Other than North Korea's unsuccessful missile test - about which I've already posted a blog - which other topics / issues grab your attention?
After weeks in the shadows. George Zimmerman appeared in court for the first time for the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Prosecutors argued in court papers that Zimmerman followed and confronted Martin after a police dispatcher told Zimmerman not to pursue Martin. Legal analysts see a fair chance the second-degree murder charges could be dismissed even before the case goes to trial because of the Sunshine State's "Stand your ground" law. If Floridians don't like that, perhaps they should descend on Tallahassee to press for repeal of that law. The PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER today editorialized that "Pennsylvania's gun law increases the likelihood of shootings like Trayvon Martin's."
(I admit these racially charged stories drive me nuts for a number of reasons: I'm tired of seeing the various sides bellow their perceived racial double-standards. I'm tired of seeing the cable news networks devote, in my view, inordinately large chunks of airtime to a story which ultimately is just a local story in Florida, and the truth of which we may never REALLY know.)
Republican Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich devoted a lot of time and resources to Delaware this week. Do you think he won over some Republicans here otherwise inclined to vote for Romney? Indeed, given the near certainty of Mitt Romney becoming his party's Presidential nominee, do you think some Delaware Republicans - not feeling the pressure that it's make-or-break - will vote for Gingrich to send a "protest" and/or to keep Romney "honest"?
What about Democratic consultant Hilary Rosen's incendiary comments - and the ensuing Twitter war - that Ann Romney doesn't have the qualifications to discuss the economy because she "hasn't worked a day in her life"? The Obama Administration went into damage-control. Interesting how motherhood, the stay-at-home mom, and women's careers remain such hypersensitive themes in politics. Remember the uproar when Hillary Rodham Clinton declared she could have stayed at home and made cookies rather than pursue a career?
(Again, this is the sort of story that drives me nuts. Yes, the stay-at-home spouse with children faces a tough task that consume nearly every waking minute, particularly when the kids are very young. But, what about working-class moms with kids who toil at demanding jobs AND deal with the kids when they get home? What about single women in that circumstance? Does this debate have to be either-or?)
The PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER has been running a series on how debilitating college loans could make members of the millennial generation the first-ever generation in the United States NOT to do better in life than their parents.
Posted at 7:51am on April 13, 2012 by Allan Loudell
I have stepped back from the news for the past two weeks. First, as a Russian Orthodox Christian, this has been Holy Week. That has kept me occupied. But second, I am pretty fed up with the entire news cycle. The shooting in Florida has gotten way too much attention. We are finally down to one and a half candidates for the Republican nomination, so that\'s over. Romney will beat Obama and Newt will get a TV gig - life will go on.
The highlight of the week seems to have been a talking head who thinks Mrs. Romney is meaningless since all she has done is complete her education, raise 5 kids, battle breast cancer and MS. She did not work outside the home so she should keep her mouth shut. My wife has not worked outside the home since 1994. And she will never keep her mouth shut thank you very much.
Democrat women talkers never fail to amaze me. But it is just one more reason for me to listen to jazz music on-line rather than talkers all caught up in their own importance. Enough already!
teatime
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 1:21pm
Here in Delaware, James Cooke is convicted in the rape and murder of Lindsay Bonistall. Cooke is African-American. Bonistall was white.
How come there were no hate crime charges because the assailant is a different skin color than the victim?
Was Cooke trying to "racially profile" Bonistall?
Would it be okay for thousands of white people to march in support of Bonistall because she was also white?
Mike from Delaware
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 1:22pm
JimH: Well said.
These racial cases seem to be ongoing and the media (cable, TV, Radio, talk shows see a cash cow in this type story as they get people worked up, meaning more listeners/viewers thus better ratings which can translate into more spot sales which helps the bottom line.)
For Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson they see more money in their pockets as well. They totally dishonor what Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King stood for.
I'd agree with Jim's assessment, Romney will beat Obama, and Newt will get a TV gig or a cabinet position in the Romney administration.
Women are their own worse enemies. The working women bash those lazy stay-at-home moms and the stay-at-home moms bash the working women who don't take care of their children. Look, if women are truly free, then what works for each women should be valued. So the "June Cleavers" of the world shouldn't be put down, nor should the working woman, nor the single working mom who's struggling to keep her family intact while working quite often with no help from the "sperm donor male". Come on ladies, get over it! Granted it does seem that DEM/LIB women tend to do more bashing of stay-at-home moms than do GOP/Conservative women who were homemakers bashing working women.
patriotmom12
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 2:26pm
Why has last week's Tulsa shooting not been covered at all as of late? Has the conservative press even acknowledged that it is/was a story?
Also, please ask WDEL to remove the pop-up ads unless they are for some reason effective/necessary.
patriotmom12
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 2:28pm
my pies
JimH
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 2:30pm
One comment about Newt and a cabinet position. He stated this week that he does not expect/want one. If Mr. Romney offers him one, watch what happens! I would not want to be between Newt and a TV camera!
Dr. King was not at all about what the Rev's Jackson and Sharpton are up to. But in fairness it should be pointed out that of course he wasn't. Dr. King WAS A REPUBLICAN!
Mike from Delaware
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 3:16pm
Thanks JimH for the update on Newt's position on taking a Romney cabinet post, must have missed that story. I also agree, that IF Mitt offers Newt a cabinet post, I too would not want to be between the former Speaker of the House and a TV camera.
Where did you find the info saying Rev. King was a Republican? That is very interesting, but it might explain a difference in approach of King over the likes of Sharpton and Jackson.
