Tag Archives: current events

Issue #58 Why do we always fall for all these lies?

Posted by Jim Smith on February 27, 2011 No comments

(2/27/2011)  This week’s Journal is just a grab bag of lies and liars and a question.  How the hell do we always fall for liars in politics?  We aren’t THAT stupid, and we can remember things like the last few dozen times  politicians have handed us a bunch of BS and we STILL vote for them!  We’re smarter than that, right?  Well, yes and no.  Individually we’re not that dumb, but COLLECTIVELY we are a gang of morons apparently.

Plus:  This week’s Good Guy is a dentist from Tucson, AZ who just can’t say no.

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Issue #56 Egypt and Pols fail civics test

Posted by Jim Smith on February 13, 2011 No comments

(2/13/2011) Everybody is still talking about the peaceful overthrow of the Mubarak Government, so we will too.  One question is why does it always seem to be the younger people protesting the government.  We saw it in Egypt, here in the US and in Iran to name a few.  Is it always for “freedom and democracy” or is there more to it?

Also, a recent article on AOL News shows that politicians score even lower in civics testing and their knowledge of the US Constitution than regular Americans do.  It makes US look bad, but it makes THEM look worse, especially when they keep telling us how much they rely on and love the Constitution.

Plus, this week’s Good Guy is Jane Pierantozzi of the “Faithful Friends” shelter.  A “no-kill” animal shelter in Wilmington, Delaware.

Links:  AOL article on how politicians fail the Civics test.  Good GuyJane Pierantozzi

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Issue #55 Egypt and blocking OUR Internet?

Posted by Jim Smith on February 6, 2011 No comments

(2/6/2011)  This week we take a look at the situation in Egypt.  Not so much the protests, but Mubarak himself.  For one thing, since he’s been sold as such a good buddy to the US, why is it he’s such a terrible dictator now, and why are all the pundits acting like they knew it all along but didn’t bother to tell US?

Also, where did all the money we gave Egypt go and why Mubarak is richer than Bill gates?  And what about their Military?  Do we cut them off from the US dole?

Also, Congress is trying to get a bill passed that would authorize the President to be able to cut off Internet connections to “critical infrastructure” in case of a cyber attack.  I’m sure there are plenty of people, in light of the actions in Egypt, who will see that as the reason for the bill.  But IF the bill is what they say it will be, that’s not really the reason.

Plus:  This week’s Good Guy of the Week is a truck driver turned lawyer who helps battered women in Vermont.

Links:  Washington Post on State of Emergency Mubarak’s Personalwealth

Wikipedia Hosni Mubarak

Internet “Kill Switch” legislation: Wired Washington Post

Good Guy Wynona  Ward  Have Justice Will Travel Direct TV Profile

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Issue 54 The (sad) State of the Union speech

Posted by Jim Smith on January 30, 2011 No comments

(1/30/2011)  This week we take a brief look at the President’s State of the Union address.  Not much going on there, if you ask me, and it sounded more like a pep rally where our head cheerleader gave us what is now becoming the standard “our best times are ahead of us“  speech.  Okay, we all know President Obama gives a good speech, but I for one want much more than that.  I don’t think this is a good time in our history to give us a soft-sell when it comes to the immediate problems we face and how vital it is to work on them NOW!

Also, we take a look at the newly released Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Report.  This is HUGE embarrassment to this government and, predictably, Congress is acting like it doesn’t mean anything and we are just burying our heads right back in the sand like the report never existed…as usual.

Plus:  This week’s Good Guy is Joe McDonough, a resident of Wilmington, Delaware who channeled his grief over the loss of his Son Andrew to Leukemia into a foundation committed to helping other kids with the disease.

This weeks links: Text of 2011 State of the Union 2010 State of the Union Huffington Post analysis of 2011 SOTU speech

Politifact on the SOTU speech Lobbyists in the Obama Administration

Text of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Report Huffington Post Article on the report

Delawareonline.com article on Joe McDonough the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation website

This week we feature the alternate version of our theme “Day Job” by Dave Latchaw.

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Issue 52 The Tucson Blame Game

Posted by Jim Smith on January 17, 2011 No comments

(1/17/11)  It’s a little over a week since Jared Loughner took his pistol to the supermarket, and people are still trying to assign blame for his actions.  They’re also using this tragedy to further a few agendas.

Almost immediately after the shootings, some pundits and “news” people were pointing their fingers at right wing rhetoric in general and Sarah Palin in particular.  It pains me greatly to say that’s unfair blame-laying but, despite the fact that few people will agree with this edition of the Journal, I will stick by my assessment.  While today’s political rhetoric is far too caustic, combative and relies too much on the manipulation of emotion, there are WAY too many pressures and sources of anger and frustration to point to mere words and/or images as the source of Jared Loughner’s insanity and what I’ve seen over the past week can only be described as political opportunism.

Plus:  This week’s Good Guy is a man who was killed in that horrible shootout.

