Stop the Trafficking in Endangered and Protected Fish and Animals

Although a “step below” in evil (below the trafficking in humans), the needless slaughter to extinction, and the illegal trafficking in endangered and protected animals, for virtually no reason of some of the rarest animals and species of animals in the world is also incredibly damaging and evil. Often, like human trafficking, it involves the international and intra-country trafficking of illegal animal products, especially for human consumption. Like Human Trafficking, it is world wide and comes in many different contexts. Again like Human Trafficking,, it exists because of the active involvement of a few, along with the tacit indifference and./or acquiescence of governments and people worldwide. Like Human Trafficking, it is illegal, and also, reflects very poorly on the status of our humanity. A famous quote by a famous author (I forget who it was and what he/she said) was something like “The measure of a society's morality and humanity is measured by its treatment of children and animals.”

Prosecuting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is a Mistake.

I was overjoyed by the Arab Spring, especially with the overall lack of violence and speed of the transition to democracy in Egypt. Compare what happened in Egypt with what is still going on in Libya, Syria, and throughout the rest of the Arab world. But prosecuting Hosni Mubarak is a mistake for Egypt and sets a bad precedent. Most of all, he does not deserve the prosecution.

Don't be fooled by the Tea Party! Tea Party candidates and Republicans (especially the Tea party and Special Interest Groups) Falsely Blame Democrats and President Obama for Economic Problems which are the Fault of Republicans and Tea Party candidates and try to do this by unfairly scaring Americans about things like China which have no relevancy. What's behind all the Tea Parties claims?

Republican special interest groups, PAC's and especially Tea party nuts continue to attack President Obama by falsely airing advertisements suggesting that the President's mismanagement of the economy will allow China to somehow “take over” America, or at lease become more powerful than America. This advertisements contain, like an onion, layers and layers of smelly lies and are false misleading scare tactics seeking to place the blame on Democrats and and unfairly criticize China for problems which are the fault of American Republicans, the tea party, and it's special interest groups.

Fact: Our budget deficit problem began a long time before China became economically powerful. Ronald Reagan, in 1980 ran on a platform of cutting the budget deficit in half. Instead, after eight years of his rule, the deficit had instead doubled.

Update to Amanda Knox Case 2011

In my original post almost three months ago, I stated that, "The DNA evidence is at worst, meaningless, and at best, exonerates her. That is because I was paying attention to the evidence submitted at the original trial. Unfortunately, the Italian Jury, Judges and Italian Prosecutor Mignini (who wanted to convict Amanda Knox for his own selfish corrupt reasons regardless of the truth of her innocence) were not paying attention to the evidence.

Last week, after this poor girl has been languishing in an Italian prison for years, her case is finally having an appeal. Fortunately, unlike the USA system (and probably because Italian trials are so bad), an appeal in Italy is like a new trial. In the USA, one has to show error which really couldn't have been attacked at the original trial. Despite public perceptions, it is much harder to win on appeal in America. In fact, it is rare to overturn a jury verdict in a criminal prosecution.

Confirmation Bias, the Secret Psychological Reason for Wrongful Prosecutions and Convictions - Cognitive Psychology and the Legal System and Process

I have been discussing the Amanda Knox and Casey Anthony cases in my blog. Both cases attracted worldwide attention because of perceived injustices. In the Amanda Knox case, there was an injustice at the hands of the Italian legal system which is not nearly as good as ours. In the Casey Anthony case, the legal system worked, despite the public perception of guilt. Both cases can be explained by a problem known as "confirmation bias" which has as its roots cognitive therapy.

Republicans Solely and Clearly Responsible for Budget Crisis - It is their Fault

The Republicans are solely to blame for the current fiscal crisis. It is their fault. Republicans are betraying America with their shenanigans about the budget deficit. The debate has, pathetically, abandoned any hope or attempt about even balancing the budget. Instead, they are debating merely when the new limit to the deficit should expire, because the Republicans want the crisis to reemerge before the Presidential election. In other words, there is a limit as to how high the amount the USA owes can reach. Each year, because our budget it not balances, we owe more and more money, as the yearly deficits add up. There have been caps on how high that debt could go. There were many caps which keep getting raised, because congress can never ever balance the budget. The cap was raised six of seven times during the Bush administration, without any big deal being made, because, as disgusting as this is, it needed to be done in the interests of the country, and even democrats recognized this. But once again, we have a Democrat elected as President, and it is not bad enough for the Republicans that they can't, like dictators, impose their will on the rest of us. It is not enough that the Democrats are willing to compromise with and give them most of what they want. They are going to (I don't say willing because as I write this, time is literally running out) "tank the country" to destroy a President. The harm which will befall America will far exceed, literally, the harm to America which would be caused if Al-Queda invaded Washington DC and destroyed all government buildings and killed all members of the legislative branch of government.

