The Dumbest Generation

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

HISTORY REMEMBERS THE AMERICANS WHO FOUGHT WWII AS THE GREATEST GENERATION; WE'RE GOING TO BE REMEMBERED AS THE DUMBEST. THANK YOU, TEABAGGERS.

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HOW DID WE SLIP TO THIS AS A POTENTIAL PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?

AND THIS . . .

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AND WHEN DID WE GET TO THE POINT WHERE POLITICIANS COULD TELL THEIR CONSTITUENTS TO SHUT UP AND LISTEN, INSTEAD OF THE REVERSE?

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NEWS FLASH, MR. CONGRESSMAN.  WE DON'T CARE WHAT YOU WANT.  IT'S WHAT WE WANT THAT COUNTS. 

THE GOP: A ONE HUNDRED YEAR RECORD OF SWINDLING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

Eric L. Wattree

Http://wattree.blogspot.com

Ewattree@Gmail.com

Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)

Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

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Ms. Rita Edmond: A Glance at Destiny

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Ms. Rita Edmond: A Glance at Destiny  

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I’m about to throw you a curve here, Milton.  I’m sure it’s going to strike you as beyond curious that during these dire political times one of your most strident political columnists would be writing you about music. But mark my words, I’m discussing much more than simply music here. This article describes an auspicious event that’s taking place in the world of jazz, which, for over a hundred years has always signaled a significant change in our political environment.  So please don’t confuse this with a music review.  Music is just the backdrop. My actual intent is to allow our readers to become a witness to history. Let me explain what I mean:   

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For over a century the developments in jazz have always been a harbinger of things to come. It was jazz that made the Roaring Twenties roar, with people like Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller. It was also jazz that sustained us through the Great Depression of the thirties, with the driving big bands of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Chick Web, bringing along great ladies like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.  Later, jazz bolstered our troops to defeat fascism during WWII with people like Benny Goodman and Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey. Then after the war, the celebratory sounds of bebop appeared on the scene, with Charlie parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and the fabulous Sarah Vaughan to usher in an era of the most sustained prosperity that this country has ever known. Then during the fifties and sixties Miles and Trane took over the reins to signal the emergence of a new Black consciousness, and the birth of a generation of Black people who were unwilling to "take their place" on the back of the bus.     

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Now, due to the harmonic complexity and sophistication of jazz, it’s certainly not the most popular music in the country, since much of it is beyond the easy grasp of the masses. But that doesn’t make it any less influential in shaping the thinking of the people, because due to the musical innovations that continue to take place within its insulated world, jazz invariably defines the course of the music that the masses can understand.  Thus, over the years, jazz has unfailingly defined the tenor of our times, and so it is again.

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One day a musician friend of mine approached me and said he wanted me to hear a CD. I'm an old school musician - Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Mile Davis, etc. - so I'm not very big on today’s commercialism, but since he was a friend and fellow sax player, I agreed to take a listen. 

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The CD was the work of a lady by the name of Rita Edmond, a name that I hadn’t ever heard before, but before this sister got to the bridge of the first chorus of the tune, I knew this wasn't just another singer. It was clear to me that this woman was a talent on the level of Ella, Sarah, and Dinah Washington. So when my friend saw my reaction, he started telling me that he could get me a copy of the CD, but I told him, "No, I want this one," and I literally SEIZED the CD from the brother. I threw some money on the hood of his car, and went to the park and spent hours listening to this fabulous lady, and I found every tune on the CD to be just as good or better than the one before. Thereafter, I broke my policy of only writing about politics, and plunged into an article about this very special lady.

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Ms Edmond is not just an entertainer, she’s a harbinger of a new era, so her discrete and unheralded arrival on the jazz scene is indeed ironic. She should have been welcomed with blaring horns, because her very presence signals the end of an era of gross mediocrity in the country, and in modern jazz.

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Perhaps that’s why in spite of the fact that she’s getting the accolades of flawless reviews, invited to open Dodger games, and being sought out to sing at celebrity weddings, the industry as a whole is doing its very best to blot her out.  You see, the industry is a step ahead of us. They understand what Ms Edmond represents - a frontal assault on the forces of mediocrity. 

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Rita Edmond looms as a serious threat to both the business and the political interests of those who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. If the masses begin to embrace Ms Edmond as the standard that defines talent, excellence, and class, the millions of dollars that the industry has spent to promote mediocrity will go for naught. And on a political level, Ms Edmond’s style, professionalism, and focused pursuit of excellence is absolutely toxic to the media’s attempt to dumb-down America.

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Rita has produced two CDs so far - “Sketches of A Dream” and “A Glance at Destiny,” (which she certainly is). And she came out the gate jumping in with both feet. On both CDs she tackles standards and signature songs by some of the best singers who ever lived, and she didn’t come up short once. Every song she does is either comparable or better than the version that made it famous - and any song on either of the two CDs could serve as the title song of the CD itself.

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And we’re not talkin’ fillers, here. On both CDs you definitely get your money’s worth. On the CD, "Sketches of a Dream," she does Dindi, Star Eyes, You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To, Body And Soul, All The Way, On The Street Where You Live, My Romance, Never Let Me Go, Day By Day, Out of Nowhere, Just In Time, Here’s That Rainy Day, You Stepped Out Of A Dream, Misty, Almost Like Being In Love, and Our Love Is Here To Stay. And the CD, "A Glance at Destiny", is just as formidable, where she does songs like Sunny, You’ve Changed, It Might As Well Be Spring, and You Don’t Know What Love Is.

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Of particular note on "A Glance At Destiny," Ms Edmond does Here’s To Life.That song has been done by some of the greatest singers in the world, both living and dead, but Rita has made that song her own. I challenge anyone who’s ever dedicated their life to fighting the good fight to try to get through that song with dry eyes. I’ve listened to it hundreds of times now, and I haven’t been successful yet.

