[Rhodes22-list] Politics - Interesting Perspective- Stocking stuffer idea.

Fri Oct 17 14:15:28 EDT 2008

Ok Andrew try this one:

Which famous American refused to go to the Constitutional Convention because
he "smelt a rat"?

Hint: It wasn't Ed K.

best;

Ben C.

Brad Haslett-2 wrote:
> 
> Andrew,
> 
> Alas, the poor CoraShen will spend another weekend leaning against her
> moorings.  November through March are the best sailing months here in
> the South.
> 
> My aunt Cora died about 20 years ago and my great aunt Cora died
> before I was born.  Mr. Shen died a few weeks ago.  The original name
> of the "CoraShen" was "Serendipity". I'm still having second thoughts
> with the "sea gods" about that decision.
> 
> Getting the chance to meet people like Mr. Shen is indeed a
> serendipitous experience so maybe the "sea gods" will forgive me the
> name change.
> 
> CoraShen competes with N4451V.  They're both lovely creatures!
> 
> Brad
> 
> On Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 11:39 AM, Andrew Collins
> <sailingvesselcarmen at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Ben
>>
>> Damn! I knew it was Adams and Jefferson, but you gave it away. I like
>> trivia
>> but am weak at it since I didn't get here until high school. McC's John
>> adams taught me that one.
>>
>> Keep up the good work.
>>
>> Brad and Ed  - are you two getting out to sail?
>>
>> Andrew
>> sv Carmen
>>
>> On Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 10:54 AM, Ben Cittadino
>> <bcittadino at dcs-law.com>wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Dear PD;
>>>
>>> Thank you for going to the trouble to post Linda Monk's remarks. 
>>> Although
>>> I
>>> studied Constitutional Law as an undergraduate and in law school (Herb:
>>> Charles E. Rice was my Constitutional Law Professor-Google him-you'll
>>> love
>>> it) I have heard about the two books cited in your post which were
>>> published
>>> for general audiences.
>>>
>>> There is another little pamphlet-type book (96 pages) that I have given
>>> to
>>> nieces and nephews of high school age and above, as well as to clients
>>> that
>>> I think does a great job. It includes the full text of THe Constitution,
>>> the
>>> Declaration of Independence, The Articles of Confederation (not
>>> Confederacy
>>> Tootle, CONFEDERATION), biographies of the Founding Fathers and the
>>> answers
>>> to great questions like, "Which Two Founding Fathers died on the same
>>> day,
>>> fifty years to the day after they signed the Declaration of Indepedence,
>>> July 4, 1826?
>>>
>>> The book is "The U.S. Constitution and Fascinating Facts About It", Oak
>>> Hill
>>> Publishing Company, Box 6473, Napierville, IL 60567. For individual
>>> copies
>>> go to www.ConstitutionFacts.com <http://www.constitutionfacts.com/> or
>>> call 1-800-887-6661. Single copies cost @
>>> $3, and there are bulk rates. A GREAT STOCKING STUFFER!!!
>>>
>>> Please note I have absolutely no connection to or financial interest of
>>> any
>>> kind in the book or it's publisher, except that I have purchased it and
>>> found it informative and entertaining.
>>>
>>> Again thanks for an interesting post.
>>>
>>> Best;
>>>
>>> Ben C.
>>>
>>>
>>> PS- The answer to the question is..................Thomas Jefferson and
>>> John
>>> Adams.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> pdgrand wrote:
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > About Linda Monk
>>> >
>>> > Linda R. Monk, J.D., is a constitutional scholar, journalist, and
>>> > nationally award-winning author. A graduate of Harvard Law School, she
>>> > twice received the American Bar Association's Silv er Gavel Award, its
>>> > highest honor for law-related media. Her books include The Words We
>>> Live
>>> > By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution, Ordinary Americans: U.S.
>>> > History Through the Eyes of Everyday People,</ SPAN>  < /I>and The
>>> Bill
>>> of
>>> > Rights: A User's Guide. For more than 20 years, Ms. Monk has written
>>> > commentary for newspapers nationwide, including the New York Times,
