The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and The World Bank are two of the biggest culprits of poverty in the world. Their sites suggest that they want to fight global poverty and stabilize the global economy. However, if one takes a closer look at countries who are battling poverty and ravaged by war, one will find that the IMF and World Bank are NOT helping these countries simply because they are delinquent in paying back the loans.
Zimbabwe: Over the past year, Zimbabwe has battled a 100,000% inflation rate, as of April 2008, as well as a cholera outbreak that killed 3,000 people. More over the European Union has frozen the assets of 203 people and 40 organizations, in an attempt to pressure the current president Mugabe to step down. Interestingly enough, no aid will be coming to Zimbabwe in the future. The EU and United Nations claim it's because Mugabe is President. However, Mugabe was supported by the several Western nations and the UN for about 10 years (1979-1990). The University of Michigan even gave Mugabe an honorary degree. But, since 1990, all of Mugabe's honors have been taken away, because of his "racist" policies against Whites in Zimbabwe.
Mugabe is a controversial figure. Zimbabwe used to be the bread basket of Africa. Western nations claim widespread famine in the country is a result of Mugabe. Mugabe asserts the droughts are caused by British chemical weapons. Mugabe does not support imperialism and has even had a policy of taking white-minority owned land and re-distributing it to the poor Zimbabweans. This move cited a lot of criticism from the IMF and World Bank. Not to mention, Zimbabwe is over-due in paying its 150.8 million dollar loan from the IMF. The World Bank has approved 1.6 BILLION for Zimbabwe, but because of "arrears", the country will see no money. So thousands of people must die, starve, and suffer all because of delinquency. Was the current situation in Zimbabwe caused by the IMF and World Bank? Many Zimbabweans believe this, in 1991 the World Bank pressured the country to cut spending in order to pay back the Bank. That meant social programs for the poor were cut, and had limited access to natural, technical and financial resources, due to the contraction of many public services for smallholder agriculture. In short, the poor suffer to pay back the rich.
Somalia: A country without a government since 1990, when the recognized, and United Nations approved, government was over thrown. In the 1980s, the IMF loaned Somalia 112 million, with interest the amount totals over $242 million, but the country is overdue, and cannot pay. Since 1990 Somalia has had several wars, within its country, and with Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. Somalians assert such wars are to liberate ethnic Somalians in those respective countries, who want to be a part of Somalia. Of course, the United States, thru the CIA, funds warlords, such as Ethiopia, fighting the Islamic fighters who want to take over Somalia. Recently Ethiopian troops have withdrawn from Somalia, and the Islamic Courts have taken over, with NOT ONE CIVILIAN DEATH. Somalia is predominantly Muslim, and resistance to Islamic Court rule is only within the leaders the United States put in power.
I would love to see the Islamic Courts succeed, but with the country being 242 million in debt to the IMF, it looks like war will continue. Not to mention, according to the World Bank, Somalia is one of the poorest countries in the world, but only have a little over 500 million (as opposed to Zimbabwe's 1.6 BILLION), why doesn't the World Bank give more to this country, it asserts is the poorest? Not to mention, Somalia has one of the LOWEST HIV rates in Africa (0.5%), but the World Bank and the United Nations want to "address HIV/AIDS issues"--this makes no sense. Many assert because of the country's Islamic morals, HIV/AIDS is low, another good thing about the Islamic Courts taking over.
We shall see in the coming months how bad the situation will get in Somalia, because I guarantee you that the Islamic Court rule is not Bankster nor United Nations approved.
I thoroughly researched all countries that have a major conflict and their relation to their financial status within the IMF and World Bank, and only found Somalia and Zimbabwe were overdue, therefore had the most civil unrest and instability.
Now for the Bankster's perspective on the world economic crisis.
The IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, claims that more than just a stimulus needs to be done to fix the global economy. He asserts Restructuring the banking system would involve fully recognizing losses, segregating bad assets held by banks, preferably through a public institution that can take them over, and downsizing the sector "which means that it has in some way to shrink, that some part of it has to disappear." To do this would need strong public intervention.
What this translates to folks is taxpayer/citizen holding of BAD assets, which Strauss-Kahn admits is NOT profitable to citizens: The Managing Director said that Sweden provided a good example of how to tackle a banking crisis. In the 1990s, Sweden had set up a special public company to take over the toxic assets and remove them from the banking system. Later, after the system had recovered the assets were sold off and the company had ended up recovering some public money.
Read: SOME PUBLIC MONEY, NOT ALL. Not good, not good. Of course, this type of thinking is good for banks. They collect interest, which makes loans and restructuring profitable for banks. Bad assets are transferred out of the banks, to the public, and the PUBLIC, not the banks, loses money. Sucks if you're a tax-paying citizen.
Then the World Bank's take on things. Justin Lin, Senior VP and Chief Economist of the World Bank, wrote a looong paper on the subject. In short, he claims the world economic crisis is in fact the United States' fault. The housing market failed, and the rest of the world lost money--my problem with this is--no one was complaining when they were MAKING MONEY off the US housing market, but NOW, they lost money, and SOMETHING must be done to "share the burden" of all lost money. No, I don't think so, you play the Wall Street game, you take a chance of winning and losing, don't like it, don't play. Period.
Well, Lin from the World Bank, the US should begin regulating price inflation of assets. Meaning, the government should mandate how much profit an individual can make off an investment. This is absurd socialism.
Moreover, he argues that MORE regulation should be added to the financial sector--since we are a global world now, one mistake in America, affects EVERYONE--so we must inject more government supervision. Not just one government, but a coordinated effort on supervising the banks and investments. This means, the US could be governed by China, UK, and France regulations. I don't like this idea. We are American, we make our own rules, if you don't like it, don't invest in our country.
All banks are controlled by the World Bank, which works closely with the International Monetary Fund. In the US, we have been plagued with booms and busts due to our Federal Reserve, and because this is the way capitalism works. We, as capitalist Americans, cannot bow to the World Bank and IMF and "save the world" as the New York Times wants us to in their article. Nor can we bow to these banksters and allow them to dictate to us how much regulation we need, regulation that would be dictated by the WORLD. Keep in mind, THE WORLD, hate Americans, we caused everyone to lose money, therefore we must pay.
And we will. One way or the other. Remember Zimbabwe and Somalia? Yea, they got delinquent on their IMF payments, and now they are countries ravaged by war. If the US does NOT follow these recommendations, we too will be ravaged by war. Resistance is futile. It shall be interesting how the American public will react to global financial control.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Change We Can't Afford
On Tuesday, January 20, the world witnessed the Immaculate Inauguration of Barack Obama. With him as President, the country will get the change we need, in health care, economics, and the war on terror. But I'm not so sure it's change for the better.
Obama wants to see universal health care in the US. His appointed health czar, Tom Daschle, wrote a book describing a plan to create a Federal Health Board, much like the Federal Reserve, to oversee American health care. That means, like the Federal Reserve, this board would consist of private health care workers (insurance companies, doctors, etc.) with no government control. Not to mention, Daschle wants to merge employers' plans, Medicaid and Medicare with an expanded FEHBP (Federal Employee Health Benefits Program) that would cover everyone.
Universal health care is BAD.
#1. There isn't a single government agency or division that runs efficiently; do we really want an organization that developed the U.S. Tax Code handling something as complex as health care?
#2. "Free" health care isn't really free since we must pay for it with taxes; expenses for health care would have to be paid for with higher taxes or spending cuts in other areas such as defense, education, etc.
#3. Profit motives, competition, and individual ingenuity have always led to greater cost control and effectiveness, as well as better technology. Without it, the health care technological advances will diminish.
#4. Government-controlled health care would lead to a decrease in patient flexibility--ONLY if the government says you can receive care, will you get care.
#5. Patients aren't likely to curb their drug costs and doctor visits if health care is free; thus, total costs will be several times what they are now, making health care more expensive.
