One may find it a little commonly or even fictionally questionable to mention love between the media and a politician without special interests. My friends, you are all welcomed to look for any factual error on that. But rest assured that your search will come up with nothing. The persuasive romance between the media and presidential contender, United States Senator, Barack Obama is only a precedent. Allow me to repeat after American icon Tina Turner “What love got to do with it? “
I have been witnessing how the media have been kissing, hugging, partying with presidential contender Barack Obama. It is one juicy relationship. It gets younger and better every day. Knowing and understanding the very duties of the media and the only ambition of politicians which is to be elected, that relationship gives me chills. I think somebody is sleeping. Or is it me dreaming?
It may be hard to admit or see but just like any other group, in the world of politics, the media is not an independent party. The media have asset, power, public support, and constitutional protection to make or destroy any element in the political world. With the media you can be everything. I refer to the media as the people. One commandment that real politicians are familiar with is: “Love the media as you love yourself. Or, find yourself another career.”
For months, I have been waiting for some shocking discovery about presidential contender United States Senator, Barack Obama. So far, reality is only infusing feelings to stop expecting. Because it seems more like I am expecting the least expected. We all know that he has a past. We all know that everyone has some skeleton in their closet. Now, is he the nowadays biblical Job? Is his closet that invisible to the media or is it that well-guarded? Okay, maybe the media just ignore him. If not, can we admit that they are too much in love? Forget it. Let me just get to the point. It is not a love affair because the media is never about love. It is all about fear.
Fear? Fear? Fear? Yes, it is all about fear. For the first time, the media is dealing with what it is mostly about to most people. Ouch! That must be very painful, isn’t it? Obama is the eight-pool ball that no journalist ever wants to be dealing with. The plain truth is: he is no news. Oops! Did I mean to write that? You can bet, I meant every single word of it. Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan may need body armor to protect them against insurgents’ attacks, but beside his personality, his education, his contribution to the American society, Obama has most importantly his color to protect him against the media.
His speeches, ideas, leadership and his political experiences are driving national debates but his color infuses the most important question. Is America ready for a black president? Well, that is surely not my question. After all, how much longer will the romance between the media and Obama last?
arthur_boyer2005@yahoo.com
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN THE US, by Arthur Boyer
After the terrorist attack of September, the war on illegal immigrants has become one very vital and controversial issue. It has been driving massive public debates among government officials, Civil Rights leaders, church leaders, business leaders, family members, and the media. To escape poverty, religious or political persecution legally or illegally, millions are still leaving their mother countries to come immigrate into the United of America. Tremendous efforts by government officials to curb it have not done anything to slow the pace. Despite all controversies, illegal immigration simply means fortune for many. Who are those many?
In his article dated May 17, 2006, Lou Dobbs of CNN television network commented that illegal immigration hurts the U.S. in so many ways. According to his judgment, not only millions of illegal aliens are entering the United States each year across the borders, but so are illegal drugs. More cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana flood across the Mexican border than from any other place, more than three decades into the war on drugs. He openly conceived them as criminals, smugglers, drug traffickers and serious threat to homeland security.
Those observations are completely different from many other critics including the positions of United States Senator John Mccain (R-AZ) and President George Walker Bush. In one of his statements on border security and immigration reform legislation, Senator John Mccain referred to the majority of illegal immigrants as hard working people contributing to our economy and society…who have come here only in search of better lives for themselves and their families. On the other hand, in his address from the Oval Office on border security and illegal immigration of May 15, 2006, the president acknowledged that the vast majority of illegal immigrants are decent people who work hard, support their families, practice their, and lead responsible lives and they are part of American life....
A news report from Population Reference Bureau claimed that unauthorized immigrants made up 24 percent of hired farm workers, 17 percent of cleaners, 14 percent of construction workers and 12 percent of food preparation workers. Drew Sesilver, a Seattle Times business reporter, in his column dated September, 19, 2006 documented that more than 7 million illegal immigrants are working. They build houses, pick crops, slaughter cattle, stitch clothes, mow lawns, clean hotel rooms, cook restaurant meals and wash the dishes that come back . The American Farm Bureau Federation claimed that a crack down on illegal immigrant labor could cause production losses in U.S. agriculture of $5 to $9 billion in the first one to three years and up to $12 billion over four or more years.
