DarkStar Spouts Off

P.C., Part 2

A man in the military says he is opposed to a certain military action and it is known to his upper command. What upper command would send the man to serve duty in the action to which he is opposed?

That is the situation with the Ft. Hood terrorist. How does sending a man to duty in an area to which he is opposed, a "P.C." action?

Some media have been doing stories of the military sending people back into service although the people claim or have documented they are suffering from PTSD. If that history with the military didn't exist, I would more strongly consider the "P.C." angle of this, but since the military has been sending people off to fight who should not fight, the "P.C." angle is discounted, to me.

YMMV.

Please pray for the families of the victims of terrorism.

[ UPDATE ]

Let me give you the relative time line of events on that Thursday.

1. I heard about it on the radio, and that it involved 3 people.
2. The body count started rising.
3. The terrorist was said to be among the dead.
4. The terrorist was identified.
5. Online, The Washington Post identified the terrorist as a devout Muslim.
6. It was reported the terrorist was still alive.
7. I'm now at home and the network news is saying he is a devout Muslim who has been outspoken in his views and that he didn't want to go to Afghanistan.

And pundits/commentators want to say the network media didn't or were slow to report he is a Muslim?

P.C.

I need to know how the Fort Hood terrorist assassin was only able to do it because of political correctness. That's what I keep hearing but I don't understand how that is the case.

If the media is to be believed, the terrorist assassin had conflicts with other military people concerning his terrorist beliefs. But, so far, it appears those people didn't report his views.

If the media is to be believed, the terrorist assassin told the army that he wanted to get out and didn't believe in the war. But, it appears his attempts to exit the army were turned down.

If the media is to be believed, he posted terrorist assassin beliefs on a board under his own name. [ UPDATE ] And, if the media is to believed, it was brought to the attention of LAW ENFORCEMENT officials.

Where is p.c. is this?

Double Standard?

Remember when one of the Dixie Chicks spoke out against Pres. Bush? Remember all of the calls for boycotting the group's concerts and CDs? Weren't many of them politically aligned with Limbaugh?

Remember the effort by K. Mfume to get a syndicated talk show and how he was attacked for doing so? Remember how people said he was ideological and that his attempts to get a show seemed shady because the NAACP was saying media doesn't have enough Black faces?

Remember people like Jesse Lee Peterson going after sponsors of Jesse Jackson, Sr's Wall Street initiative? Remember the out cry because of Jackson, Sr's comments and his "shake down" of corporations?

Spouting Off On: I Am Not A Partisan

I am not a partisan.

I am not a partisan because I think and I try to think logically.

I am not a partisan because to be a partisan, means I have to ignore facts that don't make any ideas I have from "my side" look bad.

I am not a partisan because I am a realist, some say cynic.

I am not a partisan because a good idea is a good idea; period.

I am not a partisan because I am God created and confident in the abilities given to me by God.

I am not a partisan because I am a grown a** man.

If I don't fit your idea of a Black person or of a Republican, that's your problem and I refuse to make it my problem.

Roderick, I am a Republican because I am. Grow up and then deal with it.

Simple Point

If you liked it when generals spoke out against Bush, then you have to like it when they speak out against Obama.

The Question Not Asked By Pundits

We know there are people and organizations that are trying to turn things around in troubled neighborhoods, but there are not enough people actually helping out. Here is the question not asked by pundits, especially in light of the Chicago killing of Derrion Albert, an honor roll student.

How do we get more people to get involved in what we are doing?

If anyone answers, "find some way to blame the white man" or some form of it, I follow it up by saying, Black women proportionally have more abortions than white women, even with anti-abortion proponents saying a white racist supported Planned Parenthood. Since that doesn't work, your response is nonsense and you are automatically dismissed.

Query On Rights

Without your health, you have nothing.

What about heat or electricity or water?

If people think the former is a right, why isn't heat, electricity, and water?

Just pondering....

