Just Thought You Should Know 5/19/16

Happy Friday (or Saturday since life tends to supercede pet projects)!  I hope this week caps off a brilliant one in which you got all your goals accomplished, checked off that pesky to do list, and helped save the free world once again.   Conversely, if today is simply the last one an a grueling quagmire of shit, at least tomorrow is Saturday and reading this column will restore some faith in your fellow man.  Well, not really.

Maybe a sense of upliftment by watching others in much more dire circumstances than our first world problems.  If I'm really lucky, I've helped start unquenchable urge in those of you who are in a position to do something about it...to do so.  My goal here is to provide, comment, and illuminate situations that may slip through the cracks of our daily lives.  The kind of things we see a headline about but never click the article because its too long, we're too busy, or it's too depressing.  By breaking it down into more digestible chunks, I hope to get the important points across and leave the biased fluff behind. On that note, here we go...

The Supreme Court of the United States is MIA

SCOTUS is like a 3 legged table right now (Photo: ww2.kqed.org)

The death of Antonin Scalia has left the court effectively crippled.  With 4 liberal judges and 4 conservative leaning ones, the court is literally unable to come to a decision on some of its most important cases. The usual procedure when the court can't make a decision, is that the lower court's decision is upheld and no precedent is deemed to have been set.  In plain English, its like the Supreme Court never heard the case and the lower court's verdict stands.  One case already kicked back would have allowed non-union workers to avoid paying union dues, cutting off a major source of funding for organized labor.  A long term goal for conservatives who believe unions have become too powerful and get in the way of growing businesses.

Why does it matter?

An ineffective Supreme Court means Congress and the local courts have more power than ever since many of the cases now being heard might never make it back to the court.   Whether this is what Republicans wanted when they refused to consider Merrick Garland to replace their conservative hero, the late Antonin Scalia, is up to interpretation.  What isn't in question, is that the power structure of the United States, which is built on each branch of government having the power to check the other 2, is now severely out of balance.  More power than ever rests in the hands of a Congress that seems more concerned with party loyalty and partisan power than following the Constitution.  State rulings on labor, civil rights, and abortion have been notoriously partisan and will leave millions of people essentially stuck with whatever decision has already been made unless the plaintiffs have deep pockets.  Something most people obviously don't have.

What can I do about it?

Find your representative in the House
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
 
Find your Senator
http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/

Tell your friends to do the same and remind them who put them in "power."  Republicans have seemingly mastered the art of using their votes to take out anyone who doesn't stick to the script.  Ask Eric Cantor.   Remind these folks that the ultimate power lies with you and they can be fired just like anyone else for not doing their jobs.


The Women of ISIS are not looking for "Jihotties"

They're definitely looking for something warm, long, and hard...

  
There seems to be a myriad idiotic narratives about why young women are joining ISIS.  The most misogynistic one, and the most insulting in my opinion, is the idea that these women join the most despotic terrorist group in the world...because they're looking for dick.  Comedians use it for cheap laughs but it's honestly how investigations are run almost every time an underage western girl takes off for Syria.  As if she's infatuated with suicide bombers like they're the ISIS version of the Backstreet Boys.  It never occurs to the usually male investigators that just like young men that go to fight, they're actually true believers who are just as dangerous as their male counterparts.  In the "west", as they call it, we've been socialized to treat women as the fairer sex,  which usually means seeing their intelligence as an aberration, rather than the norm.  Usually because we assume they think like we do...which is usually about sex.  It's something ISIS counts on when using women to carry out their attacks.

"Insurgent groups in Eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa have used female suicide bombers as both a shock tactic and a strategic asset for decades. Two women detonated suicide bombs on the Moscow metro in March 2010, killing 40 people. The Al-Qaeda-linked Caucasus Emirate claimed responsibility for the attack." -- Jack Moore, Newsweek.com 11/18/15.

Why does it matter?

Because underestimating someone because of a stereotype is dangerous and stupid, especially when those stereotypes are used against you again and again and again.  History is littered with women weren't frail, emotional, or weak willed.  Though these women have decided to walk down a much darker path, respecting their decision, and holding them accountable for it would make spotting potential attackers much easier instead of relying on profiles that don't work.


