"citizens United" $teroid$; Bribery More Legal Than Ever
Today, in a predictable 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court gave wealthy campaign donors the green light to spend unlimited sums of money on elections. If you're the 1%, $COTU$ made buying your own politician a piece of cake. The Supreme Court's right-wing five just legalized money laundering in the political process.
From http://www.politicususa.com:
"The McCutcheon v Federal Election Commission ruling which eliminates overall campaign contribution limits, merely confirms what Americans already know. The five Republican appointed Supreme Court justices (Roberts, Alito, Kennedy, Thomas and Scalia) are little more than party operatives for the GOP, intent on putting the country under the control of the uber-wealthy. ... After the landmark Citizens United ruling, ... the court once again struck... by lifting the cap on contributions. In the eyes of the five ... the person who can buy the most political influence is entitled to the best representation...The five ... showed that their loyalties are firmly aligned with America’s super rich... The four dissenting justices, all appointed by Democratic presidents, aligned themselves with the American people, and not with the corporate elite.... America is still paying the price for having electing two George Bushes. The Bush legacy is an ideologically reactionary Supreme Court that favors an aristocracy of the wealthy over a representative democracy where a voter’s worth is not measured by the depth of his or her pockets."
There are things we can and should do to fight to restore our democracy. Here are five:
1. Sign CREDO's petition (at around 100,000 signatures now) to the five pro-corporate Justices against this and the 2010 Citizens United judgement. They will be delivered along with ROBES EMBLAZONED WITH THE LOGOS OF THEIR CORPORATE SPONSORS, i.e. Exxon, Walmart, Monsanto, G.E., et al.
2. Attend a rally to protest the SCOTUS decision. Locally, come to Northampton this Saturday 11- 2. Old Court House 99 Main Street Northampton
They are also being held nation-wide (140 in 38 states just today), so tell friends and relatives. http://www.moneyout-votersin.org/
3. Sign on to Represent-Us, a grassroots anti-corruption movement to reclaim the political process. Watch the video and share it. We are almost half-way to a million signers; at 1 million, we will act in every voting precinct. https://represent.us/
4. Sign on to Move To Amend's proposed 28th Amendment to the Constitution, "We The People, Not We the Corporations".
MTA: "We reject the Supreme Court's ruling in McCutcheon and call on the American people to build a movement to force Congress to overrule the Court through an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to make clear that corporations do not have Constitutional rights and money is not speech and campaign spending at all levels can be regulated." https://movetoamend.org/ https://movetoamend.org/wethepeopleamendment
5. Whatever you decide to do, multiply your efforts by sharing with others. Never before has our political system been as corrupted by unlimited corporate spending. It is destroying our democracy. But throughout the country, people are fighting back and demanding change. 16 states have called for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United; the movement is growing. Everyone is needed. Be a part of it. Thanks.
Represent.Us is building a people's national movement to end corruption and restore Democracy.
With our help, Represent.Us will take America back from the robber barons, the plutocrats, the 1-percenters.
Money is controlling politics and standing in our way. Together we win.
Please sign and share now, and find out more at https://represent.us/
Right now, the US government is mulling over THE DEFINING CLIMATE DECISION OF OBAMA'S PRESIDENCY -- whether to approve a monstrous pipeline that will transport up to 830,000 barrels a day of THE WORLD'S DIRTIEST OIL from Canada across the US.
If approved, the Keystone XL pipeline will help pump billions of dollars into the pockets of a few companies... but also millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere. It's been called "a fuse to the biggest carbon bomb on the planet". Bold public action has delayed it once, and a court ruling last week has dealt a serious blow to the project. Now, if we act fast and in massive numbers, we can help kill it for good.
John Kerry, US Secretary of State, responsible for the US's relationship with the world, has opened a final round of comments from the public. Let's flood the consultation with a million signatures and messages from every country calling on Kerry to kill Keystone and save the planet. We only have days until it closes - sign now!
Please take 30 seconds, and SIGN THE PETITION!
To US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry:
"We, citizens from around the world, were encouraged when Secretary Kerry said that climate change is perhaps the world's most fearsome Weapon of Mass Destruction, and committed to provide US leadership to stop it. We call on you now to reject the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline to uphold that leadership. The world is calling on you to act -- this decision is a referendum on your leadership to protect our planet."
Re: 0i812’s Post Alleged "welfare Program Rewards"
Poster "0i812" has once again forwarded to this site unattributed, spurious, and unsubstantiated junk-data on welfare benefits. 0i812 never backs up the crap he/she posts here.
The website Truthorfiction.com has commented. Check it out: http://www.truthorfi...ies.htm#.UxTZj4WGeBE
According to TruthorFiction, the alleged obscene salaries of welfare recipients is under investigation.
"Summary of the eRumor: This is a forwarded email that contains an alleged report of the average annual welfare payments to recipients in various states.
The Truth: The source for the eRumor is an August 21, 2013 article by senior fellow Michael D. Tanner of the Cato Institute. The article has to do with how much each state gives in the amount of welfare payments to single mothers with two children.
TruthOrFiction.Com is still investigating this."
The article contained a link presumed to be the source of the statistics in the eRumor. That link is dysfunctional (PAGE NOT FOUND); TruthOrFiction has contacted the Cato Institute to get the facts.
(The Cato Institute has not yet responded).
As to the claim that 0i812 forwarded that Nancy Pelosi will make $803,700/year for life plus free medical, POLITIFACT calls this a PANTS-ON-FIRE lie. Check it out for yourself: http://www.politifac...-salaries-life-whic/
As to a work ethic, the GOP have voted around 50 times to stop the A.C.A. but have instead put forth ZERO jobs bills; they get the same generous pensions in Congress as other members, no matter how little THEY work, or how much THEY obstruct!
Shame on you, 0i812, for consistently serving up baloney, as if it were true!
WHY DID WE WORK HARD FOR SO MANY YEARS...........SHOULD JUST MOVE TO HAWAII
If you're not angry after reading this, you must be on welfare!
This is disgusting, especially about the politicians!!!
WORK ETHIC WE INHERITED GROWING UP HAS FALLEN PREY TO THE 'WELFARE' SYSTEM
The Cato Institute released an updated 2013 study (original study in 1955) showing that welfare benefits pay more than a minimum wage job in 33 states and the District of Columbia. Even worse, welfare pays more than $15 per hour in 13 states. According to the study, welfare benefits have increased faster than minimum wage. It’s now more profitable to sit at home than it is to earn an honest day’s pay.
Hawaii is the biggest offender, where welfare recipients earn $29.13 per hour, or a $60,590 yearly salary, all for doing nothing.
Here is the list of the states where the pre-tax equivalent “salary” that welfare recipients receive is higher than having a job:
As a point of reference the average Middle Class annual income today is $50,000, down from $54,000 at the beginning of the Great Recession. Hawaii, DC, and Massachusetts pay more in welfare than the average working folks earn there. Is it any wonder that they stay home rather than look for a job. Time for a drastic change. America is virtually bankrupt. Are we Nuts or what? How do we un-do this type of stupidity on the part of Americans? This is crazy!
Salary of retired US Presidents … .$180,000 FOR LIFE
Salary of House/Senate....$174,000 FOR LIFE
This is stupid
Salary of Speaker of the House ....$223,500 FOR LIFE!
This is really stupid
Salary of Majority/Minority Leader $193,400 FOR LIFE
Ditto last line
Average Salary of a teacher .. $40,065
Average Salary of Soldier DEPLOYED IN AFGHANISTAN .. $38,000
Think about this:
Nancy Pelosi will retire as a Congress Person at $174,000 Dollars a year for LIFE.
She as retired as SPEAKER at $223,500 a year. PLUS she will receive an additional $193,400 a year as Minority Leader. That's $803,700 Dollars a year for LIFE including FREE medical which is not available to us ... the taxpayers
She is just one of the hundreds of Senators and Congress that float in and out every year!
Once again, unable to demonstrate independent self-expression or critical thinking, 0i812 (L. Blakes), who posts lamentable rants against Obama, Democrats, and progressives, has used another’s writings to advance this screed of xenophobic indignation. This time, L. Blakes is the mouthpiece for Jack Wheeler, a Reagan, Bush1, Bush2, and Pentagon operative, extreme right-wing “Christian” conservative capitalist, anti-gay, anti-choice, anti-Semite, who published his original piece in 2008 here: http://www.tothepoin...ontent/view/3227/44/
It seemed at first, L. Blakes, that you made a few changes and additions, altering the writer’s original title, which was “OBAMA = ZERO”, and changing his term “OBAMBI” to "Obama" in two places. I also noticed that you left out Wheeler’s words: “OBAMA IS A ZERO. THERE IS NOTHING REALLY THERE. O=ZERO.” I wondered, if by omitting a few of Wheeler’s more egregious statements, that people would find you slightly less hate-filled? But then I discovered that you copied an entire post from another person, including copying the poster’s own intro notes, without attribution, of course, with HIS alterations. Jack Wheeler is not in semi-retirement, as you copied and pasted earlier today. Jack Wheeler, your nationalist xenophobic race-baiting lunatic hero was murdered and dumped in a landfill in 2010. You never check your sources, do you?
