about what our government is doing.  The National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 is one very scary document that is about to become the law of the land.  It's 926 pages of government speak, so click on the link above knowing what you're getting into...  But if you need further proof, check this out:

Sen. Rand Paul and Sen. McCain speak on Detainees on Senate Floor - 11/29/11

And now, Eric's article:

Do you suppose cows have any idea what’s coming as they’re marched down the chute? Or do they stare with bovine indifference at the tail and hind quarters in front of them, until they’re suddenly – and very briefly – startled by the man with the nail gun? 

Perhaps Americans will – likewise too late – ask themselves What Happened in the very near future. Perhaps just after the midnight knock comes and they are taken away into the night.

It is not an exaggeration.

America is now on the cusp of becoming a state that does exactly such things; things exactly like the things done by 20th century horror shows such as NS Germany or Stalin’s USSR. Literally. Not “this is where it might lead” or “the tendency is similar.” Exactly, literally, the same thing. The only difference is that it awaits being done on a mass scale. But the power to do it openly – brazenly – has been asserted.

And is about to be sanctified by law.

The National Defense Authorization Act will make it official. It will confer upon the executive branch and the military (increasingly, the same things) the permanent authority to snatch and grab any person, U.S. citizens included, whom it decrees to be a “terrorist” – as defined or not by the executive or the military -  and imprison them, indefinitely, without formal charge, presentation of evidence or judicial proceeding of any kind. These “detainees” will have neither civilian rights in the civil court system, nor – crucially – even the minimal rights to due process and decent treatment conferred upon prisoners of war. (And we are allegedly “at war,” are we not?)

The language of the bill specifically includes American citizens “caught” within the borders of the United States – aka, the “battlefield.” It is claimed by sponsors that only those awful them – you know, the enemies of freedom President Bush and his successors like to reference as they systematically gut our freedoms – need worry. But read the actual document, and be afraid. The wording is such that any shyster lawyer for the government will be able to draw up a memorandum at some point in the near future equating, say, criticism of the federal government’s policies in the Middle East with “substantially supporting” the enemies of the United States. As defined by the United States.

That is, as defined by the government. 

At its whim. At the personal discretion of whomever happens to be the Maximum Leader, or even one of the ML’s duly appointed minions.

As the always excellent Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone recently observed, what happens when some nutjob who attended a few Tea Party meetings tries to bomb a federal building? Will the Tea Party itself – and anyone who “substantially supports” it be thus transformed into an “enemy combatant”? How about the OWS protestors? How about this web site – and this author – which have on several occasions called bullshit on the federal government’s usurpations and follies? How hard will it be, really, to describe such actions – such thoughts expressed in an article or an interview – as “substantially supporting” whatever the government decides amounts to “terrorism” or the threat thereof against itself?

Surely, the door is now wide open for such an interpretation by some John Woo or Dick Cheney waiting in the wings. Prospective leader Newtie is practically turgid at the prospect of getting his hands on such power. And there is no longer (or soon won’t be) any legal means available to contest a one-way trip to Treblinka in Topeka – or wherever it is they will send you.

Taibbi writes:

“The really galling thing is that this act specifically envisions American citizens falling under the authority of the bill. One of its supporters, the dependably-unlikeable Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, bragged that the law ‘basically says … for the first time that the homeland is part of the battlefield’ and that people can be jailed without trial, be they ‘American citizen or not.’ New Hampshire Republican Kelly Ayotte reiterated that ‘America is part of the battlefield.’ ”

Graham further stated:

“It is not unfair to make an American citizen account for the fact that they decided to help Al Qaeda to kill us all and hold them as long as it takes to find intelligence about what may be coming next. And when they say, ‘I want my lawyer,’ you tell them, ‘Shut up. You don’t get a lawyer.’ ”

The key thing being, it is entirely up to the government to decide what constitutes “helping” al Qaeda. It can be nothing more than a vague assertion. Indeed, no evidence of any kind whatsoever is necessary to “hold them as ling as it takes” in order to “find intelligence” (not defined, either) by any means it wishes to employ.

As Taibbi notes:

“If these laws are passed, we would be forced to rely upon the discretion of a demonstrably corrupt and consistently idiotic government to not use these awful powers to strike back at legitimate domestic unrest.”

President Obama is about to sign this latter-day Enabling act and when he does, it will mark the moment that America’s coffin is nailed shut. The corpse has been on view since 9/11. But there was always some hope that, perhaps, it might be jolted back into life. Now we know the awful truth. Death is permanent.

And it’s coming for us.

What are "We" Doing?

...and why?

I'm talking about the recent Iranian capture of an RQ-170 stealth drone. 

First of all, I should say that I've never been a fan of our decision to go off on a military adventure in the middle east.  I never thought we should've gone to either Afghanistan or Iraq.  Neither country was or is capable of waging war with the United States. 

But, Mark!  What about 9/11?  Look, the fact that a few radicals were able to pull off an attack doesn't change anything.  Find out who was responsible for the attack and take care of business.  We didn't need to send, literally, armies of people to occupy foreign countries - countries that were never a threat to our security - to accomplish this!

I know it's popular to take this stance these days.  But I've been very consistent with my opinion on this matter.  I never thought it was a good idea to move on the middle east the way we have.

