My favorite Star Trek film.

Having a maverick as the leader of the party has its disadvantage.

Disappointed supporters of Mitt Romney waited for his concession speech on Tuesday in Boston.

In case the Republicans are looking to find the party they abandoned in 2000, they need to reflect on how they 'got here.'

The Republicans chronically believe they can 'run game' on the Middle Class forever without destroying the nation. 

"W"rong. I don't mean that smugly. They have taken their draconian methodology to the end of the road and now the nation is awakening to it.

The taxes on the wealthy need to be increased because that is where the money went. The electorate is seeking moral leadership, not religious leadership. The Republican Party is not capable of providing moral leaders to the nation. The GOP is failing the people. "W" started the awakening and it has slowly revealed itself to the electorate. In other words, "The Jigs Up."

The profound corruption started in 2000 because the legitimacy of Reagan was lost. The innocence of the nation was beginning to wane. In its place was a willingness to leverage power over the democracy of the nation and the legitimate 'state of being'of the USA changed to a 'front' rather than a 'reality.' The Bush/Cheney administration cashed in on the latent understanding of a benevolent USA to the point of no immoral war and aggression was too great with a profound disrespect for human life, even within the USA's borders. 

The attack on the Middle Class had been conducted since Reagan, but, at no point was it so terrible the nation was at stake. The Clinton Administration turned the slippery slope of decades of Republican abuse into traction for the nation of people. Due to an illegitimate election of 2000, the nation fell back into the grasp of exploitation rather than productivity. Basically, 'the kill' of the Middle Class and their unions were within reach. 

There are many nations in the world with a severe reality of two economic classes, the poor and the wealthy. The USA was to become exactly that with no further promise of changing the circumstances of the poor. We were, after all, a nation forever at war because of 'the recycle 'osama' bin' at hand. The GOP could continue to terrify the nation forever and to that end all were asked to sacrifice, accept their 'lot in life' as if Job himself and just 'get on with it.' 

The USA was to be first at war. What else needed to be understood? Any jargon, language of the electorate was simply unnecessary. We were to become a warrior nation and nothing more.

McCain made it worse with his Veep pick. He had to know putting a completely unqualified candidate for Vice President at his side would be the desperate end of everything benevolent about the party. Either they could catch the outrageous Bush Doctrine for their own that the nation would buy in the election or it was over. After the 2008 elections, Palin grabbed the opportunity at fame and set the party on a different path of propaganda and happy talk. The GOP has been there ever since. Why have their lent their monies to people unable to actually govern within the USA?

So, now the GOP is the reality of unleased power that would seek to destroy the domestic economy, happiness of the people, the promise of the USA for generations to provide opportunity to change their circumstances and the pride of caring for those that built this nation on their backs, through their sweat, through service to its military by allowing the entitlements to be degraded into oblivion. That was the goal anyway.

Where is the GOP going? We all hope nowhere, but, it takes time and money to turn the corner on gerrymandering. 

How can the GOP rehabilitate their image? Image? Image? They want to change their image? That isn't possible. This is the NEW USA. The USA reality built. It takes sincere good acts, not just changing the image. Clear, measurable ability laced with reality. The GOP has to GIVE UP their images with the extremists and they need to reform their lives, priorities and agenda. 

These aren't my rules. These are the rules of the people of the USA. They sincerely don't want to live miserable lives. The USA has never been about misery, but, empowerment and improving the quality life of its people generation after generation. Those are the rules. No image is going to change that anymore.

by Michael Cooper
Published: November 7, 2012

It was the morning of the Republican hangover. (click here)

After four years in which the jobless rate never dipped below 7.8 percent, with millions of Americans still unemployed or underemployed and median household income falling, Republicans still failed to unseat President Obama and, for the second election in a row, fell short in their efforts to win control of a Senate that seemed within reach. The Wednesday-morning quarterbacking began quickly....

There are some USA Senators truly remarkable and then there are The Tea Party Republicans.

It was so good seeing Seantor Dole out and about again. And to come to the Senate for a plea for disabled veterans was exactly a reflection on his work as a US Senator. Thank you, Senator Dole.

It is more than obvious what a hideous situation the USA has with this branch of the Repubican Party. The fact of the matter is the Tea Party can't stand on its own without Republican money. So, we are stuck with them.

