Today a congressional subcommittee heard testimony on the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility's report that concluded that two attorneys who advised the Bush administration on enhanced interrogation techniques committed professional misconduct.
But no action was taken against the lawyers, John Yoo and Jay Bybee, because Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis concluded that they displayed only poor judgment.
Joining us on News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network to discuss the infamous "torture memo" and why he believes action should have been taken against the pair was Stephen Vladeck, law professor at American University's Washington College of Law.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
News Talk Online February 25, 2010: Missile Defense & Obama's Health Summit
Dr. Ben Bova, author of the thrilling novel Able One, which explores a futuristic missile defense system where lasers are used to shoot down enemy nuclear warheads, was my guest on News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network.
Shortly after his book was published, a test of a real-life air-to-missile defense system was conducted off the coast of California, putting Bova, once again, in the position of writing a novel that gets imitated by life.
The second half of the show focused on the White House health reform summit which was carried live today on the Paltalk News Network.
Shortly after his book was published, a test of a real-life air-to-missile defense system was conducted off the coast of California, putting Bova, once again, in the position of writing a novel that gets imitated by life.
The second half of the show focused on the White House health reform summit which was carried live today on the Paltalk News Network.
The Incredible Shrinking City Of Detroit
By GARY BAUMGARTEN
Paltalk News Network
On a recent trip to my native Detroit, I reported on block after block after block in some neighborhoods where virtually all the houses were abandoned, burned down or bulldozed. Some blocks have but one or two houses that are occupied.
Now, newly elected Mayor Dave Bing says he wants to move people out of those neighborhoods completely. In essence, he wants to shrink the city.
It's impossible, the mayor says, to maintain any level of service to the communities that have been effectively abandoned. So he wants to close them down.
The plan, which Bing, a former NBA player and then a successful businessman, says will surely face a legal challenge, means that those neighborhoods will have no schools. No police stations. No fire stations.
No garbage pick up. No street maintenance. No bus service.
In other words, the neighborhoods will be turned into Midwestern ghost towns.
Not that they aren't already.
Lawlessness reigns in these neighborhoods. Arsonists travel through them setting abandoned buildings on fire with impunity.
But, how do you force people who own their homes to move?
What about the few remaining businesses? How do you compensate them for their claimed losses?
Do you, at a certain point, tell your cops to stop patrolling the affected neighborhoods? The Fire Department to stop responding to fires? Wouldn't that open the city up to liability?
And do you unincorporated the areas that you wish to abandon? So that you're no longer responsible for providing services there?
Or is the long-term plan - as some critics are charging - to move residents out and industry in?
It's a perplexing problem. Clearly - as more properties become abandoned - the tax base continues to erode. Making it more difficult to provide services to the neighborhoods Bing is targeting.
There are those who will agree with the mayor that this is the prudent thing to do. If the city continues to try to provide service to all neighborhoods where only a few families are hanging on - it then has fewer resources to other areas of the city where there are more dense populations.
But there are others still hold onto the dream that these plots of abandoned property comprise neighborhoods. They see opportunity to revitalize.
In the end, one thing is painfully clear. The Detroit of today barely resembles the Detroit of my youth - one where the American dream - spurred by a then-vibrant auto industry - was within the grasp of anyone who was willing to work. The fact that conditions are such that Bing is motivated to proposing shrinking the city is an American tragedy.
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Photo: Ted Fines Photography
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
News Talk Online February 24, 2010: Man Bulldozes House Ahead Of Foreclosure
By GARY BAUMGARTEN
Paltalk News Network
If there any amongst us who still doesn't believe that this Great Recession is devastating - I offer you the story of Terry Hoskins of Moscow, Ohio.
Hoskins, who has been trying to work out a loan modification with his bank to save his house from foreclosure, has made good on his promise to bulldoze the house before the mortgage company could reclaim him.
Flying an airplane into an IRS building in Austin, Texas over similar frustrations isn't cool. But this action I like.
I can't begin to tell you the number of people I know or I've met who are struggling to keep their homes. They are decent people who want to remain in the house and maintain it. All they need is a little relief from their banks.
But instead of helping their customers out, the banks are only too happy to evict them. All-too-often they aren't really helping themselves. The house remains vacant and the bank has to pay to upkeep the grounds. The property erodes. And instead of taking in some albeit reduced money for the house - they lose any flow of income.
And some family finds itself out on the street.
A family that probably shouldn't have qualified for the loan in the first place - but was granted it because of the bank's own predatory lending practices. Or a family whose head-of-household was simply laid off and has fallen on hard economic times.
I was talking just the other day to a woman friend - a single mom - from whom her ex-husband has hidden assets to avoid paying his fair share in child support and alimony. She works three - count them - three jobs, in an attempt to keep the house which is home to her and her four children - all of college age - all of whom are not getting any financial assistance from their father for their educations.
She has tried to utilize all the programs supposedly available to be able to keep her home. But, the system is far stronger than is she. It has beaten her down.
Now this is a tough woman who has successfully battled cancer. She's someone I admire - because she has been doing all of the "right things" to provide for her family without outside assistance. She probably could have gone on welfare - rather than work three jobs - but that's just not her nature.
And the improvements she's made on this house over the years. It has an amazing garden and yard - the result of long hours of her tender loving care.
Of course, none of this matters to the bank. The answer is "no" to her request to refinance the house. It's a sure-fire bet that once they evict her - as surely they will - the value of that property will decrease.
I doubt that my friend will rent a bulldozer and knock the house down like Terry Hoskins did. But there are millions of Terry Hoskins and people like my friend who have reached the end of ropes. They are our friends, our neighbors and sometimes, us.
The nation should be in crisis mode over this. Real programs to help people - laws to protect them - are needed. The time for words is over. It's time for action.
The discontent runs much deeper than the superficial analysis of the Tea Party movement would suggest. But, as usual, those insulated within the Beltway, are the last to know. And those who do know, on Wall Street, are too busy counting their bonuses to care.
