Saturday, February 4, 2017
Friday, February 3, 2017
The Eve Of Destruction. Donald J. Trump.
I remember a very popular protest song from the Vietnam era that came out I believe in 1965.
It was a social commentary for its time.
Somehow, I think it just as fitting under the Presidency of Donald J. Trump today as it was under the Presidency of LBJ, i.e. Lyndon B. Johnson, in the mid-1960s.
Incidentally, in my humble opinion, the protests of the 1960s led to a decision by LBJ not to seek re-election to the Presidency.
"Eve Of Destruction" ~ Lyrics
The eastern world, it is explodin',
Violence flarin', bullets loadin',
You're old enough to kill but not for votin',
You don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin',
And even the Jordan river has bodies floatin',
But you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
Don't you understand, what I'm trying to say?
And can't you feel the fears I'm feeling today?
If the button is pushed, there's no running away,
There'll be no one to save with the world in a grave,
Take a look around you, boy, it's bound to scare you, boy,
And you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
Yeah, my blood's so mad, feels like coagulatin',
I'm sittin' here, just contemplatin',
I can't twist the truth, it knows no regulation,
Handful of Senators don't pass legislation,
And marches alone can't bring integration,
When human respect is disintegratin',
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin',
And you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
Think of all the hate there is in Red China!
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama!
Ah, you may leave here, for four days in space,
But when your return, it's the same old place,
The poundin' of the drums, the pride and disgrace,
You can bury your dead, but don't leave a trace,
Hate your next door neighbor, but don't forget to say grace,
And you tell me over and over and over and over again my friend,
You don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
No, no, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
It was a social commentary for its time.
Somehow, I think it just as fitting under the Presidency of Donald J. Trump today as it was under the Presidency of LBJ, i.e. Lyndon B. Johnson, in the mid-1960s.
Incidentally, in my humble opinion, the protests of the 1960s led to a decision by LBJ not to seek re-election to the Presidency.
"Eve Of Destruction" ~ Lyrics
The eastern world, it is explodin',
Violence flarin', bullets loadin',
You're old enough to kill but not for votin',
You don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin',
And even the Jordan river has bodies floatin',
But you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
Don't you understand, what I'm trying to say?
And can't you feel the fears I'm feeling today?
If the button is pushed, there's no running away,
There'll be no one to save with the world in a grave,
Take a look around you, boy, it's bound to scare you, boy,
And you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
Yeah, my blood's so mad, feels like coagulatin',
I'm sittin' here, just contemplatin',
I can't twist the truth, it knows no regulation,
Handful of Senators don't pass legislation,
And marches alone can't bring integration,
When human respect is disintegratin',
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin',
And you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
Think of all the hate there is in Red China!
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama!
Ah, you may leave here, for four days in space,
But when your return, it's the same old place,
The poundin' of the drums, the pride and disgrace,
You can bury your dead, but don't leave a trace,
Hate your next door neighbor, but don't forget to say grace,
And you tell me over and over and over and over again my friend,
You don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
No, no, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
November 6, 2018 - VOTE USA
Many, many people are dissatisfied with the 2016 Presidential Election in the United States of America.
Folks are talking; folks are complaining; folks are protesting; folks are demonstrating.
I have not seen our great nation as divided as this since the protests in the 1960s that included the civil rights demonstrations and anti-Vietnam war protests.
Talk is cheap! Complaining and demonstratiing is easy.
The most effective way to express dismay is with the power of the vote.
So, all you Americans who are unhappy with the election of Donald J. Trump and of the Conservative Congressional majority, you have a real opportunity to effectuate change on November 6, 2018.
Folks are talking; folks are complaining; folks are protesting; folks are demonstrating.
I have not seen our great nation as divided as this since the protests in the 1960s that included the civil rights demonstrations and anti-Vietnam war protests.
Talk is cheap! Complaining and demonstratiing is easy.
The most effective way to express dismay is with the power of the vote.
So, all you Americans who are unhappy with the election of Donald J. Trump and of the Conservative Congressional majority, you have a real opportunity to effectuate change on November 6, 2018.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Friday, January 20, 2017
'Fess Up, Obama Bashers!
Remember when I wrote:
"There are many people who criticize Barack Obama, the President of the United States of America. Some criticisms are justifiable and warranted by those who make the criticisms. Then, there are the Obama Bashers, as I call them, who just want to belittle and demonize our President with reckless disregard to truth."
Remember when I wrote:
"rising gasoline prices in the United States of America, it is not uncommon for tea party movement folks and Republicans and other conservatives, aka Obama Bashers, to blame President Barack Obama for those obscenely high gasoline prices."
And remember when I wrote:
"Gasoline prices in the United States of America are at the lowest level in many a year. Prices are now below $2.00 per gallon. Funny thing, though --- I do not hear American political conservatives and followers of the Tea Party Movement crediting President Barack Obama for the low gasoline prices."
Oh! And remember the Roland Hansen Commentary:
Let's Check Facts Before Bashing Our President, Barack Obama
Well, the last day in the Presidency of Barack Obama has now come and gone; and, to this day the farshtunken Obama Bashers never have admitted their deceitful ways.
Those dodos told so many lies; and, they believed in those lies. And now that President Obama is leaving office those dimwits still will not 'fess up to the error of their falacious accusations!
PLEASE NOTE: My use of colorful, descriptive adjectives and nouns in this Roland Hansen Commentary is solely for the purpose of expressing my disdain of those persons who knowingly and intentionally have spread and continue to communicate mistruths about President Obama. In no way do I intend the use of those words to be directed generally at all persons who honestly and sincerely have personally held political perspective in opposition to President Obama.
"There are many people who criticize Barack Obama, the President of the United States of America. Some criticisms are justifiable and warranted by those who make the criticisms. Then, there are the Obama Bashers, as I call them, who just want to belittle and demonize our President with reckless disregard to truth."
Remember when I wrote:
"rising gasoline prices in the United States of America, it is not uncommon for tea party movement folks and Republicans and other conservatives, aka Obama Bashers, to blame President Barack Obama for those obscenely high gasoline prices."
And remember when I wrote:
"Gasoline prices in the United States of America are at the lowest level in many a year. Prices are now below $2.00 per gallon. Funny thing, though --- I do not hear American political conservatives and followers of the Tea Party Movement crediting President Barack Obama for the low gasoline prices."
Oh! And remember the Roland Hansen Commentary:
Let's Check Facts Before Bashing Our President, Barack Obama
Well, the last day in the Presidency of Barack Obama has now come and gone; and, to this day the farshtunken Obama Bashers never have admitted their deceitful ways.
Those dodos told so many lies; and, they believed in those lies. And now that President Obama is leaving office those dimwits still will not 'fess up to the error of their falacious accusations!
PLEASE NOTE: My use of colorful, descriptive adjectives and nouns in this Roland Hansen Commentary is solely for the purpose of expressing my disdain of those persons who knowingly and intentionally have spread and continue to communicate mistruths about President Obama. In no way do I intend the use of those words to be directed generally at all persons who honestly and sincerely have personally held political perspective in opposition to President Obama.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Will the Wealthy Run America's Government under Donald Trump?
I found this on the Facebook page of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders:
Trump is assembling the wealthiest cabinet in history — so wealthy that its members have more money than the bottom 1/3 of American households combined. That does not sound like an "anti-establishment" administration to me.
Can this really be true? Well, let's explore abit to see if there is anything to corroborate the assertion made by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.
Open the following embedded links for more on this subject:
- Donald Trump's Cabinet Could Be the Richest Ever, Sam Dangremond, December 5, 2016, Town & Country.
- Trump’s wealthy cabinet choices hark back to Gilded Age, Shawn Donnan, December 2, 2016, Financial Times.
- Trump assembles America's 'richest cabinet', 1 December 2016, BBC News.
- Bring on the billionaires! Donald Trump's cabinet is the richest in modern history - with a combined wealth of $10 BILLION (excluding the man himself), By Nikki Schwab, 1 December 2016, Daily Mail.
Okay, enough of that. Let's learn abit more about the folks with whom Donald Trump is surrounding himself. Open the following embedded link to learn:
- Who’s in Trump’s Cabinet? courtesy of CNN
In my opinion:
The wealthy have always seemed to control America, albeit covertly behind the scenes. Now, it looks as though the wealthy have overtly taken political control of the Government of the United States of America. The dominate force in the American electorate have sold their souls to the company store.
Hmmm.... How about a little diversion?
Have you ever wondered about the phrase, "sold their souls to the company store?"
Well, now you can learn about that phrase by opening the embedded link contained within the following:
Who Sold Their Souls to the Company Store?
As an aside:
The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. I just thought I'd throw that in just because it came to mind.
Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the U.S. (1829–1837), in his 1832 bank veto, said that, "when the laws undertake... to make the rich richer and the potent more powerful, the humble members of society... have a right to complain of the injustice to their Government."
William Henry Harrison, the ninth President of the U.S. (1841), said in an October 1, 1840 speech, "It is true democratic feeling, that all the measures of the government are directed to the purpose of making the rich richer and the poor poorer."
I am mindful of the urban legend that in 1789, when being told that her French subjects had no bread, Marie-Antoinette (bride of France's King Louis XVI) supposedly sniffed, “Qu'ils mangent de la brioche”—“Let them eat cake.”
I cannot help but wonder what will America be like for economically disadvantaged people and for the working middle-class in America under The Millionaire/Billionaire Club, aka the Executive Office of the President and The Cabinet of the administration of Donald Trump.
Well, now you can learn about that phrase by opening the embedded link contained within the following:
Who Sold Their Souls to the Company Store?
As an aside:
The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. I just thought I'd throw that in just because it came to mind.
Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the U.S. (1829–1837), in his 1832 bank veto, said that, "when the laws undertake... to make the rich richer and the potent more powerful, the humble members of society... have a right to complain of the injustice to their Government."
William Henry Harrison, the ninth President of the U.S. (1841), said in an October 1, 1840 speech, "It is true democratic feeling, that all the measures of the government are directed to the purpose of making the rich richer and the poor poorer."
I am mindful of the urban legend that in 1789, when being told that her French subjects had no bread, Marie-Antoinette (bride of France's King Louis XVI) supposedly sniffed, “Qu'ils mangent de la brioche”—“Let them eat cake.”
I cannot help but wonder what will America be like for economically disadvantaged people and for the working middle-class in America under The Millionaire/Billionaire Club, aka the Executive Office of the President and The Cabinet of the administration of Donald Trump.
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Workers Unite! All workers deserve to be paid a decent living wage.
Mechanic's Life (@mechanics.life2016) on Facebook posted a meme that stated:
Several people of whom I know re-posted the meme and others who I also know clicked onto the "Like" icon and/or commented favorably in support of the meme.
Me?
Well, here is a copy and paste of the response from me to an "friend" of mine who had re-postedthe meme on his Facebook wall:
The problem as I see it, however, is that many people are competing with other people on the issue of wages and benefits rather than joining together in co-operative efforts. Instead of uniting for the protection and advancement of the mutual interests of all working men and women, workers in one or another occupation are, in fact, belittling workers in different other occupatious.
I ask that you read (just follow the embedded link contained therein):
Why Workers Won’t Unite
It is my opinion that the wages and benefits of American workes have declined as a result of the decline in American labor union membership.
I read an interesting article that started out with "Union membership has plummeted in the U.S., from nearly one-third of workers 50 years ago to one in 10 American workers today."
To read the rest of that article, go on over to:
The incredible decline of American unions, in one animated map, Ana Swanson, Wonkblog, The Washington Post, February 24, 2015.
I could go on and on about all this, but instead of that, I just would like to recommend you read each of the following (embedded links contained within each title):
"Share if you think Mechanics should be paid more than McDonalds workers."
Several people of whom I know re-posted the meme and others who I also know clicked onto the "Like" icon and/or commented favorably in support of the meme.
Me?
Well, here is a copy and paste of the response from me to an "friend" of mine who had re-postedthe meme on his Facebook wall:
Roland Louis Hansen - I believe everyone should receive a decent living wage above the poverty line and above the income level that qualifies people for food stamps. I would rather pay more in the private marketplace for goods and services than to pay more in taxes for welfare programs needed to supplement poverty level wages paid by employers who exploit working men and women. That being said, rather than put any group of workers down, I say pull all workers up. We need not pit one worker group over another in place of advocating for the betterment of all.I say Workers Unite!
"Workers Uniting is the name of the new international union created by Unite - the biggest union in the UK and Republic of Ireland and the United Steelworkers (USW), North America's largest private sector union."Follow the embedded link to visit and explore the website of Workers Uniting.
The problem as I see it, however, is that many people are competing with other people on the issue of wages and benefits rather than joining together in co-operative efforts. Instead of uniting for the protection and advancement of the mutual interests of all working men and women, workers in one or another occupation are, in fact, belittling workers in different other occupatious.
I ask that you read (just follow the embedded link contained therein):
Why Workers Won’t Unite
It is my opinion that the wages and benefits of American workes have declined as a result of the decline in American labor union membership.
I read an interesting article that started out with "Union membership has plummeted in the U.S., from nearly one-third of workers 50 years ago to one in 10 American workers today."
To read the rest of that article, go on over to:
The incredible decline of American unions, in one animated map, Ana Swanson, Wonkblog, The Washington Post, February 24, 2015.
I could go on and on about all this, but instead of that, I just would like to recommend you read each of the following (embedded links contained within each title):
- A Decade of Declining Wages, From Bad to Worse, Publications, POLICY NOTE 2015/3, Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, March 2015.
- For most workers, real wages have barely budged for decades, Drew DeSilver, Fact Tank, Pew Research Center, October 9, 2014
- Here's the real reason you don't make enough money, Commentary by Thomas A. Kochan, Fortune, September 1, 2015.
Friday, December 2, 2016
Put CHRIST back in Christmas
Here we are in the year 2016; and, The War on Christmas has begun once again!
As a person of the Jewish religion, I am so frustrated by the deluge of people offended by the greeting Happy Holidays" who clamor all over the place with the battle cry "Put CHRIST back in Christmas."
Why does this controversial non-controversy happen each and every year?
The religious holiday (as in HOLY day) of Christmas is observed by Christians, not non-Christians. A Christian may observe Chanukah without violating his or her own Christian belief; but, a Jewish person cannot observe Christmas without violating his or her own Jewish belief.
I am aware of many people who are prejudiced, racist, anti-LGBT, xenophobic that are extremely assertive that Americans need to "Put CHRIST back in Christmas." To them, I put forth the following meme:
The truly religious and observant Christian has always put CHRIST in Christmas! Christ has never been removed from Christmas.
So, what does the phrase "Put CHRIST back in Christmas" really mean? For the answer to that question, I implore you to read the article as embedded within its title:
What Do We Mean By 'Putting Christ Back in Christmas'?
By Phillip Larsen 12-05-2013
That all being said, I now wish to shout out:
As a person of the Jewish religion, I am so frustrated by the deluge of people offended by the greeting Happy Holidays" who clamor all over the place with the battle cry "Put CHRIST back in Christmas."
Why does this controversial non-controversy happen each and every year?
The religious holiday (as in HOLY day) of Christmas is observed by Christians, not non-Christians. A Christian may observe Chanukah without violating his or her own Christian belief; but, a Jewish person cannot observe Christmas without violating his or her own Jewish belief.
I am aware of many people who are prejudiced, racist, anti-LGBT, xenophobic that are extremely assertive that Americans need to "Put CHRIST back in Christmas." To them, I put forth the following meme:
The truly religious and observant Christian has always put CHRIST in Christmas! Christ has never been removed from Christmas.
So, what does the phrase "Put CHRIST back in Christmas" really mean? For the answer to that question, I implore you to read the article as embedded within its title:
What Do We Mean By 'Putting Christ Back in Christmas'?
By Phillip Larsen 12-05-2013
That all being said, I now wish to shout out:
To all my Christian friends, I wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
The USA Should Adopt The Danish Health Care System
Awhile back I published a Roland Hansen Commentary entitled Obama Basher Spinners that addressed a concern I had regarding those people who just wanted to belittle and demonize President Barack Obama with reckless disregard to truth and who routinely dismissed and criticized anyone who did not subscribe to the "Obama Basher" perspective.
In that commentary, I reproduced a photo originally published by "Right Wing News" that was shared on Facebook by Pat Benson, a former high school classmate of mine from the early and mid 1960s. The link to that photo no longer works in that commentary. However, the rest of my commentary remains intact.
If you go over to read it, you will see that I wrote of an exchange I had with Pat Benson on Facebook in which the topic of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and the Danish Health System was broached. In the exchange, I suggested that she "and everyone else take a look at the health care system of Denmark." I further stated "The simple thrust of what I have written is that I wish the issue of adequate, sufficient, and affordable health care for all Americans would have been made available throughout the years."
It has been and still remains my firm belief that the United States of America should revise its health care system to be more like The Danish Health Care System. [Please open the preceding embedded link to read about the Danish health care system.]
I would also like to suggest the following for further reading:
OPINION, The Denver Post
Health care in Denmark
By SPECIAL TO THE DENVER POST
September 3, 2009
THE BLOG, The Huffington Post
What Can We Learn From Denmark?
05/26/2013
Sen. Bernie Sanders
U.S. Senator from Vermont
Come January 20, 2017, the new incoming United States Congress and President-Elect Donald Trump have the opportunity to revise the Affordable Care Act.
When President-Elect Donald Trump takes office, the right wing of American politics will be in control of all three branches of government in the United States of America.
I wonder if they, these right wing politicos, have the chutzpah, have the concern for ALL Americans, and have the political fortitude to do the right thing by modeling the American Health Care system after that of Denmark.
As I entitled this Roland Hansen Commentary,
In that commentary, I reproduced a photo originally published by "Right Wing News" that was shared on Facebook by Pat Benson, a former high school classmate of mine from the early and mid 1960s. The link to that photo no longer works in that commentary. However, the rest of my commentary remains intact.
If you go over to read it, you will see that I wrote of an exchange I had with Pat Benson on Facebook in which the topic of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and the Danish Health System was broached. In the exchange, I suggested that she "and everyone else take a look at the health care system of Denmark." I further stated "The simple thrust of what I have written is that I wish the issue of adequate, sufficient, and affordable health care for all Americans would have been made available throughout the years."
It has been and still remains my firm belief that the United States of America should revise its health care system to be more like The Danish Health Care System. [Please open the preceding embedded link to read about the Danish health care system.]
I would also like to suggest the following for further reading:
OPINION, The Denver Post
Health care in Denmark
By SPECIAL TO THE DENVER POST
September 3, 2009
THE BLOG, The Huffington Post
What Can We Learn From Denmark?
05/26/2013
Sen. Bernie Sanders
U.S. Senator from Vermont
Come January 20, 2017, the new incoming United States Congress and President-Elect Donald Trump have the opportunity to revise the Affordable Care Act.
When President-Elect Donald Trump takes office, the right wing of American politics will be in control of all three branches of government in the United States of America.
I wonder if they, these right wing politicos, have the chutzpah, have the concern for ALL Americans, and have the political fortitude to do the right thing by modeling the American Health Care system after that of Denmark.
As I entitled this Roland Hansen Commentary,
The USA Should Adopt The Danish Health Care System
Sunday, November 13, 2016
The Electoral College Elects The President of The United States of America
The people of the United States of America do not elect the President.
It is the Electoral College that elects the President of The United States of America.
The Electoral College was established in 1787. The framers of the Constitution of the United States of America considered a variety of ways in whih to elect the President and Vice President. They debated whether the President should be elected by a vote of Congress or whether the President should be selected by the State Legislatures or whether the President should be elected by a direct vote of the people. The ultimate decision was a compromise that was a unique blending of approaches; the framers chose on using the Electoral College for the election of the President of the United States of America.
Incidentally, the Electoral College is a not a place, it is a process.
Further Reading:
Presidential Election Process
What is the purpose of the electoral college?
WHY THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
Presidential Election Laws
"For the fifth time in U.S. history, and the second time this century, a presidential candidate has won the White House while (apparently) losing the popular vote."
And now for the rest of that story, go on over to read:
Trump’s victory another example of how Electoral College wins are bigger than popular vote ones
BY DREW DESILVER
The fact of the matter is that Hillary Clinton did not win the majority of the popular vote. A majority of the vote would require obtaining at least one vote more than fifty percent of the total vote. While Hillary Clinton did receive more of the popular vote than Donald Trump, she still only won approximately 47.7 percent of the ballots cast for President of the United States of America; but, that is not a majority; Hillary Clinton got a plurality of the popular vote.
ref: Latest Popular Vote Results 2016: Hillary Clinton Has Almost 400,000 More Votes Than Winner Donald Trump
BY GREG PRICE
And to be perfectly clear on a very important point, HILLARY CLINTON DID NOT GET A MAJORITY VOTE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. The plain and simple fact remains that only 56 percent of the American voting-eligible population turned out to vote. That means that only about 26.7 percent of the American voting age public actually cast a ballot for Hillary Clinton for President this year.
But, Donald Trump supporters need not gloat over his win of the Electoral College vote for President. There is NO MANDATE FOR DONALD TRUMP. The fact is that fewer than 26 percent of the American voting age public cast their ballots for Donald Trump to become President of the United States of America.
In regards to the two immediately preceding paragraphs, I suggest you read:
Why did Trump win? In part because voter turnout plunged.
By Paul Waldman
It is the Electoral College that elects the President of The United States of America.
The Electoral College was established in 1787. The framers of the Constitution of the United States of America considered a variety of ways in whih to elect the President and Vice President. They debated whether the President should be elected by a vote of Congress or whether the President should be selected by the State Legislatures or whether the President should be elected by a direct vote of the people. The ultimate decision was a compromise that was a unique blending of approaches; the framers chose on using the Electoral College for the election of the President of the United States of America.
Incidentally, the Electoral College is a not a place, it is a process.
Further Reading:
Presidential Election Process
What is the purpose of the electoral college?
WHY THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
Presidential Election Laws
The 2016 Presidential Election
And now for the rest of that story, go on over to read:
Trump’s victory another example of how Electoral College wins are bigger than popular vote ones
BY DREW DESILVER
The fact of the matter is that Hillary Clinton did not win the majority of the popular vote. A majority of the vote would require obtaining at least one vote more than fifty percent of the total vote. While Hillary Clinton did receive more of the popular vote than Donald Trump, she still only won approximately 47.7 percent of the ballots cast for President of the United States of America; but, that is not a majority; Hillary Clinton got a plurality of the popular vote.
ref: Latest Popular Vote Results 2016: Hillary Clinton Has Almost 400,000 More Votes Than Winner Donald Trump
BY GREG PRICE
And to be perfectly clear on a very important point, HILLARY CLINTON DID NOT GET A MAJORITY VOTE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. The plain and simple fact remains that only 56 percent of the American voting-eligible population turned out to vote. That means that only about 26.7 percent of the American voting age public actually cast a ballot for Hillary Clinton for President this year.
But, Donald Trump supporters need not gloat over his win of the Electoral College vote for President. There is NO MANDATE FOR DONALD TRUMP. The fact is that fewer than 26 percent of the American voting age public cast their ballots for Donald Trump to become President of the United States of America.
In regards to the two immediately preceding paragraphs, I suggest you read:
Why did Trump win? In part because voter turnout plunged.
By Paul Waldman
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