TruthOut: CJ Polychroniou & Henry A. Giroux- The Specter of Authoritarianism & the Future of the Left

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Derik Schneider

Source:FreeState MD

I hate it when people regardless of their political affiliation regard the American Left as the Left. Because the Left in America is not just one, but several different political factions with different political philosophies who are yes on the Left-Wing, but differ from each other. On the Left you have Liberals such as myself on the Center-Left. Then move a little further you have Franklin Roosevelt New Deal Progressives.

And then you go to the Far-Left and you have Democratic Socialists and Social Democrats. Who are democratic in nature, but have a very large role for the central government in the economy similar to Scandinavia. And would like to see America adapt their political systems and form of government as well. So talking about the future of the Left as if it is one united faction that looks at most of the issues the same way is like looking at the future of three football teams each having different players and coaches and philosophies that are all different from each other as if they are all part of the same team.

It simply doesn’t work, but what can you do is talk about the future of liberalism, progressivism and socialism in America and see where those political factions are headed. And where they are strong and weakness’s of each philosophy and its members. Which is what I’m interested in as a Liberal especially since America is moving in a liberal direction and now wanting both a great deal of personal and economic freedom.

Americans who want both economic and personal freedom, but who don’t quite see themselves as Libertarians, people who do want government out of the economy all together, but just don’t want government trying to run their lives for them from either an economic or personal perspective, is good news for Liberals and Liberal Democrats. This is bad news for Democrats who have both paternalistic leanings as they relate to both economic and personal issues.

The so-called Progressive nanny statists in the Democratic Party and outside of the Democratic Party the Mike Bloomberg supporters. As well as bad news for those on the Right nanny statists when it comes to homosexuality, gambling and marijuana. It is also bad news for security hawks who may not be that far to the Left or Right, but have big government leanings when it comes to privacy and the War on Terror. People like Joe Lieberman and unfortunately even to a certain extent Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

The future of liberal Leftists or the liberal Left is very good because that is where the country is moving. Americans who are not anti-government, but do not want government to try to run our lives for us. Just protect us from predators who would harm us. And help out the less-fortunate and empower them to be able to take care of themselves.

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Prison Documentaries: Inside Pelican Bay State Prison

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Ederik Schneider

Pelican Bay Prison This piece was originally posted at FRS FreeSate Now Plus

Pelican Bay State Prison houses some of the worst criminals in California. Which means some of the worst in the United States as well when you have cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and other large cities with crime problems. But that doesn’t mean these people should be treated like animals either. And if you look at their solitary confinement unit that is essentially how those inmates are treated locked in a cage twenty-three hours a day or more.

Inmates with nothing to do all day, but stare at walls, perhaps try to sleep and then be given what is called food. Stuff that you might serve animals instead that doesn’t fill adult men up for the most part without enough to eat. When you treat people like animals especially a violent criminal population that you see in a Pelican Bay, that is exactly what you are going to get animal behavior from people who’ve hurt and killed people in the past.

Violent felons who won’t hesitate to hurt innocent people again in the future if they feel threatened. Because this is what they know and what they do and haven’t been given help to deal with their violent anger. Which is my main problem with Pelican Bay because it makes its violent population even worst. Rather than working to improve the behavior of these inmates.

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C-SPAN: Hustler Magazine vs. Jerry Falwell- Pornography and the First Amendment

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Rik Schneider

 

Hustler Magazine v Falwell Pornography and First Amendment Rights 1997

Source:CSPAN– covering a debate about pornography, in 1997.

Source:The FreeState

“Hustler Magazine v Falwell Pornography and First Amendment Rights 1997.”

From CSPAN

Interesting case whatever your position on pornography is whether you think it should be legal or not. Or whether you enjoy it or not which isn’t the question. But the real question in this case is should it be legal or not based on the United States Constitution and what also makes this an interesting case is that it affects two amendments to our Constitution. Which affects our right to free speech and expression and our right to privacy.

The First Amendment which of course guarantees our right to free expression and speech. And our Right to Privacy what people are able to do in their private lives and own homes. And does the rights to free speech and expression as well as privacy include pornography. Do Americans have the constitutional right to be involved in pornography or not. And manage their own private affairs themselves. Or does government have the right and responsibility to intervene in one’s own private affairs.

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Total Tight Jeans: Amanda- In Tight Black Levi’s Denim Jeans

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Erik Schneider
Amanda

Source:Total Tight Jeans– Amanda, in black Levi’s denim jeans.

Source: The New Democrat

“TOTAL TIGHT JEANS – AMANDA in tight jeans BLACK”

From Total Tight Jeans

The second time I’ve seen this woman named Amanda in her classic black Levis. The problem I have with this video, is that it is forty-seconds. But even in that short amount of time you see beautiful sexy curvy woman looking great in black Levis. Women know men very well as far as what men like especially when it comes to women. And this video is a perfect example of that, with this very sexy woman in her classic Levis with the great body.

