It has been established that Bruce Cozart will be running against Jerry Rephan in our search for a state representative in District 24. He was selected by the Republican party of Garland County as reported in the Sentinel- Record. Write-in candidates have until noon January 7, 2011 to apply.
A drawing for ballot position will be held on or before January 14, 2011.
Now that that has been established, there seems to be more creditability being given this blog than just its name would suspect. I don't know who thinks I have the power to influence anybody in Hot Springs by what I say or don't say especially here. This blog is my opinion and as such it is open to criticism and conjecture just as any blog of its nature would be. If I have any influence at all it hopefully is that we live in a free country where the freedom of speech still exists. As long as I don't attack verbally or denigrate anyone in this blog I'm pretty well free to say whatever it is I think. Unlike the people that respond to this blog, they may or may not have the same high standards. I cannot account for the heat I've generated towards myself and others that comment here. I don't apologize either for myself or anyone else. That is their problem not mine.
I am and always will be a liberal, fiscally conservative Democrat who just happens to live in the South where that means nothing because Democrat is now another word for "Republican in Democratic clothing".
The Tea Party has taken over the Republican Party here as they have elsewhere in the country because people are afraid to hold accountable those in control of the nation's purse strings. It is easier to attack the messenger than it is to look to the cause and trying to rectify the situation through direct participation or simply calling their duly elected representatives and complaining to them for allowing the travesty that has occurred here.
Government cannot and never will be able to run on credit. We are trying and so far we're trillions in debt to every country with more fiscally responsible people running them than we have in Washington. The Tea Party wants to cut taxes, reduce government but for whom? When the jobs are sent over seas because people will work for less than an American, is it because we have a higher standard of living and can't work for slave wages while still protecting the environment and our own safety? Not according to the companies that have moved the jobs to China, Bangladesh or India just to name a few. We're too lazy and want too much for the time we spend at work. We want too much when we ask to have a reasonable work week (it used to be 40 hours), a reasonable and secure retirement and a decent education for our children. Forget health care, that's for those that can afford the high premiums charged by the insurance companies that add nothing of value to the system.
When the rubber meets the road (a euphemism that is becoming more commonplace everyday) we will have to pay the piper. Our credit limit is about at its limit. In some countries now, they will not take American dollars. Who will bail us out when the profiteers have taken all that we have to offer and then some?
People will always have 'crap' happen and the government has up until now provided a safety net to catch those from being bankrupted by conditions beyond their control. If this is a 'welfare' state than so be it. Bailing Wall Street out was WELFARE at the corporate level. Why isn't the Tea Party as up in arms over that as they are over little Johnny getting a 'free' breakfast at school?
For example, destroying the environment to produce profits for companies that want to produce natural gas at any cost is not going to make living here better and certainly will make parts of this country uninhabitable. Who will pay for that remediation? Three (3) guesses and two (2) don't count.
Pick your fights but I'm really tired of those who can't fight back due to time restraints (job) or financial insolvency being the 'bad' guys.
Like I said pick your fights but don't pick on the victims. It pisses me off.
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Saturday, December 25, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Desperation thy name is Bill
tsk...tsk...tsk Are we getting desperate? This blog is devoted to politics as anyone would assume by its name. Character assassination is best left to the Right Wingnuts. If you are one, I see you must be devoid of imagination or you would be out there pushing for whatever it is you stand for rather than typing stuff here that gives me chuckles and my friends uproarious hoots of laughter.
Oh the tangled web we weave when we practice to be stupid
Massah Bill, This is in response to your innuendo and 'Glenn Beck' political diatribe. I don't give a crap what you think of me and/or my politics. This is my blog and I'll say what I want.
As far as alienating Jerry's parents, you mustn't know them very well or even have any idea what it is to be a parent. Holding Jerry up as some kind of hero will never upset any parent even if they know all his warts and past indiscretions. I'm sure they know that I adore Jerry and think obviously that the GCDCC made the best choice running Jerry as a candidate against the Republicans. If I alienated you that looks like a 'good thing'. Personally, I don't care. If you're not who I think you are then you must have a twin. Continue supporting Jerry for District 24 representative. I'm sure he will appreciate your help.
As far as alienating Jerry's parents, you mustn't know them very well or even have any idea what it is to be a parent. Holding Jerry up as some kind of hero will never upset any parent even if they know all his warts and past indiscretions. I'm sure they know that I adore Jerry and think obviously that the GCDCC made the best choice running Jerry as a candidate against the Republicans. If I alienated you that looks like a 'good thing'. Personally, I don't care. If you're not who I think you are then you must have a twin. Continue supporting Jerry for District 24 representative. I'm sure he will appreciate your help.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Yea!!!! The Progressives Moved Into the Spotlight!!
Tonight the District 24 delegates elected Jerry Rephan to represent them in the March 8, 2011 election for state Representative. The vote was Jerry Rephan 23- Q. Byrum Hurst 17.
Q Byrum stated he was the only one electable candidate due to his having already put in place a campaign organization that lost to Gene Shelby in the primary last Spring. Q Byrum citing all of his past relatives being 'good' lifelong Democrats, swore his allegiance to Jerry giving him his full support in the upcoming campaign, utilizing his volunteer staff to help Jerry hit the street running.. He claimed there was a ground swell of conservatism and both candidates shared their concern with funding state programs and the concern most people seemed to have which was witnessed by the outcome of the general election November 2, 2010.
Jerry expressed his concern and efforts to keep people out of jails and once in, to get them to be productive participating members of society rather than revolving door jail occupants. He also explained that child labor laws, Social Security, minimum wage laws, sweat shop reform were all Democrat values and issues. The Republicans' goal is to overturn all of those and return us to the era of the late 1800's when corporations ruled and people were little more than slaves to the machine. He explained that it costs $12,000 per year to keep a child in foster care. If we can teach parents how to support and raise their children in a safe and happy environment, all of society wins. Keeping children in their homes when its safe and secure is a better alternative to putting the parents in jail and the children in foster care.
We need to help Jerry get elected and help him keep this state from becoming another cog in the corporate wheel of forced labor. We are a Right To Work state which means we have an uphill battle to get wages that people can support their families on and not dependent on ArKids and Medicaid. Children deserve an education to give them a fighting chance to succeed. Parents need to be able to send their children to school with a full belly and warm clothes paid for from the wages they earned working for a responsible company.
Our taxes go to feed and support those employees that corporations refuse to pay a living wage. Taxes are being used as a tool to convince people into believing they are the ones who are paying the taxes and shouldn't have to. WRONG! Corporations don't want to pay anything particularly taxes for health care, retirement, education or anything that they can convince the public is coming out of their pocket.
Somewhere down the line, people will have to wake up and realize we are the Government. What WE pay in is what WE get out. If WE can't afford to pay in WE get nothing out. Washington's solution is to borrow and print more money. The states don't have that luxury. If Washington decides not to fund the states' needs, the states will have to raise taxes or cut social services. We are the 3rd from the bottom just above Mississippi and Washington DC on the poverty scale. Guess who is going to go hungry? Guess whose teeth will fall out? Guess whose children will die from lack of medical care?
The solution is to get a living wage, health care that is paid for by employers and not the state, retirement that is secured for the elderly so that they don't have to work to the grave and education facilities that actually teach people to be productive, involved citizens and not cogs in the corporate labor pool.
If anyone is paying attention in Washington, you know that the Republicans do not want anything positive to be accomplished by the Obama administration. With that thought in mind, what do you think their goal is for Arkansas?
Jerry Rephan will work to see that the people of Arkansas get to be safe, secure in their homes and able to support their kids without having to rely on the public dole. We can't afford to keep letting corporations off the hook. They need to pay every person that is willing to work a living wage that keeps those that have more from being over-taxed to cover for corporations' lack of civic responsibility.
Jerry Rephan neither approves or disapproves of this blog. The comments are strictly those of the editor.
Q Byrum stated he was the only one electable candidate due to his having already put in place a campaign organization that lost to Gene Shelby in the primary last Spring. Q Byrum citing all of his past relatives being 'good' lifelong Democrats, swore his allegiance to Jerry giving him his full support in the upcoming campaign, utilizing his volunteer staff to help Jerry hit the street running.. He claimed there was a ground swell of conservatism and both candidates shared their concern with funding state programs and the concern most people seemed to have which was witnessed by the outcome of the general election November 2, 2010.
Jerry expressed his concern and efforts to keep people out of jails and once in, to get them to be productive participating members of society rather than revolving door jail occupants. He also explained that child labor laws, Social Security, minimum wage laws, sweat shop reform were all Democrat values and issues. The Republicans' goal is to overturn all of those and return us to the era of the late 1800's when corporations ruled and people were little more than slaves to the machine. He explained that it costs $12,000 per year to keep a child in foster care. If we can teach parents how to support and raise their children in a safe and happy environment, all of society wins. Keeping children in their homes when its safe and secure is a better alternative to putting the parents in jail and the children in foster care.
We need to help Jerry get elected and help him keep this state from becoming another cog in the corporate wheel of forced labor. We are a Right To Work state which means we have an uphill battle to get wages that people can support their families on and not dependent on ArKids and Medicaid. Children deserve an education to give them a fighting chance to succeed. Parents need to be able to send their children to school with a full belly and warm clothes paid for from the wages they earned working for a responsible company.
Our taxes go to feed and support those employees that corporations refuse to pay a living wage. Taxes are being used as a tool to convince people into believing they are the ones who are paying the taxes and shouldn't have to. WRONG! Corporations don't want to pay anything particularly taxes for health care, retirement, education or anything that they can convince the public is coming out of their pocket.
Somewhere down the line, people will have to wake up and realize we are the Government. What WE pay in is what WE get out. If WE can't afford to pay in WE get nothing out. Washington's solution is to borrow and print more money. The states don't have that luxury. If Washington decides not to fund the states' needs, the states will have to raise taxes or cut social services. We are the 3rd from the bottom just above Mississippi and Washington DC on the poverty scale. Guess who is going to go hungry? Guess whose teeth will fall out? Guess whose children will die from lack of medical care?
The solution is to get a living wage, health care that is paid for by employers and not the state, retirement that is secured for the elderly so that they don't have to work to the grave and education facilities that actually teach people to be productive, involved citizens and not cogs in the corporate labor pool.
If anyone is paying attention in Washington, you know that the Republicans do not want anything positive to be accomplished by the Obama administration. With that thought in mind, what do you think their goal is for Arkansas?
Jerry Rephan will work to see that the people of Arkansas get to be safe, secure in their homes and able to support their kids without having to rely on the public dole. We can't afford to keep letting corporations off the hook. They need to pay every person that is willing to work a living wage that keeps those that have more from being over-taxed to cover for corporations' lack of civic responsibility.
Jerry Rephan neither approves or disapproves of this blog. The comments are strictly those of the editor.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Emergency Meeting called for District 24
An emergency meeting of the GCDCC and the members of District 24 was called for December 2, 2010 because the person that won the election for Representative, District 24 November 2, 2010 was deceased. Rick Saunders was term limited out but it was ruled that he could stay through the next session of the Legislature but proposed to opt out.
George Hozendorf called an emergency meeting because Governor Beebe gave us 2 weeks to resolve the issue either through caucus or a primary election.
It was determined that we would have a caucus but I am going to check on the validity of the vote since the only people having a say in that process are District 24 residents. The vote turned out to be 18 for a primary and 21 for a caucus. I don't believe there were that many residents in attendance that would support those numbers. If the vote is not supported by residents in attendance, then non-resident members of the committee voted that have no right to vote.
I will ask Mr. Hozendorf to give me a break-down of the voting members.
The candidates running for the position of State Representative District 24 are Bill Wisely, Jerry Rephan and Q. Byrum Hurst. Mr. Wisely was introduced for the first time to the membership by George Hozendorf. Since this was a 'closed' meeting and Mr. Wisely is not a member of the committee I can not see why he was allowed to appear. Mr. Rephan wanted a caucus rather than a primary for costs reasons. Having a primary and possibly another run-off if 50% of the vote was not carried by 1 of the candidates would delay the seating of a Representative for District 24 until next Fall.
The Republicans have at least 2 people in mind for the position. It is imperative that we do the most efficient and committed campaign to ensure that we get a Democrat elected to this position.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
...And the Fat Lady Sang
George decided not to run for Central Committee chairman after all. That was nice, it allowed Gene Shelby to be nominated to that position. I hope everybody votes for him as I'm sure they will. Gene is a real progressive Democrat that was unfortunately a victim of the Garland County purge.
I think someone on the committee doesn't like Claudia Reynolds-LaBlanc and me as he/she /it sent an anonymous email saying something to the effect that it was better to be wise and think you're stupid than to think you're wise and be stupid. I figure since she and I were the only one's targeted with the message the point was that we 1) were either stupid or 2) wise.
When people lack the balls or the conviction of their opinion to express it openly and must display it in an anonymous email, it convinces me more than ever that the Democratic party is the party of wimps and dweebs. Even President Obama is being accused of not standing firm against a Republican agenda that is standing solidly against any compromise with the Democrats.
In this last Congress , we had a majority in both the House and the Senate. We also had a Democrat in the White House. Did we get anything other than a watered down health bill passed? Not much more than that. Obama was stuck with the fiasco left by the previous idiot savant vacating the White House so he was pretty well occupied with cleaning up his mess. Did he stand up for the people getting the shaft? No, he's giving the gold and all the rewards to the wealthiest Americans that donated the most cash to his election. Nothing to the people whose votes actually got him into the White House.
If we can't get anything done when we are in the majority it's damn well certain nothing is going to get done with a Republican majority in the House. We can expect Mike Ross to support their agenda as he openly and proudly proclaims he will not follow the Democratic platform agenda.
Until we get someone to stand up to the right-wing neocons and their efforts to turn us into a 3rd world economy, we are all in deep doodoo. People are now just beginning to go to the streets. I'm hoping that it catches hold here in Arkansas before it's too late or we'll all be going through x-ray machines and getting patted down to buy groceries, if we can afford them.
The Republicans want to stop 'earmarks'. That's a big PR piece of crap to keep everybody believing (except those who know what they're pulling) that they are working to keep fiscal spending under control and to bring down the national debt. The earmarks are already allocated in the budget. The 'earmarks' are for the separate Representatives' to determine where the individual monies will go and to whose state. It will have no bearing on the national debt. If Congress doesn't allocate the 'earmarks' then President Obama will. That will happen when pigs fly.
The Republicans already stopped the passage of equal pay for equal time in this lame-duck Congress. Women will just have to wait until 1) these old fogies die or 2) they get mad enough to quit buying into the Tea Party crap that undermines and devalues them at every turn of the screw and demand they get fair treatment and not a seat at the back of the bus. The last time I checked, the grocery store did not cut the price of my grocery bill because I'm a woman, the utility companies haven't given me a break because I earn less than the average man yet Congress aka the Republicans and our fair haired Blue Dogs believe we deserve less money for our labor.
As the Republicans push for tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, Arizona's governor is refusing to pay for the transplants mandated under Medicaid and Medicare for patients that will die without them. The proof is in the pudding, dear ones, death panels are with us and it ain't Health Care Reform. Blame it all you want to on 'Obamacare' but this is just greed determining who lives and who dies. If you're unable to work because of a heart condition or other pre-existing disease, you're SOL.
The Republicans will stall the funding of Medicare and Medicaid to the states making them take the brunt of the costs. Taxes will have to go up since God doesn't really give a damn whether you're rich or poor. He/she isn't going to keep the heat on and the toilet flushing when you can't pay for it. I just hope people wake up and start putting pressure on this Congress to get real. There is no free ride. The only ones that believe it currently are the ones getting it, the rich and like everyone knows, no-one wants to give up power and money if they don't have to. Make them have to. Quit cutting their lawns and cleaning their houses.
I think someone on the committee doesn't like Claudia Reynolds-LaBlanc and me as he/she /it sent an anonymous email saying something to the effect that it was better to be wise and think you're stupid than to think you're wise and be stupid. I figure since she and I were the only one's targeted with the message the point was that we 1) were either stupid or 2) wise.
When people lack the balls or the conviction of their opinion to express it openly and must display it in an anonymous email, it convinces me more than ever that the Democratic party is the party of wimps and dweebs. Even President Obama is being accused of not standing firm against a Republican agenda that is standing solidly against any compromise with the Democrats.
In this last Congress , we had a majority in both the House and the Senate. We also had a Democrat in the White House. Did we get anything other than a watered down health bill passed? Not much more than that. Obama was stuck with the fiasco left by the previous idiot savant vacating the White House so he was pretty well occupied with cleaning up his mess. Did he stand up for the people getting the shaft? No, he's giving the gold and all the rewards to the wealthiest Americans that donated the most cash to his election. Nothing to the people whose votes actually got him into the White House.
If we can't get anything done when we are in the majority it's damn well certain nothing is going to get done with a Republican majority in the House. We can expect Mike Ross to support their agenda as he openly and proudly proclaims he will not follow the Democratic platform agenda.
Until we get someone to stand up to the right-wing neocons and their efforts to turn us into a 3rd world economy, we are all in deep doodoo. People are now just beginning to go to the streets. I'm hoping that it catches hold here in Arkansas before it's too late or we'll all be going through x-ray machines and getting patted down to buy groceries, if we can afford them.
The Republicans want to stop 'earmarks'. That's a big PR piece of crap to keep everybody believing (except those who know what they're pulling) that they are working to keep fiscal spending under control and to bring down the national debt. The earmarks are already allocated in the budget. The 'earmarks' are for the separate Representatives' to determine where the individual monies will go and to whose state. It will have no bearing on the national debt. If Congress doesn't allocate the 'earmarks' then President Obama will. That will happen when pigs fly.
The Republicans already stopped the passage of equal pay for equal time in this lame-duck Congress. Women will just have to wait until 1) these old fogies die or 2) they get mad enough to quit buying into the Tea Party crap that undermines and devalues them at every turn of the screw and demand they get fair treatment and not a seat at the back of the bus. The last time I checked, the grocery store did not cut the price of my grocery bill because I'm a woman, the utility companies haven't given me a break because I earn less than the average man yet Congress aka the Republicans and our fair haired Blue Dogs believe we deserve less money for our labor.
As the Republicans push for tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, Arizona's governor is refusing to pay for the transplants mandated under Medicaid and Medicare for patients that will die without them. The proof is in the pudding, dear ones, death panels are with us and it ain't Health Care Reform. Blame it all you want to on 'Obamacare' but this is just greed determining who lives and who dies. If you're unable to work because of a heart condition or other pre-existing disease, you're SOL.
The Republicans will stall the funding of Medicare and Medicaid to the states making them take the brunt of the costs. Taxes will have to go up since God doesn't really give a damn whether you're rich or poor. He/she isn't going to keep the heat on and the toilet flushing when you can't pay for it. I just hope people wake up and start putting pressure on this Congress to get real. There is no free ride. The only ones that believe it currently are the ones getting it, the rich and like everyone knows, no-one wants to give up power and money if they don't have to. Make them have to. Quit cutting their lawns and cleaning their houses.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Oh Boy Is It Hot or Is It Me?
Politics will be heating up very soon in Hot Springs especially in the Garland County Democratic Central Committee. Elections are coming up and our 'fearless' leader George Hozendorf as I understand, wants to run again. Considering the beating the local Democrats took in the November 2 election, I would think his best move would be to move to Alaska (I say that because they obviously tolerate anything or anyone).
The scuttlebutt is a lot of us want him out. A lot of us want to return to the Democratic values that define us as Democrats. When the one 'Democrat' that won sells himself as having voted against everything President Obama pushed through this convoluted, discombobulated, backstabbing, heel dragging Congress, it makes you wonder why he even casts himself as a Democrat. I was on a call-in talk show and someone asked Ross why he didn't run as a Republican. He said it was because he was a "Blue Dog" Democrat. Well, Mr. Ross, it looks like your little tea party is over. You Blue Dogs got trounced. Don't you think that the days of calling yourself one thing while practicing another are over?
The Republicans ran a strong Republican against Lincoln and she lost. They worked really hard to get her a win in the primary because they knew she was an easy candidate to beat. Bill Halter would have eaten John Boozman's lunch with the people of Arkansas. He's everything that we look for in a candidate; honest, hardworking, straight-shooting, roll-up-your-sleeves and dig in with the guy on the street kind of solid American. His goal has been and always will be to help Arkansans dig their way out of the miasma of poverty and social prejudice.
Now that the Republicans got their wish and have control of the House, we will see an all out attack on the social services that keep Arkansas families afloat. Medicaid and ARKids will become harder and harder to fund. Social Security and Medicare will struggle to keep the little benefits and payments to those receiving them. It won't matter that those services were over-funded by the Baby-boomers and the funds stripped by Congress to make it look like the deficit wasn't as bad as it was. The IOU left in its place is coming do so the next best thing is to shut it down completely or by privatizing and linking it to Wall Street which in essence is the same thing.
"Obamacare" will not be safe because the assault is already in the implementation stages. When they finally overturn Health Care Reform anyone with a pre-existing disease can be refused insurance again, anyone without insurance can be refused care at any hospital or medical facility, and anyone that thinks that their health insurance rates went up because of the Health Care Reform package passed and signed into law by President Obama, will find that their premiums are still going to go up because the cap that the Health Care Reform bill put in place will no longer apply. Being poor and working at a minimum wage job where you are dependent on social services to care for your children will find all of that gone. Companies like WalMart will either have to start covering all employees with health insurance or people will just die from lack of medical care.
The rich wanted their tax cuts made permanent and the people believed them. They believed it was to keep and make jobs. Small businesses making under $250 million a year usually don't hire people. They are hedgefund operators, lawyers, CPAs or other one owner businesses. Guess what? The rich don't buy from WalMart or KMart or Target. So those jobs will disappear as people are no longer able to afford even the 'stuff' made in China. The rich like paying less than the average American in taxes because it gives them more free time and money to enjoy their island resorts and private cruises. If you want a job they will always need gardeners, maids, servants, chauffeurs and nannies. College education will be available only to those whose families can afford the high cost of tuition. It will be another form of indentureship when the college graduate is forced to work for any company that gives him enough money to pay back all the loans his parents couldn't cover.
Welcome to the new America. If you don't like this scenario then I suggest you get active and start going to the streets and letting your representatives know how you feel about this country. It is ours not a corporation's. We don't have much time left. 2012 is just around the corner and the big boys that didn't play in this election are already gearing up to buy the next one. As long as we have the right to demand redress against our government we better take advantage of it. It may be the next liberty taken away.
The scuttlebutt is a lot of us want him out. A lot of us want to return to the Democratic values that define us as Democrats. When the one 'Democrat' that won sells himself as having voted against everything President Obama pushed through this convoluted, discombobulated, backstabbing, heel dragging Congress, it makes you wonder why he even casts himself as a Democrat. I was on a call-in talk show and someone asked Ross why he didn't run as a Republican. He said it was because he was a "Blue Dog" Democrat. Well, Mr. Ross, it looks like your little tea party is over. You Blue Dogs got trounced. Don't you think that the days of calling yourself one thing while practicing another are over?
The Republicans ran a strong Republican against Lincoln and she lost. They worked really hard to get her a win in the primary because they knew she was an easy candidate to beat. Bill Halter would have eaten John Boozman's lunch with the people of Arkansas. He's everything that we look for in a candidate; honest, hardworking, straight-shooting, roll-up-your-sleeves and dig in with the guy on the street kind of solid American. His goal has been and always will be to help Arkansans dig their way out of the miasma of poverty and social prejudice.
Now that the Republicans got their wish and have control of the House, we will see an all out attack on the social services that keep Arkansas families afloat. Medicaid and ARKids will become harder and harder to fund. Social Security and Medicare will struggle to keep the little benefits and payments to those receiving them. It won't matter that those services were over-funded by the Baby-boomers and the funds stripped by Congress to make it look like the deficit wasn't as bad as it was. The IOU left in its place is coming do so the next best thing is to shut it down completely or by privatizing and linking it to Wall Street which in essence is the same thing.
