"Don't be afraid of being different.  Be afraid of being like everyone else."

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what you want them to achieve, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." - General George S. Patton

The Sun Shines Again in the Sunshine State

In the July 2013 Dome article “Way Out of Control in the Sunshine State,” we first reported the plight and unjust conviction of Marissa Alexander.  The mother of three and a resident of Jacksonville, Florida was sentenced to a mandatory 20 years for firing a warning shot to avert the assault of her abusive husband.  

Ms. Alexander’s case, which was denied the use of Florida’s “Stand Your Ground Laws,” received an abundance of attention in the wake of the acquittal of George Zimmerman and public outcry against Florida's controversial “Stand Your Ground Laws.”

In September’s “A Re-Trial for Marissa,” The Dome was elated to report that Ms. Alexander had been granted a new trial.  It is widely suspected the new trial was granted in response to the efforts of Ms. Alexander’s family and the “Free Marissa Now Mobilization Campaign” an advocate group demanding Ms. Alexander's freedom and the repeal of Florida’s SYG Laws.

Released after more than 3 years, Ms. Alexander spent Thanksgiving with her family.    

Bob Self, Florida Times-Union/AP

Ms. Alexander was issued a date of March 31, 2014 for her re-trial and on Wednesday November 27, 2013, just in time for Thanksgiving, she was released from jail on approximately $200,000 bond.

It appears this Thanksgiving the sun is again shining in the Sunshine State, ... Well, at least in the Alexander household.  Congratulation Marissa.

I'm not hatin, I'm jus sayin...

Wrath Among Titans

When I first heard about Miami Dolphins’ Jonathan Martin walking off in response to being bullied by teammates, I was dumbfounded.  I initially responded, “How can a 315 pound professional football player be such a punk?”  However as more and more of the circumstances were revealed and Richie Incognito was suspended indefinitely, I found myself in a state of disbelief.  After all, Incognito was a play-maker on a team that for the first time in recent memory was showing the promise of days gone by.  I wondered why a severe fine would not suffice and the team could be kept intact. 

Jonathan Martin walked away from Miami Dolphins practices
after being bullied by teammates last week.                           AP

Then while watching the Monday Night game, halftime rolled around and ESPN's Chris Berman did a story regarding the incident.  In the story the below excerpt from an Incognito voicemail to Martin was released.  I was stunned.

"Hey, wassup, you half n----- piece of s---. I saw you on Twitter, you been training 10 weeks. [I want to] s--- in your f---ing mouth. [I'm going to] slap your f---ing mouth. [I'm going to] slap your real mother across the face [laughter]. F--- you, you're still a rookie. I'll kill you."

After seeing Chris’ story, Jonathan Martin no longer looked quite like a punk.  As I picked my jaw up off the floor, I realized all had been made clear.  From my days managing employees I realized Richie Incognito was in some very serious trouble. 

Richie Incognito identified as the ring leader
among Miami Dolphins team bullies.           AP

He has violated federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws which stipulate all individuals have a right to work in an environment free of harassment. 

In Richie Incognito’s case, he has done far worse than simply harassed Martin.  He has racially slurred and slandered Martin and has additionally communicated threats to Martin’s person as well as Martin’s mother.  

Given the number of NFL players who have committed murder or have been implicated in violent crimes it’s no wonder why the Dolphins organization and the NFL have released Incognito.

Richie Incognito, who states he considers Martin a teammate and a friend is not alone in this “rookie hazing behavior” but, has been clearly identified as the ring leader.  He has been suspended indefinitely for behavior detrimental to team operations. While some are alleging Martin is somewhat oversensitive to his teammates' "pranks," I don't know that I would consider racial slurs and threat against my mother to be very friendly. 

In NFL circles he is reported to be one of the dirtiest players in the league. But in the trenches, there are those that would rather have no one else.  As the Dolphins and the NFL continue their investigation into this incident it is almost certain other players and members of the organization may be implicated and possibly subject to litigation. But with a spotted history and trouble maker reputation both in college and in the pros, it is fairly certain Richie Incognito’s professional football playing days may be behind him.  Only time will tell

I'm not hatin, I jus sayin...

There Are No Winners Here

White House Chief of Staff welcomes
employees back to work.   NYdailynews.com

It’s Thursday October 17^th. Federal employees across the country returned to work and in D.C., many were greeted with smiles, cheers and accolades. The government shutdown came to an end at approximately 11:28 p.m. Wednesday night, some 30 minutes before the debt ceiling deadline. The world breathed with a sigh of relief. But this is only a short term and temporary fix, we could all experience this again early in 2014.

As President Obama addressed the nation he opened with, “there are no winners here,” and without specifically pointing fingers or identifying individuals, he scolded those responsible for this self-made catastrophe.  To paraphrase, he said there is no place for this behavior in a democracy.  If you want to make changes or are displeased with the status quo, argue your point, get votes, win elections. But don’t

"don’t brake what our predecessors have
spent 2 centuries building."        CNN.com

brake what our predecessors have spent 2 centuries building.  The President emerged looking very much like a chief executive. 

