Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Drug Test Wall Street



Drug testing the unemployed and welfare recipients has been all the rage recently from Utah Senator Orrin Hatch to South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Rick Scott among others.

While living in New York in the 80s it was common “knowledge” that many traders on Wall Street were addicted to cocaine. That was mostly among the younger traders who thirty years ago are now the old guard and the younger traders today have obviously grown up in the drug culture dujour.

With the severity of the recession we are in, and the focus of right-wing state and federal politicians on cutting spending and targeting the poor with cutbacks, is it not more logical to look at the source of the problem?

Is it not logical to assume that the abundance of drugs used on Wall Street, among bankers, stock traders and brokers—and maybe even the cops pepper spraying the protestors—may have altered their thinking in ways that exacerbated their greed about brought about, if not contributed to, the Great Recession we are in?

If yes, then is it not also logical to drug test someone who has access and an effect on millions and billions of dollars with an altered mind rather than someone who simply receives $250 to $500 per month?

Where are the priorities? Driving a car under the influence is a crime. Should the same or a vastly greater punishment and prevention be applied to driving an economy under the influence?

Drug test Wall Street now. And for a similar subject, check out this.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Thou Shall Not Kill


I haven’t posted anything here in months. Tonight I was beginning to work on a script while watching MSNBC’s coverage of the Troy Davis execution. Being bombarded with so much and so often in today’s news media cyclone, I was familiar with Davis’s case but not tremendously so.

I have tried to put myself in Davis’s shoes and it becomes uncomfortable.

I am very angry at those in the State of Georgia responsible for this right now that they would execute someone who I believe is obviously innocent.

I am very angry at Clarence Thomas for rejecting the stay of execution. I don’t care what narrow legal question the law permitted the Supreme Court only to consider. Something is wrong.

Isn’t Thomas famously quoted as saying he was the victim of a “high-tech lynching”? It seems to me Davis’s execution is the State of Georgia finding any ol’ black man and hanging him from a tree because it satisfies their racist blood lust.

As Lenny Bruce said, “Thou Shalt Not Kill means that, not amend section A”. Killing innocent people is wrong and we must end capital punishment in America.

Here’s a link to the Innocence Project. Please do what you can to change things.


God bless Troy Davis’s soul.