Now we have Iran.  They have a nuclear facility that by all accounts only produces electricity.  Our current administration and nearly all republicans are at it again, beating the drums of war.  All because they have a nuclear facility?!?  Really??  Does anyone in government remember how to be a diplomat?

This is a joke, right?

And just who is going to declare War?  Congress?  Ok, sure, that's gonna happen...  The American public doesn't have the stomach for war with anyone!  So, we will just march on Iran - illegally - just like we did with Afghanistan, just like we did with Iraq, just like we did with Libya.

I guess we have to have a playground for all our new toys, right?  Toys like the RQ-170 stealth drone.  Does anyone really believe that the drone wasn't in Iranian air space?  Anyone?  Give me a break!  The drone was in Iran checking on a nuclear facility - plain and simple.  That is much easier to believe than the official story that it was flying in Afghanistan air space, only "close" to the Iran border.  Really?  And just what targets are we looking for that close to the Iranian border?  What was it we were supposedly spying on?

It's really getting pathetic.  Listening to the government is like listening to some teenagers.  Your told more lies than the truth.  Eventually, you assume everything is a lie until you can verify otherwise.  That's where I am right now.  You can't believe one single word the government says.

We need to get out of there.  Our soldiers are dying and getting severely injured, we're wasting multiple trillions of dollars, and now we're giving away technology that would normally give us an advantage when we really need it. 

And we're making more enemies every minute we stay...

What the hell are we doing?

Welcome to the Fold

As a student of Karate, I've heard many stories about the Samurai sword, or Katana.  There are many different names for the sword, depending in the length of the blade, number of edges, etc.  Japanese swords are renowned for their sharpness.  In the hands of a Samurai warrior, the katana is one of the most deadly weapons ever used.

What is it that makes the Katana so sharp?  It's just a steel blade, and usually made from scrap steel at that!  The most common lamination method of manufacturing the Japanese sword blade is from a combination of two different steels: a harder outer jacket of steel wrapped around a softer inner core of steel. This creates a blade which has a unique, hard, highly razor sharp cutting edge with the ability to absorb shocks in a way which reduces the possibility of the blade breaking or bending when used in combat.

Forged steel, hadagane and tamahagane, are folded transversely and longitudinally. At each folding stage, it is heated and cooled down by water again and again. This procedure oxidizes the steel surface and removing these oxidated layers greatly reduces the content of impurities inside steel.

Beginning in the 10th century, Japanese were discovering the methods of producing fine steel blades from iron ore panned from rivers. This panned ore was smelted in a wood coke furnace and the crude metal was broken up into pieces, forged flat and stacked into billets. These stacks were forge welded together and forged to length. Then it was folded, first length wise and after welding and forging again, folded sideways and welded again. This process was repeated from 8 to 16 times in order to refine the impurities out of the steel and to remove excess carbon. 16 folds provides 65,536 layers of steel if you start with one single layer. But swordsmiths did not always start with only one layer.  Starting with an 8 layer stack, 16 folds will give 524,288 layers.  One more fold and there are easily over a million layers of steel in one blade!

The folding does several things:

• It provides alternating layers of differing hardenability. During quenching, the high carbon layers achieve greater hardness than the medium carbon layers. The hardness of the high carbon steels combine with the ductility of the low carbon steels to form the property of toughness.
• It eliminates any voids in the metal.
• It homogenizes the metal, spreading the elements evenly throughout - increasing the effective strength by decreasing the number of potential weak points.
• It burns off many impurities.
• Because of all the layers, a micro-serrated edge is formed on the blade; making it very sharp.

 Ok, Mark.  What's with the history lesson?

Well, as I said, I am a student of Karate.  I've heard our instructors relate stories of how training in the martial arts is much like the manufacturing of a Japanese sword.  We are heated in the fires of our own bodies.  Driven physically until we are near breaking.  Then we are taken from the fire and "hammered" into shape further; learning the finer points of punching, kicking, grabbing, and throwing techniques.  We practice these techniques over and over until it is ingrained in our muscles.  Eventually, with enough practice, we will do the techniques with barely a thought!  This is where the mental training takes form.  Our instructors tell us that we are much stronger physically than we ever imagined.  It's our mental training that requires the most work.  It's mental toughness that makes us warriors.  The stronger we are mentally, the more we can do physically.  The more we can prove to ourselves that we are physically strong, the better we become mentally.  It's a wonderful cycle that feeds on itself.

It's a great visual when it's told, and we are worked very hard in the dojo.  I "got it" when it was told, it's a pretty easy concept to understand.  Work hard = fire, training in technique = hammer.  And I thought I had a real taste of "it" while training.   Little did I know the real lesson had to be learned the hard way.

Welcome to the 1st BMAA Winter Camp...

The camp was held last weekend in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  I went there expecting two days of good, hard, workouts and a dose of inspiration.  My expectations were so vastly exceeded that it's hard to find the right words to explain it all.