In addition to those furloughed who are anticipating being paid for missed wages.  According to Standards and Poor’s and CNN an estimate in excess of $24 Billion was the cost of the shutdown.  So clearly the loser here was the American economy, the world’s faith in the American system and the American people.

Why did all of this happen? Who is responsible for this fiasco?  In the minds of many Americans, many people don’t really seem to understand.  Many of the common people are caught up, lost and confused by rhetoric spewed with the intent to cloud vision and perception.  

Do organizations such as Koch Industries and The Heritage Foundations, have too much influence and involvement in our political process?  Do corporate sponsors and special interest groups have the well being and benefit of the people in mind? Or perhaps, do these organizations have another agenda? I for one found myself nervous when Republican party members appeared to be having their strings pulled by these entities.

When the shutdown went into effect, shouldn’t the salaries, benefits and services to congress have been the first to go?   What can we, the people, do to ensure this will not occur again? Should congress as a whole be penalized for this entire fiasco?  Who can the American people hold accountable for this? 

Rep Herrera Beutler (R-Wash)
Huffingtonpost.com

The one major noteworthy observation to stem from this Capitol Hill cluster was the performance of many our elected women.  With the likes of Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), both Democrat and Republican women worked together to resolve this mess created by what appeared to be schoolyard boys bickering and bullying each other.  

Perhaps it is time for the cooler and calmer feminine heads to prevail.  Maybe it is time for a woman president.


I'm not hatin, I'm jus sayin...

Who Is Running the Republican Party?

As the government shutdown closes out its 13th day, the question every American should be asking these days is, “Who is running the Republican Party?” Does anyoe really know?

House Speaker John Boehner R-OH AP

Last Sunday, while speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) blatantly refused to bring up any debt ceiling vote.  He clearly stated, “We are not going to pass a clean debt limit increase.” 

Is the Speaker of the House, the voice of the GOP on Capitol Hill?

 Sen. Ted Cruz R-TX
AP

Per the ranting of Ted Cruz (R-TX), the government shutdown was tied to the attempted repeal of the “Affordable Care Act.” This however has not been boding very well for the Republican Party.  It would appear, shutting down the government is not the pivotal backbreaker the Tea Party expected it would be.  

In the meantime, Senator Cruz is being shunned by many, including members of the Republican Party.   However on Friday, while speaking at the “Values Voter Summit” in a Washington, D.C. hotel, the junior senator was met by heroic cheers only to be heckled moments later on immigration issues.  

Does Senator Cruz speak for the right wing and is he helping or hurting the Grand Old Party?

Only two things are certain about this shutdown, first it is self-inflicted and second, America is outraged about it.  Maybe it was the World War II vets that visited the monuments on the Mall in the opening days of the shutdown, only to be denied access to the WWII Memorial.  Or maybe after congress partially funded the government, sadly they did not realize that funding the defense department did not automatically fund death benefits for our fallen military. Maybe it’s the loss of services for no apparent reason to all Americans dependent upon their government.  

Americans are speaking out, from private citizen making donations to temporarily fund various federal operations to the CEO of Starbucks gathering signatures on a petition, demanding the end of the shutdown and addressing the debt ceiling issue.  Whatever the case, the expressed displeasure and shame of the people is being demonstrated in various forms.  It is also reflected in various polls.  And the polls say, the Republicans are taking it in the shorts.

By Wednesday, at the urging of Koch Industries and the Heritage Foundation, the GOP seemed to be altering their stance. Stating the failure to approve a debt ceiling increase would be a disaster, Koch Industries suggested House Republicans should present a clean six-week debt ceiling extension that does not include a plan to fund the government.

David Koch           AP

At a press conference Thursday morning, House GOP leadership did just that, announcing their “new strategy.” This is one day after Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham admitted the group will “give the speaker some flex on a short-term debt limit increase,” in order to extend the shutdown over Obama care. On Wednesday, Koch officials increased the pressure with a letter for inquiring members who “have asked what our position is on this issue” that claims the conservative billionaires never supported withholding federal government funds over Obama care.  Both groups, who are the driving force during this debt ceiling and shutdown fiasco, are responsible for putting Tea Party members in Congress.  

So are the Heritage Foundation and Koch Industries actually running the Republican Party?  Should corporations be determining public policy?  Is that what the founding fathers intended; to allow financiers to shape the future of this country?  Is that a Democracy?

Thursday afternoon President Obama extended an invitation to all of the republican members of the House.  The leadership responded, only select members would be in attendance.  It is alleged this

small group came prepared to address the debt ceiling with a temporary measure.  In the “new strategy,” the GOP proposed funding a 6 weeks temporary partial fix.  This would theoretically postpone this debt ceiling issue until approximately Thanksgiving and the Holiday shopping season. 

