OPEC needs to ask its customers what they are doing to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions?

That was GREENHOUSE GAS emissions.

OPEC needs to demand a reduction in GREENHOUSE GAS emissions from its customers. Seriously. That is a REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GASES, not simply a change in strategy to produce the petroleum domestically while still receiving imported oil.

The people of Saudi Arabia are unhappy about their future as their oil reserves are exported at a faster and faster rate. They want a future for their children and it is not just about the heat in the desert.

Indonesian Rainforests won't hold up as carbon sinks forever if there continues to be a lack of water vapor at the Intertropical Convergence Zone. 

OPEC needs to find LEADERSHIP and not just profits.

The USA is looking for a Progressive Female Director? I've got one for you. (click title of entry for official website - thank you)

Where are the nominations for Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Picture?

Somehow, when the only available boyfriends belong to a gang or when those gang member's childhood is marred with criminal content in a drug economy, the choices for a life strategy are minimal. Somehow, becoming that doctor was too much of a postponement for him in his own definition of masculinity. 

It is an excellent picture. 

The content of the community is incredible. Under every advantage society afforded them, the people in this movie failed to achieve their dreams. At every turn, they imploded into their reality as adults.

The Democrats are correct. Those are not partisan words.

The Democrats have been carrying the dialogue OF PROBLEMS regarding the USA for over three-quarters of a CENTURY.

It is time to realize the nightmares they have been talking about have arrived.  The reality of THAT TRUTH is not enough. The Republicans are seeking to turn loose every aspect of indecency as an insult to civility as a political advantage. We cannot do that anymore. We really can't.

Reconciling the dialogue with Republican Insurgents/Extremists is not the path we all need. They need to come to their knees of reality and get over themselves. It is the only path. Heck, get rid of McConnell in 2014. We can't afford him or his type anymore for reasons of reality. It is just the way it is. We cannot afford the regressive agenda of the GOP. We really can't. Fact. Not fiction.

The Brave New World of inclusion of all the people of the USA is the only way to move forward. Oppressing reality through the oppression of the dialogue and the people is not the reality we can afford anymore.

In immigration, one of the aspects noted to be a so called 'selling point' for encouraging Republicans to sign on to legislation is to ask for back taxes. NO WAY. There needs to be a 'means test' for any 'asking' for back taxes. Back taxes is a huge hurdle to people already working within the USA economy. It is outrageous to ask the poor, after inclusion, to remain poor.

We need to get on with all this. Today. Not the next decade.

With the Third World facing problems of the infiltration of terrorists nations and the Climate Crisis having arrived, the Democrats can proudly state they never lied to the American people. They have carried the message of truth for nearly a century.

With respect to a chained - CPI for SSI: NO! A means test is necessary and a structured benefit based on that means test is FIRST required.

In introducing a Chained CPI to SSI there needs to be a means testing attached to it. A Chained CPI is too much to ask of the poor. This is the elderly and the disabled. How are they going to do to fight back from a fixed income falling in value against the cost of living? It is hideous. It is completely immoral and unrealistic.

The Democrats need to work with the Entitlement's Actuaries to find effectiveness it extending the integrity of SSI, Medicare and Medicaid. They need to apply Means Testing and a Chained CPI with Means Testing and move forward in the understandings that brings.

Tax Reform is a requirement in the USA. The longer there are loopholes,the longer there will be strategies around paying taxes.

The USA needs a poverty agenda. It needs a poverty agenda domestically and internationally. 

Domestically, we know when people are in poverty they cannot improve their quality of life or increase economic growth. That has to change. 

Internationally, the global community and all the ongoing summits need to include in their priorities changing the outcomes of programs that enforce poverty rather than destroy it. The world cannot go on forever committing vast sums of monies to Third World countries after disaster hits or in post-war reparations. Each country has to have a sustainable economy built to elevate their living standard. They need to have their sovereignty granted to them. Finally, they need to participate in real world scenarios of economic growth. Each nation needs to have a self supporting economy with only a percentage of it coming from trade with others. 

China is an example of how The West fails itself, both, in their customer base in the USA and in a self-supporting economy within China. China needs to address its' internal economy as it addresses its dual monetary policy. These changes are important, but, in the case of China it needs to ease into a new paradigm of economic growth. 

