And the USA thought it had problems with Police Unions.

A police officer demonstrates next to a bonfire during a protest of police officers and soldiers against a new law that cuts their benefits at a police base in Quito, Ecuador on Thursday. 

I'd be a liittle PO'ed if they cut my salary.  But, I don't know if kidnapping the President of the country is the way to go. 

...It was unclear if anyone died during the rescue, although Mr. Correa said that at least five people had been wounded....

I guess he is a little worse for wear  Ecuador.  Whatever happened to the little country with the Galapagos?  Looks like Beck's PREMONITION of violence was correct, just the "W:rong country.

Wow.  Beck is like a real psychic or something, huh?  If he practices enough he might even be able to 'channel' Murdoch. 

...Miguel Carvajal, the minister in charge of internal security issues, said at least one person had been killed and several injured...

Well, that is sort of everyday stuff in some ways.  Remember the time when they almost nabbed Bush in South America?  That was so cool.  He was happy he had his body guards, too.

These Bolivarians are tough stuff.


...The chaos raised new doubts over the stability of a country that had churned through eight different presidencies in the decade before Mr. Correa was first elected in 2006. Since then, Ecuador has enjoyed relative calm, and Mr. Correa’s leftist agenda of increased state control of the oil industry and welfare programs for the poor proved popular enough that he was re-elected in 2009....

I am not really worried about INCREASED instability.  They had elections, that means something.

If they nabbed Bush we would have had to deal with Cheney, but, if that happened the stress might have sent his heart over the edge sooner.  I think it would have worked out.  Go, Nancy, Go.

I am not worried.  See, the police are annoyed.  The poor got some improvement in their status and the police had to take a hit on it.  There is always a chance Big Oil is involved in some of the unrest, too.  The President of Ecuador needs to investigate this mess.  Maybe he might ask the President of the USA to 'lend' the CIA or FBI to get to the bottom of it.  It would be interesting to know if the CIA and Big Oil are connected, too.  So, the President might want to throw Interpol into the mix instead.  That would be good.  Interpol is a better idea.  I am sure the communists will be snooping around, too.

I think he is trying to do right by the people.  Reorganizing the federal system, huh?  Hm.

That might do it, too.  You know how these burgeoning democracies are, right?  The people finally get out of the rut of oppression and hold elections to put someone who really gives a damn about them into power.  But.  Low and behold 'the elements' from the old regime that weren't elected are still hanging out at the federal level.  I don't know if that was the reason for the reorganization, but, it most likely had to do with getting rid of some old regime.  That wouldn't play well, because, the 'opposition' candidates would feel as though they were being eliminated completely.  Gone from power and influence forever.

These Presidents of the young governments in South America have to find a way to 'incorporate' the 'old regime' into the new government without threatening what APPEARS to be a complete over throw.  That isn't necessarily what 'democracy' in its purest practice is about and people tend to 'settle in' around 'ideals' in these early stages of a new style democratic government.  It is a little tricky.

Well.  The guy seems alright.  Sorry to hear people were hurt and one dead.  That is sad.  I guess with vast change these issues crop up.  I really do believe some First World countries need to help 'stabilize' this sort of mess by HELPING with investigations to get to the TRUTH and resolve the violence.  It would be nice to be an ally to a new President.  Not necessarily a 'partner' to his government, but, at least concerned for the 'stability' of it.  For the people's sake.  Their elected President.  You know?  Respect.

The Pakistanis are correct. I stated CORRECT. The USA needs to chill. They killed Pak soldiers. No joke, man.

I also do not believe Pakistan is 'suddenly' an enemy.  They are, however, paternalistically left 'out of the loop.'  Those soldiers should have known they were in the line of fire.  I do believe this is called friendly fire.  I don't believe it is appropriate and we have also witnessed attacks on NATO and UN caravans before.  So, where is Petraeus going with all this?

I'll be the first one to state, the ISI is a concern within Pakistan, but, that does not give permission to the USA and NATO to simply run rough shod over the Pakistani military.  I realize 'defense' against aggression is important, but, the USA has to ask when it is inappropriate when 'friendly fire' occurs.  Yes?

