Reason Magazine: Ed Krayewski: Are You Ready For President Joe Biden?

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Ederik Schneider
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Source: Reason Magazine

“A group that says it was founded by “former staffers and campaign veterans” has launched the Draft Biden 2016 campaign. Who better than Biden to run for president?, the group asks. “A fixture in American politics for over 40 years,” the press release breathlessly reads, “Vice President Biden’s status as an experienced statesmen, coalition builder, and productive public official lend him credibility enjoyed by few presidential candidates.”

Joe Biden’s the ultimate benchwarmer of sorts. Their words:

“There’s talk about how weak the Democratic bench is supposed to be in 2016. We don’t have a weak bench. We just need to get the best people into the race and one of the very best is Vice President Biden.” says Will Pierce, Organizing Director of Draft Joe Biden. “Just take a look at the polls. Voters are tired of dynasties in American politics, and certainly want an election instead of a coronation. The House of Bush and the House of Clinton have had their run, and looking towards the future, Vice President Joe Biden is uniquely suited to tackle the issues America will face over the next decade”.

Joe Biden has been in Washington since 1973, serving as a city councilman in New Castle, Delaware, before being elected to the Senate. Uniquely suited to tackle the issues America will face over the next decade? Between the 36 years in the Senate and seven in the Naval Observatory, there are few issues Biden hasn’t had a hand in fouling up. He voted for the war in Iraq, even though he might’ve known better. He’s been at the forefront of escalating the war on drugs. He’s the president of the Amtrak fan club. He may even end up being the noun-verb-bin Laden guy.”

Source:Reason

There’s a reason that even though Joe Biden isn’t mentioned as a strong contender to Hillary Clinton in 2016 for president. Even though he’s Vice President of the United States and an influential and powerful one at that as far as influence that he has on his boss President Obama. And has probably somewhere around hundred-percent name id certainly in the Democratic Party or country as well. Vice President Biden doesn’t have a national constituency and even a Democratic one. Some public servants are simply just good at that and serving their bosses and their people. Just like some assistant head coaches are good at serving their head coach. But that alone doesn’t make you a good candidate for president or head coach.

And then throw in the fact that Joe Biden is serving a president whose very controversial. A lot of people like or love Barack Obama, including myself. A lot of people have serious disagreements with the President and wish his policies were dramatically different in some key areas. Take the War on Drugs and civil liberties to use as examples. And I’m one of them as well. And then are also a lot of people who simply hate the man. And lot that has to do with generation, culture, how Barack was educated and yes race as well as ignorance. And questioning the man’s religion and loyalty to the country and calling him a Socialist as if they were calling him a bastard.

Plus the Obama Administration has had a rocky up and down run on really every issue they’ve had to face. They’re up for maybe a few weeks or months and then something like Healthcare.GOV not rolling out properly, even though they had three years to prepare for it, happens. Or the southern border crisis of last summer happens. Biden is the Vice President second ranking officer in an administration that will look better in the future, even though it doesn’t look great now. Because they’ve been involved in things that take time and where you don’t see great results right away. Like with the economy where the economy is just starting to rebound strongly. Or health care reform where the Affordable Care Act is finally starting to pay off for them. Or with their war against ISIS in the Middle East, that may go on for decades.

None of these factors and situations that Joe Biden has been involved in as Vice President whose in on everything and has responsibility for carrying out a lot of these possibilities and selling them to the country, add up to someone saying, “look how great things are now. Lets keep them going and nominate Joe Biden for president to keep America on the same course.” Unless President Obama has a great 2015 and is very popular going into 2016 and essentially has the power to pick his successor and says to his loyal Vice President, “you know what Joe, things are finally going our way and America is moving again. And you were part of all of it and you’re the guy to keep it going.” And puts his support behind his Vice President succeeding him, I can’t see Joe Biden even running for president. Because what would be the reason other than wanting to be president.

