Isn’t All Crime a Hate Crime?

Today, President Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.  This bill was buried in the Defense Appropriations bill. 

A logical American, or any breathing human being for that matter, would wonder why this was not pushed forward on its own merits.  Why was this buried in a $680 billion defense appropriations bill?   I’ll tell you why, it would have never passed otherwise.

From the USA Today:  

The new law basically expands existing hate-crime protections to outlaw attacks based on sexual orientation or gender, in addition to race, color, religion or national origin. 

In a later ceremony devoted to the new law, Obama told supporters, “No one in America should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hand of the person they love.” He cited statistics that in these past 10 years, there have been more than 12,000 hate crimes based on sexual orientation.

“We will never know how many incidents were never reported at all,” Obama said.

Opponents called the hate-crimes bill unnecessary, noting that Shepard’s and Byrd’s attackers were convicted in state criminal courts. Some critics objected to the inclusion of hate-crimes legislation in a defense budget bill.

“The president has used his position as commander-in-chief to advance a radical social agenda, when he should have used it to advance legislation that would unequivocally support our troops,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., chairman of the House Republican Conference. 

Pence also argued that the law could be used to curb free speech rights, such as with religions that consider homosexuality a sin.    

According to an AP story, “The hate crimes measure came as part of legislation (defense appropriation bill) that Obama also touted for other reasons: a crackdown on careless military spending.”   How about just cutting down on that spending the normal way and not including unnecessary legislation unrelated to a bill meant to fund the military efforts?  I realize this is the way things are done in Washington, but isn’t that part of the problem?

The last time I checked hate was hate no matter what the person looks like or his sexual orientation.  A crime is a crime and tagging it with some arbitrary title is not only unnecessary but subject to interpretation by the legal system.  In other words, “I’m going to read your mind and determine if you are a racist homophobic loser.”  Ridiculous.

Scenarios: What if a Muslim kills a Christian because he is not Muslim?  What if a black man kills a white man just for being white?  What if a homosexual kills a heterosexual for not being gay?  Far fetched and idiotic maybe, but have we thought of these scenarios or just the obvious ones?  If a hate crime can be attached to the cases expressed in the various news stories why not my examples? 

No good can come from this and is a travesty to the justice system. 

Of course, this is just my opinion.

Rob’s Rant

Conservatives Don’t Need a Leader

As always, AlfonZo Rachel get’s it right. 

I agree exactly with Zo.  Republicans need to become more conservative instead of Democrat lite.

Of course, this is just my opinion.

Rob’s Rant

 

Taos Hotel Owner Tells Whiney Employees to Push a Rope

I found this story interesting.  It highlights a new hotel owner in Taos, NM.  He bought a distressed hotel and decided to run it his way (since it was his money.)

I applaud Larry Whitten.  I like the fact that he is not backing down.  He explained in the interview that he fires everyone and they have to reapply for their jobs. Also, having someone use an easy to recognize name is common practice in customer service arenas – try and contact a call center and log what name they use. I’ll bet it is something simple.

Evidently CNN’s Rick Sanchez has changed his name to be more accepted by the American audience as illustrated by this clip. Sanchez also agreed with the hotel owner and his policy for those people answering the phone and dealing directly with customers.

The bottom line is that this is Mr. Whitten’s hotel – he paid for it and is responsible for making it profitable. He understands business. If he is successful, more local people will have jobs and that is real job security.

Of course, this is just my opinion.

Rob’s Rant

Anita Dunn Punks the Press

I believe Anita Dunn, White House Communications Director, is an incredibly smart woman.  Either that or she has very smart people around her.

It was no secret that the Obama campaign utilized technology better than any other Presidential candidate (or any candidate for that matter) ever has in modern history.  The video below describes their strategy of how they really shaped the way the media reported things about Obama during the 2008 campaign. 

From WorldNetDaily:

President Obama’s presidential campaign focused on “making” the news media cover certain issues while rarely communicating anything to the press unless it was “controlled,” White House Communications Director Anita Dunn disclosed to the Dominican government at a videotaped conference .