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So yes, Rita Edmond is far from just another entertainer. This lady is the consummate artist. While she has a four octave range, unlike lesser singers, she never uses it frivolously just to say to the audience “look what I can do.” She never over-sings, and she never under-sings. She always puts the music first, and only dips into her formidable resources when the music demands it. In fact, every time she sings a song, it serves as a tribute to the composer.

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Yet, she puts her undeniable stamp on every song she sings, but again, not with frivolous and over-the-top embellishments, but with pure passion, and the power of excellence. The emotion in her ballads drip like honey, and she swings with the effortless finesse of a Bentley cruising down Pacific Coast Highway. 

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Clear evidence of my assessment of Ms Edmond can be found in a YouTube video of her  appearing at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She does“Embraceable You” with Harold Land, Jr. on keyboard. Her performance is simply flawless. The only thing missing is the melodic tones of Charlie Parker in the background. Bird would have loved her, because even as a relatively young woman, she belongs to his world.

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Milton, I realize that I've made a series of grandiose assertions here, and since we're both objective journalists I don't expect you to simply take me at my word. So I've attached a few links below. Take a minute and listen to this lady for yourself. I'm sure that when you're done my credibility will remain firmly intact.
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Thus, I've written this as both an article and a personal communication because you’re in a position to do the world a favor. I know you’ve got an ongoing relationship with Bill Cosby, and I also happen to know that Bill is a huge supporter of jazz. After you've listened to Rita yourself, take a minute to contact Bill and have him give her a listen. You'll not only be doing the world a favor, but you'll be doing Bill and yourself a favor as well. I assure you, Bill will be eternally grateful to you for providing him the opportunity to make a huge contribution to jazz, and also, for allowing him to give the world . . . a glance at destiny.

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Here's to Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c18V_uvMYhU

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Embraceable You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6qQLKqEKrI

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It Might As Well Be Spring

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVXzYTrrCVE

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Gentle Rain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ukpv8GYB_8&feature=related

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You Don't Know What Love Is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKPY2gA24PI


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Eric L. Wattree 

Http://wattree.blogspot.com
Ewattree@Gmail.com

Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)

Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

Sphere: Related Content

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

President Obama: Respect workers’ Rights - Emancipate United States Postal Workers 

PART III

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We thought it would be instructive if we took the time to reprise in part an article that we did in December of 2009. During that time we wrote a series of articles pointing out that the United States Postal Service was a microcosm of America as a whole, so to ignore the plight of it’s employees would come back to bite middle-class workers as a whole. 
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At this writing, Ohio voters are in the process of voting to repeal a Draconian assault on middle-class workers by Governor John Kasich and his Republican legislature. It’s one of many votes across the country that’s only necessary because American workers refused to wake up to the fact that the only way to fight for their own justice, is to fight for the justice of others. 
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Ohio voters wouldn’t have had the problem they’re facing if they wouldn’t have ignored the threat that the GOP posed to workers when they elected Kasich, but they thought he was only a threat to others.  But now they’ve found out the hard way that injustice toward some is a threat to the justice of all, and it’s much more difficult to fight off injustice when you wait until the boots are at your door.   
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The Tea  Party abruptly woke up to this fact as well. By the way, when was the last time you heard from the Tea Party?  I'll tell you when - when the GOP started talking about attacking Social Security, Medicare, and the programs that have a direct impact on their lives. Isn't it funny how fast people begin to see the light when the quality of THEIR lives are under attack?  

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The Role of Poor, Minorities, and Middle Class in the New World Order

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The phrase New World Order says it all. But in our blind naivete' and the belief that it can't happen here, the vast majority of American people believe the phrase refers to the reshuffling, in terms of importance, of the various nations around the world. We fail to understand that the change is much more profound than that. The new world order not only applies to a geo-political reshuffling among nations, but the reshuffling of the internal economic structure within individual nations as well.
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That means that as the world moves from many separate national economies to one global economy the class structure of the various nations of the world must be adjusted to accommodate the new state of affairs. In turn, that means that the high standard of living enjoyed by the American middle class since WWII can no longer be sustained in an economy where many of America's competitors are paying their workers less per week than many of us spend on lunch per day. That accounts for why American jobs are being outsourced to other countries, and Walmart, one of the largest retail corporations in the world, has based its business model on purchasing most of its merchandise from China in order to undercut the price demands of its competitors.
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Walmart is a microcosm of the revised American business strategy under the new world order. Must only look at Walmart's business model, and the socioeconomic profile of its employees, and see exactly what direction American business, and our society, is headed as a whole.
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Walmart's business strategy is to hire easily replaceable and low skilled employees who are at, or very near, the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. It then takes advantage of their precarious economic condition to squeezes every dime of profit out of the company's operation . They aggressively fight organized labor to hold down employee wages and benefits, and deny their employees anything approaching affordable healthcare. That, essentially, is the American business model under the new world order.
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But now there is a new wrinkle. Now, the United States government has embraced this anti middle class business model.  In the past the U.S. government was dedicated to enhancing the standard of living of workers all over the world to conform to the standard of living of U.S. workers, but now, as evidenced by the abusive employment practices of the U.S. Postal Service - the second largest employer of middle-class workers in the country - the United States has clearly embraced the corporatist philosophy that it’s easier to lower the standard of living of American workers to conform to that of third world countries.
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Thus, at this point, American workers are on their own. Neither business nor government are on our side. Where business was once our partner in a symbiotic relationship, it is now a predator to consumers and employees alike. Our parents could pull into a gas station and a guy in a white shirt and bow tie would run out to check their oil and water, then put air in their tires as he pumped twenty-two cents a gallon gas into their tanks. I know, gas is no longer that cheap, but what happen to the service?
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The reason for the change is greed. When the United States had a thriving industrial economy, one class complimented the other. Labor was well paid and given the security of knowing that they had a job for life, so they had the confidence to purchased goods that the corporations produced. That allowed the companies that sold the goods to prosper, to the benefit of the investor class.
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But now, in a global market, in order to remain competitive with countries that pay their workers just above slave wages, corporations have to squeeze every penny and every concession out of the labor class that they can get. And since the heads of these corporations must make huge profits to justify their unconscionably oversized bonuses, they prey on their workers by undercutting their benefits and outsourcing the very jobs that the economy is dependent upon to sustain the corporation, and the nation. But since these corporate heads live from bonus to bonus and only think about themselves, they never stop to consider the negative impact of their irresponsible behavior on the economic viability of the nation.
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So now, when Wall Street or the Fed announces that the economy is thriving, they're not talking about the American economy as a whole - they're only talking about the monetary return of the investor class. A thriving economy means they're successfully squeezing the American worker to the limit and gouging the consumer of every penny that he can afford to part with - and a few that he can't. It is that kind of greed and irresponsibility that led to the 2008 economic disaster, and nothing has changed.
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In the global economy of the new world order, corporations no longer need the American worker to sustain their profits. Now that they can outsource their labor, and purchase and sell their goods overseas, the American worker is no longer a partner in the corporation's viability. the worker has now been relegated to the status of field hand. The only time they need us is when they want to tap the treasury for our tax dollars to pay off their gambling debts.
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An article in Wikipedia points out that the AIG Financial Products division, headed by Joseph Cassano, in London, had entered into credit default swaps to insure $441 billion worth of securities originally rated AAA. Of those securities, $57.8 billion were structured debt securities backed by subprime loans. So not only did the American taxpayer pay off this insurance company's debt, but we paid off a debt that originated in another country.
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Now, your money is being taken once again, but this time, they're taking YOUR money, to pay YOUR representative, to block an attempt by President Obama to stop them from cutting your throat in a time of crisis, just like they did to the corporations on Wall Street. But there's one very big difference - you and you're family are NOT too big to fail, so without the benefit of a robust, job creation program like the one proposed by president Obama, but being blocked by the GOP, you're simply gonna bite the dust - and with the corrupt and able assistance of many of your very own representatives.
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Think about that, and urge president Obama to step up to the plate and emancipate United States postal Workers, because they represent the American middle class as a whole.
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Eric L. Wattree
Http://wattree.blogspot.com
Ewattree@Gmail.com
Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)

Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

Sphere: Related Content

President Obama: Respect workers’ Rights - Emancipate United States Postal Workers PART II

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

President Obama: Respect workers’ Rights - Emancipate United States Postal Workers 

PART II

As pointed out in Part I of this series, on August 13, 2011, after Carrier Sylvester Burton inadvertently left part of his mail in the station, he alleges that U.S. Postal Service supervisor, Juanita Hamblet, of Rimpau Station in Los Angeles, came out to his route and subjected him to severe verbal abused.  According to Mr. Burton and an independent witness, Ms. Hamblet came out to his route and began to verbally accost him in a very hostile and aggressive manner.  Then when Burton asked the supervisor why she was harassing him, the following exchange took place:

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“She then walked up to me, her hand in my face and said, ‘I CAN HARASS YOUR ASS AS MUCH AS I WANT, AND I WILL CONTINUE TO HARRASS YOUR ASS. I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT YOU BURTON - I THINK YOUR ASS IS GAY. TAKE YOUR ASS BACK TO THE STATION, I’M GONNA CALL THE POSTAL POLICE ON YOUR ASS!’

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“So I pulled about 8 feet away from her and parked, wondering if I should follow this woman’s instructions or ignore her and finish delivering mail. Then she walked up to me again, and said, ‘I SAID TAKE YOUR ASS BACK TO THE STATION! THAT’S A DIRECT ORDER!’
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When we got back to the station she ran into Mrs. Stanley’s office and told the manager that I called her a bitch, I threatened her, and that I almost ran over her. She also said that I was a coward and she was intimidated by my presence.”
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One of the customers on the route wrote a statement substantiating Mr. Burton’s account of the incident, adding, “My entire family including my seven year-old niece had to witness this entirely unprofessional vulgar outburst. The cursing and swearing peppered with the f-word and the homophobic remarks was nothing less than shocking and completely inappropriate.  I was extremely offended by her homophobic remarks and I am myself gay, not to mention the cursing and swearing in front of our child . . . You need to DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS WOMAN. While representing the USPS no one should be able to behave that badly and make that big of a scene in public plus publicly attacking a subordinates sexual orientation and be allowed to keep their job.  If Mr. Burton sues for harassment I will gladly be a witness on his behalf.”
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There have been several complaints regarding the behavior of this supervisor in the past. Subsequent to the incident with Mr. Burton, one employee summoned the courage to write the following:
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“To whom it may concern:
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“I, Vyonnie Garbutt, can attest to the fact that Mr. Sylvester Burton is a respectable, hardworking carrier at Rimpau Station.  He always treats everyone with respect and carries himself in a professional manner.
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“I would also like to attest to the fact that I have personally witnessed Carrier Supervisor Juanita Hamblet unprofessionalism and lack of dignity and respect for several employees at Rimpau Station.  These employees include window clerks, distribution clerks, carriers, custodians, TE’s and PTF carriers. Some of these employees I personally witnessed include Marcus Smith (Carrier), Antoine Denson (Carrier), Charmaine Hepburn (Clerk), Ms. Franklin (TE), Mr. Sonny (Custodian), Ms. Joi (PTF),Vyonnie Garbutt (Clerk), Sylvester Burton (Carrier).
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“Supervisor Juanita Hamblett has been in combustive verbal altercations on the workfloor too many times.  She creates an extremely hostile work environment for Rimpau Station.”
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Unfortunately, this sort of behavior is far from an aberration by far too many postal managers and supervisors.  In fact, it’s become protocol. Postal management routinely use threats, aggressive behavior, and intimidation to get employees to work off the clock without pay.  So when the postal employees refer to the postal service as “the plantation” they’re not speaking figuratively - and the various agencies within the government such as the Office of Inspector General and the EEOC, who are charged with protecting employee rights, are at best, indifferent to employee abuse, and at worst, in collusion with the agency to protect its impunity from repercussions. Thus, poor and middle-class workers have but one recourse, to address their plight as a political issue.
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As a United States government agency the U.S. Postal Service should be in the very forefront of the fight to protect employee rights, yet, in the Equal Employment Opportunity mediation initiated by Mr. Burton on this matter, instead of the postal service bending over backwards to correct what is clearly a toxic work environment, the agency went into damage control. The postal service didn’t even require Supervisor Hamblet to attend the mediation. Instead, they had an attorney, Kristi Ashman, come in her place to try to negotiate the issue away.
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Mr. Burton indicated that during the "mediation" he felt like he was trapped alone in a den full of jackals, and essentially he was. He was one worker trying to fight for his rights against the full weight of the federal government. He was alone in the room with his manager, his area manager, a post office attorney, a mediator who improperly urged him to accept the postal service's "lame resolution," and a union representative who the postal service's attorney pulled out the room to talk to out of Mr. Burton's earshot. So initially he signed the agreement as a result of feeling like an elephant was sitting on his chest. But to his credit, he came to his senses and rescinded the agreement within the remaining three-day time limit. In addition, the participants are sworn to secrecy regarding what takes place in the mediation, which is also slanted against the interest of the worker.
