Icna Chicago: Video: The Life of Malcolm X

Source:FRS FreeState

Malcolm X, represents to me many ways what the American Dream and what that is and should be. Someone who started from very rough beginnings, essentially came from nothing and worked his way up in life. And got so far, that people actually saw him as a threat, or his message of freedom and responsibility, not just for African-Americans, but for all Americans, as threats. By the time he died, he believed that people should be judged as people. Who moved towards Dr. Martin King when it came to civil rights. By the time he died, even as a young man he was in prison and at one point was even a racist. He saw all Caucasians as racists or “White Devils”, and not just as people and not just the people. And not just the racists, but all Caucasians.

But once Malcolm left prison and left the Nation of Islam, he got himself educated and started hanging out with Caucasians that weren’t racist and believed in similar things. And learned better and that perhaps he could work with them so they could all accomplish the same things. That all Americans should be treated equally under law and not be held down because of their race. I wrote a blog arguing this a few months ago. But Malcolm X’s message was about freedom and responsibility. That people shouldn’t expect to be given things. That if we wanted to achieve anything in life and be successful, that we had to go out and achieve those things and not settle for failure.

That people, shouldn’t settle for poverty, or anything else. That the way to avoid these things, were to go out and get ourselves educated, work hard and be productive. Rather than expect government, or anyone else to hand us those things. Which is why I believe if Malcolm X were alive today, he would be a classical Liberal Democrat or Conservative, not exactly registered to either party. But he would have that mindset, that people shouldn’t expect government, or other people to take care of themselves. But they needed to be able to do that for themselves, if they expected to be successful in life. Had both Malcolm X and Martin King lived a natural life, meaning they didn’t die at a young age and lived into their senior years and not have been murdered, or killed, but died through natural causes, America would be a much different country and not just for African-Americans. Both of them would’ve helped a lot of people who weren’t free to live their own lives. Be able to achieve those things for themselves by preaching the message of individual freedom and personal responsibility through education.

Chuck Phillips: Gerald R. Ford Speech on Assuming The Presidency in 1974

Source: Chuck Phillips-

Source:The FreeState

On August, 9th 1974 Gerald R. Ford who was Vice President of the United States up until assuming the Presidency, assumed the Presidency of the United States. A job he never wanted or campaigned for prior to becoming president. Gerry Ford's big goal in politics was to be Speaker of the House of Representatives. A job as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives from 1965-73, came within twenty seats or so, after running for Speaker five times. He didn't want to be Vice President either, he got that job after Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned in 1973 due to a corruption scandal of his own.

Then Minority Leader Ford, was appointed Vice President in 1973 to replace Spiro Agnew, because House Speaker Carl Albert and Senate Leader Mike Mansfield, both Democrats both told President Nixon that Ford had the most votes and trust of any Republican in Congress. And would be someone that both Democrats and Republicans would vote to confirm in both the House and Senate. As he was confirmed by both the House and Senate overwhelmingly for Vice President in December 1973. And as it turns out Gerry Ford was the right choice if not best choice to be Vice President, because of his credibility with Congress and the country.

When Gerry Ford became Vice President in 1973, both Democrats knew that he was going to be the next President of the United States. As well as the media, because they all knew that Richard Nixon's days as President were numbered, that he wouldn't finish out his term as President. And what was about to come down and came down in 1974 in the Watergate scandal points that out perfectly. So appointing Ford as Vice President, President Nixon also probably knew or believed that he was appointing the next President of the United States as well.
Chuck Phillips: Gerald R Ford- Speech on Assuming The Presidency

Reason Magazine: Zach Weissmueller Interviewing Gavin Polone on Hollywood Hypocrites, Bad Films & The Future of The Industry

Source:Real Life Journal

Hollywood is stereotyped as very far to the left compared with the rest of the country. And I’m not going to describe them as liberal, because they are not. Liberal on social issues, but not liberal in the classical sense. Which is where my politics is, but more progressive in the FDR or Teddy Roosevelt, or even socialist in the Bernie Sanders sense. And as Gavin Polone put it, always calling for more big government. But always looking for ways to avoid paying the taxes to finance the big government that they want.

But not all of Hollywood is on the Left, which is a good thing, just like not all Christians who are gun rights supporters are on the right. Which is another good thing, Ronald Reagan is an excellent example of that, so is the late actor/filmmaker Ron Silver who was on the last season of NBC West Wing. Who was also a big and public supporter of President George W. Bush, its good to have political diversity in these industries so the whole country can be represented.

Especially in a liberal democracy of 320M people who is what the United States is. Hollywood is big enough where you can have filmmakers who are as far to the left as Michael Moore, a Social Democrat lets say. To Libertarians like Adam Corrola a comedian/actor as well as other Libertarians in the humor industry lets say. I would say that the large majority of people in Hollywood are on the Left and pretty far to the Left. And someone like a Michael Moore would be considered mainstream there, as well as people like Jeanne Garofalo.

But Clint Eastwood whose not only one of my favorite actors, but as far as I know has been a Republican as long as he’s been an adult and is an example of the Right being represented in Hollywood politics. As well as actor Brian Dennehy and others, as well as Libertarians now coming up in Hollywood or have always been there. Like comedian/actor Drew Carey is a perfect example of that. There will always be leftists in Hollywood, Progressives and leftists who aren’t as far to the Left, as Liberals who think like me, and I’m not in Hollywood. But people in Hollywood who have similar politics as myself. I mean it is called Liberal Arts and we’ll always be there.

I don’t have a problem with entertainers using their fame to make a point, to bring attention to whatever issue or issues they care about. It’s the hypocrisy that I don’t like. Like saying that the rich and corporations are the problem in the country, even though they are rich themselves. And either work for or run a corporation themselves that I have a problem with, that makes them out of touch with the rest of the country.

Pennebaker Hegedus: Video: The War Room 1993, The Story of Bill Clinton For President

Source:The Daily Press

In 1991-92 I guess was the time that I started getting into politics to the point that I was actually following the news about it. I was 16 and a sophomore in high school and I saw a speech I believe on C-SPAN. I became a political junky pretty early in life and I was actually watching C-SPAN and saw a speech from then Governor Bill Clinton from Arkansas. And he was talking about how we could make college more affordable in America, an issue we are still talking about twenty-years later.

And Governor Clinton was talking about an idea called AMERICORE, where people would get tax credits, or be able to go to college at no financial cost to them, if they serve their country. They work in community service, join the military, become a teacher, work in law enforcement, become a doctor etc. Another words be able to go to college if they give back and serve their country. And this program that was enacted shortly after he became President in 1993 and he was able to inspire thousands if not millions of Americans to volunteer for their country. And in return would be able to go to college and when I heard this speech, it gave me the sense that Bill Clinton was a winner, a Democrat who could actually get elected President of the United States.

Listening to Bill Clinton’s speech and following his presidential campaign, gave me the idea that Bill Clinton was a different Democrat. Someone whose called a New Democrat, someone who doesn’t just believe in growing the Federal Government and raising new taxes to pay for it. And by doing this, that would automatically solve whatever problem the program was intended to solve. But that you had to make the Federal Government work and be able to reform or eliminate things in the Federal Government that wasn’t working.

That Clinton’s presidential campaign was about the people not government. How do you make government work for the people, so it empowers the people who need to be empowered. Not growing government to take care of people but using it in a way so the people who need it can take care of themselves instead, which are two different concepts. Americans were looking for a change in 1992, that’s clear with a bad economy, lack of economic and gob growth.

Americans saw President Bush as out of touch and not up to the job of turning the country around and were looking for a change. But weren’t sure they were ready to turn it over to the Democrats. People who have been stereotyped as big government tax and spenders and weren’t interested in seeing new tax hikes. But want to go back to work and take care of themselves. And what they got from Bill Clinton was a new Democratic voice, someone who could talk about liberalism and communicate it in a way that made it about people and not government.

Bill Clinton had this saying that people who collected public assistance will no longer be able to get it for free in a Clinton Administration. That people on public assistance were going to be expected to use that time to prepare themselves to go to work and serve their communities. Bill Clinton’s political hero is Jack Kennedy, same as mind along with Bill Clinton and a few other people. And of course one of President Kennedy’s famous lines is, ask not what government can do for you, but what you can do for your country. And I believe Bill Clinton took that to heart and made that a big part of his presidential campaign and a bigger part of his Presidency and it worked very well.

Russia Today: Alex Wahl: Alex Chance-Porn Stars Choose The Next U.S. President

Source:The Daily Journal

As the so-called Family Values Party heads to the adult entertainment capital of America, which is Tampa, Florida where the Grand Old Party meaning the Republican Party will hold their convention, (you can have all sorts of fun with this) I thought it would be fun to look at how the so-called porn industry could affect Mitt Romney and his potential Republican vice presidential candidates. I guess we can drop Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee and Michelle Bachmann, from the list. Since they all support a constitutional amendment to outlaw pornography. And since the GOP is the Family Values Party, they’re not going to nominate someone for vice president who would outlaw porn. And risk getting kicked out of Tampa. And being forced to hold their convention in West Virginia, or somewhere else in the Bible Belt where they would all have to rent helicopters to get to the convention. Because there aren’t enough roads.

