Reverend Benny & Mister Sid's At Your Service #36

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chris jones March 22, 2009 10:46 pm (Pacific time)

This is somewhat random, but Ron Wyden is mentioned, so--from the TimesOnline: Among the prominent Democrats who took issue with the White House over its failure to head off the bonus crisis was Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, who tried several weeks ago to block bonus payments by firms receiving bailout funds, but failed to persuade administration officials to take the potential problem seriously....-*Democrat anger at Obama overkill Concern is mounting at the president’s tactics*---http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5950373.ece

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chris jones March 22, 2009 11:40 am (Pacific time)

Glen: allow me to post a link to the solution to our current depression within the article I just posted below entitled "There is no crisis" by Phil Maymin for those who don't know how to google the name of an article-http://www.lewrockwell.com/spl/there-is-no-crisis.html

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Glen March 22, 2009 7:48 am (Pacific time)

Chris, and anyone else who posts long passages, if you want us to read what you've written use paragraphs. You're as bad as my 4th grade students. It makes not only for easier reading but helps organize ideas. High marks for spelling and punctuation, though.

Editor: Glen, Chris may have formatted that but I didn't expand it over the length.  Chris, if you read this please bring the length down, thanks! 

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chris jones March 21, 2009 8:01 pm (Pacific time)

Here is the only workable solution I've came across, just so happens to be the one of the Austrian School of Economics. I will present it for debate now--Rx for the Economic Crisis--There Is No Crisis-Submitted by Phil Maymin on Tue, 03/17/2009 - 18:55. * Fairfield County Weekly Originally Published In: Fairfield County Weekly (3/19/09) When Homer Simpson got banned from Moe's bar, Lisa tried to console him. "Look on the bright side, Dad," she said. "Did you know that the Chinese use the same word for 'crisis' as they do for 'opportunity?'" "Yes!" Homer exclaimed. "Cris-atunity!" Inspired, he sprinted off in search of a new bar. Lisa, usually so smart, was wrong. The Chinese word for crisis does not mean opportunity. That is an urban myth — repeated by John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Condoleeza Rice and Al Gore. The Chinese word weiji is a combination of wei, meaning danger, and ji, meaning crucial point (when something begins or changes). Actually, the etymology of the word crisis goes back to the Greek krisis, meaning "decision." Homer Simpson faced a turning point that required a decision. But we are not in Homer's shoes. Despite rising unemployment, massive layoffs and a stock market that has lost half of its value from its peak, we are not in a crisis. There is no banking crisis, no financial crisis, no economic crisis. Why not? Because we have no decision to make. A bad situation is only a crisis if making the wrong decision can be fatal, and there is a chance of making the right one. Surely, a recession is a bad situation, but where is the debate about possible decisions? There can be no crisis without even a possibility of massively shrinking government. Who is proposing less government involvement? Who is pointing out that the problems were caused by too much government, too many regulations, too burdensome taxes, too powerful federal agencies? We are seeing more of the same. A hundred years ago, a bank run came about as a consequence of the CEO of the United Copper Company and his brother trying to corner the market on their own stock. The short squeeze didn't work, and the banks who had lent money to the scheme saw their depositors rush to withdraw. That Panic of 1907 provided much of the impetus for the eventual formation of the Federal Reserve in 1913. That was quite possibly the last time our country faced a crisis. We could have decided to continue as free people, but we went the other way. That same year, the Sixteenth Amendment violated our Constitution, establishing a permanent federal income tax, and the Seventeenth Amendment made senators popularly elected, like House representatives, rather than appointed by state governments. Senators went from being the last protectors of states' rights to some of the loudest proponents for more centralized government. The cancer of big government grew slowly. At first the Fed did little and income taxes were miniscule. But then the stock market fell in 1929, perhaps as a result of Fed policies that encouraged — as they always do — debt upon debt upon debt.The Great Depression, the New Deal, the Great Society, and Compassionate Conservatism are all different labels for the same phenomenon: the growth of the cancer. Now we are at the point where we confuse our cancerous tumor for a vital limb. Many of us can't imagine living without the government hunch on our back. Who would build bridges and roads? And in a time when the big government policies have clearly been shown to fail, when the borrow, borrow, borrow and tax, tax, tax policies of Democrats and Republicans over the past century have left us twisted and deformed, when the only medical alternative left is aggressively attacking the malignant growth, we instead feed and caress it. We honor it with words like "sacrifice" and "the common good." For the cancer of big government, nothing is going to change in this "crisis." It will only continue to grow. Just as there are plenty of ways to treat even advanced cancer (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, hormonal therapy), there are plenty of possible ways to reduce the government (abolish the Fed, repeal income taxes with an amendment, get out of Iraq, cancel all bailouts, close federal agencies), but our elected doctors refuse to even consider any of these treatments, let alone act on them. They kiss the tumor and call us greedy for wanting to walk tall.

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chris jones March 21, 2009 7:01 pm (Pacific time)

This poll was on the bailouts--68% Say Bailout Money Is Going To Those Who Caused The Economic Crisis---Thursday, March 19, 2009 With public outrage building over bonuses paid to executives of the bailed-out American International Group (AIG), 68% of Americans now believe most of the taxpayer money given out as bailouts is going to the very people who created the country’s current economic crisis.  Seventy percent (70%) of investors hold that view along with 67% of non-investors. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that, overall, only 18% disagree and 14% are undecided. Separate survey data recently found that 64% of Americans believe that big business and big government typically work together against the interests of consumers and voters. Only 15% disagree.  Americans have consistently been wary of the large taxpayer-backed bailouts and 65% now say Wall Street has benefited more from the bailouts than the average U.S. taxpayer. Only 18% believe the taxpayer has benefited more.

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chris jones March 21, 2009 6:53 pm (Pacific time)

I found this on gallup--Economic Optimism Reaches 20-Month High-....The only problem is....-- Public optimism about the U.S. economy -- although still scarce, with only 27% of Americans saying the economy is getting better and 67% saying it is getting worse -- is now broader than at any point in Gallup's 15 months of daily consumer polling. LINK--http://www.gallup.com/poll/117037/Economic-Optimism-Reaches-Month-High.aspx

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chris jones March 21, 2009 5:17 pm (Pacific time)

Henry: What recent polls would you be referring to? "Millions" isn't really all that specific. There are probably millions that believe that garbage cans full of oily rags won't catch on fire by themselves.

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chris jones March 21, 2009 10:32 am (Pacific time)

Ok, well how is his approach differing from bush's approach? Look how much money bush spent. We are taking the bush strategy to the extreme apparently. How many more trillions do you think it's going to take to "fix the banking system", and no matter how much liquidity we pump into it, it will still collapse once 11% or more bank customers try to take out their money simultaneously, because of the fraud of fractional reserve banking.

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Dennis Jette March 21, 2009 9:59 am (Pacific time)

My belief is that any true patriot will always question any policy that does not have clearly stated goals and even those in charge must constantly demonstrate that they know what they are doing, which needs to be constantly evaluated. So far the financial policies of congress and the president have been highly disappointing. To try to quell debate is not what America is about...How many people read the stimulus bill before it was passed? As per our elected officals, none read it. Just reading the bill would have immediately exposed the AIG bonus payout was authorized upon Obama's signature. The situation will worsen in my opinion until we just focus on the financial situation and suspend other agenda spending until we have our economy back in shape. If the government attempts to set salary caps for any private business, then you are looking at the beginning of a policy that will make the economy nosedive.

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Henry Ruark March 20, 2009 3:30 pm (Pacific time)

CJ: Larrge consensus, even in most recent polls, indicates millions believe approach is best choice of bad options. We both know it is questionable, but by far ahead of anything else, dependent on both circumstance and its own magniture, but heavily vulnerable to consequences of determined malign intervention for impure political-principle diversions and attacks...which is why dialog generally needs to be extremely, sensitively aware of what can be caused by purposive or inadvertent acts adding to subversion when full support demanded for any true patriot. You see it that way, too ? Welcome further dialog, with any possible other-plan you wish to open up for probing examination vs stimulus per Obama pattern. If any such, bring link to national reliable nonpolitical source for"see with own eyes" evaluation by others here. I have some ready to go, too.