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The United States Postal Service is a microcosm of America as a whole, and the above situation is a perfect metaphor for the gross assault on poor and middle-class workers in this country as a whole.
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The working conditions created by the inept and irresponsible managers within the postal service is not only un-American, but creates a serious danger to the unsuspecting public at large. The reckless and self-serving  irresponsibility of bonus-seeking postal managers constitute nothing less than a United States government agency sending ticking time bombs to every business and home in America six days a week.  Dr. Stephen Musacco, an organizational psychologist, a therapist with thirty years experience in the postal service, and the author of "Beyond Going Postal,” says the following:
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“Prior to my retirement from the USPS, at a former district I worked for, there were three suicides within a two year period that I concluded were contributed to in significant part by how these employees were treated in the workplace. The third employee, a city letter carrier, fatally shot himself in a postal jeep and left a letter stating that he could no longer take the job. The night before he committed suicide he told his wife he did not know if he would be able to handle his job anymore. How do I know? His wife told me this one day after his suicide. He was one of the best employees in the office. The District Manager and I interviewed his coworkers after his death, and they stated he would urinate in a bottle while on delivery route for fear he would not meet an artificial deadline set by postal management. During the interviews, one of the postal supervisors told the District Manager and me that the day before the suicide she gave a letter to all the city letter carriers in the station, noting that any future over time used for their routes would be considered unacceptable performance. The suicide at the Gastonia postal facility was the second since December 2005.
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“Many people have asked: Why is there so much stress and workplace tragedies in the U.S. Postal Service? The answer to these questions is because the postal culture embraces and reflects core values that center on achieving bottom-line results with little or no regard for employee participation, respect, dignity, or fairness. Additionally, there is little or no accountability for the actions of top management in the Postal Service. Many postal facilities consequently have toxic work environments, and they can be a catalyst or trigger for serious acts of workplace violence, including homicide and suicide. The associated rewards system for behavior consistent with the postal culture core values, moreover, enables systemic organizational and individual bullying of employees at all levels of the organization.”
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One of the criticisms of the "Occupy" movement is that it doesn't seem to have a well defined objective. But in defense of the movement, it is commendable that it's not allowing itself to be co-opted by any particular political party or group. One way to resolve that conflict is for the movement to simply target instances of glaring middle-class abuse and focus its energies on addressing those issues one at a time, and there's no better target for beginning that process than the United States Postal Service, for several reasons.
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First, there is not a more flagrant example of middle-class abuse anywhere in the world than the way the U.S. Postal Service treats its employees right here in the United States. Secondly, the postal service is the  largest civilian employer in the United States after Wal-Mart, so that alone makes it directly representative of the way middle-class workers are being abused as a whole in this country. And finally, the postal service also highlights the fact the U.S. government has now embraced the corporatist philosophy of profits over people, which, by definition, is blatantly un-American.
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We also have to confront the hypocrisy of our government.  Again, in a June 9, 2009 speech in Cairo, President Obama told the people of Egypt, “ But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.” 
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Thus,  during this election season we need to confront our president with the fact that he seems to be preaching a much better sermon than he's prepared to live.  We want to believe in him, but facts don't lie.  The following fact is a case in point:

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If we can sacrifice the lives of our young people to bring justice to others around the world, certainly the president can make a simple phone call to bring justice here at home to the families and former comrades of those who are putting their lives on the line. After all, veterans are postal workers too. 

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Where are you, Mr. President?


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http://wattree.blogspot.com/
2010/03/thief-is-thief-even-when-they-work-for.html

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2010/05/people-scam-and-
mainstream-media.html ....

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2011/05/united-states-postal-
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http://wattree.blogspot.com/2011/10/president-obama-respect-workers-rights.html
http://wattree.blogspot.com/2011/11/president-obama-respect-workers-rights.html
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Eric L. Wattree
Http://wattree.blogspot.com
Ewattree@Gmail.com
Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)

Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

Sphere: Related Content

President Obama: Respect workers’ Rights - Emancipate United States Postal Workers, PART I

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

President Obama: Respect workers’ Rights - Emancipate United States Postal Workers 
PART I