The Chinese leadership has been addressing that in recent speeches to global audiences. As its internal economic stability improves, it can scale back its exports and increase stability. China cannot continue on an export economy only. It is a huge whole in its national security. The USA can 'tool up' overnight for economic growth because of its education infrastructure. But, China does not have that ability and IN THAT is the reality it is very vulnerable from economic shifts.

The Chinese CAN address its dual monetary reality. As they bring about a growth economy within the country, they can introduce its international currency as a new hope for the people. They can begin to trade in small quantities their old currency for the new. It will provide a point of hope for the future of China as seeking to participate in a solidly real way as a global economic power. Small increments have to happen otherwise China will see an economy of money exchange as now exists in IRAN. Fear of losing their day to day coping through vast money changes to each Chinese family will cause pandemonium there. Small introductions to new currency will work and increase the sovereign strength of China.

As China seeks to stabilize and grow its infrastructure, QUALITY of their products has to be on it's agenda. There have to be reassurances their 'health' products and 'food' products meet standards to nations they are trading with, otherwise, their markets will be removed though lack of consumer base by the choices those consumers make rather than simply what is available.

Russia just needs to keep doing what it is doing. I like Medvedev. Putin has to stop taking on the mantle of the angry communist.  

Look, when the old Soviet Union under Kruschev invaded countries it didn't go over well. It didn't go over well anywhere including the invaded country. In the long run, the invasions caused huge ethnic divides as factions against the invasion looked for points of strength to oppose it. 

Medvedev left the mighty Kruschev and his war machine behind. He went to nations willing to have him in diplomacy and built alliances. Medvedev let the nation in alliance with Russia to work with its people. Come on Vladimir. Tomorrow is about stability, not war. The planet cannot handle this mess between The West and The East anymore. AND, while Russia can counter its carbon footprint with its vast wilderness, the Russia carbon footprint increases with oil exports. Hello?

Oh, one more thing. Put up a memorial to Kruschev. The USA does to its leaders regardless of how malicious they have been. Why deny responsibility? 

Vladimir. Do me a favor? When talking to Cameron, will you ask him to stop being a imperial power and talking down to the colonies. They aren't colonies anymore!

Earth is a planet with an atmosphere. Anyone looking for water vapor for the Intertropical Convergence Zone? There are scientists that believe they have found it and it is not coming back any time soon.

January 21, 2013

...Polar mesospheric (click here) clouds have been observed from all human vantage points in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres—from the surface, in aircraft, and from the International Space Station (ISS) —and tend to be most visible during the late spring and early summer. Some atmospheric scientists seek to understand their mechanisms of formation, while others have identified them as potential indicators of atmospheric changes resulting from increases in greenhouse gas concentrations....

As a point of FACT, the Intertropical Convergence Zone has't recovered since the most recent disruption of it while Australia is still burning.

We don't need politics in regard to the Climate Crisis, we need leadership and we need it now!

The USA has to go forward with the Sequester.

Four decades of Republican strategy for our National Defense is completely wrong going forward.

The Republicans have no ideas. They just don't. Their answer is to do as they have always done. They postpone and postpone and postpone GOVERNING to pander to cronies.

By Billy House and Chris Frates

Updated: January 18, 2013 | 1:34 p.m.
January 17, 2013 | 5:42 p.m.

...House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., (click here) said Republicans at a closed-door retreat in Williamsburg were weighing a short-term increase in the country’s borrowing limit, giving all sides time to work on a broader fiscal plan in March that would include substantial spending cuts.

“Sometimes you’ve got to lay down a sacrifice bunt,” said Rep. Dennis Ross of Florida about the debt ceiling increase. He said there was a realization among his House GOP colleagues that they had to be ready to deal when negotiations began....

The MILITARY SEQUESTER will require furloughs where as the DOMESTIC SEQUESTER will mean non-profits have to double their efforts to address the condition of the poor. Let the furloughs begin, because, it is not going to be the same anyway.

There is absolutely no use in moving forward in the same manner we have for decade after decade since Eisenhower for a National Defense for the USA. The USA is not going to shed blood in order to be the world police anymore.

The USA has witnessed a huge error in it's National Defense when Algeria came forward to handle the insult to it's sovereignty. There has been gross negligence of Third World countries to live in the same century The West does. As a result, countries like Iran and North Korea have put nuclear weapons before the well being of their own people. NO MORE! If that strategy continues, the USA will be in a hemisphere full of nuclear weapons. THAT IS NOT A NATIONAL DEFENSE. That is not a strategy, that is Wall Street and Republicans with no ideas.