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chris jones March 20, 2009 2:39 pm (Pacific time)

Henry: The only problem is that it doesn't seem like the administration knows what that "something"[that has to be done] is. Or are they already doing it?

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Henry Ruark March 19, 2009 8:37 pm (Pacific time)

Vic: Point is SOMEthing must be done now. "Free market" is and has always been hoax, myth sold to confuse, confound, conflabulate common folk while neocons et al make off with loot. Re reasons for economic collapse worldwide, seel no furher than 40 yrs of Reagan -initiated "supply side" and "monetarism", brought to full bloom via heavy costs of our preemptive attack on Iraq, rooted in Iran/Contra, also Reagan role-play consequence. Re dialog, intense here is fine sign of longtime painful consequence now coming home to millions more nationwide, with WIN ny ANY MEANS attitudes now well exposed...that answer you re reaching consensus or even partial agreement with neocon remnant of once-conservative GOP still at controls of the noise machine ? Complete,total surrender to those who have caused worldwide economic, social, political debacle is not in the book, and would never get us all off the hook. Information doth not wisdom make; that takes cogitation, consequences considered, and considerable common sense, all applied over commanding policy areas to reach full democratic decision --that's concept of representatives reacting in a republic, via informed citizen pressures properly transmitted to the central elected group.

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Glen March 19, 2009 7:55 pm (Pacific time)

Vic: Yes, dialog is good--although not being able to format for paragraphs makes the organization of ideas difficult in the comment space. Don't forget to write your congressmen. I squeak regularly. I recommend no less than 4 or 5 letters per week.

Tim King: Glen and everyone else reading this, if you have a formatted comment please begin your comment with FORMATTING and I will know.  I have to open it once and close it and the formatting will appear.  It keeps space down otherwise and that is important to do that, thanks!   

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chris jones March 19, 2009 7:35 pm (Pacific time)

I'll just stick to my commentary and leave the journalism to the professionals.

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Vic March 19, 2009 6:28 pm (Pacific time)

Henry, you say that I nor anyone else have offered any other plan besides the bail-out...I would say that the free market system worked pretty good (as I understand it)...if a business does good and makes smart decisions, they prosper, and rightly so. If a business makes reckless decisions and ends up like AIG, they fail..rightly so again. Since when do we reward recklessness and irresponsibility with billions of dollars and force those who have not lived in reckless opulence to foot the bill? If I go to Vegas, will the govt back up my gambling? If they did, would that make me more responsible? Absolutely not....and I might add that one of the defining signs of a fascist state is that losses are public, but profits are private. I think that "all this intense dialogue" is awesome...if I were Glen, I would be happy that my article insired resulting dialogue and exchange of ideas. Hopefully we can all be open minded enough that what we have is truly an exchange of ideas instead of a verbal streetfight.

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Henry Ruark March 19, 2009 5:28 pm (Pacific time)

CJ: What I hear you writing is that you fear the real heat of the kitchen and so refuse to cook --while smearing not only the food, but those who cook it. There's a word for that, too, but you would neither understand nor change even if you did. IF you really artist, why NOT react to art components as reasonable professional person and accept test of laying it all out in detail right in the public eye ? Really interested, since have been writing about strip format for 30 years, off and on, sometimes in national media magazine I published, sometimes otherwhere. Those of us not hampered by distorted personal values have no such problem, nor should any other professional from any field, in an open, honest, democratic channel devoted to dialog from which ALL can then share and learn. To coddle self with non-fear of cut-off here (NON- since it doth not happen without due reason for despicable content or disparaging attack) is only to avoid issue, at all costs, rather than provide sure test of public view and responses. SO if you are not willing to PUT IT UP, then better to SHUT IT UP...before foot lands in that large opening...

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chris jones March 19, 2009 4:21 pm (Pacific time)

Glen and Henry: (Glen: in reference to your comment at 9:22pm 3/18) (Henry: your comment 12:05pm 3/19) I am an artist and I live here in salem. Don't make me make you put your foot in your mouth by posting an op-ed on ya.
The thing is, I don't really want to waste my precious limited resources devising a captivating bio and brilliant op-eds that just get censored and tossed upon the proverbial cutting room floor as my comments (micro op-eds)constantly are.

