NBC Botches Ann Curry's Departure from the Today Show

The executives at NBC mishandled Ann Curry's exit from Today in every way possible. They never released an official announcement that she was leaving, allowing media to have a field day speculating on her exit and the conditions surrounding it.

As a regular viewer, I start every weekday morning with Today, as I prepare for the work day. A subdued Ann Curry carried out her regular duties until she bid good-bye to viewers just before 9:00 a.m. Having already started work, I missed it live and later watched a video.

If NBC could have treated her with less respect, I don't know how. Meredith Vieira received a two-hour tribute amid a party atmosphere when she departed last year. Ann was forced to wait until her final five minutes before she could say her piece. No party, no celebration of her 15 years of contributions to Today, no parting gifts. She offered an apology for somehow missing the mark, and tearfully expressed her gratitude to the regular viewers of the show. Ann revealed that NBC had given her a "fancy new title" and would lead a group of seven correspondents who will cover the globe. Whoopeee!

While Ann might not have been well-cast as a co-host of Today, she certainly can't bear the blame for the fall in ratings. That must be shared by all concerned, and, most of all, the NBC decision makers, who have had a number of bombs in the past year. Today has morphed from a show that enlightened and informed as well as entertained into little more than an entertainment venue. NBC's abysmal treatment of Ann has convinced me to switch to another morning show, despite my long-term loyalty. At the very least, NBC should issue an official apology to Ann for the appalling manner in which her departure was handled.

I sincerely hope that her colleagues planned something special for her after the show because they should display their loyalty to her and could have done more to ease her out gracefully. Shame on everyone involved in this disrespect and public display of indifference to someone who had handled tough assignments effectively! Al Roker was the only one to show deep emotion to her in an entirely too small window of
opportunity.


Ann reports hard news better than anyone else on that show and should have received accolades for that at least. What a horrible way to end a 15-year run! 

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John and Rielle , No Longer a Couple

Rielle Hunter revealed that she and John Edwards split last week, although she still considers them a family. Quinn, Hunter's out-of-wedlock daughter, is the real loser in all of this drama. She has a mother who made no qualms about going after a married man, telling him when they met, "You're hot!" Her father is a gutless wonder who denied his relationship with Hunter and kept her hidden through much of her pregnancy.

Hunter has a penchant for the glare of the public spotlight and the media is complicit in giving her the stage. Her just-released memoir serves as the reason to interview her, thus giving her frequent on-air exposure. Ham and Wry believes viewers would be better served without the generous dishing out of time devoted to her story. Those who choose to buy her book will most likely do so out of prurient interest because it can't possibly have literary value. This blogger sincerely hopes that it flops.

Hunter vows that she still loves Edwards. Ham on Wry questions what she means by that term. From her statements, it seems she had more of a chemical reaction that eventually led to conceiving Quinn. She resents the moniker "home wrecker", yet she has certainly earned the title. To have carried on with Edwards during his wife Elizabeth's battle with cancer and eventual death ranks on the border of evil. Hunter must learn that you can't build a relationship on a foundation of deceit. Poor Quinn!

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Debby Does Tampa Bay

NOAA/GOES Photo

Tropical Storm Debby confounded weather forecasters for days before finally making it to tropical storm status. The storm's predicted path looped and swirled in multiple directions, rather like that of a giant roller coaster, so forecast models varied in what track the storm would follow.

Tampa Bay received her full fury Sunday, as Debby came ashore delivering high winds that frequently switched directions and dumped inches of rain in under an hour. She's a fickle lady that teases with her waxing and waning onslaught.

This unfortunate blogger had the audacity to venture out this morning and meet some friends who made the unfortunate choice of visiting the area during the rainy season. Three hours after breakfast ended, Debby drenched us with winds that blasted rain from all sides. A drive home that would normally take approximately 20 minutes doubled in length. Black clouds shrouded the skies and created a backdrop for the mini monsoon that made driving at normal speeds nearly impossible.

I arrived home safely by taking a route that kept me on higher ground than my usual route. Once I neared my destination, negotiating the large accumulations of water at lower elevations reminded me of running an obstacle course. I'm certain the ducks are celebrating, but traffic is almost nonexistent as I write this.

Forecasters have reached consensus that Debby will bypass Louisiana, and Ham on Wry envisions raucous celebrations on Bourbon Street. Louisiana should get a pass on all major storms, since it has experienced more than its share of nature's wrath in the past few years. The 9th Ward has still not recovered from Hurricane Katrina, which hit in 2005.

Current predictions have Debby tracking north, so the Florida panhandle and the Mississippi and Alabama coastal regions could be hit. A chance still exists for Debby to strengthen into a hurricane.

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Sandusky's Adopted Son Alleges Sexual Abuse

Gene J. Suskar/AP

In a statement given by his attorneys, Matt Sandusky, one of Jerry Sandusky's five adopted sons, has accused him of sexual abuse. Matt met Sandusky through the Second Mile charity, the same organization where Sandusky met all of the alleged victims.

Debra Long, Matt's biological mother, detailed her concerns about Matt living at the Sandusky home in letters found in his adoption file. Matt attempted suicide a few months after he moved in, and a probation officer later expressed doubts about his progress and personal safety there.

Matt Sandusky was not called as a prosecution witness at the trial, but Victim 4 recounted a story about an incident that occurred when Sandusky, Matt, and he had played racquetball. Afterward, Matt was in the shower when Jerry arrived, pumped soap in his hand, and Matt, appearing nervous, moved to another shower.

The case went to the jury Thursday, who deliberated for eight hours with no verdict. The jury, comprising seven women and five men, returned to the courtroom early this morning and requested that they again hear the testimony of prosecution witness Mike McQueary, a Penn State graduate assistant who later became an assistant coach, and Dr. Jonathan Dranov, a friend of McQueary's. Both testified about the shower incident in which McQueary saw Sandusky in the shower with a young boy. Dranov said McQueary had described the scene and heard sexual sounds but did not include the graphic detail that he gave in his court testimony. McQueary said he didn't tell Dranov everything.

The outcome now rests with the jury. As stated in a previous post about this trial, Ham on Wry doesn't know what the jury will decide. I do know without a doubt that adult men do not belong in the same shower as young boys. At the very least, Jerry Sandusky is guilty of inappropriate behavior.

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Rielle Hunter Tell-all Trashes Elizabeth Edwards

Behold the baby mama of John Edwards' illegitimate child. Too bad Rielle Hunter didn't vet her paramour  more carefully before running headlong into an affair during his run for President. Maybe she wouldn't have changed her mind anyway. After all, she continued the tryst, even after his fervent public denials of his involvement with her. 

Her soon-to-be released memoir has leaked details of selected portions of the book, and the real Rielle has a decided bent toward sleaze. She revels in details about her first steamy sexual encounter with "Johnny", as she delights in calling Edwards and states that she has no regrets about having sex with a man whose wife is battling breast cancer. Her tell-all reveals a self-absorbed person with an absence of integrity and character.

She blames Elizabeth Edwards for "Johnny's" indiscretion, saying that she was "bonkers" and calling her a "witch on wheels." Ham on Wry could suggest a derogatory name for Rielle, but "Johnny" captured it best when he referred to her as a "crazy slut." Anyone with an ounce of decency would never insinuate that a person with a fatal disease caused her husband's affair. That choice lays at the feet of "Johnny" himself.

Quinn, the couple's illegitimate daughter is the loser in ll this. She has two parents so caught up in their separate delusions of grandeur that she will get lost in their battle of egos. Rielle demurs (but certainly not on the basis of decency) when assessing her current relationship with "Johnny." They recently spent a weekend together at his beach house, but she remains vague about whether they will marry. I can't think of two people who deserve each other more!

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Victim 9 Mom Testifies Before Sandusky Defense Begins

Gene J. Puskar AP

The mother of Victim 9, who alleges that he was repeatedly sodomized and forced to perform oral sex on Sandusky testified as the last witness for the prosecution. She blames herself for encouraging her son to spend nights at the Sandusky home, despite his objections, because she didn't realize that Sandusky was sexually abusing him. 

She was a single mom working two jobs and thought her son had been given a wonderful opportunity. On several occasions, he returned home with no underwear after his sleepovers, always claiming that he had thrown away the underwear because he'd had an accident. Her testimony was laced with tears as she told the jury that Victim 9 had developed stomach problems and had difficulty sleeping. She recounted an occasion when her son had called her to pick hi up and was waiting outside with no shoes. Sandusky was not waiting with him.

