Time is like a river. You cannot touch the water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again. Franklin Graham was speaking at the First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, when he said America will not come back. He wrote:
"The American dream ended on November 6th, 2012. The second term of Barack Obama has been the final nail in the coffin for the legacy of the white Christian males who discovered, explored, pioneered, settled and developed the greatest republic in the history of mankind.
A coalition of blacks, Latinos, feminists, gays, union members, environmental extremists, the media, Hollywood, uninformed young people, the "forever needy," the chronically unemployed, illegal aliens and other "fellow travelers" have ended Norman Rockwell's America.
You will never again out-vote these people. It will take individual acts of defiance and massive displays of civil disobedience to get back the rights we have allowed them to take away. It will take zealots, not moderates and shy, not reach-across-the-aisle RINOs to right this ship and restore our beloved country to its former status.
People like me are completely politically irrelevant, and I will probably never again be able to legally comment on or concern myself with the aforementioned coalition which has surrendered our culture, our heritage and our traditions without a shot being fired.
The Cocker spaniel is off the front porch, the pit bull is in the back yard. The American Constitution has been replaced with Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals" and the likes of Chicago shyster David Axelrod along with international socialist George Soros have been pulling the strings on their beige puppet and have brought us Act 2 of the New World Order.
The curtain will come down but the damage has been done, the story has been told.
Those who come after us will once again have to risk their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to bring back the Republic that this generation has timidly frittered away due to white guilt and political correctness.."
"Socialism only works
in two places:
Heaven where they don't
need it and hell where they
already have it."
-Ronald Reagan
'Here's my strategy on
the Cold War:
We win, they lose.'
- Ronald Reagan
.'The most terrifying words
In the English language are:
I’m from the government,
and I'm here to help.'
-Ronald Reagan
'Of the four wars in my lifetime,
none came about because the
US. was too strong.
- Ronald Reagan
'I have wondered at
times about what the
Ten Commandments would
have looked like if Moses
had run them through
the U.S. Congress.
-Ronald Reagan
'The taxpayer:
That's someone who works
for the federal government
but doesn't have to take the
civil service examination.'
- Ronald Reagan
'Government is like a baby:
An alimentary canal with a
big appetite at one end and
no sense of responsibility
at the other.'
- Ronald Reagan
'The nearest thing to eternal
life we will ever see on
this earth is a
government program.'
- Ronald Reagan
'It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession.
I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.'
- Ronald Reagan
'Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases:
If it moves, tax it.
If it keeps moving, regulate it.
And if it stops moving,
subsidize it.'
- Ronald Reagan
'Politics is not a bad profession.
If you succeed,
there are many rewards;
if you disgrace yourself,
you can always write a book.'
- Ronald Reagan
'If we ever forget that we're one
nation under GOD, then we will be a nation gone under.'
-Ronald Reagan
The stupidity and hubris of this malignant narcissist is that when he makes enemies of EVERYONE, some of those enemies actually have the power to bring him to ruin. The cowardly, amoral, and opportunistic GOP may let him get away with any high crime, but the intelligence comunity may not. Even if we're not at this point, this piece on Alternet gives me hope that the Delusional Cheeto, thinking he is the invincible Sun God, flies to close to the sun and gets his comeuppance. May it happen before America is destroyed. http://www.alternet....munity-against-trump
So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other ports of entry.
Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get
down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home.
They had waved good-bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture. Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity.
Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought alongside men whose parents had come straight over from Germany , Italy , France and Japan . None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan . They were defending the United States of America as one people.
When we liberated France , no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German-American or the Irish-American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.
And here we are with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags.
And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty , it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.
Recall that Hillary did her college thesis on his writings and Obama writes about him in his books.
Saul Alinsky died about 43 years ago, but his writings influenced those In political control of our nation today.
Died: June 12, 1972, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Ca.
Education: University of Chicago
Spouse: Irene Alinsky
Books: Rules for Radicals ,Reveille for Radicals.
Anyone out there think this stuff isn’t happening today in the USA ?
All eight rules are currently in play.
How to a social state
By Saul Alinsky:
There are eight levels of control that must be obtained before you are able to create a social state. The first is the most important.
1.Heathcare- Control healthcare and you control the people.
2.Poverty- Increase the poverty level as high as possible; poor people are easier to control and will not fight back if you are providing everything for them to live.
3. Debt- Increase the debt to an unsustainable level. That way you are able to increase taxes , and this will produce more poverty.
4. Gun Control-Remove the ability to defend themselves from the government. That way you are able to create a police state.
5. Welfare - Take control of every aspect of their lives (Food,Housing and income) .
6. Education- Take control of what people read and listen to – take control of what children learn in school.
7.Religion- Remove the belief in God from government and schools .
8. Class Warfare- Divide the people into the wealthy and the poor.This will cause more discontent , and it will be easier to take (tax) the wealthy with the support of the poor.
Does any of this sound like what is happening to the United States ?
Alinsky merely simplified Vladimir Lenin’s original scheme for the world conquest by communism under Russian rule. Stalin described his converts as “Useful Idiots”.
Olbermann: Reasons Donald Trump Shouldn’t Become President
176 REASONS DONALD TRUMP SHOULDN'T BE PRESIDENT:
In the debut episode of his new series, “THE CLOSER WITH KEITH OLBERMANN," GQ's Keith Olbermann tallies the most outrageous of Donald Trump's offenses in what is now his 15-month assault on American democracy.
*
Do you still know anyone who doesn't understand the importance of having Hillary Clinton deny Trump the presidency? Have them look at this. Watch, weep, share, organize, vote.
* https://thescene.com...ce=player_scene_logo
If you're in the 3rd Congressional District, you know we've had an exceptional Representative for many years. But Ellen Story is retiring, and we need to choose a worthy successor. Please vote for Solomon Goldstein-Rose, a progressive with energy, vision, and commitment. He has the endorsement of hundreds of community members, including Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, State Senator Mike Barrett, and John Olver, our former Congressman, who says: "My vote for Solomon is an investment in the future, in the next generation of political leadership."
You can learn more about Solomon's stance on the issues: education, clean energy, government and politics, women's rights, racial justice, healthcare, gender equality, transportation, infrastructure, taxes, seniors, and more, at: http://solomonforrep.org/
Solomon Goldstein-Rose is young, but knowlegable and brilliant, committed to progressive change, passionate about public service. No surprise that Congressman John Olver, who held the seat for which Solomon is a candidate, has endorsed him!
Learn more:
Based on Saul Alinsky’s
8-steps from democracy to a socialist society.
Obama quoted him often in his book and
Hillary did her thesis on Alinsky.
Of the 8-levels of control that must be obtained before you are able to create a socialist/communist
State, the first is the most important; 5 OF 8 ARE DONE, AND THE LAST 3 ARE ALMOST THERE!
1. Healthcare: "Control
Healthcare and you control the People"
DONE!
2. Poverty: Increase the Poverty level as high as possible." Poor People are easier to control and will not fight
back if the government is providing everything for them to live.
DONE!
3. Debt: Increase the National Debt to an
unsustainable level." That way you are able to increase Taxes, and this will produce more Poverty.
DONE!
4. Gun Control: Remove the ability to defend themselves from the Government. That way you are able to create a
Police State - total local control.
ALMOST THERE, AND WORKING HARD ON IT!
5. Welfare: Take control of every aspect of their lives (Food,
Livestock, Housing, and Income).
DONE!
6. Education: Take control of what People read & listen to; take control of what Children learn in School.
ALMOST THERE!
7. Religion: Remove
faith in God from the Government and Schools. ALMOST THERE!
8. Class Warfare: Divide the People into the Wealthy against the Poor. Racially divide. This will cause more discontent
and it will be easier to Tax the Wealthy with full support of the voting Poor.