Spouting Off On: Options With Iran

All of the blather about Iran and nuclear capabilities comes down to three options:

1. Do nothing and Iran develops a nuclear capability.
2. Jawbone and apply sanctions on Iran and Iran develops a nuclear capability.
3. Take military action against Iran to try to stop or retard their nuclear capability.

People making public comments about Obama's response know these are the only three options. If they don't admit it, their comments should be dismissed.

Just my point of view.

I Know, Criticism Of Obama != Racism

I know, criticism of Obama policies does not equal racism.

[ UPDATE ]

I know that Obama was placed into office because of support from white voters.

Logically, I know this. But,

• When I independently verify from source who knows, the number of threats against Obama is way on the right side of the bell curve...
• When people bring guns to or near town hall meetings on health care...
• When a Black woman with a sign of Rosa Parks is removed from a town hall meeting because she had a sign, while another white person with an anti-health care sign is not removed...
• When screams of "I want my country back" matches the rhetoric of Pat Buchanan...

Yes, I'm looking askance, AKA

giving the side eye.

Role Of The President

If the role of the President of the United States does not include addressing students to motivate them to do well in school, then is it the role of the President of the United States to address men to be better fathers to their children?

The People Of "Personal Responsibility"

The people who claim to be about "personal responsibility", actually aren't. They blame others for their ills. Don't believe me? Consider:

• If you are a parent and are personally responsible for your children, how can a speech by the President of the United States, totally erase all that you have taught?
• If a person is responsible for their personal choices, then how can the availability of welfare be responsible for the destruction of family?
• If a person is responsible for their personal choices, then how can the eugenic background of a person who pushed for abortions, years ago, cause a woman to get an abortion, today?
• If a person is responsible for their actions, how can an organization, that isn't "speaking out" against an issue, be responsible for for a person not doing something to address an issue?

See where I'm going with this?

On My Mind

What's on my mind but haven't had time to put out there?

• O'Malley has proposed MD government cuts. So, he cut services to humans but didn't cut the funding for the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. That's an interesting priority.
• The Obama administration deciding to go after the CIA interrogators is another bad move. I support Panetta in this one. If the administration follows through, Panetta should quit. I'm now wondering if Obama is a pure idealist who thinks ideals always wins over reality, not matter the outcome. I hope that's the case, otherwise, the alternative is dangerous to this country.
• Democrats are over reaching and the Republican party will benefit, but again, I really wish a real third party would benefit. Both the Dems and GOP are too old and too entrenched with power. It's time to clean house.
• The head of the Virginia SPCA left her dog in a hot car and it died. This is the woman who spoke out strongly against Michael Vic and his dog abuse. Can you say irony?

Cannibalized Sales

A few years ago when Ford a fnd GM offered great rebates and 0% loans, automobile industry watchers said while it helped the companies with car sales, overall it would hurt because they were, essentially, cannibalizing future sales.

Who is to say that is not happening now?

And now that the inventories are depleted and the program is ended, what happens? Won't sales drop again?  Didn't sales increase because of the program?

What good did it do, really?

Bullet Point Brain Spew

Thoughts in bullet point form:

• I thought about posting my thoughts on one of the health care alternatives that was being "linked" about the Internet, especially the part about the potential for end of life counseling. After reading the offending section and a lot of the alternative, I decided to hold off on posting anything specific because it was one of 3 alternatives AND because the "end of life" counseling wasn't spelled out in the way critics of the health care reform effort have made it out to be.
• Any congress critter who didn't read the differing bills being put forth, but still trying to defend the effort, deserved to be yelled at.
• I'm not comfortable saying that people who really disagree with Obama are doing so mainly because he is Black, but a trusted "fly on the wall" has confirmed the number of threats against Obama has exceeded those of previous POTUS. I'm just sayin'.
• At a community cook out, besides learning how bad the previous "owner" of my home was, I learned other Black families moved into the area, even with the high cost of the homes, because of the school system. One family moved from a highly regarded area to this one because of concerns of the high school his children would be attending.
• You can't  have one Black American political agenda because the concerns of Blacks at the various socio-economic and family levels, will not come together enough for their to be a common Black political agenda.
• When you read this opinion article, keep in mind the following math:
  • Today you have 100 items. Tomorrow you have 200 items. That's a growth rate of 100%
  • The day after that, you have 300 items. That's a growth rate of 50%.
  • The day after that, you have 400 items. That's a growth rate of 33 1/3%.
  • The day after that, you have 500 items. That's a growth rate of 25%.
  My point is very simple. When you have low numbers to start with, any increase will be a large percentage even if the increase amount is constant. Walter Williams is relying on this math play to distort facts.
• Michael Vick In Philly?!?!?!?!?!?
• Go RAVENS!!!!

