Power is CRACK? Money buys CRACK?

"Liberal friends think I'm a Fascist; Conservative friends think I'm a Communist." 
~ John Gorelski

We are the 99%?
Elizabeth Warren vs. Libertarianism

‎"There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody. You built a factory out there—good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. … You built a factory and it turned into something terrific or a great idea—God bless, keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is [that] you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along." ~ Elizabeth Warren

...perspective...

Photo by Peter Rimar taken at Fenghuang, PRC (April 2009).
Click on image to open in a new window.

Polls? Polls. Polls!

A day without a new public opinion poll is like the month of January in North Dakota without snow. It is what it is. All the media giants (to include Faux News) love analyzing the latest poll numbers. One political poll feeds into yet another poll.

Between December 7-11, 2011, the Pew Research Center asked voters the question, "is there too much power in the hands of a few rich people and large corporations?" 77% of those surveyed said YES, while 19% stated NO.

While the #Occupy Wall Street Movement has lost its original momentum, it's clear the widespread demonstrations in September and October changed the language of the political landscape in 2012.

#Occupy Wukan?

Violent political clashes in Egypt? London burning? A nuclear crisis in Japan? Military tanks crushing government protesters in Syria while American troops leave Iraq? The Libyan people rising up against Muammar Gaddafi? #Occupy Wall Street protests in every major American city? Russians marching again on the streets of Moscow?

And the year 2011 is not quite finished...


Analysis: Democracy is like a rice cooker. When too much pressure builds up inside, excess steam is released so the cooker (i.e. society) doesn't EXPLODE.
Read More...

Update:
Wukan protesters end action after Chinese government offers concessions
December 21, 2011
Read More...

The Dog Days Are Over?

Whether or not this blogger agrees or disagrees with any or all of the specific issues being echoed by the #Occupy Movement itself is not important. One thing is clear, something is seriously wrong in America. What do WE AS A PEOPLE truly value as a country and as a society? Read More...


"I never knew daylight could be so violent
A revelation in the light of day
You can choose what stays and what fades away."
~ Florence + The Machine from No Light, No Light


In case you missed it...
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
~ First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Lord of the Rings:The Motion Picture Trilogy [Blu-ray]

Starbucks CEO pledges to stop political contributions until bipartisan bickering in Washington ends?

Just a few weeks before the grassroots efforts of a few people started #Occupy Wall Street, Howard Schultz attempted to jump start a national debate concerning the corrupting influence of corporate money on the hostile political environment on Capital Hill. It's this continued, uncompromising gridlock in Washington D.C. which is contributing to the economic uncertainty in consumer confidence and the broader financial markets.

He has a simple message:
"We deserve better".

For those who complain that OWS itself lacks anointed leaders or that business people outside the movement don't understand the serious political issues facing this country, well, it's just not true:


Here's a link which illustrates how this one CEO is translating his words and ideas into real economic action:
Create Jobs For USA

Considering his corporation has helped make Coffee popular in a 5,0000 year old, tea drinking culture, maybe this guy actually knows what he's talking about...

Starbucks Coffee Shop

July 2008

Guangzhou, PRC

Occupy Wall Street T-shirt - Black, XXXX-Large

This week in American History?

Poor Rick Perry & Michele Bachmann. Who actually remembers the Presidential Election of 1936? Alf Landon? Or his running mate Frank Knox? The latter of which went on to serve under FDR as Secretary of the Navy during World War II, but I'll leave this feel good political story for another bipartisanship kind of day.

So, what else happened THIS WEEK? The approval rating for the U.S. Congress, the bedrock of this country's democratic principals and ideals, is now in single digits. According to the latest CBS News/New York Times poll, only 9% of the American people think our representatives are actually doing a decent j-o-b. While GOP voters are still searching for a Presidential candidate to support, Congressional incumbents from both parties are wondering if they'll still have a j-o-b after the next election.
Read More...

Beyond Lindsay Lohan posing nude for Playboy, the #Occupy Wall Street Movement and the ongoing trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, one story got this Blogger's attention. While it's a story which will never appear as some future newspaper sidebar highlighting this week in American History, it's a story which reminds us all, that during this specific week, the United States is still a country at war:

CBS News
Soldier in Afghanistan killed during
14th deployment
October 25, 2011
Read More...

...reflections...

IUC Nurse at the bedside of Medal of Honor Recipient 
Marine Corporal Jason Dunham 

Ibn Sina Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq

April 2004

Photos by Peter Rimar.

#Occupy Wall Street ~ Sgt. Shamar Thomas

When the movement itself began in New York City, two things immediately got my attention. First, I was amazed. Why did it take so long for folks to finally wake up and start voicing their outrage at the political and economic corruption eating away at our country. Second, but more importantly, I was alarmed at the extremely heavy handed response local officials have taken against the protesters:


Whether or not I agree with any or all of the issues being voiced by #Occupy is not important. When the police employed violence to suppress freedom of speech, I became an active supporter of the movement.

...Americana...

Trinity Site

October 2009

White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico

#Occupy Grand Forks

Pillsbury Park

October 15th, 2011

Wall Street Journal
Income Slides to 1996 Levels?
"The income of a household considered to be at the statistical middle fell 2.3% to an inflation-adjusted $49,445 in 2010, which is 7.1% below its 1999 peak, the Census Bureau said."
Read More...

WDAY News
Grand Forks Residents Create Movement
for "Occupy Wall Street"
Read More...

#Occupy North Dakota

First Amendment to the United States Constitution



"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

“The Tea Party is very different. The Tea Party were individuals that were attempting to redress their grievances from the government that they elected. It’s not pitting one part of our country against another.”
~ House Majority Leader Eric Cantor

REALLY?

Bob, the man in the following video, attended a Tea Party Rally in Columbus, Ohio in 2010. He is 60 years old and was first diagnosed with Parkinsons 15 years ago. He has two masters degrees and a Ph.D. from Cornell. He taught at the University of Michigan and worked as a nuclear engineer:



“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.” ~ Sinclair Lewis



Note to Reader: Judging this blogger's political views based on this specific POST is like reading a single page in the middle of a book. For the record, I'm an Independent. I believe the two-party system no longer serves the interests of a vast majority of Americans. Indeed, in my view, a candidate's political affiliation and party should be left off an election ballot.

analogy [uh-nal-uh-jee]

War is like smoking. It may feel good when you start but eventually your body pays the price. ~ Peter Rimar

Geiger counter with a pack of Marlboro Cigarettes at

the Manhattan Project's original Ground Zero

Trinity Site, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico (October 2009)

#Occupy Wall Street ~ Day 18



"I'd rather be a comma then a full stop."
~ Coldplay (from Every Teardrop is a Waterfall)

V for Vendetta Mask

The American Worker?

Photo by Peter Rimar, East Grand Forks, Minnesota (October 5, 2011).
Why Unions Matter (Paperback) (See all Politics Books)

Herman Cain for President in 2012?
Up until today, beyond some soft humor about the candidate, I've refrained from writing anything serious about his candidacy. Indeed, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt regarding his views on the issues. This specific quote changed everything for this blogger:

"Don't blame Wall Street, don't blame the big banks, if you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself." ~ Herman Cain

This man is NOT ready to be President.

When asked the same question by the Joint Economic Committee, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve was able to wrap his head around the frustration being expressed by the Occupy Wall Street Movement:

“They blame, with some justification, the problems in the financial sector for getting us into this mess, and they’re dissatisfied with the policy response here in Washington. And at some level, I can’t blame them.”
~ Ben Bernanke

Let's just pretend the whole 2008 Wall Street Meltdown didn't happen. When members of the Tea Party protested against the Wall Street Bailout they were anointed as Patriots. And now, with corporations making record profits and NOT reinvesting anything back into the American economy, all of a sudden, the protesters in New York City are so-called "anti-capitalists"? Talk about political double-speak.



Even if Mr. Cain politically disagrees with the protesters, at the very least, the candidate should have acknowledged and supported the "right to peaceably assemble" protected by the First Amendment.

Hermanator Update:
(October 9,2011)
The GOP's latest Flavor of the Month is already feeling the heat for his remarks regarding the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Additionally, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is suffering from yet another case of foot-in-mouth disease. Read More...

The Candidate's Final Chapter?
(December 3, 2011)
This message was written by this blogger for Mr. Herman Cain: 

Don't blame the media, don't blame dirty politics, if you don't make money after running for President, blame the fact that you were caught "looking for love in all the wrong places".

Should politicians wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers to identify their corporate sponsors?

The following is a man-on-the-street interview about the 
Occupy Wall Street Movement 
that DID NOT make it on Faux News:


Onion News: 
Rumors that Rick Perry invited Dick Cheney to go hunting are untrue.

Bachmann Update: 
Candidate runs out-of-gas in Iowa?
Read More...

Class Warfare Update: 
Buddy Roemer is the first & only GOP Presidential candidate to issue a statement offering his support for the Occupy Wall Street Movement.
Read More...

Happy World Teachers' Day!

Photo of Chinese Classroom in Changsha, PRC by Peter Rimar (July 2009).