So, Where Are Those Death Panels?

So, Obama will be out of office in roughly five months *sniff*.  But I have a question to all my conservative or Republican friends or colleagues (or non-friends).  These questions are also to anyone in the media (even though I know you're not reading this).

• Where are the death panels?
• Has common core destroyed our children?
• Where is the martial law that Obama has created through military exercises in Texas?
• I'm still waiting for the United Nations one world order....
• Has Shariah law taken over our country yet?
• Has Obama taken all  your guns?
• Have you found the FEMA concentration camps?
• Have the "flood" of illegal immigrants destroyed our country?
• Can you tell me about all the "terrorist" attacks the new Black Panthers have committed?

Alex Jones, master right wing conspiracy theorist

Hmmmmmm, now that I think about it, there's more:

• Where's the secret Muslim terrorist training camps?
• Gay marriage has destroyed our country..... right?
• Racism is dead because we elected a black president.... right?
• Sure seems like Obama has turned this country into a socialist, marxist dictatorship..... right?
• Planned parenthood continues to harvest and trade baby parts on the black market..... right?
• All the polls are skewed and Romney should have won.... right?
• Global warming is a hoax because it snows in the winter.... correct?
• Has sex education made all our children promiscuous fuck monsters who have dozens of abortions?
• Did you find Obama's Kenyan birth certificate yet?
• The Sandy Hook shooting fabrication was uncovered as a plot to take all your guns.....yea?
• Has the government taken over every piece of land and made it public yet?  You know, like Cliven Bundy's land?

Andrew Breitbart, running Trump's campaign from the grave

You've basically been wrong about everything for the last eight years (and even many more).  At this point, you need to go to your rooms.  It's time for your punishment.  You're grounded.  You need to think about what you've done, then apologize to the American public that you've deceived.  Then you'll quit your jobs and move somewhere very far, far away.

Obama must have made you very sad

Let's Play a Little Game

Here's how this game works.  You make a guess to the question below, and see how close you can get.  Post your responses as well!

So, here's the question.

How many women do you think are in congress?

Want to find out the answer?  Scroll down below to find out.

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Ok, let's see how close you got.

In the House of Representatives there are 76 women out of 438 representatives.  16 are Republicans, 60 are Democrats.

In the Senate there are 17 women out of 100 representatives.  4 are Republicans and 13 are Democrats.

What do you think of these numbers?  Appropriate for a Democracy?  Appropriate for our country?  Should gender matter at all?  And finally, do you think that the political situation in the United States would be different with more women in congress?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

PEACE

Why Corporations are Happy

They are happy because Santorum, Romney, and Gingrich are driving the conversation.  This Republican primary and election season SHOULD be talking about a few things.  The conversation SHOULD be revolving around...

- The corporate destruction of the economy
- The corporate destruction of the environment
- Corporate theft of our tax dollars and jobs
- How to fix the economy, and get the money and power influence out of our government.

Instead, we seem to be talking almost entirely about...

- Ending a woman's right to a legal abortion
- Ending a woman's right to legal contraception
- Obama's faith

Republican's know they can't win on the economy.  And since they're gigantic tool bags of the super wealthy  and the 1% in America, they definitely know they can't win the conversation on the economy either.  So what do they do?

Change the topic of conversation and hope that people don't notice.

I thought we were done with this shit when Turd Blossom was advising the president.

I only wish Occupy had kept the conversation around their message.

PEACE

Ideological Purity

As the election season continues to ramp up, this idea of "ideological purity" is popping more and more into my thoughts.  What does it mean to me?  It means staying 100% true to your ideals and values when you vote.  If a candidate doesn't match you on a key value, or values, you either vote for the other guy or abstain from voting out of protest.

Are you willing to be an ideological purist?

Should Democrats, liberals, and progressives be willing to maintain ideological purity?

What ARE the values and ideals we should prioritize and remain true to?

(1) A clean, healthy, and poison free environment.

(2) A strong government that supports this country's social contract and the "general welfare" of the people.

(3) Strong public education, public healthcare, and public transportation, all publicly and democratically owned.

(4) Equality of citizens under the law; male, female, gay, straight, black, white, brown, religious, spiritual, atheist.