Comments R Us: Tell Us About Insurance Reform Opposition

In reply to this post from "Uncle Sam" concerning the Obama administration wanting people to tell them about people who oppose "insurance/medical reform," I wrote the following:

There are a few ways to look at this.

1. The manner in which you look at it and it's potential to lead to "re-education" [ala the Soviet Union style].

2. Take them at their word (I'll wait for your laughter/scoffing/purging of digestive juices) and say it is a new level of counter-programming communication. Think of it this way. Instead of letting "talk radio" frame the "populist debate" without responding, they are going full bore in battling [back the opposition].

Did it ever bother you that the Bush administration didn't use any media means to battle against their critics? As a few conservative media talking head said, the Bush administration was leaving up to the talking heads to counter punch. That was ineffective and in my way of thinking, stupid.

Maybe you can't respond to everything but you can monitor and fight back on things that seem to be gaining ground.

It's full time campaign activities.

Raw: Young Brother Response

This is a "raw" response to this post. Real life calls and I don't know when I can get back around to this, so I'll put it out there and let the chip fall where they may.

Points to hit:

Organization racial uplift fails because such organizations don't scale and they are too abstract to be practical.

• Programs targeted towards education are too abstract?
• Helping people in prison turn their lives around too abstract?
• Teaching young men to be good fathers, too abstract?

The first is that I come from Los Angeles, a big city where people with big mouths try to make big organizations. I haven't seen it work much better than a good church, and well that's already done. In a smaller city, I think there might be a more pressing need and a greater commitment to make strong love out of weak links.

• Obama made a mistake spouting off on Gates with a situation you don't know and you do the same about areas that aren't LA?
• Or maybe it's the organizations which you have come in contact with.

Secondly, the objective progress of black Americans means that on average the organizational ability latent on the black communities is greater than it was when I was a young black man. So the chances of an honest effort ending up okeydoke is smaller today than it was 20, 30 years ago.

• Huh?

If you are middle class, the chances that you are going to lift poor people into the middle class are slim. Especially in times like this when times are hard and messianic politicians are taxing you back down into the ditch.  If you're rich, the chances are better. What I'm saying is that if you've got a 50k job, it's likely that the time you spend trying to get somebody with a 20k job into a 35k job might often come at the expense of you getting a 75k job. So volunteer your time very carefully, because it's the man with the 150k job who has the time to recognize the ways and means of the rich that paves the greater path. And if you don't believe that, then why aren't you moving to Cuba, comrade? But then again, that's just all about money.

• Many of the "racial uplift" groups aren't about lifting the poor to middle class but giving people the tools to make better decisions and/or helping people improve the stock in their lives. After that the goal is the improved decisions improve their lives.
• Isn't the goal of job training providing a person the opportunity to learn a new skill which will allow them to feed themselves and their families? What's wrong with that?
• Parental training. If you see some of the poor excuse for parenting that is happening now, and realize that poor parenting may lead to societal dysfunctional people, what's the beef?
• Educational tutoring
• So what if a person making 50K "prevents" themselves from making 75K with their efforts? The people doing the work are making a decision and it's not yours or anyone else business to tell them their decision is wrong because it may retard their economic progress.
• A false decision is laid out here

The people this hurts the most are those who have not experienced the ways and means of power, because they see the game but they can't tell where the game ends and the realness begins. I think that especially counts for young black men who are not in close proximity to the ways and means of social power in the mainstream. When the mainstream carries power over you and your boss is gaming rather than authentically civil, then you will instinctively reject. You'd be right, but you sacrifice your own promotion. People who come up like that carry the dual consciousness, it destroys confidence in self and society.

