March 16, 2016 REUTERS
No hikes for now: What Yellen said [1]
Obama picks centrist high court nominee; Republicans unmoved [2]
Trump warns of riots, pulls plug on Republican presidential debate [3]
……………………><><><><><><><><……………………..
March 17, 2016 World Socialist Web Site (wsws.org)
US Federal Reserve aligns itself closer to market demands [4]
Obama’s choice to replace Scalia on Supreme Court had won Republican praise [5]
Trump threatens violence at Republican National Convention [6]
On March 7, 2016 Maria Sharapova hastily assembled a press conference in Los Angeles, announcing her failed drug test after the 2016 Australian Open.
Sharapova statement of admission: “For the past 10 years I have been given a medicine called mildronate by my family doctor and a few days ago after I received the ITF (International Tennis Federation) letter I found out that it also has another name of meldonium which I did not know. It is very important for you to understand that for 10 years this medicine was not on the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) banned list, and I had legally been taking the medicine for the past 10 years. But on 1 January the rules had changed, and meldonium became a prohibited substance which I had not known. I failed the test and I take full responsibility for it. I made a huge mistake.”
Speculation beforehand was that the 28-year old tennis superstar was announcing her retirement, after a series of injuries & disappointing tournament finishes. Sharapova responded, “If I was ever going to announce my retirement, it would probably not be in a downtown Los Angeles hotel with this fairly ugly carpet.” For the record, it was ugly carpet at the hotel, as seen at the beginning of the press conference in the video above.
Sharapova says she did not look at the new banned substances list, linked in a WADA email she received. She claims she deleted it without clicking the link, and was thus unaware the prescription drug she had legally used for 10 years, was about to be banned. WADA rules mandate a 2-year ban for ‘unintentional’ doping, and a 4-year ban for ‘intentional’ doping for first-time offenders.
Sharapova cited her meldonium use as necessary for “a deficiency in magnesium, irregular EKG results, and a family history of diabetes with one of the first signs of diabetes… and [meldonium] was one of the medications, along with others I received.”
Maria Sharapova is undoubtedly a rock star. As one can see by her Facebook post, she still has fans– over 112K ‘Likes’ in less than 8 hours. Sharapova is stunningly beautiful, along with being smart enough to get ahead of the press & her fans. That’s how to handle them.
She’s now fighting to protect her brand, which is exactly what top athletes do in competition– in order to win at the highest levels of professional sports.
No one should be surprised by this anymore. Professional athletes are all pushed, one way or another, into this taint. Maria Sharapova is only the latest sports icon turned into scapegoat, in order to distract fans from the true sources of corruption. Ironically, her announcement came the same day NFL quarterback Peyton Manning delivered his long-anticipated retirement speech, in which he broke down and cried repeatedly before finishing with a nauseating “God bless football.”
If Manning can shake the HGH & sexual harassment allegations which still persist, many lucrative business opportunities await him. If not, he will become the next Lance Armstrong. Carefully compare their simultaneous press conferences (and circumstances), and you’ll see that Peyton Manning doesn’t have Sharapova’s composure or brains– so anticipate the latter scenario.
Lance Armstrong on sports doping: “I don’t know what the number is, whether it’s 10 or 20 or 50%, I don’t know. That tells you that that system is broken, too. It’s probably the reason that Travis [Tygart] and the USADA [U.S.Anti-Doping Agency] needed something. They needed a case, they needed a story. I was that story, I was that case, it is what it is, and we’re here. But they needed something to show that they were effective. And they did, and it worked.” [1]
Anti-doping advocate Greg LeMond: “When I speak out about doping people could translate it and think it was about the riders. Actually I feel like I am an advocate for the riders. I look at them as being treated like lab rats that are test vehicles for the doctors. The doctors, the management, the officials, they’re the ones that have corrupted riders. The riders are the only ones that pay the price.” [2]
WADA was created by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1999 to “promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against drugs in sports.” Its presidents Dick Pound (1999-2007), John Fahey (2008-13), and now Craig Reedie (below) have been continuously rocked by corruption & doping scandals. The closed systems used by all the official anti-doping agencies do not allow independent statistical validation of their tests. IOC/WADA testing identifies <1% of all PED (performance-enhancing drug) users.
Taking a hard-line stance in high profile cases such as Maria Sharapova, obfuscates their overall ineffectiveness in the eyes of most sports fans. Image is everything. WADA president Craig Reedie has warned that it will step in if it believes that the ITF’s ban for Sharapova is too lenient: “We always have that right. In most cases we exercise that right when we think there is a really serious case to answer,” he said. “There will clearly be a great deal of interest after the last 48 hours in what the ITF do. My guess is we will watch this one very carefully.”
For comparison, men’s tennis star Marin Cilic (Croatia) was suspended for nine months in 2013-14, after testing positive for a banned stimulant, nikethamide. After returning to the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour, Cilic won the U.S. Open in 2014.
Maria Sharapova is the highest-paid female athlete in the world, according to Forbes magazine. [3] She has/had endorsement deals with Nike, Avon, Evian, TAG Heuer, Canon, Cole Haan, Ericsson, Gatorade, Head, Land Rover, Motorola, Porsche, Prince, Samsung, Sony, Tiffany’s and Tropicana. So far– Porsche, Nike & TAG Heuer have suspended ties with Sharapova.
WADA has focused on Russia ever since the German state news station ARD broadcast the documentary Secret Doping Dossier: How Russia Produces Its Winners, in December 2014. WADA used the evidence in the film to target the widespread use of meldonium by Russian athletes. Numerous Russian athletes describe their experiences in state-sponsored programs, where over 99% of competitors are compelled by coaches & higher authorities to use PEDs.
Compulsion towards PED use in American sports begins with pharmaceutical & Madison Avenue bombardment, in the form of ceaseless commercials for new drugs. The U.S. is the primary market for pharmaceutical companies, accounting for one-third of the global market. Lack of regulation means there are few barriers in marketing & distribution, once FDA approval has been secured.