As witnessed with Algeria, The West needs to move into a DIPLOMATIC PROMISE to move forward with the Third World rather than without them. We need to bring aid and alliance to these nations. I am quite sure Russia and China has already tried. 

The USA military's strategy in the Third World by rolling in a huge military machine to secure things back home is no longer a real solution and to ignore that is not only a mistake, it will bring war to the USA borders.

No more nukes.

Non-proliferation and MEANING IT!

Alliances of strength where the USA actually elevates the people of other nations and is appreciated for it. Rather than nation's cowering in fear and seeking weapons to level the playing field.

No more! Absolutely no more!

Since World War I the USA has sought weaponry to protect itself from war. It has fought wars in foreign lands. There is no nation on Earth that wants war. Other nations want to prosper, but, every time they begin the most minor of hope to that end they are invaded because their resources are fought over by rebels and their achievements are removed and destroyed. What could have happened in Algeria could have begun a world war in the long view.

No.

The Third World has to be addressed. Nations need their sovereignty guaranteed to them and a global peace has to be envisioned and sought. The ICONS of peace these days are Nuclear Treaties between Russia and the USA, Olympics now known to have been contaminated by Wall Street and G20, G8 and G, G, G, meetings as an expression of success toward that peace.

IT IS NOT ENOUGH.

Real measurable peace going forward is to realize there is STABILITY throughout the world with BENEVOLENT leaders. Leaders willing to live with the hopes and dreams of their people and not oppress them. In a chronic global conversation, there is no oppression anymore. In places where cell towers do not yet exist, there is profound misunderstanding of reality and the next burgeoning war when people organize with al Qaeda to overcome their ineffective and hideous government. That is exactly what has occurred in Mali. 

In Mali, a grossly impoverished people turned to the only force available to them to stop the hideous killing of their holy men by an ineffective government. The USA can't afford that anymore, as if it ever could. Those deaths directly interpreted into a rebel force moving into Algeria. Ultimately those deaths IN REAL MONEY equates to billions and billions of war planes, bombs and blood and treasure the USA can no longer afford. 

We need to turn to a far different venue of National Defense called PEACE. We need to teach the Republicans how to spell it in case they don't know how to do that. 

So, the military sequester is correct and important in reducing the hideous amount of money the USA now spends on a National Defense WITHOUT a strategy so much as the backing of Wall Street. The USA needs to pivot from it's path of disaster for it's children and to a place where it can flourish while containing damage to it's only planet.

Call me crazy, but, the ATF needs a Director. I am sure Senator Grassley would agree.

I don't know about anyone else, but, pointing a figure as Attorney General

Holder in the light of this new information and realizing there has been no 

director for this agency for a half decade or more simply because CONGRESS
would not allow it, clearly illustrates how very dysfunctional Congress has become.

And for the Wall Street Journal that wants to state this promotes the NRA position. Like, huh, what? Where does that come from? This agency is in dire need of a director. Hello?

The Body Count in the USA since the Sandy Hook tragedy is more than 1500 today (click here).


Updated January 17, 2013, 8:12 p.m. ET

By EVAN PEREZ

WASHINGTON—A former federal official (click here) who helped oversee an ill-fated effort to stem gun trafficking is under investigation for allegedly carrying on a private trade in firearms—a potential new blow to the agency that is poised to play a big role in the administration's gun-control efforts.

The official's alleged private gun trade came to light when Mexican authorities asked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to trace the origin of firearms found at the scene of an hours long gunfight in November between members of the Mexican military and suspected drug-cartel gunmen, according to U.S. law-enforcement officials. Among those killed in the fight was a Mexican beauty queen, authorities said.

The investigation is being conducted by the inspector general of the Justice Department, which houses the ATF. In recent weeks, the internal watchdog told Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) in a letter that it is investigating the gun purchases by George Gillett, the former No. 2 official in the ATF's Phoenix office. The letter was viewed by The Wall Street Journal.

One pistol recovered near the scene professional of the November shootout in Mexico was allegedly purchased by Mr. Gillett, according to ATF records that Sen. Grassley cited in a letter to the Justice Department's inspector general....

Just as a reminder to Congress.