#6. Just because Americans are uninsured doesn't mean they can't receive health care; nonprofits and government-run hospitals provide services to those who don't have insurance, and it is illegal to refuse emergency medical service because of a lack of insurance.
#7. Government-mandated procedures will likely reduce doctor flexibility and lead to poor patient care. Kind of like what the government did to teachers: the government takes away their expertise and makes them follow rules, and pass tests, instead of allowing them to act as the professionals that they are, in other words: the dumbing down of America.
#8. Healthy people who take care of themselves will have to pay for the burden of those who smoke, are obese, have STDs, have more kids than they need, etc.
#9. A long, painful transition will have to take place involving lost insurance industry jobs, business closures, and new patient record creation.
#10. Loss of private practice options and possible reduced pay may dissuade many would-be doctors from pursuing the profession.
#11. Malpractice lawsuit costs, which are already sky-high, could further explode since universal care may expose the government to legal liability, and the possibility to sue someone with deep pockets usually invites more lawsuits.
#12. Government is more likely to pass additional restrictions or increase taxes on smoking, fast food, drinking soft drinks, eating candy, etc., leading to a further loss of personal freedoms.
#13. Like social security, any government benefit eventually is taken as a "right" by the public, meaning that it's politically near impossible to remove or curtail it later on when costs get out of control.
Lest us not forget the economy. Obama loves to harp on the "disappearance" of the working middle class, and openly states that only the wealthy have it good in America. Really? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, average hourly earnings of production and non-supervisory workers, adjusted for inflation, fell by 4 percent between 1975 and 2005. But those figures deceive because they omit fringe benefits like health insurance, pensions and paid leave, which make up a bigger share of total compensation than before. The numbers also rely on a mismeasure of inflation.
When those flaws are corrected, a very different trend leaps off the page. Median wages, says Fitzgerald, rose 28 percent between 1975 and 2005. Nor were the gains restricted to Bill Gates and Hannah Montana: Significant gains occurred in the middle as well.
The figures that suggest families are struggling to stay even overlook some types of income, and they don't account for the fact that households have gotten smaller on average. After accounting for such things, Fitzgerald found that "inflation-adjusted median household income for most household types increased by roughly 44 percent to 62 percent from 1976 to 2006."
Once again, kudos to American capitalism (the drive to make profits) for making life easier for Americans. The School of Gloom doesn't want you to know this, because then you wouldn't support things like an $800 BILLION dollar "stimulus package", which will nothing but create problems:
The $800 billion economic "stimulus" bill may be more appropriately called the "Obama debt plan." It will, after all, dump $6,700 per household of new debt into the laps of our children and grandchildren.
Whether it will actually stimulate the economy is another matter. So perhaps politicians can first answer a few questions from the back of the classroom:
1) President-elect Obama claims that spending approximately $800 billion will create 3.675 million new jobs. That comes to $217,000 per job. This doesn't sound like a very good value, especially with the national average salary around $40,000. Wouldn't it be cheaper to just mail each of these workers a $40,000 check?
2) Politicians say deficit spending will expand the economy (as if President Bush's $300 billion budget deficits brought economic nirvana). If that were true, then the current $1.2 trillion deficit — the largest in history — would already be rescuing the economy. It's obviously not. So why would $800 billion more of the same suddenly end the recession?
3) We're told that government spending will add new spending power to the economy. But Congress doesn't have a vault of money waiting to be distributed: Every dollar lawmakers "inject" into the economy must first be taxed or borrowed out of the economy. If government borrows the money from American investors, investment spending drops accordingly. If it's borrowed from foreigners, net exports drop accordingly. How does borrowing $800 billion from one group of people and giving that $800 billion to another group of people make us wealthier?
4) Some answer the previous question by saying that transferring income from savers to spenders keeps more money circulating through the economy. That made some sense in the 1930s when people hid their savings in mattresses because they didn't trust the banks. But today, people use their savings to pay down debt, invest, or put it in banks — in each case, making the purchasing power available to others wishing to borrow. Thus, savings circulate through the investment spending side of the economy. How does transferring money out of investment help?
5) Policymakers are basing the "stimulus" bill on economic models that wrongly assume every $1 of government spending increases the economy by approximately $1.60. Is it really that simple? By that logic, debt-ridden, big-government countries like Italy, France, and Germany should be wealthier than America. And why stop at $800 billion? Such logic suggests unlimited prosperity could be guaranteed by the government borrowing and spending $800 trillion. Should America be basing such costly decisions on these types of economic models?
6) Lawmakers tell us every $1 billion in highway "stimulus" can be spent creating 34,779 new construction jobs. But Congress must first borrow that $1 billion out of the private economy. Won't the private sector then lose the same number of jobs?
7) During the 1930s, New Deal lawmakers doubled federal spending — and unemployment remained above 20 percent until World War II. More recently, Japan responded to a 1990 recession by passing 10 "stimulus" bills over 8 years (building the largest national debt in the industrialized world) — and their economy remained stagnant. Why do lawmakers believe the same failed approach will succeed for the U.S. today?
8) The economy sank because people over-borrowed for houses they couldn't afford, and financial institutions over-borrowed for investments they badly misjudged. Washington's solution is to borrow $800 billion that it cannot afford. How will adding $800 billion to the national debt (which will also raise interest rates) solve a recession created by imprudent borrowing? And who will bail out the American taxpayer when the bill comes due?
9) Temporary tax rebates were implemented in 1975, 2001, and 2008, and most economists agree they failed to help the economy. Long-term marginal tax rate reductions implemented in 1982 and 2003 both substantially increased economic growth. So why are lawmakers planning another round of temporary tax rebates, followed by an increase in tax rates?
10) Mayors have pledged to spend stimulus funds on items such as a mob museum in Nevada, a polar bear exhibit in Rhode Island, and curbing prostitution in Dayton, Ohio. As National Review asked, how come one Bridge to Nowhere is a national embarrassment and 1,000 Bridges to Nowhere are a "stimulus?" Given the 11,000 annual earmarks, why should taxpayers trust politicians to spend this money better than they would spend it themselves?
Now the War on Terror. Obama has pledged to close Guantanamo, leave Iraq, and forge peace in Afghanistan. Closing Guantanamo, means finding other countries to take in released prisoners, who are dangerous to the US. This translates to American involvement/surveillance of any country that takes in a released Guantanamo prisoner. No country wants to do that, not to mention, these prisoners have been held for almost 8 years, without a trial. There is no evidence against these "terrorists", therefore we should let them go without any further ado.
Leaving Iraq sounds noble, but I guarantee you by July, we will send in more troops. Or Iran might act up, and we'll send in troops there. Same with Afghanistan, I bet Pakistan is where we send in troops. Point being: the War on Terror will never end, and there will always be a reason why our troops and bases must be sent and maintained overseas. The reasons being: oil, cheap labor, and drug trade--but of course the American public will hear the noble "we need to spread democracy" argument because the "extremists want all Christians dead". It's an historical repeat of the Crusades.
Obama wants to see universal health care in the US. His appointed health czar, Tom Daschle, wrote a book describing a plan to create a Federal Health Board, much like the Federal Reserve, to oversee American health care. That means, like the Federal Reserve, this board would consist of private health care workers (insurance companies, doctors, etc.) with no government control. Not to mention, Daschle wants to merge employers' plans, Medicaid and Medicare with an expanded FEHBP (Federal Employee Health Benefits Program) that would cover everyone.
Universal health care is BAD.
#1. There isn't a single government agency or division that runs efficiently; do we really want an organization that developed the U.S. Tax Code handling something as complex as health care?
#2. "Free" health care isn't really free since we must pay for it with taxes; expenses for health care would have to be paid for with higher taxes or spending cuts in other areas such as defense, education, etc.
#3. Profit motives, competition, and individual ingenuity have always led to greater cost control and effectiveness, as well as better technology. Without it, the health care technological advances will diminish.
#4. Government-controlled health care would lead to a decrease in patient flexibility--ONLY if the government says you can receive care, will you get care.
