The Qualified Quest for Justice

by: Betsy L. Angert

Sat Jan 03, 2009 at 09:00:00 AM EST

Jews, Christians and Muslims Unite Against Evildoers

copyright © 2009 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

Just days ago, throughout the globe, people celebrated religious holidays.  Peace on Earth and good will to all men was the palpable feeling that filled the air.  Everywhere anyone turned expressions of fondness for our fellow beings could be heard.  People were filled with glee.  Then, suddenly, the sound that is the silent hum of joyous laughter was broken.  Everything changed.  Yet, indeed nothing did.  The cycle of violence that has perpetually existed on this planet began again.  The qualified quest for justice was once more the people's agenda.  In the Israel and Gaza, bombs blasted.  Bullets whizzed by the heads of frantic, frightened people who sought shelter from another Mediterranean storm.  Some died.  Hamas was blamed for the initial attacks, this time.  As had occurred on other occasions, Israel, in the name of self-defense, fought back.  The roles might have been reversed and have been.  Historically, in the Holy Land all men, women, and child have been equal aggressors.

"I'm Dying;" Please Ponder My Plea

by: Betsy L. Angert

Fri Jan 02, 2009 at 23:00:00 PM EST

I did not know of him or of his condition until today.  When he first approached me, he assured me, I did not need to assist him.  He was well taken care of.  kwickkick wanted to help me help myself.  Indeed, he hoped to lend a hand to all who reside in America.  He had only his story, a reminder of what is most important to a person when they learn they are about to pass.  Kwickkick offered his plea, to you, and to me, and asked us to ponder.

As he shared, I thought of how the compassionate chap, kwickkick could have been me.  However, he did not know of my situation.  As I said, we had just met.  The 34-year-old man, who discovered just hours earlier, he has but little time to live, is a contract employee in the sales division at software company.  He is as many skilled workers in the United States.  kwickkick is one of the forty-five, or more, millions of Americans without health insurance.  Too many of whom understand that the lack of medical coverage is a death sentence waiting to happen.  For kwickkick, the decree has been delivered.  It was as he expected and thus he penned, I'm Dying. [Please click on the his statement to read his tale which appears just below.]

The Genuine Genius

by: Betsy L. Angert

Fri Jan 02, 2009 at 11:00:00 AM EST

Malcolm Gladwell and Robert Krulwich at the 92nd Street Y

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

As educators, parents, and persons who were once young and now thought to be elders, wiser, and more wondrous, we might relate to a tale the author of Blink and The Tipping Point tells.  As a teenager, raised in rural Ontario, Malcolm Gladwell was set apart from the more mundane students.  One might assume from his appearance, or more aptly, from his infinite inquisitiveness, as a lad, he must have been bright.  Persons who hear the author speak, or read his prose, trust a littler Malcolm must have been a prodigy, surely a genius.  Certainly, if as a child, he was sent to special training camps, and he was, it must have been because the young Gladwell was being groomed for greatness.

I Resolve . . .

by: Betsy L. Angert

Wed Dec 31, 2008 at 23:45:00 PM EST

Something Could Change

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

Come 2009, I will commence on a new path. I will exercise regularly, smoke not at all.  A healthy diet will become my regime.  On Monday, January 5, my life mission will be realized in my work.  The opportunity to inaugurate again, to give birth to me at my best will inspire a rejuvenation.  Today, I resolve to . . . not make a single New Years resolution.  In truth, I never have committed to change.  Yet, the person you see before you is not the same being that might have appeared on any other day, of any other year.  I have evolved, and so do we all.

Did Racism Help Cause the Mortgage Crisis? Conclusion

by: Guest Author

Tue Dec 23, 2008 at 09:00:00 AM EST

copyright © 2008 Ralph Brauer. The Strange Death of Liberal America

The quest for a culprit in the financial mess continues to occupy the press and financial analysts. "How," they ask again and again, "Could America have gotten itself into this mess?" Much attention has focused on the institutions and CEOs who are at the center of the current crisis. The feeling is growing that providing bailouts to financial giants and CEOs such as Citi and Sandy Weill is to reward those who engaged questionable and even illegal behavior.  

"Right of Conscience" Protections; Be Patient

by: Betsy L. Angert

Sun Dec 21, 2008 at 01:00:00 AM EST

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

She said, "If one is to pass, it will have to be my sister."  Jennifer would not allow a baby to die.  Although the newborn had yet to take a single breath, and was still safely tucked away in her mother's belly, Jenn decided the infant must live.  Had she been an employee of one of more than 584,000 health-care organizations her word would have been considered a "right of conscience." Jenn would not be held responsible if she refused to treat the soon-to-be Mom who was also her sibling.

Did Racism Help Cause the Mortgage Crisis? The Bubble Bursts

by: Guest Author

Mon Dec 22, 2008 at 11:00:00 AM EST

Carter Glass

copyright © 2008 Ralph Brauer. The Strange Death of Liberal America

In 1997 the FDIC published an imaginary interview with Carter Glass that predicted what would occur with the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act two years later.

Banks lent their names, prestige, and tradition of sound banking operations to these affiliates, and on that basis did people invest and transact business with them. When calamity struck, not all bankers felt a responsibility to the citizens they had enticed.

Did Racism Help Cause the Mortgage Crisis? Part One

by: Guest Author

Thu Dec 11, 2008 at 11:00:00 AM EST

copyright © 2008 Ralph Brauer. The Strange Death of Liberal America

There is an elephant in the room no one wants to mention when you bring up the housing crisis.  It is the same elephant that has occupied the room since the very beginning of this nation.  Yes, it was there that hot Philadelphia summer when they drafted the Constitution.  Maybe that is what Ben Franklin is gazing at as he sits in the center of the famous painting of the signing of the Constitution by Howard Chandler Christy that hangs today in the House of Representatives east stairway.  Certainly the elephant had haunted Franklin much of his life causing him to call it "a constant butchery of the human species" in an anonymous letter written in 1772.  That elephant that haunted Franklin and continues to haunt us today is racism.

Did Racism Help Cause the Mortgage Crisis? The Rise of Sandy Weill and Citigroup

by: Guest Author

Sat Dec 20, 2008 at 17:45:00 PM EST

Photo: United for a Fair Economy The State of the Dream

copyright © 2008 Ralph Brauer. The Strange Death of Liberal America

Sandy Weill's story tells how racially-biased predatory lending lies at the center of the economic crisis.  A third-generation American, Weill grew up on the streets of Brooklyn where for some the road to success was a place whose name came from a structure built to protect the city from Indians, pirates and other invaders and whose die was cast when a small group of men met in secret under a buttonwood tree: Wall Street.

Like the hero of a Horatio Alger tale, Weill began his climb to success not in the proverbial mail room but as a $35 a week clerk, eventually clawing his way to become second-in-command at American Express. But Weill had an itch for more so he cashed in his chips and set about looking for his own business. In 1986 he settled on a Baltimore loan company named Commercial Credit that specialized in predatory lending.

Katrina's [America's] Hidden Race War

by: Betsy L. Angert

Fri Dec 19, 2008 at 09:00:00 AM EST

Katrina's Hidden Race War: In Aftermath of Katrina, Vigilantes Shot 11 Blacks in New Orelans (1 of 2)

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

Racism, in reality, is fear of the unknown.  It is apprehension for what is alien to us.  A bigot is often one who claims to be colorblind.  However, indeed, he or she is more likely colormute.  Rarely do persons who think themselves tolerant speak of the scorn they feel for those who differ from them.  Often the intolerant are not aware of the rigidity that rules their lives.  Few amongst Anglos in America, since most appear as they do, consider what the life of one whose complexion is cause for rejection experience.  However, in an exposé, A.C. Thompson muses of what most rather not mention.  The author addresses "Katrina's Hidden Race War."  

