“Hail to the Cheat,” a political novel, by Ted Venetoulis - A Review (tags)
Americans need a good laugh. After eight years of Dubya, and one year of President Barack Obama, who prefers to be loved and not feared, a political spoof has arrived to save the day. It’s Ted Venetoulis’ fun-filled novel, “Hail to the Cheat.” President Lance Billingsley gets caught by the First Lady, Jessica Berringer, “doing” her dear friend, Sondra Heatherstone, on the carpet and in the buff in the Oval Office! Fireworks quickly erupt!
Maryland’s Marty O’Gov Turns His Back on Fallen Mayor Dixon! (tags)
As a result of a plea deal, Baltimore’s Mayor Sheila Dixon will leave office, on Feb. 4, 2010. She was recently found guilty of stealing $530 worth of gift cards intended “for the poor.” Before the ink was dry on the agreement, however, Dixon’s ex-crony, the former mayor, and now Maryland Governor, Martin O’Malley, was pretending that she no longer existed. Appropriately, the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre said, “Hell is other people.”
It’s Baltimore, Hon!: Did Mayor Dixon Steal from the Poor? (tags)
High comedy will hit Baltimore, on Monday, Nov. 9, 2009. Mayor Sheila Dixon’s trial on theft charges begins. She’s accused of stealing about $1,500 of gift cards slated for the poor. The Mayor denies any wrongdoing. There’s an ex-boyfriend, a developer, in the mix. He’s already copped a plea in another City Hall corruption case and plans to testify against the Mayor. Oh, where is the iconic film maker John Waters when we need him the most?
Edgar Allan Poe: A Tragic, but Talented, American Original (tags)
Edgar Allan Poe, poet, novelist and literary critic, died in 1849, age 40, under mysterious circumstances, in Baltimore, MD. The British author, Peter Ackroyd, insightfully captures the trials and tribulations of this great man of letters in his latest tome, “Poe: A Life Cut Short.” Poe invented the modern detective story and his poem, “The Raven,” is a classic in the genre. Ackroyd reveals Poe’s battle with the bottle, and adds a wrinkle: his aversion to sex!
It’s The Money, Stupid!: Over $1 Billion Raised for Prez Race! (tags)
The candidates for the White House have raised over $1 billion in their quest to win the election on Nov. 4, 2008. The Dems’ Sen. Barack Obama has racked in $639 million, while the GOP’s nominee, John McCain, has taken in $360 million. The four other Third Party candidates for the presidency have brought in about $5.5 million. The only thing we know for sure is this: When big money contributions dominate the electoral process, the people lose!
City Hall Scandal Hits Baltimore After “The Wire” Exits (tags)
There is never a dull moment in Baltimore, Maryland. It seems as soon as HBO’s “The Wire” program left town, our Mayor, Sheila Dixon, became the subject of a state corruption probe. It’s all mostly about two fur coats and some travel trips with an ex-boyfriend. At the time, he was a developer doing business with the city. Does it add up to bribery or is it a tempest in a teapot? The Grand Jury holds the answer to that question. Stay tuned.
Ron Paul Is Right on Peace, Liberty and Ending the U.S. Empire (tags)
Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) has taken a lot of hits during his campaign for the White House. What scares folks about this guy? I went to hear him speak, on April 14, 2008, at Goucher College, Towson, MD. Unlike some dubious liberals in the Congress, Rep. Paul voted against the USA Patriot Act. He also wants to end the Iraq War and bring the troops home, now; and to dismantle America’s global empire before it bankrupts the country. Sounds like Ralph Nader to me!
Mothers For Peace Arrested on Capitol Hill (tags)
The “SWARM on Congress” campaign got off to a rousing start on May 14, 2007, in the nation’s capital. Cindy Sheehan spoke to the crowd at Lafayette Park; along with Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and activists Kevin Zeese, David Swanson, Debra Sweet, Ann Wright, the Rev. Lennox Yearwood, and others. After parading to Capitol Hill, 33 of the estimated 250 antiwar activists were arrested there for refusing a police order to disperse.
Dr. Gilbert Burnham on the 654,965 Death Toll in Iraq (tags)
One of the true horrors of the Iraqi War is the death toll of the civilian population caught up in that conflict. In Oct., 2006, “The Lancet,” a prestigious British Medical Journal, published a study entitled: “The Human Cost of the War in Iraq.” One of its co-authors was Dr. Gilbert Burnham of the Johns Hopkins U. Its stunning conclusion: 659,965 Iraqis have died in the war as of July, 2006! On May 8, 2007, Dr. Burnham discussed that report.
“Pro Surge” Mikulski Is Paving the Way for Hillary! (tags)
Want-to-be president, Sen. Hillary “War Lite” Clinton (D-NY), recently gushed over U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). She said that “Pro-Surge” Mikulski had “paved” the way for her. Indeed, Mikulski has done a lot of paving, especially with respect to the manufacturing jobs lost on her watch. In addition, Mikulski persists in supporting funding for the Iraqi War. Now, it has been disclosed that she knew the Bush-Cheney Gang was lying about the war.
The U.S. military announced the deaths of 11 more U.S. troops in Iraq (tags)
“Pro Surge” Mikulski Is Paving the Way for Hillary!
