Prose & Poetry

Memento Morii

Posted on by The 40 year old magpie
From my facebook page:
My Father, Marcel Willem Nathans, passed away 15 minutes ago at the age of 90, after a brief illness. Born in The Hague, Netherlands, he attended the Universities of Leiden and Utrecht graduating weeks before the occupying Germans closed it. Rather than submit to the deportation order, he went into hiding. After the war, he joined the Dutch Resistance/Army where he was tasked with guarding collaborators. My father also served with the British Army as a translator, earning the rank of Sergeant.

He came to America, getting off the boat in Hoboeken, NJ. He moved to Berkeley to attend U C Berkeley, where he graduated with his Ph.D in Chemistry Magna Cum Laude. It was through a cousin that he met our Mother, Gloria Janet Harris (1922 – 1988),  in San Francisco. They were married for nearly 40 years before she passed. They’re back together, now.

I love you, daddy. I always will Kiss mom and grandma for me.
Marcel Willem Nathans – April 16, 1922 – December 8, 2012.

There is so much more to my father’s life than that short description. He played soccer at Leiden, though you’d never have known it. Dad wasn’t too much into sports. He played the piano. Quite well. He was a jokester. a good cook. He wrote a first year college chemistry text that is still in use, titled Elementary Chemistry. He worked with Edward Teller at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. He is one of the survivors interviewed by Spielberg for his shoa memorial. He played chess very well. He never gave up. In some ways, he never grew up, either. He loved his children and grandchildren. Women loved him. 🙂

I’m here in NYC, several thousand miles away. It never stopped us from talking. I loved the sound of his voice. I am thankful I had once last chat with him. The last time I saw him, was at his 90th birthday celebration. yes, there were changes in him physically, still it was my dad. We even managed to avoid a food fight at the party.

My dad, ca 1938
My father, age 16

Good night, daddy.

Activism, Ghimeabragh

An Open Letter to FBI Director Robert S. Mueller and US Attorney General Eric H. Holder

Posted on by The 40 year old magpie

Dear Sirs,

When an American Citizen uses fear and intimidation to influence another, it is a crime. When an organization such as the Mafia, or major drug cartels use fear and intimidation against citizens to influence their behavior, you call it “Racketeering”. What is it when Corporations threaten the livelihoods of their employees if they don’t vote a certain way? Certainly, with the Citizens United ruling, and Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney‘s assertion that “Corporations are People”, certainly you have the power of the RICO statutes to investigate them for Voter Intimidation and extortion. Why are Corporate-Americans immune from teh same laws that others are not?

From a cnbc article:

As a contentious election season enters its final weeks, a flurry of communication from corporate leaders to rank-and-file workers strongly implies that voting for President Barack Obama could imperil their jobs and their financial stability.

Employees of a paper company owned by the outspoken billionaire Koch brothers received a mailing warning that they could “suffer the consequences, including higher gasoline prices, runaway inflation, and other ills” if they voted for candidates not supported by Koch-owned companies or its political fund-raising arm.

The company also provided workers with a list of those candidates it supports. At the top: Mitt Romney, according to media outlet In These Times, which broke the story. “The packet also included an anti-Obama editorial by Charles Koch and a pro-Romney editorial by David Koch,” it said.

In the private sector, though, such instances skew pro-Romney. The candidate himself suggested that business owners adopt this practice during a virtual town hall meeting with the National Federation of Independent Businesses back in June.

“I hope you make it very clear to your employees what you believe is in the best interest of your enterprise and therefore their job and their future in the upcoming elections,” he said, telling the audience, “Nothing illegal about you talking to your employees about what you believe is best for the business, because I believe that will figure into their election decision, their voting decision.”

Sounds like Mr. Romney is suggesting a little “fatherly” talk. Much like a mobster telling a bar owner what’s good for him and his business. Certainly, it’s not “illegal” but the baseball bat is there to reinforce the idea. If this were two African-Americans standing outside a single precinct, you would be all over this like flies on a corpse, but since it’s just a bunch of wealthy “job creators (off-shore) you ignore it.

Gentlemen, with Corporate-Americans wielding the Baseball Bat of unemployment, do you think that Working-Americans, Americans will vote their preference or their paycheck?

18 USC Chapter 96 – RACKETEER INFLUENCED AND CORRUPT ORGANIZATIONS a/k/a RICO:

(1) “racketeering activity” means (A) any act or threat involving murder, kidnapping, gambling, arson, robbery, bribery, extortion,…

if that doesn’t work, how about Voter Supression? That too, is a Federal offense.

Sincerley,

The 40 year old Magpie

15 Minutes, Activism, Bigots by Other Names, Rumours Gin Mill

An Open Letter to “Dr” Orly Taitz

Posted on by The 40 year old magpie

Dear Mrs. Taitz,

I made Good Faith inquiries to you for an interview about YOU. what makes you tick, your time at Hebrew University, which will neither confirm nor deny you even graduated, Your political bent in Israel like, telling us about your connections to the Right of the banned KaCH party, Beitenu Yisroel, that is anti-Muslim. Or were you a member of KaCh? I’d also suggest not bothering to  attend Yom Kippurim services, since your confessions won’t be sincere. – all of which I deem relevant to Americans who want to understand you better. Your responses offered nothing but excuses, comparisons to real political dissidents who languish in prisons around the world, while you roam free under our oppressive Bill of Rights and to martyrs who have died for their cause. I must remind you, during this time of reflection, that we Jews don’t believe in Willful Martyrdom.