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The Heritage Foundation: Larry Schweikart: A Patriot’s History of The Modern World

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Rik Schneider

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Even though I’m favor of Freedom of Religion in America, even as an Agnostic, I have a hard time agreeing that what makes America great at least up to the 20th Century is because of how many Christians are in the country. Or as Larry Schweikart put it, our Protestant Christianity. What makes us better and different from a lot of countries is our Freedom of Religion, period. The ability for people to practice or not practice their religion of your choice, or not practice at all, like in my case. And then raise their kids under their religious values and pass it on to their kids.

What makes America great, is our individualism, our freedom both personal and economic and how those things are protected by our Constitution. Our Constitution by the way, not just the best liberal in the classical as well as real sense, political and governmental document that has ever been written anywhere. Because of all the individual freedom that it protects. And then our diversity. How many countries in the world especially big countries are there that get along with each other better than America. That is as developed as America and as free as America, that are as diverse as America?

And I could add our Federal Republic and federalist form of government. Where most of the power in the country is not centralized in one individual or political party or even one government in the nation’s capital. But throughout the country where national responsibilities and things that go on in between states are handled by the Federal Government. But where the states and localities are responsible for what goes on in their states and localities.

These are the things that makes America great and exceptional. And I would add to that you won’t find another country where more freedom and opportunity for more people can be created in than America. And for so many different people where we don’t have a defining race, ethnicity or religion in this country. Because we represent the whole world, unlike anyone else. Or find a country that is so secure as well and as independent when it comes to our security. And yet we also protect our constitutional rights and civil liberties at the same time.

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FORA-TV: Peter Coyote- ‘Sleeping Where I Fall: Where The Counter-Culture Prevails’

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Derik Schneider

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Source:FORA-TV– Hollywood actor, political activist, and lifelong Hippie Peter Coyote, talking about the Counter Culture in 2009.

“Actor and activist Peter Coyote describes important ways in which the 1960’s counterculture succeeded. Despite the movement’s failed political agendas, Coyote explains how its concepts of tribe, compassion and well-being are now tightly woven into today’s mainstream culture.

Out of the 60’s counterculture explosion came a radical street group called the Diggers, who became the heart and soul of the Haight-Ashbury experience. Named after a group of 17th century free-thinkers in England, the Diggers dedicated themselves to building a new morality in place of the money-hungry capitalistic society, cutting through the cultural propaganda via the medium of both street theater and “free” programs.

They began to distribute free food, provide free medical care and sponsor free rock concerts in Golden Gate Park featuring musicians like the Grateful Dead. They burned money, left its ashes and set out to create the condition they described.

Peter Coyote’s memoir, first published in 1998, recounts his time as one of the group’s founders and beyond. He weaves his experiences into a collection of stories from his life in San Francisco to communes and gypsy years on the road becoming part of the Free Family.

Ordained practitioner of Zen Buddhism, activist, and actor, Peter Coyote began his work in street theater and political organizing in San Francisco. In addition to acting in 120 films, Coyote has won an Emmy for narrating the award-winning documentary Pacific Century, and he has co-written, directed, and performed in the play Olive Pits, which won The Mime Troupe an Obie Award. He lives in Mill Valley, California.”

From FORA-TV

I think Peter Coyote hit on the head (so to speak) and I’m not sure what I can add to it other than to point out why I believe he is right.

If the goals of the counter-culture movement was to end war, racism, capitalism, etc, then of course they failed. If anything those things are more prevalent today. Especially when it comes to capitalism where most of the world now has some type of private enterprise private market economy that comes with basic property rights. Back in Peter Coyote’s time the 1960s, maybe half of the world had an open economy that was liberated (liberated, great liberal word) from state-control.

But what is called counter-culture is all around us. Americans now more than in the 1960s are free to be Americans, which is individualistic, which is the freedom for the individuals to be individuals. The freedom for one to be themselves and not feel the need to live in some type 1950s collectivist society where young people were expected to grow up and become their parents and grandparents. What Baby Boomers did (and I include Peter Coyote in this group) was to break out from the parents and grandparents lifestyles and decided to live their own lives instead, even if their parents didn’t approve.

The part of the 1960s that I approve of is the so-called Hippie Revolution or culture. Which was about the freedom for people to be themselves and not feel the need to have to fit in with the establishment. And we’ve been on this track ever since which has freed millions of Americans all sorts of ethnicities, races, sexualities, cultures, lifestyles, etc, to be themselves.