I don't believe the USA and NATO have been very inclusive of the Pakistani military, especially near the Afghan border.  Why?  Does the USA actually believe the Paki military is as much the enemy as the Taliban?  Sympathizers?  I believe General Petraeus needs to make a clear deliniation between the Paki miltary and the Taliban.  Sincerely.  They are not the same thing.

My first instinct would be to have the USA apologize, make reparations, which has to occur anyway, but, that isn't 'IT,' exactly.  These border excursions have been problematic.  I am confident the USA military has documentation or videos to justify their aggression, but, there are issues here that are being ignored and General Petraeus needs to look beyond his immediate plans to make this a partnership THAT WORKS and does not victimize.  I remind, Pakistan is under dire conditions with its populous, its military is stretched way past capacity by floods alone.  The Pakistani people have issues and I know the Taliban are taking advantage of that, but, at the same time the USA should NOT be.

Now, if General Petraeus is going to start stating Pakistan is more an enemy than an ally, he needs to realize that point of view will only cause more problems for him and the USA than not.  See, India already has problems with past Paki activities in their country.  To declare Pakistan is a problem opens up all kinds of shifts in dynamics.  I do not believe this is an aggression by Pakistan.  I do, however, believe they are being disregarded in ways that are problems for their miltary and government.

A friendly fire incident is NOT the basis of declaring another country an enemy.  And quite frankly if the USA was under attack when a caravan of supplies was approaching, I would expect the caravan to stop and reassess the region for safety.  The caravan was stopped by Pakistani military for a very good reason.  They didn't want the supplies compromised.  That's being an enemy?  Nope.  General Petraeus has some in roads to make here and he needs to do it ASAP.  I believe Pakistan WANTS to be a good, if not great ally even through its stuggles to protect and serve their own people.  The USA has been exceptionally good to Pakistan and the people are best to come to understand we are very friendly and care about them and their well being.  I believe stopping the supply caravan was the right thing to do considering the chaos that existed in the Pakistan military about their dead soldiers.  FIX IT !

McDonald's calls that health insurance? This is a non-issue.

The people work for McDonald's at their front counter have no way to really have sufficient health insurance.

These people make minimum wage and the health insurance option that is open to them have very high co-pays and deductibles.  Forget about insuring any kind of family they can't afford it.

This is classic Wall Street abuse.  I believe in local restaurants and I really don't care if McDonald's suffers with an 'image' issue.  Too bad.  They mistreat people anyway.  McDonald's has some of the highest fat content in the nation. 

They like have their cartoon characters and donation bins speak for the benevolence of the company, but, the way they mistreat their employees is hideous.

They need a McDonald House for their children, they can't afford anything else.

McDonald's charges at least $5.00 and change for any meal that is purchased and they can't afford real health insurance for their employees.

How ridiculous is it for an employee to work for 6 hours 5 days a week making minimum wage and having co-pays and deductibles that are higher than a month's salary after taxes?  They can't afford to go to the doctors so they don't subscribe to optional health insurance.  These insurance policies need to be eliminated from the market place because it places people 'at risk' for illness and dangerous disease.  Most of their employees nationwide are young people.  And quiter old people that are still working becuase Wall Street robbed them blind in 2008. 

There are definately health issues with both those groups and they have no real insurance when they enter into employment with McDonalds.  So, I hope the federal government holds them responsible for obtaining 'real insurance' for their employees.  I really wish the State Exchanges were already in place, but, it takes time.  There are going to be these 'petty' issues come up.  The employers really don't care about their employees.  They don't offer good policies that are realistic for their employees to actually use them and maintain good health and this is going to come up.  It really is a nonissue.  I wish it weren't taking until 2014 to establish much of the insurance support that is mandated.  It is a huge paradyme change.

Go get 'em, Rahm. He is the best man for the job. I hope he gets good endorsements.

I admire the Obama Administration for their openness to their staff and their movement into the private sector again.  The dynamics of this country right now has to be burning people out. 

