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Later on today in Washington, the hearing to confirm Elena Kagan as a United States Supreme Court Justice will begin. While I made the rounds of the US Sunday Public Affairs Shows, I saw Jeff Sessions expressing "concerns" about her nomination and possible confirmation.

For those who may not know who Jeff Sessions is, he is the Senior Republican on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. The concerns he has expressed are simply laughable. I would also suggest that he harbors profound resentment because he was rejected for a judgeship during the Reagan Adminstration. I have to also continue to question the true intentions of the Republicans. They seem to like Alioto and Roberts, but not Kagan.


It was the Roberts Court that struck down Campaign Finance. It has been the Roberts Court and the Renquist Court that gradually began to peel away the erosion of civil liberties over the past 100 years to adhere to some notion of pure constitutionalist principle which seems to negate the fact that we are in the 21st Century.

The role of the loyal opposition is to raise legitimate questions and present alternatives. Simply being obstructionist will not do. I have to question whether the Republicans truly understand that.

On a side note, I just saw a report that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg's Husband died of cancer. She was also on the short list of possible Justices who had contemplated retirement, too. As for Cancer itself, When will be able to tame the ravages of Cancer?
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As I write this, Al Jazeera is reporting that there has been an attack on a bus in Istanbul with deaths. This is on top of the recent killing of soldiers in Turkey that has triggered additional security measures by the Turkish Government.

Moving to the United States, a guilty plea by the terrorist who sought to blow up a car on Time Square. He said he was a soldier wanting to avenge the death of muslims. What I find sickening is how he used Islam to justify his crime. He noted that he was going to plead guilty 100 times over. Now, he'll have 23 hours a day to think about it.
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I have been writing about the Gulf Tragedy in KP's sister site, Outsider Views. Robert Redford's call to action must be taken up by all who believe in the long-term viabliity of America and the World. I have to continue to wonder why is there such a clamour for a dying industry who seems to advocate a perpetual addiction. When will the World wake up? When will the transformation happen?
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David Cameron and Nick Clegg have taken charge in the UK. It has been an interesting few days to say the least:


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As I contemplated the next stage of "outsiders" during my sabatical, I was shocked at the scenes coming out of the Gulf. I am assessing the situation and will be talking about it, soon.

The key thing I am trying to contemplate is how the debate continues to hover around oil. The average per gallon of price is around $ 3.15 in Southern California. It seems to me that this incident in the Gulf that will destroy the fishery industry and valued natural resources should wake up the country. That is not happening because of the power of Big Oil


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I have been writing about the World Economic Tsunami throughout "outsiders" over the past year and a half. Although the Obama Adminstration tells us that they have turned the corner, that "happy talk" is yet to be translated into real results.

This past week saw Al Jazeera talking about the the very plight that the average person is facing now. It featured the shutdown of a Hugo Boss Factory in Cleveland. The production moved to Turkey because the private Equity Firm that owned it felt that the factory was not competitive enough. Despite the euphoria by the President about the creation of 162,000 jobs, the fact remains that the United States has to create 10 Million Jobs just to be back at the level of employment before the economic meltdown that began in late 2006


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Rachel Corrie was a young college student who decided to go to Gaza to fight for Palestinian rights. She stood in front of a house in Gaza to prevent it from being razed. She was crushed by an Israeli Army Bulldozer. After 7 years, the family has finally been able to bring a case against the Government of Israel. The family talked about it with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now:


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A Ray of Hope For California

March 5th 2010 08:04
As I reported on the crisis of Education in California, I have also been assessing the status of one of the most powerful organizations in the State: The Peace Officers' Union. It has helped to elect two Republican and one Democratic Governor and has been behind the election of State Legislators. The legacy of the Union, though, is an overcrowded violence infested system that is under Federal Conservatorship.

What the current Govenor, Mr. Schwarzenegger, wants to do is to privatize a whole chunk of it to break the back of a Union that enjoys unprecendented power. Whether he succeeds remains to be seen. What does need to happen is for a profound change of priorities. I wrote about the concern expressed by Justice Anthony Kennedy of the US Supreme Court about the money the State of California spent on prisoners. I also commend Justice Kennedy for noting how "sick" it was that the Prison Officers' Union ha sponsored the three strikes law that has caused so much grief in California today


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For those who doubted China's power, today's annoucement should dispel any notion. China just came out with an annoucement that it has overtaken Germany as the World's greatest exporter. Shanghai opened up 3%. There was a 17% increase in exports. On top of that, there were record car sales in China. I wonder how our little planet is going to be able to handle over 800 million cars!!!

As I tried to come to terms with China's continued march towards world economic domination, I remember an old friend telling me about not to worry about China and how China was going to choke on its' own development. China has some profound challenges. But, China is marching mightly towards its rightful place in the world. Anyone who ignores it does so at their own peril.
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The first major shoe dropped yesterday. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota has decided to retire from the US Senate. I was shocked at the annoucement because I felt that he was one of the most effective players and was a shoe-in for re-election. Apparently now this gives a shot at Republicans.

As I continue to reflect upon the Dorgan retirement, the more shocking news crossing the wires is the annoucement by Chris Dodd that he is retiring too. This is making the US Senate quite dynamic. I would be keen to see what Charlie Cook has to say about it within the next few days. But look at some interesting insights from Michael Steele on what Republican prospects are


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A New Year's Wish

December 30th 2009 12:29
As we all bid farewell to 2009, I wanted to simply say thanks. I will be taking a few days off my regular write-ups to finish gearing up for 2010. I will be "back" in 2010 with a renewed vigour and focus on the key themes that I have focused on throughout the past year and a half and to hopefully continue my focus to hopefully help make a difference in our world. It is a world that is worth fighting for for the sake of our children and grandchildren everywhere.

Happy New Year!!!!
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Healthcare: Yaah Right!!!

December 22nd 2009 07:45
Well, the victory in the US Senate happened. Harry Reid pulled off a near-impossible. Who knows what will happen when this goes on through the reconicliation process. I wrote about it in KP's sister site, Outsider Views. But, the question I have is at what cost?

When I looked at what Ben Nelson secured-- Full Medicaid reimbursement for the State of Nebraska and what Mary Landrieu secured for Louisiana-- dubbed the Louisiana Purchase, my reaction was simple: Good Grief


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Comcast & GE: A Marriage Made in Heaven

December 16th 2009 06:52
Comcast and GE have come to an agreement to form a new venture to be managed by Comcast. I first wrote about it in KP's sister site, Outsider Views. As I recently revisited this and reviewed GE's view, I listened with great interest to Jeff Immelt's view on this:

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An Obssession w/Celebrities

December 3rd 2009 07:01
As I think and write about our world, I continue to be amazed at the obssession has with celebrities. The obssession is sickening. I can't explain it and simply can't understand it. The latest manifestation of it is Tiger Woods. I happened to catch HLN's Nancy Grace talking about it in a big way with six different panelists. This was one of those WTF moments. The other one I saw was Meredith Baxter's admission that she was a Lesbian. To me, when I read that, I simply said: who cares? But it was posted on ABC News. She played the mother on Family Ties--as the mother of Michael J. Fox.

As for Tiger Woods, the only thing I have to say is that it is a tragedy. What he did is simply not excusable. I have also seen reports that Tiger Woods' wife is re-negotating a reputed 20 Million Dollar Prenup. One of my friends on Facebook noted that he had no sympathy for someone who marketed himself as "Mr. Clean" and thereafter sought out privacy. To me, the man had to think before betraying his wife and child. When one committs to a marriage, no matter how tough things get, one has to stick it out. Although as Kobe Bryant, Michael Vick and others have proven, they are human and are subject to making mistakes. We have also been blessed with a sense of deceny to remember the difference between right and wrong and have a sense of inner strength that should carry us through no matter what. It is ever more important now. I wonder if Tiger Woods understood it


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