L. Blakes, in posting this piece of trash, you show that you too are absolutely obsessed with race. You hide behind Wheeler’s writing to pontificate that Obama isn’t a real African-American. He’s not really black. He’s not really white. He rejects his white half. He’s not really African. He’s not really American. He’s not really Christian. Oh, but he is an Arab, that Barack Hussein Obama is! And yup, he’s the descendant of slave OWNERS. He’s an empty suit. He’s a ZERO. And yet, he’s the Liberals’ Christ!, because Liberals are all in a cult, worshiping the Savior that is Barack Hussein Obama! Wheeler wrote that Liberals have no philosophy except to avoid the envy of others. You share Wheeler’s hypothesis that whites need the forgiveness of blacks for “the sin of being white”. How novel, how absurd, how bizarre: as though there could never be a rational reason to support a black leader over another.
I don’t have an interest in defending Obama against your or Jack Wheeler’s words. I’m not even a strong supporter of Obama. I don’t know anyone on the left who is all that satisfied with his performance, or who considers the president to be a liberal champion. But your noxious use of hate speech, and your willingness to hide behind the words of others whom you parrot and plagiarize, is reason enough to respond.
You’re a one-man yellow journalist, vomiting bias, innuendo, gossip, poison, and bull, disguised as fact. Oh dear Lord, how I wish you’d feel the shame of that, and stop.
Jack Wheeler is a brilliant man who was the author of Reagan’s strategy to break the back of the Soviet Union with the star wars race and expose their inner weakness. For years he wrote a weekly intelligence update that was extremely interesting and well structured and informative. He consults(ed) with several mega corporations on global trends and the future, etc. He is in semi-retirement now. He is a true patriot with a no-nonsense approach to everything. He is also a somewhat well-known mountain climber and adventurer.
Written by Dr. Jack Wheeler
The O-man, Barack Hussein Obama, is an eloquently tailored empty suit. No resume, no accomplishments, no experience, no original ideas, no understanding of how the economy works, no understanding of how the world works, no balls, nothing but abstract, empty rhetoric devoid of real substance.
He has no real identity. He is half-white, which he rejects. The rest of him is mostly Arab, which he hides but is disclosed by his non-African Arabic surname and his Arabic first and middle names as a way to triply proclaim his Arabic parentage to people in Kenya. Only a small part of him is African Black from his Luo grandmother, which he pretends he is exclusively.
What he isn’t, not a genetic drop of, is “African-American,” the descendant of enslaved Africans brought to America chained in slave ships. He hasn’t a single ancestor who was a slave. Instead, his Arab ancestors were slave owners. Slave-trading was the main Arab business in East Africa for centuries until the British ended it.
Let that sink in: Obama is not the descendant of slaves; he is the descendant of slave owners. Thus he makes the perfect Liberal Messiah.
It's something Hillary doesn't understand - how some complete neophyte came out of the blue and stole the Dem nomination from her. Obamamania is beyond politics and reason. It is a true religious cult, whose adherents reject Christianity yet still believe in Original Sin, transferring it from the evil of being human to the evil of being white.
Thus Obama has become the white liberals' Christ, offering absolution from the Sin of Being White. There is no reason or logic behind it, no faults or flaws of his can diminish it, no arguments Hillary could make of any kind can be effective against it. The absurdity of Hypocrisy Clothed In Human Flesh being their Savior is all the more cause for liberals to worship him: Credo quia absurdum, I believe it because it is absurd.
Thank heavens that the voting majority of Americans remain Christian and are in no desperate need of a phony savior. He is ridiculous and should not be taken seriously by any thinking American.
And yet he got elected, not once but twice. Thanks to those that did not think it was important to vote for freedom and those that were willing to give up their freedoms for entitlements.
Remember you don't have to be on a southern plantation to be a slave, if you are dependent on government entitlements you just have a different slave owner.
