Which Way We Going?

(NASA Photo of our sun)

It is the center of our Solar system. And, not surprisingly, it looks nothing like you.

Priorities. Prioritizing. It's critical to the successful management of any undertaking. It assigns an order of importance to things. It requires decision, which operates on a perception of importance. It's not a difficult thing to do.

Fifteen years ago one in every fifteen hundred children born in America would suffer some form of Autism. 1 in 1,500. Today the statistic is one in every one hundred and ten. 1 in 110.

Let's prioritize. How important is this?

$300 Million Dollars. That's how important it is. That's the money our Government gave (in total) to deal with the matter of Autism. $300 Million.

$300 Million dollars is a lot of money, but then so is $100.00. Don't believe me? Next time you're broke imagine what you could do with a hundred bucks. $300 Million is a lot of money. It's also an insufficient amount of money. 1 in 110 children. In my view the increase in Autism is a national crisis. And by crisis I mean CRISIS. A plague. A national disaster.

Research and care and support are necessary. $300 Million . Inadequate. Superficial. Pathetic.

$300 Million. What was the amount our Government gave to Wall Street? Anyone remember? What was the amount spent - in real money and in borrowed funds - to wage war? Anyone remember? What was the amount spent on the last Presidential Campains? Anyone remember?

$300 Million. 1 out of every 110 new Americans.

I really don't need a calculater to figure out that $300 Million is woefully inadequate. Do you?

Priorities.

Hmm.

Disposable People

"At any given time," an Economist explained, "fully ten to fifteen percent of America's population is unnecessary."

"Unnecessary?"

"I know it sounds terrible, but... Yes. Unnecessary. Expendable."

"Expendable?"

Heavy sigh. "Look," he continued. "I'm not saying it's... Ok, it's callous, to be sure, but... It sounds terrible, I know." Another sigh. "But it's true. It's just the way it is. Those are the facts."

Unnecessary. Expendable. These are words that denote worth, value. To hear them applied to human beings is rather startling. Shocking, actually.

"It's an acceptable figure." the man continued. His eyes widened then he quickly added, "And by that, I mean the numbers. Ten to fifteen percent. I don't mean to imply that it's acceptable from... from... a moral standpoint."

His face flushed red.

"Unnecessary. Expendable. Disposable?"

It took a moment, and three more shades of crimson to color his face before he nodded his head slowly. "It's a sad fact of life, but a fact nonetheless."

I scratched my head not knowing what to say.

"But, they do serve a valuable purpose." he hurriedly added. "They are a good, necessary buffer. For the workforce. For the economy. For economic growth."

More words would not make this a more palatable concept.

"Look. It is the way it is." He set his jaw and stared at me, somewhat defiant.

Unnecessary. Expendable. Disposable.

"And what do we do with these unfortunate ten to fifteen percent?"

"That's not a concern of capitalism." he answered. That's a societal concern... a moral issue. It's not an issue in the study of capitalism. It has nothing to do with capitalism. It's not a factor."

"Not a factor?"

"No."

"I see."

"I mean... It's a factor for those involved in social issues, or... who have humanitarian concerns, or... It's not the concern of true capitalism itself. That's all I'm saying."

Indeed.

Money, Money, Money, Money.

Having survived the Bush-Cheney regime, I watched (with great hope and expectation) President O'Bama's administration move into 1600 PA. Avenue and begin a new chapter of American history. My expectations were high, to say the least. But, like many others, I find myself growing somewhat anxious and skeptical as each day passes.

"Yes we can!" It was a battle cry for change. Sadly, the words seem more and more just another hollow political campagn slogan, designed to ignite the voters support and to offer the promise of hope - but little else.

Change - real change - seems a distant, and somewhat impossible, dream. At least if one thinks government will effect the change. It won't.

Foreclosures continue at unprecedented rates, unemployment continues to rise, and continued economic collapse looms on the horizon in the form of (collapsing) Commercial Properties and budget shortfalls. Hard times.