Seeing a woman like this makes me want to get down on my knees and thank God I’m a man. And keep in mind, I’m an Agnostic, but seeing a woman like this could make a man review his religious affiliation. Could bring to sight to a blind man and perhaps even change a gay man. And get him to thinking “OMG! What have I’ve been missing all of these years?” A perfect woman physically where the perfect Levis jeans. Not much more than a guy can ask for.

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

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CDC’s Worst Nightmare: Inside SuperMax

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Erik Schneider

Source:The New Democrat 

For me at least it is not a question of whether we need super max prisons or not. The answer is obvious of course we do with all the violent inmates and criminals that we have and in many cases inmates that are so violent and lack conscience so much that they can’t control their violent behavior. And even enjoy hurting people so of course we need institutions to deal with these people.

The question at least for me is how should we deal with these inmates. The status-quo would be do what we are doing as a country in most cases. Which is to warehouse them and hope they do not get worst and that these institutions the staff can deal with these people, or try to improve their behavior or give them an out from their destructive behavior. Incentive for them to improve their lives in prison in the time that they do.

Rehabilitation so these inmates are easier to manage while in prison, but also for the inmates who get out an opportunity for them to be successful in prison so they can be successful on the outside and never have to come back to prison and based on the super max prisons that we have, I also believe the answer to this question is obvious as well. With how hard these inmates are to manage and how violent they still are while in these prisons.

That even super max prisons with the increase in security need to be institutions where inmates have opportunities to improve themselves. If for no other reason so they can be transferred to a regular maximum security prison. And have the opportunity to get better rehabilitated with better educational and work opportunities, so they can be productive, especially if they have a release date.

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PBS NewsHour: Robert MacNeil & Jim Lehrer Introducing the Watergate Hearings

Posted on September 23, 2014 by kireschneider


Source:The Daily Times

If you are familiar with C-SPAN or the Cable Special Public Affairs Network, well the PBS coverage of the 1973 U.S. Senate Watergate hearings is basically the early days of C-SPAN. Gavel to gavel coverage of a major invent in Congress which this was and what they did like what C-SPAN does. Is just show what happened and let the people decide for themselves what it meant and so forth.

Which is exactly what PBS was doing without breaking in to have an analyst explain what the people were watching. But would have the people be able to make those decisions for themselves. Which was basically the early days of what I call PBS News. The news operation over at PBS that produces shows like the NewsHour, Frontline, Washington Week and so forth.

And allowed Americans to be able to see for themselves what Watergate was and what it meant for themselves. With a lot of the key actors in the whole Watergate affair and is a great example of what journalism should be rather than talk down to the audience with so-called experts allow for them to see for themselves what is happening.

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C-SPAN: ‘The Contenders- Ross Perot Preview’

Posted on September 23, 2014 by kireschneider

The Contenders - Ross Perot Preview (December 9) PreviewSource:C-SPAN– political historian Carl Cannon.

Source:The Daily Times

“C-SPAN continues its series “The Contenders” LIVE on Friday, December 9 at 8:00 p.m. ET with Ross Perot. In this clip, Presidential Historian Richard Norton Smith, Goucher College History Professor Jean Baker and Washington Editor of Real Clear Politics Carl Cannon discuss Perot. More information on the series can be found here:C-SPAN.”

From C-SPAN

Ross Perot not that he ever had a real shot at being elected President of the United States, but his style of politics and what he believed in and the people he represents and spoke for, represents how Independent, Center-Right political candidates can get elected in America.

And I put Ross Perot on the Center-Right in American politics because he is a true fiscal Conservative who believes in fiscal responsibility, not running up debt and deficits, as well as being a national security, as well as deficit hawk.

Ross Perot believes in limited government and that everything that government does has to be limited to what we need it to do, not what we want it to do. And that all government including entitlement programs have to be efficient and affordable. But someone who was tolerant to moderate on social issues. Who didn’t push those issues and didn’t believe the Federal Government should be involved in them in most cases and would probably leave the states to deal with them.

Perot was sort of an Eisenhower or Ford Republican whose philosophy was based around accountability. And limiting government to doing the things that we need it to do and do those things well. Who represents roughly forty percent of the country and how people of this mindset could do well in the future especially if they put together one party that represents this whole movement.

Posted in Independents, The Daily Times | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

AJ Fowler: Huey Long- Share the Wealth

Posted on September 23, 2014 by kireschneider


Source:The Daily Times

The progressive or even socialist side of Huey Long coming out that basically no one is entitled to a certain amount of money in society. Other than to meet their basic needs even if they create all of that money for themselves. Not sure if Huey was supporting let’s say an excise-tax on wealthy individuals to give to the people who do not have enough money or not.