FOSSIL FUELS ARE FOR FOSSIL FOOLS!!!!!
Come join us on the Amherst Common Monday evening - Vigil For the Future: No Keystone XL
- Event: Pioneer Valley No KXL Vigil
- When: Monday, February 3, 2014 at 7pm
- Where: Amherst Common across from Grace Church, 16 Boltwood Ave, Amherst
As you may know, the State Department released its final impactstatement on the Keystone XL pipeline.
State Department, with its corrupt environmental review process, hedged its bets by not recommending or rejecting the pipeline, but it admitted that "the total direct and indirect emissions associated with the proposed Project would contribute to cumulative global GHG emissions." It is now completely up to Obama.
We know the pipeline fails Obama's own climate test of "significantly exacerbat[ing] the problem of carbon pollution", but whether or not he stands up to the oil industry and rejects it will depend on what we do in the next few months.
Obama will decide within 90 days a National Interest Determination, and starting February 5, there will be a 30-day comment period to tell him Keystone is NOT in our national interest. More to come about sending in comments.
We need to provide swift and strong action to demonstrate that Keystone is a disaster for the US and the planet, to remind Obama of his climate test and to demand he deny the permit.
Co-sponsored by Greening of Grace, Climate Action Now MA, 350MA and others.
There will be vigils held across the country as well.
The Tides are Rising and it isn't lifting our boats, it's only lifting yachts!
Hi gang,
I've been collecting signatures for a ballot initiative called the PASS MASS AMENDMENT the last few weeks. It's to get on the ballot to have the MA Legislature REGULATE CORPORATIONS and their moneyed influence. I've collected 300-400, and I can feel good about that, right?
But I've just heard about Saul Heller, this 80-something year old dude in Salem, MA who's putting me to shame. He's writing to every newspaper in his region about it! And I hear he's out at the post office and canvassing his neighborhood. He wants everyone on board, and that means all of us. Oh, these older folks...always setting the bar higher!
Here's the gist of his letter, with some added info:
Ever since Gen. Washington commanded the Continental Army @ Cambridge Common, Massachusetts has been at the forefront of MAJOR historic and national events.
Now there is a grass roots effort to RIGHT an ENORMOUS WRONG perpetrated by the Supreme Court ... In "Citizens United", it ruled that Corporations are the SAME as PEOPLE, and ... political donations are a form of SPEECH, allowing UNLIMITED SECRET CORPORATE money to flow to their chosen candidates.
The Citizens United ruling has CORRUPTED the process of GOVERNMENT FOR THE PEOPLE, giving money the loudest voice. The PEOPLE of MORALLY, FORWARD-LOOKING MA. are working to amend the ruling.
There is now a statewide campaign going on, to download, sign, and get certified, your own petition... with, apparently, many hits on the PassMassAmendment website. Please join us to help reverse the DISASTER created by a politically motivated Supreme Court. And please spread to word to everyone in your address book in Massachusetts. You can sign your own petition form, or even better, collect some signatures from your registered voter neighbors. Go to the Pass Mass Amendment website for information and instructions: http://passmassamendment.org/
"PassMassAmendment is a statewide ballot initiative to amend the Massachusetts Constitution via petition. Yes, it's a good idea to amend the US Constiution based on "Corporations Are Not People, Money Is Not Speech". But to help get things moving, HELP GET SIGNATURES IN MASSACHUSETTS!" www.PassMassAmendment.org
Contact Terra Friedricks @ 978-808-7173.
I'm collecting signatures in the Amherst area. How about you? It's easy! It's fun! And it's urgent!
Yes, "Boston Strong" and winning the Series is WAY cool. But let's be the first in the nation - again! - this time, to regulate corporations and corporate money right here at home. We only have until Nov. 20 to get over 70,000 signatures.
Pass this along to your politically dedicated friends in MA., and together, let's make it happen!
Google found many sources for the Illinois...Republicans comment going back several months. Which site was quoted here? Since 0 republicans is unlikely, does that make the other comments equally unlikely?
Note that their is a difference between letting the government take care of a person and having a backup if one has a serious illness or other catastrophe.
I learned the value of government when the small private street I lived on needed repaving. The neighborhood had to tax itself to pay for the work and several other obstacles had to be overcome. The town public works people could have done it so easily.
(NOT A SOUL TO BLAME BUT THEMSELVES FOR ALL THEIR WONDERFULNESS...)