When the defense began its case, two Penn State retired assistant coaches testified that it was routine for boys to shower in the coaches locker room and that it was common for coaches to shower with young people. Danger! Danger! Ham on Wry could understand if the young boys, not Penn State athletes, showered in a separate are, but together? That's totally inappropriate. If that testimony was designed to mitigate Sandusky's so-called "horsing round" in the shower with a young boy, an incident reported to Penn State officials, it failed.

Ham on Wry closes with a pointed question. If Sandusky's actions had no inappropriate overtones, why did Penn State ban him from taking young boys into the shower room beginning in 2001?

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USAF Unmanned Space Plane Returns to Earth

AP Photo of X-37B Aircraft

Kept secret for the entire 15 months, the X-37B ended its journey into space during the early morning hours Saturday, June 16, 2012 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Launched in March 2011 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the space plane extended its original mission from nine to fifteen months. Even though the plane carried no passengers, it  landed flawlessly.

Lt. Col. Tom McIntyre, X-37B program manager,  gave a glowing report of the plane's performance saying, "The return capability allows the Air Force to test new technologies without the same risk commitment faced by other programs. We're proud of the entire team's successful efforts to bring this mission to an outstanding conclusion."

Both the payload carried on the aircraft and the type of experiments performed during the mission are clouded in secrecy because details remain classified. However, officials did disclose that this was the second time one of the X-37B's, specifically Orbital Test Vehicle 2 or OTV-2, had completed a spaceflight.

Speculation abounds that the OTV's purpose involves space spying, although the Air Force firmly denies those allegations. Richard McKinney, the Air Force's deputy undersecretary for space programs, stated, "My words to others who might read anything else into that is, 'Just listen to what we're telling you. This is, pure and simple, a test vehicle so we can prove technologies and capabilities," after OTV-1 landed in 2010.

Ham on Wry has long had a fascination with space and all of its unknowns. We might never solve the mystery of what experiments occurred on board, but shouldn't we believe what officials tell us? These are the same people who say there's no such thing as a UFO.  Yeah, right!

 

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Justin Bieber Rocks the Plaza Friday on the Today Show

Photo of Bieber concert from Today Show website

Ham on Wry can't explain why so many teenage girls camped out from as early as Tuesday to ensure the best viewing areas for Justin Bieber's performance at the Toyota Concert Series this morning. In fact, this blogger fails to understand the millions of fans that follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Despite my inability to comprehend the Bieber phenomenon, he has also garnered a number of adult fans, and the Today Show teams appears among them.

In a pre-concert interview, Matt Lauer asked for Bieber's help in launching his Twitter account, so Justin obliged by tweeting a message encouraging people to follow Lauer. Within less than two minutes, he had thousands of followers, which means that the person who handles the show's digital media will most likely lose his bet, requiring him to streak on the set. Bieber certainly wields a power greater than many of the current top stars. His savvy with social media gives him an edge with his fans and provides them with frequent updates about his music, concerts, and events.

To his credit, Justin Bieber makes frequent visits to patients in children's hospitals. One young girl appeared on Today, sitting on his lap and haltingly told the story of her pretend marriage to Bieber.  Now known as "Mrs. Bieber", Eviana (unsure of spelling) said the ceremony involved a paper cut-out of Justin in the role of groom. The new "Mrs. Bieber" will have quite a story to tell her friends about that TV appearance.

I'm not enamored with his music, but Justin Bieber does have some redeeming qualities. He left his ego behind this morning and energetically entertained the thousands who had gathered.

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JPMorganChase CEO Jaime Dimon Admits Bank Took Too Much Risk

Two months ago, Jaime Dimon dismissed reports about problem trading in the bank's Chief Investment Office (CIO), calling them "a tempest in a teapot." Today, he characterized that comment as "dead wrong" during the Senate Banking hearing called to investigate the financial debacle that  resulted in at least $5 billion in trading losses, by adding the May 10th trades   to those that occurred in London during April.

Isn't this the same bank that gladly accepted $25 billion in bailout money while George W. Bush was still President of the United States in 2008? Given that JPMC contributed greatly to the financial meltdown that occurred prior to the bailout, Ham on Wry would expect much stricter internal controls had been placed on trading by now. Yet, Mr. Dimon labels the Volcker rule, which is a section of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Protection Act, as overzealous and unnecessary. In summary, the Volcker Rule specifically prohibits a bank or institution that owns a bank from engaging in executing proprietary trades and investments in private equity and hedge funds.

