Monday, June 1, 2009

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Donna Fish: TWEENS AND BODY IMAGE: THE REAL DEAL Top
As I have pondered this request for a piece on tweens and body image for several weeks now, I realize that I need to present you with the brutal truth: Most adolescent girls' body image 'sucks.' According to the hundreds of tweens I have worked with over 20 years and the vantage point of being the mother of 3 girls, (two teens, one tween), and the input of their friends: there is no escaping this brutal reality. So rather than focusing this article on how to help your tween maintain any kind of positive body image, I will be giving you thoughts on how to survive this time that gets everyone through it with the least amount of angst and the most amount of humor and open communication A few things to consider in understanding your tween's world: Our kids are presented with images of the body that are far different than the average size for any girl. The celebrities and models in these images have body weights that are roughly 25 - 30% thinner than the average girl. On top of that, the images are photo shopped. These images, (even if your child doesn't watch t.v. or buy magazines,) are insidious. They are in advertising, they are part of popular culture. All kids want to be popular and part of things. This is what they think they are supposed to look like and what they aspire to look like. Tweens I have interviewed over the years state openly: "Everything is about what others think about you and everyone thinks they're fat and ugly. Not everyone admits it, they may even act like they don't feel that, but they do." So what is a parent to do who is hoping to help her tween emerge into the teenage years and adulthood with any semblance of self esteem? Here are some tips: 1) Don't EXPECT them to maintain a 'positive body image'. If it happens, terrific. If not though, don't worry that they are abnormal. In fact, they are completely normal. 2) They will try to 'off load' the 'bad feelings' about themselves onto you. This is done by telling you things like: "I hate my thighs", or: "I always look terrible". They need to 'off load' the intensity of their feelings and unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you think about it, you are their target. That way, they get to relieve the pressure. Oh, the joys of motherhood! 3) Their negative and critical comments may trigger in you feelings of responsibility for needing to help them have 'good self esteem'. This is not your problem. Your job is to help them 'tolerate' the feelings without acting in a self destructive manner. You do this by surviving their 'dumping' their feelings onto you at times, and otherwise, 'get out of the way! 4) Their self criticism may trigger your own self criticism. About yourself as a parent, or about your own body. Be aware of anything that you notice and separate your own feelings out as much as you can. 5) If they say nothing, don't think it is necessarily a reflection of a positive body image. They might be hiding their feelings for some reason. 6) Watch out for drops in weight and ongoing weight loss. Seek professional help if this continues and/or they are starting a binge/purge cycle. 7) Try not to get sucked into their drama. They will do everything as I said, to 'offload' the feelings, often in the form of a fight. This actually might help distract everyone and will inevitably happen at times, but try to decrease the amount of times you get sucked in. 8) Take many deep breaths. Remind yourself that it is not your job to help them 'feel better'. It is your job to give them space to work this out and feel it themselves. Become a little hard of hearing. While this piece may not satisfy your urge to find anything constructive to change your tween's attitude about their body, perhaps it will help you survive a time with a sense of what is realistic and doable. At least then you will be working with their reality and validating their feelings, rather than giving them the sense that you can't hear their feelings and can't handle it. And at times, you can always say as I do when I have had enough: "Please keep that as your inside voice and stop insulting my daughter." For more on tweens, visit: www.tweenparent.com Visit me at: www.donnafish.com
 