#5. Patients aren't likely to curb their drug costs and doctor visits if health care is free; thus, total costs will be several times what they are now, making health care more expensive.
#6. Just because Americans are uninsured doesn't mean they can't receive health care; nonprofits and government-run hospitals provide services to those who don't have insurance, and it is illegal to refuse emergency medical service because of a lack of insurance.
#7. Government-mandated procedures will likely reduce doctor flexibility and lead to poor patient care. Kind of like what the government did to teachers: the government takes away their expertise and makes them follow rules, and pass tests, instead of allowing them to act as the professionals that they are, in other words: the dumbing down of America.
#8. Healthy people who take care of themselves will have to pay for the burden of those who smoke, are obese, have STDs, have more kids than they need, etc.
#9. A long, painful transition will have to take place involving lost insurance industry jobs, business closures, and new patient record creation.
#10. Loss of private practice options and possible reduced pay may dissuade many would-be doctors from pursuing the profession.
#11. Malpractice lawsuit costs, which are already sky-high, could further explode since universal care may expose the government to legal liability, and the possibility to sue someone with deep pockets usually invites more lawsuits.
#12. Government is more likely to pass additional restrictions or increase taxes on smoking, fast food, drinking soft drinks, eating candy, etc., leading to a further loss of personal freedoms.
#13. Like social security, any government benefit eventually is taken as a "right" by the public, meaning that it's politically near impossible to remove or curtail it later on when costs get out of control.
Lest us not forget the economy. Obama loves to harp on the "disappearance" of the working middle class, and openly states that only the wealthy have it good in America. Really? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, average hourly earnings of production and non-supervisory workers, adjusted for inflation, fell by 4 percent between 1975 and 2005. But those figures deceive because they omit fringe benefits like health insurance, pensions and paid leave, which make up a bigger share of total compensation than before. The numbers also rely on a mismeasure of inflation.
When those flaws are corrected, a very different trend leaps off the page. Median wages, says Fitzgerald, rose 28 percent between 1975 and 2005. Nor were the gains restricted to Bill Gates and Hannah Montana: Significant gains occurred in the middle as well.
The figures that suggest families are struggling to stay even overlook some types of income, and they don't account for the fact that households have gotten smaller on average. After accounting for such things, Fitzgerald found that "inflation-adjusted median household income for most household types increased by roughly 44 percent to 62 percent from 1976 to 2006."
Once again, kudos to American capitalism (the drive to make profits) for making life easier for Americans. The School of Gloom doesn't want you to know this, because then you wouldn't support things like an $800 BILLION dollar "stimulus package", which will nothing but create problems:
The $800 billion economic "stimulus" bill may be more appropriately called the "Obama debt plan." It will, after all, dump $6,700 per household of new debt into the laps of our children and grandchildren.
Whether it will actually stimulate the economy is another matter. So perhaps politicians can first answer a few questions from the back of the classroom:
1) President-elect Obama claims that spending approximately $800 billion will create 3.675 million new jobs. That comes to $217,000 per job. This doesn't sound like a very good value, especially with the national average salary around $40,000. Wouldn't it be cheaper to just mail each of these workers a $40,000 check?
2) Politicians say deficit spending will expand the economy (as if President Bush's $300 billion budget deficits brought economic nirvana). If that were true, then the current $1.2 trillion deficit — the largest in history — would already be rescuing the economy. It's obviously not. So why would $800 billion more of the same suddenly end the recession?
3) We're told that government spending will add new spending power to the economy. But Congress doesn't have a vault of money waiting to be distributed: Every dollar lawmakers "inject" into the economy must first be taxed or borrowed out of the economy. If government borrows the money from American investors, investment spending drops accordingly. If it's borrowed from foreigners, net exports drop accordingly. How does borrowing $800 billion from one group of people and giving that $800 billion to another group of people make us wealthier?
4) Some answer the previous question by saying that transferring income from savers to spenders keeps more money circulating through the economy. That made some sense in the 1930s when people hid their savings in mattresses because they didn't trust the banks. But today, people use their savings to pay down debt, invest, or put it in banks — in each case, making the purchasing power available to others wishing to borrow. Thus, savings circulate through the investment spending side of the economy. How does transferring money out of investment help?
5) Policymakers are basing the "stimulus" bill on economic models that wrongly assume every $1 of government spending increases the economy by approximately $1.60. Is it really that simple? By that logic, debt-ridden, big-government countries like Italy, France, and Germany should be wealthier than America. And why stop at $800 billion? Such logic suggests unlimited prosperity could be guaranteed by the government borrowing and spending $800 trillion. Should America be basing such costly decisions on these types of economic models?
6) Lawmakers tell us every $1 billion in highway "stimulus" can be spent creating 34,779 new construction jobs. But Congress must first borrow that $1 billion out of the private economy. Won't the private sector then lose the same number of jobs?
7) During the 1930s, New Deal lawmakers doubled federal spending — and unemployment remained above 20 percent until World War II. More recently, Japan responded to a 1990 recession by passing 10 "stimulus" bills over 8 years (building the largest national debt in the industrialized world) — and their economy remained stagnant. Why do lawmakers believe the same failed approach will succeed for the U.S. today?
8) The economy sank because people over-borrowed for houses they couldn't afford, and financial institutions over-borrowed for investments they badly misjudged. Washington's solution is to borrow $800 billion that it cannot afford. How will adding $800 billion to the national debt (which will also raise interest rates) solve a recession created by imprudent borrowing? And who will bail out the American taxpayer when the bill comes due?
9) Temporary tax rebates were implemented in 1975, 2001, and 2008, and most economists agree they failed to help the economy. Long-term marginal tax rate reductions implemented in 1982 and 2003 both substantially increased economic growth. So why are lawmakers planning another round of temporary tax rebates, followed by an increase in tax rates?
10) Mayors have pledged to spend stimulus funds on items such as a mob museum in Nevada, a polar bear exhibit in Rhode Island, and curbing prostitution in Dayton, Ohio. As National Review asked, how come one Bridge to Nowhere is a national embarrassment and 1,000 Bridges to Nowhere are a "stimulus?" Given the 11,000 annual earmarks, why should taxpayers trust politicians to spend this money better than they would spend it themselves?
Now the War on Terror. Obama has pledged to close Guantanamo, leave Iraq, and forge peace in Afghanistan. Closing Guantanamo, means finding other countries to take in released prisoners, who are dangerous to the US. This translates to American involvement/surveillance of any country that takes in a released Guantanamo prisoner. No country wants to do that, not to mention, these prisoners have been held for almost 8 years, without a trial. There is no evidence against these "terrorists", therefore we should let them go without any further ado.
Leaving Iraq sounds noble, but I guarantee you by July, we will send in more troops. Or Iran might act up, and we'll send in troops there. Same with Afghanistan, I bet Pakistan is where we send in troops. Point being: the War on Terror will never end, and there will always be a reason why our troops and bases must be sent and maintained overseas. The reasons being: oil, cheap labor, and drug trade--but of course the American public will hear the noble "we need to spread democracy" argument because the "extremists want all Christians dead". It's an historical repeat of the Crusades.
Friday, January 9, 2009
What About the Children?
Here in America, we are obsessed with our children. Our children must have structure in their lives. This daily structure usually includes 7-8 hours of school, 2-3 hours of after school care, 1-2 hours of sports practice, 30 minutes of eating time with mom and dad, and finally 1 hour of TV and/or 1 hour of playtime for the child.
Everything in American children's lives revolves around structure.
Let's take a look at American schools. All the little boys and girls are rounded up and herded into school, where they will all be taught the same curriculum. Not to mention, the schools that require uniforms, so American children are being raised to think and look alike from the age of 5 to 18.
What is the educational structure of America? Let's start with how American teachers are educated. For one, all teachers MUST pass a national teacher certification test called the Praxis. This test is divided up into 4 sections: multiple choice Math, Reading, Writing, and one Writing Essay. Science, critical thinking, social studies, history or psychology is NOT on the test. This means the American education system only cares about Reading, Writing, and Math. Not to mention 3 parts are multiple choice, and only 1 part is a written essay.