Besides, I really believe the first two years of the Obama Administration was more a 'transitional' staff.  They have done a remarkable job for two years.  The next two proves to be just as interesting.  I believe the 'fluid' nature of the staffing in the Obama White House clearly demonstrates whom is making the decisions in the Executive Branch and that he is not dependent on advisors to carry out his responsibilities.  I love it.

Chicago could have a wonderful mayor for a long time to come.  I am happy for them.

Palidino is an illegitmate candidate and he knows it. He was ashamed of his past when his daughter should be at his side.

The Journalists involved in covering this political circus HAD to cover every aspect of these candidates and Palidino is dealing from the bottom of the deck.  He isn't trustworthy. 

The Journalist is doing the right thing no matter how vicious it sounds.  He is protecting the public from a less than honest candidate.  A child?  He denies he has a child by hiding her from the public?  Wow.  That is not what I call an honest candidate.  No one I know would ever hold the birth of a child and support of a child against any candidate if that candidate had proven he loves the child and protects, defends and supports that child.

But this?  I don't like the way it sounds and I don't like what the 'shame' Palidino has displayed will effect his own child.  He hid the truth and shows that he intended to continue to do so.  He display good character.  Very questionable motive behind his actions.

I consider the actions by Palidino to be very vicious and ruthless when it comes to being honest with the electorate.  Hidden agendas are a real problem for this party.  This is a prime example of it.

Whitman is no different.  She is angry now because she hid the truth.  What does the public have to judge a candidate by except how they handle their personal lives and interpersonal relationships.  If Whitman is saying one thing to 'subvert' the electorate into her camp while PRACTICING completely different moral content in her life, what is a voter to believe?  Darn right, it is going to effect things.

Reporter defends comments to Paladino  (click title to entry - thank you)



Public outburst making rounds on Internet


Updated: Thursday, 30 Sep 2010, 1:24 PM EDT


Published : Thursday, 30 Sep 2010, 12:40 PM EDT
Michele McClintick


Posted by: Emily Lenihan


BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - That very public outburst is making the rounds on the Internet and could have a big effect in the weeks leading up to the election.
It all happened while Carl Paladino was at the Sagamore in the Adirondacks to address the state business council, but nobody's talking about that. It's all about what he said before that speech and now his campaign may have to do damage control because of it....

Look, the Republicans had a good and decent candidate.  They threw him out.  Why?  To dominate the electoate with a man that has scruples.  Everyone understand what scruples are?  Silly word.  Silly sounding word.  Huge word..

Journalists understand what scruples are.

Scruples are an ethical consideration or principle that inhibits action.
Rick Lazio talks to reporters after speaking to the New York State Associated Press annual meeting in Colonie, N.Y., on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010. Lazio says he'll continue to be a voice in the New York governor's race, but wouldn't say if he'll drop his run on the Conservative party line against surging GOP candidate Carl Paladino and Democrat Andrew Cuomo.

I sincerely believe the Tea Party, Republicans and Murdoch have absolutely NO scruples.  Their inhibitions to 'take over' the power in DC and othewise lacks morals and commitment to the integrity of Civil Rights in the USA.

Look, I wanted MSNBC last night with that new show they have.  It is an interesting program.  Well composed in some ways. But, there was an interesting interaction between Palin and Katie Couric that everyone overlooked due to the focus on Johnson.  But it bears looking at again and I was more than pleased I was able to hear the interaction again,

The Republicans, whom are now 75% Tea Party members are chronically using the 'wedge issue' of Abortion in elections.  Did everyone HEAR what Palin said to Couric?  Sincerely hear it.  I did.  Last night I heard it and it reminded me of a statement by Bush years ago.  I am damn tired of these morons trashing the country year after year after year, so let's get this right.  Abortion is NOT a legitmate issue in the USA anymore, except, where it empowers women to live a life they choose, because, abortion is about love of a child as much as limiting child birth.  Women remove suffering from a child when they choose abortion.  Abortion is a socio-economic decision.  You'll never convince me of anything else.  EXCEPT.  In the case of incest or rape.  Making a woman or GIRL carry a child to term for the sake of 'church standards' is emotionally curelty and I don't care how a society dresses it up.

