The power of a little Wall of Shame

Oh the power of a little Wall of Shame is truly remarkable. I was not completely aware of the power of a little Wall of Shame when I started my website Jobless Unite little more than 4 month ago. I wanted to inform the unemployed masses about what was going on and how to advocate for our badly needed benefits as well as get the word out about the massive suffering within the American Unemployment community.

There is a great deal of information within the 14 pages published on that site, including petitions, videos, great cartoons, chat, Twitter, a full legislator contact list, current events and our lobbying efforts to name a few. In a relatively short period of time, that site has almost a half a million hits. Jobless Unite free, no membership website dedicated to the unemployed masses in America. Our fight - to stay alive, our cause - to get benefits until there are enough jobs for those who need them.

Of all the pages on this website, the most popular and most feared seems to be our WALL of SHAME. All who appear on this page are sent an email of welcome to inform them of why the are listed here saying: WELCOME to OUR WALL of SHAME and providing them with the link to view it for themselves.

This page has gotten the attention of Congressional staffers all across the country and Washington D. C. as well. In my interview with a reporter for CNN Money last month, I told the reporter I was not very happy with the tone of her last piece. Her immediate response was: "Please don't put me on your Wall of Shame!" To that I replied "Then don't do anything to deserve it!"

A few months back, a web blog called erroneously reported HR 4851 as our holy grail: Tier 5. I promptly placed them on the Wall of shame and had all my website visitors contact them to voice our disgust. The article was pulled days later and that news blog began to publish very accurate, positive articles about the 99ers and the unemployed in general. Eventually my viewers voted in favor of removing that party from the Wall of Shame, but for some reason I do not see much from them on the net these days.

After I added a blogger from Syracuse.com to the Wall of Shame, I received a response of protest from her and her staffers via Twitter. The tweets urged all to stop following me (@Paladinette) and said other disparaging things about my character. In less than 1 hour I had nearly 50 more followers and did not lose a single one. They shut up pretty fast after that.

A staffer for Montana Senator Max Baucus actually said to me recently, when I called and gave my name as Paladinette, "oh you're the one who put up the video and the Senator is not very happy about that." (referring to the YouTube video of Mr. Baucus Drunk on the Senate floor last December up on the Wall of Shame) To which I replied: "That is really too bad. I for one am not very happy about Mr. Baucus letting the 99ers and other long term unemployed starve. So I will make you a deal, (Washington loves deals) when we get a Tier 5 for all states extending unemployment benefits for Americans who have exhausted them, then I promise to remove both Baucus related Wall of Shame posts from my site."

More recently I have actually been threatened with a lawsuit from one Shame alumni member. Since we still have the right to free speech in this country and I have done nothing but let him defame himself by his own words and actions, I am not at all worried about such empty threats.

What this all boils down to is there is a way to try to hold accountable those who publish with impunity their opinions on the net and claim them to be fact. Anyone who posts articles claiming 'those of us who cannot find a job are lazy and living off the government' need to check the facts.

Fact is we have lost between 8 and 11 million jobs in the past 3 years in this country and have created about 500K all year. You do the math and it is not hard to see that the jobs just are NOT out there for us. Add to this the fact that of the longest term unemployed is the USA today, 47% of them are age 50 and older. Potential employers are more guilty than ever before of age discrimination and they disguise it with terms like "Sorry dear, you are over qualified."

Anyone, including Congress who is so callous as to badmouth the unemployed in these difficult times and refuse to help us out of a problem that Wall Street created needs to be voted out of office, called on their behavior or boycotted completely (especially blogs posing as news services). If nobody is reading their drivel and their ad revenues dry up then, oh well they will know what it is like to be unemployed soon then won't they?

99er featured on Ed Schultz MSNBC

Looking very professional and poised, Connie Kaplan appeared on the Ed Schultz Show on MSNBC today. She announced her trip to Washington DC to deliver 99er letters to the RNC, DNC and the White house, asking for their help.

Kaplan blamed the Republicans for their obstruction, time and again on the unemployment and Jobs Bill issues. Ed asked Connie, if 99 weeks is not enough, how long should UI benefits be extended, to which she replied, “The benefits have to last until we have jobs in America.”

She went on to discuss green jobs in America and how most citizens are unaware of the green jobs training available today.

The letters Connie will carry to the DNC and RNC, mainly put them on notice that if they want to be the recipients of 15 million votes for their party, they had better see to it that the Americans Want to Work Act passes first thing in September.

The letter Kaplan is delivering to the White House expresses the 99ers’ disgust with the current administration being silent on the Tier 5 issue. The 99er letter goes on to request a town hall meeting between President Obama and the 99er Nation.

