Still on the Plantation: Hip Hop and White male Hegemony

I have had some time to think about problems besetting the Black community that is evidenced in rap/hip hop music videos and lyrics. Let me get to the heart of the matter by making this bold declaration: “ENSLAVEMENT OF BLACK PEOPLE IN AMERICA HAS NEVER ENDED.” I know many will say this is absurd because of The Emancipation Proclamation issued by president Abraham Lincoln ‘officially’ ended slavery in 1862. Next thing is you will remind me about the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments [1868-1870] to the U.S. Constitution included in the Bill of Rights as proof that I am off my rocker; Well, let’s just see if this is the case or not. The first thing that should be obvious to any rational thinking person is that no one can give you something that you already possess as a human being with the  alienable right to life, liberty [freedom], and the pursuit of happiness. Subsequently, anything that is ‘given’ can be taken away, abrogated, ignored, and doesn’t really belong to us in the first place because it is artificially created. Any legislative act by itself cannot truly make people free; especially if it undermined by structural and institutional mechanisms whose primary functions are to keep so-called ‘freed’ people on the plantation.  The shackles of iron formerly worn around our ankles and wrists are now the glittery BLING BLING rings on rappers fingers and gold chains hanging around their necks. There is an old African proverb that those who don’t know their history are dead, thus the name ‘Negro’ etymologically means “dead.” Our ancestral memories, traditions, religion, and distinctive tribal customs were tortured out of us, a type of cultural genocide or ethnic cleansing [brainwashing], which has no parallel in the history of the world. Now when it comes to the mixed messages coming from the African-American community about gangsta rap, well the Black community is under siege. The rappers who talk about being in a state of war are right on the money, the thing is though, and they stop a little short of fully explaining it. Many soldiers coming back from the battlefield war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan are diagnosed as suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), well, in a similar way this is what is happening to black people in America.

The seeds of the ‘dysfunctional’ Black family were planted long ago and it is just now producing the fruit of violent and angry young Black men. I don’t know if it is amusing or sad to see Black intellectuals try to explain the problem in front of the White-controlled media because when the cameras are rolling they like to clown just like the young rappers whom many of them criticize. It’s like singer Curtiss Mayfield of the 1970’s Soul group ‘The Impressions’ once said, “Educated fools from uneducated schools.” It seems to me that no one is asking the right question and therefore the answer is still elusive. I have a thought-travel to any part of the world where there is a war [sectarian, religious ethnic, regular, etc.] going on and observe the people, infrastructure and living conditions, then come back to American and compare what you saw there to the scenes in some Black [and Latino] communities in this country. I would speculate there is very little difference and I am also sure the people are very angry about how they are living in such deplorable conditions and if they could write rap lyrics about their experiences in English it would sound quite familiar as far as tone or feeling. It is laughable when some well-meaning saviors think the answer is more money because if that was the case, with all the billions of dollars that have been spent over the years, especially in education [the linchpin of Conservatives and many Liberals] most of our problems would be solved, according to them. Critics like FOX News Bill O’Reilly, other Conservative demagogues and a few token Blacks in the news media say it is the fault of Blacks themselves for their dismal state of affairs. Blacks have been freed from slavery, given citizenship, legal protections, the right to vote, free education, affirmative action, integration, employment opportunities, and just about everything else that the White man has, so what gives-why can’t they make it or be more law-abiding?

Well, back on the plantation in the ante-bellum Southern states some slaves served in the Big House and had a few more privileges than the field slaves. Now get this, only a very small number worked inside with and around the master and his family, even raising his children while the overwhelming majorities were treated quite differently.  In other words, even a brutish and racist master can reward one slave with favors and advancement while denying the same opportunity to another one if in doing so it serves his purposes. This is how the unequal system is maintained because it was never intended to bring everyone up to the same level. The master even enjoyed some entertainment by forcing two strong bucks [physically powerful and muscular Mandingo warrior-types] to battle each other for his pleasure, and no other reason. And even as awesome as the slave was he was still obedient to the master’s whip, rope, or gun. The trauma of experiencing torture, especially terror and fright are recorded in our DNA and transmitted generationally in our genes. Black people have been psychologically traumatized and “raped” by the White Euro-American male hegemony and the perpetrator of this crime against humanity is “above the law.” Not only that but he feigns benevolence by giving us the dope of social service programs and promises that we eagerly take and inject into our veins like heroin, but all this does is make us more dependent on the drugs in the first place. Then when we are all strung out he gives us another drug to wean us off the addiction of this opiate in the form of social methadone; of which we become addicted to the cure. What we desperately need is mental health and counseling services but there is no doctor in the house. The Conservatives and others say, “It’s not my problem-heal yourself.” And of course one of the main obstacles to being treated for any medical problem is to deny that anything is wrong and thinking that you are doing just fine; then the next thing you know you are in the ICU suffering from Cardiac Arrest or pronounced DOA and R.I.P. [you’re deceased].

What about Black men’s hyper masculinity, sexuality, misogyny, thug life and gangsta pose? It’s quite elementary my dear Sherlock-our seeming crazy, inconsistent, incoherent and erratic at times behavior in and out of the lyrics is the result of inner turmoil, struggle and tension expressed as an outward sign that we are in pain and hurting. Collectively, all the Black community is affected; it is just that some of us show outward signs of the progression of the malignancy more than others. The Black man has been the White man’s or slave master’s “cultural/social eugenics” experimental lab rat for so long he really doesn’t how to be a man. The corporate recording industry is “punkin” him or pimping him out through hip hop lyrics and like any loyal ‘star’ in Big Daddy’s stable, you bring him the money so he can break you off a few ends. The most visible evidence of this “new racism” is in the “N” word because brothers who use it and think that somehow they have taken the power from it shows they do not understand the enemy, their history, or themselves for that matter. By the mere fact that they come off a certain way in the music videos and lyrics is only being a tool of the very racists [not just simply the P-O-l-I-C-E] that they claim to be fighting against. I was just thinking about Nelly’s “Tip Drill” and if ever there was a video that should be in the racists showcase, it is this one. The twist in that video is this: The White recording producers, executives and commercial industry represent the brothers throwing cash money at the women [rappers] who are performing for their pleasure. I think it is a love/hate relationship with the White power structure. On the one hand you hate him for what he has done, and continues to do to you collectively as a group, and yet on the other hand you want to be just like him or have the things that he represents [wealth, power, fame, king of the hill, and objectifying  women]-like a son wanting to emulate his father. It perhaps explains why many successful male rappers identify with the persona of someone like Donald Trump, and although there are wealthier men, he stands out as flamboyant, swag, [money, clothes, women-“Notorious B.I.G”], livin’ large, and he’s a real New York, Big Apple playa.

To wrap all this up, Dead Prez in the song, “It’s Bigger than Hip Hop” gives the key to the entire dilemma with such lyrics as.: “Got us slavin for the welfare, aint no food, clothes, or healthcare. “ “Ay dogg that label is that slave ship, owners got them whips and rappers are slaves.” “Aint never seen no hope, brainwash video shows be foolin my folk.” “It's bigger than all these fake ass records when poor folks got the millions and my woman's disrespected.” “MC's get a little bit of love and think they hot, talkin' 'bout how much money they got-You would rather have a Lexus or justice; A dream or some substance; A Beamer, a necklace or freedom?” “Still a nigga like me don't playa' hate, I just stay awake[to what the true game is really all about].” The most important quote is from Master MC Jesus, who said, “You shall know the Truth and it will set you free.” You see, we have been programmed to celebrate July 4th, but as MLK astutely observed decades ago, “The Negro is not yet free [in America].” The Revolutionary War of 1776 freed the colonists from British rule but it didn’t free us [from the colonists rule and their descendants]. Our Revolution and Declaration of Independence is yet in the future as the struggle to achieve it is ongoing, and the weapon we must use today is ‘Truth;’ not guns or insulting and offensive words. Learn the lessons from the past and reread the war manuals passed down in the legacy of writings from original OG’s such as The Black Panthers, the last Malcolm X speech and other soldiers of the Movement, when the consciousness of Black people really started to awaken and many of them saw the chains that were wrapped around their and our minds.