>>> > Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > THE PARTY'S OVER
>>> >
>>> > By Linda Monk
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > The Crash of 2008, which is now wiping out trillions of dollars of our
>>> > people's wealth, is, like the Crash of 1929, likely to mark the end of
>>> one
>>> > era and the onset of another.The new era will see a more sober and
>>> much
>>> > diminished America. The "Omnipower" and "Indispensable Nation" we
>>> heard
>>> > about in all the hubris and braggadocio following our Cold War victory
>>> is
>>> > history. Seizing on the crisis, the left says we are witnessing the
>>> > failure of market economics , a failure of conservatism.
>>> >
>>> > This is nonsense.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > What we are witnessing is the collapse of Gordon Gecko ("Greed Is
>>> Good!")
>>> > capitalism.
>>> >
>>> > What we are witnessing is what happens to a prodigal nation that
>>> ignores
>>> > history, and forgets and abandons the philosophy and principles that
>>>  made
>>> > it great.  A true conservative (Rep or Dem) cherishes prudence and
>>> > believes in fiscal responsibility, balanced budgets and a self-reliant
>>> > republic.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > He believes in saving for retirement and a rainy day, in deferred
>>> > gratification, in not buying on credit what you cannot afford, in
>>> living
>>> > within your means.
>>> >
>>> > Is that really what got Wall Street and us into this mess -- that we
>>> > followed too religiously the gospel of Robert Taft and Russell Kirk?
>>> >
>>> > "Government must save us!" cries the left, as ever.
>>> >
>>> > Yet, who got us into this mess if not the government -- the Fed with
>>> its
>>> > easy money, Bush with his profligate spending, and Congress and the
>>> SEC
>>> by
>>> > liberating Wall Street and failing to step in and stop the drunken
>>> orgy?
>>> >
>>> > For years, we Americans have spent more than we earned.
>>> >
>>> > We save nothing.
>>> >
>>> > Credit card debt, consumer debt, auto debt, mortgage debt, corporate
>>> debt
>>> > -- all are at record levels.
>>> >
>>> > And with pensions and savings being wiped out, much of that debt will
>>> > never be repaid.
>>> >
>>> > Our standard of living is inevitably going to fall.
>>> >
>>> > For foreigners will not forever buy our bonds or lend us more money if
>>> > they rightly fear that they will be paid back, if at all, in cheaper
>>> > dollars.
>>> >
>>> > We are going to have to learn to live again within our means.
>>> >
>>> > THE PARTY'S OVER!
>>> >
>>> > Up through World War II, we followed the Hamiltonian idea that America
>>> > must remain economically independent of the world in order to remain
>>> > politically independent.
>>> >
>>> > But this generation decided that was yesterday's bromide and we must
>>> march
>>> > bravely forward into a Global Economy, where we all depend on one
>>> another.
>>> >
>>> > American companies morphed into "Global Companies" and moved plants
>>> and
>>> > factories to Mexico, Asia, China& lt; /SPAN> and India, and we began
>>> > buying more cheaply from abroad what we used to make at home: shoes,
>>> > clothes, bikes, cars, radios, TVs, planes, computers.
>>> >
>>> > As the trade deficits began inexorably to rise to 6 percent of GDP, we
>>> > began vast borrowing from abroad to continue buying from abroad.
>>> >
>>> > At home, propelled by tax cuts, war in Iraq and an explosion in social
>>> > spending, surpluses vanished and deficits reappeared and began to
>>> rise.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > The dollar began to sink, and gold began to soar.
>>> >
>>> > Yet, still, the promises of the politicians come.
>>> >
>>> > Barack Obama will give us national health insurance and tax cuts for
>>> all
>>> > but that 2 percent of the nation that already carries 50 percent of
>>> the
>>> > federal income tax load.
>>> >
>>> > John McCain is going to cut taxes, expand the military, move NATO into