Paltalk News Network
If there any amongst us who still doesn't believe that this Great Recession is devastating - I offer you the story of Terry Hoskins of Moscow, Ohio.
Hoskins, who has been trying to work out a loan modification with his bank to save his house from foreclosure, has made good on his promise to bulldoze the house before the mortgage company could reclaim him.
Flying an airplane into an IRS building in Austin, Texas over similar frustrations isn't cool. But this action I like.
I can't begin to tell you the number of people I know or I've met who are struggling to keep their homes. They are decent people who want to remain in the house and maintain it. All they need is a little relief from their banks.
But instead of helping their customers out, the banks are only too happy to evict them. All-too-often they aren't really helping themselves. The house remains vacant and the bank has to pay to upkeep the grounds. The property erodes. And instead of taking in some albeit reduced money for the house - they lose any flow of income.
And some family finds itself out on the street.
A family that probably shouldn't have qualified for the loan in the first place - but was granted it because of the bank's own predatory lending practices. Or a family whose head-of-household was simply laid off and has fallen on hard economic times.
I was talking just the other day to a woman friend - a single mom - from whom her ex-husband has hidden assets to avoid paying his fair share in child support and alimony. She works three - count them - three jobs, in an attempt to keep the house which is home to her and her four children - all of college age - all of whom are not getting any financial assistance from their father for their educations.
She has tried to utilize all the programs supposedly available to be able to keep her home. But, the system is far stronger than is she. It has beaten her down.
Now this is a tough woman who has successfully battled cancer. She's someone I admire - because she has been doing all of the "right things" to provide for her family without outside assistance. She probably could have gone on welfare - rather than work three jobs - but that's just not her nature.
And the improvements she's made on this house over the years. It has an amazing garden and yard - the result of long hours of her tender loving care.
Of course, none of this matters to the bank. The answer is "no" to her request to refinance the house. It's a sure-fire bet that once they evict her - as surely they will - the value of that property will decrease.
I doubt that my friend will rent a bulldozer and knock the house down like Terry Hoskins did. But there are millions of Terry Hoskins and people like my friend who have reached the end of ropes. They are our friends, our neighbors and sometimes, us.
The nation should be in crisis mode over this. Real programs to help people - laws to protect them - are needed. The time for words is over. It's time for action.
The discontent runs much deeper than the superficial analysis of the Tea Party movement would suggest. But, as usual, those insulated within the Beltway, are the last to know. And those who do know, on Wall Street, are too busy counting their bonuses to care.
News Talk Online February 23, 2010: Legislation Dying On The Senate Vine, Funding Higher Education
The stalemate over legislation in Washington was one topic discussed on today's News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network.
Nearly 300 bills passed by the House of Representatives remain basically untouched by the Senate. Even though the Democrats control the House, the Senate and the White House, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blamed the logjam on the Republicans.
Also on today's agenda - the failure of the United States to make it possible for those who are qualified but lack the financial means to obtain a higher education.
Nearly 300 bills passed by the House of Representatives remain basically untouched by the Senate. Even though the Democrats control the House, the Senate and the White House, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blamed the logjam on the Republicans.
Also on today's agenda - the failure of the United States to make it possible for those who are qualified but lack the financial means to obtain a higher education.
News Talk Online February 22, 2010: Scientology Turns The Tables, Rising Sea Levels Questioned
The Scientology Church's hiring of three award-winning investigative journalists to probe the St. Petersburg Times, which has been investigating the church, was one topic discussed on this edition of News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network.
We also discussed, among other things, a scientist questioning the data he used to publish a report in a scientific journal in support of previous scientific claims of rising sea levels due to climate changes.
We also discussed, among other things, a scientist questioning the data he used to publish a report in a scientific journal in support of previous scientific claims of rising sea levels due to climate changes.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Joe Stack's Grievances Should Not Be Ignored
By GARY BAUMGARTEN
Paltalk News Network
A columnist for AlterNet - a progressive Internet news service - writes today that while the actions of Austin, Texas kamikaze pilot Joe Stack - who flew his small plane into an office building housing the IRS - are inexcusable - his complaints were valid and ought not to be dismissed.
"Deplorable though he might be, Stack is not quite a 'random bad apple.'" His act might be uncommon, but his jumbled populism is not. His crime is in no way excusable, but it spotlights a larger problem that both political and corporate elites like to caricature or dismiss: visceral populist anger," writes Rich Benjamin.
Benjamin has a point.
We as a nation can't just ignore those among us who feel disenfranchised.
In his manifesto, Stack rants about "taxation without representation." He is clearly not alone among those who fear the IRS. Who feel that its ability to promulgate rules that have the effect of law without the approval of Congress is, in effect, taxing people without representation. A major grievance that the patriots voiced when deciding to rebel against the British in the 1700s.
Stack talks, as well, about the big companies that plundered the United States while people suffered. He mentions GM specifically. But who among us - with the exception of those who have enjoyed the largess of the taxpayer's bailout money - are not similarly frustrated by the bonuses on Wall Street? Bonuses at the cost of people who have lost their homes because those same financial institutions we bailed out used predatory tactics to sell them mortgages for which they really didn't for.
Stack also complains about insurance companies that "murder 10s of thousands of Americans" a year. Murder is a strong word. But, coincidentally, I've just begin looking into the cases of a number of musicians - people who lacked health insurance - who apparently died as a result. I bet everyone reading this article knows someone who has been denied care - either because their health insurance company wouldn't cover it - or because they had none.
The manifesto talks about people who worked all their lives - with a portion of their salaries being placed into pension funds - only to find that when they reached their "golden years" that the money was gone and all they had left to live on was Social Security. That's not living. That's barely existing.