House GOP members visit the White
House for discussions.                 AP

Unfortunately, this did not address the government shutdown.
President Obama has remained absolutely willing to discuss and negotiate any issues, but not while under threat.  In other words, he will not discuss anything before the government is funded and returned to work. After the meeting, it remained uncertain whether any headway had been made.  However the fact that members did not exit the meeting and promptly find themselves in front of news cameras spoke volumes.

Paul Ryan the voice of
the GOP?               AP

On Friday President Obama again extended invitations to all House Republicans. That afternoon, buses transporting the entire republican body of the House arrived at the White House.   From a laymen’s perspective, the President wasn’t content to just speak with the leadership.  Perhaps, that’s because no one seems able to speak for the entire party, however former

vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan seemed to emerge as the voice of reason for the Republican Party.  Is Paul Ryan the messiah of the GOP?

After the West Wing meeting, while no resolution could be clearly identified, but both parties reported progress had been made.  The very mere fact the President and House Republican were finally talking was viewed as very favorable.  The Dow Jones Indicator (DJI) reflected an optimistic outlook as we observed a rise in stock prices.

On Saturday, it became evident President Obama was sticking to his guns, he was standing firm.  While he is talking, he is not negotiating, at least not while the government is stalled.  The conservatives on the other hand appear poised to fold, as Senate Republicans are posturing to undermine House Republicans.  The Grand Old Party in the House appears to be crumbling before our very eyes.  Is this the end of the Republican Party?  Will the Republicans go the route of the Federalist, Whig and Libertarian Parties, effectively into extinction?  Perhaps, it time to revamp the political party system.

On this Sunday's morning Washingtonian talk shows, all seem to agree with 4 days remaining before the debt ceiling deadline, a resolution to this national mess is within sight.  Polls across America indicate, if possible all members of the house would be voted out of office and replaced.  Americans are fed up in the wake of this national embarrassment.  I for one remain optimistic.

I’m not hatin, I’m jus sayin…

Self-Inflicted Wound: Day 7

It’s Monday October 7, 2013, many morning news stations are all a buzz about how a 9 year boy slipped by TSA, boarded a flight and flew to Las Vegas; or maybe two American military covert anti-terrorist actions in Libya and Somalia; or the horrific Grand Prix racing accident or perhaps even Miley Cyrus’s lauded Saturday Night Live performance.  While all these stories are of great interest, they are all mere distractions from what’s troubling more than just a few Americans.  

Furloughed government workers protest outside
the office of Sen Ted Cruz R-TX                  AP

In the mind of many Americans, it is “The Shutdown” of the federal government, now in effect for 7 days.  Additionally, and perhaps more potentially devastating, we’re approximately 10 days away from a critical collapse should congress fail to raise the debt ceiling. 

The shutdown was intentionally orchestrated by disgruntled Republican congressmen in an effort to cripple the Affordable Care Act, a program already voted into law. Why is every Senator and congressmen not working to support the successful roll-out of this program?

House Speaker Boehner appeared on ABC’s "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday

House Speaker Boehner

morning.  Speaker Boehner agreed that the risks of failing to raise the debt ceiling would be “catastrophic,” leading credit markets to freeze, the dollar to lose its value, and interest rates to skyrocket. Conservatively speaking, this would potentially develop into the worst financial crisis in the history of man.  Speaker Boehner insisted that “the President is putting the nation at risk by his refusal to have a conversation.”

President Obama in a news conference recorded at FEMA, continues to honorably stand his ground.  He states he is willing to sit down with any Republicans but cannot sit down "under threat."  I agree with the President and find his behavior more than respectable.

Mr. Speaker, you’re wrong.  It is not the President that has created this mess.  It is not the President who intentionally shut down the government (partial or not).  And it is not the President who is within 10 days of a financial disaster worse than the Lehman Brothers collapse.  And should the government’s shutdown, result in the debt ceiling not being raised and America forfeits on the payment of it’s debt, President Barack Obama will not be held responsible.  As an American citizen, I for one will view John Boehner, Ted Cruz and select members of the Republican Party as responsible for this self-inflicted wound.
   

It's time Americans take control over the
manner our congress conducts business.  

I ultimately view our entire congressional body accountable for this manufactured fiasco.

It’s time the American People take control over the manner in which our congress conducts business.

Wall Street is showing concerns as at the time of this article, the Dow has dropped 115 points.  Whether we are feeling it or not, every citizen that owns stock or has a 401K is being negatively affected.

Warren Buffett suggests that playing with the national debt ceiling is like playing with a nuclear bomb.  That using the debt ceiling as a leverage tool should be strictly forbidden.  I am inclined to agree with Mr. Buffett.  As America’s economy is the backbone of the economy of Planet Earth, it is to critical to play with.  

Economic experts around the globe are all indicating, if the shutdown is not resolved by the end of this week and the debt ceiling is not raised, global reactions will be unavoidable and it won’t be pleasant.

Mr. Speaker, would you have the American citizenry follow your lead and not pay their bills?  The average citizen would be held criminally liable.  I believe if this nonsense continues, congress should be held criminally liable too.

I'm not hatin, I'm jus sayin...