But, in this case, there are several angry reasons for the vote yesterday in the Senate.

The least of which is Justice Ginsberg. She once brought the global community into discussion simply because it was related to making decision that impact USA policy. But, that was the least of it.

The primary reason the disabled veterans treaty didn't pass yesterday is because Republicans want entitlements to go away. Social Security Disability ends in less than two years unless it is affected by Congress. Does anyone actually believe those benefits will be extended with this current Congress?

This is a prime example of over reach, hubris and ideology and how the Tea Party brings stupid reasons to their Congressional seats to play politics with American lives rather than doing their jobs. It is important to bring resolve in primary elections to stop this extremism. The extremists are destroying our country.

Does anyone believe cutting off funding to SSD is a good idea? Does anyone believe it will expand the economy or resolve the national debt by ending SSD?

Those that opposed the disabled veterans treaty should be ashamed of themselves because while they want to see SSD end, they also want to see disabled veterans funding end as well.

It goes like this. If the dysfunctional Republicans actually voted for the disabled veterans treaty yesterday, they could not end the benefits currently paid to USA veterans. In that is a strategy to end the sovereignty of the USA. If the USA is forced to pay benefits to veterans and it causes the country to go bankrupt or our curreny to devalue then we will lose our sovereignty.

Is this a realiistic idea of what will happen to the USA? Of course, not. If the USA ever gets to the point where they can't take care of their disabled veterans, it will no longer have a volunteer military. Why should they enlist if they have no hope if they are badly injured on the battle field? This extremist view of the world is a danger to our national security and our sovereignty.

I am getting a little tired of Mr. McAfee scapegoating the Belize government.

McAfee (click here) was in the midst of recounting an incident earlier this month in which 42 armed Belizean officers allegedly stormed his compound, arrested him and detained him for 14 hours with no found or water, and then let him go without charges.

When CNBC reporter, Robert Frank, asked McAfee why he thought the police had done that, he said it was because he ‘does not play by the rules.

McAfee said that he has donated millions of dollars to the local economy, including police departments and homeless agencies, but not through the Belizean government itself....

Belize is not so organized it can actually run an efficient corruption ring from their police stations.

I know something about the country, I am a conservationist after all. You know, Howler Monkeys and all that. So, when Mr. McAfee states he is not a smart man, he is correct. But, not because he was blackmailed by the Belize government, but, because he won't cooperate to be questioned. 

There are no torture chambers in Belize. As a matter of fact the country is far less than two decades old and have very poor jails. The country can't support a lot of prisoners, so it is amazing the amount of dangerous characters actually stay in society there. 

Belize has problems, but, they are that of a young country left with enormous debt by Great Britain when it was a colony. I haven't figured out exactly how the British actually get away with that. Belize accumulated debt when it was still a colony and now that it is a sovereign nation, they have inherited their British debt from being a colony. That is bizarre. But, the debt causes the young country a great deal of problems. It is like it was started 'behind the eight ball.' So to speak.

But, that has little to do with McAfee, except, to realize the idea a small country with limited resources would go out of its way to blackmail a citizen is ridiculous.

Belize's greatest problem is actually its border with Guatemala. The drug smuggling was so bad in the area the main road in Punta Gorda was host to very nice private jets that would drop off shipments of drugs. There were locals involved and police were indicted when with one shipment a jet could not take off because it damaged its wing when landing. The locals were arrested, by the way. The Belize government didn't take kindly to their assistance to the smugglers in the matter. It was a matter of about six months when the USA offered its services after the incident to combat drug and guns from flowing into Mexico and Guatemala. So, blackmail is not a practice of the Belize government.

The government in Belize is trying desperately to stop violence in its streets, drug traffiking and seeking to find wholesome lives for their young men. I do believe Prime Minister Barrow has started a remedial program for young men in Belize City. Belize City is not the country's capital, but,it is the city with the highest rate of violence. The gang culture is an issue there and all too frequently innocent citizens are caught in the cross fire, so Barrow is seeking ways to dilute the gang experience in his young men and diffuse the problem.

Employment and a decent wage would be nice for anyone in  Belize, but, in time I suppose. Their tourism is picking up and they are being visited more often by cruise ships now.