I have interacted with one particular teacher-to-be this past summer. It seems she had failed the PRAXIS test because, as she said, "There were 10 questions on the test I didn't study for." WHAT? There are 46 Reading and Math multiple choice questions, 44 writing questions, and this girl FAILED a 136 question test because she didn't prepare for 10 questions. Plus, each score is NOT based on 136 questions, it is only based on the NUMBER of questions each teacher wannabe answers. So a wanna be teacher can take a 136 question test and only answer 1/2 the questions correctly, and still become a "certified" teacher. I for one am not impressed with this PRAXIS scoring method, any teacher that is "certified" MUST pass the WHOLE 136 question test, and if they don't answer all the questions, their score should reflect their half-assed effort, because NOT answering all the questions, is just not trying hard. As a parent, I don't want a sub-standard teacher teaching my child, and that is what the PRAXIS is producing, SUB STANDARD TEACHERS. (this doesn't include the teachers who actually take the whole test and pass, only those who put in 1/2 the effort and still pass)
So, teachers are certified in America by passing a test, and they are then shoved into schools where, starting at kindergarten, teachers teach students to pass a test. Our educational system ONLY values Reading, Math, and Writing in our teachers. And the tests students take, reflect Reading, Math, and Writing...NOTHING else, up until middle school age. Even then, there are "certified" teachers, who took the PRAXIS, teaching your children science, when the teacher is NOT certified to teach science, because the PRAXIS does NOT test the teacher wanna be's knowledge of science. So our American Science teachers are only certified by the PRAXIS to teach reading, math, and writing...there is no science certification in the PRAXIS. Of course, some states require you pass a Praxis II or III, in which more detailed subject matter is part of the test, however the same scoring method is used, meaning the teacher is only scored on how many questions answered, not the test as a whole.
I know it seems I am ragging on teachers quite a bit, that's because I look at teachers as PROFESSIONALS. I think teachers have thrown out the idea that they are professionals, and merely have turned into marching soldiers that do what the state and national government says. Teachers should have, and should fight for, more freedom to teach and certify themselves. There should not be a PRAXIS, and upstanding professional teachers should not accept the PRAXIS as the only means of certification. Teacher unions should fight for more freedom to test among themselves, more freedom to share ideas, and more freedom to teach their students the way they, as PROFESSIONALS want to teach. Teachers have PLENTY of time to do these things--they have 3 whole months in the summer to better themselves professionally.
But, alas, the teachers in America see themselves as babysitters. For 8 hours a day, they babysit their students, and ho-hummly teach the same thing day after day, year after year...and American students get dumber, and dumber. Where is teacher responsibility? You teachers want more pay???? When you only work 10 months out of the year? Not even a full 10 months because of all the breaks given, so 9 months you work and want more pay?? What are you doing with our children? They can't pass the tests you teach them to pass....maybe the test isn't working. Why don't you teachers get off your lazy butts and demand the American educational system STOP TEACHING TO THE TEST. C'mon teachers, even you know not every child is a good test taker. Take responsibility teachers, be professional, and come up with a better method to measure the progress and teach intelligence to our children. That's why you became a teacher right? Or are you just teaching to bring home a paycheck? If that's case, become a babysitter, teachers should want to better children, not babysit them.
Of course you parents have just as much damn responsibility. You parents need to stop looking at teachers as your personal babysitters. Sure, your tax money pays these teachers to TEACH, not babysit, your kids. Parents, you need to stop letting your kids eat sugar for breakfast, sugar for snack, limit TV time, make sure homework is being done. Help your child with homework. Sure, I know, some of you parents are at work soooo much your kids are home alone, and you can't watch them and make sure homework is being done. So why don't get off your butt, get on the PTA, and start talking to the local Board of Education about an after school program to keep your kids until you get off work?
Plus, parents, no matter how poor you are, the library is still free. I know you have spare change lying around the house, why not start teaching your kids math w/the pennies, nickels, and quarters? Not to mention, you can always start teaching kids to tell time with all the clocks in your home, make your kids help you fix dinner, measuring is a great way to introduce fractions!! Parents, it's time for you to STOP THINKING TEACHERS HAVE TO TEACH YOUR KIDS EVERYTHING. Bottom line, these are YOUR KIDS, and if you want them to be successful, you have to INVOLVE YOURSELF in their lives.
Part of being involved, is making sure your children are being taught what you value. Since when do we parents accept the fluff our children are being taught about history? For example, the story of Thanksgiving. The true story of thanksgiving is not the one taught in school, you know the story, the pilgrims and Indians worked together to grow crops and then they all sat down at a table and had a feast after the harvest. The true story, which our children should be taught, is the pilgrims and Indians did work together to grow crops, and they all harvested the crops. The pilgrims and Indians ate a feast, and then the pilgrims killed the Indians and took their land. The story of Thanksgiving that is taught in school, was forced by President Abe Lincoln, who created Thanksgiving after the Civil War to unite the country. This is important to teach to our children, because it shows the true nature of how our country was founded and brought together after the Civil War. American children NEED this education to develop critical thinking skills that lead to innovation!! We can't expect better for our children, when we don't better educate our children.
Yea, and since when does a whole month of curriculum need to be centered around making Christmas decorations? Why isn't the HISTORY of religious holidays taught to children? Why don't we teach our children the history of the Christmas tree, the astrological significance of Christmas (winter solstice), or the history of Hannukah, the history of Kwanzaa? None of this is taught because of some rule about separation of church and state. Well, if you don't want religion being taught in school, then stop this ornament making crap in schools. It's nothing but fluff. True art is not coloring, cutting and pasting a pattern, it's giving the child free reign to make whatever they want, without a pattern or any rules.
Imagination is true art, and children nowadays don't have time in their busy, structured days, to explore their imagination. Imagination is forming mental images or concepts of what is not actually present to the senses, and the action or process of forming such images or concepts. It helps provide meaning to experience and understanding to knowledge; it is a fundamental facility through which people make sense of the world.
Children don't have the freedom to imagine anymore. Playstations, Wii, computer games, board games, all structure how children think. There is nothing left for children to imagine. As a child, these games were basically non-existent. I was left to imagine--I was allowed to take all the chairs from the dining room outside, throw a blanket over the chairs to make a tent, and played, imagined, with my toys.
Music is another imagination destroying tool. It is nothing but noise to fill the silence in children's heads. TV does the same thing.
Save imagination. Teach history. Teachers and Parents who work together save the Children.
Everything in American children's lives revolves around structure.
Let's take a look at American schools. All the little boys and girls are rounded up and herded into school, where they will all be taught the same curriculum. Not to mention, the schools that require uniforms, so American children are being raised to think and look alike from the age of 5 to 18.
What is the educational structure of America? Let's start with how American teachers are educated. For one, all teachers MUST pass a national teacher certification test called the Praxis. This test is divided up into 4 sections: multiple choice Math, Reading, Writing, and one Writing Essay. Science, critical thinking, social studies, history or psychology is NOT on the test. This means the American education system only cares about Reading, Writing, and Math. Not to mention 3 parts are multiple choice, and only 1 part is a written essay.
