Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Re: Message from Camp Ak-O-Mak


On Wednesday February 10th I was lucky enough to see Diana Nyad speak about her book, her life and her drive.

Diana spent a summer swimming at Ak-O-Mak in preparation for her swim across Lake Ontario in 1970. Buck Dawson is credited with introducing Diana to marathon swimming. In her autobiography, Find a Way, she talks about a quote that she comes across and posts on her wall for years, "A diamond is a lump of coal that stuck with it."

Diana swam around Manhattan Island setting records in 1975.  She then made two attempts to reach the Keys from Cuba in 1978 and 1979 and the latter was to be her last swim on her 30th birthday. Both were amazing swims from the standpoint of accomplishment but neither completed her mission. Life brought her back to Cuba and in 2013 at the age of 65.  She successfully reached the Keys from Cuba after 53 hours of swimming, on her 5th attempt.

Diana's talk was amazing. She spoke of the playlist in her brain as she swam. The years and hours of training that resulted in timing and cadence so precise that albums playing in her head, lists of counting in various languages consistently corresponded to mileage and hours in the water. Time after time a complete album represented a certain number of miles, a certain number of minutes. I suspect that Diana is a metronome.

Her primary speech topic was...

                                      "What will you do with your one precious life?"

She didn't interpret this in the traditional, athletic career time frame.  She didn't speak to "what will you do with your college athletic career" or "what you will do when you fail to accomplish your life's goal the first few times."

Diana clearly emphasized a key to her success, her team...the scientist and doctors who helped to treat and eventually avoid the deadly box jelly fish that almost killed her during an attempt, her handlers and dear friends...the ones who made her eat when her mouth was raw from saltwater ulcers and when she was seasick. Those who navigated her seas, helped her to create a mask to protect her skin from the jelly venom. Diana is clearly an amazing athlete, a testament to the power of a stubborn, driven brain. But Diana's words and humility were that of a true leader, a gracious athlete who knew that her success did not belong just to herself and she communicated this so clearly to her audience.

After the speech, I was able to briefly speak to Diana. Her ability to pause and share our small overlap in the universe without making me feel rushed struck me. I showed her a picture of her name on the main house wall.  Thank goodness it was in black marker and NOT in toothpaste!  (I had taken the photo when visiting Ak-O-Mak after dropping my boys at Chikopi).  We talked about Buck...(big smiles)... "he was my first open water coach." She had spoken of being an atheist during her talk in response to an audience question but she told me that "if there was a God, then swimming on Ahmic Lake was the closest (she) had ever been to God". She showed true smiles of fondness.

I walked back to my car with a new excitement about swimming and a refreshed attitude and outlook for a dreary cold February day. I have always held that Buck Dawson should have emphasized camp's role in the mission of athletics for life. Matt Mann's quote "a diamond is a lump of coal that stuck with it" isn't a metaphor for campers only. It is for counselors and owners, parents and alumni. To become that diamond takes longer that it takes to get a 5 year ring or 10 year watch at Ak-O-Mak or Chikopi. It occurs while doing what you plan with your one precious life. What an amazing night!  I am so thankful to have been affected by her journey. I highly recommend her book, her speaking tour and her TED talk.

Libby Ernharth
Ak-O-Mak Alumni


Saturday, April 16, 2016

Neoliberalism in two articles

Email with links sent from John H.
Finally an excellent article on neoliberalism has been published in a mainstream newspaper. Unfortunately it had to be by a British journalist in a British newspaper. This sort of journalism is simply not permitted in this country unless the person writing it has his/her own blog or knows someone who does – and there are some very good ones out there but they simply don’t have the reach of mainstream media which primarily serves to entertain and anesthetize the American public with mindless drivel while intoxicating us with fear. As long as we’re afraid, we won’t bother to ask tough questions of our leaders nor, in most cases, tolerate those who do. It is so important for people to come to understand the kind of quasi-totalitarian system the U.S. has evolved into since 1980, but it is also important to understand that the U.S. has almost never been a humble and virtuous “knight” in the freedom, justice and the “American Way”. This nation has been a serial exploiter of third-world nations since at least the Spanish-American War, and little has changed since beyond the scope and frequency of our imperialist wars and plots. It is long past time for the American taxpayers (and you know who you are and who is not) paying for these atrocities and the profits for those who impose them to rise up and demand that it stop and stop now.