The day we arrived, the winds picked up to a steady 30-35 mph with gusts up near 45, the temperature dropped to a high of 50ish and lows in the low 40s.  Yes, many of our activities were outside.  We were pitted against the wind, cold, and darkness Saturday morning on Jockey's Ridge; large sand dunes.  Pushups, break falls, crawling on hands and knees up the dunes, front rolling down, carrying partners on our backs back up the dunes.  A good start to the day.  We head back to the hotel to do another hour, followed by a workout in the ocean.

The waves and wind are tremendous.  We punch the sand.  We get in stance and practice punches and blocks.  We stand together against the ocean.  The cold of the water starts to take it's toll.  You don't feel it until you get back inside, but the morning activity wears on you.  The breakfast break feels good.  Ready for more...

By 9:00 AM, we're back at it.  More than 2 full hours of non-stop activity.  Kicks.  Punches.  Blocks.  Throwing.  Being thrown.  More pushups.  More everything.  When it's over, you think your spent.  But you know the day is just getting started.  You set your attitude accordingly.

Physically, you think you're spent.  But it's just a thought, it's not real.  After lunch, the lesson of fire and hammer and folding - repeated over and over - is about to take place.  Only we don't know it.

"Be ready to go at 2:00," was the call.  "If you're early, you're on time.  If you're on time, your late!  If you're late, you're in trouble!!"  Everyone was "on time."

The afternoon workout starts like nearly all workouts.  But 20 minutes in, it gets intense!  The instructors don't let up.  AT ALL.  Their intensity grows.  They demand more.  And more.  And then more.  Faster!  Deeper stances!  45 minutes into the workout and you're exhausted, you think...

The sweat is, quite literally, a constant stream, soaking your Gi through and through.  The instructors are still not letting up.  Your muscles are nearly depleted - or are they?  A strange thing begins to happen.  You take notice of the group of students there with you.  You aren't alone.  Everyone is struggling.  You can't stop.  If you stop, the whole class might slow down or stop with you.  You're not a quitter!  You can't let them quit!

Your mind takes over.  Mentally, you find strength in the spirit of the rest of the class.  You're Ki grows.  You will your muscles to keep up, and they do!

Your mind controls your body.  Your body can do amazing things.  It's our minds that are the weak link.  Just as you're figuring this out, you're sent to the beach.  Quality time again with mother nature.

Can't quit.  Gotta keep going.  The other warriors depend on me!  I depend on them!  Gotta keep my spirit up, my strength - for them as well as myself.  Giving up is not an option.

Amazingly, we all stick it out.  Not one of us gives up.  Our spirit and camradery hold the afternoon.  But the day isn't done.  After the beach, it's back inside.

Normally, this would be where we start to wind things down.  Not this time.  There's more.  Much more!  Now I must "defend" myself against multiple black belts at the same time.  Of course I cannot.  I don't have the experience.  I'm working on 5 hours sleep and my heart is still pounding from the most difficult workout I've ever been through.  My muscles ache.  But I don't give up...  Again, my mind takes over.  My mind demands my body to react, as best I can with my current skill set.  My body listens!

Like the Japanese sword, I am being folded.  What an unbelievable lesson.  One that can only be taught this way.  We were driven to to brink of exhaustion, to exactly the point we needed to be so that we could learn by example.

Mike, John, Suzanne.  Thank you so much!

If you were there with me, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  You felt it just as I did!

We are being folded to razor sharp, hard, warriors!  Our minds are strong and only getting stronger!

Our journey is just beginning.  And I am loving every minute.

I'm going to wrap this up with my favorite quote of all time.  It is very appropriate for this occasion.  Enjoy.

OSU!

Not Content Yet?

The world is full of people looking for spectacular happiness while they snub contentment.  -- Doug Larson 

 A few days ago, I read another very good post on the Two Hands blog about contentment.  A point was made that people say that they are working towards contentment.  That they might be content in 25 or 45 years.

It's as if they are working towards retirement and only then will the possibiliby of being content present itself.  People seem to be treating contentment as a finish line.  It's what you can have when you're all done.  Well, if you're finished, what comes next?  How do you stay contented?  "Ooh!  I'm happy now.  ummm - now what?"  This is completely the wrong way to think of contentment.  Being content doesn't mean you have to stop doing what you love.

Putting contentment, being satisfied, in such a broad context makes it nearly impossible to attain.  Why can't we put contentment into a much smaller context?  It seems like we are constantly worried about how life will be not only years, but decades in the future.  Surely there are goals that reach that far.  We should plan and prepare to reach those goals, but is reaching them the only way to be content?  With goals set so far into the future, how do you measure success?  And, with these types of goals, how do you know that reaching them will provide real satisfaction?

If we can manage to make ourselves content about smaller chunks of life, and I mean much, much smaller, wouldn't it help our state of mind?  As Sapta points out, what about the here and now?  "We need to realise that we are never going to get to the future - it will always be just here and now."  It sounds like an over simplification, but it really isn't.

Using the context of daily tasks, decisions, activities, we can find ways to become content with ourselves much quicker.  The first, most important, step is to be completely honest with yourself.  If you're lying to yourself, you are lying to everyone else, too.  Ask yourself, daily, if you've made good decisions that day.