This was the National Mall today, 2013. You know, you been to one Obama inaugural, you been to 'em all.

National Mall, January 20, 2009

Okay, honeymoon is over. Hey, I am impressed. The NRA certainly knows were to draw the line when arming a nation against each other.

You know. If I were arming an angry 15 year old desensitized to love and affection and thinking of human beings as human beings rather than objects; I'd want him to have a military style weapon. Absolutely. You know, why leave anyone behind? The grieving. The questioning as to why. Get it over with. Carry out that Oedipus complex in an expedient way and be happy. Could not have done it better with the American society if I tried. I mean, take it from me, there is a level of humanity in that. "They shoot horses, don't they?"

Impressive. Mass burials. Before ya know it, entire communities will have no pain when it is all over.

By Matt Pearce

January 20, 2013, 9:18 p.m.

Five people killed in a weekend shooting at an Albuquerque home (click here)  included a volunteer fire chaplain and three "very young children," officials said Sunday. A 15-year-old family member was arrested and charged with the slayings.

"Multiple weapons were apparently used, including one assault rifle," Bernalillo County Sheriff Dan Houston told reporters in a televised news conference.

Deputies responded to the house on Saturday night. The victims -- which included two girls and a boy -- were each apparently shot multiple times.

In a statement late Sunday, the sheriff's office identified the victims as Greg Griego, his wife Sara, and the children: Zephania, 9; Jael, 5; and Angelina, 2, the Associated Press reported.

Sheriff's spokesman Aaron Williamson confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that the suspect is 15-year-old Nehemiah Griego, who has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder and three counts of child abuse resulting in death.

One of those killed was Greg Griego, who was identified as Nehemiah's father in a biography that has since been removed from the website of the Albuquerque Calvary Church. A church leader told KOB-TV that Griego, a pastor, had taken a leave of absence from the church last year....

I did not see one Republican President there today. We didn't have First Lady Barbara or First Lady Laura there either. It was noticed.

I hope all are well and in good spirits.

I did notice President Carter, but, I didn't see First Lady Rosalynn. She may have been there, but, I didn't see her though.

Then of course President Clinton and Secretary Clinton was there.

It was a great day. I loved it. I loved the theme and the speeches were incredible.

Today was a pitch perfect day.

I was so proud to be an American. President Obama was inaugurated on Martin Luther King, Jr. It could not be better.

It was just a great day. There isn't anything else to say. It was a great day for all Americans if they cared to realize what truly, truly great country the USA actually is. 

It was an incredible day.

A moral man in the White House.

President Obama has brought the United States of America hope. It is up to the people to stand with him to further the nation forward to the promise given to us as a birthright.

I'll be busy all day tomorrow.

Considering the expediency this was dealt with and the hundreds of lives saved, Algeria should be congratulated and THANKED.

I never thought Algeria was up to it. Their forces performed remarkably. I don't recall hearing of one military casualty. I could be wrong, but, I believe the Algerians were in control the entire time. They knew what they were doing and did it well.

Alleged hostage-taker Abdul Rahman al-Nigeri.
Updated 1 hour 18 minutes ago

Algerian special forces (click here) on Saturday moved in to end the siege in a "final assault" on the BP-owned In Amenas gas complex, in the Sahara desert, where the hostages were being held.

The sequence of events remains unclear but by the end of the operation authorities said 11 militants still at the plant were dead, along with seven foreign hostages.

Since the crisis began last week, at least 23 hostages and 32 militants have been killed.

At least five Britons, five Norwegians and 10 Japanese remain unaccounted for....

NATO could not have done anything about this in the time frame Algeria responded and there would be many more dead and missing than exists today.

Algeria needs to be concerned about the security of it's southern border and how best to minimize infiltration of terrorists again. I think they might be open to suggestions, funding and help. I could be wrong about that though.

The Petroleum Industry is stepping up the drilling in North Dakota since the earthquake was linked to the drilling.

This was from an entry on Facebook.

The petroleum industry is worried about their activity actually having consequences and they won't get their money out of it. So they are kicking their operations in North Dakota into high gear. By doing so they will increase the injection fluid quantity in the ground and cause more frequent earthquakes leading to greater seismic activity.

This activity has nothing to do with need or availability or market supply. It is pure greed. No respect for anything except the money that can be made.

