The intent of this blog is to promote human equality, human progress, human peace and justice, and optimism. To accomplish this, to encourage the discussion of ideas after identifying and discovering problems, and then creating positive solutions for "we the people," in order to provide for the "general welfare" and "domestic tranquility" of America now and its "posterity" into the future. To encourage an emphasis on separation of religion and state for all, no matter if this is for those "of faith" in a Maker / Creator (Deists, God-loving people, Christians, various people of spirituality) and atheists or agnostics.

Archive for the ‘New Comments’ Category

REVIEW: Morning Joe & book, The Whiteness of Wealth

Thank you, Dr. Dorothy A. Brown (author of The Whiteness of Wealth: : How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans–and How We Can Fix It), adding to the author, Heather McGhee (The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How we Can Prosper Together). The problem is evident with regard to taxes which are designed for the most wealthy individuals in America and that means white people benefit more. Well said.

My problem is in the sub-title of the book. As Stacey Abrams says, “we stand firm on our values, but can compromise on our actions.” I stand with Dr. Brown in the values of human equality which she points out in the title. I have some concerns about the part of the sub-title of “how we can fix it.”

Yes, Dr. Brown gives us some good insight on solutions for the problem. And we should all recognize her for coming up with solutions and standing forth with such solutions. Thank you, Dr. Brown.

My problem, though, for which I have written over and over again, is that people look at capitalism through the lenses and perspectives of the wealthy white people for more than 200 years now. They have played lip service to the ideas defined by Adam Smith whose intent was to change economics of supply siders who are white aristocrats since the Middle Ages (the Dark Ages). The industrial revolution, according to these people, is the result of capitalism. It’s the result of the aristocratic white folks who thought it would be nice to play lip service to Adam Smith. In fact, I argue that the industrial revolution has merely been a repeat of the agribusiness and agricultural plantation systems. The level of impact may have been better for the white Europeans who flocked her voluntarily to work in sweat shops where many died, but the concept is the same as enslavement of Africans. Yes. Slavery is far worse. No denial of that. But the CONCEPT is very similar. Do I make my point in this regard?

What America is facing, as a result of this twisted version of capitalism is something in which the wealthy Roosevelts tried to twist back and who is it that attacks such people? White wealthy ones which newspapers at the end of the 19h and beginning of the 20th Century identified as “fat cats.” I use those words, but sad to say, no one follows suit. Perhaps if I say, “white fat cats?” Sadly, there are many African-Americans who do follow suit with wealth and become “black fat cats,” too. As Whoopi Goldberg said, “we all need to get on the same page.”

Marx, too, opposed this capitalism defined by white supremacist aristocrats. To solve the problem, he suggested something which was adopted by the former Soviet Union in the same way the white aristocracy adopted capitalism to fit the status quo which had already existed. Whether czars or monarchies of Europe, it’s the same thing. Communists using the Marx ideas by playing lip service to them, but creating a the same type of centralized planned economic system which the czars had, but calling it something different and tossing away religion, due to the fault of religion being controlled by hypocrites, and proclaiming a religion of atheism. After all, religion was the “opiate of the masses.” Yes. But God and the spirituality of God is NOT the opiate of the masses. That’s the point people don’t get. Even the Founding Fathers in America, in spite of their embracing enslavement of a people, had a better idea than Marx with regard to their Deist beliefs.

Taking theologian, Adam Smith’s ideas, and turning those ideas to their own favor and continuing the status quo which favored their wealthy asses (they called assets), gave us the industrial revolution and the herding of people into cities and urban areas so they could create a caste system which favored their asses. They allowed small business to thrive in America, but it thrived best in rural areas, not urban areas where big corporate conglomerates and monopolies could rule and drive small business out of existence, creating the same type of centralized planning and control which the Soviets used and which now still exists in Russia. The communists only used black Americans for their own benefit to gain control of the world. Does one think they truly had the human condition in mind? Give me a break. Adam Smith found out that free markets create monopolies and this went against the ideas of Jesus Christ, so he changed his mind in his later years. However, the aristocratic white fat cats embraced Smith’s earlier ideas which give us this idea that “free markets” are good and overlooking what ultimately happens with “free markets” as competition in a capitalist economic system is destroyed and supply side monopolies which regulate the markets as they are able to, with s*** like Citizens United Supreme Court Decision, destroy (deregulation) government regulation – by a third party.

In this sense, These white fat cat aristocrats love deregulation because it means they can also invoke Jim Crow and other laws in “private business” and they work to stop the government from interfering, as we are watching as it happens today in Georgia (and other state) voter suppression laws.

Thus, I see tax reform through the lenses and perspectives I just defined. I agree with the author who spoke on Morning Joe. Tax credits are designed for the wealthy ones which consist mostly of white people. No doubt about this. My take on this is what conservatives in an earlier era in my life said and for which no conservatives today even mention, while CLAIMING to be conservative. There is too damn much of this political spectrum. People saying, “I have to follow what the conservatives are saying.” Or. “I have to follow what the liberals or progressives are saying.” Ultimately, the entire political spectrum is looking at this through false lenses and working to bring people aboard their “ship.” Even the liberals and progressives are doing the same and thus get attacked as being “socialists” or “communists.” Their values are good, but their solutions get sidetracked by false perspectives. I have yet to hear anyone, except some like Joe Scarborough, even come close to saying what the Progressive Bull Moose Party said in the teens of the last century. Who was the leader of this movement? Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.

My solution is to abolish the income tax and the sales tax. Replace it all, at national and in states like New York, with the value added tax. It becomes a more transparent tax added to the value of products and not seen by the average person, including not requiring the bull manure of paper work which the average person in America needs to do to file income taxes. For small business people, too, this is better, plus the elimination of the sales tax. They sell the product at the price determined by manufacturer, producer and government. In addition to small business (or other businesses), government could reduce expenses, as well. Business and individuals no longer face a regressive tax which penalizes making an income and, if done properly, could lower the overhead and make for better profit margins, rather than looking for tax credits which help fund corporate welfare primarily for the white fat cats. Think of how much money it costs America to support, financially, tax collectors, accountants, and lawyers, so we have more money for education and healthcare for all, which is sorely needed as teachers, professors, nurses, are often the first ones on the chopping block of economics and commerce. How about putting accountants and lawyers on the chopping block instead and in the process, helping non-white people to succeed in a better human equality environment?

Again. Thanks to Morning Joe in bringing these authors to light. I hope we hear more about this.

Category:

Commentary, New Comments, Television & Radio Reviews

Tagged with:

Let’s Communicate with the Human Voice! The Old-fashioned Way

Recently, the topic of a columnist called the “Old Coot” (Merlin Lessler) was published in the local weekly newspaper, the Tioga County Courier (Owego, NY), was about the loss of togetherness, due to younger people prioritizing their lives by playing on mobile technology and social media. The “Old Coots” comments were reflected by an interviewee on the Rachael Ray Show today (25 March, 2021) named Boris Kodjoe of the ABC television program (locally, WIVT, broadcast channel 34, Spectrum streaming channel 6), Station 19.

Both had very identical thoughts.

Reading the “Old Coot” since the days when a mother sent her son in Florida the Tioga County Courier in a yearly subscription. In younger years, it was often thought that the “Old Coot” spent too much time bloviating some of what rural folks say, “it ain’t not been like that all these years, so why should we do it now,” when considering a public indoor swimming pool at a high school as local swimming “water holes” in creeks were being polluted by laundromat and dairy cows. Uncertainty as to whether the “Old Coot” ever wrote about “swimming holes” and indoor pools. Certainly, this article about how society has lost touch with face-to-face (f2f) communication by burying heads constantly into cell phones, was very applicable to today’s life.

The identical thought to the “Old Coot” was in the interview on Rachael Ray’s show this morning. Mr. Kodjoe told about making it a regular family event to eat dinner at 6:30 PM, together, every night. He told that he forbids phones at the dinner table, telling his kids that until they can communicate well with other human beings (face-to-face) and learn how to properly do this, he wants to curtail the use of phones.

Kudos to both of these writers for bringing this situation to the forefront in today’s America. Only with discussions of solutions to this attitude about priorities in using phones and social media, can we begin to solve some of the attitude problems in today’s world which inspires hatred, hate groups, shootings in Atlanta and Colorado, and the NRA and a Nebraska Republican congressperson to lie about the use of automatic weapons in America, so as to use this as a false validation of the 2nd Amendment. I wish we have justices who would take a strong look at this fake stuff about the 2nd Amendment which creates a hell on earth that we don’t need. Perhaps this, too, with changing the attitudes about prioritizing communication with cell phones and ignoring one another and ignoring the respect we need to have for one another, in order to coexist in America, and we can begin to solve our problems effectively.

Category:

Commentary, New Comments

Tagged with:

Gender Wage Gap (Morning Joe, March 24, 2021)

Wish to solve the gender wage gap? There are solutions and a Federal minimum wage is NOT the answer. But does Professor Douglas Cornwell get the microphone on these analysis programs?

Ask a mother, now deceased, who owned a business back in the 1960s, about the damage done to small rural businesses when they are FORCED to pay the same wage which is paid in urban areas. This mother is no longer around to ask her. This woman was a Republican. Professor Cornwell, a Democrat today, sides with the Republicans and small business entrepreneurs with the idea of an across-the-board minimum wage, without considering the cost of living differences which impact ALL people, including female small business owners. Professor Cornwell has even spoken with a woman who owned a small business in URBAN Palm Beach County, too, and this woman is of the same mind as Professor Cornwell (common ground), even if Professor Cornwell got into an argument with this woman regarding Trump.

When listening to Morning Joe this morning, one recognizes talk ONLY about workers and no talk about those who run and lead small businesses in America. That sends a message that the only important people in America are those of the big corporate monopolies which were created by “free markets” and Reagan’s deregulation. These things and Professor Cornwell does NOT find common ground with Republicans. There may be no common ground with Kevin “Joe” McCarthy and his irrational approaches because he and others are too stupid to understand what it means about the goodness of government regulation of an economy called SUPPLY AND DEMAND. SURPRISE! That is not SUPPLY SIDE ONLY economics which was how things were run in the Dark Ages. As said, created by “free markets” which win the hearts of common folks by playing lip service to the idea of “capitalism.” These people mis-lead the people.