Are you satisfied that you woke up on time?  Could that conflict at work have been handled better?  Are you happy about your food choices for the day?  Hey - and if you aren't, was it worth it?  Sometimes it is! :)  Did you give your kids enough attention today?  There are tons of small decisions we make everyday.  Be your own judge on those decisions.  Being completely honest, were they all the right ones?  Surely, some of them HAD to be.  Be content about those.  Build on the good, work on the not so good.

What can you do tomorrow to reach some of these smaller goals?  Start reaching those, one at a time.  Be content with the good choices you're making while being critical of others.  Make the good choices a habit.  Realize that some days are going to be better than others.  Work on fixing the bad choices.  Contentment comes from being satisfied with yourself.  You can still be content and not be finished working on yourself!  Because are we really ever finished becoming better?  You can be content that you are making an honest effort!

Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression. It is a business asset. It attracts and keeps friends. It lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to serenity and contentment.   -- Grenville Kleiser

Start small and please - please- develop a good sense of humor.  We all make mistakes.  Rarely are they really life changing.  Laugh at yourself.  What is life changing is the daily fixes we give to ourselves.  I can tell you for sure that I laugh at myself a lot!  Ask any of my friends.  Am I content?  Yeah, right now I'm pretty darn content.  I've done things recently for myself and others that make me feel good inside.  My heart is full.

And that's another thing.  Help others when you can.  Even if it's just picking up a dropped item or helping someone jump start a car.  Put yourself in their shoes.  Would you appreciate the help?  If the answer is "yes" and you're in a position to help them, then why not?  It helps them and, trust me, it helps you even more.

Do I still have problems.  Absolutely! Yes I do!  But I'm working on them, truly and honestly working on fixing them, and that makes me feel good, too.

Will my state of contentment change?  Yes, sadly, I'm sure it will.  Either through bad luck or bad decisions or a streak of both, things will surely change.  Instinctively I know this and I have set my attitude accordingly.

Set your mind to be ready for change, because it will come.  You can't control everything, but you can control your attitude.  Fall down 7, get up 8!  Keep going, don't stop, laugh at the small stuff.

Knowing that you are a work in progress, realize that so is everyone else.  Try not to expect perfection from all those around you.  Especially with kids.  Keep expections high, but realistic, and laugh with them when they sometimes slip up; while showing them how to correct their mistakes.  Teach them to keep working on themselves, just as you are working on yourself.

In contentment and joy are found the height and perfection of all love towards our neighbor.    -- William Ames

Do this, and contentment is yours - for a while anyway!  Enjoy it.

Minimum Wage is Not For Families!

...allow me to step up on my soapbox...
Since when is a minimum wage job supposed to be able to support more than even one person, much less a family?!

Reading an article in the Daily Press last week, "Paying a fair wage is no shell game," by Benjamin Cuker, I get the idea that some (many?) people believe a family should be supported by this type of wage.  Certainly, Mr. Cuker does.

The article is about crab picking.  It's a tough job to be sure.  To make the minimum wage, workers must pick at least 200 crabs per day.  Apparently, companies are unable to attract enough U.S. workers to fill all their positions.  To fill the gap, they've hired temporary immigrant workers.  The immigrant workers are regulated by the Labor Department's H-2B program.  So this is not an illegal immigrant issue, at least.  Mr. Cuker explains that there are negotiations underway that could raise the pay for crab pickers as high as $11 per hour.  Naturally, the seafood industry says this will drive crab meat prices so high that demand would drop drastically.

Well, an increase from $7.25, the current minimum wage, to $11.00 is one heck of an increase!  51.7% to be exact.  Wow.  Crab meat is already expensive.  Looking at Maryland Blue Crab Express, one pound of picked crab meat is $32.95.  It's even higher on other sites.  I don't know what the demand is, but consider how much less demand would exist if the price jumped 52% to $50.08 per pound.  How many crab pickers would have to be let go?  Less demand = fewer workers.  So the workers and the seafood industry are in a tough spot, the workers want more money, the industry wants to stay in business.

Then Mr. Cuker takes the cake with this gem:

A wage of $7.25 per hour yields a gross of $290 per week, or $1,160 per month.  After deductions the minimum-wage worker has less than $1,000 a month to feed, clothe, house, transport, and pay for healthcare for herself and often one or more children.  And often she has child care expenses.

Excuse me!  What?  When did a minimum wage job mean that you could afford a family?!?  Look, minimum wage jobs are meant to be filled by people who need simple work experience.  You work the job, you get experience, and you move on to another job or to management in the same company.

I guess if you're lacking in motivation, you stay at the minimum wage level and then complain about you can't make ends meet!  Look - some jobs just aren't worth a whole lot of money.  They don't require any experience or skill.  All the require is that they get done!  These are the jobs you'd expect to see high school and college kids filling for spending money.

If you're working at a minimum wage level, don't have kids!  You cannot expect to support a family with a job that doesn't require any skills.  Now I'm not heartless.  I know that times are hard and jobs are hard to find.  And there are many more minimum wage jobs than any other type.  People who find themselves in a position like the one described above should have gotten their by a streak of bad luck or accident.  And yes, I am saying that if you are working for minimum wage and then have a kid, it should have been an accident!  People who know they can't afford a family should not be trying to have babies.