So. I don't know what occurred to Mr. McAfee's neighbor. But, then neither do the authorities it would seem since they want to ask him questions. It would seem to me if Mr. McAfee could afford all the elaborate game playing for 'Real TV with McAfee' then he could afford a real lawyer to protect his rights.

Mr. Costas did a very brave act by standing up for non-violence in our society.

The American fabric has gotten to be woven with violent content at nearly every turn. We are a victim to it. Guns are the primary vehicle of it. There is only one reason there is a huge gun culture in the USA and it is money.

The gun culture in the USA is enormous. It reaches into every life no matter how much one might oppose it. It is pervasive.

I heard the statement about concussion. Okay. So, that means if football is going to continue to spin out concussion the players need to be banned from gun possession. Is that right?

There is nothing football can do about concussion. They can attempt to resolve it by padding helmets and seeking to insulate the head from such crashing to the ground after being tackled, but, there is absolutely nothing one can do about the fact the cranial vault contains a brain floating in fluid. No matter how much padding there is on the outside of the head, when a body slam results in sudden halt of forward movement, the brain is going to slosh around inside the cranial vault no matter what. It can't be stopped.

A person running down a field with as much speed as legs can carry him reaches sudden impact with another player there is going to be a movement inside the head of the brain floating in fluid. It is the way it is. 

So, if footballs wants to explain away the fact a murder-suicide occurred because of concussion they are backing the gun lobby, not their players. It is a way of exonerating the gun culture in the USA from its responsibility. There is no black and white here. There are no shades of gray either. Both the gun lobby and football have their responsibility. Not one or other.

Football causes player concussion. Guns are used in domestic violence. One is exclusive of the other. Players suffering from concussion which results in such violence could use other weapons. Guns in the USA are the weapon of choice. It is effective and quick and handy. Guns can be found everywhere these days. So, let's  not forgive the gun culture in the USA to focus on concussion in football players. There is no forgiving a gun. A gun is the most guilty of the entire scenario. It killed.

USA Senator Al Franken wants the Farm Bill made part of the legislation to protect the Middle Class Tax Cuts.

That's right. The 2008 Farm Bill expired in 2012 and there still isn't another one. The USA House of Representatives could not pass one. That's leadership? I don't think so.

By AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST
Published: SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

America needs a Farm Bill, and we need a Farm Bill now! (click here)

In a year when the rains stopped, the crops withered and the banker still calls, farmers and ranchers are the first to understand the value of conservation programs. The Farm Bill is where, every five years, American’s draw a compact to fight through drought, protect fragile farmland, restore our wetlands and keep our landscape healthy. It is where the nation comes together in the interest of a productive and sustainable farming industry. Agriculture is not a partisan issue. It’s not about politics; it’s about sound policy that benefits us all....

This was the rally (click here).

Senator Franken says fiscal cliff deal needs to include comprehensive farm bill (click here)

By Site Editor

November 30, 2012 at 11:31 am

Washington, D.C.  – In an effort to help farmers across Minnesota who are facing uncertainty because a new Farm Bill hasn’t been passed by the House of Representatives, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) urges Senate leadership to include the bipartisan, Senate-passed Farm Bill in any deal brokered to address the nation’s fiscal challenges.

“Minnesota’s farmers, livestock producers, and rural entrepreneurs support one in five jobs in our state, and they need a new Farm Bill so they can plan for next year,” said Sen. Franken. “The Senate has passed a comprehensive Farm Bill that will give our farmers the stability they need, but the House simply hasn’t taken action. As we work to address our nation’s fiscal challenges, it’s critical to remember that our farmers need a new Farm Bill—that’s why I urged Senate leadership to make passing this legislation a top priority.”...

Here we go again with WMD. We are not putting in Syria. NOT !

Syria's outcome is on the shoulder of Russia. If Russia wants to condone WMD by Assad of his own people, then he is no worse than Donald Rumsfeld when Saddam did the same thing. The Syrian people need to seek asylum elsewhere. I am sure Assad is so obsessed with ethnic cleansing he will do exactly what he pleases. 

The most the USA can do is place sanctions against Syria and ultimately Russia, but, there will be no USA troops on the ground. Perhaps the global community needs to move for a No Fly Zone with Syria. Russia is in control of the outcomes with the Syrian people. Russia has been in control of their outcomes. There should be no diluted ideas that the USA is going to war with Russia because Assad is committing war crimes against his own people. We are not going to war with Russia. 

