Just Americans Making Ethical Statements Weblog

Perhaps Obama Should Follow The Lead of Geithner & Clinton: Call It Quits

JAMES — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:53:59 +0000

Earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner put his “resume” into the marketplace by saying that he didn’t think that President Obama would ask him to continue in his position IF the President were able to win a second term. Geithner even hinted that if asked, he was ready for a change, and would “move on”.

Then yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said that she was ready to get “off the high wire of American politics”, and would not return to her position if a second term for Obama were to become a reality.

These type of statements are not unusual in any White House administration. But, perhaps Barack Obama should take a cue from these two high profile Cabinet members, and decide that a second term just isn’t what he wants!

Just Saying!!!!

Obscure Florida Law Requires “TaxPayer Funded” Sports Stadiums to be Used as Homless Shelter

JAMES — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:01:55 +0000

Could the new Marlins ballpark or the Tampa Bay Rays‘ Tropicana Field serve as a homeless shelter for the 270 or so nights a year that they’re not used for baseball?

If two Florida lawmakers have their way, they might. As reported by the Miami Herald, state legislators have unearthed an obscure law that has not been enforced since it was adopted in 1988. It states that any ballpark or stadium that receives taxpayer money shall serve as a homeless shelter on the dates that it is not in use.

Now, a new bill would punish owners of teams who play in publicly funded stadiums if they don’t provide a haven for the homeless. Affected ballparks would include the Miami Marlins‘ new ballpark in Miami’s Little Havana, the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and several spring training facilities. It also includes the homes of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Miami Heat, Jacksonville Jaguars and Florida Panthers.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/florida-law-turn-ballparks-homeless-shelters-151458504.html

Starbucks “BUYcott” to Support Their Support of Gun Rights

JAMES — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:50:06 +0000

The National Gun Victims Action Council has declared a Valentine’s Day boycott of Starbucks to protest the coffee chain’s support for American gun laws. TTAG Commentator Greg in Allston has a counter-proposal (so to speak) . . .

“OK everyone, let’s have some real fun, shall we? Good! Listen up and please hear me out. The antis are planning a boycott. Let’s counter with a BUYcott. On February 13, 14 & 15, please make the effort to go to Starbucks and buy something. Don’t like their coffee? Get a tea, a cocoa, a pastry, anything. Thank the clerk for Starbucks’ support of the Constitution. And here’s the cool bit . . .

Pay with two dollar bills. Thomas Jefferson, Mr. Liberty himself. If Starbucks sees a huge influx of payment in two dollar bills, people in general, and Starbucks management in particular, are sure to notice.

Why the day before and the day after you ask? Simply to show that we have the power (financial, organizational and political) and the wherewithal to absolutely swamp anything that the antis can muster. Bomb Starbucks with 2A love and money. Three days in a row. What’s it going to cost you? Twenty bucks tops.

There’s a Starbucks a block away from where I work in Cambridge. I plan on giving them a little extra business.

Link to this post: http://wp.me/pOQae-q1Z Spread the word.”

Prebuttal to Obama’s State of the Union Address: Red Solo Cup, Let’s Have a Party

JAMES — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:09:49 +0000

The only way to get through the speech………..

TSA “Holds” Sen. Rand Paul @ Nashville Airport after He Refused Gov’t-Sanctioned Groping

JAMES — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:03:10 +0000

…… OK, Patdown…………….

Sen. Rand Paul told his communications director this morning he was being detained by TSA at the Nashville airport.

The Twitter account associated with Paul staffer Moira Bagley, @moirabagley, tweeted around 10 a.m., ET, “Just got a call from @senrandpaul. He’s currently being detained by TSA in Nashville.”

A TSA spokesman disputed that Paul was ever “detained.” But he was not granted access to the secure area of the airport when he tried to board a flight Monday morning.

The standoff was short-lived. By late morning, according to TSA, Paul had been booked on another flight and made it through the screening process.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/rand-paul-in-pat-down-standoff-with-tsa-in-nashville/

Note: The Senator has since said that the TSA Agent “warned” him that if he attempted to “use his cellphone” they would give him the aforementioned patdown!

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Announces Her Resignation: “I Have More Work to do on My Recovery”

JAMES — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:12:26 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona announced Sunday she intends to resign from Congress this week to concentrate on recovering from wounds suffered in an assassination attempt a little more than a year ago that shook the country.

abcnews.go.com

“I don’t remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice,” the Democratic lawmaker said on a video posted without prior notice on her Facebook page.

“I’m getting better. Every day my spirit is high,” she said. “I have more work to do on my recovery. So to do what’s best for Arizona, I will step down this week.”

Obama and the Debt Ceiling

JAMES — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:02:43 +0000

Scrutinizing the Obama Record……..

JAMES — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:51:45 +0000

David Maraniss’s 10,000-word profile about Obama’s Hawaii years, which I liked.

I think there was way too little coverage of his record in the Illinois Senate and U.S. Senate, for example, with one or two notably good exceptions. But there were hard-hitting stories too, even a very tough one on Michelle Obama’s job at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

And that’s what The Post needs to do in covering his reelection campaign this year: be hard-hitting on his record and provide fresh insight and plenty of context to put the past three rough years into perspective.

GOP Leaders Need to Pay Attention to Ron Paul and Rick Santorum’s Concession Speeches

JAMES — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:07:54 +0000

While it is still too early to count Rick Santorum out, or Ron Paul for that matter, the GOP nomination process will focus, albeit by the media coverage, on Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.

But the GOP establishment, as it prepares for the Tampa convention in August, needs to be paying close attention to both Ron Paul and Rick Santorum. In the primaries this year, the delegates are being awarded not as a “winner take all”, but on the percentage basis of the candidate’s performance in the primary. If I understand it correctly, Newt Gingrich won 40% of the votes in the South Carolina primary last night, and will this have 40% of the state’s delegates.

This is important, because it means that as Ron Paul or Rick Santorum continue to add more delegates to their column, despite the heavy odds of not having enough for the nomination, they are “banking” them for their “voice” on the GOP platform. Ron Paul knows that he can use his delegate count to force the “audit the Fed” issue into the GOP platform. Likewise, Rick Santorum can parlay his delegate count into his voice for the social issues and the manufacturing jobs platform he has been running on.

So the GOP establishment needs to pay close attention as the primaries continue, and heed the words of the “non-winning” candidates, for they are not going “quietly into the night”!

SC Polls Close & Gingrich Declared Winner Immediately

JAMES — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:10:34 +0000

Capping a week of dramatic changes in the race for the GOP nomination for POTUS, former Speaker Newt Gingrich has been declared the winner in the South Carolina primary, defeating the presumptive frontrunner, Mitt Romney.

Despite a tawdry interview from his second ex-wife, Marianne, and defeats in Iowa and New Hampshire, Gingrich surged back with particular help from his debate performances. Twice in one week, Gingrich received standing ovations for his fiery answers.

The road to the White House goes through Tampa next August, and it will be a long run getting there. Every GOP nominee since 1980 has been a SC winner…. will this time be different?