However, people who do find themselves in this tight spot have help.  We, the tax payers are sympathetic to their plight.  There are plenty of government programs available - food stamps, WIC, Medicaid, education programs, work training programs, reduced price lunches at schools, etc.  But these programs are not meant to be permanent.  Work your job, accept the help and bust your ass to get out of the position your in!

Mr. Cuker ends his article by saying he'd be more than happy to pay a dollar more for a crab cake if it means that the person picking the crab gets a better check.  He needs to rework his math.  Crab cakes are running $10 these days.  Better pick up that buck and put down a 5 spot, Benjamin.  Then stroke a bigger check to Uncle Sam because crab pickers across the nation will begin collecting unemployment.

Perspective, Context, Friendship

What is perspective?  It's a phrase we hear all the time, "you have to keep things in perspective."  But what does it really mean?  If you look it up in the dictionary, you'll see references to angles and spaces, but the last definition is probably the most used.  It's the one that refers to context.  The two words are practically interchangeable.

Since perspective and context is always relative, let's just focus on the big picture.  You know - the Grand Scheme of Things.  What's really important, in the grand scheme of things?  I know what some of you are thinking.  "Well, nothing is important in the grand scheme of things!"

Ok, let's keep "grand" down to earth.  A persons' life and what really matters.  Ok?  From this perspective, what really matters?

Being happy is kind of important, I think!  So what does it take to be happy?  Is money required?  Well, maybe a little, but not really.  A fancy car?  They're fun, but do they really make you truly happy?  I don't really have a lot of time, so I'll just jump to it...

Relationships with others!  That's what is really important.  Just how happy could anyone be without having any friends?  It makes me feel miserable just thinking about it!

Can everyone be your friend?  Nope!  We've all heard the saying, "you can't please everybody."  It's very true, you can't.  Not everyone will like you, either.  Big deal!  As the saying goes, there are lot's of fish in the sea.  These people you just deal with the best you can.  Smile and move on!  Whatever they think about you or what you do (did?) doesn't really matter much.  After all, they either don't like you or are indifferent!  They won't be around that long.

Your true friends, the people that are drawn to you, are usually pleased just being in your company.  You don't have to try to make them happy.  You are already making their day just by being you!  They understand that you might have an "off" day.  They know that people try and fail - and they are there to help you try again, and again, and again (repeat over and over) if necessary.  Then they celebrate your success!

There's an old saying by Bernard Baruch, a very interesting man, "...Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter."  When he said it, he was answering a question about something very insignificant (in the grand scheme of things).  He was asked about how he handled the seating arrangements for all those who attended his dinner parties.  In this context (perspective), it means, "look, if I screw this up, who really cares?  The people that matter to me don't care where they sit."

With humor, he was saying that you can't please everyone.  Humor is another topic, but I'll touch on it here a little.  LAUGH AT YOURSELF!  Little mistakes are just that, little.  It's not a big deal.  ahem -- Sorry, it's just a philosophy of mine that I consider very important.  Moving on...

Some people try to add to it, "Be who you are and say what you feel.  Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter."  Which sounds good, but is really only a justification to be selfish.  With this addition, it says "you must accept me no matter what I do because you don't matter."  To which I can only say this.  If no one matters to you, how are you going to matter to anyone?

We all (I hope) have friends.  Some friends are closer than others.  Some are really close.  I'm lucky to know a few that will drop everything and drive or fly hundreds of miles just because I need them.  How do you recognize that you might be getting a new friend?  Some times it's hard to tell, right?  As I pointed out earlier, some people are drawn to you - and you to them.

Just pay attention and keep even the little things in proper perspective.  Was that hand shake just a friendly handshake?  Or did it say, "I'm so happy to see you again!"  Was that hug just a friendly pat on the back?  Congratulations for a job well done?  Or did it say, "Thank you so much!  You mean the world to me."  Was that kiss on the cheek just a friendly hello or goodbye?  Or did it say, "You're loved!  I'm always here for you."

It matters in the grand scheme of things...

With good friends you get the three cornerstones, the triangle, of happiness.  And it doesn't get any better than this! 

Life - Love - Laughter

OWS: The Insane are Running the Asylum

Today, I took a look at the Occupy Wall Street Declaration.  I was going to post on some news articles I read in the paper over the weekend, but my only fan (so far) asked for my opinion on the OWS protests.  How could I refuse?  Besides, it might cost me extra burpees!  

Because I haven't been following this particular story in much detail, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  What follows is the Declaration, taken right from their web site.  The text of the Declaration is in italics, my comments are indented and not in italics.  I could write whole posts on just some of the points made by this group, but I am trying not to write a full blown novel!  My full opinion on the whole movement is at the end.  This is going to be a long post, so grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair!

The OWS Declaration

As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

It’s Interesting that they only feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world.  There are no ill feelings toward the government(s) that allow corporations to act as they do.

As one people, formerly… divided by the color of our skin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or lack thereof, political party and cultural background, we acknowledge the reality: that there is only one race, the human race, and our survival requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their brethren; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

This paragraph is pretty good.  Some of it I can completely agree with.  “…our system must protect our rights…it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights…a democratic government derives its just power from the people…” is all great.  Right on!  You’re on a roll.  What’s next?