What can I do about it?

As Joe "the Black Eagle" Madison says, "read with a third eye and listen with a third ear." 
Strange behavior is strange behavior no matter what race, gender, or nationality someone is.  If  you see something, say something.


MASE??

A long standing mystery about the identity of the New York Knick player in Biggie's "I Got a Story to Tell" has finally been solved!

If you don't know the song I'm talking about...unsubscribe immediately.

or just watch this.....

 
One of the few stories on wax that was verified by multiple NBA players and rappers in Big's inner circle to be true. It was also one of the best kept secrets in the industry until Fat Joe finally spilled the beans this week.

Why does this matter?

If you're aren't a Biggie fan or a Knicks fan...this isn't for you anyway.  If you are, do I really need to say it?  Mase and Big are probably laughing at all of us losing our minds over something they probably squashed years ago.


What can I do about it?

Laugh!  Laugh and remember the joy both these men brought into your lives musically and on the basketball court.  RIP Mase and BIG...

...Til next week!

Why Donald Trump is Good for America

The rise of the cult of Trump has caught many of us off guard.  How could a man who espouses such obviously racist viewpoints be so popular?  The reality is that America has always been this way. Just like every other country on the planet we are fearful, paranoid, protectionist, and xenophobic.  For as long as I can remember, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, or Peter Jennings were on TV to tell us about another boogie man just waiting for us to drop our guard so they could slip inside our homes to murder our children as they slept.  They were always godless, or at least didn't worship the same merciful, loving God we did. They did horrible, inhuman things to their own people, justifying our fear and loathing of them. President Reagan told us the Soviets hated us because of our freedom and would stop at nothing to drop an A bomb on Washington, subjecting us all to the iron fist of communism.  Communism, of course, being the scourge of capitalism though most Americans couldn't tell you why it was evil  or why capitalism is good .

You will lose...I must break you.

The Bush Dynasty told us Saddam Hussein murdered his own people with mustard gas and would have loved to do the same to us if given the chance.  We were told he was also conspiring with Osama Bin Laden after 9/11 so we had to launch a pre-emptive strike before he could get the chance to kill more Americans.  The news, the government, social media, and our friends tell us these things constantly so we know they're true!  Except they aren't.  Not totally.  Somewhere between our fear of anyone who doesn't speak English and the need to stroke our egos, the people stoking the flames of foolishness conveniently forgot to mention the Soviet Union's equal fear of us bombing them .  They also left out Saddam's status as America's staunchest ally in the Middle East prior to his invasion of Kuwait.  They also might have forgotten to mention the man he was supposedly  in league with, (actually, they hated each other) the man responsible for killing more Americans in the new century than any other, was partially funded by American efforts to train the Afghan mujahideen to fight the Soviets.  Now presidential candidate Donald Trump is telling us that Mexicans are evil murdering rapists that want to freeload on our freedoms, refugees from Syria will invade us and impose Sharia law the first chance they get, and the Washington elite are either complicit or spineless. Refusing to do anything about these threats because they don't love America like he does. Of course, only he and he alone, can "Make America Great Again."  He will.  Just not not in the way he intends. 

You mean we actually have to keep our promises?  Since when?? (Photo: politico.com)

