DO NO HARM?

Why NFL Team Doctors Are Ethically Compromised

NO TO BACKGROUND CHECKS?

The gunman ... was known around the neighborhood as a menacing figure who once beat a dog to death with a lead pipe, threatened to shoot children for setting foot on his property and patrolled his yard at night with a flashlight and a shotgun.

Kindergartener Hostage Situation Enters Third Day

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

A SHIP OF FOOLS

Johann Wagener 1-31-13 

I’m sure you've heard that old saying, “the inmates have the keys to the asylum.”  Well, I think it’s much worse than that. From the way things are going in this country I think the inmates have literally torn the walls of the asylum down and there’s no way of knowing who needs to be in or out.

Fortunately you can still spot some of them, when they say things like;

Corporations are people with the same rights as we have. To which I reply; Oh yeah! When was the last time you sat down and had a beer with a “corporation.”?

Or

Embryos are people. To which I reply; Oh yeah! Does that mean I can claim an embryo on my tax return? Should I get them a social security number?

Or

Guns don’t kill people. To which I reply;  Uh? Then how do we explain the 20 bullet ridden children that died in Newtown? Were they struck by lightning? Or stabbed, or strangled? How were their lives taken from them?

Or

Humans don’t cause climate change. To which I reply; Try explaining that one to the folks in Beijing choking on fumes belching from their SUV’s.  It wasn’t that long ago, that most of them rode bikes, and smog was just a word.  

Or (this is one of my favorites)

A daily report on “network news” by a guy with a seductive voice who tells me about a pill that can get my attention when “the time is right.” In the foreground there’s this surreal “jungle” scene of a man & woman holding hands and sitting in separate bathtubs, (I’m assuming here) waiting for the right time. Sort of a 21^st Century “Adam & Eve.” In the background the announcer is firing off, in rapid succession, a long list of “side-effects” one of which is an “untimely” and painful 4 hour or longer erection which is then the “right time” to dial 911. .  

I’m sure you get the point (excuse the pun).

There are plenty more examples, but I start getting a really bad head ache thinking about it because I just can’t get my head around the logic or rationale. It reminds me of Alice in Wonderland. Croquet anyone?  Or Dorothy in OZ skipping down the Yellow Brick Road with Tin man, Scarecrow, and that cute Lion. Heading off to the voting booth? 

I find myself questioning if this is really happening or am I imagining and exaggerating? 

Is a woman impregnated by a rapist being “blessed by God”? Really? (the headache get's much worse here) 

Or, are we being played?

Are we fools?

The Last Word: Testimony the Senate didnt hear

The Last Word: Testimony the Senate didnt hear

Father of Sandy Hook Victim Heckled by Gun Advocates | Alternet

Father of Sandy Hook Victim Heckled by Gun Advocates | Alternet

GUN NUTS; THE WALKING BRAIN DEAD!

"He was my son, he was my buddy, he was my best friend,” testified Neil Heslin, whose six-year-old son, Jesse Lewis, was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting in December before a Connecticut gun violence prevention hearing Tuesday. “And I never thought I’d be speaking like this and asking for changes on my son’s behalf. He’s my only son, he’s my only family.”

Emotional father of Sandy Hook victim heckled at gun hearing — MSNBC

Report: Treasury approved excessive pay for executives at bailed-out AIG, GM and Ally

Treasury approved excessive pay for executives at bailed-out AIG, GM and Ally

Report: Treasury approved excessive pay for executives at bailed-out AIG, GM and Ally

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE ROUTINE

Johann Wagener 1-29-13 

I went to the gym today. Why is that important to mention? Well, I thought it might help folks with putting their lives together. Especially when it comes to the hard stuff, like keeping in shape; both physically and psychologically.

Going to the gym is a part of my daily rituals, many of which are not even worth mentioning since it would be of little or no interest to anyone but me. The gym, I thought, would be familiar to many of us given the number of them that exist and the billions, who others, like myself spend on joining them. 

My motives might differ from others, since I’m not looking for “six-pak” abs or bulging tri’s, bi’s, or lats. As I usually say if asked, I just go to get my heart pumped in order to be able to keep moving through the day.  A battery charge if you will. 

I believe that this now less powerful and sleek machine I call my body needs to be “serviced” in order to maintain it’s ability to function. I believe that, just like any machine, lack of maintenance leads to malfunctions and breakdowns that usually add up to a quicker expiration date. Simple as that? 

Not quite. Maintenance requires time and energy, both of which we have less of these days, which is why we buy all those extended warranties. Unfortunately many of us can’t afford the healthcare warranty so we’re left to our own devices. But that takes “discipline” that invisible kick in the ass we give ourselves when confronted with something that painful or difficult to do. 

When it comes to the gym, if the motive is to pump those muscles and tighten those abs you’re going to need a lot of discipline, believe me. Those ads are a little misleading. That person in the ad did not transform from the “before” and “after” pose on a few weeks, or months. And not on a 1 hour a day schedule. But, hey, it’s a nice fantasy and, if it gets you there, then what’s the problem? 

The problem is, how many kicks can your ass take before you just plain give up the battle with yourself?  Especially when you are beating yourself for not torturing yourself enough.  Sooner or later you realize it’s a crazy adventure and the 1 year membership you paid for is down to a month or 2.  At least until next year’s New Year’s resolution. The gym owners love you.

Now, there are some of us, including myself, who have backed off on the discipline and are simply resolved to do the best we can to stay physically fit. So what if the muscles are shrinking rather than growing. At least we can prevent turning into a blob of flesh; no longer able to distinguish one muscle group from another. 

Even though that’s a reasonable motive in and of itself it’s too much for me. For example, all it took for me to get to the gym today (and for the last week or two) is a shower. You heard me right. I have been going to the gym every day for the last 2 weeks just to take a shower. Why? Well, for one thing they’re free (just kidding). My only reason for going  is that I keep my “routine” going.  

The secret to my successfully going to the gym on an almost daily basis for the last 50 years or so boils down to one word; “routine”.  It’s what I believe we do to define ourselves and the way we are able to make sense out of lives. Our routines are just a bunch of “rituals” stuck together sort of like how our DNA structured. Generic for the most part, but unique in small but significant ways. 

What I've discovered over the years of both successes and failures in living is that, in order to live the life I wanted to live I needed to make and keep a routine. Even though there are times my trip to the gym consist of nothing more than a shower, I have preserved the routine by getting up, piling in the car, and driving there. What I do when I get there is irrelevant.  Not showing up, on the otherhand, would change the routine which is then replaced with something like catching an extra hours sleep, or reading a few more pages of a book. Whatever it is changes the routine and that then becomes the “routine.” It happens many times in our lives which is why we change whether we want to believe or not. This is not to say that we won’t encounter situations that require change whether we want to or not but, for the most part, most of us will persist in creating a routine to adapt to those uninvited changes. 

