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your 33rd "Fight-Back" edition of the WDS E-Zine series. Holysmoke, have I been sluggish putting out these e-zines, or what? If we've lost track completely, you may not know I've gotten completely immersed into podcasting. If you don't know anything about podcasting, go to www.wdslibrary.com and click the Podcast Index box. You'll find a bunch of podcast topics, although none specifically in this area, I do take the subject on frequently and I will soon be referencing all topics in the archive files for easy reference. I have over a hundred podcasts in the can as we speak. You will be reading this issue either in the Yahoo Groups location (that has faithfully been hosting all six of my e-zines for years (knock on wood), or from my www.AskCarl.net website in a colorful HTML format. If this is in boring black & white, you can copy (Ctrl+C) this URL: www.askcarl.net and then paste it (Ctrl+V) into your browser. Click the WDS E-Zine Reading Room box and you'll see the "Victims" link... it's easier than I made it sound. :) Anyway, Issue #33 of the "fight back" e-zine. sections ~ ~ ~ TOPICS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - I. Rantings & Ravings (editorial) - II. Free Topics for Victim Protection - III. AskCarl's FAQs & Two-Value Tricks - IV. Legal: Criminal vs Civil, etc. - V. Why are there Bullies? - VI. Surviving the Broken Heart - VII. Social Bullies to Avoid - VIII. Security--Stay Safe - IX. The WDS Bedtime Story ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I. An Editorial by Dr. Carl Weisbrod Many would disagree, but it seems to me that there's a large nest of bullies in Washington DC. They are folks that send young people off to war and then treat them with disdain after they've served. Am I wrong about that? One argument I've heard to counter my feelings is it's "Better to fight them over there than over here." Better for whom? And fighting terrorists? The last I heard, there are more terrorists today than before 911. I support our brave fighting men and women, but I have serious reservations about the politicians that are making the decisions--none of whom have any combat experience, by the way. Politically, I loved President Eisenhower and wished we'd given Barry Goldwater a shot. I had mixed feelings about President Reagan (I voted Libertarian), but I haven't seen anyone I could get excited about since Goldwater. Both Goldwater and Reagan weren't fans of the Bush folks and I believe their evaluation was based on insight the rest of us didn't have. Anyway, my suggestion is to stay as clear from the federal bureaucracy as possible. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ II. Free Topics for Victim Protection (f) As we speak, the tools for so called "victim protection" are being accumulated by the federal government to poke around in our e-mail, financial transactions, and telephone calls. We can object to this, cite the Constitution, ask your lovely congress person to help... but it's all of no avail. The entire structure of the top levels of the US Federal government is about power. The quest for power transcends money, which has become only an instrument of power. After all, one can only spend so much. This hunger for power has been the driving force for politicians and is too entrenched to be controlled. Voters dream of a president that will be a hundred percent altruistic. You might as well believe in the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny... it's not going to happen. There are plenty of people like that, but their chance of getting elected is -0- ...less than -0-. Well, maybe not less than -0- ...the one chance is through the open source aspect of the internet. I'm referring to Weblogs (Blogging) and Podcasting. There is some minor rumbling that these two grass-roots systems could become powerful enough to rival the partnership between politicians and wealthy corporations, such as oil and banking interests. The power base was once found in the large labor unions, but no longer. I'm also NOT a fan of the labor unions. I am a fan of grass roots movements, which before the internet, had almost no voice. As we speak, the political folks are worried about the internet and struggling to get a foot-in-the-door. My suggestion is to pull your support from any politician that is sponsoring bills to control or regulate the internet. Their bills might sound warm & fuzzy, but don't fall for it. It's about control and power, not altruism. These bills ultimately are either a way to control of the grass roots or pander to the large corrupt corporate structures that fund politicians. So, as a result of shameless manipulation, the power base has not been voters that have always represented the grass-roots. Our last refuge is the voice offered by weblogs and podcasts. Here's something to keep an eye on: Net (or Network) Neutrality. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_neutrality Also check out Web 2.0. ~
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III. AskCarl's FAQs & Two-Value Tricks (f)Question: One of the things that stimulated the above rant is the following question: Hi AskCarl. I need some advise. My 20 year-old son is in the reserves and will soon be sent to Iraq. He doesn't want to go, and I don't want him to go. We are both patriotic so I'm torn. What do you suggest? K.W. in Oregon. AskCarl: It's a tough position to be in, KW. IMO, your loyalty is to your son rather than a political system. I suggest you talk anonymously with recruiters to explore the possibility of a state-side assignment. Don't however, trust their word. I've heard too many horror stores about broken contracts. I suggest you do what you can to protect your son from middle eastern combat. The chance of getting killed is not the only risk he would face. ~ ~ ~ IIIa Two-Value Tricks One of the favorite tricks used by politicians is The Red Herring. My description of this two-value trick is published in my free eBook, Obnoxious Two-Value Tricks, the Second Edition, Copyright 2004. Here is an excerpt: "The Red Herring: Literally, a red herring is a smoked and salted fish that, during the curing process, takes on a red or dark brown color. The mythical aspect of the term came from an age-old process of dragging one of these smelly fish across a trail to confuse hunting dogs. A Red Herring has thus become a metaphor for something that distracts attention from the real and important issue. This is a technique that is understood by every politician. The current two-valued trick is the search for emotional and distracting events to take the heat off life & death problems, and corporate corruption. [ed. note: currently it's "same-sex marriage" and "flag burning."] A decade ago it was the issue of flag burning--now it's the "Pledge of Allegiance" thing. Politicians use these "Red Herring" issues as something to fight over to pull public attention away from present failures. They should be concentrating on terrorism, the unrest in the Middle East (before they start flinging around nuclear bombs). WorldCom is one example of this inattention. Unfortunately, Americans are easily distracted by these two-valued tricks. [end quote] For the free eBook, go to www.wdslibrary.com and click in the Free & Fun Reading box...or here's the link: >click< ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ IV. Legal: Criminal vs Civil, etc. I'm going to repeat the post from issue #32. - The US Federal Court System - The best protection from abuse is knowledge. The last resort in many abusive situations is to take it into the courtroom (usually a state court). It's a sad fact that the court system can be more abusive than the original abuser. To be an advocate of your personal rights, you need to have some idea of the court system. The United States courts are divided between the federal and state court systems. The US Federal Government is divided between three branches: the legislative branch (Congress), the executive branch (the President, administrative agencies, and military services), and the judicial branch (The Courts). Continued on the right-side column >click< |
The powers of the US courts are limited first to those granted by the US Constitution. Federal judges are appointed for life by the President, with input from the Senate. This is happening as we speak, and as usual, with much partisan squabbling. Federal courts involve the application and interpretation of the law in the in the language of the Constitution. They do not make or enforce laws. this is the function of the legislature (which is the reason they sometimes are called "lawmakers.") The state court system is structured in a similar manner to the federal system. In the state system, there are courts that try only misdemeanor cases, such as traffic court and small claims courts. Sometimes these courts are called local courts. The higher courts handle felony cases and are referred to as county courts, district courts, or superior courts. Here's a couple of legal terms you should understand: Compensatory Damages: These are damages most often heard in a civil case. They are damages that can be tabulated by an accountant in terms of money or property. Punitive damages: This is emotional damages or a claim that one has been unfairly been punished by the person being charged. The common term is "pain & suffering." Punitive damages are best left for a judge or jury to decide. Sometimes there is a precedent (from a previous case) that serves as an example. Criminal vs Civil Law As near as I can tell civil law is the the law of intent to do harm, while criminal law is breaking a written law. There must be thousands of laws under hundreds of categories on the books... examples are doing bodily harm, using, buying, or selling illegal substances, causing willful damage to property, etc. For the lay public, the difference between criminal law was seen in the high profile murder trials of O.J. Simpson, Robert Blake, and the abuse trial of Michael Jackson. These famous people were each found innocent in a criminal court, but the civil court outcome will not necessarily follow that verdict. O.J., for example, was judged innocent in a criminal court and guilty in a civil court. The reason for this dichotomy is the different standards within criminal and civil courts. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is the standard used as the highest level of proof required for a guilty verdict in criminal cases. In a civil case, the standard is rooted in the phrase Preponderance of the Evidence. The judge or jury must be persuaded that the facts more probably favor the plaintiff over the defendant (or not). Here are useful definitions of terms heard in civil cases: Slander: publicly speaking falsely to injure Libel: publicly writing falsely to injure Abuse: attack with words Assault: to threaten injury Battery: to cause injury With libel, assault, and battery, the legal system is helpful, but often not helpful with slander and abuse claims. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ V. Why are there Bullies? There are many forces behind the bully, but the short answer is "It's about power." A good source of power is the accumulation of knowledge. A willingness to work hard is a source of power. Charm, social skills, and a charismatic personality are other sources of power. Money or material possessions can be a source of power. Fifty-thousand years ago, stored body fat (that allowed survival during a famine) was a source of power. When people feel powerless, they could adopt a system of threats and intimidation as a substitute source of power. It's not unusual but unfortunate when this approach is taken. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ VI. Surviving the Broken Heart The other day, I recorded a podcast show on this very topic. Click this link (or paste it in your browser) and you can listen: http://www.wdslibrary.com/pc7bh.mp3 I compared the broken heart with a sprained ankle and suggested the same thought process can cause a chronic condition in both sprained ankles and a broken hearts. I know that's a hard act to sell, especially since It's so difficult to tell which pain is from the actual injury and how much is exacerbated by the obsession. The pain from the actual event will eventually progress into the healing phase while the obsession-induce pain can become chronic. It's easier to understand the power of the imagination if we realize the level of fright from a horror movie knowing it's actors, fake blood, and camera tricks. I talk about the brain function that creates these illusions, and describe a unique therapeutic approach called Inoculation therapy. I also discussed the distraction approach as a way to reduce the pain using an invention of mine called The Balancing Triad. Here's that link again. I hope you decide to listen. http://www.wdslibrary.com/pc7bh.mp3 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ VII. Social Bullies to Avoid Many of the top echelon politicians fit the model of the bully. I watched, for example, Secretary Rumsfeld bully the press. Torture is the ultimate bullying behavior and seems to be accepted by many of the president's top advisorys. I find that worrisome. Carl Rove seems to make his living as a political bully. President Bush has (it seems to me) features of the bully, disguised thinly by his affability. When I see behavior that looks like "bullying" among social leaders, I'm NOT impressed. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ VIII. Security--Stay Safe With all this doom & gloom one might think "What's the use?" One thing about the abusive parts of society is the people who adopt this style are often not that smart. It's possible to be powerful (metaphorically speaking) by "Selling your soul to the devil" but this isn't a satisfying way to live one's life. Eventually, the abusive person's life will become a shambles. The best security is to stay as far away as possible from the bully and other abusive people. It's likely they will eventually self-destruct. Abusive Old-Boy networks are intensely loyal until things start to go sour, they then desert like rats leaving the sinking ship. If you stay clear from the eventual pandemonium of an abusive system, you will be more secure. Don't, in other words, get caught in the cross-fire. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ IX. The WDS Bedtime Story I'll try to dig something out of the ol' brain corpsuckels for issue #34. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ And with that, Issue #33 is now complete. Please feel free to contact me with this link: >click< If you're reading this in "black & white, here's my email address: blog@wdslibrary.zzn.com Carl Weisbrod Would you like to subscribe to all six e-zines? Here's the XML link to do that. Link InOp For awhile)  .  0
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