Steve Parker: New GM, Chrysler leaders - Wrong for the jobs Top
It took fewer than 60 years for America to forget the causes of the Great Depression, unbridled greed and avarice in the banking industry and on Wall Street, until we made all the same mistakes again, and invented some new ones, too. But throughout the reorganization of the US auto industry, some of the much more recent lessons of the past 30 years have already been forgotten. Frighteningly, at least to those of who focus on the product side of the auto industry, few if any of the Obama Auto Task Force members and the new leaders of Chrysler and GM taking over after the bankruptcies have product-sector experience. And as you'd have thought Detroit and Washington might have learned the past few years, the Harvard MBAs in the auto executive suites wouldn't know a good car if they got run over by one. And ultimately it's the cars which are going to save GM and Chrysler. Steve Rattner is yet another finance person involved in the auto industry debacle; he's heading up the Obama Auto Task Force The announcements this weekend that GM will build a series of small cars in the US rather than make them in China, and that Fiat will sell their Mini-like Cinquecento (500) in some Chrysler dealers within the next 18 months were welcome, but not nearly enough to guarantee these companies' futures. With the sad facts now well-known, with Chrysler's assets being sold to Fiat and General Motors entering bankruptcy, the men appointed to lead these companies post-bankruptcy don't have any background in the automotive business. In the last year, since dropping fuel prices and the collapse of the credit market sealed the fate of the former auto giants, I suggested the US government spend time and money recruiting some of the top executives from the world's car companies, asking them to take a highly-paid sabbatical from their own firms and share their expertise with GM and Chrysler for a two- to three-year period. It would be patriotic in a world sense. While even I thought it a little outrageous, I still think it's a better idea than who Washington has come up with to run GM and Chrysler. Behemoths like this 2008 Ford Expedition and low gas prices kept sales of giant SUVs strong through the early part of the 21st century Robert Kidder will be the new chairman of Chrysler and Al Koch will be "chief restructuring officer" at that's left of The General. Business consultant Robert Kidder is now set to become the new chairman of Chrysler Group as it emerges from bankruptcy. Kidder, 64, will replace the ill-fated and bumbling Bob Nardelli, who was hired in 2007 after Daimler sold Chrysler to private equity group Cerberus. A new board of directors, to be formed after the bankruptcy, will hire a new CEO for Chrysler. But that position is expected to be filled by Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat. Yet Kidder will initially hold the top Chrysler job. Kidder's résumé includes a stint as CEO of Duracell. He currently is a lead director at investment firm Morgan Stanley and CEO of 3Stone Advisors of Columbus, Ohio, which manages a private equity fund focused on investing in water-quality testing. Great - Nardelli did such a wonderful job at Chrysler after his hiring by private equity fund Cerberus. Bob Nardelli was hired in 2007 to run Chrysler by Cerberus; it's been an unmitigated disaster for the company, Nardelli, a former Home Depot chief, having no automotive background Cross-town from Auburn Hills, GM plans to name turnaround executive Al Koch to serve as its chief restructuring officer to help the company through bankruptcy protection. Koch, a managing director with AlixPartners LLP, is a veteran turnaround specialist who helped Kmart Corp. through its bankruptcy protection reorganization. He will lead the separation of the automaker's assets into a "New GM" and the remaining parts of the company that will form "Old GM." Koch will lead the management team that winds down the "Old GM" company once the automaker emerges from bankruptcy. Another finance guy from another private equity firm. Unless and until GM and Chrysler and the Obama Auto Task Force develop a balance of middle and senior management which can handle not just the finance side of these companies but the product sides ---developing the cars and trucks Americans and the world will want to buy in the near-term --- there's little chance for either GM or Chrysler to make successful rebounds. More on Cars
 
Would Mike Dukakis Have Won the 2008 Election? Top
Chris Bowers writes: The nation still moving away from Republicans demographically, too. It can't be emphasized enough that Michael Dukakis would have won the 2008 election. His exit polls of 40% among whites, 89% among African-Americans, and 70% among Latinos is enough to reach 50%+1 now, even in the event that African-American turnout was only 12% of the vote instead of 13%.
 
Kim Jong-un: North Korea's Kim Anoints Youngest Son As Heir Top
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has asked his country's overseas missions to pledge loyalty to his youngest son, signaling he has been anointed as next leader of the communist dynasty, a newspaper report said on Tuesday. More on North Korea
 
Mark Cuban Insider Trading Case: SEC Watchdog Probes Allegations Of Misconduct Top
The inspector general of the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating allegations that enforcement staff engaged in misconduct in connection with the insider trading case filed last fall against Mark Cuban.
 