It seems to be all good for the illegal immigrants. However, a CBS news report dated March 18, 2005 concluded that since 1998, federal authorities have uncovered the cases of at least 250 illegal immigrants employed by janitor contracting services. They were hired by the giant retailing chain in 21 states. In that report, attorney James L. Linsey claimed that those people work seven days or nights a week without overtime pay, or injury compensation and they were locked in the store until the next morning.
Some called it exploitation; others acknowledged it as means for illegal immigrants to take care of themselves and their family here or back in their home country.
Exploiting illegal immigrants constitute flagrant violation of the law, it is also an injustice against documented or citizen workers. Because according to their judgment hiring illegal immigrants force others to work for less, or even make it harder on them to find a job. By having the opportunity to pay very much less to illegal immigrants, business owners really do not have to worry about documented and qualified laborers.
All through the month of May 2005, illegal immigration stirred even more intense emotions. Millions have rallied all over the major states in support of or against presence of illegal immigrants. Pressure was so high that government officials including the U.S. president and U.S. congress worked long hours to come up with a solution.
Even after days of emotional protests, and multiple congressional debates, people are still making it to the U.S. either with fraudulent documents or by crossing the borders and documented workers are still paying the consequences of hiring illegal immigrants.
Those who are asking for deportation and others who are in support of a general amnesty are as divided as the president, the house of representative and the senate. Most importantly, in his address to the nation on May 15, 2006 about illegal immigration and security border issues cited earlier, the president proposed what he called a comprehensive plan with a guest worker program.
That plan would create opportunities for foreigners to come to America legally for limited period of time. Under that proposition, once they make it to America, they would have to be doing jobs that American workers refuse to do. Later on, they will have to pass a criminal background check, fingerprint test they will pay their taxes and a fine for entering the nation illegally, and learn to speak English. Then they will be on their way to become U.S. citizens.
All that happened just months after a group of Senators including Arlen Specter (R-PA), Mel Martinez (R-FL) and others introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2611), and Senators John Mccain (R-AZ) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) introduced The Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act which fell short of being approved. Under the provisions of those bills, employers would hire foreigners to fill jobs that cannot be filled with United States laborers. Government officials do sound so much alike but so divided. Lou Dobbs noted that both political parties are complicit with corporate America and special interests in placing so-called immigration reform ahead of border and port security. That mindlessness speaks volume about our elected officials’ commitment to the national interest and the weight and influence of corporate America over both parties.
For years, it has been proven imperative for policy makers to stop playing politics with such serious issues like unsecured borders, inhumane treatments and exploitation of illegal immigrants. But reality keeps teaching us that government officials are becoming even more divided over the issue.
Arthur Boyer
arthur_boyer2005@yahoo.fr
In his article dated May 17, 2006, Lou Dobbs of CNN television network commented that illegal immigration hurts the U.S. in so many ways. According to his judgment, not only millions of illegal aliens are entering the United States each year across the borders, but so are illegal drugs. More cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana flood across the Mexican border than from any other place, more than three decades into the war on drugs. He openly conceived them as criminals, smugglers, drug traffickers and serious threat to homeland security.
Those observations are completely different from many other critics including the positions of United States Senator John Mccain (R-AZ) and President George Walker Bush. In one of his statements on border security and immigration reform legislation, Senator John Mccain referred to the majority of illegal immigrants as hard working people contributing to our economy and society…who have come here only in search of better lives for themselves and their families. On the other hand, in his address from the Oval Office on border security and illegal immigration of May 15, 2006, the president acknowledged that the vast majority of illegal immigrants are decent people who work hard, support their families, practice their, and lead responsible lives and they are part of American life....
A news report from Population Reference Bureau claimed that unauthorized immigrants made up 24 percent of hired farm workers, 17 percent of cleaners, 14 percent of construction workers and 12 percent of food preparation workers. Drew Sesilver, a Seattle Times business reporter, in his column dated September, 19, 2006 documented that more than 7 million illegal immigrants are working. They build houses, pick crops, slaughter cattle, stitch clothes, mow lawns, clean hotel rooms, cook restaurant meals and wash the dishes that come back . The American Farm Bureau Federation claimed that a crack down on illegal immigrant labor could cause production losses in U.S. agriculture of $5 to $9 billion in the first one to three years and up to $12 billion over four or more years.