Putin Reassures Turkey that Syria Is No Threat (click here)
23:10 03/12/2012

ISTANBUL, December 3 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin (click here) on Monday reassured Turkey that Syria is too busy dealing with its internal conflict to plan any attack on its neighbors.

“It’s common sense, you don’t have to be an expert or use intelligence reports to see that Syria is far from plotting an attack on its neighbors – it is absolutely unrealistic,” Putin said at a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul.

He said that Russia shared Turkey’s concern over recent incidents on the Turkey-Syria border, but urged both sides to show restraint in dealing with the volatile situation....

Congratulations. William and Kate are pregnant.

Well done!!!!

Very exciting.

...“They’re planning to make an announcement (click here) in December,” Jessica reveals. “I have this on the highest authority, and it’s not to be taken lightly. It’s going to be wonderful, happy news when it’s announced.”

Jessica, who attended the exclusive Marlborough school with Kate at the age of 14 and was a guest at the couple’s wedding reception last year, tells Life & Style that with the queen’s Jubilee celebration over, Kate, 30, “was told to put on weight by the palace in May and that 2013 would be the year they have a baby.” Jessica continues, “The royal family have been talking about William and Catherine having children for quite some time.”...

Kate is in the hospital with morning sickness. Not fun, but, it can be difficult for some. It can be intractable at times. Fluctuating hormones is rough stuff. Be well, Kate.

I told you so.

Overall, it is not an enhanced experience. Movies are fantasy and the filming is not suppose to remind you of that. I would never recommend this technology for children.

10:45 AM Monday Dec 3, 2012

...But not everyone (click here) was impressed with the new technology.

Some viewers told the Sunday Times that the filming technique made them nauseous and dizzy, with some even complaining of migraines.

One "avid Middle-earth fan", who had flown to New Zealand from Australia for the premiere, said their eyes couldn't take everything in, the Sunday Times reported.

Another viewer commented on Twitter that the technique worked well for the snowy mountain shots, but close-up pictures strobed....

I can't believe they are allowed to experiment on people like this.

These people are going to die. They are primarily women and children without men. They have no status.

And NATO wonders why these turn to the Taliban and carry out violence. Isn't it obvious? What happens to US Aid to the Afghan people? This is outrageous. The West actually believes they are going to have good outcomes with poverty this deep in Afghanistan?

These people are refugees. They are within the borders of their own country, but, they are refugees to any form of civilization.

There is no delivery of food, clothing, shoes or blankets? What the hell is going on over there? We have drones for aircraft carriers, but, we can't even see to the basic needs of the people where we are trying to stop extremists from having influence? 

Excuse me? 

I wouldn't want Karzai as a President either. He has the nerve to ask the people why they keep killing each other? It is better than dying, that's why.

Without shoes

( Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times / November 18, 2012 )

Many children (click here) living in the camps around Kabul are without shoes. Night temperatures are already dipping to freezing or below.

By David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times

December 1, 2012, 7:38 p.m.

PARWAN-A-DUH CAMP, Afghanistan — Winter is descending on the Shakur clan.

In the pale gray twilight of late autumn, a sharp wind slaps at the scraps of plastic that Abdel Shakur, the clan patriarch, has installed on his mud hut walls in a futile attempt at insulation. The thin tarpaulins that serve as a roof are held fast by round patties of cow dung and worn auto tires.

Already, night temperatures are dipping to freezing or below. The 10 children of Abdel Shakur pad across the packed-clay floors in bare feet or plastic slippers. He pulls his wool wrap close around his bony shoulders.

"The snows are coming soon, and I'm afraid for the children," Shakur says. "When the snows come, people die."

During last year's exceptionally brutal winter, at least 42 people died of exposure or starvation in Parwan-a-Duh and other makeshift camps on Kabul's shabby fringes, according to the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations. Almost all were children or elderly....

Brinkmanship

Brinkmanship is the inability to govern.

The Republicans are not viewing the world from the point of view of governing, they are viewing from control. There is a huge difference.

The Republicans have been given a lot of concessions over the years, but, threw them away for control rather than governance.

The latest edition of brinkmanship by the Republicans still has no difference in the demands. They learn nothing and they have no way of finding a path to resolution of differences.