We have not seen the worst, even though we're told we're on the rebound. Little has changed. The big banks continue giving outlandish bonuses to themselves (this time the average is $700,000.00) while the residents of 'Main Street America' struggle even more. They continue to lobby effectively in Washington D.C., thwarting any real chance of reform. And, our elected officials seemingly find no difficulty in accepting the millions offered in campaign contributions ($209+ Million so far in 2009).

Is there any hope - real hope - that change can happen? You betcha! And it is coming. Not from government, however. It never does. It's coming from where it always comes: the people. Our government is fractured; broken and ineffective. Our people, however, are not. Granted, they've been used and abused - and many are battered and bruised - but we have always risen to the occasion when required to do so. And we will now. Watch for it. It's coming.

I have great faith in America. And by 'America', I mean Americans. We the People.

Returning to the Blog

GeekMe.tv (the Blog) returns. SOON!

Delay's

In the process of moving. Posts will resume once settled.

Bush finally admits he is a liar

*************************************************
From the Desk of Caroline Fredrickson
Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office *************************************************
Dear ACLU Supporter, On Friday night, in a national television interview, President Bush directly admitted what we have suspected all along: The White House was deeply and intimately involved in decisions about the CIA's use of torture.

For the first time, George W. Bush acknowledged that he knew his top national security advisers discussed and approved specific details of the CIA's use of torture. "I'm aware that our national security team met on this issue and I approved," he said. He also defended the use of waterboarding -- simulated drowning where the victim feels like they are about to die. Congress should long ago have gotten to the bottom of which top officials approved, condoned and authorized U.S. involvement in torture. But, now that the President has admitted to a policy of top-down torture, the ACLU is calling on Congress to demand an independent prosecutor to investigate possible violations of the War Crimes Act, the federal Anti-Torture Act and federal assault laws.

Like a breath of fresh air...

I received the following e-mail today - which I wanted to share.

Statement From Anthony D. Romero
ACLU Executive Director

There are times in this country when we find ourselves at a crossroads-- where the path we choose has the potential to define us as a nation for generations to come. No doubt we've been at a critical juncture since September 11. How we respond to the atrocities thrust upon us after that terrible day says everything about who we are as Americans -- what values we defend, how the world sees us, and how history will remember us.

The manner in which we seek justice against those accused of harming us will determine whether the United States will be seen at home and abroad as a nation of laws. We must decide whether we live the values of justice that make us proud to be Americans, or whether we will forsake those values and continue down a path of arbitrary rules andprocedures more befitting those who are our enemies. Because we are agreat nation, true to our founders' vision, we must uphold our core values even in the toughest of times. The right to a speedy trialin a court of law before an objective arbiter; the right to dueprocess; the right to rebut the evidence against you; the right not to be tortured or waterboarded, or convicted on the basis of hearsat evidence are what truly define America and our commitment to the ruleof law and our founders' aspirations.

The military commissions set up by the Bush administration for the men imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay -- including those it suspects were involved in the September 11 attacks -- are not true American justice. These trials should represent who we are, what America stands for, and our commitment to due process. They are not about how civilized the accused are, but how civilized we are.

America does not stand for trials that rely on torture to gain confessions, or on secret evidence that a defendant cannot rebut, or on hearsay evidence. For these reasons, the ACLU and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers have taken on the task of assembling defense teams tobe available to assist in the representation of those Guantánamo detainees who have been charged under the Military Commissions Act, subject to the detainees' consent. We take this step because we simply cannot stand by and allow the Bush administration's military commissions to make a mockery of our Constitution and our values. We believe in the American justice system-- despite its imperfections and distortions by pundits, politicians and ideologues -- and we believe we can make the system stronger by engaging it and fighting for what is right, fighting for fair trials and for America's reputation.

It is when the stakes are the highest and when tempers run the hottest that we must work doubly hard to keep a check on our government and prevent it from trading in our values for visceral and political motives -- no matter what the motivation. It is during the most challenging situations that our country's values are most intensely tested, and along with them, the ACLU's commitment to its core principles. We are determined, as we have always been, to meet this challenge.