I really, really mean it when I state the petroleum industry is stupid without a conscience.

I guess the reality of the floating oil disaster in the dead of winter off the Alaskan coast was too much for them. Really stupid without conscience.

As you may know, Cruz Construction started a division in North Dakota just six months ago. 

They sent every Kenworth (nine trucks) we had here in Alaska to North Dakota and several drivers.

They just bought two new Kenworth's to add to that fleet; one being a Tri Drive tractor and a new 65-ton lowboy to go with it.

They also bought two new cranes (one crawler & one rubber tired) for that division.

Dave Cruz said they have moved more rigs in the last six months in ND than Cruz Construction moved in Alaska in the last six years.

Williston is like a gold rush town; they moved one of our 40-man camps down there since there are no rooms available.

Unemployment in ND is the lowest in the nation at 3.4 percent, last checked.

See anything in the national news about how the oil industry is fueling North Dakota's economy?

Here's an astonishing read of important and verifiable information:

About six months ago, the writer was watching a news program on oil and one of the Forbes Bros. was the guest.

The host said to Forbes, "I am going to ask you a direct question and I would like a direct answer. How much oil does the U.S. have in the ground?"
Forbes did not miss a beat, he said, "more than all the Middle East put together."

The U. S.. Geological Service issued a report in April 2008 that only scientists and oil men knew was coming, but man was it big.

It was a revised report (hadn't been updated since 1995) on how much oil was in this area of the western 2/3 of North Dakota,
western South Dakota, and extreme eastern Montana.

Very shallow seismic activity. It is completely related to injection water and chemical erosion of the rock.

The depth listed on the MBMG (click here) website is 0.7 kilometers, equivalent to 0.4 miles. It was distanced as 14 miles north of Arnegard and 14 northeast of Alexander.

Ya, just got to love the idiocy. "Let's do it again, Bubba, that was fun!"

Check THIS out:

The Bakken is the largest domestic oil discovery since
Alaska 's Prudhoe Bay , and has the potential to
eliminate all American dependence on foreign oil. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates it at 503 billion barrels. Even if just 10% of the oil is recoverable ( 5 billion barrels), at $107 a barrel, we're looking at a resource base worth more than $5.3 trillion.

"When I first briefed legislators on this, you could practically see their jaws hit the floor."

They had no idea.." says Terry Johnson, the Montana Legislature's financial analyst.

"This sizable find is now the highest-producing onshore oil field found in the past 56 years," reports The Pittsburgh Post Gazette .

It's a formation known as the Williston Basin, but is more commonly referred to as the 'Bakken.'

It stretches from Northern Montana, through North Dakota and into Canada.

For years, U. S. oil exploration has been considered a dead end. 

Ya think?

Even the 'Big Oil' companies gave up searching for major oil wells decades ago.

However, a recent technological breakthrough has opened up the Bakken's massive reserves, and we now have access of up to 500 billion barrels. And because this is light, sweet oil, those billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16 PER BARREL !!!!!!

That's enough crude to fully fuel the American economy for 2041 years straight.

And if THAT didn't throw you on the floor, then this next one should - because it's from 2006 !!!

U.. S. Oil Discovery - Largest Reserve in the World

Stansberry Report Online - 4/20/2006

Hidden 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky Mountains lies the largest untapped oil reserve in the world.

It is more than 2 TRILLION barrels. On August 8, 2005 President Bush mandated its extraction.

In three and a half years of high oil prices none has been extracted.

With this motherload of oil, why are we still fighting over off-shore drilling?

They reported this stunning news:

We have more oil inside our borders, than all the other proven reserves on earth.

Here are the official estimates:

8 times as much oil as Saudi Arabia,

18 times as much oil as Iraq,

21 times as much oil as Kuwait,

22 times as much oil as Iran,

500 times as much oil as Yemen,

and it's all right here in the Western United States !!!

HOW can this BE? HOW can we NOT BE extracting this? Because the environmentalists and others have blocked all efforts to help America become independent of foreign oil!
Again, we are letting a small group of people dictate our lives and our economy. WHY?

James Bartis, lead researcher with the study says we have more oil in this very compact area
than the entire Middle East, more than 2 TRILLION barrels untapped. That's more than all the proven oil reserves of crude oil in the world today, reports The Denver Post .