>>> > Georgia and Ukraine, confront Russia and force Iran to stop enriching
>>> > uranium or "bomb, bomb, bomb," with Joe Lieberman as wartime
>>> consigliore.
>>> >
>>> > Who are we kidding?
>>> >
>>> > What we are witnessing today is how empires end.
>>> >
>>> > The Last Superpower is unable to defend its borders, protect its
>>> currency,
>>> > win its wars or balance its budget.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Medicare and Social Security are headed for the cliff with unfunded
>>> > liabilities in the tens of trillions of dollars.
>>> >
>>> > What we are witnessing today is nothing less than a Katrina-like
>>> failure
>>> > of government, of our political class, and of democracy itself,
>>> casting a
>>> > cloud over the viability and longevity of the system.
>>> >
>>> > Notice who is managing the crisis.
>>> >
>>> > Not our elected leaders.
>>> >
>>> > Nancy Pelosi says she had nothing to do with it.
>>> >
>>> > Congress is paralyzed and heading home.
>>> >
>>> > President Bush is nowhere to be seen.
>>> >
>>> > Hank Paulson of Goldman Sachs and Ben Bernanke of the Fed chose to
>>> bail
>>> > out Bear Sterns but let Lehman go under.
>>> >
>>> > They decided to nationalize Fannie and Freddie at a cost to taxpayers
>>> of
>>> > hundreds of billions, putting the U.S.government behind $5 trillion in
>>> > mortgages.
>>> >
>>> > They decided to buy AIG with $85 billion rather than see the insurance
>>> > giant sink beneath the waves.
>>> >
>>> > An unelected financial elite is now entrusted with the assignment of
>>> > getting us out of a disaster into which an unelected financial elite
>>> > plunged the nation.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > We are just spectators.
>>> >
>>> > What the Greatest Generation handed down to us -- the richest, most
>>> > powerful, most self-sufficient republic in history, with the highest
>>> > standard of living any nation had ever achieved -- the baby boomers,
>>> > oblivious and self-indulgent to the end, have frittered away.
>>> >
>>> > ________________________________
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Added Comments:
>>> >
>>> > How do WE THE PEOPLE put the villains who are responsible under oath
>>> and
>>> > sit them down at public hearings to determine whose necks should meet
>>> the
>>> > guillotine?
>>> >
>>> > Hypocritically, those who had oversight responsibility  such as
>>> Senator
>>> > Chris Dodd [Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee] and Barney Frank
>>> > [Chairman, House Financial Services Committee] who helped get us into
>>> this
>>> > mess are on every TV channel voicing their righteous indignation and
>>> > pompously sitting on their elevated platform glaring down at those
>>> they
>>> > are chastising and grilling, trying to pass the blame to others.
>>> >
>>> > WE THE PEOPLE should be on the elevated platform in judgment and
>>> execution
>>> > of the likes of Chris Dodd, Barney Frank and the rest of the band of
>>> > thieves and conspirators who are responsible for the financial
>>> collapse
>>> of
>>> > theUSA.
>>> >
>>> > To name just a few of the culprits:
>>> >
>>> >           Henry Paulson Jr,  Secretary of the Treasury
>>> >
>>> > Alan Greenspan & Ben Bernanke -- Chairman         Federal Reserve
>>> >
>>> > Christopher Cox, SEC Chairman.
>>> >
>>> > But not to worry -- YOUR PUBLIC SERVANTS who fear being voted out of
>>> > office will take their self-awarded Golden Parachute Congressional
>>> > Retirement, give WE THE PEOPLE the finger one last time and head for
>>> their
>>> > safe havens as the World Citizens they are.
>>> >
>>> > However, before they waddle off into the sunset, they will go on
>>> record
>>> > one last time denouncing corporate greed, lavish salaries and bonuses
>>> for
>>> > their key felons at Fannie May, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers & AIG.
>>> >
>>> > Meanwhile, WE THE PEOPLE fiddle while Rome burns and are too lazy and
>>> > indifferent to vote the scum out of office.
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