One of my favorite jokes is that you would have better luck finding a prostitute, or some other adult entertainer at a Southern Baptist Convention, then you would see the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series, or Detroit Lions winning the Super Bowl. But the problem with that joke is the Republican Party is in Tampa this year and there might be all sorts of adult entertainers at their convention looking for potential clients and showing them a whole new way of living. Like what its like checking out women other than your wife, (in public) or what its like to have sex, (with someone other than your wife) that not all women wear long dresses everywhere they go and aren’t afraid to show their legs and even butts in public. Tampa, is about as Bible Belt and Christian-Right of a city as Seattle is in the Southeast. A very friendly individualistic of a city where people are free to be themselves.

Its funny enough that today’s modern Republican Party is in Tampa in the first place. I guess they’ll be in Sin City Las Vegas in 2016, where you’ll have thousands of Republicans who perhaps have never seen a casino on TV before let alone actually been to one. If an adult entertainer endorses Mitt Romney for president in Tampa, it could cost Mitt twenty points in the GOP, even if his approval rating goes up with the rest of the country. And you may see Mitt trying to convince people that he was never endorsed by an adult entertainer, or the person had him confused with another Mitt Romney. Like the Mitt Romney from 2002, or 1994. I mean a party where you got a certain percentage of its members, maybe 1/3 who believe pornography should be illegal everywhere in the country, having their convention in the porn capital of the country, there’s a lot that’s ironic about this picture.

Associated Press: Marilyn Monroe Remembered by Stars

Source:The Daily Press

I don’t think there is a lot new here at least from what we already know about Charlie Manson, at least the people who have followed his life in and out of prison. The one thing that is different, is that he’s in a medical facility, instead of hardcore prison and he’s not in solitary confinement. Tom Snyder was granted excellent access of Manson and Manson’s time at Vacuville. It would’ve been nice to know what Manson was doing there, because it did look fairly healthy, at least physically. Mentally I’m not sure he’s ever been healthy and has ever been a right frame of mind, but that is a different story.

Manson apparently still living on his own planet. Tom Snyder asked him point-blank, “why do people follow you”? And he does this little dance and does all of these vibrations, like he’s a god or something. And Snyder asked Manson about Vince Bugliosi’s book, the man who prosecuted The Manson Family and his book about those trials. And Manson said that Bugliosi got the times and dates right. And that was essentially Bugliosi’s version of what happened back then. But nothing about whether Bugliosi was accurate or not.

Charlie Manson has been in prison for his last crimes for now forty-five years. The man is now eighty-years old and when he went to prison for the last time back in late 1969 or early 1970, he had already spend half of his life in either juvenile hall, jail or prison. That is all he knows. And even today he still doesn’t take any responsibility for his crimes. So why would he of bothered to do that back almost thirty-years ago. The man belongs in hell and if he’s going to be allowed to live he should and is in hell on Earth.

Media Burn Archive: President Richard Nixon Before Resignation And Full Speech- August 8th, 1974

Source:The FreeState

Why did President Richard Nixon resign the presidency in the summer of 1974, when he still had two and a half years left in his 2nd term? There are several reasons and to put it simply. He lost most if whatever support he had left in Congress. He would've been impeached on a bipartisan basis in the House and would've been convicted on a bipartisan basis in the Senate. The House Judiciary Committee had already voted to impeach him with a bipartisan vote and was on course for a similar vote on the House floor. The Republican Leader in the Senate, Minority Leader Hugh Scott told President Nixon, that the votes were there to convict the President which takes a 2/3 vote.

Senate Democrats had fifty five seats. Senate Republicans had forty-five seats and that there were at least twelve Republicans that would vote for the conviction of President Nixon and that Southern Democrats would vote for conviction as well. President Nixon would've been impeached in the House and convicted in the Senate, embarrassed even further in the country then he already embarrassed himself. And this scandal would've continued with the FBI or someone actually coming to the White House or someone to escort Richard Nixon out of the Oval Office so President Ford could takeover. Or however that process would've worked.

I would like to think that at least one of the reasons why Richard Nixon resigned the presidency when he didn't technically have to, you can't force a President to resign or a Member of Congress and perhaps even the Vice President, whose technically an elected official only they can make this what must be a very difficult decision, but I would like to think that why President Nixon resigned was to put an end to one if not the worst constitutional crisis's to sleep. And so the country could move on and deal with difficult challenges that were ahead.

The United States was facing energy shortages, a rising debt and deficit, rising unemployment. Similar challenges that President Carter faced in the late 1970s, that President Ford attempted to deal with them all. But it's a little difficult to deal with those challenges, when you are not sure who the President is going to be in the next few weeks. Whether it was for purely selfish reasons or looking out for the national interest in why President Nixon resigned when he did and I would like to think it was a combination of both, President Nixon made the right decision in resigning when he did. Not to make up for what he did that led up to his resignation, but to put and end to a scandal that he didn't start, but covered up.