YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY BABY.....Really???

Women should have come a long way by now……

The famous Virginia Slim 1960's cigarette ad stated -- "You’ve come a long way baby" -- well, it’s just not true. Women still have to answer to legislation that governs the bedroom, laws that dictate the consequence of rape or unprotected sex in conservative red states. Legislators feel free to jump into the bedroom without restraint, claiming the right to determine the fate of the unwanted pregnancy, yet abandon the real cost of that mother caring for a new life after birth. It is a very sad situation in every regard.

Women are still seen as having to choose between the freedom to live their lives versus solo motherhood when a boyfriend, neighbor, stepfather, father, grandfather, stranger, or cousin act as rapist or young people act irresponsible -- all the laws without the burden of raising the child alone.

Texas is the latest conservative state to try to enact tough limits on abortions. The new law would ban abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy, require doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, limit abortions to surgical centers.. plus more and more restrictions.

Women may have thought it mattered to go to work… to be tough as nails, to be a tough manager in the business world... the truth is, without control of our lives, business pant suits are just costumes, nothing really has changed.

For years, women thought they wanted to get a paycheck, be in an office, in the boardroom, be at all the meetings, get out of the kitchen and into their business suits – wow, did they get it wrong. Now women are responsible for both home and work logistics....there is no relief...

Buddhists proclaim that seeking happiness is the key to overcoming life's struggles... Really, will women ever have the happiness that comes with a fulfilled work and home life? It's 2013 -- can women have it all?? Still a potent challenge.... Still a long way to go... baby.

KEN FEINBERG: THE SETTLEMENT KING vs. VIETNAM VETERANS

In 1984, Kenneth Feinberg, a lawyer in Washington, D.C. was appointed to distribute the $180 million dollar Agent Orange settlement fund to Vietnam Veterans who were left with unfathomable, devastating, life-changing illnesses. The 67-year-old Feinberg made a bundle overseeing the settlement distribution -- he has since made a fortune as The Settlement King....... including his latest venture with Boston Strong -- without ever acknowledging Paul Reutershan, the Vietnam Veteran who started the Agent Orange class-action suit.

On May 7, 1984 the largest chemical companies in this country, including Dow Chemical, Monsanto, Hercules, Diamond Shamrock, Rhodia, Inc., and North American Philips, were allowed to settle billions of dollars in claims from Vietnam Veterans across the country for only $180 million dollars, without any admittance of fault. This was the largest product liability class-action settlement in American history at that time.

In 1984, a judge appointed Feinberg to distribute money from a $180 million settlement fund for Vietnam Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange -- his work on that project got notice from President George W. Bush's administration -- Feinberg was then asked to manage the 9/11 Victims' Compensation Fund. Feinberg has since made a fortune distributing funds on the backs of Vietnam Veterans who are still waiting for compensation for the devastation that Agent Orange reeked upon their lives.

Vietnam Veteran Paul Reutershan sued Dow Chemical for $10 million dollars in 1978. Paul was the sole plaintiff and Dow Chemical was the sole defendant in the case originally filed in New York State. Paul's lawsuit became the lawsuit to amend to create a plaintiff class of veterans and a defendant class of subcontractors to Dow Chemical as manufacturers of Agent Orange products.

According to his sister Jane Reutershan, "The problem was that the lawsuit did not belong to Vietnam Veteran leadership. The lawsuit belonged to my brother. My family never signed away my brother's rights to his lawsuit after he died. It was my brother in July of 1978 who started one-party litigation against Dow Chemical Company. Paul spent the last year of his life informing Vietnam Veterans about their rights."

All the veterans Paul spoke with were told two things: 1 - File a medical claim with the Veterans Administration, and simultaneously, 2 - File a lawsuit against the chemical companies. Paul urged veterans to file medical disability claims with the Veterans Administration due to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam and to bring individual lawsuits against the chemical companies. He knew the real power of Vietnam Veterans was in their numbers - there were three million Vietnam Veterans. He knew the best strategy available to Vietnam Veterans was to besiege the Veterans Administration and the chemical companies with claims.

The Agent Orange Settlement was a Sell-Out: The Settlement Scam shares Paul’s exclusive personal story and depicts the reasons behind the failure of the Agent Orange settlement to reach and assist Vietnam Veterans. The book reveals the unwillingness of Paul Reutershan to have his lawsuit converted into a class-action case. "Paul would never have allowed his lawsuit to become a class action case." added Jane. There was never an agreement signed by Paul Reutershan to allow his lawsuit to become a class-action case.

Lawsuits were filed against Kenneth Feinberg, Special Master of the 9/11 Fund — former Master of the Courts in the Agent Orange class-action fund. The lawsuits highlight that many of the issues that occurred in the distribution of the Agent Orange Settlement Fund have evolved in the distribution of the 9/11 Fund— the definition of a victim, the role of the attorneys and court administrators, and compensation determinations for victims, bureaucrats and attorneys.

The Vietnam War retains an incredible power in the American conscience, and people still want to hear about Vietnam, especially in light of the war with Iraq — this is another chapter from Vietnam — the legacy of the Agent Orange litigation. This is the story about Vietnam that shows courage, moral conviction and heroic action of a Vietnam Veteran – Paul Reutershan.

Many in the Vietnam Veteran community shared great sadness that Jane passed away on February 9, 2003 after struggling for years with Carcinoid Syndrome. She was working on an Agent Orange book at the time that exposed the truth behind the settement, Jane’s contribution to the Agent Orange legacy about the disgraceful settlement is supported by an army of veterans ready to speak out about the unfair distribution of funds from the class-action lawsuit, and to make sure that Paul and Jane are not forgotten. Paul Reutershan's family received only $3,400 dollars......

The survivor's benefit money given to a spouse was $3,400 disbursement for a dead Vietnam Veteran. In 1984, that money was not given to anybody except a spouse. It has since changed that it can be a parent or a sibling. "I had to beg and fight for eight months until the Court finally decided to give my mother the survivor benefit of $3,400, which was a total disgrace," said Jane. "It took me months working through Bernard Richland, a friend of Judge Weinstein who was appointed The Special Master of Appeals, for my mother to be made an exception and therefore allowed to collect $3,400 for the death of my brother, her sole surviving son. After waiting until 1989, five years after the settlement was announced, my mother received only $3,400."

The Decision On Appeal letter, approved and signed by Judge Jack Weinstein, made her mother the exception for survivor benefits stating that the reason they were giving her the money was because of who Paul was and his involvement in the issue.

Ken Feinberg -- shame on you.....donate your settlement fees to the grandchildren of Vietnam Veterans who are still suffering from Agent Orange related health issues, give Paul Reutershan his legacy back.

MASSACHUSETTS GONE WILD - BENEFITS FOR THE BOMBERS

The spotlight shines on Massachusetts Gone Wild -- finally, the Democratic Dictatorship that has controlled the Bay State legislature for decades is wilting in the glaring national spotlight since the Boston Marathon attack revealing that Massachusetts has handed out over $100,000 in state benefits to the not-so-friendly Chechnian immigrants, the Tsarnaev Terrorist family.

The Bombing Brothers were not grateful at all and planted bombs within the crowds gathered at the renown annual event -- 2013 Boston Marathon -- to terrorize the Commonwealth, the bombs detonated and killed three innocent people including a seven year old boy, and maimed over 150 Bay State citizens. It is time to put the brakes on welfare benefits for immigrants who refuse to work -- especially those that are vocal against to the American way of life -- it is time to take care of American citizens in the Commonwealth.

The Tsarnaev Terrorist family, including the Bombing Brothers and their parents, benefited from more than $100,000 in taxpayer-funded assistance — in cash and food stamps as well as Section 8 housing from 2002 to 2012 -- as well as state-funded college tuition for Boat Boy Dzhokhar Tsarnaev -- who was nursed back to health at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center after the Boston Marathon bombing -- had ranted all the time anti-American propaganda.

When the news broke in the Boston Herald and Massachusetts Legislators should have been embarrassed as hell. The bevy of riches handed to the Tsarnaev Terrorist Family was revealed when the state had to hand over 500 documents to the House Post Audit and Oversight Committee -- finally, national pressure illuminated Bay State insanity. The game plan now is for Department of Transitional Assistance officials to testify -- what exactly can they explain?

“I can assure members of the public that this committee will actively review every single piece of information we can find because clearly the public has a substantial right to know what benefits, if any, this family or individuals accused of some horrific crimes were receiving,” said state Rep. David Linsky (D-Natick), the committee’s chairman.

In this time of economic struggle for American families, it is sickening that Tamerlan Tsarnaev, a healthy, athletic, young man wrote on his Transistional Assistance application, "Never Worked" yet was granted thousands of dollars in welfare benefits. Transitional assistance officials counter that the agency is conducting its own investigation into the full history of benefits received by the entire Tsarnaev family. Department of Transitional Assistance Officals plan to testify -- what exactly can they explain?.

Governor Patrick -- show you are serious about the safety of Bay State citizens and fire everyone who handled the Tsarnaev family paperwork -- fire them for incompetence, fire them for failure to meet basic work requirements that would demand verifiable criteria from applicants in order to distribute funds to people who really need food and housing.

When a young man in his thirties can write "Never Worked" as an explanation for unemployment, it is time for the Democratic machine in Massachusetts to admit error -- and finally hold state workers accountable -- these are terrible mistakes -- funding terrorists with taxpayers dollars -- in the end we are funding our enemies -- that irony has transformed the Department of Transitional Assistance to its new name thrown around Boston talk radio, the Department of Terrorists Assistance -- unfortunately, it's sad but true.

BOSTON MARATHON -- INTIMACY OF TERROR

"Tough times never last, but tough people do. Stay Strong Boston" -- Anonymous Twitter Support....

On Patriots Day in Boston, Massachusetts, April 15, 2013, the Boston Marathon -- one of the most renown sports events on the world stage -- became the target of our chaotic political times -- ambushed by terrorists seeking to instill the fear of random death by an attack on the infamous sports venue -- bombings designed to disturb our trust in the freedom to participate in one of the most respected international sports events in the world with the intimacy of terror.

The attack on the Boston Marathon 2013 killed three people, including an eight year old child, and injured more than 150 innocent people who had come to Boston cheer on the runners in the Boston Marathon, the renown 26.2 mile race worldwide. The oldest marathon in the world, the Boston Marathon, became the modern transformative event that will forever challenge the international sports world -- mandating unprecented security needs beyond those instituted after 9/11, but will it affect our psyche about the role of freedom in our lives?.

The carnage was perceptible to everyone, especially the first-responders at the scene and the medical staff at Boston's respected hospitals -- people who had come to witness and cheer on the runners from around the world -- saw blood on the ground, and limbs that might have been their friends, co-workers, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, classmates, sons, daughters, cousins, or classmates. In this international city, the birthplace of our American Revolution, the terrorist attack was designed to shake the faith of our nation, it was a symbolic act as well as a terrible act with deadly consequences.

The city of Boston was the leading voice against the British in the American Revolution -- in the Boston Massacre five American colonists were killed by British troops -- and the Boston Tea Party has become an iconic event --- when the colonists boarded British ships in Boston Harbor and destroyed shiploads of taxed tea throwing the tea into the cold waters of the Boston Harbor.

Today's malicious bombing attack on the city of Boston -- home to America's great patriots -- Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere -- home to the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence -- was designed to alter our psychological freedom -- it was designed to deny the Patriots Day celebration in Massachusetts with the running of the Boston Marathon. The question becomes... going forward, will Boston be able to celebrate the Boston Marathon with crowds that will cheer.... or without the runners, leaving empty streets filled only with fear?

Boston Strong... Patriots around the world support Boston Marathon 2014.

MAYOR "MUMBLES" MENINO BIDS BOSTON ADIEU

Boston is known as the Athens of America.... the intellectual capital of America, where higher education abounds and the arts flourish -- yet, Boston's longest-serving mayor, Thomas "Mumbles" Menino -- is a public relations nightmare -- a complete mismatch -- prone to verbal gaffes -- unable to elucidate a sentence properly -- just how did this man, this brilliant politician come to power in this elitist, academic high-brow city? -- moreover, how did he hold on so long? -- it is simple -- street smarts outplayed credential smarts every step of the way.

Mayor "Mumbles" Menino recently announced that he is stepping down and will not run for re-election after more than two decades in the city of Boston's top office, "I will leave the job that I love," Menino, age 70, told a crowd of hundreds of supporters. To give this perspective, "Mumbles" Menino became mayor after his predecessor, Ray Flynn left to become ambassador to the Vatican in 1993 -- before Red Sox Nation caught fire, before the Celtics re-emerged with the 17th NBA title, and the Patriots contracted an unknown quarterback named Tom Brady, who took over the NFL with a force to be reckoned.

Mayor Menino knew how to handle Boston with his low-brow persona and deep web of political appointees throughout the city. He knew the neighborhoods, the players, and worked hard on enhancing the school system in Boston -- that endeared him to the Teachers Union -- and he supported the First Responders -- Firemen, Policemen, and Emergency Medical -- all these unions fell into step. Menino gave out jobs as political prizes while enhancing the city school systems. This politically savvy native, lifelong resident from Hyde Park knew the city's strengths and weaknesses -- he knew the potholes that had to be fixed.

"Mumbles" Menino's decision not to run was based on health challenges solely -- he was in hospital for more than eight weeks in 2012 with a respiratory infection and a blood clot, then had further complications with a spinal fracture and diabetes. Even this incumbent, who could have governed Boston for the rest of his life as the Mayor, this street smart politician who called all the right shots.... knew it was time to move on.

"So I am here with the people I love, to tell the city I love, that I will leave the job that I love," said Mayor Menino standing on the steps of Fanueil Hall. "I ask that you choose someone who loves this city as much as I have."

Mayor Menino bid Boston adieu.... now, we are set for the best political show to be played out in more than five decades in Boston, a city that loves politics as much as sports, in this very competitive, wide-open mayor's race.