Patriotmom12: Those pop-up ads are annoying, but they pay for this blog site. It does cost WDEL money to operate it, not to mention part of Allan's time/salary are budgeted for his work her, like Big Don Voltz, and the other WDEL staffers who behind the scenes make this thing work. So unless you want to pay for use, you've got to put up with commercials, just like listening to the radio. This site is an example of the Free enterprise system at work. WDEL has found a way to make money using online listening, videos, podcasts, and these blogs. WDEL isn't just a radio station anymore. To their credit, they are changing with the times.
Allan Loudell
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 3:51pm
To JimH...
The Pulitzer Prize-winning, fact-checking website, Politifact at The St. Petersburg Times recently investigated revisionist claims that Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior was a Republican. Politfact found that to be false...
But, for the sake of argument, let's just pretend Politifact was hoodwinked. Okay, JimH, put your hand on a Bible for me during your Holy Week and tell us with a straight face that if Dr. King were still alive today, it would not be EXCEEDINGLY likely that Dr. King would have migrated to the Democratic Party.
Ideological and political trends change over one or two generations. You can't deny that. During the 1960's, big state Republican governors were among the greatest defenders of abortion rights, for example, and many, if not most, Democrats, opposed abortion.
Lyndon Johnson's civil rights reforms and "The Great Society", Richard Nixon's Southern strategy, Ronald Reagan's declaration of candidacy in Philadelphia, Mississippi and wooing of traditionalist Democrats in the North - who became the so-called "Reagan Democrats" -- the carving of Southern Congressional districts between urban black 'D' districts and suburban, smaller-town, and rural 'R' districts, essentially squeezing out 'moderate' white Democrats: All these things led to the racial, ideological, and political realignment that we see today. It's difficult to fathom Dr. King would have been completely immune to these political currents. Already, just before his assassination in Memphis, Dr. King was registering increasing opposition to the Vietnam War - even though it had the potential to undercut the civil rights struggle - demonstrating, I think, that he wasn't exactly immune to the political winds.
Allan Loudell
Mike from Delaware
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 4:28pm
Thanks Allan for that update on Rev. King's political affiliation. As I remember from back then, King was accused of being a Communist by J. Edgar Hoover. I seem to remember much being written by the press of that day with that sort of stuff. Whether or Rev. King had ever explored Communism as a way to help the Black Community, etc., is hard to say. But that would also tend to point to him NOT being a Republican given the McCarthy era, etc.
It's like many believe Rev. Billy Graham to be a Republican (I believe his son Franklin might be, given the things he says in interviews - he's not his father). However, no one knows for sure as I believe Billy Graham has kept his party affiliation a secret. He may be an Independent or a Democrat. Back in Graham's younger years the Democrats were far more oriented towards Christian values, etc., and the South tended to be a strong Democratic area - FDR's New Deal did a lot of good things for the South. Rev. Graham is from North Carolina.
But it doesn't really matter, because Jesus is far bigger than either GOP or DEMS, so you can be of either party and still be a Christian. I know many in the GOP who'd disagree, but I know many on fire for Christ Christians who are Democrats and yes Independents.
JimH
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 4:50pm
Allan, I know I have my Bible around here somewhere. Just give me a second. I'll find it! We are talking about a day when Democrat George C. Wallace was running Alabama (and running for president in 1964, 1968 and 1972) and Democrat Lester Maddox was becoming well know in Georgia. The Dixiecrats had broken from the Democrats and had run Strom Thurmond for president.
In our own state of Delaware, it was the Democrats who gave us the Jim Crow laws. Yes, today Dr. King would most likely be one of them. But in his day, it was the Republicans who gave him hope.
mrpizza
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 6:21pm
MFD & JimH: I'm glad to hear of both of your optimism that Romney will beat Obama. I'm a long way from being convinced of that, but I'll take all the optimism I can get. Thanks guys, and I hope we can all get together and celebrate on Wednesday, November 7th.
Allan: I've heard conservatives mention many times that MLK was a Republican, and that Susan B. Anthony was one as well. But here's an even more interesting fact: I had always assumed that both of my grandparents on my mother's side (who lived in Kinmundy, Illinois, by the way) were Roosevelt Democrats. I thought that because my grandfather was the only one who mentioned politics in a partisan way. My grandmother, on the other hand, was the type to "bury the hatchet" after the election. Well, a few years ago my Aunt revealed to me that my grandmother was actually a Republican!
JimH
Sat, Apr 14, 2012 8:08am
Back in the 70's, the bio that I read on Dr. King stated that fact. This is not something new from the internet age.
mrpizza
Sat, Apr 14, 2012 2:18pm
I've done a little research myself and there seems to be all kinds of contradictory information out there. The most reliable answer I can come up with is that MLK was originally a registered Republican but voted for JFK and LBJ due to their support of the Civil Rights Movement. If you recall, at the same time Southern Democrat governors were practicing racial bigotry, most notably George Wallace who refused to comply with a court order allowing two black students entry to the University of Alabama in which case Kennedy, also a Democrat, issued presidential proclamation 3542 ordering Wallace to comply and executive order 11111, authorizing the Alabama National Guard to enforce compliance. So in retrospect, it matters little what King's political affiliation was but rather who in the end championed his cause. In this case, it was the man
(Kennedy) and not the party that got the job done, as very clearly this was a fight between a Democrat governor and a Democrat president. Now in fairness to Republicans, the Democrat-controlled Congress of that day needed Republican support in order to pass the civil rights legislation because many Southern Democrats were still in the segregation camp. So very clearly Allan is right about the constant shifting of political winds. Regardless of King's affiliation at that time, he may or may not necessarily be of the same stripe today as he was then as the definitions are constantly fluid.
Mike from Delaware
Sat, Apr 14, 2012 5:04pm
Mrpizza: Good points.
Mike from Delaware
Sat, Apr 14, 2012 6:47pm
Pat Buchanan brings up some interesting questions for Obama and the upcoming election in terms of the Martin/Zimmerman case.
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