It's time to Break It Down!
Shortly after midnight, Friday, March 24, 1989, Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. The result, one of the most devastating man-caused environmental disasters on record, gained instant notoriety as a cautionary tale of the potential ill effects of mixing oil drilling and Oceans.
The tanker is estimated to have spilled an estimated 10.8 million gallons, or 250,000 barrels of oil. Eventually, the oil covered over 1,300 miles of coastline, and more than 11,000 square miles of ocean. It was the largest spill ever in US waters, at the time.
By contrast, the recent Gulf Coast spill, which occurred as a result of an explosion on the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, April 20, 2010, has been spewing an estimated 210,000 gallons per day…for 35 days now. That’s 7.35 million gallons, so far. Capping the spill, which is, ostensibly, goal number one, has been complicated by a number of factors; not all of them technical. Yes, figuring out a way to formulate and execute a solution for a problem ongoing at the bottom of the Gulf is a major challenge. Yet, those responsible for devising the solution have also contributed to the trenchant nature of the problem.
The equipment at the spill site, which is located 50 miles from New Orleans, is owned by Transocean Ltd, leased by BP PLC, and is operating in an environment overseen by the Department of Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS). It is clear, the three parties have had difficulty getting and staying on the same page.
There has been finger pointing between Transocean Ltd, and BP PLC. Moreover, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced a week ago, the beleaguered MMS is slated to be split into three branches, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and the Office of Natural Resources Revenue, which will move into the Interior Department’s budget and management division. In addition, Chris Oynes announced his retirement as head of the oil and gas drilling office in the Minerals Management Service. Surely there are those whose lament is, “Too little, too late.”
While this is not exactly a case equivalent to Nero fiddling, an environmental and ecological threat that is nearly a week into its second month does cause significant concern. Much of that growing concern is represented by the palpable angst of offshore drilling proponents, as well as that of supporters of scaling back Wetlands protections. These twin interest groups had made substantial headway, even convincing President Obama to voice support for their positions. In light of the continuing Gulf Coast saga, POTUS has been seen stepping quietly away from the slippery slope of that precipitous ledge.
Too frequently, lost in the relentless waves of media coverage about the spill, its size, and the length of time it has gone unabated, is the chilling fact that eleven men lost their lives in the aftermath of the explosion that led to the spill. These “human statistics,” in death, bring an element of urgency to this drama that simply cannot be conveyed adequately through discussions, video of the disaster, and even recounting the fish, fowl, and flora destroyed. Call it the humanization of the tragedy. Millions of gallons of spilled oil, and even a burning oil rig do not convey the same starkly dark reality as the rendering of the “human death toll.”
We do not know yet the full magnitude of this human and environmental tragedy. We are assured it will be worse than we know today. In all likelihood, it will surpass the fallout from the Exxon Valdez. While current offical estimates are pegged at 5,000 barrels/210,000 gallons per day, some already suggest the flow could be as much as tenfold the more conservative official estimates, or 50,000 - 70,000 barrels/2,100,000 gallons per day, which would equate to at least 73,500,000 gallons over the past 35 days; already more than 7 times the volume cited for Exxon Valdez. No matter which estimate serves as the standard ultimately, in an intrusive and discomfiting way, the events of April 20th, remind us, that “Some Records Should Not Be Broken!”
I’m done; holla back!
Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Eco/bp-oil-spill-national-significance-obama-administration/story?id=10509844
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/louisiana-oil-spill-2010_n_558287.html
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/science/earth/04enviro.html
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/25/gulf.oil.spill/index.html?hpt=T2
http://www.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=stream3&hpt=T2
http://www.cnbc.com/id/36872198/Scenes_From_The_2010_Gulf_Oil_Spill
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/oil_spill_approaches_louisiana.html
http://photo.newsweek.com/2010/5/oil-spill-timeline.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126721481
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/21/oil.rig.explosion/index.html
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
"You Be The Judge!"
It's time to Break It Down!
On May 26, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to replace David Souter on the United States Supreme Court (USSC). It is May 2010, so the President must be at it again, right? Well, even though the sequencing does not automatically follow that logic, it just so happens that, yes, the President is at it again.
I wrote about that historic nomination a year ago. So it seems only fitting to delve into the current journey to the USSC. On May 10, 2010, President Obama nominated Elena Kagan to fill the vacancy that will occur when Associate Justice to the Supreme Court, John Paul Stevens, retires at the end of the current term.