"Obamacare" will not be safe because the assault is already in the implementation stages. When they finally overturn Health Care Reform anyone with a pre-existing disease can be refused insurance again, anyone without insurance can be refused care at any hospital or medical facility, and anyone that thinks that their health insurance rates went up because of the Health Care Reform package passed and signed into law by President Obama, will find that their premiums are still going to go up because the cap that the Health Care Reform bill put in place will no longer apply. Being poor and working at a minimum wage job where you are dependent on social services to care for your children will find all of that gone. Companies like WalMart will either have to start covering all employees with health insurance or people will just die from lack of medical care.
The rich wanted their tax cuts made permanent and the people believed them. They believed it was to keep and make jobs. Small businesses making under $250 million a year usually don't hire people. They are hedgefund operators, lawyers, CPAs or other one owner businesses. Guess what? The rich don't buy from WalMart or KMart or Target. So those jobs will disappear as people are no longer able to afford even the 'stuff' made in China. The rich like paying less than the average American in taxes because it gives them more free time and money to enjoy their island resorts and private cruises. If you want a job they will always need gardeners, maids, servants, chauffeurs and nannies. College education will be available only to those whose families can afford the high cost of tuition. It will be another form of indentureship when the college graduate is forced to work for any company that gives him enough money to pay back all the loans his parents couldn't cover.
Welcome to the new America. If you don't like this scenario then I suggest you get active and start going to the streets and letting your representatives know how you feel about this country. It is ours not a corporation's. We don't have much time left. 2012 is just around the corner and the big boys that didn't play in this election are already gearing up to buy the next one. As long as we have the right to demand redress against our government we better take advantage of it. It may be the next liberty taken away.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Picketing the Debate
Friday morning, a group of YOUNG people from Fayatteville and other parts of Arkansas converged on the Convention Center to protest the exclusivity of the 'scheduled' debate. It turned out to be a 'canned' interview of the Republican candidate John Boozman and the incumbent Democratic senator Blanche Lincoln. The sponsors were the Association of Arkansas Counties. It was their 42nd annual conference. According to the Sentinel Record, "it was not a debate". Since the questions were pre-selected and had to be 'county-related' so the information given by the candidates must have been extremely informative. The reader can consult the Sentinel Record for all the details concerning the 'non-debate'.
There were about 50 people that felt strongly enough, including the Green candidate John Gray and Independent Trevor Down that picketed for the right of redress according to the First Amendment. Arriving at 8am to let the press and the attendees see how much it means to all of Arkansas to have an open debate, we were too late to see anyone arrive. Having been told the 'debate' would start at 8:30am it seems we were hornswoggled by the media. Everyone behaved civilly even though we were disillusioned by the lack of concern by the media for all persons running for the office of U.S. Senate. The fact that John Gray represents the values that used to be the foundation of the Democratic Party, he was excluded from the discussion.
When the right to know is controlled by the media or a group of elected officials enjoying a conference at Arkansas taxpayers expense, it seems the voters are the losers.
Channel 4 (NBC) and Fox news in Little Rock interviewed the candidates for their opinion on the picketing. Only one was included in the evening news sound bites. The voters of Arkansas need to get off their couches and ask the media to give them the information or allow the people with the information to give them access through the public airwaves. Censorship by omission is still censorship.
The bright spot on the whole affair was the turnout of young voters. Our country may be saved yet. They will not buy into the negative ads concerning "gay marriage" or "abortion" or "racism". They were all born after the law was passed requiring seatbelts in every vehicle, Title VII giving girls the same access to funds as the boys' football teams, Voter rights and desegregation. Their best friends may be gay, black, Latino or old or infirm. They aren't concerned by those issues as having any real bearing on what impacts them directly. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan that worries them. The cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that worries them. Health care concerns them because they have family members that are denied health care just because the company they work for does not supply it. They understand that we cannot continue to fund a military establishment as a means of employing young people in America. It is counter-intuitive and counterproductive.
Pretending that we are fighting a war against terrorists that only feeds into the paranoia such as that surrounding the building of a mosque in New York City, is counterproductive. We have an infrastructure that is falling apart before our eyes and yet Washington blindly signs away our youth and our society with its needs, social and physical, to feed a Pentagon gone nuts with money. They are like a kid in a candy store, their eyes are bigger than their stomach as they hemorrhage our youth out on the fields of battle in places that are only necessary to 'test' new war toys. The machines that are too dated or impractical, they sell to other war torn countries to up the ante and feed our paranoia. Do we see any of the profits from the sale of these war toys returned to us as the primary investor as would be the case with Wall Street? No, a resounding NO. Congress just writes them a bigger check.
We need to hear from all candidates that feel Washington is out of control. We need to hear that there are alternatives to the same ol' same ol'.
We do not have to keep sending the" best of the worst" back to Washington year after year. We need to let the voters know there are alternatives out there.
There were about 50 people that felt strongly enough, including the Green candidate John Gray and Independent Trevor Down that picketed for the right of redress according to the First Amendment. Arriving at 8am to let the press and the attendees see how much it means to all of Arkansas to have an open debate, we were too late to see anyone arrive. Having been told the 'debate' would start at 8:30am it seems we were hornswoggled by the media. Everyone behaved civilly even though we were disillusioned by the lack of concern by the media for all persons running for the office of U.S. Senate. The fact that John Gray represents the values that used to be the foundation of the Democratic Party, he was excluded from the discussion.
When the right to know is controlled by the media or a group of elected officials enjoying a conference at Arkansas taxpayers expense, it seems the voters are the losers.
Channel 4 (NBC) and Fox news in Little Rock interviewed the candidates for their opinion on the picketing. Only one was included in the evening news sound bites. The voters of Arkansas need to get off their couches and ask the media to give them the information or allow the people with the information to give them access through the public airwaves. Censorship by omission is still censorship.
The bright spot on the whole affair was the turnout of young voters. Our country may be saved yet. They will not buy into the negative ads concerning "gay marriage" or "abortion" or "racism". They were all born after the law was passed requiring seatbelts in every vehicle, Title VII giving girls the same access to funds as the boys' football teams, Voter rights and desegregation. Their best friends may be gay, black, Latino or old or infirm. They aren't concerned by those issues as having any real bearing on what impacts them directly. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan that worries them. The cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that worries them. Health care concerns them because they have family members that are denied health care just because the company they work for does not supply it. They understand that we cannot continue to fund a military establishment as a means of employing young people in America. It is counter-intuitive and counterproductive.
Pretending that we are fighting a war against terrorists that only feeds into the paranoia such as that surrounding the building of a mosque in New York City, is counterproductive. We have an infrastructure that is falling apart before our eyes and yet Washington blindly signs away our youth and our society with its needs, social and physical, to feed a Pentagon gone nuts with money. They are like a kid in a candy store, their eyes are bigger than their stomach as they hemorrhage our youth out on the fields of battle in places that are only necessary to 'test' new war toys. The machines that are too dated or impractical, they sell to other war torn countries to up the ante and feed our paranoia. Do we see any of the profits from the sale of these war toys returned to us as the primary investor as would be the case with Wall Street? No, a resounding NO. Congress just writes them a bigger check.
We need to hear from all candidates that feel Washington is out of control. We need to hear that there are alternatives to the same ol' same ol'.
We do not have to keep sending the" best of the worst" back to Washington year after year. We need to let the voters know there are alternatives out there.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Debate Convention Center Between 2 Conservatives
This morning a debate is scheduled between Democratic Senator candidate incumbent Blanche Lincoln and Republican candidate John Boozman to start at 8:30am at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Apparently the debate is to be between 2 conservatives that you can only tell apart by their clothing. Ideologically and in principle they are the Bobbsy Twins. The one candidate that could give Arkansans a choice at the polls is not included and that is Mayor John Gray running on the Green Party ticket. The Blue Dogs (Mike Ross, our Representative from the 4th District included) do NOT support President Obama's agenda. If we have a Democratic President where is the support that is promised by voting for a Democrat? The current representatives will not support the President and the goals he is trying to achieve for all Americans. How can we ever get out of the quagmire the Bush years put us in if we keep sending the same people back that got us in this mess in the first place?
This debate will be picketed by many that believe in America we have a right to know what all the candidates stand for. Letting a vested interest determine the knowledge people have access to is stacking the deck in their favor. It is not Democracy in action, its fascism.
This debate will be picketed by many that believe in America we have a right to know what all the candidates stand for. Letting a vested interest determine the knowledge people have access to is stacking the deck in their favor. It is not Democracy in action, its fascism.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Town Hall meeting 3rd JP District
Councilwoman Cathy Kehely called a town hall meeting last night at Jones Hall that was lightly attended. It was to get input from the citizenry what they wanted or expected from a new police chief. Judging from the turnout, not much. The City Manager and other city departments were represented as well as the fire department and the sanitation department. I commended the sanitation department for doing an outstanding job of making sure our streets were clear of trash. If you ask they will respond. I called them continuously about the nasty neighbors I had that thought the city dump was right in front of their house. The City brought them more trash barrels and left notes telling them that was against the law and then sent a crew out to handpick the litter left on the street by these miscreants. These people finally got the message and my street is relatively clean. Ask and you shall receive. Great job by the city sanitation department.
Back to the meeting, surveys were passed out to all attendees to rate the importance of what they felt the new chief should exemplify. The questionnaire included amount of experience, education, civic involvement, racial diversity and fair treatment, managerial skills and ability to promote good will among the troops. It will be interesting to see what the majority of Hot Springs residents value in the chief of police.
The subject of a new jail was addressed as well. Since the county owns the jail and the city just rents space, it isn't up to the residents of the city to decide where and when a new jail will be built. The county residents like it just where it is and the residents of Hot Springs want it out in the county away from the historical Prospect/Quapaw district.
The city residents voted for a new jail but lost to the majority of the county voting the bond down due to the fact there was now sunset clause on the tax. In the meantime, Cathy told about visiting the jail that was built to house 80 and has over 200 inmates waiting to go to trial. A disgrace in a society that propounds to be so enlightened. A new jail will be built and there are those with interests in the land around the current courthouse expansion and county jail that want to build a complex right next to the historic district. The area has been fighting crime waves for years from people getting out of jail and walking into the neighborhood and stealing whatever is handy. I was robbed twice while sitting in my living room when I lived on Prospect. I never heard the guy enter my house on crepe soled shoes.
I just hope that the 'people's will' prevails and the vested interests in Hot Springs lose the battle to build next to the current jail.
Back to the meeting, surveys were passed out to all attendees to rate the importance of what they felt the new chief should exemplify. The questionnaire included amount of experience, education, civic involvement, racial diversity and fair treatment, managerial skills and ability to promote good will among the troops. It will be interesting to see what the majority of Hot Springs residents value in the chief of police.
The subject of a new jail was addressed as well. Since the county owns the jail and the city just rents space, it isn't up to the residents of the city to decide where and when a new jail will be built. The county residents like it just where it is and the residents of Hot Springs want it out in the county away from the historical Prospect/Quapaw district.
The city residents voted for a new jail but lost to the majority of the county voting the bond down due to the fact there was now sunset clause on the tax. In the meantime, Cathy told about visiting the jail that was built to house 80 and has over 200 inmates waiting to go to trial. A disgrace in a society that propounds to be so enlightened. A new jail will be built and there are those with interests in the land around the current courthouse expansion and county jail that want to build a complex right next to the historic district. The area has been fighting crime waves for years from people getting out of jail and walking into the neighborhood and stealing whatever is handy. I was robbed twice while sitting in my living room when I lived on Prospect. I never heard the guy enter my house on crepe soled shoes.
I just hope that the 'people's will' prevails and the vested interests in Hot Springs lose the battle to build next to the current jail.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Progressives and Fighting Back
It is heartwarming to read someone else 'get it'. The following article should give everyone that believes we're under attack by the right wing nuts should understand and approve of the following article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/25/AR2010072502756.html?wpisrc=nl_pmopinions
If that doesn't drive you off the couch, nothing will.