Abortion dominates race for state attorney general  (click here)
continued...


Published: Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 7:59 AM

Deborah E. Young

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As Planned Parenthood yesterday rolled out its first-ever presence in the borough with its mobile health unit in St. George, candidates in the race for state attorney general went another round on the hot-button issue of abortion.
Democratic candidate for attorney general Eric Schneiderman used the news on his challenger's home turf to jab again at Republican Daniel Donovan, Staten Island's district attorney, excerpting a comment made over the weekend during a public television interview in seeking to characterize Donovan as "extreme."...

In her interview with Katie Couric, Palin stated when commenting about "The Day After Pill" that HER PERSONAL point of view was to never use it.  In stating that, she also stated she had no right to make that decision for anyone else.  In a statement, a few years ago, "W" was addressing a group of women and I want to say it was on the lawn of the White House and was 'telephoned' in or some darn thing.  That could just be bad memory on my part, but, he definately made that statement to the Pro-Lifers at this meeting/rally.  He stated something like this, "Abortion may some day be unattainable in the USA."  In those words he encouraged the extremists that want to dominate every aspect of the American Landscape with their religious preferences, including depriving Gay Citizens their proper Civil Rights, TO KEEP AT IT.  In other words, the Republcans are the only people willing to be this intrusive into PRIVATE CITIZENS lives, so 'hang with us' and we will get it done.  SOME DAY.  How convenient.

There is no way in the USA women will ever be deprived abortion rights somewhere, except, if the Right Wing Grassroots Militias kill and bomb every clinic and hospital in the nation.  Women will seek abortions and they have to be safe.  Girls cannot be jeopardized as such young ages by their own unsophisticated decisions.  This is not ideology, it is 'keeping people alive' and productive in their own lives.  It is the way it is and Americans have rights to conduct their PRIVATE lives without intrusion.

The issue with entire 'church - state' mess is 'maintained' as a political issue in order to maintain a base, no matter how radical and how dangerous it is to the security of our domestic peace.  This has gone on for decades, but, until the Bush White House it has never manifested in a demonstrative way before.  The base of the Republicans are always complaining about their 'status' in legislation and in regard to the continuance of government at the federal level.  They are extremists.  There is about 28 to 30 percent of the total electorate of the USA.  They 'pull' other in, including Independents' by creating wedge issues that are 'popular.'  They play 'populous' issues.  The Repubicans cause issues within the social structure of the USA with violence and permission to be violent on every issue their base consents to vote on as if it were 'real' when the candidates and the RNC know full well there is way. 

It is no different than the tax cut issue.  When President Obama stated, "I just don't have the math."  He meant it.  That didn't matter.  The Republicans wants to increase the National Debt in order to win elections.  There is no other reason to fund tax cuts for the wealthiest in this country.  Those cuts are completely unconstitutional from the 'view point' that they are completely disproportionate to any tax cut of any other socio-economic class in the USA.  The Republicans have no basis for their demands.  The 'class' of people they are advocating for are supposed to be supplying small businesses with monies for jobs.  We know these small businesses aren't really 'neighborhood' businesses.  They are multi-national companies and have special status due to ownership numbers under the Tax Code.  That investigated too, but, that isn't the point.  The point is the Republicans, REGARDLESS OF THE ISSUE, always decieve people.  They can never realistically pass laws that would kill people, even if it by their own actions.  The Republicans are a huge joke.  They want to remove government from people's lives, have no taxes except to pay for the military, cast the economy to FREE MARKET no matter what hardship it causes the populous of the USA and want to have everyone live under the moral oppression of Evangelical Christianity.  So, basically, as a woman have children regardless of the ability to support them, OR, give them up to some kind of adoption issue, but, definately give birth to the little 'rug rats.'  I DON'T THINK SO.  That lacks respect for women, their needs in life, their self determination of the path of their lives and their ability to improve their lives without ridicule and to support their children into high quality lives.

