Screaming Me-mes! Free Speech or Loud Bully?

I have been to and seen many town hall meetings and as much as I appreciate political concern, I have no patience for ignorance, heated passion or anything that cannot be logically applied to an issue, and backed up with relevant facts. It embarrasses me that our media play unedited, live town halls which demonstrate our worst instead of our best intellectual thought.

I don't care what someone's position is; it never holds value to repeat something or to say it more loudly; and doesn't not change its truth. Loud idiots should never have an advantage over thoughtful, intelligent people.

When others across the globe see rednecks talking about "death panels", and for that matter, when one of those rednecks was a VP candidate, it makes America look like a nation of Jerry Springer University graduates.

I respect my conservative and liberal friends alike, as long as they don't confuse emotionality and quickened anger for "Americanism".

Personally, if I were a congressman and I held a town hall, I would lay down the law that there is as much a right to hear as a right to speak. When one speaks in a disrespectful way, just as in my classroom, I would immediately dismiss them.

These politicians, who fail to manage a respectful, intelligent discourse, should not have town halls, plain and simple.

If people scream, chant or disrupt in any way someone else's right to civil communication, and they refuse to leave, tazer them and drag them out. They may protest as loudly as they like outside the meeting as long as they don't disturb communication among those who came to advance real political thought.

American media who play unedited, live reports, are irresponsible and the people who see live reporting know they can misbehave and get on the air. Both are wrong, but ultimately, it is the media's responsibility to avoid being an unfiltered megaphone for idiots.

Separating Myths From Logical Truth Regarding Evils Within World Financial System

Editors Note: The article below is a result of a submission from a reader. As this site is not a simple "sounding board" for ill-considered ideas or knee jerk conspiracy theories, I was forced to either ignore or address this otherwise compelling piece. Ms. Masterson is not an employee or agent of this publication. Any of the content in black and red, remains intact, unedited and the copyright along with its liability remains with the submitter. The response is in blue and remains the sole responsibility and content of Bryan E. Hall, Editor of Duly Consider.

Please read this as you would an essay that has been commented upon by the professor. It is unusual to publish something in this fashion, but in all fairness, it would be irresponsible to do so without parenthetical consideration.


After the ashes of this so-called unprecedented presidential election, do you know who you voted for into office? What do you know of his policies? Do you know who controls him? Money is what controls him and do you know who controls the money?

The Federal Reserve is what controls the money in this nation and it's not the government or we who run it, it is private bankers who through a federation of twelve banks controls the money that flows through this land and that they vote privately on the money that controls us, that affects us, without our being able to have a say in the matter. Beyond being unconstitutional (the constitution, due to the threat of the monarchy of England, vanished the possibility of there being a central banking system due to the catastrophes caused by the administrators who deliberately pushed wars to make money by funding both sides and destroying a land's economy all in the name of power and greed), it is a gross act of defiance and hubris hostility against the voice of the American people by showing how powerless we are against controlling the very things that runs us; our money.

See, back in the good ole' days, we were once on the gold standard. The treasury had the ability to make money, but it was backed by gold. Nelson Aldrich, the Federal Reserve Act architect, met on Jekyll Island with JP Morgan and the Rothschilds to draft what would be the finished product of the Federal Reserve Act. Due to the passage of the Fed reserve act during a sleepy day in Congress when half of congress was absent due to Christmas, the fed reserve act was passed under strongly banker-backed President Woodrow Wilson, who later regretted his decision to let it pass (for more on the history of the Federal Reserve, see <http://news.goldseek.com/GoldSeek/1095269452.php> And you can check out the official whitewashed history at <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve> for comparison).

This set the stage for corporate and banker interest to take control of our government at the expense of the people since their interest lied in their bottom line and not our best interest . This set the stage for a government that is, even now, still under the control of bankers. When JFK tried to reintroduce Treasury Notes into the economy under Executive Order 11110, allowing for Treasury to regain control over the life blood of our economy, he was assassinated by CIA operative E Edward Hunt to keep him from freeing the people by creating a truly free-based economy where we aren't tied to illegal system that puts us into debt (source: <http://www.rense.com/general76/jfkvs.htm>).

In the case of Obama, that's what speaks for him, the bankers who control the reserve since it is the reserve who, like a mother to a child, gives the child an allowance, which is in turn given to us. In the President's case, let's say the government needs 1 billion. Without even sending real, printed money, the Federal reserve sends a bunch of numbers through the computer to the government and that is the money (For a more accurate and simplified way on how the Fed Reserve works, go to copy/paste <http://dulyconsider.blogspot.com/2007/03/how-to-make-trillions-of-dollars.html>).

There is no physical money printed, shifted or transacted, but imaginary money that only exists in a machine, a computer. This money, as debt instrument, is used in turn to give to the people at a fixed rate or interest and since only a fixed amount has to stay in the government reserve, this is what determines how much money exists in the supply based on contracting or expanding, or, in other words, inflation. Plus, to add insult to injury, we are charged interest on this fake money, thereby ensuring a lifetime supply of ingenious slavery in a workforce. Also, since the Federal Reserve runs the Presidency, wars are started to get us out of debt and in peace time we are put into debt to justify going into words, therefore sealing us into a vicious cycle of wars.