With the release of the papers on Afghanistan and Iraq in Wikileaks to the public, it should help cement the knowledge that we need to quit waiting for the elections to do our civic duty. Democracy is not a spectator sport. Constant vigilance is the only way we will ever retain our country.
Right now its controlled by corporations as a totalitarian government in which we are the suppliers of the funds to wars we cannot win and lifestyles we can only watch on HGtv. Taking Social Security to fund wars because they are too expensive to fund with just taxes is criminal and larcenous. Saying that Social Security is broke is like saying Fort Knox is a myth. Social Security was funded by the largest working group of people in the history of the US; the Baby Boomers. They paid more money into Social Security than was being utilized by the retirees on SS. That was the money that built the Middle Class. Congress had never seen so much money just sitting there waiting for the Baby Boomers to retire. Congress took it and paid down the national debt and left IOUs in its place. Now the debt is so huge, Social Security taxes can't make a dent in it so they are going after pension funds next. If your fund is in stock, have a happy life living under a bridge or with your kids, if they will let you.
Anyone that supports the Republican agenda better not be relying on Social Security to get them through to the end. The Democrats are as big a part of this scam as the Right Wing. They know what side their bread is buttered on. The war machine needs money, lots of money. They are taking it away from the old, the indigent, the disabled and the infrastructure of the united States. The dam that broke in Iowa was just a shot across the bow.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/25/AR2010072502756.html?wpisrc=nl_pmopinions
If that doesn't drive you off the couch, nothing will.
With the release of the papers on Afghanistan and Iraq in Wikileaks to the public, it should help cement the knowledge that we need to quit waiting for the elections to do our civic duty. Democracy is not a spectator sport. Constant vigilance is the only way we will ever retain our country.
Right now its controlled by corporations as a totalitarian government in which we are the suppliers of the funds to wars we cannot win and lifestyles we can only watch on HGtv. Taking Social Security to fund wars because they are too expensive to fund with just taxes is criminal and larcenous. Saying that Social Security is broke is like saying Fort Knox is a myth. Social Security was funded by the largest working group of people in the history of the US; the Baby Boomers. They paid more money into Social Security than was being utilized by the retirees on SS. That was the money that built the Middle Class. Congress had never seen so much money just sitting there waiting for the Baby Boomers to retire. Congress took it and paid down the national debt and left IOUs in its place. Now the debt is so huge, Social Security taxes can't make a dent in it so they are going after pension funds next. If your fund is in stock, have a happy life living under a bridge or with your kids, if they will let you.
Anyone that supports the Republican agenda better not be relying on Social Security to get them through to the end. The Democrats are as big a part of this scam as the Right Wing. They know what side their bread is buttered on. The war machine needs money, lots of money. They are taking it away from the old, the indigent, the disabled and the infrastructure of the united States. The dam that broke in Iowa was just a shot across the bow.
In Response to BenThar and Pink Puppy Political Watchdog
I guess BenThar is a member of the Executive Committee since what he/she stated was not a part of the general meeting. As far as 'threats' go, do phone calls telling the person to 'back off' count? The DOJ frowns upon such practices as far as I know. When someone is restricted from expressing their opinion in a democratic meeting attended by "Democrats" there is something wrong and it smells to high heaven.
Maybe one of these days when the Republicans have gained full control of the country by fraud and deceit with the Democrats blessing by just idly sitting by and watching out of fear of being "unChristian", maybe they will wake up and realize what it was they gave up.
The "Party of No" is gearing up to win in November by denying jobs, unemployment compensation and filibustering every bill the Democratic majority has tried to pass. The economic failure will fall on the party in power (they hope). It will probably work because the Democrats like the GCDCC, are sitting on their hands and letting them. Putting Democrats back in office because they call themselves such even when they side with the Republicans is not good politics, its betrayal. If we can't hold our candidates accountable to the Democratic philosophy how can we expect people to support us when we are in power? We look like a duck, we walk like a duck, so we must be a duck. For too long we've been turning into "them" and its believed we can't win in Arkansas unless we do. My question is "WHAT?"
Maybe one of these days when the Republicans have gained full control of the country by fraud and deceit with the Democrats blessing by just idly sitting by and watching out of fear of being "unChristian", maybe they will wake up and realize what it was they gave up.
The "Party of No" is gearing up to win in November by denying jobs, unemployment compensation and filibustering every bill the Democratic majority has tried to pass. The economic failure will fall on the party in power (they hope). It will probably work because the Democrats like the GCDCC, are sitting on their hands and letting them. Putting Democrats back in office because they call themselves such even when they side with the Republicans is not good politics, its betrayal. If we can't hold our candidates accountable to the Democratic philosophy how can we expect people to support us when we are in power? We look like a duck, we walk like a duck, so we must be a duck. For too long we've been turning into "them" and its believed we can't win in Arkansas unless we do. My question is "WHAT?"
Sunday, July 25, 2010
GCDCC Meeting July 21, 2010
The meeting went as planned, no surprises. The press was there I guess expecting the question of George Hozendorf illegally voting Ginna Watson off the Election Commission being settled today which was brought up at the last meeting and then being tabled until tonight. No one brought the issue up so the meeting went as usual. The guest speaker was unable to make it but had his subordinates stand in for him. They wanted people to volunteer at the Democratic office they opened behind Perkins' Restaurant on Central. Anyone interested in canvassing or making phone calls were invited to just show up. Their hours are 9:00am until 9:30pm everyday except Friday.
I confronted Charles Tapp about the need for pushing more of a progressive agenda and he told me in no uncertain terms that Arkansas was a conservative state and if we wanted to stay in power we would have to continue along that line. I felt like the red-headed step-child at the meeting.
Fortunately, I got to go to the Hot Springs Village Democratic meeting on Friday, July 23, 2010. They have more progressives up there and they are more willing to speak out for the progressive issues that we as Democrats have traditionally endorsed. Unfortunately, the HSV guards profiled everyone that entered the Village with the intentions of attending the Democratic meeting. The lady guard demanded my drivers license and then informed me that having my birth date covered was in violation of the law and if a state trooper stopped me I would be fined or worse. I was greatly relieved to know that having my drivers license in a protective sleeve that only covered the back from being scratched or damaged (the magnetic strip) was going to bring down the wrath of God and my government. I am always happy to know that Big Brother is taking care of me.
Joyce Elliott was a guest and as usual I was so impressed with her. I hope everyone that cares about the fact that the Republicans have an agenda to take us back to pre-Depression times, are going to send her money or work on her campaign to win District 2 House of Representatives (Vic Snyder's district). She agrees with me that we need to stop apologizing for being progressive or liberal. Reagan put the onus on us and the Democrats are rolling over and playing dead.
Ms. Blanche Lincoln was a late arrival (she got lost) and had her usual "I'm the best and we're going to win in November" speech. Her biggest selling point is that she is at the helm of the Agriculture Commission. But the funny thing is that if she loses, the position will go to another woman who isn't tied into the poultry industry or the rice industry. I will get back with the details later. It was noted in Alternet that Lincoln is behind by about 20 points in the polls.
Congress is trying to pass a bill that will give small farmers a better chance of competing against the big agriculture machine. Blanche is against it because Tyson doesn't want small farmers getting in the way of their profits.
I confronted Charles Tapp about the need for pushing more of a progressive agenda and he told me in no uncertain terms that Arkansas was a conservative state and if we wanted to stay in power we would have to continue along that line. I felt like the red-headed step-child at the meeting.
Fortunately, I got to go to the Hot Springs Village Democratic meeting on Friday, July 23, 2010. They have more progressives up there and they are more willing to speak out for the progressive issues that we as Democrats have traditionally endorsed. Unfortunately, the HSV guards profiled everyone that entered the Village with the intentions of attending the Democratic meeting. The lady guard demanded my drivers license and then informed me that having my birth date covered was in violation of the law and if a state trooper stopped me I would be fined or worse. I was greatly relieved to know that having my drivers license in a protective sleeve that only covered the back from being scratched or damaged (the magnetic strip) was going to bring down the wrath of God and my government. I am always happy to know that Big Brother is taking care of me.
Joyce Elliott was a guest and as usual I was so impressed with her. I hope everyone that cares about the fact that the Republicans have an agenda to take us back to pre-Depression times, are going to send her money or work on her campaign to win District 2 House of Representatives (Vic Snyder's district). She agrees with me that we need to stop apologizing for being progressive or liberal. Reagan put the onus on us and the Democrats are rolling over and playing dead.
Ms. Blanche Lincoln was a late arrival (she got lost) and had her usual "I'm the best and we're going to win in November" speech. Her biggest selling point is that she is at the helm of the Agriculture Commission. But the funny thing is that if she loses, the position will go to another woman who isn't tied into the poultry industry or the rice industry. I will get back with the details later. It was noted in Alternet that Lincoln is behind by about 20 points in the polls.
Congress is trying to pass a bill that will give small farmers a better chance of competing against the big agriculture machine. Blanche is against it because Tyson doesn't want small farmers getting in the way of their profits.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Title VII or is it Title XI?
While having a discussion with a good friend, we couldn't remember the exact title number that gave women the right to the same funding in sports as boys' sports. Girls and women that are setting track world records, winning at golf and even successfully competing with men have that law to give credit. Before then, you were relegated to the role of bystander.
While researching it, I opened my Encyclopaedia Britannica and lo and behold I came upon this definition of government. I herewith submit it for your edification and interest:
"government, the political system by which a nation or community is administered and regulated.
...
Totalitarian dictatorship is perhaps the most modern form of government. Generally, a dictatorship is established when an organized minority seizes power by force or fraud and rapidly assumes complete control over the government. A mass party grows out of this original group and looks to it for the reconstruction of society; it is the existence of this mass party that distinguishes these governments from historical tyrannies or absolute states. Opposition to the dictator is stifled by the imposition of state control over all forms of expression including science, religion, and the arts; the institution of secret police and spying networks and the suppression or destruction of all opposing political parties. Because of the atomization of society resulting from these measures (even the family may be atomized), revolutionary organizations can find no structured base, and no totalitarian dictatorship has ever been defeated from within."
The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, Volume 5; Micropaedia, Ready Reference, 15th Edition, p. 393
I hope everyone reading that gets chills down their spine as I did.
To stress the possibility that that is the case here in America I submit the following article for the same purpose:
Washington Post
July 19, 2010
A hidden world, growing beyond control
The top-secret world the government created in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, how many programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work.
These are some of the findings of a two-year investigation by The Washington Post that discovered what amounts to an alternative geography of the United States, a Top Secret America hidden from public view and lacking in thorough oversight. After nine years of unprecedented spending and growth, the result is that the system put in place to keep the United States safe is so massive that its effectiveness is impossible to determine.
The investigation's other findings include:
* Some 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies work on programs related to counterterrorism, homeland security and intelligence in about 10,000 locations across the United States.
* An estimated 854,000 people, nearly 1.5 times as many people as live in Washington, D.C., hold top-secret security clearances.
* In Washington and the surrounding area, 33 building complexes for top-secret intelligence work are under construction or have been built since September 2001. Together they occupy the equivalent of almost three Pentagons or 22 U.S. Capitol buildings - about 17 million square feet of space.
* Many security and intelligence agencies do the same work, creating redundancy and waste. For example, 51 federal organizations and military commands, operating in 15 U.S. cities, track the flow of money to and from terrorist networks.
* Analysts who make sense of documents and conversations obtained by foreign and domestic spying share their judgment by publishing 50,000 intelligence reports each year - a volume so large that many are routinely ignored.
These are not academic issues; lack of focus, not lack of resources, was at the heart of the Fort Hood shooting that left 13 dead, as well as the Christmas Day bomb attempt thwarted not by the thousands of analysts employed to find lone terrorists but by an alert airline passenger who saw smoke coming from his seatmate.
They are also issues that greatly concern some of the people in charge of the nation's security.
"There has been so much growth since 9/11 that getting your arms around that - not just for the DNI [Director of National Intelligence], but for any individual, for the director of the CIA, for the secretary of defense - is a challenge," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in an interview with The Post last week.