All the suspense and drama that normally accompany a Supreme Court nomination process is in play with Ms. Kagan. There are questions aplenty about how various factions and interest groups view Ms. Kagan. In an era when politics is super-fragmented, every angle is out-sized relative to reasonable proportion, and hyperbole rules, a short list of concerns on the table include:
• Kagan is too far left (Conservatives)
• Kagan is too far right (Liberals)
• Kagan has no judicial experience
• Kagan is an elitist (Princeton, Oxford, Harvard)
• If Kagan is appointed, there will be no Protestants on the USSC
• Kagan is an Obama crony (Harvard & University of Chicago)
• Kagan is a Socialist (She wrote a Senior Paper on Socialism at Princeton)
• Kagan, 50, never married, no children, and a softball fan, is gay
• Kagan would limit the import of assault rifles (NRA)
• Kagan did not hire any minorities while Dean of the Harvard Law School
America the Beautiful is a land of passionate and diverse opinions. There are groups of people who believe and avidly support the contentions expressed in the ten premises listed above. Among the proponents of each of those contentions are those who are convinced the item above they believe to be true makes Elena Kagan inherently unworthy to serve as an Associate Justice of the USSC.
All that may be true. However, I feel compelled to bring this matter closer to home. Over the weekend, I had an opportunity to engage several of my close personal friends on an issue related to Ms. Kagan’s nomination that is not captured or reflected in the assertions referenced above. Yet, it is indeed a matter that tugs at the very fabric of the magic that helped energize and fuel Mr. Obama’s successful bid for the White House.
The discourse of my weekend exchanges centered upon the question of what, if anything, does Ms. Kagan’s nomination say about the prospects of this President nominating a black candidate for the Supreme Court. Moreover the conversation touched upon the very question of whether there are any bona fide black candidates the President could have offered for nomination.
Just as the ten contentions presented earlier demonstrate the range of variations and positions along the spectrum that people in general take, these deep-thinking African American men impressed me, not only with their passionate adherence to their positions, but with their firm grasp on the nuances and subtleties of the pressures and choices confronting President Obama.
There was an abiding consensus that Ms. Kagan is eminently qualified, even though that is not a universally held position. In fact, I included point-counterpoint editorials; one by Dr. Boyce Watkins, an Economics Professor at Syracuse University, and the other by Charles Ogletree, a scholar at the Harvard University Law School, which identify some of the more compelling pros and cons of Ms. Kagan’s nomination.
In framing the case for support Ms. Kagan, I viewed the issue of adding a black Associate Justice as a long shot. Moreover, in my view, it has less to do with qualifications at this time in our history, than with the fractious nature of the political spectrum. In other words, while the Kagan nomination means President Obama is 0-2 in terms of chances to nominate a black candidate for Associate Justice, I harbor significant doubt that will change, even if the President has 2-3 more changes to nominate a prospective “Supreme.”
I look at it this way. Understand...I am a huuuge fan of POTUS, but I think the question hinges as much on arithmetic as politics. The fact is, by statistical breakdown, the US population is 12% black. The USSC has 11% black representation. That is probably as good as it gets; never mind that Justice Thomas has not reflected any tendencies to support positions that broadly reflect the concerns of blacks, while serving as a member of the Court.
Back to the politics, there is just zero incentive to change that. Why? Because POTUS has to consider that another black member would provide blacks with outsized representation, relative to our percentage of the population. This would in turn deliver ammunition to his critics to support the argument that he is indeed, just as they feared/warned, the black President, rather than the people's President. To use the vernacular, "That just ain't gonna happen!"
So when all is said and done, Elena Kagan, absent some damning, yet to surface revelation, will sail toward, and ultimately through confirmation hearings. Liberals and conservatives alike will play this as though they held an ace and a king in hand, in a game of Black Jack; they will stand pat. While neither side may admit it, both know they could do worse; much worse.
Of course, that is just is what I think. But be my guest; “You Be The Judge!” I’m done; holla back!
Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_Kagan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonia_Sotomayor
http://www.justice.gov/osg/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solicitor_General_of_the_United_States
http://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/directory/index.html?id=112
http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/People/Politicians,+Government+Officials,+Strategists/Elena+Kagan
http://trueslant.com/rickungar/2010/05/08/it-looks-like-elena-kagan-for-scotus-–-could-shift-court-to-the-right/
http://mediamatters.org/research/201005100001
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/05/10/2010-05-10_elena_kagan_supreme_court_nominee_gops_verdict_is_shes_rubber_stamp_for_obama_ad.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/0516/Supreme-Court-nominee-Elena-Kagan-Will-her-own-words-bite-her
http://www.slate.com/id/2253950
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1988179,00.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-boyce-watkins/five-reasons-why-elena-ka_b_580028.html
http://www.newsweek.com/id/237080
On May 26, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to replace David Souter on the United States Supreme Court (USSC). It is May 2010, so the President must be at it again, right? Well, even though the sequencing does not automatically follow that logic, it just so happens that, yes, the President is at it again.