DONE!
For the most part the bases are all covered! We are ripe!
Why all of a sudden, Islam? An interesting viewpoint. Whether you agree or not, at least some of these points are valid. Think about America before Obama, there was virtually no visible presence of Islam in America. All of a sudden, we must allow prayer rugs everywhere and allow for Islamic prayer in schools and businesses. All of a sudden, we are inundated with law suits by Muslims who are offended by America. All of a sudden, Muslim training compounds are popping up throughout the U.S.A. All of a sudden, Muslims are suing employers for being expected to do their jobs. All of a sudden, our troops are withdrawn from the middle east. All of a sudden, there is no money for the American poor, disabled veterans,jobless Americans, hungry Americans, or displaced Americans, but thereis endless money for Obama's refugee programs. All of a sudden, Obama fills the Federal Government with Muslims in key positions. All of a sudden, Americans are threatened by the federal government for complaining about Muslims. All of a sudden, the most important thing for Obama to do is disarm American Citizens. Has everyone lost their ability to see what is happening in the USA?
Does The Third Jihad have no meaning for America???
The war started in the 7th century and lasted through the 17th century. I would contend it never stopped but historically the facts below are correct.
This is why I choke when I hear someone say we will defeat or contain these Islamic terrorists in a few years or even 30 years as recently stated by Leon Panetta.
If the latest batch of murders, beheadings, and killing of innocent Christians has shocked you, maybe you should read this compilation of historical facts about the hatred of Muslims.
This is all factually (and historically) correct and verifiable:
In 732 A.D., the Muslim Army, which was moving on Paris, was defeated and turned back at Tours, France, by Charles Martell. (Charlemagne)
In 1571 A.D., the Muslim Army/Navy was defeated by the Italians and Austrians as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to attack southern Europe in the Battle of Lepanto.
In 1683 A.D., the Turkish Muslim Army, attacking Eastern Europe, was finally defeated in the Battle of Vienna by German and Polish Christian Armies.
This crap has been going on for 1,400 years and half of the politicians don't even know it.
If these battles had not been won, we might be speaking Arabic and Christianity could be non-existent; Judaism certainly would not exist.
Reflecting:
A lot of Americans have become so insulated from reality that they imagine that America can suffer defeat without any inconvenience to themselves.
Pause a moment and reflect back.
These events are actual events from history. They really happened! Do you remember?:
1. In 1968, Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by a Muslim male.
2. In 1972, at the Munich Olympics, Israeli athletes were kidnapped and massacred by Muslim males.
3. In 1972, a PanAm 747 was hijacked and eventually diverted to Cairo where a fuse was lit on final approach. Shortly after landing it was blown up by Muslim males.
4. In 1973, a PanAm 707 was destroyed in Rome, with 33 people killed, when it was attacked with grenades by Muslim males.
5. In 1979, the US embassy in Iran was taken over by Muslim males.
6. During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by Muslim males.
7. In 1983, the US Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by Muslim males.
8. In 1985, the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70-year old Jewish American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by Muslim males.
9. In 1985, TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a US Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by Muslim males.
10. In 1988, PanAm Flight 103 was bombed by Muslim males.
11. In 1993, the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by Muslim males.
12. In 1998, the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by Muslim males.
13. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take down the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by Muslim males.
14. In 2002, the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against Muslim males.
15. In 2002, reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and beheaded by - you guessed it - a Muslim male. (Plus two other American journalists were just recently beheaded).
16. In 2013, the Boston Marathon Bombing resulted in 4 Innocent people, including a child, being killed plus 264 people injured by Muslim males.
No Obama, I really don't see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you?
So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screener's will no longer be allowed to profile certain people.
So, ask yourself "Just how stupid are we???"
Absolutely No Profiling! They must conduct random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, secret agents who are members of the Obama's security detail, 85-year-old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal of Honor winner and former Governor Joe Foss, BUT.......leave Muslim Males alone lest we be guilty of profiling.
Ask yourself, "Just how stupid are we? "Have the American people completely lost their minds or just their Power of Reason???
As the writer of the award winning story Forrest Gump so aptly put it, "Stupid Is As Stupid Does."
Sanders, Clinton, O’malley With Rachel Maddow Friday
Hi friends. This Friday, Nov, 6, 8-10pm, Rachel Maddow will be hosting the 3 Democratic candidates in a two-hour forum (not a debate). So we can expect 30-40 minutes of real substance from each candidate. Whether you're supporting a particular candidate or are undecided, it will be well worth watching for anyone who's already tuned into the 2016 campaign. Please share this information widely.
Some of us don't get MSNBC, and can't see it. If you do, please consider hosting a watch party!
Bernie Sanders wants to talk with you, before tonight's debate. (Sound quality isn't great, but what he says is important). Please share it with family and friends:
WHY A MUSLIM SHOULD NOT BE U. S. PRESIDENT
Ben Carson is right. A practicing Muslim who observes Sharia Law cannot serve as president.
It is a fact that Sharia law is totally inconsistent with the United States Constitution.
The Constitution guarantees equal rights for all Americans, but Sharia law does not give equal rights to women or non-Muslims.
The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but Sharia law does not treat all religions equally.
The Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, but Sharia law limits freedom of speech and no one can say or write anything negative about the prophet, Mohamed.
In addition, criticizing or denying any part of the Quran is punishable by death.
Theft is punishable by amputation of the right hand, something that our law system does not allow. There are many more things that Sharia law prohibits that are inconsistent with American practices and traditions including...
A non-Muslim man who marries a Muslim woman is punishable by death.
A non-Muslim who leads a Muslim away from Islam is punishable by death.
A man can marry an infant girl and consummate the marriage when she is 9 years old.
A man can beat his wife for insubordination.
Testimonies of four male witnesses are required to prove rape against a woman.
A woman who has been raped cannot testify in court against her rapist(s).
A woman is prohibited from driving a car
A woman cannot speak alone to a man who is not her husband or relative.
Muslims should engage in Taqiyya and lie to non-Muslims to advance Islam.
The fact is the list of things inconsistent with American values and traditions is much, much longer than the short list provided above.
We need to encourage Dr. Carson not to back down and not to give in to the ignorant, liberal media.
PLEASE SEND THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW. PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THIS ISSUE.....PLEASE FORWARD IT.
--
Socialism is a philosophy of failure,
the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.
Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.
Winston Churchill
Great summary by a Notre Dame University engineer.........
Here are the 10,535 pages of Obama Care condensed to 4 simple sentences..
As humorous as it sounds.....every last word is absolutely TRUE!
1. In order to insure the uninsured, we first have to un-insure the insured.
2. Next, we require the newly un-insured to be re-insured.
3. To re-insure the newly un-insured, they are required to pay extra charges to be re-insured.
4. The extra charges are required so that the original insured,who became un-insured, and then became re-insured, can pay enough extra so that the original un- insured can be insured, so it will be ‘free-of-charge’ to them.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is called "redistribution of wealth"or, by its more common name, SOCIALISM , or “PROGRESSIVE”, the politically correct names for COMMUNISM !
Don’t Delete – It is well worth your minute or two to read this very interesting article...
This is well written and gives ‘Middle Class Americans’ something (a lot) to think about!!
TRUMP
Some people are getting very nervous, including Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett, Eric Holder, Hillary Clinton and Jon Corzine, to name just a few. And I know why.
I wrote a book titled “The Murder of the Middle Class” about the unholy conspiracy between big government, big business and big media. They all benefit by the billions of dollars from this partnership, and it’s in all of their interests to protect one another. It’s one for all and all for one.
It’s a heck of a filthy relationship that makes everyone filthy rich — everyone except the American people. We get ripped off. We’re the patsies.