 

Unfortunately, the one casualty in this current cultural war is “ignorance” exhibited by our rapping brothers and the collateral damage is Black women depicted as hoochies, hoe’s, bitches, tricks, skeezers, and baby mommas. To correct Reef and The Lost Cauze’s tribute to Trayvon Martin where it voices a threat to George Zimmerman, “The hunt [war] is on and you are the prey.” No, the war is on and has been for millennia against people of color, and we are the prey. I could not end this without a final word as it relates to all the brothers who brag about how they have been so successful but to me they are the modern “house niggas” (you know who you are) and the ‘real’ soldiers in the struggle are the “field niggas” who haven’t been pimped out or compromised the integrity of Hip Hop just to get paid-even though the rent is due. But it is a much bigger issue than any one Black male rapper or the female performers in the videos but rather there has to be another way to represent ourselves positively and earn a decent living at the same time. What is needed in the Black community is for us to reclaim our collective womanhood and manhood. I believe this movement towards recovery has to be Black women-led because they are the mothers of civilization and moral teachers of our children. We need to clean up our act one family and one house at a time without the pity party, victimization, and playing the convenient “race card because blaming White America is not a strategy-It’s a little more complicated than that. Just Keepin’ It Real.

Robert Randle

776 Commerce St #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
July 30, 2013
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

George Zimmerman found Not Guilty

There are many who will say that this unexpected verdict is just another example of the racist justice system that exonerates Whites who perpetrate crimes against a persons of color, proving once again that there is “No Justice, J-U-S-T US [against Them].” The all-White female jury found George Zimmerman not guilty in the murder of Black teenager Trayvon Martin. Was this a case of ‘racial profiling’ similar to Driving While Black (DWB), or rather in this particular situation, wearing a “hoodie” and seen walking in a neighborhood where Trayvon wasn’t expected to be and he stood out like a sore thumb? I found the last day of the trial quite interesting, especially when the Judge’s instructions and the Prosecutors closing arguments to the jury before their deliberation where they were told, “Although there might not be enough proof. . .”

Additionally, the judge instructed jurors to consider Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law in their deliberations, but it was not an issue in the case because Zimmerman wasn’t on trial for violation of that criminal statute, but for Second Degree Murder and Manslaughter. To me this is a technical error that should be challenged legally on the grounds that such statements would or should have cast some doubt in the minds of jurors, causing bias and possibly influencing them to render a fair and impartial decision. The other aspect of the trial that was the most important concerns the charges of Second Degree Murder and Manslaughter.  In order to prove this accusation or charge in Court the Prosecution had to raise the threshold from “beyond a reasonable doubt” to almost “absolute certainty” in the mind of jurors to get a guilty verdict.

I don’t think the evidence and witness testimony were sufficient to prove that George Zimmerman “murdered” Trayvon Martin intentionally, but rather that there is the likely possibly he unwittingly “caused the death” of this teenager. Using BUT/FOR and “IT IS REASONABLE THAT” analogy in Criminal law- BUT/FOR George Zimmerman stalked Trayvon Martin he would not have died [on that day]. IT IS REASONABLE THAT in a struggle involving someone with a gun such a person could get killed. The issue for me is not so much the absence of any person of color on the jury panel, but that the elements were present according to  FL Criminal Law Statutes, as in the following:

782.04 Murder.—

(1)(a)  The unlawful killing of a human being:

2.  When committed by a person engaged in the perpetration of, or in the attempt to perpetrate, any:

n.  Aggravated stalking,

784.048 Stalking

a) “Harasses” means to engage in a course of conduct, directed at a specific person that causes substantial emotional distress in such person and serves no legitimate purpose. “Aggravated stalking” requires the stalker to willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follow or harass another person, and make a credible threat with the intent to place that person in reasonable fear of death or bodily injury.

Also, was there structural racism from the very beginning because the Sanford FL police initially arrested then quickly released Zimmerman at the beginning and the Police Chief refused to even charge George Zimmerman for killing Trayvon Martin until public opinion and comments by President Obama put pressure on law officials to at the very least re-arrest Zimmerman? Although the State has the Burden of Proof and in this trial strategy Prosecution orchestrated the appearance of equal justice, and entertained trial-watchers like a Three-Ring Circus, the outcome had all but been decided, as the evidence submitted during Discovery was flimsy or inconclusive they more or less ensured Zimmerman’s acquittal on all charges?

I think one of the things that everyone seems to gloss over is what the one unnamed juror that has been speaking out about the case. She says that initially 3 of them (including her) found Zimmerman ‘not guilty’ but 2 jurors found Zimmerman ‘guilty’ of Second Degree Murder and the final juror found him ‘guilty’ of Manslaughter. My question is this: “How could 3 jurors after the 16 ½ hours of deliberation reverse their previous positions in such a radical shift of opinion  where all of them completely change their minds and found Zimmerman innocent of all charges?” I can understand if one, maybe two of the jurors changed their minds, but all three; this is highly irregular and I think there should be an investigation into jury tampering because at the very least the verdict should have resulted in a hung jury (5 votes for acquittal and 1 vote for guilty). This would have meant a retrial at a later date and a more reasonable judicial outcome instead Zimmerman walking with no culpability for Trayvon’s death whatsoever.

I am also critical of the media’s role in ‘racializing’ the issue in such a way that everyone is so caught up in this incident that they are using Trayvon’s death, as well as his parents grief to further their own personal agendas.  There has been a lot of talk about possibly revising “Stand Your Ground” laws in about 30 states, and even the NRA has weighed in on this by saying that this is a Second Amendment issue, and still for others it is another case of “racial profiling” (wearing a ‘hoodie’). While all these concerns are legitimate there might be an even bigger debate that needs to be enjoined besides the one race relations, namely-America’s wild, wild, west shoot-em’-up mentality; and walking around with a gun on your hip. All of the frenzy distracts us from the real deal here, and that is George Zimmerman made a stupid decision, a rush to judgment, and because of his careless and reckless abandon of common sense and responsible behavior, unwarranted and unprovoked actions, caused the death of a black teenager.

President Obama was mistaken when he said that if Trayvon Martin had been carrying a gun when Zimmerman came up on him then he would have been legally justified in shooting Zimmerman under the “Stand Your Ground” law. The problem with his example is that if Trayvon would have had a gun, and being a Black teenager, I am not so sure that the FL law and the Prosecutor would have seen it quite so simply. I think Trayvon would have been charged with felony Assault or attempted Murder, and if Zimmerman would have been killed, Trayvon would have been charged with Murder and convicted by an all-White jury. The reality is this-If Trayvon had been a White kid that Zimmerman shot and killed we wouldn’t even be talking about this because Zimmerman would have been charged and found guilty of Murder-case closed. The one good thing about our system of justice is that it has many layers and Zimmerman is not out of the woods yet because the attorney for the Martin family can appeal the decision to the Justice Department on Civil Rights violations or as a Hate Crime -so it’s not over by a long shot.

 

Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
July 22, 2013
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

 

 

 

Is America on the verge of Techmageddon?

It has been said that life imitates art, and if that is true humanity may well be one the verge of ushering in the dawn of a bleak future; one in which man is not master, but the machine. The technology which has developed surveillance cameras to spy on our activities, almost anywhere people gather there is an electronic, all-seeing “eye” watching and keeping track of our every move.  George Orwell published the book “1984” in 1949 about a society very much like the direction that America is heading. In this account people live under a totalitarian state which uses weapons of propaganda and public mind-control to maintain the status quo. Big Brother is an enigmatic, unseen, semi-divine symbolic leader who lurks in the shadows above the visible ruling party. Popular social institutions are merely tools of the system whose primary function is to reinforce obedience toward acceptance of the politically-correct revisionist history rewritten in newspapers and books (all media sources) of reality. It is the ultimate social control for the greater good. With that in mind, the 911 terrorist attacks was the tipping point and paradigm shift in national domestic policy because it empowered the government to subordinate constitutionally guaranteed privacy rights to The Patriot Act, creation of the Department of Homeland Security, and Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Adding to this point is the political and military influence on foreign policy in the presence of unmanned aerial drones, which are presently used in the “War on Terror” with a mission to seek, search out and destroy al-Qaeda leadership wherever they may be hiding, but once American combat troops pull out of Afghanistan in 2014, what will be done with this expensive and exquisitely sophisticated technology? Will these formidable and deadly toys which were used to kill people (insurgents, enemy combatants as well as civilian collateral damage) in warfare on faraway lands be flying overhead in cities and neighborhoods across America in the very near future?
  