In the Department of Defense, where more than two-thirds of the intelligence programs reside, only a handful of senior officials - called Super Users - have the ability to even know about all the department's activities. But as two of the Super Users indicated in interviews, there is simply no way they can keep up with the nation's most sensitive work.
"I'm not going to live long enough to be briefed on everything" was how one Super User put it. The other recounted that for his initial briefing, he was escorted into a tiny, dark room, seated at a small table and told he couldn't take notes. Program after program began flashing on a screen, he said, until he yelled ''Stop!" in frustration.
"I wasn't remembering any of it," he said.
Underscoring the seriousness of these issues are the conclusions of retired Army Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, who was asked last year to review the method for tracking the Defense Department's most sensitive programs. Vines, who once commanded 145,000 troops in Iraq and is familiar with complex problems, was stunned by what he discovered.
To view the video or read the transcript yourself, the following url is for your ease of locating:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/articles/
Sleep well, the country you went to sleep in may be gone before morning.
While researching it, I opened my Encyclopaedia Britannica and lo and behold I came upon this definition of government. I herewith submit it for your edification and interest:
"government, the political system by which a nation or community is administered and regulated.
...
Totalitarian dictatorship is perhaps the most modern form of government. Generally, a dictatorship is established when an organized minority seizes power by force or fraud and rapidly assumes complete control over the government. A mass party grows out of this original group and looks to it for the reconstruction of society; it is the existence of this mass party that distinguishes these governments from historical tyrannies or absolute states. Opposition to the dictator is stifled by the imposition of state control over all forms of expression including science, religion, and the arts; the institution of secret police and spying networks and the suppression or destruction of all opposing political parties. Because of the atomization of society resulting from these measures (even the family may be atomized), revolutionary organizations can find no structured base, and no totalitarian dictatorship has ever been defeated from within."
The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, Volume 5; Micropaedia, Ready Reference, 15th Edition, p. 393
I hope everyone reading that gets chills down their spine as I did.
To stress the possibility that that is the case here in America I submit the following article for the same purpose:
Washington Post
July 19, 2010
A hidden world, growing beyond control
The top-secret world the government created in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, how many programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work.
These are some of the findings of a two-year investigation by The Washington Post that discovered what amounts to an alternative geography of the United States, a Top Secret America hidden from public view and lacking in thorough oversight. After nine years of unprecedented spending and growth, the result is that the system put in place to keep the United States safe is so massive that its effectiveness is impossible to determine.
The investigation's other findings include:
* Some 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies work on programs related to counterterrorism, homeland security and intelligence in about 10,000 locations across the United States.
* An estimated 854,000 people, nearly 1.5 times as many people as live in Washington, D.C., hold top-secret security clearances.
* In Washington and the surrounding area, 33 building complexes for top-secret intelligence work are under construction or have been built since September 2001. Together they occupy the equivalent of almost three Pentagons or 22 U.S. Capitol buildings - about 17 million square feet of space.
* Many security and intelligence agencies do the same work, creating redundancy and waste. For example, 51 federal organizations and military commands, operating in 15 U.S. cities, track the flow of money to and from terrorist networks.
* Analysts who make sense of documents and conversations obtained by foreign and domestic spying share their judgment by publishing 50,000 intelligence reports each year - a volume so large that many are routinely ignored.
These are not academic issues; lack of focus, not lack of resources, was at the heart of the Fort Hood shooting that left 13 dead, as well as the Christmas Day bomb attempt thwarted not by the thousands of analysts employed to find lone terrorists but by an alert airline passenger who saw smoke coming from his seatmate.
They are also issues that greatly concern some of the people in charge of the nation's security.
"There has been so much growth since 9/11 that getting your arms around that - not just for the DNI [Director of National Intelligence], but for any individual, for the director of the CIA, for the secretary of defense - is a challenge," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in an interview with The Post last week.
In the Department of Defense, where more than two-thirds of the intelligence programs reside, only a handful of senior officials - called Super Users - have the ability to even know about all the department's activities. But as two of the Super Users indicated in interviews, there is simply no way they can keep up with the nation's most sensitive work.
"I'm not going to live long enough to be briefed on everything" was how one Super User put it. The other recounted that for his initial briefing, he was escorted into a tiny, dark room, seated at a small table and told he couldn't take notes. Program after program began flashing on a screen, he said, until he yelled ''Stop!" in frustration.
"I wasn't remembering any of it," he said.
Underscoring the seriousness of these issues are the conclusions of retired Army Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, who was asked last year to review the method for tracking the Defense Department's most sensitive programs. Vines, who once commanded 145,000 troops in Iraq and is familiar with complex problems, was stunned by what he discovered.
To view the video or read the transcript yourself, the following url is for your ease of locating:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/articles/
Sleep well, the country you went to sleep in may be gone before morning.
Democratic Party of Arkansas State Convention
The convention was convened shortly after 10:30am with all delegates being recognized by county. Governor Beebe addressed the attendees as well as Senator Blanche Lincoln, Senator Mark Pryor, Rep. Mike Ross (Dist. 4) and the candidates running for the open districts. After the general meeting and discussion, Garland County delegation elected their representatives to the State Central Committee in Little Rock. They are:
Katie Gibson
Norma Newman
Peggy Yeric
Jackie Davis
Jerry Yeric
Gene Shelby
Congratulations to all of you, you represent the most committed of all of us to the Democratic Party of Arkansas.
The platform was approved with the addition of the implementation of the ratification of the ERA. I hope it finally happens. Being told I am a citizen with full rights is not the same as having them defined by the Constitution which has traditionally only recognized men. And no, I won't share a toilet with men (oops, I forgot Exxon stations), and no, I won't have to serve in the military at the front in case of a war (oops again, we have women fighting in the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq). Well, there goes the argument against the approval of the ERA. At least those were the most stressed reasons to oppose the ratification.
Katie Gibson
Norma Newman
Peggy Yeric
Jackie Davis
Jerry Yeric
Gene Shelby
Congratulations to all of you, you represent the most committed of all of us to the Democratic Party of Arkansas.
The platform was approved with the addition of the implementation of the ratification of the ERA. I hope it finally happens. Being told I am a citizen with full rights is not the same as having them defined by the Constitution which has traditionally only recognized men. And no, I won't share a toilet with men (oops, I forgot Exxon stations), and no, I won't have to serve in the military at the front in case of a war (oops again, we have women fighting in the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq). Well, there goes the argument against the approval of the ERA. At least those were the most stressed reasons to oppose the ratification.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Response to Comments
In response to Ben Thar's comments I offer up the following:
In my previous blog I did say it was the "ADP" which at the time I wrote it, it made perfect sense to me since it is the Arkansas Democratic Party. Unfortunately its called the Democratic Party of Arkansas.
Now in response to his other complaints about input to the Party Platform, the input as I said in the blog, occurs or is supposed to occur at the PRE-CONVENTION meeting held Wednesday, not on the Convention floor as he suggested.
Whether Mr. Thar likes it or not, I appreciate his input. I know that what I'm writing is not going out to outerspace unread. If he reads anything besides my blog he should know that every publication has to make corrections to what they have printed. I am, unfortunately, subject to the same type of errors.
This blog is to open up a discussion that is totally lacking in politics in Hot Springs. I can't speak for the Republicans but then maybe if they start reading this blog I'll find out if that is true for them too.
In my previous blog I did say it was the "ADP" which at the time I wrote it, it made perfect sense to me since it is the Arkansas Democratic Party. Unfortunately its called the Democratic Party of Arkansas.
Now in response to his other complaints about input to the Party Platform, the input as I said in the blog, occurs or is supposed to occur at the PRE-CONVENTION meeting held Wednesday, not on the Convention floor as he suggested.
Whether Mr. Thar likes it or not, I appreciate his input. I know that what I'm writing is not going out to outerspace unread. If he reads anything besides my blog he should know that every publication has to make corrections to what they have printed. I am, unfortunately, subject to the same type of errors.
This blog is to open up a discussion that is totally lacking in politics in Hot Springs. I can't speak for the Republicans but then maybe if they start reading this blog I'll find out if that is true for them too.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Pre-Convention Meeting july 13, 2010
A meeting was called to order by Vice-Chair Karen Garcia of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee at 5pm at the Democratic Headquarters, 608 Grand Ave. The purpose was to have a pre-convention meeting to inform all delegates what their responsibilies were and the times the separate committees convened Saturday in Little Rock.
Karen informed us that we were short the number of delegates allowed so that anyone that had signed up as an alternate was therefore elevated to delegate position. The GCDCC was also eligible to place 3 men and 3 women on the Executive Board. The Chair and Vice-chair being automatically members by default. John Martineau said he wanted to run for one of the positions and asked for the support from those members present.
The Party Platform was not going to be available for discussion until Saturday morning as the DPA Rules Committee hadn't worked it out completely for publication.
The first thing I was waiting for was an opportunity to be a part of the Party Platform. We, as a grass roots organization, must have input into the Party Platform particularly since it hadn't been formalized. Agreeing on what we want the Democratic Party to achieve in the upcoming cycle is the sole purpose of the pre-convention. How can it be "democratic" if no one says what it is they expect their party to stand for? It is the reason we have the Blanche Lincoln's and Mike Ross' doing their collective "what's good for me is good for Arkansas" hoe down in Washington. Karen never asked for input on what we thought our goals and aspirations were for the Party. Like sheep to slaughter, we are expected to shut up and 'vote Democrat'. It is the purpose of the pre-convention to get everybody to agree on what the goals of the Party should be and to present a united front to the general assembly Saturday. The last convention we went to, every other county had all their ducks in a row. When the dust settled, Garland county had no delegate going to the National Convention in Denver because the other counties had joined forces to get the delegate they wanted. The largest county committee got snookered. It looks like it will happen again.
It points up the one thing lacking in Garland County is leadership.
Karen informed us that we were short the number of delegates allowed so that anyone that had signed up as an alternate was therefore elevated to delegate position. The GCDCC was also eligible to place 3 men and 3 women on the Executive Board. The Chair and Vice-chair being automatically members by default. John Martineau said he wanted to run for one of the positions and asked for the support from those members present.
The Party Platform was not going to be available for discussion until Saturday morning as the DPA Rules Committee hadn't worked it out completely for publication.
The first thing I was waiting for was an opportunity to be a part of the Party Platform. We, as a grass roots organization, must have input into the Party Platform particularly since it hadn't been formalized. Agreeing on what we want the Democratic Party to achieve in the upcoming cycle is the sole purpose of the pre-convention. How can it be "democratic" if no one says what it is they expect their party to stand for? It is the reason we have the Blanche Lincoln's and Mike Ross' doing their collective "what's good for me is good for Arkansas" hoe down in Washington. Karen never asked for input on what we thought our goals and aspirations were for the Party. Like sheep to slaughter, we are expected to shut up and 'vote Democrat'. It is the purpose of the pre-convention to get everybody to agree on what the goals of the Party should be and to present a united front to the general assembly Saturday. The last convention we went to, every other county had all their ducks in a row. When the dust settled, Garland county had no delegate going to the National Convention in Denver because the other counties had joined forces to get the delegate they wanted. The largest county committee got snookered. It looks like it will happen again.
It points up the one thing lacking in Garland County is leadership.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Democratic State Convention Update
The GCDCC will have a meeting tomorrow at 5pm at the Democratic headquarters, 608 grand Ave. at 5 pm. All delegates to the state convention Saturday in Little Rock are expected to attend. A little side note is that George Hozendorf claims to have been appointed to the Credentials committee and is expecting to get elected to the DPA in Little Rock.
Herewith his solicitation:
I hope everyone is as excited as I am about the State Convention and all the activities this coming weekend. Don't forget we're having an organizational meeting at 5PM tomorrow night at headquarters.
As you know at noon on Saturday, we will be electing our delegates to the DPA Executive Committee for 2 year terms. It would be my privilege and honor to serve Democrats of Garland County on the Executive Committee.