But for once, the powerful socialist cabal and the corrupt crony capitalists are scared. I’ve never seen them this outraged, this vicious, this motivated or this coordinated. Never in all my years in politics have I seen anything like the way the mad dogs of hell have been unleashed on Donald Trump.
When white supremacist David Dukes ran for governor of Louisiana , even he wasn’t treated with this kind of outrage, vitriol and disrespect. When a known fraud, scam artist, and tax cheat like Al Sharpton ran for president, I never saw anything remotely close to this. The over-the-top reaction to Trump by politicians of both parties, the media and the biggest corporations of America has been so swift and insanely angry that it suggests they are all threatened and frightened like never before.
Why? Duke was never going to win. Sharpton was never going to win. Ron Paul was never going to win. Ross Perot was never going to win as a third-party candidate. Those candidates either didn’t have or couldn’t spare the billion dollars it takes to win the presidency. But Donald Trump can self-fund that amount tomorrow and still have another billion left over to pour into the last two-week stretch run before Election Day.
No matter how much they say to the contrary, the media, business and political elite understand that Trump is no joke. He could actually win and upset their nice cozy apple cart.
It’s no coincidence that everyone has gotten together to destroy The Donald. No, this is a coordinated conspiracy led by President Barack Obama himself. Obama himself is making the phone calls and giving the orders; he’s the ultimate intimidator who plays by the rules of Chicago thug politics.
Why is this so important to Obama? It’s because most of the other politicians are part of the “old boys club.” They talk big, but in the end they won’t change a thing. Why? They are all beholden to big-money donors. They are all owned by lobbyists, unions, lawyers, gigantic environmental organizations and multinational corporations like Big Pharma or Big Oil. Or they are owned lock, stock and barrel by foreigners like George Soros owns Obama or foreign governments own Hillary with their Clinton Foundation donations.
These run-of-the-mill establishment politicians are all puppets owned by big money. But there’s one man — and only one man — who isn’t beholden to anyone. There’s one man who doesn’t need foreigners, or foreign governments, or George Soros, or the United Auto Workers, or the teachers union, or the Service Employees International Union, or the bar association to fund his campaign.
Billionaire tycoon and maverick Donald Trump doesn’t need anyone’s help.
That means he doesn’t care what the media says. He doesn’t care what the corporate elites think. That makes him very dangerous to the entrenched interests. That makes Trump a huge threat. Trump can ruin everything for the bribed politicians and their spoiled slave masters.
Don’t you ever wonder why the GOP has never tried to impeach Obama? Don’t you wonder why John Boehner and Mitch McConnell talk a big game, but never actually try to stop Obama? Don’t you wonder why Congress holds the purse strings, yet has never tried to defund Obamacare or Obama’s clearly illegal executive action on amnesty for illegal aliens? Bizarre, right? It defies logic, right?
Well, first, I’d guess many key Republicans are being bribed. Secondly, I believe many key Republicans are being blackmailed. Whether they are having affairs, or secretly gay, or stealing taxpayer money, the National Security Agency knows everything.
Ask former House Speaker Dennis Hastert about that. The government even knew he was withdrawing large sums of his own money from his own bank account. Trust me: The NSA, the SEC, the IRS and all the other three-letter government agencies are watching every Republican political leader. They know everything.
Thirdly, many Republicans are petrified of being called “racists.” So they are scared to ever criticize Obama or call out his crimes, let alone demand his impeachment.
Fourth, why rock the boat? After defeat or retirement, if you’re a “good boy,” you’ve got a $5 million-per-year lobbying job waiting. The big-money interests have the system gamed. Win or lose, they win.
But Trump doesn’t play by any of these rules. Trump breaks up this nice, cozy relationship between big government, big media and big business. All the rules are out the window if Trump wins the presidency. The other politicians will protect Obama and his aides — but not Trump.
Remember: Trump is the guy who publicly questioned Obama’s birth certificate. He questioned Obama’s college records and how a mediocre student got into an Ivy League university.
Now, he’s doing something no Republican has the chutzpah to do. He’s questioning our relationship with Mexico; questioning why the border is wide open; questioning why no wall has been built across the border; questioning if allowing millions of illegal aliens into America is in our best interests; questioning why so many illegal aliens commit violent crimes yet are not deported; and questioning why our trade deals with Mexico, Russia and China are so bad.
Trump has the audacity to ask out loud why American workers always get the short end of the stick. Good question.
I’m certain Trump will question what happened to the almost billion dollars given in a rigged no-bid contract to college friends of Michelle Obama at foreign companies to build the defective Obamacare website. By the way, that tab is now up to $5 billion.
Trump will ask if Obamacare’s architects can be charged with fraud for selling it by lying. He will ask if Obama himself committed fraud when he said, “If you like your healthcare plan, you can keep it.”
Trump will investigate Obama’s widespread IRS conspiracy, not to mention Obama’s college records.
Trump will prosecute Clinton and Obama for fraud committed to cover up Benghazi before the election.
How about the fraud committed by employees of the Labor Department when they made up dramatic job numbers in the last jobs report before the 2012 election?
Obama, the multinational corporations and the media need to stop this. They recognize this could get out of control. If left unchecked telling the raw truth and asking questions everyone else is afraid to ask, Trump could wake a sleeping giant.
Trump’s election would be a nightmare. Obama has committed many crimes. No one else but Trump would dare to prosecute. He will not hesitate. Once Trump gets in and gets a look at “the cooked books” and Obama’s records, the game is over. The gig is up. The goose is cooked.
Holder could wind up in prison. Jarrett could wind up in prison. Obama bundler Corzine could wind up in prison for losing $1.5 billion of customer money.
Clinton could wind up in jail for deleting 32,000 emails, or for accepting bribes from foreign governments while secretary of state, or for “misplacing” $6 billion as the head of the State Department, or for lying about Benghazi.
The entire upper level management of the IRS could wind up in prison. Obamacare will be defunded and dismantled. The Obama crime family will be prosecuted for crimes against the American people. And Obama himself could wind up ruined, his legacy in tatters.
Trump will investigate. Trump will prosecute. Trump will go after everyone involved — just for fun. That will all happen on Trump’s first day in the White House. Who knows what Trump will do on Day 2?
That’s why the dogs of hell have been unleashed on Donald Trump.
For those with the intestinal fortitude to actually watch the Republican Clown Car in action tonight, here it is - the Debate Drinking Game! The drinking list provided is excellent, but they left out "Planned Parenthood" and/or "selling baby parts". Doesn't matter, because I'm already on my way to drunk.
Apologies: the link in the previous post to sign up for a Bernie Sanders gathering was broken. There are two dozen gatherings in western MA. Use one of the links below to find the Bernie Sanders' organizing parties local to you.
Bernie Sanders’ Nationwide Organizing Party Tonight!
Be a part of history! Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign is only weeks old, yet a movement has risen up to take this country back from the billionaires.
Supporters of Bernie's campaign will gather THIS EVENING (Wed. July 29) all over the country. We’ll hear from Bernie via live video, share stories, get to know one another, and begin organizing to win this election. There are over 3,300 events, with close to 100,000 RSVPs! This level of organizing and participation is completely unprecedented; nothing like this has ever existed at this early stage of a presidential campaign—period.
Our opponents have the billionaires, but we have the people. Find a gathering local to you, and forward this email to family and friends, so that they can be a part of this historic moment as well.
I feel a bit badly for the folks whose social views are no longer the prevailing perspective. America has moved fairly rapidly from national homophobia to majority acceptance of equal marriage. And now that the Supreme Court has torn away all prohibitions against same-sex marriage, these monumental social changes have given some big headaches to the most unmovable conservatives (some of whom are running for the Presidency). For them, I would like to recommend this particular treatment for pain and discomfort. It's powerfully healing!
