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This is a scalable context timeline. It contains events related to the event August 14, 2009: CBS Evening News Anchor Denounces 'Fear,' 'Ignorance' Fueling Anti-Health Care Reform Protests. You can narrow or broaden the context of this timeline by adjusting the zoom level. The lower the scale, the more relevant the items on average will be, while the higher the scale, the less relevant the items, on average, will be.
Oklahoma Highway Patrolman Charles Hanger. [Source: The Oklahoman]Timothy McVeigh, who has just detonated a massive fertilizer bomb that has devasted the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City (see 8:35 a.m. - 9:02 a.m. April 19, 1995), gets into his Mercury Marquis getaway car (see April 13, 1995) and flees north out of the city (see 9:02 a.m. and After, April 19, 1995). At 10:17 a.m., while driving north on I-35 outside of Billings, Oklahoma, about 60 miles north of Oklahoma City, McVeigh is stopped for having no license plates on his vehicle by Oklahoma Highway Patrolman Charles Hanger, a trooper nicknamed "The Hangman" for his zeal in pursuing violators. According to later testimony, there is a radio blackout in force because of the bombing, allowing police to keep the airwaves clear. Hanger had been ordered to go to Oklahoma City, but then had those orders countermanded and was told to resume his duties. Roadside Stop - Hanger stops McVeigh's car and calls his office on a cellphone to check the car, but forgets to activate his dashboard camera, so no video record of the arrest is made. Hanger later says he was apprehensive because another trooper had been shot on the same highway two weeks earlier. McVeigh, cooperating with Hanger's directions, exits the vehicle and begins walking towards Hanger, hands empty. "I stopped you because you weren't displaying a tag," Hanger says. McVeigh looks at the rear of his car, clearly unaware that he lacks a license plate. He says he has not had the car long and that is why he lacks a plate. Hanger asks to see a bill of sale, and McVeigh tells him the paperwork is still being drawn up. Hanger does not believe this statement, and asks to see McVeigh's driver's license. McVeigh reaches into his back pocket and takes out a camouflage-colored billfold. As he does so, Hanger notices a bulge under McVeigh's windbreaker. Hanger asks McVeigh to pull open his windbreaker. McVeigh says calmly, "I have a gun." Hanger orders, "Get your hands up and turn around." McVeigh complies. Hanger puts the muzzle of his gun to the back of McVeigh's head. He orders McVeigh to walk to the back of his car. "My weapon is loaded," McVeigh says. "So is mine," Hanger replies. He then tells McVeigh to place his hands flat on the trunk of the Mercury and spread his legs. McVeigh complies. Hanger removes the pistol from McVeigh's shoulder holster and tosses it onto the shoulder of the road, well out of McVeigh's reach. McVeigh tells Hanger he has another ammunition clip on his belt, and Hanger removes this as well. "I also have a knife," McVeigh says. Hanger removes the blade from a brown leather sheath and throws it to the roadway. "Why the loaded firearm?" Hanger asks. "I have a right to carry it for protection," McVeigh replies. Hanger handcuffs McVeigh, walks him to his squad car, and puts him in the front passenger seat, belting him in. He then goes back to pick up the gun, the ammunition clip, and the knife. McVeigh, at Hanger's request, recites the serial number of the Glock. Hanger comments, "Most wouldn't know the serial number on their weapon," and McVeigh replies, "I do." Arrest and Booking - The dispatcher reports over the radio that Timothy James McVeigh has no outstanding warrants, and there is nothing in the system on the Mercury or on McVeigh's pistol. Hanger arrests McVeigh for having no vehicle registration, no license plates, and carrying a concealed weapon—a loaded 9mm Glock semiautomatic pistol (see August 16, 1991). According to prosecutors and Hanger's own recollections, McVeigh is very polite and cooperative with Hanger, answering questions, "yes sir," and "no sir," and saying he has served in the military and as a security guard. "No, sir, I did not intend to break your laws," he tells Hanger. "I just carry the gun for protection." Hanger later says he interviews McVeigh in the car, but will say: "I didn't take any notes. It was just friendly chit-chat." McVeigh tells Hanger that he just bought the car from a Firestone dealership in Junction City. Hanger has his dispatcher call for information on the car. Hanger searches the Mercury, finding nothing of immediate interest, but when he walks back to his car, he notices McVeigh fidgeting in his seat (see April 21, 1995). Hanger asks if McVeigh wants his car towed into town (at his own expense) or left on the road; McVeigh tells him to leave it where it is. Hanger locks the car and drives McVeigh to Perry, Oklahoma. During the trip, McVeigh asks Hanger again and again when he can get his gun back. Sometime around 11:00 a.m., McVeigh is booked and lodged in the county jail in the Noble County Courthouse in Perry. He is given prisoner number 95-057, photographed, and fingerprinted. Except for one brief demand to know when he will go to court, courthouse officials remember McVeigh as polite and soft-spoken. Hanger has no idea who he has caught; he takes his wife to lunch before turning in the gun and ammunition he confiscated from McVeigh. [Washington Post, 4/22/1995; New York Times, 4/22/1995; New York Times, 4/22/1995; PBS Frontline, 1/22/1996; New York Times, 4/29/1997; New York Times, 6/3/1997; Serrano, 1998, pp. 176-180; Douglas O. Linder, 2001; Indianapolis Star, 2003; Fox News, 4/13/2005; University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, 2006] McVeigh has a permit to carry the gun, but is in violation of the law because he is carrying it concealed, and because he has another weapon, the knife, also on his person. [New York Times, 4/23/1995] Later, Assistant District Attorney Mark Gibson says that Hanger, suspicious by nature anyway, had trouble with McVeigh's story. "Particularly with his story that he was always on the road, he just didn't believe," Gibson will say. "And when he grabbed his gun and there was no reaction, no shock, that didn't seem right, either. Neither did his story. Charlie said, 'If you were in the military, when were you a security guard?' and he said when he was on vacation. So things didn't really jibe." [New York Times, 4/23/1995] McVeigh's gun is later found to be loaded with at least one Black Talon "cop-killer" bullet capable of penetrating body armor. [New York Times, 4/22/1995; New York Times, 4/22/1995; Serrano, 1998, pp. 177] Pat Livingston, a pawn shop owner in Ogden, Kansas, will recall selling McVeigh's friend Terry Nichols two Glock semiautomatic pistols in February 1995. He also recalls selling McVeigh a similar Glock in 1991, and a Tec-9 assault pistol in 1993 (see February - July 1994). Livingston later says he remembers McVeigh well: "I knew that name as soon as I saw it on TV. That guy McVeigh, he wrote me a hot check for the Tec-9 in 1993." [New York Times, 4/23/1995; PBS Frontline, 1/22/1996] Author Richard A. Serrano will later report that the pistol McVeigh is carrying is a .45-caliber Glock military assault pistol, Model 2.1. [Serrano, 1998, pp. 177] Left in McVeigh's car are a blue baseball cap and a legal-sized envelope, sealed and stuffed with documents and clippings. Some of the documents include an excerpt from the racially inflammatory novel The Turner Diaries (see 1978), quotes from Revolutionary War figures, and newspaer clippings. [New York Times, 4/29/1997] False Driver's License Leads to Clues - Though he presents a false driver's license, in the name of "Robert Kling" (see Mid-March, 1995 and April 15, 1995), McVeigh gives his home address as 3616 Van Dyke Street, Decker, Michigan. The address is the farm of James Nichols, the brother of Terry Nichols (see December 22 or 23, 1988). This information leads federal agents to both the Nichols brothers (see 3:15 p.m. and After, April 21-22, 1995) and later to McVeigh himself as a suspect in the bombing. [Washington Post, 4/22/1995; New York Times, 6/3/1997] McVeigh lists James Nichols as his "next of kin." [New York Times, 4/23/1995] Some versions of events have McVeigh destroying the Kling driver's license (see 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. April 17, 1995), giving Hanger his real license, and citing the Decker, Michigan, address as an emergency contact. [Serrano, 1998, pp. 178-180] McVeigh empties his pockets at the jail: the contents include $650, four rounds of ammunition, his billfold, keys, yellow coins, a roll of antacids, and a set of earplugs, which will later be tested for explosive residue. [Stickney, 1996, pp. 191; Serrano, 1998, pp. 181] Oddities - Later, the FBI speculates that the Arizona license plate, bearing the number LZC646, the Mercury once bore fell off sometime between the time McVeigh bought the car and the time Hanger pulled him over. It is also possible, the FBI will say, that McVeigh or his accomplice moved the license plate to another car after the bombing (see April 29, 1995). The license plate was originally registered on February 1, 1995 to a 1983 Pontiac station wagon owned by McVeigh (see January 1 - January 8, 1995), who then gave a mail drop in Kingman, Arizona (see February - July 1994), as his address. Press reports later claim that McVeigh traded the Pontiac and $250 in cash for the Mercury, and put the Pontiac's license plate on the Mercury (a later press report states that McVeigh may have forgotten to transfer the Pontiac's license plate to the Mercury—see May 16, 1995). A statement by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) says the Kingman mail drop address was used by a "T. Tuttle" (see October 12, 1993 - January 1994 and December 1993) in 1993 to advertise a "LAW launcher replica," which the advertisement said fired "37 mm flares," for sale in The Spotlight, a publication of the anti-Semitic Liberty Lobby. A LAW is a "light anti-tank weapon." [New York Times, 4/27/1995]
Entity Tags: Mark Gibson, James Nichols, Charles Hanger, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Timothy James McVeigh, Richard A. Serrano, Pat Livingston, Noble County Courthouse (Perry, Oklahoma), Anti-Defamation League, Terry Lynn Nichols
Timeline Tags: US Domestic Terrorism
Sarah Palin holds her youngest child, Trig, for the cameras. [Source: Hollywood Gossip]Former Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK), the Republican vice presidential candidate in 2008, writes on her Facebook page that the Democrats' health care reform package would result in a government "death panel" that would kill her baby, Trig. Her child was born with Down Syndrome. Palin writes: "Americans delve into the disturbing details of the nationalized health care plan that the current administration is rushing through Congress, our collective jaw is dropping, and we're saying not just no, but hell no!… And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's 'death panel' so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their 'level of productivity in society,' whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil." Palin also commends Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN) for warning the nation about President Obama's "Orwellian" health care adviser: "Rep. Michele Bachmann highlighted the Orwellian thinking of the president's health care advisor, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the brother of the White House chief of staff [Rahm Emanuel], in a floor speech to the House of Representatives. I commend her for being a voice for the most precious members of our society, our children and our seniors." [TPMDC, 8/7/2009; Time, 8/8/2009] Inspired by Debunked Claims from Industry Lobbyist - Palin's warning about government "death panels" is inspired by debunked warnings from industry lobbyist Betsy McCaughey and a variety of Republican lawmakers and conservative talk show hosts about the reform proposals' implicit agenda to kill older Americans faster (see November 23, 2008, January 27, 2009, February 9, 2009, February 11, 2009, February 18, 2009, May 13, 2009, June 24, 2009, June 25, 2009, July 10, 2009, July 16, 2009, July 17, 2009, July 21, 2009, July 23, 2009, July 23, 2009, July 23, 2009, July 23-24, 2009, July 24, 2009, July 28, 2009, July 28, 2009, July 28, 2009, and July 31, 2009 - August 12, 2009). Politico's Ben Smith writes: "As nonpartisan sources note, the [proposal] deals with medical practitioners helping individuals prepare living wills, powers of attorney, and the like. It's a long ways from there to a 'death panel' where bureaucrats decide who lives or dies." [Politico, 8/7/2009] Countering Palin's Assertions - Progressive MSNBC host Rachel Maddow says of Palin's assertions: "There is no Obama death panel. There's no plan to kill old people. There's no plan to kill off any people who aren't productive enough. There's no plan to kill off any of Sarah Palin's children. And if we were actually talking about health care instead of waddling through this free-floating morass of factless partisan rage and corporate opportunism, it would occur to someone to notice that the provision being considered by Congress that has Sarah Palin ranting about Obama death panels and the death of her own children was introduced by Republican Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia (see August 10, 2009). And it's not about killing old people. It's about making it easier for old people to create living wills. A similar provision was introduced by another Republican senator, Susan Collins of Maine. This is a Republican idea." [MSNBC, 8/10/2009] Days later, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) tells an audience: "It does us no good to incite fear in people by saying that there's these end-of-life provisions, these death panels. Quite honestly, I'm so offended at that terminology because it absolutely isn't [in the bill]. There is no reason to gin up fear in the American public by saying things that are not included in the bill.… There are things that are in this bill that are bad enough that we don't need to be making things up." [Anchorage Daily News, 8/11/2009]