Professor Cornwell is not given the mike. But he served many years on the Florida statewide faculty union senate. He worked with a local union during negotiations. He has some experience in this.

The union faced a Republican-led Florida government which never accepted the ideas about cost of living when negotiating salaries. Is that why Democrats don’t go there is they know the Republicans refuse to be rational? After all, the Rick Scott administration in Florida was not rational when it came to unions and salaries.

When Professor Cornwell began teaching in New York, negotiations were done, not by a county-wide school district, but smaller school districts. Thus, one end of a county might have had a lower cost of living than one near an urban area. In this scenario, Professor Cornwell was paid nearly $2000 less per year than his wife, who was in a district which geographically sat closer to a larger urban area.

This is mentioned because, hearing about the disparities of the gender wage gap this morning and all people here is that the SOLUTION…. SOLUTION… SOLUTION… is only ONE SOLUTION – Federal minimum wage across-the board. Damn it, this is not the ONLY solution. But no one wants to hear it being said: UNIONS can also be the solution because they negotiate ACROSS THE BOARD on a contract and do not negotiate according to sex or sexual identity.

Then again, one can say that the teaching profession is identified a great deal with being one dominated by females. Teachers are paid less than other professions, as is the case with professions such as nursing. Yet, nurses sometimes know more than the male-dominated profession of medical doctors and medical specialists where the pay is much higher. Same with the male-dominated legal profession. (Note that every commercial about personal injury lawyers with all the money are males, not one female lawyer).

The point here? The issue is more complex and it is not discussed in detail, as with the problems surrounding why we build a wall on the border with Mexico and those who don’t like the results pick up their fucking guns and do mass murders, trying to defend what the hell they do with a mis-guided idea about what the hell the 2nd Amendment means. McCarthy on social media who proclaims what he believes and asks for a “whether we like what he says,” then takes a photo of the results which would favor him, never taking into account those who don’t agree and WHY they don’t agree. “Like” it or say nothing. (Example of Fairness Doctrine which no longer exists because it was destroyed by Republicans at a time when Professor Cornwell, then a Republican, called out, “Republicans are foul in doing this”). This issue about a gender wage gap is more complicated than simply putting a band-aid on it and ending up, as always, with a scar that continues to bleed.

Disgusting for an America which was once better than that and led the world as an example of democracy, as some try to work to join with Russia, China, Hungary, Poland, and other dictatorships in nations which SHOULD be democratic). Winston Churchill, who was a leader of a nation which was bombed by Nazis and many innocent people died, said: “Democracy is a very bad form of government, but all the others are so much worse.” IBM’s Thomas J. Watson was a benevolent dictator, which some might say is good. But like a monarchy, the benevolent one dies and the next one is often a real ruthless and vicious dickhead. The dickheads who took over after the death of Thomas J. Watson and his son destroyed something good. Putin is no different than Stalin or any one of the czars, all vicious and ruthless dictators.

Category:

Economics, Regulated Capitalism, Commerce, New Comments

Tagged with:

Comment About Tolerance and Respect in America Today in the World of “Cancer Culture”

This morning on Morning Joe, a discussion centered on the irrational application of political correctness which has become so extreme that, with one mistake, people are losing their jobs. The issue was about a news media person who lost her job, due to some things she wrote on a Tweet a number of years ago when she was 17 years of age. She has changed since then and had apologized for her statements at that time.

The issue is about America no longer being able to forgive. A recent article was mentioned (Wood, Graeme (21 March 2021), “America Has Forgotten How to Forgive,” The Atlantic). Bill Maher’s comments about “cancer culture” (is this a new phrase?). Clips of Donald Trump on Face the Nation remarking about political correctness were provided.

At this point, I must comment about Donald Trump’s statements about political correctness. What a shame that Donald Trump is so mentally ill that the only conclusion I make is that “I agree, Mr. Trump, but you are a hypocrite when speaking about this topic. I agree, Mr. Trump, but to get your way, you embolden thugs who look for support about this statement and then accuse the rest of us of being on a ‘political witch hunt’ and losing ground by lying about the results of an election.” Trump divides America, rather than solving the problems like this one. We don’t need an asshole like that and this is not being said because of a “political witch hunt” at all, you asshole Trump.

I have read a book written by someone who served in the U.S. Education Department under George W. Bush (and did not act like an asshole DeVos elitist who wanted to privatize education, or Jeb Bush of Florida who wanted to privatize education with vouchers or the same with the asshole hospital privatizer (making a ton of money due to this) from Florida who sits in the U.S. Senate today, Rick the Prick Scott).

