Re: Learning

"How unfortunate the one who ceases to want to learn..." - Amir Said

Margaret Chase Smith: Leagues Beyond Sarah Palin, but We're Not Hearing That

By Amir Said

Often in a heated election season, the attention is on what you hear, not what you don't hear. However, it's the unheard that is usually the most interesting. The 2008 presidential election has been no different in this regard. Which brings me to another point that no one seems to have mentioned. Sarah Palin may be the first woman to have been nominated for the U.S. Vice Presidency by the GOP, but she is not the first woman in history to have her name placed in nomination for the U.S. Presidency. This dubious distinction belongs to Margaret Chase Smith.

The media (both the left and right) absolutely love to cover two things: fights and "firsts". Fights are obvious, but firsts, now that's somewhat more subtle. Firsts are valued by news outlets because it allows them to stretch their "historical context muscles". That is, it allows them to summon up yesterday and wax nostalgic about what once was and how its changed. Well, that's fine and good, but apparently in the scheme of political comparisons, no one has seen it fit to bring up Margaret Chase Smith. I find that very curious, to say the least. In an election season where political comparisons have been flinging through the air, why hasn't enough attention been shed upon Margaret Chase Smith? To know the answer, you must first know who Margaret Chase Smith was.

Margaret Chase Smith was the first woman to be elected to both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and the first woman from Maine to serve in either. Known for being one of the earliest opponents of Senator Joseph McCarthy, Chase Smith, in her 'Declaration of Conscience' speech (1950) delivered a searing critique of the leadership of the Executive and Legislative branches of government. In particular, this speech was directed at fellow Republicans. So that you can get a glimpse at the character of Margaret Chase Smith, I have included her infamous speech below. Please note, the emphasis is mine.

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DECLARATION OF CONSCIENCE, June 1, 1950

Mr. President, I would like to speak briefly and simply about a serious national condition. It is a national feeling of fear and frustration that could result in national suicide and the end of everything that we Americans hold dear. It is a condition that comes from the lack of effective leadership in either the legislative branch or the executive branch of our Government.

That leadership is so lacking that serious and responsible proposals are being made that national advisory commissions be appointed to provide such critically needed leadership.

I speak as briefly as possible because too much harm has already been done with irresponsible words of bitterness and selfish political opportunism. I speak as simply as possible because the issue is too great to be obscured by eloquence. I speak simply and briefly in the hope that my words will be taken to heart.

I speak as a Republican. I speak as a woman. I speak as a United States Senator. I speak as an American.

The United States Senate has long enjoyed worldwide respect as the greatest deliberative body in the world. But recently that deliberative character has too often been debased to the level of a forum of hate and character assassination sheltered by the shield of congressional immunity.

It is ironical that we Senators can debate in the Senate directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to any American, who is not a Senator, any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming an American-and without that non-Senator American having any legal redress against it-yet if we say the same thing in the Senate about our colleagues we can be stopped on the grounds of being out of order.

It is strange that we can verbally attack anyone else without restraint and with full protection and yet we hold ourselves above the same type of criticism here on the Senate floor. Surely the United States Senate is big enough to take self-criticism and self-appraisal. Surely we should be able to take the same kind of character attacks that we "dish out" to outsiders.

I think that it is high time for the United States Senate and its Members to do some soul searching-for us to weigh our consciences-on the manner in which we are performing our duty to the people of America; on the manner in which we are using or abusing our individual powers and privileges.

I think that it is high time that we remembered that we have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. I think that it is high time that we remembered that the Constitution, as amended, speaks not only of the freedom of speech, but also of trial by jury instead of trial by accusation.

Whether it be a criminal prosecution in court or a character prosecution in the Senate, there is little practical distinction when the life of a person has been ruined.

Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism in making character assassinations are all too frequently those who, by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of Americanism-

The right to criticize;

The right to hold unpopular beliefs;

The right to protest;

The right of independent thought.

The exercise of these rights should not cost one single American citizen his reputation or his right to a livelihood nor should he be in danger of losing his reputation or livelihood merely because he happens to know someone who holds unpopular beliefs. Who of us doesn't? Otherwise none of us could call our souls our own. Otherwise thought control would have set in.