So, my suggestion to you who are struggling with resolutions, goals, objectives is this. Put all that on the back of your routine. Keep going to the gym, or taking your afternoon nap, or what other rituals you have conjured up to build your life on. Showing up is what’s important. What happens after is TBA. 

And, when you think it’s time to change the routine make sure it’s not because you or someone else has stuck a foot in your "you now what" but rather because you are consciously resolved in making a change. Not because you are forcing yourself in accepting it, but rather because you want to surrender to it.  

Good luck.

When It's Easy For Anyone And Everyone To Get A Gun, This Happens

When It's Easy For Anyone And Everyone To Get A Gun, This Happens

AND THE ANSWER IS...................

Once you get past the "rhetoric" and the ego-centric view of life can be explained by considering the following;

I, and everyone else who has contributed to Dr. Sowel's success are entitled to a "share" of what we produced for him. Dr. Sowell's work didn't occur in a vacuum and would,have been absolutely useless if no one paid in some way to put it to use. Dr. Sowell might benefit from a course in "logical thinking" if he doesn't understand that simple equation


Again, just asking for a fair minded disagreement with this - from Thomas Sowell

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 1-28-13

FIRST PERSON SHOOTER

 JOHANN WAGENER 1-28-13

That pretty much says it all about the “game” you’re going to play.

You, my friend, are the “shooter”! All you have to do is plunk yourself down, grab your ‘joy” stick (not sure how it got its name) which magically transforms on your HD/3-D screen into a real live looking weapon of mass destruction, and then, all you have to do is squeeze the trigger and all hell breaks loose.  Burly looking monsters, gigantic bugs and spiders, ferocious man eating beasts twice the size as the real ones, and then, of course, the people, that, usually look a little more the real thing.  Meaner looking? Maybe. But there has to be a way of separating the “good” guys from the “bad” ones.

So, now what you get to do is practice; how to aim, shoot, and kill whatever is coming at you. “Stand your ground”! The better you become at dropping these “real-life” looking monsters and virtual humans, the higher the numbers get on the scoreboard, the more the bells ring, and  more cheers blast out of your “real life” 10-speaker surround sound system.

After a while you might get bored; same images, popping out from behind the same walls, you don’t even need to aim any more. Not to worry, there’s plenty more of these “games” where that one came from. All you need to do is go to Game Stop or click on Amazon, pull out your credit card and off you go. This is a multi-billion dollar industry that buys the best talent to create the best games that can best hook you into living a good part of your life (up to 8 hrs or more a day for some) living in “virtual” reality. Hell, between 8 hrs of sleep where you can live in dreams, plus 8 hrs of living in a virtual world, there’s not much time left learn how to live and cope in the real world.

This scenario plays out in millions of homes across this country. Statistically, it’s logical to assume that some of the individuals playing these games might be disturbed. Angry at someone(s), being mistreated by others, having their hearts broken; you know, just living a regular life. Problem is some of us just don’t cope with life as well as others and life takes on a different meaning. It’s painful, hopeless, useless, and worthless, so why go on living?

So, some of these lost souls might think to themselves; I am good at some things. Take, for example, how, with years of practice, I was able to ace any “first person shooter” I sat down in front of. 

So why not say goodbye the best way I can?

Happiness Favors the Prepared Mind | Think Tank | Big Think

Happiness Favors the Prepared Mind | Think Tank | Big Think

New Sandy Hook shooter details emerge

SOUND FAMILIAR?

  

Do you know anyone that fits this profile?

He liked tinkering with computers and other gadgets, and seemed to enjoy playing a violent video game, choosing a military-style assault rifle as one of his weapons. 

The only difference is this person had access to a semi-automatic assault rifle and a 100 clip of high velocity ammo. 

New Sandy Hook shooter details emerge

Calvary Chapel's Tangled Web

Greg Griego, who was slaughtered along with his wife and children, allegedly by his 15-year-old son, Nehemiah last week near Albuquerque, was a beloved minister. A born-again gang member, he seemed to serve anywhere he would be had: as a minister in Albuquerque’s fire department, at a detention center, and in the prison ministry at Calvary Albuquerque, a megachurch affiliated with the Calvary Chapel network of over a thousand similar churches. After allegedly committing the horrific crimes, Nehemiah reportedly spent hours hanging around Calvary Albuquerque, telling church members his family died in a car accident.


Calvary Chapel's Tangled Web

THE BLITZKRIEG HAS BEGUN!

In the coming days and weeks, gun manufacturers and lobbyists will spend millions convincing American gun owners who actually support sensible regulations that they are “under siege” from President Obama’s government.


How to Convince the NRA That Assault Weapons, Not the Media, are Responsible for Gun Massacres

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 1-27-13

A terrible scenario flashed through my mind this morning while in the post-sleep – pre-awake “twilight zone”. I later thought, as scary as it was, it might have been something I read in a book, or saw at a movie theater, or even on TV. No matter.

So, let me tell you. I imagined a person walking into one of the many gun shows peppered through the malls and convention centers of this great land. The person browses the many brightly lit displays of an array of weapons rarely seen at your local sporting goods store. As he wanders over to one of the display tables he is greeted by a friendly looking, unassuming young man sporting a bright white T-shirt with “NRA-USA” emblazoned across his chest.

“Hi, what can do for you today?” says the smiling young man. To which this person (his back was to me so I really can’t describe him other than to note he was wearing khaki pants and a dark hooded jacket) responds, “I’d like to look at something that would be appropriate for a classroom”. There’s a long pause as the young man’s smile twists into a frowning and quizzical sort of look as if he was thinking, “is this guy serious?” or “is this guy nuts” or something like that.

Then, as the smile quickly returns, the young man turns towards a rack chock full of black shiny Bushmaster looking assault rifles and says, “Let me show you a few you might be interested in.”

On that note I awoke with a jolt thinking; could this have really happened? 

Fox Made Limited Effort to Keep Sarah Palin

First Beck, now Palin. Who's next? Hannity, O'Riley. There's still plenty of these wackos to pick from. Hey, at this rate FOX may actually become a news network rather than a clown show.

Fox Made Limited Effort to Keep Sarah Palin

PULL THE BLINDERS OFF LADY JUSTICE

There's something terribly wrong with our system of justice if it could not prove, "beyond a reasonable doubt" that bankers defrauded the American public? If that's true, then justice is really blind!  Or at least blind enough that it can't see the criminals in tailored suits driving around in their limos.

How can there be no crimes committed by those running these banks when these very banks are settling civil suits in the billions for "criminal"  wrongdoing?  Does Citizens United exempt bankers now that "corporations are people"? Convenient don't you think? Can't get an orange jump suit on a bank and find a cell large enough to lock it up in.

Looks like the "private sector" which just goes after the money is the way our justice system works. As long as the money is there anyone can easily "buy" their way out, "beyond a reasonable doubt."

Maybe Lady Justice should be blind, but do the people that enforce justice be so dumb?