I have interacted with one particular teacher-to-be this past summer. It seems she had failed the PRAXIS test because, as she said, "There were 10 questions on the test I didn't study for." WHAT? There are 46 Reading and Math multiple choice questions, 44 writing questions, and this girl FAILED a 136 question test because she didn't prepare for 10 questions. Plus, each score is NOT based on 136 questions, it is only based on the NUMBER of questions each teacher wannabe answers. So a wanna be teacher can take a 136 question test and only answer 1/2 the questions correctly, and still become a "certified" teacher. I for one am not impressed with this PRAXIS scoring method, any teacher that is "certified" MUST pass the WHOLE 136 question test, and if they don't answer all the questions, their score should reflect their half-assed effort, because NOT answering all the questions, is just not trying hard. As a parent, I don't want a sub-standard teacher teaching my child, and that is what the PRAXIS is producing, SUB STANDARD TEACHERS. (this doesn't include the teachers who actually take the whole test and pass, only those who put in 1/2 the effort and still pass)
So, teachers are certified in America by passing a test, and they are then shoved into schools where, starting at kindergarten, teachers teach students to pass a test. Our educational system ONLY values Reading, Math, and Writing in our teachers. And the tests students take, reflect Reading, Math, and Writing...NOTHING else, up until middle school age. Even then, there are "certified" teachers, who took the PRAXIS, teaching your children science, when the teacher is NOT certified to teach science, because the PRAXIS does NOT test the teacher wanna be's knowledge of science. So our American Science teachers are only certified by the PRAXIS to teach reading, math, and writing...there is no science certification in the PRAXIS. Of course, some states require you pass a Praxis II or III, in which more detailed subject matter is part of the test, however the same scoring method is used, meaning the teacher is only scored on how many questions answered, not the test as a whole.
I know it seems I am ragging on teachers quite a bit, that's because I look at teachers as PROFESSIONALS. I think teachers have thrown out the idea that they are professionals, and merely have turned into marching soldiers that do what the state and national government says. Teachers should have, and should fight for, more freedom to teach and certify themselves. There should not be a PRAXIS, and upstanding professional teachers should not accept the PRAXIS as the only means of certification. Teacher unions should fight for more freedom to test among themselves, more freedom to share ideas, and more freedom to teach their students the way they, as PROFESSIONALS want to teach. Teachers have PLENTY of time to do these things--they have 3 whole months in the summer to better themselves professionally.
But, alas, the teachers in America see themselves as babysitters. For 8 hours a day, they babysit their students, and ho-hummly teach the same thing day after day, year after year...and American students get dumber, and dumber. Where is teacher responsibility? You teachers want more pay???? When you only work 10 months out of the year? Not even a full 10 months because of all the breaks given, so 9 months you work and want more pay?? What are you doing with our children? They can't pass the tests you teach them to pass....maybe the test isn't working. Why don't you teachers get off your lazy butts and demand the American educational system STOP TEACHING TO THE TEST. C'mon teachers, even you know not every child is a good test taker. Take responsibility teachers, be professional, and come up with a better method to measure the progress and teach intelligence to our children. That's why you became a teacher right? Or are you just teaching to bring home a paycheck? If that's case, become a babysitter, teachers should want to better children, not babysit them.
Of course you parents have just as much damn responsibility. You parents need to stop looking at teachers as your personal babysitters. Sure, your tax money pays these teachers to TEACH, not babysit, your kids. Parents, you need to stop letting your kids eat sugar for breakfast, sugar for snack, limit TV time, make sure homework is being done. Help your child with homework. Sure, I know, some of you parents are at work soooo much your kids are home alone, and you can't watch them and make sure homework is being done. So why don't get off your butt, get on the PTA, and start talking to the local Board of Education about an after school program to keep your kids until you get off work?
Plus, parents, no matter how poor you are, the library is still free. I know you have spare change lying around the house, why not start teaching your kids math w/the pennies, nickels, and quarters? Not to mention, you can always start teaching kids to tell time with all the clocks in your home, make your kids help you fix dinner, measuring is a great way to introduce fractions!! Parents, it's time for you to STOP THINKING TEACHERS HAVE TO TEACH YOUR KIDS EVERYTHING. Bottom line, these are YOUR KIDS, and if you want them to be successful, you have to INVOLVE YOURSELF in their lives.
Part of being involved, is making sure your children are being taught what you value. Since when do we parents accept the fluff our children are being taught about history? For example, the story of Thanksgiving. The true story of thanksgiving is not the one taught in school, you know the story, the pilgrims and Indians worked together to grow crops and then they all sat down at a table and had a feast after the harvest. The true story, which our children should be taught, is the pilgrims and Indians did work together to grow crops, and they all harvested the crops. The pilgrims and Indians ate a feast, and then the pilgrims killed the Indians and took their land. The story of Thanksgiving that is taught in school, was forced by President Abe Lincoln, who created Thanksgiving after the Civil War to unite the country. This is important to teach to our children, because it shows the true nature of how our country was founded and brought together after the Civil War. American children NEED this education to develop critical thinking skills that lead to innovation!! We can't expect better for our children, when we don't better educate our children.
Yea, and since when does a whole month of curriculum need to be centered around making Christmas decorations? Why isn't the HISTORY of religious holidays taught to children? Why don't we teach our children the history of the Christmas tree, the astrological significance of Christmas (winter solstice), or the history of Hannukah, the history of Kwanzaa? None of this is taught because of some rule about separation of church and state. Well, if you don't want religion being taught in school, then stop this ornament making crap in schools. It's nothing but fluff. True art is not coloring, cutting and pasting a pattern, it's giving the child free reign to make whatever they want, without a pattern or any rules.
Imagination is true art, and children nowadays don't have time in their busy, structured days, to explore their imagination. Imagination is forming mental images or concepts of what is not actually present to the senses, and the action or process of forming such images or concepts. It helps provide meaning to experience and understanding to knowledge; it is a fundamental facility through which people make sense of the world.
Children don't have the freedom to imagine anymore. Playstations, Wii, computer games, board games, all structure how children think. There is nothing left for children to imagine. As a child, these games were basically non-existent. I was left to imagine--I was allowed to take all the chairs from the dining room outside, throw a blanket over the chairs to make a tent, and played, imagined, with my toys.
Music is another imagination destroying tool. It is nothing but noise to fill the silence in children's heads. TV does the same thing.
Save imagination. Teach history. Teachers and Parents who work together save the Children.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The United Paranoid States of America
I work in retail and have a great deal of interaction with the general public. I have found, that the feeble emotional state of mind of Americans is dictated by what the drive by media shoots out as "news stories".
Example number one: An elderly customer calls my store and requests that I check the ACT Restoring mouthwash to see if there are safety seals on the bottle. I inform her that, yes, there is plastic wrap on the mouthwash. She states that her bottle of ACT, which she has just opened today and bought 3 months ago, didn't have a seal. I apologized to her, and told her that I would not be able to exchange or refund the product because she bought it over 30 days ago. She yells, "ARE YOU SAYING THERE IS SOMETHING IN MY MOUTHWASH?" What the hell? I repeat to her, no ma'am, I'm just saying I can't return the product...
Since 1982, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made it a federal law for all products to have a safety seal as a result of the Tylenol Murders. Since then, the American public views the safety seal as a protective barrier against product tampering and poisoning. However, the FDA approved dangerous drugs such as Celebrex, which has caused 300 deaths in America. Prescription drug deaths has increased 68 per cent between 1999 and 2004--but the FDA is doing nothing to inform the public on the dangers of mixing drugs...maybe because representatives from big Pharma companies approve prescription drugs?
Example number two: Customer comes into my store wanting a refund of a pack of cigars she bought for her husband, because the cigars were of bad quality. I inform her that I cannot refund tobacco products, but because of the poor quality, I will happily exchange the product. She informs that her husband needs to quit smoking, as he is having heart surgery. Again, I apologize and tell her the company policy. She then yells, "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL MY HUSBAND? HE CAN'T SMOKE! YOU'RE KILLING MY HUSBAND!" I politely tell her that I didn't buy the cigars...and a light goes off in her head...and she says, "OH! I bought them!" and of course she was happy with an exchange, but She was killing her husband, not I. Nevertheless, her husband is having heart trouble, which could be caused by eating too many potato chips and fried chicken.
Alright folks, tobacco products are bad, ummmkaaay. No doubt smoking increases the RISK of cancer, however, carcinogens are found in every day products. Here is a list of a few chemicals found in tobacco:
Hydrogen cyanide: A chemical made during the production of plastics. Not to mention this chemical is found in every peach, cherry, and apple pit. The chemical has also been given credit as a life giving chemical. Of course, when in huge quantities, hydrogen cyanide is bad.