With this excise tax going to government and then government decides how much money individuals need which is part of the socialist philosophy of there shouldn’t be any rich, middle or poor people and that it’s the job of the central government to prevent that from happening. That the central government should collect the nation’s resources and then give them back based on what they believe people need to live well.

And the central government does this by basically collecting most of the resources in society and then giving that money back to people based on what it believes that people need to live well. I’ll look it up in the future to see if that’s what Senator Huey Long believed in. But from this video he did seem to believe that it was it was unfair for a few people to be so rich while others are struggling. And that government should play a bigger role to see that no one is poor and perhaps no one is rich.

Share the Wealth

Share the Wealth

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Salon Magazine: Michael Lind: The South is Holding America Hostage

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Derik Schneider

Source:Free State MD

I seem to be writing a lot of responses lately to people who are on the lets say on the social democratic left in America who do not like our form of government to begin with because we are a federal republic. Instead of a unitary government where most of the power is centralized with the federal government. With states and local governments only being left to do what the feds allow them to do.

The United Kingdom of Britain is a perfect example of a unitary government. And I believe they are paying a heavy price for that now. With Scotland looking to break away from Britain all together. And when Social Democrats get the opportunity to say “look-see, we told you that federalism doesn’t work and we need to become like Europe. And basically take their form of centralize government and apply that to the United States”.

Under a unitary governmental system, we would basically only have states in name only. You try a system like that in America and you would see states looking to break away and not just in the South. But you would see states that are more open to a strong progressive or socialist form of government looking to break away because they would say “we do not need Washington telling us what we should do. We can run our own domestic affairs”.

The latest thing that Social Democrats like Michael Lind and others are critiquing about federalism,who I do respect in Michael Lind’s case because you always know where he’s coming from and he can back up what he believes, but now they are using the government shutdown and Southern-Anglo (for the most part backlash) in the Tea Party a combo of Libertarians and Neo-Confederates, to say that “federalism doesn’t work and we need a more centralize form of government”.

But today’s Progressives who are really not lets say, but their point against federalism is that. “Look because these Neo-Confederates are in power in the House of Representatives and because of this they can keep the government shutdown by themselves even though they can’t reopen the government on their own”. Are saying, “because of these Neo-Confederates we need to change our Constitution and nationalize our social insurance system and tell the states to sit down and shut up. Because Uncle Sammy is now completely in charge”.

As I blogged just last night the problem with America is not our Constitution. Or our federal republican, (small r) form of government. American liberal democracy is not the problem with America, but some of our so-called public officials who are in office are. And we have a good way to deal with people who are not responsible enough to govern in America. Which is to fire them and even if we can’t defeat all the Neo-Confederates in the House of Representatives, we can defeat enough House Republicans to put power back in the hands of Democrats who not only know how to govern, but who want to and would govern responsibly.

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TruthOut: Laurie Jo Reynolds & Stephen F. Eisenson: ‘Tamms is Torture’

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Ederik Schneider

Source:FreeState Now

I’m not against solitary-confinement by itself because inmates who represent a serious threat to staff as well as other inmates and at times to themselves and because of this must be isolated until they not longer represent that threat to the prison. Prisons can’t function at all when there are inmates who are simply looking to hurt other inmates or have scores to settle and so-forth.

And inmates simply can’t rehabilitate themselves under those conditions especially if they have out of control tempers. But isolation by itself even 20-24 hours a day does not rehabilitate inmates so they can function in general population. Especially if you make it torture for them with nothing to do all day, but to look at walls and build up anger and frustration about being in there without enough food to eat and so-forth without even having any reading material or being able to write letters.

Isolated inmates with just their toilet, basic supplies like toothpaste and that sorta of thing, but nothing constructive for them to do with their time. An environment in a bare cell like that is torture. Solitary-confinement should be just like any other unit in prison. A place where inmates go for rehabilitation and to get better. Not be tortured and to get worst and you do that through not isolating anger-management issue inmates let’s say in 23-24 hour a day bare cells. But you put them in a cell where they can have constructive things that they can do to keep themselves busy.

Inmates should have things like reading and writing materials, music, visits even so their families can see the condition of their relatives in prison and most importantly professional help doctors that can help them get their behavioral issues under control so they can leave isolation. And not be stuck there for years or decades like for some inmates and where isolation is a place like a penalty box to use a hockey analogy where inmates go when they commit a penalty, but then they come back. And if these things to do not work for inmates, then maybe the inmate has some type of mental condition. And prison is not the right place for them.

Isolation units by themselves are not a bad idea. I’m not one of these Neo-Leftists that emerged from the 1960s and 70s whose anti-authority. I’m a Liberal who lives in the real world and understands that responsible authority is a necessary thing for everyone to be able to live in freedom. But when isolation cells become torture, then you are just making the situation worst for the inmate, the staff and the prison which is something that needs to be fixed.

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