“Very rarely did we communicate through the press anything that we didn’t absolutely control,” said Dunn.

“One of the reasons we did so many of the David Plouffe videos was not just for our supporters, but also because it was a way for us to get our message out without having to actually talk to reporters,” said Dunn, referring to Plouffe, who was Obama’s chief campaign manager.

“We just put that out there and made them write what Plouffe had said as opposed to Plouffe doing an interview with a reporter. So it was very much we controlled it as opposed to the press controlled it,” Dunn said.

Continued Dunn: “Whether it was a David Plouffe video or an Obama speech, a huge part of our press strategy was focused on making the media cover what Obama was actually saying as opposed to why the campaign was saying it, what the tactic was. … Making the press cover what we were saying.”

 

What a brilliant strategy.  If the present day press can be led along on a string so easily, why is the other side not doing this?  Is it really that easy?

Really, this is not a new strategy.  In sales you always want to be driving the car moving your prospect from point A to point B.  You may veer off the path during the trip but you really want to be the one in charge.  The same goes here: the democrats are much much better at framing the argument and sticking to their guns no matter what comes along.  If you think back during the 2008 campaign it was the McCain camp that was generally reactive to situations and the Obama campaign was proactive.  This video lays that out perfectly.

Now I’m not an operative for the GOP, and don’t want to be one, but if the conservative side is going to combat this they are going to have to wake up and embrace technology.  The bloggers have already done this, but the majority of the American public do not read blogs.  The Republicans are much more likely to have varied opinions about the direction of the country (within the party) and a strategy like Ms. Dunn’s would probably not work the same way, but you have to start somewhere. 

Attn: Michael Steele – take notes from Anita Dunn and the Obama campaign.  This is the only way you will have to take back any seats next year. 

Of course, this is just my opinion.

Rob’s Rant

John Stewart Skewers CNN Fact Checking SNL Skit

I just thought this was funny.

Juan Williams Defends Rush Limbaugh

I usually don’t agree with the opinion of Juan Williams.  My wife and I call him Whiny Juan because of his proclivity to Whine about issues.  Nothing personal on our part, that’s just what we seem to hear.

Mr. Williams was a guest on The O’Reilly Factor last night as the discussion about Rush Limbaugh’s bid to become a minority owner of the Rams fell flat.  He debated Warren Ballentine if it was valid to tag Rush as a racist. 

1970?  That’s a little weak.  If that is it, ok, that’s not a great thing but I’m not sure that rises to the level of racism.  Bad taste and insensitive, maybe.

Of course, that is just my opinion.

Rob’s Rant

Companies Shaken Down by Al Sharpton and His National Action Network

This list is directly from The Electric Stove from Allman in the Morning on 97.1 FM Talk:

Al Sharpton’s platform for his assault on Rush Limbaugh’s NFL ownership bid was the National Action Network (NAN), which is bankrolled by corporate America.

The following companies were identified this year by NAN as sponsors:

American Honda, Anheuser Busch, Colgate-Palmolive, Comcast, Entergy, Ford Motor Company, Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson, Macy’s, PepsiCo, Pfizer and Wal-Mart. Sponsorship reportedly cost $50,000.

NLPC is asking these companies to end their support for Sharpton and NAN. Here’s how to contact them:

American Honda
phone: 1-800-999-1009 (Mon.-Fri., 6:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Pacific Time)
Fax: 310-783-3023 (24 hours)

Anheuser Busch
email: crg@anheuser-busch.com
1-800-342-5283

Colgate-Palmolive
1-800-468-6502 (Consumer Affairs)
1-212-310-2000 (Corporate Headquarters)

Comcast
Email: complaints@comcast.com
1-800-COMCAST (1-800-266-2278), (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)

Entergy
1-800-368-3749 x: 4 (Customer Service)
1-504-576-4000 (Corporate Headquarters)

Ford Motor Company
1-800-392-3673 (Mon.-Fri., 8:00a.m.-5:00p.m. Local Time)

Home Depot
1-800-553-3199 (M-F 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. ET, Sat: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET, Sun: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. ET

Johnson & Johnson
1-732-524-0400 (Corporate Headquarters 7:30 a. m.-5:30p.m. ET)
Fax: 1-732-214-0332

Macy’s
Click here for many phone numbers.