• Civility is taught and if the parents aren't teaching, because the bonds have been broken in some manner, who the hell are you to deride the efforts to mend some bonds?

So my advice to everyone is the same. Read Carter and know that civil people with integrity are out there, dispersed and often unavailable, trying to express something better than a game face and working with integrity to earn the trust they deserve. That's the civilized world I'm living in, person to person in America, because I don't have time for anything else.

• Fine, your choice, no time, cool. But who the hell are you to deride those who take the time to make the choice?
• Following your comments, AUTENTIC GOD FEARING pastors, men and women of God who preach, teach, and spread the Word of Jesus Christ, would not do so, or at least that's what I get from your hackery.

Maybe he's thinking things through and putting thoughts out as they become "solidified" or so he thinks, initially. Or maybe he is, as has been written, a "conservative" and is approaching things from that perspective instead of "organically" where your beliefs come from your core and then you identify an ideology into which you "neatly fit."

Supporting Black Cops

This has to be short and to the point.

People are supporting the Black police officers who are supporting Sgt. Crowley. I really don't have a problem with that though I note the inconsistancies in reports and sense "The Blue Wall" is in action. What I wonder those is this.

Where is this support for Black cops when they are killed by "friendly fire" by their Brothers In Blue? Black policeman shot in the back? A cop chasing a thug? Killed by another cop.

Silence then, right? Unless it's to say Blacks are the reason the cop was shot.

Who wants to talk about that?

Circle The Wagons

911 Caller Didn't Use Black

The tape revealed that the woman who reported seeing two men trying to break into a house did not know their race. When pressed twice by the dispatcher to identify the men by race, Lucia Whalen said: "Um, well, there were two larger men. One looked kind of Hispanic, but I'm not really sure. And the other one entered and I didn't see what he looked like at all."

Now, BEFORE you slam Gates, read the following also in the story...

Whalen, who works at Harvard University's alumni magazine a few feet from Gates's house, had been vilified in online comments and blogs as a racist "white woman" who saw "two black men" trying to enter a home and assumed they were breaking and entering, but she had declined to comment until Sunday, when, through her attorney, she issued a statement knocking down a line in the police report filed after the incident. It describes Whalen telling Crowley, who responded to her call, that she saw "two black men with backpacks." The lawyer, Wendy J. Murphy, told CNN on Monday that Whalen did not identify the men by race at any point. Cambridge police officials, who released the tape of the 911 call, have said they stand by the report.

So, now you see both sides circling the wagons.

This is turning into a classic case and only those who are surface dwellers don't realize, or maybe don't want to realize, what the above quotes are all about.

Da PoLease, Fast Forward

My father was a NY city cop. One day he came home from duty and I followed him into my parent's room. He was taking off his clothes and showed me how to unload his gun. My mother didn't like it a bit. He told me not to ever touch his gun. I didn't.

Fast forward...

The little boy who would become DS learned his NYPD father was human.

Fast forward...

I meet "Officer Friendly" when I was in the 2nd grade. This is the first year being in the Baltimore City Public School system.

Fast forward...

I meet "Officer Friendly," again, when he comes to the Jr. high school I attended to get knuckleheads to stop walking the train tracks near the school.

Fast forward...

"Officer Friendly" dies in the line of duty. If I remember correctly, he was a motorcycle officer who was killed when his motorcycle crashed. People lined the streets for his funeral. Even the knuckleheads said he was a good cop.

Fast forward...