Editor: Chris, the people whose stories are posted here are people that I have an agreement with and I just want to clarify that this is a news site and people's op-ed's don't just appear here like comments.  I'm not saying you couldn't possibly do that, but you are a comment submitter, and a cranky one at that.  There is no direct equation with being a working journalist. 

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Henry Ruark March 19, 2009 3:10 pm (Pacific time)

Vic: You wrote (to Glen):"It seem you accuse people like me of being un-American, yet my conclusions are drawn from the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence." That's the same difference of interpretation referred to previously, but here taken as attack on anyone disagreeing with Glen when effort is mere explanation of justification for opposing view. That's one major finding of communications research via personalized response vs any rational, reasonable reinterpretation/study by the person feeling so-attacked, and thus one of greatest real dangers we face in open dialog when abuse is allowed via that or anything similar. This ONLY to report that research finding, NOT to in any way further stir flood of accusations, misinterpretation and similar already too damned deep here, re what is strong, solid, open, honest artful comment by high-skilled artist of whom we should be proud --and honoring, rather than attacking, esp. by open p/p smear posted here to start allathis "intense" dialog...

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Henry Ruark March 19, 2009 2:39 pm (Pacific time)

To all: Here's a "see with own eyes" book-ref.of a classic surely applying to those who wish to Comment so freely: "A Necessary Evil: A History of American Distrust of Government";Garry Wills;1999 ISBN 0-684-84489-3. It won Will the Pulitzer. If you have not read it, you are basically UN-or-Mis-informed on the key philosophical and political reality issues here. From econonic standpoint, same applies for Rob't. Reich and SUPERCAPITALISM. Their informed viewpoints frame most of "the big picture" now obviously missed by many who speak from weak or missing basic understandings. See for yourselves, then evaluate with own mind and regardless of any words here, including mine own...

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Dennis Jette March 19, 2009 2:24 pm (Pacific time)

Henry regarding a revolution, are you familiar with the French Revolution? The masses are getting restless and any mandate Obama may have had is evaporating as fast as the money is being printed. Seriously I did want to address the idea of a mandate as per your past statements. You stated more or less that the majority of Americans gave Obama a "huge" mandate (52%). Since he draws his mandate from the American people, reportedly it has been measured repeatedly over the recent past that the majority want a secure border, #SS employment verification check, and a host of other laws enforced, then should not Obama follow that mandate? He would be following enacted congressional laws. We're talking nearly 8 out of ten (79%) Americans want our military on the border, now that's the biggest mandate I've seen in quite a while on a national level (www.rasmussen.com). They just want the laws enforced, not new laws, the current ones on the books. We are starting to see a change that more and more people do not want, so I wouldn't be surprised if we see some mass public activisism similar to the 1960's, just more organized because of the internet. Americans can become quite pragmatic when so motivated. Veterans sure are quite upset with him, and that will only get worse as more vets learn what he tried to pull on us recently. That will not go away, the VA grapevine has been busy as per my observations when I took a friend up for a VA appointment today.

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chris jones March 19, 2009 12:30 pm (Pacific time)

Henry: I'm honored you think so highly of me. :)

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Henry Ruark March 19, 2009 12:05 pm (Pacific time)

CJ: There is a word for those who cheap-shoot from cover, but never dare set up self via full exposure in real Op Ed with detail and documentation. Look up word for yourself; then cogitate re risk of doing real Op Ed for us here. Beats cheap-shot sniping from behind partial curtain of incomplete ID via name-only. Measures well vs WHOM-line for real communications work, too.

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Henry Ruark March 19, 2009 12:01 pm (Pacific time)

To all: Dictionary tells truth for all who will but seek it out as here: "arrogance (as in "pride") n. : overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward ostensible inferiors." Can that possibly be a bit symptomatic of one who left honored profession simply for dollars ? Some of us managed normal transition without sacrifice of self and continuing choice to serve by seeking out more worthwhile working situations and sharing-learning from them for continuing professional efforts. Pays to present self every so often in mirror, to run self-evaluation/check. Need not report on result, just show it in continuing action.