PepsiCo
Phone 1-914-253-2000 (Corporate Headquarters)

Pfizer
1-212-733-2323 (Corporate Headquarters)

Wal-Mart
1-800-925-6278 (Customer Service)

 I doubt all of the companies support the actions of Al Sharpton, but they might want to know if their customers object to this support.  I’m sure they throw him some money just to get him to go away – kind of like what parents do with their kids from time to time, “fine, have a piece of candy and go away for five minutes.”

Of course, this is just my opinion.

Rob’s Rant

The Cow and the Ice Cream…How Obama Won The Election

I was sent the following story my mother, a retired fifth grade teacher.  I have no idea if this is a genuine story, but that really doesn’t matter.  It’s a good illustration none-the-less.

–From a teacher in the Nashville area–

“We are worried about ‘the cow’ when it is all about the ‘Ice Cream.’

 The most eye-opening civics lesson I ever had was while teaching third grade this year…

The presidential election was heating up and some of the children showed an interest.

 I decided we would have an election for a class president.  We would choose our nominees. They would make a campaign speech and the class would vote.   To simplify the process, candidates were nominated by other class members.

We discussed what kinds of characteristics these students should have.  We got many nominations and from those, Jamie and Olivia were picked to run for the top spot.  The class had done a great job in their selections.  Both candidates were good kids.

I thought Jamie might have an advantage because he got lots of parental support.  I had never seen Olivia’s mother.   

The day arrived when they were to make their speeches.   Jamie went first.  He had specific ideas about how to make our class a better place. He ended by promising to do his very best.  Everyone applauded and he sat down.

Now is was Olivia’s turn to speak.  Her speech was concise.  She said, “If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream.”  She sat down.

The class went wild. “Yes! Yes!  We want ice cream.”  She surely would say more. She did not have to.

A discussion followed. How did she plan to pay for the ice cream?  She wasn’t sure.

Would her parents buy it or would the class pay for it.   She didn’t know.

The class really didn’t care.  All they were thinking about was ice cream.

 Jamie was forgotten. Olivia won by a landslide.

 Every time Barack Obama opened his mouth he offered ice cream and  52 percent of the people reacted like nine year olds.   They want ice cream.

 The other 48 percent know they’re going to have to feed the cow and clean up the mess.”

 

Would you like sprinkles on your ice cream.

Of course, it’s just my opinion.

Rob’s Rant

Cavuto Slams White House Communications Director

I don’t watch Neil Cavuto on a regular basis, but he always seems to cut through the BS and really hit home runs.  In the clip below he slams White House Communications Director Anita Dunn on her dislike for Fox News.

Is Fox News really biased outside of the opinion shows?  I hardly think so.  The  fact that more Americans trust this network to give them the real story shows that they are on the right track.

Let’s examine the opinion shows:

• Glenn Beck – Somewhat conservative but very independent thinking.  He’s no Republican.
• Bill O’Reilly – I can’t tell what his leanings are – he really seems independent to be, but I know most lefties will disagree.
• Bret Baier– Independent and balanced.
• Greta Van Sustren – Independent and balanced.
• Sean Hannity – Conservative and very right leaning.  Very biased on the right.
• Geraldo Rivera – Liberal.
• Sheppard Smith – Liberal, very biased on the left. 

Where is the vast right wing bias?  Even with the opinion shows thrown in, I don’t see the big deal. 

Of course, this is just my opinion.

Rob’s Rant

Michael Steele is as Harsh as the Taliban

According to Barbara Boxer the head of the GOP, Michael Steele, is as harsh in his statements about the President’s Nobel Prize win as the Taliban and Hamas.  

From Michael Steele:

“The real question Americans are asking is ‘what has President Obama accomplished?’  It is unfortunate that the President’s star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights.”

So is she really comparing the GOP to terrorist organizations?  Nice.  At least the commentators of the liberal MSNBC actually asked her to clarify her position.