But when you get into the anti-American, anti-private enterprise, anti-war at all costs, anti-law enforcement, pro-anarchy, anti-American form of government, including the U.S. Constitution, where I break away with the New-Left in America.

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Jeff Walsh: Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher & Camille Paglia (1995)

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Ederik Schneider

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Source:Jeff Walsh– Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher and Camille Paglia, in 1995.

You can also see this post at Real Life Journal, on Blogger.

“Back on his old show (and this was on Comedy Central, before the show even moved to ABC), Bill Maher had a two-part episode where he abandoned his usual roundtable discussion to have a one-on-one discussion with feminist icon Camille Paglia. Great stuff here.”

Source:Jeff Walsh

I used to see Camille Paglia as the right-wing nut who put down feminism because Feminists wanted equal treatment for women. I use to put her in the same category as Ann Coulter and saw Camille as Ann’s roommate at the nut house. But thank God for education, because without that I wouldn’t of learned more about her and learn that it is not feminism, equal rights, equal treatment that she was putting down. She was putting down militant feminism and political correctness. Bill Maher had the best line in this video that he called his show Politically Incorrect, because he wanted to give liberalism a good name. That is sort of what Camille Paglia is about as well.

Maher and Paglia are two of the most anti-politically correct people you’ll ever meet. They aren’t fans of political correctness from either the Left or Right and most of it probably does come from Left. Political correctness are about as illiberal and anti-liberal as anything can get. Because it violates the most important aspect of liberalism and personal freedom. Which is the right to speech and the ability for people to express themselves and speak openly. Because someone in the political correctness, the Far-Left really will be offended by it: “Making jokes about Caucasian men and right-wing women is okay, but everyone else is unacceptable.” For political correctness supporters.

And what Camille Paglia and perhaps Bill Maher are saying is that the problem with feminism is not feminism. But militant feminism, this idea that women shouldn’t be treated equally, but better. And their other issue has to do with political correctness. That again people should feel free to express themselves especially if they are correct, even if that means it might offend someone. Like racial or ethnic minorities, women of all ethnicities and races. Or the political correctness Left, that people should be able to be themselves and express themselves, but then they also make themselves open to criticism as well.

You can also see this post at FreeState Now, on Blogger.

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The Film Archives: David Frost- Oral History on Richard Nixon Interviews- Vietnam War To Watergate

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Rik Schneider

Source:The Film Archives

First of all, I believe that Richard Nixon already knew by 1968, or at the very latest in the early days of his presidency in 1969 that the Vietnam War was already lost. Just from his own knowledge about the war, his own advisers and from things that people around him have said. Now that doesn’t mean that you declare that the war is lost in public. He personally wasn’t ready to do that and it would’ve been bad policy as well. Because it would’ve send the message to South Vietnam to stop fighting. And to the North Vietnam to go stronger and see what that can get out of the South and from America.

So when Nixon comes to office in 1969, his strategy about Vietnam was exactly how the hell to get out of there and do it the best way possible. To continue to defend the South as best possible so the North couldn’t simply overwhelm those people and kill millions of innocent Vietnamese. While at the same time negotiate with the Communist North about how to end the war. And this went on forever. The war was officially over by late 1972 early 1973, but American troops and other government personal were still in Vietnam until early 1975 when we finally got out of there.

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From Cult Till Camp: Jayne Mansfield Interview- By Wim Sonneveld

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Erik Schneider

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Source:Cult Till Camp– Hollywood Babydoll Jayne Mansfield, being interviewed by Wim Sonneveld in 1957. 

“In 1957, Jayne Mansfield came to the Netherlands to promote her movie “Will success spoil Rock Hunter?” (Dutch title “Oh, kus me zo”). She was interviewed by Dutch actor and comedian Wim Sonneveld for VARA television. It was broadcasted as part of the television show “Mensen, dingen, nu” (People, things, now) on 11 October 1957. (English spoken, no subtitles).” 

