‘Voices & Thoughts’ Archives
Obituary: Dennis Eugene Speicher
Dennis Eugene Speicher, 71, of Gill, Colorado was born October 16, 1940 in Holyoke, Colorado to Gordon Leroy and Rosie Opal (Owens) Speicher. He died January 20, 2012 at Aspen House in Loveland. Dennis was a life long farmer who had a deep love of the land. He farmed in the Berthoud-Loveland area for over 45 years. In 2002, he retired from farming due to health issues, and he and his wife moved to Gill to enjoy their retirement. He had a long love for horses, which led him to ... Full Story
Alzheimer’s
Dear Editor, How can it be that a year has passed since Mom died? After a two-decades long descent into dementia, dependence, and debilitation, Dorothy is free from Alzheimer’s, but her survivors are not. Alzheimer’s continues to devastate us, infecting our every memory of this beautiful, beloved person. As if this long, slow goodbye were not awful enough, the disease’s after effects are nth degree atrocious. When Mom died on Jan. 26, 2011, part ... Full Story
STEIN: SOPA is corporate takeover of democracy
(MADISON) Dr. Jill Stein, Green Party candidate for president, said today she opposes the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA, H.R. 3261) for giving the government and corporations too much power to restrict speech on the internet. "Democracy can only succeed when free speech is a reality, not merely a promissory note. SOPA would impose censorship on the internet and threatens whistle-blowers and others whose speech is vital to a healthy society. SOPA is part of the escalating assault by global ... Full Story
“Defense Act is unconstitutional”
by Brian J. Trautman Each year, Congress authorizes the budget of the Department of Defense through a National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA of 2012, however, is unlike any previous ones. This year’s legislation contains highly controversialprovisions that empower the Armed Forces to engage in civilian law enforcement and to selectively suspend due process and habeas corpus, as well as other rights guaranteed ... Full Story
Privatizing the War on Terror
January 16, 2012 By John W. Whitehead “Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes… known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.… No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.”—James Madison America’s troops may be returning home from Iraq, but contrary ... Full Story
Americans Are Less Nationalistic than Flag-Waving
By Lawrence S. Wittner Are American politicians out of sync with the public when it comes to foreign policy? There is considerable reason to believe so. Throughout the scramble for the GOP presidential nomination, the major candidates have certainly been rabidly nationalistic. In a major foreign policy address on October 7, 2011, Mitt Romney proclaimed that “the twenty-first century can and must be an American Century.” Championing a vast military buildup, he argued ... Full Story
The Constitution vs. Congress
Welcome the passage of Senate Bill 1867 and the police state. No hearings were held and this passed under the guise of “our security.”Our government now has the right to detain and imprison American civilians indefinitely WITHOUT charges or due process. Guilty until proven innocent is now the American way. This bill is the final step necessary to strike down any remaining Constitutional protections. We have fusions centers all over the country gathering information on all ... Full Story
Ann Teinaes: Politics Animated
Ann Teinaes' animations in the Washington Post present a biting satire of the news. No subject is off limits no politician is spared. View her work here, cartoons are serious business. Be prepared to stay awhile, there are many pages. Ann Teinaes
Payroll Tax “Holiday”? – The Grasshopper and the
This was a very bad idea! The amount withheld from your paycheck (matched by your employer) is not a “tax,” but a contribution to your Social Security retirement benefits. If you don’t pay in during those quarters, it reduces the benefits you will receive upon retirement. Ask the Social Security Administration for a calculation of your estimated benefits (which are based on how much you pay-in) and you will see what I mean! This “tax holiday,” like all holidays, costs you ... Full Story
RE: “MIT climate scientist receives frenzy of
That climatologists are now the target of ideologically driven abuse from climate denialists whose carefully packaged preconceptions are endangered by inconvenient facts is hardly surprising. These attacks are of a piece with similar responses from conservatives in other spheres who feel their world-views are under attack, as in the case of a teenaged girl in Rhode Island who successfully sued to remove a prayer banner from her public school's wall, and who's been receiving threats of ... Full Story
