It is time for a little plain talk because everything is getting lost in translation regarding the financial crisis and subsequent high unemployment, and the worst recession since the "Great Depression" of 1929. While it is easy to blame greedy CEO's of FORTUNE 500 companies and the ever-shrinking membership list of "The Billionaires Club," the fault doesn't entirely rest upon the shoulders of the Titans of Industry. it does make for good theatre, like a Broadway show, to drag or subpoena certain corporate execs before a Congressional Committee and berate them in front of the television cameras and microphones; much to the delight of the people back home in the various political districts who elect these mostly self-serving Legislators.
While not wanting to exonerate these 'fat cats' from any of the well- deserved disdain and anger from Americans who are suffering through one of the greatest job loss and significant erosion of the value of their 401-k and Retirement income in recent memory, or ever, still, the blame for our pain must be spread to members of Congress as well. For nearly the last decade, what has both the Republican and Democratic leadership in the Senate and House of Congress done to regulate, monitor, and empower the FDIC, SEC, Commerce Department, The Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, The Department of Labor, and even the Justice Department to prevent this crisis from happening? It isn't about Bernie Madoff, Executives from the "Big Three" (General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford), AIG Executives, or the failure of Lehman Brothers, WA Mutual, and a few others.
Government watchdogs, or perhaps bloodhounds is a better analogy, should have sniffed out the clues of long ago with what happened with Kenneth Lay and ENRON, followed by the collapse of CountryWide Financial. Even before these companies sunk like the 'Titanic,' there was the failure of virtually all the Savings & Loan companies over a quarter century ago. Instead of threatening to sic the FBI or the IRS to seize the offending companies financial records, bank statements, and computers, why don't John Boehner, Lindsay Graham, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reed, Barnie Frank, and other political heavyweights show solidarity with their struggling constituents and set an example by voluntarily taking a pay cut? After all, since they say they feel the pain of the average American ''Blue collar" worker (and some 'white collar' ones as well), then why should they have the exclusive right to criticize the privileged upper echelon of the 'Boardroom' and yet exempt themselves from sacrificing a little bit too?
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 18, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Rihanna and Chris Brown Back Together Again??
It seems that Grammy award winning R&B musical superstars Chris Brown and Rihanna’s dating troubles have been the item of discussion at office water coolers, bars, coffee shops, grocery stores, clubs, and in living rooms across the country over the past few weeks. Although dating violence is nothing new but this particular incident happening with such a high profile couple seems to have reignited this issue once again, and there hasn’t been this level of interest and outrage expressed in the public forum since Anita Hill accused then Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas of ‘sexual harassment,’ nearly two decades ago. That was all the more ironic because Clarence Thomas, as Director of the EEOC, headed the very Federal agency that was entrusted with investigating and enforcing complaints of the same anti-discriminatory and sexually inappropriate behaviors that he was accused of committing.
Violence against females, especially in a dating situation has taken center stage. After the release of photos by an unnamed source within the LAPD, the public was shocked and outraged to see the bruises and swollen face of the beautiful and talented singer. Rumors abound as to the reason for such an outburst on Chris Brown’s part, to include unsubstantiated reports of exposure to an STD and pictures as well as text messages from other females on Chris Brown’s cell phone. Be that as it may, this incident has invoked the ire and consternation of the most powerful woman in the entertainment industry, none other than Miss ‘O’ herself. Oprah will devote the entire hour long segment of her show and broadcast to millions of her viewers the opinions of those questionably objective individuals who have been invited to weigh in on this subject.
In what might better be suited for a “Dr. Phil” moment, the ‘Queen of the Daytime Confessionals’ will conduct her very own clinical analysis of the problem and as a special treat, Super Model Tyra Banks will reveal her own travail of being in an abusive relationship. Never mind that Rihanna and Chris Brown have decided to be seen together again, even if its just for the sake of working together professionally to lay down some new tracks for the next to-be-released CD; or perhaps they have just decided to forgive the hurt and pain and try to move on with their lives.