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chris jones March 19, 2009 11:54 am (Pacific time)

Tim: now you got Glens curiosity piqued. I bet he's wondering what I said. It wasn't that bad Glen, certainly no worse than small minded, cankered, curmudgeonly, mean-spirited childish troll.
But I will try to stay within the boundaries of Tim's rules in my future, what I like to call, micro op-eds.

Tim King: Chris, as you know it was the word "idiotic" and that is exactly what I am talking about.  I'm also glad you have a description for my editor posts; I guess there is always a label waiting to be slapped into place.  That certainly is how things are going on a bigger level these days. 

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Henry Ruark March 19, 2009 10:43 am (Pacific time)

To all: Here's "see with own eyes" link for evaluation with own mind, re general public attitudes definitely relevant to dialog here: www.wpost.com Populism's Virtues By E.J. Dionne Jr. Thursday, March 19, 2009 "Conservatives have argued for decades that the sins most dangerous to our society were rooted in lust when in fact they were rooted in greed. "We are at the beginning of a great popular rebellion against those who showed no self-restraint when it came to lining their own pockets. Their entitlement mentality arose from an inflated sense of their own value and of how much smarter they were than everyone else. "The sound you are hearing in response to the AIG payoffs -- excuse me, bonuses -- is the rancorous noise of their arrogance crashing to earth." -------------- SO, Vic et all, patience still main weapon, strengthened and rapidized via responsible dialog strongly supported by solid-source documentation. Participation thus demands responsible persona revealing WHOM as demanded in serious communications work; how else know motivations when good faith betrayed by contemptuous distorted/perverted content ??

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chris jones March 19, 2009 10:28 am (Pacific time)

This installment wasn't quite as funny as the last imo, but it was considerably less mean spirited and hurtful. (you made up for that in your intro piece- no content and baseless  personal attacks)
I will continue to keep coming on here and spreading the truth, I know you guys are gonna come around sooner or later. About this violent civil war you speak of, it is a preposterous idea at this juncture in time. A second american "civil war" is one that will be won through hearts and minds and open info exchange, not tyrannical senseless murderous insanity like the last one was. PS I'd say stick with the rectangle word balloons for sure round is too cartoony for benny and mr sids.

Editor: Chris, your comments are here frequently and most of the time you manage to be somewhat productive, but let's get one thing straight;  I will no approve your comments or anyone else's that include demeaning insults toward our writers.  If that is included in future posts, I won't bother to approve them or clean them up.  Please work within our standards.  Don't attack the reporters; if you write something more insulting toward me I might approve it but it isn't helping you win any causes, believe me.  Please continue to participate and keep it clean and in the realm of things we will publish, thanks.. 

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Henry Ruark March 19, 2009 10:09 am (Pacific time)