I wrote about that historic nomination a year ago. So it seems only fitting to delve into the current journey to the USSC. On May 10, 2010, President Obama nominated Elena Kagan to fill the vacancy that will occur when Associate Justice to the Supreme Court, John Paul Stevens, retires at the end of the current term.
All the suspense and drama that normally accompany a Supreme Court nomination process is in play with Ms. Kagan. There are questions aplenty about how various factions and interest groups view Ms. Kagan. In an era when politics is super-fragmented, every angle is out-sized relative to reasonable proportion, and hyperbole rules, a short list of concerns on the table include:
• Kagan is too far left (Conservatives)
• Kagan is too far right (Liberals)
• Kagan has no judicial experience
• Kagan is an elitist (Princeton, Oxford, Harvard)
• If Kagan is appointed, there will be no Protestants on the USSC
• Kagan is an Obama crony (Harvard & University of Chicago)
• Kagan is a Socialist (She wrote a Senior Paper on Socialism at Princeton)
• Kagan, 50, never married, no children, and a softball fan, is gay
• Kagan would limit the import of assault rifles (NRA)
• Kagan did not hire any minorities while Dean of the Harvard Law School
America the Beautiful is a land of passionate and diverse opinions. There are groups of people who believe and avidly support the contentions expressed in the ten premises listed above. Among the proponents of each of those contentions are those who are convinced the item above they believe to be true makes Elena Kagan inherently unworthy to serve as an Associate Justice of the USSC.
All that may be true. However, I feel compelled to bring this matter closer to home. Over the weekend, I had an opportunity to engage several of my close personal friends on an issue related to Ms. Kagan’s nomination that is not captured or reflected in the assertions referenced above. Yet, it is indeed a matter that tugs at the very fabric of the magic that helped energize and fuel Mr. Obama’s successful bid for the White House.
The discourse of my weekend exchanges centered upon the question of what, if anything, does Ms. Kagan’s nomination say about the prospects of this President nominating a black candidate for the Supreme Court. Moreover the conversation touched upon the very question of whether there are any bona fide black candidates the President could have offered for nomination.
Just as the ten contentions presented earlier demonstrate the range of variations and positions along the spectrum that people in general take, these deep-thinking African American men impressed me, not only with their passionate adherence to their positions, but with their firm grasp on the nuances and subtleties of the pressures and choices confronting President Obama.
There was an abiding consensus that Ms. Kagan is eminently qualified, even though that is not a universally held position. In fact, I included point-counterpoint editorials; one by Dr. Boyce Watkins, an Economics Professor at Syracuse University, and the other by Charles Ogletree, a scholar at the Harvard University Law School, which identify some of the more compelling pros and cons of Ms. Kagan’s nomination.
In framing the case for support Ms. Kagan, I viewed the issue of adding a black Associate Justice as a long shot. Moreover, in my view, it has less to do with qualifications at this time in our history, than with the fractious nature of the political spectrum. In other words, while the Kagan nomination means President Obama is 0-2 in terms of chances to nominate a black candidate for Associate Justice, I harbor significant doubt that will change, even if the President has 2-3 more changes to nominate a prospective “Supreme.”
I look at it this way. Understand...I am a huuuge fan of POTUS, but I think the question hinges as much on arithmetic as politics. The fact is, by statistical breakdown, the US population is 12% black. The USSC has 11% black representation. That is probably as good as it gets; never mind that Justice Thomas has not reflected any tendencies to support positions that broadly reflect the concerns of blacks, while serving as a member of the Court.
Back to the politics, there is just zero incentive to change that. Why? Because POTUS has to consider that another black member would provide blacks with outsized representation, relative to our percentage of the population. This would in turn deliver ammunition to his critics to support the argument that he is indeed, just as they feared/warned, the black President, rather than the people's President. To use the vernacular, "That just ain't gonna happen!"
So when all is said and done, Elena Kagan, absent some damning, yet to surface revelation, will sail toward, and ultimately through confirmation hearings. Liberals and conservatives alike will play this as though they held an ace and a king in hand, in a game of Black Jack; they will stand pat. While neither side may admit it, both know they could do worse; much worse.
Of course, that is just is what I think. But be my guest; “You Be The Judge!” I’m done; holla back!
Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_Kagan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonia_Sotomayor
http://www.justice.gov/osg/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solicitor_General_of_the_United_States
http://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/directory/index.html?id=112
http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/People/Politicians,+Government+Officials,+Strategists/Elena+Kagan
http://trueslant.com/rickungar/2010/05/08/it-looks-like-elena-kagan-for-scotus-–-could-shift-court-to-the-right/
http://mediamatters.org/research/201005100001
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/05/10/2010-05-10_elena_kagan_supreme_court_nominee_gops_verdict_is_shes_rubber_stamp_for_obama_ad.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/0516/Supreme-Court-nominee-Elena-Kagan-Will-her-own-words-bite-her
http://www.slate.com/id/2253950
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1988179,00.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-boyce-watkins/five-reasons-why-elena-ka_b_580028.html
http://www.newsweek.com/id/237080
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
"Times Square: Mayday on May Day!"
It's time to Break It Down!
New York, New York, the city so nice they named it twice. There are "those" who argue, New York is the greatest city in the world. Then there are those who contend most of "those" people must live there. Undoubtedly, New York is an acquired taste. But there can be no argument; it is a great city.
Population alone dictates that. New York City (NYC) has the most residents of any city in the United States, has the highest density of any city in America, and is surrounded by the largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in the country. According to 2008 Census figures over 8.3 million people live in New York. That is more than live in the 2nd and 3rd largest cities combined. Los Angeles, and Chicago boast populations of 3.8 million, and 2.8 million, respectively; totaling 6.6 million.
But New York is far more than numbers of people. It is home to Wall Street, long considered the economic engine of the world. It is anchored by the historic Empire State Building, and contains Liberty Island, site of the Statue of Liberty. It has Staten Island/Ferry, and the Hudson River.
New York, and its five Boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island) comprise America’s Sports Central; home to the Yankees and Mets, the Knicks and soon the Nets (again), the Rangers and the Islanders, the Jets, and for all practical purposes, the Giants, still, even though the Meadowlands is technically in East Rutherford, New Jersey (it is only 7 miles from Midtown Manhattan). And don’t forget, “The City” is the original home of the Dodgers-Giants rivalry, which is the longest standing feud in professional baseball, having begun in 1883.
In short, NYC is a metaphor for America; it is mom and apple pie. Yes, there are the beautiful people, the bond traders, and the world class athletes; billionaires. But the working classes also abide there; those who were tired and poor; huddled masses yearning to breathe free, wretched refuse of teeming shores; the homeless and tempest tossed. Every demographic segment drawn by or attributed to the Statue de la Liberte is present in NYC. The city exemplifies our style, it symbolizes our success, and yes, it demonstrates in sometimes blinding fashion, the wretched excesses of American life. This inescapable symbolism is the compelling ingredient that has made New York a catalyst; a magnet, irresistible to radicals and terrorists from around the world, as well as from around the way.
It is that kind of moth-to-a-flame attraction that resulted in the latest terrorist assault on New York City; a May 1, 2010 failed car bombing in Times Square by Faisal Shahzad. Authorities continue to investigate myriad threads to this potentially horrific incident. Mr. Shahzad was captured and detained after boarding an airplane at John F. Kennedy International Airport, May 3, 2010. Set to leave the country for Dubai, his ultimate destination was Islamabad, Pakistan.
Mr. Shahzad is a naturalized U.S citizen who was born in Pakistan in 1979, attended primary school in Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, matriculated at now-defunct Southeastern University in Washington, DC, and in Bridgeport Connecticut, where he graduated from Bridgeport College (University of Bridgeport) in 2002. Ensuing from a web of events and circumstances still being untangled, authorities report the suspect confessed and implicated himself in plot that involves other terrorists, home-grown and foreign.
In one of the more controversial and highly politically charged aspects of the investigation, Shahzad was Mirandized.While there are many outspoken critics of ceding terror suspects the protections offered by Miranda Rights, all appearances are that Mr. Shahzad is continuing to cooperate. CBS News, and other outlets have reported that the suspect admitted to participating in a bomb making training session run by a radical Islamist faction.
From time to time life has a way of unfolding in perfect order; the antithesis of a pefect storm. In some ways, this was what happened with Faisal Shahzad’s assault on NYC. After launching his horrendous scheme, apparently, Shahzad’s plans were plagued by the same lack of attention to detail as some of his early collegiate studies, when he received several C’s D’s, and at least one F. His handiwork lacked, either sufficient precision, or the proper ingredients, and as a result, failed to ignite as planned. Meanwhile, several attentive street vendors noticed a burning, or firecracker-like odor, and quickly alerted nearby police officers.
