GOP Likes Big Brother Looking Over Our Shoulders

Big Brother In Action

Although the Republican Party spends so much time campaigning on the issue of keeping Big Bad Government out of our lives, they frequently support legislation that fosters government intervention in our private lives. The list of such legislation is quite long, ranging from the so-called Patriot Act to legislation about abortion and homosexuality.


The most recent attack on our privacy is a bill passed by the Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee. This bill would require ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to retain subscriber records for government surveillance.And, as with the Patriot Act, they label the legislation after a desirable outcome rather than a description of what it does. In this case, using their "the-end-justifies-the-means" philosophy, they tell us that the legislation will help law enforcement track down pedophiles. Perhaps it will, just as executing all convicted felons would reduce crime, but that is the reason our founding fathers had the foresight to limit the powers of government.


"The bill is mislabeled," Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), a senior member of the panel told CNET. "This is not protecting children from Internet pornography. It's creating a database for everybody in this country for a lot of other purposes." (Eric Dolan, The Raw Story, July 28, 2011)


Obviously the bill should be called "The Internet Data Retention Act."


"The data retention mandate in this bill would treat every Internet user like a criminal and threaten the online privacy and free speech rights of every American, as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have recognized," Senior Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston of the Electronic Frontier Foundation said. (cf. Dolan, above)


It is time American voters  realize that many Republicans do not really believe in their own  Libertarian rhetoric. They seem all too comfortable with allowing Big Brother to look over our shoulders.

Woody Hayes in Bronze

Sculpture of Woody Hayes

College Football in general and  OSU football in particular seems to inspire fans to use their artistic skills to express themselves in praise of the game they love. You may recall the elaborate lego recreation of the "Horshoe" (www.mocpages.com) by engineer, Paul Janssen.


The Most recent example is Andy Sacksteder of Fostoria, Ohio, an avid Ohio State fan and a part-time sculptor. He has created a life-size sculpture of the legendary OSU coach, Woody Hayes. His work has been publicized in Northwest Ohio in the Toledo Blade and WTOL TV, but I am posting it here for those members of the Buckeye Nation scattered across the country and around the world.


One can view photos of this sculpture and other examples of Andy's work by going to: andystacksteder.com

Right-wing Domestic Terrorism is a Hot Potato

Anders Breivik (Andrew Berwick)

The tragic attacks on the government of Norway reminded many of us of Timothy McViegh's attack on the Oklahoma City Federal Government Building. The accused terrorist, Anders Breivik, is a right-wing fundamentalist who has written "An European Declaration of Independence" advising Christians to use violence to drive Muslims from Europe by giving advice on building bombs, making poisons, and honing their marksmanship with video games.


Just as in the case of McViegh, if Breivik is found guilty,  it will be a case of a home-grown, right-wing, terrorist who attacked his fellow citizens. In addition, the Norway case seems to add another layer; fundamentalist Christians versus Muslims.


Neither Norway nor the US should be surprised that domestic terrorism is a real threat to the safety of the citizenry. A former Homeland Security terrorism analyst, Daryl Johnson, was the main author of the April 7, 2009 report: "Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,"  This document warned us that home-grown terrorists are a grave threat to our security. Unfortunately, once this document was leaked,  the political right went into a fearful rage thinking that law enforcement might consider all conservatives as possible domestic terrorists. (An interesting example of stereotypical thinking.) Following the conservative criticism, the unit that investigated non-Islamic domestic terrorism was reduced from six analysts to just one. As a result, according to Johnson, "We are more vulnerable." (SPCLC Report, Summer 2011).


We, as a country, must face the fact that we have fellow citizens who are racist, xenophobic, anti-Muslim, fundamentalist Christians who think that Government of and by the people is their enemy and are willing to use violence to attack it. We should not, therefore, institute draconian measures to deprive these people of their rights, but we should devote as much of our vigilance to safeguard against them as we do foreign terrorists.


As for conservative Americans, one would hope that they too want to prevent home-grown terrorists from killing innocent Americans.

Eric Cantor: A Profile in Self-interested Cowardice

Our generation, the generation which understood the lessons of the Great Depression (deprivation and sacrifice) and World War II (courage and sacrifice for the common good), understood what John F. Kennedy described in Profiles in Courage, an account of eight American politicians who were able to place the good of the country above their own political self-interests.