Lee is back....
Would you believe that Lee Iacocca is 91 years old and is still KICKIN' butt? Check out his latest rant.
Just as true today as it was when his book first came out. He was, and still is, a brilliant businessman!
Often we need to be reminded of Iacocca's words, Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler corporation from its death throes?
He's now 91 years old and has a new book
, 'Where Have All The Leaders Gone?'.
Lee Iacocca Says:
"Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage with this so called president?
We should be screaming bloody murder!
We've got a gang of tax cheating clueless leftists trying to steer our ship of state right over a cliff,
we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even run a ridiculous cash-for-clunkers program without losing $26 billion of the taxpayers' money, much less build a hybrid car.
But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say,
"trust me, the economy is getting better"..
' Better ?
What the Hell ! You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic'.
I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the Democrats out, along with Obama!'
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs.
While we're fiddling in Afghanistan, Iran is completing their nuclear bombs and missiles and nobody seems to know what to do.
The liberal press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of
asking hard questions.
That's not the promise of the 'America' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for.
I've had enough. How about you?
I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged.
This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest 'C' is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C's of leadership, with crisis being the first.)
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with thumb up your butt and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself.
It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down. On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes.
We're immersed in a bloody war now with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving, but our soldiers are dying daily.
We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the world, and it's getting worse every day!
We've lost the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.
This country has the largest oil reserves in the WORLD, and we cannot drill for it because the politicians have been bought by the tree-hugging environmentalists.
Our borders are like sieves and they want to give all illegals amnesty and free healthcare.
The middle class is being squeezed to death every day.
These are times that cry out for leadership.
But when you look around, you've got to ask: Where have all the leaders gone? Where are the curious, creative communicators?
Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense?
I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?
We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping the government will make it better for them. Now, that's just crazy. Deal with life.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing.
Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, look what Obama did about it.
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening.
But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the Chicago gangsters in Congress.
We didn't elect you to turn this country into a losing European Socialist state.
What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on NBC or CNN news will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here.
I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope - I believe in America...
In my lifetime, I've had the privilege of living through some of America 's greatest moments.
I've also experienced some of our worst crises:
The 'Great Depression,' World War II,' 'the 'Korean War,' the 'Kennedy Assassination,' the 'Vietnam War,' the 1970's oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years since 9/11.
Make your own contribution by giving this to everyone you know and care about.
For, it is your country, folks, and it's your future and your progeny.
1. Obama destroyed the Clinton Political Machine, driving a stake through the heart of Hillary’s presidential aspirations - something no Republican was ever able to do.
2. Obama killed off the Kennedy Dynasty - no more Kennedy's trolling Washington looking for booze and women wanting rides home.
3. Obama is destroying the Democratic Party before our eyes! Dennis Moore had never lost a race. Evan Bayh had never lost a race. Byron Dorgan had never lost a race. Harry Reid - soon to be GONE! These are just a handful of the Democrats whose political careers Obama has destroyed. By the end of 2016 dozens more will be gone. Just think, in December of 2008 the Democrats were on the rise. In the previous two election cycles, they picked up 14 Senate seats and 52 House seats. The press was touting the death of the Conservative Movement and the Republican Party. However, in just one year, Obama put a stop to all of this and has given the House and the Senate back to the Republicans.
4. Obama has completely exposed liberals and progressives for what they are. Sadly, every generation seems to need to re-learn the lesson on why they should never actually put liberals in charge. Obama is bringing home the lesson very well: Liberals tax, borrow and spend. Liberals won't bring themselves to protect America. Liberals want to take over the economy. Liberals think they know what is best for everyone. Liberals are not happy until they are running YOUR life.
5. Obama has brought more Americans back to conservatism than anyone since Reagan. In one year, he has rejuvenated the Conservative Movement and brought out to the streets millions of freedom loving Americans. Name one other time when you saw your friends and neighbors this interested in taking back America!
6. Obama, with his "amazing leadership," has sparked the greatest period of sales of firearms and ammunition this country has seen. Law abiding citizens have rallied and have provided a "stimulus" to the sporting goods field while other industries have failed, faded, or moved off-shore.
7. In all honesty, one year ago I was more afraid than I have been in my life. Not afraid of the economy, but afraid of the direction our country was going. I thought, Americans have forgotten what this country is all about. My neighbors and friends, even strangers, have proved to me that my lack of confidence in the greatness and wisdom of the American people has been flat wrong.
8. When the American people wake up, no smooth talking teleprompter reader can fool them! Barack Obama has served to wake up these great Americans! Again, I want to say: "Thank you, Barack Obama!" After all, this is exactly the kind of hope and change we desperately needed!!
9. He made Jimmy Carter happy since Jimmy is no longer the worse president we've ever had.
Government welfare programs created to buy the votes
of those who want someone to take care of them?
Japan does not have a welfare system.
Work for it or do without.
These are possibly the 5 best sentences
you'll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:
1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity
by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.
2. What one person receives without working for,
another person must work for without receiving.
3. The government cannot give to anybody anything
that the government does not first take from somebody else.
4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!
5. When half of the people get the idea that they
do not have to work because the other half
is going to take care of them, and when the other half
gets the idea that it does no good to work
because somebody else is going to get
what they work for, that is the beginning
of the end of any nation.
I hope you're all planning to vote in tomorrow's primary election. We deserve to make the best possible choice for Governor, and for all the other offices as well.
I've met Dr. Don Berwick, and he's exactly who he says he is - a thoughtful, compassionate, progressive, and wise manager and problem-solver. Having looked at his policy positions, his experience as a leader, and his philosophy of public service, I'm certain that Don is our finest choice. Here he is, explaining why he's asking to be our Governor. Please take a few minutes and give him a look:
There are other ways to learn about Don.
Learn where he stands on the issues which matter to you - jobs, managing healthcare costs and quality, the environment, the economy, reproductive rights, casinos, affordable housing, and many more: http://www.berwickforgovernor.com/issues
More videos: https://www.youtube....MM1hgrJRLgzwxGCSshhg
Don's birthday is September 9, primary day, tomorrow: if we vote to make him our choice for Governor, we'll be giving OURSELVES a gift.
Not sure whether Massachusetts should open casinos? Have a look at the disaster of Atlantic City.
Sept. 1, 2014:
"The Atlantic City region is on the brink of a short-term economic disaster. ... casino employment - which for years exceeded the number of city residents - drops precipitously after a decade of steady decline.
The closing of three casinos ... and the rapid-fire loss of 5,700 jobs, draw historic comparisons to longer-term collapses of U.S. industries such as steel. "This is a massive economic body blow to Atlantic City on par with the hit to the national economy during the Great Recession" ...
Don Berwick is the ONLY gubernatorial candidate, Democrat or Republican, who is opposed to casinos in the Commonwealth. http://www.berwickforgovernor.com/casinos
Don just asks that you examine the data, that CASINOS DESTROY COMMUNITIES.
From single payer health care to the environment to the role of government, Dr. Berwick gives you his thoughtful and well-founded responses. http://www.berwickforgovernor.com/issues
This is why Don Berwick, has my support. Please bring friends, and vote in the Primary next Tues. Sept. 9.
THE DOCTOR IS IN.
Yes, it's a hokey video, but Don Berwick is the only gubernatorial candidate with the solution for skyrocketing health care costs - and the experience to lead the change: MEDICARE FOR ALL!
Please share broadly with friends and family in MA.
The first Democratic Primary Gubernatorial Debate was held last week. Didn't have time to watch? Here is a compilation (6 min.) highlighting Don Berwick’s positions on various issues from the debate at Stonehill College on Aug 19, 2014. See why Dr. Berwick is our best choice for Governor!