The American people are sick and tired of being afraid to speak their minds lest they be politically smeared as "Communists" or "Fascists" by their opponents. Freedom of speech is not what it used to be in America. It has been so abused by some that it is not exercised by others.

The American people are sick and tired of seeing innocent people smeared and guilty people whitewashed. But there have been enough proved cases, such as the Amerasia case, the Hiss case, the Coplon case, the Gold case, to cause Nation-wide distrust and strong suspicion that there may be something to the unproved, sensational accusations.

As a Republican, I say to my colleagues on this side of the aisle that the Republican Party faces a challenge today that is not unlike the challenge that it faced back in Lincoln's day. The Republican Party so successfully met that challenge that it emerged from the Civil War as the champion of a united nation-in addition to being a party that unrelentingly fought loose spending and loose programs.

Today our country is being psychologically divided by the confusion and the suspicions that are bred in the United States Senate to spread like cancerous tentacles of "know nothing, suspect everything" attitudes. Today we have a Democratic administration that has developed a mania for loose spending and loose programs. History is repeating itself-and the Republican Party again has the opportunity to emerge as the champion of unity and prudence.

The record of the present Democratic administration has provided us with sufficient campaign issues without the necessity of resorting to political smears. America is rapidly losing its position as leader of the world simply because the Democratic administration has pitifully failed to provide effective leadership.

The Democratic administration has completely confused the American people by its daily contradictory grave warnings and optimistic assurances-that show the people that our Democratic administration has no idea of where it is going.

The Democratic administration has greatly lost the confidence of the American people by its complacency to the threat of communism here at home and the leak of vital secrets to Russia through key officials of the Democratic administration. There are enough proved cases to make this point without diluting our criticism with unproved charges.

Surely these are sufficient reasons to make it clear to the American people that it is time for a change and that a Republican victory is necessary to the security of this country. Surely it is clear that this nation will continue to suffer as long as it is governed by the present ineffective Democratic administration.

Yet to displace it with a Republican regime embracing a philosophy that lacks political integrity or intellectual honesty would prove equally disastrous to this Nation. The Nation sorely needs a Republican victory. But I don't want to see the Republican Party ride to political victory on the four horsemen of calumny-fear, ignorance, bigotry and smear.

I doubt if the Republican Party could-simply because I don't believe the American people will uphold any political party that puts political exploitation above national interest. Surely we Republicans aren't that desperate for victory.

I don't want to see the Republican Party win that way. While it might be a fleeting victory for the Republican Party, it would be a more lasting defeat for the American people. Surely it would ultimately be suicide for the Republican Party and the two-party system that has protected our American liberties from the dictatorship of a one-party system.

As members of the minority party, we do not have the primary authority to formulate the policy of our Government. But we do have the responsibility of rendering constructive criticism, of clarifying issues, of allaying fears by acting as responsible citizens.

As a woman, I wonder how the mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters feel about the way in which members of their families have been politically mangled in Senate debate-and I use the word "debate" advisedly.

As a United States Senator, I am not proud of the way in which the Senate has been made a publicity platform for irresponsible sensationalism. I am not proud of the reckless abandon in which unproved charges have been hurled from this side of the aisle. I am not proud of the obviously staged, undignified counter charges that have been attempted in retaliation from the other side of the aisle.

I don't like the way the Senate has been made a rendezvous for vilification, for selfish political gain at the sacrifice of individual reputations and national unity. I am not proud of the way we smear outsiders from the floor of the Senate and hide behind the cloak of congressional immunity and still place ourselves beyond criticism on the floor of the Senate.

As an American, I am shocked at the way Republicans and Democrats alike are playing directly into the Communist design of "confuse, divide and conquer." As an American, I don't want a Democratic administration "whitewash" or "cover-up" any more than I want a Republican smear or witch hunt.

As an American, I condemn a Republican "Fascist" just as much as I condemn a Democrat "Communist." I condemn a Democrat "Fascist" just as much as I condemn a Republican "Communist." They are equally dangerous to you and me and to our country. As an American, I want to see our Nation recapture the strength and unity it once had when we fought the enemy instead of ourselves.

It is with these thoughts I have drafted what I call a Declaration of Conscience. I am gratified that Senator Tobey, Senator Aiken, Senator Morse, Senator Ives, Senator Thye and Senator Hendrickson, have concurred in that declaration and have authorized me to announce their concurrence.

Statement of Seven Republican Senators

1. We are Republicans. But we are Americans first. It is as Americans that we express our concern with the growing confusion that threatens the security and stability of our country. Democrats and Republicans alike have contributed to that confusion.

2. The Democratic administration has initially created the confusion by its lack of effective leadership, by its contradictory grave warnings and optimistic assurances, by its complacency to the threat of communism here at home, by its oversensitiveness to rightful criticism, by its petty bitterness against its critics.

3. Certain elements of the Republican Party have materially added to this confusion in the hopes of riding the Republican party to victory through the selfish political exploitation of fear, bigotry, ignorance, and intolerance. There are enough mistakes of the Democrats for Republicans to criticize constructively without resorting to political smears.

4. To this extent, Democrats and Republicans alike have unwittingly, but undeniably, played directly into the Communist design of "confuse, divide and conquer."

5. It is high time that we stopped thinking politically as Republicans and Democrats about elections and started thinking patriotically as Americans about national security based on individual freedom. It is high time that we all stopped being tools and victims of totalitarian techniques -- techniques that, if continued here unchecked, will surely end what we have come to cherish as the American way of life."

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Clearly Margaret Chase Smith was a staunch Republican, yet as evidenced by this speech, she was conflicted. Though she perceives the 1950 Democratic administration as "ineffective", she also points out and concedes many negative trends within the Republican party. Clearly Chase Smith had grown disappointed with her own party. But more importantly, in this speech, she displays her increased disenchantment and frustration with both parties...

In 1964, 14 years after this searing speech, Margaret Chase Smith's name was placed in nomination for the U.S. Presidency. She lost out at the Republican Convention to Barry Goldwater. And though we continue to hear about Barry Goldwater and his legacy, we do not hear much about Margaret Chase Smith and her legacy.

When Sarah Palin was nominated at the last RNC, I thought surely that someone would bring up Margaret Chase Smith. Then after the initial shock of Palin's nomination, came questions about Palin's qualifications. I thought then, surely at least one of the major news outlets would do some sort of story on Margaret Chase Smith. I mean, hasn't this been a historical political season?

Finally, though there has been much attention drawn to the fact that Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton, I question why no one has mentioned that Sarah Palin is also no Margaret Chase Smith.

Margaret Chase Smith

Civil Rights Activist Clarence Mitchell and Senator Margaret Chase Smith

Yankees You Don't Hear Enough About #1: Elston Howard

By Amir Said

The last Yankees game has been played at Yankee Stadium. Certainly not any new news and certainly not any welcomed news by me. But the closing of Yankee Stadium has me thinking about something else: great black Yankee ball players, who cease to get much mention. Hence, I've decided to salute these past greats on Blame The Critic.

The first name and image that comes to mind is Elston Howard. In 1954, Howard played in the Toronto Maple Leaf's minor system. He broke into the majors in 1955, after being traded to the New York Yankees. As a catcher, Elston Howard would have difficulty getting playing time. Ahead of him at catcher was another Yankee legend, Yogi Bera. Still, Howard's talent was too good to remain on the bench. So for his first five seasons, he found time as a first baseman and outfield back up. Elston Howard finally got his chance to start at catcher in 1960, taking over everyday catching duties from Yogi Bera.

Elston Howard played 12 season for the New York Yankees (1955-1967), being voted to the All-Star team 9 consecutive times. In 1984, the Yankees retired Howard's uniform #32 and dedicated a plaque in his honor. Today Elston Howard's plaque stands in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium.

Note to Microsoft: Kill the Campagin, Already...For Real, Kill It Dead...Take it out Back, Punch it in the Eye, Swing it Around like a Helicopter and Frisby that Shiznit off the Nearest Cliff!

By Amir Said

O.K.,I just saw the 'I'm a PC' Microsoft spot. Typical...Real typical. I'm going to break this one down for you...