Of course to the naysayers, mental health experts and counselors, this is typical behavior of an abused and battered woman who has low self-esteem, accepts negative reinforcement, and has some other sort of psychological dependency. It is also true that abuse can take many forms, to include mental, emotional, and physiological [depression, eating disorder, weight loss/gain, substance abuse, etc.], and physical abuse; to include rape. And they will probably also say that for Chris Brown, it is all about power and control.
One wonders if all this negative publicity will affect Chris Brown’s upcoming trial before a judge in LA Superior Court on two charges of Felony Assault. One of the Constitutional guarantees is to a ‘fair and impartial’ trial but it is rather doubtful that there is a potential juror in America who hasn’t read not only the storyline in their local newspaper, but picked up a copy of PEOPLE Magazine, National Enquirer, or US Magazine at the grocery on convenience store. Also, who has not watched CNN, McNeil-Lehrer News Hour, ABC, NBC, CBS, and BET News, as well as GMA, The View, Inside Hollywood, Extra, Entertainment Weekly, and The Insider.
Regardless of what the legal requirement is pertaining to innocence or guilt, the deposition of witnesses, the introduction of evidence (‘Discovery’), and cross-examination of Prosecution/Defense witnesses or impeachment of their credibility, Chris Brown will be, or perhaps has already been tried in the Court of Public Opinion and with the Presiding Judge in the Court of ‘O’ along with her millions of jurists, it’s a foregone conclusion that Chris Brown is deemed by all as, “guilty as sin.”
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 12, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
Violence against females, especially in a dating situation has taken center stage. After the release of photos by an unnamed source within the LAPD, the public was shocked and outraged to see the bruises and swollen face of the beautiful and talented singer. Rumors abound as to the reason for such an outburst on Chris Brown’s part, to include unsubstantiated reports of exposure to an STD and pictures as well as text messages from other females on Chris Brown’s cell phone. Be that as it may, this incident has invoked the ire and consternation of the most powerful woman in the entertainment industry, none other than Miss ‘O’ herself. Oprah will devote the entire hour long segment of her show and broadcast to millions of her viewers the opinions of those questionably objective individuals who have been invited to weigh in on this subject.
In what might better be suited for a “Dr. Phil” moment, the ‘Queen of the Daytime Confessionals’ will conduct her very own clinical analysis of the problem and as a special treat, Super Model Tyra Banks will reveal her own travail of being in an abusive relationship. Never mind that Rihanna and Chris Brown have decided to be seen together again, even if its just for the sake of working together professionally to lay down some new tracks for the next to-be-released CD; or perhaps they have just decided to forgive the hurt and pain and try to move on with their lives.
Of course to the naysayers, mental health experts and counselors, this is typical behavior of an abused and battered woman who has low self-esteem, accepts negative reinforcement, and has some other sort of psychological dependency. It is also true that abuse can take many forms, to include mental, emotional, and physiological [depression, eating disorder, weight loss/gain, substance abuse, etc.], and physical abuse; to include rape. And they will probably also say that for Chris Brown, it is all about power and control.
One wonders if all this negative publicity will affect Chris Brown’s upcoming trial before a judge in LA Superior Court on two charges of Felony Assault. One of the Constitutional guarantees is to a ‘fair and impartial’ trial but it is rather doubtful that there is a potential juror in America who hasn’t read not only the storyline in their local newspaper, but picked up a copy of PEOPLE Magazine, National Enquirer, or US Magazine at the grocery on convenience store. Also, who has not watched CNN, McNeil-Lehrer News Hour, ABC, NBC, CBS, and BET News, as well as GMA, The View, Inside Hollywood, Extra, Entertainment Weekly, and The Insider.
Regardless of what the legal requirement is pertaining to innocence or guilt, the deposition of witnesses, the introduction of evidence (‘Discovery’), and cross-examination of Prosecution/Defense witnesses or impeachment of their credibility, Chris Brown will be, or perhaps has already been tried in the Court of Public Opinion and with the Presiding Judge in the Court of ‘O’ along with her millions of jurists, it’s a foregone conclusion that Chris Brown is deemed by all as, “guilty as sin.”
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 12, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
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