BECOMING AN ORPHAN - DECEMBER 2, 2008

I probably spend too much of my time chronicling and dissecting what’s gong on “out there,” in the “objective” world of news, war, financial collapse, etc. Yes, I am a news junkie but I try to separate the junk from the truth as I see it.

Today, I had to do some chronicling closer to home, burrowing in my own subjective reality, as I fought to accept and deal with, or at least try to cope with the grief and pain of a personal/family loss. Its a reality many of you have gone through I am sure. It’s never easy and I had some wonderful talks with friends as we shared stories. Many who knew him wrote beautiful letters of how he had touched them.

The call came in Tuesday while I was drafting this blog. My dad who has been ill for some time, now at age 90 plus, was slipping. I was told he might not make it through the night. While I was rushing up to Boston to see him for what turned out to be the last time, I heard the song “IF WE CAN MAKE IT THROUGH DECEMBER,” a sad country tune about a man who has lost his job and thought life would be better if he could only survive this 12th month of the year.

In my case, we didn’t make it through December. My dad, Jerry Schechter, died tonight after a long and amazing life. Fortunately, I was there, holding his hand, watching him go, with my brother, his wife and my sister-in-law and a wonderful and compassionate hospice health aide from Uganda named Paul. We saw his breathing become more difficult and then his heart stop.

He fought up until the inevitable end.

He had achieved all that he wanted when confronted with the reality of a terminal illness. He decided to prolong his life as long as he could and enjoy it as much as he could. He did. He wanted to die at home. He did. He wanted to be surrounded in his last hours by his family. He was. He wanted to avoid becoming dependent. He never complained, and faced his fate calmly. He was philosophical and practical about it. He left us in dignity and without pain. He was gutsy throughout. He had even instructed us to have the body removed immediately so no children in the neighborhood had to be scared by the sight of a dead person. All of the nurses, doctors and health workers who helped him became his friend and he ended up helping many of them. He was like that.

His will was done.

That didn’t prevent the tears.

I wanted readers of the blog who know my work, to know my influences, to know a little about Jerry Schechter, my life mentor and guiding star, and so I share this memorable obit-oem written so passionately by my brother Bill:

Thanks to all who have already expressed concern and written kind words. His race has been run. Ours remains.

ODETTA

I would be remiss if I did not mention another influence on me who also died yesterday at age 77.

We met several times but were not close except in the way she moved me. Her name: ODETTA, a great folk singer and passionate voice of freedom. She was supposed to sing at a recent tribute to South Africa’s Miriam Makeba that I went to, but was too ill to make it. She said she wanted to sing at Obama’s inauguration. If you never heard her, make a point of doing so. At least I have many of her songs to buoy my spirit.

My daily blog resumes tomorrow.

Planets surround moon in unusual night sky

NOTE TO READERS: This blog will be somewhat truncated. I am in Boston on personal family business. Big thanks to Cherie Welch for helping edit and produce the blog. If you noted all the visuals and links that actually work, that’s her doing. Thank you.

Also an immense apology for offending many readers with some cryptic comments about the incident over the holiday at Wal-Mart in our recent Mediachannel store solicitation.

Readers know that I have written about the tragedy at Wal-Mart where a man was killed and others hurt by a crush/stampede by bargain crazed mobs.

The article I cited noted the desperation of many in economically stressed times. Mediachannel has carried many articles about out of control consumerism, an issue I also treated in my film IN DEBT WE TRUST.

Clearly, there is a larger social context here and I was trying to make a point about our ability to avoid the orchestrated Black Friday mania by shopping on line, and perhaps buying more meaningful gifts.

There was no disrespect intended to the victim or an attempt to “cash in” on this sad event. That’s almost laughable given our resources and marketing budget. Yet some readers assumed the worse, and rather than expressing their feelings about why they were so angry, they canceled their subscription to Mediachannel with denunciations and outrage. A few did engage with us and I realize now that my intent was not as clear as it might have been. I am sorry for that. Errors like this might occur because of haste and perhaps unconscious insensitivity. I am sorry for anyone who was upset. I learned a lesson. I wonder if some of the strident readers who assumed the worst will as well.