I’ve been following your sideshow for some time, and well, I just gotta say this: WTF? Do you even understand what a SLAPP Suit is? Do you understand what your attempts to deprive American citizens of THEIR right to Free Speech is called?Do you understand ‘RICO’? Your continual howls to boycott this show or that actor or add their names to a bogus “defamation” suit because they said things you considered “mean”, when most likely it was the truth regarding you and your crap “lawyering” . You have made the California State Bar a jesting-stock with your nonsense, and so, the time has truly come, madam, for you to release PROOF that it was you and not some well paid dupe who both took the Taft Law School Courses AND sat for the Cal Bar. And before your howler monkeys descend, I KNOW that you only had to provide your fingerprints at the time of your application to sit for the bar, and no a photo needed. I KNOW that no one from Taft ever spoke to you, I KNOW your English writing skills are worse than an amputee in a Calligraphy school. I KNOW you are incapable of writing a coherent pleading, and that alone should have disqualified your application to Taft.

I have no doubt that those who genuinely support your Sisyphean task truly believe that Hawaii is some exotic land somehow not connected to the USA like Alaska, which is connected to Canada which is connected to the USA.

The others are there for their amusement.

9
Ghimeabragh

The Revolution will be AnonRemailed

Posted on by The 40 year old magpie

Now, I’ve used anon remailers, but I’ve encrypted my message. This came un-encrpyted…
Anonymous@Anonymous.net

Subject: Declaration of Revolution

Dear Anonymous, The purpose of this message is to inform you about the Revolution: OCCUPY HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT IN LONDON ON NOVEMBER 5, 2012. OCCUPY CONGRESS IN WASHINGTON D.C. ON NOVEMBER 11, 2012. STOP WAR. CANCEL ALL DEBT. REDISTRIBUTE WEALTH. Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect how@zebra.c2ads.net, via zebra.c2ads.net

I am highly amused by this.

And, to the person who mailed me this:
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Ad Astra

A Wandering Actor, I

Posted on by The 40 year old magpie

After many long years of training, scene study and assorted false starts, I have found a coach who challenges me as an actor. He pulls things from deep inside me and pulls no punches in his assessments. I get the same from his associates. His name is John Pallotta. I’ve been at the John Pallotta Studio for a few weeks now, and not even the awesome coaches at the National Shakespeare Conservatory pulled out me what John, Gina and Robert have pulled out of me.I am always surprised and challenged there.

Check him out.

Thank you, John.

Bigots by Other Names, Rumours Gin Mill

On your “own dime”? Really?

Posted on by The 40 year old magpie

As most of my readers know, I have been more or less following the Adventures of Orly Taitz in Citizenshipland for a while. I’ve lurked her “blog” and today, I read something on her Senatorial campaign Facebook page that knocked me for a loop.
Here’s the screencap:

wpid-orlyonherdime-2012-06-3-13-14.jpg

Yes, she really does say that SHE paid her own way in her “Quijotic” Quest to unseat the President. Yet a simple search on “orly taitz frequent flyer” (sans quotes) turns up a number of postings where she is thanking various “supporters” for their donations of miles, and posts where she’s asking for both frequent flyer AND hotel points.

On her own dime? I think not.
From her own blogsite:

If you can donate frequent flyer miles or can help with a stand by ticket, call me at 949-683-5411
Posted on | December 2, 2010 | 4 Comments

Here she is asking for donations of Miles and Points. and, yet, it’s all on her “own dime”.

over a thousand people visit my web site every hour

Posted on | October 31, 2011 | 3 Comments

Now I have a visit counter on my web site. Over a 1,000 people visit this website every hour. I need to raise $3,150 more to register on the ballot as a candidate for the U.S. Senate. If readers donate even a small amount, such as $5 or $3, it will help to raise this amount quickly.

http://www.orlytaitzesq.com/?p=26935        Page 2 of 12over a thousand people visit my web site every hour | Dr. Orly Taitz, Esquire        6/3/12 9:52 AM

Yesterday I flew to AZ to present the case for Social Security fraud committed by Obma to Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Between airfare, car rental, gasoline, copying of documents and so on, it was some $700 in one day. When more readers of this site donate small amounts, it helps to cover those fees and hopefully save some funds for future battles. I often get phone calls, letters and e-mails, where people are telling me that they are behind me and are praying for me, which is nice, but nice words and prayers do not pay for the airfare, car rental, court fees and so on.

Your donations and support is appreciated!

PS. Frequent flyer miles, hotel miles help. I, also, need tech support and clerical support from someone, who can actually come to my office and help at location. Remote control help does not work well. If you have experience with campaigns, let me know

Yes, this goes on and on. Asking her very aptly named ‘Supporters” to donate, donate, donate. She’s getting free labor from them as well, as the above posting shows. She’s not a fan of telecommuting, as she can’t watch them.

So, Orly, what would the FEC think of these donations? Did you file? And, before you decide to scrub those entries, I have them archived as PDFs in the cloud. Nothing is ever gone from the Internet.

and, then THIS gem:

“The negative aspect, is the fact, that this will be the fifth time I will be flying to HI to a hearing. It is depleting all the donations. I hate to ask, but donations and frequent flier miles will come very handy. This is a very tough fight. You know the resources, that might opponent has, but with your help we are moving along. Thank you for your support .
If you can, please be generous with your donation to help underwrite the expense of airfare, lodging, meals for Dr. Taitz and witnesses as she flies from her home in California to court hearings in Hawaii and Georgia. She’s at the tip of the sword on our behalf.
“Reminder! I need to fly a number of witnesses to trial in GA on the 26th. frequent flier miles and donations are badly needed.
“If you love your country, please help me fight this creeping tyranny and corruption. Donations no matter how small will help pay for airline and travel expenses.”

I have not changed a thing. This is grifting. Not one supporter asks her for an accounting, not one asks for the “witness” list – witnesses that never materialized, I believe.
I’m not muckracking. I’m just reporting on what I consider to be hanky-panky with people’s trust. Especially in light that no one really knows squat about her.