Brian and I finished taking an exam in high school. We were walking to the bus stop when a police officer stopped us saying we were breaking curfew. We told him we were in school and had taken exams. After the exams the school day is over. He didn't believe us and took us back to school where he was told we told the truth. He was taking us home when he got a call and dropped us off. We had a long walk to the bus stop.

Fast forward...

I was driving when a motorcycle passed us. Someone said, "I bet you can't catch him" and I did. Too bad for me there was a radar trap. Long story short, it was a $250 fine and 5 points, but since I told the truth about the motorcycle rider not speeding, it was knocked down 1 MPH which made it a $50 fine and 2 points.

Fast forward...

The next summer, when I was working as a "Dial 0" operator, a woman came to the building upset, saying she had to see one of the other operators. She took the other operator away. That night, the news led with a story of a man being killed by a state trooper. The man reached for a screwdriver and the trooper killed him. It turned out the man reached for the screwdriver because the glove compartment was broken and he used the screwdriver to open it. The man was my co-worker's husband.

Fast forward...

I go to a neighborhood Chinese joint across the street from Pimlico. After ordering I go back to my little red Nissan Sentra to wait. A car comes up and gets in front of my parked car. "If I wanted to get out, I sure couldn't do it with the way..."

A Black man comes out of the driver's side and approaches me. A white man comes out of the passenger side and approaches me from the other side. Because of how the car parked, I couldn't leave. "Damn. I'm about to die in the middle of the day, waiting for Yat Gaw Mein." 

The Black men motions me to roll down the window and I refuse. The white man speaks into a microphone that he pulls out of his shirt. Now I see what is happening and I roll down the window. The Black guy asks to see my keys, looks in the car, and sees keys in the ignition. The white guy THEN identifies themselves as cops. I thank God I'm not dead because if I could have moved the car, I would have and they would have killed me because I damn sure would have tried to hit one of them to get away.

Fast forward...

A friend and I were coming from Atlantic City after giving the casinos our money. I got lost somehow. I went through a toll and a police officer pulled us over. I rolled down the window and started to say I was lost when he asked what was under my jacket.

"Me."

"Let me see the jacket!!!"

I handed it to him and he snatched it, patted it down, and threw it on the ground. He told us to get out and go to the back of the car. While he was talking to us in the back, another officer was searching the car in the front, without our permission. He ripped up carpet, turned out the glove compartment and found change in the seat. They asked to see what was in the trunk and said I could turn it down but that he has probable cause to tow the car and tear the car apart while we are in jail.

The probable cause? A Camel cigarette butt. A cigarette but that doesn't have a filter!

They searched, didn't see anything and was about to get into their car when my friend said, "Don't forget to get your license and registration!" They gave it to me, told me how to get back on the right path, and then followed us for about 10 miles.

Should I mention that I was on the New Jersey Turnpike?

Fast forward...

It was late and I was coming from the apartment of a woman I was seeing. I tried to merge but a car would not let me in. I slowed down and he slowed down. I sped up and he sped up. I slowed down and he slowed down. I punched it and got in. My car gets lit up and I pull over. The man screams at me and I scream back saying, "You wouldn't let me in! You slowed and I slowed, sped when I sped and..." Then I remembered I was in Prince Georges County, Maryland and I apologized and begged and said I was sorry and shut up. He let me go.

Fast fast forward...

I was working in the front of the house, moving boxes and doing other things. I tried to turn off the front of the house alarm zone and failed. The alarm sent a silent alarm to the police. While I'm moving boxes a patrol car comes up and stops. The cop gets out and says hi and asks if I live there. I say yes and he tells me a silent alarm came in and he has to check it out. He asks for my name and I tell him. He asks if there is mail in the house to verify. I go in the house and return with the mail. He then asks to see ID. I call for my wife, who is upstairs, to get my ID and why. She gets decent, comes down with my ID and, as I find out later, is ready to go to the police station to bail me out.

The police officer verifies who I am, apologizes and reiterates why the stop and I acknowledge and apologize. I had seen him before. It turns out my wife was in a slight accident that morning and he was the police officer who handled it. In fact, when I went to see what was wrong with her car, I talked to him for about 5 minutes.