Dr. Ravitch’s book made a great deal of sense about the over-reaction and extremist values of political correctness or, apparently, as Bill Maher called it, “cancer culture.” The book was not mentioned in this discourse this morning, but is an important aspect. The book? Diane Ravitch’s, The language police : how pressure groups restrict what children learn. evidently, the person who lost her job recently did not let pressure groups influence her, as she wrote something politically incorrect on Twitter, while a teenager. In contrast to elitist snotty bitch, Betsy DeVos being appointed as Secretary of the Department of Education, Trump COULD have appointed REPUBLICAN Dr. Diane Ravitch and he would have had a person who agreed with him regarding political correctness. Instead, Trump became a mentally ill hypocrite when he appointed people, then became paranoid when people disagreed with him. Yep. Some “political witch hunt” and fraud in the elections. Asshole Trump.

Another book from Dr. Ravitch goes against the bitch, DeVos, Jeb Bush, and Rick the Prick, so probably is the reason why Dr. Ravitch was ignored. Book: Reign of error : the hoax of the privatization movement and the danger to America’s public schools.

Mister Doug, Professor (retired) Doug is pro-Ravitch, including other books the good doctor has authored.

The one issue which was hard to understand. Mister Doug has always liked Joe Scarborough. Today, however, we hear him talking about living in the South and “thinking nothing about the Confederate flag flying.” Scarborough cited the “five flags in Pensacola, FL, which included the American, Florida, British, and Confederate (and I must add the words, BATTLE FLAG to Confederate). That did not settle well with me, at all. Knowing so many people in Florida who found a battle flag from the past as being traitorous, never mind the symbol of white racism, I find the fact that the traitorous aspect was not brought up today. The British flag is the flag of another nation which still exists today and for which has been our ally, especially when they asked for our help during World War II and REPUBLICANS OPPOSED GIVING THE ASSISTANCE TO CHURCHILL and we ALMOST PAID A BAD PRICE FOR THE FREAKING REPUBLICANS DIGGING IN THEIR HEELS THOSE DAYS. Scarborough should have known about this. There is a difference between having the British flag present, along with a BATTLE FLAG. What is being said and not repeated by the media in America is that the battle flag is NOT ONLY a flag symbolizing white supremacy, but also one that demonstrates the treason and sedition of so many Americans who believe the war was not ended in 1865 an the BATTLES continue today. What the hell is Scarborough and others afraid of by saying this? Afraid of violating “political correctness?”

One final thought. Thank you, Rev. Al Sharpton, for your remarks about forgiving a white man who tried to stab him. Added to this could have been the forgiveness of Alabama Governor George Wallace, by John Lewis. In Christianity, one more thing to be added are these ideas: (1) “judge not lest you be judged,” in addition to the words mentioned on this program about “those without sin cast the first stone;” (2) “you will know the truth and the truth will set you free,” rather than just believing, as Trump and so many Americans believe, that the “truth hurts.”

Aretha Franklin’s song: “R-E-S-P-E-C-T.”

Stevie Wonder’s song: “Love’s in Need of Love Today.”

Category:

Commentary, New Comments

Tagged with:

New York Times Book Review (March 14, 2021 by Ted Genoways): Mark Bittman Book: Animal, Vegetable, Junk

After reading a review written by Ted Genoways, Professor Cornwell is interest in locating and reading this book, Animal, Vegetable, Jun: From Sustainable to Suicidal. It contains a “sweeping history of our sources of food, tracking the shift from agriculture to agribusiness.” It will be interesting to understand the path for the future, as Bittman sees it, as we move forward with the nominee for the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture nominee, Tom Vilsack.

What caught Cornwell’s attention was the discussion about how agribusiness has hurt farming and agriculture in smaller rural areas. The reference was to “ranches,” which can be compared to large or factory farms. It is understood that such farms in “rural areas” have been hurt. Professor Cornwell then asks, what about non-factory farms in rural areas such as Upstate New York? Cornwell has always spoken up about the destruction of small business, the backbone of America as it developed, with big corporate “boxes” created by “free market” methods with which Cornwell has no stomach. It has been written that “free markets” are good for some who pick themselves up from nothing and become huge corporations in the process, only to then destroy the “free markets.” This idea can be considered analogous to another an issue discussed in another book review in this edition of the New York Times (“Pilgrim Law,” by Frances J. Bremer in a review of Tobey Pearl’s book, Terror to the Wicked: America’s First Trial by Jury That Ended a War and Helped to Form a Nation). This would be idea that religious organizations which have seen discrimination against their own people but then they become the “discriminators.” Same thing with “free market” advocates like Libertarians and anarchists as big corporations are developed into monopoly-style businesses and then work, like Roman gladiators, to destroy the competition. Religious groups work to destroy the competition, the same as Roman gladiators did to Christians and others in the arenas of Ancient Rome. Dictatorship.

To justify this sense of being “unchecked corporatization” and “laissez-faire economics,” The discussion centers on the “delineation” between this activity in America to what Joseph Stalin did to agriculture in the former Soviet Union. Professor Cornwell has been discussing facts that there IS no delineation between centralized economics of big corporate monopolized industries of ANY kind, to what the big communes of the former Soviet Union. Both are based on supply side economics with no concern for the demand side, which is truly a major part of capitalism and capitalist competition which can be controlled by regulatory practices from a third party: the government. Otherwise, we end up with the supply side of the economic picture regulating itself, similar to a government which controls the supply side by removing corporate businesses completely. Both are dictatorial and in the case of the USA, there is too much influence by the big corporate giants and the 1% of those who own the resources, of our government by way of PACs and lobbyists. Does this type of lobbyist and PAC influence exist in Senator Bernie Sanders’s home state of Vermont? Do not big corporations exist in Vermont only in more densely populated areas of the state, thus helping to make the small businesses more like King David, the underdog, when fighting the big Goliath of the industries?