(5) A fair economic system that gives everybody a fair chance at success and the "American Dream".

(6) Rule of law with rights protected under the Constitution and Bill of Rights.  Accountability for those who break the law, regardless of their power or wealth.

Number 6 will bring me back to my original point of ideological purity, in a roundabout sort of way.  I will explain.

When Bush was in office, the thing that tended to make liberals and progressives full of anger and rage was the deterioration of rights.  This included the PATRIOT act, the Guantanamo Bay prison, CIA torture camps, drone strikes, etc.  What made it even worse was the lack of accountability for our government and elected officials, essentially making a farce of the Constitution and the rule of law.

Ideological purity... I'm getting there, I swear.

Now that Obama, a Democrat, is president, it seems that the values have changed.  Embarassingly, it seems that a majority of progressives and liberals approve of the Guantanamo Bay prison remaining open and approve of drone strikes abroad, even against American citizens accused of terrorism.

As a liberal and progressive myself, it's fucking embarassing.

So what happened?  Are values not so important anymore once on of our own is in power?  Are we willing to sacrifice some of our values for the bigger picture?

***

I had a debate with a friend of mine over the NDAA bill recently passed into law.  I thought it was pretty clear that the rules on military detention did not apply to American citizens.  Apparently, it is not as clear as I thought, even to the point where the ACLU is taking up this cause.  As I look deeper into this issue, if its true, this could be at serious conflict with my values.

Do I like it?  No.
Do I "approve" of this policy?  No.
Do I think it needs to be changed?  Abso-fuckin-lutely.

Is this a deal breaker for me on President Obama?

No.

Why not?  After looking at the big picture, I'm not willing to be an ideological purist and have this one policy, as much as I may dislike it, cause me to vote Republican or abstain from voting.

Sure, I could vote Republican, but I know there would be no change on this detention policy and that the Republicans could actually make it worse based on their actions in the past.  Other things voting Republican might mean...

...Support of industries that poison our land, water, and air.
...Privatizing, defunding, or even abolishing public support programs like social security and welfare.
...Selling off our future through privatization and "profitization" of our public education.
...Government sponsored legal discrimination of gays and the deterioration of the rights of women.
...More corporate tax-breaks, deregulation, and support for the .1 - .01% at everybody else's expense.

That is what I fear if I vote Republican out of ideological opposition to this one policy of the Obama presidency.

What if I vote for a third party?  This never works and actually typically helps the opposition party in an election.  What is I abstain from voting?  That is one less vote towards an Obama victory and towards a Republican victory, something I can't tolerate in 2012.

But does voting for Obama mean I am accepting his policy via the NDAA?  No.  Will I try and get it changed?  Yes.

Will I be an ideological purist at the cost of an Obama presidency?  Hell no.

You can disagree with me and act in a way that will give us a Republican president in 2012.  Just be honest, as a liberal or progressive, and say you're willing to make that sacrifice for your ideals.  Admit that you're willing to see and have a Republican president as part of your protest to Obama's policies.  That is the risk you take by abstaining or even voting Republican out of protest.

As I watch the debates and the rhetoric coming from both sides, the stakes almost seem to be even higher than 2008.  I'm not willing to make that sacrifice.

Are you?

PEACE

Good Day for Progressives

Today is a good day for progressives:

(1)  Websites such as Wikipedia, Reddit, and others imposed a self blackout to bring widespread attention to the bills SOPA and PIPA.  Before the blackout, it seemed that these two bills were destined to be ignored by the media and fast tracked to be passed into law.  But tonight, the lead story on NPR is about SOPA and PIPA.  The lead story on Yahoo! news is about these two bills.  I don't watch the mainstream media news, but I am wondering if they are finally talking about it as well.  Even on AccuWeather's website, the lead story is about SOPA and PIPA.  Whoduthunkit?

Meanwhile, an update on the bill from CNN:

SOPA was once expected to sail quickly through committee approval in the House. But after a massive pushback from tech companies and their supporters, it's being extensively reworked. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has said SOPA won't come up for a committee vote as-is. 

That means the bill could change a lot from day to day -- and one major tenet of the original legislation has already been removed. As originally written, SOPA would have required Internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to sites that law enforcement officials deemed pirate sites. 