00:15 - On Universal Pre-K 00:32 - On Market Basket
00:50 - On Ferguson 01:48 - On Single Payer Healthcare
02:09 - On Casinos 03:57 - On Affordable Housing Crisis
04:42 - On Charter Schools 05:41 - On Trust in Government
Correction: Ma. Primary Held September 9th, Not The 6th
Apologies for the error in my previous posting about Don Berwick. The MA. primary will be held Tuesday September 9th. Please register and vote for our next governor (as well as for other state races).
Don Berwick: The Gubernatorial Candidate You Should Know
Are you familiar with Don Berwick? Do you know that he’s our progressive Democratic candidate for Governor, running in the primary against two career politicians?
Don Berwick is running for governor to continue to make Massachusetts “a beacon of light and hope”. We were the first state to recognize healthcare as a human right, and the first state to institute equal marriage. Don is ready to demonstrate that bold, progressive leadership can truly deliver for the people. I’m proud to have met him personally; he is a thoughtful listener whose positions evolve as he learns; he has compassion and is unafraid to speak his values.
Don Berwick is NOT A CAREER POLITICIAN, but a pediatrician and executive who’s been working to improve health care delivery and affordability for 30 years. He was tapped by President Obama to run the Center for Medicare and Medicaid, the largest agency in the federal government (with a budget larger than the Pentagon!). The Republicans in the Senate refused to confirm him, so his recess appointment ended after 18 months. Dr. Berwick describes himself as an “improver”, an optimist and a progressive. As with Elizabeth Warren and the CFPB, a federal agency nomination loss could once again be Massachusetts’ great gain!
Berwick has ambitious goals for creating jobs, eradicating poverty, improving our infrastructure, and protecting the environment, including being the first carbon-neutral state. He recognizes that climate change is the most pressing concern to the health of our planet and to future generations.
Here are some of Don Berwick’s positions:
- Would work to establish single payer healthcare (Medicare for All).
- Opposed to casinos (proven harmful to the communities in which they operate); would vote to repeal the law.
- Opposed to the Kinder-Morgan (fracking) pipeline proposed for Franklin County.
- Supports divestment from fossil fuels.
- Supports universal pre-school education and improving education at all levels.
Don Berwick has been endorsed by Progressive Massachusetts, Mass-Care, Progressive Democrats of Mass., Jamaica Plain Progressives, Senators Jamie Eldridge, Sonia Chang-Diaz, and Pat Jehlen, and numerous other state senators and representatives. His supporters are as passionate about him as Elizabeth Warren’s are about her.
Don Berwick is the best possible Democrat to beat Charlie Baker for Governor in the November election. Massachusetts voters have demonstrated that they often prefer a new leader with fresh ideas over an old-time politico when making a choice at the top of the ticket. A Democrat who is new to statewide office very often wins. The evidence is in 40 years of Massachusetts elections.
The Winners:
* * Ed Markey beats Gabriel Gomez for senator in 2013.
* * Elizabeth Warren beats Scott Brown for senator in 2012.
* * Deval Patrick beats Kerry Healy for governor in 2006.
* * John Kerry beats Ray Shamie for senator in 1984.
* * Paul Tsongas beats Ed Brooke for senator in 1978.
* * Ed King beats Frank Hatch for governor in 1978.
* * Michael Dukakis beats Frank Sargent for governor in 1974.
And The Losers:
* * Martha Coakley (then Attorney General) loses to Scott Brown for senator in 2010.
* * Shannon O’Brien (then State Treasurer) loses to Mitt Romney in 2002.
* * Scott Harshbarger (then Attorney General) loses to Paul Cellucci in 1998.
History suggests that either of the other two Democratic candidates, Martha Coakley or Steve Grossman, will follow in the footsteps of Coakley, O’Brien, and Harshbarger, and lose to the Republican gubernatorial nominee. Massachusetts voters want a new face with new ideas and a track record of success OUTSIDE OF GOVERNMENT. That person is Don Berwick. If Don is the Democratic nominee, he will beat Charlie Baker (another political “retread”) with his bold ideas and proven leadership. Let’s work to add Don Berwick to the list of winners in 2014. Please share this with friends across the state. And please vote for Don Berwick in the SEPTEMBER 6th PRIMARY. Thanks!
TOM WHEELER, President Obama's newly appointed chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), RECENTLY PROPOSED ADOPTING RULES THAT WILL END NET NEUTRALITY AND KILL THE INTERNET AS WE KNOW IT.
DEADLINE- TODAY!!!
The FCC needed to feel overwhelming pressure to stop the corporate takeover of the Internet. And they did. Literally.
So many of us submitted public comments before Tuesday’s deadline that the FCC’s website ACTUALLY BROKE because it was so overwhelmed by all the traffic.
"After Servers Crash, FCC Extends Deadline for Public Comments
“By the end of the day on July 15, the FCC had received more than 780,000 public comments on its Net neutrality-killing proposal - a huge number that would have been MUCH HIGHER if the agency’s site hadn’t broken down repeatedly.” "
In response, the FCC has extended its deadline UNTIL TONIGHT, FRIDAY, MIDNIGHT.
Please spread the word to your friends and family as well.
________________________________________
Please submit sign and/or public comments to the FCC on any or all of the following websites before the tonight's deadline. THE FATE OF THE INTERNET IS AT STAKE.
You're invited to come meet progressive MA. Gubernatorial candidate Don Berwick!
PLEASE COME AND MEET DON! There are several local opportunities this weekend and next:
THIS SUNDAY, JULY 13:
5 - 6:30 PM. “MEET & GREET” in Northampton. The Meet and Greet starts at 5:00, and Don is expected to arrive around 5:30 and stay until 6:30. Don will make some remarks and then answer your questions, circulate and talk with you. See why Jonathan Klate (whose Gazette letter to the editor I posted) and others are lining up to support him.
LOCATION: home of Nancy Mihevc, 51 Day Avenue, Northampton (Off Route 9 -directly across from Sheldon Field). Parking is available at the Park & Ride next to Sheldon Field or on street. (If possible please RSVP to: mihevcn@comcast.net )
JULY 13, 6:45 - 8 PM BERWICK W. MASS OFFICE OPENS IN SPRINGFIELD!
Western Ma HQ 361 Boston Rd Springfield, MA. Official Opening: DON WILL BE THERE.
UPCOMING EVENTS WITH DON BERWICK:
Saturday, July 19, 3 - 4:30 PM.
FUNDRAISING EVENT at the home of Heather & John Hornik, 59 Carriage Lane, Amherst
RSVP John Hornik at 256-8854 you are coming, and please feel free to pass these invitations along to others.
Here are some other options:
Saturday, July 19 12-1:30pm 55 Main St, Northfield Steve Martin
Saturday, July 19 5:00-6:30pm 6 Cider Mill Road, Haydenville Mark Novotny
Saturday, July 19 7:00-8:30pm 32A Round Hill Road, Northampton Bryan Bruce
Sunday, July 20 11-12pm 35 Woodbridge St, So. Hadley Chris Pyle
If you plan to come to any of these, RSVP to John Hornik at 256-8854 so he can assure that the host is informed.
And let others know about these events.
DON BERWICK IN GOVERNOR’S RACE FOR RIGHT REASONS: PUBLIC SERVICE
Opinion by Dr. Jonathan Klate:
Sunday, July 6, 2014 Gazette.com The Hampshire Gazette
AMHERST — In the race for the Democratic nomination for governor, Don Berwick is the compelling story now. Martha Coakley and Steve Grossman, established pols aspiring to higher office for years, are being challenged by a smart, mature, experienced, unabashed progressive who has surged into serious contention for all the right reasons.