Thus, we are literally controlled by nothing. We owe nothing in return since no money was really given. To make matters even worse, we are forced to owe through the monopoly money that we are given trillions upon trillions of debt since the money we have isn't even money, it's literally debt (if you don't believe me, look at your $1 dollar or $5 dollar paper bill, what does it say; Note means in elementary accounting that you owe a debt and not get paid back for it.) Out of a lot of the Federal Reserve sprung corporations designed to put us to work to pay off this debt since the government pays interest on this fake money and pass it along to us as tax. Corporations don't become big overnight. A lot of them got to where they are due to cooperation with the banker monopolists. Without their cooperation, Nike wouldn't be where it is since, and neither would Reebok, or IBM since without their cooperation, they wouldn't have gotten the loans to start the businesses. Even worse is the fact that mostly bankers, these crooks, assisted in Obama's campaign, such as Franklin Raines, who was fired as CEO of FNMA and Penny Pritzker, former CEO of Superor Bank of Chicago, which went belly up due to pushing sub prime mortgages (source: http://memes.org/alex-jones-infowars-home-failed-bankers-campaign-obama). Even though Obama is against some of those who lobbied for him, he still accepts their money (see <http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Barack_Obama/Campaign_Financing>). Even more surprising are the donors who funded both campaigns simultaneously. Look at some of Obama's supporters, with Goldman Sach's being 2^nd with Morgan Stanley not too far behind. (The list can be seen here at <http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638>). Now, look at the donor list of McCain (It can be seen here at <http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=n00006424>).

[Good info, but fails to demonstrate a relevant support for your thesis that Obama (more so than other politicians) actually falls under some control of the Fed and/or other insidious banking interests. Such a connection would be huge news but there is no evidence of this. He, like every other candidate, accepted money from bankers, employees of banks and PACs who may favor banking interests. The fact he got more than other candidates is only a testament to the fact he was highly favored to win the race; and to the victor (or likely victor) go the spoils. Sadly, all the candidates support the current corrupt banking system, except for Ron Paul and he is unviable in the political structure.]

Notice that they have the same bankers, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, giving to them. Do you see a correlation? Yes, I know I can. You can go ahead and think that they feel that they might see both candidates who represents their interest, but, who is the third candidate that they are trying to keep out? There was no real third party opposition that was a threat since they didn't receive equal media coverage, so why support two so-called separate idealogues?. Also why vote for two candidates with supposedly two different interests? Doesn't it make you think that no matter who wins, they are rooting for the same guy since they know that the same guy will pull the same result.

If you decide to look to the propaganda machines that are the news and other news entertainment outlets like Newsweek and the like you will be hard pressed to find accurate, unbiased information that can help the reader or viewer arrive to unbiased, informed opinions. For instance, Newsweek's News doesn't get printed until it passes through review by the Pentagon. However, the airwaves and screens are stuffed with fluff: mindless drones watching reality shows while sitting around lingering and drinking beer due to economic hard times is what the corporatocracy have in mind and want. The corporatocracy wants us to be consumed with this so that their product, our Presidential leaders, can lead us like the blind leading the blind down a path to oblivion much like the pied piper did with the little kids of Germany. They want us to think that this leader whom we didn't elect (the electoral college did). [Simply untrue as he was elected by a larger majority of the popular vote than anyone since Carter (and he followed Nixon)] will lead us into a great era of prosperity because she/he is black or some other diversionary tactic to keep the simple minded blind. However, the fact that these are the people who control him [Highly conspiratorial without any evidence] (remember, those with money have power) are the ones who control him [I am quite sure they would like to control him, but the proof of that is to be seen] and with their interests being selfish, do you think that these corps that don't mind overworking children to death in sweat shop factories are going to care about us? Do you think that these companies are going to care if Barack turns around and says that he wants to bring companies back from overseas and return them to America? No! You never bite the hand that feeds you and look at what happened to John F. Kennedy when he tried; he was owned (assassinated)!

Aside from understanding how the economy is used by the bankers to control the President and decisions in this country, another important, actually very imperative key to understanding what really runs this nation is the advisor to the president. Zbignew Brzezinski is going to be [one of] Obama's advisors. Do you know who Zbignew Brzezinski is aside from his name? Brzezinski was instrumental in the creation and support of the mujahideen, which later became Al Qaeda, in an effort to use them against the Soviet Union by creating strife with the then Soviet supporting Afghanistan and training what was to become Al Qaeda using CIA operatives
[Failed interventionist policies go back well before Brzezinski as the British, even before WWII, IE-“Lawrence of Arabia”, tried to control them as they didthe Indians, and they created a hatred that has backfired, but it is true, the US created and supported the “Mujahideen” and the Shah of Iran, and Saddam Hussein and even Khadafi. The US has made a lot of money selling them weapons that they later have used against us, but who can blame them?] (Source: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zbigniew_Brzezinski>)This man intends on using Obama to initiate his decades old war against Russia. Do you know the name Rahm Emmanuel? He is the son of a terrorist [“Terrorist” is a label that can easily be applied to anyone who uses the threat of violence to elicit fear and control, certainly to include all military power (except our terrorists are funded directly by and openly encouraged by our government)] who quelled opposition to Israel by slaughtering Palestinians and he was also picked to be Obama's right hand man (Source: <http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/us-election/rahm-emanuels-father-an-israeli-terrorist-14043727.html>). I am quite sure that will lead to more war and involvement with Israel. As a matter of fact, a top pentagon advisor warned of an international crisis after Obama takes lead 260 days into his presidency, with Biden even emphasizing the ruthlessness of this soon to be international crisis (Source: <http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/bidens-crisis-remarks-reverberate/>) (Source: <http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/21/mccain-uses-bidens-crisis-prediction-question-obama/>) . Also, other than what Obama says, let's find out what he has done. He has:

Voted for funding for Iraq (Source: <http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/03/22/obama_defends_votes_in_favor_of_iraq_funding/>)

Voted for Wall Street $700 million Bailout (both him and McCain have the same donors) (Source: ) [Obviously, a majority voted for the bailout, most of which did so with disdain, much as parents paying kidnappers reluctantly.]