From Cult Till Camp

Holland has a lot of English speakers, at least today and perhaps back then as well. Something like 9-10 Dutch speak English at least as their second language. And can travel to Britain Scandinavia, Canada and America just speaking English, because of how well they speak it and understand it. And most of this interview was done in English with Wim Sonneveld speaking it very well. And then he would do a little translation for Holland. And I guess Jayne Mansfield was over in Holland promoting Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter. A movie that she did with the great comedic actor Tony Randall in 1956.

In Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter, Jayne Mansfield essentially plays herself. A very young and hot starlet named Rita Marlowe who has very similar characteristics as the real-life Jayne Mansfield. A hot .baby-face goddess who is somewhat immature and looks and acts a lot younger than she actually is. Who portrays herself in real-life as a dumb blond or blonde bimbo, but behind the scenes is a lot sharper than that. And knows exactly what she wants and how to get it. Which is to be taken seriously as an entertainer. And not just someone who looks great and needs those looks to be successful in life.

And that is how Rita Marlowe played by Jayne and Rock Hunter played by Tony Randall connect. Because Rock Hunter is an up in-coming advertiser whose looking that one big client that can move him up in his company. And he meets Rita Marlowe whose in New York looking for that person to give her the positive publicity and image that she’s looking for. This is a pretty funny and entertaining movie. But hardly a stretch or hard role for Jayne to play in this movie. Because the Rita Marlowe character is very similar to the real-life Jayne Mansfield.

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Daniel J.B. Mitchell: ‘Campus Unrest at UCLA in The Late 1960s’

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Derik Schneider

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Source:Daniel J.B. Mitchell– UCLA Professor Angela Davis in the 1960s.

“These news clips show the inauguration of Chancellor Charles Young in 1969 despite concerns about student demonstrations. Not long after his inauguration, the chancellor was confronted with the Angela Davis controversy, also shown.”

Source:Daniel JB Mitchell

If the reason for UCLA or the State of California for firing Professor Angela Davis was because she threatened the administration at UCLA and called for mass-violence, etc, then that would be one thing and they would have real reason to fire her. But that wasn’t why she was fired, at least from everything that I’ve seen so far. She was back then at least a self-described Communist who was teaching philosophy at UCLA. Who was calling for the release of men that she saw as political prisoners in California state prisons.

The 1960s was a crazy, radical time. Especially compared with the very conservative establishment status-quo decade of the 1950s, culturally. And by 1968 or 69 and perhaps especially in California where radical leftist movements tend to get started, it was even more so. And it looked like the country might be falling apart over Vietnam and other cultural issues.

The emergence of the New-Left (Socialists and Communists) that Professor Davis was obviously was part of is now on the scene. And they want to take America apart and create a different type of country. That is more collectivist and communitarian and even socialist and less individualistic.

1966 was the exception to this social revolutionary period in California, where Mr. Status Quo Establishment Conservative Ronald Reagan is elected Governor of California. And one of the first things that he does as Governor in 1967 is take on the campus radicals in California. And goes a step forward and takes on a radical professor in Angela Davis and has her fired at UCLA.

California takes it a step forward then that and tries to make a criminal out of Professor Davis and get her sent to prison. And charge her with a court shooting in the Oakland area that she wasn’t part of. When you take on the establishment, they can hit you back. Which is what happened to Angela Davis.

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Reason Magazine: Nick Gillespie: ‘Everything’s Awesome & Camille Paglia is Unhappy!’

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Ederik Schneider

Everything's Awesome and Camille Paglia is Unhappy!

Source:Reason Magazine– Reason’s Nick Gillespie, interviewing author Camille Paglia.

You can also see this post at Real Life Journal, on Blogger.

“Growing up as “a gender nonconforming entity” during Eisenhower’s America wasn’t easy for cultural critic and best-selling author Camille Paglia. Her adolescence in small-town, upstate New York was marked by rejection, rebellion, and cross-dressing—all in reaction to the stultifying social norms of the 1950s and early ’60s.”

From Reason Magazine

Give Camille Paglia five minutes to talk and two days later she might still be speaking and about the same subject. She seems very pissed off and energized in this interview. But I actually agree with a lot of the points that she’s making here about feminism. That she’s a feminist in the sense that she believes in equal rights and equal opportunity. That women or men shouldn’t be denied access simply for being female or male. I believe in the same things accept that as a man and a straight one at that, (ha, ha) I’m not sure that I can qualify as a feminist. But maybe that is a subject or debate for a different time.