Today, unfortunately, it is difficult to find courageous politicians like Daniel Webster or Sam Houston. On the other hand, we have a group who could be featured in Profiles in Cowardice. The leading contender for a prominent chapter would, of course, be Eric Cantor, the Virginia Republican who wears a constant sneer and views compromise with derision. In his quest for power, he is willing to risk the full faith and credit of the United States. If  our country does not raise the debt limit and defaults, we have Mr. Cantor to thank. He is more interested in his power struggle with Speaker John Boehner and preventing tax increases for his wealthy friends than he is the "general Welfare" of our country as stipulated in the Constitution.


According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Mr. Cantor chose a revealing quote to accompany his senior prep-school photo: "I want what I want when I want it." (cf. Dana Milbank, Washington Post Writers Group). That quote reflects the same self-interested attitude of those politicians who, along with Eric Cantor, deserve a chapter in Profiles in Cowardice.

Another Example of Catholic Bishops' Misogamy

Catholic Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo has issued an edict that Catholic schools and parishes can no longer raise funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, an organization that supports breast cancer research and  breast cancer education. His reason for this bizarre action: the Susan G. Komen Fund "might" someday in the future fund stem cell research. The Bishop admits that Komen does not donate funds to stem cell research but fears that they may in the future. By  extending the Bishop's logic, Catholics should stop raising funds for the American Cancer Society, the Heart Association, the Kidney Foundation, the Prostrate Cancer Research Fund and every other organization that "might some day in the future" donate funds to stem cell research.

But no, the Catholic Bishop of Toledo specifically identifies the Susan G. Komen Fund as the one fund Catholics should not support. This is the one fund that deals directly with breast cancer, which is primarily a women's issue. It does not take a genius to recognize that the same bishop who is also "investigating" Catholic nuns is choosing to single out a fund dedicated to women's health.

And then Catholic Bishops like Blair (Toledo), Schnurr (Cincinnati), and Olmsted (Phoenix) wonder why we view them as misogynists.

One has to wonder:  under what rock did the Vatican find these guys?

Summer Hiatus

Papa Ron is currently on vacation.

My Quest for an American-made TV

A few weeks ago, thinking I needed to replace a broken television, I posed the question on Facebook as to which TVs are made in the United States. Foolishly, I expected several quick responses which would direct me to several brands. I received two replies which suggested that there probably are none, or possibly one.


Realizing I was going to have to work to find one, I began searching through Google. I learned:


1. Most American-made TVs ceased to exist in 1985 when Zenith was bought out by a South Korean company.


2. Sharp moved to Mexico in 2000.


3. Vizio Inc. is located in California, but the TVs are manufactured elsewhere.


4. Olevia TVs were made in the US by Syntax-Brillian (Tempe, Arizona) until they went bankrupt in 2008.


5. Phillips television sets are made in China, their North American Head Office is in New York City, NY, but the parent company is in the Netherlands.


6. There are a few TV monitors (not TV receivers) used for security systems made in the US.


The sad fact is that Americans cannot purchase a television set manufactured in the USA by American workers.

"Ringer" - A Kindle Romantic Suspense/Thriller

As a "fun experiment," three Hilton Head Island authors decided to collaborate on writing a romantic suspense/thriller. The happy result was Ringer, a digital book available on Kindle ($2.99).


Set mostly on Hilton Head Island, it is the story an attempt to derail an International Peace Conference being held at the Cloisters on Sea Island, Georgia. 


In the service of a clandestine organization of the government, IMPOSTR, Caroline Stephens is a specialist in disguise and surgically changing a person's appearance. After a successful operation at a safe house in West Virginia, her world falls apart. By accident she survives an attempt to kill her and realizes that not only is she the target of her own agency, but also that her own brother who is calling the shots.


After escaping  south, she attempts to hide as an oyster sucker on Hilton Head Island where she meets a fishing boat captain who is a former Navy SEAL, Can Coop, and their benevolent employer, Noah Stamper. By accident Caroline and Can learn that they are both threats to an important general who has presidential ambitions and that, therefore, they are his targets.


Having determined  the general's plans,Caroline, Can and Noah set out on a nearly impossible mission to thwart the general's scheme- a plan which would severely damage international relations for years to come.


The novel is  fast-paced  action with an adequate dash of suspense. The local color helps the reader overlook some of the coincidences of the plot line, but its charm is the interesting characters whom the reader quickly identifies with.


Tre' Hilton is the pseudonym for three Hilton Head authors: Kathy Wall, known for her Bay Tanner series, Jo Williams, author of The Song My Soul Remembers, and Vicky Hunnings, author of The Bride Wore Blood and other mystery novels.