It has been talked about more recently after the terrorist bombing at the Boston Marathon on April 18, 2013 that if aerial drones had been patrolling the vicinity and course the Tsarnaev brothers might have been intercepted by authorities, or at the very least taken out by the drone before they detonated the explosive bombs which brought such horror and tragedy. While this might be an interesting consideration and considering the circumstances quite plausible, but what’s to stop a benign and beneficial service to get out of control and become the “Frankenstein Monster” of tomorrow? Is it paranoia or caution to be a little hesitant to cross into that brave new frontier as depicted in the blockbuster “Terminator” Sci-fi movie sequels? Humanity’s demise started off as just a simple computer programmed to play a simple game of chess that ultimately led to Skynet, which was a computer system developed for the U.S. military by the fictitious defense firm Cyberdyne Systems. Skynet was first built as a "Global Digital Defense Network" and given command over all computerized military hardware and systems. Sounds a bit farfetched until you consider the military already has the X-47B pilotless aircraft and what makes this drone so remarkable is that it just might have the ability to indiscriminately initiate its own attack protocols without direct human involvement; in other words it has the capability toward artificial intelligence (independent self-actualization or initiation). There are already video games where the computer digitally ‘learns’ or grows from the moves initiated by an opponent or player. So, as more programming power and capability is built into it, this cybernetic servant for humanity may one day become its metalloid master.

 

Robert Randle

776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
April 30, 2013
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

 

 

 

A letter to the NRA

There is no simple answer to curb the escalating gun violence in America and the pain, suffering, anger, mental and emotional anguish that families, friends and loved ones have to endure when faced with attending the funeral of those whom they will never see again in this life. One of the cornerstones of your organization is the “right” to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. While it is not my suggestion that the federal government should confiscate every citizen’s guns because such an action would be impractical but the issue of gun ownership is worth looking at again, from a perspective that, at least to my knowledge, has not been introduced into this public debate. There is an old saying in some Christian circles, “Text without Context becomes Pretext.” This relates to interpreting Biblical passages without taking into account the circumstances in which the narratives are written, and the absence of such a technique can lead someone to misapply scriptural standards to a given social situation.

 That being said, the Constitution is more than just the articles and amendments but rather a whole document, including the Preamble, and most importantly, the Declaration of Independence. In fact, it is the latter that provides, at least to my thinking, the moral and legal justification for the colonists, though still subjects to the King of England and British Parliament, which granted charters or legal agreements to establish colonies in the New World, due to abuses from their sovereign, to declare themselves free and independent states and no longer subject to the monarchy. There are at least 17 reasons or categories that those in rebellion gave for their decision, which were reintroduced or formed the basis for inclusion as the Second Amendment, Federalist papers notwithstanding, are as follows:

 The state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions from within (Second Amendment; Article 1, Section 8b).

 He has kept among us in times of peace standing armies (Third Amendment; Second Amendment), without the consent of our legislatures.

 For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us; for protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states (Second Amendment; Third Amendment).

 He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us (Second Amendment).

 He is at this time, transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death (Second Amendment), desolation, and tyranny already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy; scarcely parallel in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy of the head of a civilized nation.

 He has excited domestic insurrections among us (Article 1, Section 8b), and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rules for warfare, is an undistinguished destruction, of all ages, sexes, and conditions (Second Amendment).

 So, in a nutshell this is why the right to bear arms was written into the Constitution because it was adopted and codified during a period based on the aftermath of the Revolutionary War of 1776. All the 13 individual colonies had at this time in the way of domestic security were civilian Militias for protection, and so it would seem prudent as well as practical, to enact into law what was customary practice to keep gunpowder and musket within reach just in case one had to respond to some unexpected internal or external threat. Personally, I don’t know whether fewer guns or more guns are the answer, but at least for the sake of constitutional clarity, before you start yelling about gun rights, read the Declaration of Independence first and stop using the Second Amendment as though it is sacred, like one of the Ten Commandments.

 

Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
April 12, 2013
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

 

America: Multiracial but not Colorblind

The article in The Seattle Times on Thursday, March 21, 2013 by Staff Reporter Jerry Large on two books authored by UW professors Habiba Ibrahim and Ralina Joseph, got me to thinking about the first time the term “post racial” came into popular use in the public conversation. It seems that when the media or academia introduces something then it must be ‘lingua franca’ for the masses. Since Barack Obama suddenly appeared on the political scene, seemingly out of nowhere, to secure the nation’s highest elected office, his ascendancy has to some at least, been the poster child and crowning jewel in celebration of a color-blind America; nothing could be further from the truth, however. There are even those with the audacity to believe that America’s election of a person of color for president somehow fulfills Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Dream” of living in a country where a person will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character; and thus, the feet of those who marched behind the Drum Major for Justice will finally come to rest, and those who pounded on the drumbeats for freedom will no longer need to beat out a single note against injustice; and the long, twisted and winding road along the lonesome trail for Civil Rights laden with the sweat, tears, and blood of martyrs can be remembered no more. America, the idealists say, is a “meritocracy” where if you work hard and play by the rules then you can achieve success or be all that you want to be. Even President Obama uses that phrase but is it really, really true, for everybody?

While President Obama has been lauded with almost reverential praise he has also received some of the most mean-spirited, vicious, blatantly egregious and hateful mischaracterizations in recent memory, ranging from being like Hitler, the anti-Christ, Illuminati spawn of Satan, or the typical racial epithets voiced by the redneck NASCAR attendees or from far-right Tea Party members. Those who like to espouse ‘post racial’ are just trying to use the term as a psychological cover-up to assuage feelings of centuries-old “White Guilt” from the legal practice of ‘chattel slavery’ and racial bigotry practiced from the beginnings of this nation. Not only that, but this peculiar institution was codified into the very foundational document of our democratic Republic in Article 1, Section 2a (three-fifths clause), Article 1, Section 9 (the 1808 clause), and Article 4, Section 2b (fugitive slave clause), by the noble and enlightened signees who touted such lofty words in the Declaration of Independence as liberty, justice, freedom, and, “All Men are created equal. . .” Besides all of this, Barack Obama is not the only African-American with a White parent or direct bloodline, and whether you call it bi-racial, mixed race, transracial, multiethnic, or two or more races, what’s the big deal? Would ‘post racial’ still be used if Barack Obama had two Black parents, or heck, would he even be president?

