Friday, July 29, 2016

Sex Catches Up With The Fox News Network

Roger Ailes, Fox News Chairman has resigned in the wake of a sexual harassment law suit by former employee Gretchen Carlson.  It is not the first law suit of its kind against a Fox news employee.  A few years ago a sexual harassment law suit was filed against Bill O'Reilly which was settled out of court by Fox News.

Ailes is credited with the success of the network and its conservative slanted rant against democrats.  His network preaches hateful things and billed itself as fair and balanced which any fair minded person would call a crock.  Fox tries to sell sex and outright lies on its network.  Its female hosts wear short skirts and the camera angle is set to show off a lot of legs but legs do not pretend to be attached to smart people and it shows, especially on Fox's show "outnumbered."

Ailes lack of character in his business dealings caught up to him because he feels he is elite and above it all.  The democrats that his network tries to discredit stand on high moral ground compared to Ailes and what he tries to sell.  It will be interesting to see if any thing change at the network with Ailes a gone pecan.

Don't hold your breath because the right wing element is deeply planted in the network.  But at least one of Fox's phonies has been exposed and it reached to the top man.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Hillary Clinton Picks Her Vice Presidential Running Mate

Tim Kaine, the present U.S. Senator from Virginia and former Mayor and governor was introduced to the nation on Saturday in Miami, Florida before a supporting large crowd as Clinton's running mate.  It was a very active crowd in the swing of things with a lot of applause and chanting USA, USA.  Clinton introduced Kaine as he sat on the stage near her.  Both the crowd and Kaine showed their emotions during the introduction.

When it was Kaine's turn to speak he and Clinton swapped position and both were on the stage together the whole time.  Both of their speeches were about a positive and progressive America, very different than the America Trump and his V.P. selection Mike Pence described at Pence's introduction.  Kaine gave a short "bio" of himself and spoke about 30 minutes.

There was an enthusiastic bond between Clinton, Kaine and the crowd who enjoyed each other.  Kaine quoted one of President Harry Truman's famous statements that "America was not built on fear" and the crowd loved it.  What a change from Trump's attempt to play the "fear card" on America this election year as republicans have done for so many years in the past.  Both John McCain and Mitt Romney tried it against Obama in 2008 and 2012.

Now its off to Philadelphia Monday for the Democratic National Convention and should be one with a positive theme and the people will have a chance to hear Clinton's vision for the future with sound positions on the issues.  The American people will have an opportunity to judge for themselves what party has the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates who are the "serious public servants."


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Note:  See my commentary dated 12/9/15 Titled, America Was Not Built On Fear etc,etc.  This was written seven months before Tim Kaine quoted President Truman's statement.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Donald Trump Fails To Live Up To His Alleged Standards

Donald Trump claims to be (1) Worth $10 billion (2) A great business man (3) A decisive manager and (4) Not a politician or part of the establishment.  He has good looking children who seem to be well educated and has been married three times so should act like a grown man, one would think.

So why does Trump lack civility in almost every statement he makes?  He chooses by his own free will to follow the personal attack position of his party's elected officials even though he says he is not a politician or part of the establishment.  A contradiction that really identifies a character flaw and a lack of personal integrity.  It is a part of his negative thinking and actions that will not allow him to be positive.  Positive things that take place in the U.S. hurts his ego because it  is out of his control and can not take credit for it.

Why does a self proclaimed rich business man choose to be extreme, negative and on many occasions out right lie?  Free will, ones ability to choose is the greatest freedom  man has.  Yet, Trump with all his wealth finds it easier and chooses to offend people.  Trump's negative attitude has also affected his campaign staff with threats against Ohio governor John Kasich because he did not attend the republican convention.

Trump has not lived up to his own alleged standards and has displayed a free will choice behavior that does not live up to the standards of a Presidential nominee or the office of President of the United States.  And that really says it all.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Part III: The Rosetta Stone To The War In Iraq.

Parts I and II were published in "PolitiDose" in December of 2007 and laid out what President Bush really knew about Iraq's WMD.  The war began in March 2003 over 13 years ago and the President in a televised speech in May 2003 aboard a Navy ship declared MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.  Bush's reasons for starting the war was Iraq's WMD (which did not exist at any time during his administration) and that Saddam and his military was a threat to the national security of the United States.  (They were not and the Gulf War of 1991 proved that.)

Part III will examine what question the news media failed to ask in the 13 years after the star of the war.  The answer will allow the average American to realize and understand what is taking place in Iraq and the middle east today and why.  The news media also allowed the Bush administration to intimidate them and failed to ask the proper questions in the run up to the war.  The question that was never asked of Bush or as an open question by the news media was:  Why did not President Bush end the war during his time in office.  After all he had 5 years and 9 months to do so.  Iraq had no WMD and Saddam's military was defeated, the very reasons given by Bush for going to war in the first place.  So why was he not able to end the war and bring our troops home.

The answer is the invasion and occupation of Iraq over WMD that did not exist destabilized Iraq and the middle east to such an extent it allowed terrorists and other groups to enter Iraq and the war left no government in place in Iraq.  It became a killing field that took the lives of over 4400 Americans and wounded another 30,000 plus.  And those casualties did not come at the hand of Iraq's military who were supposed to be the threat.  It was the terror groups and factions of other Iraqi groups who inflicted most of those casualties.

President Bush's neocon friends  said Iraq would be a cakewalk and failed to have a plan in place to run Iraq after the invasion.  They said we would be welcome as liberators and we were not.  The war was so badly handled that the man who started the war could not end it and leave.  Terrorists started to operate freely in Iraq and other areas of the middle east that led to the unrest in Lybia, Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia and the seed was planted for ISIS, the same group that are the most active today with their terror attacks.

Thirteen years later the U.S. and the middle east are still dealing with the fallout from that war and we still have some who are clamoring for sending huge numbers of our ground forces back to Iraq and the middle east to fight a ground war.  Condi Rice who was Bush's national security adviser at the time said, IRAQ MIGHT BE THE KEY TO RESHAPING THE ENTIRE REGION.  Yeah right, it reshaped the entire region alright but not in the best interest of the U.S. or the region itself and our men and women in uniform paid a heavy price for that mistake.  The Bush administration thought they could play God in the region.

The American people can not let that happen again.  Our future can not repeat the same mistakes of the past.  A President is needed who understands war, its limitations and its fallout.  President Kennedy understood that during the Cuban Missile crisis and solved that problem, a problem 1000 times more severe than Iraq.  The President solved that problem without going to war and Cuba has been no threat to the U.S. ever since.

Our nation also needs a President with political understanding who knows the difference between fact and fiction and one who is capable of making rational decisions.  President Obama has done a good job in reversing many of Bush's actions in the middle east and the next President should continue that policy and not start a new war.  The crazies wanted the U.S. to go to war with Iran but President Obama had the wisdom to find a better way to deal with that nation.  Two years ago some of the crazies were saying Iran was 6 months from producing their first nuclear bomb.  They were wrong and were willing to risk American lives in a war to satisfy their ego.

The answer as to why Bush could not end the war, bring our troops home and the reason why we have the situation that exist today in Iraq and the middle east is very simple to understand.  We just have too many crazies out there who refuse to accept the truth and the facts.  And that really says it all.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio



Monday, July 18, 2016

Another First For "PolitiDose"

This writer in a number of past commentaries pointed out that republicans have very few accomplishments because they govern by a conservative ideology that does not put America first.  To them republican conservatism is elite and no one else can govern or make the right decisions.  They even try to carry it to the point of feeling they should be able to run government even when they lose elections.  A great example is the present republican party who wants President Obama to step aside and let them do their thing.

Now comes Mike Pence, the republican governor of Indiana that Trump just announced had been selected to be his V.P. running mate.  After the introduction Pence took the stage and described himself to the audience as a Christian, a conservative and a republican in that order according to a Times Picayune article of 7/17/16.  Being an American was not even in his top three preference.  Donald Trump is no conservative in ideology, his ideology is his ego and his feelings of being elite.  So once again the country has a party whose Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates would run the country (if elected) with out an American agenda.

Is it any wonder why republican conservatives spend so much time trying to tear American down with their negative comments and ideology.  The names of the party's leaders change from time to time but their failure to learn that it is America that counts speaks loud and clear in their deeds.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Friday, July 15, 2016

The Obama Administration Continues To Follow Through On Its Priorities To Bring Terrorists Leaders To Justice.


A Pentagon press secretary announced that the mastermind of the 2014 terror attack on a Pakistani school that killed 150 people including 130 children was killed by a U.S. drone strike near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan.  The mastermind terrorist Umar Khalifa was killed along with four other terrorists who were members of an Islamic State affiliate.

President Obama has stayed on focus with his priority to bring terrorists to justice and often reminds them that the U.S. has a long reach and will hunt them down.  And the President has not tried to show off and talk tough.  He continues to take action that bring results.  The news media gave scant coverage to this latest positive event against terror and the republicans and Trump are silent once again.  Their tough talk and lack of accomplishments are wearing thin.

The President understands America's role in fighting terrorists and to do what is necessary to end the threat.  Our intelligence agency worked closely with Pakistan and Afghanistan's government intelligence to find and bring Umar to justice.  He and his terror group were responsible for other attacks along the border and to undermine the Afghanistan government.  Yes, America really has a long reach that the terrorists are feeling and America's leader is President Obama.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Thursday, July 14, 2016

The Positive News Continues For The Economy, Job Creation and Unemployment While The News Media, The Republicans and Trump Are Stuck In Their Negative Little World Of Spin.

The U.S. Labor Department announced that the economy created 287,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate stood at 4.9%.  It was the 76th straight month of positive job growth.  The June job numbers erased the hype that went along with May's job numbers that came in some what lower than expected.  The June numbers now confirm the economy is still growing and in a broad range.

As usual the news media paid little attention because it was positive news.  Ditto the republicans and Trump because they are still preaching doom and gloom and are incapable of talking anything positive that happens on the President's watch.  Trump says he will create all kinds of jobs.  Yeah, right, tell me another Trump fairy tale.  He actually has a history of laying off people.

The U.S. economy continues to be the envy of the civilized world and is the engine that gives others hope.  Even our opponents respect the U.S's ability to bring stability to a world not always on terms with each other.  They know America is great and Trump is wrong.  The silence of the news media, the republicans and Trump concerning the progress made under the Obama administration since the great republican recession speaks loud and clear.  They are the losers of the 21st century and lack the character and courage to stand up and be counted.

President Obama continues to stand tall over them and the American people are better off today than they were under the previous republican administration.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Investigations Have A Way That Identify How Sorry Republicans In Congress Really Are

The republicans in congress controlled two hearings concerning Benghazi and the emails of Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State.  Their intelligence committee also investigated Benghazi and issued a separate report and the FBI investigated Hillary's email issue and also issued their report.  That is a total of 4 investigations and the republicans still can not accept their own findings or that of their intelligence committee or the FBI.

So now the republicans want to open up an investigation of perjury charges against Clinton and speaker of the House Paul Ryan sent a letter to President Obama urging him not to give Clinton foreign policy intelligence briefings like the democratic and republican nominees are normally given that dates back many years.  It is the same ditto head of the republicans in the House that led to the impeachment of President Clinton that the U.S. Senate rightfully rejected.  The chief justice of the U.S. Supreme court presided over that debate and decision that cleared the President.

There is no scandal of classified information being hacked on Clinton's watch as Secretary of State.  And the republicans still don't understand it is the President who makes foreign policy decisions and not the Secretary of State or other cabinet departments.  Before Hillary Clinton's service, the prior two Secretaries of State were caught up in the lies of Iraq"s WMD that did not exist and a war that proved to be unnecessary.

It is also good to remember when talking about a private server or a so called government secured server, both the Department of Defense and Social Security announced some months ago that their secured system was hacked and the names of thousands of employees of the Defense Department were stolen.  Also the names of thousands of people on Social Security was stolen along with their social security numbers.  The FBI said that Clinton's email server could have been hacked but there is no evidence that it was.  If any one thinks the FBI or our intelligence community don't know about those things, think again.

Republicans have always been extreme in attacking the Clintons in particular and democrats in general.  They started their extreme agenda against President Obama when he was first elected when Mitch McConnell said his party would not work with the President because they wanted him to be a one term President.  They kept up the extreme agenda with the birther issue, calling the President a muslim, saying he hated America, he was a racist and so many other extreme comments.  And now it is Donald Trump who has taken up the extreme rhetoric.

And yes, the republicans are still chapped because the country has remained safe on Clinton's watch as Secretary of State and Obama's watch as President and Commander in Chief.  The party's scare tactics have backfired.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Tragedy In Dallas

Five Dallas Police officers were killed, seven other officers were wounded and so was two civilians by sniper fire Thursday evening in downtown Dallas, Texas.  It happened while a protest march was taken place in conjunction with the death of two men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota.  The downtown area where the carnage took place is an area this writer is familiar with having traveled there for 25 years doing sales work.  It is also near Dealy Plaza where President Kennedy was killed, also an area I am familiar with.

Police chief David Brown said the alleged sniper, Micah Johnson was killed in a parking lot when talks between the Dallas police and Johnson broke down.  But contrary to the talking points of the NRA and their ditto heads he was not killed by a good man with a gun, he was killed by a good man with a robot that had an attached explosive devise.  Dallas police to their credit would not risk their people's lives in a shoot out with sniper fire when at the time did not know if there were more than one sniper.

The tragedy is an example how sick the NRA and their ditto heads are on the "macho" statement about a good man with a gun.  The good men with guns that day in Dallas could not prevent their fellow officers deaths and injuries.  All gun deaths can not be prevented because there are a lot of people out there who are sick and show no outward motives.  But when 40% of all guns that are sold are done through private sales that are unregulated and not registered a lot of those guns turn up in the wrong hands.

Dallas has been known for years as having a lot of extreme groups.  They were out in force on that day when President Kennedy visited the city.  They took out ads and had posters made up calling the President a traitor and that he was Wanted for Treason.  That type of talk can set an unstable person off to do bad things.  Having said that, as I wrote some time ago it was not Lee Harvey Oswald who killed the President.

There are a lot of people who say they support the police, but the great majority of police chiefs and police support the assault weapons ban and also common sense gun laws in keeping semi-automatic and automatic weapons off the streets and out of the hand of civilians.  Lip service does not make the job easier or safer for the police force.  And the statements by the NRA and their ditto heads are not helpful to the Dallas police officers who lost their lives or wounded nor their family who now bear the burden and the pain.

It now becomes more clear.  Congress and many local governments have done nothing after the mass killings at schools and etc., and now its police officers, those who volunteer to serve and protect.  Will what happened in Dallas Thursday night be enough for action to be taken or will the future be like the failed past.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio


Saturday, July 9, 2016

Is It Really Important That Senator Bernie Sanders Has Not Endorse Hillary Clinton Yet?

MSNBC's Steve Kornacki seems to be hung up on the issue.  This past Wednesday on the Rachel Maddow show which he hosted, devoted a segment of the program on the subject matter.  He wondered why the endorsement has not come yet like there is some kind of mandate out there as to a time schedule.  He then asked will the endorsement have a lesser affect coming later rather than earlier.  Then he noted the endorsement may come next week when Sanders campaigns with Hillary.

Kornacki is one of the young Journalists at MSNBC and has good potential but has the same problem as the more experienced host at MSNBC.  They have too much air time to fill and instead of talking about those issues that really matter and make a difference they inject non issues like Sanders endorsement.  The reality is that if Sanders endorsed Clinton next week or the week after it will have the same affect as an earlier endorsement.

The reason being the voters won't get excited until after the convention.  That is when the voters get into the swing of things.  That is also when Sanders supporters will have to put up or shut up because Hillary has already made some concessions to Sanders both in the Democratic platform and by meshing some of Sanders ideas on policy with her own.

Filling up air time with quality issues that help the public understand is an opportunity lost by the cable networks.  There are so many positive issues taking place in our great nation that is being neglected in favor of the extreme voices who seem to be everywhere on the cable networks.  President Kennedy once said, civility is not a sign of weakness and those words of wisdom have been proven time and time again and have accomplished much.

Yes my fellow Americans, understanding the past is still the key to a better future.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio