PowerTrip

New Format

2008-01-28T14:07:00.000-08:00

After much thought I am now changing the content of this blog. While it previously focus specifically on governmental abuses of power; I am now focusing on anything that piques my interest. The ranting and railing will continue I hope to focus on more stories concerning my native Philadelphia and life in Chestertown. What I am basically saying is that the blog is a work in progress and I am trying to find my voice.

Rory

Tragedy

2007-12-06T00:06:00.001-08:00

Too Often I find myself complaining about what is wrong with this world, especially while contemplating what to write about for this Blog. Ranging from saving someone from putting yourself in harms way to save the life of another or saying a kind word to another in desperate need of counsel and acceptance, are these not the behaviors we, as a society, must laud and give ample praise?
All too often, whether it be through other media outlets, or blogs such as this one, the negative news trumps all else that has happened on that day. Should we not also pay attention to what “didn’t happen” too? All of the people not murdered, raped, or beaten? All of the random acts of kindness towards random strangers? Does not that man who bought a meal at a Deli for a desperate man on the street deserve as ample coverage as the rapist or murder? Or dare I say, more? Or, perhaps that woman who, in her haste, took the time to forgive her sister whom had slighted her and defamed her name? such acts of grace and humility, unfortunately, do not carry much currency in a culture dominate with reality TV, visa vie Paris Hilton, or the equally disgraceful I Love New York on VH1. A toxic cult of celebrity has engulfed and begun to strangle us.
Recently, Washington College was gripped with a tragedy, the death of a student in his sleep. Clearly such a tragedy, one would suspect, would evoke sympathy from the entire student body, living in a community of only 1,400 students, however, I found some students callously indifferent to the tragic loss of life. I found it even more disturbing that I called a few of these people my “friends.” In times of tragedy and loss, even if the loss was not our own, we must reach out to the affected parties and lend a helping hand. It is the human thing to do.

My Favorite Hugo Chavez Quotes

2007-11-27T07:10:00.000-08:00

The image to the right is not one of a pious man, to the contrary. Hugo Chavez is less than voluminous Venezuelan Leader whose brash style of "diplomacy"-- if you can even call it that-- would even make the most unabashed liberal protester blush. He certainly is not a good mouth piece for his cause. If he wants to be the mouth piece for anything I suggest that Mr. Chavez volunteers his services at a convention of pornographers, certainly they are always looking for something fresh and new that will go out of style like yesterdays garbage.

"The devil came right here... And it still smells of sulfur today." ~ Chavez at the UN referring to the President of the United States.
“I hereby accuse the North American empire of being the biggest menace to our planet.”

“To have zero economic growth this year ... to stop the drop would be a success ... and reach 2.0 percent growth in the year 2000.”

“I'm asking them (the opposition) 'Where is your plan?', ... 'Where is your alternative?' All they want is turn to Venezuela into a U.S. colony.”

"No part of the human community can live entirely on its own planet, with its own laws of motion and cut off from the rest of humanity.”

"I have said it already, I am convinced that the way to build a new and better world is not capitalism. Capitalism leads us straight to hell."

“Well we can try to measure democracy, just as you measure temperature with a thermometer, or pressure with a barometer."

Shut up Little Boy

2007-11-14T18:33:00.000-08:00

Juan Carlos, King of Spain, is my new hero. At a summit in Chile King Juan told Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, to shut up, using a form of speech only used to address children and close friends, because Chavez would not refrain from interrupting the Spanish Prime Minister, Zapatero at a televised meeting. Chavez burst into one of his trademark infantile rants got exactly what he deserved, a kick in the pants.

The Spanish press lauded the king for his actions. Chavez is the schoolyard bully of statesman-- I use the term loosely—with even less tact and probably half the intelligence of his school age counterpart. Those familiar with Mr. Chavez’s “style” of diplomacy know it is accented with dash of contempt for western leaders and more than a hint of contempt for the nations they represent.