To all: YEA! for open dialog...our democracy safe so long as it doth prevail ! Vic, you wrote:"...my conclusions are drawn from the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence." Thus you state obviously YOUR CONCLUSION of what these words mean. Few will contend any real application must be different today than when this was written. Yours here show me you sensitive to unavoidable fact of differing, justifiable impacts of these words on many differing persons, all working from differences in life experience and educational opportunities. Perhaps your circle a bit small, though, when you state you know nobody favoring the Obama approach by bailout. I note NO OTHER PLAN from you et al, either, here or elsewhere. That's whole question here, with Glen's right to state his view in artform right on the First Amendment as universally understood. Chris' query re saleability of S-N content belied by the ongoing actual experience of some of us,with wide paid-for publication over long career firmly on record. FYI, I still have paid-for work ongoing at 91 --think you will make it ?! Mine happens to include nearly every Oregon paper over past years: via state-agency, some p/party, some freelance work, often via professional mediating contacts with their reporters and editors, still in progress, with continuing correspondence still going. Much in national journals; much nationally under name of client persons, agencies, some corporations. Where's yours ?? WHY did you split from jrnlsm ? Dollars, obviously; same here for LMA-Chicago, then LMA-Oregon--but via same contacts, same channels, same final impacts, for same early reasons chose first education and THEN journalism. Mine parallels Tim's; same motive. WHAT have your dollars won for you ? Hope it's same solid satisfaction some of us who stuck with public need and public service enjoy in looking back at how we spent our lives, personally and also professionally. Democratic dialog demands a level and kind of responsible, accountable, wise and rational approach. Those who abuse it will soon enough lose it, as history reminds us allatime. Re horrendous needs, as Vic states, absolutely so. Choice remains for us on how we are to accomplish Second American Revolution: Sensibly, peaceful and democratic, or by Civil War compulsions with painful excruciating costs once again. Re Second A-Revolution, see string of past Op Eds setting up beginnings over past years right here in S-N...as open, honest, democratic and always responsible dialog, with "see with own eyes" and "evaluate with own mind" as main driving themes. Dissent always welcome; but demands much more than simple personal feeling. Chronic and damaging denigration and cheap shot p/pandering abuse both channel and responsibility of each participant. Centuries worth of communications and educational research prove up that point unmistakably; Op Ed will follow to share so some others can learn what they seem to have forgotten, obvious in past U.S. history, esp. Civil War beginnings.

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Vic March 19, 2009 7:13 am (Pacific time)

Chris Feebleman, arrogance and egomania are traits best kept to oneself. My question is, since you are so much smarter than all of us, including the staff of S-N, why do you come to this site? To revel in your superiority? To learn what us cretins are thinking?

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Vic March 19, 2009 7:07 am (Pacific time)

Yes, Glen..I do believe that drastic measures need to be taken to restore this country and deliver it back to the people. Did you get a chance to vote on the bail-out, or going to war in Iraq? I didnt...and I thought we were a democracy. I dont know one person who approves of the bail-outs...not one. I think that there has to be a concerted drive to make our so-called leaders accountable. If they are "public servants", why is it that they live like kings and we are the ones living like servants? Here is a radical document that Im sure the FBI would be interested in...the preamble of the Declaration of Independence. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." Seems to me that our government for some time has been "destructive to these ends". It seem you accuse people like me of being un-American, yet my conclusions are drawn from the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.

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Glen March 18, 2009 9:22 pm (Pacific time)

Chris,

If you look around S-N you'll see references--if they haven't cycled off the front page--by commenters proposing civil war. I don't make these things up. Would a mainstream newspaper pay for my cartoons? No. They take up too much news hole. No newspaper is going to print a comic which is sixteen panels long. (That's more paper than the current size of the Monday edition of the Statesman Journal.) It's a different pacing far better suited to the web. Besides, I don't know if you've noticed but mainstream newspapers are hardly the standard of success in the 21st century. Have I ever been paid for my writing? Yes, not that it matters. I wrote a monthly column for the National Education Association for about two years. I've written articles for NEA Today and Today's OEA magazines. I co-authored 17 books with my wife. (Search for my name on Amazon for titles.) But usually publications in professional journals don't pay. For example, I have a chapter "Collaborative Digital Writing Projects" in _Teaching New Writing_ coming out in May published by Teachers College Press. (I'll send you an autographed copy if you like.) I'm not going to copy and paste the rest of my resume in here. "Do a google" if you want to find out more about me. So Chris, tell me the truth. Did you read the comic or are you shooting from the hip? Frankly, it breaks my heart when Trolls stop by, do their thing, and not have a comment to make about what this page is all about. I mean, did you get the bit about Chuck Norris? Are you confused about which Ron Paul discovered Atlantis at the bottom of Lake Michigan? What about the lay-out? What about the design? Is the red background too much? Should I use round word balloons? Come on, guys, you're breaking my heart. Talk to me about the Power of Art. Talk to me about culture, satire, creativity! Live, gentlemen. Take in life before you are gone from this mortal coil!