New York state and other states, too, lose out (perhaps Vermont, too?), due to the hills. Such states were once the largest producers of agricultural goods in the USA. Between Prohibition and the development of factory farms, New York is one state which has been hurt. After all, with soil in hilly areas, big factory farm equipment is unusable. Cornwell’s late father mentioned this when asked why there are no factory farms in New York. Was he correct?

In the hills of Pennsylvania, the observation which could be made is that its industry was the coal industry. Now, without the coal industry, what about factory farms on the hills of Pennsylvania? One could say that Upstate New York and Pennsylvania, with the hills, are hurt by the factory farms.

What was not mentioned in this review of a book was the impact of the fast food industry on the increased obesity and rates of type II diabetes in America. Certainly, America as the breadbasket of the world is one of honor for America. However, in documentaries discussing the low cost of fast foods, those who are low income have turned to the fast foods. In America, which parts of the population generally fall more into the “lower classes?” According to documentaries about the increase of diabetes, which groups of Americans have seen an increase in diabetes to a great extent?

Into the picture comes big pharma. We are delighted at the great role America takes with big pharma, yet we ignore the fact that lower class people are usually those who suffer from larger unemployment or work at jobs which do not provide healthcare insurance (as was done to America by lousy, lousy, lousy former Governor Rick Scott of Florida, now a lousy, lousy, lousy U.S. Senator and the goons who are attempting to destroy Obamacare, designed to help stimulate CAPITALIST COMPETITION, not SOCIALISM, as the liars who wish to destroy it make a lousy false claim. Professor Cornwell is angered by this attitude and its strong influence with money, over people of America.

Yes, there is a wonderful thing for lower cost fast foods. But how much fast food can one eat and then purchase trade name meds at ripoff prices. Fast food and this food industry today, with many of its retailers, do little or nothing to provide foods which are better for diabetics. Yes. “We have the bananas,” but the foods which are highlighted are GF or gluten free. All for those types of diets. Fact. Cornwell’s mother and maternal grandmother rarely ate fast foods. The diabetes developed later in life. Go ahead, twist it all around because of not being comfortable if there might be some truth to this and the truth hurts.

Thanks so much for big fat corporate conglomerate agribusiness and the fast food industry. The fast food industry like McDonald’s, was run by vicious people like Ray Kroc who worked diligently to locate new restaurants in places where there were nearby “mom and pop” restaurants. They grabbed at the “instant gratification” movement. Being blamed for this “reality” today is the development of fast food businesses, due to females of the 1960s who wanted to get out of the kitchen and go work in jobs. Oh, really? What a sad thing to consider. Perhaps it was the big corporate misogynists who just found a way to take advantage of this situation and then work for “anything goes” ideas resulting in sexual harassment?

The bumper sticker was, “Women belong in the House [of Representatives], not the kitchen.” With many female Democrats going to the “House,” Trump and his misogynist friends don’t like that. In fact, he gropes women and gets away with it, along with all the other crap for which he gets acquitted.

Today, McDonald’s wishes to replace employees with robots. Wonderful. And how is this move going to justify what happens to the supply siders in their thrust for dictatorship in America. Then we have people out of work and turning to drugs, then beef up law and order because “idle hands is the devil’s playground.”

Reading the book might help clear up anything, should there be a misunderstanding here. Do we await the availability in Upstate New York libraries or purchase one? Is there a library which rents all the newest books and checks them out to patrons? Hmmmm… That would be nice.

Folks can be thankful for the reviews in the New York Times. Folks can stay abreast of the latest books and that works, too.

Category:

Book Reviews, New Comments

Tagged with:

Winston Churchill, his Quotes Taken through the Lens of a Supporter of the Human Race, not the White Supremacy Defined by a Dictatorship like that of Hilter

In an article, “101 Quotes of Winston Churchill to Motivate You to Never Give Up,” we can see how brilliant half -American (his mother born and raised in Upstate New York), Churchill was. Many of the quotes were said in reply to the “blitzkriegs” brought on by Hitler’s Lufthansa. Constant bombings.

In America, the neo-cons in the Republican Party, a bunch of reactionary far right wing folks who controlled that wing of the political party in Congress, tied the hands of Democratic Party president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who wanted to do something to help Churchill and Britain. It was not until Hawaii was bombed did the reactionary far right wing leaders of the Republican Party decide to do something. Together with the white supremacist Dixiecrats of the South, they fought with FDR in a contentious manner. The wimps of America, like Churchill’s predecessor, Chamberlain, remained silent, with fear about “become involved.”

The words of Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin existed at that time, but were ignored. ​Benjamin Franklin: “​Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are ​affected.”