Spouting Off On: Judicial Prejudice

Justice is supposed to be blind and it is that canon that's at the center of attacks by conservatives against Sotomayor. There is a concern that her comment about a "wise Latina" means that she will take her bias to the bench and adjudicate based on that bias. That's a fair point but I'd like to point out some things that, to me, dispel the idea of "justice is blind."

People on trial are presumed innocent until proven guilty. That is a canon as well and one that, to me, is quickly disappearing in reality. However, my point is, isn't that bias? Here is where some may say the bias she represents is a bias of "a group" against "the individual" and that is the problem.OK, that's a point I counter with the idea that the police are given deference in testifying before the court AND in their actions on the street. Let's take the last, first.

The "non-activist Supreme Court" has increased the rights of police to make stops and searches of property without a warrant. If you are driving a car and are stopped, the Supreme Court has ruled that the police just need "reasonable belief" of wrong doing to search your car. The "non-activist" Supreme Court has increase the power of the group, the police -- actually, the Government -- to search you and/or your possession.

When testifying in court, juries are expected to give more weight to the testimony of a police officer than the testimony of those on trial. Think about this. Many conservatives have spoken out against juries in "urban areas" because they don't give deference to the testimony of police officers over defendant's. (Personally, I think they should both be weighed the same UNTIL on or the other demonstrates their integrity is in question. Just because a person is on trial, the person's integrity is not automatically suspect. That person's integrity is shown to be suspect by the case built against the person on trial). When the "urban juries" don't believe police testimony, people scream "jury nullification."

And speaking of activist court, why isn't the Supreme Court said to be activist when it is working to take less cases per session?

But I'm not a lawyer and I don't play one on the 'net, so what do I know?

It Ain't Just Republicans

Check this one out.

Oh, and speaking of which, here's the kicker: remember the above-mentioned club President? The one concerned about how the black kids might change the complexion of the place? John Duesler? Yeah, well, turns out, Duesler is no knuckle-dragging right winger. He's no Klansman. Actually, he was a supporter of President Obama, and helped coordinate a blood drive in town to celebrate the Presidential inauguration. Even worse, he's the chairman of Peace-Action Philadelphia: a collection of presumably progressive and even leftist types. This is what I speak of as Racism 2.0 in my book, Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama: the kind of racism that allows some whites to vote for Obama, and to carve out exceptions for those black and brown folks who make us comfortable, but to maintain fundamentally hostile views towards the larger communities of color from which these exceptions come. In other words, the kind of racism that says, black folks are fine, so long as they went to Harvard Law, speak a certain way, dress a certain way, and pander to our tastes. But for the rest of y'all, oh hell no.

I'm off to search the net for references to this article and who is doing the referencing. Links to the author's writing tends to cause people who oppose the writer, to spew venom and spit. I wonder if those same people will now reference this article directly or indirectly.

Random Ed-ness

Some random, kinda sorta, thoughts:

• If you remember me from soc.culture.african.american you may remember "Ed-ness". I kinda liked that phrase because it kinda fits. If you don't remember, don't worry.
• I've tried to check out of watching the news for my own mental well being, but I keep getting pulled back in. I can deal with the madness going on at the global level, but I have a harder time dealing with the madness on the national, state and local level. I'm finding myself more and more screaming at the boob tube and just being generally disgusted.
• Regionally, here is a reason why I scream.
• Is this a matter of "good sex" being mistaken for an attack or is there more to this than meets the eye?

• In a comment at a post on P6's blog, I wrote this: The [GM] bond holders are right to [ attempt to block GM's sale ]. There is no damn way, even with accepting the government money, that the government should re-write the bankruptcy rules, just for those who took the money. It's damn wrong for the unions to get a piece of the company and placed in front of the bond holders.

  People don't seem to realize and/or care that the bond holders of GM are many times people who have pension plans with companies and/or state and/or local government.
  