Then, of course, there are those among us who have worked all their lives - only to find themselves unemployed and struggling to keep their homes. Stack goes into some detail about how he, as an independent technical services worker, lost all his retirement savings and was forced to work 100 hours a week to survive. The result of a combination of the economy failing and IRS tax codes, he writes. While his exact circumstances are not, of coursed, mirrored by everynone, many among us are similarly frustrated - and feel that they, like Stack, are at the end of their ropes - because of their lack of economic prowess.
There are those who have dismissed Joe Stack as a right wing nut job. But perhaps not.
He closes his manifesto with this:
The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.
The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed.
His actions, of course, cannot be justified. But as former President Clinton might put it, we can feel his pain.
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Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dontloseyourlunch/4367724577/
Friday, February 19, 2010
News Talk Online February 19, 2010: Is Obama's Spoonful Of Sugar Enough To Make Health Reform Medicine Go Down?
By GARY BAUMGARTEN
Paltalk News Network
It's being reported that President Obama is working to put together a health reform bill that - in contrast with those that were previously proposed and opposed - will be palatable to the Republicans.
The idea is to ultimately report a bill out of committee in the Senate that won't generate a filibuster.
Unlike during the first go-around, this is important now because of the election of Republican Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate. The addition of Brown, who now holds the seat that had been emptied by the death of Democrat Ted Kennedy, tipped the balance in the Senate just enough to give the Republicans enough votes to conduct a filibuster.
It is unfortunate that it took the threat of a filibuster to get the Democrats to attempt to offer legislation that the GOP might accept. The party's arrogance during this process hit a nerve, created vocal constituent opposition to health reform, and forced the Democrats to stop the process and go back to the drawing board.
Polls had indicated at the beginning of this venture that the majority of Americans wanted health reform. Which means that it was the Democrat's exclusionary process - not the concept - that doomed the effort.
Obama is convening a health reform summit that - this time - includes Republicans - in an attempt to repair this damage. But even that - and this reported concession-laden draft - may now not be enough.
On February 11, a Rasmussen poll found that only 35 percent of voters believe Congress should pass health care reform before the upcoming midterm elections.
Paltalk News Network
It's being reported that President Obama is working to put together a health reform bill that - in contrast with those that were previously proposed and opposed - will be palatable to the Republicans.
The idea is to ultimately report a bill out of committee in the Senate that won't generate a filibuster.
Unlike during the first go-around, this is important now because of the election of Republican Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate. The addition of Brown, who now holds the seat that had been emptied by the death of Democrat Ted Kennedy, tipped the balance in the Senate just enough to give the Republicans enough votes to conduct a filibuster.
It is unfortunate that it took the threat of a filibuster to get the Democrats to attempt to offer legislation that the GOP might accept. The party's arrogance during this process hit a nerve, created vocal constituent opposition to health reform, and forced the Democrats to stop the process and go back to the drawing board.
Polls had indicated at the beginning of this venture that the majority of Americans wanted health reform. Which means that it was the Democrat's exclusionary process - not the concept - that doomed the effort.
Obama is convening a health reform summit that - this time - includes Republicans - in an attempt to repair this damage. But even that - and this reported concession-laden draft - may now not be enough.
On February 11, a Rasmussen poll found that only 35 percent of voters believe Congress should pass health care reform before the upcoming midterm elections.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
News Talk Online February 18, 2010: TSA To Swab Hands - But It Misses The Point
By GARY BAUMGARTEN
Paltalk News Network Correspondent
The latest tool in the war against terrorism at airports - airline passengers in the United States will be subject to random palm swabs for explosives. It would be a good idea if were not for the random part.
The truth is, random screening at airports do little or nothing to really protect the flying public. What are the chances that a random search would have caught the Christmas Day underwear bomber? I'm not a mathematician, but I'm certain that a statistical analyst could answer the question based on the number of people on the flight and the number of passengers who would be randomly selected for the palm screening.
It's all because in the name of protecting the security process from accusations of profiling - the screening will be random in nature.
Imagine if the cops in your city or town started randomly stopping people for interrogation. There actually have been stop and frisk laws in some cities in the United States that allowed for the police to do this in high crime areas. Laws that have been stuck down - and with good reason.
Instead, a good cop senses when someone needs investigation. Sometimes a car that looks out-of-place draws his or her attention. Sometimes it's the demeanor of someone walking down the street.
Put yourself in the place of an officer who is patrolling an area known for street crime. Someone he spots acts nervously as the officer approaches. The cop stops and asks the person some questions. The individual becomes evasive. His palms are sweaty. There are other indications - perhaps a shifting of the eyes - that a trained interrogator picks up as a sign that the person is worthy of further investigation.
A pat-down reveals narcotics. Or a weapon. Or a quick call on the police radio determines the person is wanted.
It happens every day on the streets of America. We trust trained officers to make decisions like this each time they put on their badges and report for work. But the same proven techniques aren't used when it comes to stopping someone bent on bringing down an airplane with perhaps hundreds of people on board.
Why?
For fear of being accused of profiling.
But getting back to the cop scenario - didn't the officer profile the suspect? He chose a suspicious person to question - not some woman randomly pushing a baby stroller down the street.
Of course, racial, ethnic or religious profiling is wrong. It's not only illegal - but it's as counterproductive as random screening.
What is needed is training of TSA officers so that they can spot - like the cop on the beat - people who fit certain profiles.
The Israelis do it all the time. It happened to me on a flight from Tel
Aviv. Something in my manner - or perhaps the way I answered his questions - caused the screener to pull me aside and subject me to a battery of questions. Why was I in Israel? What was my purpose? How can I prove this? Who packed my bags? Who was I flying with? What are their names, their relationships to me. It was pretty personal and intrusive questioning.
Clearly he didn't choose me because I'm an Arab - because I'm not. Nor because I'm a Muslim - because I'm not that either. But he did profile me - based on something I said or did.
In the end, though slightly embarrassed by the incident, I was impressed with the level of security and the vigilance shown by the screener. As I settled back in my seat for take off, I felt confident that everything possible had been done (including far more extensive and intrusive baggage screening than we have in the U.S.) to insure that the flight would be free of a terrorist attack. And isn't that what the screening is supposed to be all about?