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Vic March 18, 2009 5:59 pm (Pacific time)

My apologies to Glen for coming on so abrasively....I am thinking maybe I did not understand the point of his "lead-in" to the comic...Anyways, I am no fan of violence or destruction, but what does a country do when all other options have been exhausted? Lie down and hope for better things. I honestly believe that our country would not be in this shape if we were not such a docile and scared people. I believe Jefferson said "when the government fears the people, there is liberty, when the people fear the government, there is tyranny"

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Glen March 18, 2009 8:09 pm (Pacific time)

So Vic, are you saying that there is justification for violent revolution against the American government as there was against the British government? Tell me what those reasons are, and give specific examples of how you believe the democratic process has failed to the extent that you believe only violent revolt will solve your dissatisfaction.

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Chris Feibleman March 18, 2009 1:07 pm (Pacific time)

Hi Glen. I go to a number of different sites that range from the extreme left to those that are right of center. I have found that the real radicals are on the far left and they often target those who have different views with threats of extreme violence and ridicule. I have not noticed that on this site by your referenced trolls. As you probably know the Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies will respond to focused threats of violence. Actually it is those on the far left who more often than not get legally jammed up. I have not seen any threats of violence on this site, but I do notice this site asks for comments, but when different than the prevailing ideology they sometimes get treated unprofessionally. So speaking of professionally, do you think any mainstream newspaper would pay for your cartoons and opinions on a regular basis? How about you Tim, and the rest of your staff, would any mainstream paper of any large town/city hire you as fulltime reporters? What are your credentials that would allow you to compete with other applicants? Henry Ruark, how come the Eugene Register Guard, or any other papers are not asking to print his Op Eds? And yes, long ago I worked for a couple of newspapers, but I had bigger fish to fry. I retired young and rich. I take care to enjoy my life, and I pursue my happiness on a fulltime basis. Peace to you brothers and sisters.

Tim King: Well Rich Chris, I'm really glad life has been so good to you, that's really neat.  For a former journalist, you surprise me not to have looked at our staff page to gain all of the answers you seek.  I will play along just for fun.  Glen was a professor at Willamette when began publishing his first cartoon strip Nota Bene.  He is our artist, and it just so happens that he is also a fantastic writer and reporter when he has time to.  Glen is the author of an entire series of books and he has far more education than the average reporter.  Had he chosen to enter the reporter ranks he would be far ahead of me by now.  Fortunately for Salem kids, he prefers to educate and contribute to us in his spare time.  As fas as my background goes, I have been a reporter, photographer and assignment editor in TV news for over 20 years.  I have worked for KATU (ABC) in Portland, Oregon, KVVU (FOX) and KVBC (NBC) in Las Vegas, Nevada, and I spent two years at KYMA (NBC) in Yuma, Arizona.  I worked for the Portland, Oregon FOX station when I was in Afghanistan covering the war, and I produced a half-hour documentary for Oregon Public Broadcasting in 1993.  Shall I continue?  I have first place awards for Spot News from The Associated Press in Portland, and I won the Spot News of the Year at the EMA Awards in Las Vegas for an interview with Evander Holyfield after his ear was bitten partly off by Mike Tyson.  Henry's articles were being  consumed widely before you were born, and he probably has more practical experience as a published journalist than anyone else in the nation.  It is good that you left the business, because for people like us journalism isn't something we do for "a couple" organizations; we do it for life.  Why?  Because we are in it to help people, not make money.  Money is great, don't get me wrong, but there is no direct equation with writing news.

We don't run or operate Salem-News.com in order to fulfill the needs of other media; we are the media that we create and our work goes out on countless other Websites.  We are getting great numbers right now; very stable and very consistent.  To answer your question about working for a newspaper; that is a choice we make when we enter the field.  I elected to go with the broadcast/electronic side of media and Bonnie has experience in print also, starting as the editor of her high school yearbook.  Newspaper jobs however pay quite a bit less than TV and that is why I never went that route.  I did interview at the Statesman in 1991;  If they had hired me it could have been life changing.  I'm glad we started Salem-News.com almost five years ago, things are going very, very well.  Thanks for inquiring. 

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Vic March 18, 2009 12:25 pm (Pacific time)

Im sure you would have been against the American Revolution and sided with the Brits too..and probably would have turned in the American insurgents if you could have. America doesnt need your type...we have all the sheep we need.

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