Inside the mind of a terrorist

Interview with Patricia Farrell

What went on in the mind of admitted terrorist Anders Behring Breivik which caused him to set off a bomb outside the Norway prime minister’s office and then go to a youth camp outside Oslo to gun down scores of teenagers?

Psychologist Patricia Farrell, author of It’s Not All In Your Head, read Breivik’s manifesto and tells us what likely motivated the attacks.

Norway terror attacks smash stereotypes

Interview with Gary Moskowitz

The terrorist attack in Norway shows that not all terrorists are Muslims. And it also indicates that vigilance against terrorism should not just be directed at the Muslim community.

But former NYPD officer and counter-terrorism expert Gary Moskowitz, in an interview with News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network, says it doesn’t mean resources that are being used to track Muslim terrorists should now be diverted.

Moskowitz says those who blanketly paint the Muslim community as terrorists miss the point. Moderate Muslims, he says, oftentimes cooperate with law enforcement in ferreting out terrorists in their communities.

Obama softening on no short-term debt ceiling plan

Obama, compromising?

President Obama has been steadfast in his contention that any plan to raise the debt ceiling that is short-term ought to be rejected. But now it seems he is wavering on that a bit – a move that may be necessary to get Republicans on board to raise it before an August third deadline after which the United States will be in default.

That’s seen as welcome news by Rep. Scott Garrett (R-New Jersey). But Garrett, in an interview on news Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network, says the president has yet to present Republicans a debt ceiling raising proposal in writing. So they don’t have anything formal to respond to.

He also says that raising the debt without a commitment to reduce spending is, for Republicans, a non-starter.

Newark carnage continues

There has been another multiple shooting in Newark, New Jersey the third such incident in four nights and people are becoming frustrated.

The latest shooting, a drive-by, targeted a group outside a convenience store. Three people were wounded. A 21-year-old man was killed.

Kyle Fleck, who lives up the street, recently returned to the States from Baghdad where he was engaged in combat operations for about two years. But, he says, it feels like he never left. With all the shootings, Newark, Fleck says, is as dangerous as Baghdad.

Obama gets tough on debt, Karzai's half brother is killed, Syria stands by while Embassys are attacked and Ron Paul retires

President Obama just tossed the hot potato in the laps of the Republicans.

Just when it appeared his political back was to the wall over the debt ceiling talks, Obama said, if an agreement isn’t reached by month’s end, Social Security and veteran’s benefits checks may not go out August third.

It puts, says Talk Radio News Service Washington correspondent Ken Bazinet, the Republicans who are opposing extending the debt ceiling in the unenviable position of appearing to turn their backs on those who have worked all their lives and are now retired. And on abandoning our veterans.

Bazinet, in an interview for News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network, also had late breaking information about the assignation of Afghan President Karzai’s half-brother. Although a drug dealer, Karzai’s brother was a source of important information to U.S. intelligence and was on the CIA payroll, Bazinet reports. His intelligence sources tell him that his death is a loss to the U.S. in its battle with both the Taliban and al Qaeda.

Bazinet also reported on how the Syrian regime, at the very least, looked passively on as pro-government demonstrators attacked the U.S. and French Embassys in Damascus.

And he reported on the announcement by maverick Texas congressman and Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul that this will be his last term in the House of Representatives.

Preparing for disaster

By GARY BAUMGARTEN

In my years of covering disasters, man-made or natural, I’ve come across two kinds of people.

Those who are waiting for government agencies to come and help them. And those who are prepared to tough it out for themselves for a number of days, if necessary.

It’s those in the second group who have a better chance of survival.

And that’s the point of a new book by NASA Engineer and bestselling author Dr. Arthur Bradley.

Bradley, in an interview with News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network, tells us about the stockpiles every house should have – of food and – more importantly – water. And what contingencies every family should prepare for.

Bradley also says, don’t necessarily just rely on information from officials on what to do. Sometimes they minimize or underestimate the affects of disasters. It’s important, he says, to make one’s own educated decisions based on research and common sense.

His book, Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family, 2nd Edition, is a great place to start.

Obama slow to warm up to Twitter, GOP calls president’s tax bluff, FHA plan to save homes

Niall Kennedy photo

President Obama’s Twitter town hall on Wednesday was, by nearly all reviews, a resounding success, but, as it turns out, the president was slow to accept the suggestion that he do it.

Ken Bazinet, correspondent for the Talk Radio News Service in Washington, telling News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network that Obama at first scoffed at the suggestion that people could ask intelligent, insightful questions in 140 characters or less. But after seeing the success Sarah Palin’s had with her tweets, he reluctantly agreed to do it. And, of course, while the questions were limited to 140 characters, his answers were not.

Bazinet also brought us up-to-date on attempts at the White House to get Republican congressional leaders to agree with the Democrats to raise taxes as a component of the debt reduction talks. Obama offered a carrot, reducing the Medicare and Medicaid as well as Social Security budgets. But the Republicans, he says, thus far, aren’t biting.

And, finally, Baziner reported on a new FHA program that allows qualified unemployed loan holders to forgo foreclosure for as long as one year.

Anthony sentenced, analyst says justice was served

By GARY BAUMGARTEN

Casey Anthony was sentenced to four years, one for each count of lying to police, the only counts for which she was convicted. But because of time served and good time, she could be released from jail by the end of July or sometime next month.

It was a predictable sentence, says attorney and legal analyst Gwendolyn Lindsay-Jackson, in an interview with News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network. The judge, she says, was angered that Anthony’s lies about the disappearance of her daughter caused the police to expend a lot of unnecessary resources on the case, chasing elusive misleading tips.

Lindsay-Jackson says she understands full-well the dilemma the case presented to the jury, and why juror number three, in an interview with ABC News, said she and her fellow jurors were sick to their stomachs over acquitting Anthony on the most serious of charges.

The prosecution, Lindsay-Jackson says, failed to meet the burden of proof. There was no cause of death, and even if there were, there’s no proof Anthony was responsible for the demise of 2-year-old Caylee. And without that proof, in a capital case in a state that has the death penalty, the jury had no choice, she said, but to acquit.

The psychology of the Casey Anthony trial

By GARY BAUMGARTEN

The case against Casey Anthony was not just played out in court. It also took place in the court of public opinion.

It’s pretty evident the day after the verdict that while Anthony was acquitted by a jury of her peers in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, the public jury came up with a different verdict.

All of that, says psychologist Dr. Patricia Farrell, a result of what she describes as a “media lynching” of Casey Anthony.

Farrell, in an interview for News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network, says it was a testament to the jury that it saw through all that and reached a verdict based on evidence.

Farrell also verbally slapped some of her peers for going on national television to analyze Casey Anthony without having first examined her.

The defense brilliantly raised the specter of the possibility – never proven – that Casey Anthony’s father sexually assaulted her. But Farrell, who has treated many sexual assault victims, says those kinds of attacks don’t generally lead to the victim becoming murderers.

As to the public, Farrell says, those who gathered outside the courtroom, fought to get the few seats inside, and cried in anguish over the verdict present interesting psychological case studies. Clearly, she says, they were disappointed in the outcome of what, to them, was a “bread and circus performance.”

Obama pressuring the GOP, Senate in session and tough on Libya, soft on Syria

Obama getting tough with Republicans. White House photo by Chuck Kennedy

By GARY BAUMGARTEN

Ken Bazinet, correspondent for the Talk Radio News Service in Washington DC tells News Talk Online on the Paltalk News Network that President Obama’s offer to cut billions of dollars from Medicare and Medicaid was not an abandonment of those programs.

Instead, Bazinet says, Obama is trying to force the Republicans into a corner,l because the flip side of that equation is his insistence that they approve tax hikes.

All this an attempt to find a way to reduce the federal deficit – come up with an agreement – before August. If not, the full faith and credit of the U.S. government will be tarnished, because its credit rating will be reduced.

The problem in reaching an agreement,  Bazinet reports, is that the tail is wagging the dog on the House side. Where House Speaker John Boehner is showing a decided lack of leadership, acquiescing  to the Tea Party Republicans, rather than telling them what the agenda ought to be.

On the Senate side, Majority Leader Harry Reid had the members in on Tuesday – giving up their extended holiday recess so that procedural matters could be addressed – making it possible to move forward with negotiations on the deficit and the budget.

There’s a chance, Bazinet says, that Libya may be discussed during this unscheduled session. At the same time, the State Department is moaning about Syria’s continued human rights violations. But Bazinet points out that action in Libya, and the mere issuance of statements in Syria, reflects an understandable difference.

The fall of Gaddafi and establishment of a democratic Libya would help form, he said, a Democratic rim over the top of that portion of Africa. And getting involved in Libya was relatively easy, given the NATO pledge to actually prosecute the operation.

Syria is a tougher cookie, he says, because of the shadow of Iran. But watch Turkey, he says. The Turkish Army is now poised along the Syrian border, ostensibly because of the large number of refugees fleeing there to safety. But also, perhaps he says, as a signal to Syrian President Assad that he is isolated and that his days may be numbered.

Not liking what our society has become

EronsPics/Flickr

By GARY BAUMGARTEN

First a disclaimer. Or an admission. Or an attempt at transparency.

I, too, am guilty of some of the transgressions – maybe all of the transgressions – I’m about to bitch about.

If you’ve been on the receiving end – my sincerest apologies. I can’t promise I won’t do it again. I can only promise to strive to live up to the conduct I’d like to see in others.

Used to be, only doctors were too busy to spend any real time with their patients. So they rushed you in and out. Making snap decisions about your medical needs. Heck, if the doc missed something, you could always come in complaining about a new ailment and get another five or seven minutes (if you’re really lucky) on that.

But that no longer holds true. Doctors are no longer more important than the rest of us.

In almost every work environment, people are being pressed to do more with less time.

It causes them to act in ways that  previous generations would have considered rude. Not today. Today, it’s the norm.

Which is why, I’m not much liking what our society has become.

Just today, I was on the phone with a friend, discussing something important with her. It was a personal matter and she was at work.

Now, while personal means it’s not work related, it also suggests you have a special relationship with the other person that, well, frankly, deserves greater attention maybe even than work.

Again, I’ve acted in the same way as my friend, but in the middle of our talk, just as I was getting to the important point in response to a question she asked, she abruptly ended the call. Because a business call had come in.

OK, I get it. She’s at work. This call is personal. The other one is business. So mine can wait.

But it just didn’t feel right. And I started to think about the many times I’ve done likewise. Cut a call short to take another one. And I started to think about how that might have felt to the person with whom I ‘d been talking.

So I started to think about other examples of inattentiveness on the part of others. All because they have way too much to do.

Like a friend who went in for a scheduled meeting with his boss. He had prepared a week for this meeting because he had something very important to relate.

The entire meeting, the boss typed away on his computer. Leaving my friend feeling that the meeting was an effort in vain.

No doubt his boss thinks he is multi-tasking. But he isn’t. It’s not possible.

What was on the screen was apparently more important to his boss than what he had to say. My friend left frustrated.

Worse yet, it affected his work ethic. He started to not care so much about the job. And, started looking for another job where he might feel more appreciated.

I can relate. I’ve walked into important meetings only to find them interrupted by text messages. I’d pause, politely, in my presentation. “Go on,” the other person would invariably say. “I’m listening.” But is he? Really?

Made me think that if I have something important to tell the guy, next time I’ll wait until he’s in a meeting and text him. Since texting trumps face-to-face interaction I’d get greater attention to my issue in text.

Get where this is going?

People ask folks out on dates in text. They accept or decline in text. They even break up in text.

A buddy of mine just got dumped by his girlfriend. No, not in text. On the phone. At least he could hear her voice and respond. But even so. You can’t even break up in person these days? What does that say about relationships to begin with?

What’s more important in life? Driving safely, or answering a text message?

Making love or answering the phone?

Whatever happened to the art of actually spending time with another person, listening to what they have to say, and showing you’re listening and, here’s a thought – interested?

Today, we are all so busy that we want it all told in 140 characters. And not just on Twitter.

Give me the highlights. That’s all I really need to hear.

By the way, this also means that people make snap judgments based on quick impressions. Without, sometimes, really getting to know the other person or understanding the nuances of the issue. Maybe we’re adapting to all this. Developing into a species that is able to decide on the fly. Like in speed dating. You have three minutes to sell yourself to the other person. She has three minutes to decide whether to take a chance.

It’s like being on a roller coaster that never ends. How do you stop this damn thing anyway?

Maybe it begins with ignoring the beeps on the cell phone demanding that you read and answer the latest text message now. Or ignoring the call coming in and letting it go to voice mail. Picking it up after you’re done with the current call.

All these demands on our time are counterproductive as well. I’ve had well-intentioned colleagues walk in on me while I’m writing. You’re needed in a meeting. I just have a quick question for you. What you’re doing can wait. You can get back to it after you answer me. Like a two or three year old. Demanding immediate attention and instant gratification. And I, meanwhile, lose a very important thought.

Again, I’ve done the same thing. Walked in and interupted someone’s work to force them to deal with me and my issues. Seemed like a good strategy at the time. Now, upon reflection, it seems a bit rude.

I’m not an expert in psychology, interpersonal relations, business or brain function. But I’m willing to bet that if I consulted with those who are, they’d agree.

In fact, I’ve come to this conclusion which could change your life for the better. It’s — hold on – got to get this phone call. I’ll finish that thought later.