Don't think 'OPEC' will drop its price even with this find? Think again! It's all about the competitive marketplace, it has to.

Think OPEC just might be funding the environmentalists?

Got your attention yet? Now, while you're thinking about it, do this:

Pass this along. If you don't take a little time to do this, then you should stifle yourself the next time you complain about gas prices. By doing NOTHING, you forfeit your right to complain.

Now I just wonder what would happen in this country if every one of you sent this to every one in your address book.

The biggest con job of all times was when T. Boon Pickens (click here) went to the National Clean Energy Summit and promised Wind Energy was the next greatest energy source in the country.

Then Boone turns around and says, wind and solar are just not cost effective.

Now, I ask you, does a man worth more than the USA Treasury say anything that he doesn't already know how it is going to turn out.

Con man extraordinare.

Before Mr. T. Boone "Slick" Pickens has a chance to roll his millions-billions and put himself out there for public appearance to rehab his image and say how much he loves his grandchildren; there is this.

T Boone Pickens Stock Picks for 2013 (click here)

BP Capital

Last Update: 2012-11-14

Halliburton Company

Valero Energy Corpor...

SandRidge Energy Inc

Anadarko Petroleum C

Southwestern Energy 

Arch Coal Inc

Consol Energy Inc

Transocean Ltd

National Oilwell Var

Canadian Natural Res

McMoRan Exploratio

Weatherford Interna

Apache Corporation

Occidental Petroleum.

Dawson Geophysical C

NRG Energy Inc

Calpine Corp

Laredo Petroleum Hol...

Not one wind company. Not one solar company. Halliburton is at the top of his list. Now. Who is he in bed with really?

By the way, this can be verified. Check it out at the link below !!!
http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911> ; <http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asID=1911>http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911<http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911> >

Cruz Construction:
http://www.cruzconstruct.com/ ; <http://www.cruzconstruct.com/services..php> ;
"Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference."

US energy is not based on what is possible, what is best or what will provide the best future for our children. US energy is dictated by power brokers and no one else.

"Drill, babe, drill"

"Drill here, drill now"

There have been many firsts surrounding the Presidential inauguration from times past.

Pam Panchak / Post-Gazette

Ruth and Bob Sasser, (click here) left, from Upper St. Clair and Marva Williams from Penn Hills assemble care packages for military families in Pittsburgh at the Homewood AME Zion church in Homewood as part of the National Day of Service in honor of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1809. Dolley Madison held the first inaugural ball with James on her arm. The tickets were $4.00 and 400 people attended. Given the cost of inflation that was a very expensive date. The gala was considered a great event for the country.

In 1909, Helen Taft became first, First Lady to ride in the Presidential Inaugural Parade. Previously, the outgoing and elected Presidents rode in the parade together. First Lady Taft decided she would take a seat next to William Howard and a new tradition was born.

In 1961, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy was considered first to dress for success. Televisions were relatively new to the country and weren't common place until the late 1950s. The televisions in homes were black and white. So, the First Lady wanted to be easy to find in a crowd of dark coats, so she wore a pale gray-beige wool coat with two oversized buttons and a matching pill box hat. 

It wasn't until 1965 the First Lady held the Bible for the swearing in of the President. The First Couple was Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Byrd. Previous to Lady Byrd, the bible was held by a clerk of the Supreme Court assisting the Chief Justice.

And last, the Bible was not always the book of choice for the inauguration's swearing in. In 1825, John Quincy Adams, of the Democratic - Republican Party, swore on a book of law with the intention that he was swearing on the Constitution of the United States of America. Theodore Roosevelt did not use a Bible or book of any kind when taking the oath of office in 1901.

So, given tradition is often dictated or noted surrounding the Presidential Inauguration, the National Day of Service in commemoration of Dr. King may very well become a new tradition in the USA. At the very least, it will be noteworthy to history.

Mark Sanford has a very poor track record in governing.

Mark Sanford, when he was found to be in South America, became a large disappointment to a group of people well invested in his career. Now, one has to ask why would anyone be that upset over a single governor, but, that power structure behind Sanford exits. Sanford wasn't going to disappear forever. It was written in the sanskrit.

BY ED VOGEL
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU

Posted: Apr. 21, 2010 | 11:11 a.m.
Updated: Apr. 22, 2010 | 7:57 a.m.

...Nine of the 11 worst governors (click here) in CREW's opinion are Republicans, including Schwarzenegger and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. Democratic Govs. David Paterson of New York and Bill Richardson of New Mexico also are on the list.

Peter Bjork, a spokesman for the organization, said CREW reviewed the records of all 50 governors in developing the list.

"We are nonpartisan," he said. "We go after both parties equally. If any Democrat or Republican governors were left off the list, we would like to hear suggestions."

CREW calls itself a nonprofit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions.

Like Gibbons, two other governors on the worst list, have been accused of infidelity....

Sanford didn't win by a huge margin when first elected as Governor. It wasn't a squeaker, but, it was only about 5 or 6 percent. The point is his chance of winning in the US House again is going to be effected by his lying and infidelity. It was believed Sanford won his governorship because of a fund raising advantage, not the content of his character or his policy agenda for South Carolina. Sanford can be defeated with sufficient funding for the other candidate.

Sanford also had a high unemployment rate, something like 9.5%. He refused the monies from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. He was confronted by the South Carolina legislature after which he relented and requested $700 million from the ARRA.

Sanford stayed through the second term of his Governorship, but, after his infidelity was learned of it didn't help his approval ratings. Oddly or maybe not so oddly, the longer he stayed in the Governorship the more his approval rating dropped.

By fitsnews

August 27, 2010

...According to a new Rasmussen Reports poll, (click here) Sanford’s approval rating currently stands at 47 percent. Meanwhile, 51 percent of South Carolinians disapprove of his job performance. That’s obviously not a favorable position from which to launch another bid for public office – although multiple sources close to the governor tell FITS that’s exactly what Sanford is hoping to do....

...Oh well, guess that whole “dishonesty thing” (a.k.a. “I was hiking the Appalachian Trail“) continues to dog him...

The 'thing' with infidelity is the understanding it is an insubordination to the marriage. It is not accepted with acclaim in the USA. Most Americans find infidelity a failure of character. While most people accept infidelity as a personal issue with most elected officials, it does taint the character of a person asking to be re-elected or elected to office again.

The infidelity is not the only character issue with Sanford either. While he was indulging his sexual passions for a woman, he disappeared. People didn't know where he was. If the legislator so desired, they could have impeached him for that reason alone.

Sanford's character issues go beyond that. Speaking to his 'Star Chamber' elections, he abused his power in office for personal benefit and those of his friends. He also violated campaign finance laws when failing to report in-kind contributions and using campaign monies for personal use. Wasn't it he that had to pay back monies to the state or something like that. 

But, he is a fairly shady guy. He really should not be returned to government. If the former first couple of South Carolina is having financial trouble in providing for their comfort and their children and his return to office would satisfy that problem (pure speculation, but, not unreasonable to believe); Jenny Sanford should have run. She has far greater dignity and moral content than her ex-husband. Seriously. She is a heck of a mom, too.

Sandy Hook Actors, Department of Homeland Security Conducted Training in...

This is a set of media insults propagated by Pro-Gun Zealots stating the parents appearing for interviews were "Crisis Actors," from Homeland Security (click here).

Some of this mess is on Facebook and yes, people are actually buying into this. They don't care there are children dead, they are focusing on the anti-government theme to promote defeat of any new gun laws.

How is it the deceased get lost to this level of distraction? There is no reverence for the dead?

The American society is defined by the individual. In that, is the understanding we are all responsible for our own actions. We also define our culture as freedom. The individual is provided a great deal of freedom, including bullying. Actions, even within a great deal of freedom, have consequences. Here again, actions are a part of individual responsibility within our culture of freedom. No different than a car accident whereby there are consequences for 'real property.' Individual actions are like car accidents when they collide and cause emotional and psychological damage.

Living in a human body is an array chemical reactions, including what occurs within our nervous systems and thoughts. They are biochemical interactions, so therefore, there is a physical component to psychological damage. Dispair and stress is not simply intangible. It is real. It is palpable and there are actions by others that can impact the psychi. Fact. Not fiction.

24 Vand. L. Rev. 217 (1970-1971) Civil Liability for Causing Suicide: A Synthesis of Law and Psychiatry; Schwartz, Victor E. 

If suicide is a deliberate act, (click here) intentional act by an individual, how can one person be "civilly liable for the suicide of another?" The paradox suggested by this question has caused many courts to shy away from imposing civil liability for causing suicide. In certain situations, however, a growing number of courts are permitting recovery. Since suicide is on the increase both in numerical terms and in rank as a cause of death in the United States, it can be expected that even more tort claims will be brought by parties attempting to fix civil responsibility on someone other than their beloved decedent.

There are levels of stress that are somewhat invisible. Psychiatrists over the decades have established a profound understanding that interaction and actions of people are not spontaneous, so much as a product of our physiology and life experiences. Nature vs. Nurture. Are we one or the other or is PERSONALITY a combination of both?

Personality is so very tangible in psychology there are Personality Disorders considered diagnosis of which treatment is established. So, the idea a person is set on a path that will ultimately result in a prescribed outcome is completely invalid. People know that as a matter of living, however, there are sound practices of science and applied science called medicine and psychology to prove it. Proof after all is where our courts are established. Justice has to have concrete definition in the USA.

Posted: 01/18/2013 10:11 pm
Aaron Swartz committed suicide last week. (click here)  He was 26, a genius and my friend. Not a really good friend, but someone I had worked with off and on for 11 years, liked a lot, had laughed with frequently, occasionally shaken my head over and deeply admired. When I first met him he looked like this....

Life is complicated. Not only is it complicated, it can be acted on to be more or less complicated by dynamics of living. All that living is a dynamic chemical soup of chemicals and BALANCE.

Thoughts can be directed by imbalances in thinking. The most stressful times in a person's life is often when new things happen. We are surprised and adrenaline kicks in. Fight or flight. Right? So, the human body is set for survival. Often, our visual fields are more important to our survival instincts. People involved in stressful work, such as soldiers train themselves to be reliant on other aspects of senses of hearing, touch and the like. So, the mind is an incredible organ. It dominates the outcomes of the body. There is value in mental health and RESPECTING the limits of the human condition.

The human condition can be acted on by stressors out of control of a person's life. In 2008, the global population experienced a huge surprise. Alarming. Survival in a civilized world came at populous of many nations like a runaway railroad train. There was dearly nothing anyone could do to stop it. It was happening and in the USA and in the global community we were graced in our lives with a new President with dedication and the ABILITY to take on this huge challenge.

Within the USA, why would President Obama seek to extend unemployment relief, support students, provide food stamps and encourage government spending? He didn't create the problem and by every measure in the USA individuals are responsible for themselves and their lives. He did so because without compassion and identifying the stressors the American people were facing there would a great deal of adverse outcome for them. Right? So, a sense of well being, even as far as where the next meal is coming from is very important.

I don't know the particulars of living for Aaron Swartz, but, he was a human being. I am familiar with his passion. I am not going to debate his stand on a very important issue. Freedom. Freedom of speech is reliant on education. So, there is merit to his focus.

He death was not expected by anyone in his social circles. In his personal life. It was a surprise. Some of the most determined suicides are unexpected and very insidious. It is that insidious nature most important to understand in knowing where the actions of a prosecutor caused Aaron his life. And, yes, I stated 'caused Aaron his life.'

Legal authority is powerful. It is as powerful as a runaway economic train. If that level of stress could cause individuals within a society adverse outcomes, it will cause a person despair leading to suicide. 

People die of suicide for what others perceive as silly. Life is suppose to be so much more valuable than anything else. But, to those effected by stressors life itself becomes less valuable and less valuable as they realize they are unworthy of it.

Suicide is not a minor issue. It is a mental health issue. Stressors causing deterioration of mental health are very important to understand. Those that administer the law are suppose to be well educated. Educated well enough to know what their actions are causing in reaction to those prosecutions.

Aaron Swartz was very high profile. He was an activist. He was a leader. His responsibility to his peers was huge. There is every indication the stressors in his life were out of control to the point where any person experiencing them would result in deterioration of mental health.

The prosecutor in this case knew exactly what she was doing and how hard she was pushing. He was a non-violent protester to a huge institutionalized paradigm with nearly impossible odds to change. His actions were to bring about focus and movement within society in a way to benefit the entire of society and not destroy it.

It is the prosecutor causing Aaron Swartz death. The prosecutor needs to be removed from her position, investigated and assessed to her ability to actually handle the public's interest for their best outcome. She is irresponsible within her capacity, abusive to people in her charge. Her prosecution and/or civil torts need to go forward. The case is there to be made.