Author's posts
Mar 29 2011
The Corporations Are About To Win – Praise Jesus!
We learn that the South Carolina legislature has postponed debate on new tax cuts. One of the measures being debated “…encourage wealthy people to invest in start-up South Carolina companies, and to encourage companies to locate or expand headquarters here.” Corporations simply need more tax cuts. And really, who cares if GE paid no taxes on their profits or if Boeing gets hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives from SC? Who? We can always say it’s the union’s fault, cut social programs and further destroy the public education system. Praise Jesus!
Mar 02 2011
Me versus McClatchy
As I wrote in this article, I have a long-standing feud with The State newspaper in South Carolina. I have now written to McClatchy Holdings CEO Gary Pruitt twice stating my concerns over how The State newspaper functions. The first letter I sent to Mr. Pruitt was forwarded to the President of The State and I had a meeting with him and two of his Vice President’s. Nothing changed. So, I sent a second letter to Mr. Pruitt. In it, I basically told him not to even bother sending the letter to Mr. Haitz (President of The State) for action since nothing changed after the first meeting and there was little indication a second meeting would yield different results.
It has been about a month since I mailed the second letter to Mr. Pruitt. I didn’t include my phone number in the letter nor my address, although the envelope had my address for postal reasons. Given the tone of my letter and lack of included information I didn’t expect a response.
Well, I didn’t expect one, but, I got one. My phone rang and it was the McClatchy Washington Bureau.
Feb 05 2011
All Politics Are Local
While I have no desire to get back into the national political scene, I have been keeping tabs on my local political scene. As you know, or maybe you don’t, I live in South Carolina and Nikki Haley (Republican) was just elected Governor.
Also, if you were at Daily Kos years ago and you have a great memory, you remember that I have had a running battle with our state’s largest newspaper, The State, a holding of McClatchy.
So, how’s it been going?
Jan 30 2011
A “State of the Household”
Well, it’s been a long time since I was here at Docudharma.com. In fact, several months. It took awhile for me to even remember the site name, much less my username and password to log in.
Yeah, it’s been like that around here for me.
Jun 08 2010
Thou Shalt Not Criticize Israel…
You know what gets me? It’s this pervasive mindset that if you criticize Israel you are an anti-Semite. It’s the Jewish equivalent of an Afro-American that cries racism for every perceived slight.
I considered doing this as an op-ed, but, with so many out there already, I’m just going to rant a bit, if you don’t mind.
Jun 04 2010
On Having the Right to Remain Silent
(published at Truthout.org)
The Supreme Court has just ruled, in the case of Berghuis v. Thompkins, that a person has the right to remain silent as long as they tell law enforcement they intend to remain silent. The case revolved around Van Chester Thompkins, who was convicted in a drive-by shooting.
Upon being arrested, law enforcement must inform the accused of their Miranda rights. A person has the right to remain silent and to have an attorney present during questioning. The person is asked if they wish to waive these rights and, if they do, many departments require the person to then sign a waiver. But, there is a “gray area,” and law enforcement routinely takes advantage of it.
May 31 2010
A Veteran Speaks Out about Being “Un-American” on Memorial Day
(published at Truthout.org)
Memorial Day, observed since the end of the Civil War, is a day that we honor the soldiers who have fallen in the service of their country. As a veteran, I can think of no other way that better epitomizes what it means to be an American than to honor those who died for our country. But Memorial Day is more than simply a day for honoring our fallen soldiers; it is also about remembering the ideals for which they gave their lives.
May 17 2010
The Zero-Tax Liability Myth
The GOP pundits and operatives continue to push the “Americans aren’t paying taxes” meme.
Rick Santorum told Fox News viewers on April 7, 2010, “[W]hen you reach the point where people feel like they don’t have to pay anything and they’re getting money out of the Treasury for nothing, then there’s no end to the amount of government that people want.”
Drudge was on it; “Rob Thy Neighbor: Half of Households Pay No Fed Income Tax.”
Fox Nation’s headline; “Fair? Half the Country Doesn’t Pay Income Tax.”
The GOP makes its living on demonizing people, usually minorities, as living on government welfare. So, why are these headlines not screaming about “welfare queens driving Cadillac cars”?
May 14 2010
End the Discrimination against Homosexuals
(I originally submitted this article to Truthout.org, but, they declined to use it. I hope you enjoy it.)
For those that believe the fight for equal rights for homosexuals is different than the past civil rights battles of the Native American, African-American and women, I disagree. Every group, every person, that has had to fight for equal rights and treatment has endured its own history of intimidation, violence and murder without exception. It is no different for homosexuals and it is time to end the discriminatory practices against them.
May 11 2010
I HATE being right!
A month and a half ago, I posted this essay on the state of the Supreme Court. In it, I stated:
Also, it must be noted, that the Obama administration has already signaled that it will use indefinite detention. In addition, his administration has already floated the idea of preventive detention.
So… who do YOU think is going to be his next pick?
The quote finishes my essay which details out how if President Obama is serious about pushing an indefinite detention law, Elena Kagan would be his natural choice to replace Justice Stevens.
Guess who his nominee is to be?
Apr 30 2010
Arizona Immigration Law Ripe for Abuse
(published at Truthout.org)
Immigration is a sensitive issue, but the immigration bill that passed the Arizona legislature is the wrong way to try to solve it. The new law gives Arizona law enforcement broad new authority to enforce federal immigration laws. It is so broad, not to mention vague, that abuse of this new authority by law enforcement is assured.
The New York Times summarizes the new law: “The law would require the police ‘when practicable’ to detain people they reasonably suspected were in the country without authorization. It would also allow the police to charge immigrants with a state crime for not carrying immigration documents. And it allows residents to sue cities if they believe the law is not being enforced.”
Apr 22 2010
Why the US Fears a Nuclear Iran
(published at Truthout.org)
A report[1] prepared by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on June 30, 1947, stated: “A peace enforced through fear is a poor substitute for a peace maintained through international cooperation based upon agreement and understanding. But until such a peace is brought about, this nation can hope only that an effective deterrent to global war will be a universal fear of the atomic bomb as the ultimate horror in war.” We can see even at that time that nuclear weapons were seen as the ultimate deterrent to any nation’s aggression. If Saddam Hussein had nuclear weapons, the United States would not have invaded the country in 2003. In his own words[2], Saddam Hussein stated that he allowed the world to believe he had WMD so he wouldn’t appear weak to Iran. He further stated, “By God, if I had such weapons, I would have used them in the fight against the US.”