A markeup process once expected to take days is now likely to last for months. As the outcry around SOPA grows louder, the bill's momentum in Congress appears to be fading.

This only happened because of massive push back from all levels, but mostly from grassroots users of the internet as well as push back from tech companies who would risk losing much from these risky bills.

(2)  In a victory for environmentalists, the Keystone XL Pipeline application was denied by the White House.  While this itself is a huge victory for environmentalists (who almost never have victories these days), it is a small victory because they can still reapply for the permits to construct the pipeline.

However, in a fascinating statement released by the President to explain the decision, Obama says:

Earlier today, I received the Secretary of State’s recommendation on the pending application for the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.  As the State Department made clear last month, the rushed and arbitrary deadline insisted on by Congressional Republicans prevented a full assessment of the pipeline’s impact, especially the health and safety of the American people, as well as our environment.  As a result, the Secretary of State has recommended that the application be denied.  And after reviewing the State Department’s report, I agree. 

This announcement is not a judgment on the merits of the pipeline, but the arbitrary nature of a deadline that prevented the State Department from gathering the information necessary to approve the project and protect the American people.  I’m disappointed that Republicans in Congress forced this decision, but it does not change my Administration’s commitment to American-made energy that creates jobs and reduces our dependence on oil.  Under my Administration, domestic oil and natural gas production is up, while imports of foreign oil are down.  In the months ahead, we will continue to look for new ways to partner with the oil and gas industry to increase our energy security –including the potential development of an oil pipeline from Cushing, Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico – even as we set higher efficiency standards for cars and trucks and invest in alternatives like biofuels and natural gas.  And we will do so in a way that benefits American workers and businesses without risking the health and safety of the American people and the environment.

Wow... THIS is the President Obama I voted for.  I thrills me to see him going after Republicans for being the corporate whores that they are.  It also thrills me to see him talking about jobs and workers in a long term context of the health of our environment.  Who would have thought that the two of them were tied together?  Crazy!

We'll see if Democrats, Progressives, and Obama can maintain this opposition to the Keystone project.  Surely they will maintain their pressure to get this pipeline built and the union of progressives needs to maintain our strong opposition.

PEACE

Dangers of Republican Racism

I don't usually go this far with the title, but the language is appropriate after watching this clip from the Republican / Fox News debate on MLK day no less.

Stunning enough as his comments are, its shocking to see and hear the crowds response.  

Newt has this sort of ideological purity that says that he knows what's best, especially for a whole group of people within American culture; blacks.  And he can talk about how he means "poor", but he means "black".  This is clearly evidenced by the audience, the racists in South Carolina.  

But this sort of ideological purity can be dangerous when its rooted in racist beliefs; when its rooted in the belief that you are superior.  Its especially dangerous when you show yourself to be in the minority, when you really are not.  As Republicans cry about the death of "white America", they need an enemy to blame for their "white decline".  Who are those enemies?

Black and brown people...

AND

Liberals.

They (White Christian Republicans) are racially "the best" of the American people.

They have "the highest" self-esteem.

They value work more than "other" Americans.

They have a greater "work ethic" than blacks and browns.

White Republicans are the most upstanding Americans there are.

And they should have the right "to fight" for their superiority, because it is that "other American" Barack Obama that is ruining this country; its that racially inferior black president who is taking this country down the road of destruction.

If you don't believe it, you're not listening close enough to God.  Because its God who has told them they are superior, and that their beliefs and values are a holy order.

And the crowd in South Carolina?

They soaked it up.

Boo-ed the black liberal challenging Newt's premise.

Cheered the white Republican's racial superiority and knowledge.

What's next?

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I challenge anyone who disagrees with me to say so in the comments below.  But don't in ignorance think that racial superiority and racially motivated beliefs are not dangerous.  When you think your race and values are "truth" and "superior", I worry for the day you and your party gain power.

PEACE

Why I Will Never Vote Republican

The name of one of the chapters of Pat Buchannan's new book "Suicide of a Superpower" is called "The End of White America".  What is the chapter about?

One of the chapters is entitled "The End Of White America." Hannity said that Buchanan labels white Americans as an "endangered species" in the book... "America is going to look very much like California right now," Buchanan said, going on to paint a very gloomy picture of the state (bankruptcy, a "black-brown war among the underclass," and so on), and claiming that, in Los Angeles, "half the people there don't speak English in their own homes." 