Recently Chairman Turner appointed me to the Credentials Committee for the DPA. Being on the Executive Committee would enhance this assignment and give Garland County a larger voice at the state level. As many of you know, in the past I've made comments regarding the length of the application a County Committee member has to complete. Getting this shortened and less redundant will certainly be high on my list of goals as your representative on the Executive Committee as well as the Credentials Committee.
Your vote and support will be deeply appreciated,
George
I don't know of anyone that would vote for him considering the number of complaints filed against him and Ginna Watson's lawsuit still hanging around but then politics makes strange bedfellows.
Those of us that have filed complaints will be getting in touch with Chairman Turner to find out if this appointment came before or after he received the letters of complaint.
More will be added as the story unfolds. Stay tuned.
Herewith his solicitation:
I hope everyone is as excited as I am about the State Convention and all the activities this coming weekend. Don't forget we're having an organizational meeting at 5PM tomorrow night at headquarters.
As you know at noon on Saturday, we will be electing our delegates to the DPA Executive Committee for 2 year terms. It would be my privilege and honor to serve Democrats of Garland County on the Executive Committee.
Recently Chairman Turner appointed me to the Credentials Committee for the DPA. Being on the Executive Committee would enhance this assignment and give Garland County a larger voice at the state level. As many of you know, in the past I've made comments regarding the length of the application a County Committee member has to complete. Getting this shortened and less redundant will certainly be high on my list of goals as your representative on the Executive Committee as well as the Credentials Committee.
Your vote and support will be deeply appreciated,
George
I don't know of anyone that would vote for him considering the number of complaints filed against him and Ginna Watson's lawsuit still hanging around but then politics makes strange bedfellows.
Those of us that have filed complaints will be getting in touch with Chairman Turner to find out if this appointment came before or after he received the letters of complaint.
More will be added as the story unfolds. Stay tuned.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Commission Meeting July 5, 2010
The meeting was called to order by presiding chair Virginia (Ginna) Watson . The commission (Twila Brown, Republican, Alan Clark, Democrat) elected Ginna to the position of Chair. There was no evidence of George Hozendorf being present or having an emissary present in his place.
Old business conducted was the township of Fountain Lake scheduling an election to disincorporate a section of the incorporated township. It was decided that since only those who were residents of Fountain Lake could vote on the issue, a special election was more in keeping with verifying that only Fountain Lake residents voted in the election. If it was conducted at the General Election in November, so many special ballots would be in place that verifying only Fountain Lake residents voted for this, would make the election process slow, tedious and put additional pressure on the poll workers to ensure that the vote was valid. Fountain Lake will cover the costs of this election.
I asked why Ginna was conducting the meeting and she said she was told to.
After the meeting I asked again and she explained that the AEC and their attorney told her to hold the meeting pursuant to the rules of order. She had no comment on her law suit as her attorney has told her to not discuss it with anyone.
Stay tuned. It looks like George Hozendorf did not succeed in assuming Chairman of the Election Commission even after the Kangaroo court at the last GCDCC.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Election Commission Meeting Announced
Virginia (Ginna) Watson has filed a formal complaint with the Election Commission in Little Rock. Tammy Lambert did refuse to swear George Hozendorf in as commissioner on the Election Commission of Garland County. To do so would have violated the law concerning contested elections et al. I will forego my opinion because everyone that votes has a dog in this fight.
July 5, 2010, a meeting of the Election Commission has been called and publicly announced in the Sentinel Record yesterday, to be convened at 10am in the Election Commission Building on Ouachita Avenue. The public is invited to attend. I hope everyone that is concerned for their right to vote and the sanctity of the Commission attends.
Along a different tack, I am adding my opinion of the disaster we are all facing in the Gulf of Mexico. It is an editorial I submitted to another website. I hope you understand my concerns and if you believe in God now would be a good time to pray.
Never before in the history of our planet have we done so much damage in so little time as what BP did with that well in the Gulf of Mexico. The truth about the end is somewhere in the knowledge hidden away from public scrutiny by the ones that decided money was more important than public safety and the environment. It will end and unfortunately it doesn't bode well for any life form along the coast or any place less than a hundred feet in elevation. The Gulf is a cauldron systematically reducing the salts in the water by evaporation to a density that settles out and forms salt domes under the soft sediments that filter down from above. As depth increases so does pressure. For every 30 feet, you add one more atmosphere of pressure. Anyone with a calculator can do the math. At 5000 feet, everything is compressed and held stable by the lack of seismic forces such as witnessed in California. Because it is so 'stable', people forget this is the most seismically active part of the earth. Anybody who has driven over a highway in and around Houston, Texas can attest to the movement of the ground. They are growth faults and the Gulf coast is defined by them. Because the sediments are soft they slide over each other without a whisper (unless you pave over them as the highways are apt to be then you notice one side of the road is higher than the other). It surprises a lot of first-timers to the Gulf coast that the roads are so 'stepped'.
Little variations in the pressure and the salt moves up and around through the sediments. Oil is created and retained by the impermeable barrier of the compressed clays and diatom carcases that filter down forming shale and limestone seals.
Now along comes the arrogant leaders of BP who know that this is a huge reservoir and they have the money to drill to whatever depth they want. Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead! Ignoring the geologists and geophysicists that they hired to keep the well safe and profitable, they cut corners and now we, the people of the US will bear the cross of their folly. No one knows what is happening down there except its not working the way it was supposed to. The well can't be capped and it sure as hell doesn't need to be drained because all that salt will move and the oil will gasify in the chamber left behind increasing the risk of a tumultuous blowout of horrific proportions. I just hope that if they are drilling a sideways well to get to the broken pipe that its an injection well. Pumping water into the chamber to keep the oil from turning to gas will, I hope, delay the inevitable. I'm sure that there are geologists with far greater knowledge than mine that will have a different perspective. All I have to go on is the well logs I read while working for Gulf Oil in International Exploration. A gas bubble will bring anything sitting above it to the ocean floor. I believe that's why BP hasn't moved a super tanker onto the site. Losing one of those ships would be really hard to replace.
I dove some of the salt ridges formed in the Gulf. They are the only variation in an otherwise invariable seascape of sand and silt. One is called Stetson Banks and it lies approximately 85 miles from Galveston. Its one of the few places to dive that you can get down to the bottom and still not violate the dive tables.
If you have friends or relatives living or working along the coast, I would suggest you tell them to make other arrangements for a living. The toxic gases being released right now are causing problems for those working to clean the shores. No one is wearing respirators that I have seen. I just hope they have better insurance than the first responders at WTC on 9/11/01. I have never been a doomsday person but this looks like I may have to change my perspective.
July 5, 2010, a meeting of the Election Commission has been called and publicly announced in the Sentinel Record yesterday, to be convened at 10am in the Election Commission Building on Ouachita Avenue. The public is invited to attend. I hope everyone that is concerned for their right to vote and the sanctity of the Commission attends.
Along a different tack, I am adding my opinion of the disaster we are all facing in the Gulf of Mexico. It is an editorial I submitted to another website. I hope you understand my concerns and if you believe in God now would be a good time to pray.
Never before in the history of our planet have we done so much damage in so little time as what BP did with that well in the Gulf of Mexico. The truth about the end is somewhere in the knowledge hidden away from public scrutiny by the ones that decided money was more important than public safety and the environment. It will end and unfortunately it doesn't bode well for any life form along the coast or any place less than a hundred feet in elevation. The Gulf is a cauldron systematically reducing the salts in the water by evaporation to a density that settles out and forms salt domes under the soft sediments that filter down from above. As depth increases so does pressure. For every 30 feet, you add one more atmosphere of pressure. Anyone with a calculator can do the math. At 5000 feet, everything is compressed and held stable by the lack of seismic forces such as witnessed in California. Because it is so 'stable', people forget this is the most seismically active part of the earth. Anybody who has driven over a highway in and around Houston, Texas can attest to the movement of the ground. They are growth faults and the Gulf coast is defined by them. Because the sediments are soft they slide over each other without a whisper (unless you pave over them as the highways are apt to be then you notice one side of the road is higher than the other). It surprises a lot of first-timers to the Gulf coast that the roads are so 'stepped'.
Little variations in the pressure and the salt moves up and around through the sediments. Oil is created and retained by the impermeable barrier of the compressed clays and diatom carcases that filter down forming shale and limestone seals.
Now along comes the arrogant leaders of BP who know that this is a huge reservoir and they have the money to drill to whatever depth they want. Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead! Ignoring the geologists and geophysicists that they hired to keep the well safe and profitable, they cut corners and now we, the people of the US will bear the cross of their folly. No one knows what is happening down there except its not working the way it was supposed to. The well can't be capped and it sure as hell doesn't need to be drained because all that salt will move and the oil will gasify in the chamber left behind increasing the risk of a tumultuous blowout of horrific proportions. I just hope that if they are drilling a sideways well to get to the broken pipe that its an injection well. Pumping water into the chamber to keep the oil from turning to gas will, I hope, delay the inevitable. I'm sure that there are geologists with far greater knowledge than mine that will have a different perspective. All I have to go on is the well logs I read while working for Gulf Oil in International Exploration. A gas bubble will bring anything sitting above it to the ocean floor. I believe that's why BP hasn't moved a super tanker onto the site. Losing one of those ships would be really hard to replace.
I dove some of the salt ridges formed in the Gulf. They are the only variation in an otherwise invariable seascape of sand and silt. One is called Stetson Banks and it lies approximately 85 miles from Galveston. Its one of the few places to dive that you can get down to the bottom and still not violate the dive tables.
If you have friends or relatives living or working along the coast, I would suggest you tell them to make other arrangements for a living. The toxic gases being released right now are causing problems for those working to clean the shores. No one is wearing respirators that I have seen. I just hope they have better insurance than the first responders at WTC on 9/11/01. I have never been a doomsday person but this looks like I may have to change my perspective.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Clinton Library Opening of Emergency Preparedness: Hurricanes and eathquakes
I was invited to the opening last night and was pleasantly surprised by the whole affair. Former Senator David Pryor and our current Senator Mark Pryor with their spouses as well as several notables of whom I never was fortunate enough to meet were in the audience. Former FEMA Director James Witt was the guest speaker. What an enlightenment! When someone REALLY cares about the people, we get the kind of government we can believe in and support. Witt discussed the philosophy and the results of his term as director under Bill Clinton. Many funny stories and some that just made you glad we have the memories of a time when sanity and reason ruled the White House.
I cornered Senator Mark Pryor immediately after and asked him what he was going to do as our representative to see that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico never happened again. I would not let him go even though he looked a might uncomfortable with my questions. I figured it was cheaper than flying to Washington to see him so I might as well take advantage of the situation.
I explained that I had many years experience from the early '80s through the 90's with the oil industry working in exploration, worldwide and domestically. I told him that I went to many OTC (Offshore Technology Conference) meetings in Houston. The industry was seriously working to protect the environment and to prove that they could drill in deep water safely. Since then, the impetus for that research had dried up (as BP stated that the technology they were using was at least 20 years old).
I asked him to please instigate and put forth the legislation that would return those safeguards to the industry and even toughen them up in light of the BP fiasco. He said the first thing was to get the oil flow controlled at the well. I countered with that was a given, we needed legislation NOW to keep it from happening again. He said he would do that. I guess being put on the spot and having witnesses to his response was the cause of his look of discomfiture.
I've never had the opportunity to do that before and I just hope everyone will contact his office and tell him to keep his word and protect the US from greedy opportunists. We can't let him believe that I'm the only one watching him.
After all his years as a "Washington Insider", I was a little surprised at his candor.
It's a little hard to believe the man is a member of The Family and proud of it.
I cornered Senator Mark Pryor immediately after and asked him what he was going to do as our representative to see that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico never happened again. I would not let him go even though he looked a might uncomfortable with my questions. I figured it was cheaper than flying to Washington to see him so I might as well take advantage of the situation.
I explained that I had many years experience from the early '80s through the 90's with the oil industry working in exploration, worldwide and domestically. I told him that I went to many OTC (Offshore Technology Conference) meetings in Houston. The industry was seriously working to protect the environment and to prove that they could drill in deep water safely. Since then, the impetus for that research had dried up (as BP stated that the technology they were using was at least 20 years old).
