Xenophobes Fuel The Fires Of Genocide!

As I have previously scribed, Xenophobia Runs Rampart In the U.S.A., Xenophobic Americans Are Not Good Americans! And now, another recent event in the United States of America has fueled the fires of this Roland Hansen Commentary. Read on ... 

The article "Over 200 Demonstrate Against Islam Outside Phoenix Mosque" contained within this embedded link causes me to think about how Nazi Germany rallied against Jewish people resulting in the deaths of six million Jews. Can a new "Kristallnacht" be in the making - this time directed against Islam?

For those unfamiliar with Kristallnacht, you can read and learn about it in the embedded article KRISTALLNACHT courtesy of HISTORY.com.

While I have no empathy for radical Islamic extremist Muslim terrorists, I refuse to stereotype all followers of Islam and I abhor the prejudice and discrimination targetting all Muslims in general as seems to be the case with the anti-Islam protesters reported in the cited article of the second paragraph here in this Roland Hansen Commentary, and as seems the case with the supporters and sympathisers of those protesting demonstrators. These people, these demonstrators, these protesters voice their negative feelings directed at all Muslims, not just the violent extremist terrorist Muslims.

As I have stated elsewhere, "I believe that killings and violence should and can be condemned without fueling the fires of prejudice, discrimination, or xenphobia. I see no need to mock any person or group of people in the process of condemning senseless violence and/or in the advocacy of peace."

I am of the opinion that persons who condemn Muslims, who advocate anti-Muslim sentiments, who provoke and incite fear and hatred of Muslims are the catalyst for genocide of the followers of Islam.

Fred Vallongo is a very knowledgeable man who I admire and respect. He is a veteran, a case manager, a social worker, an adminstrator, a counselor, a Red Cross volunteer, a thespian, a writer, and a wrestling aficionado, and oh, so much more. I have known Fred Vollongo for approximately 40 years. I would like to share with you a recent statement made by Fred Vollongo in response to my writing about this topic on Facebook:

"The first step to genocide is cultural disrespect. Second step is for that disrespect to be socially sanctioned."

To Whom The Dollar Goes. Soldiers. Retirees on Social Security. Politicians, as in Elected Officials. Corporate CEOs.

Pay disparity and wage inequities are almost always a hot button topic.

The compensation of elected officials is often the target of disgruntled, ill-informed persons who denounce the compensation of those in the public service of the government of the United States of America.

For example, take a look at the following meme that has been circulating on the internet:

Far too many people see the above meme and accept it as being factually correct, which it is not. The fact is that the meme contains falsehoods concerning the elected officials it cites. For those persons who are open-minded to facts, as opposed to preconceived notions and opinions, I suggest taking a look and read very carefully that which is contained in:

• US GOVERNMENT, U.S. CONGRESS: ACTIONS AND INFORMATION, Salaries and Benefits of US Congress Members: The Truth for information on annual (NOT FOR LIFE) congressional salaries and benefits.
• ASK FACTCHECK, Congressional Pensions Update, Posted on January 5, 2015 for congressional pension information.

While, many Americans decry the compensation of our elected officials, very few decry the compensation of America's CEOs.

Did you know that the 2014 compensation of David M. Zaslav, CEO of Discovery Communications, Inc., was $156,077,912? Now, tell me that he is worth more than the President of the United States!

"In 2013 the CEO-to-worker pay ratio was 331:1 and the CEO-to-minimum-wage-worker pay ratio was 774:1. America is supposed to be the land of opportunity, a country where hard work and playing by the rules would provide working families a middle-class standard of living. But in recent decades, corporate CEOs have been taking a greater share of the economic pie while wages have stagnated and unemployment remains high." ref: Executive Paywatch.

The 100 Highest Paid CEOs in the United States cost us Americans millions and millions of dollars. Take a look at the chart contained in the embedded link of the immediately preceding sentence.

The bottom line is that the source of funding the compensation to both elected officials and CEOs comes out of our pockets, whether the compensation is paid to elected officials through our tax dollars or the compensation is paid to corporate CEOs through the prices we pay on goods and services.

Taxpayer Assistance. Welfare. For Whom The Money Flows.

Facts are facts.

Opinions are opinions.

What is your opinion? Do you favor taxpayer assistance for the poor or taxpayer assistance for the rich?

Taxpayer assistance to public assistance programs, such as: TANF, food stamps (SNAP, EBT, etc.), Medicaid, SSI (for the blind,disabled, and elderly), extended unemployment benefits, etc. benefit low income persons in the lower economic bracket.

Taxpayer assistance in the form of tax credits, tax write-offs, a large variety of government grants, tax abatement, etc. to small businesses, small and big corporations and wealthy individuals benefit high income persons in the higher economic bracket.

What do you favor - welfare for less fortunate individuals or corporate welfare for the wealthy?

You might wish to read Government Spends More on Corporate Welfare Subsidies than Social Welfare Programs.

Dog featured on 13abc's Pet Project now a therapy dog. And, Boo still makes people happy!

Bill Clinton. President William Jefferson Clinton. The Clinton Foundation.

Ever so slightly paraphrased from Wikipedia:

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III; August 19, 1946) served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001, having previously served as Governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and 1983 to 1992, and the state's Attorney General from 1977 to 1979. ... Clinton left office with the highest end-of-office approval rating of any U.S. president since World War II.

Read more about Bill Clinton from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

More may be learned about President William Jefferson Clinton, one of the greatest Presidents of the United States of America in modern times over at Bill Clinton - Biography.com.

And if you head on over thisaway, you may learn about the Clinton Foundation.