Carbon monoxide: Useful in the production of several industrial chemicals including dish detergents and the purification of the metal nickel. Carbon monoxide has always been in the atmosphere primarily as a result of volcanic explosions. Not to mention, if you heat your home with gas, you are breathing small amounts of carbon monoxide. Other important uses include: the packaging of meats and it is being studied to prevent the development of a series of pathological conditions such as ischemia reperfusion injury, transplant rejection, atherosclerosis, sepsis, severe malaria or autoimmunity.
Butane: Used in lighters, aerosol hairsprays and deodorants.
Toluene: Found in oil, rubbers, paint thinners, glue, and disinfectants.
Polonium-210: A radioactive chemical found naturally in the Earth. It is found in cigarettes in which the phosphate fertilizers are used. (So if these fertilizers are NOT used, then the chemical is NOT found...however phosphorous fertilizer is used in almost ALL crop production even though it causes cancer.)
Lead: A natural, but dangerous metal found in the earth. It is also used to make pewter silverware, paint, and as a glaze on some tableware products. It is also released into the air by big industrial companies that make gasoline. Not to mention, the lead released in car emissions..lead is every where...even the soil because of gasoline pipe leaks underground.
I, for one, just am not convinced that tobacco is the leading cause of all these cancers, especially lung cancer. Sure tobacco is bad, but so is driving a car, aerosol sprays, potato chips, human growth hormones in food, etc. Look, radon, a leading cause of lung cancer, is found in British homes because uranium is naturally decomposing in the ground, releasing radon in the air and causing lung cancer. Anyone else think this process causes lung cancer around the world? The chemicals found in cigarettes are found in too many everyday products and a byproduct of several natural processes. Plus, research shows that smokers who smoke 1 pack a day or less are 50% less likely to get lung cancer. So, guess the moral of the story is: everything is good in MODERATION.
Example number three: On the nightly news, a violent robbery of an elderly couple was reported. Apparently, a man knocked on the door, forced his way in, beat up the old man, kicked the old woman, and took their money. The elderly lady who was attacked, stated, "I'm just grateful I didn't get raped by this man."
Sorry old lady, but no one wants to rape your old raggedy butt. Rape among women is highly inflated on television, creating a false sense of paranoia among women. 17.7 million women are victims of completed or attempted rape, while 34.5 million Americans live below the poverty line. 80% of rape victims are WHITE, while 33% of Blacks and 28% of Hispanics live in poverty, that's a combined 61% of minorities. So, rape is an issue for WHITE people, and something MUST be done to stop the rape of WHITE people, while LITTLE is done to combat the poverty among Blacks and Hispanics.
You think rape among whites has ANYTHING to do with how white women are sexually portrayed on TV, magazines, billboards, alcohol commercials, and the like? White women are continuously labeled "sexual, flirtatious" objects starting with the Disney Princess collection. Just take a look at how sexy the cartoon images of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Ariel are.
The beauty of women, or the life giving, life nurturing goddesses that we are, is being destroyed, and replaced with the image of sexual want and need for a prince (man) to come and rescue us.
Example number one: An elderly customer calls my store and requests that I check the ACT Restoring mouthwash to see if there are safety seals on the bottle. I inform her that, yes, there is plastic wrap on the mouthwash. She states that her bottle of ACT, which she has just opened today and bought 3 months ago, didn't have a seal. I apologized to her, and told her that I would not be able to exchange or refund the product because she bought it over 30 days ago. She yells, "ARE YOU SAYING THERE IS SOMETHING IN MY MOUTHWASH?" What the hell? I repeat to her, no ma'am, I'm just saying I can't return the product...
Since 1982, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made it a federal law for all products to have a safety seal as a result of the Tylenol Murders. Since then, the American public views the safety seal as a protective barrier against product tampering and poisoning. However, the FDA approved dangerous drugs such as Celebrex, which has caused 300 deaths in America. Prescription drug deaths has increased 68 per cent between 1999 and 2004--but the FDA is doing nothing to inform the public on the dangers of mixing drugs...maybe because representatives from big Pharma companies approve prescription drugs?
Example number two: Customer comes into my store wanting a refund of a pack of cigars she bought for her husband, because the cigars were of bad quality. I inform her that I cannot refund tobacco products, but because of the poor quality, I will happily exchange the product. She informs that her husband needs to quit smoking, as he is having heart surgery. Again, I apologize and tell her the company policy. She then yells, "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL MY HUSBAND? HE CAN'T SMOKE! YOU'RE KILLING MY HUSBAND!" I politely tell her that I didn't buy the cigars...and a light goes off in her head...and she says, "OH! I bought them!" and of course she was happy with an exchange, but She was killing her husband, not I. Nevertheless, her husband is having heart trouble, which could be caused by eating too many potato chips and fried chicken.
Alright folks, tobacco products are bad, ummmkaaay. No doubt smoking increases the RISK of cancer, however, carcinogens are found in every day products. Here is a list of a few chemicals found in tobacco:
Hydrogen cyanide: A chemical made during the production of plastics. Not to mention this chemical is found in every peach, cherry, and apple pit. The chemical has also been given credit as a life giving chemical. Of course, when in huge quantities, hydrogen cyanide is bad.
Carbon monoxide: Useful in the production of several industrial chemicals including dish detergents and the purification of the metal nickel. Carbon monoxide has always been in the atmosphere primarily as a result of volcanic explosions. Not to mention, if you heat your home with gas, you are breathing small amounts of carbon monoxide. Other important uses include: the packaging of meats and it is being studied to prevent the development of a series of pathological conditions such as ischemia reperfusion injury, transplant rejection, atherosclerosis, sepsis, severe malaria or autoimmunity.
Butane: Used in lighters, aerosol hairsprays and deodorants.
Toluene: Found in oil, rubbers, paint thinners, glue, and disinfectants.
Polonium-210: A radioactive chemical found naturally in the Earth. It is found in cigarettes in which the phosphate fertilizers are used. (So if these fertilizers are NOT used, then the chemical is NOT found...however phosphorous fertilizer is used in almost ALL crop production even though it causes cancer.)
Lead: A natural, but dangerous metal found in the earth. It is also used to make pewter silverware, paint, and as a glaze on some tableware products. It is also released into the air by big industrial companies that make gasoline. Not to mention, the lead released in car emissions..lead is every where...even the soil because of gasoline pipe leaks underground.
I, for one, just am not convinced that tobacco is the leading cause of all these cancers, especially lung cancer. Sure tobacco is bad, but so is driving a car, aerosol sprays, potato chips, human growth hormones in food, etc. Look, radon, a leading cause of lung cancer, is found in British homes because uranium is naturally decomposing in the ground, releasing radon in the air and causing lung cancer. Anyone else think this process causes lung cancer around the world? The chemicals found in cigarettes are found in too many everyday products and a byproduct of several natural processes. Plus, research shows that smokers who smoke 1 pack a day or less are 50% less likely to get lung cancer. So, guess the moral of the story is: everything is good in MODERATION.
Example number three: On the nightly news, a violent robbery of an elderly couple was reported. Apparently, a man knocked on the door, forced his way in, beat up the old man, kicked the old woman, and took their money. The elderly lady who was attacked, stated, "I'm just grateful I didn't get raped by this man."
Sorry old lady, but no one wants to rape your old raggedy butt. Rape among women is highly inflated on television, creating a false sense of paranoia among women. 17.7 million women are victims of completed or attempted rape, while 34.5 million Americans live below the poverty line. 80% of rape victims are WHITE, while 33% of Blacks and 28% of Hispanics live in poverty, that's a combined 61% of minorities. So, rape is an issue for WHITE people, and something MUST be done to stop the rape of WHITE people, while LITTLE is done to combat the poverty among Blacks and Hispanics.
You think rape among whites has ANYTHING to do with how white women are sexually portrayed on TV, magazines, billboards, alcohol commercials, and the like? White women are continuously labeled "sexual, flirtatious" objects starting with the Disney Princess collection. Just take a look at how sexy the cartoon images of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Ariel are.
The beauty of women, or the life giving, life nurturing goddesses that we are, is being destroyed, and replaced with the image of sexual want and need for a prince (man) to come and rescue us.
Monday, January 5, 2009
An Age Of Reason
Reason is a logical answer for actions. However, I don't see much reason in the world today, especially when it comes to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. What really gets under my skin, is that our President supports israel's genocide of the Palestinians. Who the hell can justify the killing of 500 people, when only 5 israelis have died?
Not to mention our President-elect Barack Obama silently supports the Palestinian massacre, all in the name of "defense". Israel must "defend" itself from the rockets the Palestinians shoot across the border. The US and israel label Hamas as a terrorist organization, even though the Palestinians democratically elected the group into power. Oh, and have you seen the Palestinian army? Boy, it is dangerous!! The Palestinians don't own any naval ships, don't have any 21st century smart bombs, nor do they have any tanks...but israel does...all the Palestinians can fight with are rocks and 1980s made rockets. Yet, the Palestinians are TERRORISTS.
Terrorists are merely what the "other" side thinks. America thinks the Tali ban and Iraqis are "terrorists"...so the killing of thousands upon thousands of civilians are justified...because we Americans must defend ourselves from TERRORISM. Same with israel...when all it boils down to is the slow extinction of the Iraqis, Afghanis and Palestinians...because the extermination of the "other" side is the only way colonialism works. Iraqi security will only happen when all Iraqis flee or are dead, same with Palestine, the Palestinians will either flee or be massacred to ensure israel security.
This whole war on Gaza has been wrongfully blamed on Palestinians. Israel started it this time. Here's some background information from foxnews.com:
1. In 2005, illegal Jewish settlements in Gaza were emptied by israel forces. Israel captured the land in 1967, and it promised the US it would evict these illegal settlers from their homes as part of a peace deal. However, israel has not evicted the illegal settlers from the West Bank. Extremist Jews believe the West Bank is their "god given" land, however israel has promised the US it will expel these settlements in the West Bank. But, israel continues to approve the contruction of these illegal settlements, even though they have to give the land back to Palestine. (Why do the jews build on land it must give back according to the 2005 peace deal???)
2. On December 2, 2008, the israel high court demanded the eviction of an illegally occupied house in the city of Hebron, in the West Bank. The jews were pissed and lit the whole street on fire, threw acid on Palestinians, and fought israel police. But, they were removed. This pissed of Palestinians in Gaza, and they started hurling rockets into israel. The West Bank can't hurl rockets into israel, because israel occupies the land...so Gazans fight for the Palestinians in the West Bank.
The Palestinians want their land, the US has brokered a peace deal in which israel must give back the land, but israel has not given back the land, and continues to build settlements on Palestinian land. So, what choice do the Palestinians have, but to fight? isreal is not keeping its promises, it is not keeping to the peace deal of 2005--so why should Palestine follow the rules?
All the while, the US supports israel. Even though israel has NOT kept their promises to the US they made in 2005....why.....because just like the extremist jews in israel, there are extremist christians in America who believe the construction of israel, back to its biblical borders, is a sign of the second coming of Christ. Israel must be protected and built, because once it is, the MESSIAH will come!
I think this is pure bullshit, and it pisses me off more than anything in the world. Sure, I used to be a good Christian girl, before I came to the Age of Reason. There is no God.
For one, how can a whole class of people believe an invisible man lives in the sky, and gave man kind 10 rules to follow, and if the rules aren't followed, then man kind burns in hell? Why did God only give these rules to Moses? Why does God only appear to men? Cause God has to be a man, cause a woman couldn't mess the world up this bad. Women give and nurture life, men taketh away life.
Not to mention, God supposedly thinks life is sacred. How does God think life sacred when He is the cause of every major war on earth for past 2000+ years? Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, all fight cause God told them so...killing others is justified by God. What happened to that "Thou shalt not kill" rule? Guess they are all going to hell! But, religious people don't believe that...those that kill the religion's enemies are martyrs and go to heaven...sounds like hypocrisy to me.
Then you have this whole concept of the second coming of Christ. Just how damn bad does the world have to get before Christ comes to save us all? If he hasn't come yet, chances are his ass isn't coming at all. God sold the world to evil when he gave his only begotten son to save mankind from sin. Jesus Christ is nothing but an excuse for Christians to say, "I can be evil because Jesus gave his life so I can go to heaven". The Messiah for Jews gives them a reason to be bad, because the Messiah will come down from the sky to save them from their bad ways. It's never ok to be evil! Each day you have a choice to be good or bad, and praying for forgiveness on Sunday morning doesn't make you good, it makes you a hypocrite!
Yea, and God is really bad with money. Billions and billions of dollars are given to the church each year, but God still needs more. More money for what? Wars, feed the hungry, house the homeless, fight disease...hello...poverty has increased 17% in the last 10 years, and the church isn't doing a damn thing to stop it, but religious folks give their money anyway. Churches, namely the Vatican, controls 1/3 of the world's wealth. 1/3 of the world's wealth, that's enough to feed all the starving people in the world. But does the Vatican do that? Hell to the no...they hoard the money and convince you to give more, more, more!!!
Sure, I believe there is a higher power, and that higher power is my brain, my intellect. The Creator of man kind gave us all the power to THINK. The power to INNOVATE. The power to make this world better. The heavens are not going to part, and this invisible man is not going to come down and save us. We the people have, and have always had, the power to save ourselves. Religion is nothing but the enslavement of people from birth to death. Religion has good rules, but even religion doesn't follow their own 10 commandments. Religion divides humans, not uniting them. The most segregated hour in the United States is Sunday morning from 11am to 12pm, the Blacks go to the Black church, the Whites to the White ones, the Hispanics to theirs, church doesn't unite...and what is church? A fashion show! People show up in their Sunday best to do nothing but compare clothing, there is no humility in church.
Religion is a failure. Mankind will fail because religion dictates mankind must fail in order to be saved by the Messiah. One day, when the Messiah never comes, we'll realize we've always had the power.
Not to mention our President-elect Barack Obama silently supports the Palestinian massacre, all in the name of "defense". Israel must "defend" itself from the rockets the Palestinians shoot across the border. The US and israel label Hamas as a terrorist organization, even though the Palestinians democratically elected the group into power. Oh, and have you seen the Palestinian army? Boy, it is dangerous!! The Palestinians don't own any naval ships, don't have any 21st century smart bombs, nor do they have any tanks...but israel does...all the Palestinians can fight with are rocks and 1980s made rockets. Yet, the Palestinians are TERRORISTS.
Terrorists are merely what the "other" side thinks. America thinks the Tali ban and Iraqis are "terrorists"...so the killing of thousands upon thousands of civilians are justified...because we Americans must defend ourselves from TERRORISM. Same with israel...when all it boils down to is the slow extinction of the Iraqis, Afghanis and Palestinians...because the extermination of the "other" side is the only way colonialism works. Iraqi security will only happen when all Iraqis flee or are dead, same with Palestine, the Palestinians will either flee or be massacred to ensure israel security.
This whole war on Gaza has been wrongfully blamed on Palestinians. Israel started it this time. Here's some background information from foxnews.com:
1. In 2005, illegal Jewish settlements in Gaza were emptied by israel forces. Israel captured the land in 1967, and it promised the US it would evict these illegal settlers from their homes as part of a peace deal. However, israel has not evicted the illegal settlers from the West Bank. Extremist Jews believe the West Bank is their "god given" land, however israel has promised the US it will expel these settlements in the West Bank. But, israel continues to approve the contruction of these illegal settlements, even though they have to give the land back to Palestine. (Why do the jews build on land it must give back according to the 2005 peace deal???)