In the aftermath of Shahzad’s actions, the vendors initiated a “Times Square Mayday on May Day!” Were it not for the sheer gravity of the potential consequences of his actions, this whole matter might be considered little more than a farce. At first glance, one may be uncertain whether to attribute the fact the episode did not escalate, or materialize as designed to Shahzad’s ineptitude, or New Yorkers’ May Day good fortune.
In the final analysis, one may be certain beyond doubt, New Yorkers, and in fact, all Americans dodged a proverbial bullet May 1st. Monday, CNN’s John King asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates, “How many more home-grown terrorists, like Shahzad, do we have in our midst?” With genuine candor, the Secretary responded, “There is no way to know.” In other words, as has been the case for some time, the “new normal,” or perhaps it should be called the “revised regular,” for it is hardly new anymore, requires that we adjust out focus. While we cannot afford to ignore external threats to our collective health, welfare, and safety, we must, by necessity, concern ourselves, increasingly, with “the enemy from within.”
I’m done; holla back!
Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faisal_Shahzad
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/11/times.square.media/index.html?hpt=T2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square
http://abcnews.go.com/US/nycs-times-square-evacuated-bomb-scare/story?id=10530777
http://www.ajc.com/news/nycs-times-square-evacuated-522349.html
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2010/05/jihad-in-nyc-times-square-evacuated-because-of-bomb-device.html
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/07/times-square-evacuated-after-suspicious-package-found/
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/03/nation/la-na-newyork-car-bomb-20100503
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York,_New_York_(So_Good_They_Named_It_Twice)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Yankees
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Mets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Knicks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey_Nets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Rangers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Islanders
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Jets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Giants
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodgers%E2%80%93Giants_rivalry
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/05/10/interview_with_defense_secretary_robert_gates_105538.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street
New York, New York, the city so nice they named it twice. There are "those" who argue, New York is the greatest city in the world. Then there are those who contend most of "those" people must live there. Undoubtedly, New York is an acquired taste. But there can be no argument; it is a great city.
Population alone dictates that. New York City (NYC) has the most residents of any city in the United States, has the highest density of any city in America, and is surrounded by the largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in the country. According to 2008 Census figures over 8.3 million people live in New York. That is more than live in the 2nd and 3rd largest cities combined. Los Angeles, and Chicago boast populations of 3.8 million, and 2.8 million, respectively; totaling 6.6 million.
But New York is far more than numbers of people. It is home to Wall Street, long considered the economic engine of the world. It is anchored by the historic Empire State Building, and contains Liberty Island, site of the Statue of Liberty. It has Staten Island/Ferry, and the Hudson River.
New York, and its five Boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island) comprise America’s Sports Central; home to the Yankees and Mets, the Knicks and soon the Nets (again), the Rangers and the Islanders, the Jets, and for all practical purposes, the Giants, still, even though the Meadowlands is technically in East Rutherford, New Jersey (it is only 7 miles from Midtown Manhattan). And don’t forget, “The City” is the original home of the Dodgers-Giants rivalry, which is the longest standing feud in professional baseball, having begun in 1883.
In short, NYC is a metaphor for America; it is mom and apple pie. Yes, there are the beautiful people, the bond traders, and the world class athletes; billionaires. But the working classes also abide there; those who were tired and poor; huddled masses yearning to breathe free, wretched refuse of teeming shores; the homeless and tempest tossed. Every demographic segment drawn by or attributed to the Statue de la Liberte is present in NYC. The city exemplifies our style, it symbolizes our success, and yes, it demonstrates in sometimes blinding fashion, the wretched excesses of American life. This inescapable symbolism is the compelling ingredient that has made New York a catalyst; a magnet, irresistible to radicals and terrorists from around the world, as well as from around the way.
It is that kind of moth-to-a-flame attraction that resulted in the latest terrorist assault on New York City; a May 1, 2010 failed car bombing in Times Square by Faisal Shahzad. Authorities continue to investigate myriad threads to this potentially horrific incident. Mr. Shahzad was captured and detained after boarding an airplane at John F. Kennedy International Airport, May 3, 2010. Set to leave the country for Dubai, his ultimate destination was Islamabad, Pakistan.
Mr. Shahzad is a naturalized U.S citizen who was born in Pakistan in 1979, attended primary school in Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, matriculated at now-defunct Southeastern University in Washington, DC, and in Bridgeport Connecticut, where he graduated from Bridgeport College (University of Bridgeport) in 2002. Ensuing from a web of events and circumstances still being untangled, authorities report the suspect confessed and implicated himself in plot that involves other terrorists, home-grown and foreign.