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In a June 9, 2009 speech in Cairo, President Obama told the people of Egypt, “ But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.”
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That was powerful and soaring rhetoric, but talk is cheap. If president Obama is truly concerned about improving the conditions of the poor and middle class, he should start by addressing the gross abuses of same by his very own United States Postal Service. The postal service is the second largest employer of middle-class workers in the United States, yet, in spite of what President Obama pledged to the Egyptian people above, the conditions under which postal employees are forced to exist are just as unjust and emotionally brutal as on any plantation. I recently received the following letter from a Los Angeles letter carrier:
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.“My name is Sylvester Burton.  I’ve been a postal carrier of ten years, and I work out of the Rimpau Station here in Los Angeles. On August 13, 2011, while out on my route I noticed that I had accidently left some of my mail back at the station, which is a common thing carriers do every now and then due to the pressure that management puts us to get us out of the station on time. So I called back to see if the mail left behind was still there. I was going to go back and get it, then charge the travel time there and back against my 30 minute lunch. But I was informed that Juanita Hamblet, my supervisor, was on her way to bring it to me.  So I move to the next block and resume delivery so I wouldn’t have to waste time sitting waiting.
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“A short time later Ms. Hamblet pulled up on the opposite side of the corner from where I had parked. Then in a volatile, agitated, loud tone she said, ‘Why are you just realizing you left this mail behind? And why didn’t you call back?’ To which, I told her that I had just reached the part of the route where the mail was missing. I also explained to her that did call. She then said, ‘I'm going to do a street observation!’ I didn’t have any problem with that, so I just got the mail from the back of the vehicle and resumed delivery.
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“At 12:02 p.m. I drove to Subway for lunch and finished at 12:32 p.m. I start delivery at 1297 Cochran and finished that swing at 12:52 p.m. Then just after I got into my vehicle Ms. Hamblet pulled up and walks across the street toward my vehicle, and shouting in a very loud voice. ‘Where were you for the last 50 minutes?’ I explained to her that I had gone to lunch for 30 minutes and delivered mail for 18 minutes. I then asked her, very politely, to tone her voice down and stop harassing me.
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“She then walked up to me, her hand in my face and said, ‘I CAN HARASS YOUR ASS AS MUCH AS I WANT, AND I WILL CONTINUE TO HARRASS YOUR ASS. I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT YOU BURTON - I THINK YOUR ASS IS GAY. TAKE YOUR ASS BACK TO THE STATION, I’M GONNA CALL THE POSTAL POLICE ON YOUR ASS!’
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“So I pulled about 8 feet away from her and parked, wondering if I should follow this woman’s instructions or ignore her and finish delivering mail. Then she walked up to me again, and said, ‘I SAID TAKE YOUR ASS BACK TO THE STATION! THAT’S A DIRECT ORDER!’
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When we got back to the station she ran into Mrs. Stanley’s office and told the manager that I called her a bitch, I threatened her, and that I almost ran over her. She also said that I was a coward and she was intimidated by my presence.
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Customer Statement

Atten: Miss Stanley, Station Manager
To Whom It May Concern:

“My name is Elizabeth Crawford. I along with my wife Michelle Lo, own 1293-1295 S. Cochran. Avenue, Los Angeles, Ca 90019.  On August 13, 2011 we were landscaping our front yard and witnessed an altercation between our mail carrier, Sylvester Burton and a woman whom I later learned was Juanita, his supervisor. 

“At first I only heard a woman (Juanita) shouting and cursing. Since my back was to them I did not see who was yelling. Then I saw our letter carrier Mr. Burton drive by in his mail truck and pull over to the curb just past our driveway. A black woman raced over to the now parked mail truck cursing and shouting at Mr. Burton saying “you tried to run me over” and that she was going to “call the police”. As I watched I became very very alarmed because I could not tell at first from the casual attire she was clothed in that she was a postal employee. All I could see was an extremely unhinged woman going ballistic and attacking our mailman. I watched Juanita as she reached inside the mail truck and shook her hand in Mr. Burton’s face as she shouted ‘I don’t give a fuck about you and by the way I think your ass is GAY!’ Then she shouted ‘you take your ass back to the station right now…this is MYROUTE MY ROUTE…and you take your ass back to the station right now...’  She then shouted ‘I’m calling the postal police on your ass you take your ass back to the station right now.’

“Mr. Burton drove away in the mail truck. I don’t know what Mr. Burton was saying in response to all this as he NEVER raised his voice or shouted back during the entire episode.

“My entire family including my seven year-old niece had to witness this entirely unprofessional vulgar outburst. The cursing and swearing peppered with the f-word and the homophobic remarks was nothing less than shocking and completely inappropriate.  I was extremely offended by her homophobic remarks and I am myself gay, not to mention the cursing and swearing in front of our child.

“Don’t know and I really don’t care what prompted Juanita’s tirade. I was shocked to see someone in a so-called “supervisory position” treating someone who works for her so brutally. Needless to say law in the state of California the law prohibits the attack on Mr. Burton based on his sexual identification in the workplace! You should take note of this.

“You need to DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS WOMAN. While representing the USPS no one should be able to behave that badly and make that big of a scene in public plus publicly attacking a subordinates sexual orientation and be allowed to keep their job. 
                       
“If Mr. Burton sues for harassment I will gladly be a witness on his behalf.”