Buchanan said that the people of color in California "are not bad or evil people," but that they are bankrupting the state. He concluded, "What happens when all of America is like that, when every American city is like LA? ...What California is today, America is in 2041 if we don't change course."

Nothing like some good ol' racism to stir up the Republican base on Fox News.  What does this entail?

(1)  White people are better than brown or black people.
(2)  English is a superior language, and only spoken by white people; the superior race.
(3)  Black and brown people are leeches, living off the welfare of the government; a.k.a. welfare queens.
(4)  Black and brown people are violent, and engage in violence instead of hard work.

***

Now it's no surprise coming from Pat Buchanan, with his history of racism:

(1) "I think the African American community has embraced Great Society liberalism which has been devastating for the African American family... they bought a lot of liberal propaganda on the liberal plantation"

(2)  On the civil rights movement - "There were no politics to polarize us then, to magnify every slight. The 'negroes' of Washington had their public schools, restaurants, bars, movie houses, playgrounds and churches; and we had ours."


(3)  On Apartheid South Africa - "White rule of a black majority is inherently wrong. Where did we get that idea? The Founding Fathers did not believe this."


(4)  On Christianity - "Our culture is superior. Our culture is superior because our religion is Christianity and that is the truth that makes men free."


(5)  On Hitler and the Holocaust - "Hitler was an individual of great courage.... Hitler's success was not based on his extraordinary gifts alone. His genius was an intuitive sense of the mushiness, the character flaws, the weakness masquerading as morality that was in the hearts of the statesmen who stood in his path."

(6)  On homosexuality - "The poor homosexuals -- they have declared war upon nature, and now nature is extracting an awful retribution (AIDS)."


(7)  On women - "The real liberators of American women were not the feminist noise-makers, they were the automobile, the supermarket, the shopping center, the dishwasher, the washer-dryer, the freezer."


Notice a trend here?

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So what consequences has he had for his thoughts?  His actions?  His speech?  He got hired by MSNBC, and even with his latest book and "End of White America", he's still on their payroll as of this post.  Will he be shunned?  No.  Will he be pushed aside?  No.  Will he be made irrelevant?  Of course not.  Why?

Because too many people believe the same thing as him.  And too many people with a lot of money believe the same thing as him.  Why do you think he keeps showing up on Fox News and MSNBC?

AND...

Him voicing these opinions stirs up the Republican base.  And a stirred up, ignorant, racist Republican base helps gets votes.

When I used to teach social studies, I taught my students about the first amendment and freedom of speech. The main lesson concept was essentially...


You can say what you want, but you have to face the consequences of your speech.

Well apparently I was wrong.  Apparently there's no consequences for being a racist, ignorant, slimeball your entire life.

Let's not pretend that Pat Buchanan and his beliefs are an outlier either.  For the GOP and their base, these beliefs are common and have been around since the end of the civil war.  At least now, they're starting to just explicitly say it.  And Buchanan has been explicit about it his entire life.

But now Gingrich is saying it too...

And Santorum is saying it...

And Perry is saying it...

And Bachmann is saying it...

Even Ron Paul is saying it...

This is why I will NEVER vote for the GOP.

EVER.

I will NEVER vote for racism, homophobia, theocracy, sexism, anti-semitism, and ignorance.
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PEACE

The Republican Racism Problem

It would seem that the Republican party may have a bit of a racist element to it (you think?).  To people on the left, it's a problem.  We don't see America as a place where racist views are mainstreamed and accepted.  We don't silence them because of that pesky constitution.  But we just don't see them as acceptable and even right.

To people on the right, about a quarter of the population of America, believe that they are right in their racist leanings.  Either that, or they refuse to believe/admit that being racist is wrong.  They refuse to admit that hating a group of people because they come from a different place or have a different skin color is very un-Christian of them.  Unfortunately, these people vote, and appear to be poised to vote for a racist.

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Story NUMBER THREE...

PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- A small eastern Kentucky church is making huge headlines after it banned interracial couples from becoming members.

The former pastor defended the recommendation, stating it's "not intended to judge the salvation of anyone, but is intended to promote greater unity among the church body and community."