• Maybe it is me, but I just don't see any good coming out of government becoming a source of health care coverage as an alternative to private insurers. When I worked in the U.K. for about 6 months, I saw how people who went over with me first liked being a part of the greater medical system when emergencies arose, but when they had to schedule "routine to them" doctor visits and/or procedures, the wait became an issue. And the fact that the government then can get into the game of rationing care based on cost, really bothers me.
  
  The government saying "no health care for you!" for a specific medical problem when there are options available, really, really, REALLY bothers me.
• Can someone explain to me how "cap and trade," which will cause energy prices to rise, is NOT harmful to "the poor and middle class"? How about this idea?
  
  Let's assume there are jobs in an city like Baltimore where a large number of people who work those jobs, live in the suburbs and commute to Baltimore. If the cost of gas rises, would that not cause people to move back into Baltimore, thus causing the price of housing to rise? And wouldn't that cause gentrification of areas that are depressed, causing "poor and 'people of color'" to be forced out of those areas? Or, if enough workers live outside of the city, would  that not cause the companies to move out of Baltimore causing harm to the city?
• To my new little cousin, welcome to your life, your world, and your family. God has blessed you to be born into the immediate and extended family to which you have been born.

That's enough for now.

Government Motors Goes Bankrupt, Part 2

I wrote that GM should go into bankruptcy to get the opportunity to relieve them of the obligations they currently have. Even though this appears to be happening on Monday -- I'm writing this Sunday evening -- I don't like that fact that it is happening in the way that it is happening.

Normally, a company goes into bankruptcy based on the decision of the executive leaders, sometimes a company goes into bankruptcy because an investor or group of investors, forces the company to go into bankruptcy. And although the government is now part owner of GM, I still think it is wrong for the government to force GM into bankruptcy and under the conditions that it is doing so.

First, anyone who believes in the U.S. version of capitalism, even if they have problems with it, should really have a problem with bond holders and common stock holders being placed at the end of the line to get paid. Additionally, since when should the government force a company to give a large equity stake in the company to the employees or VERY worse yet, to major unions of the company?

Even though bankruptcy is the major "get out of financial jail" reset card, having the company work out its deals with its creditors, with a government judge overseeing it is one thing. Having THE GOVERNMENT force the deals is quite another and this IS a major blow against capitalism as the U.S. practices it.

But, once again, it's the executive board of GM that approved GM asking the government for the money and then accepting the money. Again, I remember a saying by some communist who said that communists didn't have to defeat capitalism, all they had to do was provide enough rope for the capitalists to buy so that they hang themselves.

That's how I see it.

[ UPDATE ]

I forget to mention something very important. When the government put the union and the government, itself, in front of the bond holders, the government, essentially, destroyed the underpinnings of the stock market.

Spouting Off On: Dick Cheney

Please consider this.

Vice President Dick Cheney continued to say that Iraq was involved in the 9-11 attacks on this country. This is AFTER President George W. Bush had stated Iraq was NOT INVOLVED in the 9-11 attacks. Now, Cheney is saying the harsh interrogation technique used against captured terrorists saved thousands of lives. Not only that, but he is challenging President Barack Obama to release the material to substantiate what Cheney has said. This is where I ask you to consider what is being said.

First, I have to assume Cheney lied about Iraq because the president was saying otherwise. Next, he knows that if the information obtained from the interrogation is highly classified, so asking Obama to release that information would place classified information into open domain, with the possibility of causing more damage to our national security. Next, if Obama did it, and other information affecting our security were release, he or most likely others, would say Obama damaged national security by releasing the information.

So, I'm forced to ask, is Cheney being honestly concerned about national security or is it politics?

100 Day Nonsense

Suppose the Obama administration makes all the right moves during the first 100 days in office. What would people think if for the next 4 years - 100 days, his administration makes one blunder after another after another? Would the first 100 days make a difference?

Give the man's administration the full term or terms before rating it. This 100 day mark is complete nonsense.