Supported the war in Iraq by approving bills allowing more money to fund the war (Source: <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/29/obama-to-vote-on-bailout_n_130242.html>) (Source: <http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/the_truth_on_troop_support.html>)

He supports an invasion of Pakistan [This is what we call “spin”; He said he would support a strike within Pakistan if there was actionable intelligence that led us to Osama Bin Laden] (Source: <http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Story?id=3434573&page=1>)

He is for the Patriot Act as well as the FISA Act, which allows for greater spying powers handed to the NSA over the American population. (Source: <http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/06/20/obama_supports_fisa_legislatio.html>) [It is yet to be seen as to whether he will favor the extension of the Patriot Act, and most indications are that he will not. FISA is a perfectly suitable law, if enforced. Bush simply ignored it. Perhaps you should read it if you haven’t.]

For the invasion of Afghanistan through funding (Source: <http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=20208&can_id=9490>)

His policy consist of getting us to borrow more money in order to spend more money by borrowing from foreign banks (which goes against what the constitution stands for), which will add to the cataclysmic cycle that will lead us into a bonded and indebted populace, which will lead to a much worse recession, otherwise known as a depression (Source: <http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20915.htm>).

We are living in a hypocrisy and if we were to have done our homework rather than letting the mass corporate media feed us it's baloney, we would have been aware of this before we voted for him in office. Now, looking back at the Bush administration, the feeling is predominant that his tenure in office will look like the golden times rather than the real gloom and doom that's ahead of us now all because we choose to be asleep rather than awake.

In Africa, the leaders of a village, even all the way up to prime minister, bloodline is the determining force of everything. In order to be king or queen, PM, unless you are of a certain regal heritage, you can't ascend the throne or head of state position. Returning back to America, did you know that Obama is related to Bush and that his Kenyan father went to Harvard, thereby making him a legacy? America is also ruled by a bloodline. Obama is related to the Bush's, Colin Powell, Dick Cheney. [This is where the tinfoil hat comes out. Relax the paranoia. We have enough legitimate fears without the silly “American Royalty” theories.] They are all different colors and from different places but they all share a common lineage and through masking the media the Corporatocracy [The MNCs that rule this world couldn’t care less about bloodlines as long as leaders keep their financial pipelines flowing] has successfully ensured that this bloodline is here to stay, not to be usurped by we the people anytime soon by feeding us mass, rampant junk like Britney's panties and who's the next winner of American Idol [True, but more likely a result of Idiocracy than Corporatocracy; this really undermines your credibility]

If you don't believe the corporatocracy and their measures to keep the elite at the top, look at this profile of Federal Reserve Bank of New York's President Tim Geithner and Barack Obama, the played out story of the young man from nothing is pretty astounding considering that they had very similar lives and are now President respectively in their industries (Source: http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=6196682&page=1). True freedom lies with knowledge; and though these mass channels of information or disinformation is caused by the powers that be that have an inherent interest in keeping us from being critical thinkers [absolutely true, and no doubt, a conscious intention of the rich], or just from thinking.

When was the last time you did your independent research on the President? Your elected leaders? Your state senators? When was the last time you knew how government worked other than what CNN told you? When was the last time you knew how the economy worked other than what MSNBC”s money market told you? This election has nothing to do with putting a black man into office? His color skin will not help us? This is about a war, a war on you, a war on all of us, a war designed to maintain the status quo at the expense of us and our minds is the battlefield. We live in a culture saturated by people who no longer want to think for themselves. We have become a nation of lazy thinkers where the boob tube speaks for us and our will is suppressed for the greater good against us. To all those out there who think that being passive is the best way to go: seeking solace in ignorance assures your part in the play, meaning you will still be affected by it no matter what.

The corporatocracy knows that we willfully consent to our slavery by ignorance. The most important thing in the world is to know the leaders you choose since if we don't know who we choose we all know what happens to sheep; ultimately you get sent to the slaughter. Complicity in slavery comes from submission in not knowing. Please, if you know in your heart this article to be true, please pass it around to as many people as you can just to get the truth out there (make sure though to give credit as I copyrighted it.) Thank you and love yourself by freeing yourself.

[Interesting reading, but perhaps, if published as is, would be irresponsible journalism. Just because something “could be true” is no basis for making such major illogical leaps. We need more than “possibility”, we need a logical, relevant and calculable “probability” in order to make fair editorial content. Anything short of this is simply muckraking and fear mongering. We have much proven evil to fear and much of this article is factual, but the conclusions are unfair and are tantamount to baseless character assassination. Stick to the facts, and prove your conspiracies and the mainstream media will gladly publish you. Hell, you will win a Pulitzer.

I am always impressed by fervor, even when misdirected or ill-supported. The Fed and the self perpetuating monetary system, are without a doubt, aimed at enslaving us by keeping us in “fake debt”, and as long as the rules are made from the top down rather than from the bottom up; as long as pay is determined solely by the employers without an equal say by the workers themselves (while they pretend this is “the natural law of supply and demand”), we are going to be locked into a worldwide domination of workers by the truly lazy and evil overlords who will do ANYTHING to stay in control.