Apple develops a niche product: sleek design, quality computing. From the start, the Steve x 2's vision was to build a great machine. Their vision was not to be the computer for everyone around the world. On the other hand, the good people at Robust, excuse me, I mean Microsoft, what was their vision? To infiltrate every computer in the world? Kudos Robust, oops, I mean Microsoft, you did it. You did it years ago. So why now try to counter-attack Apple? They are not the nemesis that you believe them to be. Indeed, the both of you are great boxers, if you will. But you're in two entirely different weight classes. Apple is the nimble middleweight, who's in love with the art of boxing. You're the heavy weight with one-punch stopping power, and no particular concern for the art of boxing.

Which brings me to your latest ad. It's classic giant-stomping. Placing a production crew around the globe, in various land and sea situations, does not convey that you "connect" with consumers. Moreover, attempting to cleverly interweave in various celebrities who purportedly use a PC does nothing to impress everyday computer users. Computing is not a jaunt down the block in some new sneakers; on the contrary, real consumers--whose lively hoods depend on and are directly interrelated to their computing experience--do not take their computing choices lightly. Instead, they (we) are highly acute to what works...the best, the fastest, the most efficient. And since having a PC essentially means running your computer experience via the Windows platform on a poorly built machine, those in the know opt for a Mac, and all that it promises. Did you catch that key word, "promises".

There was a time when you promised and delivered. But those times are over. The knack that you once had for getting consumers excited about new products has faded. And now, that you've seemingly come to terms with this realization, how do you go and "fix" it? By rehashing the old "giant-in-the-room" commercial? Please understand, a company thrives off of two things: innovation and new customers. Here's where you're probably reminded about the fact that the iPod and the iPhone are two of Apple's best bridge products...they bring people to the Mac! Right now, there is nothing that brings people to Microsoft. No, people have to come to Microsoft, one way or the other. You can smile here, yes, you're the best game in town for word processing. But do not smile too much because Google is trying to poke a whole in your mighty word-working market share...But I digress.

So here it is. If you really want to change your image, you have to kill this misguided ad campaign that so far has done nothing but recycle way overdone concept and a woefully outdated plan. But more importantly, you have to start boxing, and stop pouncing. I mean you've got to you have to shave some weight, tone up, and recommit to the art of boxing. No more giant-stomping...

Twitter Shatters Old Broadcast News Model

By Amir Said

CNN anchorman Rick Sanchez has been having a tech-awakening right in front of our eyes. This guy loves twitter! Even before hurricane Gustov, Sanchez was touting his use of twitter. (During Gustov, he coudln't contain himself).

To their credit, CNN is the first official (major) broadcast network to start using Twitter. Having seen its real power, direct engagement with CNN followers in real time, Sanchez and CNN are forging even further ahead with their use of twitter. No doubt if CNN is doing it, you can be sure the other networks will follow.

This is great news for people (like me) that are hungry for UNFILTERED, non-ad-motivated news. By using Twitter's platform, CNN and other networks are putting the old broadcast news model on the line. And I anticipate that the use of twitter will ultimately lead directly to the toppling of the old broadcast news model. When this happens, look for a shake up in the personalities that front the news for these networks. For the likes of CNN's Rick Sanchez, (who embraced twitter immediately), look for them to be promptly promoted to new pivotal social media posts.

Rick Sanchez, CNN anchorman

Power of the Press?

"The power of the press is really the exuberant ignorance of the people..."
- Amir Said

Top 3 Movies Featuring a Summer Camp

By Amir Said

#3 Little Darlings

A movie about two white girls (from different socio-economic backgrounds) and their "competition" to see who gives "it" up first. Now that's a movie. The realism, the action, I believeded this movie. The way Kristy McNichol acted all tough...Oh, and how Tatum O'Neal gave one of the performances of her life...before she blew it all on $2 crack and a dream.