Dimon ironically contradicted himself in his view of the Volcker Rule, when he said later that if it had been enacted, it might have stemmed at least $2 billion of the recent losses. Former JPMC employees have accused Dimon of encouraging his CIO to make bigger and riskier trades, while he reaped the benefits and attained a rank as one of the highest-paid CEO's in U.S. banking. Dimon earned income of more than $1.9 million a month on average in 2010 and 2011. Most readers can't imagine earning that much in a year, let alone one week!


This situation points to one of the biggest problems facing the United States currently--CEO compensation. Even if Dimon were forced to resign from JPMC, he has made a fortune without the penalty that should be associated with incurring large financial losses under his leadership. It calls to mind Enron and WorldCom from past financial disasters. If these kinds of losses don't scream for a cutback in CEO salaries and bonuses, what does? We have far too many examples of large, complex organizations not policing themselves adequately, and that problem doesn't exist solely in the financial services sector, as indicated by the two examples stated. Why does someone earn a hefty bonus after failing to deliver on promises.


Ham on Wry ends this post with a question. How much longer will the citizens of this country tolerate this kind of insanity?

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Sandusky Trial Underway

A courtroom in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, set the stage for opening statements earlier today, creating heavy emotion when Prosecutor Joseph E. McGettigan, III displayed pictures of Jerry Sandusky's alleged victims . Known only by number previously, the photos captured each young man at the approximate age that he first met Sandusky at Second Mile, the charity he founded for at-risk children. Sandusky is accused of 52 counts of child molestation on 10 boys over several years.

Former assistant football coach Mike McQueary will testify that he saw Sandusky, the team's defensive coordinator, in a shower doing something of a sexual nature with a boy in 2001. McQueary, a graduate assistant at the time, reported the incident to Coach Joe Paterno who informed Penn State officials. Former Penn State President, Graham Spanier, resigned under pressure after the scandal broke.

Eight of the alleged victims will also testify as to the nature of the abuse and the length of time that it occurred. An effort to protect their identities failed, and they must testify using their real names rather than pseudonyms.

In his opening statement, Sandusky's attorney Joe Amendola revealed that his client will take the stand in his own defense. Amendola tried to lessen the impact of the victims' future testimony by stating that some of the boys maintained a relationship with Sandusky for years after the alleged abuse and took years to report it. Shades of the debacle involving several Catholic priests in this country! The shame that victims feel often prevent them from reporting the crime until much later.

He will also attempt to mitigate McQueary's testimony by saying that McQueary assumed that he only assumed Sandusky was performing a sexual act on the boy. He will assert that the two were just "horsing around." Ham on Wry wonders why any adult would consider it appropriate to be in the shower with a young boy when both wore no clothes.

Ham on Wry views this entire situation as a horrible tragedy. In addition to the people directly involved, the scandal has forced Second Mile to close and transfer its assets and programs to a Texas charity that will continue its mission. No matter what the outcome of the trial, no one really wins.

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Outsourcing Client Service to Other Countries, the Scourge of the American Economy

Most TV viewers have seen the ads featuring "Peggy", a customer service rep working in a remote area of some unidentified eastern European country. Peggy, who is actually a male, avoids specific answers to callers and hangs up when the going gets tough. Who among us hasn't had a frustrating experience, hundreds more likely, in talking to someone from another country wearing a headset and often difficult to hear?

Outsourcing gained popularity as the 21st Century dawned, taking many American customer service jobs overseas where the reps received significantly lower wages. This practice saved companies that employed larges numbers of customer service employees, such credit card issuers, mega bucks in the beginning and struck executives as an effective means of capping costs. That idea helped fuel the unemployment problem that reached epic proportion after the economic meltdown of 2008 and still persists today.

Ham on Wry finds it ironic that so many politicians tout tax reductions to business and other incentives as the means of expanding jobs in this country. The businesses that sent the most positions overseas stand to reap benefits for the very problems they helped to fuel. That idea has never worked well, but it continues to rear its ugly head in hand-wringing sessions about how to solve the unemployment problem.

Florida's governor, Rick Scott, supports tax cuts for businesses, yet he has undermined the very foundation that attracts businesses to a state, the talent pool. He has cut money from education, $1.3 billion for the current school year to be exact.  He then added $1 billion to next year's budget, which doesn't even make up for the decrease and touts that as an example of his generosity. On top of that, he signed a bill to create an unnecessary 12th university to the system, without bothering to ensure that it was accredited first. Phooey! Bunk! Hogwash! If this  is an example of effective leadership, it defies any description of that concept touted by experts on the subject. In Scott's case, he should get out of the way, as Lee Iacoca suggested if one can't lead or follow.

Business, not government, must solve the unemployment problems we face. Return customer service jobs to America. Every sentient American will thank you for ending the frustration in dealing with people who, although friendly and well-trained, don't really understand our culture or the way it operates, just as we don't understand theirs. The cost of outsourcing overseas is rapidly rising, which takes the cost saving issue off the table. The biggest loss business has suffered in hiring reps in other countries lies in the ill will many customers now feel for casting them into a sea of frustration.

Hello out there, CEO's! Bring back our customer service jobs! Do it now. That is all!

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Donald Trump, the "Big, Bad, Wolf"

"The Donald", pictured at left in his quintessential "I'm the boss" pose, has little substance to offer when it comes to politics. Ham on Wry fails to understand why any candidate would embrace his support. One can't dispute his wealth, but he blows a lot of hot air, much like the Big, Bad, Wolf of The Three Little Pigs fame.

Trump has great talent for affecting a scowling, grumpy demeanor and garnering media attention, but it's the kind of attention any serious politician should eschew. He delights in offending people and will say anything that pops into his brain. Mitt Romney should have carefully examined the effects of Trump's support before accepting it.

He plays to the lowest, common denominator, which makes him appealing to Birthers, those who still doubt that President Obama was born in Hawaii. He mentioned his doubts about Obama's citizenship at the North Carolina Republican convention a week ago and received rousing applause. Greta Van Sustern questioned Trump about it on her show May 29th, asking him why he would still have doubts when ample evidence has been presented that Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. Trump never presented any hard facts to dispute Obama's citizenship. Unfortunately, Trump is like many who prefer to ignore renowned fact checking organizations because of their dislike for the President. I leave it to readers to draw conclusions about that particular brand of ignorance.

Continuing his pompousness, he proclaimed that he could refute claims of racism leveled against him because he hired Arsenio Hall in the latest version of Celebrity Apprentice. Really? Does that prove he isn't a racist?    I don't know whether he has a bias against minorities or not, but I do know that his example proves nothing and illustrates my point. He huffs and he puffs, but he doesn't blown down any houses of substance.

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Sci-Fi Literary Pioneer Ray Bradbury Dies at 91

Ray Bradbury, a prolific author of science fiction and fantasy, died Tuesday night in Los Angeles, according to his publicist. His family revealed in a statement issued today that he had suffered from an undisclosed illness for a long time.

Bradbury penned several novels, of which Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and The Martian Chronicles were the most widely read  I studied Fahrenheit 451 while earning an undergrad degree and when I see that title, I can't shake the feeling of doom that overcame me on first reading it. Although he denied the novel's theme was about censorship, many readers interpret it that way because of the tragic burning of "unacceptable books."  Hmmm--that strikes a familiar note about  our current culture. Bradbury claimed the book denounced the compression of complex ideas into factoids, much like the political ads that abound on television today. He foresaw the demise of learning for the sake of knowledge, referred to now as "the dumbing down of America."

In my first professional iteration, I taught English to junior and senior high school students and used several of his short stories in class.  "All Summer in a Day" tells about school children on Venus, where the sun rarely shines. Some of the children bully a new student, and---well, I suggest everyone read it to learn what happens. Another of my favorites, There Will Come Soft Rains, builds on the theme of a poem by Sarah Teasdale. To reveal more would destroy the impact of the story.

Ray Bradbury inspired generations of science fiction and fantasy writers by couching his social commentary in that which wasn't real. Not only did he write novels and short stories, he also created plays and scripts for movies and TV, as well as children's books.

Those who have never read anything by Ray Bradbury have missed a masterful storyteller. Ham on Wry suggests that readers pick up something that he wrote to experience his genius. Bradbury engages, informs and enlightens the reader. Farewell to a gifted teller of tales well worth reading.

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Last Venus Transit of Twenty-First Century

Getty Images

For the second time this century, Venus began its transit across the sun at 6:09 p.m EDT today. Since these events occur in pairs separated by eight years, the last one happened in 2004. First observed in 1639, five transit pairs have crossed the sun between then and now. Few, if any, of those who watched the phenomenon today will see the next one in 2017.