Logic would dictate that we apply the same rules to the macro-economy as to the micro-economy, which is to say, that bankruptcy is intended to relieve the unmanageable burden of mounting debt. Our government is currently embarking on a path to greater debt, of which we cannot write off in a bankruptcy. Our unborn are expected to be born into debt slavery. This is the real horror. And only if there is a simultaneous readjustment of the books, in the form of worldwide debt forgiveness, we are destined to live in a constant state of fear of financial disaster. The truth is, that money and debt are not “real”, only material possessions are (as in “real estate”) Everything else, is an accounting game, just as clearly described in many parts of the Holy Bible. The moneychangers are truly evil and we must, as did Jesus, remove them from our temple.

It is not necessary, however to personally vilify Obama or any other pawns in this struggle. Keep your eye on the real enemies.]

Content in black and red: Copyright by Raven Masterson (Williams) 2008.

Media Hype... Who Really Cares?

Today, immediately after the SC primary, on one of the nations biggest news sites, Propeller, we see an interesting illustration of the level of interest people really have in what the media has termed a huge day in politics.

The truth is somewhat lackluster. What has been acclaimed as a "gloves off" primary season, has been possibly the mildest in recent history, though clearly well-contested.

The photo/screenshot from Propeller only highlights the passion, or apathy. Do we really care the same about trends among future chefs as Obama's "runaway" win in SC?

The media would like you to think something amazing is going on, when frankly, all was predictable and quiet in SC.

Actually, there is no proven causal link between Bill's "attacks" and the results in SC. Yet the media has told us conclusively not only what has happened, but why. What do they know? Really!

For all we know, she could have done worse without an open discussion of Obama's failure to commit to a vote, for example (134 "present" votes) and Obama's lack of experience and potential naivete. And Bill's correct analysis of the fact that blacks in SC would likely vote for Obama, White Women for Hillary, and White males for Edwards, turned out to be dead on accurate.

If Bill says it, it's an attack. But if the media says the exact same thing, it's analysis?

It will be interesting to see what the real effect is. In the long term, I think Clinton's comments have been really mild and the media has exaggerated them because they have presumed that he is to sit back and defer to some unwritten decorum of ex-Presidents.

This is a new day. There has never been an ex-President whose spouse ran for President. All bets are off. So are the gloves when it comes to campaigning. When he lies, let me know. Otherwise, attacking is what is done in campaigns and legitimately so, as long as they are true and the voter can determine if they are relevant, NOT the media.

I love it when people say "finally" or "decisively". This race is nowhere near over and Hillary has little damage from losing SC, which was a foregone conclusion since even Jesse Jackson won there, twice.

Frankly, if you look at clips of what the media pundits have said, there you will find the true "attacks". If you listen to what Republicans have said, and will say of any nominee, there you will find real "attacks". I have heard Hillary called the "B" word while people just laugh it off at a McCain speech. Meanwhile, Imus is fired for referring to black women basketball players as "nappy-headed hoes". That was news, but Hillary being compared to a female dog in heat or a prostitute is okay. Where was the indignation? By McCain? By the media? By the public?

Frankly, the media is race-bating and otherwise doing anything to fan flames where no fire really exists, while ignoring real fires. They no longer have to attribute their quotes; just simply saying, "some sources have said" or "he has been quoted as saying...".

I'd like to see who was quoting him as saying it. Usually, this technique is tantamount to gossip, not journalism. And from my experience as a journalist, more often than not, the reason they fail to attribute this gossip, is because they and their media-whore peers are the ones propagating the whisper campaigns, then waiting and watching for a fight.

I suspect Hillary and Obama may easily reconcile such mild differences. If the worst things she has said about him is to point out his representation of a slumlord, his voluminous "present votes", and that he has a strong black following and a reasonable white base, and that he may be a little inexperienced and possibly naive; well, I think I have made the point that this is a very diplomatic campaign compared to any I have seen in the past. And I am not going to let the media define the rules of the campaign. Who the f!@k are they anyway?

You can lead a horse’s ass to Washington, but the truth?

Senator Patrick Leahy has decided he is going to subpoena Karl Rove to testify under oath. Well, it’s about time. But according to Whitehouse Spokesperson Tony Snow, he has already offered himself up in such a way that “he would tell the truth” only under the condition that he not be sworn, documented and that he be free to hide one of his hands behind his back at all times with his fingers crossed.

Frankly, it will be nice to get Rove’s lies on official record, but if anyone thinks this is going to result in the unearthing of truth from his thin little lips, they have no idea who they are dealing with. Karl Rove is and has been the biggest “spinmeister” to have ever entered the District of Columbia; and that’s a high honor.

It has been the food from which he thrives. Lie ‘til you die, and even then have a lie placed on the tombstone and hire Tony Snow and Scooter Libby to write the obituary. He has been lying so long he has no idea what the truth is.

As he has been leading Bush’s political career since his days in Texas, it is his modus operandi. It has become his mantra that if you tell a lie often enough, people will eventually believe it. And when lies aren’t enough, break the law and tell secrets that end careers and put lives in danger, while endangering the well built apparatus by which the US had previously tracked nuclear proliferation to the Middle East. Who cares? It’s just another spy, just another country with nukes. Who cares if it is a felony punishable by death? And according to him, it’s not a secret if you are the second or third person to have told it. According to him, everybody already knew it, right?

