TheWorx

Well, give it time and all wounds heal. In italics is my original post. I wrote it straight out of my heart and based on my personal love and experience with the First Amendment (I protested the Vietnam and Iraq wars and have demonstrated for BLM, People's Climate March, Bradley Manning, Edward Snowden, and against NSA style surveillance, and Israeli Imperialism. I should have written this a long time ago but I only remembered after posting something on Trump/Clinton and seeing, ". . .the Bernie Sanders' Lie." What? Oh yea, the Palestinian thing. I had forgotten it (conveniently, I guess) because I had slowly come to realize certain facts that belie my entire post on Berdie Sanders. In retrospect, even his perceived shortcomings vis-a-vis the First Amendment should not have overwhelmed what I now know far outweigh that negative and, as it turns out, Bernie Sanders has A.) come out in favor of a Palestinian solution, B.) has, himself, continued to show reliance on the ...

[ Please see a later post that restores my Pro-Sanders viewpoint] I loved Bernie Sanders and his anti-Wall street platform but recently I discovered a hypocrisy that makes my blood boil. Bernie Sanders arrested anti-war protesters including those of Code Pink--an outfit run by women and totally non-violent. He did so because they were protesting Israeli imperialism. How can anyone expect that this man would do anything against Wall St when we all know that Jews run it? That's not anti-Semitic, that's God's honest truth! In this country, anyonewho says anything against Israel is pegged as anti-Semitic. That's a strawman argument that does not carry any weight in those of us who love justice. When the Middle East was being divvied up by the United Nations, the Palestinians there said that they really didn't need all that land that they were being given and that Israel should get it. Well, it wasn't enough for Israel--they wanted it all and we now have the ...

[2016 Copyright. All rights reserved] In my last post, I speculated that Bernie Sanders would make a better opponent against the Trumpster than HillaryArtillery but that hinges on the Trumpster being a bona fide candidate. Something is this man's demeanor has caused me to reconsider whether Mr. Trump really is as ingenuous as his supporters make him out to be. No matter how egotistical you are, the office of President and its attainment by mortal men, does not lend itself to flippant remarks and actions. I know this because I have had may "if I ran the country" moments and none of my ideas are glib and all are enveloped in the golden rule and expressed in a serious vein. I've called Mr. Trump a Nazi xenophobe but that ultimate hitman was never seen joking about the issues he considered important--at least, not in any documentary I ever saw. Who would trust a hitman of Trump's ilk with access to a nuclear button? Now, you might say, "well, isn't this...

It looks as though Mr. Trump may continue to bleach his hair in the Sun all the way to November, and what we have learned from him is that he is deaf to any holds being barred. If Hillary Clinton is his opponent, we can fully expect that Mr. Trump will bring out every negativity, real or imagined, against Madame Secretary. We all know that she has had a storied past but along with the accolades, there has been much controversy. I can see Mr. Trump pointing his finger at Mrs. Clinton's every semblance of impropriety. He will dredge up Whitewater, the death of her friend (the lawyer Vince Foster), Benghazi, the Iraq War, emails (delayed and whitewashed?), that beer-guzzling episode which made the news [OK, maybe only I thought it was improper but, hell, others in politics don't beer guzzle like "girls gone wild"], Bill's dalliance (she failed as a wife you would hear Trump say), her associations with the Waltons (I don't know if there is anything there but Tru...

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. It's sage advice whose jurisdiction extends beyond that of the tourist in a foreign land. It is especially true when you become an immigrant. I was a Cuban immigrant and we often had problems with the Italians that had come before us. We couldn't understand their lack of neighborliness--especially when it came to their property. No trespassing was tolerated. The Italians taught us the lesson and we learned it well. I am now that Italian and my Palestinian neighbor is the Cuban and they have a lot to learn and that is why I write this blog telling of my travails with the Palestinians next door and why I ended today's argument with me calling her a "terrorist." I've written it as a play. [Day One. Spotting the the Dish Installer in my driveway, I approach him.] Me: Hey, make sure you clean up after yourself. Don't leave any debris in my driveway. The Cablevision people leave stuff behind and I won't tolerate it....

I read Jonathan Tasini's book, "The Essential Bernie Sanders and his Vision for America." He, Sanders, definitely has got his act together and I see no reason for not voting for him. Every single position is one that I believe in. There is one position where he does not go far enough, though, and that is in reining in Wall Street. Yes, his plan to break up the 6 horsemen of the apocalypse will go a long way to assuage the scammers but I know he can do better, and I've written here about how to put an end to the pyramid scheme while protecting the assets of hard-working men and women. While I pray that he reads my post, I know it's mostly wishful thinking on my part. His position with regard to healthcare, ie, single payer, is one of the reasons that got me on the bus to Philadelphia campaigning for Obama (how naive of me then). While I wish him the best of luck in this, he must come up with safeguards to prevent throwing money at the problem. Without the insur...