CHAMBLISS WINS GEORGIA
HOW TO RESPOND TO RECESSION
MORE ON MUMBAI
CONSTITUTION AND CLINTON NOMINATION

These are the stories I thought would be of interest yesterday. I don’t have time or the temperament to assess them for you today.

WAS GEORGIA RACE RIGGED - CHAMBLISS WON BUT …

Diebold Vote Company Whistleblower and GOP Cyber Security Expert: 2002 Chambliss Senate Race Was Rigged

Last update: 9:44 a.m. EST Dec. 1, 2008

WASHINGTON, Dec 01, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ — In an exclusive interview with Velvet Revolution (”VR”), a DC based non-profit dedicated to a clean and accountable government, a former Diebold vote machine contractor who was in charge of preparing the 2002 election between Saxby Chambliss and Max Cleland has stated that the software patches placed on the voting machines in the weeks prior to the election could have rigged the election in favor of Republican Chambliss. The contractor, Chris Hood, was ordered by the President of Diebold, Bob Urosevich, to secretly install uncertified software patches on machines in predominantly Democratic counties, according to Mr. Hood. Saxby Chambliss won a surprising victory after trailing badly in the pre-election polls.

Rebecca Abrahams, a former ABC News producer who conducted the interview, states, “Jim Martin should be concerned about the veracity and validity of the runoff election results after anomalies in the last election and the statement by Chris Hood. In fact, voters should demand to know if Chambliss had any knowledge that the 2002 election was rigged and whether he knew that Georgia citizens voted on electronic voting machines that had been patched with uncertified software days before the election in clear violation of Georgia law.”

CONSTITUTIONAL CLAUSE AND CLINTON NOMINATION: NYT: Is Clinton Ineligible to Join the Cabinet?

The Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution states that:

No Senator or Representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time: and no person holding any office under the United States, shall be a member of either House during his continuance in office.

The recession is official, yet conservatives remain in denial and devoid of ideas. Congressional leaders have an economic idea, but is it big enough? And, whose pensions are weighing down GM, the workers’ or the CEOs?

BILL SCHER - Progressive Breakfast: Denying The Recession. Dismissing The Solution.

Feel That? It’s Your Economy Shrinking. The National Bureau of Economic Research declared we’ve been in recession since December 2007. Washington Monthly’s Steve Benen observes, “This is the eleventh recession in the post-World War II era, but it is already one of the longest [and] very likely to be the longest since the Great Depression.”

Here Comes The Fuzzy Math:

As the new Congress and president forge ahead on an economic recovery plan of at least $500 billion, don’t be surprised if you hear conservatives wail that it amounts to wasting $280,000 for every job it creates. And don’t believe it.

NAKEDCAPITALISM.com: ON PAULSON

To call Paulson’s response to the credit crisis improvised does a disservice to artists. Improvisation still requires a sense of direction and purpose, the thrust of a musical piece or the likely frictions between two characters. By contrast, the Treasury/Fed program looks completely reactive, an attempt to stabilize a system when they lack a good understanding of the playing field and the nature of the turbulence.

And, lo and behold, the head of the new TARP oversight panel, Elizabeth Warren, says in a very straightforward fashion what any astute reader of the press has discerned, but the media has been unwilling to say: Treasury has been flailing about. If there weren’t such large amounts of money involved, it would be comical.

From the New York Times: Bailout Monitor Sees Lack of a Coherent Plan

Elizabeth Warren, the chairwoman of the oversight panel, said in an interview Monday that the government instead seemed to be lurching from one tactic to the next without clarifying how each step fits into an overall plan.

“You can’t just say, ‘Credit isn’t moving through the system,’ ” he said …”You have to ask why.”

If the answer is that banks do not have money to lend, it would make sense to push capital into their hands, as the Treasury has been doing over the last two months, she continued. But if the answer is that their potential borrowers are getting less creditworthy with each passing day, “pouring money into banks isn’t going to fix that problem,” she said.