In his days in Texas, he not only was a master of lies, but he completely automated the rumor mill. He perfected the art. Basically, it was his favorite way to win. Just think of the very thing that would make an opponent unpopular, and whisper it to everyone you know. It didn’t matter that Ann Richards wasn’t a lesbian. She rode a motorcycle. She had to be, according to Rove and his team. And Texans love homosexuals, right?

If anyone thinks Rove is worried about being forced to testify, they are clearly deluded. He couldn’t care less. If you think Gonzales said, “I don’t know”, “I can’t recall, or “I wasn’t in the loop,” were enough to make you roll our eyes, just wait. Rove will have your eyes sticking that way. You will become so familiar with eye-rolling that you will likely give yourself a frontal lobotomy from the friction.

Meanwhile, Bush, Cheney and Snow will simply complain that there has become a proliferation of politics where there once was none.

How Not To Argue!

After years as an internet warrior and educator I thought I would give up on anyone bothering to take a course in Critical Thinking or Logic. It has often been futile to try to reason with some people who had no clue there are actual rules as to what is a reasonable argument and what is not. I thought I would propose a common sense list of the most common fallacies and my own simple examples. Keep in mind, though many of these look very familiar and feel comfortable, this is how you "Fail" to be logical, so please don't mistake this as an endorsement of these techniques.

I realize many will think it is intellectual crap and "everyone has a right to an opinion" but this entire list is accepted by all logicians from Aristotle on as the wrong way to argue. It presupposes that "not everyone has a right to an opinion" if there is no sufficient basis.

Please note: We don't use bibles as reference sources for logic. Some of you may chose to print this and use it as a pocket map of how to beat people in an argument. Feel free to do so! If you are one who likes to show people how they are wrong, this should be helpful.

As you listen to those who try to persuade you, remind them that saying it twice, or loudly and stylishly doesn't make them right. If you chose to use the techniques below as a roadmap to winning arguments I make no warranties as to how people will accept them only as to how they are.

Some may consider this academic and some humorous; you be the judge.

Relevance

Appeal to force

-Physical
I will kill you if you don’t give me an A.

-Emotional
I will tell everyone you are gay if you don’t give me an A.

-Appeal to pity
I have only one arm therefore you should give me an A.

Appeal to the people

-Direct
Vote for me and you’ll all get A’s.
-Indirect
Come on, everybody’s doing it.
-Bandwagon
They all voted for me; you should too.
-Vanity
I love a man in uniform. Dress for success!
-Snobbery
My shirt has an alligator on it; yours has "Sears", therefore I’m more stylish.


Argument Against the Person (Ad Hominem)

-abusive
Don’t speak to him; he’s a fag.
-circumstantial
Don’t speak to him; he doesn’t have any money.

-Tu quoque “you too”
You are a murderer. > You are too, so who are you to talk?> So, murder is okay.
-or-

-2 wrongs make a right
You had an affair, so can I.

Accident (Misapplied rule)
Why can’t I play my stereo loudly; it’s a free country.

Straw Man (picking it apart/or attacking something that it isn't)
Jesus wasn’t really perfect; he lost his temper once in the temple; Anger is a sin, so don’t follow sinners like Jesus.

Missing the Point
Crime is going up, so we should put everyone in jail.
or
Bush-There are terrorists, who hate our freedom,
therefore we should give up our right to privacy and free speech.

Red Herring
Students participate in peaceful protest>
Communists participate in peaceful protest>
Don’t protest or you’re a communist.

Weak Induction

Appeal to Unqualified Authority

My preacher said you could get AIDS from kissing.

Appeal to Ignorance/Lack of evidence

He hasn’t proved he is innocent; therefore he is guilty.
or vice versa -
He hasn’t proved he is guilty; therefore he is innocent.

Hasty Generalization

Affirmative Action in 30 years hasn’t solved all the problems of racism over the last 300 years;

therefore, it will never work.

or

Bush- Diplomacy hasn’t worked so far;

therefore, war is the appropriate next step—immediately!

False Cause

He got AIDS because he is immoral and promiscuous.

Slippery Slope (Compounded Exaggeration)

If I join the army, I might kill someone; if that person was working on a cure for AIDS and; as a result of my killing him, he fails; then millions of people will die. Then everyone who didn’t get AIDS will feel so bad they kill themselves.

Therefore, I shouldn’t join the Army.

Weak Analogy

Dogs don’t like cats, so blacks should not marry whites.

Presumption, Ambiguity, Grammatical Analogy

Begging the Question

I am poor because I don’t have any money.

Complex Question/Assumptive
Follow-up Questions Without a Foundation

Have you told your mother you’re gay?

Are you still having an affair with your secretary?

How much pot do you smoke each week?

False Dichotomy

Either you study for this course or you will never finish college.

Suppressed Evidence/Missing/Forced Choice

Situation- John has AIDS. Mary Knows it. Mary tells Susan she should have children with him because he is so smart.

Equivocation (not be confused with “Ambiguous”)

Quarterbacks pass well; therefore, John, the Quarterback will pass his Logic course.

Amphiboly

I saw a man outside.

Meaning- I was in my house when I saw a man outside my window.

0r - I was outside when I saw a man.

Composition (Mixed is as good as separate)

I love pizza and ice cream therefore put some pizza and ice cream in the blender, it should be delicious.

or

Nitric Acid does not explode.
Glycerin Soap does not explode.

Therefore, nitroglycerin would not explode.