The entitlements are not governed by the national budget. 

So.

What is the problem?

If there is lack of revenue for the country, then there has to be more revenue.

There is nothing difficult about this.

Until tomorrow.

Poverty wages contribute to the national deficit and debt.

Bruce Bartlett speaks during a hearing of the House Democratic Steering Hearing on Capitol Hill July 7, 2011 in Washington, DC. House Democrats called experts in the economy to testify about the state of the United State's economy and the possible effects of the nation defaulting on its debt.

I am not familiar with Mr. Bartlett's work and probably should be. I liked what I heard today at Chris Hayes "Up." I need to read Mr Bartklet's book.

I am sure the public library has the book and there is no reason for interested parties not to read these books. Reading is a very important expertise every American should be proud of and practice on a regular basis, either recreational, self-interest, political or business reading. We have a nation that invests in reading for every American and we should use that investment well.

Knowledge is power. I believe that beyond any rational otherwise.

To return to Mr. Bartlett, he stated hacking away at entitlements is ludicrous. I have to agree. It is also surrending our democracy to a plutocratic victory.

The problems the USA faces is far more profound than simply a balance sheet and I hope Mr. Bartlett is aware of these problems. They are real and remain unaddressed by the country whom leans on capitalism to sustain its sovereignty.

There are many Americans receiving subsidies to their lives because a decent wage cannot be found. These are the working poor. The longer these folks are allowed to be in poverty the worse the economic problems of the country become. It is astounding to me President Obama has been able to turn this country around at all from the 2008 crash. When it occurred, I was fairly well convinced it was the end of a sincere sovereignty of freedom of which the USA has built its national sovereignty. But, that is another discussion.

While American jobs were outsourced the wages of the Middle Class continued to fall and unions were destroyed. It is a paradigm for huge profits and stockholder dividends, but, not an ability to maintain a nation within sovereignty.

A + B does not equal C

A is working Americans

B is the wage they earn

C is the tax base

When Americans are not earning enough to prevent from receiving Food Stamps, Medicaid and other subsidies to maintain a minimal quality of life, the people become a weight on the USA Treasury and the economic growth of the country. While the minimum wage is important it was never meant to support the majority of Americans in a living wage. Even at 40 hours per week the minimum wage will not keep a family out of poverty.

This is not that difficult to understand.

When the minimum wage remains as a majority of income to the USA in a service economy where it cannot be outsourced, the sustainability of the USA Treasury and ultimately the coveted military will end. Ultimately, such an economy will end and the people will be cast into a subsistence economy where any corporation no longer has a basis of survival. The entire economy will collapse.

It can be easily argued at this point, with the lack of corporate investment in the country and the local economies reaching a maximum (at this point), the minimum wage should be looked at again to provide a minimum standard of living outside that of government subsidies.

It really is laughable when the Political Right Wingers rant on and on about the 'virtue' of being employed or better yet self-employed with a small business while they scoff at the poor. They don't bother to reach beyond their own little world to realize it is actually imploding.

What Mr. Bartlett probably appreciates is that the entitlements support the 'baseline' economy of the USA. While there is a sovereign treasury the USA economy does have a bottom of which to support it. I don't consider the entitlements to be a tax base at all. They are not a form of tax base, they are entitlements and those receiving them should not be coveted to 'return to work.' That is more ludicrous than any Republican proposals to change them to date.

I think it was James Carville that I once heard say, "The most important thing a person can provide after love is work." He could not have said it better. He stated that after President Clinton's re-election. My understanding of his meaning was that human labor was valuable to society, to the individual, to the sovereign state of the nation and it was for that reason it has high esteem in any society. Military service is work in that meaning of the word. Military service is the ultimate sacrifice to our country and it needs to have the esteem it has over and above other methods of social value, but, it is work.

Where Republicans ever got the idea it was okay to devalue work to the point of 'the working poor' is beyond my imagination to realize. There has been complete demoralization of labor unions and the distress of the country is obvious in the face of that reality. Labor unions have had their problems with corruption no different than other large organization with large amounts of money, but, it isn't as though it was out of the reach of justice. To the end that labor unions are so corrupt they should not exist is a political fantasy.