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
News Talk Online February 17, 2010: Throw The Bums Out!
A CNN/Opinion Research poll says most Americans favor tossing incumbent members of Congress out during the mid-term election this fall. It also finds that a majority of Americans believe that President Obama should not seek re-election.
The poll, and voter's attitudes toward Congress and the president, were the topic of today's News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network.
The poll, and voter's attitudes toward Congress and the president, were the topic of today's News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
News Talk Online February 16, 2010: Capture Of A Taliban Leader, Afghan Offensive
The capture of Mullah Abdul Ghani Bardar, a top Taliban military official in Pakistan, was a main topic of discussion during today's News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network. As was the related success of the U.S.-led NATO offensive against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Monday, February 15, 2010
News Talk Online February 15, 2009: Iran, Cheney Supporting Obama & Sarah Palin
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's comments that Iran is moving toward a military dictatorship was one of the issues discussed on today's News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney's support of the Obama administration's new Afghan offensive and his criticism of Sara Palin's comment that Obama could save his presidency by attacking Iran were also topics on today's show.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney's support of the Obama administration's new Afghan offensive and his criticism of Sara Palin's comment that Obama could save his presidency by attacking Iran were also topics on today's show.
Friday, February 12, 2010
News Talk Online February 12, 2010: The Love Doctor
Just-released findings from the NIH Early Years of Marriage (EYM) Project, the longest running study of marriage ever conducted in the US, reveal that it's simple gestures and small behavioral shifts that keep couples together and happy over the long term.
Happy relationships shouldn't be hard work, says research professor and psychologist Dr. Terri Orbuch, project director of the landmark study. While many relationship experts say you should focus on fixing what's wrong, her research shows that adding positive behaviors to the relationship has a much greater impact on couples' happiness.
Dr. Orbuch and her team of researchers have observed 373 married couples for nearly a quarter decade. In her new book, 5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great (Random House, 2009), she discloses stunning findings from the EYM study for the first time that she's translated into practical tips all couples can use, married or not.
Orbuch, known as the Love Doctor, has a new book out, Five Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great, and she outlined those steps and answered caller's relationship and rommance questions on this last News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network before Valentine's Day.
Happy relationships shouldn't be hard work, says research professor and psychologist Dr. Terri Orbuch, project director of the landmark study. While many relationship experts say you should focus on fixing what's wrong, her research shows that adding positive behaviors to the relationship has a much greater impact on couples' happiness.
Dr. Orbuch and her team of researchers have observed 373 married couples for nearly a quarter decade. In her new book, 5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great (Random House, 2009), she discloses stunning findings from the EYM study for the first time that she's translated into practical tips all couples can use, married or not.
Orbuch, known as the Love Doctor, has a new book out, Five Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great, and she outlined those steps and answered caller's relationship and rommance questions on this last News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network before Valentine's Day.
Terror Trial Could Be Handed Back To Military Commission
By GARY BAUMGARTEN
Paltalk News Nework
The Obama administration is now rethinking its decision to hold the Gitmo 5 trial in a federal courthouse in Manhattan and is considering handing authority over the terrorist suspects to a military commission. Many in the New York area are hopeful that will be the case.
"I believe it belongs in the military system," said Paltalk News Network contributor Gary Moskowitz.
"This is an act of war. we are fighting a war. This is not a criminal case," said Moskowitz, a former New York City police officer and currently a security consultant.
"People don't know the definition of a crime as compared to terrorism," he said."
"Terrorism is an act of war against a country. Terrorist trials have to be held in a military tribunal."
Moskowitz also is concerned about the cost of providing security for a trial in lower Manhattan. Instead, he believes, an isolated portion of the country should be designated as the site for these trials.
"A court system should be opened up in the desert somewhere where it can be well protected and you don't have to endanger people. To endanger populations is wrong," he said.
His comments are echoed by Liz Berney, also a Paltalk News Network contributor and a Republican candidate for Congress in New York.
"Bringing them to New York should never have been under consideration," said Berney, an attorney, who has been advocating returning the suspects to the military system of justice.
"New York does not need to be turned into an armed camp in order to give terrorists an opportunity to showcase their supposed grievances against the world."
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IM me at: http://gary.superim.me
Paltalk News Nework
The Obama administration is now rethinking its decision to hold the Gitmo 5 trial in a federal courthouse in Manhattan and is considering handing authority over the terrorist suspects to a military commission. Many in the New York area are hopeful that will be the case.
"I believe it belongs in the military system," said Paltalk News Network contributor Gary Moskowitz.
"This is an act of war. we are fighting a war. This is not a criminal case," said Moskowitz, a former New York City police officer and currently a security consultant.
"People don't know the definition of a crime as compared to terrorism," he said."
"Terrorism is an act of war against a country. Terrorist trials have to be held in a military tribunal."
Moskowitz also is concerned about the cost of providing security for a trial in lower Manhattan. Instead, he believes, an isolated portion of the country should be designated as the site for these trials.
"A court system should be opened up in the desert somewhere where it can be well protected and you don't have to endanger people. To endanger populations is wrong," he said.
His comments are echoed by Liz Berney, also a Paltalk News Network contributor and a Republican candidate for Congress in New York.
"Bringing them to New York should never have been under consideration," said Berney, an attorney, who has been advocating returning the suspects to the military system of justice.
"New York does not need to be turned into an armed camp in order to give terrorists an opportunity to showcase their supposed grievances against the world."
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IM me at: http://gary.superim.me
Thursday, February 11, 2010
News Talk Online February 11, 2010: President Clinton Hospitalized, Iran Demonstrations
Breaking news about former President Clinton undergoing a procedure at New York's Columbia Presbyterian Hospital to relieve chest pain topped the news on today's News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network.
Then we discussed in detail the demonstrations, counter-demonstrations and human rights violations in Iran on this, the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution there.