Division (Separate is as good as mixed)

A car will get me across the country.
Therefore, a carburetor will get me to Chattanooga.

Definitions of fallacies

Below you will find a few examples of my favorite illogical or easily misunderstood fallacies in the real world.

Senate Doing Nothing Becomes Grand Consolation

Is the Immigration Reform Bill Just Playing Dead?

Amid political warnings the bill could fail,
Reid scheduled a vote on limiting debate
on the measure for Thursday evening,
in a bid to drive the contentious reform
through the Democratic-led Senate.

It is the lack of shots that were heard around the world today as the US Senate failed to shove an incredibly unpopular immigration bill down the American throat.

The bill began with the pretense that the biggest problems involving immigration were legislative and could be solved by simply passing a new law. The law they insisted was coming, amounted to what more than two-thirds of Americans considered immunity for 12-20 million illegal immigrants. The warcry was, "Bring them out of the shadows." But it occurred to most Americans that these workers are nowhere near the shadows as they have been demanding to be treated as US citizens when they are not even here legally.

The Senate pretended they were doing everyone a favor by committing us to trillions more in debt. The House pretended they had nothing to do with it, but those who failed to speak out against the bill are ON THE RECORD having remained silent and they will be held accountable in 2008.

The Senate originally tried to press this through quickly without even discussion, as if the people would not notice and would hail it as "progress". Many publications shed their objectivity and lied to the American public telling us it was a "popular" bill when a full two thirds of Americans ultimately opposed the core points.

One may ask, "who do I vote against in 2008?" Well, a place to start is to become aware of who voted on what. This is difficult as the Senate intentionally tried to keep most of it off the record by making several voice votes which results in our having no complete record of their intentions. The best measure will ultimately be, who spoke agaisnt it from the beginning.

Meanwhile, here is the list of votes leading to the final death of the bill, lest it raises its ugly head again. Maybe now we can get on with enforcing the laws we have and listening to the American people on BOTH sides of the political spectrum.

The voting record regarding the "immigration reform bill"

Read carefully and decide who within and how to punish the Senate for ignoring the American people, or if, in fact, they should be rewarded for trying to ignore the will of the people.

Death of the Health Insurance Industry

(or death of the way things are currently done)



by

Contributor Rebecca Stamm

With presidential elections looming, the debate on healthcare reform is once again in the headlines. Every candidate has their opinion and their ideas of how to reform the system.

American citizens want to be able to choose a doctor they can trust and respect; they also want coverage that is adequate and affordable. With premiums rising between 13-25 % per year, our current system is incapable of providing that. But to understand the debate about reform you need to have some knowledge of the terminology that is being used in these debates. There are a few different systems that are currently being discussed. The first, Private Insurance, is the system that we are on now. The second, Socialized Medicine, is a system where the doctors and the hospitals work directly for the government and are paid by the government. This system is similar to the VA. Another, National Health Insurance or Single Payer, is a system that is managed by the public and the services provided remains in the private sector.

Our current system of spending more for lower quality has left 46 million uninsured and 50 million more with insufficient coverage. Those 96 million people are hard working middle class citizens. Lower income citizens are cared for through Medicare/aid and the higher income citizens can afford to purchase a decent plan. Private insurance has proven itself to be an ineffective means of providing care. They waste money on outrageous executive salaries, they have to worry about profit margins for the stockholders, they maintain very expensive sales and marketing departments, and there is overhead to run the company. Private insurance knowingly drives up the cost for the consumer, while forcing the provider to lower the cost of their services, and pocketing the difference.

Hospitals are forced to maintain a costly administrative staff to deal with the bureaucracy created by the insurance industry. All of these problems (and many more) are eating up a third of the money we spend on healthcare. We spend two times as much on our healthcare (about $7,000 per capita) than other developed nations. In short, the insurance industry is responsible for using up a whopping 30% of our healthcare dollars.

Private insurance has also created much of the mess that is associated with Medicare/aid. Healthy people use very little of the premiums that they pay in and that helps to pay for the sick people. Insurance companies cherry pick the healthy patients and provide them with coverage. Once they become sick, the patients’ premiums sky rocket and they drop out of the plan. This leaves programs like Medicare/aid to cover only the sick people and creates huge deficits in their budgets.


Single payer national insurance will solve these problems. Representatives Kucinich (D-OH), Conyers (D-MI), and McDermott (D-WA) are working on a bill, HR 676, which provides America with an intelligent solution to our health care crisis. The proposal provides all American citizens with a comprehensive medical plan which includes primary and preventative care, inpatient/outpatient services, ER services, prescription drugs, long term care, mental health services, dental coverage (excepting cosmetic), hearing, and vision coverage. It even provides for substance abuse treatments and chiropractic services. There are no deductibles, co-pays or other out of pocket expenses. This plan is also portable and will allow you to see any doctor anywhere in the United States.

It sounds good so far but many will raise the question of how we will pay for such a plan. We all know that nothing is free. The good news is that the majority of the funding is already there. Right now we pay 64% of healthcare costs through our taxes. Those funds cover citizens that are on Medicare/aid, the VA, public employees, and teachers, elected officials, the military, and tax subsidies to employers for offering insurance to employees. The citizens are currently paying 17% for healthcare out of their pockets. Employers that offer insurance pay 19% of the cost out of their profits. In fact, 25% of their payroll is dedicated to the cost of health care.

Under a single payer system, we will be saving the $350 billion dollars wasted by the insurance industry per year. Along with those savings, the payroll taxes for employers will be reduced to about 7% saving them 12% of their profits. Citizens will contribute about 2% of their payroll taxes. The plan actually gives the average citizen a 10% raise. They will increase taxes on personal income for the top 5% of income earners, and place a small tax on stock and bond transactions to accommodate for any differences in funding.

The plan will not affect a doctor’s income. There will be reduced malpractice costs and overhead to run their offices. Licensed practitioners will be paid a fee based on the service that they provide. Some physicians will be paid a salary. Hospitals will be given a budget that will be determined by the regional, state, and national board. The plan will be managed by the National Board of Universal Quality and Access, and will be comprised of elected officials with extensive knowledge of the health care industry.


Private insurance will be allowed to cover anything that the national plan doesn’t. It will, under no circumstances, be allowed to compete with the national plan. Competition from private insurers will create a deficit of healthy people in the national plan. This deficit will cripple the plan and we’ll end up back at square one. The only thing that the current bill doesn’t provide for is the retraining and placement of those currently working in the private insurance sector. This is a serious flaw that will need to be considered before the bill is passed.

Whether we like it or not, the government is determined to overhaul our system of delivering healthcare in this country. There are a number of ideas being proposed that could be devastating to the average middle class family. You have to ask yourself if you want a system like Gov. Mitt Romney’s (R-MA) and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R-CA) that forces citizens into expensive policies that are written by insurance companies. These policies will cost a single person $4,000 per year with a $2,000 deductible including co-payments. This law will fine people a $1,000 and up for not purchasing a plan they’re unable to afford. When you consider that the median income is around $29,000 per year, the cost of a policy like this will be devastating to hard working Americans.

There is little to no regulation written into these types of bills to stop the insurance companies from basing the cost of coverage on risk factors. So, future costs are guaranteed to skyrocket. Is this a plan that will help the citizens or is this a plan that will only serve to make the insurance company stock holders wealthier? With plans like this, we’re still forcing Americans to choose between their health and other basic necessities. A single payer program means death to the insurance industry and I’m grabbing my shovel.

They’ve had a nice run but all profitable things may end. Let's just hope they made enough money to retire gracefully. It’s time to seriously consider a single payer plan. It’s time to consider HR 676.

Sources:
Physicians for a National Health Program
House of Representatives Bill 676
Who's Afraid of Corporate Medicine?

Who's Afraid of Corporate Medicine?

In the most recent Democratic Presidential Debate in New Hampshire, it was said and hardly heard when Candidate Dennis Kucinich screamed the most common sense yet most financially opposed medical plan, the single payer plan. Basically, an extension of Medicare to all Americans, it is a plan that would cut out the middle man, which is opposed by the sacred cows as Big Pharma, the AMA and insurance companies have effectively touted it as a death knell for quality medicine in America.

What they don't point out is that the death knell went in years ago as we are by far the worst quality medical providing nation of all industrialized nations. Yes, the best is available, but only to the rich but the real measure is the availability to all. On this the US loses in every category to countries like Costa Rica (population 3-million; avg. per capita income - $300/month) and Castro's Cuba (recently highlighted in Michael Moore's Sicko). The numbers are clear when by every measure America appears to be a third world nation.

We are 48th in life expectancy and the United States is tied with Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia with a death rate of nearly 5 per 1,000 babies. A little embarrassing to those of us who still care about little things like children and living. Supposedly our constitution guarantees the "inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" ; however, it seems rather difficult to exercise these rights when you are dead.

Of course, many Americans have swallowed hook, line and sinker, the notion that insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and medical professional have a natural right to living like kings on the highest medical profits in the world. It's not hard to believe America falls for it after the billions that are tacked onto our medical care in the form of lobbying and advertising by the monster that our medical establishment has become.

Some facts to consider:

• Medicare spends a lower percentage on administration of medical care than any single provider in the world at close to 1%.
• A record 46.6 million Americans, including 8.3 million children, have no health insurance at all.
• If allowed to actually negotiate with drug providers they could cut drug costs by 48% just as the Veteran's administration does; a fact few realize as our congress pushed this through literally in the middle of the night as Big Pharma twisted arms and threatened political lives during a prolonged vote. That's right; the median price difference for the 20 drugs most frequently used by seniors is 48.2 percent.
  

Some relevant questions:

• If the US offered a free education to those who can perform, would there be any shortage of medical professionals?
• If the US, a country of 300-million people cut out the middle man could we not cut out the middle man and save that 30+% of profit that is tacked onto our medical costs and put that money back in our pockets?
• If we had a single payer i.e simply offering Medicare to all US citizens, couldn't we be at least as efficient as Cuba or Costa Rica?
• If we treated people before they got sick wouldn't we live longer - as "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"?
• Would we really miss any of the doctors, Pharma and insurance executives who might quit if we deprived them of guaranteed 6 figure incomes and replaced them with people driven by a love of helping people?
• Would either doctors or patients miss the current bureaucracy of processing medical insurance claims and the fear that some executive will say, "no" to your life?
• Would it somehow make us less American to get something back for the tax dollars we put in?

To paraphrase our former President, Richard Nixon, "you're not going to have America's healthcare system to kick around forever."

Hey Jude: Disappointment With Supposed Democratic Rescuers

Hey Jude!
by
Contributor, Jude Rouslin

Letter to Newly Elected Congress:

I am but one of the many citizens that made it possible for you to hold office. I think I remember a thank you speech somewhere along the way; speeches of a New Day. However that seems like such a long time ago .