WHAT DO BAILOUTS BUY US? - writes Peter Schiff

Keeping track of the ever mutating bailout debate is becoming increasingly difficult. With the Federal money spigots now thrown wide open, and with no one of influence advising restraint, the only debate is where to direct the torrent. During the past week, the talk began with Detroit and Citigroup, but by Friday had shifted to a massive “stimulus package” to bail out consumers. The early buzz includes some very large figures. But first, a bit of a recap:

On Monday, the $300 billion Citigroup bailout took center stage. Once again Henry Paulson decided to throw taxpayer funds into a bottomless Wall Street money pit. Shockingly, the Citigroup plan did not seem to demand any serious curtailment of lavish salaries and bonuses. Paulson’s shameless largesse to his Wall Street friends has elevated financial industry bonuses to entitlement status.

“Remember Lehman” now seems to be the rallying cry to justify any and all financial bailouts. But Lehman’s demise is in no way responsible for our current problems, and the decision to let them fail is the only bright spot in otherwise consistent record of policy mistakes. We bailed out Bear Sterns and AIG, and what did that get us?

PAULSON WANTS MORE MONEY: WSJ:Paulson Debates Second Infusion

WASHINGTON — U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is debating whether to ask Congress for the second installment of the $700 billion bailout package, concerned about competing demands for the funds and a potentially hostile reaction from lawmakers.

 

Mr. Paulson’s dilemma was thrown into relief Tuesday by a report from the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, which criticized the Treasury Department’s handling of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP.

Besides lawmakers threatening to deny a request for the additional money, Mr. Paulson is also grappling with confusion stemming from the transition to a new administration.

If Mr. Paulson decides to request the next $350 billion, he is expected to do so next week. His hand may ultimately be forced if market conditions continue to deteriorate.

CREDIT CARD BUBBLE TO BURST: WAPO - TransUnion: 3Q credit card delinquency rate rises

NEW YORK — The percentage of people who were delinquent on their credit card payments rose in the third quarter from the same time last year, while average debt per borrower jumped 7.7 percent, according to credit reporting agency TransUnion LLC.

For the quarter ended September 30, 1.09 percent of credit card holders were delinquent at least 90 days on one or more of their cards. That compares with 1.03 percent for the third quarter of 2007, and an increase from 1.04 percent in the second quarter of 2008.

ANN NINAN (IPS) NO BAILOUT FOR VULNERABLE

DOHA, Dec 2 (IPS) - “Good but not enough!” “Missed opportunity!” “Talks fail to deliver!” These were some of the reactions from civil society as the U.N. Financing for Development (FfD) talks drew to a close in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.

Deep divisions over the question of how to overhaul the international financial architecture, which nearly derailed the negotiations, were papered over with the governments agreeing to convene another U.N. conference to deal with the ongoing financial crisis and its impact on development.

“The world urgently needs effective decisions and follow-up which are inclusive and decisive. Instead of action plans, (they) spent four days going back and forth on language, not on the food, energy, gender, climate, moral crises,” says Sylvia Borren of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP).

As Borren put it, “What is disappointing is there is no bailout plan for the vulnerable peoples of the world, but huge bailouts for banks and financial institutions.”

WSJ: CHINA WILL KEEP BUYING US DEBT

Worries about China’s finances are once again resurfacing in America. Commentators from Newsweek’s Fareed Zakaria to British economic historian Niall Ferguson argue that Washington needs China to buy U.S. Treasury bonds to fund U.S. fiscal spending. And with Beijing embarking on a public spending plan of its own, the argument goes, China can’t afford to play the role of America’s lender of last resort anymore.

This fearmongering grossly misrepresents the U.S.-China economic relationship. For starters, China’s two trillion dollars in reserves is already invested, so it cannot be used to fund future U.S. deficits. China can only invest future reserve accumulation in U.S. debt, and the only way it can accumulate new reserves is by running a trade surplus.

SOMALIA IN DEEP NEED - U.N.: Close To Half of All Somalis Need Aid

Almost half of Somalia’s nine million people are in crisis or need assistance, Mark Bowden, the United Nations Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator for Somalia, told reporters in Nairobi, Kenya.