For my money, when I was a kid, the real star was Krista Errickson (Cinder). For some reason, I thought she was fly. Tatum O'neal (Ferris) was pretty and all, but Errickson (Cinder) drew me in more. And McNichol (Angel), she was a turn-off. The first time I saw Little Darlings, I was too young to really understand it all. I mean, I hadn't yet seen (first-hand) the angst and confusion that a teenage girl could go through, in dealing with the prospect of losing her virginity. Also, I didn't quite get some of the melodrama. But the second time I saw Little Darlings, I was older, and more experienced. And there were a lot of little things that I was able to readily pick up. Plus, I was now able to better understand Randy's character (Matt Dillon). Yep, yep, this movie actually taught me a few things...

#2 Friday the 13th

CLASSIC. This was the first movie I ever saw in a drive-in! What the fuck was my mother and father thinkin', draggin' me to an 11pm showing of Friday the 13th? I have to reason that they thought I'd simply fall asleep. NEGATIVE. I watched the whole flick, didn't blink or turn away once. O.K., so I had to turn away for the naked scenes. Better yet, my mother covered my face with her hand. But hey, my mother's fingers weren't that damn big, so I did get to see a little skin. Wait a minute, let me get this straight. My mother covered my eyes so I couldn't see some dangling breasts. But she uncovered my eyes to let me see a psychopathic killer terrorize a bunch of sex-crazed teenagers? There's gotta be a reason for that. hmmm...

Anyway, Friday the 13th was actually a revenge flick. The fact that Jason (Ari Lehman) seemed to enjoy taunting the shit out of these truly moronic campers is I guess what made it a first rate horror pic...

#1 Meatballs

And now for the absolute #1 movie featuring a summer camp: Meatballs. Awgh, man, this movie was the shiznit. Here's the setting... Two opposing camps... On one side you had the "rich kid camp", Camp Mohawk; and on the other side, you had the "middle-class misfit camp", Camp North Star. Camp North Star is where most of the story takes place. There, the group of young, rag-tag campers are lead by a freewheeling head counselor named Tripper (Bill Murray). Each member of the supporting cast had their own "thing". For instance, there was Hardware, he was the tech guy who could rig anything that was electronic... There's was A.L., she was the model-type, very pretty, but real cool and down-to-earth... There was "The Stomach" (Peter Hume), he was the fat guy and the resident hot dog eating champion... There was Spaz (Jack Blum), he was the nerd... And then there was Rudy (Chris Makepeace).

Rudy's story was a major part of Meatballs. His character suffered from low self-esteem and an inability to fit in or make friends. Rudy and Tripper, the head camp counselor, develop a friendship and this is where the movie shines. While Tripper helps Rudy snap out of his shell, Rudy returns the favor by helping Tripper win over the girl of his dreams, fellow counselor Roxanne (Kate Lynch).

In the 80s, there would be many attempts at the "summer camp movie." Many of which would try to employ the template created by Meatballs and Little Darlings. Most of these movies failed. And as time grew on and the world got seemingly a little crazier, the role of sleep away summer camps in American society dwindled. Likewise, the number of "summer camp movies" dramatically declined. But if you want to get a real good glance at how American culture once was, more specifically, how real and laid back American teens used to be, give the aforementioned "summer camp movies" a spin.

"It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter..." - Camp North Star.

Inventing New Ways to Make More Money

By Amir Said

Wouldn't it be great to have the ability to "name" (specify) your debt, package it, and then "sell it" to someone else? Let's give a cheer for the world of banking and big business. Hate 'em or love 'em, you gotta admire the inventions they come up with for making MORE money...

"Red Hook High" Set to Air with No Script

By Amir Said
"Red Hook High", a new television show based in Red Hook, Brooklyn, is set to air. The high school drama will be "unscripted" and will work off an "outline". I'm going to pay real close attention this one. Don't know if the "unscripted-general-outline" formula is going to work here. That formula can be rather difficult for even the most seasoned actors, who are often well-versed in improvisation. Still, interested to see if a collective of young non-actors, working without a script can pull it off. This sounds real messy.

Sub-Prime Kool-Aid Steady Killin'

By Amir Said

Exploitation. Say it together now, ex-ploi-ta-tion. That's the key word for today. Coming into last weekend, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, two of Wall Street's most honored behemoths, faced extinction. By Monday morning, (this oh so surreal morning), only one of them would survive. Good bye Lehman Brothers. You drank the sub-prime Kool-Aid and now you're dead. Hello Bank of America stepchild, Merrill Lynch. You, too drank the sub-prime Kool-Aid; only you were smart enough to put yourself at the mercy of another company, rather than take your shaky chances with the U.S. government.