According to The Washington Post, the current pastor of the church, Stacy Stepp, said he allowed the vote but didn't agree with the decision.

So you call for a vote to ban interracial couples.  Only 15 of the 40 members don't walk out (props must be given to those who do), but the remaining fifteen, or 37.5% of the congregation, remain to vote and PASS the resolution.  Now I understand democracy and democratic process, but when its used to infringe on the rights of a specific group of people based on their race, it ceases to be democratic.

What bothers me about this, is the current pastor is saying, "I think you are wrong to think this... but I'll let you do it anyways."  How about take a stance?  How about show some leadership?  Say NO!  And if you stand for something you believe in, and your congregation disagrees with you, at least you can leave saying you did the right thing and stood against racism.

Also, did you know that banning interracial married couples "promotes greater unity among the church body and community"?  *sigh*

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 Story NUMBER TWO...

Wow.... just wow.  First, in rhetorical terms, just because you say something is a fact doesn't automatically make it one.  You actually have to follow up the statement "Let's start with the following two facts" with two actual facts.  Not anecdotes, not opinions, not generalizations, but actual facts!

Second, whenever anybody like that slimeball Newt talks about "poor children" in "poor communities" and how nobody there works, I want him to just come out and tell us how he really feels.  "Those poor little niggers, being where they belong in the ghetto, could be used as indentured servitude as a way to break up the unionized janitors.  And anyways, black folks are best on their hands and knees, scrubbing rich people's floors and toilets."  Oh and Newt, go drape a confederate flag around your shoulders while you say it.

Anytime, ANY white male Republican or conservative starts talking about "poor children" and "poor communities" and how they know best about how to improve their values, all they're doing is blowing on the racist dog whistle.  Because nowadays, its unacceptable to say nigger, black, etc. on tv or the radio.  Just ask Dr. Laura Schlessinger.  But they can still do it in subtle, euphemistic, double speak and that is even worse.  I wish he would just be open about his racism, make it easier for everyone to see it.  Did you know that this asshole is the current leader of the Republican presidential nomination?

By the way, it's a fact that his parents named him Newt because they knew he would be slimy like the animal.  Fact... because I say so...

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*drumroll* *drumroll* *drumroll*

Story NUMBER ONE!

Sigh... this stuff tires me out and I don't have the patience to do any sort of insightful analysis about this... so as Jon Stewart did.

Rush Limbaugh, go fuck yourself.

PEACE 

How Many Chances?

I wonder, how many chances do you give somebody to right their wrongs?  Do you believe that somebody should have infinite chances?  Or does there come a point where you lose faith in a person to do the right thing?

I have been thinking about this in two different situations.  The first has been with work.

I have a coworker who is in his forties.  He has been in the industry for over ten years.  He is a full-time employee, receives benefits, and has a regular schedule.  The guy is a complete fuck up.  I don't say that lightly either or with any humor.  This guy is completely incompetent and totally irresponsible.  Some things he has done:

- He was suspended five days but not fired for a case of sexual harassment against a female employee.
- He has had complaints filed against him for his interactions with female customers.
- He repeatedly finishes about 50% of the tasks expected of him, perhaps even less.
- He takes more breaks from work that he is allowed, and takes longer breaks than is accepted in our store policy.  He also does this without permission.
- He has walked off the job a number of times without permission to use the store computers for personal reasons.
- He has ignored and defied his supervisor, saying he was going to do what they said and then effectively not.
- He has left a seven inch work knife on the shelf where customers could have found it.  Luckily an employee found it and not a child.
- He consistently either clocks out early without permission or simply stops working and meanders around for forty five minutes or more before the end of his shift.

And beyond all that, he is constantly talking about the other employees behind their backs.  He says stuff about how they are slackers.  He says they are irresponsible.  How come they get more responsibilities than him?  How come he doesn't get to do the things they do?  The worst part is that I've brought up my grievances with him to my assistant manager, my manager, and shift manager.  All three have refused to do anything, either out of cowardice or simply using the excuse, "Don't let it get to you.  You just do what you need to do and don't worry about him."