Spectators must wear the same protective glasses used during an eclipse, even though the transit does not create anything close to a full eclipse. Astronauts will be treated to the best view of the transit from the space station. Venus will take 6 hours and 20 minutes to traverse its path across the sun, so for readers who can't see it live, watch it on NASA TV at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv or space.com.

AP Photo

Words can't adequately express the grandeur of this splendor in the sky, so Ham on Wry encourages readers to leave the blog and find somewhere to watch it.

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Mitt Romney, the Mystery Man

Ham on Wry has many questions for Mitt Romney that  have no specific answer as yet. Since the photo at left invites any and all queries, game on!

Mr. Romney, have you personally shopped in a grocery store or big box store in the past ten years? If so, has the rise in prices forced you to forgo the purchase of items that were formerly a staple in your diet? I have made adjustments, and so have a majority of my friends; however, I doubt that you've felt the pinch.

When you tout your ability to create jobs, are you including jobs that Bain Capital outsourced to other countries? Do you factor in the jobs that companies eliminated while you led Bain Capital, so that you can provide a specific net gain figure?

You have been speaking in generalities throughout your campaign about actions you would take if elected President of the United States. Now that you have won the required delegates, can you state exactly what you would do to create jobs while protecting the most vulnerable citizens of our country: children, the physically disabled and mentally handicapped, and the elderly? According to the Preamble to the United States Constitution, government has a prime duty to provide for the welfare of its citizens. No, I don't mean the welfare program. I mean the health, well-being, and safety of all.

What are your plans to ensure that every citizen has access to health care other than using emergency departments? Our country has a dismal health care record in comparison to other industrialized nations. Life expectancy in this country trails France, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada, and the UK, all of which use socialized medicine. According to a report published by the World Health Organization in August 2011, the United States trailed 40 other countries in infant mortality rates during the first month of life. Ham on Wry could list several additional abysmal statistics, but the message is clear. Our current system fails too many people.

What are your views on proposed regulation of financial services behemoths? You have affirmed your belief in capitalism both verbally and in your career. Unfettered capitalism does not work  If it did, the economic meltdown in 2008 would not have occurred, nor would Bernie Madoff have succeeded in pilfering obscene amounts of money from investors who trusted him. What will you do to ensure that a debacle such as this will not happen again?

You are currently faulting President Obama for failed economic policies, yet he took office when the economy had hit its lowest point since the depression. Ham on Wry asks you to speak more in terms of the strategy you will use and the actions you will take to implement that strategy in order to produce a robust economy from which all citizens will benefit, not just those who can shield assets and move money to overseas accounts. It's time to lay out your plan, Mr. Romney. Only then can informed citizens understand your vision for this country.

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Retired Justice John Paul Stevens Denounces Citizens United Ruling

Hooray for Retired Justice John Paul Stevens, who excoriated the Supreme Court Justices for the abomination that has occurred since the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision over two years ago! Ham on Wry considers him a hero for speaking out May 30 against a case that has unleashed a flurry of political ads funded by organizations with backing from corporations and wealthy supporters.

He predicted that the court will eventually deal with the question of whether the ruling applies to the ability of foreign corporations, potentially even terror groups, to spend freely. Saying that he believes they will limit the ruling's application, he added, "The court must then explain its abandonment of, or at least qualify reliance upon, the proposition that the identity of the speaker is an impermissible basis for regulating campaign speech. It will be necessary to explain why the First Amendment provides greater protection for some nonvoters than that of other nonvoters.

Is this the opinion of a card carrying left-wing liberal, whatever that means? No! Since Gerald Ford appointed John Paul Stevens to the Supreme Court, he would have abandoned his moderate stance in doing so. That fact points to how much the court has changed since Justice Steven joined.  By the time he retired, he was considered liberal in his voting, and the conservatives had moved far to the right.

Citizens United has corrupted the campaign finance laws to the point of absurdity. Any organization can create a name that sounds as though it supports the American Way, Truth, Justice-the whole gamut of positive goals. The ads that they produce are anything but factual, although they use charts and graphs that appear fact-based in order to convince viewers of their points. This law must be overturned in the name of leveling the playing field. The United States Constitution was written for citizens-living, breathing humans-not businesses. Restore sanity to the Supreme Court and demand the law be overturned! As many of us learned in typing class, "Now is the time for all good men (and women) to come to the aid of their country."

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