Of course, I'm guilty as much as the next guy--well, maybe not as much, I like to think. I know I succumb to the usual inadequacies of the mind. I know I am incapable of ascertaining the true prevalence of a group's supposed characteristic; and, statistical science offers no hope--perhaps rightfully so. But there is no reason why technology cannot assuage the prejudices of humans. In my last post I digressed and railed against the African-American Customer Service Representative at Geico. Regardless of motivations, technology can prevent misplaced ire (such disdain should be placed squarely on the policies of the corporation). The way to do this is to disguise the voice of the representative and that of the customer--the respective names should also be aliases (there is actually no reason why our name should be available to an employee--just the account number). That's right, I propose that all live customer representatives should have Siri's voice and we can have--I ...

Let's start with the reason why the grudge of 9/11 shows no signs of diminishing--at least it seems to be the case in New York City. I can understand that it is human nature to attack those related in some way with individuals that harmed you but the utter hypocrisy exhibited by New Yorkers and other non-thinking beasts brings tears to my eyes. Case in point, Iran. Iran has no connection with 9/11. The people most involved are the Saudis yet we buy their oil like there's no tomorrow. Is this not hypocrisy? Because Iranians are Muslim, many in the U.S. hold them responsible but we don't blame Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim country--is this not hypocrisy? We hear total assholes on the radio calling Iran a sponsor of terrorism but not one man in the street will be able to tell you what Iran has done to sponsor terrorism. On the contrary, the U.S. deposed their leader and put in a puppet subservient to U.S. interests. When they took hostages, they treated them--to my k...

Don't sweat the small stuff, it is said. Well, what they never tell you is that the small stuff adds up. So it was that I recently had to take it up the wazoo by a Geico representative who was hell bent on upping her commission. Let's back up a little (no pun intended). When I first signed up with Geico, they told me that they would have to add my wife as the driver of the pick-up truck, a Ford F350 with oversized tires. The reason I so clearly remember this is that the thought that my wife would have the desire or even the ability to drive a big truck like that was, frankly, ludicrous. However, I felt I had no choice but to comply with their demands for when it comes to insurance companies and the like, it's always a case of "who's your daddy?" (Of course, they knew that my wife would probably not be driving the stick BMW). Now, fast forward about 5 years at least. I get on the phone to add a third car--small, automatic--which my wife could use in an em...

  This is the complaint I filed with the New Jersey DMV. I'll report on their response as soon as I get it. It's very disheartening to go get your license and have to wait 4 hours but I put up with it because my fellow citizens were putting up with it. So it was that I and a woman who was ahead of me on line (by 2 or 3 spots) approached the 3 staff members at the North Bergen DMV. My documents were all in order but the woman had some difficulty with her documents. While a supervisor was vetting my documents, she was simultaneously tending to the woman's concerns. Apparently, that woman was feeling a little concerned that she would be able to endure the extra wait (we were all at the half way point) and the supervisor offered her some chocolate to get by. OK, I believe in being kind especially when it comes from public officials. But the woman who had difficulties with her documents and with her stamina ended up behind me (I was 157). After a few minutes had gone by, I ...

Hell, that's an easy one. Nowhere else can a lawyer utter specious arguments and not be ridiculed by a judge. Case in point from the few minutes that I allowed myself to be subjected to Senatorial arguments on the Patriot Act on C-span: McConnell says that the U.S. Constitution is null and void (my words) with regard to NSA surveillance because the U.S. Constitution pertains to our person and our personal effects and the phone records? Well, they belong to the phone companies (who are obviously not people in this particular case). I see, so, the moment any information leaves your person or your home, they are fair game. OK, so we are to leave school records, medical records, military records, and anything else no longer under our lock and key at the purview of the NSA? Sound good to you? Earlier, I heard Senator Coats say repeatedly that only metadata was to be collected (phone, time, and duration) and that "time was of the essence" when it came to collecting possibly...

Being Roman Catholic, I've respected all previous Popes of modern times but Pope Francis is the first Pope I've loved--the man is batting a thousand. Mind you, I look for evil everywhere but I have yet to see even a smudge of it with regard to our present Pope. Vatican to Recognize Palestinian State in New Treaty - NYTimes.com The Palestinians deserve their homeland and they deserve recognition from the entire world. Israel got it's status and they should back away from their imperialism. They should stop buying unnecessary weapons and use their money to rent land from the Palestinians until they can figure out a way to extend their shoreline into the sea like the Japanese are doing, or build vertically like everyone else has done. Come on, Israelis, find the solution! I've supported the Palestinian unconditionally in the past but I've gotten a wee bit of sympathy for Israel because I've encountered difficulties with my Palestinian neighbor--mostly d...