I had the opportunity to talk with Berwick in a Northampton coffee shop recently. When was the last time you felt a progressive politician running for statewide office was honestly speaking his or her truth, and from a wise heart? I mean other than Sen. Elizabeth Warren?
And I do mean talk with Dr. Berwick, because conversation is supposed to be a two-way street, and this gentleman doesn’t just spout, he listens. He lets you finish and makes it clear by his responses where his thinking has been modified by the information you have provided, if you made sense.
These are the habits of a curious mind and the ethics of a lifelong learner, perhaps shaped by his clinical training as a doctor. He brings a cultivated scientific mentality to his analytic approach to public matters. He is genuinely reflective rather than ideologically reflexive.
Before Berwick was a doctor he was the child of one. His father was a family physician in a small town in Connecticut. Like many small town docs in the 1950s he delivered babies, took his own x-rays and was on call 24/7. What he rarely did was take a vacation.
Berwick’s mom was a leader in the struggle to get a new elementary school built in their hometown. She died when Don was 15. When the school got built they named the library after her. So, while coming to terms with the body blow of his mother’s death, his consciousness was imprinted by her public legacy to the community achieved through political activism.
Don sees his parents’ dedication to both their family and the needs of the community as a way of life. “I don’t think they would have identified it as some kind of nobility,” he says. “It was just the way you lived. It was a habit as much as a value system and that colors the roots of my own values.”
He came of age in the 60s and these core values blossomed into mature progressive political inclinations during the inspiring era of the Kennedy presidency, the civil rights movement, the War on Poverty, the New Frontier, the Great Society, the peace movement and searing incidents like the Kent State massacre.
He learned that government, when animated by concern for human needs, is not necessarily the enemy. Structural poverty is. Underfunded and inequitable education is. Lack of substance abuse treatment is. Exclusion from quality health care due to low income is.
And without government to facilitate solutions like single-payer health care, for example, which he strongly supports, we can’t get the job done to improve the quality of life for all. It is fair to think of his principled mastery of health care policy as comparable to the expertise in the fields of banking and financial services of Sen. Warren.
He was president and CEO of a major not-for-profit organization with a mission to improve health care throughout the world. President Obama appointed him the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services and he ran the agency, overseeing an $800 billion budget, far bigger than the one he’d manage were he to be elected governor here.
It is unusual to find a systems thinker with tons of policy implementation experience who retains compassion for how well or poorly individuals’ needs are met. Through his decades in human and public service he has not succumbed to cynicism or narcissism. This is all too rare in public service.
This is not a person engaged in politics for personal aggrandizement. Can you look at his competitors and honestly say that?
If you think that Martha Coakley is the Democrat who matches up best against Republican Charlie Baker in the general election, you might want to recall what happened when her senatorial ambitions encountered Scott Brown.
Or, if you think just being a woman gives her an edge, maybe it’s time to recall Shannon O’Brien’s defeat by Mitt Romney.
Steve Grossman is a personable, centrist Democrat. But somewhere the Democratic Party has to stop muddling through, find its heart and be willing to have a principled fight. If not in Massachusetts, and now, with such a strong progressive candidate, then where and when?
Berwick can win, provided Democrats who see elections as meaningful agencies of democracy strongly support him.
“I think people are as tired as I am of mincing words and the failure to clarify a value system with a clear and unapologetic commitment to helping each other. I just think it’s wrong.” This guy doesn’t pander. He means it. Stand him next to his competition and it shows.
* * * * *
Jonathan Klate of Amherst writes about spirituality and political perspectives. His column appears the first Monday of the month. He can be reached at opinion@gazettenet.com.
Hi Sam,
I appreciate your thinking about and commenting on what you feel is the left’s reaction to the SCOTUS Hobby Lobby decision. It’s good that, even when folks see things differently, they can still talk about their points of view with respect and openness.
I’ve thought about the case a lot, but also thought about how this 5/4 Court has ruled on a number of cases. While you and I may simply be coming from very different places, and yes, I am opinionated, I like to think that I don’t just “shoot from the hip” or that I’m an extremist; even when I feel strongly about issues, I think that facts matter.
The article you referred me to in the National Review had a certain hostile tone that made it difficult to take seriously. It didn’t engender a lot of openness on my part, starting with “The Left is FOAMING AT THE MOUTH over the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision” and continued with “This is not just garbage. It’s an entire landfill on stilts.” Hyperbole, much? There are more than a few other straw man arguments – putting words and ideas in the mouths of pro-choicers that are ugly, incendiary, and non-representative.
So, I’ll just get to the points. Interestingly, I’ve read that Hobby Lobby paid for coverage of all 20 types of contraception prior to filing this case. One point the article makes is that the 4 out of 20 forms of contraceptive were singled out because they were abortifacients. They are NOT. Hobby Lobby “feels” that they are. However, the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) of the National Institute of Health reports that IUDs are contraceptives, not abortifacients. Hobby Lobby does not represent the thinking of science in this matter. Sadly, the right-wing regressives in this Court allowed for a religious definition of medical facts, not a scientific one! Political ideology, anyone?
The owners of Hobby Lobby are not doctors. They are not scientists. They are not ministers. They are employers. Their “mission” is to deal in products, services, and profits.
Additionally, the Greens, owners of Hobby Lobby, have a 401(k) employee retirement plan with over $70 million in mutual funds with investments in companies that produce emergency contraceptive pills, intrauterine devices, AND DRUGS OFTEN USED IN ABORTIONS. Hobby Lobby makes large matching contributions to this company-sponsored 401(k). They had no option to invest elsewhere? Some wonder if the owners have mostly a strong religious belief in earning their profits wherever they can. This egregious hypocrisy should have been a factor in the court case; I don't know why it wasn't. Will authentically religious Christians scream about it, or boycott them because of it? Doubtful.
Even if they WERE correct on the scientific merits (of abortifacients), the decision is still a slippery slope, recklessly decided. Once the Court allows the intrusion of the employer into alleged religious objections, we will see (we are already seeing!) companies which will religiously object to ALL forms of birth control, the hiring of the LGBT community, or Muslims, or any group with which they have an issue. See http://talkingpoints...t-hiring-hobby-lobby
They won’t even have to prove their sincerity! Groups could use a religious dodge as a cover for their monetary interests, to skirt civil rights laws, or to impose other forms of social control, if they can invoke religious imperative. Other businesses may wish to impose other restrictions on coverage based of their religious beliefs: no transfusions for Jehovah’s Witness? No anti-depressants for Scientologist companies? The religion of an individual should be freely practiced; it should not be imposed by the individual on others.
On another point, family planning, whether contraception, vasectomy, tubal ligation, morning after or emergency contraception, or termination of pregnancy, encompasses options which are both MEDICAL and LEGAL. Employees don’t get “free” birth control or medical care handed to them by the employer; employees pay for it, and health insurance coverage is one of several benefits as part of a package workers EARN, like vacation time, pensions, etc. HIPPA laws also should protect the patient’s privacy from anyone who is not their doctor; the employer has no business in the doctor’s office or the record room!
The owners of Hobby Lobby are either a for profit business (which they ARE), and are subject to offering their employees the benefits they’ve earned, or they are a church – a “for PROPHET”, if you will. I would understand a church not wanting to include some of these benefits in their package. But they are not a church. They do not have a place in controlling either the private lives or medical decisions of their employees. In her dissent, Ruth Bader Ginsburg made the point that “"Religious organizations exist to foster the interests of persons subscribing to the same religious faith. Not so of for-profit corporations. Workers who sustain the operations of those corporations commonly are not drawn from one religious community."