What is paramount regarding this entire matter is that in America there still exists a sense of ‘ascriptive hierarchy’ (White privilege) and control over the factors of production as well as all the popular institutions are still overwhelmingly the ‘exclusive’ domain of the White Anglo Saxon Protestant (WASP) male; for the most part. This practice transcends mere ideology or what one sees or feels. Instead, it puts into practice mechanisms to perpetuate a particular hegemony and control in the formulation of laws, political philosophy, educational curriculum, economic policy, and to a surprising extent, religious practice and theology. What seems to go missing from the conversation is that ‘race’ is a social construct that is actuated within a cultural framework, according to sociologists, and really has nothing to do with skin color or physical features. So, ‘post-racial’ is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms because any casual observation and experience in reality only serves to repudiate this term in convincing fashion. It is not what you see and feel, as it is what you do; whose interests you want to protect, and what are the incentives for wanting to do so by your participation? Far too often we respond to verbal cues and images from narrative stereotypes that serve as an emotional trigger where we are programmed to react in a certain way, without fully understanding the nature or meaning behind our reactions. America is not color blind or ignorant about race relations because she has had a nearly 250 year history lesson and the only blindness that exists is one that is self-induced.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 21, 2013
robertrandle51@yahoo.com’

The gospel according to the Church of Oprah

Oprah Winfrey has certainly received praise from her millions of followers but she gets criticized also. Probably the latest and ongoing controversy is the issue regarding her religious, oops, I mean, spiritual perspective. Some detractors feel that because of her public statements she should lose support from fans and corporate sponsors alike; but is this fair? This is America and a person is free to believe or not believe whatever they want to. Before summarizing a few of Miss O’s views the usual response is to line up several passages from the Bible to refute everything Oprah says, but that might not be necessary. Oprah claims that Jesus didn’t come to die on the cross for our sins but rather, to teach us “Christ Consciousness.” This term is not new and has been around for a long time, centuries before its popularity in America by the New Age Movement or Western-style Eastern mysticism. Jesus is seen as just another spiritual teacher in a long procession of others, dating back from millennia, who appeared on the scene to teach humanity some vital truth about reality, our purpose, social relationships, life and death, and about the Creator. Jesus wants us to attain this awareness within ‘ourselves’ and as I try to explain it to the best of my understanding, it’s like falling in love-you can’t put the feeling into words but you know it when you feel it. As Oprah says, “It’s what you come to know for yourself;” in other words, it’s your truth that is real, personal, and you don’t have to explain or prove it to someone else.

Another point she brings out is that God, or rather, knowing God is a ‘feeling’ experience and not a ‘believing’ experience. This statement would make any Christian cringe because “belief” is the foundation of our faith and it is the center from where we project ourselves into this world and social order that we are a part of. She continues, “Religion is all about a ‘believing experience’ then it’s truly not of God.” Oprah, I think, is trying to make too fine a distinction between the two twin pillars of believing and feeling and separating either one of them seems like a Mission Impossible. She does have a point that in some Christian circles there is an overabundance of stressing the word, “BELIEVE” without delineating what the response, expectation, and responsibilities are that go along with this choice. Oprah challenges the notion, or exclusivist proclamation that there is only ‘one’ way or path to God, but to her there are ‘many’ paths to God. Now, before the community of faith condemns her too harshly let’s take an inward look at ourselves before we pass judgment. I mean, how many Christian denominations are there with their own distinct religious literature, theology, liturgy that range anywhere from Hebraic Christians, Mormons, Pentecostals, Jehovah Witnesses, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodist, Quakers, Seventh-day Adventists, Salvation Army, affiliated and non-affiliated, ad infinitim; yet all of us claim to be serving and worshipping the same God and will be joining each other in Heaven, although we separate ourselves and do not fellowship one another while here on earth.

Getting back to the point about “Christ consciousness” an audience member said that to her it is having a deeper, inner connection to the ‘purpose’ that Jesus came to reveal, which is how to be fully human, as opposed to Him coming to die on the cross for sin. If one were to take such a position then Jesus, in fact, need not to have come at all because he didn’t reveal anything new. There were teachers of wisdom long before he came on the scene and have distilled much deeper, exquisite, esoteric and more practical teaching and knowledge than preserved in the gospels. The virtues of Eastern mysticism and Greek Philosophy are more profound than anywhere in the New Testament; so the three and one half year of Jesus’ ministry that culminated in His death just to perform a few miracles and astound mostly uneducated, simple working-class Galilean laborers and other peasants, would seem a great sacrifice if that was all there was to it. The audience member went on to say that if you don’t follow your spiritual calling, then you are lesser of a human. This is almost verbatim from Buddhism which says that a person’s goal in life is to find out what their work (“tikkun”) is in life to fulfill their purpose.

It seems “sin” is a word that makes people feel uncomfortable and it is much easier to simply exclude it from discussion. There are substitutes which men like Dr. Wayne Dyer and Eckhart Tolle like to use instead, like behavior resulting from having negative thoughts or something like that; and even God is presented as impersonal cosmic power, consciousness, or intelligence referred to as the “Source.” Al Gore once said, “We aren’t human beings having a spiritual experience but spiritual beings having a human experience.” To some of the Gnostics or spiritualists, Jesus Christ is a divine principle, concept, or idea that was made known but not so much a personal being; and the same thinking is applied to God as being-ness and without anthropological characteristics such as hearing, feeling, seeing, and so on. While it is true that the ‘spark’ of divinity resides within the human body to animate our physical life, innate moral capacity and sentience (“conscious awareness”), still we are flawed, imperfect, and broken in a spiritual sense compared to the perfectness and holy nature of God, our Father and Creator.

As a last point, at least on the merit of it, the most salient point is: “Man has made God in his own image-the eternal, infinite, unnamable was reduced to a mental ‘’idol’ that you had to believe in as God.” Enough cannot be written to counter the damaging psychological effect of European Renaissance religious imagery, iconography and art in portraying supernatural beings graven as images from man’s imagination, regardless of how ‘inspired’ the claims are, or out of the most pious devotion, reverence, and act of worship. It was not without good reason the prohibition in Exodus 20 was given by God regarding making images and idols of anything in heaven. There are even those who worship the angels as heavenly intermediaries between themselves and God and represent these beings in paintings, sculptures, and the like.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 10, 2013
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech 2013

On Tuesday, February 12, 2013 President Obama was again fulfilling his obligation under the U.S. Constitution according to Article 2, Section 3 (a): “He [the president] shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient. . .” The president’s address before the chamber of Congress had a little bit of something borrowed and something new. To begin with, president Obama borrowed a speech by John F. Kennedy: “51 years ago John F. Kennedy declared to this Chamber: ‘The Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for progress. It is my task to report on the State of the Union, to improve it, is the task of us all.’” While not wanting to deconstruct the entire speech there are a few things that need further scrutiny. Who are those members in Congress that have proposed sparing defense costs due to “sequestration” (the fiscal cliff) and instead support cutting education and job training, Medicare, and Social Security benefits? When president Obama said that the biggest cost of our rising deficit is associated with long-term care of an aging population- the need for “modest” reform in Medicare, otherwise our retirement program will crowd out what we need for our children when they are about to retire, the chamber got a lot quieter all of a sudden. Medicare and Social Security is the ‘holy grail’ of federally-funded Entitlements and the mere suggestion of tweaking a system where the recipients are the majority voting bloc is quite risky. Next, there was talk about the Affordable Health Care Act slowing down healthcare costs but they are still spiraling upward. It was interesting to hear about reducing taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug companies because those same industries were some of president Obama’s biggest corporate campaign donors and influential White House lobbyists.

 Then there was the chiding of Congress because they only passed parts of The American Jobs Act, which according to the president, economists predict would create 1.5M jobs. Of course, there was no mention of what was in the bill, and who are these economists who can substantiate these job figures? President Obama mentioned that he wants to lay out a plan tonight that is “fully paid for” and consistent with budget framework that both parties agreed to 18 months ago, and that won’t increase the deficit by a single dime, but the details were not forthcoming. The statement about developing new technologies and alternative forms of energy generated by the large wind turbines that dot the landscape in some areas, but have become an eyesore to environmental groups, not the mention the birds that are caught in the blades of these large fans, which animal rights advocates are upset about; despite the thousands of jobs that have been created. President Obama went on to talk about establishing a new goal for America: cut in half the energy wasted in our homes and businesses and to encourage this type of energy upgrade and retrofitting, tax incentives and credits are given for energy-efficient homes and buildings. This is certainly not a new idea for homeowners who have been using these deductions for years, and some businesses who plant gardens of their rooftops to lower their utility bills. The thing is, though, what about the federal government; how many government vehicles are hybrids or electric, or how many offices use energy-efficient light bulbs and how many buildings is energy compliant within the guidelines expected for everyone else?