 A look at this documentry seem to show the latter is true. "Beyond a reasonable doubt" It might also be worthwhile to see where these DOJ Prosecuters go their their next job. You might not be surprised but it might wake Americans up to demand changes in the way justice administrated.

The Untouchables – FRONTLINE

JUSTICE IS BLIND

Maybe someone ought to pull off the blinders so she can see how badly it's being administered;

We recently heard that the "Justice" Department could not find any wrong doing by the bankers that brought down our economy. If you want to see how that works, check out "the untouchables" produced by PBS/Frontline.

Yet the very same Justice system can push hard to prosecute people that rescued a deer.

Couple Faces Jail Time For Helping Fawn

Last updated on Saturday, January 26, 2013

(CONNERSVILLE) - A central Indiana couple faces criminal charges tonight for trying to save an injured deer.

Emily Longnecker, of WTHR reports, Counceller has spent his 14 year career as a police officer, locking up the bad guys.

The Councellers though, have found themselves on the other side of the law recently. The couple may face 60 days behind bars.

The reason comes down to a little deer Jeff rescued two years ago, after he found it injured on a porch during a police call.

Jeff was going to put the little deer back in the woods but found it was injured, so he called his wife Jennifer, who is a nurse to see if she could help.

"We called her little orphan Dani. She's definitely changed our lives," she added.

The couple nursed Dani back to health, even bottle feeding her, but she was to little to release and survive.

At one point, the Councellers said they called several deer habitats across the state to see if one of them could take Dani. The couple said they were told that they were too full at that point.

So the Councellers built a pen for Dani in their backyard, right near the woods, until the deer could grow bigger and stronger.

The couple planed to turn the deer lose when she was older and didn't hide the fact they were treating her.

Last summer, the Councellers said they were getting ready to let Dani go, but were waiting for the corn crops to mature so she would have something to eat when they released her.

Last July though, the Councellers said they got a visit from an officer with the Department of Natural Resources.

Who informed the couple they needed to get a rescue permit.

Jennifer said when she called the DNR's state office, she was turned down, saying it was illegal to have a deer.

According to the Councellers, DNR officers told them they would have to put Dani down because she had been around humans too long because Dani was a threat to society.

Officials were first going to shoot Dani, but then they found a vet to euthanize her and the couple would have to pay the fee and then they could bury the doe on their property.

The day officers were supposed to come and euthanize Dani though, someone left the gate to her pen open and Dani escaped.

The Councellers said they did not open the pen that day, but believe someone who knew what was going to happen to Dani, did.

The affidavit of probable cause charge the couple with harboring a wild animal said that DNR officers questioned Jennifer's father about Dani getting loose. He was never charged though.

The Counsellers can't be sure what had become of Dani. They think she might be one of the many deer who come around their property from time to time.

While Dani, the deer may be free, a jury must decide if the Councellers share the same fate.

A special prosecutor from Decatur County has been called in to prosecute the case, along with a special judge from Union County.

The Councellers said they believe that's to avoid a conflict of interest because Jeff is a Connersville police officer and Jennifer works part time as a jail nurse in Fayette County.

The Councellers says they had no criminal intent, they didn't poach the deer or kill it without a tag, and didn't plan on keeping her as a pet.

The Councellers said they just wanted to give the deer a fighting chance.

To read more on this story visit http://www.wthr.com/story/20711538/connersville-police-officer-and-his-wife-face-charges-for-saving-a-deer

WBIW.com - 1340 AM, Bedford, Indiana

Stephen King got the message! Time to listen up folks.

Stephen King has injected himself into the American debate over gun control with a new essay titled only, “Guns.” The 25-page essay, published as part of Amazon’s Kindle Singlescollection, includes possible solutions to the mass shooting epidemic that’s plagued the nation, but also announces King’s decision to remove his first novel from bookshelves.

Before there was Carrie, Jack Torrance or “The Stand,” King penned “Rage,” about a student who brings a gun to school and kills members of the faculty before taking his class hostage. King told Media Bistro how his feelings about the novel have changed in the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook elementary in Newtown, Connecticut and similar, no less tragic, events.

“My book did not break [these teenagers], or turn them into killers; they found something in my book that spoke to them because they were already broken,” he said. “Yet I did see ‘Rage’ as a possible accelerant, which is why I pulled it from sale. You don’t leave a can of gasoline where a boy with firebug tendencies can lay hands on it.”

Stephen King releases gun control essay

The 7 Best Right-Wing Freakouts Over Women Going Into Combat

As a male and a lefty I found myself surprised to come to the defense of the righties. 

Throwing stones at the right wing only distracts from the issue which has to do more with morals than ideology. The issue is, why do women need to crawl into the trenches in order to be valued in the military? Why are the services women now provide; short of being "killing machines" less valuable in terms of salary and rank? Those are the policies that all those males at the top should be concerned about rather than enticing women to the "killing fields." 

What happen to our moral conviction regarding putting "women and children first"? Keeping them out of harms way? Animals even do that based on nothing more than instinct. It's a "no brainer." 

Unlike the gays, I hope women are smart enough to figure out they are being played by the boys who are short on "manpower" and trying to find other ways to fill the trenches to fight these senseless, money making wars that profit mostly males. These boys, by the way, are the one's that stay as far away from the trenches as they can. 

Wise up!


The 7 Best Right-Wing Freakouts Over Women Going Into Combat

Man Wanted For Raping Horses

Man Wanted For Raping Horses

PASS THE AMMO PLEASE!

Matched Deaths: 1243 or more since Newtown

. 

Only 1243 more people died by the gun? 

That must have really upset some folks; not the victims and survivors obviously, but more than likely the NRA and gun/ammo manufacturers.

After all, if the fatalities  are low it must mean sales are low. Not enough guns and ammo out there. We need to scare these people more. The more afraid they are the more guns and ammo they'll buy and more people will die which scare more people,..........and it goes on  and on. Until we either run out of people or ammo. 



Click here to see how it's going in your part of the country.


How Many People Have Been Killed by Guns Since Newtown?

BEWARE OF PEOPLE WITH GUNS AND MONEY

The  gun organizations, through their PACs, employees, and other connected individuals, gave a record $3 million in campaign contributions in the last election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.org. Half of that sum went to House races, and almost all of it went to Republican candidates. The top contributors to federal candidates were the National Rifle Association, Safari Club International, and the National Association for Gun Rights, which together contributed $1.2 million.

How Much Did the Gun Lobby Donate to Your Member of Congress?

NRA Poll: NRA Members Love the NRA

Unless your severely intellectually challenged why would not know that people that join your organization love you? 

Meanwhile, members were pretty firm in their belief that, despite whatever Obama has said on gun control reform, his real intention is to "take away our 2nd Amendment rights." Nearly 80 percent of members don't believe that the president will pursue a "balanced" gun reform approach, which the survey sums up as "new gun laws, reforms to our mental health care system and addressing cultural issues like violence in movies and video games." Ninety-two percent of members are opposed to the president's use of executive actions in gun-reform work. His overall approval rating among NRA members is 4.5 percent.