Bil Browning: Indiana removes gay white men from HIV/AIDS funding priorities Top
The Indiana State Department of Health recently cut gay white men as an HIV/AIDS funding priority . African-American and Hispanic men who have sex with men are still included as priority populations. The decision was made by the department's advisory Community Planning Group (CPG). The CPG is a Center for Disease Control (CDC) mandated process for funding HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs in the states; it aims to be politics-free and representative of the community. The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) administers CDC HIV/AIDS prevention funds. Indiana health activists charge that the Group ignored the CDC's criteria for defining community priorities. This CPG defines the priority populations that the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) must use to solicit HIV/AIDS service providers for HIV prevention project proposals. The State of Indiana's 2008 Epidemiology Report shows that the number of cases as well as number of new diagnoses for White men having sex with men (MSM) continue to outnumber combined African-American and Hispanic MSM cases two to one. So why aren't white gay men included as a community priority? According to Tri-State Alliance spokesperson Gary Essary, "The criteria for Community Planning Groups to set community priority populations include Prevalence (absolute number of HIV/AIDS cases in a target population) as well as Incidence (rate of HIV/AIDS cases within a target population). The CPG ignored these recommendations, basing their decision solely on Incidence." "No one disputes that African-American and Hispanic MSM should be a priority. According to the State of Indiana's 2008 Epidemiology Report, the HIV/AIDS incidence rates for African-American and Hispanic MSM in Indiana (379 and 132 per 100,000 male population, respectively) are higher than for White MSM (111 per 100,000). However, prevalence shows 3,063 White MSM living with HIV/AIDS, more than double the combined African-American MSM (1024) and Hispanic MSM (216)," he said in an e-mailed statement. The Community Planning Group also removed Hispanic women from the targeted heterosexual women demographic. Current targeted populations are: People living with HIV/AIDS Men Having Sex With Men (African-American/Hispanic) Heterosexual Women (African-American) Youth (Aged 13-24) Intravenous Drug Users The CDC mandates that people with HIV/AIDS always be the number one priority. "Only a Recommendation" Indiana State Department of Health HIV Prevention Director Sarah Renner downplayed the changes. She was not at the CPG meeting and does not serve on the planning group's board. "According to the CDC guidance tool, the CPG makes a recommendation that we include in any planning documents. It's a recommendation. That's it," Renner told me. The Dept of Health uses the CPG recommendations to encourage groups to apply for state funding by issuing a Request For Proposals (RFP). RFPs are driven from a methodology that allows people to use localized information. Renner stressed that while the five groups were given a priority status, that doesn't mean no one else will be included. "Key is what defines a risk. Race doesn't define risk itself. There is so much fascinating data that folks can use to look at a population," she said. "Don't think of it as 'What's up with white gay men in Indiana?' Think of it as 'How can we reach and define that community and how they're being infected?' Behavior is the primary function we look at," she continued. Renner stressed that prevalence and incidence were not the only source of epidemiological data used to determine rankings. Critics charge, however, that when ISDH sends out the request for proposals, white gay men will not be listed as a priority; therefore, agencies applying for funding are much much less likely to target white gay men for HIV prevention services. "...the practical impact of omitting White MSM as a priority in the Requests for Proposal is an overt discouragement for a service provider to write a proposal that includes White MSM. Those that do will be more likely to de-emphasize it. As a direct result, a population clearly in need of HIV prevention services will see fewer resources in their community, and the HIV cases and rates among White Gay males will surely increase," Essary said. Personal Greed or Intractable Agencies? While critics insinuate that the board voted along demographic lines to push funding towards their personal communities, others speculated that the issue stemmed from agencies angry at being forced to change their grant proposal process. "As far as I know this is the first time we've used an RFP model for prevention funding so people will have to go through an application process. This is different from other times," Renner said. "The funding is driven by an RFP process that makes the algorithm very public as to how many apply, what type of intervention they apply for, how the scoring occurs and we report back who gets what type of funding." "The process will be different so it really depends on our grant applicants writing qualified RFPs. It will be a new type of writing for some grantees. One of the targets is 'Individuals living with HIV.' White gay men fit that criteria," she said. Indiana spends between $2-3 million dollars annually on HIV prevention. ISDH is currently waiting on a cost extension after the Indiana state legislature failed to pass a budget. Lawmakers will convene a special legislative session to pass a budget soon as per state law. Indiana spends approximately $35 million dollars annually on HIV/AIDS and STD issues. The Indiana State Department of Health publishes its 2008-2010 HIV Prevention Plan online. It also publishes the Community Planning Group's meeting minutes . More on HIV/AIDS
 