> TRULY A DEMOCRATS PARADISE!
Now, Consider This:
There are more people on Welfare in Illinois than there are people working.
> Chicago pays the highest wages to teachers than anywhere else in the U.S. averaging $110,000/year.
> Their pensions average 80-90% of their income. You can't blame that on republicans because there aren't any.
> Wow, are Illinois and Chicago great or what?
> Be sure to read till the end. I've never heard it explained better.
> Perhaps the U.S. should pull out of Chicago ?
> Body count: In the last six months 292 killed (murdered) in Chicago .
> 221 killed in Iraq AND Chicago has one of the strictest gun laws in the entire US.
. Here's the Chicago chain of command:
> . President: Barack Hussein Obama
> . Senator: Dick Durbin
> . House Representative: Jesse Jackson Jr.
> . Governor: Pat Quinn
> . House leader: Mike Madigan
> . Atty. Gen.: Lisa Madigan (daughter of Mike)
> . Mayor: Rohm Emanuel
> . The leadership in Illinois - all Democrats.
> . Thank you for the combat zone in Chicago .
>
> . Of course, they're all blaming each other.
> . Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any!
> . Chicago school system rated one of the worst in the country. Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any!
. State pension fund $78 Billion in debt, worst in country. Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any!
. Cook County ( Chicago ) sales tax 10.25% highest in country. Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any!
. This is the political culture that Obama comes from in Illinois . And he is going to 'fix' Washington politics for us???
> . George Ryan is no longer Governor, he is in the big house.
> . Of course he was replaced by Rob Blajegovitch who is...that's right, also in the big house.
> . And Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. resigned a couple of weeks ago. That is because he is fighting being sent to...that's right, the big house.
> . The Land of Lincoln , where our governors make our license plates.
>
> But you know what? As long as they keep providing entitlements to the population of Chicago , nothing is going to change, except the state will go broke before the country does.
> "Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the Government take care of him; better take a closer look at the American Indian."
Petition: Call for the resignation of Speaker John Boehner
Response from Mike:
"You may as well start a petition to remove Harry Reid while you’re at it. He is as much to blame as anyone else. Matter of fact why don’t we throw the whole bunch out since most of them are only interested in themselves and not the good of the country or the people in it. If this plan is so wonderful why are the politicians exempted from it? We should ALL be on it. They do NOT want it as most of America also does NOT want it. Look at it in its simplest light. If we are here talking about a government shutdown then it is not working in Washington! To add insult to injury we are “closing down” US monuments and statues at added costs that we don’t have. We are putting up fences around monuments to keep people out! You normally can just walk up to these sites for free. This was done purely for political reasons and photo opportunities….and it backfired. Shame on you these so called leaders of ours!! Shame on us as a nation for being complacent and letting it get to this point!! This didn’t happen overnight. This has happened over many years right under our noses….this nation of sheep. Wait until we are put into our corrals. Pay attention to what is going on around the world and most important pay attention to world history…. Real history, not the crap that is being fed to our children in today’s society. What happened to Rome will befall this nation also. Think before you send out more of this one-sided crap as both sides are to blame and in it together. Then pray your ass off for the good of mankind on this planet for we are traveling down a dark path and surely will be doomed."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Mike, you are misinformed:
"That Congressional Exemption From Obamacare? ANOTHER MYTH" http://finance.yahoo...-myth-153149342.html
" “Why are Congress and their families exempt from the new plan?” a questioner named Paul asked in a recent Yahoo Finance Q&A on the Affordable Care Act. “If the coverage is inferior, why don’t they stand behind it?”
Of all the misconceptions surrounding the new health reform law known as Obamacare—and there are many—one of the newest and most infuriating is the idea that Congress made itself “exempt” from a law that puts onerous new burdens on many other Americans. That contention is TOTALLY FALSE. In fact, members of Congress, along with their personal staffers, are required to participate in Obamacare, which is a more stringent requirement than employees of many big companies face.
The confusion is understandable. Earlier this year, Congress did, in fact, consider passing legislation that would amount to an exemption, though that never happened. Then, in August, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in a speech that “President Obama just granted all of Congress an exception. And he did it because Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats who passed this thing came begging and said, ‘Please, please, please let us out of Obamacare.’” Nobody actually saw Harry Reid begging, but the claim gained traction nonetheless, and a chain email containing BOGUS information about Congress being exempt from Obamacare started to circulate...
You can read the full article at the link above.
I also disagree with you that "WE" have closed the government down. With pressure from the Tea Party, the GOP has shut it down, by refusing to bring to a vote a clean resolution to fund the government as a whole. They are instead holding the entire government hostage in a futile and reckless 11th hour effort to undermine the Affordable Care Act. They want to fund the government "piecemeal", only covering the expenditures of which THEY approve. The ACA became law 3 years ago. This shutdown is a Republican gimmick. I've never seen so many happy right-wingers. Their only plan is destruction. Government cannot function in this fashion, being taken from one manufactured crisis to the next. EXTORTION IS NOT NEGOTIATION! THIS KIND OF EXTORTION HAS NOT BEEN TRIED BEFORE - UNTIL THE TEA PARTY TOOK CONTROL OF THE HOUSE.
I suggest you look at more than one news source, and skip Fox News altogether.
Petition: Call for the resignation of Speaker John Boehner
I just signed a petition to The United States Congress: We, the undersigned, have lost confidence in the ability of Speaker of the House John Boehner to carry out his duties to the citizens of the United States .... http://petitions.mov...rce=s.fb&r_by=167477
Please sign and share.
No one who has such disrespect for the importance of maintaining a functional government should hold public office, let alone such a position of power. Speaker Boehner appears to care more about keeping his own position than he does about the 800,000 federal employees whose jobs have been furloughed by his actions. His arrogance is hurtful to dedicated public servants and to the whole nation. Because of John Boehner's intransigence, women and children will not receive their W.I.C. nutritional assistance, clinical trials to help children with cancer are tabled, polluters will go unfettered by a stalled EPA, and we've lost a billion dollars in just these few days. How hypocritical for Boehner and his cohorts to claim they care about the debt! John Boehner and his masters in the Tea Party need to step aside, and allow those who believe in governing well and with compassion and wisdom to restore good governance. Step aside, John Boehner: you have nothing of value to offer this country any longer, except for your resignation.
We have started the process of a ballot initiative to amend the Massachusetts Constitution to declare that "Corporations are not People, Money is not Speech."
We need your help. Get involved and join the effort. Like this page. Share this page. Help us get the signatures this fall. Combat the corrupting power of the Corporation.
We will have a very limited amount of time to obtain almost 70,000 valid signatures in 2 months starting September 18th going till November 20th.
Massachusetts, having led the way in the first Revolution against the tyranny of a monarchy, is now being called upon to lead the second Revolution against the tyranny of Corporatism. Join us as Massachusetts will once again lead the nation by passing this Amendment to our Constitution!
If you can get arrested for hunting or fishing without a license, but not for entering and ...remaining in the country illegally — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If you have to get your parents’ permission to go on a field trip or to take an aspirin in school, but not to get an abortion — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If you MUST show your identification to board an airplane, cash a check, buy liquor, or check out a library book and rent a video, but not to vote for who runs the government — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If the government wants to prevent stable, law-abiding citizens from owning gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds, but gives twenty F-16 fighter jets to the crazy new leaders in Egypt — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If, in the nation’s largest city, you can buy two 16-ounce sodas, but not one 24-ounce soda, because 24-ounces of a sugary drink might make you fat — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If an 80-year-old woman or a three-year-old girl who is confined to a wheelchair can be strip-searched by the TSA at the airport, but a woman in a burka or a hijab is only subject to having her neck and head searched — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If a seven-year-old boy can be thrown out of school for saying his teacher is “cute,” but hosting a sexual exploration or diversity class in grade school is perfectly acceptable — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If hard work and success are met with higher taxes and more government regulation and intrusion, while not working is rewarded with Food Stamps, WIC checks, Medicaid benefits, subsidized housing, and free cell phones — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If the government’s plan for getting people back to work is to provide incentives for not working, by granting 99 weeks of unemployment checks, without any requirement to prove that gainful employment was diligently sought, but couldn’t be found — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If you pay your mortgage faithfully, denying yourself the newest big-screen TV, while your neighbor buys iPhones, time shares, a wall-sized do-it-all plasma screen TV and new cars, and the government forgives his debt when he defaults on his mortgage — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If being stripped of your Constitutional right to defend yourself makes you more “safe” according to the government — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
What a country!
How about we give God a reason to continue blessing America!
Congratulations to all the same-sex married couples who can now enjoy full and equal rights, equal federal tax status, etc. and can be just like everyone else who's married in the Commonwealth - hopeful, forward-looking, and part of the family of our culture.
And in other great news, our new American heroine is Wendy Davis, Texas Senator, who stood up (literally, for 13 hours) to the misogynistic TX legislature, which tried but FAILED to push through monstrously restrictive anti-choice legislation. We will see her on the national stage!
Tomorrow’s Senate election: for women, & their allies
If you've read my previous postings, you'll know that I’m a progressive. I've never missed an election since my first vote back in the Pleistocene, not even the local ones. Though my vote for Ed Markey seems a foregone conclusion, it’s no knee-jerk party line reflex. If I want to persuade others to come out for tomorrow's election, I should be able to justify my own decisions.
There are, of course, many issues of importance to us, the people of Massachusetts. But as a woman, I’m particularly concerned about Congressional decisions affecting all women. I marched for the ERA & choice in the 1970’s. I want the young women of today to enjoy the advances my peers fought so long to achieve. Ed Markey is a steadfast champion of women’s reproductive freedoms, equal pay & health care. Polls show that he is enjoying large majorities of support from women, and women’s advocacy groups endorse him wholeheartedly. Women (and their allies) will make the difference on Tuesday.
But have you noticed? Mr. Gomez has straddled EVERY position concerning women. No surprise: he’s personally pro-life, has no "litmus test" for SCOTUS nominees, and finds a mandatory abortion delay reasonable. But he coyly says he won’t change any laws, and calls Roe v. Wade “settled law”. Intentionally, Mr. Gomez has ideologically blurred the right's hard-edged agenda with his "electionese".
However, Rowe v. Wade is settled law - only UNTIL IT ISN'T. It could be toppled if more regressive Justices are confirmed to the bench. Mr. Gomez could confirm a nominee who would seriously degrade women's freedoms, or even overturn Rowe. Meanwhile, the right has eroded women’s choice piece by piece. The vast majority of Republicans regularly shout out for the abstract concept of "freedom", yet would deprive women the freedom to control their own bodies.
Mr. Gomez has run a Scott Brown-like camouflage campaign, posing as independent, and a bipartisan. Realize that Scott Brown failed to be re-elected in 2012; the same ploy by Mr. Gomez shouldn’t sway voters in this election either.
On a side note, Mr. Gomez has constantly referred to the business of governing as being "Down There". Well - that's where the job is - down there in D.C. He's made it seem such a negative, to be involved in governing, it's amazing that he even wants the job. We've seen this before from the right wing: Republicans tend to demean government itself (and governing); they prove this in HOW they govern. Still, they do love to achieve power in office, typically to serve their special interest constituency, the 1%. Mr. Gomez, though, makes the constant accusatory refrain of "You've been Down There for 37 years!" cringe-worthy, even vaguely dirty.
I don't plan to send Gabriel Gomez "Down There".
Congressman Markey has defended the environment, advocated for effective gun control, fought to protect the social safety net, supported health care reform, helped legislate on the Violence Against Women Act, and championed tax fairness. His positions are clear. Our own Elizabeth Warren has asked us to make Ed Markey her partner in the Senate.Over and over, his constituents have renewed his mandate in Congress for these past 37 years, because we know confidently where he stands; we value his leadership. I’m proud to give him my vote.
If you value Ed Markey's leadership protecting women's reproductive freedoms, his fight for women's equal pay, equal access to health care, and other protections for women, it matters that you vote! Bring your friends. Bring your sweeties. Bring your daughters - and sons too. It's hot this week - but voting on Tuesday will be the coolest thing we do!
Hi everyone - the debate is tonight from 7-8 pm. The election is only two weeks away! I hope everyone's voting (for Markey) on the 25th. At stake: the environment, gun control, health care, reproductive freedom, the possible next SCOTUS Justice, etc., that's all.
Please tell all your friends to watch, and to support Ed Markey's candidacy. Then go out and make new friends, and tell THEM to vote for Ed too.
Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late ! !
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat...
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school... The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about.. And we said okay..
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Sen. Lautenberg derided the "chickenhawks" in Congress
RIP, Senator Lautenberg, the last Senator who served in WWII. In 2004, he defended the reputations of Senators John Kerry and Max Cleland as heroic warriors, against the chickenhawks who never served.
Mar 23, 2023
- Wed, Mar 5, 2014, 4:34 P
