Monday, July 15, 2013
Hate Crime
The Department of Justice should indict and prosecute George Zimmerman for a hate crime in his attack, assault and killing of Trayvon Martin, even if they lose in the end. They need to do this because it's the right thing to do for Trayvon, it's the right thing to do for justice, and it's the right thing to do for the American people. Just do it.
House Farm Bill
The Republicans in the House of Representatives have passed the Farm Bill which includes subsidies to corporate agriculture and even members of both the House and the Senate in Congress who own farms (actually they're just part owners and not the people who run it), but they exclude the entire Food Stamp Program, citing that will be taken up in another bill, meaning not.
So while members of Congress line their fat ass pockets with taxpayers' money they're not willing to put basic food on the table of working people and families who need food stamps to survive. They even refused to vote on an amendment banning members of Congress from receiving farm subsidies.
That's the message they sent to the people of America. They're in it for themselves and only themselves. And you still think the Republicans represent the American people?
So while members of Congress line their fat ass pockets with taxpayers' money they're not willing to put basic food on the table of working people and families who need food stamps to survive. They even refused to vote on an amendment banning members of Congress from receiving farm subsidies.
That's the message they sent to the people of America. They're in it for themselves and only themselves. And you still think the Republicans represent the American people?
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Lesson Learned
I learned a lesson about Tumblr when you post a statement stating the term "Native American" only applies to American Indians since they were the first humans in North America about 12,000 years and were here before Europeans by all but the last 500-plus years of their time here.
I stated that people of European ancestry are not native in the sense of the ancestry, and that draws the conservatives on Tumblr out of the Internet to post comments. I posted it because I get tired of white people who claim their native not just by birth but by ancestry assuming the arrival of the Pilgrims were the first "real" people in North America.
I won't argue people can call themselves native by their birth, but they can't by the ancestry, but the truth is we're all immigrants from somewhere else, it's just depends on how far back you go in time and place.
Even Europeans are a hodgepodge of ancestries but many lived in relative isolation for many generations before integration by other people. American Indians crossed on the land bridge between Alaska and Russia between the ice ages.
From there they migrated down into Central America and Mexico by about 12,000 years BP. It's understood that native South Americans migrated from the South Pacific and then up to Central America from their arrival in the southern areas of South America.
Europeans didn't arrive until the late 15th century but really a century or two later with the conquests in South America and the settlements in North America. That doesn't make them native is the same sense as the American Indians who were already here.
And that was my point, being native is relative to time and place.
I stated that people of European ancestry are not native in the sense of the ancestry, and that draws the conservatives on Tumblr out of the Internet to post comments. I posted it because I get tired of white people who claim their native not just by birth but by ancestry assuming the arrival of the Pilgrims were the first "real" people in North America.
I won't argue people can call themselves native by their birth, but they can't by the ancestry, but the truth is we're all immigrants from somewhere else, it's just depends on how far back you go in time and place.
Even Europeans are a hodgepodge of ancestries but many lived in relative isolation for many generations before integration by other people. American Indians crossed on the land bridge between Alaska and Russia between the ice ages.
From there they migrated down into Central America and Mexico by about 12,000 years BP. It's understood that native South Americans migrated from the South Pacific and then up to Central America from their arrival in the southern areas of South America.
Europeans didn't arrive until the late 15th century but really a century or two later with the conquests in South America and the settlements in North America. That doesn't make them native is the same sense as the American Indians who were already here.
And that was my point, being native is relative to time and place.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The NRA
Why do I get the impression the NRA is now what the FBI would classify as a "domestic terrorist organization" when they openly and publically advocate citizens to take up arms against the government?
That's what the newly elected president of the NRA said at the recent annual meeting in Houston, Texas when he said members should be armed and ready to fight the tyranny of the government and members should train themselves in the use of military style weapons to fight.
That isn't sugar coating their hate for the government, which is their and our government. It's outright treason to advocate violence and the overthrow of the government. These are the very people who benefit from the government and the freedom to buy as many guns and ammunition they want.
What's interesting is the FBI has said the top ten terrorist organization are domestic white supremacist groups and militias. To that now they can put the NRA at the top of the list. They are by far now the most dangerous group to the US government advocating the political and violent overthrow of the government.
That's what the newly elected president of the NRA said at the recent annual meeting in Houston, Texas when he said members should be armed and ready to fight the tyranny of the government and members should train themselves in the use of military style weapons to fight.
That isn't sugar coating their hate for the government, which is their and our government. It's outright treason to advocate violence and the overthrow of the government. These are the very people who benefit from the government and the freedom to buy as many guns and ammunition they want.
What's interesting is the FBI has said the top ten terrorist organization are domestic white supremacist groups and militias. To that now they can put the NRA at the top of the list. They are by far now the most dangerous group to the US government advocating the political and violent overthrow of the government.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Seattle Times
This week I read the announcement by the senior editor of the Seattle Times, available here to switch to subscription for their digital format (Website) newspaper. Ok, it's not only the trend but fair and good business. I couldn't agree more with this decision.
If folks don't know many newspapers now charge for Web access to their full digital format newspapers, started by the Wall Street Journal and picked up shortly afterward by other major newspapers and many smaller ones.
I subscribe to the New York Times digital service but not for their Website, for the Time Reader service which is different. It uses Adobe Air to deliver you the current daily newspaper with additional features over the print version along with a previous week of newspapers.
This is far better than any Website access because it's a separate reader and doesn't require continuous Internet connection except for the links in the articles. You download it and you're ready to read. You only download additional days if you want to read them. The whole paper is there in the Reader application.
This is what other newspapers should do as it's digital delivery than the reader has to access the Website, log into it, and then browser through the Web pages, which as anyone knows who read on-line newspapers, they suck.
Yes, they suck. They're bloated with the whole show up front you have to sort through to find the sections and articles you want to read than designed as a newspaper people like to read, eg. NY Times Reader.
While some of them offer the fascimile of today's newspaper, eg. Washington Post, it's hard to find what's new today and to browse sections like a print newspapers. I do read the Washington Post Website version but now only go to individual sections for what appears to be the latest.
That's because like all the major newspapers Websites, even the Washington Post is cluttered, distracting and confusing to readers. Why haven't they learned to make them easier to browse, find and read? I don't know but they're missing a customer base.
Anyway, for now I'll stick with the Sunday print edition of the Tacoma News Tribune and Seattle Times. Now if they had a reader service with the Website, then I'll be interested in them as I would if the Washington Post did likewise.
That said, it's their loss.
If folks don't know many newspapers now charge for Web access to their full digital format newspapers, started by the Wall Street Journal and picked up shortly afterward by other major newspapers and many smaller ones.
I subscribe to the New York Times digital service but not for their Website, for the Time Reader service which is different. It uses Adobe Air to deliver you the current daily newspaper with additional features over the print version along with a previous week of newspapers.
This is far better than any Website access because it's a separate reader and doesn't require continuous Internet connection except for the links in the articles. You download it and you're ready to read. You only download additional days if you want to read them. The whole paper is there in the Reader application.
This is what other newspapers should do as it's digital delivery than the reader has to access the Website, log into it, and then browser through the Web pages, which as anyone knows who read on-line newspapers, they suck.
Yes, they suck. They're bloated with the whole show up front you have to sort through to find the sections and articles you want to read than designed as a newspaper people like to read, eg. NY Times Reader.
While some of them offer the fascimile of today's newspaper, eg. Washington Post, it's hard to find what's new today and to browse sections like a print newspapers. I do read the Washington Post Website version but now only go to individual sections for what appears to be the latest.
That's because like all the major newspapers Websites, even the Washington Post is cluttered, distracting and confusing to readers. Why haven't they learned to make them easier to browse, find and read? I don't know but they're missing a customer base.
Anyway, for now I'll stick with the Sunday print edition of the Tacoma News Tribune and Seattle Times. Now if they had a reader service with the Website, then I'll be interested in them as I would if the Washington Post did likewise.
That said, it's their loss.
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