Except its not that simple to me.  In a fair work environment, everybody is held to the same standards.  In a fair work environment, those who meet and exceed those expectations are rewarded.  That might be an increase in hours or an increase in pay.  And those who fail to meet even the basic minimum standards get a minimum number of chances before they're fired.  This guy has gotten so many chances and the bosses in power don't do anything about it.

Should I go to my store manager?  Should I give my department managers one more chance to fix the problem and deal with his incompetence?  Should I just go straight to this employee myself?  Actually wondering what to do here.

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Why am I talking about this on my political blog?  It reminds me of a certain political party that starts with R... and ends with Cans.  No, not the Rhubarbicans party.  I'm talking about Republicans.

Republicans have been consistent on a couple of things for a long time now.

(1)  They have been consistently incompetent.
(2)  They have been consistently wrong.
(3)  They have been consistently irresponsible.
(4)  They have consistently accused their opponents of the same wrongdoings that they have done themselves.
(5)  They have consistently been hypocrites.

My question is, should Republicans get any more chances?  Ever again?  We've given them so many, but they just keep fucking up.  We've tried to give them a chance to be responsible, but they seem incapable of it.  They've dragged us into two worthless wars and gotten thousands killed.  They've stolen from the poor and given to the rich.  And worst of all they will never, ever admit they were wrong, instead accusing the other side of their own wrongs.

But what about the people that vote for Republicans?  The same people who won't admit that they've voted for the side that was wrong?  Keep voting for the incompetent, irresponsible, hypocritical side?  All because they can never admit they're wrong.

Should we give these voters a chance?  Should we even bother trying to convince them otherwise?  Even bother having those conservations with them anymore?  Or is it just time to accept that they are wrong, and completely irrelevant?

I always used to believe that someone should always get a chance.  But I think I've decided otherwise with Republicans and the people that vote for their incompetence, ignorance, and hypocrisy.  I think they need to be made irrelevant to the political debate in this country.

BUT, what do you think?  Should Republicans be given a chance anymore?  Should people who vote for them be taken seriously anymore?  Or should they be given another chance to change?

AND, what should I do about my awful fucking coworker?  Anything at all?

PEACE

p.s.  I swear to God, working in the corporate retail world is like being in a Dilbert comic strip.... urgh

The 1% Gone Wild!!!

No, there's no topless drunk chicks in this post.  That would be clean compared to the shit that the 1% has pulled off in these three stories.  Here we go!

Number THREE story...

Mortgage lender GMAC pulls a shit move on the people of Massachusetts (why can I never spell this state correctly on my first try?  sigh):

GMAC Mortgage, the mortgage lender of Ally Financial Inc., is exiting the vast majority of its lending in Massachusetts a day after the state sued it and other lenders over its allegedly improper foreclosure practices, a decision the state's attorney general called an admission. 

The nation's fifth-largest mortgage originator said it "has taken this action because recent developments have led mortgage lending in Massachusetts to no longer be viable."

So it must be something pretty bad to make Massachusetts "no longer viable" as a market to help people get homes.  It's got to be something really, really bad to destroy the mortgage market for GMAC to the point where there's just ZERO business for them anymore.

Actually, what happened was the state Attorney General filed a lawsuit against GMAC for illegal mortgage practices.  You know, the same practices that led to thousands of foreclosures and contributed to the crash of the economy.  So the state tries to hold this company accountable (which the taxpayers have a 74% stake in thanks to the bailout) for their crimes, and instead they retaliate.  Its very mafia of them... "You try and hold us responsible, and we'll blow up your house."

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Number TWO  story...

In case you were wondering whether or not Republicans are just stooges of the 1%, here's what they do when they have power in the house:

The House on Thursday approved a bill ending the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) that was set up to ensure states meet certain standards at the voting booth, and ending the public financing of presidential campaigns. The bill passed in a mostly partisan 235-190 vote...

"There is no doubt that a voter suppression effort is underway in this nation," Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) charged on the House floor. "Abolishing the Election Assistance Commission, an agency charged with ensuring that the vote of each American counts, is just another step in the voter suppression effort and would completely remove oversight of the most important process in our democracy."

 
Republicans have said ending the EAC would save $33 million over the next five years. The GOP says the EAC has already served its purpose, and that any work it still does offering guidance to states can be transferred to the Federal Election Commission.