Trump, for all his boorishness is clearly a student of history.  His rhetoric, heavy on anti-immigrant feelings and not much else, evidenced by the lack of policy specifics and insulting deflection every time he's asked to present details on any of his grand promises, demonstrates a mastery of demagoguery.  These guys would be proud.    He's spent years honing the art of getting people to pay attention to him through his reality shows, ingratiating himself into American pop culture like a virus.  In that arena, he's tolerable, harmless, and even entertaining.  Not a man to be taken seriously in the halls of power where his views could affect millions of lives in more ways than just what channel they watch for an hour.  Obviously, this has changed.  The skills that served him well to get television ratings are now getting him votes.  Exposing an ugly truth many of us who aren't part of the mainstream have known our entire lives.  He is forcing America to look itself in the mirror and many aren't liking what they see.  The world is also watching while a man who inspires bigotry and violence, marches seemingly lauded by the media, to our country's highest office.  His popularity proves our most damning critics right, exposing the hypocrisy of a country that prides itself on American Exceptionalism and as a multi cultural melting pot.  Is this really the end result of the great experiment?  We elect a man that appeals to our worst qualities?  The Republicans were so focused on power and stonewalling President Obama that they ignored the real needs of their constituents, unleashing this madness.  Now our country is in a battle for its soul.  America really has to ask itself if Trump, a man who can't decide if he should accept the support of Klu Klux Klan, encourages division not only along racial lines  but within the lines of his own party, who has been a rich man his entire life but claims to know what's best for the middle class, who employed the very same illegals he now calls rapists and criminals to build Trump Tower, who has taken advantage of the same overseas trade deals he now criticizes to make himself richer, has himself exported manufacturing jobs to China , and let's not forget is a long time documented supporter and friend of the Clintons, is really the man Americans want in charge of our military, nuclear arsenal, and public image?  I find it difficult to believe that a man like him would find much international support for American initiatives abroad, when he can't even unite his party behind him.  I also find it difficult to believe that any of our existing American based international corporations would back a President that openly insults their customers. We shouldn't forget, a politician's first allegiance is to the voters, no matter how much corporate money lines his or her pockets, the voters have the ultimate power.  Good luck trying not to "lead from behind" when our international allies threaten to vote out their leaders for following American policy.  The coalition of the willing did exactly that, in aftermath of the 2003 Iraq invasion, leaving the United States shouldering most of the responsibility and the cost as the war grew increasingly unpopular abroad.  When we finally did manage to untangle ourselves from Iraq, these guys filled the void. (Warning: Graphic)  That's a mistake I'd rather we not repeat. 

Donald Trump has forced the American people to a moral crossroads.  Ironically, this fiasco could do what Obama's election was supposed to do. Unite the country.  Neither Democrats nor establishment Republicans nor most of their constituents are eager to see a Trump Presidency.  For the reasons I stated above, he is a clear and present danger to the long term security and stability of the United States.  I am not exaggerating when I say that I believe that his election will not only set back our country back decades culturally, but the rate at which Civil Rights gains are being unfairly challenged , circumvented with biased legislation, and struck down by the Supreme Court, will accelerate.  America needn't be reminded of how years of exclusion, mistreatment, and marginalization of one group of Americans, eventually exploded into the Civil Rights movement.  Imagine if what Trump is proposing does pass and Black Lives Matter grows to include not only African Americans seeking justice, but becomes a banner for all American people of color to rally behind.  I don't see too many Trump rallies ending with sucker punches then.  You'd be dealing with literal human blockades at every venue he tries to book.  I've always believed that the fastest way to unite disparate groups is to present a common enemy big enough to threaten all parties.  Well, I think we've found our lighting rod in the man who sells ties made in China but claims he's all about giving jobs to Americans at the expense of our ideals.  This absurd campaign will bring about either one of 2 things.  Either America proves itself once again to have progressed beyond this type of gutter- level political discourse or everyone knows once and for all how far 240 years of our experiment has risen the level human consciousness.  Either way, we'll all know what we have to do.  I don't know about you, but I'm starting to think the boogeymen we should really be afraid of, are the ones who use boogeymen to keep us in line.

Je Suis un Parisien Aujourd'hui

I am a Parisian today.  Yesterday as I was leaving work, headed for a well deserved dinner with my family after a long week I glanced a headline flashing across my Bloomberg.

18 DEAD AFTER EXPLOSION IN PARIS.

I admit, I immediately thought "Islamic terrorism," then chided myself for jumping to conclusions.

You don't know its Muslim terrorists
There have been plenty of Christian terrorists too.
Let's wait for all the details to come out before drawing conclusions.

