Tough Karma
Thursday
Aug272015

DONALD TRUMP vs. THE 2016 BORING ELECTION

Donald Trump, the anti-establishment billionaire GOP candidate has changed The Boring 2016 Election.... upended the GOP game awash with the predictable political family heir apparent -- Jeb Bush. Trump, the wealthy outsider candidate has challenged Jeb Bush and the GOP contenders with his assertive and unscripted behavior. Trump has ignited the 2016 political election game as the Outsider Washington Candidate Gone Wild.

Bush, the presumed nominee, is losing to Trump as the true Bush has been revealed, a self-indulgent, political lightweight, losing the electorate with the same boring political verbiage of yesterday. Bush is losing to Trump on the stump, in the media and in the polls.

The Bush team is in a panic, his pundits biting their nails as Trump, the Washington Outsider has changed the game = it will not a boring 2016 election season. It will be Donald Trump headlining the 24-hour news cycle...... all the way to the GOP nomination.

Mike Murphy, chief strategist of the pro-Bush Super PAC Right to Rise misunderstood the role of Trump, the political outsider, and wrongly ignored the Trump candidacy, stating, that Trump is “other people’s problem”. Oooops..... Nope........ Trump is Tough Karma for Jeb Bush.

Trump has moved the GOP to the right on immigration, to the left on free trade and has the other GOP candidates stumbling in their confused state of being, without any clear GOP messages.

In response, Jeb followed Donald down to the Mexican border, attacking Trump and simultaneously emulating him - big mistake. For days, Jeb tried to explain his use of the term “anchor babies” to describe the American-born children of illegal immigrants. This offensive political correct society had Bush apologizing ever since. His defense was that he wasn’t impugning Hispanics, “You give me a better term and I’ll use it.” Really.

Trump is a fighter, pleased to take down the other family dynasty heir apparent, Hillary Clinton. Asked about his numbers rising in recent polls, Trump stated that the controversy surrounding Clinton's email use is "devastating," and that, "I think it's devastating for the election, but I think her bigger problem is not the election. I think her bigger problem is going to be the criminal (problem)."

Boom. Death Blow to the Clintons - the other political dynasty.

"I think that Hillary's going to have a hard time being in the election based on what's going on with the emails, the servers, maybe even the speeches," Trump said. "I think it's going to be a very hard thing for her to overcome."

Trump predicts his campaign will "do very well" and said he also beats Clinton on their Iraq War records -- Trump came out against the Iraq War in 2004. "Hillary's record as secretary of state was a disaster," Trump said. "She was in favor, totally in favor, of the Iraq War, which is obviously not a good soundbite." Both Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush believe it is their historic destiny to be President. Trump loves a fight, loves a challenge, Donald Trump will love to prove them wrong.

Monday
Aug102015

WOODSTOCK - DAYS OF PEACE & LOVE...... LONG GONE

Woodstock - Three days of Peace, Love & Music in 1969 that defined the world ... Dream On.

Today, the spoiled generation of Boomers who thought everything was possible - the world could live in peace, the world could live as one - has completely disintegrated, Everyone Can Drive An SUV. Everyone Can Pollute the Air. Everyone Can Live in a McMansion. Dream On.

As boomers age, the world loses the naive communal fantasies of enough resources on the planet for all. Our predatory nature as a species is killing us, destroying our planet, our habitat -- including our water, our land, our energy resources, even the food we consume, polluted bit by bit in our pesticide-laden Monsanto -Driven Economic Greedy Culture.

Where, oh where have all the Hippies Gone?

Generation X - born 1964-1979 are at war for resources against the Baby Boomers - born 1946-1963) and everyone is at war against the millennial Generation Y - born after 1980 - who have been buried in every debt crisis vacated by the selfish actions of the generations past - the student debt crisis and the Social Security system that the Boomers will deplete.

One of the most memorable and recognizable rendition of the Star Spangled Banner happened at Woodstock, and it was performed by the greatest guitarist who ever lived, Jimmy Hendrix. Amid the furor of the Anti-War movement, propelled by the ugly Vietnam War televised nightly, stood the draft that made everyone vulnerable....... it was the break point.

The point is, we need a debt repayment system that affects everyone equally - taxes must be paid by even the oldest generation, to cover the future security needs of our younger generation. The children of Boomers are the Second Largest Generation -- we cannot leave them in the dust.

Thursday
Jul302015

CECILTHE LION vs. THE DENTIST

The Hunter is now the Hunted....outrage emerged worldwide......people decrying the Bought for Slaughter style hunting of the well-known Cecil The Beloved Lion by the very rich, very spoiled, very heartless Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer = Bad Will Hunting.

The Zimbabwean police are on the hunt for the cowardly Minnesota dentist, in hiding after the slaying of Cecil The Beloved Lion, lured out of the safety of the Hwange National Park by the smell of a dead animal tied to a vehicle at the hired hands of Palmer, who killed Cecil once the lion was out of the protected park, not really a hunt, just placating a rich spoiled man who should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow sparked the revolt with her tweet that included Palmer's business address, “CecilTheLion — Gentle protector of 6 cubs. Loved by many. Killed by Dentist Walter Palmer,” Farrow tweeted.

The international firestorm has driven Palmer into hiding and closed the doors on his Bloomington practice, River Bluff Dental. “I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt,” read Palmer's statement. “I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.”

Deflection does not work in this case due to the popularity and high visibility of Cecil The Lion at Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. According to the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF), Palmer paid $50,000 for the July 1 nighttime hunt, when a dead animal was tied to a vehicle to lure Cecil out of the protected park to make it easy for Palmer the Pathetic Dentist.

Palmer went out with two African men, a professional hunter and farm owner, in the middle of the night, tying an animal carcass to their car to lure Cecil out of his protected park, according to the anti-poaching Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force. The 13-year-old lion was wearing a GPS collar when he was killed, as part of a research project started by Oxford University in 1999.

Park rangers who analyzed data from the chip, (later illegally removed by the hunters) said it shows how they used bait to trick the big cat into leaving the safety of the park and shot him with a bow and arrow. Then the trio followed the bleeding and dying Cecil for 40 hours before finally ending his pain with a rifle. BAD WILL HUNTING!!!

ZCTF said the body was beheaded and skinned. The Zimbabweans, have appeared in court to face allegations they helped Palmer kill the lion. The hunter was released on $1,000 bail, and the farm owner was not charged and released.

TV host Jimmy Kimmel paid tribute to Cecil on his late-night show, inviting viewers to donate to a wildlife fund. “If you want to make this into a positive, make a donation and support them,” Kimmel said. Referring to Palmer, Kimmel added, “At the very least, maybe we can show the world that not all Americans are like this jack-hole.”

Saturday
Jun062015

THE WARRIORS TEAM vs. THE LEBRON LEGACY

Pat Riley, President of the Miami Heat, had it all wrong when he criticized LeBron James for breaking up a dynasty when James left the Heat, moving back home to chase basketball dreams of winning an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers. "You don't break up a dynasty, that will be your legacy," said Riley. Wrong. LeBron James is the dynasty, the Miami Heat were simply a part of the LeBron James legacy.

Now, LeBron will have to will the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA Championship, amid numerous team injuries.... Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving... it will be LeBron The Legacy vs. Stephen Curry & The Warriors Team. Here's the prediction...... Warriors will pull it out, but it will take seven games of mortal combat of great play on the NBA basketball courts.

Sports is about two components: Talent and Psychology. Talent - anyone playing in the professional sports leagues -- NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB -- has the talent; it is all about psychology when it comes to winning championships. LeBron may single-handedly demand the Cavaliers be the hungrier team in the 2015 NBA Finals, but in the end, the drive and talent of the entire team of Golden State Warriors will triumph... too many Warrior players will have the desire to beat the King and win the championship.

The Golden State Warriors finally wore down the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4, in the 103-82 victory, leaving the series tied at 2-2. Curry noted that he was insulted by all the media attention given Cleveland's Matthew Dellavedova..... that did the trick. The reality of the media's attention given to a Cavalier player who had stepped up his game to offset the loss of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love == well, that sent Curry into the psychological warpath of redemption. Iguodala and Curry combined for 44 points, and the Warrior team's coordinated finesse outplayed the Cavaliers injury hit rotation.

The Warriors regain home-court advantage for Game 5 at Oakland’s Oracle Arena on Sunday -- this should be the crowning achievement for Curry to resurrect his name as MVP of NBA Championship Series. Curry can close this deal...... and have The King wait until next year.

Warriors, NBA Championship 2015.

Thursday
Apr302015

GOODBYE VIETNAM...... vs. AGENT ORANGE LEGACY

The Vietnam War retains an incredible power in the American conscience, people still want to hear about Vietnam, especially in light of the ongoing war with Iraq. There is another chapter from Vietnam — the legacy of the Agent Orange litigation. This is the story about Vietnam that shows courage, moral conviction and heroic action of a Vietnam Veteran – Paul Reutershan.

Vietnam Veteran Paul Reutershan sued Dow Chemical for $10 million dollars in 1978. Paul was the sole plaintiff and Dow Chemical was the sole defendant in the case originally filed in New York State. Paul's lawsuit became the lawsuit to amend to create a plaintiff class of veterans and a defendant class of subcontractors to Dow Chemical as manufacturers of Agent Orange products.

According to his sister Jane Reutershan, "The problem was that the lawsuit did not belong to Vietnam Veteran leadership. The lawsuit belonged to my brother. My family never signed away my brother's rights to his lawsuit after he died. It was my brother in July of 1978 who started one-party litigation against Dow Chemical Company. Paul spent the last year of his life informing Vietnam Veterans about their rights."

On May 7, 1984 the largest chemical companies in this country, including Dow Chemical, Monsanto, Hercules, Diamond Shamrock, Rhodia, Inc., and North American Philips, were allowed to settle billions of dollars in claims from Vietnam Veterans across the country for only $180 million dollars, without any admittance of fault. This was the largest product liability class-action settlement in American history at that time.

In 1984, Kenneth Feinberg, a lawyer in Washington, D.C. was appointed to distribute the $180 million dollar Agent Orange settlement fund to Vietnam Veterans who were left with unfathomable, devastating, life-changing illnesses. The 67-year-old Feinberg made a bundle overseeing the settlement distribution -- he has since made a fortune as The Settlement King....... including his latest venture with Boston Strong -- without ever acknowledging Paul Reutershan, the Vietnam Veteran who started the Agent Orange class-action suit.

In 1984, a judge appointed Feinberg to distribute money from a $180 million settlement fund for Vietnam Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange -- his work on that project got notice from President George W. Bush's administration -- Feinberg was then asked to manage the 9/11 Victims' Compensation Fund. Feinberg has since made a fortune distributing funds on the backs of Vietnam Veterans who are still waiting for compensation for the devastation that Agent Orange reeked upon their lives.

The Agent Orange Settlement was a Sell-Out. The failure of the Agent Orange settlement to reach Vietnam Veterans and the conversion of Paul Reutershan's lawsuit into a class-action case destroyed the capacity of hundreds of thousands of lawsuits by Vietnam Veterans to address the real costs of the Agent Orange Legacy. "Paul would never have allowed his lawsuit to become a class action case." said his sister Jane. "There was never an agreement signed by Paul Reutershan to allow his lawsuit to become a class-action case.

Lawsuits were filed against Kenneth Feinberg, Special Master of the 9/11 Fund — former Master of the Courts in the Agent Orange class-action fund. The lawsuits share many of the issues in the distribution of the Agent Orange Settlement Fund that have evolved in the distribution of the 9/11 Fund— the definition of a victim, the role of the attorneys and court administrators, and compensation determinations for victims, bureaucrats and attorneys.

Many in the Vietnam Veteran community shared great sadness that Jane passed away on February 9, 2003 after struggling for years with Carcinoid Syndrome. Jane’s contribution to the Agent Orange legacy about the disgraceful settlement is supported by an army of veterans ready to speak out about the unfair distribution of funds from the class-action lawsuit, and to make sure that Paul and Jane are not forgotten. Paul Reutershan's family received only $3,400 dollars.

"I had to beg and fight for eight months until the Court finally decided to give my mother the survivor benefit of $3,400, which was a total disgrace," said Jane. "It took me months working through Bernard Richland, a friend of Judge Weinstein appointed The Special Master of Appeals, for my mother to be made an exception and therefore allowed to collect $3,400 for the death of my brother, her only son. After waiting until 1989, five years after the settlement was announced, my mother received only $3,400." The Decision On Appeal letter, signed by Judge Jack Weinstein, made her mother the exception for survivor benefits stating that the reason they were giving her the money was because of Paul and his involvement in the issue.

Ken Feinberg -- shame on you.....donate your settlement fees to the grandchildren of Vietnam Veterans who are still suffering from Agent Orange, give Paul Reutershan his legacy back.

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