 And then there was housing and mortgages: To put a bill before Congress that would give every responsible homeowner in America the chance to save $3,000 yearly by refinancing at today’s lower rates [assuming they are not already underwater or delinquent in their mortgage payments]. This is not a new idea because people used to do the very same thing in the 1970’s during the housing boom and the ARM’S (Adjustable Rate Mortgages). Also back then, the IRS tax code allowed for the profit from the sale of a house to not be taxed as ordinary income but rather at the lower rate for capital gains [if it was even taxed at all]. The biggest problem with refinancing today is the unwillingness of banks to renegotiate with homeowners and you have to jump through too many hoops to get it done. President Obama’s “Fix-it-First Program” sounds more like he’s channeling FDR’s “NEW DEAL” by having programs to deal with our aging infrastructure (deteriorating bridges, roads, sewer systems, etc.) through putting people to work on our most urgent repair programs (70,000 bridges across the country). He should have promised “A chicken in every pot and a car [hybrid] in every garage, too.” Continuing with populist themes like the fact that fewer than 3 out of 10 four year olds are enrolled in a high quality pre-K program. President Obama wants a proposal to make high quality pre-school education available to every child [at the states’ expense or 91% of it because the federal government only funds around 10% for public education pre-K through12]. NOTE: Whatever happened to the Head Start program?? Besides, this is not new either.

 He further adds: “Every $1 invested now will save $7 later on by boosting graduation rates [from H.S. but what about college??], reducing teenage pregnancy [and drug abuse, gangs, prison incarceration etc.], and violent crime. Funny though, there was no mention of alternatives to improve student learning outcomes such as Charter schools, Academies, private boarding schools, Magnet and Montessori schools. Speaking of the dollar costs, that makes a lot of sense because what the public is dubious woefully in denial of is the “pay me now or pay me later” principle- The prison population in America is around 2M and the incarceration cost of a bed and meals per inmate is, say, $25,000 a year (2,000,000 x 25,000=$50,000,000,000 annually); that is $50B and this doesn’t even include the costs of operating all the prisons in America, which when you consider all of that, it might be closer to $200B. A study of the inmate population at the Pennsylvania State Penitentiary showed that 68% of prisoners did not have a high school diploma. Besides, all this talk about placing such an emphasis on redesigning high schools to emphasize Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), has some educators concerned that this would be at the risk of jeopardizing the liberal arts, which might get defunded or felt less important and thus receive little attention.

 If you want placate the concerns from supporters of the fastest-growing minority group in America who caused you to be reelected, and then you have to tell Hispanics what they want to hear, thus, President Obama, not missing a political opportunity, says, “I recommend Congress to pass ‘comprehensive’ Immigration reform legislation. Along with the proposal he wants to:
-Reinforce stronger border security south of the U.S. border. He mentioned that illegal crossings are at a forty year low (what about border agents killing illegal immigrants??)
-Provide a responsible pathway to earn citizenship (criminal background check, paying taxes and penalties, learning English [many students already enrolled in ESL classes, anyway], and go to the back of the line behind those who applied for legal citizenship.
-Fix the legal immigration system (reduce long waiting periods) and attract highly skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and grow the economy. NOTE: Isn’t president Obama talking about the Dream Act or Amnesty and some countries just might not want to allow their most skilled and educated citizens to immigrate to America.

And what about the Fourteenth Amendment, Section 1 (a)? “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. Some who interpret the Constitution as “strict constructionists” say that this provision applies to African-Americans [slaves and their descendants] because this was part of the post-Civil War/Reconstruction Amendments of the late 1860’s -1870 (Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth) and anyone else would be subject to provisions of the 1790 Naturalization Law, superseded by the 1920 Immigration Origin Act, superseded by the 1952 Immigration Law, or superseded by the latest Immigration and Naturalization Law of 1965.

There was also the curious mention of: “I want to strengthen families by removing the financial deterrence for low income couples and encourage fatherhood (how??).” “What makes you a man is not the ability to conceive a child but having the courage to raise one” NOTE: This quote was essentially taken from the movie, “BOYZ N THE HOOD” and the words were spoken by actor Lawrence Fishburne, but he said it in more of the street vernacular. When President Obama said, “We will strengthen our own Missile Defense Systems”this brought back memories of Ronald Reagan’s “Star Wars Initiative” about erecting a missile defense shield around America and allied countries in Western Europe. Then there was the comments about The United States will partner with our allies to reduce extreme poverty in undeveloped countries within the next two decade by connecting people to the global economy; including empowering women [how??].Saving the world’s impoverished children from preventable deaths (AIDS-free generation). NOTE: Wasn’t the United States largest foreign aid package ever to Africa for the prevention and treatment of AIDS promoted by President George W. Bush?

 Near the conclusion of the speech president Obama made the case for a need to counter “Cyber-attacks” to prevent sabotage to our power grid, financial institutions, and air traffic control systems. He would be issuing a new Executive Order to strengthen cyber defenses by increasing information-sharing and developing standards to protect our national security, jobs, and privacy. Congress must pass legislation to give the federal government [Is this to give more authority to the Justice Department, Homeland Security, NSA, CIA, or to the Executive branch to invade our ‘privacy’??] to secure our computer networks and deter cyber-attacks. He talked about wanting to support military families, just like First lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, but exactly what have they been doing? Having a photo taken with a few military families at select times of the year is not the same as meeting with families of veterans, listening to their concerns, and being advocates in behalf of them before Congress and the VA, as well as asking their husbands to use their influence to help soldiers and their families struggling with a range of issues [mental, physical, and financial]; and somehow it seems that such activities have not been reported in the media, and if this is even an ongoing concern for these two women is anybody’s guess.

Then came the part regarding one of the most fundamental rights in a democracy, that is “the right to vote” and being denied that right because you can’t wait 5, 6, or 7 hours to cast a ballot is unacceptable. . .
President Obama wants the establishment of a non-partisan commission to improve the voting experience, to be headed by the top attorneys for the Obama and Romney campaigns [what about states’ rights because such activity is under their sovereign jurisdiction unless some electoral practices violates the U.S. Constitution??]. Saving the “best for last” was invoking the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting massacre as well as Hadiya Pendleton being shot to death in a Chicago Park, but her parents were invited guests in the Congressional Chamber, and there was the mention of former Arizona Congressman Gabrielle Giffords, along with other such incidents and their families to pressure members of Congress to just cast a vote, one way or the other, regarding legislation on changing existing laws on access to handguns, assault weapons, and the type of ammunition. A beginning remark might have been better saved for the last: “We must put the nation’s interest before that of either political party.”

 
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 15, 2013
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

The Supreme Court and same-sex marriage

It is only a matter of time before the U.S. Supreme Court, finally upon Writ of Certiorari to hear oral arguments for the legalization of same-sex marriage throughout the United States. Despite passage of President Clinton’s Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) through the Congress which protects “traditional” marriage while recognizing civil unions for same sex partners, it is still less than having a real ‘marriage’ in the usual meaning of the word with all its social implications and legal rights. This is probably one of the most important decisions that the Justices will make in a generation and it will leave its mark upon the Court for years to come. Several states have already legalized same-sex marriage through the process of direct democracy where a majority of citizens through ballot initiatives or popular referendums voted in favor of it, regardless of how their state constitutions define marriage or what the legislatures previously passed into law, as far as banning legalizing same-sex marriages as well as performing marriage ceremonies that the state recognizes as valid. The first thing the Court will probably do is declare DOMA as “unconstitutional” based on whether Congress and the Executive branch of government can pass laws that distinguish between classes of people by disenfranchising the equal marital benefits of one group in preference over another.

Article 4, Section 1(a) says: “Full faith and Credit shall be given in each state to the public Acts, Records, and judicial proceedings of every other state.”
Article 4, Section 2 says: “The citizens of each state shall be entitled to the Privileges and Immunities of citizens in the several states.”
Ninth Amendment says: “The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”
Fourteenth Amendment, Section 1 (b) says: “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the Privileges and Immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

 Since marriage is a contract with the state it is unlikely that in this day and time that there can still continue to exist discrimination like the pernicious ‘miscegenation laws’ which did not allow race-based relationships, particularly when it came to recognizing a marriage. It is not a matter for the Supreme Court to define or redefine “marriage” but rather to affirm and decree that each state must follow the Constitution and not deny a same-sex couple the right and privilege to marriage, and to enjoy all the same protections and rights “equally” (both state and federal jurisdictions) under the laws as any other couple. The thing the many court watchers want to know is how will each justice decide the matter? There are 3 Jewish Justices (Breyer, Kagan, and Ginsberg) and 6 Roman Catholics (Scalia, Thomas, Kennedy, Alito, Sotomayer, and Roberts).