Two gunmen shot dead at 'draw the prophet Muhammad' contest in Texas | US news | The Guardian I've had derogatory remarks aimed right at me. The worst was that of my father-in-law (I forgive him, he's Ukrainian) who once said that I was "the worst excuse for a human being he had ever seen." Ouch! I had moved his patch for growing tomatoes from the middle of the yard to the front. WTF was my only thought. However, my feeling is that of Patrick Henry, "I may not agree with what you say but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." The day we acquiesce to the Muslims' demands that we not draw the prophet Mohammad because it offends them, is day one of the American Caliphate. Charlie Hebdo tried to distance themselves from  the drawing contest saying that they do not target Islam directly. Really Charlie? Before you start down this holier-than-thou road, why don't you give them a chance to hold a Draw a Mexican; a Cuban, an Eth...

“If our society really wanted to solve the problem, we could; it’s just that it would require everybody saying, ‘this is important; this is significant.’ And, that we don’t just pay attention to these communities when a CVS burns, and we don’t just pay attention when a young man gets shot or has his spine snapped, but we’re paying attention all the time because we consider those kids our kids.” —President Obama on the situation in Baltimore That's what our President said and I commend him for speaking out quickly on an issue that will only result in more and more out-of-desperation riots. [WOR radio dimwits (not you, G.N., for you do the best you can to present orators on behalf of the people although you too couldn't help yourself with this one) are quick to try and latch onto the so-called witness that is saying that Mr. Gray tried to injure himself as if that's all the excuse necessary to move on. But let us remember that bastard woman who was allowed to be a prime w...

Is when Slager the Slayer is told that his yet unborn kid is not his and that his wife's ex shot off one last load at his (Slager's) expense. Otherwise, it could only come as an appeasement to the people who might view it as the straw that broke the camel's back. There is a danger, however, in police procedures that are tailored for police perpetrators thanks to powerful public unions, specifically, the fact that a police officer can get "2 or 3" days to conspire over the merits of his story while the rest of us get grilled from the get go. This happened with P.O. Darren Wilson and we all saw how he was able to concoct a story that only Grand Jury members anxious to get back to their miserable existences can love. I'll bet you that the fuckers in the PBA have their consultants in such cases--the shysters who provide all the right angles for a killer cop's defense and the forensics experts who will bend the rules of physics to present to the lumpish juri...

[This is an article published April 11, 2015, NationofChange; Op-Ed penned by Robert Reich. My comments in red. Btw, I love to keep a good man honest.] At a time when average working people need a president who will fight for them, the question is whether Hillary Clinton is willing to be bold and to fight. This is a defining moment for Democrats, America and Clinton, herself. Barack Obama was a defining moment too. In my book he's running 40/60 good/bad. Even O-care would have been infinitely more effective as single-payer. So much for defining moments. It’s a paradox. Yeah, in a Zeno kind of way, and Hillary is going to bring me half the way there. Almost all the economic gains are still going to the top, leaving America’s vast middle class with stagnant wages and little or no job security. Two-thirds of Americans are working paycheck to paycheck. Meanwhile, big money is taking over our democracy. If there were ever a time for a b...

This link shows the senator on the defensive. Oddly, though, he only gets vocal after the indictment. Prior to today, I only knew of judicial problems with regard to that Dominican Republic trip. But so what, no one can blame him for not stirring up muddy waters--still waters are not just the domain of psychopaths. Tomorrow, I'll be joining actionnetwork.org as they demonstrate--in lower Manhattan--for keeping money out of politics. The streets should inadvertently get clogged with people if we were all doing our civic duty, bow. That's not going to happen because most of us are looking the other way--the Scalia way. By that, I mean Citizens United has been allowed to keep up its corruption of government and its disenfranchisement of the little people. Those of us who live at the delta of life's congruences, struggling with the rivers and tides of fortune while a whole sea of possibilities lie waiting ahead of us, will certainly continue to hob up and down while the Jus...

In legitimizing Ted Cruz' run for the U.S. presidency, people talk about Romney (born in Mexico) and McCain (Panama Canal Zone) and Barry Goldwater (born in Arizona before it was a state). All lost their presidential bid and that is reason enough for any major party to eschew the candidacy of the foreign born but one must try to understand the intent of the founding fathers and that intent is as clear as a pledge of allegiance. If a candidate is born elsewhere (I, BTW, would have added "and must have had a primary residence in the U.S. for their first 35 years of life and lived there for 9 months out of every one of those 35 years," to Article II), there is a greater chance of bias towards the nation of birth. It is not absolute but you are led to wonder what Germany would have done without the moustachioed Austrian and what France would have done without the Corsican. [Germany has done well especially with such things as Apple Corporation seeing fit to give her the lion...