Stacey Abrams, a small business woman of Georgia, advised that we can hold fast to our values, but can work together to compromise on the actions taken. Whoopi Goldberg is quoted as saying, “we all need to get on the same page,” but what is that “same page?” The lens and perspective with blinders blocks many from getting on that “same page.” What is the answer, or do we just sit and say, “oh, well, oh, well, it will never change in my generation?” Dump BULL MANURE on such pessimistic attitudes.

In light of the domestic terrorism inspired by Trumpicans today, plus the actions of lousy pathetic Republican far-right neo-cons in the days of FDR, we need to be certain we consider what lens people look through these quotes by Churchill, Ben Franklin, and Stacey Abrams. If we look at these quotations with the lens of the human race, not the lens of the white supremacists, Trumpicans, Proud Boy thugs, white Dixiecrats, the ones of the KKK, John Birchers, Neo-Nazis who are behind the domestic terror, all these quotations take on a different meaning.

We also need to consider the entire span of life in which Churchill references, not just pull one word out. For instance, Churchill said,”All the great [MAGA jackasses] things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom; justice; honor; duty; mercy; hope.” The first word is, “freedom.” Churchill meant a single word from the list of words. Sure, lousy neo-con governor of Texas, cherry pick the word, “freedom” in order to validate not wearing masks. You idiotic neo-con of the South. So, how does Abbott of Texas define justice? Justice ONLY for white supremacists and the stupid white law enforcement people who don’t like black people, from Missouri to Minnesota, New York City, and elsewhere. It’s a lens with blinders on, directed ONLY at the white supremacists of America. They wish for “honor; duty; mercy; hope” for white supremacists. They have a fear that they will lose out to other races so they create a hell on earth for all, rather than looking through the lenses of perspectives about the entire human race, throwing away the damn blinders. They are disgusting people who emanate from the den of the devil which wants to pit one against another, especially against those who are able to see a God of love who loves all his children on earth.

Even President Kennedy’s words, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” can be viewed through the lens and perspective of the human race or the lens and perspective on one race only. That is a fragmented hell on earth.

This hell on earth needs to stop and switch this reality to something better. Words such as “liberty and justice FOR ALL.” “WE THE PEOPLE,” not just “WE THE WHITE SUPREMACISTS.” “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Thomas Jefferson was intended for all, but some people just don’t get it, in their irrational egotistical selfish instant gratification ways.

I am inspired by Churchill’s quotes, including this one: “… democracy is a very bad form of government but all the others are so much worse.” Churchill had to reason with a dictatorial bunch of Republicans in the USA who refused to lend him support in his fight against Hitler. Why did these jackass Republicans of that day do such a thing? I have some answers, but won’t go into it at this time. I am inspired by half-American Churchill, but I view them without blinders on, from the perspective and lens of God’s children and the entire human race, which God loves. The light is not a fake one from the devil, but it is the light of God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ. Those of us who understand what that light is about, need not live in fear because sometimes we are in the darkness of a tunnel and the light is a distant part at the end of the tunnel. We should not be hiding the light under a bushel basket, either. What is your lens and do you shed the blinders?

Category:

Commentary, New Comments

Tagged with:

There You Go Again!

Here it is, 2:15 pm. No Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. Weekend after weekend. Many times, the Saturday edition does not arrive. The Sunday edition might arrive, but late in the morning. That’s better than nothing at all.

Most people on the demand side of this newspaper market would simply drop the subscription. Maybe Gannett would like it if all of us did this?

Calling, submitting complaint by email, and nothing is done. There they go again.

Who is they?

Owego gets the newspapers. Newark Valley does not. The local retail outlets in Newark Valley say they do not get the newspapers to sell. Why?

Over the hill and the retail outlets in Broome County receive the newspaper. Why in this area of Tioga County is the consumer being screwed? WHY? Is the Newark Valley consumer nothing but chopped liver? One time and ok, it is understood. But how many times?

From about 1966 to about 1970 or so, a young kid delivered the Sun-Bulletin in Newark Valley. Those were the years when there was an evening Gannett newspaper (The Evening Press). The Sun-Bulletin was the morning newspaper published by David Bernstein. When Bernstein sold the newspaper to Gannett, ultimately the two became one. The result was one morning newspaper, the Press & Sun-Bulletin.

Young kids could deliver two separate newspapers, Sun-Bulletin in the morning and Evening Press, obviously evening. Those young kids were too young to use an automobile, so they rode a bike most of the year. In the snow, they walked the route.

Sometimes, demanding customers insisted these kids must get the morning paper to the customer before 5 AM because they had to drive to work at IBM. One customer wanting this early delivery may have been separated by about 1 1/2 to 2 miles from another. Obstacles had to be overcome or else the customers would simply cancel their subscriptions. The young kids remained in touch with the customers, often having to go collect the money for the week on a Saturday morning so they could be available to play in the marching band for a football game (sometimes to play JV football on a Saturday).