But perhaps Camille Paglia’s larger point or the one these stresses more is that women or men shouldn’t be judged better simply for being a woman or man. Her critique about Feminists is not about mainstream Feminists who believe in equal rights and equal opportunity. But against people who are called militant Feminists. People, women especially who believe that women are superior to men and therefore should be treated better and should be running the world. And those are the Feminists that I break away from not as a man, but simply as a Liberal who believes in equal rights and opportunity.

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Frost/Nixon Interviews: Full Interview About Watergate

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Rik Schneider

I covered this last week, but the White House coverup of Watergate was about ending a story that the Nixon White House thought could explode in their faces. Which was an attempted burglary of Democratic National Headquarters. Even though the President, Vice President or White House Chief of Staff weren’t directly involved in the operation. But they were worried that this story would play in the media as if the Nixon Campaign in 1972 was involved in the Watergate burglary. When what they should’ve done was to say, “here’s this local Washington burglary of Democratic National Headquarters, lets let the Washington Police handle it. Because we’re not involved.”

Had Richard Nixon had a sounder more sober mind, not as far as intelligence, because he was really a brilliant man and perhaps the smartest president we’ve ever had, but a more sober mind in the sense that he could see things for what they are and act accordingly, he would’ve said, “Watergate is not our problem. And even if some of our people on the campaign are involved in it, the police will find those people and act accordingly.” Now President Nixon didn’t know that his own Attorney General John Mitchell was involved in Watergate. And I and others believed he ordered the operation when he was running the reelection campaign. But again the police would’ve figured that out and the President would’ve fired him.

But that is not what President Nixon and his White House team did. They played it like they were ones who not only knew about the Watergate operation, but ordered it. They acted as if they were the criminals in this story and because of their behavior they became the criminals and defendants in this story. All of the career lawyers and some of them former prosecutors who became defendants in this case and did time in prison. Like John Erlichman, John Dean, Chuck Colson and perhaps some others. Instead of just letting the story play to its natural conclusion and moving on with the business of the country.

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Jayne Mansfield: ‘Sex Symbol, Playmate, Actress- Interview’

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Erik Schneider

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Source: Jayne Mansfield– Hollywood Baby Goddess Jayne Mansfield

“Jayne Mansfield (born Vera Jayne Palmer; April 19, 1933 — June 29, 1967) was an American actress in film, theatre, and television, a nightclub entertainer, a singer, and one of the early Playboy Playmates.”

From Jayne Mansfield

I think part of Jayne Mansfield’s dumb blonde image had to do with the fact, one because of the roles she got. But two she never really grew up personally and was basically a big teenage girl with the baby-face her whole adult life with the personality to match. And if you look at a lot of her movies and a lot of those movies are either very funny, or she’s very funny in them and she was a very funny actress with a great personality, you see her playing women that are a lot like her. I’ve blogged before that I don’t see Jayne as dumb, but as immature and simply too cute personally for someone of her years.

Jayne Mansfield was always a big little girl who never grew up. When she turned 16 or 17 and perhaps even 18 that is about as far as she ever got emotionally. And when her career went south in the early 1960s, she handled that like a teenage girl who doesn’t know how to manage disappointment like a mature grown woman would be able to. And as a result her life goes south as well and she stops taking care of herself. Not that she ever did a good job of that to begin with. But she starts drinking way too much and using drugs. And was never happy again in her life.

The interviewer questioned Jayne about her dumb blonde image. And she intelligently answered that had to do with a lot of the parts that she got in Hollywood. Hollywood saw her as this hot baby-face adorable goddess with the great body and they ran with that as long as she was useful to them.

In the movies Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter and The Girl Can’t Help It, she essentially plays herself in those two movies. But that was just part of why she was portrayed the way that she was. The other part had to do with how she presented herself in public as this baby-face adorable little girl with the great body. And how she lived her life.

You can also see this post at The Daily Press, on WordPress.

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