It seems to be all good for the illegal immigrants. However, a CBS news report dated March 18, 2005 concluded that since 1998, federal authorities have uncovered the cases of at least 250 illegal immigrants employed by janitor contracting services. They were hired by the giant retailing chain in 21 states. In that report, attorney James L. Linsey claimed that those people work seven days or nights a week without overtime pay, or injury compensation and they were locked in the store until the next morning.
Some called it exploitation; others acknowledged it as means for illegal immigrants to take care of themselves and their family here or back in their home country.
Exploiting illegal immigrants constitute flagrant violation of the law, it is also an injustice against documented or citizen workers. Because according to their judgment hiring illegal immigrants force others to work for less, or even make it harder on them to find a job. By having the opportunity to pay very much less to illegal immigrants, business owners really do not have to worry about documented and qualified laborers.
All through the month of May 2005, illegal immigration stirred even more intense emotions. Millions have rallied all over the major states in support of or against presence of illegal immigrants. Pressure was so high that government officials including the U.S. president and U.S. congress worked long hours to come up with a solution.
Even after days of emotional protests, and multiple congressional debates, people are still making it to the U.S. either with fraudulent documents or by crossing the borders and documented workers are still paying the consequences of hiring illegal immigrants.
Those who are asking for deportation and others who are in support of a general amnesty are as divided as the president, the house of representative and the senate. Most importantly, in his address to the nation on May 15, 2006 about illegal immigration and security border issues cited earlier, the president proposed what he called a comprehensive plan with a guest worker program.
That plan would create opportunities for foreigners to come to America legally for limited period of time. Under that proposition, once they make it to America, they would have to be doing jobs that American workers refuse to do. Later on, they will have to pass a criminal background check, fingerprint test they will pay their taxes and a fine for entering the nation illegally, and learn to speak English. Then they will be on their way to become U.S. citizens.
All that happened just months after a group of Senators including Arlen Specter (R-PA), Mel Martinez (R-FL) and others introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2611), and Senators John Mccain (R-AZ) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) introduced The Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act which fell short of being approved. Under the provisions of those bills, employers would hire foreigners to fill jobs that cannot be filled with United States laborers. Government officials do sound so much alike but so divided. Lou Dobbs noted that both political parties are complicit with corporate America and special interests in placing so-called immigration reform ahead of border and port security. That mindlessness speaks volume about our elected officials’ commitment to the national interest and the weight and influence of corporate America over both parties.
For years, it has been proven imperative for policy makers to stop playing politics with such serious issues like unsecured borders, inhumane treatments and exploitation of illegal immigrants. But reality keeps teaching us that government officials are becoming even more divided over the issue.
Arthur Boyer
arthur_boyer2005@yahoo.fr
Thursday, July 12, 2007
I AM BACK
Well, after one full week off, I am finally back to chat with you. If you wondered about my whereabouts, let me tell you that I was doing nothing but getting even more lost in the world of politics. Okay, now you are thinking I have been digging for information about presidential campaingns, war in Iraq mid-term report card, Libby's amnesty, political showdown between the excutive and the legislative branches over the firings of those prosecutors, global warming, more intense terrorist threats from al-Quaida. Let me be honest with you. I have been following some debates in the Senate floor. My God! That was the funniest week of my life.
If I ever become a medical doctor or a psychologist, my patients suffering of anxiety attack, low self-esteem, bad mood, hypertension or whatever illness that has something to do with emotions would be required to follow at least one legislative debate. I am not going to tell you why. Let me just encourage to do so; then, come back to share your experience.
If I ever become a medical doctor or a psychologist, my patients suffering of anxiety attack, low self-esteem, bad mood, hypertension or whatever illness that has something to do with emotions would be required to follow at least one legislative debate. I am not going to tell you why. Let me just encourage to do so; then, come back to share your experience.
Friday, July 6, 2007
TO ALL MY FRIENDS
I want to welcome you all to our salon. It is our salon to present and discuss our observations, beliefs, understanding, objections over political findings, news, and decisions. It does not matter where we stand; I believe everyone can have a seat in this room as long as the position is not personally harmful to the rest of us. We are to do our best to create and enjoy a great intellectual environment.
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