Signed,
M. Elizabeth J. Crawford

Employee Statement Regarding Supervisor

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Postal Service Response

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In other words, we spoke to her - but we can't tell you what we said - now, go away. The fact is, the postal service doesn't see this sort of thing as a problem. Instead of viewing this as not only unprofessional behavior, but a serious civil rights issue that needs immediate attention, the postal service views it as business as usual. The only reason it's being addressed at all is because this particular employee is making such a big fuss over it that it needs to be managed just to keep his mouth shut.
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Clear evidence of that is the fact that the above letter to Mr. Burton came from the manager of Human Resources. If the postal service thought the matter required corrective action, Mr. Burton would have been contacted by the manager of Labor Relations. He's the one who handles corrective action, but Labor Relations claims that the matter hadn't even been brought to their attention.  That's hard to believe since it was brought to the attention of the union. So what's going on here?  How could the union and Human Resources know about a matter as serious as this, but not Labor Relations?
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And what happened to the supervisor's claim that she'd been threatened by Mr. Burton, that he tried to run over her, and she felt intimidated by his presence?  Those allegations seemed to have simply evaporated once it was found that there were witnesses to the incident.
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Over the past two years we've written over twenty articles on the postal service's abusive tactics against it's employees, because we've long since recognized that the United States Postal Service is a microcosm of the United States as a whole, and its employees represent a change in our government's attitude towards poor and middle-class Americans as a whole.
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You see, the postal service doesn't merely treat its employees with disdain, it also has little respect for its customers - that is, unless the customer has wealth and power. But if you happen to be poor or middle class, they'll bat you away like a fly.  So this is far from simply a labor issue.  It's a political issue that has a direct impact on ALL 99ers, so it needs to be embraced by the "Occupy Movement," and shoved directly in Obama's face during this political season.
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This is the perfect issue to see exactly where President Obama really stands with respect to the poor and middle class in this country. Since the postal service is a United States government agency, Obama doesn't need congress to bring its abuses to an end. He could bring it to an end with a phone call during lunch. So the question is, why is he allowing this employee abuse to go on? After all, the Postmaster General is merely an overseer. The President of the United States is the plantation master.
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So we should all follow this case and the many others like it.  They represent the perfect barometer for measuring the decline of the American middle class. They also clearly demonstrate that the institutions that the American people once depended upon to defend their interests are now nothing more than collapsible, movie-set backdrops, designed to give Americans the illusion of justice. But don't take my word for it, try suing a major corporation. You'll find in very short order that while justice may be blind, it's only blind to the abuse of the poor and middle class. It has 20/20 vision when it comes to protecting the interest of the rich.
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So if we want this to remain America, we've got to turn this around - if it's not already too late.

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Doesn't the postal service claim they're suffering from a lack of business?  

Now you see why, and you also see what our government thinks of 99ers.

We've got to get their attention.  As the lady in the above video indicated, 
ALL government officials are OUR employees, not the reverse.

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And finally, how can we honor our veterans while abusing our postal workers?  After all, veterans are postal workers too. 

So don't preach us a sermon, live us one.

Eric L. Wattree

Http://wattree.blogspot.com
Ewattree@Gmail.com
Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)

Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

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It’s time for President Obama to Clearly Define himself

BENEATH THE SPIN * ERIC L. WATTREE

It’s time for President Obama to Clearly Define himself

The spontaneous demonstrations that are taking place on Wall Street and across the country should be seen as both good news, and bad news for President Obama. On the one hand, they indicate that the people are waking up to reality, but on the other, it means that they’ve come to the conclusion that if they want to survive they can’t depend on the help of politicians - and that includes Obama.

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So it’s time for Obama to wake up as well. The time has come for him to open his eyes to an ugly reality - we’re knee-deep in a class war. So if he intends to win the coming election it is incumbent upon him to make a clear distinction between himself and the GOP. If he fails to do so, the next election is going to be a toss up.
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The days of compromise and bipartisanship have past. The GOP has long since made it abundantly clear that they’re on a single-minded mission to lower the standard of living of the American middle class. So at this point in our history, the people don’t need a calm and reasonable diplomat; they’re in desperate need of a no-nonsense, fire-breathing general at the helm.
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Earlier in his administration when he tried to appeal to the GOP's "good sense and responsibility," many might have disagreed with his approach, but they gave him the benefit of the doubt because they assumed that he was trying to raise the level of statesmanship in Washington, D.C. But now, after the GOP has made it clear that they’re willing to hold the entire nation hostage in order to get the most minor of perks for those who are already filthy rich, to hear the President of the United States running around Washington asking "Can we all get along?" makes him look like the quintessential wimp, and the American people don’t like wimps - that’s one characteristic that ALL Americans have in common.
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Thus, while many of us breathed a sigh of relief when the president introduced his jobs proposal, it was only because we were encouraged by seeing a little starch in his spine. But the fact is, just like in his stimulus package, he’s not going far enough. He's still trying to straddle the fence. All that's going to do is keep everyone upset with him. He's tried appealing to those who hate him and all that did was make him look weak. Now it's time to appease his base, if it's not too late. After all, those are the ones who got him elected.
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As any marine - or anyone who grew up in the ghetto - can tell you, it's useless to try to engage in half-a-fight. You have to either go for broke, or run. Thus, since regardless to what kind of proposal Obama puts forward the GOP is going to fight it tooth-and-nail, the president might as well tell them he’s not going to sign any bill that places the poor and middle class in any further distress, he’s going to bring these senseless wars to an end, and he's going to completely abolish the Bush bonuses to the rich. If he did just those three things, it would place the nation back on an even keel, and he'd regain much of his base. But if he fails to do so he's going to go into the 2012 election as a man without a solid constituency, and that's not a winning strategy.
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You see, what the nation is currently going through is a manufactured crisis. The GOP purposely dragged the country under the bus in order to justify attacking the programs put in place under the New Deal and later legislation. Programs like Social Security, Medicare, and the Fair Labor Standards Act, that protect the interest of the poor and middle class, have been a thorn in the GOP’s side for over seventy years, but the programs were much too popular among the people to attack head on. So under Bush, they ravaged the treasury by literally throwing away money in Iraq - there are billions of dollars that’s still not accounted for - and at the same time, they gave the rich the biggest tax cut in the nation’s history. Now, they’re claiming that we’re so broke that they’re FORCED to make the poor and middle class suffer to get us out of it. That’s ridiculous! Why should the poor and middle class suffer while the top 1% of the country is enjoying a bonus?
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In addition, the GOP is now trying to justify this totally unconscionable situation by claiming that it makes perfect sense, because "it is the rich who create jobs." That’s even more nonsense. Jobs are created by the poor and middle class when they spend money on goods and services. It doesn’t matter how much money we give the rich, if average people don’t have money in their pockets to buy goods and services, the rich aren’t going to hire anyone to produce goods and services. If you make widgets and no one has the money to buy them, are you going to waste your money hiring people to make them? Of course not - it doesn't matter how big a tax cut they give you. Clear evidence of that is the fact that the economy tanked, and no jobs were created under President Bush, who promoted the very same policies that the GOP is advocating that we go back to.
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And the GOP knows they're scamming the American people.  That's why they're determined to see to it that the poor and middle class don’t have two extra nickels to rub together, because the Republicans know that if the people are allowed to get their hands on any money from any source, they’re going to spend that money, and that’s going to create jobs, and the jobs will generate tax revenue that will help relieve the deficit, and that in turn, will cause the GOP scam to completely unravel. Because, you see, the GOP has a vested interest in keeping the American people miserable, angry, and divided until the next election. That’s their only chance to regain power. That's also why Governor Rick Perry,  Republican of Texas, literally threatened Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke bodily harm if he printed any more money between now and the election. Perry said, "If this guy prints more money between now and the election, I dunno what y’all would do to him in Iowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas."
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So President Obama needs to stop playing footsy with these people. He should stand firm, start educating the people, and begin systematically unraveling this Republican scam. Then, if the GOP begins to obstruct, they’ll also be revealing their treachery against the American people.