Where is the morality in that?  When Gingrich pulled the rug out from under the former First Lady when we were looking at improving the health care system he didn't care about the people of this country, he pandered to Wall Street and how many died over the 16 years since it happened?  No conscious about life or the people of this country.  Who gives a damn?  Losers are losers.

Nah, I am tired of it.  We are great country and we can solve our own problems and we can do it with a good central government that finds solutions for us.  I reject the right for the Republicans and their 'Tea Party' to exist.  They are lack scruples and morals and any 'content' to conscious that actually equals Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  They are wrong and this election is showing it over and over and over again.
Enough.

The deaths of 19 journalists in a 'peacetime' Russia seems extreme. Within its own borders?

The Russian government needs to be more vigilant of the safety of its citizens even when they complain.

Russia, at some point in time, has to admit not all the 'foot soldiers' within its country are marching to the same set of rules and values.  There are 'elements' that need to be contended with.  Elements that sometimes exist 'in convenience' if not legitimacy.  

Post Oligarchy is an interesting dynamic to say the least.  I wish the President a great deal of success in purging this 'element' from his country.

UPDATE 1-Watchdog says Russia steps up efforts in media murders (click title to entry - thank you)

Thu Sep 30, 2010 11:13am EDT

...But the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it had seen a new attitude in a meeting with the head of the federal Investigative Committee, which reopened formal probes into five of the slayings and vowed to actively pursue the other cases.

"The atmosphere was different this time," CPJ board member Kati Marton told reporters in Moscow. She said the New York-based group was "impressed by the seriousness" of Investigative Committee chief Alexander Bastrykin.

Russia ranks eighth on CPJ's "Impunity Index", a listing of countries where journalists are killed regularly and governments fail to solve the crimes. The CPJ says there have been 19 unsolved murders since 2000, when Vladimir Putin came to power....

Anna Politkovskaya - In Memoriam one year later (click here)

Published 07 October, 2007, 23:16

...Members of her family and colleagues from Novaya Gazeta went to the cemetery where she is buried. Her colleagues also joined a rally at Pushkin Square and later made their way to her apartment....

I swear Nixon should never have made the age of majority 18.

No respect for life.  

No respect for privacy.  

No respect for each other.  

And we call a society?  

I don't think so.

The USA needs to go back to being 'real people' with each other, rather than commodities available for Plutocratic election fodder.  The reason this happened at all is because of the complete rejection of the Gay Community.  

Mr. Tyler was in his new 'single' life ready to take on the challenge of launching into manhood on his own terms and his roommates made a game out of it.  What their purpose was will be their waterloo.  The family needs to file a lawsuit against not only the people that did this, but, the companies that profit off displays of this mess, including the equipment companies that provided the means to film it in the first place.  I'd never let them get away with it.

Sounds like Rutgers has a real rats nest of a problem.  This type of invasion of privacy is allowed in rooms?  No regulations regarding these devises?  Everything goes, huh? 

I am tired of hearing how 'it won't stop it anyway?'  That was George Bush's America whereby government is nothing and nobody.  If one doesn't regulate it AND enforced rules and regs, then I guess it never will be stopped.  Those Social Networking sites are nothing but trouble.  They are invasion of privacy from the beginning.  They enforce 'social order.'  This is an example. 

My deepest sympathies for the family of Tyler Clementi.  Wonderful young man and sincere loss to those that knew him and loved him.

I am quite sure the FBI didn't need to 're-enact' the potential for the Times Square Bomb. It is video evidence for the trial.

Faisal Shahzad

FBI releases video of what Times Square car bomb could have done (click here)

Go, Pakistan !

Accomplice of Times Square plotter arrested in Pakistan  (click title to entry - thank you)
Pakistani security forces have arrested a man who allegedly helped in the training of Faisal Shahzad, the accused in the failed Times Square bombing case. Faisal Abbasi, a major link between Shahzad and Pakistani Taliban chief Hakeemullah Mehsud, was nabbed while he was travelling from Waziristan to Islamabad, sources said on Thursday....