Chavez responded to Juan Carlos by saying, “[The king] disrespected me, and he was laid bare before the world in his arrogance and also his impotence.” This coming from the man that said the General Assembly of the United Nations smelled of sulfur after George Bush spoke. Someone needs to give Gomer Piles what is coming to him.

Bad Boss Fires Good Guy

2007-11-13T11:45:00.000-08:00

Listening to Fox News today I came across a story that really left me starching my head. The man, Kirk Zahradka, was fired for calling Crime Stoppers on a man who violated his parole on a burglary charge. The criminal in question, Stanley Forcier, is on his third parole violation since pleading no contest in March to the burglary charges.

Linda Wright, Zharadka’s former boss, became indignant when interviewed by a Fort Myers CBS affiliate and on Fox News, takng a high-pitched tone and defensive verbal posturing. This woman is off her rocker. According to an attorney Zhardaka does not have any legal recourse under Florida law.

Well, maybe it is time to change the law. Zahardka deserves compensation. Florida legislators it is time to put a law on the books to protect good citizens such as Mr. Zaharadka and punish bad bosses like Linda.

No Deal

2007-11-08T14:28:00.000-08:00

Thankfully, NBC will not subject the masses to Rosie. Rosie posted the news on her blog www.rosie.com:

msnbc
one hour
live
following keith olbermann

we were close to a deal
almost done
i let it slip in miami
causing panic on the studio end

well
what can u do

2day there is no deal
poof
my career as a pundit is over
b4 it began

just as well
i figure
everything happens for a reason
bashert - as we say

and on we go

Rosie the Pundit?

2007-11-08T09:03:00.000-08:00

MSNBC, my preferred cable news outlet, is in the cross hairs. Well, at least in my cross hairs.

Rumors are floating that MSNBC is in talks to replace “The Abrams Report” with a program hosted by Rosie O’Donnell, leaving most rational beings starching their heads. Network executives cite the increase in ratings from the addition of liberal pundit and ESPN commentator Keith Olberman as the rationale for adding more left-wing commentary.

While I am not going to berate MSNBC for their editorial policy, it is their prerogative after all, I am outraged that MSNBC, or any “respectable media outlet for that matter, would give a platform to a 9/11 conspiracy theorist.

Some of Ms. O’Donnell’s quotes:

“Don't fear the terrorists. They’re mothers and fathers."

“As a result of the [9/11] attack and the killing of nearly 3,000 innocent people, we invaded two countries and killed innocent people in their countries.... Radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America.”

“Fire can’t melt steel” (My personal favorite)

Rosie went also blames the President of the United States for the attacks of September 11th. She is absolutely certifiable, in my humble opinion.

While I may believe that Ms. O’Donnell’s mental capacity falls in between the range of imbecile and idiocy, I do believe Rosie is a good person. I can say this from personal experience.

I met Ms. O’Donnell about 11 years ago, at the ripe age of 11 during the filming of Wide Awake, M. Night Shyamalan’s first’s “feature” film. I was a core extra. This gave me the opportunity to engage Rosie on a personal level. She would come out of her trailer and play football with us. She treated us like people, not children. I have always appreciated her congenial and genuine nature.

Nevertheless, giving an ill informed individual, such a Rosie, a platform to spew her vitriol and stupid as fact on a national news broadcast is beyond irresponsible, it is implacable. I am beginning to think the execs at NBC drank a little too much of the Kool-Aid.

FEMA Fakes IT

2007-11-08T08:59:00.000-08:00

Come on, really? That is the first thought that came to mind when I learned of the fake FEMA news conference conducted a few weeks back. Yes, the same organization that coordinated the Katrina aftermath is now staging phony press conferences to avert bad press.

I understand the importance of restoring Americans’ confidences in the government’s ability to respond promptly and competently to disasters, but staging phony news conferences is hardly the right way to go about resurrecting public faith in government.

To Michael Chertoff’s credit he came down hard on the foolish officials that orchestrated this whole debacle. It just leaves me wondering, what were they thinking?