 

“…corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth…” !?!  You just lost me, and I’m sure lots of others.  Corporations cannot extract wealth from the people unless they are willing to pay for their products.  Only the government can extract wealth from the populace.  It’s called taxation!  And it is forced (try not paying them).  No one forces any of us to buy the products that corporations are selling.  Besides, they absolutely do seek consent.  Try to start a business without paying for the multitude of licensing fees, permits, taxes, etc. that are required by cities, counties, states, and the federal government.  That is seeking consent to open and run the business.  Any one of these governments can prevent the business from becoming operational.

If you have a problem with how corporations are run, regulated, monitored, and penalized, then your beef is with governments; local, state, and/or federal.  Corporations cannot operate with impunity to the laws – at least not for long.

1.       They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.

Uh – say what?  They bought the mortgage from the original bank that made you the loan.  The government also forced them to make the loan, even though you normally wouldn’t qualify!  What, you didn’t know that?  The 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which compels banks to make loans to low-income borrowers, is responsible for the entire subprime meltdown.  It’s not over yet, either.  The federal government (i.e. us, the taxpayers) is still on the hook for another very large payoff to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  Want to see how the government operates on a level far worse than corporations?  Read this, but make sure to take your blood pressure medication first!  http://cnsnews.com/news/article/true-cost-fannie-freddie-bailouts-317-billion-cbo-says

I love the wording here, “They have taken our houses…”  Well, it’s not really your house until it’s paid off!  If you can’t make the payments, they can foreclose.  It’s really pretty simple to understand.

2.       They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give CEO’s exorbitant bonuses.

Would you turn down free money if it was offered?  No?  I didn’t think so.  Yes, they took the bailouts.   Who wouldn’t?  Do I agree with it?  No way!  Once again, the problem you have here is with the government, not corporations.  Our government has no legal authority whatsoever to offer bailouts to any private company.  How did they get away with it?  They ignored the public, that’s how.  Public opinion was overwhelmingly against giving bailouts to anyone.  The government ignored us!  Why is your beef with corporations on this?  You should be marching on Washington, D.C.

3.       They have perpetuated gender inequality and discrimination in the workplace.

Really?  They have?  How?  With all the laws and regulations in place to prevent this, just how is this happening?  I’m afraid I’ll need your definition of gender inequality and discrimination.  More information, please…

4.       They have poisoned the food supply, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.

Well, there are plenty of examples of contaminated food and farming is definitely big – BIG – business.  You may have a point here, but I also know that the government has its nose in the middle of this mess.  Government meddling by telling farmers what they can grow and what they can’t is causing all sorts of economic problems.

5.       They have continuously sought to end the rights of workers to negotiate their pay and make complaints about the safety of their workplace.

Wrong!  I have to assume that you’re talking about unions here.  Corporations are not trying to end the rights of workers to negotiate their pay.  They are trying to end negotiation of pensions and some other benefits.  These are benefits they aren't even required to provide.  You should count your blessings that they're trying to keep them.  By the way, state governments are trying to do the same thing.   Why don’t you have a problem with that?

6.       They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.

Whoa!  Huh?!?  Corporations did that?  I’m pretty certain that only institutions of higher learning are responsible for setting tuition rates.  Why the hell are you laying this at the feet of corporations?  Besides, didn’t you sign tons of paperwork informing you of the terms of the loan?  The only one holding you hostage is you!

And another thing.  Education is a right?  Since when?  You have lots of rights, life, liberty, freedom of religion (or not), free speech, free press, peaceful assembly, petitioning the government to redress grievances, owning a weapon, reasonable searches and seizures, private property, speedy trials, trials by jury, etc.  Sorry, I've looked long and hard for it, but education is not on the list.

7.       They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.

Is your problem really with the corporations?  Look, you yourself mention being in a global community and saying it’s a good thing.  Other countries love the deal!  Their economy is benefiting from this relationship.  I think your problem here is that, now that you have to compete on a global scale for a job, you don’t like it.

8.       They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.

They didn’t influence the courts to do this.  The laws that allow the formation of corporations, written a long, long time ago, state that the corporation is legally considered a person.  This is so that they can be sued and be held to the same laws as everyone else.  If they have lobbied for, and were successful in, changing laws, then – again – your problem is with the government that writes the laws!

9.       They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.

Haven’t heard about this one.  Sounds bad.  I’ll have to get more information before commenting.

10.   They have sold our privacy as a commodity.

Yes they have!  This is terrible and has to stop.

11.   They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.

Huh?  Surely this is illegal.  So just what is going on here?  Are you saying that corporations have control over the military and police forces?!  I'm pretty sure that there is only one person in charge of the military. That would be, umm, wait... it's on the tip of my tongue.  Oh yeah!  The Commander In Chief!  The President of the United States!  Last I checked, he is a member of the government!  Police forces work for governments, too!  Are you accusing corporations of bribing the military and police?  If so, that's against the law already.  Why aren't you marching on Washington in an attempt to get them to enforce the law?

12.   They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.

Ok.  This is true and should be stopped.

13.   They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.

No they don’t!  The government and the Federal Reserve determine economic policy.  Once again, your anger is misplaced.

14.   They have donated large sums of money to politicians supposed to be regulating them.

Yes, and our politicians are accepting the bribes.  Why is your beef only with the corporations?  I’m seeing a theme here.