I now realize as most Americans do, that those words you spoke in November of 2006 had absolutely no substance at all. Though, like many others, I did believe them at the time. Just as we believed your words of hope, change, accountability and morality. The only problem is, we assumed that your ideals would continue to be the same as ours and our Country would be reclaimed as ours. You would follow up on your campaign promises.

Unfortunately, the victorious celebration of regaining the House and Senate was short lived as we watched with shear indignation, the reality of your political character and the choices you made in our name. As it became more evident with each passing day, we knew we were once again far removed from the debate. And in the end, you made a choice. A choice which excludes the very principles the majority of voters hold in this Country.

Why did you decide amongst yourselves that the voters of this country were only worth the votes tallied and anything beyond that, well, we were excluded. How does it feel to have it be known that many in the democratic party are no longer viewed as the Sir Galahad's of our times? Reality is a difficult swallow but so too is your fall from grace.

By now, you've made it quite clear that neither of you represent the individuals that placed you in office. Your decision to not hold to your pre-election ideals... our ideals, proves many things, none of which I would think you ought to be proud of. But then again, perhaps we the voters were merely desperate for change and actually believed your rhetoric, sound bytes and slogans. It's quite clear that we the voters were simply the necessary medium which would pave your way to Washington. Nothing more, nothing less.

You are no different than those that have preceded you and America has learned another startling reality of human behavior and politics. The U.S. Political Arena is a total farce. It's a system that has been broken for quite some time and you are now part of the problem. Our government is no longer viewed as being filled with potential positive possibilities and hopeful solution.

Talk is cheap, as the adage goes, and so too, is the purchase of an elected official. For it is your actions by which you will be gaged by and remembered. Not the campaign slogans which you've failed to adhere to and make a reality.

So lets call this what this actually is. We no longer have a Government that is for the People and by the People. It has been transformed into a seedy dark private business and we the people are merely the road in which you've trampled upon in order to ensure your place in the Corporation . Once there, we the people are left behind once again and it's business as usual.

Government has been reduced to nothing more than a backroom business deal. Welcome to the Corporation of the United States, as we, the shareholders have no voice, votes, or say. It is your way once you step into the confines of the murky, seedy beltway.

I am ashamed, appalled, and sickened . I am tired of the lies, faux democratic hype, spin and above all, I am no longer disillusioned. That is the reality that you also must face in the next election. We the People have learned a very important lesson. Those that serve us as "Elected Officials", merely use the power of the people to win. Once the finish line has been crossed, you do not look back but rather proceed to ignore those that placed you there while you work out your own agenda filled with private promises in closed meetings to secure deals.

I suppose I could ask, how do you sleep at night, however, I think I know the answer. Very easily. And for that, you ought to be ashamed as you are no different than the last Congress. Our problem is that we actually trusted you to do what was right for America, not what was felt to be right for the Bush/Cheney agenda or your political career.

So, this has taught us that you are not the solution we all had hoped for, but rather, part of the problem. There are those that claim , the Democratic Party has sold us out. I disagree. As it is quite obvious your agenda was apparently already set in stone.And you merely told us what we so desperately needed and wanted to hear."Change In Washington" Didn't matter to you that it was a con, as long as your goals were reached and you won the election.

Ahh, but you might state, "We've been holding investigations, hearings,ordered committees which can be viewed on CNN, and have threatened to send subpoena's and add non binding resolutions." That is all fine and good, as window dressing. But let the truth be known, you've done nothing in terms of enforcing accountability, ending the Iraq Invasion which was based on Cherry picked intelligence. There ought not even be a debate concerning Iraq, when the basic premise was a lie to begin with. Anything after that is simply moot. You've missed so many opportunities when it comes to making individuals accountable for the injustices we've been forced to endure the world over.

How many times must the world see just what a charade your investigations have been? Despite the overwhelming evidence that corruption from the top down has grown like a cancer, along with years of obstruction of justice. Still, you've done nothing except to provide the continuation of a broken political system. In a real court of law, a real investigation or hearing, there would be those that would have already been charged with the RICO Act. After all, lets be real here, U.S. Politics has become nothing more than a cover for Organized Crime. And, I would rather place bets on the loyalty of the Mob, than Washington Officials at this point. At least there is honor and loyalty to some extent. You have no honor. Nor do you have a sense of loyalty to those that put you in office. How unfortunately typical for what has become Politics in America.

In closing I would like to say that the American People are tired of the abuse. Sickened by private agendas. And we the people are so distrustful of anyone right now. I see this Country being forced down a revolutionary road and and it will be a matter of survival and preservation. It will be in response to the abuse of power, ignoring your base, and selling out the entire Country for what? I blame you as well as the Congresses that have gone before you. You now have blood on your hands in terms of Iraq.

You also have proved that you also work in a "Decider" like fashion, by proclaiming that Impeachment is off the table. By who's authority may I ask? Certainly not the voter's. When will America be returned to it's people? America has had enough and the world will no longer be held hostage and lay victim to such a manipulative Industrial Military Complex driven by your Political Agendas. While you continue the charade by referring to America as a Democracy, people are dieing all over the globe. The United States of America has wreaked havoc over the entire world .

Let's be real here and call it what it actually is: Organized Global Crime, which you helped shape and forge as a willing participant . You've no humanity left and it is becoming increasingly clear that you are also a very large part of the problem, not the solution.

Jude A. Rouslin