NRA Poll: NRA Members Love the NRA

DOES HE? OR DOESN'T HE?

I bring this up only because I thought I saw it flip a little when he made absolutely crazy comments in the Hillary session. My guess is that he has not only lost his hair, but also his mind which is why he wears that gawd-awful hair piece.


Does Rand Paul wear a toupee?_Does Rand Paul wear a toupee? - Qfak.com

No sure solution in sight for Utah’s air pollution

The Nay Sayers and Koch Brothers need to visit Salt Lake City to get a real feel of what burning fossil fuels does to our environment. No need to go to Beijing.

 

No sure solution in sight for Utah’s air pollution

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

 JOHANN WAGENER 1-25-13

I woke up today to the sound of raindrops pelting against my bedroom window; a rare occurrence in this part of the country where not much survives without some help. 

As I looked out at the light drizzle sprinkling what I hesitate to call the lawn I noticed a small patch of green struggling to make its way through the hardened and parched earth. What I was witnessing, I thought, was a very small but significant display of Mother Nature giving birth; profound indeed, especially under these conditions.

This brought me to the following conclusion and what I call my “thought for the day.”

I realized that we humans, in the very short period of time we have walked upright on this planet have almost succeeded in trampling what was a beautiful, nourishing “garden of eden”  and transformed it into a virtual toilet in which we are dumping steaming hot piles of ( you can fill in the blank) junk. Since we have little or no interest in learning how to flush it  is quickly filling up and beginning to overflow and causing disasters greater than any seen before. Records are being broken quicker than we can record them.  Still we persist on going on our merry way towards self-destruction not realizing that one day, soon, God will "pull the chain."

I realized that, yes, we are indeed “God’s children” but tragically many of us were never potty trained.  

David Mamet: Gun Laws and the Fools of Chelm

This is about as simple minded as one can get; because even though it might sound logical it is based on a false premise from which everything that follows is distorted to fit the premise it presupposes.  I learned that back in Logic Class. 

The individual is not only best qualified to provide his own personal defense, he is the only one qualified to do so: and his right to do so is guaranteed by the Constitution.

I'm sure the wackos that slaughtered the 20 children in Newtown or the guy that tried to mow down a theater full of people, or the many other lose cannons roaming our streets would agree wholeheartedly with this childish notion. Would rational law abiding gun bearing Americans agree? I would hope not. If they do I'm it has to do more with their investments in the gun industry or the military industrial complex. Anything to make a buck; right folks? 

People forget that the Constitution was written in a time when people just broke free from a government on another continent which, in their opinion, were now occupiers. Who's occupying the USA today. Who are we actually arming ourselves against today? The government that we freely elected into office? No need to shoot them out of office; just vote them out and expose those paid to put them in office. It's called democracy and is something the Constitution offers us if we could just get to the voting booth instead of a gun show. 

Assault weapons and 100 round ammo clips are not "guaranteed" in the Constitution. Those men were referring to single shot (takes 5 minutes to reload) muskets. However, we are guaranteed  "life-liberty-and the pursuit of happiness" which is difficult to experience if you have to be constantly living in a sate of constant readiness to duck for cover to avoid a barrage of lead being thrown at you because a bunch of idiots said the Constitution was written to protect their rights. 

Gimme a break!

Next thing you'll want me to believe is that God created the world a few thousand years ago, and the Brooklyn Bridge is up for sale.

I won't disagree that many Americans are gullible and prone to paranoia, still afraid of the "boogeyman" coming to get them but I'm sure most of them are intelligent enough to see through the BS and fear mongering and realize we are not living in Iraq or Afghanistan and those guys running around in the hills are not on their way to our shores.  The only way we make that a real experience is by invading their shores. 

So, my suggestion is that the author stop and think before taking fingers to keyboard and keep in mind he's not writing to a 3rd grade audience (or is he?)

David Mamet: Gun Laws and the Fools of Chelm

Does the Internet Spell Doom For Organized Religion?

NOTE; THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY REFERS TO "ORGANIZED" RELIGION, NOT SPIRITUAL BELIEFS OR SPIRITUALITY. I WANT TO MAKE THIS DISTINCTION BECAUSE, AS A BELIEVER, I AGREE THAT ORGANIZATIONS THAT USE SPIRITUALITY TO FILL THEIR COFFERS BY MANIPULATING BELIEVERS NEED TO BE CONFRONTED AND HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE CONTRADICTIONS BETWEEN WHAT THEY PREACH AND HOW THEY OPERATE. OUR ABILITY TO ACCESS INFORMATION HAS TURN ON THE LIGHTS SO THAT WE NO LONGER "BLINDLY" FOLLOW WHOEVER HAS A PULPIT AND ALLOWS US TO, AS JESUS TAUGHT,  LOOK "WITHIN" WITHOUT A GUIDE TO DRAG US ALONG LIKE A STARY EYED TOURIST.

A traditional religion, one built on “right belief,” requires a closed information system. That is why the Catholic Church put an official seal of approval on some ancient texts and banned or burned others. It is why some Bible-believing Christians  are forbidden to marry nonbelievers. It is why  Quiverfull moms home-school their kids with carefully screened textbooks. It is why, when you get sucked into conversations with your fundamentalist Uncle George from Florida, you sometimes wonder if he has some superpower that allows him to magically close down all avenues into his mind. ( He does!)

Religions have spent eons honing  defenses that keep outside information away from insiders. The innermost ring wall is a set of certainties and associated emotions like anxiety and disgust and righteous indignation that block curiosity. The outer wall is a set of behaviors aimed at insulating believers from contradictory evidence and from heretics who are potential transmitters of dangerous ideas. These behaviors range from memorizing sacred texts to wearing  distinctive undergarments to killing infidels. Such defenses worked beautifully during humanity’s infancy. But they weren’t really designed for the current information age.

READ ABOUT IT HERE;  Does the Internet Spell Doom For Organized Religion?

WAR IS A MALE THING!

WAR IS A MALE THING!

 Johann Wagener 1-24-13

Historically, with the exception of a few, men start wars and fight them. Women, up until now, have always played a much more crucial role in having the “men’s backs covered” so-to-speak. Their roles were to save lives, not take them. To keep the family going during the men’s absence. Many times they were forced to permanently take on both roles when the men came home in body bags. 

I wonder if Mr. Panetta and the Generals have ever reflected back to their childhoods and asked themselves; would I have wanted my Mom to go on the front lines as a combat soldier? I’d venture to guess, that there would not be many ayes in the room when it came to voting on what is a foolish and grossly immoral policy to deliberately put women in harms way.

That’s sexist, I know. But this is not a seat in a corporation boardroom we’re talking about. If what I’m addressing is sexist then, what’s even more blatantly sexist, is that there are plenty of women in the military in plenty of important roles that have been continuously discriminated against in pay and rank from the day they signed up to serve their country.