 Really?  REALLY?!?  WTF?  Suddenly you're concerned about $33 million over FIVE YEARS?  *ugh*  Makes me so stabby*.  What's more important to a democracy?  Saving chump change, or oversight of the voting process?  

The only reason the Republicans want to end oversight of the voting process is so they continue with their voting suppression efforts without any obstacle.  And while they do this, they scream about voter fraud, ACORN, etc.  All that is really just code for them to suppress the votes of minorities, the poor, women, and youth.  Don't want power to be taken away from the stooges of the 1% now.

Maybe they want to get rid of this commission because they're afraid their CRIMINAL actions might be found out.  Just saying...

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And the Number ONE story...

In a move of dickishness that may rival the levels of Newt Gingrich, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the following:

In a speech at MIT last night to discuss the packed sweepstakes to build a tech campus in New York City, Mayor Bloomberg said he prefers City Hall to the White House. Almost immediately after Mayor Bloomberg dampened recent speculation he’s eyeing a White House bid, he added fuel to the fire by explaining why a mayor would be the best person for the job.

“I have my own army in the NYPD, which is the seventh biggest army in the world. I have my own State Department, much to Foggy Bottom’s annoyance. We have the United Nations in New York, and so we have an entree into the diplomatic world that Washington does not have,” Mayor Bloomberg said.

 "Whatchu talkin 'bout Bloomy?!?"

Uh, so let's get one thing straight Mr. Bloomberg.  The New York Police Department is NOT and will never be your own personal army.  The Police Department won't ever be an army.  I don't know what its like to live in your reality or your world, but I'm pretty sure I know what the police is all about.

The police, for example, are separate from the military.  The police are paid for by our tax dollars.  The police are there to protect our neighborhoods and communities.  The police are there to enforce the law and protect the citizens that pay for them from abuse.  The power of the police is limited, including in matters of arrest, search and seizure, and use of force.

What they are NOT is your own personal army.

For a view into Mr. Bloomberg's world where he has his own army, let's consider an interesting fact.  Bloomberg is the 12-richest person in the United States with a worth of $19.5 billion.  What can you do with that much money?  Own 88% of your own media company.  What else can you do with that much money?  Oh I don't know, maybe buy your own army...  *sigh*

But all this makes me wonder, does $19.5 billion put the mayor of NYC in the 1% that the Occupy movement is protesting against?  Tough question...

PEACE

*((the "stabby" reference was from a wonderful podcast I listen to called the LiberalOasis.  Please check out their blog and weekly podcast, both very good))

They've Been Doing it for Years

You often hear from conservative voters and the media blah-blah-blah talking heads that the Republican party is only losing its way now.  As if they have completely forgotten everything during Bush.  But it goes back even farther than that!  What Republicans are doing now at an extreme pace, the obstructionism of the law making process, the political games with people's lives, and the burn-it-down mentality has been happening for years!



And I quote:

"The agenda [they] would impose on America — abortion on demand, a litmus test for the Supreme Court, homosexual rights, discrimination against religious schools, women in combat — that's change, all right. But it is not the kind of change America wants. It is not the kind of change America needs. And it is not the kind of change we can tolerate in a nation that we still call God's country."

 Let's play a little game.  (1) Who said this quote?  (2) When did they say this?  (3) Who were they talking about?

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

Almost there...

You guessed correctly!  If you said Red Leader from Star Wars.... oh wait....

In all seriousness, that quote above was from

(1)  Pat Buchannan, Republican running for president, current media figure for MSNBC (that liberal media station!)

(2)  Twenty years ago!  He said this in 1992, in his famous "Culture War" speech to the Republican convention.

(3)  Now that you know he's not talking about Obama or that other black guy (*cough* Vader *cough*), he was saying this about Bill and Hillary Clinton, those socialist Kenyan-usurpers.  What about Muslim?!?

So what they're saying now about Barack AND Michelle Obama really isn't a new thing.  Don't let anybody think it is either.  These are the same talking points they've been at for at least twenty years, but this time there's a hint of racism and an extra flutter of stoopid as well.

PEACE

p.s.  If you haven't year, check out Driftglass blog.  It was the inspiration for this peace.  As was their podcast.