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Eric L. Wattree
Http://wattree.blogspot.com
Ewattree@Gmail.com
Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)
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Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

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Herman Cain: Black People Are Brainwashed? Please!

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

Herman Cain: Black People Are Brainwashed? Please!
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Herman Cain claims that the reason that black people won’t support him is that they’ve been brainwashed. And many conservatives are saying Cain is President Obama’s worst nightmare. I would have loved to have been in the White House when those statements came out. In spite of Obama’s laid-back demeanor, I’d be willing to bet that he was laughing so hard that he was rolling on the floor of the Oval Office in tears.
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One would think that this man would have sense enough to know that no one takes him seriously - and especially the GOP. And if the GOP had ever taken the time to truly get to know the Black community, they’d know that the only thing more toxic to Black people than a flat-out racist, is a Black conservative (with the notable exception of Colin Powell, because he’s not really a conservative - he was just smart enough to flimflam the overseer, instead of the reverse).
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Most Black people have very little use for Black conservatives. It's not that we disagree with everything they say, but because we’re suspect of the reasons they're saying it. With the possible exception of those who believe in talkin’ snakes, virtually without exception, every Black conservative I've ever known was a self-serving  opportunist. Their conservatism tends not to be so much grounded in their actual philosophy, as it is an opportunity to gain exposure and wealth. They realize that conservatives are looking high and low for Black people willing to step forward to validate their views toward the Black community. So they gleefully allow themselves to be used in return for personal wealth, position, and notoriety.
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Clarence Thomas is a case in point. There is no way that a man of his renowned level of mediocrity should be sitting on the highest court in this land - in fact, he shouldn't even be allowed to sit in traffic court. But due exclusively to his willingness to validate the conservative view of Black America, he's been given one of this nation's highest honors. Thus, Thomas' very presence on the Supreme Court is a stain on American values, our fidelity to jurisprudence, and an unabashed affront to every Black person in America.
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Clarence Thomas is allowing himself to be used as a national monument to every negative stereotype of Black people ever put forward - grinnin’, subservient, lazy, White-woman-lustin’, treacherous, dishonest, and ignorant. Then every time there’s a State of the Union address, Black people are forced to sit and look at his lecherous ass.
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So the Black community looks upon Clarence Thomas in precisely the same way as White Americans look upon a man guilty of treason against the United States - and other Black conservatives are not far behind. Why? Because most of these people would have happily voted against the Civil Rights Act in order to promote their own personal interest if they'd had the chance. And to demonstrate how transparent they are, Thomas took the unprecedented action of lobbying his colleagues to except what has  now clearly been demonstrated to be a meritless challenge to Barack Obama's eligibility to become President of the United States, while he didn't say a word as the Supreme Court casually APPOINTED George Bush president after he lost the 2000 election. And with respect to the challenge to Obama, it took his colleagues, some of the most conservative White men in the country, to tell Thomas that he was going too far - and now Herman Cain says it is Black people who are brainwashed?
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People like Thomas and Cain tend to be self-serving accommdationists who are wholly lacking in character. Black people have suffered a long history of such people, going all the way back to slavery - in fact, it was probably a Clarence Thomas clone who sold us into slavery in the first place. These were the very same people who would informed on slaves who were trying to escape to freedom: "I don't know what's wrong wit him, boss. Ya jest can't get him to appreciate nothin' you do for us. What he needs is a real good beatin'. Want me to do it? I’ll do it real good for ya, boss."
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So having Clarence Thomas sitting on the Supreme Court, with his happy, grinnin’ face, his eager to please attitude, and his quintessential ignorance, is a bad joke at the expense of the Black community. His presence is the equivalent of giving every Black person in America the finger. It wouldn’t be any more insulting to Black people if they chiseled a picture of Buckwheat on the Supreme Court seal.
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And now we have another ‘happy face,’ in the person of Herman Cain, saying that Black people won’t support him and his fascist overseers because we’re brainwashed? And worse, we get this from a Black man whose advice to Black people during the deepest recession since the Great Depression is to, "Get a job!"  Please! This is an absolute idiot.
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Get out the whip, Rush - it sounds like Herman's been into your stash.

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Eric L. Wattree
Http://wattree.blogspot.com
Ewattree@Gmail.com
Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)
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Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

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Once Again Nader and West Team to Elect a Republican President