Another point: some of us are profoundly concerned that the Court would give religious rights to a corporation which would trump the rights of workers. No matter how devout the Greens might be (and whether they are or not is moot), the rights of their “personhood”, that of religious freedom has been gifted to the corporation, while being taken from the employees. This Court has given supremacy to the corporation over workers. Interestingly, on the same day, they gave no such standing to unions when they allowed family caregivers who get union benefits to opt out of union dues.
It will be a better day for us all when we have single-payer health care, so that doctor-patient relationships will not be intruded upon by outside forces. I still remember with horror how members of Congress and Jeb Bush involved themselves with brain-dead Terry Schiavo’s medical situation, despite her husband’s legal authority. It will also be a better day when Citizens United is overturned, and when corporations find their proper, more humble, place in the life of this nation.
Please Read All The Facts Political Decisions And Keep The Scales Balance...lest Become What Despise...
Hi Dinah, I am always interested in your postings and learn much from them. Thanks for your efforts in being a helping force in creating a more humanistic world for all human-kind; as we are all from the omnipotent source, energy, LOVE, and thus one family, in my humble opinion and learnings to date.
I caution us on this Hobby Lobby debate to not shoot from the hip and - and use for our own extreme political agendas - a twisted less truthful version of what is really factual - lest we become the same as we despise.
...it goes on to reveal (and backed by other sources) that: ..."a woman starts work at Hobby Lobby tomorrow morning — July 1. She joins Hobby Lobby’s health care plan. It includes access, copay-free, to the following categories of FDA-approved birth-control:
Male condoms
Female condoms
Diaphragms with spermicide
Sponges with spermicide
Cervical caps with spermicide
Spermicide alone
Birth-control pills with estrogen and progestin (“Combined Pill)
Birth-control pills with progestin alone (“The Mini Pill)
Birth control pills (extended/continuous use)
Contraceptive patches
Contraceptive rings
Progestin injections
Implantable rods
Vasectomies
Female sterilization surgeries
Female sterilization implants
(This new woman at Hobby Lobby cannot use male condoms or a vasectomy, at least not directly. However, if she chose either contraceptive method, in conjunction with her husband, she would have access to it.)
Further, not only would she have access to these medicines and devices, but Hobby Lobby would fund them. That’s right: while White House press secretary Josh Earnest claims that it “jeopardizes the health of women,” Hobby Lobby’s health plan pays for 16 different kinds of contraceptives for its female employees!
In the Left’s fantasy world, the militant Christians at Hobby Lobby police single female employees to assure that they have not engaged in sinful, pre-marital sex. As for married women, Hobby Lobby deprives them of birth control so that each can deliver a new baby every nine months, for God’s glory, just like in the Old Testament.
Liberals are living in a cartoon of their own making... [I interject: Please be careful not to be promoting this! There are militant Lefts just as their militant Rights...the balanced scale is one the swings to neither extreme...]
Again, Hobby Lobby’s health plan pays for birth-control pills, vaginal rings, contraceptive patches, and other items to help female employees plan their pregnancies."
I hope this helps bring the scales of information exchange a little more in balance.
Another great source of REAL and TRUTHFUL information on the history of Birth control can be found from this awesome resource: A Brief History (and truth) about birth control can be found at OurBodyiesOurselves website: http://www.ourbodies...brief-history-of.../ ... I hope this site is useful to some people. I know the book was very useful for my wife - as we we both born in the 60s and schooling and parenting in that era were generally predominately abstinent in that area. (pun intended)
I have posted before, but there is a July 4th deadline.
Just today and tomorrow are left to begin this great project to reclaim our democracy! The MAYDAY.US PAC earned its first $1 million in pledges in just 13 days. We're in the 2nd phase: MAYDAY PAC now has over $3 million in pledges. Help it get to $5 million by the end of tomorrow, July 4th! Once we reach $5 million, we kick into the next phase, that of supporting 5 House candidates who stand for getting big money out of political campaigns! Share this, pledge even a small amount, and be part of it! Thank you! Dinah
Trouble, I understand your frustration and outrage (which are mine as well), though mine are mainly directed at the current SCOTUS majority, rather than Hobby Lobby. Personally, I think of the Fiendish Five (Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, Alito, Kennedy) as SCROTUM: Supreme Court Regressives of the United Mega-corporations). They have consistently voted against women and unions and individual rights in favor of corporate rights.
As of the Hobby Lobby case, they have now sent cases back to lower courts, where they can re-decide to allow religious objection (or a pretense of religious objection to cover monetary self-interest) to trump the health care coverage of their employees. This is exactly what Ruth Bader Ginsburg warned in her dissent! The door has been kicked further open to more corporate despotism (in the name of religious principle). http://www.motherjon...-forms-contraception
There are many ways to be active - local protest at Hobby Lobby, boycotting the company, activism in Senate and House races, Move to Amend (overturning Citizens United), voter registration, etc. I just hope that the employees (who are victims of these repressive policies) will not have political anger directed at them, or get caught in the cross-fire. Anyone who goes, please give shoppers alternative options, not just angry polemics.
The war against women by the fright-wing is REAL. So: is every woman and male supporter of women's freedoms registered to vote this fall? Same for workers and unions. We can't keep leaving power in the hands of those who love repression.
HOBBY LOBBY (Wahabi Lobby) will not receive my business, as it is against my religion to support HYPOCRITES. Their company is FOR PROFIT; they only PRETEND to be FOR PROPHET. Because IUDs are so expensive, women who are employed by Hobby Lobby and don't have the insurance coverage may be forced to fashion their own personal ones with craft supplies, my hope is that they will instead purchase those supplies at another craft store such as Michael's.
Citizen-funded Superpac Restore Democracy And End All Superpacs.
https://mayday.us/ is a SuperPAC, powered by CITIZENS - you and I.
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Our democracy has been corrupted by the influence of money in politics. But let’s not let cynicism become a self-fulfilling prophecy! Please watch this and other Mayday PAC videos. Then become a part of the movement to restore the democratic promise.
Have you heard of the MA Gubernatorial candidate with the most executive experience, a superlative professional resume of leadership, visionary progressive ideas, the passion and compassion to fight for social and economic justice, and the commitment to boldly guide our Commonwealth? You should!
In 2013, DR. DON BERWICK - a non-politician - declared his candidacy for governor of Massachusetts. Here is some biographical information, along with Dr. Berwick’s moving and powerful speech at the MA. Democratic Convention last week.
Donald M. Berwick is a Harvard-educated pediatrician, founder, President /CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (a not-for-profit organization improving health care systems & policies worldwide), and has a Masters in Public Policy from John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 2010, Pres. Obama appointed Dr. Berwick to serve as the Administrator of Medicare/Medicaid (which has a budget larger than the Pentagon!) Dr. Berwick is Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Health Care Policy in the Department of Pediatrics at the Harvard Medical School, and Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. Dr. Berwick has published multiple articles on health care policy, decision analysis, technology assessment, and health care quality management. He is the co-author of several books.
Dr. Berwick has spent his life in service to the community. He quotes Vice Pres. Hubert Humphrey: " 'The moral test of government is how it treats people in the dawn of life – the children, people in the twilight of life – the elderly, and people in the shadows of life – the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.' These values will inform every decision I make as Governor." This is his call to (and a promise of) moral governance, where justice for “ALL MEANS ALL”.
Please take a few minutes to see and hear Don Berwick’s vision of leadership, and learn where he stands on the issues - jobs and the economy, education, health care, the environment, energy, reproductive rights, LGBT rights, casinos, and more.
I sent the following only to Dinah, who encouraged me to share it on the list. I have to admit, I am not usually comfortable with public expressions of my political opinions. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that one facet of our broken democracy is the lack of political discourse, or the tenor of what passes for debate these days. So, to honor Dinah's many thoughtful contributions on our list, here's my take:
Dinah, I wish I shared your optimism. Two things come to mind that discourage me.