So, if I understand the rationale correctly, what Mr. Panetta and the Generals are saying is, that in order to get ahead in this “mans” army, you need to become a killing machine and get in the trenches because the military places a greater value on those skills than those women are currently performing?  So rather than promoting and raising the pay of women to reward the jobs they do now, the only way they will be able to get ahead is to become proficient at killing people.

I assume that the “see the world” or “we will pay for your college degree” just doesn’t pull in the number of male recruits as it used to so the military is looking for bodies to fill the ranks in what is commonly referred to as “this man’s army.”  Keep in mind that these new policies are being drafted by a bunch of “old white men” from positions where women have not been allowed.

My suggestion to women is, before you run down to your local recruitment center and sign up ask yourself a few questions like; is killing a skill that I want to add to my resume as a skill set? To mothers I would suggest asking yourself; is putting my life at risk in the best interests of my child(ren)?

As for the women who are already serving I would suggest you ask; isn’t there a better way to resolve the inequality in salary and promotion between men and women?

As for our President, the Defense Secretary, and the Generals (who, by the way, are men) I would say; Great idea guys! Maybe you should have run it by the children of these women first? I thought that men went to war to protect the women and children? Oh right! Those were the wars that we were actually defending ourselves against a real enemy.  Those were the wars in which Uncle Sam’s ' I want you" call was answered by both men and women; young and old alike, who lined up to defend their families and country. It was a time when “Rosy the Riveter” was providing a service deemed just as valuable as those in the trenches.

This misguided policy to entice women with rank and money to join their male counterparts in the trenches is another example of how America is losing it’s moral high ground. Even the Taliban, as badly outnumbered and outgunned as they are, avoid putting their women in the trenches to wage these ideological offensive wars. 

READ ABOUT IT HERE;   Pentagon removes ban on women in combat

Women in combat - EQUALITY FOR ALL?

EQUALITY FOR ALL?
JOHANN WAGENER 1-23-13

Women have come one step closer to being equal to their male counterparts. This time in the military where they are now eligible to fight in mortal combat. What better way to serve our country than to take our mothers away from their children and put them in the line of fire as equally as we do their fathers? What’s not being said is that women are now equally as able to come home crippled for life or in body bags.

This move on the part of neo-cons and those who do their bidding defies logic even more than the claims of WMD’s in Iraq. Rather than acknowledge that the military is short on manpower; especially when it comes to fighting in the trenches, they are now tapping into the last resources they have (unless the next come after the children) to beef up the frontlines by hooking people with buzz words like, “equality.” The tragedy here is that now our children are more than likely to lose their mothers or have them return home crippled just as their fathers have.

It might be better for us and the country if those that are so adamant about using bullets rather than words and who profit from war to take the first shot. If they want war then, by all means, let them fight them; men and women alike. Ironically this would undoubtedly be the quickest path to diplomacy and peace.

 Is this really a move forward? If so, towards what? Is making killing machines out of women a worthwhile undertaking? How does that benefit our way of life?  Or is this another sign that America’s moral compass is broken and in dire need of repair?

Is this what the Founders referred to when they declared “pursuit of happiness” for all?  A very sad day indeed. 

READ ABOUT IT HERE:  News from The Associated Press

al-QAEDA 4 ------- NRA 20

Even though I agree with the argument, that the Benghazi incident in which 4 Americans were killed is important the fact is that it is dwarfed by the much bigger issue which addresses the killing of around 30,000 Americans, by Americans on the streets of America.  Just last month 1 terrorist (not a member of al-Qiada) slaughtered 20 American children in their classroom. How many "committees" did the GOP convene to address that?

 We might be able to do more to save thousands of Americans from losing their lives or being maimed by doing something about the "causes" of that reign of terror.

When it comes to body count al-Qaida doesn't even come close.  The NRA is a much bigger threat to America though we like to look at them as a "charitable" organization.

Throwing a little common sense in prioritizing problems would go a long way when it comes to protecting Americans.


Senator Unveils Bill to Limit Semiautomatic Arms

David Attenborough Calls Humans a "Plague on the Earth.” Isn’t He Sort of Right?

David Attenborough Calls Humans a "Plague on the Earth.” Isn’t He Sort of Right?

How Republicans Blew Their Chance To Grill Hillary Clinton

WHY THE BIG DEAL ABOUT 4 AMERICANS LOSING THEIR LIVES IN SOME FAR OFF PLACE WE DON'T EVEN BELONG IN?

WHY ALL THE RANTING AND RAVING BY 2-FACED REPUBLICANS WHO COMPLETELY IGNORE THE FACT THAT WE ARE LOSING HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS, OF AMERICAN LIVES RIGHT HERE AT HOME; THAT ARE BEING TAKEN BY OTHER AMERICANS?

WHERE IS THE SENSE OF PRIORITY? WHERE ARE ALL THE HOOPLA MEETINGS BY COMMITTEES DEALING WITH GUN CONTROL IN THIS GUN-CRAZED SOCIETY?

How Republicans Blew Their Chance To Grill Hillary Clinton

4 DOWN AND THOUSANDS MORE TO COME

Five Days Before Latest College Shooting, TX Legislator Introduced ALEC/NRA Bill to Allow Guns on Campus | PR Watch

WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE

“Elections Confidential” Report Reveals Role of Dark Money Nonprofits and Shell Corporations in 2012 | PR Watch

'Living with Guns' urges for compromise between gun control advocates and opponents

'Living with Guns' urges for compromise between gun control advocates and opponents

Did God make a mistake giving humans "dominion" ?

The human species, led by white Europeans and Euro-Americans, has been on a 500-year-long planetwide rampage of conquering, plundering, looting, exploiting and polluting the Earth—as well as killing the indigenous communities that stood in the way. But the game is up. 

The technical and scientific forces that created a life of unparalleled luxury—as well as unrivaled military and economic power—for the industrial elites are the forces that now doom us. The mania for ceaseless economic expansion and exploitation has become a curse, a death sentence. 

But even as our economic and environmental systems unravel, after the hottest year in the contiguous 48 states since record keeping began 107 years ago, we lack the emotional and intellectual creativity to shut down the engine of global capitalism. 

We have bound ourselves to a doomsday machine that grinds forward, as the draft report of the  National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee illustrates.
Read the complete article here;  The Myth of Human Progress

NBC Sports Is Sponsoring Nation's Largest Gun Trade Show

WHEN IT COMES TO GUNS, NBC NOT ONLY REPORTS THE NEWS, BUT ALSO MAKES THE NEWS!

SHOT Show is billed as the "the largest and most comprehensive trade show for all professionals involved with the shooting sports, hunting and law enforcement industries" and "the world's premier exposition of combined firearms." But it is more than just a trade show;according to its organizer, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (the trade association for firearms manufacturers and dealers), "Any SHOT attendee will tell you the show is more than about selling and buying; it's a powerful display of industry unity and its resolve to meet any challenge affecting the right to make, sell and own firearms."