Justice Thomas votes the same as Scalia, and Scalia is a strict constructionist, namely, if the Constitution doesn’t specifically state a thing then it isn’t constitutional. Not to mention there are 6 Justices appointed by Conservative presidents and 3 by Liberal ones. It is almost certain that the “nay” votes are Scalia, Thomas, and Alito. Kagan, Sotomayer, and Breyer are the “yea” votes, and although it would be almost a slam dunk to include Ginsberg as the fourth vote, but her age and failing health might affect her judicial perspective. Besides all that, she has her own independent philosophy and some public comments that she has made in the past has run counter to the expectations of some liberals. On the other side is Justice Kennedy who has been known as a possible “swing vote” based on his more moderate positions. The one thing, though, is that I am sure Justice Roberts doesn’t want to be the deciding vote as he was on ObamaCare.

Robert Randle

776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 8, 2013
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

Some plain talk about creating jobs and the employment data

The economy is probably one of the most significant issues in America today, especially with an estimated 15M citizens who are no longer in the job market. And yet, there is a sort of nostalgia for the supposed 'good old days' under former president Bill Clinton when we were awash with an abundance of good jobs,but is this credit given to him somewhat exaggerated? In researching the matter by information supplied from the Bureau of Labor Statistics it reveals that the overall job market during the term of Bill Clinton to G.W. Bush was not extraordinary or the exception but followed the national trend for the most part since 1970; as in the following details:

YEAR      EMPLOYED      JOBS CREATED       PRESIDENT

1970        78,687,000
1980        99,303,000        2,062,000 (avg.)
1990      118,793,000        1,949,000                    CLINTON
1995      124,900,000        1,221,000 (avg.)
1996      126,708,000        1,808,000
1997      129,558,000        2,850,000
1998      131,463,000        1,905,000
1999      133,488,000        2,025,000
2000      136,891,000        3,403,000                    G.W. BUSH
2001      136,933,000           420,000
2002      136,485,000          -448,000
2003      137,736,000        1,251,000
2004      139,252,000        1,516,000
2005      141,730,000        2,478,000
2006      144,427,000        2,697,000
2007      146,047,000        1,620,000
2008      145,362,000          -685,000                   OBAMA
2009      139,877,000          -549,000
2010      139,064,000          -813,000

STATISTICS: 5 NUMBER SUMMARY
Min=427,000
Q1=935,000
M=1,714,000
Q3=2,062,000
Max=3,403,000

IQR= Q3 - Q1= 2,062,000 – 935,000= 1,127,000
LL= 935,000 – (1.5 x 1,127,000) = -755,500
UL= 2,062,000 + (1.5 x 1,127,000) = 3,752,700

OBSERVATIONS:
The average job creation from 1970 to 1990 was a little over 1, 031,975 while for 40 years (1970-2010) it was 1,559,500 annually. The standard deviation from 1980 to 2010 was 1,021,840 jobs increase/decrease from the median value of 1,714,000 yearly. There were several job growth spurts above the nominal 1.7M (1996-1997, 1999-2000, and 2004-2005). The data suggests that the economy can absorb an extra 2M jobs or so but anything greater than that level tends to result in contraction as the economy was growing too fast and not sustainable at that rate. This was especially true in 2000 when the national job growth doubled from the nominal 1.7M jobs to 3.4M; which was also an increase of 68% from the previous year. Because this was probably some kind of artificially inflated number or due to some market forces that cannot be explained, even by the election of G.W. Bush or 9/11, there was significant retrenchment from 3.M jobs created in 2000 to a mere 420,000 in 2001. It gets worse because there was a negative job growth in 2002 of -448,000 jobs that were no longer in the economy. Afterwards, there was anemic job growth well below the national trend. There was significant recovery in 2005 and 2006 (2.5M and 2.7M jobs respectively) but this was more or less making up for the previous year’s losses. Again, when there is too much rapid expansion of job growth in the economy in a given year or two this results in a pullback and readjustment back to the level that is sustainable overall, such as: 3,403,000+420,000-448,000 [2000-2002]=3,375,000/3=1,125,000.

Now, continuing the mathematical or statistical inferences: 1,251,000+1,516,000+2,478,000+2,687,000+1,620,000=9,562,000/5=1,912,000 [2003-2007]. In 2008 and afterwards the numbers are unprecedented because there has never been negative job growth like this since 2002, which would seem, at a first glance to be precipitated by the events of September 11, 2001 and the economic policies of President G.W. Bush’s first year in office, but that might just be too simplistic because it is doubtful that all of this could affect the $11 Trillion macro economy of the United States in such a short span of time. When President Obama came into office there was a negative job growth that saw shrinkage from +1.62M to -685,000. The trend continued to -548,500 (2009) and -813,000 (2010) and so when President Obama talks about creating 1M new jobs that figure doesn’t make up for the prior years’ loss of 1.36M jobs.

Another surprising fact in the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) data calls into question former president Bill Clinton’s touting all the jobs that were created during his administration, but this is not necessarily all the facts. It is true that there was a fairly consistent and sustainable job growth during 1990-2000, but this was consistent with the national averages since 1970. In fact, during his first term jobs slipped below the national average at around -36.8% (1.9M to 1.2M on average). There were a couple of extraordinarily good years, namely 1997 and 2000 when the economy added an extra 1.0M to 1.4M jobs above the preceding year, respectively. During the presidency of G.W. Bush the economy grew between 2006 and 2007, adding 5,1M jobs total, above the national average for 2 years. So in essence both Clinton and G.W. Bush’s economic policies created more jobs in their second term but there is not as significant a difference as one might think.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
January 29, 2013
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

Officials missing the point on Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre

This is another dark day in America and probably one of the worst since 911 because among the bodies riddled with metal bullet fragments were those of 20 elementary school kids, ages ranging from five to ten years old that lay among the dead; including six adults. This was a gruesome scene that probably experienced first responders like EMT, fire, police or hardened combat war veterans would have been traumatized by what they came upon. In President Obama’s speech to the nation as well as in person to the victims’ families and loved ones in Newtown, CT it didn’t take long for this tragedy to turn political. There are protests against the NRA; legislation is being considered in Congress to reintroduce the law banning assault weapons or the “Brady Bill” sponsored by Senator Diane Feinstein of CA that just expired. Never to miss an opportunity to push forward some agenda was House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi and Senator harry Reid of NV, who has spoken about tightening gun control laws. The thing that seems to escape notice is that the school was the ‘secondary’ crime scene and Adam Lanza’s descent into madness started when he murdered his mother at their home (the ‘primary’ crime scene) while she was apparently sleeping. Actually, it is unfair and there is no credible reason to blame Adam’s egregious and deadly outburst on mental illness or Asperger's, which is a neurological disorder, nor is it a gun control or school safety issue. People suffering from some sort of mental disease or incapacity shouldn’t now suddenly become suspect as being a violent serial killer or capable of any such aggressive anti-social behavior that poses as a grave threat to others. It would be interesting to know about the home environment where a mom, who was an alleged gun enthusiast and single parent, had that kind of serious firepower, especially in a small, close-knit, middle class, community (“Whitetopia”) of 27,000 who basically all knew one another.