Michael Shtender-Auerbach: The Cartographic Crux of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Top
Maps are incredibly powerful instruments. In addition to conveying geographical information, maps, ab aeterno, manifest political, philosophical, actual and imagined snapshots of time. And nowhere on Earth is the meaning of maps more powerful and more controversial than in the Middle East, particularly when it comes to Israel and its Arab neighbors. A very public controversy with regard to a map of Israel erupted last month in London. The Israeli Ministry of Tourism placed an advertisement throughout the London Underground showing a map of Israel, the West Bank, Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights in the same yellow color, giving the impression that Israel's vast geography did not include occupied Palestinian territory. Obviously misrepresentative, because a British tourist cannot sunbath on the pristine beaches of Gaza or shop the markets of Ramallah, all the while travelling from Eilat to Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to Haifa. After mass protests, the Israeli Ministry removed the posters, calling them a "professional mistake." However, Ministry officials most likely see the incident as a market miscalculation rather than an issue related to the borders of their country. A similar incident occurred when I was travelling through Israel a few months ago. I noticed that my travel map, published by Hertz, all but erased the existence of the occupied Palestinian territory. After my short blog-piece on Huffington Post , Hertz management went through an internal process to adjust its map. Hertz, a U.S. based company, made the decision that its travel maps should represent as accurately as possible the geography of the state(s) in which it does business, and ignoring international legal realities of occupation was clearly not acceptable. Having been privy to the subsequent drafts, it was fascinating to see how Hertz's Israeli cartographer struggled to identify Palestinian areas, settlements roads, the Green Line that divides Israel proper from the occupied West Bank, the armistice line with Syria, and other important foundations for the yet to be agreed upon borders of the State of Israel. In the end, Hertz is now publishing a map that identifies all of the above. Both these incidents are outgrowths of the most controversial cartographic event in the past century: the partition of Palestine and the establishment of the state of Israel. For 60 years, Israel and her neighbors have been at war. For 40 years, the Palestinians have lived under occupation without self-determination and dignity, and without a map that gives them a state on their own. As President Obama prepares to seek a revival of the Middle East peace process, he should therefore turn his attention primarily to the map. With the Green Line as his guide, Obama can redraw the reality of the map of the Middle East - wisely and accurately. Borders are important. We tend to forget that Israel has no permanent borders except those with Egypt and with Jordan - and those came as the result of peace treaties that enshrined and legitimized the map of the Middle East that shows Israel. Israel should thus publicly commit to permanent borders - and then take necessary action, such as freezing all settlement activity, including natural growth (as called for by the Road Map), and launch permanent status negotiations with the Palestinians. In parallel, and in line with the Arab Peace Initiative launched in 2002, the Arab States and members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference should revise their own maps to represent Israel adequately - thus implying the recognition they have committed to bestow on Israel in exchange for decisive steps towards the two-state solution. In recent months, Israel has downplayed the necessity to make peace with the Palestinians in deference to the concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions. With the ubiquitous statement by Iranian President Ahmadenijad in his desire to "wipe Israel off the map," the urgency is understandable. This, however, is a mistake. What better tool to combat the influence of Iran than to change the map. Imagine, Israeli daily newspapers including Palestine on its weather maps, or geography text books in Damascus referring to Israel as a legitimate state amongst its neighbors, finally recognizing the notion of two states, two peoples. These are not mere cosmetic adjustments. The fraught political realities on the ground that are captured in the mapmaking process lie at the very heart of the problem. Combined, these (cartographic) steps would allow for a re-drawing of the political realities of the Middle East and set the stage for a comprehensive and lasting peace that would not only accord the Palestinians their state, but also provide Israel with permanent borders and the recognition, security and stability it justly deserves. Until the map is redrawn to reflect a genuine two state solution, we can anticipate further clashes about how the map of the region is drawn. More on Israel
 
Joel Bridgeman: Punishing the Poor Top
Governor Schwarzenegger must be trying to live up to his image as the "Terminator". His proposed solution to handle California's fiscal mess is to cut vital services for those who need them most. The Governor has proposed to terminate welfare, children's healthcare, and new Cal Grants for California State University and University of California students. Initially, trimming the rolls of "welfare Moms'" -- even in tough economic times -- may seem necessary in implementing more stringent budget policies. However, further analysis reveals tangential consequences of this approach. Helping our poorest citizens with the basics for survival gives them the psychological base described in Maslow's hierarchy of needs -- the needs essential to existence like food, shelter and clothing. Without this base, people return to the condition of wild animals, and will react as such. One result will be an increase in crime; as parents lose legitimate means of providing food and clothing they will do whatever is necessary, within the law or outside it, to ensure their children have these basic necessities. Eliminating children's healthcare is unconscionable. Our children are the reason we need to balance the budget - to avoid burdening them with a lifetime of debt from past mistakes. Stripping the poorest of these children of the coverage that they need to survive is not only cowardly, but is a violation of our American principles of shared prosperity and protection of our most vulnerable citizens. There are children who depend on this coverage to get medicine, like albuterol, that prevents asthma attacks from becoming fatal. Taking this coverage away will not reduce the burden on the state budget from these children, it will merely inflate the cost to care for them and increase the likelihood of these spasms becoming fatal. California's system of higher education spawned decades of economic growth, resulting from our bold investment in our youth and their educational aspirations. But years of tight budgets have nearly derailed a system that was once the envy of the world. Both the University of California and California State University are operating on life support, and further cuts to these systems will pull the plug on their ability to serve as the driving force that leads us back to prosperity. Eliminating new Cal Grants will inhibit the poorest students' ability to pursue higher education -- the same education that would enable them to become successful contributors to the state budget through tax revenue. Instead, it will trap these students in poverty, making them more likely to resort to crime and other socially destructive behavior. Living within our means is a necessity. We cannot continue to run multi-billion dollar deficits. But taking away from the neediest is hardly a solution to the problem. Like it or not, we need to increase revenue. Yes, that means taxes. I personally wouldn't mind paying five percent more of my modest income to avoid the catastrophe these proposed cuts would ensure. But the average taxpayer is not the problem. Those with enough wealth not to worry about their children having to visit an emergency room or not being able to attend college without state assistance are the ones who are being protected from paying their fair share to stabilize and sustain our state. Corporations based in California to use the great minds our public and private institutions produce are being protected from paying their fair share to stabilize and sustain our state. Our legislature needs to be realistic in their implementation of a budget and ensure it does not pass one that punishes the poor and helpless for being poor and helpless. More on Taxes
 
Tavis Smiley: My Conversation with Cesar Perales on Sonia Sotomayor Top
There has been so much talk about Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, much of it from people who know very little about her. This afternoon, I spoke with someone who not only knows Judge Sotomayor well, but who worked closely with her at the civil rights organization, Latino Justice PRLDEF. Cesar Perales is the President and General Counsel of Latino Justice PRLDEF and I began our conversation with the claims by some that Judge Sotomayor is a racist. Here's a clip: The full conversation airs tonight on PBS. More on Sonia Sotomayor
 
Cynthia Roberson: Phoenix Mom Led Gang Of Underaged Armed Robbers Top
PHOENIX — Police in Phoenix say they've arrested a woman accused of leading an armed robbery gang involving her 12- and 14-year-old sons. Police say 51-year-old Cynthia White Roberson coached some of the four boys and three men who would face charges with her. The suspects are accused of at least 20 armed robberies in Phoenix and Glendale since late April. Police say Roberson lost her job six weeks ago and guilted her sons and some of the others into committing the robberies to pay for rent and a car loan. A request to interview Roberson was not returned Monday. Many of their victims were also young and were physically assaulted. One 13-year-old was beaten up and forced to empty his pockets _ which contained only an orange lollipop.
 
The Poop On Finding Penguins: Follow The Guano Top
WASHINGTON — Scientists looking for lost penguins stumbled upon an effective method: Follow their poop from space. In remote Antarctica, about one-and-a-half times bigger than the United States, researchers have been unable to figure out just where colonies of emperor penguins live and if their population is in peril. It's harder still because emperor penguins, featured in the film "March of the Penguins," breed on sea ice, which scientists say will shrink significantly in the future because of global warming. Because the large penguins stay on the same ice for months, their poop stains make them stand out from space. Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey found this out by accident when they were looking at satellite images of their bases. A reddish-brown streak on the colorless ice was right where they knew a colony was, said survey mapping scientist Peter Fretwell. The stain was penguin poo _ particularly smelly stuff _ and it gave researchers an idea to search for brown stains to find penguins. They found the same telltale trail, usually dark enough to spot from space, all over the continent, said Fretwell by telephone from England. Using satellite data, the scientists found 10 new colonies of penguins, six colonies that had moved from previously mapped positions to new spots and another six that seemed to have disappeared. Overall, 38 colonies were spotted from above, according to Fretwell's paper, "Penguins From Space" in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography. "It's a very important result scientifically, even though it's a lighthearted method," Fretwell said Monday. Even though Antarctic sea ice hasn't melted so far, scientists predict it to shrink by one-third by the end of the century, potentially threatening the birds, Fretwell said. The research is "incredibly useful," because the only time to see emperors are during breeding in winter when weather makes it nearly impossible to get to the colonies, said longtime penguin researcher William Fraser, who wasn't involved in the study. Fraser noted that salty penguin guano "over time will corrode your boots," adding that he has lost nearly a dozen pairs to poop in 35 years of penguin research. ___ On the Net: British Antarctic Survey: http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/ More on Animals
 
Bill Cosby: I Stole George Carlin's Routine (VIDEO) Top
Bill Cosby's latest appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman" airs tonight, and in the segment he admits to stealing part of George Carlin's routine and racing him out of the theater at night in an ongoing fevered competition. WATCH: Get HuffPost Comedy On Facebook and Twitter! More on David Letterman
 
Arianna Huffington: Will the Fight Over Gay Marriage Be the End of Right vs. Left Thinking? Top
"The first thing that happens in a revolutionary era is the great figures of the old era get discredited." So said Joshua Cooper Ramo, author of the compelling new book The Age of the Unthinkable: Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us And What We Can Do About It , on Fareed Zakaria's CNN show. And, he might have added, so do the old era's once-sacred media tropes. I've been writing for a while about the media's reluctance to give up its reliance on looking at every issue through a right vs. left frame (and assuming the truth is to be found by splitting the difference). But the country's shift away from right vs. left thinking and towards a right vs. wrong frame continues to gain momentum -- making it harder and harder to keep pushing the discredited meme. The latest examples of the discrediting can be found in the current fights over gay marriage, health care, and the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor. Not that long ago, gay marriage was a dependable wedge issue Republicans could use to keep its base in line. But, in the wake of last week's Prop 8 ruling, that wedge is clearly splintering. All you have to do is look at Dick Cheney who, speaking at the National Press Club today , said, "I think freedom means freedom for everyone." Cheney said he supports gay marriage as long as it's sanctioned at the state level -- a more progressive position than President Obama's current civil-unions-not-marriage stance. And then we have the strange-bedfellows pairing of Ted Olson and David Boise . The Bush v. Gore adversaries teamed up last week, filing a federal lawsuit they hope will lead to a Supreme Court ruling allowing gays and lesbians to get married in every state. "We wanted to send a message," Olson explained to Larry King , "to the American people and to the courts that this isn't a Republican or a Democrat issue. It's not a liberal or a conservative issue. The right of individuals committed to one another to live in a stable, committed, loving relationship is something that we should all respect and be for." Interestingly, a number of traditionally progressive groups, including the ACLU, oppose the Olson/Boise approach, fearing the Supreme Court is not ready to rule in favor of gay marriage. This line of thinking brought together two pundits not usually found on the same side of an issue, George Will and Paul Krugman. During this week's roundtable on Stephanopoulos, Will argued that the Olson/Boise suit was premature and that the democratic process, which is moving towards acceptance of gay marriage faster than anybody had anticipated, should be allowed to move forward without the courts getting involved -- to which Krugman responded: "I agree with George." So while the timing of the lawyers' lawsuit may be open to debate, the value of the left/right conceit as a way to explain the battle lines in the gay marriage fight no longer is. Same with health care. Even as many in the media are licking their chops in anticipation of a replay of the Clinton-era fight over health care (TV producers are cuing up the old Harry and Louise ads as we speak), the American people are making that take on the debate as antiquated as fax machines, Wite-Out, and 8-tracks. A new CNN poll shows that a large majority of Americans -- 69 percent -- say they would favor greater government influence over the country's health care system if it would lower costs and provide coverage to more people. In addition, 62 percent of the public thinks the federal government should guarantee health care for all Americans (unless you want to argue that the American left has suddenly vastly expanded, it's time to give up the right vs. left way of discussing the health care debate). Equally telling is the growing number of business executives who would love to see the government take on more of the burden of providing health care. Most are keeping their feelings on the down low, but, according to Benjamin Sasse, a former Assistant Secretary of HHS under Bush 43, in private "CEOs overwhelmingly want out of this [health insurance providing] business." And why wouldn't they, with insurance premiums charged to employers rising 119 percent over the last 10 years? As for the Sotomayor nomination, so far the biggest fight hasn't been between the right and the left -- it's been between the right and the far right. So while "old era" figures like Limbaugh, Gingrich, Inhofe, and Tancredo have been foaming at the mouth, the most noteworthy pushback to their over-the-top charges has come not from progressives but from GOP Senators John Cornyn and Jeff Sessions. "Neither one of these men are elected Republican officials," said Cornyn , speaking of Limbaugh's and Gingrich's playing of the race card. "I just don't think it's appropriate and I certainly don't endorse it. I think it's wrong." And Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, went on Meet the Press and praised Sotomayor as "smart," "capable," and having "a good record." "She's got the kind of background you would look for," he added, "almost an ideal mix of private practice, trial prosecution and circuit judge. That's strong in her favor." Appearing alongside Sessions, Sen. Patrick Leahy illustrated why it's time to consign the left vs. right frame to the political graveyard -- especially when it comes to discussing Supreme Court picks: I remember some of the liberal groups picketing my office, complaining I was going to vote for Justice Souter and that he would be against women's rights. Well, he's turned out to be, of course, a strong supporter of women's rights. The seismic shifts in our society have rendered right vs. left thinking as archaic as a flat earth map. It's time for those in the media using it to navigate this revolutionary era to catch up with the public -- and the new realities. More on Sonia Sotomayor
 
Geri Spieler: Olver Sipple: The Bystander Who Saved Ford's Life Top
Doesn't the person who saved the life of the President of the United States deserve a name? The woman who attempted to assassinate Gerald Ford, Sara Jane Moore, has her name out there. Although we still know little about her. But we hear nothing about the person who foiled Moore's second shot. He was just a bystander. Just a bystander? To correct a common error, Sara Jane did get off one shot at Ford before Sipple knocked her arm and caused the bullet to miss by several feet. No one was looking at Moore when Ford first appeared. All eyes were on the President. After the loud bang, those nearby most affected turned and saw the "neighbor lady" getting ready to fire again. Sipple, a former U.S. Marine, jumped into action and grabbed at her arm just as Moore pulled the trigger. He saved Ford's life. Sara Jane's first shot missed Ford's head by a mere six inches and only because the gun had a faulty sight. Richard Vitamanti, the lead FBI case agent working with Superior Court Judge Samuel Conti, Judge Conti himself, the U. S. Secret Service and the San Francisco Police, specifically Tim Hettrich, will confirm, the only reason she missed was due to her using a gun she was not familiar with. The chilling fact is that Sara Jane Moore was a southern girl with three brothers. She knew her way around firearms. She was in the Women's Army Corp and she had been practicing with her .44 Charter Arms revolver. At her sentencing hearing, January 16, 1976, Judge Conti told Moore: "The only reason the President was not killed was not through any fault of your own, was a malfunctioning of that gun. Your aim was straight. The gunshot to the right a little bit. If it were a correct gun you would have killed the man. It isa terrible thing for one individual to kill another individual, and perhaps, as I say, the only consequence it was a faulty gun sight made the attempt on the President's life unsuccessful." And what of this bystander, Oliver Sipple, who happened to be nearby, happened to have been trained as a Marine and happened to have the presence of mind to go towards the bang rather than away? His life was ruined. President Ford wrote a thank-you note to Sipple three days after the attempt, but never invited the man who saved his life to the White House or gave him a commendation. Sipple, on psychiatric disability leave from the military, lived in the Tenderloin District. He refused to call himself a hero was a very private person trying to live below the radar of San Francisco's Gay community. He was involved with Gay activist events, but kept his personal life very circumscribed and did not want his sexuality disclosed. Suddenly Sipple's life became public fodder for the press and local government. News reports mentioned that he was gay even though Sipple had not yet come out to his family. His mother disowned him and he filed a $15 million dollar invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against the newspapers that outed him. But he could not hold back the tide and he became a hero among gay organizations. There has been speculation from sources who wish to remain anonymous that Harvey Milk was responsible for the public outing of Sipple. The reason, some say, is that his actions were motivated by revenge. Sipple had been involved with an ex-lover of Milk's, Joe Campbell. When Sipple and Campbell broke up, Campbell attempted to kill himself. Milk took advantage of the opportunity to illustrate his cause that public perception of gay people would be improved if they came out of the closet. He told friends that Sipple being gay was too good an opportunity. "For once we can show that gays do heroic things, not just all that ca-ca about molesting children and hanging out in bathrooms." (Los Angeles Times, February 13, 1989). Although many in the Gay community told Milk it was not his place to out Sipple, Milk would not back off. The San Francisco Chronicle exposed Sipple as gay and a friend of Milk's. (Randy Shilts, The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk , St. Martin's Press. Sipple was found dead in his bed in 1989 with a half-gallon bottle of bourbon at his side. He had been dead for two weeks. President Ford sent a note of condolence to the family. Geri Spieler is the author of, Taking Aim At The President: The remarkable story of the woman who shot at Gerald Ford. Palgrave Macmillan .
 

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