"It is impossible for ideas to compete in the marketplace if no forum for
��their presentation is provided or available." �������� �Thomas Mann, 1896

�
� Misinformation
� Propaganda
� Politics & Diatribe
� Myths Lies & Statistics
� �Water Cooler Wisdom�
��

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The first thing that struck me as strange when I came to live in America was how I was asked at my port of entry to fill in a form that asked me to identify my race.� I have visited and lived in many countries in Asia, Europe and Africa and the first time I was ever asked to identify myself by race was when I entered America. It offended me then and it still does today, especially as my race (Nordic-Germanic) is never on the forms I am asked to complete. The last time I filled in a Census Forum I was struck yet again by how a person's race is so important in the United States.

I was brought up to believe that you can never judge a person by what race they belong to; but only by who they are.� No-one chooses what skin they are born into, they can only choose who they wish to be recognized as.� You inherit your skin color, but you can personally choose your culture - so I will continue to be angry at having to identify myself and others in the United States by race.

I have learnt over the years that if I consider the Culture, World Knowledge, Sophistication and Education of a person and, how they conduct their lives related to others, I know them far better then than I do if I recognize them only as a part of a designated "Race".� And yet today I feel as if I am being forced to join in the polarization of the United States - but just because the country as a whole does so. Looking back on the wars and political extremes of the last four Centuries, I think I will go my own way and I may just save myself.

The First 100 Years of the United States Supreme Court�

�

Name, State	Associate Justice	Chief Justice	Yrs	Birth Place	Date	Died	Religion
John Jay �N.Y.	�	1789-1795	5	N.Y.	1745	1829	Episcopal
James Wilson, Pa.	1789-1798	�	8	Scotland	1742	1798	Episcopal
John Rutledge S.C. �	1790-1791	1795	1	S.C.	1739	1800	Church of England
William Cushing, Mass.	1790-1810	�	20	Mass.	1732	1810	Unitarian
John Blair, Va.	1790-1796	�	5	Va.	1732	1800	Presbyterian
James Iredell, N.C.	1790-1799	�	9	England	1751	1799	Episcopal
Thomas Johnson, Md.	1792-1793	�	0	Md.	1732	1819	Episcopal
William Paterson, N.J.	1793-1806	�	13	Ireland	1745	1806	Protestant
Oliver Ellsworth Conn.	�	1796-1800	4	Conn.	1745	1807	Congregational
Samuel Chase, Md.	1796-1811	�	15	Md.	1741	1811	Episcopal
Bushrod Washington, Va.	1799-1829	�	30	Va.	1762	1829	Episcopal
Alfred Moore, N.C.	1800-1804	�	3	N.C.	1755	1810	Episcopal
John Marshall Va.	�	1801-1835	34	Va.	1755	1835	Episcopal
William Johnson, S.C.	1804-1834	�	30	S.C.	1771	1834	Presbyterian
Brockholst Livingston, N.Y.	1807-1823	�	16	N.Y.	1757	1823	Presbyterian
Thomas Todd, Ky.	1807-1826	�	18	Va.	1765	1826	Presbyterian
Gabriel Duval, Md.	1811-1835	�	23	Md.	1752	1844	French Protestant
Joseph Story, Mass.	1812-1845	�	33	Mass.	1779	1845	Unitarian
Smith Thompson, N.Y.	1823-1843	�	20	N.Y.	1768	1843	Presbyterian
Robert Trimble, Ky.	1826-1828	�	2	Va.	1777	1828	Protestant
John McLean, Ohio	1830-1861	�	31	N.J.	1785	1861	Methodist-Episci.
Henry Baldwin, Pa.	1830-1844	�	14	Conn.	1780	1844	Trinity Church
James M. Wayne, Ga.	1835-1867	�	32	Ga.	1790	1867	Protestant
Philip P. Barbour, Va.	1836-1841	�	4	Va.	1783	1841	Episcopal
Roger B. Taney Md.	�	1836-1864	28	Md.	1777	1864	Roman Catholic
John Catron, Tenn.	1837-1865	�	28	Pa.	1786	1865	Presbyterian
John McKinley, Ala.	1837-1852	�	14	Va.	1780	1852	Protestant
Peter V. Daniel, Va.	1841-1860	�	18	Va.	1784	1860	Episcopal
Samuel Nelson, N.Y.	1845-1872	�	27	N.Y.	1792	1873	Protestant
Levi Woodbury, N.H.	1845-1851	�	5	N.H.	1789	1851	Protestant
Robert C. Grier, Pa.	1846-1870	�	23	Pa.	1794	1870	Presbyterian
Benjamin R. Curtis, Mass.	1851-1857	�	5	Mass.	1809	1874	Protestant
John A. Campbell, Ala.	1853-1861	�	8	Ga.	1811	1889	Episcopal
Nathan Clifford, Maine	1858-1881	�	23	N.H.	1803	1881	Protestant
Noah H. Swayne, Ohio	1862-1881	�	18	Va.	1804	1884	Quaker
Samuel F. Miller, Iowa	1862-1890	�	28	Ky.	1816	1890	Unitarian
David Davis, Ill.	1862-1877	�	14	Md.	1815	1886	Protestant
Stephen J. Field, Calif.	1863-1897	�	34	Conn.	1816	1899	Episcopal
Salmon P. Chase Oh	�	1864-1873	8	N.H.	1808	1873	Episcopal
William Strong, Pa.	1870-1880	�	10	Conn.	1808	1895	Presbyterian
Joseph P. Bradley, N.J.	1870-1892	�	21	N.Y.	1813	1892	Presbyterian
Ward Hunt, N.Y.	1872-1882	�	9	N.Y.	1810	1886	Episcopal
Morrison R. Waite Oh	�	1874-1888	14	Conn.	1816	1888	Episcopal
John M. Harlan, Ky.	1877-1911	�	33	Ky.	1833	1911	Presbyterian
William B. Woods, Ga.	1880-1887	�	6	Ohio	1824	1887	Protestant
Stanley Matthews, Ohio	1881-1889	�	7	Ohio	1824	1889	Presbyterian
Horace Gray, Mass.	1882-1902	�	20	Mass.	1828	1902	Protestant
Samuel Blatchford, N.Y.	1882-1893	�	11	N.Y.	1820	1893	Presbyterian
Lucius Q. C. Lamar, Miss.	1888-1893	�	5	Ga.	1825	1893	Methodist
Melville W. Fuller Ill. �	�	1888-1910	21	Maine	1833	1910	Episcopal
David J. Brewer, Kan.	1889-1910	�	20	Asia Minor	1837	1910	Protestant

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The United States Supreme Court in 2014
�

Name, state	Associate Justice	Chief Justice	Yrs	Birth Place	Date	Died	Religion
Antonin Scalia DC������������� ��	1986-	�	—	N.J.	1936	—	Roman Catholic
Anthony M. Kennedy CA����	1988-	�	—	Calif.	1936	—	Roman Catholic
Clarence Thomas DC� �����	1991-	�	—	Ga.	1948	—	Roman Catholic
Ruth Bader Ginsburg� DC��	1993-	�	—	N.Y.	1933	—	Jewish
Stephen G. Breyer Mass.���	1994-	�	—	Calif.	1938	—	Jewish
John G. Roberts DC����	�	2005-	—	N.Y.	1955	—	Roman Catholic
Samuel A. Alito, Jr. NJ �������	2006-	�	—	N.J.	1950	—	Roman Catholic
Sonia Sotomayor NY� ���������	2009-	�	—	N.Y.	1954	—	Roman Catholic
Elena Kagan N.Y.	2010-	�	-	N.Y.	1960	-	Jewish

�

The United States Religious Affiliation of the Population*
* From the CIA Fact Book

���� Protestant 51.3%,

�� � Roman Catholic 23.9%,

� � Mormon 1.7%, �other Christian 1.6%

� � Jewish 1.7%,

�� Buddhist 0.7%,

�� �� Muslim 0.6%,

���� other or unspecified 2.5%,

���� unaffiliated 12.1%,

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Does this mean that for the first time in History only 25.6% of the population are represented on the Supreme Court of the United States, or that Politics has finally superseded Religion in the U.S.A.???

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Bantering

is a non-serious, very serious, conversation, usually between friends. The purpose of bantering may at first appear to be an offensive affront to the other person. However, people engaging in such a conversation are often signaling that they are comfortable enough in each others' company to be able to say such things without causing any offense while they are attempting to educate or good-naturedly challenge a friend's beliefs and understanding.

For thousands of years most people have accepted as unquestionable and have diligently professed the religion of their parents; most people also follow in the political footsteps of their parents; and they associate with, vote and base their beliefs on the community within which they live, and they are convinced that the country of their birth is the greatest or the worst country in History.� Problem:~ as long as they do so - progress and advancement dies.

A Bantering is designed to make the reader think. To make them question their beliefs, or challenge the accepted wisdom of the day, to look behind the words to assess how they were used to camouflage the truth in a way that would benefit the speaker who uses those words. A Bantering can at first be seen as offensive or whimsical, humorous or ridiculous; but the reader who is used to such challenges of their long held beliefs must read between the lines and try to find qualified fault with the writing, knowing that it is meant only to promote thought.

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