Back to the word of the day, EXPLOITATION. If you're a little confused about all of this "sub-prime" talk that you've been hearing throughout the past 12-18 months, let me try to break it down for you. First, like with many great American financial tragedies, the issue revolves around credit, more specifically, the access to credit. Though there are about 4 or 5 credit "levels", (usually associated with a score somewhere between 500 and 850), borrowers (credit seekers) are really split into two classes: prime and sub-prime. Prime refers to the best possible interest rate that any borrower can expect to receive, based on their credit history. Typically, a credit score around 700 sends borrowers to the prime window. Anything around 630 or lower, borrowers have to go stand on the sub-prime line; mind you, this is the line with the highest interest rates.

Enter the Housing Boom

About 5 to 7 years ago, the housing market was booming pretty much everywhere in America. As housing prices went up, so did the number of sub-prime mortgage applications. Only instead of most of these applications being denied (as they should have been), a great deal of the sub-prime loans were actually approved. What's worse are the "instruments" used to actually get these sub-prime mortgage loans approved. The most striking of which was the infamous "no income verification" loan. Yep, that's right. As recently as 24 months ago, virtually anyone could walk into a mortgage broker's office and apply for a mortgage, without having to verify their income... But I digress...

Now the idea behind the sub-prime boom was essentially this: since the housing market is rising at a clip of about 10 to 20% a year, if the borrower develops any problems repaying the loan, nothing to worry about because the home itself is the collateral. Borrower can't pay, no problem, they just refinance and tap the equity, right? But what happens if the housing bubble bursts, you ask? Hold on, I'll get to that....

Sub-Prime Packages

Mortgage brokers and other groups, who at the time specialized in sub-prime mortgages, packaged these sub-prime loans and sold them to the big ballers all Wall Street, who are always looking for a can't-miss fire sale. Here, it's important to point out that these sub-prime mortgages featured incredibly high interest rates, and most cases, crazy adjustable rates. And heere, it's also important to note that NONE of the Wall Street big ballers screened the sub-prime applicants. So they had no real idea of whether or not the loans could actually be paid back! But as soon as one of the big ballers began drinking the sub-prime Kool-Aid, here came the other ones, all just as thirsty as the next. And I mean these guys are gulping this stuff down, cup by cup...no, barrel by barrel is more like it. Some of the greedier big ballers, like Citigroup and HSBC, go back even for more. And some, like Bank of America and JP Morgan, get their fill rather quickly, only taking a few cups of the stuff. And still some, like Goldman Sachs, stay away from the suicide party altogether, never really drinking the sub-prime Kool-Aid at all.

The Housing Burst

Ever wonder why the mortgage brokers packaged those sub-prime loans and sold them to the big ballers on Wall Street? I'll tell you, they knew a bubble was coming. They knew a BIG bubble was coming. And they saw their opportunity to flip the situation to their benefit. (Here's where you realize how thin the line is between a seedy used car salesman and a seedy mortgage broker). So the housing bubble bursts, and prices start plummeting at the very same time that many home owners are falling into foreclosure. Ruh Roh! The Wall Street big ballers are in trouble. They have a massive stock of the worst kind of bad debt: unsellable homes in a declining housing market. Yikes! Did some one say, liquidity problem?

O.K., o.k, back to "exploitation," the word of the day. Having followed the breakdown I just presented, it's very clear that sub-prime borrowers were exploited. Then thereafter, the Wall Street big ballers were exploited. And today, on the heels of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy filing, Merrill Lynch was further exploited. Bank of America swooped in and bought them at a true fire-sale price. But you have to wonder, is Merrill Lynch really being exploited by Bank of America, or are they the ones actually doing the exploiting? Note to Bank of America: check Merrill's books twice...then check 'em again.

Oh, there's one more group that has been exploited: former Lehman Brothers employees. Unfortunately, most of them had their pension valued in Lehman Brothers stock, which means that their pensions have effectively been wiped out...