Juan Williams at odds with NPR over dismissal

Juan Williams at odds with NPR over dismissal

NPR paid him to be an analyst, not to have personal opinions. He violated journalistic integrity. Period.

My comment to NPR: "Absolutely agree that Mr. Williams earned the right to lose his job. He wasn't performing to standards. He had been warned in the past. He could have asked for a commentators position. He could have removed himself from a tempting situation. I like him, personally, but I expect him and every other NPR reporter to do just that - report. Analyze. I may go to a book signing or read his book for a personal opinion. His was a sacred duty. NPR is one of THE last hopes for our democracy. The republic cannot stand without accurate, unbiased information disseminated to the voters. Loss of confidence in our journalists and media matches our loss of confidence in a political system that is flooded with special interest funds, and therefore entirely suspect. Thank you NPR for doing the right thing, hard as it was. I'll be sending in a donation. I also suspect a VAST majority of the flak you received was generated by non-listeners."

btw all of us have the right to be scared at any point in our lives, including Williams. What he didn't have is the right to express that in a public setting, in a role as representative of NPR, and keep his job, that clearly states he has to maintain journalistic standards - meaning he is unbiased in public. He would never have lost his job for saying those things in private or in public, while not performing as an NPR Analyst.

No one said he isn't decent and honorable and both a believer in and beneficiary of civil rights. However, if he worked for a large corporation like Coca Cola as a spokesperson, and admitted he liked Pepsi better while speaking at a conference *he would lose his job*.

We also don't let our military personnel demonstrate in political actions!? Has anyone ever wondered WHY? It's freaking common sense. People who represent our government in the armed services give up the right to express their political opinions pubically in their service to a high duty/calling. They protect all of us. Well so do certain (aka professional) journalists. It isn't his JOB to have an opinion. And he had numerous "slips" in the past.

Nina Totenberg had one, to my knowledge. AND her comments have been lately taken out of context - she didn't wish AIDS on anyone, but simply commented it would be an ironic sort of justice if Helms or one of his decendants contracted AIDS in light of his vociferous opposition to research for AIDS. Over the top, sure, but she, unlike Williams has an excellent track record.

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A Hidden Corporate Subsidy

This is interesting, an article about imported workers, tho it's a bit dated. I thought I was a bit dense because I couldn't find figures for how many foreign workers are working in the country. I'm not a zenophobe. My degree is in International Business. But there is a limit to our hospitality, isn't there?

Here is more about importing labor:

No labor shortages

Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Friedman called the program a corporate subsidy, as quoted in a 2002 article in Computerworld.^[15] The accuracy of this quote can not be ascertained, however, as Mr. Friedman has since died. Others holding this view include Dr. Norman Matloff, who testified to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Immigration on the H-1B subject. Matloff's paper for the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform claims that there has been no shortage of qualified American citizens to fill American computer-related jobs, and that the data offered as evidence of American corporations needing H-1B visas to address labor shortages was erroneous.^[16] The United States General Accounting Office found in a report in 2000 that controls on the H-1B program lacked effectiveness.^[17] The GAO report's recommendations were subsequently implemented.

The Real Unemployment figures

New figures are in

There are about 15 million people unemployed

About 9 million are underemployed (working part time but want full time work)

2.5 million are "marginal" meaning they haven't looked for work in the past 4 weeks, for various reasons, but have looked in the last year. These are the folks who have given up.

So that's really about 25.5 million people unemployed.

And the Senate couldn't get a jobs bill passed. Makes you wonder if the now $10 billion package (it was $15 billion a few days ago) wasn't passed by the House just yesterday because they knew the new unemployment figures were coming out today.

How, if we lost another 36,000 jobs, did the unemployment rate stay the same? Did we add that many more imported workers?

(As best as I can tell about 100,000 workers are working under what is called an H-1B visa - wouldn't that make a lot of jobs for our American residents, to just send everyone home who has a green card? I'm pretty sure it's a LOT more than 100,000 workers.. H-1B visas are just for "highly skilled" workers, meaning anyone who can run a computer :)

Wow.

Schwarzenegger Seeks Shift From Prisons to Schools - NYTimes.com

Maybe we should educate instead of imprison in the first place. Schwarzenegger Seeks Shift From Prisons to Schools - NYTimes.com For every dollar we spend in early childhood education (and problem prevention) saves $4 incarceration costs.

Shifting Power Structures

Anyone see something wrong with this picture? China Manufacturing Expands I think maybe in the midst of a world wide recession the shift of economic power is becoming all too obvious. Foreign interests own our assets, and the trade deficit is climbing. I have been looking for the total number of green card workers in the country now, and can't find a solid figure, although about 40,000 - 60,000 are granted each year. Nothing wrong with immigrant labor, as long as unemployment is reasonably low. My beef is with companies who now import skilled labor to avoid paying decent wages. Anhauser-Busch is one of them, who brings in thousands of Indian nationals to staff their IT department, but of course now they are foreign owned as well.

Despite Anti-Vitamin D Bias, CDC Stumbles on Deficiency Link to H1N1 Deaths

I love this guy's website. I don't think the CDC is evil and see it serves a purpose.

Despite Anti-Vitamin D Bias, CDC Stumbles on Deficiency Link to H1N1 Deaths

Then again, why they are into behavior sciences too... I suppose suicide is a disease... but can we just please have another government group - like, I dunno, Department of Homeland Security and Mental Health take care of it?

Why Business Continunity Planning is Important

And personal emergency planning is critical as well.

As Galveston Recovers From Hurricane Ike, Some Residents Feel Left Behind - NYTimes.com

U.S. business group warns of swine flu absenteeism | Reuters

Reason I'm going into Business Continuity Planning and Emergency Managment: U.S. business group warns of swine flu absenteeism | Reuters

Most businesses, in my experience, haven't got a clue how to survive a catastrophic event.

On the other hand, it doesn't take much. Seeking first few (free) clients.
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What Is the Real and Noble Purpose of Business?

I like this guy - subscribe to his service, a company to help me build a website. Tho I have had my ass on the front lines for so long I have paid for a year (!) of service and haven't done anything with it. Yet. Be forewarned. lol

SiteSell: The Blog: What Is the Real and Noble Purpose of Business?: "It's important to understand and believe in the truly noble purpose of business and capitalism. Every great business, large or small (and the smallest of businesses can and should be great), has enabled its clients to profit off its products (i.e., get more value out than dollar put in)."