FILTER

Politics: Privacy vs. Safety

We Americans are getting very close to the point where you can't get on an airplane without someone seeing you naked (virtually).  Personally, I'm all for safety/security and hope nobody gets on another flight with ill intentions.  On the other hand, I think adding another security hurdle at airports, especially one that infringes further on my privacy, is something that should concern me.  Why do airlines get all these 'safety measures' while other validly potential terror targets get completely ignored?  London was rocked by bombings in their subway and buses. There was a hotel in Bali that got bombed too.  How come nobody has to be seen "naked" to get on a train or bus, or simply to check into a hotel?  Just wondering....  What do you think?  

Politics: Torture Debate

As most of people know, there has been lots of debate about torture in the news lately.  I’d like to hear what FILTER readers think about the whole mess!  It seems that there are so many arguments both supporting and opposing sides.

-Should the US and its allies be engaging in torture?  

-Should we prosecute those who ordered/okayed torture and give them the same treatment as those ‘bad apples’ who we later found out  were ‘just following orders’?  

-Should we as a society give war crimes “a pass” as suggested by some politicians and pundits in the media?  

-Should Obama continue to block the photos that are due for release this month?  

Please share your thoughts in the comment section!

 

Politics: Happy 4/20 Day!

I chose this appropriate date to see what FILTER readers think about pot and the laws governing it.  Ever since Michael Phelps’ bong photo made the news earlier this year, a serious dialogue about our nation’s drug policies (especially marijuana) has arisen.  Finally!  So let’s open up the dialogue here.  What do you think we should do?  

I’ll start by saying that keeping pot illegal has had so many negative effects on society that I’d say it is time to try a new strategy.  Time to legalize!!  Share your thoughts in the comment section below. 

Below, I've posted the movie Reefer Madness for your enjoyment:  

Politics: Let's Go To Cuba!

President Obama deserves a cigar (a Cuban) for finally ending the US’s failed 50-year grudge against Cuba.  Travel and trade restrictions between Cubans on the island and their families in the US are being lifted.  This will hopefully 'lift' the people of Cuba into an overall higher standard of living and proving once & for all that the embargo did more harm than good.   I’m looking forward to visiting our neighbors in the Caribbean soon!!

Politics: Breaking Down The Economic Crisis & How To REALLY Fix It

It’s no secret that the biggest headlines over the past 6 months have been related to the financial situation.  Everyone I talk to has his or her own theories on what happened and how to fix it.  While, I’m not an expert like most of the TV talking heads claim to be, I have been studying the situation pretty closely. What I’ve learned over the past few months is this:

Raising or lowering taxes, firing CEOs, capping executive salaries, bailing out banks, etc. is NOT a ‘cure’ (fix) for the ‘disease’ (financial crisis).  Doing these things may feel good to us regular Americans, but it's only temporarily treats the ‘symptoms’.  The ‘disease’ will still be there working against us all if we don’t take serious action soon!

Check out the first hour of this film (Zeitgeist Addendum) and you’ll really understand what’s up -and what's wrong- with our financial system.   After I watched this, it made me realize that we are in big trouble unless President Obama makes some real “change we can believe in”.   

Politics: Paramilitary Corporations = Bad Idea

For those of you who watch 24 and missed last night’s episode, this is a bit of a “spoiler alert”. No, this isn’t a review of the show or commentary on its controversial nature.  The story I’m choosing to write about involves the latest plot twist where a private military company called Starkwood is believed to be complicit in atrocities around the world and is planning an imminent attack on US soil.

What drew me to this story were the uncanny parallels between the non-fictional Blackwater Worldwide (now called Xe due to constant bad publicity) and the fictional Starkwood.  Xe, a US based private corporation, operates in a paramilitary/security/training capacity around the world. Employees are made of highly specialized ex-military and law enforcement professionals who train US and foreign military, government agencies, local police forces, and private citizens.

Perhaps it is time to take a serious look at the potential dangers of blood for money corporations and halt their operations before things get out of control.  Here are some of my thoughts on the matter:

·     All private corporations operate in the interest of profit and growth.  There is something inherently wrong when an entity’s very existence is dependent on the continuation of war and insecurity around the world.  

·     When peace and security is a threat to the survival of a business, it is very possible that such business will do whatever it takes to reduce and eliminate such threats.  

·     Companies training both US and foreign militaries begs the question, “whose side are they REALLY on?”

·     Throughout history, we’ve seen how private industries (arms, finance, energy, pharmaceutical, etc.) gain influence with high-level connections in both government and private institutions around the world.  These connections have rarely held the public’s interest as a primary motivator.

·     Paramilitaries are not bound to the same rules and regulations as US military personnel are.  The laws governing their behavior on foreign soil gets even trickier and rarely do the wheels of justice turn. 

·     Historical note: Adolf Hitler’s Sturmabteilung or "brown shirts" were a private army of specialized WWI soldiers who were key to his rise to power through terror and intimidation within Germany.  We all know what happened after Hitler came to power.  Could the same thing happen here in the US today? It almost did in 1933. 

·     Another fictional parallel:  Star Wars fans saw the potential evil of paramilitaries in Episodes II & III with the rise of Emperor Palpatine’s clone stormtrooper army. 

What do you think about all of this?  Should the US government be using your tax dollars to employ the services of companies like Xe?  

Politics: US Military Policy Should Be "Don't Ask, Don't Care"

It has been nearly 16 years since Bill Clinton unveiled his "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy which to this day continues the legal discrimination against gays wishing to serve in the US armed forces.  

While Clinton's policy bans recruiters and military personnel from asking soldiers if they're gay, it prevents perfectly capable 'defenders of freedom' from serving their country if they are outed.  

Public opinion is changing towards being more accepting of gays in the military.  Perhaps we need to adopt a new policy of "don't ask, don't care".  After all, should it be anybody's business whom someone is sexually attracted to?

Politics: Where Is Osama Bin Laden?

MIT has published a study by two UCLA professors Thomas W. Gillespie and John A. Agnew who believe they have a good idea where Osama Bin Laden might be hiding out.  Over a decade has passed since Bin Laden was added to the FBI's Most Wanted List for his role in the Kenya and Tanzania embassy bombings and now his hiding spot might have been discovered using the same methods that researchers use to find endangered species.  Taking into account Bin Laden’s need for: electricity to power dialysis and communicate, extra rooms for bodyguards, and ceilings to accommodate his 6’ 4” height, Gillespie and Agnew believe they’ve narrowed the possibilities down to a few locations. If Bin Laden is found, will these guys get the $50 Million reward?  

With regards to finding Bin Laden, others have expressed different ideas:  

George W. Bush said, "I truly am not that concerned about him" when speaking to the press on March 13, 2002.

On October 7, 2008, presidential candidate John McCain said, "I'll get Osama Bin Laden my friends, I'll get him.  I know how to get him.  I'll get him no matter what and I know how to do it."  I wonder if he's shared this secret plan with President Obama yet.

With less than a week before being sworn in as president, Barack Obama had the following to say, “My preference obviously would be to capture him or kill him, but if we have so tightened the noose that he’s in a cave somewhere and can’t even communicate with his operatives then we will meet our goal of protecting America.”  

Well, Obama has just vowed to send 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Let's hope these men and women aren't wasting any more time over there.

Last year, Morgan Spurlock, director of “Super Size Me” made a whole movie based on the subject titled, “Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?”  Did anyone see this?  I didn’t, but can guess Spurlock wasn’t able to find O.B.L. himself.

Politics: Are You Stimulated?

Wall Street certainly isn't feeling 'stimulated' today as the Dow Jones closed at 7888.88 or (-381.99)

There's been a lot of chatter regarding the economy and it is getting a little confusing.  Personally, I try to pay little attention to cable news 'speculation' while focusing on what's being said by those who are actually involved in what is happening.  That being said, let's take a look at President Obama's press conference from last night.  I've included the full video below.  Some highlights of the stimulus plan include:

* Increasing unemployment benefits and continuing healthcare coverage for unemployed.

* $2500 to people struggling to pay back student loans.  

* $1000 to families struggling to make ends meet.

* Money to rebuild roads, bridges, schools, and other infrastructure.

* Money to fund alternative energy like wind and solar.

* Modernizing healthcare so nurses can finally read doctors' handwriting.

From Iran to A-Rod, the president was asked about a variety of subjects after his statement on the economy. When asked about the 'truth commission' proposed by Senator Patrick Leahy, President Obama didn't seem very interested in looking into past Bush administration abuses. He did say something along the lines of nobody is above the law blah blah blah, but also said, "my general orientation is to say let's get it right moving forward."  I can't help but get the feeling that Bush officials, no matter what crime they might have committed, will never face justice.  

Well, even if the president isn't interested in looking into the past for crimes, the brave Sheriff of Richland County, South Carolina took 8 dangerous pot smokers off the streets based on months old photos with Michael Phelps. Perhaps the Olympic star will offer his own brand of 'bailout' for his jailed buds?  

Watch the full Obama press conference here:

Politics: What Is Money??

 

The economy has been on people's minds for the past few months and it doesn't seem to be going away any time soon.  All this talk about the financial crisis and trillion dollar bailouts has people asking a lot of big questions. These questions cannot be fully answered without gaining a better understanding of where money comes from and how the system really works.  I found this 47 min video to be quite informative and easy to digest.  I learned a few things and hope you do too.  Enjoy and please share your thoughts.

Here's what I learned:

1.  Money isn't real and is mainly created out of thin air by banks 

2.  Money = debt and no debt = no money

3.  Eliminating The Federal Reserve could actually restore the economy