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

Once Again Nader and West Team to Elect a Republican President

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WEST SUCKIN' UP -

BUT LOOK AT OBAMA'S FACE

So Ralph Nader and Cornel West have teamed up yet again to sabotage the Democratic Party. They’re currently canvassing the country for Democratic opponents to challenge Obama in the primaries. According to Nader, "Without debates by challengers inside the Democratic Party’s presidential primaries, the liberal/majoritarian agenda will be muted and ignored." And he goes on to say, "The one-man Democratic primaries will be dull, repetitive, and draining of both voter enthusiasm and real bright lines between the two parties that excite voters."
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If my grandfather was still around he’s say, "These two fools have more nerve than a brass-ass monkey." And he would be right. I’m shocked that either of them have the nerve to even open their mouths, because the last time they teamed up during the 2000 election to "excite the voters," they excited the Democratic Party right out of office. I used to jokingly tell friends that after Bush was sworn in, his very first act as president was to take down a picture of George Washington and replace it with a picture of Ralph Nader in the Oval Office.
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Admittedly, many of us are frustrated by President Obama’s lack of assertiveness toward the GOP, but the point of an election is to vote your interest, not your frustration. If you were Jewish in pre-Nazi Germany and frustrated with the administration in office, would you squander your vote to vent your frustration at the sitting administration, or would you vote to make damn sure that Hitler didn’t win the election? That’s the situation that we’re currently in here in the United States.
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I’ve written several articles criticizing of Barack Obama, but I’ve always tried to remain constructive, and I’ve limited my criticism to specific issues instead of launching unsubstantiated attacks on his overall character. As I see it, that’s the difference between attempting to have a positive impact on policy, as oppose to engaging in the destructive practice of pursuing a personal agenda.
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Obama has caused me tremendous frustration on several issues, but simple common sense dictates that my being frustrated is far preferable to allowing the GOP to come into power and turn the United States into a nation of corporate feudalism. That’s a level of common sense that Ralph Nader, Tavis Smiley and Cornel West seems to be lacking. Tavis seems to be keeping a low profile in this effort, by the way, but somehow I still visualize West sitting on his knee with Tavis’ hand in his back.
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Isn’t it curious how all of their criticism is directed at Obama while, this point, it has become abundantly clear that the GOP has turned into a group of radical lunatics with absolutely no sense of limits, or any respect for the United States Constitution?
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The GOP literally stole the 2000 election, invalidating the votes of literally millions of Americans; they invaded an innocent country, killing over a million Iraqi citizens – the majority of whom were innocent women and children; they’ve thrown away the lives of thousands of our troops in pursuit of corporate greed; they ravaged our economy and are using it as a pretext to abolish Social Security and all other elements of the social safety net; their radical Supreme Court has given multinational corporations more control over our electoral system than American citizens, and they’ve effectively turned the state of Michigan into Michighanistan by taking away the citizens’ right to self-determination. Yet, Nader and West would risk turning the nation over to these people, yet again, because they’re personally irritated with Barack Obama?
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Anyone – and I do mean ANYONE – who would do that is either stupid, insane, think they’ll benefit from a GOP victory in some way, or are so blinded by an oversized ego that they’ve lost all connection with reality. It is clear to most thinking people that President Obama, flaws and all, is our best defense against turning the nation over to a GOP who want’s to drag us back into the Middle Ages. If that wasn’t the case, Nader and West wouldn’t have to mount a talent search. Thus, it’s one thing to have individual principles, but placing the entire nation in jeopardy to indulge those principles suggests an egomania that, at the very least, borders on psychosis.
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It’s time for Nader and West supporters to realize that neither of these two individuals are grounded in reality. They both have a proven track record of being politically naive, at best, and delusional at worst. They both fail to recognize that while it’s an admirable ideal to want to vote one’s conscience, that’s all it is – an ideal. Politics is about being practical, and the inescapable fact is, their consciences can’t hold political office – and even if they could, I wouldn’t want to rely on the consciences of men with such poor judgment in the first place. So while they might want to fall on their swords in the name of political purity, the rest of us would rather settle for a functional democracy.
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Again, this is not the first time that Nader and West have engaged in this failed strategy. West supported Nader in his self-serving and childishly petulant campaign during the 2000 election that led to the appointment of George W. Bush. So while West is running around claiming to be so outraged over the economy and lack of jobs for the poor and middle class in this country, he’s partially responsible for it. In a previous article,
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The Tavis/West Poverty Pimp Tour, I point out the following:
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"Those of us who are students of political history have seen this Tavis/West demagoguery before. They’re following directly in the footsteps of Ralph Nader, one of the worst turncoats in American history.
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"Nader should have pushed his agenda during the Democratic primaries, then if his position was rejected, he should have fallen in line and supported the Democratic candidate, if for no other reason than to support the public good. But instead, when his position was rejected, he took it as a personal rejection and acted like a petulant child. He ignored the greater good and purposely sabotaged the Democratic agenda – along with all of the causes that he was supposed to be so passionate about all of his life – and took his ball (and votes) and went home.
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"By doing so, Nader negated everything that he ever accomplished in his life. He also betrayed the fact that everything he ever accomplished was done purely for self-promotion and not for the public good, as we had previously assumed. His miserable act of treachery during the 2000 election was purposely designed to help George Bush to win that election in order to deny the Democrats after rejecting him as a candidate. That makes him just as culpable as Bush and Cheney for the death of over a million Iraqi citizens, the maiming and death of thousands of American troops, and even the nations current economic condition, which is a direct result of the Bush administration’s purposeful plundering of the United States treasury. Nader supporters would say that he stood on principles, but his "principles" have led to the death and misery of literally millions of innocent people. Thus, Ralph Nader should be remembered as one of the most miserable and self-serving snakes in all of U. S. History.
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"Tavis and West are engaged in the very same sort of treachery as Nader, and it may very well lead to the same result, or worse. Because you see, this time we’re going to be left with a fascist state."
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But if you confront members of the Nader/West coalition with these facts, they’ll immediately begin to obfuscate and engage in intellectual gymnastics in an attempt to avoid responsibility for the horrific fate that they brought upon the country. They’ll say things like, "It’s not our fault that Gore lost. He just didn’t fight hard enough for a recount." But by using such arguments what they’re actually saying is, "Gore just didn’t work hard enough to undo the damage that we’d done." But the bottom line is this – Gore lost the 2000 election to Bush in Florida by 537 votes, and the Nader/West coalition peeled off 97,488 votes from Gore in Florida alone. So don’t take my word for it – you do the math.
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Eric L. Wattree
http://wattree.blogspot.com/

Ewattree@Gmail.com

Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)
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Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

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