Washington Post Article

Money, Money, Money

2007-10-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

I am not terribly outraged by this story, phone companies donating around $42,000 to John Rockefeller's(D-WV) campaign for his support to pass legislation giving immunity to phone companies complicit in government warrantless wiretapping, but I believe it is important that people are made aware of such donations.

Phone Companies Seeking Immunity Gave Money to Senator

Washington, The Russians have Planted

2007-10-17T17:46:00.001-07:00

The Russian’s may have lost the Space Race but they won the Arctic dash, well in a manner of speaking. In a move reminiscent of 15th century explorers the Russians have planted their colors on the seabed at the North Pole, staking a claim for Premier Putin, I mean President Putin. The move comes amidst the fabled Northwest Passage, the shortcut European explorers searched for as a shortcut from the Atlantic to the Orient, freed of ice for the first time since space monitoring of the region began in the 70s.

Russia, the country with the longest contiguous border with the Arctic, staked a claim to the barren, desolate sea floor because the region is laden with oil rich deposits. The Russians, in a move unusually brazen even for them, have sent European nations, Canada, and the United States to commit patrols to the region to prevent territorial advances in the Arctic.

The Russian expedition was headed by members of the Duma, the Russian legislature, and heavily covered by Russian media. The Russians claim that the area is an extension of the continental shelf on which Russia lies, a claim not supported by international law.

A clip from the New York Times puts the event better than I can. It reads as follows:

After resurfacing more than eight hours later, Mr. Chilingarov spoke as if he had been the first to the moon. “If a hundred or a thousand years from now someone goes down to where we were, they will see the Russian flag,” he said. The flag is reproduced in titanium. He later added, “Our task is to remind the world that Russia is a great Arctic and scientific power.”

It seems to me that Russia has a bit of an inferiority complex not too dissimilar from that of a wealthy man buying exotic cars to make up for his “deficiencies.” This whole charade is a pathetic attempt by a fledgling nation to restore the glory it never truly earned or deserved.

The full article may be read at: Russians Plant Flag on the Arctic Seabed

China's Tibet

2007-10-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

Here we go again, the Chinese are flapping their lips and the only thing coming out is a hot air:
"We express our extreme dissatisfaction and strong opposition. We solemnly demand that the US side cancel the extremely wrong arrangement," Yang, the Chinese Foreign Minister, told reporters on the sidelines of the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). For more Chinese propaganda feel free to visit: www.ChinaDaily.com.cn.

"The Dalai Lama has never stopped his secessionist activities since he fled China 48 years ago," Zhang, Tibet’s puppet party chief said. "How can someone who does not love his own country, and even seeks to split it, receive a welcome in some countries and even get awards?"

Perhaps, Zhang he does not “love his country,” because you oppress human rights, do not allow his followers to practice their religion, and, oh yeah, you over ran his government and are flooding Tibet with ethnic Han Chinese attempting to snuff out Tibetan Culture. On the other hand, I could be wrong.

The United States Congress recently extended its highest honor to the Dalhi Lama, the leader of the Tibetan people in exile, is working for the freedom of his people from oppressive Chinese rule.

Much of Tibet’s population is nomadic and lacking, what many Americans view, the basic necessities to be healthy and thrive. Many children are left emaciated from the lack of nutritious food, skeletal can be seen walking around, ghost like in appearance. This is the Chinese legacy in Tibet. A legacy of appalling poverty and despicable neglect.

A link for a transcript of the
Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony can be found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/10/20071017-3.html

China Cleans up their Act?

2007-10-16T05:36:00.000-07:00

Well, at least they are making “cosmetic political reforms.” The Chinese government recently decided to tackle social, environmental, and the notorious “rampant corruption,” however serious political reforms will have to wait, according to a New York Times Article. These new “reforms” will be enshrined in their constitution, which basically means the Chinese government will be free to ignore these new edicts whenever they please. This same constitution also promises that the “Citizen’s of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly , of association, of procession, and demonstration.” What are the consequences of these newly implemented? Most likely nothing. China, notorious, for corruption an executable offense, has made similar claims in the past mainly to save face for their atrocious environmental record. Over 500 million people in China do not have safe drinking water, the Yellow River is now pink in parts, and millions more dies of cancer each year. Hundreds of thousands die each year as a result of the toxic soup that makes up the skies over China. As the rest of the world is racing to address global warming, China continues to spew out more CO2, just recently passing the United States as the world’s largest producer of CO2. However, that should not be the only concern of the global community. That brown halo that caps the skies over the city of angles, Los Angeles, is courtesy our friends in red. One thing is certain, China’s economy is growing at an unprecedented rate and reform is needed. While the leaders in China have a ravenous appetite for growth they need to ask themselves, at what cost? While the west, during their period of industrialization, had the benefit of ignorance, the Chinese do not. They are willfully putting their people at risk. What is more important China, the health of your people or economy? The world is waiting for and answer and the silence is deafening.

Burmese Monks Fight for Freedom

2007-09-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

I actually had a nightmare about the atrocities occurring in Burma. The courage and tenacity of these individuals is unbelievable given the extreme adversity of their current conditions. The scene is stark, scores dead and thousands maimed. The videos and pictures are graphic and speak to the desperation and fear of the military junta running the show.

However, we the people of the free and civilized world must stand up for what is just and right. We must call our representatives and voice our concern. By the way, the phone number for the US House of Representatives is (202) 224-3121.

Not unlike the civil rights demonstrations in the American south, these demonstrations have remained largely peaceful, despite the determined military firing tear gas into crowds and arresting those who are non-compliant. "The monks responded with prayers," said one bystander. "I am doing it for democracy," said another man recently released from prison for spreading his message. If only there were more people in Iraq like these two brave men.

Tirade of a Tyrant

2007-09-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

Today I learned that "in Iran, we don't have homosexuals, like in your country." These remarks, made by President Ahmadinejad of Iran, came as little surprise. Ahmadinejad is well known for his less than flattering views on western culture and hatred of all things not kosher with sharia.

Furthermore, this authoritarian despot felt it necessary to call into question, again, whether or not the Holocaust occurred. Some may question Columbia University for giving a man of such hate and evil a soapbox to spread his bigoted and warped ideology, but I commend them for it. As our President said today, “speaks volumes about the greatness of America.”

Would President George W. Bush be afforded the same courtesy? No, of course not. Iran is a country ruled by fear; fear of imprisonment; fear of torture; and fear of state sponsored murder.

Ahmadinejad did more harm to himself today than Bush could ever dream. With the exception of a small minority of people Americans will view his invective for the ramblings of an evil and dangerous dictator.

At this very moment dissenting academics in Iran or imprisoned and homosexuals are being executed just for being gay. Ahmadinejad, cited the Genesis story of Adam and Eve when criticizing people for materialism say that such is a slight against God. I pose this to Mr. Ahmadinejad is it not also a slight against God to take away a gift given to Adam, Eve, Cain, and Able indeed all of humanity an even greater affront? The gift of freedom.

Land of the Free Home of the Tazed

2007-09-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

Raging University of Florida Campus Police are seen in this video forcibly removing, and subsequently Tazing, a UF student, Andrew Myers, because he "used his alloted time" when asking John Kerry a question at an open forum. He has been charged with at least one felony. Since when was freedom of expression a felony. Yes, it is true that he is not being arrested for speaking his mind. However, he was arrested for refusing to comply when told to sit down and shut up. Moreover, Kerry said that he would, "answer his very important question." Instead the police deemed it prudent to use force and send 2,000 volts through his body.

John Kerry released the following response to the incident:

“In 37 years of public appearances, through wars, protests and highly emotional events, I have never had a dialogue end this way. I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption, but I do not know what warnings or other exchanges transpired between the young man and the police prior to his barging to the front of the line and their intervention. I asked the police to allow me to answer the question and was in the process of responding when he was taken into custody. I was not aware that a taser was used until after I left the building. I hope that neither the student nor any of the police were injured. I regret enormously that a good healthy discussion was interrupted."