I tried listening to XM Fantasy Sports to take my mind off it, trying to heed the advice of family and friends that I'm taking on too much stress by worrying about things I can't control.  I was enjoying hearing that my best player, Steelers RB DeAngelo Williams practiced and was probable to play on Sunday.  The Browns are a pretty weak run defense and the host continued to impress upon us how imperative it was to get him in our lineups until he was handed a different piece of news to read on air.  The death toll had risen to 26.  I checked the dial to make sure I was on the right station.  Because the attacks took place near a stadium where the French and Germans were playing an international soccer friendly it, was now a sports story too.  It'd be so "first world" to complain about news events interrupting my sports but in this case it impressed upon me just how widespread this attack was.  The President of France, Francois Hollande was attending the game and had to be evacuated to a safe location.  The sports world, the one place many of us use to escape for a few hours a day had now been touched, no, infected by this cowardly attack.  Again, I tried to put it out of my mind as I got home and prepared to go to dinner.  I couldn't let this ruin the evening.  Unfortunately, I couldn't resist turning on CNN before we left.

60 DEAD IN MULTIPLE EXPLOSIONS IN PARIS

I was now getting angry because I realized this day was starting to feel sickeningly familiar.  The confusion, the body count, the inconceivable savagery, and the cowardice of attacking unsuspecting civilians in multiple locations.  Anyone who's reading this who lived in Washington, D.C. or the New York/New Jersey area 14 years ago knows exactly what I'm referring to.  I enjoyed dinner the best I could but the phone updates from the AP, CNN, and even theScore were relentless.  To resist the urge to keep checking, I put it in my coat so I couldn't feel it vibrate.  When we finally left, I pulled it out to check the time and on my lock screen was update after morbid update.

Team Stream
Breaking: Authorities Confirm 3 killed Outside Stadium during France-Germany Game...
AP
French President says he will declare state of emergency and close borders
AP
French police confirm 2 suicide attacks 1 bombing near Paris stadium
AP
Automatic gunfire heard from outside Paris concert hall.
CNN
French security forces are storming the Barclan theater
AP
At least 100 people killed inside Paris concert hall...

I truncated them for my sanity but my local ABC affiliate, Bleacher Report, and theScore all drove the point home that this attack was so savage, so brutal, and so disgusting that there was no escaping it.

Train bombings in Madrid, the bombing of a Bali nightclub, the 7/7 London train bombings, yesterdays savagery in Paris, and countless other attacks keep driving the point home that sometimes, the propaganda is right.  ISIS has proven themselves to be savage, bloodthirsty, heartless, sadistic murderers with no regard for any human life that doesn't abide by their twisted version of Islam.  Some make the argument that they're representative of true Islam, a claim I vehemently reject as much as I reject the claim that the Klu Klux Klan, anti-abortion extremists, or the IRA are representative of "true" Christianity.  I have seen good works and know too many good people to count them among the monsters coming from Syria.  ISIS and their allies need to be put down and the ideology that spawned them needs to be dealt with.  The former clearly needs to be accomplished militarily and economically.  The latter needs to be accomplished through a Marshall Plan-like initiative that would help move these countries out of the lawlessness and poverty they've been mired in and pull them into the 21st century.  Give their young people something to look forward to besides "killing apostates" or living in fear of a dictatorial government  or the bloody cycle will continue for another millennium.  We spent a decade hunting down and finally killing Osama Bin Laden, only for a man even more savage, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to take his place.  What will we unleash on the world if we continue pursing a purely militaristic solution?

I stand with Paris and the nation of France today not just in spirit but in shared experience.  We know what its like to have your security, comfort, and sense of well being violated by people who don't even know you but have been bred to hate you with every fiber of their being.  The world, like 14 years ago, will be bent on blood lust and revenge.  I know that everyone will be trying to use this tragedy to further their own agenda.  Some already have.  But its important to remember that what IS has done in France repeats the same mistake Al-Qaeda made on 9/11.  Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda found out that their greatest achievement was also the first domino that led to the decimation of their murderous organization and the death of their leader.   For all the differences our countries have at the negotiating table, disgust at the mass murder of innocents is the one thing on which we all agree.  It will not stand unchallenged and will not go unpunished.  There is an old saying that warns that you should be careful what you wish for.  I believe IS is about to find out exactly what that means.