Entity Tags: Ben Smith, Sarah Palin, Obama administration, Lisa Murkowski, Rachel Maddow
Timeline Tags: US Health Care, Domestic Propaganda, 2012 Elections, 2010 Elections
Protester William Kostric, bearing his sign and wearing a gun strapped to his leg. [Source: London Daily Mail]President Obama holds a "town hall" meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to discuss health care. Although the audience is allowed to attend on a first-come first-served basis, it is comprised mostly of health care reform supporters. During the event, Obama repeatedly solicits questions from skeptics of his health care plan, telling the audience, "I don't want people thinking I have a bunch of plants in here." In his remarks, Obama addresses what he calls some of the "wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to what's in the [reform] bill." He says for years, patients have been "held hostage" by insurance companies, and adds that "for all the scare tactics out there, what is truly scary" and risky would be the status quo, such as projections that Medicare will be in the red within five years. [ABC News, 8/11/2009; Think Progress, 8/11/2009] Seventy percent of the participants in the town hall were chosen in a random, online lottery, without consideration of political affiliation. The questions Obama answers are not prescreened. [MSNBC, 8/12/2009] Debunking 'Death Panels' - Obama opens by saying: "I do hope that we will talk with each other and not over each other. Where we do disagree, let's disagree over things that are real, not these wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that's actually been proposed.… Because the way politics works sometimes is that people who want to keep things the way they are will try to scare the heck out of folks. And they'll create boogeymen out there that just aren't real." [MSNBC, 8/12/2009] Obama notes the claim of so-called "death panels that will pull the plug on Grandma," directly referring to former Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK)'s recent claim that the Democrats intend to create "death panels" that would decide who lives and dies (see August 7, 2009). Obama responds: "[I]t turns out that this, I guess, rose out of a provision in one of the House bills that allowed Medicare to reimburse people for consultations about end-of-life care," as well as living wills, hospice care, and the like. The "intention" is to help patients prepare for "end of life on their own terms." Ironically, Obama adds, one of the chief sponsors of this idea is a Republican, Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), who "sensibly thought this would expand people's options." (Isakson takes issue with being identified as a sponsor of "end-of-life" counseling—see August 11, 2009). Obama says that beneath the false claims of "death panels" exists a real concern: "if we are reforming the health system to make it more efficient that somehow that will mean rationing of care." He gives an example of such a concern: "some bureaucrat" saying "You can't have this test, you can't have this procedure" because "some bean counter" says so. This will not be the case, Obama says. The reform package would ensure that doctors and patients, not bureaucrats, make such decisions. He notes that insurance company bureaucrats "right now are rationing care.… So why is it that people would prefer having insurance companies making those decisions rather than medical experts and doctors figuring out what are good deals for care?" Obama tells his listeners: "I want to be very clear" about the "underlying fear that people won't get the care they need. You will have the care you need, but also care that is being denied to you right now—that is what we are fighting for." [ABC News, 8/11/2009; Think Progress, 8/11/2009] Countering Claims of 'Enemies List' - Obama also counters recent claims that the White House is attempting to compile a list of "enemies" in asking that emails containing "fishy" health care information be forwarded to it. "Can I just say this is another example of how the media just ends up completely distorting what's taking place?" he says. "What we've said is that if somebody has—if you get an email from somebody that says, for example, 'ObamaCare is creating a death panel,' forward us the email and we will answer the question that is being raised in the email. Suddenly, on some of these news outlets, this is being portrayed as Obama collecting an enemies list. Now, come on guys, here I am trying to be responsive to questions that are being raised out there—and I just want to be clear that all we're trying to do is answer questions." In recent days, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) claimed that the White House "want[s] information on opponents of its health care plan." [Think Progress, 8/11/2009] Advocating Violence outside the Venue - Outside the venue, a man, William Kostric, stands in the crowd with a gun strapped to his leg. Under New Hampshire law, he is within his rights to openly carry a handgun. He carries a sign that reads, "It is time to water the tree of liberty." MSNBC host Rachel Maddow notes: "It's a reference, of course, to Thomas Jefferson's famous words, 'The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.' For perspective on the implication of Jefferson's words in this context being quoted by the guy with the gun at the event as which the president was speaking, when Timothy McVeigh was arrested 90 minutes after the Oklahoma City bombing, he was wearing a t-shirt with that slogan and a picture of Abraham Lincoln on the front and a tree dripping with blood in the back" (see 9:03 a.m. -- 10:17 a.m. April 19, 1995). Maddow later notes that McVeigh's shirt bore the words "Sic Semper Tyrannis"—"thus always to tyrants"—the words shouted by Lincoln's assassin after firing the fatal shot. Another anti-reform protester, Richard Terry Young, is arrested by security officials after sneaking inside the building hours before Obama arrives. He is carrying a knife on his person and a .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol in his truck with a round in the chamber. A number of anti-reform protesters from the New Hampshire Republican Volunteer Coalition also stage a protest outside the event. One advocates murdering all undocumented immigrants: "Why are we bankrupting this country for 21 million illegals who should be sent on the first bus one way back from wherever they come from? We don't need illegals. Send them home once. Send them home with a bullet in their head the second time. Read what Jefferson said about the Tree of Liberty—it's coming, baby." [Think Progress, 8/11/2009; MSNBC, 8/12/2009; MSNBC, 8/13/2009]
Entity Tags: William Kostric, Rachel Maddow, Medicare, New Hampshire Republican Volunteer Coalition, Barack Obama, John Cornyn, Johnny Isakson, Obama administration, Richard Terry Young
Timeline Tags: US Health Care, Domestic Propaganda, US Domestic Terrorism, 2010 Elections
Progressive MSNBC host Rachel Maddow worries on the air about the possibility of physical violence, and perhaps even political assassinations, being perpetrated as a result of the escalating violent rhetoric surrounding the health care reform debate. In recent days, at least one Democratic lawmaker has been threatened with death (see August 11, 2009), an African-American congressman has been vilified with swastikas and racial slurs (see August 11, 2009 and August 12, 2009), and guns have been brought both openly and surreptitiously to town halls (see August 5, 2009), some with President Obama in attendance (see August 11, 2009). Maddow tells her listeners: "[O]pponents of health care reform have chosen to fight at this time with force and with threats of force. Not just fringe talk show hosts, but members of Congress telling their constituents that Barack Obama is like Hitler; members of the United States senate telling their constituents that they are right to be afraid, that health care reform really is a plot to kill the elderly (see November 23, 2008, January 27, 2009, February 9, 2009, February 11, 2009, February 18, 2009, May 13, 2009, June 24, 2009, June 25, 2009, July 10, 2009, July 16, 2009, July 17, 2009, July 21, 2009, July 23, 2009, July 23, 2009, July 23, 2009, July 23-24, 2009, July 24, 2009, July 28, 2009, July 28, 2009, July 28, 2009, July 31, 2009 - August 12, 2009, August 6, 2009, August 7, 2009, August 10, 2009, August 10, 2009, Shortly Before August 10, 2009, August 11, 2009, and August 11, 2009). Corporate funded conservative PR operations promoting those lines of attack and then telling their activists to go put the fear of God into members of Congress (see August 6, 2009). Are we now operating in a political environment which is not just politics as usual, which is not just a rowdy debate? Has enough kerosene been poured on the flames that the possibility of violence—even assassination—is being posited as a real political tactic in the United States? It's not a rhetorical question. It's not even a question about rhetoric. Because there are people in this country—people in the health care field, in fact—who have faced the actual threat of assassination as a political tactic (see May 31, 2009).… As the anti-health reform protestors flirt with the same exultation of violence, that same excuses and purported justifications of violence, that echo in the extreme anti-abortion movement in this country, it is worth remembering that the possibility of American politics turning to violence and terrorism—at the fringe—is not all theoretical." Maddow's guest, abortion provider Dr. Warren Hern, himself a target of political assassins, tells her: "They have—the anti-abortion movement decided, more than 15 years ago, to use political assassination as a tactic, as a method of not only political expression but a way of organizing their followers and getting support and that's what they've been doing. They've been assassinating doctors. And the question I have pointed out when they get through assassinating abortion doctors: who's next?… [I]t's very clear that there's been a progression of violence increasingly toward individuals. And this is one of the frightening trends. And so, we have to be very concerned because the violent and the aggressive rhetoric and action or statements lead to more violent action and to assassination." [MSNBC, 8/13/2009]
Entity Tags: Barack Obama, Warren Hern, Rachel Maddow, MSNBC
Timeline Tags: US Health Care, Domestic Propaganda, US Domestic Terrorism
