Joe’s Journal

I like John McCain too; he seems to be a great guy, personable, likable, a kind of guy that you would invite over to a BBQ. Yeah sure, I respect him for his service in Viet Nam, No it doesn’t bother me that he was in the bottom 5% of his class at the Naval Academy, (hey I dropped out of High school) or that he crashed 4 planes,(I crashed my car twice) or even that he was shot down on his first mission over Vietnam,(hey, I’m three time loser) or even the FACT that he started singing like a bird to the enemy, without being tortured, when captured, or that he cheated on his wife, while in office, and is now trying to portray himself as the candidate for family values, hey who am I to judge, most of you know about my past, and my mistakes, so who am I to judge McCain for his.

What really gets me is that some of you, won’t name any names, (on a car trip to Florida), spoke about how Bush was going to do this, and bush was going to do that, and how the economy was going to be better….and what happened? Well we started out with a surplus and eight years later were going to end up with the biggest deficit in history, and McCain supported Bush 95% of the time. Our economy has tanked, our Gas Prices have skyrocketed and everything from the cost of food to diapers has gotten insanely expensive. I won’t mention how many Americans lost their jobs, or tax breaks to companies that ship American Jobs overseas. Maybe those of you that are well off can afford the “basic necessities”, or have a “nest egg” to carry you over until the economy gets better, but many Americans, including myself, cannot.

We went to war in IRAQ on a LIE, remember WMDs, 4,146 soldiers are dead 30,182 wounded for a LIE .How did you all get duped into agreeing to spend 12 Billion a month in Iraq for a war, that shouldn’t even be? So far we spent $368 billion on military operations, $45 billion more in veterans care, diplomatic services, training
with that type of money we could of rebuilt the nation’s Infrastructure, invested in alternative energy and established Universal Healthcare.

Come on, be honest, when “W” moved his attention from looking for Bin Laden in Afghanistan to invading Iraq, you weren’t scratching you head thinking “why in the hell are we doing that?” Intelligent and hardworking Americans such as yourselves?, didn’t have any doubt about that decision? OK, ok, I will give you the benefit of the doubt.

What about when the excuse for invading Iraq was proven to be a LIE, WMDs? How about then? Were you outraged? No… no, you just voted him back into office for another four years, with the excuse, “We want him to finish what he started.” What!? Come on, wake up! If that was any other American, he would be in prison.

John McCain has been in Washington for a long time, twenty something years and nothing’s has changed. He is out of touch with reality. He doesn’t even understand economics and even admits it himself, “The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should,” McCain said on December 17 in New Hampshire, http://lburl.com/idd0k

I’m astounded, How can smart, Intelligent, hardworking people want McCain for president? Don’t get me wrong, I like John McCain, even after all the crappy things he has done, even after all his flip-flopping, I like him, just not as my Next President!

I am 36, and this will be my first election that I will vote in: presidential or otherwise. It’s Time for a change in Washington, it’s time for a president for the people, from the people, someone who has seen the same hardships that we have, made the same kind of sacrifices we made, and works hard for success, think about that when you cast your ballot in November….Obama/Biden 2008.

Click to Play

Planning is a critical step in management. In order for a company to survive crisis and to be successful it must establish goals, procedures, policies and rules that will lead them to success. A business must know where it want to be, how it is going to get there, and the wisdom and knowledge to get back on track when a crisis or problem derails progress toward an intended goal(s) . Planning improves a company’s action orientation, coordination, focus and flexibility. In this paper I will talk about one such company that survived multiple crises by effective planning.

In Forbes magazine April 23rd article, “Building the Infinite Internet” speaks about how Akamai Inc. not only survived the dot-com disaster and the murder of their founder but how they came back through effective planning and made a daring comeback and reinvented how digital data is transmitted over the internet.

Akamai only survived its loss of dot-com busted customers and the murder of their founder by effectively planning their future. They scaled back to almost nothing, endured loses and waited for the need of internet bandwidth to be in demand. This took Planning and foresight to see that in the future that they could fulfill this need to their customers. Akamai could of easily been a casualty of dot-com bust, they not only survived through effective planning, they waited for a need to develop and sprung into action to fulfill the need.

In today’s business world, one needs more than a great idea and a business plan to be successful. One needs the skill to think analytically, strategically and creatively. Apple is one such company that thinks in this manner and their success is confirmed by their bottom line “…frantic sales of 21 million iPods during holiday season boosted Apple’s quarterly profit to $1 billion, almost double the profit it made during the same quarter I fiscal year 2006″ (McMillan). With over 88 million iPods sold and over two billion songs legally downloaded from its iTunes online store, Apple is ahead of the digital music race.

Steve Jobs the CEO of Apple, demonstrated the type of Innovative thinking that has made his company successful when he unveiled the new IPhone at Macworld 2007 in San Francisco, California. The iPhone brings together three products: 1) a mobile phone, 2) a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and 3) an Internet communications device with email, web browsing, maps, and searching into one small handheld device. The iPhone introduces a new user interface based on the large multi-touch display letting the user control everything with just a touch. The Iphone ushers in a new age of powerful mobile software never seen before in a handheld device thus clearly demonstrating Apples creativity, ingenuity and forward thinking.

Apple strategic and analytical thinking became evident when they announced the Iphone and snatched the media’s attention from the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2007) held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Iphone was the topic of every conversation long after CES 2007 ended. Apple also announced their name to Apple Inc. Thus redefining their direction and focus and strategically positioning themselves in markets previously not available to them.

Apple continues to turn heads with its innovative products and services. They analytically thought out when, where, and how to release their products and services and strategically position themselves to do so. Apple leads the industry in innovation with its desktop and notebook Mac computers, OS X operating system, and ground-breaking applications and services. They are a company to look to for new ideas and new approaches. Apple is a company that is able to think analytically, strategically, and creatively to produce the best products and services for consumers, which is why they are so successful.

Works Cited

McMillan, Robert. “Apple Shines, Intel Stinks on Earnings.” Infoworld (2007):6

By Joseph Eulo

Supporters of drug prohibition say that its benefits are indisputable and obvious. Their most important belief is that without prohibition, drug use would drastically rise. In William Bennett’s, “Should Drugs Be Legalized?” Bennett uses pathetic excuses to refute pro-legalizer’s arguments that the legalization of illicit drugs will 1) take the profit out of its sales and 2) dramatically reduce crime. I disagree with the points Bennett makes on these arguments and will provide the reader with valid arguments to explain why his views are weak.

Legalization will take the profit out of drugs and generate revenue, which will then be used to educate the public on the effects of drugs and treat those who are addicted. Bennett argues, “Legalizers would have to tax drugs heavily in order to pay for drug education and treatment programs” (Bennett 28). Wait a minute; does not the American taxpayer already pay for drug education and treatment? Yes they do! Taxpayers at this time also pay for the cost of the war on drugs, which is close to ten billion dollars a year, its laws, police officers who enforce the laws, judges who uphold the law, prisons to house those who break the law, prison guards to guard them, and treatment programs and facilities to treat them. Bennett states, “In reality, this tax would only allow the government to share the drug profits now garnered by criminals” (Bennett 28). How would this be wrong? Bennett puts a negative spin on exactly what needs to be done.

Legalization will dramatically reduce crime. The moment that drugs are legalized and available at low or no cost, the demand for drugs will decrease dramatically. Drug dealers will cease to exist and addicts will no longer need to rob, steal, or murder to get their next fix; they will go to a clinic and get it for nothing. Bennett attempts to deceive the reader by passing his opinions as researched and valid. “But researchers tell us that many drug-related felonies are committed by people involved in crime before they started taking drugs.” (Bennett 29). Bennett’s statements are invalid; it is clear that he is trying to find any reason to keep from losing his foothold on this debate.

If you look at Prohibition from 1920s and 30s, you will see that the murder rate increased with the start of Prohibition, and remained there until it ended in 1933, then the murder rate dropped for eleven consecutive years. Crime involving firearms increased during Prohibition and went down for ten consecutive years afterward (Ostrowski 1989). The fact is in the last ten or so years, drug use has not dropped even with increased federal spending on the drug war (Ostrowski 1989). Moreover, in spite of all the seizures, drugs are still available to children in elementary school. Drug laws greatly increase the price of illegal drugs, forcing users to steal, kill, and rob to get the money to buy them. It is estimated that at least forty percent of all property crime in the United States is committed by drug users so that they can maintain their addictions (Ostrowski 1989).

The argument that Bennett makes about increase drug use is irrelevant. Legalization will reduce crime, take the profit out of drugs, and reduce the “forbidden fruit” aspect of prohibition, which will decrease use of or experimentation with drugs among the nation’s youth. Legalization will provide our government with an accurate picture of influences that drugs have on the United States and give control to the people to overcome its social, economical, and negative effects. The truth is, if someone really wanted to use drugs, why would they wait until it was legal to do so? People are going to use drugs regardless if it is illegal or not. Money is going to be spent on drug education and treatment either way. Legalize drugs and drug-related crimes will diminish, the prison population will shrink, and the inner cities will become safer to live. Should drugs be legalized? My answer is yes it should.

Works Cited

Bennett, William. “Should Drugs be Legalized?” The Mercury Reader. Ed Janice Neulieb, et al. Boston, MA: Pearson, 2005. 26-31

Cooper, Mary H. “War on Drugs.” CQ Researcher 3.11 (1993). CQ Researcher Online. CQ Press. Union County College Libraries, Cranford, NJ. 18 Sept. 2006 http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre1993031900

Ostrowski, James. “Thinking About Drug Legalization.” Cat Policy Analysis No. 121 (1989): 18 Sept. 2006 http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa121.html

By Joseph Eulo

The fight for civil rights in America began when the first African, bound by the shackles of slavery, stepped onto American soil. The wicked mixture of ignorance and hatred gave birth to discrimination, strengthened throughout the 246 years of slavery, and continued to fester further even after the signing of The Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th and 14th amendments to the Constitution. In the 1950s and 60s, The American Civil Rights Movement fought segregation, racial violence, and voter suppression, known as “Jim Crow Law”, through civil disobedience: direct action with nonviolent resistance. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a turning point in American history; it outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibited discrimination in public facilities, in government, and in employment. However, after all the victories The Civil Rights Movement has won for all Americans, racial discrimination is still prevalent in American society today. In this essay, I will discuss discrimination in our justice system and provide facts to prove the disparity between white and black justice in America.

In Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King exposes the reader to the injustices and discrimination that black Americans suffered as a result of racism and segregation. King wrote this letter in response to eight Alabama clergymen who jointly issued a public statement asking civil rights activists to stop demonstrating and wait for the courts to decide the issue. King responded is his letter,

I guess it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging dart of segregation to say wait. But when you have vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policeman curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity;…then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. (101)

King conveys to the reader with strong emotion the importance and the reasons why civil rights could no longer wait. However, after all the adversity that Black Americans have endured in the fight for civil rights, they are still waiting for equality in the American justice system.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program releases a report annually called Crime in the United States. This report provides a statistical compilation of offense and arrest data provided by law enforcement agencies nationwide. The UCR Program collects information on violent crimes and property crimes, and gathers arrest data for twenty-nine offenses-charges. The 2005 edition of Uniform Crime Reports: Crime in the United States revealed that out of the 10.2 million arrests made, 69.8 percent of the arrestees were white and 27.8 percent were black (”Table 43: Arrest by race, 2005″). Out of the twenty-nine “offense-charged” categories compiled in this report, white arrestees notably dominated Twenty-seven categories. Sixty-one percent of all adults arrested for violent crimes in 2005 were white, and 69.4 percent of adults arrested for property crimes in 2005 were white (”Table 43: Arrest by race, 2005″). After examination of the facts represented, one might conclude that there would be more whites in prison than any other race. However, one would be wrong.

The U.S .Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics website indicates that blacks are almost three times more likely than Hispanics and five times more likely than whites to be in jail (”Bureau of Justice Statistics Jail Statistics”). In a report compiled by Paige Harrison and Dr. Allen Beck, entitled Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2005 reveals that “the largest differences in incarceration rates between whites and blacks were in Iowa (14 times higher for blacks) and Connecticut, New Jersey, and Vermont (more than 12 times higher for blacks)” (10). Is this because of racial discrimination or economic inequalities?

The information compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and presented in “Table 43a”, of the Uniform Crime Report: Crime in the United States revealed that over a ten-year period, from 1995 to 2005, whites made up 68.9 percent of the total arrest (see Chart 1, Table 1) and blacks made up 27.8 percent of the total arrest. As of June 30, 2004 there were 2,131,200 prisoners held in Federal or State prisons or in local jails from midyear 2003 (Paige. Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2004. “Table 13.” 11). Out of this total number of prisoners, 42.7 percent are black, 18.5 percent are Hispanic, and 36.5 percent are white (Paige. Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2004. “Table 13.” 11). Why are there less whites incarcerated than blacks? The numbers just do not add up. Let us review, 68.9 percent whites arrested over a ten-year period, equals more blacks in prison! Something stinks here.

At the end of 2004, “there were 3,218 black male sentenced prison inmates per 100,000 black males in the United States, compared to 1,220 Hispanic male inmates per 100,000 Hispanic males and 463 white male inmates per 100,000 white males” (U.S. Dept. of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. “Prison Statistics”). An estimated 12% of black males, 3.7% of Hispanic males, and 1.7% of white males in their late twenties were in prison or jail sometime in their lives (Harrison, “Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2005″ 1). Is this evidence of racial bias in the American justice system or a sign that Justice has a price tag?

After all the hardships that Black Americans have experienced fighting for their civil liberties, they are still waiting for equality in the justice system. If we took economic inequalities out of the equation, would the ratio of blacks to whites in prison be different? In my opinion it would not be. Whites will still represent the majority of arrestees and blacks would still represent the majority of those incarcerated. Black Americans will continue to wait for justice they rightly deserve and are constitutionally promised.

Works Cited

Harrison, Paige M. and Allen J. Beck, Ph.D. Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2005. Washington, D.C.: GPO, May 2006. 12 November 2006 http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/pjim05.pdf

—. Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2004. Washington, D.C.: GPO, April 2006. 12 November 2006 http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/pjim05.pdf

King, Martin Luther. “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” The Mercury Reader. Ed. Janice Neulieb, et al. Boston, MA: Pearson, 2005. 95-114

United States. Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. Bureau of Justice Statistics. “Jail Statistics.” 6 September 2006. 12 November 2006 http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/jails.htm

—. “Prison Statistics.” 11 October 2006. 12 November 2006 http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/prisons.htm

United States. Department of Justice. Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Table 43: Arrest by race, 2005.” Crime in the United States 2005: Uniform Crime Reports. Washington, D.C.: GPO. 2006. 12 November 2006. http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/data/table_43.htm l

—. “Table 43: Arrest by race, 2004.” Crime in the United States 2004: Uniform Crime Reports. Washington, D.C.: GPO. 2005. 12 November 2006. http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/documents/CIUS_2004_Section4adj.pdf

—. “Table 43: Arrest by race, 2003.” Crime in the United States 2003: Uniform Crime Reports. Washington, D.C.: GPO. 2004. 12 November 2006. http://www.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/ucr/cius_03/pdf/toc03.pdf

—. “Table 43: Arrest by race, 2002.” Crime in the United States 2002: Uniform Crime Reports. Washington, D.C.: GPO. 2003. 12 November 2006. http://www.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/ucr/cius_02/pdf/02crime.pdf

—. “Table 43: Arrest by race, 2001.” Crime in the United States 2001: Uniform Crime Reports. Washington, D.C.: GPO. 2002. 12 November 2006. http://www.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/ucr/cius_01/01crime.pdf

—. “Table 43: Arrest by race, 2000.” Crime in the United States 2000: Uniform Crime Reports. Washington, D.C.: GPO. 2001. 12 November 2006. http://www.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/ucr/cius_00/contents.pdf

—. “Table 43: Arrest by race, 1999.” Crime in the United States 1999: Uniform Crime Reports. Washington, D.C.: GPO. 2000. 12 November 2006. http://www.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/ucr/Cius_99/99crime/99cius.pdf

—. “Table 43: Arrest by race, 1998.” Crime in the United States 1998: Uniform Crime Reports. Washington, D.C.: GPO. 1999. 12 November 2006. http://www.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/ucr/Cius_98/98crime/98cius01.pdf

—. “Table 43: Arrest by race, 1997.” Crime in the United States 1997: Uniform Crime Reports. Washington, D.C.: GPO. 1998. 12 November 2006. http://www.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/ucr/Cius_97/97crime/97crime.pdf

—. “Table 43: Arrest by race, 1996.” Crime in the United States 1996: Uniform Crime Reports. Washington, D.C.: GPO. 1997. 12 November 2006. http://www.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/ucr/Cius_97/96CRIME/96crime.pdf

—. “Table 43: Arrest by race, 1995.” Crime in the United States 1996: Uniform Crime Reports. Washington, D.C.: GPO. 1996. 12 November 2006. http://www.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/ucr/Cius_97/95CRIME/95crime.pdf