In one of the more controversial and highly politically charged aspects of the investigation, Shahzad was Mirandized.While there are many outspoken critics of ceding terror suspects the protections offered by Miranda Rights, all appearances are that Mr. Shahzad is continuing to cooperate. CBS News, and other outlets have reported that the suspect admitted to participating in a bomb making training session run by a radical Islamist faction.
From time to time life has a way of unfolding in perfect order; the antithesis of a pefect storm. In some ways, this was what happened with Faisal Shahzad’s assault on NYC. After launching his horrendous scheme, apparently, Shahzad’s plans were plagued by the same lack of attention to detail as some of his early collegiate studies, when he received several C’s D’s, and at least one F. His handiwork lacked, either sufficient precision, or the proper ingredients, and as a result, failed to ignite as planned. Meanwhile, several attentive street vendors noticed a burning, or firecracker-like odor, and quickly alerted nearby police officers.
In the aftermath of Shahzad’s actions, the vendors initiated a “Times Square Mayday on May Day!” Were it not for the sheer gravity of the potential consequences of his actions, this whole matter might be considered little more than a farce. At first glance, one may be uncertain whether to attribute the fact the episode did not escalate, or materialize as designed to Shahzad’s ineptitude, or New Yorkers’ May Day good fortune.
In the final analysis, one may be certain beyond doubt, New Yorkers, and in fact, all Americans dodged a proverbial bullet May 1st. Monday, CNN’s John King asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates, “How many more home-grown terrorists, like Shahzad, do we have in our midst?” With genuine candor, the Secretary responded, “There is no way to know.” In other words, as has been the case for some time, the “new normal,” or perhaps it should be called the “revised regular,” for it is hardly new anymore, requires that we adjust out focus. While we cannot afford to ignore external threats to our collective health, welfare, and safety, we must, by necessity, concern ourselves, increasingly, with “the enemy from within.”
I’m done; holla back!
Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faisal_Shahzad
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/11/times.square.media/index.html?hpt=T2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square
http://abcnews.go.com/US/nycs-times-square-evacuated-bomb-scare/story?id=10530777
http://www.ajc.com/news/nycs-times-square-evacuated-522349.html
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2010/05/jihad-in-nyc-times-square-evacuated-because-of-bomb-device.html
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/07/times-square-evacuated-after-suspicious-package-found/
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/03/nation/la-na-newyork-car-bomb-20100503
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York,_New_York_(So_Good_They_Named_It_Twice)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Yankees
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Mets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Knicks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey_Nets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Rangers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Islanders
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Jets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Giants
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodgers%E2%80%93Giants_rivalry
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/05/10/interview_with_defense_secretary_robert_gates_105538.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
"The More Things Change...The More They Stay The Same!"
It's time to Break It Down!
Yesterday was Primary Election Day in North Carolina. It was a time reserved for sorting out the particulars regarding which candidates will vie for a variety of public elective local, state, and national offices in November. At that time, voters will execute their civic duty to determine whether Republicans regain control of one or both Houses of Congress, in the much ballyhooed Mid-term Elections.
In the wake of the Primary, and in anticipation of the General Election this fall, I am reminded of two points:
1. This time two years ago, a suave, urbane, debonair, yet intrepidly plucky candidate named Barack Obama worked fervently to close the deal, selling the American people on his Vision, “Change That You Can Believe In.” It sounded good at the time. Moreover, President Obama actually implemented several big change shifts, including the Stimulus Package, Automotive Industry Rescue, and Healthcare Reform.
2. On September 19, 2007 I wrote a post entitled, “Is The Foundation Crumbling;” a discussion about the disparity in mortgage loans in America. That edition of the blog referenced several sources that documented a dual standard in approving mortgage loans. The data, emanating from a variety of experts and institutions painted a clear picture that minorities, armed with similar and often superior levels of credit-worthiness were more likely than whites to have their applications for mortgage loans rejected.
Fast-forward two years from the season of Mr. Obama’s 2008 Primary, and two and two-thirds years from my 2007 blog, and we find our nation mired nearer the down-side of a prolonged recession than at any point that could be called a legitimate recovery. Not surprisingly, the pattern of disparity, evident in mortgage lending in 2007 is just as apparent in today’s foreclosure trends and rates.
The ever desirable “American Dream” of home ownership, first coined that by James Truslow Adams in 1931, was shown, by mounds of disturbing data, to be more elusive to obtain by African Americans than by whites. Recent research and evidence document that just as African Americans face a disproportionately steep curve on the front end of the home ownership attainment curve, they are also victims on the back end; ending up with higher rates of foreclosure, getiing foreclosed more quickly, and foreclosed at lower thresholds, even when they possess equivalent credit scores, comparable credit histories, and when they have similar assets.