NBC Sports apparently supports that "display of industry unity" against stronger gun laws. SHOT Show's website lists NBC Sports as its "New Product Center Sponsor":

NBC Sports Is Sponsoring Nation's Largest Gun Trade Show

Study: Recent Elections Show a Strong Link Between Racism and Political Preference

Political scientists define “old-fashioned racism” as belief in the biological inferiority of blacks, and support for racial segregation and discrimination. In contrast, the new racism is characterized by “a moral feeling that blacks violate such traditional American values as invidualism and self-reliance, the work ethic, obedience and discipline,” 


Study: Recent Elections Show a Strong Link Between Racism and Political Preference

Tea Party Congressman: Citizens Should Have Same Weapons as the Military

THIS TEA-BAGGER needs to do his homework. We already have access to "military grade weapons and ammo. Go to any gun or ammo website (example ammotogo.com) and you'll find everything you need to start a war or mow down your local school, theater, mall, or church.

A freshman Republican congressman is arguing that the 2nd Amendment could be interpreted broadly enough to allow ordinary citizens access to the same equipment that the military uses.

Tea Party Congressman: Citizens Should Have Same Weapons as the Military

THE NRA INVADES OUR CLASSROOMS

State Senator Lee Bright, a Republican legislator in South Carolina, says he will support a bill to create gun lessons for high school students, arguing: “We’ve got football, we’ve got basketball, and we’ve got baseball. I think if they had a hunting team, it would be a great idea.”

WSPA-TV reports:

The class, dubbed the “South Carolina Gun Safety Program” course, would focus on learning how to properly use a firearm, safety techniques, and the history of the 2nd amendment and the right to bear arms, according to Bright.  “The more training we can get on the history of our nation, the founding of our nation, the better,” he says.

Bright added that it would just be offered as an “option,” and it would take place at an off-site shooting range, not on campus.

South Carolina Bill Would Create High School Gun Class

SUPER BOWL (OF SCRAMBLED BRAINS)

Until now research on football related brain damage was done after the fact; on the dead victims. Now, because of scientific advances we are amazingly able to study living subjects to witness the affects while they are in the process of dying from the damage. Even more amazing still this will not deter, fans and players alike, to continue playing what is obviously a "self inflicted" destructive, life threatening form of entertainment.  The insanity is limitless.

Now that we have taken the plunge and put aside a day to celebrate our guns (that we slaughter each other with) maybe it's time to take the next step and celebrate our favorite sport with "Football Appreciation Day" (that we are scrambling our brains with). We appreciate this pastime so much we even throw our kids on fields to entertain us. It's much like "baby shake syndrome" which I thought was considered child abuse?

Well, at least we can say we have come a long way from the days when our ancestors literally cut off human heads to kick around the fields of those infamous Colosseums. We don't decapitate our heroes and give them helmets to protect the damage.

Study: CTE signs found in living ex-NFL players

GUN APPRECIATION DAY - II

GUN APPRECIATION DAY - II

Johann Wagener 1-22-13

With gun fights on one of it's college campuses and the Texas legislatures drafting a bill to arm teachers it won't be long before the evening news will be airing real live OK CORAL - HIGH NOON style gun fights.

Those to suffer first will be the "paint gun" vendors. Won't need those anymore. This time it's real!

This won't be a movie or TV reality show. No script, no actors, directors, props. And a very low budget; just a few TV cameras. The audience will be those fortunate enough to not be caught in the crossfire, safely glued to their flat screens or iPhones, either cheering on the teachers or maybe the students?

We'll get live, "breaking news" blow by blow reports on whose got the fastest draw, the bigger guns, the number of hits.

Who's winning?

Whose losing?

How long before SWAT shows up?

Will they be able to tell the "bad" guys from the "good" guys? Will teachers students, visitors, news, medical, all be issued different colored arm bands?

There might even be marketing folks from the NRA and gun industry there, setting up a "gun-to-go show" where we can buy one of the guns, "those guys are using."

Another great day to celebrate "Gun Appreciation Day"

TEXAS AND THE NRA ARE HITTING THEIR TARGETS.

Fight led to Texas college shooting, authorities say

Several school districts in Texas have either implemented or are considering a plan to allow faculty to carry guns on campus. While guns are not allowed on college campuses, the Texas Legislature this year may debate a bill that would allow them.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/22/multiple-shots-reportedly-fired-at-lone-star-college-in-houston/#ixzz2IkyfHEzc

PORT SIDE VIEWS: DO YOU APPRECIATE NRA SCORES ANOTHER HIT

PORT SIDE VIEWS: DO YOU APPRECIATE NRA SCORES ANOTHER HIT: Vegas Police Lt. Kills Wife, Son, Self

WE ARE BEING STARVED

Extreme, obese, bloated, obscene, engorged; call it what you will, the problem is getting larger by the year and if nothing is done it will ultimately crush the rest of us.

If you wonder why 99% of us have had to go on an economic “starvation diet” the following report will make your stomach growl!

I’ve copied the complete report because I believe it is the most informative reports on this topic written so far. I would challenge skeptics to present a coherent rebuttal if they can. That of course excludes accusing Oxfam of being an Obama front for socialists and communists.

OXFAM MEDIA BRIEFING

18 January 2013 Ref: 02/2012

 OXFAM MEDIA BRN8 January 2013 Ref: 02/2012

The cost of inequality:

how wealth and income extremes hurt us all

The world must urgently set goals to tackle extreme inequality and extreme wealth

It is now widely accepted that rapidly growing extreme wealth and inequality are harmful to

Human progress and that something needs to be done. Already this year, the World Economic

Forum’s Global Risk Report rated inequality as one of the top global risks of 20131. The IMF and

The Economist2 agree. Around the world, the Occupy protests demonstrated the increasing public

anger and feeling that inequality has gone too far3.

In the last decade, the focus has been exclusively on one half of the inequality equation – ending extreme poverty. Inequality and the extreme wealth that contributes to it were seen as either not relevant, or a prerequisite for the growth that would also help the poorest, as the wealth created trickled down to the benefit of everyone.

There has been great progress in the fight against extreme poverty. Hundreds of millions of

people have seen their lives improve dramatically – an historically unprecedented achievement

of which the world should be proud4. But as we look to the next decade, and new development

goals we need to define progress, we must demonstrate that we are also tackling inequality- and

that means looking at not just the poorest but the richest5.

Oxfam believes that reducing inequality is a key part of fighting poverty and securing a sustainable future for all. In a world of finite resources, we cannot end poverty unless we reduce inequality rapidly.

That is why we are calling for a new global goal to end extreme wealth by 2025, and reverse the

rapid increase in inequality seen in the majority of countries in the last twenty years, taking

inequality back to 1990 levels67.

Extreme wealth & inequality are reaching levels never before seen and are getting Worse

Over the last thirty years inequality has grown dramatically in many countries. In the US the

share of national income going to the top 1% has doubled since 1980 from 10 to 20%. For the

top 0.01% it has quadrupled8 to levels never seen before. At a global level, the top 1% (60 million people)9, and particularly the even more select few in the top 0.01% (600,000 individuals - there are around 1200 billionaires in the world), the last thirty years has been an incredible feeding frenzy10. This is not confined to the US, or indeed to rich countries.

In the UK inequality is rapidly returning to levels not seen since the time of Charles Dickens11. In China the top 10% now take home nearly 60% of the income. Chinese inequality levels are now similar to those in South Africa,12 which are now the most unequal country on earth and significantly more unequal than at the end of apartheid13. Even in many of the poorest countries, inequality has rapidly grown14.

Globally the incomes of the top 1% have increased 60% in twenty years.15 The growth in income for the 0.01% has been even greater16. Following the financial crisis, the process has accelerated, with the top 1% further 17 increasing their share of income18. The luxury goods market has registered double digit growth every year since the crisis hit19. Whether it is a sports car or a super-yacht, caviar or champagne, there has never been a bigger demand for the most expensive luxuries.

The IMF has said that inequality is dangerous and divisive and could lead to civil unrest20. Polling

shows the public is increasingly concerned about growing inequality in many countries, and by

people across the political spectrum2122.

Extreme wealth and inequality is economically inefficient

A growing chorus of voices is pointing to the fact that whilst a certain level of inequality may

benefit growth by rewarding risk takers and innovation, the levels of inequality now being seen

are in fact economically damaging and inefficient23. They limit the overall amount of growth, and at the same time mean that growth fails to benefit the majority. Consolidation of so much wealth and capital in so few hands is inefficient because it depresses demand, a point made famous by

Henry Ford24 and more recently billionaire Nick Hanauer in his much-discussed TED talk25.

There quite simply is a limit to how many luxury yachts a person could want or own. Wages in

many countries have barely risen in real terms for many years, with the majority of the gains

being to capital instead26. If this money were instead more evenly spread across the population

then it would give more people more spending power, which in turn would drive growth and drive

down inequality27.

The top 100 billionaires added $240 billion to their wealth in 2012- enough to end world poverty four times over.28. As a result growth in more equal countries is much more effective at reducing poverty. Oxfam research has shown that because it is so unequal, in South Africa even with sustained economic growth a million more people will be pushed into poverty by 2020 unless action is taken29.

Extreme Wealth and Inequality is Politically Corrosive

If, in the words of the old adage ‘money equals power’ then more unequal societies represent a

threat to meaningful democracy. This power can be exercised legally, with hundreds of millions

spent each year in many countries on lobbying politicians, or illegitimately with money used to

corrupt the political process and purchase democratic decision making. Joseph Stiglitz30 and

others31 have pointed out the way in which financial liberalisation led to huge power for the

financial industry, which in turn has led to further liberalisation.

In the UK the governing Conservative party receives over half its donations from the financial services industry32. Capture of politics by elites is also very prevalent in developing countries, leading to policies that benefit the richest few and not the poor majority, even in democracies. 33

Extreme Wealth and Inequality is Socially Divisive

Extreme wealth and inequality undermines societies. It leads to far less social mobility. If you are

born poor in a very unequal society you are much more likely to end your life in poverty. As

Richard Wilkinson, co- author of the Spirit Level34, has said, the American dream is more real in

Sweden than it ever has been in the United States35. Social mobility has fallen rapidly in many

countries as inequality has grown36.

If rich elites use their money to buy services, whether it is private schooling or private healthcare, they have less interest in public services or paying the taxes to support them. Those from elites are much more likely to end up in political office or other positions of power, further entrenching inequality. Their children are likely to be as rich, if not richer, than their parents, with inter-generational inequality increasing37. Inequality has been linked to many different social ills, including violence, mental health, crime and obesity38. Crucially inequality has been shown to be not only bad for the poor in unequal societies but also the rich. Richer people are happier and healthier if they live in more equal societies39.

Extreme Wealth and Inequality is Environmentally Destructive

As the world is rapidly entering a new and unprecedented age of scarcity and volatility, extreme

inequality is increasingly environmentally unaffordable and destructive. The World Bank has

shown that countries with more equal distribution of land are more equitable and more efficient,

and grow faster40. Those in the 1% have been estimated to use as much as 10,000 times more

carbon than the average US citizen41. Increasing scarcity of resources like land and water mean

that assets being monopolised by the few cannot continue if we are to have a sustainable future.

Poverty reduction in the face of extreme wealth will become harder as resources become more

scarce. More equal societies are better able to cope with disasters and extreme weather events.

Studies show that more equal countries are also better able to reduce carbon emissions42.

Extreme Wealth and Inequality is un ethical

Gandhi famously said “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's

greed.” From an ethical point of view, it is extremely difficult to justify excessive wealth and

inequality. In fact, most philosophers and all of the major religions caution against the pursuit of

excessive wealth at all cost and prescribe sharing of income with less fortunate members of the

community.

For instance, the Koran bans usury and says that the rich should give away a portion

of their money. The decision of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to give away their fortunes or to call

for greater taxation of excess wealth is an example to the rest of the world’s billionaires.

Extreme wealth and inequality is not inevitable

After the Great Depression in the US in the 1930s, huge steps were taken to tackle inequality

and vested interests. President Roosevelt said that the ‘political equality we once had won was

meaningless in the face of economic inequality’43. These steps were echoed in Europe after

World War Two, leading to three decades of increasing prosperity and reduced inequality.

Similarly the growth of the Asian tiger economies like Korea was achieved whilst reducing

inequality and meant the benefits were widely spread across their societies44. More recently,

countries like Brazil45, once a poster child for extreme inequality, have managed to buck the

global trend and prosper whilst reducing inequality.

The policies required to reduce inequality are also well known. Decent work for decent wages

has had a huge impact. The rise in the power of capital over labour has been identified by Paul

Krugman46 among many others as a key cause of the recent crisis47 and one that means that

assets are not being used productively, in turn reducing demand.

.

Free public services are crucial to levelling the playing field. In countries like Sweden, knowing

that if you get sick or that you will receive good treatment regardless of your income, is one of the

greatest achievements and the greatest equalisers of the modern world. Knowing that if you lose

your job, or fall on hard times, there is a safety net to help you and your family, is also key to

tackling inequality. Similarly, access to good quality education for all is a huge weapon against

inequality.

Finally, regulation and taxation play a critical role in reining in extreme wealth and inequality.