Then we discussed in detail the demonstrations, counter-demonstrations and human rights violations in Iran on this, the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution there.
News Talk Online February 10, 2010: Paltalk News Network's Philosophy, Olympic Skiing
The Paltalk News Network's commitment to bringing many differing points of view was the subject of the first segment of News Talk Online.
Former freestyle competitor, coach and official Larry Holmes joined us to share some of his videos documenting the sport over the decades. He was joined by 1998 Olympics gold medal freestyle skiing champion Nikki Stone reporting live from Vancouver, site of this week's Winter Games.
Former freestyle competitor, coach and official Larry Holmes joined us to share some of his videos documenting the sport over the decades. He was joined by 1998 Olympics gold medal freestyle skiing champion Nikki Stone reporting live from Vancouver, site of this week's Winter Games.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
News Talk Online February 9, 2010: France's Fight For National Identity
By GARY BAUMGARTEN
Paltalk News Network
When you travel to France it's supposed to be to enjoy the French culture. But an influx of immigrants has many in that nation fear that they are losing their national identify. And now, the government is doing something about it.
The last straw, perhaps, was the jeering at the national anthem by immigrants at a soccer tournament. They were there to support the team of their native land.
Whatever the defining moment, it is clear that the French have had it with people who come from other lands intent on molding French culture into their own. So French Prime Minister Francois Fillon says, from now on, anyone who wants to emigrate to France must sign a declaration of values. French values.
The government is also ordering schools to fly the French flag. And is directing the singing of La Marseilleise - the French national anthem - at schools.
Not everyone is happy with the new directive. Some are arguing that it's a blatent anti-Muslim move. But doesn't a nation have the right to maintain and preserve its culture?
What would the reaction be if, for example, a bunch of French immigrants moved to Saudi Arabia, Morocco or Algiers and jeered at the playing of their host nation's national anthem? Would a crackdown on such impoliteness be viewed as anti-French? Or anti-Christian?
The old saying - when in Rome do as the Romans do - could well be applied here. Modified, of course, to when in Paris do as the Parisians do.
A stranger in a strange land is supposed to be warmly greeted. But he is also expected to be respectful of the values of the country he is visiting. This is even more pronounced when he adopts a new country as his own.
I've never understood those who move to the United States only to repeatedly attack this country. They of course, have the right to do so. But the question I have is, then why did they move here?
The same can be asked of those who move to France, and increasingly England, Sweden and other nations, who have no respect for the values there.
The French response may seem extreme. But it's a response to extreme disregard by those who care little about the culture and history of their adopted nation. I wouldn't be surprised if other nations follow the lead of the French.
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IM me at: http://gary.superim.me
Monday, February 8, 2010
Can A Reporter Get Too Close To A Story?
By GARY BAUMGARTEN
Paltalk News Network
The public editor at the New York Times is recommending that the paper's Jerusalem bureau chief be reassigned because his son is now in the Israeli army. How can the father be objective, the editor asks, with a son in harm's way? I understand the concern, but where does one draw the line?
It's not unusual for editors and assignment desks to send black reporters out to cover the African American community. Hispanics to cover Latinos. Arabs to cover Arabs. And Jews to cover Jews. The theory is that they have a better understanding and probably have greater access to those communities. But how objective then, based on the public editor's recommendation, are these reporters?
What about women reporters covering women's issues? Ex-jocks covering sports?
Handicapped reporters covering the disabled? It sounds a bit absurd, but it's a fair question, if you follow the logic offered by Times public editor Clark Hoyt.
What about the time-honored tradition of using indigenous reporters to cover events in other lands? Should Iraqis be precluded from reporting from Iraq? Afghans from Afghanistan? Iranians from Iran?
Doesn't it really come down to the integrity of the reporter? Presumably, Times Jerusalem Bureau Chief Ethan Bronner has strong feelings about the positions the Israelis take on issues that he is covering. His job is to put those feelings aside and be objective. Does that suddenly end when his son joins the IDF?
To be fair, Hoyt is not questioning Bronner's objectivity. He's raising questions about perceptions. But perhaps he's creating the perceptions himself. (It should be noted that the pro-Palestinian Electronic Intifada site was first to raise the issue.)
During the Vietnam War, when the draft was in place, I'm sure there were reporters whose sons were called to serve. Were there calls for them to stop writing about the war? I don't recall that there were.
Either the people you hire are objective or they are not. If they are, they use their personal experiences to enhance their reporting. They draw upon them to ask insightful questions.
Hoyt says he isn't calling into question Bronner's integrity here. But, sadly, because of this suggestion, his integrity is being questioned. Questioned without foundation.
That's the kind of sloppy reporting that, as the newspaper's ombudsman, Hoyt is supposed to be guarding against.
Paltalk News Network
The public editor at the New York Times is recommending that the paper's Jerusalem bureau chief be reassigned because his son is now in the Israeli army. How can the father be objective, the editor asks, with a son in harm's way? I understand the concern, but where does one draw the line?
It's not unusual for editors and assignment desks to send black reporters out to cover the African American community. Hispanics to cover Latinos. Arabs to cover Arabs. And Jews to cover Jews. The theory is that they have a better understanding and probably have greater access to those communities. But how objective then, based on the public editor's recommendation, are these reporters?
What about women reporters covering women's issues? Ex-jocks covering sports?
Handicapped reporters covering the disabled? It sounds a bit absurd, but it's a fair question, if you follow the logic offered by Times public editor Clark Hoyt.
What about the time-honored tradition of using indigenous reporters to cover events in other lands? Should Iraqis be precluded from reporting from Iraq? Afghans from Afghanistan? Iranians from Iran?
Doesn't it really come down to the integrity of the reporter? Presumably, Times Jerusalem Bureau Chief Ethan Bronner has strong feelings about the positions the Israelis take on issues that he is covering. His job is to put those feelings aside and be objective. Does that suddenly end when his son joins the IDF?
To be fair, Hoyt is not questioning Bronner's objectivity. He's raising questions about perceptions. But perhaps he's creating the perceptions himself. (It should be noted that the pro-Palestinian Electronic Intifada site was first to raise the issue.)
During the Vietnam War, when the draft was in place, I'm sure there were reporters whose sons were called to serve. Were there calls for them to stop writing about the war? I don't recall that there were.
Either the people you hire are objective or they are not. If they are, they use their personal experiences to enhance their reporting. They draw upon them to ask insightful questions.
Hoyt says he isn't calling into question Bronner's integrity here. But, sadly, because of this suggestion, his integrity is being questioned. Questioned without foundation.
That's the kind of sloppy reporting that, as the newspaper's ombudsman, Hoyt is supposed to be guarding against.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Michigan - A Tale Of 2 States
By GARY BAUMGARTEN
Paltalk News Network
DETROIT - I arrived in Michigan about a week ago fully expecting to see despair and with the sad anticipation that I'd meet many people out of work. I found that, but I also found prosperity and vibrant commerce as well.
Eight days later and I'm still scratching my head. I can't quite figure it out.
On the one hand, I went through neighborhoods in Detroit that boast as few as one or two occupied houses on one full city block. The rest are either abandoned or have been demolished.
I've met people who are out of work - from pizza delivery people to company executives. People who can't find jobs. People who have stopped paying mortgages on houses that they've live in for decades.
I've driven past shopping centers that look like ghost towns. How the merchants remain in business is beyond me.
But my first night here, I had a hard time finding a place to eat. Not because the restaurants were closed. But because they were jammed.
This was in the northern suburbs - not in Detroit proper. But still. I was surprised to learn that at the first restaurant the wait was an hour and a half. At the second, an hour and 40 minutes. And at the third, an hour.
Today, my daughter and I went to Somerset Collection Mall in Troy. It's as upscale as they come. The mall boasts both a Sach Fifth Avenue and a Neiman Marcus store. At Barney New York we found a handbag selling for a "mere" $795. I'm not kidding.
The parking lot was jammed. The mall was teeming with people. Everyone was smiling and having a good time walking around in their designer jeans (I saw blue jeans for sale for more than $200 too!)
At lunch, we met a woman whose husband was laid off as an executive at nearby Beaumont Hospital. He's been out of work for months now. A family that never has had to worry about making ends meet - she and her husband are now in default on their mortgage. They hope to get a loan modification from their bank, but they are making plans to abandon the home they bought and remodeled and to rent another if necessary.
But dinner at a nearby upscale Italian restaurant really blew me away. I didn't count them but I wouldn't be surprised if there were 10 valet parking attendants at the front door to greet us. We had reservations. Without them, we wouldn't have gotten in.
Did I mention the place was pricey? I don't know what the bill came to, but even without looking at it I'm glad that the folks that invited me were kind enough to pick it up.
I'm not exactly sure why there's such disparity here, but I have a theory. Those who had wealth before the recession still do. It's the middle class that's shrinking. We're creating a society of people with means and people without. And that's not very healthy.
The woman we met at lunch recently returned from a trip to Los Angeles. She says there were basically two kinds of cars on the road there. Luxury vehicles and clunkers. A sign that the middle class is disappearing there as well.
While most of America is suffering, it seems that those with money are spending it. This is a good thing, of course. It's good for the economy - and for those working in retail and service sectors. But it also serves as a stark reminder of the contrast between those who have and those who do not.
So while some people are defaulting on their mortgages and seeing their homes sold at sheriff's auctions - others are buying $800 handbags and $200 bluejeans.
A man who works in the automotive industry told me tonight that he's seen a very slight improvement in the economy. Let's hope for the sake of us all that that's a trend that will continue in the months and years ahead.
Paltalk News Network
DETROIT - I arrived in Michigan about a week ago fully expecting to see despair and with the sad anticipation that I'd meet many people out of work. I found that, but I also found prosperity and vibrant commerce as well.
Eight days later and I'm still scratching my head. I can't quite figure it out.
On the one hand, I went through neighborhoods in Detroit that boast as few as one or two occupied houses on one full city block. The rest are either abandoned or have been demolished.
I've met people who are out of work - from pizza delivery people to company executives. People who can't find jobs. People who have stopped paying mortgages on houses that they've live in for decades.
I've driven past shopping centers that look like ghost towns. How the merchants remain in business is beyond me.
But my first night here, I had a hard time finding a place to eat. Not because the restaurants were closed. But because they were jammed.
This was in the northern suburbs - not in Detroit proper. But still. I was surprised to learn that at the first restaurant the wait was an hour and a half. At the second, an hour and 40 minutes. And at the third, an hour.
Today, my daughter and I went to Somerset Collection Mall in Troy. It's as upscale as they come. The mall boasts both a Sach Fifth Avenue and a Neiman Marcus store. At Barney New York we found a handbag selling for a "mere" $795. I'm not kidding.
The parking lot was jammed. The mall was teeming with people. Everyone was smiling and having a good time walking around in their designer jeans (I saw blue jeans for sale for more than $200 too!)
At lunch, we met a woman whose husband was laid off as an executive at nearby Beaumont Hospital. He's been out of work for months now. A family that never has had to worry about making ends meet - she and her husband are now in default on their mortgage. They hope to get a loan modification from their bank, but they are making plans to abandon the home they bought and remodeled and to rent another if necessary.
But dinner at a nearby upscale Italian restaurant really blew me away. I didn't count them but I wouldn't be surprised if there were 10 valet parking attendants at the front door to greet us. We had reservations. Without them, we wouldn't have gotten in.
Did I mention the place was pricey? I don't know what the bill came to, but even without looking at it I'm glad that the folks that invited me were kind enough to pick it up.
I'm not exactly sure why there's such disparity here, but I have a theory. Those who had wealth before the recession still do. It's the middle class that's shrinking. We're creating a society of people with means and people without. And that's not very healthy.
The woman we met at lunch recently returned from a trip to Los Angeles. She says there were basically two kinds of cars on the road there. Luxury vehicles and clunkers. A sign that the middle class is disappearing there as well.
While most of America is suffering, it seems that those with money are spending it. This is a good thing, of course. It's good for the economy - and for those working in retail and service sectors. But it also serves as a stark reminder of the contrast between those who have and those who do not.
So while some people are defaulting on their mortgages and seeing their homes sold at sheriff's auctions - others are buying $800 handbags and $200 bluejeans.
A man who works in the automotive industry told me tonight that he's seen a very slight improvement in the economy. Let's hope for the sake of us all that that's a trend that will continue in the months and years ahead.
Michigan Exodus Cited In Campaign
By GARY BAUMGARTEN
Paltalk News Network
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - Michigan's Attorney General Mike Cox kicked off his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor at a rally at Lawrence Technological University in this Detroit suburb predictably lamenting the loss of jobs here. But he also focused on the exodus of Michigan's young people to other states.
Ironically, Cox said, many of the children are moving to the very states their grandparents and great-grandparents left for Michigan to realize the American dream. A dream lost, he argued, because of over-regulation in the Great Lakes State.
It caused me to reflect to my own niece's recent graduation from Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids. I've never attended a more depressing commencement. The keynote speaker - a former member of the college's board - lectured the graduates about how they are overqualified now for any job the state may offer. And how they likely will have to leave Michigan to find employment.
My niece, armed with a degree in psychology, followed that advice after failing to find a job here and is now working as a counselor in Connecticut.
Cox mentioned President Obama almost as often as he did retiring Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm as he promised to "cut spending, cut taxes and cut regulation" if he's elected.
Friday, February 5, 2010
News Talk Online February 5, 2010 : Communal Living And The War On Drugs
The two main topics discussed on today's News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network were the way unrelated people are living communally to cope with housing costs and the war on drugs.
Retired Highland Park, Michigan police lieutenant Jim Francisco was the guest.
Retired Highland Park, Michigan police lieutenant Jim Francisco was the guest.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
News Talk Online February 4, 2010: 2 Detroit Schools That Defy The Odds
By GARY BAUMGARTEN
Paltalk News Network
The school dropout rate in the Detroit Public School system is 75 percent. But two Detroit schools I visited today buck that statistic.
The Detroit Cristo Rey High School, a private Catholic school on the city's southwest side, draws from students across the city. They have to meet certain academic requirements to attend.
They also all have to work. One day a week, instead of attending classes, the students work. This serves several purposes. The money raised helps pay for their education. It also gives them real life experiences in the workplace.
They all wear appropriate clothing. Boys must wear white shirts and ties. Girls hems cannot be too short. The dress code is strictly enforced.
The dropout rate is insignificant as compared with the overall dropout rate in the city.
The school will never enroll more than 500 students. The class sizes are small.
The school runs on a tight budget. Cristo Rey president Michael Khoury says he wishes he got the kind of funding the public schools have received but have squandered. "It's frustraing to me to see all the money they get and the results," he says.
The atmosphere at the University Prep Science and Math Academy in Detroit's Cultural Center is different. While the classes and student population is, like at Cristo Rey, small, and while there is also a dress code, the atmosphere is more relaxed. The emphasis, says Superintendent Margaret Trimer-Hartley, is on providing an atmosphere where the children enjoy learning.
Unlike Cristo Rey, there are no academic requirements for attending. A lottery is offered throughout Detroit. Those whose children are lucky enough to attend can go.
The school buildings - this one is attached to the Detroit Science Center and the children go there often as part of their studies - are leased for $1 a year. But there is a condition. At least 96 percent of the students must graduate and go to college or the schools will be evicted.
At the sister University Prep Academy, 80 percent of the children are below the poverty line. One-hundred percent graduated.
That's 100 percent in a school district where there's a 75 percent dropout rate.
I asked Trimer-Hartley why the public schools are unable to emulate what the charter schools are doing. She gave three examples of what they have going for them that the public schools don't:
1 - Apolitical and non-meddlesome school boards.
2 - Site based management. Principals are in chaarge of their budgets and hiring and firing (they are also held accountable for their school's success).
3 - Small schools and small class sizes.
Perhaps these are goals that our failing public schools should attempt to achieve - so their students can as well.
Paltalk News Network
The school dropout rate in the Detroit Public School system is 75 percent. But two Detroit schools I visited today buck that statistic.
The Detroit Cristo Rey High School, a private Catholic school on the city's southwest side, draws from students across the city. They have to meet certain academic requirements to attend.
They also all have to work. One day a week, instead of attending classes, the students work. This serves several purposes. The money raised helps pay for their education. It also gives them real life experiences in the workplace.
They all wear appropriate clothing. Boys must wear white shirts and ties. Girls hems cannot be too short. The dress code is strictly enforced.
The dropout rate is insignificant as compared with the overall dropout rate in the city.
The school will never enroll more than 500 students. The class sizes are small.
The school runs on a tight budget. Cristo Rey president Michael Khoury says he wishes he got the kind of funding the public schools have received but have squandered. "It's frustraing to me to see all the money they get and the results," he says.
The atmosphere at the University Prep Science and Math Academy in Detroit's Cultural Center is different. While the classes and student population is, like at Cristo Rey, small, and while there is also a dress code, the atmosphere is more relaxed. The emphasis, says Superintendent Margaret Trimer-Hartley, is on providing an atmosphere where the children enjoy learning.
Unlike Cristo Rey, there are no academic requirements for attending. A lottery is offered throughout Detroit. Those whose children are lucky enough to attend can go.
The school buildings - this one is attached to the Detroit Science Center and the children go there often as part of their studies - are leased for $1 a year. But there is a condition. At least 96 percent of the students must graduate and go to college or the schools will be evicted.
At the sister University Prep Academy, 80 percent of the children are below the poverty line. One-hundred percent graduated.
That's 100 percent in a school district where there's a 75 percent dropout rate.
I asked Trimer-Hartley why the public schools are unable to emulate what the charter schools are doing. She gave three examples of what they have going for them that the public schools don't:
1 - Apolitical and non-meddlesome school boards.
2 - Site based management. Principals are in chaarge of their budgets and hiring and firing (they are also held accountable for their school's success).
3 - Small schools and small class sizes.
Perhaps these are goals that our failing public schools should attempt to achieve - so their students can as well.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
News Talk Online February 3, 2009: Desolate Detroit
Detroit is plagued with unemployment, crime, fires and desolate neighborhoods like this one on the city's north side. Bob Lang, who grew up in and who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 70 years takes us on a walk along Exeter Street - and laments about what has happened to the city he loves.
We talked about Detroit, what it was, what it has become and what its future is on today's News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
News Talk Online January 2, 2010
A number of topics were discussed during today's News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network.
The upcoming anniversary of the Iranian revolution - and the indications of major civil disobedience on that day was the first topic. The caller predicting that a massive peaceful protest could lead to the overthrow of the regime.
Among the other issues discussed:
Buying a car (the deals are hot right now because dealerships are hurting), the fight over control of oil reserves at the Arctic ice cap, gays in the military, unemployment, the British inquiry into the war in Iraq and health reform.
The upcoming anniversary of the Iranian revolution - and the indications of major civil disobedience on that day was the first topic. The caller predicting that a massive peaceful protest could lead to the overthrow of the regime.
Among the other issues discussed:
Buying a car (the deals are hot right now because dealerships are hurting), the fight over control of oil reserves at the Arctic ice cap, gays in the military, unemployment, the British inquiry into the war in Iraq and health reform.
Monday, February 1, 2010
News Talk Online February 1, 2009: Muslim Killed By FBI Shot 21 Times
An autopsy report released today by the Wayne County Michigan medical examiner shows that a Muslim suspect shot by the FBI in October was hit 21 times.
The killing of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah was the focus of today's News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network.
Perhaps more potentially damaging to the FBI than the number of times Abdullah was shot is the report's conclusion that one of the bullets entered his back.
The shooting occurred during an FBI sting operation in a Dearborn, Michigan warehouse. Abdullah was the leader of a Sunni group that allegedly sought to create a separate nation within the United States.
Dawud Walid, who heads the Michigan office of the Council on American Islamic Relations says his organization has filed Freedom of Information Act requests to learn more about the incident. He says the "stonewalling" as he terms it has caused many in the community - not just Muslims - to question whether there's a cover-up underway.
The shooting took place on October 28 but the autopsy report - a matter of public record - wasn't released until today adding to the feeling among many, he says, that the truth surrounding Abdullah's death will not ever come out. Walid wants the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division to conduct an independent investigation of the shooting.
The killing of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah was the focus of today's News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network.
Perhaps more potentially damaging to the FBI than the number of times Abdullah was shot is the report's conclusion that one of the bullets entered his back.
The shooting occurred during an FBI sting operation in a Dearborn, Michigan warehouse. Abdullah was the leader of a Sunni group that allegedly sought to create a separate nation within the United States.
Dawud Walid, who heads the Michigan office of the Council on American Islamic Relations says his organization has filed Freedom of Information Act requests to learn more about the incident. He says the "stonewalling" as he terms it has caused many in the community - not just Muslims - to question whether there's a cover-up underway.
The shooting took place on October 28 but the autopsy report - a matter of public record - wasn't released until today adding to the feeling among many, he says, that the truth surrounding Abdullah's death will not ever come out. Walid wants the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division to conduct an independent investigation of the shooting.
Obama's Robin Hood Budget
By GARY BAUMGARTEN
Paltalk News Network
Picture President Obama, if you will, in the green uniform and tights of Hood. For surely, he is a modern-day Robin Hood today. Proposing a $3.8 trillion budget that takes from the rich and gives to the poor.
During the campaign, some of my more affluent, conservative friends warned that this day would come. Some of my more liberal buddies hoped that it would.
Although the president announced during his State of the Union address that he would freeze most domestic discretionary spending in 2011, today's proposed budget sets aside billions of dollars to combat unemployment.
But it involved cuts to other programs - including massive slashes to NASA's - there'd be no moon exploration and the program to replace the retiring space shuttles with a new rocket would be scrapped. Left alone are a number of women's programs. Obama had been criticized by women's groups for not doing enough for them. The White House denies that the budget decisions were influenced by that pressure.
Of course, during tough economic times difficult fiscal decisions must be reached. Businesses across the United States have been setting spending priorities. So have families.
But the most philosophically controversial part of the budget are the president's plans to increase taxes for the rich - and to banks.
Obama is trying, desperately, to salvage his presidency and his party's hold on Congress, by positioning himself as a populist president. When the economy is hit like this - and when the government bails out banks that then don't - as expected - start appreciately helping people who are losing their homes - Wall Street becomes less-than-popular.
And when you're struggling to make end's meet - the disparity between rich and poor becomes more evident. And some people with less get resentful.
A friend who has a little more money than most of us and who predicted that Obama would put the squeeze on the rich puts it this way:
"The rich deserve what they have because they worked hard to get it. And if it were not for the rich business owners the economy would be in even worse shape. They are the ones who create the jobs. If you tax them too much, they'll hire fewer people.
"He (Obama shouldn't be messing with something he clearly doesn't understand. If you leave the economy alone it will naturally recover by itself.
"These people (affluent business owners) are smarter than the rest of us. That's how they made their money and that's how they've created jobs. Plus, they earned that money. The government doesn't have the right to take it away. Ours is a system of capitalism, not socialism. And it's been proven, capitalism works. Look at our standard of living as proof."
The question is, which approach most resonates with the public? My friend's, or Obama's?
The administration is clearly betting that the voters see Robin Hood as a hero and not as a thief.
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