National Geographic: 'Lockdown Prison Oakville Maximum Security Prisons Documentary'

Source:National Geographic- a corrections officer at Oak Park Maximum Security Prison, in Minnesota. 

"Lockdown Prison Oakville Maximum Security Prisons Documentary" 

From Larry Long 

It's hard to feel hard for people who not just hurt innocent people, or hurt innocent people for a living, or just hurt innocent people for prison, but then hurt innocent people while they're in prison. At some point the Department of Corrections has to take a stand and not just say that they're not going to tolerate this horrible behavior, but then do whatever they can within the law and Constitution, to prevent that violent behavior from happening again. 

The whole point of maximum security and supermax prisons is to prevent further violence in prisons. It's said that maximum security and supermax's are designed to house the worst of the worst, but not from society, because once you enter prison, you leave the free society, at least, but these prisons are designed to house the worst of the worst in the Department of Corrections. Meaning the inmate population regardless of what state you're talking about.  

Having said all of this, it's called the Department of Corrections for a very good reason, when you're talking about Minnesota or any other state. So these institution are supposed to be designed to at least make the inmates better inmates and responsible people while they're in prison at least, if not prepare the inmates for life on the outside, if they're released from prison at some point. And even in a supermax or even in solitary confinement, the inmates need to be incentivized to get with the program and cooperate with the prison staff and not have to come back to solitary in the future.

National Constitution Center: Senator Mike Lee: 'Our Lost Constitution'

Source:The New Democrat

I agree with Senator Mike Lee that Congress has not lived up to their responsibilities as being an equal partner in the Federal Government with the Executive. Senator Lee, should know being a member of Congress himself. And how long this has been going on, I would go back to the War on Terror with President Bush, that has just continued with President Obama and even gone further. That a lot of our laws, unofficially written even, are written by Federal agencies. And done through executive orders. And of course Congress can overrule executive orders they do not like, or see as unconstitutional. But part of Congress not doing their jobs is not overriding executive orders that they see are wrong, or unconstitutional.

One of the core values of liberalism has to do with questioning authority. Especially centralized authority and big centralized authority. Not anti-authority, but saying that a lot of authority in the hands of one person or one group of people, even on the behalf of all the people, is dangerous and anti-freedom. And the U.S. Constitution with its Separation of Powers and our Federal Republic and our Federalist system and all of our individual and constitutional rights, best and most accurately describes and represents liberalism at its core and realist form. And that is what the Founding Fathers (our Founding Liberals) laid out with the U.S. Constitution.

You could blame this President, or that President for our so-called lost Constitution if you want to. But when Congress doesn’t live up to their oversight authority, both the House and Senate, to see that they are involved in all laws and regulations that the White House and its agencies writes and to see that the executive is enforcing the laws passed by Congress and signed by the President, who is to blame here? The President? The Executive is just doing what they believe they already have the authority to do. And again if Congress doesn’t like that, they, or a group of Representatives, or Senators can stand up and take action. Hold oversight hearings, pass laws limiting the Executive, hold the Executive accountable through the appropriations process.

The American Mind: The Fate of Modern Liberalism With Charles Krauthammer

Source:The New Democrat

It depends on what you mean by liberalism and this is a reason why I’m glad Democratic Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders is running for president. Because he’ll represent the so-called modern liberal movement in America and the so-called modern liberals. Even though he’s a Democratic Socialist. And this is what I mean, because what is called modern liberalism, is democratic socialism. Its America’s version of Britain, France and Scandinavia, Canada, and Australia as well. And the Democratic Party has a sufficient Democratic Socialist wing in it, led by Senator Sanders and others.

The reason why liberalism, classical liberalism if you want to call it that, but not libertarianism, but the reason why liberalism is in good shape, is because of the country. Americans, including young Americans, tend to like both personal and economic freedom. We tend to like the ability to manage our own personal and economic affairs and not need or want government do that for us. We also believe there should be a safety net for people who get knocked off their feet. Or don’t have the skills to take care of themselves. To help them get on their feet. America is as Barry Goldwater put it. A country where we don’t want big government in our wallets or bedrooms.

America doesn’t want a big government trying to run our lives for us. But to do what we need it to do. Like protecting us from criminals and keeping the air clean and products that make it to market safe and so-forth. Which is very different from having a government so big that the people don’t have to do much for themselves and don’t have choices in how they can live their own lives. Without much money after taxes to take care of themselves, because government is doing that for them. Liberalism in is real sense, classical or otherwise, is about personal and economic freedom. With a limited government there to protect us from people who would harm us and help people who are down get on their feet. A liberal government is an insurance system with law enforcement and a military. Which is what Americans tend to want from government.

You Politics News: Mike Huckabee 2016 Announcement Speech

Source:The New Democrat

Well I give this to Mike Huckabee, here’s a Republican with true blue-collar appeal. Because that is how he grew up and was raised and where he’s from. Similar to Rick Santorum, but the problem that both the Governor and Senator Santorum have, is that their blue-collar support is only in the Republican Party. And within the Christian-Right of the Republican Party at that. I mean imagine Mike Huckabee as the 2016 GOP presidential nominee. And also imagine Alabama declaring Islam as their state religion, which has just as big of a chance, while you’re at it. What state north of Florida and south Virginia could Mike Huckabee win. What state east of the Great Plains and west of California could Governor High and All Mighty Jesus win?

There are still a enough sane and smart Republicans left to prevent someone from the Far-Right of their party from winning their presidential nomination. And without gerrymandering in the House of Representatives, the GOP wouldn’t be in the majority in the House right now. And yes a lot of the Far-Right is in the House, but that is thanks to gerrymandering. Not because they’re great politicians and public servants. You can say the 1960s and 1990s ruined America all you want and its time to return America back to the 1950s and party like its 1955 all you want to. With a lot of our personal cultural freedom being thrown out in the trash all you want. But the part of America that The Huckster represents is all but dead now.

Americans by in large are comfortable with women working and working well and being paid well. We’re comfortable as a country with romantic couples who are not married living together and even having kids. We’re comfortable in most cases regardless of race, ethnicity and religion living and being around Americans of other races, ethnicities and religion. We are no longer a predominant Anglo-Saxon Protestant nation, but a nation that represents the world and have the whole world living here. And we’re also by in large comfortable with not just homosexuality, but even gay marriage. Because most Americans are smart enough to know that what people do in their private lives is exactly that. And not the business of big government.

So yeah, Mike Huckabee will be a lot of fun for bloggers, comedians and reporters to talk and blog about. And the Governor is a bit of a comedian himself with a good sense of humor and maybe he’s running for the fun of it. But what’s the point of his campaign? How does he appeal to young Republicans who tend to come from the Rand Paul conservative libertarian wing of the party. And are not interested in how Americans live their own personal lives. And certainly don’t want big government involved in their lives. And how does he appeal to the business Republicans who are interested in economic and security issues and don’t concern themselves with social issues generally. Again The Huckster will be a lot of fun in 2015-16. But that won’t be enough for him to win the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.