One recent Washington Post report noted that research by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) found that minority homeowners in the Washington, DC area were more likely to be foreclosed, regardless of income or credit scores. Not only were African Americans in this area 20% more likely to face foreclosure than whites, Latino’s were 90% more likely. Coincidentally, Latinos and blacks were 1.7 and 1.8 times more likely, respectively, than whites to have bee assigned subprime loans. Those figures translate to 70% and 80% higher likelihood. This is yet another instance where the disparity exists across credit scores, income, and loan size. The coalition looked at roughly 100,000 mortgage loans in the area from 2004 to 2008. Similar studies found comparable results in Boston, Chicago, and Baltimore. Several industry experts concede the pattern is one that can be found in any city.
So what is the point in raising this issue now, you ask? I am glad I was able to impute your infectious level of interest in securing the answer to that question. Quite simply, for every person who has said (or thought, or wanted to say), “I’m so tired of you people talking about discrimination,” key points (and there are several) include these:
• Discrimination is alive and well; a very basic part of our very everyday existence; as mortgage and foreclosure
data underscore
• Living in a post-Obama America has not extinguished discrimination
• America is not a post-racial society; believe that
• Ignoring discrimination is not a prescription for making it go away
• Out of sight equates to out of mind; the only way to address this issue is to refuse to act as if it is an acceptable
condition
America is a glorious nation. We have created a standard of living that is the envy of the world. But the world is dynamic; not standing still. We are challenged every day to think and work strategically, innovatively, and perhaps most important, purposefully. We must enhance our skill sets, improve ourselves, and continue to focus on building sustainable communities. Satchel Paige once said, “Don’t look back. Someone might be gaining on you.” Perhaps in his day, that was sage advice. But at this moment in time, it is imperative to take stock constantly, and to survey 360 degrees.
If we are to build sustainable communities, we must develop and implement a sound and constructive housing policy, based upon living wages, affordable housing, non-discriminatory access to credit, and practices that support home ownership, rather than foreclosure. To do otherwise is to ensure, “The More Things Change…The More They Stay The Same!”
I’m done; holla back!
Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:
http://thecharlottepost.com/index.php?src=news&srctype=detail&category=Business&refno=2534
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/27/AR2010042705238.html
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=disparity+in+mortgage+forclosures+among+blacks+and+latinos&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/27/AR2010042705238.html?wpisrc=nl_headline
http://washingtonindependent.com/80845/survey-finds-racial-disparities-under-white-house-anti-foreclosure-program
http://theticasystems.com/blog/?p=16
http://www.thehousingcenter.org/All-News/Racial-Ethnic-Disparities-Remain-in-Ohio-Mortgage-Lending.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/nyregion/15subprime.html
http://www.irpumn.org/website/projects/index.php?strWebAction=project_detail&intProjectID=51
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WJR-45S9466-8&_user=10&_coverDate=12%2F31%2F1995&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1322750473&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=164ded07a73ce88910c4a35dc50926e1
http://ips.jhu.edu/pub/Racial-Disparity-Still-Haunts-Housing-Market
http://www.clevelandfed.org/Community_Development/publications/CRReport/2009_1/03_23_09.cfm
http://www.chicagoreporter.com/index.php/c/Web_Extras/d/An_Equal_Opportunity_To_Pay_More
http://www.huduser.org/Publications/pdf/brd/12Bunce.pdf
http://www.credit.com/news/housing-market/2010-04-28/report-shows-foreclosure-discrepancies-along-racial-lines.html
Yesterday was Primary Election Day in North Carolina. It was a time reserved for sorting out the particulars regarding which candidates will vie for a variety of public elective local, state, and national offices in November. At that time, voters will execute their civic duty to determine whether Republicans regain control of one or both Houses of Congress, in the much ballyhooed Mid-term Elections.
In the wake of the Primary, and in anticipation of the General Election this fall, I am reminded of two points:
1. This time two years ago, a suave, urbane, debonair, yet intrepidly plucky candidate named Barack Obama worked fervently to close the deal, selling the American people on his Vision, “Change That You Can Believe In.” It sounded good at the time. Moreover, President Obama actually implemented several big change shifts, including the Stimulus Package, Automotive Industry Rescue, and Healthcare Reform.
