A Challenge to the Court April 14, 2009

It had always been a dream of mine to become a Supreme Court Justice. I wanted to be the next Thurgood Marshall. Imagine being the highest law in the land? It WAS a dream of mine. I don’t long to be one any longer (not that I wouldn’t accept the position if offered).

I read something from Clarence Thomas via the New York Times Online where he was speaking to group of high school essay contest winners about his role on the Court, and his private life. They also asked him questions, and he gave answers. Pretty cool, if you are the high school students. Sweatin’ bullets if you are Justice Thomas.

Anyway, Justice Thomas commented that people like law professors believed that his job was easy. Justice Thomas disagreed with that sentiment, of course. This brings me to the next article, which is an op-ed written by a law professor critiquing the job of judges.

Quite interesting how one reflects on the other.

The main point of the second article is that justices – Supreme Court or any other – are able to hold their positions for life, which could do more harm than good. The only way for appointed judges to “step down” is to be impeached, and no one wants to go through impeachment hearings.

The article was very interesting in that although the argument was against absolute life time tenure, it proposed real alternatives to the current system. I hate it when people just bash and trash. This article gave some real ideas that are very doable.

I wonder if the Justices of the Supreme Court are humble enough to check out this article? I hope so.

Peace

From the Experts? March 28, 2009

I don’t consider myself an expert in anything, but I do consider myself knowledgeable on a few things, such as….ummmm, I’ll get back to you on that. But I have heard from and read about many “experts.” The so called “No-It-Alls.” My teachers always told me to cite these people when writing my research papers because it would make my claims more legitimate. We always see them on TV, especially during times of “disaster” – like now. But funny how, like now, the experts tell us we should so something and we don’t listen; consume and spend in order to get this economy going, but the “regular” people seem to be saving and cutting back.

Nicholas D. Kristof is who I would consider an expert in human relations. He reports and writes for the New York Times. He’s crisscrossed this Earth doing stories on human sex trafficking in Cambodia to migration degradation in China to the genocide that is taking place in Darfur – he’s seen quite a lot. I consider him an expert because of those experiences. He’s looked into the eyes of tragedy, and even rescued some people from situations that would otherwise have seen them end up dead.

In his most recent column he takes on the experts of institutionalized media, and challenges us to hold them (him included) accountable. So often we just accept what we read in the paper, or hear in the news as pure gospel. Well, sometimes these “experts” don’t have any more of a clue than we do. Sometimes I wonder if these people understand the enormous power they have because of their corporate sponsored soapboxes? I’m not saying they should candycoat situations, but for some reason I feel like the world is about to come to an end, and nothing good is happening…

…I’ll save this rant for another time. In the mean time, check out Kristof’s article – “Learning How To Think,” and challenge the experts.

Peace

Tiger Woods is Back and Starving for a Good Meal March 10, 2009

Analysis of Tiger Woods’ comeback at the Accenture Match Play Championships, and what implications it has with regards to his future performances. I also discuss why Tiger chose such a large stage to make post-injury debut.

See more at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1551017/tiger_woods_is_back_and_starving_for.html

God Bless Tim Russert June 15, 2008

I don’t usually believe in superstition, or good luck and bad luck. Not saying I count it out, but I usually don’t give 100% creedence to such things. That said, this past Friday the 13th was an unlucky day. On this Friday, June 13th, 2008 Tim Russert of Sunday morning’s Meet The Press died of a heart attack. He was only 58. He is carried-on by his wife Maureen Orth, their son Luke, and the countless numbers of viewers whose lives he touched every Sunday morning. Every time there was something political that needed objective analysis and thoughtful insight Tim was there to guide us through the turbulent waters. From primaries to general elections to Congressional races, Tim was there. If I missed Meet The Press one week it would be a week unfulfilled. Thankfully, as I live in Japan I was able to download the webcast and watch it at my convenience, so I didn’t have to go without. For me it was, “If it’s Monday, it’s Meet The Press.”

If you want more insight into Tim and all that he did, you can get a glimpse at MSNBC’s website. There’s a way to leave a personal message if you care to. Here is what I wrote:

I still can’t believe it. My deepest prayers are for the Russerts.

I always loved his little extra shout-outs at the end of the broadcast, especially when he praised his son Luke. Everything Boston College.

I live in Japan and have been listening and watching Meet The Press podcasts and webcasts for the past 5 and a half years. For me, “If it’s Monday, it’s Meet The Press.” I rarely missed an airing.

It’s strange, I feel like a close friend, or even family member has been taken from me. I was just staring out the window wondering, “What is life going to be like from now on, without him?” I was not crying, but my heart and mind were thrown into a vertigo-like state of confusion. “What to make of this?”

The medical facts revealed quite a lot. It is sad to say, but time was not on his side. That said he used his time well. No one can say he didn’t pack as much life into his days on this Earth.

Thank you Tim for always keeping us informed no matter where on the planet we were.

Rest In Peace

The Nature Edition Of The Weekly Rant May 25, 2008

The new The Weekly Rant is up for your pleasure. Last week’s earthquake is our topic for this week’s rant. With over 10,000 dead I wondered if Mother Nature was screaming for us to get back in balance with her, or if the surrounding mountains were just exhibiting some growing pains Check it out.

The Coolest Sites of 2006 – Jumpcut the One for Me May 24, 2008

This is courtesy of TIME.com. They listed the 50 coolest websites of 2006. I checked some of them out. Hits and misses of course. To each there own as always. One website I thought was particularly cool was Jumpcut. If you want to upload, edit and share your home movies, photos, etc. this is a great site for all of that and more. It is powered by Yahoo!, so you will need a Yahoo! account. Once you do that you can register with Jumpcut and do whatever you like. The screens are easy to read, and instructions easy to follow.

The first video I uploaded was a 20 minute live show I played in. The upload was a bit slow, but I think my 5 year old computer plus the 20 minutes of video had something to do with it. In any case, it was swiss cheese after that. I just had to play around and figure things out. No worries, very user friendly. Oh, another feature worth mentioning. You can import from flickr and facebook. I guess if you have any albums you want to share in different ways, or edit into a slideshow you can do so. I’ll end here. Have fun – Jumpcut.

Peace.

History’s Lessons for Today April 26, 2008

Recently I’ve been thinking about this war in Iraq and what it is getting us. I’ve been seeing the reports from both sides saying we are making progress, and Hell is coming to the Earth. 4,000 plus dead soldiers line coffins, and many many more sit in hospital beds injured (and that’s just U.S. American soldiers). The war bill continues to grow. Still I hear progress has been made and anything short of victory is impossible to consider. I whisper the thought in my head, “Only if I knew what VICTORY was…” At these times I think of history’s lessons. I think of people who spelled-out the teachings for us to follow so we are not in situations like Iraq. I give you only two of the many who have WARNED us.

On January 17, 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his farewell address to the people of the United States. In it he spoke of many things. Probably the most famous and relevant at this time was:

“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

If we ask ourselves, “Has the United States government lived up to this?” We must answer, NO!” Bush’s Iraq War shows us that might is not right, and diplomacy can never take a back seat. What would Eisenshower be thinking right now? How would he be governing this situation? So many questions to ask. Why did we not heed this warning?

I turn to an author who gives historical and literary perspective of war.

Dalton Trumbo, author of “Johnny Got His Gun.”

He wrote such a terrifyingly vivid account about the aftermath of war that it still haunts me to this day. Here are a couple of excerpts:

“He thought here you are Joe Bonham lying like a side of beef all the rest of your life and for what? Somebody tapped you on the shoulder and said come along son we’re going to war. So you went.”

“He was the future he was a perfect picture of the future and they were afraid to let anyone see what the future was like. Already they were looking ahead they were figuring the future and somewhere in the future they saw war. To fight that war they would need men and if men saw the future they wouldn’t fight. So they were masking the future they were keeping the future a soft quiet deadly secret. They knew that if all the little people all the little guys saw the future they would begin to ask questions. They would ask questions and they would find answers and they would say to the guys who wanted them to fight they would say you lying thieving sons-of-bitches we won’t fight we won’t be dead we will live we are the world we are the future and we will not let you butcher us no matter what you say no matter what speeches you make no matter what slogans you write. Remember it well we we we are the world we are what makes it go round we make bread and cloth and guns we are the hub of the wheel and the spokes and the wheel itself without us you would be hungry naked worms and we will not die. We are immortal we are the sources of life we are the lowly despicable ugly people we are the great wonderful beautiful people of the world and we are sick of it we are utterly weary we are done with it forever and ever because we are the living and we will not be destroyed.”

Check out this link for the book’s “Introduction/Addendum: 1970.” They are extraordinarily powerful.

As I said earlier, I could list politicians, writers, actors, scientists, etc. who WARN us against the trappings of war offering better solutions, and vivid depictions of what is the ultimate future after war. Where are we after years and years of war? How can George Bush sound the cry against Iran, North Korea, Syria, and other nations when he has ordered the very atrocities he apparently deplores? Is this not another WARNING of what is to come?

I.R.S. After Blade For Avoiding Taxes Not Killing Vampires April 25, 2008

So instead of freezing the accounts of terrorists in the United States, trying to figure how to pay down a ridiculously skyrocketing national debt, figuring how to get money into the education and health systems, and a host of other problems the United States Government is prosecuting vampire killer, Blade. Yes, Wesley Snipes is going to jail for 3 years, and has to pay out US$5 million for apparently avoiding taxes. He didn’t kill anyone. He, according to the CNN story I read, took the advice of his tax people:

“a jury accepted his argument that he was innocently duped by errant tax advisers.”

I find this quite ridiculous. He didn’t pay taxes so he goes to jail for 3 years. How about making him pay the back taxes plus the interest. He probably owes like US$20 million or so. That’s good for about an hour or two, maybe three, in Iraq. Don’t we have more dangerous people to put in prison, like the hundreds of catholic priests who raped and sexually abused children throughout the years. That is a better use of the space than for tax evaders. If we want to spend the money on prosecuting liars and cheats how about spending the tax dollars prosecuting the current President of the United States.

Bush made a decision based on faulty intelligence thus waging war on a sovereign nation. He then captured, prosecuted and executed the leader of that nation via a ridiculous court hearing that was more for show than justice. He continues to wage an unjustified and oppressive war that is plunging the U.S. into despair. This guys needs to go to prison for the rest his life. I’ll give him the last grace of walking his daughter down the aisle to get married, then ship him off to Alcatraz.

Okay, back to Wesley and tax evasion. Some notable quotes from the 35-page prosecution argument:

“‘For nearly a decade, Snipes has engaged in a campaign of criminal tax conduct combining brazen defiance with insidious concealment,’ the prosecutors say.”

I really love this next one:

“‘In the defendant Wesley Snipes, the court is presented with a wealthy, famous and inveterate tax scofflaw. If ever a tax offender was deserving of being held accountable to the maximum extent for his criminal wrongdoing, Snipes is that defendant,’”

I wrote on CNN’s blog comment page (I’ll post that comment when and if it gets approved) that this sounded like an assignment by a high school or college creative writing student. The drama and emotion pour through in great depth. I love it. This is what these people have time to do. Thankfully I’m not paying for this nonsense any longer. Aren’t there more significant problems we could be solving? I think I mentioned just a few. There are so many more.

In full disclosure I should say I have been living in Japan for the past 5 years, and according to U.S. tax law do not have to pay taxes to the U.S. Government. I get paid in yen, and make far less than what is required to have to pay taxes. It would cost more to file and process my return so I don’t even file one. The I.R.S. can come to Japan and find me if they like. Hopefully they will pay for my airfare back to the United States for any court proceedings otherwise we’ll have to do the court proceedings in Japan. After hearing the situation I think the Japanese judges would be like, “Are you serious? We don’t have time for this gaijin nonsense. You Americans are so backwards.”

A Tragic Blow To My Billionaire Fantasy Pick April 13, 2008

As I opened my mail today I saw the report flashing across my screen – “Gates No Longer World’s Richest Man.” I was heartbroken. I’ve been putting Billy G. at the top of my list for about a decade now, and I have never been wrong, until now. Matthew Miller of Forbes.com reported that Gates’ best buddy Warren Buffet is now holder of the title – World’s Richest Man.

The mastermind of Berkshire Hathaway Buffet is rolling himself up in blankets made of share price supported wealth. Yes, I said share price because that is how Forbes calculated the wealth of the individuals on the list (+ outside main company holdings). Combined with outside Berkshire Hathaway holdings Buffet is worth roughly $62 billion in U.S. greenbacks. The even more diminishing return of the new list is that Gates isn’t even numero dos. No, that honor goes to Senor Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico.

He’s the “telecom tycoon” of Mexico, according to Forbes.com. My boy Gates comes in at 3 with about US$58 billion in the virtual pocket.

Carlos took him out with US$60 billion.

Now the real kicker to this story (if you’ve been keeping up till now) is Buffet and Helu all posted huge gains over the past year, and are poised to make even more money in years to come. Microsoft share prices actually went down because of the bid to Yahoo (unsolicited), otherwise Gates would still be at the top. Billy Boy was actually up US$2 billion from last year’s count. Gates lost share price, and still gained in overall dollars. Gotta love virtual money.

I know what you must be thinking, “How can I buy some stock in Berkshire Hathaway? I gotta get in on that.” Well sorry to burst the middle-class bubble but unless you have about $170,000 U.S. greenies kicking around you can’t buy a share. According to this story, share prices in Berkshire were at an all-time high of US$165,000 per share in December of 2007 (now you’re looking at like US$137,100). Better off trying Microsoft at US$37 per share. That’s why I still love Billy G. You can actually buy some of the company and feel like you’re apart of the high life.

So, I think to myself, “Wow! Someone is making money in the U.S…I thought there was a recession…? I thought people were losing homes…? I thought banks, airplanes, and job rates were falling…S?@T!!!! I must be really out of touch – Isn’t the U.S. fighting like 2 wars right now?!? I guess things aren’t so bad. Also, didn’t people get back like US$600 in stimulus? What am I doing in slow-moving Japan teaching English?” Ooops, then I jumped back into reality and realized who is in charge of the U.S. right now – George “I can’t even describe my contempt for him” Bush. All I’ll say is, gotta love fascist politicking.

If you want to see the list of those richer than you check it out. 5 notable notes from the Top 25

1) The gap from Bill Gates at ‘3rd Place’ to ‘4th Place’ is US$13 billion (from ‘1st Place’ to ‘3rd Place’ is US$4 billion);

2) India has 4 people in the Top 10;

3) China cracks the Top 25 with ‘11th Place’ with a brotha from Hong Kong;

4) 7 out of the Top 25 are from Russia (Putin doesn’t jail all the rich people…Only those who oppose him.); and

5) The lone representative from the Middle East – Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud of Saudi Arabia (With petroleum trading at about US$110 per barrel, according to Bloomberg, things are pretty cushy in The Kingdom.)

Peace

Letter to the Professor April 12, 2008

This is a response letter I wrote to Associate Professor L. Ling-chi Wang of U.C. Berkeley. He teaches Asian American Studies. On April 9th, 2008 he wrote a commentary piece via CNN.com entitled, “Commentary: Bashing China is not the answer.” I wanted to comment directly to the website but the commentary was locked down for this particular article. That said, I really had something to say so I found the good professor and emailed him my commentary. You can see my letter to him below. Peace.

Dear Professor Wang,

I was reading your commentary piece, “Bashing China Is Not The Answer” that appeared on CNN.com April 9th, 2008, and had a few questions in response -

1) What do you say to the Chinese government about not engaging the Dalai Lama in peaceful talks when the Dalai Lama says he is willing and ready to have an open conversation with Chinese leadership?

2) How long do we wait before President Hu Jintao and his people learn how to run the nation of China with a more compassionate and fair rule of law?

3) Aren’t the Olympics the exact place to show a demonstration regarding disapproval of China’s actions? The history of the Olympics is entwined with politics and dissent. Why should these Olympics be shielded from that history?

Your comments are very insightful. I agree with you on many points. I don’t believe the U.S. Government should be condemning China when it has clearly broken international law by invading a sovereign nation, and continuing a war effort that is doing more harm than good. That said, who is supposed to call attention to what is happening in China? I read stories of jailed religious leaders, journalists, and other scholars who speak out against the Central Government. Doesn’t the Chinese Constitution protect these rights? Article 35 states – “Citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration.” Also, immediately after that Article 36 states – “Citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief.” Correct me if I’m wrong on these points. Last time I checked the U.S. Government wasn’t throwing journalists and religious in jail for harshly criticizing the President and his administration.

You are right, we all have our problems. Every country has its ups and downs, but with an event like the Olympics so close to the stage don’t you think the Chinese Government should be living up to the motto of “One World One Dream” with a bit more benignness? What would happen if the Chinese Government actually spoke with a tone of love and appreciation for the diversity of its 1.3 billion person population? Even more, what would happen if they acted upon that speech? I gather it wouldn’t be having the problems its currently having. With 3,000 years of history does China still believe might is right? How much context and history do you need to understand that when 2 forces collide the results are not reassuring.

And lastly, I am always skeptical of the media. I try my best to get news from as many mediums as possible. That said, if the Chinese Government are restricting access to certain places in Tibet, what are journalists suppose to think? When the state controlled media of China preaches hatred towards the Dalai Lama, what are people suppose to believe? Doesn’t the government of China regulate the internet to some degree? Correct me if I’m wrong, as I had read and heard this from many-a-source. China isn’t doing itself any good by acting in such a fashion with regards to public and private media.

Once again, your comments are quite insightful. Thank you for the inspiration.

Sincerely,
Wayne Malcolm (An American in Japan)