Though Connie Kaplan, seems to be the most recent face of the 99ers of late, the letters she will carry were written by several key leaders in the 99er movement. Cindy Paoletti, Rob Curtis, Scott Mathewson, LaDona King and Sandy Monroe, all members of the PalTalk room: Tier 5 to Survive -Unemployed Unite. Many 99ers have worked long and hard to break through to the media in order to get the attention of America on the plight of the long term unemployed, now without benefits for 8 months.

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Tiger Woods won't say he loves his ex? by Suzannah B. Troy

Tiger Woods will not answer questions if the question is "Do you love your ex-wife?" which he was asked quite a bit by Andrea Peyser of The New York Post until she was escorted  out of The Barclay Tournament.  Lucky for her, she was not stoned but sports bloggers came very close to doing so.

In theory it is none of our business but when Tiger Woods made himself over in to a multi-billion dollar brand and he used photos of his wife and children to express a wholesome family man image than he opens the door to these questions.  Acting like a bachelor  porn king and not a devoted family man, giving mistresses millions of dollars pay-outs and a very large undisclosed amount to his now ex-wife does leave some people, not me wondering.

As an adult child of divorced parents here is unsolicited advice to Tiger Woods or whom ever his handlers are.  Tiger, when reporters or anyone ask you, "Do you love Elin Nordegren?"  The answer is a no-brainer.

The answer is "Yes!"   She is the mother of our children."  That simple.  Why would I say that.  Not for your world wide audience of fans Tigers but for your kids.

As they grow up their peers may taunt them like throwing DVDs of porn parodies at them or taunt them saying your father did not love your mother.

Tiger tainted his reputation, his career and hurt his family  That was all Tiger's doing with the help of his enablers -- alleged friends.  My gut feeling is he has still not taken full responsibility and his silence when asked about if he loves Elin is just another clue.  Any fan that comes to his defense is not helping him.  He put himself in the global media's head lights and that helped fuel his fortune and now he has to take responsibility or not.  He could buy Hugh Hefner out and take-over his crown and scepter.  It is his call and his choices but Woods can't escape the glare of the media spotlight; I believe it is his cocaine.  He could walk away and live a quiet life and he doesn't.  If he wants to play golf and be a brand he has to stand up and take responsibility and smarten up.

Tiger, it is a simple answer to a simple question and you answer it for your two children.  Yes, I love my ex-wife.

By the way Tiger if you want to pay me for my words of wisdom you would have to pay a lot more than you paid women to be silent.  Good luck and err on the side of love for children's sake.

A note of praise for Elin Nordegren.  In my blog piece posted here asking if the "old Tiger was back sexually?" I had written I hope she does something good to help others.  I read some where she is going to do something wonderful with some of that money and it may be centers to help people that have gone through the trauma of emotional issues from family breaks up, etc.  I wish I had a link for you but the center and I hope there will be more than one will be in Florida.  Bravo Elin.

If Tiger wants to move the healing process forward share the love and gratitude for the mother of his two children to the world who has looked in from their very birth on.

99er Connie Kaplan on Ed Schultz tonight

99er Connie Kaplan, who Glenn Beck called un-American, will be on the Ed Schultz Show (MSNBC) again tonight.

Connie, a resident of Queens NY, is currently in Washington D.C. where tomorrow she will be delivering the 99er Nation letters to David Axelrod and the National Headquarters of both the DNC and RNC. The letters express the anger of the longest term unemployed at being ignored by both parties and put each on notice, the 99er Nation will use their political clout in November to punish all those responsible for neglecting this important issue.

99er Media is in the process of arranging media coverage by multiple news organizations to cover Connie Kaplan’s journey to the White House and both DNC and RNC offices in our nation’s capitol this Tuesday.

The Axelrod letter specifically requests Obama to hold town hall meetings with the 99er Nation immediately. With the midterm election only 2 months away, time is of the essence. The 99ers hope to persuade President Obama to use whatever leverage he has, in addition to the bully pulpit, to assure the Americans Want to Work Act is amended to include all states and passed immediately when Congress reconvenes in September.

With 15 million unemployed Americans in this country, their vote can easily make the difference this November. We the people are in the driver’s seat on election day, what a tremendous responsibility for us all.

Connie Kaplan on the Ed show August 24, 2010:

Edie Falco Wins Lead Actress Comedy Series - The Emmys | 2010 Emmy Awards

Edie Falco Wins Emmy (Gawker)

Favorite Edie Falco won Lead Actress Comedy Series for Nurse Jackie and looked hot in blue dress in the process of moving to the stage to accept her award.

While there was some question where Falco would go after playing Carmela in The Sopranos, it can be said she landed on her feet with glee.

No pun intended.

It's the first time in Emmy awards history that a drama winner later won for a role in a comedy. Edie won the award three times while playing Carmela.

Falco beat Tony Colette (The United States of Tara) and Tina Fey (30 Rock) for the Emmy.