Don't Use Automated Check-Out Machines at Supermarkets

     OK, I'll admit that this was not one of my major areas of concern. But with the exception of my comments about the Casey Anthony case, it seems nothing I have said or written about so far was as explosive as a comment I made on a Supermarket website for employees and executives which was that people should not use "self-checkout machines" as they were anti-labor, and in this economy, unpatriotic.

Casey Anthony Case and Flawed TV Analysis of this Case. What is the real story on Casey Anthony?

Many TV shows are covering the Casey Anthony case, and while I can follow the case, I can't follow the TV analysis of this case. Even the most learned legal and psychological experts are clueless. The analysis of the Casey Anthony case has been confused, disjointed, and flawed. Some get a few of the relevant points and issues, but all have failed to put it all together. The only way to analyze this case is to apply an intellectual legal analysis to the evidence. All of the experts on TV have approached the case from other than a non-legal perspective. Cognitive therapy teaches us there are different ways of interpreting the same facts, occurrences, and observations. That is what many have mistakenly done in this case to Casey Anthony as they both judge her prior actions and her behavior in Court.

Civil Rights for Public School Students

Before I begin with the thrust of this blog post, which is to demand that student's rights to free speech and free press be protected, and before I expose and go against those who seek to deny those rights seek to punish those who do exercise those rights, please let me state my fundamental and moral principles to avoid confusion and eliminate a lot of potential hate e-mail.

World Health Institute fails miserably to decide whether cell phone usage causes brain cancer

Today, just minutes ago, the United Nations World Health Organization, the preeminent most respected medical organization in the world purported to settle a critical debate and announced, in breaking news, "Cell phone use can increase possible cancer risk." What a disappointment from the WHO. Their conclusion begs the question. We already wondered whether cell phone usage caused brain cancer. This question has been around for at least a decade. We expected them to extensively analyze the multiple studies and empirical data which exists from a medical and scientific point of view and reach a scientific supportable conclusion such as "Yes it does," or "No it doesn't." Their response, "Maybe it does." The entire world knew that already, even years ago. We needed an answer, and got instead only the original question which started the debate. How is this news? How is this science? How is this medicine?

Eat Organic Products and Humanely Produced Products - Be Healthy for Yourself, Your Family, and Be Moral

Times are tough, financially! I get it. They are for me as well. Also, while I ethically believe that eating animals is wrong, I was raised eating meat, eggs, dairy products, and so on. I just can't eliminate these.

But I don't need anti-biotics, pesticides, hormones, and mad-cow disease. I won't contribute to the further degradation of the environment though the use of pesticides and the other by-products of big business industrial farming operations. And I can not reconcile my need to eat with the cruelty inflicted on animals from birth through death, including the placing of animals in cages no bigger than their bodies with no ability to move around, kept in unhealthy and cruel conditions and kept alive and productive through the use of dangerous drugs and chemicals.

Stop Human Trafficking Now. Make a Difference.

    Human Trafficking is more prevalent then one could possibly imagine, yet is a terrible evil in this world. It  exists in every country. It is hard to fathom moral intelligent individuals turning a blind eye to this problem. One can hardly claim to be religious or moral and engage in practices which support, condone, or even turn a blind eye to this evil. Inaction and indifference are as bad as actively contributing to the problem. Stopping it now is a moral imperative for everyone everywhere!!!

Google, Bing and Yahoo, Time for Anti-Trust or Unfair Trade Practices Regulation

The great thing about the Internet is that anyone can create their own website, and many sites make it easy to create a "site withing a site" for those without extensive knowledge of computers or the Internet. Also, a wealth of information and easy access to commerce and shopping is also readily available, along with sites which serve the vital interests of expressing free speech about a range of topics from public events, politics, issues which confront us, and on and on.

The problem with all this information, Internet commerce, and multitude of websites (offering goods and/or services) is finding them. Hence, the advent of that successful Internet business, the "web crawler" also known as a Web Search Engine. Google was not the first, but gained prominence as one of the most independent and best. Unfortunately, all three of the biggest, including Google, and also Yahoo and Bing (the first and the last, respectively) is that they pervert the very essence of their purpose in a manner which constitutes, possibly, anti-trust concerns as well as unfair and deceptive trade practices.

Help Win the Freedom of Amanda Knox

Who is Amanda Knox? She is a young American college student wrongfully convicted in Perugia Italy of murder. While there is not a shred of evidence to sustain her conviction, nor was there at trial, she was prosecuted by an incompetent prosecutor with a political agenda and history of similar misconduct. Italy is not known for an effective police or judicial system, and it clearly failed this young innocent college student.

Why should you care? First, she is a young American girl, and she could be your daughter or sister, and next time, perhaps it will be. Second, she is an innocent American facing injustice and looking at spending the rest of her life in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. Lastly, she is innocent, and an injustice anywhere, as it was said, is an injustice everywhere.

Bin Laden Dead, And A Democratic Administration Proves it is strong on National Security

Osama Bin Laden is dead, and there is no way of interpreting this as other than great and wonderful news. Although Al Qaeda is not destroyed, and some will hold him as a martyr, Bin Laden was personally guilty of thousands of acts of murder, an enemy or the USA and all law abiding peace loving countries on this planet, and the leader of one of the most illegitimate murderous terrorist organizations in the world. His personal existence was an encouragement to his followers, and his death is a devastating blow to them (notwithstanding the spin they will surely espouse and any possible reprisals). America's actions send a strong warning to others who seek to commit similar heinous acts of terror and murder against the United States of America. This event also sends a clear message that justice will be brought to those responsible for such legal crimes and immorality, no matter where they hide, how careful their security, how rich their organization, or how complicit the country in which they were hiding. It also proves that President Obama, and his democratic administration, are stronger than Bush and his republican administration in the area of National Security.

Watch for My New Book, A White Tear in Red China

Watch out for my upcoming book, A White Tear in Red China by David Michael Ginsberg, © 2011 David Michael Ginsberg, which I had written over the last few years in hand during my many trips to and adventures in China. I am finally typing it up and editing it. It is my first book, and is non-fiction. I can only hope I am a good enough author to tell the stories which are definitely well worth reading.

We are the people who have the courage to stand up to the wrong of our country and make it right!

"A White Tear in Red China" is also a trademark of David M. Ginsberg. All rights reserved.


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Repeal Tax Breaks for Oil Companies

Oil companies currently receive a 4 billion dollar tax break. Exxon just, on April 29, 2011, reported a 10 billion dollar profit this year alone! This is on top of year after year of multi-billion dollar profits. Exxon is joined by the other oil companies who also have huge multi-billion dollar profits, year after year. At the same time, our country is in a crisis because of the budget deficit nearing its legal limit. Does it take a rocket scientist to get the point that we should repeal the tax breaks for these companies!!!

Summary Of Compelling Reasons for Switching to “Green” Alternative Energy Due to the Hidden Costs of Not Switching, Especially in the Long Term

1. INTRODUCTION
   While many consumers and governmental officials are concerned about the environment, and desire to go "green" no matter what the cost or inconvenience, many people and decision makers care primarily about the monetary cost of energy. This is seen when energy companies seek rate hikes, for example, or when consumers complaint about increased costs of gasoline at the pump. People want cheap utility bills, cheap gasoline, and cheap cars. ^{(Chua, 2008)}
   

China’s Monetary Policy Is Fine, No Need for Her Currency to Float

Contrary to the conventions and misguided wisdom, China is wrongly criticized for not allowing her currency to float. This is absolutely misguided and is based on the simple, yet incorrect, assumption that the more Chinese goods cost, the less quantity of them we will buy, and the cheaper our goods are, the more quantity of USA products we can sell. The theory goes that if currencies float freely, trade deficits will decrease, and more Americans will get jobs. Historically, this hasn't worked. Closer examination of the underlying theory explains why. If the Chinese currency floats freely, we will just spend more money for the same amount of goods, further aggravating our balance of trade deficit.

Why do we Continue to Unfairly Fear and Criticize China for her economic Growth?

In the news are more and more stories about how strong the Chinese economy is, and the question of whether we should be concerned. Recently, a racist anti-China commercial has been used by Republican affiliated PAC'S and Special Interest Groups to attack Democrats. It portrays the Chinese as laughing about the demise of the American Leadership due to budget deficits and other economic mismanagement.

First, the Chinese are not our competition. They are a poor country with a much much larger population. Can we, should we, blame the Chinese because they are a hard working society which promotes production of "real goods" while we continue to refuse to refuse to work, and when we work, we tend to "shuffle" existing assets instead of creating new ones. Let me explain. Only in the airplane construction industry are we are a major net exporter and world leader, yet we allowed Europe to subsidize Airbus and, in the name of Capitalism, we care more about deregulating financial markets instead. Financial markets, those in the finance industry, like lawyers, accountants, PR consultants, and on and on, at which so many of us work, add nothing to our real GNP. They do not add anything to our ability to pay for imported goods.

President Obama Doing Well in Domestic and Foreign Policy

Our President has received unfair criticism about his foreign and domestic policy. He is doing an excellent job, given the cards he was dealt.

Regarding Concerns About Increased Involvement in Libya and the USA shouldering an unfair share of the burden:

President Obama clearly warned us of all of the things which are occurring [no exit strategy, unfair burden to the USA] and clearly enunciated those concerns as his justification for hesitating to rush to involve the US in Libya. The President bowed to the will of the American public, both Republicans and Democrats, and our compassion for innocent civilians being slaughtered and our identifying with those that protest and defy a brutal dictatorship and its oppression. By the way, I believe history will prove our support of these protesters to be both morally correct and also in our enlightened self-interest.