There is a 'happy balance' between government and private industry in the USA. That balance has been lost to the idea that capitalism is the answer to all problems imaginable. That is completely wrong. It is a faux philososopy called an ideology and has no basis in reality. Capitalism is a way of conducting the PRIVATE sector based in freedom, but, it is not the answer to effective government conducting the nation's business. The nation does business, but, efficiency has its limits in government structures. Government is necessary and it is necessary to maintain that happy balance.

Government should never be draconian to its people which derives life from a vibrant private sector, but, the private sector should never, ever be allowed to dry up the tax base to a sustainable sovereignty of freedom. Namely the USA.

I don't know if Mr. Bartlett would concur, but, the current working poverty is growing and it will ultimately result in socialism. No doubt in my mind. So, if the political Right Wing wants to maintain its standing at all as the party of capitalism, it needs to be sure there are 'living wages' maintained in the USA. The best entity to provide that living wage are unions. No doubt about it.

The Republicans need to raise taxes on the wealthy, it is after all where they have invested all their political capital. What honestly do they expect? They shot themselves in the foot politically and are becoming a threat to the nation's sovereignty.

Well done.

Kiowa helicopters at Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan. Credit: Wiki Commons

...NATO forces spokeswoman, (click here) Lt. Amy Hession said no international forces were killed in the assault.

"We can confirm that insurgents, including multiple suicide bombers attacked Jalalabad airfield this morning. None of the attackers breached the perimeter and there are currently no reports of ISAF [International Security Forces] fatalities," she said.

Hession said there were three suicide bombers involved, and that an investigation was under way....

Test as soon as possible if there is suspicion of exposed.

Confidential testing can occur at any public health clinic. Physicans are required to maintain confidentiality.

The point is the sooner a person is tested, the sooner they can begin a treatment that might very well prevent transmission. 

Don't wait! Don't live with denial! TEST!

What HIV test is used during the window period?

The plasma HIV RNA test (also called a viral load test) (click here) can detect HIV in a person’s blood within 9 days of infection, before the body develops detectable HIV antibodies. he plasma HIV RNA test is recommended when recent infection is very likely—for example, soon after a person has 
had unprotected sex with a partner infected with HIV. 

Detecting HIV at the earliest stage of infection lets people take steps right away to prevent transmission of HIV. (See the Preventing Transmission of HIV fact sheet.) his is important because immediately after infection the amount of HIV in the body is very high, increasing the risk of 
transmission of HIV. Starting treatment at this earliest stage of infection also can be considered....

McConnell's use of the filibuster is abuse. It is unethical use of the power of the Senate.

The history of the filibuster, in one graph (click here)'

I don't know why McConnell's abuse of power as an ethical violation hasn't been invoked.

...The issue today isn’t that we see 50, or 100, or 150 filibusters. It’s that the filibuster is a constant where it used to be a rarity. Indeed, it shouldn’t even be called “the filibuster”: It has nothing to do with talking, or holding the floor. It should be called the 60-vote requirement....

The abuse of power by McConnell is extremely obvious. His use of the filibuster is a change in the word majority. Majority is 50% plus one. The abuse of the filibuster has resulted in a 60 majority vote.

Mr. McConnell is carrying out a single person coupe of the US Constitution. Since when does does the USA tolerate a coupe in any form?

Why is this an abuse of power? Because the filibuster was once a rarity. Being a rarity it means far less than a 50% occurrence. Mr. McConnell has taken a rarity and used it to cripple the USA. His use of the filibuster has gone well over 50% as a majority of the procedures the Senate now carries out. He is in violation of ethical use of the filibuster. When is he going to be held responsible for his unethical use of Senate procedure. When does respect for a fellow Senator, majority leader or not, cross over into abuse? When a Senator enters into unethical standards it needs to be litigated.

Crippling the nation is a matter of national security. The people spoke very loudly this year to their desire to move the nation forward. When are the people going to receive respect rather than a fellow Senator?

"Reparative Therapy" - There is a market for it.

Christine Sun, (click here) right, of the Southern Poverty Law Center, talks with Michael Ferguson, center, and his partner, Seth Anderson, Tuesday in New York. Ferguson is one of four gay men accusing a New Jersey organization of selling "conversion therapy" services.(Richard Drew, The Associated Press)

Psychiatry lends itself to social trends. When women were Stepford wives the practice of psychiatry would treat women for anxiety to their social standing. The list is long and undistinguished and includes children. Other than gay children, the most recent accusation includes higher number of boys receiving ADHD medications. 