These guns are not for sport but are serious weapons that are meant for maximum killing power, so why did she have them in her possession? Also, what was the relationship between Adam and his mom or older brother, as well as his absent father? This profile seems to be a radical departure from other shooting sprees of this type because the perpetrator didn’t start his murderous rampage at some external place like a movie theatre, shopping mall, or school campus where he attended, or even at the workplace, but rather in this case it was internal, at the very place where he lived and was raised. What conditions persisted at home where a 20 year old man, living at home with his divorced mother would feel compelled to walk into her bedroom, or wherever she was sleeping, point a gun at her a pull the trigger? What caused Adam to snap on that day and where does the elementary school within walking distance come to be an object of his rage? When Adam smashed his computer was it because there was information contained in digital files, email, or other internet postings that would give some clue as to the reason he chose to do what he did or was it just a random and spontaneous outburst? Since Adam attended Sandy Hook Elementary was he acquainted with any of the staff and faculty that he murdered? Was the room that he entered and killed all those children previously his classroom at that age? There is a connection and perhaps Adam’s experience during his early formative years was not very pleasant and he harbored some painful childhood memories that he planned to avenge at the appropriate time in a premeditated murderous outburst, so is the date that this shooting happened important in some way also?

One thing for sure, we may never know the reason why someone will commit such a horrible and inexplicable act that brings such inconsolable grief to countless families; and there are so many victims, even those residing outside Newtown, CT because in some way this tragedy is our own. It is an indictment of a society and a nation that has as a pastime the glorification and celebration of violence in one form or another. It is about our values and willingness to step up to the plate and admit culpability in perpetuating violence as a means to resolve differences. It isn’t about politics, religion, race, ethnicity, education, social status, gender or any other distinguishing characteristic, but rather it is about character and who we choose to be as a people and how we treat one another. We use very lofty sounding words but fall short when it comes to putting it all into concrete action. Americans value freedom and independence more than any nation on earth but at the same time we blame each other and point fingers of blame when terrible incidents like this happens. It is time to be accountable and accept responsibility for this and all other mass shootings  because in some small way or another, we are all culpable to some degree.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
December 18, 2012
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

Synopsis of the 2012 Vice-Presidential Debate

Martha Raddatz of ABC News moderated the only televised debate between Republican Congressman Paul Ryan and Democratic Vice President Joe Biden. The first question she asked was about Libya and the deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans at the embassy in Benghazi. Ryan accused this of being an intelligence failure of the Obama administration and Biden accused Romney of politicizing the event before he knew all the facts.

Raddatz: Military strike against Iran? Ryan says that despite the administration saying that all options are on the table to prevent Iran getting a nuclear bomb, Iran disregards such a warning, and that sanctions are not working. Biden says that sanctions are having a devastating effect on Iran’s economy and accused Ryan of wanting to go to war.

Raddatz: Can you get unemployment under 6%? Biden says yes and attacks Romney over his comment about the 47% of people not willing to take responsibility for their lives and wanting to let Detroit go bankrupt.

Raddatz (to Biden): Why not very slowly raise the Medicare eligibility age by 2 years as Congressman suggests? Biden didn’t answer the question but accused Ryan of wanting to turn Medicare into a voucher system and privatizing Social Security. Ryan quoted a statement by Obama in 2008, “If you don’t have any fresh ideas use stale tactics to scare voters.”

Raddatz (to Ryan): You were one of the few lawmakers to stand with President Bush when he was seeking to partially privatize Social Security- Ryan agreed, and said it was for younger people. Let younger people have a voluntary choice to make their money work faster for them within the Social Security system. Ryan also does not want to increase benefits for wealthy people but slowly raise the retirement age over time. Biden said that all [??] studies show that if you are in your 40’s now you will get $2,600 less in social security, and if you are in your 20’s now you would get $4,700 less benefits under their plan.

Raddatz: If you are elected who will pay more taxes and who will pay less? Biden says that the middle class will pay less taxes and wants the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy to expire because $800,000B goes to people making $1M (120,000 families will get an additional $500B tax relief for the next 10 years). (1) Ryan said that there aren’t enough rich people and small business to tax to pay for spending under the present administration. The Canadians drop their tax rate to 15% and the avg. tax rate on business n the industrialized world is 25% but the president wants the top “effective” tax rate on successful small business to go above 40%. Ryan said further: 2/3 of our jobs come from small business, and this would affect 56% of small business income, costing 700,000 jobs that don’t even pay for 10% of deficit spending increases. Ryan ends with this point: what we are saying is to lower tax rates across the board [by 20%] and close [tax] loopholes on higher income people. There are 3 bottom lines:
1. Don’t raise the deficit.
2. Don’t raise taxes on the middle class.
3. Don’t lower the share of income that is borne by the high income earner [huh??].

Raddatz [to Ryan]: You have refused to offer ‘specifics’ on how you would pay for that 20% across the board tax cut? Do you actually have the specifics or are you still working on it and that’s why you won’t [can’t] tell voters? Do you have the specifics; do you know exactly what you are doing? Ryan talked about Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neil working together on a compromise budget and lower tax rates 20% which would raise about $1.2T, and foregoing about $1.1T in loopholes and deductions. They [Romney/Ryan] would deny loopholes and deductions to higher income taxpayers so that (1) more of their income is taxed, which has a broader base of taxation, so we can lower tax rates across the board.

Raddatz [to Ryan]: Can you guarantee this math will add up? Ryan said absolutely! 6 studies have verified this math will add up [he doesn’t name not one of them, though]. Biden sad that Ronald Reagan gave specifics on what he was going to cut in terms of tax expenditures; 97% of small businesses in America make less than $250,000; small businesses like hedge funds that make $600m - $800M a year count as small businesses because of “pass-through” [??]. Mitt Romney paid 14% on $20M and someone making $50,000 paid more in taxes than he did. The biggest loophole is the “carried interest” loophole and capital gains loophole; will they tax that? That’s not enough-the reason why the AAI, the American Institute Enterprises study, and Tax Policy Center study say that the only way you can find $5T in loopholes is to cut the mortgage deduction for the middle class, cut healthcare deductions and take away the deduction for college tuitions.

Raddatz [to Ryan]: Is Biden wrong about that? Ryan said he was and mentioned that Jack Kennedy lowered taxes and increased growth rates [Biden had a golden opportunity to say, “Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy”].

Raddatz: Civil War in Syria? Biden said the last thing we need is another war in the Middle East and are supporting the Free Syrian Army in conjunction with NATO and Arab allies among Jordanians, Turks and the Saudis. Ryan says that we outsource our policy through the UN and give Vladimir Putin veto power over our decisions in this matter.

Raddatz; What role does your religion play in your own personal views on abortion? Ryan says he is Pro-Life, not just because of his Catholic faith but because of reason and science and believe that ‘life’ begins at conception. The policy of a Romney Administration is to oppose abortion EXCEPT for rape, incest, or the life or the mother s at risk. ObamaCare infringes upon religious liberties for Catholic charities, churches and hospitals. In respect to the Democratic Party used to say they want abortion to be safe, legal and rare but now that support it without restriction and with taxpayer money.

The Vice-President went to China and sympathized with their 1 Child Policy of sterilization and forced abortions [Biden didn’t respond]. Biden believes that life begins at conception [like Ryan] and accepts the catholic Church’s judgment on abortion but refuse to impose it on equally devout Christians, Muslims and Jews. He won’t impose this view on others and don’t believe we have a right to tell a women how to control their bodies because that’s a decision between a woman and her doctor, and the Supreme Court. No religious institution, catholic or otherwise in Catholic social services, Georgetown Hospital or any hospital has to either refer for contraception; none has to pay for it; none has to be used as a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide.

Raddatz: If the Romney/Ryan ticket is elected, those who believe that abortion should remain legal, do they have reason to be worried? Ryan said that we don’t believe that unelected judges should make this decision- that people through their elected representatives and consensus through the democratic process should make this determination. Biden says that the next president will get to make 1 or 2 Supreme Court nominations; that’s how close Roe v. Wade s to being overturned. Just ask yourself: “Would Robert Bork be Chief advisor to the court for Mr. Romney, do you think he would appoint someone like Justice Scalia of the Far Right who would outlaw abortion?” We pick people with an open mind and who do not come with an agenda [really??].

BROKEN PROMISES (by Paul Ryan):
President Obama said-
1. If you like your healthcare plan you can keep it [20M people projected to lose their health insurance under ObamaCare or 7.4M seniors who are going to lose coverage].
2. I guarantee if you make less than $250K your taxes won’t go up [of the 21 tax increases under ObamaCare, 12 of them hit the middle class].
3. Health insurance premiums will go down $2,500 per family [they have gone up by $3,000 and are expected to go up another $2,400].
4. I promise by the end of my first term I’ll cut the deficit in half in four years [we have had 4 budget proposals and the debt is $1T].

Ryan: That’s what we keep getting from this administration, speeches and not leadership. The president broke his biggest promise to bring people together to solve problems.

Biden: The Ryan budget will kick 19M people off Medicare and 200,000 children off Early Education; eliminate tuition tax credits and cuts in education by $450B; and increase tax cuts for the very wealthy.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
October 12, 2012
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

Obama takes it on the chin in first debate against Mitt Romney

The first 2012 Presidential debate hosted by Jim Lehrer of PBS on Wednesday, October 3, was one of the most anticipated in recent years. It was a Charles Dickens classic of two distinct political philosophies. Although one cannot fault Barack Obama for the great love he has for wife Michelle, but mentioning their twenty year anniversary in the opening remarks at such a serious time was perhaps not the best venue for such devotion, and it may have set the tone for a lest than stellar performance by the president. Mitt Romney used the opportunity to reinforce that he cares about people as he opened with several stories about struggling families. One of the charges that Romney accuses the president of is “Trickle-Down Governomics” (bigger government, higher taxes, more spending on entitlements, and more regulation). For President Obama, it is basically the same things he has been talking about for months now and basically nothing new has been offered. Romney wants to take federal funding for training programs under the Department of Education and give it back to the states.

One of the things that wasn’t so clear in the former Governor’s message is when he wants to lower tax rates for corporations and individuals and at the same time lower deductions, credits, and exemptions but keep taking in the same money while maintaining growth; just how does that work? Romney wants to use government lands to increase oil and gas production, offshore Alaska, the Keystone Pipeline from Alaska and use “clean coal” so we can create more jobs. President Obama’s contention is that Governor Romney will increase military spending by two trillion dollars in addition to five trillion in tax cuts and middle class taxpayers will have to foot the bill. Romney’s plan to grow jobs is to tax small businesses at the corporate rate instead of at the individual rate that they now pay and these companies will be able to hire more workers. Romney says that President Obama wants to increase the tax rate on small businesses from 35% to 40% and according to the Federation of Independent Business this will result in a loss of over 700,000 jobs.

Governor Romney has a simple litmus-test when it comes to cutting federal funding programs-“Is the program so critical that we have to borrow money from China to pay for it; if not, I’ll get rid of it” Under this plan, PBS is on the chopping block. Certain government programs will be defunded at the federal level and run by the states and some government agencies and departments will be consolidated and employee cutbacks will be done by attrition, but Romney [just like Texas Governor Rick Perry] hasn’t mentioned which ones are targeted. The Obama record consists of eliminating 27 government programs, another 18 for education that were ineffective, $50 billion in medical fraud (Medicare/Medicaid), and savings of a trillion dollars from the ‘discretionary’ domestic budget [which covers what??]. There was an interesting exchange between President Obama and Governor Romney when he mentioned about American companies receive a tax break when they build a plant overseas and Governor Romney mentioned that he has been in business for over 25 years and he has never heard of such a thing. He had to also fact check the president when Obama mentioned about the Big Oil companies like Exxon/Mobil getting 4 billion dollars in corporate welfare tax breaks. Romney cited a Department of Energy study the amount is more around 2 billion dollars with most of the money going to drilling operators and other contractors. Romney reminded the president with all the government subsidies that went into Green Energy companies that went bankrupt like Solyndra and Tesla Motors.

The most spirited part of the debate centered around entitlements (social security and Medicare that President Obama says is structurally sound and his administration has saved 716 billion dollars by not overpaying insurance claims and lowering prescription costs for seniors by $600 annually. Romney doesn’t want to make changes in the program for current and near-current retirees but has proposals to make structural changes [unspecified] for younger people that are fifty years old and younger. He accuse President Obama of making a 716 billion dollar cut to the program for current recipients as an offset for lower prescription costs while limiting other services and benefits. Romney supports having the option to choose the current Medicare/Medicaid system or a private plan (voucher program) for future retirees at no additional cost to beneficiaries. President Obama feels that the private plans will pass on the administrative costs to seniors enrolled under their plans and coverage would vary from state to state. Governor Romney mentions a study by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that under ObamaCare 20% of people will lose medical benefits as well as a report by McKinsey & Company of American Business that 30% of insurers under the plan anticipate dropping people from coverage [because of all the government regulations].

When asked about the role of government, President Obama said it is to keep people safe and as a vehicle to ladders of opportunity. Mitt Romney mentioned the Constitution and Bill of Rights and government’s role is to provide the principles of those documents for life, liberty, a strong military to protect our freedoms, to maintain a commitment to religious freedom and tolerance, and the right to pursue happiness (including taking care of those who are less fortunate), and maintain for individuals the right to pursue their dreams without the government making choices for people. To the question of should the federal government have a role in education, Romney mentioned that states or school districts receiving federal grant aid such as IDEA or Title I (lower income or disability [autistic, ADHD, etc]) the money should go to the family so the parent and child can use it to pay for education and other services at the school of their choice. President Obama accuses Romney of wanting the cut the funding to schools [K12] by 20%, which Governor Romney denies and vows not to cut education funding. Romney did bring up the fact that Obama had talked so passionately about supporting education and wanting to hire extra 100,000 teachers in Math and Science, but put 90 billion dollars into Green Jobs where instead, that money could have been used to hire 2 million more teachers.

It just seems that Mitt Romney was more persuasive overall than the present as having a better command of the facts as presented in their first televised debate. Romney seemed sharper, engaged, focused, and looked more presidential. On the other hand, President Obama seemed a little rusty, less energized, and his body language suggested discomfort or lack of attention or having trouble focusing or his vaunted oratory was a little flat. While Romney did lack some of the specifics and more detail would have been better, sometimes too many facts can be a negative. The one thing that has to be acknowledged is that things aren’t as bad now as they were four years ago and some of the credit has to go the president’s leadership and other reversals or leveling of a downward trend happened in-spite of his policies. But as Governor has said, Barack Obama has been in office for 4 years and we still have 23 million people unemployed (over 8%) or have given up looking for work; 47 million people receiving food stamps; economic growth slower than it has been in several years; gasoline prices around $4.00/gal; government debt that approaches or in excess of our GDP, and students graduating from college who cannot find work or employers who have job openings but applicants don’t have the technical skills or training to do the work.

Do Americans want to give President Obama “Four More Years” or do we want CHANGE, coincidentally, the same campaign slogan that presidential candidate Obama ran on in 2008. Barack Obama looked into the camera and told his wife, “A year from now we won’t be celebrating in front of 40 million people” and that statement just might turn out to come prophetically true because he might be fired from his job by then. Perhaps its time because Barack might not have the fire in the belly anymore and is all out of fresh ideas, and like a boxer who hasn’t trained and disciplined himself before a title bout, the ring rust shows as he receives jabs to the body and head from his opponent without an effective counter-punch or defensive maneuvers. Barack seems to be looking for Mitt to lower his guarding or drop his left after making a punch, leaving an opening so he can get the knockout because on the scorecard it is still too close to call.

The president accuses Romney of being a different person now than during the Republican debates but the same can be said for Barack Obama. Even after becoming President he said “The buck stops with me” and so it is fitting that he takes the blame for the economy. Even cabinet appointees, like the remarkably talented Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State has not accomplished anything significant in Foreign Affairs. Mitt Romney is right when he says it’s all about leadership and you don’t lead from behind. America’s problems are serious and require bold, innovative, and never-been-tried before solutions inspired by out-of-the box thinking and risk-taking. President Obama echoes the words of George Bush wanting Americans to just “stay the course” mentality which seems to be looking at life from a half empty perspective. Things were worse four years ago but they should be better in the future but this approach lacks the optimism of living life with the glass half full and things are going to be better. Barack famously decried the final term of George W. Bush as “Eight is enough” but I say to him: “4 and No More.”


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
October 5, 2012
robertrandle51@yahoo.com