Of course, this is just my opinion.

Rob’s Rant

Black Players May Boycott Rush’s Rams

Being from St. Louis, I am always curious what is happening to our local teams.  I don’t happen to be a Rams fan, but I always want them to do well.  The family that owns the team has been looking for a buyer since the death of Georgia Frontiere in 2008.  They just don’t have a passion for an NFL team.  Strange but true.

The Rams have been a dog of a team for several years going through coaches and players like poop through a goose.  Now a group headed by Dave Checketts and radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh is exploring buying the beleaguered Rams organization.  Speaking as an NFL fan this seems like a great match.  Checketts owns several sports franchises including the St. Louis Blues Hockey team.  Limbaugh is a long time NFL fan and regularly takes up broadcast time during the football season discussing games.  Both of these guys probably have a better handle on running a team than the collective knowledge base of the current ownership AND coaching staff.  From the team results for the past several years I think my comments are justified.

When I heard the rumors that Rush might be part of a group to buy the Rams, I knew there would be some kind of “controversy.”  It seems a group of black players has issues with a possible sale to Limbaugh.  From Sports Illustrated online:

Mathias Kiwanuka loves his former defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, but the Giants’ defensive end says he will never play for Spagnuolo’s Rams if Rush Limbaugh purchases the team. Kiwanuka and the Jets’ Bart Scott made it clear Thursday that they would never play for the Rams or any team owned by the controversial conservative radio host.

“All I know is from the last comment I heard, he said in (President) Obama’s America, white kids are getting beat up on the bus while black kids are chanting ‘right on,'” Kiwanuka told The Daily News. “I mean, I don’t want anything to do with a team that he has any part of. He can do whatever he wants, it is a free country. But if it goes through, I can tell you where I am not going to play.” Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/morning-jolt/10/09/friday.10.09/index.html#ixzz0TXXWKeTL

So much for everyone getting along.  Mr. Kiwanuka, if you are that short sided, stay in New York. 

I say “Go for it,” Rush.   Don’t worry about the whiney fringe that doesn’t understand the economics and business side of professional sports.  It’s results on the field that count and if you have an involved ownership that has the best interests of the team as the primary motivation, who cares who writes the checks.  The Rams need all the advise they can get.  Last time I checked they were 3 and 17 in their last 20 games.  Sounds like overhaul time to me.

I wonder if Rush will have to stop rooting for his beloved Steelers.  We’ll see.

Of course, this is just my opinion.

Rob’s Rant

The Whole Foods Health Care Plan: A Good Idea

One of my favorite journalists, John Stossel, did a post about health care that had a very interesting story about Whole Foods and their employer plan.  Below is an excerpt from his story:

Insurance: The Whole Foods Experiment

I asked Whole Foods founder John Mackey what would happen if his customers bought groceries the same way most of them buy health care. “We’d make a lot more money. Instead of buying a bottle of wine for $7.99, they might buy a $300 bottle of wine.”

Yet this is how we pay for health care? “I know, it’s ridiculous.”

Mackey knows that when people shop around, costs go down. So seven years ago, faced with skyrocketing health insurance costs, Whole Foods decided to offer its employees high-deductible insurance — the kind Mark Horn has. If workers get cancer or heart disease, insurance pays, but for things like physicals and flu shots, employees pay. Whole Foods even helps employees meet those costs by contributing to a special “health savings account.” Because the savings accounts belong to the employees, they shop around before spending the money.

And what happened to the company’s bottom line after implementing the new insurance plan? “Our costs went way down,” Mackey says, because “people started asking what things cost.”

Whole Foods employees liked the system so much, they voted overwhelmingly to keep it.

When Whole Foods marketing director Mary Ann Buttros went to the doctor, she never used to ask, “‘How much will this cost?’ Because it didn’t matter,” she says. “And now it matters to me because it’s my money.”

The Whole Foods experiment works because it makes people care about costs. But because most Americans with health insurance expect someone else to pay, shopping around is harder than it should be.

Wow.  If a left leaning company like Whole Foods can create a good option like this, why not expand the idea?