Confessions of Dick Cheney

by: Betsy L. Angert

Wed Dec 17, 2008 at 09:00:00 AM EST

Dick Cheney Interview ABC News
Cheney Aware of Gitmo Waterboarding

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

There was a break in the news.  On Cable News Network Wolf Blitzer was noticeably moved.  He excitedly reported; Dick Cheney confessed.  Broadcaster Blitzer's words were a bit more tempered.  He said, "This just coming into The Situation Room.  The Vice President, Dick Cheney, has given ABC News an interview and confirming now publicly that the Bush administration did engage in the very controversial interrogation tactic of waterboarding."  The Commentator then asked America to listen to the clip.  ABC News Correspondent Jonathan Karl inquired of the outgoing high-level government official, "Did you authorize the tactics that were used against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?"  Without hesitation, the Vice President responded.  "I was aware of the program, certainly, and involved in helping get the -- the process cleared, as the agency, in effect, came in and wanted to know what they could and couldn't do.  . . .  (T)hey talked to me, as well as others, to explain what they wanted to do.  And I supported it.  

Viewers vented.  Some shifted nervously in their seats.  However, The Judicial Watch was not amused.  Nor were they elated.  The answer was not the one this Conservative organization, hoped for, groped for, and searched for though the courts, for all these many years.  Vice President Cheney did not confess to sins conceived long before September 11, 2001.  He told said nothing of the maps and charts of Iraqi oil fields.  Foreign suitors for Iraqi oilfield contracts were not discussed as they had been in March 5, 2001, six months and six days before the infamous September 11 attacks.

A Critical Moment; Can Hope Survive?

by: Betsy L. Angert

Tue Dec 16, 2008 at 11:00:00 AM EST

Hope: It Could Happen To You

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

We had hope.  For some, the dream was fulfilled.  For millions more desperate and devastated by a multiplicity of issues that confront them each a day, a President, a single person cannot make a difference.  MoveOn.org understands that.  Thus, they sent out an appeal, as though that might help.

You may have received the mail.  It appeared in my cyberspace box late last evening.  I was tired.  The day had been long.  I thought to delete what seemed one more correspondence, one more plea, possibly, another request for a contribution.  As a MoveOn member I take delivery of what, at times, seems to be millions of requests for action, reactions, or donations.  With the election over, I trust there is far more work to be done.  Yet, in a moment of personal weakness or just a want for sleep, I went to bed.

The morning came.  I awoke.  Still, I did not return to read the MoveOn mail.  When I did I realized the weight of this written communication.  I was asked to consider as millions were, what are we to do.

We have some important decisions to make together. Our country is at a critical moment: The opportunity for change has never been greater. But there's a lot that needs to be done and we have to decide where we should focus first. Click below to nominate a big goal for us to focus on next year:

As I traveled through the net neighborhood, what did I behold.  An inquiry.
1. What should MoveOn's top goal be in 2009? (10 words or less)

So? So what?

by: Betsy L. Angert

Mon Dec 15, 2008 at 09:00:00 AM EST

 
Cheney; So . . . Bush: So What?

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

The Bush Cheney Administration rewrote history even as it occurred.  In the waning hours of their shared reign, a committee was formed to secure their legacy.  Technically, the work to revise the past began only weeks ago.  In truth, the men in the Executive Branch endeavored to deliver a message of accomplishment from the first.  

On every occasion, when asked of the public umbrage for the Iraq War, President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney offered a similar answer.  "So."  

Clean Coal and the Clause

by: Betsy L. Angert

Sun Dec 14, 2008 at 09:00:00 AM EST

Barack Obama Supports Developing Clean Coal Technology

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

You better watch out!
Better not cry!
Better not pout!
I'm telling you why,
Santa Claus is comin' to town.

He's making a list
and checking it twice.
He's going to find out who's naughty and nice.
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town.

We better watch out.  We better not cry.  While Santa checks his list twice, so too might you and I.  The ebony chunks Old Saint Nick might place in our stocking, contrary to what coal corporation sponsored commercials might claim, are not clean.  Nor is this source of energy cheap.  When used as a resource for power, this sedimentary rock is dirty, deadly, and digs deep into the pocketbooks, and personal lives, of those the industry touches.  In America, that may be you and me.

How Did I Let This Happen?

by: Betsy L. Angert

Wed Dec 10, 2008 at 01:00:00 AM EST

As the calendar pages were torn away, with few left to view before the New Year, she would ask herself, "How did I let this happen?"  She knew.  Yet, she did not wish to speak to what had occurred.  It was easier, more socially acceptable to assume that she just overate.  Thus, she would look at her body and study the bulges.  There were more lumps and bumps than there had been before.  As the months passed, her bulk increased.  She could just as well have watched her frame dwindle to nothingness and asked the same question.  However, were she to be thinner the thought might not have occurred to her.  As many are, she would have been blissful to be skinny.  That definition was not hers to hold.  This woman was fat.  

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

by: Betsy L. Angert

Wed Dec 10, 2008 at 00:00:00 AM EST

Universal Declaration of Human Rights animation

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

The day arrived with little fanfare.  As the world waits to hear of how history will treat those who authorized torture in recent years, few ponder the prominence of this date.  Sixty years ago today, on December 10, in reaction to the most horrific of human abuses, forty eight [48] of fifty-six [56] United Nations States ratified what would come to be known as The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  

This document was meant to provide protection for all people planet-wide.  Post World War II, as throughout the globe, the public learned of what occurred amongst the innocents, it became clear, as one, something needed to be done.  Allies and adversaries realized unforeseen exploitations were inevitable if together, the superpowers did not define what was considered cruel and unusual punishment.

Three score ago, a United Nations Commission, chaired by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's widow Eleanor, carefully crafted a paper that addressed what were thought to be collective freedoms. Privileges not formally inscribed in previous centuries, were penned to reflect a reality no one thought needed to be stated.  

Barbra and Bush; Oh My!

by: Betsy L. Angert

Mon Dec 08, 2008 at 21:00:00 PM EST

Raw Video: Bush, Streisand Share Awkward Smooch

It was an awards ceremony.  The location; the White House.  Before the one was to be honored at the Kennedy Center, the two were there together.  All eyes were upon them.  Few knew what to think.  Would there be tension, animosity, or anxiousness.  He spoke and then moved towards her. She stood.  Arch adversaries, one from the "Right."  The other firmly situated on the "Left."  A pair of political  opposites engaged cordially.  It was but pomp and circumstances.  Perhaps, this was a change or could be.  No one would have believed what was about to occur.  

None thought to call them a "Team of Rivals."  Nor would anyone imagine the two might kiss.  Yet, it happened.  Barbra Streisand gracefully received an awkward embrace and a peck on the cheek from the President, George W. Bush.  The singer and vocal political challenger returned the  smooch.  Miss Streisand smiled. Mister Bush bowed ever so slightly.  The audience, while perhaps stunned, seemed to say nothing.  Hushed whispers might have been heard; however, the applause drowned out any murmurs.

Yet, hours later, the buzz was broadcast far and wide.  It is Barbra and Bush, oh my.

Veterans Affairs

by: Betsy L. Angert

Sun Dec 07, 2008 at 14:00:00 PM EST

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

I am uncertain when it began.  Nonetheless, I know that for me, the ache I feel has been with me for what feels as an eternity.  I could tell you the twinge was first experienced a moment ago, as I listened to another of President Elect Obama's press conferences.  Indeed, a wave of woe that passed through me as I heard the newly selected Commander-In-Chief announce his appointment for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, General Eric Shinseki.  The soon-to-be inaugurated Chief Executive stated, "He [Shinseki] has agreed that he is willing to be part of this administration because both he and I share a reverence for those who serve."  A mutual admiration, while wondrous, as stated seems incomplete, and perhaps omits the American construct, "all men are created equal."

As I let the words of our next Administrator wash over me, I thought of those who do not wear a uniform; the individuals and families who endure more war than a military man or woman might.  Thoughts of innocents who cannot take leave, that is unless corporeally they pass, advance my sorrow.  I feel for all veterans.  My concern encompasses the affairs of every being embroiled in war.  I wish to venerate those who enter the fray willingly, and those who fight, only to sustain their own life.

Car Manufacturers Con

by: Betsy L. Angert

Tue Dec 02, 2008 at 11:00:00 AM EST

Automakers Return With A Plan

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

Weeks ago House Representatives refused to award the auto industry a blanket bailout or even a bridge loan.  Policymakers insisted they must see a reasonable plan to revamp a business near bankruptcy.  The legislators set a deadline for delivery of the proposal, December 2, 2008.  This same date was reserved for another auto review; in Florida a delayed vote on emission regulations would finally be realized.  The two tales may seem separate; certainly, the cities where Congresspersons will meet are far apart.  Nonetheless, the sagas are inexorably connected.

House Resolution 1531; Pardon Me?

by: Betsy L. Angert

Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 06:30:00 AM EST

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

The people of this country might wish to consider House Resolution 1531, introduced by New York Representative, Jerrold Nadler.  This legislation is meant to prevent preemptive Presidential pardons, or at least try to restrain an a President whose power has gone unchecked.  

To understand the vital need for such a measure, we might only ponder the proclamation offered by the current President when his cohort, I. [Scooter] Lewis Libby was convicted.  The public was aware of the intent to commute the sentence; yet, they did as was customarily done.  Americans ignored many highly suspect practices within the Oval Office.  The word was it is not good to impeach a sitting President.  While the people posited apathy, Conservative Constitutional Lawyer Bruce Fein argued.  If investigations are delayed, and an objective to censure this Administration is obstructed, a terrible precedent would be set.  

Does It Matter?

by: Betsy L. Angert

Sat Nov 29, 2008 at 21:00:00 PM EST

To view the original art, please travel to "Does It Matter?"

Art; copyright © 2006.  Andrew Wahl.  Off The Wahl Perspective.
Article; copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

Today, just as every Saturday, at a local intersection, I stood vigil for war veterans, civilians and soldiers.  As I held a sign which reads "Love.  Not War.  Love," I contemplated the combat overseas, the recent tragedy in Mumbai, India, the protracted wars in Iraq, Afghanistan.  The situations in Israel and Iran, were not far from my consciousness.  Threats and acts of terrorism, nations in turmoil; thoughts of a desired global tranquility filled my mind.  I imagined, as I do daily, a transition, and a hopeful worldwide transformation towards peace.

As I pondered the profound, a man in a very large Sports Utility Vehicle stopped near me. He rolled down his car window. The gent was perhaps in his forties, well-groomed, and thankfully polite.  Calmly, concerned, and a bit critical of what he seemed to think my naivety. this anonymous chap announced, "What would you do if they came on to our shores and attacked us."  

Without a thought I said, "Violence begets violence."  He repeated his query and expanded the thought.  "Would you not fight back?" I reflected on what I observe to be true.  People kill other people in the name of peace.  Christians, Muslims, Jews proclaim a love of the Lord and all mankind, except when they define another as the enemy.  I stated, "I would wonder of their reasons. Might they believe we had done them harm."  Agitated, the stranger shrieked, "Do you mean to say that we, Americans are to blame?" Without hesitation I responded, "No."  I than shared, "I believe as my grandfather taught me, 'Two wrongs do not make a right.'"  Seemingly in a huff, the man quickly sped away.

As an afterthought, I realized I might have asked as Andrew Wahl had more than two years ago; "Does It Matter?" (Archive No. 0626a)  Does it matter who assaulted whom first or last.  For me, it does not. Jew, Muslim, Christian, no matter the race or creed; a life is a life.  

I thank you Andrew for the illustration that speaks more than a thousand words might.

• India Faces Reckoning as Terror Toll Eclipses 170, By Somini Sengupta and Keith Bradsher.  The New York Times.  November 29, 2008
• Obama Tells Abbas He'll Work for Peace, By Isabel Kershner.  The New York Times. November 20, 2008

Press; Personality, Opinion, and Profits

by: Betsy L. Angert

Thu Nov 27, 2008 at 13:00:00 PM EST

Top Ten most ridiculous news stories

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

Throughout America, the sun rises, sleepy souls awaken, and people turn to the media of choice.  Millions move towards the radio.  More power-up the television.  Countless persons do as their parents did before them; they pick up newspapers, which lie in wait on the porch.  People want to know what is the news across the nation, or at least they did just a short time ago.  Today, perhaps surprisingly, most forms of media have far less appeal than they had just a few years ago.  The ethnic press is still productive.  What Wall Street classifies as "hyper-localism" appeals to the masses.  It seems what survives and thrives in the press is personality and opinion.  Unadulterated accounts are not of interest to those who think them selves highly informed.