15.   They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.

Are alternate forms of energy being blocked or are they still too costly to produce?   The public doesn't want, and certainly cannot afford, to pay more for alternate forms of energy than they're paying right now.  I know there are companies working on water powered vehicles.  There's also a company in California producing a car that gets 400 MPG.  Yes, 400.

16.   They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantive profit.

Are you talking about legislation like this?  Here we go again!  Generic forms of medicine become available after a patent lock out expires.  By law (there's that word again), once the patent expires, other companies can access the formula and offer generics.  To change this would take, quite literally, an act of Congress!  You're focusing your energy in the wrong place.

17.   They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty book keeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.

How, in this world of immediate news, do you cover up an oil spill or an accident?  Not buying it.  Covering up faulty book keeping?  Ok, so what?  I'm sure this hurts the investors more than it hurts the general public.  Sooner or later, there will be an audit and the cheats will be caught.

Inactive ingredients?!  What the...  Where is this coming from and why does it matter?  They are, after all, inactive.

18.   They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.

The media isn't the only source for information these days.  Corporations can try to hide their messes this way, but the problem will be reported.  Oh, and just in case you didn't know, this has been going on since the beginning of corporate time.  Not really a good excuse, I know.  But this is nothing new.

19.   They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.

Huh?  How are they doing this?  Colonialism at home?  What, they're bringing in entire colonies of people from other countries?  For what purpose?  Why is this bad?  What are you talking about?

20.   They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.

Please, cite examples, and have the SOBs indicted!  There are already laws against this.  Just what do you want to happen here?

21.   They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.

WOW!  Really!  Umm.  I'm flabbergasted!  You know, if the government didn't want the weapons, corporations wouldn't make them!  Rule one for corporations:  make a profit.  Can't do that if nobody is buying what you're selling.

22.   They have participated in a directly racist action by accepting the contract from the State of Georgia to murder Troy Davis.

Wait.  What?  I know the circumstances around the Troy Davis case.  His execution was stayed four times.  Witnesses recanted their stories.  Another confessed (maybe) to the crime.  And yet, the government still executed him.  And somehow, corporations are the problem?!?  Unbelievable...  just - wow.

23.   They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices. *

Ok.  Look.  There are organizations getting to the bottom of this.  And again, there are laws concerning the treatment of these animals.  If this is happening, and I'm sure in some cases it is, then sooner or later something will happen to prevent this behavior.  Maybe it's not happening fast enough, but it's in the works.

Unless your position is that they shouldn't be testing on animals at all.  If so, then I only have one question.  What would you have them do?  Test on humans?  As Larry the Cable Guy says, "That's like wiping before you poop!  It don't make no sense."

To the people of the world,

We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.

To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

Join us and make your voices heard!

*These grievances are not all-inclusive.


Conclusion
It's obvious to even the most casual of observers that the people that wrote this declaration are under the control of, or belong to a very left wing organization.  They have it "in" for corporations because they are anti-capitalist.  They don't offer solutions at all.  They don't have any demands either, for that matter.  They just don't like capitalism.

I get the feeling that their solution would be for the government to just take over all corporations, thinking that these problems wouldn't exist.  Yeah, none of these problems would exist if our friendly, very efficient, and un-corrupt government could just do it all for them.

These people are looney to max!  This declaration confirms it.

Napster Looses Another Customer

A few years ago, for Christmas, my daughters got MP3 players as a gift.  I bought a subscription to Napster so they could play and download songs.  I still have a subscription today, but that is about to change.

See.  There is something very odd about the way you purchase music on Napster.  There is something about the process that makes you want to click on the song purchase link again (and again).  A browser delay combined with bad site design means that even on the same transaction, a song may be charged multiple times!

How do I know it's bad site design?  Well,a major clue is in their FAQ, which lists this little nugget:

Multiple Same Song Downloads and Use of Song Credits
Do multiple downloads of the same song count against my song credit total?

Yes. Each song purchased with your song credits will count against your credit balance.

Please note that when music is purchased from Napster, royalties are paid our immediately and cannot be recovered in the event that a purchased was made by mistake. Purchased music cannot be returned.

The fact that they even have to post this absurd notice on their site confirms that they have a problem, and that they're not willing to fix it.  Here's an idea, Napster.  Post this notice on your FAQ.  And then fix the problem!

Multiple Same Song Downloads and Use of Song Credits
Do multiple downloads of the same song count against my song credit total?

Yes, there is currently a problem with our purchasing process that forces charges for duplicate song purchases.  We are currently working to correct this issue.  In the mean time, please feel free to contact our support department when this happens.  We don't want you to be charged for music you already have.  Thus, we will gladly refund the cost of each duplicate purchase.

So, ignoring their rediculous statement on their FAQ, I called their support number to get the duplicate charges reversed.  I've had to do this in the past, and they have always - grudgingly - reversed the charges; pointing out their policy every time.  And every time I tell them the same thing.