‘Selling sickness’ to a healthy population is now considered standard pharmaceutical industry practice in the U.S. [4] The Affordable Care Act has made chemically refined prescription drugs more the form of treatment for physicians, while increasing their cost to consumers, with no controls over the prices that insurance & pharmaceutical corporations can charge under Obamacare. [5] The side-effects portions of prescription drug commercials are often more than half their running length, with a professional voice-over mono-toning at breakneck speed.
Combined with skyrocketing salaries for top athletes, the current model for illicit PED use is private-sector chemists & physicians (with questionable ethics) developing new drugs for athletes, keeping them ahead of the testers. PEDs can only be detected if there is a test for that particular drug– or class of drugs. Testing for every banned substance is prohibitively expensive for most organizations, especially at the youth & high-school levels.
‘New’ PEDs are often previously developed pharmaceuticals, originally intended for medicinal uses in elderly & sickly populations. For example, Sharapova’s meldonium (Mildronate) is an anti-ischemic drug developed in Latvia to treat angina and prevent heart attacks. In athletes it demonstrates increased endurance, improved rehabilitation after exercise, protection against stress, and enhanced activation of the central nervous system. [6]
Telmisartan (Micardis) is a prescription drug for high blood pressure, manufactured by Roxane in Columbus, OH. It is also frequently abused by top athletes, but it is accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is not on the WADA banned substances list– nor is the class of drugs to which it belongs.
Cytomel (T3) is a thyroid hormone, developed, patented & manufactured by U.S pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, to treat hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is defined as a deficiency of thyroid hormones– which can disrupt heart rate, body temperature, and all aspects of metabolism. Hypothyroidism is most prevalent in older women. Treatment typically consists of thyroid hormone replacement.
Cytomel, has been popular among bodybuilders for decades for its ability to promote rapid fat & weight loss. It is used by wrestlers & boxers, to come in under weight. One of the most important determinants of success in cycling is power to weight ratio, particularly in the mountains. Any substance which can help riders lose body fat provides a competitive advantage in cycling.
Track athletes have also used thyroid hormones for perceived performance-enhancing effects beyond those associated with weight loss. Victor Conte, the architect of the infamous BALCO steroid program, included T3 as an important drug in his recipe for success in his athletes back in the early 2000’s. WADA has refused to include thyroid hormones on its 2016 Prohibited Substances List. [7]
For clean athletes, ethical doctors and real fans who actually care about sports itself; milodium and other Western-EU and North American PED equivalents must be banned, as their misuse crosses too many ethical & safety boundaries. Banning only meldonium is a politically motivated act by the WADA (and the western political interests behind them), meant to discredit Russian athletes, while ignoring widespread doping throughout professional sports. [8]
In 2015, a whistle-blower leaked International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) blood test records from major competitions. The IAAF is the oldest international sports governing institution, in existence since 1912. Records revealed that between 2001 and 2012, athletes with suspicious drug test results won a third of the medals in endurance events at the Olympics and World Championships— a total of 146 medals including 55 golds—but the IAAF caught none of them. Adidas announced in January that it was ending its sponsorship deal with the IAAF four years early, costing them $33 million in revenue. [9]
The Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) new president is Dmitry Shlyakhtin, as of January 2016. Russia has been banned from international competition by WADA, over a massive doping scandal that goes all the way up to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Mikhail Butov had been federation general secretary since 2008, occupying a senior post during the time when WADA alleges doping was rife. Butov remains general secretary “temporarily,” while the new management settles in. Butov told Russia’s Tass agency he intended to stay until December.
Shlyakhtin’s ‘anti-crisis’ presidency could last as little as eight months, since new elections are scheduled for September 2016, after the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Dmitry Shlyakhtin succeeds Valentin Balakhnichev, who was banned for life by the IAAF over the alleged extortion of 450,000 euros from suspended Russian marathon runner, Yulia Stepanov.
Balakhnichev had stepped down from his federation role in February 2015 following a doping scandal. [10]
These suits mentioned & pictured above are just a few of the people (you’ve likely never heard of), who are mostly responsible for professional sports doping. A problem never gets solved without addressing its root causes.
……………….><><><><><><><><><><>…………………..
[3-13-16] Notes:
Maria Sharapova has been witch-hunted, it’s that simple. She has been caught up in a Western political vendetta against Russian athletics, and is being used as a pawn. She maintains certain medical privacy rights, no matter what. Her fans know the truth (as much as they need to hear), and overwhelmingly support her– as her Facebook page speaks for itself.
Sharapova has handled this unfair situation brilliantly, so she will be hated even more by the media establishment & WADA. Meldonium has been used widely in Russian athletics as a stimulant and is relatively safe & non-toxic; as compared to EPO, of which 100+ forms exist, and are untested for. The issue is– was Maria Sharapova fairly informed of the changes in the banned substances list? Athletes under WADA jurisdiction are allowed to use any substances not on that list.
3-17-16 Notes:
Still no word on when or where the ITF hearing on her case will be held. After two perfect smashes on Facebook, explaining her situation to her fans & the media, there has been no response from the ITF. Here’s Sharapova’s 2nd serve on 3-11-16 on Facebook:
To My Fans:
I want to reach out to you to share some information, discuss the latest news, and let you know that there have been things that have been reported wrong in the media, and I am determined to fight back. You have shown me a tremendous outpouring of support, and I’m so grateful for it. But I have also been aware that some, not all, but some in the media distort, exaggerate and fail to accurately report the facts about what happened.
A report said that I had been warned five times about the upcoming ban on the medicine I was taking. That is not true and it never happened.
That’s a distortion of the actual “communications,” which were provided or simply posted onto a webpage.
I make no excuses for not knowing about the ban. I already told you about the December 22, 2015 email I received. Its subject line was “Main Changes to the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme for 2016.” I should have paid more attention to it.
But the other “communications?” They were buried in newsletters, websites, or handouts.
On December 18, I received an email with the subject line “Player News” on it. It contained a newsletter on a website that contained tons of information about travel, upcoming tournaments, rankings, statistics, bulletin board notices, happy birthday wishes, and yes, anti-doping information. On that email, if a player wanted to find the specific facts about medicine added to the anti-doping list, it was necessary to open the “Player News” email, read through about a dozen unrelated links, find the “Player Zone” link, enter a password, enter a username, read a home screen with more than three dozen different links covering multiple topics, find the “2016 Changes to Tennis Anti-Doping Program and Information” link, click on it and then read a page with approximately three dozen more links covering multiple anti-doping matters. Then you had to click the correct link, open it up, scroll down to page two and that’s where you would find a different name for the medication I was taking.
In other words, in order to be aware of this “warning,” you had to open an email with a subject line having nothing to do with anti-doping, click on a webpage, enter a password, enter a username, hunt, click, hunt, click, hunt, click, scroll and read. I guess some in the media can call that a warning. I think most people would call it too hard to find.
There was also a “wallet card” distributed at various tournaments at the beginning of 2016, after the ban went into effect. This document had thousands of words on it, many of them technical, in small print. Should I have studied it? Yes. But if you saw this document (attached), you would know what I mean. Again, no excuses, but it’s wrong to say I was warned five times.
There was also a headline that said, “4-6 Weeks Normal Treatment for Drug in Maria Sharapova Case.” That headline has been repeated by many reporters who fail to tell their viewers and readers what the rest of the story says. The story quotes the manufacturer of my medicine as saying: “Treatment course can be repeated twice or thrice a year. Only physicians can follow and evaluate patient’s health condition and state whether the patient should use meldonium for a longer period of time.”
That’s exactly what I did. I didn’t take the medicine every day. I took it the way my doctor recommended I take it and I took it in the low doses recommended.
I’m proud of how I have played the game. I have been honest and upfront. I won’t pretend to be injured so I can hide the truth about my testing.
I look forward to the ITF hearing at which time they will receive my detailed medical records. I hope I will be allowed to play again. But no matter what, I want you, my fans, to know the truth and have the facts.
– Maria [11]
First set to Miss Sharapova. Speculation has her suspension pegged down from a mandatory maximum of 4 years– to 1 year. This still seems all-too-unfair to too many, who are correct in their feelings, if not their understanding. Her UN ambassadorship has been revoked, once again underscoring the political nature of this sordid affair.
3-24-16 Update: Dated March 7th, 2016 ITF press statement on their site:
Following the statement made by Maria Sharapova in a press conference today, the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP) can confirm the following:
– On 26 January 2016, Ms Sharapova provided an anti-doping sample to the TADP in association with her participation in the 2016 Australian Open.
– That sample was analysed by a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory, which returned a positive for meldonium, which is a prohibited substance under the WADA Code and, therefore also the TADP.
– In accordance with Article 8.1.1 of the TADP, Ms Sharapova was charged on 2 March with an Anti-Doping Rule Violation.
– Ms Sharapova has accepted the finding of meldonium in her sample collected on 26 January.
– As meldonium is a non-specified substance under the WADA (and, therefore, TADP) list of Prohibited Substances and Prohibited Methods, Ms Sharapova will be provisionally suspended with effect from 12 March, pending determination of the case. [12]
As of this update, there is still no update or mention of the upcoming Sharapova hearing on the ITF site or in the press. On 3-12-16, the London Telegraph reported that Maria Sharapova would have an ITF hearing “later this month.” [13]
Meanwhile, Grindex is the Latvian pharmaceutical company that manufactures meldonium, and they have strongly criticized WADA for adding it to their banned substances list. Grindex representatives claim they gave WADA strong evidence proving meldonium has legitimate therapeutic uses in athletes, and isn’t performance enhancing; but WADA ignored it. [14]
4-3-16 Update: The Russian Tennis Federation just announced that Sharapova’s hearing won’t be until “mid-June,” meaning she will miss the French Open (her best surface), and possibly Wimbledon– if she isn’t cleared by June 29. Until then she is still “provisionally suspended.” The hearing is expected to only take a few days, which begs the question: why such a long wait for her– when she’s ready now? [15]
Also now in question is her Summer Olympics eligibility. The 2016 games are being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To say all this is political, is a massive over-simplification. This whole case could have been handled in a week or two, but WADA & the ITF won’t allow it. Therefore Maria Sharapova is punished, even if proven innocent.
The players on tour dislike her [16], and have shown it by not standing with her in her right to a timely hearing as an international workers-rights grievance. This speaks more on their shame, than Sharapova’s; as any professional athlete is deserving of a timely & fair hearing in any PED suspension case.
It is obvious (with the political players involved) that backroom deals are being made left-and-right, and Sharapova’s career is the bargaining tool. It would be helpful to Maria Sharapova’s cause if her fans started speaking up & pointing out all this hypocrisy. She needs it because she is too big of a rock star, and thus has few real friends among her (jealous) peers. She has even less in the (hateful) media.
Does this look like a threat to the American ‘way of life?’
…………………………..><><><><><><><><……………………..
Asaad Al-Zoubi & George Sabra (pictured below) head the ‘Syrian opposition delegation,’ which represents the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in recent ‘peace talks‘ at the United Nations in Geneva.
The FSA is a CIA-organized coalition of spies, terrorists, defectors, al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front, and ISIS jihadist militants. Here is their Wikipedia page– [1]
The FSA has ravished Syria since 2011.
This is a large part of the current refugee crisis in Europe.
The White House & Pentagon have been conducting airstrikes in FSA support for several years, despite the fact that al-Qaeda has been the official U.S. enemy (in its phony ‘war on terror‘) since 9/11.
The governments of Saudi Arabia, Qatar & Turkey have lent financial & military support to the US-led war in Syria.
In September 2015, the Russian government began airstrikes against the FSA, in defense of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, their political ally.
In U.S. ruling circles, nobody believes that Bashar al-Assad is any kind of threat to national security, but he is an ally of Russia and that’s enough for the warheads in Washington & Langley.
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany and European Union whip, insists that all of Europe’s external borders must be ‘secured.’
‘Fortress Europe’ will cut off Syrian refugees in Turkey, Greece and the Aegean Sea.
€3 billion has been made available for the building of mass internment camps for refugees on the Turkey/Syria border.
This is the foreign policy reality that is being ignored during ‘Election 2016.’
This political madness which sets mankind course for nuclear war, is Democratic White House policy. A Republican oval office will only insist on further escalation with Russia & China.
Working people need their own candidates– as this garbage just won’t do.
…………….><><><><><><><><><><…………….
This is a cross section of U.S political polling in this ongoing election year. The numbers provided below are at the time of this publication, and will change over time. Only eligible and ‘likely’ voters are seriously polled.
Question that never gets asked:
“Do you approve of government secret services being able to unlock your cell phone and search all your data, at will?”
U.S. citizens are supposed to have constitutional rights, and it is the president’s sworn oath to defend the Constitution.
Question that gets asked instead:
“Should Apple unlock the iPhones of suspected terrorists for the FBI?”
Poll results: 61% Yes; 39% No [1]
Question that never gets asked:
“Should those running the Federal Reserve be arrested & prosecuted for economic war crimes against humanity?”
The likely answer is 80-90-% Yes
Question that gets asked instead:
“Should the Federal Reserve Bank be Audited by Congress?”
Poll results: 78% Yes; 22% No [2]
This is a worthless question, as congress is also part of this criminal conspiracy against the working people of the world.
Question that never gets asked:
“Would you be in favor of continuing the dirty CIA wars in Syria & Ukraine, at the risk of nuclear war with Russia?”
To ask, is to answer it.
Question that gets asked instead:
“Should the U.S. overthrow President Assad of Syria?”
Poll results: 63% No; 37% Yes [3]
This gets the warheads closer to their goal of total war.
In ‘political science’ it’s how you frame the issue.
Question that never gets asked:
“Are the U.S. provocations towards North Korea & China worth risking a confrontation with a nuclear power?”
Ditto Russia.
Question that gets asked instead:
“Should the U.S. conduct military strikes against North Korea in order to destroy their long-range missile and nuclear weapons capabilities?”
Poll results: 73% No; 27% Yes [4]
Most voters don’t approve of new U.S. wars of aggression, despite the constant barrage of propaganda– but there remains a hardcore militarist/fascist element.
Question that never gets asked:
“Global warming– are we going to do anything about it, because it’s only getting worse?”
Capitalism has no serious answer to this fundamental question of human survival.
Question that gets asked instead:
“Should the government increase environmental regulations to prevent global warming?”
Poll results: 62% Yes; 38% No [5]
Another worthless question, as every capitalist government, led by the U.S. is part of this vast crime against nature & humanity.
Question that never gets asked:
“Are you in favor of huge cuts in the military budget, in return for a massive investment in good civilian jobs for working people?”
Sounds reasonable to most.
Question that gets asked instead:
“Should the military allow women to serve in combat roles?”
Poll results: 85% Yes: 15% No [6]
Kind of a loaded (and wrong) question to ask, don’t you think?
Question that never gets asked:
“Should the wealth created by working people and then stolen by bankers, hedge fund investors, and other financial parasites be returned?”
That brings up the question of political & economic revolution, so it is not allowed.
Question that gets asked instead:
“Should the government increase the tax rate on profits earned from the sale of stocks, bonds, and real estate?”
Poll results: 70% No; 30% Yes [7]
The truth is the U.S government is a plutocracy, so no fundamental class truths are allowed to be spoken officially, hence the confusion among many voters.
………….><><><><><><><><><,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The political side-show circus, funded by an unlimited supply of super PAC money, stops in South Carolina on Saturday, February 13– with only the Republicans on prime-time TV this time. Anyone tuning in, hopeful of gaining a clearer sense of the serious political issues our world is facing today, will only be repulsed & disgusted by what they see & hear.
President Obama just submitted his last budget to congress. Two-thirds of discretionary spending is for military & policing, with huge increases in their budgets. Virtually nothing is left for education, environmental, infrastructure, or any other social service. [1]
“There is no money” is the lie that pours out of the mouths of pleading liberal Democrats & foul-mouthed Republicans, over & over. The corporate media ‘moderators’ and party supporter-packed audiences put on a show for their viewers, dazzling them with insults & sensationalism– no serious discussion is allowed on any topic.
The mainstream media pretends it has no clue as to why Donald Trump is leading the Republican nomination process; as if they never considered the effect of allowing a reactionary bigot to openly propose building a wall between the US & Mexico, or denying religious freedom to Muslims, or condoning known forms of torture (and worse), with audiences that enthusiastically applaud every misanthropic statement. Every hardcore racist, socio-path, and brain-dead narcissist loves the guy.
Trump has been aided-and-abetted the whole way by a vested corporate media, which never criticizes him for what he actually is– a fascist. He & his supporters may look silly & harmless on the surface, but underneath they are the toxic elements of fear, hatred and ignorance. Youth & working people everywhere need to rise up and meet this dangerous tendency with merciless opposition. Supporters of this filth need to be exposed, shouted down, and when necessary– beaten down. This tendency can not be allowed to seize power.
A Marxist understanding of the current political situation is that this is war, with survival for humanity at stake. Fake socialist Bernie Sanders will insist fascism can be tempered and restrained– with soothing language and a spirit of compromise. He is a fool who knows better, the latest in a long line of political dead-ends for those still willing to cling to the liberal illusions of the Democratic party.
It’s up to youth & working people to now organize themselves and take action towards building an independent political voice that listens to and serves their interests. Democrats & Republicans are both bribed by the super-rich, the class enemy of the workers. The only viable solution is throwing off the straitjacket of the two -party system, and building a revolutionary socialist party that unites the workers of the world in the fight against capitalism. The alternative is the fascist jackboot.
We deserve better than this.
………….><><><><><><><…………..
Donald Trump skipped the last televised debate before the Iowa caucus, because he objected to FOX moderator Megyn Kelly, whose questioning had angered him in a debate months earlier. Thus the final debate in Iowa was an ‘event’ absent the figure who had dominated the media coverage of the Republican race for months.
“I refuse to call Megyn Kelly a bimbo, because that would not be politically correct,” Trump tweeted. “Instead I will only call her a lightweight reporter!”
On February 1, Iowa caucusers supported Ted Cruz 27.6%, Trump 24.3%, Marco Rubio 23.1%. Significantly, Jeb Bush finished sixth (behind Rand Paul & Ben Carson), with only 2.8% of the vote, despite spending $15 million on TV ads. His $2,888/vote showing in Iowa isn’t fiscally sustainable, but it is a measure of the super PAC support he receives. [1]
Donald Trump doesn’t take super PAC money, because he is the 0.0001%, through ruthlessness & cunning, he is one of the richest men in the world. His face is botoxed to hide the fact that he is a reactionary, foul-mouthed, lying coward– an aggrandizement of everything artificial & rotten in our society.
People who say, “I hope Trump wins the Republican nomination, because he’ll lose to any Democrat,” are supporting fascism through ignorance. When historical events force the hand of the ruling class, everything swings to the right. After Bush v. Gore (2000), a blatantly stolen election in which Al Gore & the Democratic party were complicit– meekly submitting to Dick Cheney and his hard-line conservative cohorts, it became 9/11– which remains unexplained to the American public. Ever since then, the U.S. has increasingly become a police state under the slogan of “War on Terror.”
There’s also been a global economic meltdown beginning in 2007-08, which has plunged 80-90% of the world’s population into economic distress. This collapse was the direct result of U.S. ruling class criminality in banking, investing, and insurance industries in the housing market.
Today’s crisis in commodities, with oil always primary, is led by those same criminals, who were neither named nor punished. They weren’t even removed from their jobs, in fact they were handed bailouts & bonuses. This criminal class is doing quite well today, and plans on maintaining that status quo, with super PAC contributions, manipulated media, rigged voting, etc…
When that no longer holds the masses back, police-state fascism becomes the method of choice for the ruling class.
Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State during the Obama presidency, as has been an accomplice in this criminality. She is rightly seen by many Democratic supporters as a poor nominee. This is a first lady who was cuckolded by her husband, and stayed with him for political convenience. She was unable to secure the party’s nomination in 2008, despite being a heavy early favorite, and was quickly consumed by the Obama campaign machine.
The same situation appears to be happening in 2016, as Bernie Sanders finished a narrow second to Hillary Clinton in Iowa, a virtual dead-heat at 49.9% to 49.6%. The Clinton campaign spent $9.4M, and the Sanders campaign $7.4 on television ads on Iowa. Many within the Democratic party see Hillary as a loser, despite being married to one of the most powerful figures in the party. She has limited-to-no appeal to men & younger voters. If she manages to secure the Democratic nomination, she will likely lose to Trump (or any other Republican), either by hook or crook.
Note: Clinton’s daughter Chelsea and Trump’s daughter Ivanka (pictured below), are best friends, which again proves the primacy of class roots over partisan politics.
The ruling class is somewhat put off by Bernie Sanders, and his talk of “democratic socialism”– a term his supporters use, but none can really define. He most definitely serves a purpose, as leftist rhetorical veneer. Sanders is another dying wheeze of liberalism, which has been made a dead letter by Barack Obama, who came to the U.S. presidency in 2008 as a beacon of liberalism.
In 2016, Obama’s blackness of skin doesn’t speak nearly as loudly as his class perspective. President Obama has supported & extended the criminal Bush/Cheney policies, at home & abroad, including: wars of aggression, torture, indiscriminate drone strikes, trigger-happy policing, and other war crimes being committed in the name of America, which most Americans strongly oppose. The problem for most Americans is there’s no political, economic or social outlet for their frustrations.
Therefore, liberalism is called upon to deceive the masses one more time, until fascism can gather its forces and smash the workers, in order to seize power for itself. Once that happens, world war become increasingly inevitable, unless the working masses intercede under the banner of revolutionary socialism, which is now the only viable option for humanity’s survival.
……………..><><><><><><><><><><><><……………….
On January 31, Novak Djokovic (SER) defeated No. 2 Andy Murray (GBR) 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (3) in Melbourne, capturing a record sixth Australian Open title, and tying Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg with his 11th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic, now 5th all-time in career Slams, was completely disrespected by the American sports media led by ESPN, SI, etc… when he wasn’t named Sportsperson-(or at least Co-Sportsperson)-of-the Year, in 2015. Serena Williams is amazing, but so is Novak Djokovic, and what he does is tougher– playing on the ATP. [1]
This is the current career men’s singles tennis Grand Slam top 8 list:
Player Career Slams AUST FRENCH WIMBLEDON USO
1 Roger Federer SUI 17 4 1 7 5
2 Rafael Nadal ESP 14 1 9 2 2
2 Pete Sampras USA 14 2 0 7 5
4 Roy Emerson AUS 12 6 2 2 2
5 Novak Djokovic SER 11 6 0 3 2
= Björn Borg SWE 11 0 6 5 0
= Rod Laver AUS 11 3 2 4 2
8 Bill Tilden USA 10 0 0 3 7
On the women’s side, Serena Williams came to Australia as the favorite, and she lived up to it, until she ran into No. 7 Angelique Kerber (GER) in the finals. Kerber raised her game & persevered 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to win her first major title. Afterwards Williams said she’s “not a robot”, and she may be attempting to live up to an impossible standard, at age 34. She’s still pretty good. Here’s the current all-time women’s singles top 8 list:
Player Career Slams AUST FRENCH WIMBLEDON USO
1 Margaret Court AUS 24 11 5 3 5
2 Steffi Graf GER 22 4 6 7 5
3 Serena Williams USA 21 6 3 6 6
4 Helen Wills USA 19 0 4 8 7
5 Martina Navratilova USA 18 3 2 9 4
= Chris Evert USA 18 2 7 3 6
7 Billie Jean King USA 12 1 1 6 4
8 Monica Seles YUG/USA 9 4 3 0 2
The biggest asterisk on the women’s career list relates to one of the ugliest incidents in the history of modern professional sports. On April 30, 1993, Monica Seles was the victim of an on-court attack in Hamburg. Günter Parche, an obsessed fan of Steffi Graf, ran from the middle of the crowd to the edge of the court during a break between games, and stabbed Seles with a boning knife between her shoulder blades.
German authorities quickly ruled out political motivation for the attack, even though Seles was known to have received death threats in relation to the ongoing conflict in her native Yugoslavia. Parche was charged but never jailed for the public stabbing. He was found to be ‘psychologically abnormal’, and was sentenced to two years’ probation and psychological treatment.
Monica Seles was 19 years old at the time of the assault, and had already won 8 Grand Slams. Steffi Graf, age 24 had already won 11 Grand Slams, but had clearly been surpassed by Seles. Monica Seles rejoined the WTA in 1995, and added a fourth Australian Open title in 1996, but was never the same player again.
Monica Seles spoke about the incident years later, “From the time I was stabbed, I think the security hasn’t changed. What people seem to be forgetting is that this man stabbed me intentionally, and he did not serve any sort of punishment for it.” Seles has not played tennis in Germany since. “I would not feel comfortable going back. I don’t foresee that happening.” [2]
For some unknown reason, no one pays much attention to professional doubles, even though it’s the version of tennis that most recreational players enjoy. On the men’s side in the 2016 Australian Open doubles finals, Bruno Soares (BRA) and Jamie Murray (GBR) beat Daniel Nestor (CAN) and Radek Stepanek (CZH) 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.
The Bryan brothers don’t win majors anymore, but they were the best ever, and they’re still active. Best men’s Grand Slam doubles tandem (open era)
16 Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan USA
11 Todd Woodbridge & Mark Woodforde AUS
7 John Newcombe & Tony Roche AUS
= Peter Fleming & John McEnroe USA
In the women doubles final, Martina Hingis (SUI) and Sania Mirza (IND) beat the Czech pair of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 7-6 (1), 6-3 to extend their winning streak to 36 matches, on the way to their third major doubles title as a team.
Venus (age 35) & Serena Williams don’t play doubles at majors anymore. [3]
Here are the top women Grand Slam tandems of all-time:
20 Martina Navratilova & Pam Shriver USA
14 Gigi Fernández & Natasha Zvereva USA/USSR
13 Venus Williams & Serena Williams USA
8 Virginia Ruano Pascual & Paola Suárez ESP/ARG
The No. 1 priority now in professional tennis (ATP & WTA), is to clean up the match-fixing. Evidence of throwing matches needs to be thoroughly investigated, then made public; with those responsible named & punished appropriately. The same goes for PEDs. Tennis is a great game, and a superb alternative to American football & soccer, for those athletes looking to avoid concussion risks, but its competition must be clean & fair at its highest levels to attract young players. Therefore organized crime, gambling elements and dangerous chemical enhancements need to be kept outside of the sport.
All the best tennis players want the integrity of their sport maintained, as a gentlemen’s/women’s game– the “Sport of Kings.” This means clean, hard-nosed competition, with respectful etiquette always observed on the court– win or lose.
………………><><><><><><><><><,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The 429 Connector is part of a toll-highway system that is now 7/8 complete, and will eventually encircle Orlando, FL. Its builders had a few issues running the final link through the Wekiva Springs State Park (and other protected wetlands), but as you can see by the map below, they got it worked out. [1]
The 429 now connects Disney to Lake County, with an exit arrow pointing to “Mount Dora.”
Mount Dora is now recognized as a tourist destination around the world, and anyone who can afford it, can fly into Orlando International Airport and then drive to Mount Dora in about an hour.
Some people are disappointed upon arrival, as downtown Mount Dora is just three (3) blocks square, with a lot of empty (for rent) buildings within.
There is no more room for street parking in the downtown area, and the available lots were filled long ago.
Mount Dora will retain neither its ‘quaintness’ nor its events & festivals, without serious infrastructure upgrades.
So far, Mount Dora city planners have poured millions of dollars into railroads, cutting down old oak trees, and other concrete ‘improvements’– without addressing basic issues such as parking, traffic flow and pedestrian safety.
There needs to be a FREE (otherwise people won’t use it!) multi-level parking garage at 441 & Donnelly– where the Publix shopping center used to be. Alternative location: 441 & Limit.
Additionally there needs to be reliable (& reasonably-fared) shuttle service from the garage, to the downtown & back– within business hours. Segways can’t be allowed in the streets, and they must yield to pedestrians– always; otherwise it’s insanity. Sidewalks need to be installed around the downtown area, meaning ‘historic’ easements will need to be annexed for pedestrian & bicycle safety.
Some crotchy old-timers will protest, and they need to be shouted down by reason in all forums. Their class hates self-sacrifice, always insisting on the sacrifices of others.
This needs to get done ASAP, and without corruption.
If you’re able to relax, Mount Dora is indeed ‘Someplace Special.’
When it’s overrun with angry tourists & congested traffic, it becomes like everything else under capitalism– ruined.
……………><><><><><><><><><><><><><………………
“The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honors the legendary performers, producers, songwriters, disc jockeys and others who have made rock and roll [as defined by Rolling Stone magazine– RS] the force that it is in our culture.” [1]
This discussion will focus on the performer section of the Hall, because it’s supposed to be about the music. It’s the artists (and those left out) that define this institution. The rule of eligibility is straight-forward: once an artist has gone 25 years after the release of their first record, they become eligible.
Anyone who knows anything about punk & rap, knows that 2016 inductees Cheap Trick and NWA are first-rate artists– who should have been in years ago, if this institution took the music seriously.
For heavy metal and classic rock buffs, Deep Purple and Steve Miller can be viewed as worthy, as long as it’s recognized that this is around where the line for entry should be. Grand Funk, BTO, etc… are well-below that standard– otherwise the concept of a ‘Hall of Fame’ becomes diluted & meaningless.
The fifth & final 2016 inductee was Chicago, who were (and still are) industry product with very little artistic aesthetic. Their songs suffer from similarity, even their album covers all look the same, unimaginatively titled Chicago I (1969)… Now: Chicago XXXVI (2014). The only reason bands like Chicago lasted & ‘succeeded’ was because they were backed by big-label (Columbia Records here) payola. Chicago had a hard time putting together a decent retrospective (Greatest Hits: Chicago IX [1975]) when it was time, proving after all those years they weren’t even much of a singles band:
The following is a list of important musical artists (arranged by genre), who are NOT in the R&R HoF. I don’t consider this list exhaustive, but every one of them is more worthy of recognition, than Chicago and the rest of Casey Kasem’s American Top 40.
This is essential modern music which any enthusiastic & fair-minded listener needs to know about. The hidden purpose of the R&R HoF (and its Rolling Stone magazine founders), is to keep this vital music away from people– at least until these artists can be coerced into acquiesce to the machinery. Only then will these rock renegades be allowed in from the cold.
My hope is that none of these artists even care about getting into this thoroughly bloated & corrupt institution. They are all too good for this, and their legions of fans know it.
Alt/Punk: Roxy Music, New Order/Joy Division, Big Star, Pixies, King Crimson, Sonic Youth, Captain Beefheart, Husker Du, Minutemen, Soundgarden, Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, Replacements, Pavement, Smashing Pumpkins, B-52’s, X, X-Ray Spex, Jane’s Addiction, NY Dolls, Buzzcocks, Black Flag, Runaways, Devo, XTC, PJ Harvey, Babes in Toyland, Bikini Kill, Helmet, Rage Against the Machine, Phish, Mott the Hoople, Television, Richard Hell & the Voidoids, Echo & the Bunnymen, English Beat, Gang of Four, Wire, Violent Femmes, Gary Numan, Bauhaus, Soft Machine, Minor Threat/Fugazi, Fall, Dinosaur Jr, Primus, Hole, Bad Brains, Pere Ubu, Nico, Mission of Burma, Breeders, Throwing Muses, Mekons, Fugs, Feelies, Meat Puppets, Slits, Big Black, Smiths, Midnight Oil, Rodriguez…
Heavy Metal: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Queensryche…
Country Influence: Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings…
Blues/Jazz Influence: Slim Harpo, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus…
Rap/Hip-Hop: Afrika Bambaataa, Tribe Called Quest, LL Cool J, Eric B & Rakim, De La Soul, Boogie Down Productions/KRS, Queen Latifah, Gang Starr…
Classic Rock: Warren Zevon, Graham Parker, Love, Free, Bad Company, Shangri-Las, Boston, REO Speedwagon, Joe Walsh, Them, Joe Jackson, Steve Earle, Richard & Linda Thompson, Fairport Convention, Robin Trower, Guess Who, George Thorogood, Jim Croce…
Pop & Divas: Nina Simone, Carpenters, Pat Benatar, Go-Go’s, Eurythmics, Sinead O’Connor…
Reggae: Toots & Maytals, Peter Tosh, Augustus Pablo, Desmond Dekker, I-Roy, Burning Spear, Big Youth, Lee “Scratch” Perry…
World Influence: Fela Kuti, Antônio Carlos Jobim, King Sunny Ade, Ali Farke Toure, Ravi Shankar, Youssou N’Dour, Baaba Maal, Tito Puentes, Ruben Blades, Fania All-Stars…
Electronic: Tangerine Dream, Can, Faust, Massive Attack, Moby, Prodigy, Underworld, Bjork…
I’m a small-hall guy so I (unfairly?) excluded artists like Jethro Tull, Procol Harum Kraftwerk, Nine Inch Nails, Cars, Dire Straits, Journey, April Wine, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Squire, Living Color, Ministry, Pantera… who all rocked harder (and with WAY more content), than Chicago.
Here’s this artist’s overview of other recent inductee classes:
2015 Worthy Inductees: Green Day, Joan Jett, Stevie Ray Vaughn
2014 Worthy Inductees: Nirvana, Peter Gabriel
2013 Worthy Inductees: Albert King, Randy Newman, Donna Summer, Rush, Public Enemy
2012 Worthy Inductees: Beastie Boys, Guns ‘N’ Roses
Too much fluff has been allowed in, while too much of what is essential rock music has been left out. The R&R HoF is a gross distortion & marginalization of valuable popular culture. Music lovers & kids can remedy this situation by ignoring this political nonsense, and opening their minds– so they can hear music in a new way.
…………><><><><><><><><><><……………..
Constitutional requirements to be eligible for the U.S. presidency:
1.) Be a native-born U.S. citizen, or born abroad to at least one parent who was a U.S. citizen at the time of birth.
2.) Be at least 35 years of age.
3.) Have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years.
Starting just from this criteria, there are plenty of everyday people who are better write-in candidates than any of this flotsam pictured below :
===================================================
John F. Kennedy (D) won a narrow victory over incumbent VP Richard Nixon (R) in 1960, becoming the youngest person to be elected president. He was 43 years old when he was inaugurated.
JFK was assassinated in November 1963, most-likely by a CIA/ deep-state cabal that used Lee Harvey Oswald as a patsy. [1]
This right-wing coup directly preceded the escalation of U.S. dirty wars in Southeast Asia, along with increased FBI surveillance and police activity against its citizens at home.
Albert Thomas (D) was a congressman in Texas for 29 years, credited with bringing the Johnson Space Center to Houston.
Thomas is infamously pictured below, winking to LBJ after his Air Force One inauguration, with a grieving Jacqueline Kennedy in the foreground; lending proof to a vast military-intelligence conspiracy in the JFK assassination:
Significant political shifts by the ruling class are always to the right. Political reaction is triggered by popular reformist surges which are always perceived as a threat to ruling stability; and therefore must be beheaded, stifled, and beaten back with a vengeance.
A more-recent example of reaction in political history was in 1992, when the Democratic party was able to ride a wave of youthful discontent from 12 years of Reagan/Bush as Bill Clinton (D) handily defeated incumbent George H.W. Bush to win the Oval Office. This was followed by a Republican counter-attack in 1994, led by Southern Baptist congressman Newt Gingrich (R-Ga):
Bill Clinton was endlessly witch-hunted during both terms by hard-line Republicans, and the 42nd U.S. president was ultimately impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice on December 19, 1998– for lying under oath about an extramarital affair. This first-ever impeachment of a U.S president is best understood historically as a blatant attempt by political conservatives to overturn the results of the 1992 & 1996 elections.
The theft of the 2000 U.S. presidential election was the culmination of a ruling class coup against the American people, as votes for Democratic party nominee Al Gore in Florida were ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court to remain uncounted. Many votes were unable to be counted or miscounted due to electronic voting machine errors, discrimination at the polling stations, and intentionally confusing ballots; the most infamous being the butterfly ballots from Palm Beach County, Florida– shown below:
An army of lawyers, party hacks and goon squads were quickly organized by the Republican party machinery to descend on Tallahassee, FL in order to tip the outcome to Bush:
On December 7-8, the Florida Supreme court listened to arguments from both sides and finally ruled for an immediate recount:
The U.S. Supreme Court then immediately stepped in, halting the tabulation of uncounted ballots, freezing Katherine Harris’ certification of a 537-vote margin in favor of George W. Bush.
On December 12, the U.S. Supreme court ruled in Bush v Gore that votes could no longer be counted due to a fictional constitutional technicality, thus handing Florida’s 20 electoral votes and the U.S. presidency to Bush/Cheney.
The Democratic party registered a mild protest, then vacated any defense of democratic rights, including the right to vote in Al Gore’s concession speech:
================================================
Electronic voting should be monitored by all participants, and video evidence of voting machine irregularities is a valuable document in defense of democratic rights. Watch this video below from 2012, as a voter tries to check Barack Obama (D), but the machine insists on registering a vote for Mitt Romney (R).
Manipulation of ballot counting now appears to be the norm in presidential politics. The 2004 Edison-Mitofsky national exits polls predicted very different results than the official presidential election results. Bush won the official results by 2.5%, while exit polls predicted a Kerry victory nationally by 3% – a whopping 5.5% difference.
State exit polls predicted a Kerry victory in four states that Bush won – Ohio, Iowa, New Mexico, and Nevada – and a virtually even race in Florida, which Bush officially won by 5%.
The difference between the exit polls and the official results were statistically significant (outside the margin of error) in Ohio and Florida. In Ohio, Kerry lost officially by 2.5%, while winning the exit poll by 4.2%– a difference of 6.7%. Winning either Ohio or Florida would have meant an electoral victory for John Kerry. [2]
==============================================
This is how political election spending has evolved since 1990:
Since 2010, Super PAC money rules the campaigns [3]. The graph below shows the popular reaction to the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Supreme Court decision; allowing unlimited individual, corporate, and union contributions into election campaigns:
A Gallup poll conducted Oct. 3-6, 2013, revealed 60% of Americans say the Democrat/Republican parties do such a poor job of representing the American people, that a third major party is needed. Only 26% believed the two major parties adequately represent Americans. [4]
Over the decades, state lawmakers from both major parties have developed stringent ballot access requirements to discourage third-party candidates and voter participation in the electoral process. The three largest minor U.S. political parties as of April 2015 are listed below. In reality, they are all just funnels & safety valves for either the Democrats or Republicans:
Libertarian Party: Founded in 1971: conservative (Republican) policy positions including lowering corporate taxes, allowing people to “opt-out” of Social Security, abolishing welfare, etc…
Green Party: Founded sometime in the 1980-90’s, through a series of fits & spasms; this Democratic party off-shoot promotes identity politics– feminism, LGBT rights, and anti-racism; along with greenwashed-for-capitalism versions of environmentalism, non-violence and social justice.
Constitution Party: Republican branch, established in 1991 and originally called the U.S. Taxpayers’ party; they believe the United States is a Christian nation and its moral compass should be the Bible.
The extreme right-wing Tea Party movement emerged in the wake of Ron Paul’s failed 2008 presidential campaign to win the Republican nomination, which eventually went to John McCain. (R-Ariz). Ron Paul is a two-time Republican presidential candidate, and the presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party in the 1988. Paul has been characterized as a kook by his colleagues, as well as the “intellectual godfather” of the Tea Party movement. [5]
Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) remains the Tea Party’s iconic figure:
Donald Trump is whom she most identifies with politically:
According to Richard Winger— editor of Ballot Access News and an expert in the field — there are probably fewer than half a dozen minor parties that will qualify for the presidential ballot in more than five states. “It will be Democrats; Republicans; Libertarian; Green; Constitution; Party for Socialism and Liberation; Justice and Socialist Workers Party; and no others, probably. The Socialist Party has a remote chance of also getting on as many as 5 states.” [6]
Anyone planning on going to the polls on November 8, 2016, should know that due to the Electoral College, voting for president only matters in “swing” states:
The red & blue states are already decided, and/or have too few electoral votes to be of significant value. Once the primaries are over, virtually all the campaigning will be concentrated in the swing states, shown in beige above.
=============================================================
The truth is, none of the above-mentioned political parties represent the vast majority of Americans who work for a living, and are mostly struggling to make ends meet. Voting for (or lending any other form of support to) this sick farce only perpetuates the problem, which is the capitalist system itself. All these parties and their candidates represent & defend capitalism (with its program of war & austerity) to the bitter end.
Abstention from this demented charade, or writing-in your own candidate, are the only voting options that makes sense for the working masses. In the end, the workers of the U.S. (and the world) will have to form their own independent political party, finally giving a voice to their interests, as well as the greater needs of human society. This political program will have to be socialist & revolutionary in nature, in order to be successful.