So, yes, COVID-19 makes life tougher. The question remains, though. If someone has difficulty delivering the newspaper to Newark Valley on Saturdays, then why is it there are not enough others, in this time of high unemployment, who could do a better job? Do others just sit around hoping a check arrives from the government, so why bother? Really? Those kids sometimes did multiple jobs and got money from multiple sources, so “‘splain it, Lucy!”

Oh, well. There you go, again. No paper. There you go again. People on the demand side of the market demanding something better. How dare we do that?

Oscar Wilde: “My tastes are simple. I desire only the very best.”

Category:

Commentary, New Comments

Tagged with:

TECHNOLOGY: It’s Humans, Stupid, Not Technology

Technology is a blessing and curse. The Internet is a blessing and a curse. With Spectrum Internet, it is all so slow in loading many items that we are back in the 1950s when it took minutes for a television to begin because of the vacuum tubes in the televisions. Mattered not whether there was an antenna on the roof or “rabbit ear” antenna indoors. The vacuum tube was slow in warming up. Besides, in the 1950s, there was NO cable television. That did not come into the homes, particularly in hilly areas like Upstate New York and Pennsylvania, until the 1960s. The signal was more reliable and not subjected to those who do the hacking.

In the 1960s and later, Castro, with his centrally planned supply side economics, figured a way to “jam” the signals he did not wish for his people to view. It was usually Miami and South Florida signals he jammed, but perhaps there were Voice of America signals he jammed as well(?). IT was not the technology, stupid. It was humans, stupid, who were running Castro’s island and did not wish for the people to have happiness.

In America, we face such “jamming” and removal of our happiness. Many times. Just recently, a favored streaming radio station was “jammed.” Yep. Jelly all over the place (NOT). It was taken off a Favorites list on one streaming service within Roku. When checking another streaming service, it was claimed, earlier this week, that this station would not be available on this other service until Saturday, March 20, 2021. Here we are, today, Saturday, March 20, and where is our favorite station on this streaming service. Returning to the original streaming service to discover if, “we’re back!” The results were that it was not there, but to search it, the station was found once again.

Technology and computers do not take a favorite station away from a listener. It’s humans, stupid. It’s humans, stupid, to do such a thing as this which is comparable to Castro (maybe Hitler book burning, too?) removing happiness of the people and pushing American citizens into a corner of helplessness in the process.

People have more important things to do with their lives than to try to work through such obstacles. With warmer weather here, perhaps we would like to do some outdoor gardening or cleaning up lawns after the snow goes away. Removing our happiness so as to push us into a corner and spend more time trying to solve the problems resulting from hackers. Repeat. Computers don’t just do this kind of crap alone. It takes humans, stupid.

We hear about nations such from South Korea to Taiwan to New Zealand to those on continental Europe where the Internet is not like what is being described here. Do they spend time with Trumpicans fighting with good people. Same thing here. People being pushed into a corner with technological crap of hackers and not having time to work with the things which are best for our lives. Why does the states like New York or Florida or the Federal government providing as good an Internet service as the other democratic capitalist nations provide? WHY? Those nations also have political parties which iron out differences, too. But what the Trumpicans are doing to control the Republican Party and gain a foothold in pushing for a dictatorship is disgusting, as they marginalize voters so they won’t vote and suppress many other voters so they CANNOT vote.

These people are vicious barbarians who cannot win elections unless they carve out voting districts by way of GERRYMANDERING. Gerrymandering has been around for a long time. But at least many states, even with gerrymandering, had a two-party system. Right now, Florida has a one-party state of Republican and has never had a Democratic Party governor since before 1998. The gerrymandering has done that.

Go ahead and say, “well New York State is the same.” BULLSHIT. George Pataki was NOT a Democrat, so at least there were a number of years when it went back and forth between Democrat and Republican. There was a day when Senator Warren Anderson of Binghamton headed the MAJORITY of Republicans in the New York State Senate and TYPICALLY, the Assembly was Democrat. Two-party system with more compromise than what there is today.

WE THE PEOPLE DEMAND:
(1) we rid this nation of gerrymandering
(2) we rid this nation of voter suppression
(3) we stop the marginalizing of voters by Trumpican dictatorial people
(4) stop the (please excuse the frustration and the resulting language) BULLSHIT of lies and coverups done by Trumpicans who hold people’s feet to the fire with retribution if they don’t follow the DICTATOR Trump (and Roger Stone and others)
(5) abolish the Electoral College and replace it with two voting times, one with all parties and the second one between the top two recipients of votes
(6) create capitalist competition through government regulation for the sake of SUPPLY AND DEMAND
(7) acknowledge the role which long term, not just egotistical short term, investments mean and encourage pooled lower-risk investments without a cap on percentage invested so wealthy bastards pay less into FICA (Social Security) and Medicare for all, due to LONG TERM investments in a CAPITALIST system; damn it all, don’t close your minds to what some of us are saying
(8) return to a two or more party system with STATES PEOPLE who are rational enough, on ALL sides, to know how to find common ground and lead this nation
(9) abolish PACs and lobbyists from Congress and government, and stop the trash of people with too much control over our legislators. The PEOPLE should speak, not the damn lobbyists and put Congress on the SAME THING the rest of the nation has for Social Security and Medicare (I said, FOR ALL)
(10) Reform the tax system so as to rid the paper shuffling number crunching business of tax accountants and lawyers, which TAKES AWAY from the productivity for REAL things for America, its economy and its people; sales tax and businesses have to hire people and it cuts into the overhead for the small self-employed business person; income taxes the same consideration as it is a regressive one penalizing Americans from making money or PROFIT (which is called “disposable income” – BULLSHIT ON THAT to those who mock those of us pointing this BULLSHIT out); there was a day when conservatives promoted the value added tax because it was a tax added as a value to every product and this did not mean small business has to account for it and cut into their profit margins; today, there is NO DAMN CONSERVATIVE who promotes this, so I say, you damn bastards are NOT conservatives, you are dictatorial neo-cons.