“Pro Surge” Mikulski Is Paving the Way for Hillary! (tags)
Want-to-be president, Sen. Hillary “War Lite” Clinton (D-NY), recently gushed over U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). She said that “Pro-Surge” Mikulski had “paved” the way for her. Indeed, Mikulski has done a lot of paving, especially with respect to the manufacturing jobs lost on her watch. In addition, Mikulski persists in supporting funding for the Iraqi War. Now, it has been disclosed that she knew the Bush-Cheney Gang was lying about the war.
Complicit Democrats Ripped at Pro Peace Rally (tags)
As a result of the Bush-Cheney Gang’s insane “Surge” strategy, 1,300 Maryland Nation Guard members will be deployed to the hell hole that is Iraq. On May 3, 2007, in Baltimore, a rally was held to protest that action. Maryland State Del. Jill P. Carter blasted U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin for funding the war and then saying that they wanted to “protect the troops.” She called that bizarre conduct: “politically schizophrenic.”
David Simon: “We’re Headed Towards Separate Americas!” (tags)
The award-winning author of the acclaimed HBO program, “The Wire,” painted a grim picture of this country. David Simon said: “We’re headed [towards] separate Americas.” Speaking at Loyola College, in Baltimore, MD, on Feb. 6, 2007, he said that “unencumbered Capitalism has become our God.” In our greedy society, Simon underscored: “Human are worth less, not more: less.” He said America is going to be a “more brutish, cynical and divided place.”
Kathy Kelly to James Baker: “Tell the Truth about Iraq!” (tags)
Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Kathy Kelly, gave a talk at the UMBC campus, on Nov. 20, 2006. She mocked the ex-Secretary of State, James Baker, for saying he wasn’t going to “wring his hands” about past mistakes in Iraq. Baker heads up the so-called “Iraq Study Group.” Kelly roared: “We will wring our hands! One of the ways to stop this next war is to tell the truth about this war. And, it’s not going to be such a pleasant mirror to look into.”
Remembering Katrina and the Need for Climate Justice (tags)
Nearly one year after Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, the Bush-Cheney Gang has done little, on the issue of global warming, to prevent another devastating disaster. At a rally, on Aug. 26, 2006, at the main headquarters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adm. (NOAA), Mike Tidwell, the author of “The Ravaging Tide,” charged that unless something is done now about the warming of our global atmosphere, more Katrinas are on their way.
Kevin Zeese Challenges Rep. Cardin on Israel (tags)
Kevin Zeese, an Independent candidate for U.S. Senate from Maryland, is shaking up the Establishment. Despite the “unmatched power” the Israel Lobby exerts over our foreign policy, Zeese is challenging Rep. Ben Cardin to speak out about Israel’s “terror military policy” in Occupied Gaza and Lebanon. Cardin, who is also running for the U.S. Senate in MD, submitted a two sentence reply to Zeese. The people of Maryland deserve better!
Mayor Martin O’Malley Pimps for Israel Lobby (tags)
U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is a politician that regularly sucks up to the powerful Israel Lobby. Fortunately, she has an opponent in this year’s primary, Jonathan Tasini, who is calling her on her shameless behavior. In Baltimore, Mayor Martin O’Malley, who wants to be governor of Maryland, is following in Clinton’s footsteps. When the Israel Lobby called a rally, on 07/25/06, to boost support for Israel, O’Malley showed up to do its bidding.
The Best Housing & Poverty Review of 2005 (tags)
The Nation's Housing Policies Are A Complete Disaster!
America's Middle Class: In the Tank! (tags)
Just about everyday, the news is bad! The economy is going to hell, the Iraqi War continues unabated and the energy crisis is shifting into high gear. One direct result: The Middle Class is disappearing. No Middle Class, no democracy! And yet, our people seem to be sleepwalking through it all. Maybe, Carl Jung was right when he said, “The people can’t stand too much reality.”
Cindy Sheehan Rips War Party in Baltimore Talk (tags)
Cindy Sheehan, and the “Bring Them Home Now Tour,” hit Baltimore City last night. The Shriver auditorium on the Johns Hopkins U. campus was packed to capacity to hear the anti-Iraqi War messages of her and others. Sheehan said, we need an “Opposition Party” and that Congress is mostly made up of cowards, who have given “a liar” and “a maniac,” - George W. Bush - the power to invade Iraq. If Congress doesn’t shape up, she said: “Fire them!”
Along Baltimore City’s Peace Path (tags)
On 09/11/05, demonstrators in Baltimore City turned out to protest rabid militarism and the Iraqi War. If this action also leads political hack, Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD), to speak out against the Iraqi War and to stop funding it, it will be a huge success! Her priority has been to give tens of billions of taxpayers’ money to Israel, while the Chesapeake Bay is dying from “dead zones,” and the levees at N.O. were in desperate need of repairs.
CHERYL SEAL REPORTS: Best Antidote to Bush Reich: an Anti-Indifference Vaccine? (tags)
Due to their laziness and indifference, most Americans have failed to learn about any philosophical point of view but their own. And most don't even go that far (just try questioning the average citizen closely about the contents of the Constitution - even the Cliff Notes version!). Instead, there is the vague but firmly held "belief" that God likes us best. Based on what, it is hard to determine.