The 'reasoning/theory' behind many of these measures is that we all have to 'belong' somewhere and when society does not allow a place for people then it is their 'role' to provide therapy to allow that to happen. At no point in time was the practice of psychiatry suppose to cause Demonstrations for Sufferage, etc. The role of psychiatry has traditionally been to treat people into passively accepting 'their role' in a society that provides for their life.

Psychiatry treats the individual finding themselves in need of belonging. Social acceptance. What can occur by today's standards is empowerment for a person to be an individual while finding a 'nitch' and finding a way of life. I like to think of this new 'place' for an individual as "Open Mike Night." While working 'a job' a person can self-nurture to provide a satisfying place for themselves. Much of this is due to connecting people through the internet. People find each other when they never could before in decades past.

As any rate, that sets an understanding of why Reparative Therapy exists. There is a market for it. Christians in many circles believe homosexuality is the death of their soul. And, of course, that is a desperate idea because a person can die at any moment for one reason or another and their 'forever soul' needs to be ready for that very instance.

When one places their soul before their genetic material there is a market for Reparative Therapy. The argument the 'practioners' will make is that Freedom of Religion provides for a Christian parent to bring their children to therapy to save their souls. That 'idea' has already been tried and failed with parents that refuse medical treatment for their children due to religious bias. There is no room for the argument a religion has the right to determine death of their members. 

Jones' Kool-aid spoke to that loudly. 

But, to realize this form of therapy causes a great deal of emotional pain and has been known to cause suicide there is no way this is therapy for a child. The idea of confronting emotional pain as a choice is an adult concept and not one for a child to have imposed on them.

People made a lot of money being Reparative Therapists. Those same people will be held accountable for their practice. They don't want to lose their income nor their fortunes so there will be all kinds of court challenges to prolong the reality this was a very bad idea which offered nothing in the way of sincere therapy.

The failure and removal of DADT began a the much needed landside of acceptance of 'the rest of our citizens' in the USA. I much rather the idea of a Gay Man serving in the military than one that is ? changed ? because of a bizarre therapy that is not based in genetic reality. I don't want to know the distress Gay Men and Lesbian Women have gone through in order to serve their country over their own sexual satisfaction. It is a bizarre concept and one that lends itself to higher stress levels in people needing to be valued for their talents and social contributions and not their innate identity. 

Reparative Therapy sincerely has no place in the country, but, it will exist. Make no mistake it will continue to exist for the sake of religious choice alone. But, to have children exposed to it is outrageous.

Unionize. There is a model that works.

A rally at a McDonald’s near Times Square on Thursday. Organizers said 200 fast-food workers went on strike in New York City.

UPS. 

The labor force of UPS is unionized. The pay is 'scaled' to reward longevity.

Unionizing will protect the employed. When employees 'stick together' to achieve a living wage it will work. Every fast food employer will benefit from a 'scaled wage' that ultimately provides a living wage of experienced and dedicated workers. 

One of the reasons fast food workers are so poorly paid is because of a high turnover rate and the need to train new employees all the time. Training is considered non-productive hours and adds to the company's expenses. When workers are paid wages that provide a living the repeated training of new people is unnecessary. That increase in profit from longevity of their workers actually belongs to the employees as an incentive to continue production of a good product and good service to the public.

As far as I am concerned, there is a CEO syndrome that is an 'us and them' ideology. It can be noted everywhere and why so much outsourcing goes on. CEOs prefer to think of their ? casual ? employees as disposable and easy to come by. They don't really make the connection to their employees as a means to their profit. It is a way of depersonalizing the employee to think of them as 'human resources' and not 'personnel.' I never considered myself a resource so much as a person offering excellent service to my employer. That does not mean the employer will change their treatment of an employee, but, it does create an ownership of the services with the person that provides a 'line in the sand' to mistreatment. That can interpret into a picket line if the abuse is systemic.

By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

Published: November 29, 2012

The biggest wave of job actions in the history of America’s fast-food industry (click here) began at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday at a McDonald’s at Madison Avenue and 40th Street, with several dozen protesters chanting: “Hey, hey, what do you say? We demand fair pay.”

That demonstration kicked off a day of walkouts and rallies at dozens of Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, McDonald’s and other fast-food restaurants in New York City, organizers said. They said 14 of the 17 employees scheduled to work the morning shift at the McDonald’s on Madison Avenue did not — part of what they said were 200 fast-food workers who went on strike in the city....

One has to ask if the services provided by outsourcing actually provides better service? No. It provides cheap labor. Outsourcing victimizes the customer whom does not have a choice to their outcome. CEOs are very competent at taking customers as hostages to their profit margin. I did say 'margin.' A company is suppose to have expenses and the 'margin' left over is their profit. Weaseling profits from mistreatment of customers and employees should never be tolerated.

Fast food workers cannot be oursourced. Organizing as unions will work. It is not a simple accomplishment because CEOs always want to stop expenses to their profit margins. Profit margins are important, but, so are employees providing excellent service consistent with the goals of profit to stockholders.

Apple needs to defend its apps, unless of course there are copyright issues.

Editorial alliance mulls lawsuit against Apple

Updated: 2012-11-30 21:16

By Tang Yue (chinadaily.com.cn)

Print Mail Large Medium  Small 0

Apple needs to have a frank conversation with its users. Sincerely.

Updated: 2012-11-30 21:16'

By Tang Yue (chinadaily.com.cn)

An alliance of publishing houses (click here) and periodicals are considering filing lawsuits against Apple for offering pirated content of their works on its App Store, a senior official of the China Written Works Copyright Society said on Friday.

"We will support the move by the publishing houses and periodicals to defend their rights against Apple," Chen Jiangong, president of the society, said at the International Seminar on the Collective Management of Copyright in the Digital Environment held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Zhang Hongbo, director general of the society, said the lawsuit could be filed "very soon" but he declined to reveal the list of the publishing houses and the amount of the compensation.

The United States tech giant has recently been entangled in similar controversies....

A drone for aircraft carriers.

A launch crew prepares a Northrop Grumman X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator for its first land-based catapult launch in this US Navy handout photo taken at Patuxent River, Maryland Nov 29, 2012. The Navy's first-ever steam catapult launch of the pilotless X-47B ensures the vehicle can structurally handle the rigors of the aircraft-carrier environment. [Photo/Agencies]

Now, about that New Year's Eve sequester. There is a reason to stop it?

Russia believes it is being infiltrated.

Yekaterina Samutsevich in Moscow’s Zamoskvoretsky Court
18:46 30/11/2012

MOSCOW, November 30 (RIA Novosti) - Yekaterina Samutsevich, (click here) a member of the female punk group Pussy Riot, has appealed a court ruling that the group’s videos are extremist and the decision to ban access to them, the RAPSI news service reported Friday.

“Though Samutsevich is not involved in the litigation, she submitted a cassation appeal against the November 29 court ruling,” said Yevgenia Pazukhina, a spokeswoman for Moscow’s Zamoskvoretsky Court.

The judge earlier refused to grant Samutsevich’s request to consider her an interested party in the extremism case.

The court ruled on Thursday that four Pussy Riot videos, including the “punk prayer” in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral, were extremist on Thursday....

Georgia is training activists? Why? Russians don't know how to demonstrate? If Russia invades Georgia because it aggravated the issue, the USA is not sending troops.

19:09 30/11/2012

MOSCOW, November 30 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian opposition activists (click here) who were allegedly plotting to orchestrate anti-Kremlin unrest were "trained" abroad, Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said.

Markin said the opposition activists were “specially trained outside Russia to organize and carry out mass riots aimed at overthrowing the regime as happened with 'color revolutions' in other countries.”

In October, Leonid Razvozzhayev, an ally of Russian Left Front leader Sergei Udaltsov,confessed to organizing mass disorder together with other opposition members, and said the effort was bankrolled by Georgian politician Givi Targamadze.

The charges against Razvozzhayev, an aide to opposition lawmaker Ilya Ponomaryov, stem from grainy footage aired by the pro-Kremlin television channel NTV in early October....

I thought Vladimir was getting strange. Georgia needs to develop diplomatic relations with Moscow. Seriously. Georgia doesn't need to be involved with Russian activists. This is creating a Cold War that Europe will regret if it continues. Innocent people are being imprisoned for no reason. When Russia should be seeking civil rights expansion, it is now closing down any strides made toward individual freedoms.