After briefly backing away (see August 10, 2009) from her earlier claim that the Democrats' health care reform legislation would mandate so-called "death panels" (see August 7, 2009), former Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK) reiterates her claim. In a post on her Facebook page, Palin writes: "Yesterday President Obama responded to my statement that Democratic health care proposals would lead to rationed care (see August 11, 2009); that the sick, the elderly, and the disabled would suffer the most under such rationing; and that under such a system, these 'unproductive' members of society could face the prospect of government bureaucrats determining whether they deserve health care. The provision that President Obama refers to is Section 1233 of HR 3200, entitled 'Advance Care Planning Consultation.' With all due respect, it's misleading for the president to describe this section as an entirely voluntary provision that simply increases the information offered to Medicare recipients.… Section 1233 authorizes advanced care planning consultations for senior citizens on Medicare every five years, and more often 'if there is a significant change in the health condition of the individual… or upon admission to a skilled nursing facility, a long-term care facility… or a hospice program.'… President Obama can try to gloss over the effects of government-authorized end-of-life consultations, but the views of one of his top health care advisers are clear enough (see July 23-24, 2009). It's all just more evidence that the Democratic legislative proposals will lead to health care rationing and more evidence that the top-down plans of government bureaucrats will never result in real health care reform." Members of Palin's own party have called her claims inaccurate (see August 11, 2009) and "nuts" (see August 10, 2009), White House press secretary Robert Gibbs has identified Palin as one of the persons responsible for spreading "wrong" information about health care reform, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is using her claims in a fundraising plea to supporters, calling her statement "disgusting" and "outrageous." [Politico, 8/13/2009]
Entity Tags: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, Medicare, Robert Gibbs
Timeline Tags: US Health Care, Domestic Propaganda
Katie Couric. [Source: Stylelist (.com)]CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric denounces what she calls the "fear and frustration" being tapped in the sometimes-riotous demonstrations against health care reform. The anti-reform efforts have "stirred [up] a hornets nest," she writes, and are uncovering "disturbing attitudes and emotions that have nothing to do with policy." What, she asks, does bringing a handgun to a church where President Obama is speaking have to do with health care policy (see August 11, 2009)? "How does a swastika spray-painted on a congressman's office further a discussion about Medicare (see August 11, 2009)?" Couric warns her readers that "we can't let fear and frankly ignorance drown out the serious debate that needs to take place about an issue that affects the lives of millions of people. It's time for everyone to take a deep breath and to focus on the task at hand before this sideshow drowns out the main event." [CBS News, 8/14/2009]
Entity Tags: Katie Couric, Barack Obama
Author and historian Rick Perlstein reminds Washington Post readers that the kind of conservative-based outrage against health care reform is nothing new in American history. Asking whether the protests are orchestrated or spontaneous, Perlstein says they are both. "The quiver on the lips of the man pushing the wheelchair (see August 6, 2009), the crazed risk of carrying a pistol around a president (see August 11, 2009)—too heartfelt to be an act. The lockstep strangeness of the mad lies on the protesters' signs—too uniform to be spontaneous. They are both. If you don't understand that any moment of genuine political change always produces both, you can't understand America, where the crazy tree blooms in every moment of liberal ascendancy, and where elites exploit the crazy for their own narrow interests." Charges of Soviet-Inspired Treason - In the 1950s, Perlstein writes, Republicans referred to the presidencies of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman as "20 years of treason," and accused the two of deliberately surrendering the world to communism. Some conservatives leveled the accusation that a new Bible translation was the work of Soviet agents. Then-Vice President Richard Nixon claimed, without proof, that Republicans entering the White House at the beginning of the Eisenhower administration "found in the files a blueprint for socializing America." When President Kennedy proposed using intercontinental ballistic missiles to form the basis of America's nuclear defense instead of the traditional long-range bombers, and floated the idea of opening relations with Eastern Bloc nations such as Yugoslavia, conservatives accused him of trying to disarm the US in secret collusion with the USSR. 'National Indignation Convention' - In 1961, thousands of angry conservatives packed a National Indignation Convention in Dallas, where the keynote speaker shouted that he wanted to hang Chief Justice Earl Warren. A Kennedy proposal to expand mental health services included a new facility in Alaska; right-wingers claimed it was actually an internment camp for political dissidents. During the Johnson administration, conservatives claimed that the civil rights movement was conceived and orchestrated in the Soviet Union; many of them claimed that the 1964 Civil Rights Act would "enslave" white Americans. 'Uncanny' Similarities between Then and Now - Perstein notes that the similarities between the protests then and now are "uncanny," writing: "The various elements—the liberal earnestly confused when rational dialogue won't hold sway; the anti-liberal rage at a world self-evidently out of joint; and, most of all, their mutual incomprehension—sound as fresh as yesterday's news. (Internment camps for conservatives? That's the latest theory of tea party favorite Michael Savage.) The orchestration of incivility happens, too, and it is evil. Liberal power of all sorts induces an organic and crazy-making panic in a considerable number of Americans, while people with no particular susceptibility to existential terror—powerful elites—find reason to stoke and exploit that fear." Now, More Success at Manipulating Media, Shaping Policy - Perlstein cites examples of fake "grassroots" letters to newspaper editors written by Nixon administration aides that defended the then-president from Watergate-related charges, and how successful they were in manipulating the discussion. Now, he writes, the "Conservatives have become adept at playing the media for suckers, getting inside the heads of editors and reporters, haunting them with the thought that maybe they are out-of-touch cosmopolitans and that their duty as tribunes of the people's voices means they should treat Obama's creation of 'death panels' as just another justiciable political claim." In the 1960s, news anchors such as Walter Cronkite didn't bother debunking claims about internment facilities for conservative critics, he writes. "The media didn't adjudicate the ever-present underbrush of American paranoia as a set of 'conservative claims' to weigh, horse-race-style, against liberal claims. Back then, a more confident media unequivocally labeled the civic outrage represented by such discourse as 'extremist'—out of bounds. The tree of crazy is an ever-present aspect of America's flora. Only now, it's being watered by misguided he-said-she-said reporting and taking over the forest. Latest word is that the enlightened and mild provision in the draft legislation to help elderly people who want living wills—the one hysterics turned into the 'death panel' canard—is losing favor, according to the Wall Street Journal, because of 'complaints over the provision.' Good thing our leaders weren't so cowardly in 1964, or we would never have passed a civil rights bill—because of complaints over the provisions in it that would enslave whites." [Washington Post, 8/16/2009]
Entity Tags: Rick Perlstein, Michael Savage
Militia member Chris Broughton stands in front of a Phoenix VFW where President Obama is speaking. Broughton wears a pistol on his hip and an assault rifle strapped to his back. [Source: Arizona Republic]Twelve anti-health care reform protesters openly carry firearms outside an event in Phoenix featuring President Obama as the main speaker. One, a man initially identified only as "Chris," carries an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle strapped to his back. Carrying such weapons is legal in Arizona if the bearer has a permit to carry. Obama is speaking at the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Outside the venue, people both supporting and opposing health care reform stage contentious, but peaceful, protests. [Arizona Republic, 8/17/2009; TPM LiveWire, 8/17/2009] 'Forcefully' Opposing Will of Majority - "Chris," interviewed by fellow protester Ernest Hancock on a home video posted on YouTube, says, "We will forcefully resist people imposing their will on us through the strength of the majority with a vote." He also speaks against taxation: "Just because you sic the government on people doesn't make it morally okay to steal money from people. Taxation is theft." Asked why he is carrying a weapon, "Chris" responds: "Because I can do it. In Arizona, I still have some freedoms." He tells Hancock that "it would be insane" not to be armed, and says he wears a gun at all times. "Chris" is asked at the beginning of the video, "You gonna water the tree of liberty?" a reference to a Thomas Jefferson quote, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." He responds, "I hope not." He also comes out "absolutely, totally against" health care reform, saying such a plan would amount to "stealing it from people." The video is uploaded by two small Phoenix-area libertarian groups, Freedom's Phoenix and 4409. [TPM LiveWire, 8/17/2009; TPM LiveWire, 8/18/2009] Veteran: 'I Gave Them the Right' to Protest - Another anti-reform protester, Jim Mariman, identifies himself as a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and says protesters are simply "speaking their hearts and minds.… These people can protest because I gave them the right." [Arizona Republic, 8/17/2009] Interview Staged by Violent Militia Supporter - Hancock, who organized "Chris's" trip to the Obama event and interviewed "Chris" with a 9mm pistol strapped to his leg, is later shown to have close ties to members of the violent Viper Militia group convicted and jailed for plotting to blow up at least seven federal buildings in 1996 (see July 1, 1996). Hancock tells CNN that the entire event, including the "interview," was staged and planned well in advance. He has known "Chris" for two years because of their mutual work for 2008 presidential candidate Ron Paul (R-TX). Hancock had contacted the Phoenix police two days before the event to alert them to their intent to come armed to the event. He says he was partially motivated to display his weapon because of the controversy surrounding William Kostric, who brought a pistol to a previous Obama event in New Hampshire (see August 11, 2009). CNN's Rick Sanchez tells Hancock, "A lot of people are going to look at this and say it was a publicity stunt," and Hancock replies, "Absolutely—you guys are so easy." Hancock says he, "Chris," and the 10 other armed protesters all belong to local militia groups. [TPM LiveWire, 8/18/2009; TPM LiveWire, 8/18/2009; MSNBC, 8/20/2009] "Chris" will later be identified as Chris Broughton, a member of Tempe Baptist Church, whose pastor has repeatedly called for the divine assassination of Obama (see January 18, 2009). [Phoenix New Times, 8/29/2009]
Entity Tags: Rick Sanchez, Jim Mariman, Tempe Baptist Church, Freedom's Phoenix, Barack Obama, Chris Broughton, Ernest Hancock, 4409, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Viper Militia
Timeline Tags: Domestic Propaganda, US Domestic Terrorism
Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), a key player in the Senate battle over health reform, tries to explain his earlier statements that Iowans were right to "fear" that the federal government would "pull the plug on Grandma" by encouraging American senior citizens to end their lives prematurely (see August 12, 2009). During his explanation, Grassley blames President Obama for his words. On CBS's Face the Nation, he tells host Bob Schieffer that even though he is aware the House health reform bill "doesn't intend to" kill senior citizens, he feels he has a responsibility to make such statements: "I said that because—two reasons. Number one, I was responding to a question at my town meetings. I let my constituents set the agenda. A person that asked me that question was reading from language that they got off of the Internet. It scared my constituents. And the specific language I used was language that the president had used at Portsmouth (see August 11, 2009), and I thought that it was—if he used the language, then if I responded exactly the same way, that I had an opposite concern about not using end-of-life counseling for saving money, then I was answering.… You would get into the issue of saving money, and put these three things together and you are scaring a lot of people when I know the Pelosi bill doesn't intend to do that, but that's where it leads people to." Schieffer asks Grassley directly if the House legislation "would pull the plug on Grandma." Grassley responds, "It won't do that," but then goes on to say that such claims are effective: "It just scares the devil out of people. So that [provision for end-of-life counseling] ought to be dropped." The progressive news and advocacy Web site Think Progress notes that Obama did indeed use the phrase "pull the plug on Grandma," but he "used it as an example of the lies his opponents were pushing around to scare the American public." [Think Progress, 8/23/2009]
Entity Tags: Think Progress (.org), Bob Schieffer, Charles Grassley, Barack Obama
Timeline Tags: US Health Care
The Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) interviews David Barstow, the New York Times reporter who just published a front-page research article about the "tea party" movement (see February 15, 2010). Barstow says the article was sparked by the raucous, sometimes-violent events of the "town halls" of the summer of 2009 (see July 23, 2009, July 24, 2009, July 27, 2009, July 27, 2009, July 28, 2009, August 1, 2009, August 1, 2009, August 2, 2009, August 2, 2009, August 3, 2009, August 3, 2009, August 3, 2009, August 3, 2009, August 3, 2009, August 4, 2009, August 4, 2009, August 4, 2009, August 4, 2009, August 5, 2009, August 5, 2009, August 5, 2009, August 5, 2009, August 5, 2009, August 6, 2009, August 6, 2009, August 6, 2009, August 6-7, 2009, August 6-8, 2009, August 7, 2009, August 8, 2009, August 8, 2009, August 8, 2009, August 8, 2009, August 10, 2009, August 10, 2009, and August 11, 2009). Joined Tea Party Express Bus Tour, Stayed in Spokane Afterwards - He joined the Tea Party Express bus tour (see August 28, 2009), and covered over 30 tea party rallies in a little over two weeks. Barstow realized, he says, that the Tea Party Express (TPE) was but one of many distinctive tea party organizations. TPE's goal is to gain seats for Republicans in Congress, and the tour organizers "were not really representative of the tea party movement as a whole, which was very much a grassroots creation that was drawing in lots of newcomers who were extremely concerned about preserving their independence and not being co-opted." Some tea party organizers agonized over whether to host the TPE tour in their towns. But, Barstow goes on to say, the bus tour itself was incidental to the final story. He was far more interested in the stories of ordinary Americans like Pam Stout, an interview subject who went from being completely uninvolved in politics to becoming president of her local tea party chapter. So many Americans' lives have been impacted by the recession, Barstow says, and many of those people have turned to their local tea parties to try to get involved in a movement to express their frustrations and perhaps do something about the government that they blame for allowing the economy to fail. The other driving force behind the tea parties, he says, is the members' overwhelming fear of "impending tyranny." Most tea partiers fear that American democracy will disappear, perhaps during their own lifetimes, to be replaced by some form of dictatorship or "one-world government" (see February 4-8, 2010). After the TPE bus tour concluded, Barstow stayed in Spokane, Washington, for the month of October 2009, interviewing many tea partiers and affiliated people. He chose the area because of its history of anti-government activism. He says he wanted to cover not just formal tea party organizations, but other groups with connections to the tea parties, including the 9/12 movement (see March 13, 2009 and After), the John Birch Society (JBS—see March 10, 1961 and December 2011), the Campaign for Liberty, and groups with strong ties to white supremacist militia organizations. From time spent in and around Spokane, he learned that the area's tea parties are quite disparate and factionalized, though "you can make too much of that. If you spend enough time talking to people in the movement, eventually you hear enough of the same kinds of ideas, the same kinds of concerns, and you begin to recognize what the ideology is, what the paradigm is that they're operating in.… There's a fear that both parties have been complicit in this giant charade that has done enormous damage to ordinary Americans. It's very complex, and yet at the same time there is something coherent about it." Increasing Militia Influence - Barstow says the influence of far-right, white supremacist militia groups on the tea party organizations in the Northwest and other areas is increasing. Even tea partiers who do not belong to or support militias often accept the idea of militias and civilian paramilitary training (see April 8, 2009, May 8-15, 2009, January 14, 2010, February 2010, July 23, 2010, August 24, 2010, August 24, 2010, and May 5, 2011). Understanding the Tea Parties - To understand the tea parties, Barstow says, one must read the literature that informs the movement. He recommends reading books such as W. Cleon Skousen's The 5000-Year Leap, a radical reinterpretation of the US Constitution; Edward Griffin's The Creature from Jekyll Island, a book purporting to prove the Federal Reserve is a fraudulent institution; and Atlas Shrugged, the novel by Ayn Rand that explicates her "objectivist" social philosophy. Barstow says the tea party movement is informed by "a robust intellectual subculture" that helps shape members' world views. According to Barstow, the tea parties are not, as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has maintained, becoming the activist conservative wing of the Republican Party (see April 21, 2010), but something more. "They are seeking a bigger transformation than just nudging the Republican Party a little bit to the right," Barstow says. "A lot of the coverage is about how these people want smaller government and less taxation. That's true, and yet it doesn't completely get what's going on." [Columbia Journalism Review, 2/18/2010]
Entity Tags: Tea Party Express, Republican Party, W. Cleon Skousen, Newt Gingrich, Campaign for Liberty, Ayn Rand, 9/12 Project, Columbia Journalism Review, David Barstow, Pam Stout, John Birch Society, Edward Griffin
Timeline Tags: Domestic Propaganda
Author Amity Shlaes is one of 13 people interviewed by the New York Times about their perceptions of the tea party movement. [Source: National Review]The New York Times, in light of a recent poll showing American tea party supporters to be whiter, wealthier, and more conservative than average Americans (see April 14, 2010), interviews a number of prominent historians, journalists, and political analysts about their views on the tea party. Tea Party Very Similar to Anti-Liberal Organizations of Generations Past - Rick Perlstein, the biographer of former president Richard Nixon and former Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ), writes of his "frustration" at "watching the rise of the tea party movement," calling it "ugly" and in opposition to "so many of the values I hold dear." He notes the "overwhelming historical myopia" of the news media's coverage of the tea party, saying that the current movement is comprised of "the same angry, ill-informed, overwhelmingly white, crypto-corporate paranoiacs that accompany every ascendancy of liberalism within US government" (see February 4-8, 2010, February 15, 2010, September 2010, and August 17, 2011). Perlstein quotes conservative activist Brent Bozell asking, "When was the last time you saw such a spontaneous eruption of conservative grass-roots anger, coast to coast?" and responds: "The answer, of course, is: in 1993. And 1977. And 1961. And so on. And so yet much of the commentariat takes Bozell at his word, reading what is happening as striking and new." Perlstein writes that the parallels between the current tea party movement and the previous movements opposing the Roosevelt, Kennedy, Carter, and Clinton administrations "are uncanny.… The only thing that changes is the name of the enemy within." In 1963, accusations flew that President Kennedy was "in bed" with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro to bring socialism to America; today, the accusations are that the "Muslim terrorist" President Obama wants to bring socialism to America, perhaps with the aid of Islamist terror groups. Perlstein says that in years past, the media was far more unflinching at labeling the reactionaries as "fringe" elements. "[B]ack then, they covered the story with much more moral courage and civic wisdom." Now, Perlstein writes, the media fawns over tea party leaders and the right-wing commentators who promote them (see August 11, 2009). 'Sullen, Defensive Mobilization' of Wealthier Americans who Fear the Poor - Author Michael Lind, the policy director of the centrist New America Foundation, advises Republicans and Democrats both to "ignore this faux populist base of the GOP and focus instead on the genuine swing voters." Tea partiers, Lind writes, are not "[p]itchfork-wielding populists," but are closer to "the affluent members of the Liberty League who vilified President Roosevelt in the 1930s (see August 23, 1934 and After)—a sullen, defensive mobilization of the Have-Somes who dread the Have-Nots. The tea partiers put the 'petty' in petty bourgeoisie. They are disgruntled conservative Fox Republicans." Tea Parties Focusing on Constitutional Issues - Author Steven F. Hayward, a resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, lauds the tea parties as primarily focused on economic and constitutional issues (see May 2010), and more supportive of gay rights, abortion rights, and limited gun restrictions than the media may admit. Hayward writes that he is surprised that most tea partiers are "more economically secure than the general population" and better-educated than the average American: "[T]he narrative that the tea partiers are a bunch of pitchfork populist rubes becomes harder to maintain." Racism does not permeate the tea parties, Hayward argues (see February 27, 2009, April 2009, July 2009, August 4, 2009, August 4, 2009, August 11, 2009, September 2009, September 14, 2009, October 15, 2009 and After, January 14, 2010, February 2010, March 20, 2010, March 25, 2010, March 26, 2010, May 14, 2010, July 13, 2010, July 14, 2010, July 15, 2010, July 17-18, 2010, August 6, 2010, August 24, 2010, August 24, 2010, September 11, 2010, September 12, 2010, October 10, 2010, October 19, 2010, April 15, 2011, April 16, 2011, May 5, 2011, July 29, 2011 and After, August 22-30, 2011, and December 10, 2011), "though there is some evidence of polarization that is a problem for the tea party as a movement." Hayward opines that such racism that can be documented in tea party members "is likely an aspect of party politics today." He also states that tea party supporters do not believe the "birther" conspiracy theory that Obama is not an American citizen any more than the average American, a statement at odds with many other analyses of tea party ideologies (see October 2008, January 8, 2009, June 4, 2009, February 4-8, 2010, February 15, 2010, September 2010, April 13-15, 2011, and July 1-2, 2011), even though the poll shows that only 41 percent of the tea party supporters believe that Obama is a "natural-born citizen." The driving factor behind so many Americans with no previous history of political involvement is, he writes, the fact that most tea party members "are moderates who are simply shocked by Obama's great leap forward in the size of government," and he compares the tea parties to the third-party backers of presidential candidate H. Ross Perot in 1992. He concludes, "The real promise of the tea party movement is that it may lead to a reinvigoration of the idea of constitutional limits on government—an idea liberals may find quaint if not hopelessly obsolete." Long-Discredited 'Radical Right' Views Propelling Tea Parties - Author and university professor Alan Wolfe, a self-described liberal, derides the tea parties as little more than a repackaged version of the "radical right" which has long been a part of America's body politic. The tea party movement, Wolfe writes, has given "American intellectuals whose views have been out of fashion for some time" a new platform with which to express their ideas. The same ideas that drove the McCarthyite "Red scare" of the 1950s are driving the tea parties today, Wolfe writes, and points to the increasing involvement of organizations such as the John Birch Society (JBS—see March 10, 1961) in the tea party movement (see July 22, 2007, August 4, 2008, October 10, 2008, April 13, 2009, April 19, 2010, and August 24, 2010). Like the people who support the JBS both now and in the 1950s, tea partiers are driven "not so much to their economic circumstances as to their status anxieties." They fear the changing, increasingly diverse and cosmopolitan society around them, and dislike, or sometimes even hate, the seeming "encroachment" of minorities and lower-class Americans on their lives. Wolfe says that the idea that tea party members do not embrace racist values any more than other Americans is specious; their poll responses can be explained, he writes, by noting that "people who respond to them have learned to hide their true feelings." He concludes: "At the risk of sounding condescending, these people have lost all perspective. They know how to kvetch. They know nothing about what makes their country great. Instead of watching Glenn Beck, I would urge them to learn more about their country's history—or to go and see a shrink." Using Coded Appeals to Race - Law professor Paul Butler writes that while most tea partiers are "more uber-Republicans than Klansmen," the organizations are very good at using racist "code words" to appeal to racist whites while maintaining plausible deniability about their inherent appeal to racist politics. "The tea party is smart enough not to frame its agenda around white supremacy, but the code words are there," he writes "[T]he most virulent anti-Obama force in the country is smart enough not to frame its agenda around white supremacy—at least not explicitly." While most tea partiers were clever enough not to indicate that they were bluntly racist in the poll results, the fact that a strong majority of them "believe that too much has been made of the problems that African-Americans face, and that the administration favors blacks over whites," is quite telling, Butler writes. "Overwhelmingly they believe that Barack Obama doesn't share the needs and problems of people like them, or the values of 'most Americans.' These code words have been around long enough, everybody gets them." Poll Does Not Support Idea that Tea Partiers Embrace Bigotry - Author and columnist Amity Shlaes writes that the poll numbers do not support the "media stereotype" that tea party supporters "are racist or intolerant. The media depicts tea partiers as bigots who look down on minorities, but that doesn't seem to be the case." Similarly, she argues, the poll results do not support the idea that tea party supporters believe Obama is a Muslim any more than average Americans do. As the tea party organizers claim, the movement is largely about economics, Shales writes. Fear of Loss of Control - History professor and author Alan Brinkley calls the tea party "the party of me," and compares its members demographically to the Americans who supported the McCarthyite "Red scare" inquisitions and the Clinton-era Whitewater investigations—predominantly white males, significantly wealthier than the average American, far more conservative than the mainstream, and fearful of the prospect that conservative white males might not continue to exert control over American society. "[W]hat seems to motivate them the most is a fear of a reduction in their own status—economically and socially," Brinkley writes. As for their economic worries, he writes, "[T]heir concern is not the state of the economy as a whole, but their own economic conditions." Brinkley concludes: "The real issue, I believe, is a sense among white males that they are somehow being displaced, that the country is no longer 'theirs,' that minorities and immigrants are becoming more and more powerful within society. And, of course, they are right about that. They just fear it more than many other Americans." Unrealistic Belief that Government Can Exist without Taxation - Author and former political science professor Lorenzo Morris writes that the tea party's position on taxes is extremist: "The tea party supporters seem to think that government can exist without taxes." The American experiment with the Articles of Confederation, which provided no real tax income at all, proves that idea to be wrong, Morris writes, but "[w]ith enough time and historical romanticism, however, bad ideas come back around." He writes that the current appearance of the tea parties has become less "vitriolic and menacing" than their image from the summer of 2009, when their vociferous and sometimes-violent protesting of health care reform painted them as frightening and bigoted (see July 23, 2009, July 24, 2009, July 27, 2009, July 27, 2009, July 28, 2009, August 1, 2009, August 1, 2009, August 2, 2009, August 2, 2009, August 3, 2009, August 3, 2009, August 3, 2009, August 3, 2009, August 3, 2009, August 4, 2009, August 4, 2009, August 4, 2009, August 4, 2009, August 5, 2009, August 5, 2009, August 5, 2009, August 5, 2009, August 5, 2009, August 6, 2009, August 6, 2009, August 6, 2009, August 6-7, 2009, August 6-8, 2009, August 7, 2009, August 8, 2009, August 8, 2009, August 8, 2009, August 8, 2009, August 10, 2009, August 10, 2009, and August 11, 2009). The tea parties have begun to win the approval of right-wing Republican figures, including many of those who intend a presidential run in 2012. But, he concludes, their rigid disapproval of taxes as a concept, and taxation as a reality, means that they will inevitably "repeat the folly of those early Americans who thought there could be government with no taxes." Anger without Willingness to Make Real Change - Law professor Susan Estrich notes that the poll indicates a large reservoir of approval for former Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK), the 2008 vice-presidential nominee for the Republican Party, but a strong doubt that she is competent to lead the nation. "Tea party types may be mad," Estrich writes, "but they aren't buying President Palin. And if they aren't, who would?" Estrich goes on to note that tea party supporters, "like most of us… want to have it both ways: they want their Social Security and smaller government, want major cuts but not in Medicare, which is a little like having your cake and eating it, too. If you want to really reduce the size of government, that means cutting defense and entitlements. If you're not willing to do that, what you get is big talk and no action, which is ultimately a recipe for anger." She concludes by calling the racial element "lurking in the polls" "troubling." Motivated by Racial Concerns - Author and Democratic activist Bob Moser writes of his familiarity with tea parties in Texas, "where the movement has flared up hotter than just about anywhere else," and his lack of surprise at the demographics: white, conservative, male, and relatively affluent. The concern about the nation's economic tribulations, and the anger directed at Obama, is understandable, he writes. However, "[w]hat strikes me is how often America's great and terrible obsession, race, slithers around the poll numbers." The poll numbers may not directly bear out the racism and bigotry that exists in the ranks of the tea partiers, Moser writes, "[b]ut it's impossible to shrug off the collective impressions left by the data. Why, exactly, do 73 percent of tea partiers say that the president does not understand 'the needs and problems of people like yourself'?" The movement works hard to marginalize Americans who disagree with them, particularly Obama, as un-American, not a member of "we the people." Moser notes that almost three-quarters of the tea party supporters "say that black and white people have an 'equal' chance of 'getting ahead in today's society.' If that's not colorblindness, it's certainly some kind of blindness." Moser concludes by writing that the tea party movement is achieving both goals set by "its corporate Republican conjurers," both "becoming the political expression of a white-resistance movement being spurred by anxieties over the economy, the black 'socialist' president, and the coming end of majority-white America… [and] leaning, at least in 2010, strongly Republican in attitude." Healthy Expression of Populism - Political analyst David Gergen writes that the perception of the tea parties as angry, bitter, and divisive is untrue. He describes the latest rally he attended as "festive and friendly." While many protest higher taxes and bigger government, Gergen writes, their claims that opposing Obama does not entail a racist viewpoint are true. "[M]any feel stung by what they see as misrepresentations in the press," he writes. Gergen compares the 2010 tea partiers to the Ross Perot voters of 1992: "Those who supported Mr. Perot were mostly white, a little better educated than the general population and much more concerned about government deficits than government peeking into bedrooms. They were also more from the West and South but had pockets of support scattered around the country." He notes that 18 percent of Americans identify themselves as tea party supporters; in 1992, 19 percent of voters cast their votes for Perot. He calls them a healthy expression of American populism and concludes: "Many of these tea partiers are fearful of how the country is changing. Some circles look down upon them; it would be far wiser to listen, understand and find ways to heal." Heralding GOP Success for 2010, Problems Farther On - Andrew Kohut, the president of the Pew Research Center and a political polls expert, says the poll numbers "augur well for the Republicans in November's midterm elections: the politically energized supra conservatives—the 1 in 5 who are universally disaffected with national conditions, and with Barack Obama and with his policies—are likely to be a strong advantage in the midterms, where typically fewer than 4 of 10 eligible citizens vote." The Republicans' biggest challenge is to keep the tea party supporters' votes while simultaneously attracting independents and moderates. And a move by the GOP to the right, to further embrace the tea partiers, "may not bode well for the party in the longer run, given the new primacy of independent voters, a power that was on full display in 2008." Moreover, the tea parties may well co-opt the GOP, going from "the tail that wags the dog" to becoming "the dog itself." Kohut writes: "Looking ahead, our polling suggests that the Republican party needs unifying themes and leadership. A tea party-led GOP may not be the prescription for that." Economic Concerns Drive Tea Party Success - Political consultant Douglas Schoen says the fact that almost 1 in 5 Americans support the tea party "extraordinary, given that the movement is not active in half of America and that its name recognition is not universal." Schoen gives no credence to "what appear to be the class-based or race-based attitudes of the tea party movement," and writes that the movement is instead propelled by economic concerns. Schoen says that statistics aside, he believes the tea party movement to be far more diverse than the polls indicate (see September 2010). Almost half its supporters identify themselves as non-Republicans, and a quarter of them claim to have voted for Obama in 2008, he says. [New York Times, 4/15/2010]
Entity Tags: Bob Moser, Barack Obama, Amity Shlaes, Alan Wolfe, Alan Brinkley, Susan Estrich, Andrew Kohut, Steven F. Hayward, Paul Butler, Michael Lind, Douglas Schoen, Lorenzo Morris, Brent Bozell, David Gergen, Rick Perlstein, New York Times
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Vivaldi's Four Seasons: A tour de force for Jonathan Crow and the Toronto Summer Music Festival's Academy Fellows!
JJ Tui and Eric Guo
Music reviews of the finest concerts in Toronto and beyond!
- symphonic, choral, opera, chamber, jazz and period music -
Artistic Director Jonathan Crow
Young pianists Eric Guo and JJ Tui sparkle in a Shuffe Hour concert.
Artistic Director Jonathan Crow and Festival Academy Fellows
Photo credit: Gord Fulton
Review by David Richards
Toronto ON July 26th 2018
Arriving in town early for the evening concert allowed us to enjoy a sparkling performance by two students of the Royal Conservatory's Phil and Eli Taylor Academy for Young Artists. Eric Guo, age 14, played an all Chopin program as he prepares for a Chopin competition in Russia in two weeks. JJ Tui, age 15, played a program of Ravel, Beethoven, Liszt and Prokofiev. Both displayed mature artistry and flawless technique. The dedication to their learning was evident as was the quality of instruction they have been receiving. It was an outstanding hour of delightful music. The concert at Heliconian Hall was one of a series of 5 o'clock free concerts in the Toronto Summer Music Festival.
The Toronto Summer Music Festival continues through Saturday August 4th with concerts and special events daily.
Last night's performance was a tour de force for Crow, who had performed with the New Orford String Quartet the previous evening and will again tomorrow evening. He and seventeen string players along with harpsichordist Christopher Bagan provided convincing depictions of the birds, waves, lightning, thunder, wind, hunters, and blinding cold. Crow combined the roles of orchestra leader and soloist with equal commitment. I loved his energetic tempos. The robust gaity of the opening movement of Spring with its contrasting portrayals of storms and birds was delightful. The lyrical beauty of Crow's solo violin painting a musical picture of a sleeping goat herd, interrupted by the barking dogs (viola) in the second movement was sublime. Each of the other three concertos (Summer, Autumn and Winter) told the story and emotional reactions to the respective seasons. The beauty and excitement created by Crow and the ensemble was breathtaking.
Preceding each concerto was a reading of the sonnet published along with the music. These sonnets, no doubt written by Vivaldi himself, form the basis of the music. They were read by four members of the orchestra, first violinist Katya Poplyanski, violist Julia Swain, cellist Rebecca Shasberger and cellist Emma Schmiedecke. The readings set the stage for the music to follow.
Before the Vivaldi, the opening work of the program gave the Festival theme's needed reference to war. Battalia à 10 for Three Violins, Four Violas, Two Cellos and Harpsichord by Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber is a programmatic work depicting the aspects of the battle in four short movements. The strange instrumentation was just the beginning of a most interesting piece of music.The sound effects including foot-stomping; a battle drum (cellists Tim Paek and Emma Schmiedecke playing with paper under the strings); the dissonant cacophony of various pop songs performed simultaneously depicting drunken soldiers; and the guns (pizzicato cellos) added realism and scornful humour. The lament for the fallen soldiers revealed Biber's feelings about war. Violinist Samuel Park led the group very capably through the rarely heard, yet entertaining score.
The summer music festival season is flying by and last night's concert at the Church of the Redeemer was a reminder. If in a span of forty-minutes we could be whisked through an entire year in Vivaldi's famous Four Seasons, how quickly will the last few weeks of summer music festivals soar by? Jonathan Crow, Artistic Director of the Toronto Summer Music Festival led a chamber orchestra made up of the Festival's Academy Fellows in a spirited and dramatic performance of the masterpiece.
As much as I looked forward to this familiar music, I wondered how it related to the theme of the TSMF, Reflections on Wartime. In the year in which Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons for Violin, Strings and Continuo Op. 8, No. 1-4 was published in Amsterdam, 1725, there was no European war taking place. There were treaties signed in Vienna and Hanover that year, but no fighting that I can find by googling the year. Perhaps, the poem from the Book of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 "To everything there is a season" provides a link to the theme if one is really searching for one. Its last line reads "A time of war and a time of peace".
Every major celebrity violinist has performed or recorded the Four Seasons. It goes along with those by Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky as the most popular in the repertoire. One can find countless recorded versions on Youtube. Jonathan Crow's work fits right in with the best of the Vivaldi interpreters.

subset: commoncrawl


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I want to talk about embarrassment. Its a hard thing with which to contend. We all have to deal with it many times in many situations. The trick to coping with embarrassment is to understand that it is an internal force. Embarrassment works by eroding the foundation of self-esteem. If a person is comfortable with themselves the actions of other people can't embarrass them.
a couple of weeks ago, I went to the mall for coffee with a friend. I needed to wait. So I ran around the mall for a while. While I was doing that, three different children asked their parents What was wrong with me. Each of their parents chastised them loudly enough for me to hear. I was neither embarrassed nor offended by their question, in fact, I would have gladly answered them. The children asked their question because they saw someone who looked different and wanted to understand why, not because they wanted to cause pain or embarrassment.
If our society wants children to learn tact and discretion, they need to be given an opportunity to exercise and hone that skill. We also need to teach them that being different is alright. One of the ways we can do that is to indulge innocent childish curiosity. What do you think those kids learned by being chastised the way they were? They could have learned not to look at or speak with people in wheelchairs. They may ignore them in the future. That doesn't make my life easier, and, more importantly, it won't make their life easier either. It will only perpetuate their ignorance and fear. We need to let children be children, despite potential embarrassment. If we do that, life will be better for everyone.


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My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of: Kansas
I am an international student living in Kansas. I was living in an apartment which had its lease till the 31st of Jan. I was sent regular emails to extend my lease but since I was planning to move out I didn't sign the extension. Now I'm new to the US and I had no idea that I had to let the renter know 30 days prior of moving out. I moved out before the 31st and after 2 days received a notification that the rent of February was being taken from me as well. I contacted the leasing agent and they said there's nothing they can do. If only I had received any email or message suggesting me to give a notice prior leaving from them I would have done it. I am a student and giving out the rent of 2 places in a month is really tough for me. Is there anything I can do?


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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Seattle
Posts: 361
forum RP + mud RP game
I'm looking for some ideas on how to structure a mud where you include forum RP as part of the game. Think of this as a cross between forum RP (PBP for play-by-post), a mud, and possibly a persistant browser-based game (PBBG). Or, you could call it a PBPPBBGRPI . Bear with me -- it's just that I've never seen this done so that the forum/web game and the mud were each first-class citizens within the game. Hence my vocabulary is a little incoherent.
Anyway, at first glance it seems like for the forum RP to mechanically affect the mud you need some kind of tokens or points earned within the forum RP. Furthermore, unless you want the administrative overhead of a judge for every forum RP thread, you would need some automated process to reward points and/or effect mechanical changes in the game state. That seems like a pretty big problem at first. I don't want to judge the quality of RP itself, just somehow judge the mechanical effect of that RP on the game state. Are there any examples or ideas out there for that?
For a PBBG it would be more straightforward -- you would code a game that could directly affect the mud game state.
Some more issues -- how do you deal with the flow of time between an asynchronous game (the forum RP) and a synchronous game (the mud). Do you somehow structure the forum RP into weekly or daily turns and integrate that with the mud?
Now, the interface. While I would want browser-based access to the mud, I think it also would be cool if a player could play the mud with essentially no knowledge or interest in the forum RP. But then you would want a two-way flow of game state between the mud and the forum RP, otherwise you lose a lot of potential dynamic play between the two forms. How do you flow game state from the mud to the forum RP? For example, if I defeat a boss in the mud, do you need some judge to manually write a forum post? Do you post some generated story with a bot (sounds too spammy, no?).
Lastly, if anyone is interested in developing this 'for realz', please contact me. I think this could be pretty damn cool. Furthermore there is a very large portion of 'text game' players who are RPing in forums and have never looked at (or will look at) a mud. If muds and forum RP could be set up to play off each other in a shared world I think that would kick some serious a#*.
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 128
Re: forum RP + mud RP game
Definitely worth investigating, and if you do it well who knows what you can do with it . That said, my experience is that it's a tough call to replicate the versatility of forums in a MU*, although that probably depends on the flexibility of your MU*. And, it's definitely an appeal to the roleplaying end of the spectrum, ie one type of mud player.
We get a lot of crossover from various wheel of time roleplaying forums to the wheel of time mud, but whilst some folk do get into the MUD, it's a bit of a stretch, because in our MUD you have to actually prove yourself using in-game quests and achievements to be worthy of certain roleplaying positions (for examples fades have to be good pkillers), whereas in the roleplaying forums I see it's often a case of signing up on the dotted line and then pretending to be whoever you want to pretend to be. Some of the forum roleplayers get a bit ****y about that whole idea of having to be competent rather than just signing on the line .
But, in terms of community, some of those roleplaying forums are huge, and my (profoundly unscientific) guess would be that there are many more people roleplaying on wheel of time forums than on wheel of time MU*s. Not too surprising - for your average Net user forums are much more familiar territory and don't seem so old-hat. Though, roleplaying forums, certainly within the wheel of time sphere, come and go like crazy, there's a new one almost every month, I guess this maybe reflects the ease of setting these up?
|Thread Tools


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Wednesday, August 5, 2009
"Tractor Pull" Poster
These are the very first posters I have hand printed using the screen printing process. I did the illustration by hand based on a tractor that we borrowed for our garden this spring. I laid out the poster with Adobe Illustrator, and also did the color separations with AI. I made a screen for each color, and printed the color poster twice, lining the images up from each screen... a two-color image. Also, the tractor pull event is entirely fake, I made it up and made it on Greg's birthday. He is 45 years old this year, so it is the "45th Annual."
Where I used to work, we used the screen printing process also -- except we used it to print solder paste onto printed circuit boards. I found it interesting that the types of problems we had with the screen printing process at the factory also translated to this process. Registration, snapoff, etc have to be just right to get a good print. It's a challenge, but overall, the process really intrigues me and I hope to have lots of new artwork to share with you.
Posted by girl*in*gear studio at 2:07 PM No comments:
Labels: experiment, hand print, Idaho, illustration, local, poster, screen print, two color
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Foodie Challenge #6
Hi there!
Another Foodie Challenge post! This time it's a side dish I prepared last night to go along with some grilled chicken breast and sweet potato. I had plenty leftover and enjoyed the rest for lunch today. This recipe is based off of what I fancied at the time!
Ingredients (for one);
- 1/2 apple, cubed.
- 1 beetroot, cubed.
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.
- 1/4 red onion, finely chopped (you can have more, but I'm not a huge fan of red onion).
- 1/2 orange, peeled and roughly chopped.
- 1 cup red cabbage, shredded.
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar.
- 4 tablespoons olive oil.
- Salt.
- Pepper.
- 1 garlic glove.
- In bowl/jar/bottle mix the salt, pepper, garlic (which has been squashed but not chopped), olive oil and balsmic together. Set to one side.
- Mix all the other ingredients into a bowl.
- Pour over the dressing (as much or as little as you want).
- Done. Easier than mixing up a protein shake.
I've included this one in my foodie challenge series because it's a recipe I'd never tried before using an ingredient I'd never used before; red cabbage. It's super simple, cheap and healthy! It's also really colourful!
Gym Bug


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It's taken ten-plus years for Nebraska to reach the big screen. Bob Nelson, a struggling sketch comic writer from Seattle, wrote the screenplay (his first) in between gigs on a dare from a colleague. Little did Nelson know that over a decade later, his script would be brought to life by one of the most respected writer/directors today: Alexander Payne (Sideways). Now Nebraska is poised to receive award's notice for acting, directing and even screenwriting. This doesn't seem to have phased Nelson at all – who in our fifteen minute interview, seemed equal parts humbled and surprised by the film's attention and success.
In the following interview with screenwriter Bob Nelson, he discusses recreating Nebraska (the place) on page, his family's reaction to the screenplay/film, the rewriting process, and the original scrapped alternate ending to the screenplay. For the full interview, hit the jump.
(Of note: Bob Nelson discusses the film's ending towards the end of this interview. It has been marked with a spoiler warning…)
It's been a busy week for Nebraska with the New Beverly screening and the LA premiere at AFI Fest… How has it been touring and promoting the film?
Bob Nelson: It's been a whirlwind. I'm still in shock from it all. I never envisioned doing so much on the promotion side. But Paramount has put me out there and I love talking about the film. It's almost overwhelming in a sense but on the other hand it's great to see the reactions. You mentioned the LA premiere. I brought my mom down for that.
What was her reaction to the film?
Bob Nelson: Oh – she loved it. She's actually in it for five seconds.
Really? Who does she play?
Bob Nelson: She's Lady #1 walking to the salad bar in the karaoke scene. So she has her five seconds of fame in the movie.
What's been your family's overall reaction been to the screenplay and the film?
Bob Nelson: Pretty good. My brothers and sisters haven't seen it yet – so we'll see. I know they'll be brutally honest. I have six cousins in Minneapolis who went to a screening of the film. I hadn't seen them in years. But they got in touch with my mom and told her they loved it.
That's interesting because the cousins and distant family in the film aren't particularly portrayed in a positive light…
Bob Nelson: Yeah… My relatives have the greatest senses of humor. Very dry wit. Very self-deprecating. They can take a little poking fun.
The movie does seem to come from a deeply personal place. How much of it is based on real life experiences you've had?
Bob Nelson: A lot of it actually. My family is from the Midwest. They moved to the Seattle area when I was very young but we went back a lot and visited. So a lot of it is taken from that. A lot of it is taken from my parents. My dad was the original inspiration for the Woody character. He was also a mechanic. A very trusting and nice guy. He [like Woody] would have his tools stolen all the time. I found out years later he was shot down in World War II and he never talked about it. The uncles that you see are very much like the uncles I grew up with. Hard working farmers. I borrowed as much as I could from real life to start the story out. I think that's one reason my mom really enjoyed it. It's a trip back for her.
You've mentioned you didn't actually grow up in the Midwest…
Bob Nelson: That's right. When I was six weeks old, they got me out of there. But as I was growing up, we visited my relatives a lot down there. I loved it. My mother's from a small town and my father's from a farm just out of town – so I would get the small town 'home feel' and then get to stand out on the farm. I thought it was great. I was a little upset with my parents for moving.
It strikes me Nebraska's as much a character in the film as anybody else. How do you go about recreating this place on the page for the screenplay?
Bob Nelson: I did little descriptions in my draft. I was excited when I was writing it because it's an area you don't see much on film. I tried to give little descriptions of the town and the farms and the people. But Alexander [Payne] did an un-credited rewrite of the script and he added to that. Then when we he went out to shoot, he scouted locations. He's from Nebraska – so he already had a head start there.
How much did the screenplay change from your drafts to what's on the screen right now?
Bob Nelson: I see quite a bit of Alexander in it. Watching it now, quite a few of his lines are in there. He did a lot of work on Act One. It's probably at least half his now. Maybe more. But the basic structure, plot, scenes and characters are all still intact. Alexander definitely took it to another level. I can give an example: in my first draft, the David character works in a cubicle and you don't even know what he does. And Ross is an insurance salesman. Alexander changed both their professions to give them a little bit of a sibling rivalry. A little bit of a conflict so that when they have their moment together later on with the air compressor, they have an [arc] too. So things like that really made a big difference. In my first draft, they didn't go to Mount Rushmore. That was an Alexander addition. Coming to take the photograph and having the thirteen-year-old boy be the photographer was all Alexander. In every scene, there may be an Alexander line or two there. It's been great. You always have this dream as a writer to collaborate with the best and I fulfilled that dream.
Going back to the beginning – how did the script get into Alexander's hands?
Bob Nelson: I worked in the Seattle television industry. Bill Nye the Science Guy started out on the same show I did: a sketch show called Almost Live. [Bill] came back to do a short program called The Eyes of the Nye for the local PBS station. A producer named Julie Thompson came up to help work on that show. I told her I'd written this script and she asked to read it. She told me she knows this guy named Ron Yerxa [producer on Election and Little Miss Sunshine] through a charity and this might be the kind of story that would interest him. She got it to Ron. Ron showed it to his partner Albert Berger. The two of them decided to send it to Alexander basically asking if he knew of any up and coming directors maybe from the Midwest who would understand these people and this story. That's when the big shock came back: Alexander said he'd like to do it someday.
Nebraska is your first written screenplay. When did you start writing it?
Bob Nelson: I wrote it in 2002. It was put out to those producers late in 2003. I had just finished writing it before Bill Nye called and asked me to work on his show for a year.
What was the impetus for writing a screenplay? I know you have a background in sketch comedy – why a feature?
Bob Nelson: Everything had dried up in Seattle for TV but I had friends in television in LA who said come on down and we'll help you find work. One of them said [producers] really love screenplays because it shows you can develop a story and characters. It was actually my friend Kit Boss, who wrote and produced for King of the Hill and Bob's Burgers, [that] said 'If you have a screenplay idea, write it up.'
What made you settle on writing a drama as opposed to a comedy given your background?
Bob Nelson: I worked in writing sketches and jokes, but I grew up with Horton Foote and John Updike. I had always wanted to come up with an idea that's as much (if not more) drama than comedy. This one seemed like it would fit the bill. [Plus] when Kit told me to write a screenplay, this was the only idea I had. It gave me a chance to write drama but I could also fall back on what I've learned about writing comedy. So it seemed like the right one to do. In fact: it was the only one I had.
Given that you had never written a screenplay before, how did you go about structuring and outlining Nebraska?
Bob Nelson: Well — I just jumped into it. I wrote twenty pages and came to a complete dead stop when I realized I didn't know what I was doing. I had to stop for several months and educate myself. Read screenplays and really look at movies again in a different way. Look at story structure. Even then, before I jumped back into the writing process, I tried to come up with just about every scene in the movie and outline it. That's when I was finally able to write it. Once I knew almost every scene, then I just wrote as quickly as possible and came up with my very first draft. That's when the fun starts. Once you have the first draft, you can start rewriting. No matter how bad [the first draft] is, once you start reworking it, it's going to get better in some way.
How many rewrites did you go through on Nebraska's screenplay?
Bob Nelson: I wouldn't call them rewrites. But after I did my first draft, I probably went through the script fifty times. The first two would probably be called rewrites. [I was] changing scenes around, cutting and adding things. But the last twenty or thirty times though was mainly refining it. Just challenging myself to find a better line here or there. And by the last couple, it was down to the spelling.
How did the script change from those earlier drafts?
Bob Nelson: I did one rewrite based on Alexander's notes after he became attached. That's when we added the Mount Rushmore scene. But when he did his rewrite, he's the one who changed the brothers' occupation. But for the most part, it stayed pretty much intact as far as structure goes. I can give you a spoiler if you want…
Sure – go for it. I'll put a spoiler warning around it.
Bob Nelson: In my draft, David has a big confrontation with the manager [of the car exchange] and basically has a showdown. [He] bluffs the manager into giving him the truck. I was never thrilled about that ending but I thought I have to write a bigger ending when I show this to people because that's what they're expecting. One of the nice things about Alexander coming on, he's got the power now to not necessarily have fireworks at the end; to make it a little subtler. So it was his idea that that doesn't happen. I [then] had it where the sweepstakes company gives Woody the truck and he drives the truck down a rural road. David lets him drive it out there. When they get back to town, they take that same drive through town but David is now driving and Woody's sitting in the passenger seat in all of his glory, the hat on still. But it was Alexander's great idea, I thought, to take those two sequences and combine them into one and to have Woody driving down the street. I think it was absolutely the right way to do it. When he sent me the rewrite with that in it, I basically said 'Of Course…'
What sort of scripts or films did you look to as a blueprint for the screenplay?
Bob Nelson: Horton Foote was always the one I looked to as writing these very realistic stories about real people. Tender Mercies. The Trip to Bountiful. But by that time, Alexander had come out with Election and I always loved The Coen Brothers. I loved Hal Ashby films. Billy Wilder films. The thing all of those films have in common is they're able to successfully find drama in comedy. So when I sat down to write [Nebraska], I had all of those people in mind. It's tricky. A lot of time people I know want a straight drama or a straight comedy, but I've always loved the ones that fall in between. Because to me that's what real life is.
Nebraska is currently playing in select theaters.


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Santa's helpers finally showed up...
After they helped me decorate a couple stayed behind to hang out on the wreath...
We made this wreath by hot gluing different types of moss to a Styrofoam wreath base. We then added bits of pepper berry and bark with a couple of beaded flowers for sparkle.
The tree... we got a tiny one this year (because the house is so full!!)
Sorry I am not a photographer! I tried to capture the lights at night... it didn't work too well.
I love to add natural bits in like Heather, Succulents and Eucalyptus. It makes the tree look full and pretty even in the day time.
A drawer full of elves and Santas..
A collection of Nutcrackers, some from my mom and snow globes too...
My all time favorite story... Peter Pan. This globe is so fun. When you wind up the music box Peter flies around Big Ben. Wendy, Michael and John are shown on the bottom flying around the buildings of London.
A Santa globe.
A little village scene...
I wish I could shrink down to a pixy size and play in the houses, except my cats would probably catch me and eat me!
There are only two of us but I have stockings for lots of feet! They are just so fun! Since we do not have a fireplace I just hang them around the walls.
Assorted books spanning my childhood up to the present. "The Night Before Christmas" on the right I have had since I was one.
"The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugarplums danced in their heads"
As a kid I used to look at this picture for hours desperately wanting to fall into it... It is probably part of the reason I am obsessed with faries now.
Anyway just some fun bits to show you... In the next post I will have a tutorial on how to make custom garland of which I made about 100 feet today!
Enjoy the festive season, don't forget to go play and have fun in the midst of all the craziness!


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On the way home from Bathurst we decided to tick off a few more dots on the map. Would we once again be surprised to to find hidden hamlets beside the highway we traverse so often?
Walang turned out to have a modern real estate development but further down the road that rambles along beside the highway an older history could be found. I think it is a while since this community hall has been used. In fact everything was old damp and mouldering down this road, more tomorrow.


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Lifestyle Choices Are Important Asthma Causes
Smoking, too little exercise, and the wrong food can all be asthma causes. Learn the dos and don'ts of healthy choices, and gain control over your asthma.
Asthma triggers are varied and numerous, and among them are lifestyle choices and habits. Most people with asthma know they should give up smoking and avoid people who smoke — but did you know that obesity, lack of physical activity, poor diet, and stress are also indirect asthma causes? You can reduce your asthma causes by adopting a healthier lifestyle. Here's a list of some asthma causes dos and don'ts.
Stop Smoking to Eliminate a Prime Asthma Cause
"The single most important environmental factor that can make asthma worse is tobacco smoke," says Miles Weinberger, MD, a professor of pediatrics and director of the pediatric allergy and pulmonary division at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City. Children exposed to cigarette smoke in childhood and even in the womb have a greater risk for asthma symptoms, according to research published in the journal Chest in March 2015. Adults with asthma who smoke will find that their medications are less effective than they are in non-smokers, says Dr. Weinberger.
The American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, & Immunology (AAAAI) recommends staying away from cigarette smoke, so,
- DON'T go to smoky bars or other places where smoking is likely.
- DON'T allow smoking in your home or car.
- DON'T send your asthmatic child to a babysitter or daycare where people smoke.
Lose Excess Weight to Help Manage Asthma
Obesity is a sneaky asthma cause that makes it more difficult to control your symptoms. Extra pounds push down on the rib cage and lungs — making it that much harder for asthmatics to breathe properly. Obese people with asthma find that their asthma symptoms improve as they lose weight, according to research published in the March 2015 issue of Chest. So,
- DO talk to your doctor if you do not know what weight to aim for or how to get there safely.
Exercise to Control Asthma
"One thing that helps is that the better physical condition [asthma patients] are in, the better their aerobic capacity," Weinberger says. Exercise programs can build aerobic capacity and improve lung function, reducing asthma symptoms, according to research published in the April 2013 issue of the International Journal of Preventive Medicine. So,
- DO get out and start a fitness program. If you are not already physically active, make sure you talk to your doctor about how to begin an exercise program safely.
- DON'T write an excuse for your child with asthma to get out of physical exercise classes. Weinberger stresses that children need exercise, and it is best to work with the child's doctor to control the asthma rather than letting the child skip recess or sports practice.
- DON'T exercise outside when other asthma causes, such as ozone or pollen levels, are high.
- DO find an indoor exercise program you can enjoy when the weather prevents outdoor activity.
Manage Stress to Control Asthma
Whether stress is an asthma cause for you or the stress of asthma symptoms makes stopping an attack harder, the AAAAI states that learning how to manage stress may help reduce your risk for an asthma attack:
- DO know your asthma action plan. Feeling confident in your ability to respond to your symptoms may reduce some of your asthma stress.
- DO take yoga classes.
- DO try meditating regularly.
- DO practice deep breathing for relaxation.
- DO visit your doctor if you suspect panic attacks are an asthma cause for you.
- DON'T just go to the doctor when you're having asthma symptoms — try to check in on a regular basis so that your medications can be managed properly.
Adopting healthy lifestyle choices will make you feel good overall, and you just might breathe easier too.


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April 16 (UPI) -- A Phase I clinical trial of an investigational drug has shown to be effective and safe for patients with thyroid and non-small cell lung cancers.
Researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston have been testing an oral drug, BLU-667, that treats cancers caused by an alteration in the receptor tyrosine kinase known as RET. Their findings were published Monday in the journal Cancer Discovery and presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018 in Chicago.
"There is a critical un-met need for effective drugs against cancers that have the RET alteration, as there are no highly potent inhibitors currently approved specifically for these RET-driven cancers," Dr. Vivek Subbiah, an assistant professor of investigational cancer therapeutics at MD Anderson, said in a press release. "The current treatments for these cancers are limited to traditional chemotherapy and earlier generations of multiple kinase inhibitors. These options have had limited success with often considerable side effects that significantly impact the patient's quality of life."
The authors noted that RET is linked to 50 percent of medullary thyroid cancers, 20 percent of papillary thyroid cancers and 1 percent to 2 percent of non-small cell lung cancers.
In the study, 43 patients with advanced tumors not eligible for surgery were examined along with 26 patients with medullary thyroid cancer, 15 with non-small cell lung cancer and two with other RET-driven cancers.
"Tumor reductions and durable responses were observed in most patients, especially those patients whose cancer progressed with chemotherapy and multi-kinase inhibitors," Subbiah said.
The successful response rate overall was 37 percent for RET-driven cancers, including 45 percent for non-small cell lung cancer and 32 percent for medullary thyroid.
"In vitro, BLU-667 demonstrated 10-fold increased potency over approved multi-kinase inhibitors against oncogenic RET variants and resistance mutants," the researchers wrote.
BLU-667 is 100 times more selective for RET than other kinases tested, the researchers said. The drug has shown it can be effective at stopping genetic mutations, which are known as gatekeepers and have been resistant to multiple kinase therapy.
The drug also has fewer side effects affecting non-cancerous organs.
"Overall, the data show the precision targeted therapy with next-generation kinase inhibitors can have a powerful impact for patients with RET-driven cancers," Subbiah said. "By offering a highly selective medicine tailored for this oncogenic driver, we hope this new therapy will enable patients to benefit from the recent advances in genomic profiling that have revolutionized treatment options for patients with kinase-driven diseases."


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22 Jun Glasgow – sitting still
Once again, my trail has brought me to Glasgow to see Mum. The hiking boots and the rucksack went south and I came north. Just a Virgin train and the No 4 bus from Central Station and I'm quickly back in another world. I had said that I would come and visit again now, but my arrival is always a surprise these days, a pleasant one I believe. This is perhaps the one upside of my mother's cognitive state of advanced forgetfulness, that plans vanish, slipping noiselessly and unnoticed from her mind.
From day after day walking mile after mile it's a sudden shift to the sitting position. For there is a lot of sitting to be done spending days with Mum. This is an indoor world of regular mealtimes and long silences. Yesterday, I sat watching her sleep. She complains of a deep tiredness that overwhelms her in the afternoons. She seemed to sleep with her eyes not quite shut as if staring intently into an inaccessible space. I wish I could see what's there in her sightline; but maybe it's better that I can't. Here I pass the days as an onlooker, sitting still.