Links related to the shooting:  The Guardian (UK) Wikipedia

Time Magazine CBS

This week’s Good Guy, Dorwan Stoddard:    KVOA.com WSJ

KGUN-ch9 ( Tucson)

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Issue 50 Republican promises for 2011

Posted by Jim Smith on January 3, 2011 No comments

(1/2/2011) It’s 2011 and the GOP is riding in like the new  Sheriff in town with a saddlebag full of promises for how they intend to save us all from the Democrats.  Or so they say.  But do you remember what those promises actually were, and did you really care WHAT they were when you went into the voting booth?

I say the Republicans, like like the Democrats do, said whatever it took to coax people into putting them in the majority with little to no intention of fulfilling those promises.  If you’re over 40, or if you study recent political history, you should realize this is business as usual to swindle the voted from people who are unhappy with thew “other” party and this big “change” (sound familiar?) will amount to the people losing ground once again.

his week’s Good Guy is a 19 year old waitress from Illinois who saved a choking victim at the restaurant where she worked.  Not a big story, but just a reminder that there are a lot of people out there who make big differences in even one other person’s life.

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Issue #47 Breaking the illusions about politicians

Posted by Jim Smith on December 6, 2010 No comments

(12/5/2010) Christmas is coming soon, and people are dropping off the unemployment rolls, but not in the way they would like.  The standoff over extending the Unemployment Insurance checks is still on, and there’s no end in sight.

Knowing, from years of observation, how politicians act, I don’t think the standoff will last much longer.  It’s all about illusion.

This week’s Good Guy:  Befitting the upcoming holiday, more links to charities.

Charities
Miriams Kitchen US Vets
Charity database indexes
Charitywatch Charity Vault
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Issue #46 The TSA and Terrorism and A Letter to McConnell

Posted by Jim Smith on December 6, 2010 No comments

(11/28/2010) This week we take a look at these aggressive security procedures by then Federal Transportation Security Administration that has so many people up in arms.  Since they’ve never caught a suspected terrorist, even when they had the OLD procedures in place, why are we bothering to escalate the process?

Also:  A lady on Gather.com writes an open letter to Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell.  She has also sent it to McConnell himself and she doesn’t mince words about how she feels in this very heartfelt missive from an American citizen.

Plus:  This week begins our second annual series of holiday Good Guy segments

Sandy Knauer’s letter to Mitch McConnell
Charities featured on the program
http://www.holiday-project.org/ http://soldiersangels.org/about-us.html
Not mentioned:
http://operationgive.c5host.com/ http://www.operationchristmastree.com/
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Issue #45 Earmarks, Tax Cuts and Karzai Wants us Out

Posted by Jim Smith on December 6, 2010 No comments

(11/22/2010)  This week we take a look at the big, and probably phony debate on the expiring tax cuts and the Earmark debate.  Also, Hamid Karzai, the President of Afghanistan wants the US  to get out and stop “meddling” in his country.  We suspect there’s more than one reason for this.

Plus:  This week’s Good Guy is a whole different kind of animal.

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Issue #44 Veterans Day, fear in politics and Bush tax cuts

Posted by Jim Smith on December 5, 2010 No comments

(11/14/2010)  This issue is about the way fear is being used by the politicians to keep the heat for their actions off them by pitting Americans against Americans by selling the fear of the “other side” and how these people will destroy the country if they get elected.  And I think we should honor our vets the other 364 days of the year and not just on Veterans Day.

Also, I analyze the lie about the expiration of the Bush tax cuts.

Plus:  This week’s Good Guy is the St Joseph’s Center, a charity for homeless veterans.

Article on failure of tax cuts for the rich

The Joseph Center for homeless veterans List of Phobias

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Issue #43 Midterm election wrapup and a look ahead

Posted by Jim Smith on December 5, 2010 No comments

(11/7/2010)  This week, five days after the midterm elections we give a quick wrapup on the elections and my take on it, and a little look ahead to what I think we can expect from the new House majority and their “mandate” to do what the people want.

Also, this week’s Good Guy takes a look at two little-known, but worthy and somewhat unusual charities.

Thanks for listening and please tell your friends.

http://www.dogtagsforkids.org/ http://www.kiva.org/

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Issue #42 Last chance to ask you to vote

Posted by Jim Smith on December 5, 2010 No comments

(10/31/2010) This one was done two days before the midterm elections and it’s my last shot at asking you to please be sure to vote, and to consider voting for independents and/or third party candidates.  A lot depends on whether we decide to stop going with the status quo or consider shaking up the system and maybe, just maybe getting this country’s government going in the right direction again.

Plus:  This week’s Good Guy is “Homes for Our Troops” a group that provides free, specially adapted housing for returning vets with severe disabilities and injuries.

As always, please tell your friends about the Gut Reaction Journal, and don’t forget to vote.

CHRISTOPHER DODD
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/item_GCPyPGbBRoHvSSUkutf3LP#ixzz13frUlgXw
VOTING MACHINES
Black Box Voting.org Voters Unite.org
Diebold and Voting Machine fraud story
GOOD GUY of the WEEK
Homes for Our Troops Charity Navigator
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