Republicans Averse to Democracy and Sermon on the Mount

Ayn Rand: Guru of the Republican Party

If I were a Republican, I would be concerned about what my party has become. In the last election they campaigned on creating jobs. That's a good thing. They campaigned on curtailing excessive government spending. Another good thing. They campaigned on no new taxes. Not a good thing if that is GOP-speak for "let's renew the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy."


Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that the only jobs they were interested in were patronage jobs for their cronies and contributors. In fact, their first efforts were to eliminate the existing jobs of public workers like police and firemen.


Their idea of curtailing government spending was to do it at the expense of the middle class and the poor while providing energy and agricultural companies with huge subsidies. And of course they insisted on continuing the "temporary" Bush tax breaks for the super wealthy.


These items are some of the many that explain why I am not a Republican. On the other hand, disregarding the above, I suspect my Republican friends are now wondering what has happened to the Grand Old Party. First of all, there was Sarah Palin. Enough said. Then they watched as the so-called Tea Party became the tail that wagged the dog. If that were not enough, along comes Donald Trump with his dog-and-pony show.


But more recently, many whom the GOP had courted with protestations of Christian fundamentalism  were astounded to learn that real spiritual guru of the Republicans (Ryan, the Pauls, and the Kochs etc.) is Ayn Rand with with her gospel of selfish greed and her distaste, nay, hatred,  for Christianity. She finds the Sermon on the Mount despicable. Sorry about that, Christian conservatives. It appears Karl Rove and friends were just using you. You, I suspect, would be surprised at the things Ayn Rand has said.


But certainly, Republicans were committed to the concept of democracy. According to George W. Bush one of the reasons our youth were being sacrificed on the altar of Iraq was to spread democracy throughout the Mideast. 


Just a minute. This week we heard from the new Republican governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, who informed us that democracy is a problem. We were always aware that Republicans worked to keep Americans from voting, but we attributed that to their fear of fraud or of being the minority party, but now we know what they really want is a plutocracy. As Governor Snyder said: “Every single one of those places has just been told that them having locally elected officials, that’s a problem,That democracy is in the way of making things more efficient in Michigan, that Democracy is not the way we fix problems in America, that it is a problem.” (MSNBC Rachel Maddow)


Nothing like unbridled capitalism in an efficient plutocracy!

The New Racism and the Birthers

It is now obvious why President Obama was reluctant to release the long form of his birth certificate. It's release is a waste of time and only serves to give the crazies like Donal Trump more attention than they deserve. In addition, the other crazies like Orly Taitz will continue to deny the facts, And then there are Republican leaders like John Boehner who say they take the President's word for his citizenship, thereby cleverly not admitting his citizenship was and has been a proven fact.


Unfortunately, the whole issue appears to be based on a new form of racism. The new, more subtle form of  racism does not resort to cross-burnings, lynchings and the other more crude methods of the KKK. In fact, today's racists do not want to be labeled racists; they go by a whole range of conservative, patriotic-sounding names.


The new racists came to the fore during the 2008 presidential election and have only increased their veiled attacks on President Obama since his election. Typical of the attacks has been all of the hulabalu about whether the President was born in the United States and is, therefore, an American citizen. And of course, they were quick to surmise that he was born in Africa


One has to ask why this president, the first black president, had to show us a copy of his original birth certificate. Did Ronald Reagan have to show a birth certificate? And why was John McCain not questioned about his citizenship. After all, McCain was born on foreign soil at Coco Solo Air Base in the Panama Canal Zone. Since the Constitution stipulates that the president must be a "natural born citizen," one could challenge McCain's eligibility. But no, it was all about the black guy, Barack H. Obama.


For years the Republican Party has employed what they called their "Southern Strategy," part of which was the theory that Republicans could count on the racist vote in the South. One would like to think that Americans today are not voting based on race, but judging from the "birther" nonsense, it appears that politicians are still resorting to tactics which attract the racist vote. The politicians who send their colleagues emails depicting the First Family as monkeys are somewhat rare, but the fact that any politicians in 2011 are doing this is despicable.


Perhaps even as disturbing is the fact that some of these politicians may not be racists themselves, but in their efforts to attract the vote of those who are, they function as enablers.  That would not be new. We've seen politicians of a wide variety of beliefs say the "right" thing in order to appeal to conservative Christians.


Unfortunately, whatever its form, racism is still with us, and the presence of a black man in the White House (no pun intended) brings the hatred to the front lines of politics.