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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.
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