2. On December 2, 2008, the israel high court demanded the eviction of an illegally occupied house in the city of Hebron, in the West Bank. The jews were pissed and lit the whole street on fire, threw acid on Palestinians, and fought israel police. But, they were removed. This pissed of Palestinians in Gaza, and they started hurling rockets into israel. The West Bank can't hurl rockets into israel, because israel occupies the land...so Gazans fight for the Palestinians in the West Bank.
The Palestinians want their land, the US has brokered a peace deal in which israel must give back the land, but israel has not given back the land, and continues to build settlements on Palestinian land. So, what choice do the Palestinians have, but to fight? isreal is not keeping its promises, it is not keeping to the peace deal of 2005--so why should Palestine follow the rules?
All the while, the US supports israel. Even though israel has NOT kept their promises to the US they made in 2005....why.....because just like the extremist jews in israel, there are extremist christians in America who believe the construction of israel, back to its biblical borders, is a sign of the second coming of Christ. Israel must be protected and built, because once it is, the MESSIAH will come!
I think this is pure bullshit, and it pisses me off more than anything in the world. Sure, I used to be a good Christian girl, before I came to the Age of Reason. There is no God.
For one, how can a whole class of people believe an invisible man lives in the sky, and gave man kind 10 rules to follow, and if the rules aren't followed, then man kind burns in hell? Why did God only give these rules to Moses? Why does God only appear to men? Cause God has to be a man, cause a woman couldn't mess the world up this bad. Women give and nurture life, men taketh away life.
Not to mention, God supposedly thinks life is sacred. How does God think life sacred when He is the cause of every major war on earth for past 2000+ years? Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, all fight cause God told them so...killing others is justified by God. What happened to that "Thou shalt not kill" rule? Guess they are all going to hell! But, religious people don't believe that...those that kill the religion's enemies are martyrs and go to heaven...sounds like hypocrisy to me.
Then you have this whole concept of the second coming of Christ. Just how damn bad does the world have to get before Christ comes to save us all? If he hasn't come yet, chances are his ass isn't coming at all. God sold the world to evil when he gave his only begotten son to save mankind from sin. Jesus Christ is nothing but an excuse for Christians to say, "I can be evil because Jesus gave his life so I can go to heaven". The Messiah for Jews gives them a reason to be bad, because the Messiah will come down from the sky to save them from their bad ways. It's never ok to be evil! Each day you have a choice to be good or bad, and praying for forgiveness on Sunday morning doesn't make you good, it makes you a hypocrite!
Yea, and God is really bad with money. Billions and billions of dollars are given to the church each year, but God still needs more. More money for what? Wars, feed the hungry, house the homeless, fight disease...hello...poverty has increased 17% in the last 10 years, and the church isn't doing a damn thing to stop it, but religious folks give their money anyway. Churches, namely the Vatican, controls 1/3 of the world's wealth. 1/3 of the world's wealth, that's enough to feed all the starving people in the world. But does the Vatican do that? Hell to the no...they hoard the money and convince you to give more, more, more!!!
Sure, I believe there is a higher power, and that higher power is my brain, my intellect. The Creator of man kind gave us all the power to THINK. The power to INNOVATE. The power to make this world better. The heavens are not going to part, and this invisible man is not going to come down and save us. We the people have, and have always had, the power to save ourselves. Religion is nothing but the enslavement of people from birth to death. Religion has good rules, but even religion doesn't follow their own 10 commandments. Religion divides humans, not uniting them. The most segregated hour in the United States is Sunday morning from 11am to 12pm, the Blacks go to the Black church, the Whites to the White ones, the Hispanics to theirs, church doesn't unite...and what is church? A fashion show! People show up in their Sunday best to do nothing but compare clothing, there is no humility in church.
Religion is a failure. Mankind will fail because religion dictates mankind must fail in order to be saved by the Messiah. One day, when the Messiah never comes, we'll realize we've always had the power.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year's Resolutions for 2009
We forget the unfortunate, sure we donate money, but we don't give our time, so in reality we don't give a damn. We just put our money in the same hands that cause the problems.
RESOLUTION: Volunteer more America. Stop donating to non-profits, they aren't working. AIDS, illiteracy, poverty, and diseases are still rampant in our country, and around the world, despite the millions of dollars donated by Americans. (most) Non-profits are nothing but legalized theft.
We forget Codex Alimentarius. It is a real threat to our health freedom. Codex was created in 1962 by the United Nations and the World Health Organization, and will become 100% effective by the end of 2009. Codex aims to limit nutritional options for individuals, so people will stay sick, and buy medicine, which will keep the pharmaceutical companies rich.
RESOLUTION: E-mail, call, and write your Congressmen/women, and tell them to NOT pass any laws to make the US comply with Codex. Take Action.
We forget FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has prison camps in almost all the 50 states. Now some people call them concentration camps--but they are definitely empty prison camps. With prison overpopulation, why doesn't the government let these states use these prisons? They are sitting empty, who are they for?
RESOLUTION: Email, call, and write your Congressmen/women and senators and demand answers as to what these camps are for, and who they will imprison. President Bush has implemented a "classified" program for the continuity of US government, that NONE of your elected officials can read. Demand Obama allow our representatives review the plan and demand we the people know what is in the plan.
We forget the 700 Billion Dollar bailout will destroy average citizens. The Bailout Congress passed in October, increased the US money supply by 75%. The value of our money is scarcity, and with a 75% increase, comes a 75% inflation rate. Sure, we Americans don't see this inflation now, because the money is still in the hands of the big bankers, but once the dollars trickle down to our hands, we will be paying 75% more for our milk, bread, gas, EVERYTHING. Not to mention, these Wall Street big shots that drove their banks to bankruptcy, still received multi-million dollar bonuses paid for by the US taxpayers.
RESOLUTION: Buy gold, jewels, silver...you'll need it in 2 years because your dollar will buy you nothing. And if paying an executive millions of dollars for a bonus makes you mad, tell your congressman/woman, and senators that your money should not pay for these bonuses. STOP PAYING TAXES.
RESOLUTION: Volunteer more America. Stop donating to non-profits, they aren't working. AIDS, illiteracy, poverty, and diseases are still rampant in our country, and around the world, despite the millions of dollars donated by Americans. (most) Non-profits are nothing but legalized theft.
We forget Codex Alimentarius. It is a real threat to our health freedom. Codex was created in 1962 by the United Nations and the World Health Organization, and will become 100% effective by the end of 2009. Codex aims to limit nutritional options for individuals, so people will stay sick, and buy medicine, which will keep the pharmaceutical companies rich.
RESOLUTION: E-mail, call, and write your Congressmen/women, and tell them to NOT pass any laws to make the US comply with Codex. Take Action.
We forget FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has prison camps in almost all the 50 states. Now some people call them concentration camps--but they are definitely empty prison camps. With prison overpopulation, why doesn't the government let these states use these prisons? They are sitting empty, who are they for?
RESOLUTION: Email, call, and write your Congressmen/women and senators and demand answers as to what these camps are for, and who they will imprison. President Bush has implemented a "classified" program for the continuity of US government, that NONE of your elected officials can read. Demand Obama allow our representatives review the plan and demand we the people know what is in the plan.
We forget the 700 Billion Dollar bailout will destroy average citizens. The Bailout Congress passed in October, increased the US money supply by 75%. The value of our money is scarcity, and with a 75% increase, comes a 75% inflation rate. Sure, we Americans don't see this inflation now, because the money is still in the hands of the big bankers, but once the dollars trickle down to our hands, we will be paying 75% more for our milk, bread, gas, EVERYTHING. Not to mention, these Wall Street big shots that drove their banks to bankruptcy, still received multi-million dollar bonuses paid for by the US taxpayers.
RESOLUTION: Buy gold, jewels, silver...you'll need it in 2 years because your dollar will buy you nothing. And if paying an executive millions of dollars for a bonus makes you mad, tell your congressman/woman, and senators that your money should not pay for these bonuses. STOP PAYING TAXES.
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