1) $5 million is a teeny, tiny drop in the bucket of the multi-millions of dollars that are being spent by the big bad boys (any girls?). And, while this approach is unique, many other organizations have been raising money for years to get progressives in office. I've given before. I've pledged not to do so again. I don't know what can possibly turn this democracy around, but I do not believe that a monetary arms race is the answer.
2) I also gave to my now President Barack Obama. I know it is often argued that he is fighting upstream against an obstructionist congress, and that is why he has not been able to make as much progress as we'd hoped. But, what about climate change? He can't even commit to renewable energy and no keystone pipeline, even with such clear evidence. And, as bad as that is, I'm especially disheartened that he has not stood up to Monsanto and the other corporations hell bent on stealing not just our government, but our very lifeblood, the food upon which all humanity depends. How can he not come out strongly against GMO's, or at least allow states to institute their own laws governing GMO's and GMO labeling? I am baffled by his lack of leadership on this issue.
I wish I could envision a government that works. But, the more I learn about how the system operates, even on a micro scale, the more I feel that no government is immune to excessive influence by those who seem to want to rule the world, or destroy it. I admit, I've lost hope, except perhaps in the transition resilience movement with a focus on community and local food production. Unfortunately, I do believe we are in for a very rough ride.
Like me, do you dream of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people? Learn about the great experiment in reviving our democracy: a people's PAC, whose mission is to restore representation to the people. https://mayday.us/
We can make the dream real. I pledged. Will you? We have to be IN it to WIN it!
BIG NEWS: Today, after immense public pressure, the FCC voted to invite public feedback on two proposals -- the bad one and an awesome one.
FCC Chair Tom Wheeler's preferred plan would create a fast lane for big corporations and a slow lane for everyone else (BOOOO!). The alternative proposal would reclassify the Internet as a public utility like water -- equally accessible to all (YAY!!!)
Which plan wins is up to you. Are you willing to fight this battle for the future of the Internet?
Help us pressure the FCC, Congress, and the White House to enshrine Net Neutrality into law.
We have 120 days to act.
During this time, telecom industry lobbyists will swarm Washington, DC. What do we have? The power of Internet.
We have millions of everyday Americans who use the Internet for fun, for work, for innovation -- and who don't want some websites working better than others based on who bribes Comcast or AT&T the most.
Our PCCC activism already got a direct response from the White House, distancing itself from the FCC's bad proposal. Al Franken, Elizabeth Warren, and others have joined our fight.
Will you help us mobilize the public to rise up and defend the Internet?"
Please watch Sen. Al Franken's message, and please sign.
Once again, “0i812”, who calls himself L. Blakes or Blakeslee, has posted on our mostly wonderful Five College Community space. Once again, I’m speaking out, because there are three outrages in his post tonight:
- The first is that it he's posted another's writing, without attribution.
- The second is the writing is falsely attributed to Saul Alinsky.
- The third is that this screed (falsely attributed to Alinsky) is found on not only radical right-wing sites but a White Nationalist site, which comments with the usual virulent racism and anti-Semitism.
ONE: As usual, 0i812/L. Blakes couldn’t be bothered to write his own piece, but instead lifted it whole from other sources on the internet. Once again, he cut-and-pasted / copied without attribution / plagiarized, as he is wont to do. This evening's posting, titled “You Decide”, contains the usual paranoia, hate, untruths, and a false guilt-by-false-association screed. Only his first sentence appears to be his own. While mental laziness isn’t a crime, a consistent lack of intellectual integrity is certainly icky.
TWO: Saul Alinsky NEVER WROTE this list, “How To Create A Social State”, nor are the ideas congruent with Alinsky’s. Snopes.com labels it FALSE, and says: “The above-quoted list of steps for "How to create a social state"… IT'S NOT SOMETHING TAKEN FROM THE ACTUAL WRITINGS OF SAUL ALINSKY, and … the idea of "increasing the poverty level as high as possible" is the very antithesis of what Alinsky worked to achieve ... This piece is simply a modern variant of the Communist Rules for Revolution piece http://www.snopes.co...t/communistrules.asp (published in 1946) which was originally passed along without attribution until Alinsky's name became attached to it…”
Check for yourself: http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/alinsky.asp
THREE: I found 0i812’s above post floating around on many internet sites from 2014, but the earliest posting I found (December 2010) is on STORMFRONT. This is their logo.
This is a White Nationist forum, for self-described White Separatists (who feel exploited by alleged anti-white government policies and hatred by non-whites). Huffington Post reports that “A white supremacist site has blood on its hands, according to a new report. Stormfront.org is linked to close to 100 killings in the last five years, the Southern Poverty Law Center found.” http://www.huffingto...site_n_5173944.htmlv You’ll see that the comments following this post are rife with hatred for Jews and blacks (e.g., “Get with the Pogrom.”, “Jews are Liars”, and “Obama is “an uppity black boy”). Have a look. http://www.stormfront.org/forum/t1022812/
Is 0i812 / L. Blakes / Blakeslee a White Separatist? I don’t know - and maybe making that inference would be guilt by association, which is something he plays at on a regular basis in his deceitful posts. But he IS abusing his free speech rights by posting falsehoods, and fomenting division and hatred with those smears and slurs.
SHAME ON YOU, Blakeslee!
If you want to know about Saul Alinsky, have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Alinsky . He created the principles of modern community organizing to improve the lives of the have-nots, with organizational strategies to accrue community power. Though considered a radical, he was never a Communist, nor was he a member of any other organization. Alinsky said: “This becomes a contest of power: those that have money, and those who have people. We have nothing but people.”
P.S. I suspect that Jesus was a radical community organizer, but maybe that’s just me.
Let this sink in and you'll figure where the hell this country's heading if we do nothing on Nov. 4, 2014....Vote Damn It !!!
Recall that Hillary did her college thesis on his writings and Obama writes about
him in his books.
Saul Alinsky died about 43 years ago, but his writings influenced those in political control of our nation today.
Saul David Alinsky, a writer, was an American community organizer and writer. He is generally considered to be the founder of the modern community organizing movement. He is most noted for his book Rules for Radicals.
Died: June 12, 1972, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Education: University of Chicago
Spouse: Irene Alinsky
Books: Rules for Radicals, Reveille for Radicals
Anyone out there think that this stuff isn't happening today in the U.S.?
All eight rules are currently in play.
How to create a social state by Saul Alinsky:
There are eight levels of control that must be obtained before you are able to
create a social state. The first is the most important.
1) Healthcare– Control healthcare and you control the people.
2) Poverty – Increase the Poverty level as high as possible, poor people are easier to control and will not fight back if you are providing everything for them to live.
3) Debt – Increase the debt to an unsustainable level. That way you are able to increase taxes, and this will produce more poverty.
4) Gun Control– Remove the ability to defend themselves from the Government. That way you are able to create a police state.
5) Welfare – Take control of every aspect of their lives. (Food, Housing, and Income)
6) Education – Take control of what people read and listen to – take control of
what children learn in school.
7) Religion – Remove the belief in the God from the Government and schools.
8) Class Warfare – Divide the people into the wealthy and the poor. This will
cause more discontent and it will be easier to take (Tax) the wealthy with the support of the poor.
Does any of this sound like what is happening to the United States?
Alinsky merely simplified
Vladimir Lenin's original scheme for world conquest by communism, under
Russian rule. Stalin described his converts as "Useful Idiots." The
Useful Idiots have destroyed every nation in which they have seized power
and control. It is presently happening at an alarming rate in the U.S.
"It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere."
Jun 9, 2023
- Tue, Sep 13, 2016, 11:52 P