I asked him to please instigate and put forth the legislation that would return those safeguards to the industry and even toughen them up in light of the BP fiasco. He said the first thing was to get the oil flow controlled at the well. I countered with that was a given, we needed legislation NOW to keep it from happening again. He said he would do that. I guess being put on the spot and having witnesses to his response was the cause of his look of discomfiture.
I've never had the opportunity to do that before and I just hope everyone will contact his office and tell him to keep his word and protect the US from greedy opportunists. We can't let him believe that I'm the only one watching him.
After all his years as a "Washington Insider", I was a little surprised at his candor.
It's a little hard to believe the man is a member of The Family and proud of it.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Unsolicited Mail Demanding Grievance filing with State Democratic Party
I received an envelope yesterday containing a pre-typed letter to Todd Turner, Chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas with a hand addressed stamped envelope to Todd Turner. Herewith is the contents, typos and all (I will try not to add my own):
==============================================================
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
Todd Turner
Chair, Democratic Party of Arkansas
1300 West Capitol Avenue
Little Rock, AR 72201
FAX: 501.376.8409
Garland County Democratic Committee Concerned Members
June 14, 2010
Attention: Todd Turner, Chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas
The purpose of this memo is to file a grievance to the State Democraitc Party of Arkansas regarding the Garland County Democratic Central Committee and specifically the Chair of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee, George Hozendorf.
On June 14, 2010, George Hozendorf, Chair of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee, called a special meeting of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee Executive Committee for the purpose of removing Virginia "Ginna" Watson from the Garland County Election Commission. The rationale presented by the chair, George Hozendorf, was due to the reduction to two polling locations for the Run off election on June 8th from 40 in the general primary on May 18th. However, the question is, if Ginna Watson had not been elected chair of the Garland County Election Commission on June 11th by the members of the Garland County Election Commission, would George Hozendorf, Chair of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee, have been asking for the removal of Ginna Watson from the Garland County Election Commission? The additional question is does the County Committee have the authority to remove anyone from the County Election Commission?
Arkansas Code # 7-4-102 County boards of election commissioners - Election - Oath states:
(a) (1) The county chair of the county committee of the majority party and the county chair of the county committee of the minority party shall be member of the county board of election commissioners together with one (1) additional or third member selected by the county committee of the majority party at the same time as the election of party officers.
(How can the County Committee select someone at mid-year versus at the time the party officers are elected after the first of the year?)and
Whereas
The State Board of Election Commissioners responded to enquiries regarding this issue that the County Committee did not have authority to remove a member of the County Election Commission.
And whereas the position of county election commissioners being a public office with a fixed term, and there being no power of removal conferred by statue, the Garland County Central Committee had no power to remove a County Election Commissioner, and
Whereas, the selection of the Party's members of the County Election Commission occurs at the time of the election of the County Committee's Officers (which is in January), it is improper to submit additional names to the County Election Commission other than the vacancy due to a resignation until January when the County Committee Officers are elected.
Whether or not we agree with the decision of the Garland County Election Commission to have only two polling locations during the run-off election in June 2010 is not the issue. No laws were broken and the appropriate processes were followed by the election commission. The Garland County Committee or specifically the Chair of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee is not in compliance with Arkansas Law in seeking to remove Ginna Watson from the Garland County Election Commission.
These actions are not in accordance with the Arkansas Code 7-4-102 and accordingly we respectfully request the Democratic Party of Arkansas to intercede in these actions of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee and prevent any further action of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee to remove "Ginna Watson" and replace her on the Garland County Election Commission as planned the by the County Committee on June 16, 2010. The DPA is respectfully requested to intervene and prevent any further actions of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee on this matter until there is an official ruling regarding the authority to remove Ginna Watson from the Garland County Election Commission.
We accordingly request action of the Democratic Party of Arkansas on this Grievance.
Thank-you,
CC: Georgen Hozendorf, Chair of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee
====================================================================
And so it goes...
I respectfully ask that the person tell everyone that was mailed one of these who he/she is. To ask someone to sign their name to an 'anonymous' letter and mail it as if it was of their own accord and wishes, ranks right up there with the lowliest coward in the world.
If you are trying to incriminate someone that called for a vote of no confidence Wednesday of George Hozendorf, you're way off base and this is a cheap shot at manipulating public opinion.
Hot Springs Politics just wants to set the record straight- Claudia Reynolds had nothing to do with this farce.
==============================================================
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
Todd Turner
Chair, Democratic Party of Arkansas
1300 West Capitol Avenue
Little Rock, AR 72201
FAX: 501.376.8409
Garland County Democratic Committee Concerned Members
June 14, 2010
Attention: Todd Turner, Chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas
The purpose of this memo is to file a grievance to the State Democraitc Party of Arkansas regarding the Garland County Democratic Central Committee and specifically the Chair of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee, George Hozendorf.
On June 14, 2010, George Hozendorf, Chair of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee, called a special meeting of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee Executive Committee for the purpose of removing Virginia "Ginna" Watson from the Garland County Election Commission. The rationale presented by the chair, George Hozendorf, was due to the reduction to two polling locations for the Run off election on June 8th from 40 in the general primary on May 18th. However, the question is, if Ginna Watson had not been elected chair of the Garland County Election Commission on June 11th by the members of the Garland County Election Commission, would George Hozendorf, Chair of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee, have been asking for the removal of Ginna Watson from the Garland County Election Commission? The additional question is does the County Committee have the authority to remove anyone from the County Election Commission?
Arkansas Code # 7-4-102 County boards of election commissioners - Election - Oath states:
(a) (1) The county chair of the county committee of the majority party and the county chair of the county committee of the minority party shall be member of the county board of election commissioners together with one (1) additional or third member selected by the county committee of the majority party at the same time as the election of party officers.
(How can the County Committee select someone at mid-year versus at the time the party officers are elected after the first of the year?)and
Whereas
The State Board of Election Commissioners responded to enquiries regarding this issue that the County Committee did not have authority to remove a member of the County Election Commission.
And whereas the position of county election commissioners being a public office with a fixed term, and there being no power of removal conferred by statue, the Garland County Central Committee had no power to remove a County Election Commissioner, and
Whereas, the selection of the Party's members of the County Election Commission occurs at the time of the election of the County Committee's Officers (which is in January), it is improper to submit additional names to the County Election Commission other than the vacancy due to a resignation until January when the County Committee Officers are elected.
Whether or not we agree with the decision of the Garland County Election Commission to have only two polling locations during the run-off election in June 2010 is not the issue. No laws were broken and the appropriate processes were followed by the election commission. The Garland County Committee or specifically the Chair of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee is not in compliance with Arkansas Law in seeking to remove Ginna Watson from the Garland County Election Commission.
These actions are not in accordance with the Arkansas Code 7-4-102 and accordingly we respectfully request the Democratic Party of Arkansas to intercede in these actions of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee and prevent any further action of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee to remove "Ginna Watson" and replace her on the Garland County Election Commission as planned the by the County Committee on June 16, 2010. The DPA is respectfully requested to intervene and prevent any further actions of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee on this matter until there is an official ruling regarding the authority to remove Ginna Watson from the Garland County Election Commission.
We accordingly request action of the Democratic Party of Arkansas on this Grievance.
Thank-you,
CC: Georgen Hozendorf, Chair of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee
====================================================================
And so it goes...
I respectfully ask that the person tell everyone that was mailed one of these who he/she is. To ask someone to sign their name to an 'anonymous' letter and mail it as if it was of their own accord and wishes, ranks right up there with the lowliest coward in the world.
If you are trying to incriminate someone that called for a vote of no confidence Wednesday of George Hozendorf, you're way off base and this is a cheap shot at manipulating public opinion.
Hot Springs Politics just wants to set the record straight- Claudia Reynolds had nothing to do with this farce.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
GCDCC County Convention
Tonight shortly after 5:30 pm George Hozendorf called the Central Committee to order. After the pledge, Claudia Reynolds-LeBlanc read into the minutes a motion to call for a vote of no confidence of George Hozendorf, Chairman of the GCDCC. A motion was made to table the vote until next month so that the law and all the particulars could be addressed to the satisfaction of all Committee members. Rick Saunders came to the defense of George as though questioning George's ability to conduct the office of chair, was almost sacrilegious. After a heated discussion about what the laws were and why a vote of no confidence was being called, It was vociferously accepted with a few dissensions. Business moved on. George Horzendorf stated that his sole purpose was to get Democrats elected to office. Barbara Butler questioned the commitment of Blanche Lincoln as a Democrat since she did not support our president Barack Obama and his agenda whenever it came before her as a Senator. She said the Blue Dog Democrats were not supporting the Democratic platform by not supporting the President therefore were voting as Republicans. George told her this what not the place to hold that kind of discussion and very curtly shut her off. Ann Hair then took the floor and said that the purpose of this committee was to air all sides and opinions even those that were not particularly popular to the rest of the group. That democracy allowed this type of discussion and this Central Committee was the forum for any topic of concern without a person being threatened or humiliated.
There will be more later concerning this as it develops.
Karen Garcia then announced the delegates to the State Convention to be held July 17, 2010 in Little Rock. We are allowed 39 delegates and only had 28 signed up by the end of the meeting. Anybody that wanted to be a delegate was pretty much assured a seat at the convention. Considering the reaction to anyone disagreeing with the 'majority' it was no wonder they can't get a full slate of delegates.
There will be more later concerning this as it develops.
Karen Garcia then announced the delegates to the State Convention to be held July 17, 2010 in Little Rock. We are allowed 39 delegates and only had 28 signed up by the end of the meeting. Anybody that wanted to be a delegate was pretty much assured a seat at the convention. Considering the reaction to anyone disagreeing with the 'majority' it was no wonder they can't get a full slate of delegates.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Executive Committeee Hatchet Job
Yesterday the Executive Board of the Garland County Democratic Committee was called to order by Chairman George Hozendorf shortly after 5:30 pm. All but 1 of the board members appeared. Channel 4 (NBC) and channel 16 (FOX) were there videotaping the proceedings. The Sentinel-Record had a reporter present also.
This run-off election has drawn national interest hence the media being there. This meeting was to remove Virginia (Ginna) Watson as Election Commissioner who George stated 'it's my understanding that since Mrs. Watson serves at my pleasure that I have the authority to ask her to step down'. George made it clear there was to be no discussion or questions allowed by those outside of the board. A motion was raised and seconded to allow Ginna to explain her reasons for the fiasco of only 2 polling places being open for the run-off. It was a witch hunt of the 1st magnitude and when someone is removed 'illegally' from a position of trust, defending themselves should be a given. George would have preferred that not to be the case.
The media reported that there was no legal precedence for the Executive Committee to remove anyone from any commission. George has set himself above the law and has instilled himself as the reigning party Chair of the majority party on the Election Commission. By a vote of 9 to 4, Ginna was removed from office. According to the letter submitted by Charles Tapp, his resignation would only take effect upon the election of a third party member to the Commission. George declared himself publicly, the new Chair without Tapp having formally resigned. He apologized for erring on that issue. This whole fiasco is an effort on his part to put himself in control of the Election Commission AND the Central Committee. He is so partisan in his politics I have a hard time believing he's a Democrat. I was totally amazed at the people on the Executive Board that went along with it. They had a secret ballot so no one would have to face the 'victim'.
George made a disparaging remark to a female member of the Central Committee that she can 'come naked as long he didn't have to look at her'. He doesn't want Arkansas politics run by a bunch of 'Texas Jews'. Wow! That's our elected leader? What 'Texas Jews' he was referring to I don't know, maybe he'll explain Wednesday when we have our 'unannounced' County Convention where delegates to the state convention will be selected. I bet I'm going to have a hard time getting on that list.
None of this stuff is ever publicly announced. I got a copy of the minutes of the meeting he called June 8th, 2010 only by the back door. Those minutes are supposed to be open to anyone that wishes to see them. They were so poorly written, there was no mention of who suggested the removal of Charles Tapp. A member that was present was defined as 'mystery'. When pressured to know if roll call was made at that meeting I was told it was. Then how can there be a 'mystery' person at that meeting?
Excerpt from minutes:
"...
Since there were multiple errors made in the last election cycle, there is the threat of additional lawsuits and further action. There is pressure from the Department of Justice, the ACLU, the Democratic Party of Arkansas Secretary of State. It was considered that potential very bad press might be somewhat alleviated by an immediate resignation, of the Chair of the Election Commission, Charles Tapp. It was also suggested that resigning would allow him to leave with dignity versus other official action that might be taken. Stan Schrader moved that we direct the Chair of the Committee, George Hozendorf, to request the resignation of our representative on the Election Commission, who is currently serving as Chair. Leon Davis seconded. The vote was taken by voice. The only opposition was Lawrence Adkins. The motion carried.
The State Convention will be held on July 17. ..."
No mention of who first raised the issue of removing Tapp. These minutes are so poorly scribed that when the debate went to how long anyone served as a commissioner, no one could recall the exact details and there were no minutes from previous meetings asked for or offered to clarify this issue. John Martineau stated that the terms were for 3 years to be staggered so that a term expired each year in January after having drawn lots to determine who got the 1st 1 year term, the 2 year term and then lastly the 3 year term. George believed that the terms expired in July. No one could remember the exact decision and when it was made. God love these guys. We have the Keystone Kops running our county Central Committee.
I would love to replay the film that our television cameras captured because I still have a hard time getting my mind around this. Maybe if I watch it enough it will all become clear. And then maybe just a nice cold beer would do better.
This run-off election has drawn national interest hence the media being there. This meeting was to remove Virginia (Ginna) Watson as Election Commissioner who George stated 'it's my understanding that since Mrs. Watson serves at my pleasure that I have the authority to ask her to step down'. George made it clear there was to be no discussion or questions allowed by those outside of the board. A motion was raised and seconded to allow Ginna to explain her reasons for the fiasco of only 2 polling places being open for the run-off. It was a witch hunt of the 1st magnitude and when someone is removed 'illegally' from a position of trust, defending themselves should be a given. George would have preferred that not to be the case.
The media reported that there was no legal precedence for the Executive Committee to remove anyone from any commission. George has set himself above the law and has instilled himself as the reigning party Chair of the majority party on the Election Commission. By a vote of 9 to 4, Ginna was removed from office. According to the letter submitted by Charles Tapp, his resignation would only take effect upon the election of a third party member to the Commission. George declared himself publicly, the new Chair without Tapp having formally resigned. He apologized for erring on that issue. This whole fiasco is an effort on his part to put himself in control of the Election Commission AND the Central Committee. He is so partisan in his politics I have a hard time believing he's a Democrat. I was totally amazed at the people on the Executive Board that went along with it. They had a secret ballot so no one would have to face the 'victim'.
George made a disparaging remark to a female member of the Central Committee that she can 'come naked as long he didn't have to look at her'. He doesn't want Arkansas politics run by a bunch of 'Texas Jews'. Wow! That's our elected leader? What 'Texas Jews' he was referring to I don't know, maybe he'll explain Wednesday when we have our 'unannounced' County Convention where delegates to the state convention will be selected. I bet I'm going to have a hard time getting on that list.
None of this stuff is ever publicly announced. I got a copy of the minutes of the meeting he called June 8th, 2010 only by the back door. Those minutes are supposed to be open to anyone that wishes to see them. They were so poorly written, there was no mention of who suggested the removal of Charles Tapp. A member that was present was defined as 'mystery'. When pressured to know if roll call was made at that meeting I was told it was. Then how can there be a 'mystery' person at that meeting?
Excerpt from minutes:
"...
Since there were multiple errors made in the last election cycle, there is the threat of additional lawsuits and further action. There is pressure from the Department of Justice, the ACLU, the Democratic Party of Arkansas Secretary of State. It was considered that potential very bad press might be somewhat alleviated by an immediate resignation, of the Chair of the Election Commission, Charles Tapp. It was also suggested that resigning would allow him to leave with dignity versus other official action that might be taken. Stan Schrader moved that we direct the Chair of the Committee, George Hozendorf, to request the resignation of our representative on the Election Commission, who is currently serving as Chair. Leon Davis seconded. The vote was taken by voice. The only opposition was Lawrence Adkins. The motion carried.
The State Convention will be held on July 17. ..."
No mention of who first raised the issue of removing Tapp. These minutes are so poorly scribed that when the debate went to how long anyone served as a commissioner, no one could recall the exact details and there were no minutes from previous meetings asked for or offered to clarify this issue. John Martineau stated that the terms were for 3 years to be staggered so that a term expired each year in January after having drawn lots to determine who got the 1st 1 year term, the 2 year term and then lastly the 3 year term. George believed that the terms expired in July. No one could remember the exact decision and when it was made. God love these guys. We have the Keystone Kops running our county Central Committee.
I would love to replay the film that our television cameras captured because I still have a hard time getting my mind around this. Maybe if I watch it enough it will all become clear. And then maybe just a nice cold beer would do better.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Executive Meeting Monday 5:30pm Democratic HDQ
I hope all those interested in the GCDCC are aware that there will be an Executive Board meeting at the Democratic HDQ at 5:30pm June 14. It will be interesting to see how the upcoming County Convention will be handled since it was never announced in the newspaper or any notice given to the membership at large. According to the secretary, Katie Gibson, of the GCDCC everyone should have known since it is mandated that within one (1) week of the run-off election there has to be a County Convention.
Since no minutes were distributed of the last Executive meeting George Hozendorf called (June 8, 2010), it will depend on what was said and reported there that will set the mood for this meeting as the minutes become available for all to read.
Membership dues are required in order to run for delegate or any other office so if you're not paid up, please do so. Dues are $40 for a 2 year membership on the GCDCC. This will be a subject of a later blog.
The Republican Party announced their convention in today's newspaper so they are in full compliance with state law. How this oversight on the part of our leader to NOT announce the Convention will be questioned by those who want to follow the law and don't want the Republican party to have any opportunity to make something of a minor error.
Details will follow as they develop.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Our New Election Commissioner
I was informed that George Hozendorf, chairman of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee, appointed himself to the position of Chair over the Election Committee. This has been a traditional way to conduct business in Garland County and I'm sure it's statewide. The chair of the GCDCC is automatically chair of the Election Commission.
That was until Barbara Thexton worked with her allies to get Charles Tapp removed as Chair of the GCDCC about 6 years ago (if my memory serves me right). When she won the chair, she then appointed Tapp as the chair of the Election Commission, a post he's been returned to every 2 years since.
I asked John Martineau to nominate me to the position but it looks like George has cut me off at the pass.
The law suits that were filed against the Election Commission have been dismissed because Tapp resigned. If the lawsuits were about Tapp that would be okay. But this is about the disenfranchisement of a whole slew of voters by the Election Commission. I need someone to step forward that voted Tuesday and had to drive from across the county in order to vote (it would really be great if he/she was a handicapped voter also only because they were the worst positioned voters at the Election Commission office). Anybody that could NOT get off from work in order to vote, I would really like to hear from them too.
We need to change the way business is ran in this state, especially with the manipulation of the polls the way they were here. Everybody's vote should be counted and everybody should have a fair chance to get to the polls if they so desire.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Hot Springs Politics- Election 2010
The primary/ run-off elections are over, big business won the day as usual. When Michael Moore said that 4 million Americans read at or below the 4th grade he must have used Arkansas as an example. How anyone can vote against their own best self-interests just to be a part of a group that doesn't exist except in the minds of the people pulling the puppet strings is beyond me.
When the voter yells to vote for the farmers (aka Blanche Lincoln), he is having his strings pulled by someone that needs him to vote against the farmer and in favor of BIG Agribusiness. He does not see himself as a part of the labor movement because he's a "Farmer". Farmers don't "labor" they work the fields and raise the crops that feed their families and the rest of the world. He sees himself "independent" of any force outside of his manual labor required to operate his machines. Government is to protect his interests against those things over which he has no control; weather, over production, under production, foreign imports, and foreign markets. His control consists of machinery costs/repairs/maintenance, health costs and the availability of schooling for his children.
As long as the farmer views himself isolated from the rest of the "labor" force, he will always be a pawn in the electoral process. He will be played like a finely tuned orchestra.
And now we are here in Hot Springs where the process is so ingrained people don't even know anymore that they are being "played". The Election Commission is composed of those selected by the Chair of the local county central committee, Republican and Democrat. They set the rules, select the days for early voting (within set state laws which can be interpreted in many ways or totally ignored), what machines will be used and where the polling places will be. The dominant party will have 2 members on the Election Commission while the subordinate party will have one. As of today they are Charles Tapp, Chairman (Democrat), Virginia (Ginna) Watson (Democrat), and Twyla Brown (Republican).
If you wondered why only 2 polling places were open, consider that Halter carried Garland County in the primary. Labor was behind him (Arkansas Labor, NOT Washington Labor, they aren't registered to vote here). People that "work" are called "labor". When you work FOR someone, drawing wages, you work the hours he/she demands. You get paid whatever they are willing to give you that you can survive on or not. Situations make strange bedfellows and a lot of people are working jobs they hate because it pays the most or the hours give them the flexibility to live a "life'. Rarely does the "boss" care if you get time off to vote or not.
Now we're down to the crux of the matter. The polls were open only during the week when most "labor" can't get off or are too far from the polling place to make it during the hours its open for early voting. Closing the polling locations near their homes and work, disenfranchised "labor" which had supported Halter in the Primary. Lincoln won Garland County.
This is not about who won the Senate race, it's about the polls being manipulated to keep some people from voting. The handicapped were forced to walk long distances because the Election Commission parking lot had few Handicap parking spaces available, lines of cars were forced to maneuver around entering and exiting voters trying to get to and from their cars.
When the voter yells to vote for the farmers (aka Blanche Lincoln), he is having his strings pulled by someone that needs him to vote against the farmer and in favor of BIG Agribusiness. He does not see himself as a part of the labor movement because he's a "Farmer". Farmers don't "labor" they work the fields and raise the crops that feed their families and the rest of the world. He sees himself "independent" of any force outside of his manual labor required to operate his machines. Government is to protect his interests against those things over which he has no control; weather, over production, under production, foreign imports, and foreign markets. His control consists of machinery costs/repairs/maintenance, health costs and the availability of schooling for his children.
As long as the farmer views himself isolated from the rest of the "labor" force, he will always be a pawn in the electoral process. He will be played like a finely tuned orchestra.
And now we are here in Hot Springs where the process is so ingrained people don't even know anymore that they are being "played". The Election Commission is composed of those selected by the Chair of the local county central committee, Republican and Democrat. They set the rules, select the days for early voting (within set state laws which can be interpreted in many ways or totally ignored), what machines will be used and where the polling places will be. The dominant party will have 2 members on the Election Commission while the subordinate party will have one. As of today they are Charles Tapp, Chairman (Democrat), Virginia (Ginna) Watson (Democrat), and Twyla Brown (Republican).
If you wondered why only 2 polling places were open, consider that Halter carried Garland County in the primary. Labor was behind him (Arkansas Labor, NOT Washington Labor, they aren't registered to vote here). People that "work" are called "labor". When you work FOR someone, drawing wages, you work the hours he/she demands. You get paid whatever they are willing to give you that you can survive on or not. Situations make strange bedfellows and a lot of people are working jobs they hate because it pays the most or the hours give them the flexibility to live a "life'. Rarely does the "boss" care if you get time off to vote or not.
Now we're down to the crux of the matter. The polls were open only during the week when most "labor" can't get off or are too far from the polling place to make it during the hours its open for early voting. Closing the polling locations near their homes and work, disenfranchised "labor" which had supported Halter in the Primary. Lincoln won Garland County.
This is not about who won the Senate race, it's about the polls being manipulated to keep some people from voting. The handicapped were forced to walk long distances because the Election Commission parking lot had few Handicap parking spaces available, lines of cars were forced to maneuver around entering and exiting voters trying to get to and from their cars.
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