Your process of buying music is not very efficient.  As a user, it's very easy to question whether a purchase was made, so sometimes we click the link again.  You know, it's very easy to check the current purchase for duplicate songs.  For that matter, it's very easy to check my entire purchase history every time I make a new purchase.  If you notice a song being purchased that you know I've bought before, the least you should do is inform me of the situation and ask if I'd still like to buy the music!  Use a little Common Sense!  If I have the song already, why would I want to buy another copy?  Sure, I may have lost it, but you could at least ask!  (Sometimes I get a little snarky) If your developers can't handle it I'd be happy to do it for you.  I'm a professional software developer myself.

Of course this falls on deaf ears, because nothing ever changes.  They always reverse the charges and everything is cool.  Until this morning.  This time they refused to reverse the charges, stating their policy and the notice on their web site.

I don't know why I've put up with them for so long.  Probably because every time I got them to reverse their charges it was a confirmation by them that they had a crappy process.  So now they won't fix the BS software and they're keeping my money!

It's time to end this relationship!  If you have an account with Napster, please end it today!  And tell them why.  In the mean time, I'm in the market for another music service.  Anyone have any ideas?

A Word on No Tolerance Policies

...allow me to step on my soapbox...
How? ... Just how are no tolerance policies teaching anything usefull to our kids?

Ooooh!  Little Johnny drew a picture of a gun!  Our policy guide says we have to suspend him for 3 days - maybe even expell him.  O - M - G!  Holy crap, people!  It's high time you shred that policy guide, burn the shreds, and throw what's left in the garbage!  Then here's an idea.  Go find that spine that you used to have, you know the one, it's the one that you itch to use every time a situation like this comes up but don't because you don't want to make waves.  Find it, use it to tell the school board that, "Hey, this feels good.  I can make up my own mind on how discipline little Johnny!  I don't need your help with this one.  Thanks, but no thanks!"

Then, instead of telling Johnny what a bad thing he's done, why not try telling him how great the drawing is?  Encourage him to keep drawing!  Give him ideas for other things he might like to draw!  The conversation could go something like this.  "Hey, Johnny.  That is an awesome drawing of a gun.  You're really good.  You should try drawing other cool stuff, like big ships or horses, maybe airplanes!  But you know what.  You shouldn't be drawing when I'm teaching Geography.  Next time, wait for free time or Art, ok?"

Then, when little Johnny draws while your teaching something other than art, make him stand up next to his desk or in the back of class.  Facing you so he can pay attention to what's being taught!  If Johnny's parents have a problem with your approach, politely tell them that they are welcome to home school their little munchkin because we expect well behaved students in our school.

I guarantee you that Johnny's parents will have a problem with your - other - spineless approach.  Stop hiding behind your stupid little manuals and start using your brain to make your own decisions!

What is it about Common Sense that makes it so un-common these days?

[Lack of] Education?

I think that certainly has something to do with it.  Our system of teaching to the lowest common denominator is definitely hurting.  We can't group the gifted students together because it might hurt the self esteem of the other students?!?  Wow!  Wouldn't Common Sense dictate that grouping gifted students together might actually make them even more gifted?  Wouldn't they then be able to feed off of each others strengths?  We'd be in a position to teach them more because they're able to learn at a faster pace.  When did this become a bad thing?  They would also require less supervision, allowing more resources to help the slower paced learners.  Isn't that what we want?  Don't we want to give the slower learners more attention so they have a chance to catch up?  Some would say "no, they would feel bad because they're in the 'slow' group."  Bah!  As my daughter would say, "blah, blah, blah."  Doesn't that mean that they would feel better about themselves if they managed to climb out of the slow group and into the regular group?  Who can deny that?  THAT's where self-esteem comes from!  Achievement!  REAL achievement.  It's earned, not given!

One of my daughters, in her third grade class, came home one day and told me that she was the "student of the week!"  "Wow," I said.  "Nicely done!  How did you do that?"  "My name was picked from a hat," was her reply.  I kid you not.  "So how does it feel being student of the week?," I asked.  "Mmm, it's ok, I guess."  So, I can only guess they were trying to teach my daughter that playing the lottery was the way to succeed in life!  Unbelievable.  Did this really make her feel good?  Was her self esteem uplifted?  Really?

Changes in Authority Figures?

Putting on my "Old Fart" hat...  When I was growing up, kids had a healthy respect - even a little fear (yes, fear) - of authority.  When did this become a bad thing?  By the way, for you younger people; authority = all adults, period!  If you were a police officer, school principal, judge, or teacher, that just meant you had more authority and got more respect!  There was a price to pay for misbehaving.  Nowadays, kids in school can misbehave all they want without worrying about consequences.  School administrations are afraid to apply any real discipline to bad kids.  And when they do, they hide behind their rediculous "no tolerance" policies (see above).

Yes, I said "bad" kids.  You got a problem with that?  Tough!  If its your kids that are talking back to teachers and/or principals, talking or texting on cell phones during class (cell phones - that's a whole nuther topic!), or otherwise disrupting activities in school - and you get angry with the school for disciplining them, then you are part of the problem!  "But my kid is a good kid, this was just an honest mistake."  Nope, I'm calling bull-poop on that one.  Your kid made a bad decision and needs to pay a penalty so they won't make the same mistake again!  If there isn't a penalty, then the only lesson learned is that they can do what ever they want.  Be a good parent, show your kids right from wrong!