He was speaking at the launch of the 2009 Humanitarian Appeal for Somalia, which is seeking to raise some $918 million for 200 projects from 14 U.N. agencies and 71 international and national non-governmental organizations.

“Somalia is unfortunately one of the most neglected humanitarian tragedies going on since the mid 1990s,” Philippe Lazzarini, who until June 2008 headed the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told The Media Line.

SHOULD WE BOMB INDIA? NO SAYS JOHN FEFFER OF FOREIGN POLICY INFOCUS

After the attacks in Mumbai last week, should the United States bomb suspected terrorist cells in India? Send the Marines to Kashmir where one of the suspected groups behind the attacks - Lashkar-e-Taiba - originates? Or initiate regime change in Pakistan, which has provided support for several terrorist outfits operating in South Asia?

These are, of course, absurd options.

And yet the Bush administration, in its “global war on terror” (GWOT), pursued just such tactics against the Taliban in Afghanistan, Saddam Hussein in Iraq, and suspected terrorist hideouts in Pakistan. Fat lot of good it’s done us. The Taliban is back in Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda, which didn’t exist in Iraq before the invasion, has a foothold there now. And Pakistan, thanks to former dictator Pervez Musharraf and his intelligence agency, remains Terrorism Central.

This military approach to terrorism has generated ineffectual, counterproductive, and quite often surreal policies. Declaring a war on terror elevated al-Qaeda and its brethren to the status of warriors. It served as a great recruiting tool for Osama bin Laden, and made the United States and its citizens a lightning rod for attacks. Other countries - China, Russia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines - have drawn inspiration from the United States for their own crackdowns on a range of purported terrorists.

This follow-the-leader effect may prove most horrific in the case of India. Believing neighboring Pakistan to be behind the Mumbai attacks, India is edging closer to its own war on terror. According to the Times of London, “The Indian government is now considering a range of responses, including suspending its five-year peace process with Pakistan, closing their border, stopping direct flights and sending troops to the frontier.” It’s one thing when the United States squares off against the ragtag army of the Taliban. But with both India and Pakistan in possession of nuclear weapons, any “war on terror” between the two can go global at a moment’s notice.

When a group of militants wages a ruthless campaign against civilians, a government certainly must respond. But the issue is: what kind of response? Instead of using the military, the British have largely used their heads, relying on police work to track down and neutralize terrorists. …

MY INDIAN COLLEAGUE AGREES WITH MY PAKISTANI FRIEND

i agree- but then india is and will remain for sometime a soft target.. as an author once wrote it is a country that battles a million mutinies simultaneously.. militants in the north east- maoists in the rural hinterland holding sway over large swathes of the country- the LTTE fighters in southern india- home grown islamic militants now forming links with the underworld- the pakistan sponsored terrorists- who in turn are carrying out the agenda of Al Qaeda and the Taliban militants-

Of course there has been a colossal intelligence failure- but india is a country which has had this for decades..

how many of us remember the militants in Punjab in the early 1980’s and the siege of The Golden Temple in 1984- because of intelligence failure that allowed militants to stock pile massive arsenal inside the holy premises of the temple- the storming of this then led to the brutal assassination of our Prime Minister Indira Gandhi- or the suicide bombing by the LTTE which killed Rajiv Gandhi- or the attack in December 2001 on the Indian Parliament- or the attack on the Akshardham Temple complex in 2002 or the numerous bomb blasts in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi from 2005 through 2008..

The only reason why the world is paying so much attention to this is because the targets were high profile and many foreigners were involved..

The real story for me is the motive - was it only to create fear and mayhem? was it to paralyze the financial center of India? was it something orchestrated by sections of the ISI so that India Pakistan would move closer to war- and it would give them legitimate reason to move troops from the Western border- and thus dilute the battle against the Taliban and Al Qaeda? Was this a message to Obama? Or.. you can add your theory..
Ramesh

YOUR LETTERS

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE ART OF MENTAL WARFARE

I read your blog this morning and it reminded me of a piece I posted almost exactly one year ago today:

WHO IS GOING TO STEAL THE ‘08 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION?