Wrapping this entire discussion together and we end up realizing that the FCC does a lousy job in regulating media and the Internet because they do it to favor their OWN industry, rather than have THIRD PARTY people who look on and regulate in line with CAPITALIST DEMAND AND SUPPLY. The consumer. As with Castro “jamming” signals for Castro’s benefit only, here we are with a return to the discussion about technology. It’s human hackers “jamming” demand-side access, stupid, not technology.

Category:

New Comments, Technology

Tagged with:

Do You Take it for Granted?

Headlines read that several Asian-American women are murdered in cold blood in Atlanta. Several years ago, we read about a black congregation in Charleston, South Carolina is attacked and numerous people lose their lives. Systemic racism. Do you take this for granted and think that you are not affected, so what the hell? Are you white and think, “who cares?” Are you white and think you don’t believe this to be a serious matter, so just leave me alone. I don’t want contention.

Recently, a movie came out about the story of the despicable way black singer named Billy Holiday was treated by an FBI with a lunatic gay-bashing latent homosexual who dressed in drag, J. Edgar Hoover, emboldened his agents to attack black folks in false and foul ways. The movie is titled, The United States vs. Billy Holiday. It stars a performance befitting a person deserving an Oscar, Andra Day.

Brilliant performance, in the eyes of retired Professor Cornwell. Cornwell has always enjoyed the singing of Billy Holiday and Andra Day was able to imitate Holiday’s sound in a great way. A sound based on sensitivity as she sings, even if her style is different from what the high brow elitists might enjoy hearing. Professor Cornwell loves the sensitivity of the sounds of Renee Fleming’s voice within the genre she sings, but also finds a very sensitive voice in Billy Holiday, in the genre in which she sings. Professor Cornwell also recalls the sensitivity in the voice of Janis Joplin and in another different way.

Cornwell wonders, though. If the commentary to berate the voice of Billie Holiday due to being in the closet regarding racism and covering over such feelings of racism by casting aspersions on Holiday’s voice? Is it mirroring and loving the actions of Harry Anslinger (actor Garrett Hedlund) who was doing the duty assigned to him to take down Billie Holiday, due to her song, “Strange Fruit,” while hiding the actions behind a veneer of law and order against drugs? In this way, do you take it for granted that there is nothing serious about what Billie Holiday was trying to speak out with regard to the Dixie lynchings?

In that case, then you must think the truth hurts and this is the manner to which you are accustomed and hope to continue the status quo, ignoring the truth. The truth will set all of us free, even if it hurts, even when you do not lose a life, as was the case of those lynched in the South or in the case of the Asian-Americans who were recently viciously shot in Atlanta when they did not deserve such a fate. No one who has faced such things has deserved such a bloody ordeal.

​Benjamin Franklin: “​Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are ​affected.”

Category:

Commentary, New Comments

Tagged with:

MUSIC, ART, CULTURE: My Girlfriend?

Many years ago, people often heard Professor Cornwell talk a great deal about Renee Fleming. He had met with her back stage at the Kravis after performing there. The professor would share his delight about meeting her. A friend of his who was a violinist who graduated Eastman School of Music would often tell the professor about Renee’s concerts or send reviews of the concerts. Professor Cornwell shared this information with others, in complete joy.

One day just before the Christmas holidays, one of the staff people, off on lunch and watching the television, came running to Professor Cornwell, saying, “Doug, your girlfriend is on television!” “What?” Professor Cornwell said. “I don’t have a girlfriend so what are you taking about?” The reply came back that it was Renee Fleming! “You know! You mention her singing all the time! She is your girlfriend!” Professor Cornwell just laughed. He went to watch her on the daytime program, The View.

More recently, Renee has retired from the Metropolitan Opera and one does not get to hear her perform as often. Our favorite classical music station, ClassicFM, out of London, England, rarely plays Renee Fleming anymore, as it once did. It substitutes other sopranos in her place, for all the trademark arias which people have become accustomed to hearing Renee. One can hear retired Professor Cornwell, as he listens to the other sopranos, as he says, “that one is okay, but not as good as Renee!”

Tonight, at 9 PM (EDST), Renee Fleming will be performing once again. Her performance will be on local PBS affiliate, WSKG (Binghamton). Professor Cornwell is counting down the minutes so as to, once again, hear his “girlfriend” perform!

Category:

Music, Art, Culture, New Comments

Tagged with: