Rita's Spur to Action – Page 13 – Once more into the breach

Like it or not, the climate will change.

Climate Change is happening rapidly. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)has announced national limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants, the single largest source of carbon emissions in the Untied States.

Even though a majority of the Americans in our country today want our government to take forceful steps to combat climate change, Congress does not seem to recognize our concern. The wealth and power in the fossil fuel industry are aligned with a cadre of climate denying Representatives and Senators who continue to block any reasonable attempt by Congress to protect the American people from the growing threat of climate change.

Industry groups such as the National Association of Manufacturers, The American Petroleum Institute, the Coal Lobby, and once the again, the infamous KOCH BROTHERS are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on an all out assault on the EPA climate action. Their great ally Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell is on record that he will block any attempt by the EPA to limit carbon emissions from the power plants. Thanks to him and his cohorts, the global carbon emissions have continued to rise. In fact carbon emissions are rising at twice the rate in the 21st century over where they were in the last decades of the 20th century. These groups will tell you that putting limits on power plants will hurt the economy and destroy jobs. History does not bear this out. The power industry has cleaned up many dangerous pollutants such as Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide and other particulate matter. Their industries have continued to profit and the US economy has nearly doubled in the past 25 years, and Americans have been healthier due to these actions.

I keep reading articles by scientist from around the world, who are now reporting that if human kind does not take immediate and aggressive action to combat climate change, within fifteen years the problem will be virtually unsolvable with the technology available to us today. We the citizens of this country, we the citizens of our planet are in serious trouble. We need to act now. Write to your Congress.Force them to hear from the majority of Americans who want bold action on climate change. This means YOU.

Punishing the Pensioner

What kind of people have we become in this country? Every time I open a newspaper or a magazine I read about graft, theft, fraud and greed. Today I found myself enraged when I read that an American soldier, Capt. Elder Saintjuste who had fought in that worthless war in Iraq, after serving three tours of duty in Iraq, has been forced to retire as a sergeant. He served in the army for twenty years. He served at the behest of the then President of the United States of America, Mr. George W. Bush who took this country into a War that has totally destroyed the Middle east and has cost this country it’s wealth both in lives and dollars. Now a soldier who has risen through the ranks to become a Captain in the army, thinking that he had a great job and a secure retirement for his family ,has been forced to retire at $1200 a month less than a Captain’s pay because he hasn’t been a Captain long enough to receive full retirement pay for that rank.. Why should those people who have risked their lives to save ours, why should they be deprived of their pay and not the members of the Congress, and the Senate who seem to serve only themselves these days and not the people of this country. They, who have spent vast fortunes for their elections should surely sacrifice something for the people who have risked their lives for them.

Rita Fredricks, actor, activist, blogger

Finally, A Brilliant Explanation of Obama’s Middle East Policy (Source: Aubrey Bailey, Fleet)

Finally, A Brilliant Explanation of Obama’s Middle East Policy (Source: Aubrey Bailey, Fleet)

U.S. Middle East Policy Is Clear As Mud

Are you confused by what is going on in the Middle East? Let me explain. We support the Iraqi government in its fight against the Islamic State. We don’t like the Islamic State, but the Islamic State is supported by Saudi Arabia, whom we do like. Turkey also supports the Islamic State which is fighting against the Kurds, which the Turks do not like.

We don’t like President Assad in Syria. We support the fight against him, but not the Islamic State, which is also fighting against him.

We don’t like Iran, but Iran supports the Iraqi Government against the Islamic State. So, some of our friends support our enemies and some of our enemies are our friends, and some of our enemies are fighting against our other enemies, whom we want to lose, but we don’t want our enemies who are fighting our enemies to win. Do you understand now?

Aubrey Bailey, Fleet, Hants.

P.S.: and finally, there is Israel. Obama refused to sell Israel Hellfire missiles during the recent war with the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza, whom we do not like. Instead, the Hellfire missiles were supplied to the Hezbollah terrorist organization along with a militarized Cessna AC-208 aircraft to fire the Hellfire missiles. Hezbollah is a terrorist enemy fighting to keep Syria’s Assad in power against Assad’s enemies, some of whom are the U.S.’s friends. However, Hezbollah is also fighting against the Islamic Republic which is, in turn, fighting against Assad. For this reason, the U.S. is supplying the Hezbollah with weapons by way of Lebanon to fight the Islamic State, which is America’s enemy – even though Hezbollah will someday use these Hellfire missiles against Israel, which is our friend, (the same Hellfire missiles which Obama refused to sell to Israel in the first place). Of course, the Hezbollah will also use the Hellfire missiles against Assad’s enemies to help keep Assad in power. Do you still understand now?

Just to be sure, I will say it again:

Some of our friends support our enemies and some of our enemies are our friends, and some of our enemies are fighting against our other enemies, whom we want to lose, but we don’t want our enemies who are fighting our enemies to win.

Knock out the heavy weight

On a recent trip to Costco uptown on 116^th Street, I noticed that almost all the children were overweight and most of the adult customers as well. The average weight of the American child has been climbing since the 1980s. Now 1 in 3 kids are obese or overweight. Projecting this observation, in about 10 or 15 years, more than half the adult population would be dangerously overweight. There will be millions of cases of diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

Apparently, President Obama tried to address this problem. He got behind the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which was to impose strict new standards on all foods sold in public schools. It became law in 2010 with overwhelming support in Congress. Although at the time the Republicans in the Senate seemed to support this bill, they now attack it as a nanny state intrusion. Food companies argue that the standards are too severe and some kids don’t like the food. It looks as though if the Republicans gain control of the Senate this fall, they will immediately gut the program within a year and with it will also be lost the fight against childhood obesity.

Last time the Republicans had the opportunity, they decided that the price of lunch would be driven up, that sodium reductions would be expensive and that children wouldn’t necessarily eat the lower sodium food. Apparently in the Reagan Administration, they allowed schools to count ketchup as a vegetable and pizza as a vegetable. It seems as though the Republicans again have no regard for the health of the nation.

It is clear that the population of our country is truly obese and not healthy. Something must be done. Healthy food may require children to change their eating habits. Maybe the schools need to have small gardens so the children can learn more about food and nutrition. Of course there is a cost but the cost is far lower than what we will be paying when these children are older and suffer from obesity, diabetes, colon cancer, high cholesterol and heart problems. Spend the money now to save money in the future.

Vote now for the candidates who will support the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.

Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust!

After 9/11, it appeared that most of the terrorists who had attacked and destroyed the World Trade Center turned out to be from Saudi Arabia. I didn’t hear any outcry at that time from Muslims all over the world or even in America or New York City for that matter. If the Muslim world would rise up and attack ISIS, or whatever they call themselves, these barbarians would soon be starved out. The fact of the matter is that the only Muslim group that seems to have reacted to the beheadings of truly innocent people, appears to be in France. When you look at the number of Muslims in the world they are one of the largest religious populations on the globe and I believe that in around 2020 there will be approximately 17 million in America. Why have we not seen some concerted activity anywhere? These barbarians must not be allowed to carry the banner for Islam.

I understand and certainly believe that not all Islamists are terrorists or cut throats but I think that the world of Islam needs to make its presence felt on this issue or risk everyone being tarred by the same feathers. ISIS is collecting millions of dollars a day from the oil wells that they have illegally taken over, and the ransom money that is being paid to them for the lives of the innocent people whom they have kidnapped and are prepared to behead.

The Imams and the people of Islam need to be allied with the rest of the world to fight terrorism. They need to speak out against and root out the terrorists who live amongst them and who lay claim to being their brothers because they are all Muslims. In his letter written from his jail cell in Birmingham Alabama in 1963 Martin Luther King demanded the very same thing of his Christian ministers when he urged them to rise up against the Klu Klux Klan.

Yes, there are individual voices now and then, but there is no sense of community action by those who simply do not and will not accept ISIS and their barbaric executions of innocent people.

Death and Destruction of Manhattan

New York City is in the process of becoming the worlds ugliest city. It is my understanding that it is Mr.Bloomberg our former mayor who gave out permits, left, right and center for anyone to build the highest,ugliest buildings ever seen by man, to be built helter skelter in Manhattan. Apparently no one in this city’s administration, or any other administration cares anything about the quality of our city life, or the inherent beauty of the city.

Manhattan was famous for the beauty that was created by the symmetry of the buildings on Park and other avenues, where most of them were of a certain height. All the buildings on West End Avenue, Park Avenue, Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue, West End Avenue, were largely well designed buildings. At the same time New York had a few taller but beautiful buildings like the Empire State building and the Chrysler building, and still New York was able to preserve and improve the older lovely townhouses that have existed in various neighborhoods of Manhattan. It was this strange combination of tall buildings, sharing city blocks with seven story town houses. That has always been part of the attraction and charm of Manhattan.

Now suddenly, buildings are going up right, left and center of unimaginable height with no sense of design or proportion. Probably the ugliest building in the world is on West 57th street, right across from Carnegie Hall. And on 56th street and Park Avenue one of the tallest buildings in the world with no special design and nothing to recommend it. It is decimating the the symmetry, the scale that has contributed so much to the fascination, variety and excitement of the city. This building on 56th street and Park Ave has absolutely nothing to recommend it. It is an architectural anomaly, it doesn’t even have any green space around its needle like facade. It is so obviously built for and by American greed. The word on the street is that it is likely being owned by extremely wealthy foreigners who will not inhabit the building, but whose ownership of the property allows them to park their money there.

This ugly building can be seen from any place in Manhattan and driving into Manhattan it is almost the only building you can see, and it totally destroys the skyline of Manhattan. One has to think that Mr.Bloomberg had something in mind when he gave out the permits for these ugly buildings to be built. I know his intention was to renew the midtown of Manhattan and to bring more money into town. But it is certainly a mystery as to how this will happen when we have what I hear are 15-20 year tax abatements bringing nothing, zilch, nada into the city coffers.

As far as employment is concerned, they could have built more beautiful buildings at half the height spread around many parts of Manhattan, this would have created many more jobs in the construction industry. If the people of this city had anything to say about what goes on in our city, they should say “tear down those buildings”. Bloomberg is gone. The damage he did will live on in infamy. It is up to us to make sure that Mayor de Blasio does not continue the ongoing destruction of Manhattan.

Please note: Your power is in your vote

Sunday, September 21st, thousands of people, men, women, boys, girls, gays, straights and celebrities all hit the streets to raise awareness of the imperative need to change our attitudes, habits, and actions regarding climate change.

My dear people, the biggest change you can make right now is to go to the polls and vote. Your vote is all that is needed to draw the attention of the nation and to force the Congress to make the necessary changes in the laws. In this country only about 1/3 of the population votes. They vote for Senators like Mitch McConnell. Who will never ever support any bill requiring changes which may help to save our planet. He and the Tea Party are more interested in shutting down the government, destroying the country and the President rather than saving the planet.

In a few weeks, you will have the opportunity to go to the polls and vote. A democratic majority in the Senate and the House would enable the President of the United States to have the support to effect the very changes that you were demanding last Sunday on the streets.

Even if you never vote for a Democrat again, do it this time. That will kick-start the passage of the kind of laws that you called for on Sunday. We need a democratic majority in order to pass the very bills that thousands of you were demanding.

In Australia people who do not vote are fined. And in Brazil, if there are three elections for which you do not vote, you are not only fined, but your passport is taken away from you. It is your obligation as well as your privilege as a citizen of the United States to vote. Hopefully you will vote for a democratic majority of Senators who in turn will effect the changes you are demanding.

You and your vote matter.

Improving quality of life in Manhattan

I have counted literally hundreds of balconies just between 57th and 86th street on Manhattan’s east side.There are any number of residential buildings with terraces and balconies totally devoid of greenery. I don’t understand why anyone would pay for a terrace that they never use, that they never put a plant on, that they never seem to sit on. If every terrace and balcony in New York City had plants on them, what a difference this would make to the air that we breath, to the sights that we see, to the quality of life that we live in this great city of Manhattan. I travel the world, and this is the only city in the world that I have ever seen with empty balconies. I have a very small terrace outside of my apartment, I have all kinds of things growing there. I buy small plants that are very inexpensive at Home Depot or other places, and I plant them in pots on my terrace and have the p[pleasure of seeing them grow. In some cases I have run a heavy duty electric cord in order to hang a sunlight lamp on the terrace in the winter when it is cold and dark, but plants don’t need much, once a week watering and light, not always direct sunlight.If weight is a problem,they don’t have to be very heavy The pots can be partially filled with earth, They can be filled partly with Styrofoam bubbles. Every one of these empty balconies in Manhattan can be a source of greenery and enchantment. The city would look less like a block of cement. and more as though people enjoyed life and living. What Bette Midler has done on the ground to create community gardens, you can do on your balcony in miniature Breathe a little.. Boys, girls, men and women, Do it. Buy a plant today.

The rape of America by the Supreme Court

This supreme court in its wisdom now has decided that American women have no rights regarding their most personal selves. Men may receive Viagra under their insurance claims. Men may rape women and then claim impotence as in the recent case of the college girl, a seventeen year old f Freshman at Hobart and William Smith College who reported being gang raped.This Court has ruled that American women need not be permitted under their company health insurance to be covered for contraception. College girls and women need to have that protection. The fate of American working women is now in the hands of their corporate bosses, who may at any time call upon their suddenly found religious beliefs to deny working women their rights to be covered by insurance for contraception.This United States Supreme Court on June 30th, 2014 ruled that a corporation on religious grounds may deny a woman the right to have contraceptive coverage under her corporate health insurance policy. Under the guise of religious freedom this Supreme Court has ruled that religious belief has the right to rule the workplace. The denial of personal rights is the first step towards loss of freedoms. Girls, boys, men and women hit the streets in protest.

Cast shadow and fear

I really think that it behooves all of us to object to this crazy new skyline in Manhattan.. Not only are these buildings ill-conceived so as to make the City a world more cavernous than it already is..but this is not even mixed usage. After some hour like, 5 PM the streets will become empty dark caverns, open invitations to crime and sidewalk sleepers and garbage.Worse than even all the rest is the fact that these buildings WILL SHADOW CENTRAL PARK.. We will loose from this City one of the greatest parks in the world. To have a green park you have to have sunlight and one of the glories of Manhattan has always been that we could have the skyscrapers and we could have the Park. Now we will have higher and higher buildings and less and less Park.Colder in the winters and Hotter in the summers. Isn’t there anyone in this City who isn’t a money mad insane power nut? Who do we have to reach out to get something done, or undone. . Please tell me. I’m in a real fighting mood . First the Supreme Court destroying the country. i thought that was as bad as it could be.. and now we have the city being totally transformed into a dungeon and it’s not even the fault of the Supreme Court. Who can we blame? Who can we badger? Who can we thwart? On whom can we declare War? If nine eleven seemed like a tragedy, just imagine what would happen if one of these buildings should ever come under attack. The entire City would be destroyed.. No one needs these monstrous,tall,ugly towers. They are virtually parking lots for foreign money. This is a a disaster. People! Get off your buts,don’t sit on your hands. Men ,Women,Boys Girls,Hit the streets. Protest now before it’s too late. this is a call to action.