In it I explained that Gates and Hagel were behind the two previous stolen elections. Then at the end of the piece (see Additional Thoughts #5) it was suggested that they were going to put a “psuedo-Democrat” in office this time around. Then, the day after I originally posted the article, I added a very eerie update (see And The Winner Is ending section). In that section, I posted a video from Halloween 2007 in which Senator Hagel came onto the senate floor wearing a Biden mask and declared Biden to be the next President.

Well… now look at what has happened! Gates is still Sec of Defense, and Biden is VP. And based on Bush Jr. and Reagan administrations the VPs have actually run the show, Cheney and Bush Sr. respectively, while the Presidents have been mere spokesmen.

All very conspiratorial I know, but this was all written and posted in December 2007, and it has come to pass.

Check it out - read the ending sections - from Additional thoughts to the end:

FRANKLIN JOHNSON WRITES:

Here are a few observations:

Obama isn’t president, yet. This is no time to be impatient. We should at least give the guy a chance.

Obama is dedicated to doing the right thing, even though it may appear he’s a bit too accommodating.

Obama is a lover of the law as compared to Bush and Cheney who are lovers of profit.

One man can’t change the entire planet although Obama’s rise is reason for hope.

World leaders will respond positively to Obama’s leadership which will ensure a new global direction.

America gets the enemies we create. If we stop bombing innocent people maybe we could make some friends.

The “defense” budget is the core of our problems and why everything looks like a nail.

War has been obsolete since 1945. We should believe Obama only after he makes this statement in some form.

Obama will view the world differently because the four women he brings with him into the White House will force him to do so. He’s outnumbered. Michelle, her mother and two daughters are our insurance policy for change.

Mandela is important simply because he exists.

War is the ultimate form of Terrorism — the big “T” kind.

America is the only nation currently at war with other nations. More specifically, we’re engaged in racist imperialism against poor, defenseless black and brown peoples who happen to live atop or near oil. In other words, the world would be at peace if we just stopped bombing poor people into oblivion.

There is no such thing as a war on terrorism. There are wars OF terrorism launched by us and England.

Lest we forget, 9/11 was demonstrably an inside job. There’s a mountain of evidence to prove it.

Hunger for food and freedom are humanity’s top priorities. Our top priority apparently is to make sure these problems persist so we can bomb those who protest their collective captivity and degradation. This insanity will stop only when we take the profit motive out of our alleged “defense” budgets.

Sarah Palin is the antithesis to Michelle Obama. Michelle Obama won. ‘Nuf said.

Obama will become a legendary leader because we’re all sick and tired of being sick and tired. He has the mandate necessary to make serious changes our citizens will accept. Although there’s reason to be wary about his top choices for leadership positions, we know why he’s choosing them. He’s doing the right thing and, like he’s said repeatedly, the buck and inspiration starts and stops with him. We should give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s not likely to do any worse than the monstrous morons who ran the planet into a cosmic ditch. Political leadership requires vision and flexibility of purpose. The first person to give Obama the runaround will get the collar. We can be certain of this because Barack has demonstrated he knows how to run a tight ship. He won the 2008 presidential election through organizational brilliance. This fact alone should leave us confident of his ability to get things done. He will enter office with the greatest pile of political capital since FDR. Obama will put pressure on our war-mongering policies by placing great influential faith in Hillary rather than the Pentagon. Our foreign policy will be dominated by diplomacy, not militancy. For the very first time, women will run the White House and the world.

A new day is coming. Barack has promised it. Let’s wait and see if he can deliver. There’s nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. Change is the idea and the time is now. We must keep hope alive and believe in our better angels to help us move forward. It’s simply the least we can do.

ANNA TAYLOR WRITES

Funny thing: when the stock market went UP, following Obama’s appointment of Geithner, it was big “news”. When the OPPOSITE happened after the announcement of Tom Daschle, it wasn’t “news.” Now that the whole economy’s crashed, about two minutes after the announcement of Obama’s official embrace of Robert Gates et al. as his “security team” … it’s not “news”. Go figure. If The One doesn’t announce National Health the minute after he’s sworn in, might as well go for a General Strike.

Comments to dissector@mediachannel.org Not sure when I will write next.