Political Intolerance

It was ironic to watch the smirking Mitt Romney criticize as an “apology” the Embassy of the United States in Cairo’s statement:

“Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others.”

Are we so quick to forget the historic religious intolerance directed at the Mormons which drove them from the American heartland to the wilds of Utah?

<IMHO> Fred Jacobsen

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Are you better off?

Romney asks “Are you better off?” since Obama was sworn in as president.
On Jan. 16, 2009 the stock market was at 8,281. Today, right now it is 13,109. Do the math.

What change in jobs have we seen since then? 

Connect the Planks

Human life begins at conception.

Taking human life is murder.

Murderers should be put to death.

Therefore: Rape victims taking morning-after pills and those officials participating in prison executions are murderers and should be put to death?

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Republican sanctity of life?

How does the Republican “party of life”
reconcile on one hand the sanctity of human life and the fundamental individual
right to life which cannot be infringed with supporting courts having the
option to impose the death penalty in capital murder cases?

<IMHO> Fred Jacobsen

 

 

 

ShortNotes: Jesus, Rand

For those of you too caught up in this summer re-election season to do any serious reading, I’ve condensed the sum total works of two great thinkers:

Jesus: “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Ayn Rand: “There is no God; love yourself.”

<IMHO> Fred Jacobsen

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Chinese Peacekeepers to Africa?

If U.S. oil companies had billions of dollars invested in both Sudan and South Sudan oil fields, surely we would expect the United States government to step in with “peacekeepers” to prevent a destructive war between the two sides.

But in the case of these two African countries, it is the People’s Republic of China which has their oil interests in jeopardy.

What would our reaction be to Chinese troops occupying the region?

This question opens up a whole new line of thought, should former foes Germany, Japan, Italy or even Vietnam send their armed forces into other embattled countries where coincidentally they too have economic interests.

Colonialism isn’t dead; it’s just now called “private foreign investment”, still enforced by governmental muscle.

<IMHO Fred Jacobsen

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Differing accounts of Jim Norman’s windfall

I am a long time subscriber to both the Tampa Bay Times and the Tampa Tribune; appreciating their sometimes differing editorial opinions.

However, when it comes to reporting facts, I expect both to be in total agreement.

Today, the Tribune reported that Florida State Senator Jim Norman’s ethics case centered around a $500,000 “loan” from Ralph Hughes, while the Times reported it as a “gift”.

Please, if in fact this was a loan, answer why this has not been repaid to the Hughes estate, widow and orphans?

Contrariwise, if this was a gift, have the Normans reported it as income to the IRS?

Why are both newspapers pussyfooting around as to how the Normans seemingly continue to profit from this dirty business?

<IMHO> Fred Jacobsen

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Open letter to the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners

Instead of apologizing for what Marilyn Smith said, you all should be apologizing to her.

Using your public forum to characterize Smith as a racist for her use of the word “ghettozing” in describing a proposal to segregate the so-called Hispanic vote into one geographic district is both contrary to the spirit of the first amendment, and wrongheaded as to the historic origins of the word.

Ghettos have long been used by authorities to marginalize ethnic minorities, by rule of law, removing their voice from general public discourse.

 You should also apologize to the voters for blatantly admitting that the voices of Hispanics would not be heard by the BOCC unless through some commissioner elected from a barrio.

Single-district as well as at-large commissioners are bound to represent all county residents, regardless of geography; regardless of ethnic background.

 Perhaps a less emotionally-charged word describing ethnic redistricting would be “Balkanization”.

Here once again, the goal of the ruling classes is to divide up the political power of the people into ever smaller groupings, dedicated to self-interest, leaving true power in the hands of an influential few.

 I have never known Marilyn Smith to use race, gender, age, political or sexual orientation to attack anyone, even those who were acting against the best interests of the community.

Each of you at one time or another has been on the sharp end of one of her acerbic comments; but none of you because of whom or what you are, but rather because of what you said or did.

 <IMHO> Fred Jacobsen

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The privatization of American government

The Federal as well as every state and local governmental body is constituted to express the will of the people from whom all power is derived.

What we are seeing in this recent wave of the privatization of education, prisons and soon health care and retirement safety nets are manifestations of a corporate take-over of our basic civil liberties.

Government is accountable to the people; corporations are not.

Taxpayer support of for-profit companies at the expense of publicly supported institutions will inevitably lead to higher costs with attenuated quality of services.

All of this leads back to our elected representatives who have become dependent on the largess of political donors to fund their campaigns.

Political parties have become the enforcers of the party line, marginalizing any member who does not go along to get along.

Only when the voting public finally has had enough of being led around by their wallets by an entrenched political elite can we once again exercise our franchise to elect a truly representative government.

 “I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country.”
– Thomas Jefferson -

<IMHO> Fred Jacobsen

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Jim Norman, (fill in the blank)

Roget’s is replete with epithets for those who lie, cheat and steal.

The especially vile entries are reserved for transgressors of widows and orphans, taxpayers, journalist and voters.

Jim Norman has already admitted to lies about the $500,000 Hughes money.

We are just waiting how best to also describe not paying back the loan/investment, or alternatively, not including that as a gift on Federal tax returns.

<IMHO> Fred Jacobsen

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