To me, this seems like a major part of our problem when dealing with health insurance.  We have been conditioned to simply go in to the doctor, pay the co-payment amount, and never think about the actual cost.  I’m as guilty as anyone else when visiting the doctor and displaying this type of behavior.  I don’t ask the cost of the visit, procedure, etc. as I am not forced to as a part of my insurance plan.  But what if things changed with my plan?  I would be glad to take a more active approach when it might come out of my pocket.

It was not that long ago that we went to the doctor, paid the bill (yes, paid the bill) and then billed the insurance company for the service.  By simply doing this we would cut down on unnecessary visits to the doctor and thus cut the overall cost of health care.  If we would further ask questions about the cost of our healthcare, I’ll bet my meager paycheck that costs would go down. 

I was in Canada this week on business.  I travel to the great white north (not white yet, but I like the movie) a couple of times a year.  I had dinner with a friend who happens to be a chiropractor and asked her about the health care system in Canada.  I’ve known for some time that the Canadian socialized health care system has had to eliminate most services outside of hospital and medical doctors visits to reduce costs.   Things we take for granted like dental care, optometry and chiropractic care, just to name a few.  This has actually been a great thing for those professionals as they have started to really educate their patients on the value of their services.  The friend I mentioned operates a cash only practice and sees a whole host of patients – young, old and everyone in between.  She has taken the time to actually educate her patients on the benefits of her care.  She is able to cut out the BS and red tape required to deal with the government like Medicare and insurance companies.  Instead of hiring someone to just bill insurance (like what happens in the US), she is able to keep that money in her pocket.  (Yes, I know she is in Canada but go with the example.)

I don’t have answers on the health care menagerie, but I don’t think that our elected officials do either.  Maybe we can start with the huddled masses and actually educate them on their health care and expenses.  Just a thought.

Of course, this is just my opinion.

Rob’s Rant

Where is the Love for the Health Insurance Execs?

One of my favorite actors is Will Ferrell.  His movies are some of the best comedies ever.  I can’t get together with my friends without quoting cinematic gems such as Anchorman, Old School or any of his awesome skits on SNL.  A true comedy icon.

Last week I came across a video put together by his company, Funny or Die.  The video pokes fun at the insurance companies in a tongue-in-cheek way.  Clever, but not truthful.  I’m convinced that insurance companies will make money no matter what system is in place as the government could never manage even a simple option.  They will need help from somewhere.  I doubt the pow wow at the White House with all the Health Insurance Execs was simply to scold them.  I believe it is self preservation.

These guys want a public option.   I find it curious that Moveon.org is involved in this project.  Not surprised, but curious.

Michael Wilson, writer for Big Hollywood, had an interesting perspective:

The actors and comedians in the PSA could literally buy health insurance for tens, if not hundreds of thousands of uninsured Americans. And they don’t even have to wait for the government to take their money at gunpoint. They can just do it. And they should. It’s clearly being positioned as a moral issue, so is it immoral for these folks to hoard money while children are suffering?

Well, the answer is “no.” It’s their money. And I think Will Ferrell should be able to keep as much of his dough as possible, even if he uses it to buy a mini-zoo in his back yard for exotic animals like a white tiger or Pygmy horses. If he chooses to buy me and a hundred thousand or so of my fellow uninsured Americans some insurance, it would go a long way toward establishing credibility. It would also prove that we don’t need government to force Americans to help each other.

It’s always nice to see things in perspective.  I’m sure Mr. Ferrell and his friends could buy and sell the Health Insurance Executives.  I am like Mike Wilson on this one, who cares how much money someone makes.  This is America and that should be part of the deal when being or becoming an American – unlimited potential to make as much money as you want.

As a counterpoint, some very creative people did a spoof of the Funny or Die video.   Very funny.

Of course, this is just my opinion.

Rob’s Rant

A Tale of Two Protests

Bill Hemmer really showed the difference between protesters at a G-20 protest (or riot if you prefer) and a recent Tea Party protest.

Which one would you rather attend? 

Of course, this is just my opinion.

Rob’s Rant