2. On September 19, 2007 I wrote a post entitled, “Is The Foundation Crumbling;” a discussion about the disparity in mortgage loans in America. That edition of the blog referenced several sources that documented a dual standard in approving mortgage loans. The data, emanating from a variety of experts and institutions painted a clear picture that minorities, armed with similar and often superior levels of credit-worthiness were more likely than whites to have their applications for mortgage loans rejected.
Fast-forward two years from the season of Mr. Obama’s 2008 Primary, and two and two-thirds years from my 2007 blog, and we find our nation mired nearer the down-side of a prolonged recession than at any point that could be called a legitimate recovery. Not surprisingly, the pattern of disparity, evident in mortgage lending in 2007 is just as apparent in today’s foreclosure trends and rates.
The ever desirable “American Dream” of home ownership, first coined that by James Truslow Adams in 1931, was shown, by mounds of disturbing data, to be more elusive to obtain by African Americans than by whites. Recent research and evidence document that just as African Americans face a disproportionately steep curve on the front end of the home ownership attainment curve, they are also victims on the back end; ending up with higher rates of foreclosure, getiing foreclosed more quickly, and foreclosed at lower thresholds, even when they possess equivalent credit scores, comparable credit histories, and when they have similar assets.
One recent Washington Post report noted that research by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) found that minority homeowners in the Washington, DC area were more likely to be foreclosed, regardless of income or credit scores. Not only were African Americans in this area 20% more likely to face foreclosure than whites, Latino’s were 90% more likely. Coincidentally, Latinos and blacks were 1.7 and 1.8 times more likely, respectively, than whites to have bee assigned subprime loans. Those figures translate to 70% and 80% higher likelihood. This is yet another instance where the disparity exists across credit scores, income, and loan size. The coalition looked at roughly 100,000 mortgage loans in the area from 2004 to 2008. Similar studies found comparable results in Boston, Chicago, and Baltimore. Several industry experts concede the pattern is one that can be found in any city.
So what is the point in raising this issue now, you ask? I am glad I was able to impute your infectious level of interest in securing the answer to that question. Quite simply, for every person who has said (or thought, or wanted to say), “I’m so tired of you people talking about discrimination,” key points (and there are several) include these:
• Discrimination is alive and well; a very basic part of our very everyday existence; as mortgage and foreclosure
data underscore
• Living in a post-Obama America has not extinguished discrimination
• America is not a post-racial society; believe that
• Ignoring discrimination is not a prescription for making it go away
• Out of sight equates to out of mind; the only way to address this issue is to refuse to act as if it is an acceptable
condition
America is a glorious nation. We have created a standard of living that is the envy of the world. But the world is dynamic; not standing still. We are challenged every day to think and work strategically, innovatively, and perhaps most important, purposefully. We must enhance our skill sets, improve ourselves, and continue to focus on building sustainable communities. Satchel Paige once said, “Don’t look back. Someone might be gaining on you.” Perhaps in his day, that was sage advice. But at this moment in time, it is imperative to take stock constantly, and to survey 360 degrees.
If we are to build sustainable communities, we must develop and implement a sound and constructive housing policy, based upon living wages, affordable housing, non-discriminatory access to credit, and practices that support home ownership, rather than foreclosure. To do otherwise is to ensure, “The More Things Change…The More They Stay The Same!”
I’m done; holla back!
Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:
http://thecharlottepost.com/index.php?src=news&srctype=detail&category=Business&refno=2534
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/27/AR2010042705238.html
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=disparity+in+mortgage+forclosures+among+blacks+and+latinos&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/27/AR2010042705238.html?wpisrc=nl_headline
http://washingtonindependent.com/80845/survey-finds-racial-disparities-under-white-house-anti-foreclosure-program
http://theticasystems.com/blog/?p=16
http://www.thehousingcenter.org/All-News/Racial-Ethnic-Disparities-Remain-in-Ohio-Mortgage-Lending.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/nyregion/15subprime.html
http://www.irpumn.org/website/projects/index.php?strWebAction=project_detail&intProjectID=51
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WJR-45S9466-8&_user=10&_coverDate=12%2F31%2F1995&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1322750473&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=164ded07a73ce88910c4a35dc50926e1
http://ips.jhu.edu/pub/Racial-Disparity-Still-Haunts-Housing-Market
http://www.clevelandfed.org/Community_Development/publications/CRReport/2009_1/03_23_09.cfm
http://www.chicagoreporter.com/index.php/c/Web_Extras/d/An_Equal_Opportunity_To_Pay_More
http://www.huduser.org/Publications/pdf/brd/12Bunce.pdf
http://www.credit.com/news/housing-market/2010-04-28/report-shows-foreclosure-discrepancies-along-racial-lines.html
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