Candidate Sanders

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Fwd: Major Event: Free Screening of Josh Fox's new Film - Pittsburgh, PA WED 4/13/16



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Douglas Shields <douglas.shields20@gmail.com>
Date: Sunday, April 10, 2016
Subject: Major Event: Free Screening of Josh Fox's new Film - Pittsburgh, PA WED 4/13/16
To: Douglas Shields <douglasshields20@gmail.com>


PRESS RELEASE

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  APRIL 10, 2010

CONTACT: Lee Ziesche

954 415 6228

leeziesche@gmail.com

 

 

ACADEMEY AWARD NOMINEE & EMMY AWARD WINNING DIRECTOR JOSH FOX

TO PRESENT HIS NEW FILM

 

HOW TO LET GO OF THE WORLD AND LOVE ALL THE THINGS CLIMATE CAN'T CHANGE

PITTSBURGH, PA

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016, 7:00 PM

CARNEGIE LECTURE HALL

IN OAKLAND

 

FREE TO THE PUBLIC!

 

(Pittsburgh, PA) Josh Fox, director of the 2011 Academy Award­nominated and Emmy­winning documentary "Gasland," will present a free screening of his upcoming film, How To Let Go Of The World And Love All The Things Climate Can't Change, Wednesday, April 13, at the Carnegie Museum's Lecture Hall in the Oakland section of the city. Nationally known anti-fracking activist, Tim DeChristopher will join Josh Fox for the presentation.

Josh Fox continues, in his deeply personal style, investigating climate change – the greatest threat our world has ever known. Traveling to 12 countries on 6 continents, the film acknowledges that it may be too late to stop some of the worst consequences and asks, "What is it that climate change can't destroy? What is so deep within us that no calamity can take it away?"

"Touring with the Gasland films for almost 8 years now, I've seen the power organized communities have," said Fox. "That's why we're bringing this film to communities like Pittsburgh. This is the front lines of climate change. We know if we're going to keep global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, we can't frack for oil and gas, we can't build pipelines and power plants that will keep us burning fossil fuels for 50 more years. That change is going to happen at the community level."

"Having both Josh Fox and Tim DeChristopher here in Pittsburgh will be inspirational and energizing," said Briget Shields, a volunteer Outreach Coordinator at Marcellous Protest, for the Pittsburgh screening. "We're grateful to have their powerful voices bring their message on Climate Change to Pittsburgh."

 

This event is being sponsored by: 350.org, Allegheny County Clean Air Now, Clean Rivers Campaign, Clean Water Action, Divest Pittsburgh, Fight For $15, Fossil Free Pitt Coalition, GASP, Marcellus Outreach Butler, Marcellus Protest, Mom's Clean Air Force, PennEnvironment, Sierra Club­Allegheny Group, Three Rivers Rising Tide, Thomas Merton Center, Friends of the Harmed.

 

Local Contact: Briget Shields, 412 7993 236 brigetshields@gmail.com

Film Clip: http://www.howtoletgomovie.com

 

"Potent -The Movie Takes Heart In Communities That Have Found Small-Scale Solutions" –Variety

"Unshakeable Images! This Film Will Make You Want To Be The Change

Daily Journal


Directions to Carnegie Lecture Hall, Carnegie Museum & Library, Oakland, Pittsburgh PA 15233

The entrance to the Lecture Hall is on Schenley Drive, just before the bridge leading to Schenley Park. The Carnegie Lecture Hall is in the Carnegie Institute, home to the Carnegie Museum and main branch of Carnegie Library in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh.

 

Handicapped access to the Lecture Hall is through the Portal Entrance at the museum Use the parking lot entry at Forbes and Craig Streets. Please stop by the security office on the left side of the Portal Entrance to be escorted to the Lecture Hall.

 

Media: Please contact Lee Zieche to schedule interviews with Josh Fox.
954 415 6228   leeziesche@gmail.com

 

Backgrounder on Josh Fox: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Fox

 

 

Backgrounder on Tim DeChristopher (Tim is a graduate of Shady Side Academy and for a time, resided in Aspinwal, PA with his family.) http://www.timdechristopher.org/about

 

####

 




--
--
Ta.
 
 
Mark Rauterkus       Mark@Rauterkus.com
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim & Water Polo Camp Executive Coach
Varsity Boys Swim Coach, Pittsburgh Obama Academy
Recent Head Water Polo Coach, Carnegie Mellon University Women's Club Team
Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team

http://CLOH.org

412 298 3432 = cell

Thursday, April 07, 2016

For the ages! The water does not know how old you are.

Swimming, What a Wonderful Sport to Learn - SwimEasy Ltd. UK

Tosd@s, tod@s amamos nadar... Discover more here: www.swimeasy.co.uk

Posted by NataciĆ³n on Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Wednesday, April 06, 2016

So excited. Pittsburgh is to host a big aquatics meeting in April 11-14, 2017. NDPA = National Drowning Prevention Alliance


Fwd: Violence Prevention Specialist-Job Opportunity PLEASE SHARE


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jose Garth <jgarth@ppwp.org>
Date: Wed, Apr 6, 2016 at 11:19 AM
Subject: Violence Prevention Specialist-Job Opportunity PLEASE SHARE
To:


https://jobs.nonprofittalent.com/job/violence-prevention-specialist/

Planned Parenthood of Western PA
Position Title: Violence Prevention Specialist
Reports To: Vice President for Education
Send resume and cover letter to: edjobs@ppwp.org

Planned Parenthood of Western PA is seeking a compassionate individual to fulfill the full-time position of Violence Prevention Specialist. The position is a two-year grant funded position. This person will be committed to delivering relationship and sexual violence prevention curricula and programming in schools and community organizations, with youth 14-22, particularly young men, as well as with youth-serving professionals in Allegheny County. The Specialist's daily schedule will be flexible, as it caters to after-school and weekend activities. In Year 1, the position will be dedicated 90% to violence prevention activities and 10% to staffing IOTAS (It's Okay to Ask Someone), Planned Parenthood's textline.

Responsibilities: 
(Gender Violence Prevention Tasks - Year 1: 90%, Year 2: 100%)
•Creates and coordinates youth and parent programs on sexual and relationship violence prevention curricula, including sexual health education sessions where requested.
•Collaborates with community partners. 
•Provides support and training to youth-serving professionals involved in PPWP's Violence Prevention Initiative. 
•Works with VP for Education and the Violence Prevention Team to schedule speakers, times, and dates for program requests and ensure that community needs are met.
•Provides networking and outreach to schools and community organizations to promote the program and secure speaking/program engagements.
•Attends agency and community meetings as required.
•Produces a bi-monthly newsletter to inform Violence Prevention partners about our activities and to give updates. 

(IOTAS Textline Tasks - Year 1: 10%)
•Assists the VP for Education with tasks related to the IOTAS sexual health textline, including but not limited to staffing the textline, management of social media properties, digital content creation with youth, and outreach to youth-serving organizations.

(General Responsibilities - Years 1 and 2)
•Responsible for representing Planned Parenthood at health fairs and community exhibits that take place in the community.
•Reads and stays current on all information concerning reproductive health care, gender violence, and sexuality education. 
•Assists VP for Education in completing annual department work plan by carrying out other duties as requested.
•Knowledge of and participation in the PPWP Quality and Risk Management Program.

Qualifications:
•Bachelor's degree (B.A. or B.S.) or a minimum of five years related experience and/or training, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
•Minimum of two years' experience and/or training working with youth and/or risk-reduction programs. 
•Comfortable speaking in front of groups of people (both teenagers and adults) and able to adapt to the needs of audiences.
•Ability to act as a role model for youth, especially young men, from communities across Allegheny County.
•Competence in addressing issues of relationship and sexual violence.
•Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends.
•Ability to communicate effectively with teens, parents and school/community leaders from diverse communities.
•Possesses strong organizational and time management skills.
•Ability to self-motivate and motivate others.
•Possess strong writing skills.
•Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
•Knowledge of, and comfort with, issues relating to human sexuality, violence prevention, family planning, and a commitment to reproductive and social justice.
•Commitment to the goals, mission, standards and objectives of Planned Parenthood.

Essential Functions:
•Ability to use telecommunications.
•Ability to type and be computer literate.
•Ability to verbally communicate publicly in a professional, effective manner.
•Ability to establish rapport and communicate effectively with adults and young people from a variety of backgrounds.
•Must work collaboratively with diverse staff.
•Actively demonstrate commitment to diversity goals.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations, Clearances:
•Must have access to a car and maintain a valid Pennsylvania license and insurance.
•Must maintain current Pennsylvania Act 33/34 clearance.
•Must pass pre-hire drug screening.
•Must be willing to sign and consistently adhere to PPWP confidentially, security and HIPAA policy statements.

Performance Criteria:
•Accurate and timely completion of tasks.
•Cooperative effort to assist in accomplishing education goals.
•Satisfactory completion of programming based on education goals.
•Adherence to education department and agency policies.
•Ability to work both independently and cooperatively in an effective, timely manner.
•Understands and is comfortable with diversity--racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, sexual orientation, etc.


JosƩ Garth

Peer Education Coordinator 
Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania
933 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412.258.9740

jgarth@ppwp.org


Fwd: Crocodile summer swimming

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <michael.schneiderlochner@comcast.net>

Hello Crafton Crocodile Swimmers

Some of you are receiving this email because we are still looking for
another assistant swim coach for the Crafton Crocodiles this summer.

Some of you are receiving this to invite you to come and swim with us
this summer.

Most of you are receiving this to tell you of the most exciting news in a
long time. In addition to the regular morning practices at Crafton which
are 10-Under, 9-10 AM and 11-Up, 10-11:30 AM Monday Thru Friday
as well as selected saturdays.

The Crafton Crocodiles will also offer night practices during the week
on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6-7:30. These will
start Tuesday May 31st and run thru Thursday July 28th. These practices
will be indoors at the Carlynton High School.

In addition we will also offer the morning August Monday thru Thursday
swimming practice that we did last year for crocodile swimmers.

This evening practice is designed to bring back our swimmers who could
not practice in the morning because their parents work. As well as recruit
new swimmers whose parents also have a hard time making AM practices.

These evening practices are free to everyone living in the Carlynton school
district as well as anyone attending Bishop Canevin High School who is going
to swim on the Carlynton High School swim team. All you need to do is join
the crocodiles. If you are from outside the district, we will maintain an %85
ratio of in district swimmers to meet the district policy.

I hope you are all as excited about this news as I am. Please feel free to share
this information with your friends.

Questions?

This is my email and cell phone.

Coach Mike Schneiderlochner
Crafton Crocodiles Head Swim Team Coach


Coach Mike Schneiderlochner
412-215-2766


Thursday, March 31, 2016

This is the type of support some in PPS give to PPS Summer Dreamers

In spring 2016, I put in a pool permit to get ready for Summer Dreamers so that our summer staff can work with the existing kids at Obama at the pool -- and work with a renewal of swim skills with the kids I coached in past years as part of PPS Summer Dreamers. 

The permit was denied. The denial says, "NO SUMMER DREAMER STUFF."

I wanted to have ONE practice on Wednesdays from April to June. 

Go figure.

Futhermore, in future years this permit would be considered a blessing -- because there is an ANSWER. MOST of the time, interactions with PPS administrators have no replies. Silence. 


Steel City Codefest Jr.


Codefest Jr. - For youth who want to learn about Coding! 
View this email in your browser

You're Invited!

Codefest Jr. is the youth portion of the Steel City Codefest, the City's annual civic hackathon.

It's a free one-day event that introduces youth grades K - 12 to coding and other STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) fields. It doesn't end at Codefest.

Parents, find more information about on-going Citywide STEAM programs for your kids at: www.steelcitycodefest.com/codefestjr

Kids are also welcome to stay for Final Presentations and Awards from 12:30 - 2 p.m. in the Library auditorium.

View the Codefest Jr. promotional video.
Copyright © 2016 City of Pittsburgh, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive our My Brother's Keeper Pittsburgh - Allegheny County monthly newsletter.

Our mailing address is:
City of Pittsburgh
City County Building, 414 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219


PPS pool permit in March

Pool permit for Mondays for kayak.


Friday, March 25, 2016

Fwd: NBC to Televise USA Women's Olympic Qualification Game - Saturday 3/26

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <TeamUSA@usawaterpolo.org>
Date: Mar 25, 2016 6:01 PM
Subject: NBC to Televise USA Women's Olympic Qualification Game - Saturday 3/26
To: <mark@rauterkus.com>
Cc:

To view this email as a web page click here.

Facebook Twitter Youtube Pinterest Instagram Login Join www.usawaterpolo.org
 

NBC Sports Network To Televise Team USA's Pivotal Quarterfinal Match
of Women's Olympic Qualification Tournament
 

The USA Water Polo Women's National Team – the world's top ranked women's water polo team – will attempt to qualify for the upcoming 2016 Rio Olympic Games this Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, as NBC Sports Group provides unprecedented coverage of the FINA Women's Water Polo Olympic Qualification Tournament.

This marks the first time that the USA Water Polo Women's Olympic qualification match will be televised nationally. NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs – will live stream all four quarterfinal matches on Saturday, including Team USA's Olympic qualifier, beginning at 7 a.m. ET.

The four teams that advance from the quarterfinal round qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio this August. The quarterfinal matchups will be determined following group play this week.

Paul Burmeister (play-by-play) and U.S. Olympic silver medalist Julie Swail (analyst) will provide commentary for Team USA's Olympic qualification match on NBCSN.

The USA Water Polo Women's National Team are the defending Olympic gold medalists, following their first Olympic gold medal in London in 2012, and Team USA is the only nation to medal in every Olympic Games that has offered women's water polo (dating back to 2000). Team USA is ranked No. 1 in the world and has captured the "water polo grand slam," as it is the current Olympic, World, World Cup and World League champions.

Players returning from the 2012 Olympic gold medal team include captain Maggie Steffens, who was named FINA Women's Water Player of the Year in 2012 and 2014, as well as Kami Craig,Melissa Seidemann, and Courtney Mathewson.

Following is the telecast and streaming schedule for coverage of the FINA Women's Water Polo Olympic Qualification Tournament Quarterfinals on March 26th:
 

QUARTERFINAL COVERAGE

NETWORK

TIME (EDT / PDT)

USA vs. France

NBC Sports Live Extra

7 am / 4 am

Greece vs. Russia

NBC Sports Live Extra

8:45 am / 5:45 am

Spain vs Netherlands

NBC Sports Live Extra

11 am / 8 am

Canada vs Italy

NBC Sports Live Extra

12:45 pm / 9:45 am

USA vs France*

NBCSN

4:30 pm / 1:30 pm

*same day delay
 

GO TEAM USA!

Follow us on Social Media - @USAWP
 
 
This email was sent to USAWP member Grant Rauterkus - Member ID#: 512489

Contact Us:
www.usawaterpolo.org
Phone - 714-500-5445

 

This USAWP Updates was sent to: mark@Rauterkus.com
This email was sent by: USA Water Polo
If you do not wish to receive USAWP Updates, please [Click Here] to change your Email Preferences.
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Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Fwd: The government schools' biggest failure: it's not what you think


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Tom Woods <woods@mises.org>


March 22, 2016
View this email in your browser
The Biggest Failure of Government Education
Everything about formal schooling these days teaches passivity. Even the endpoint is passive: get your piece of paper and then, upon graduation, wait by the telephone for someone to tell you you're needed.

What is this, 1957?

Yes, it's a tough economy -- if you're acting like it's 1957. But in the Internet age, earning possibilities are everywhere, and the startup funds necessary are minimal.

And yet, after having kids in their system for 13 years, the government's schools have done absolutely zero to alert students to these possibilities, or to any way of living their lives other than going into six-figure debt studying sociology for four years.

At no time have the students even heard this simple piece of advice: succeeding in the marketplace is all about finding something your fellow man needs, and providing it to him at a good price. Much less have they been coached in how to identify their niche.

Remember that the next time there's a local bond issue to increase the school budget. Ask: how many students graduated from your schools with their own businesses?

The very idea of creating your own opportunities, of spotting under-served niches or unexploited profit opportunities, is like a foreign language to most high school graduates.

And of course, that's not to mention the not particularly subtle bias that runs through traditional classroom instruction. You won't be hearing about Frederic Bastiat or Ludwig von Mises in the ideological prisons known more popularly as public schools.

I had a great discussion of all of this today with Zachary Slayback, author of The End of School: Reclaiming Education from the Classroom. Listen:
 

As you know, I've had a bit of a hand in trying to solve some of these problems. First, there's my adult enrichment program, with on-the-go courses teaching history and economics the way we should have learned it:
 

Although plenty of homeschoolers use Liberty Classroom, the program I'm involved with that's most geared to homeschoolers is the Ron Paul Curriculum, for which I created over 400 videos on history and government.

Your students won't just get accurate information -- though that of course is a big selling point. They'll also learn practical skills they can put to use in making a living. In particular, the Ron Paul Curriculum's business courses explain how to start a home business -- not a topic a student is likely to encounter at the local high school.

Plus, join through my link, and you get Liberty Classroom (plus other bonuses) for free:
 

If all goes well, Ron Paul's bodyguard will be tomorrow's guest -- and man, does he have stories.
Tom Woods
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Copyright © 2016 Tom Woods, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in at tomwoods.com

Our mailing address is:
Tom Woods
PO Box 67201
Topeka, KS 66667

Monday, March 21, 2016

Fwd: Trump voters


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John Hemington


Below is a link to an interesting article from the Allentown Morning Call describing the fact that many Democratic voters, particularly white working class voters, are switching parties in order to vote for Donald Trump.  This seems to come as a surprise to many, but it shouldn't be at all unexpected given the way working class Americans have been both ignored and screwed by the elitist leaders of both major political parties since 1980.  The reality is that these so-called leaders have come to represent only one class of voters – or, more accurately, donors – corporate rulers and the billionaire class.  Working class voters, particularly working class white voters, had come to expect and depend upon the ever rising standard of living which persisted from the end of World War Two until about 1980.  But that expectation began to dissolve with the advent of Ronald Reagan's presidency in 1980 and continued to dissipate during the Bush I years.  However, it was during the presidency of Bill Clinton that the floodgates finally opened with the Clinton promulgated "New Democrats" or Washington Consensus version of the Democratic Party.  This amounted to a deliberate sell-out of middle and working class Americans dreams and aspirations to the monied corporate and financial elites. 

It also marked a total reversal of prior Democratic support for poor and minority populations in deference to myth-based ideas that the nation could no longer support or justify social programs because of their cost.  It also marked the advent of "trade agreements" which were supposedly going to make American products more competitive, but instead made foreign lands more profitable as locations for corporate manufacturing   At the same time the political mantra of both parties was cuts to taxes for the rich and social programs for the poor.  During this period working class whites were told that their jobs were being eliminated because of unstoppable foreign competition and the unstoppable flow of immigrants from Mexico and Latin America; that undeserving Blacks and Latinos were gobbling up all of the money available to satisfy their desire to lay around and collect welfare payments for doing nothing.  It was more of the old tactic of dividing those at the bottom and turning them against one another by claiming that one group was the cause of the problems of the other when both were victims of a system designed to keep them subservient to the rich and powerful.

The election of Barak Obama based on a campaign of "hope and change" with promises that he would change the basic tenor and operation of the system that had become so oppressive to the middleclass, working classes and the poor proved to be an illusion based on lies and distortions.  Not only did Obama continue and expand upon the unconstitutional policies of the Bush II administration including more wars everywhere, he effectively completed the process of selling out the country to the financial elite which had begun during the Clinton administration – there could no longer be any hope for any real change in the political landscape. 

So now here we are confronted with a new election cycle once again dominated by corporate and financial interest money with Hillary Clinton once again carrying the banner of the "New Democrats" for the financial elite – a woman who never met a war, an Israeli leader, or trade agreement she didn't love – competing with a billionaire real estate mogul who appeals to those working class voters who have been shafted again and again by a system gone berserk in the name of money power.  Can there be any wonder that the Donald generates such a visceral level of support when he strikes out against the entrenched elitist political class?  The surprise to me would be if those he didn't attack, the white working class people of this country, didn't flock to his side and support his candidacy no matter how irrational he might appear to many of us.

Yes, Donald Trump may well be an incipient Fascist.  He certainly has the narcissistic need for adulation and control; but that is not going to dissuade those who feel that the entire political system is arrayed against them and their children's future – and with good reason.  Most of these people are not crazies.  Most are feeling a desperation which is rooted in years of declining living standards and years of false promises by the political class of both parties.  They have been conditioned not to anything which smacks of socialism even though some socialist type policies would benefit them mightily (think Social Security – which the love – Medicare for All, unemployment compensation, postal service, infrastructure maintenance, and many others), but the mere word sends chills down their backs.  Thus, in all likelihood, insufficient support for Bernie Sanders to overcome the fixed non-democratic Democratic Party primary system, even though Sanders is not a socialist in any real sense of the word.  He is an unreconstituted Roosevelt liberal of the post-World War II vintage.

Thus, there is only one place left for those frustrated working class Republicans and party-switching Democrats to turn and that is Donald Trump.  Unfortunately, it appears that people of color and Latinos are continuing to buy into the self-created Clinton myths that she has fought for Blacks and Latinos for years when the only thing she has really fought for is money and power. Perhaps someday they will figure out the "New Democrat" scam and finally rebel, shedding the political chains which bind them.  For the rest of us there appears to be little or no hope for anything positive to come out of this election.  But things could get much worse for all of us with either Hillary or Donald – not to mention Ted.


John



Fwd: Registration is OPEN!!!!!!



---------- Forwarded message ----------

Hello The First Tee of Pittsburgh Families,

The First Tee of Pittsburgh's 2016 Spring Certification programs for The Bob, Victory Hills, South Park, Pleasant Ridge and North Park locations ONLY is now open for registration on our website

We have implemented a new system for registration.  Please visit us at www.thefirstteepittsburgh.org and click registration on our homepage.  You must create an account if you have not done so already, (returning users, please use your login and password to proceed).

Please note that the parent/guardian is the ACCOUNT HOLDER.  You will proceed from there in three easy steps.

Payment is accepted on-line ONLY and your spot cannot not held without payment.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me directly.  aboyle@thefirstteepittsburgh.org

Details on the South Side Church Crawl

From 1 to 5 pm on April 10, 2016. Click for details at CLOH.org.