Limits to bonuses, or to how much people can earn as a multiple of the earnings of the lowest

paid, limits to interest rates, limits to capital accumulation are all only recently-abandoned policy

instruments that can be revived. Progressive taxation that redistributes wealth from the rich to the

poor is essential, but currently the opposite is the case – taxation is increasingly regressive and

the poor pay higher effective tax rates than the rich, a point recently highlighted by Warren Buffet

among others, who has called for greater taxes on the rich48. Cracking down on tax avoidance

and tax evasion goes hand in hand with more progressive taxation. Closing tax havens and

ending the global race to the bottom on taxation, for example with a globally agreed minimum

rate of corporation tax would make a huge difference It is estimated that up to a quarter of all

global wealth – as much as $32 trillion - is held offshore49. If these assets were taxed according

to capital gains taxes in different countries, they could yield at least $189 billion in additional tax

revenues50.

End extreme wealth and inequality

Whatever the combination of policies pursued, the first step is for the world to recognise this as

the goal. There are many steps that can be taken to reverse inequality. The benefits are huge,

for the poorest – but also for the richest. We cannot afford to have a world of extreme wealth and

extreme inequality. We cannot afford to have a world where inequality continues to grow in the

majority of countries. In a world of increasingly scarce resources, reducing inequality is more

important than ever. It needs to be reduced and quickly.

An end to extreme wealth by 2025. Reversing increasing extreme inequality and aim to return

inequality to 1990 levels.

1 http://www.weforum.org/issues/global-risks

2 http://www.economist.com/node/21564413 and http://blog-imfdirect.imf.org/2011/04/08/inequality-and-growth/

3 http://occupywallst.org/

4 Paradoxically this means that whilst inequality in many countries has increased, overall global inequality has reducedhttp://

www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=12888

5 Inequality is traditionally measured using the Gini co-efficient. However, this fails to capture in many instances the extraordinary rise in the

incomes of the top 1% or even 0.01%, so a combination of both Gini and the amounts accruing to different sections of society is needed to

fully understand the scope and scale of inequality. See for example Palma, J http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2006/wp35_2006.pdf for a

non-Gini view.

6 1990 could be the base year for a global goal of inequality reduction, but individual countries may also have peak equality years that differ that

they would choose to get back to if 1990 is not sufficient in terms of reducing inequality. There is a parallel here to be drawn with global

agreement to reduce carbon emissions.

7 Cornia and Addison (2003), for example, found that between the 1960s and 1990s inequality increased in about two-thirds of the 73 countries

they studied (accounting for about 80 per cent of the world’s population). They also found that in those where inequality increased, this was

normally equivalent to at least 5 points in the Gini scale. http://www.econ.cam.ac.uk/dae/repec/cam/pdf/cwpe1111.pdf

8 http://www.economist.com/node/21564414

9 Milanovic, Branko, 2012. "Global income inequality by the numbers : in history and now --an overview--," Policy Research Working Paper Series

6259, The World Bank.

10 See also Crystia, F The Plutocrats

11 http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/the-perfect-storm-economic-stagnation-the-rising-cost-of-living-public-spending-228591

12 http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21568423-new-survey-illuminates-extent-chinese-income-inequality-each-not

13 http://www.oxfam.org/en/policy/left-behind-by-g20

14 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/11/africe-economic-growth-jeopardised-rising-inequality

15 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=12888

16 Inequality is usually measured using incomes, and the data for the super rich is notoriously hard to get, as very few fill in surveys. Focusing on

incomes also hugely underestimates inequality- if inequality of assets is also taken into account levels are even higher as asset growth has

been far greater than incomes.

17 http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jun/14/britons-stuck-in-perfect-storm-inequality

18 http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/management/the-megarich-just-keep-getting-richer-20130102-2c5m8.html

19 http://www.bain.com/about/press/press-releases/bain-projects-global-luxury-goods-market-will-grow-ten-percent-in-2012.aspx

20 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/globalbusiness/8296987/IMF-raises-spectre-of-civil-wars-as-global-inequalities-worsen.html

21 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/28/taxing-the-rich-poll_n_2203400.html,

22 http://www.pewglobal.org/2012/12/20/slideshow-pew-researchs-global-year-in-review/pg_12-18-12_yearslides_02_capitalism/ and

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19953634

23 See for example the IMF- Berg and Ostry 2011 http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/sdn/2011/sdn1108.pdf

24 http://corporate.ford.com/news-center/press-releases-detail/677-5-dollar-a-day

25 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQi6xJ3-7l4

26 http://www.clevelandfed.org/research/commentary/2012/2012-13.cfm

27 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/17/business/economy/income-inequality-may-take-toll-on-growth.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 and

http://blog-imfdirect.imf.org/2011/04/08/inequality-and-growth/

28 http://www.globalresearch.ca/billionaires-gain-as-living-standards-fall/5318471 and http://topics.bloomberg.com/bloomberg-billionaires-index/

the top 100 billionaires added $241 billion to their income in 2012. Jeff Sachs has estimated that it would cost $175 billion a year for 2 years

to end extreme poverty.

29 http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/bp157-left-behind-by-the-g20-190112-en.pdf

30 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/books/review/the-price-of-inequality-by-joseph-e-stiglitz.html?pagewanted=all-

31 See also Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer--and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class by Jacob Hacker and Paul

Pierson

32 http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/sep/30/city-conservatives-donations

33 http://tinyurl.com/aq9k7nk Democratisation and the Dynamics of Income Distribution in Low and Middle-income Countries, 1985 -- 1995

34 Wilkinson, R and Pickett K, The Spirit Level

35 http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson.html

36 . http://www.economist.com/node/21564417

37 World Bank Word Development Report 2006,page 47

38 World Bank Word Development Report 2006, Equity and Development and Wilkinson, R and Pickett, K, The Spirit Level

39 Wilkinson, R and Pickett, K, The Spirit Level

40 World Bank Word Development Report 2006, Equity and Development

41 http://www.tomshardware.com/news/bill-gates-microsoft,5242.html

42 http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2013039 and http://oep.oxfordjournals.org/content/52/4/651.abstract

43 Great Speeches (Dover Thrift Editions) [Paperback] Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Author), John Grafton (Editor)

44 ‘the experience of today’s Asian tigers is in striking contrast to that of an earlier pack. In Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan growth

rates soared in the 1960s and 1970s and prosperity increased rapidly but income gaps shrank. Japan’s Gini coefficient fell from 0.45 in the

early 1960s to 0.34 in 1982; Taiwan’s from 0.5 in 1961 to below 0.3 by the mid-1970s. That experience launched the idea of an “Asian

growth model”, one that combined prosperity with equity.’ http://www.economist.com/node/21564408

45 http://www.economist.com/node/21564411 .

46 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/10/opinion/krugman-robots-and-robber-barons.html?_r=1& and

http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2012/int061412a.htm

47 http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2010/wp10268.pdf

48 http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/aug/15/warren-buffett-higher-taxes-super-rich

49 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18944097

50 http://www.taxjustice.net/cms/upload/pdf/The_Price_of_Offshore_Revisited_Presser_120722.pdf