Saturday, December 22, 2012

"Guns don't kill people, people kill people."

Heard that one before?

Okay, well I know that David slew Goliath with a sling shot and a rock.  But I'm hard pressed to think of another example of rock vs. human.  And for the life of me I cannot think of another killing involving a fork or a rolled up newspaper or a Christmas tree.

But let's ask these folks what they think about the issue:

Abraham Lincoln
Alexander Hamilton
James Garfield
William McKinley
John F. Kennedy
Martin Luther King
Robert Kennedy
John Lennon
Charlotte Bacon, 2/22/06
Daniel Barden, 9/25/05
Rachel Davino
Olivia Engel, 7/18/06
Josephine Gay, 12/11/05
Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 04/04/06
Dylan Hockley, 3/8/06
Dawn Hochsprung
Madeleine F. Hsu, 7/10/06
Catherine V. Hubbard, 6/08/06
Chase Kowalski, 10/31/05
Jesse Lewis, 6/30/06
James Mattioli , 3/22/06
Grace McDonnell, 12/04/05
Anne Marie Murphy
Emilie Parker, 5/12/06
Jack Pinto, 5/06/06
Noah Pozner, 11/20/06
Caroline Previdi, 9/07/06
Jessica Rekos, 5/10/06
Avielle Richman, 10/17/06
Lauren Russeau
Mary Sherlach
Victoria Soto
Benjamin Wheeler, 9/12/06
Allison N. Wyatt, 7/03/06


What's that you say?

So today is 12-22-12.  Below is a story of the Old World known as Earth I. That world ended yesterday if you didn't notice.  I did.  And I'm sure many of you did, too.  So, please remember the new rules of Earth II:

I. Be kind to everyone, even your waitress and the greeter at Walmart.
II. Hug your kids at least 5 times a day and check their homework.  
III. Take an opportunity at least twice a day to make someone else smile
IV. Remember RAOK (Random acts of kindness) 
V. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

Thus there is no need for guns or the NRA.  Obama and the Republicans will hug.  Trump will stop talking and get a haircut.  Murdoch will give ALL of his $ to Operation Smile.  Lindsay Lohan will join a convent.  Honey Boo Boo and her mother will go vegan.  The Cubs will win the World Series. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will  rent a nice summer cottage in Miami next door to Benjamin Netanyahu and they'll play pinochle every night for Hanukkah gelt.  Apple and Samsung will make nice and give away free computers to everyone in the new world.  Arabs and Palestinians and Israelis will join hands and sing IMAGINE, GIVE PEACE A CHANCE, and ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE! 

Let's make it happen...TODAY!!!

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20121221_World_War_II_survivor_of_a_dark_day.html#recent_comm

Friday, December 21, 2012

Armed, dangerous, and unaware

The NRA defends it's stance by quoting the Second Amendment.  I would advise them to read Alexander Hamilton's analysis in Federalist #29.  The intent, following the Revolutionary War, was how to protect the State (meaning a state such as NY, not the US as a whole) from foreign incursion.  It is important to remember that when the Amendment was written the US had no standing army due to fears of a potential monarchy subsidized by a strong military alliance.  Thus the need for local militia for protection. Militias were local, and the need was there for them to be trained to be ready at any time for service.  Thus they needed to be armed as well as ready.  The Amendment is written as one function, the need for armed militia.  If there were two separate functions it would have been written thus: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, [AND] the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."  The Amendment read in conjunction with Federalist #29 is clear.  Hamilton's analysis was used to limit gun rights right through until 1939, when the Supreme Court heard a gun case, but not until 2008 were the limits removed. Claiming the right to own weapons as a Constitutional right is in error.  The right came directly from a conservative Supreme Court which used their authority to usurp the Constitution and become legislators rather than judges.  

Sunday, November 4, 2012

OUCH!

Many things on the conservative agenda strike me as not only odd but also un-American.  First, abortion rights.  If Roe v Wade is overturned it will give the Fed control of American women's bodies.  I do not condone abortion.  But I do think that those who cry out for less government need to understand where this may possibly lead.  Beside the obvious illegal abortions, what about men?  Men are half of the story, correct?  Women are not asexual.  They need a partner in order to become pregnant.  Who is to say that vasectomy may be next?  If the Fed can control a woman's body, why not a man's?  Perhaps those crusty old men on the religious right might think twice about limiting a woman's right to control her own body if there's was also controlled.  Is this far fetched?  Not at all when there is talk of involuntary vasectomy for rapists.  Once the Fed steps into this area there will be no stopping them.  

A reminder to the far right Tea Party.  Someone once said, "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 

Friday, November 2, 2012

John Quincy Adams

If you are sick and tired of Washington and the lack of concern for the real issues rather than attacks, you really should read Harlow Unger's biography of John Quincy Adams. JQA gets short changed by historians, but we really need someone like him to lead our country. He was a man of principles, did not give in to the worst of politics, never sought office but was often chosen, fought against slavery and nullification, helped establish the Smithsonian Institution, and was without doubt our greatest and most qualified Secretary of State. His career extended from watching the battle at Bunker Hill with his mother at age seven, to passing away on the floor of Congress at age 80.  He was ambassador to Russia among other European nations.  As Secretary of State under James Monroe he initiated what became the Monroe Doctrine.  He and his father, the second president, were the only two non-Virginians to win the presidency and the only two to serve only one term among the first six elected to office.  Adams antagonized every president from Jefferson to Monroe to Jackson, to varying degrees, but Jackson led to his failure as chief executive.  But JQA rebounded by becoming a man of the people while serving in Congress.  Sadly, he is forgotten and usually ranked with the worst of presidents, well deserved.  Greatly misunderstood, hopefully others will reassess Adams through Unger's book.


Friday, October 5, 2012

Monday morning quarterbacks

The Monday morning political analysts are hurling barbs at BHO, and partially they are correct. He was a somnambulist on stage and didn't come off as the orator we are used to. But, isn't it easier for Romney to be critical of the POTUS who has been there than it is for the incumbent to defend himself. After all, Obama has tried and the Repubs from day one have undermined him every step of the way. So Romney lies his way through the debate and just because he seems chippie they claim him the winner. Well, when you are the POTUS you have more on your mind than a debate, or you should. And it's much easier for Romney to throw crap against the wall that nobody will remember just a month from now. Hopefully the American voters will READ the debate rather than judge by the TV version. The debate reminded me of the little drops of sweat on Nixon's upper lip during the Kennedy debates in 1960. Yes, I do remember that and many people believed that was a sign that Nixon wasn't quite presidential enough. They later changed their minds but that's another story. So, as I told my daughter Anna, don't just watch them, read them. And remember that it's easier to be on the offense when you have nothing to lose.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

A sandwich with just bread

Does a debate without any real meat persuade anyone to vote for either candidate? Romney completely threw his campaign speeches under the bus. Obama was lackluster and looked as though he would rather have been having a 20th anniversary dinner with the Mrs. But in the long run, to me, it shows how our system no longer works. Two candidates is just not enough to choose from. There was no real concrete difference between the two of them because all we heard were empty words. Ugh.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Mitt and Newt...a laugh riot...

Listen Mitt, about the debate with the POTUS, be sure to use more of that tanning lotion and be sure to crack a couple of jokes.  Maybe a few about not overpaying your taxes...oops not that one.  Or maybe something about 47% of Americans are moochers...maybe not that one either.  Hey, how about a knee slapper about how the Palestinians can't compete...er maybe not so funny.  I've got it, tell one about Michelle making pancakes with her pearls on...oh, that was Ann?  This is getting tough.  I heard one the other day about how many Iranians does it take to develop nuclear rods...can't remember the punch line.  Maybe you can tell one about drinking cool-aid with the Tea Party fruitcakes.  That would be funny...get it...cool-aid Tea Party.  Yuk.  Got it!  Tell one about how the uninsured won't die at home because they can use the emergency room at their local hospital.  That was pretty funny.  Oh, you weren't joking?  Maybe those funny guys over at FoxGOPNews can give you some ideas 'cause I gotta go pee.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Israel's mistreatment of refugees

Israel's lethal apathy towards refugeesIsrael seems to have crossed a series of red lines in its handling of asylum seekers; as Yom Kippur and its message of ‘return’ approaches, the injustices committed by the state mean that the gates of repentance are gradually swinging closed behind us.
By Natasha Roth and Natasha Roth | Sep.24, 2012 | 11:29 AM

Migrants from Eritrea rest in a building, used to house people waiting to be smuggled into Israel, near the Egyptian-Israeli border in Sinai December 25, 2010. Photo by Reuters

"Help us return to You with a whole heart..."
We say these words from the Kol Nidrei service near the beginning of Yom Kippur's 25-hour fast, abstaining from food and drink in order to repent and prepare for a return to God. Yet how are we to return with a whole heart, when we seem to have no heart at all? Barely a month ago, we endured the slow, macabre spectacle of a group of Eritrean asylum seekers stuck for a week behind a fence just inside our border, all of them silent witnesses to Israel's lethal, prejudicially-informed apathy. We were starving them in preparation for a return, too, albeit one to either the infernal torments of the Sinai, or to another captivity in Saharonim prison. 
There is a growing sense that Israel has, over the past few months, crossed a series of red lines in its handling of asylum seekers. From the violent riots in May to the aforementioned desert fiasco in September, the government has laid itself a moral minefield, and each detonation caused by its casual and disastrous cruelty erodes our ability to return to some sort of ethical equilibrium. The seething injustices committed in the name of demographics are having a corrosive effect on our right of spiritual return; with each wrong, we can hear the creaking of the gate gradually swinging closed behind us, ready to clank shut completely.
Israel's intransigence and lockdown as a city of refuge comes in spite of full awareness of the terrors African immigrants have escaped. As an illustration, Eritrea (from where most asylum seekers in Israel have come) inflicts on its citizens all the crushing exploitation, neglect and restrictions one would expect from one of the most viciously enforced dictatorships in the world. 
Yet whatever desperation they faced in their country, for the majority the misery is only beginning once their journey starts. If they are fortunate, the worst they will suffer is privation and exposure from having to trek through the desert. All too frequently, however, asylum seekers are kidnapped by Bedouin smugglers, who keep them chained up in the Sinai. In order to extort ransom money, the victims' families are dialled and made to listen while their relatives are tortured. It is hard to imagine a more lacerating phone call. This can continue for weeks or months; scorching days of blood and iron, in exchange for cold cash. Somehow, however, when faced with groups of people who have been subjected to physical, mental and sexual abuse, the government and the army find it within themselves to either leave them floundering in the desert or put them in another prison, further postponing lives that are becoming defined by locks, keys and metal bars. 
Examples of the consequences of this chain of events are common currency at the African Refugee Development Center in Tel Aviv. Tesfay (not his real name), a 35 year-old Eritrean man whom the ARDC has been assisting, was kidnapped in the Sinai and held in chains for 6 months, during which time he was severely tortured. Now, after finally receiving a temporary licence to remain in Israel, Tesfay has had to leave his job washing dishes in a restaurant; the extent of the damage caused to his arms and hands has left him unable to hold a plate properly. And yet, for all the physical suffering and injustice he has endured, his most aching concern is his reliance on others, and his inability to support himself. "I am a man", he keeps telling me. If this is a man, then those who would see him imprisoned and deported are not worthy of the same classification.
Nonetheless, there are those in Israel who hold the conviction that such people are deserving of yet more ill-treatment. Interior Minister Eli Yishai, with his increasingly impenetrable chainmail of hubris and hatred, seems determined to squeeze every last drop of agony out of African immigrants before he can kick them out and bolt the door behind them. Each rush of blood to the head Yishai experiences, with its accompanying spurt of violent rhetoric to the media, is another turn of the screw for asylum seekers in Israel. 
Such is the climate of aggression that has been cultivated here that many Sudanese coming to our office have begged to be allowed to return to warzones, rather than remain in Israel. Yet there is no return for these people, and as long as we continue to fire bullet after bullet of prejudice at them, there won't be for us, either.
We must be humane to be human, and we must recognize that humanity in action can return humanity as a state to those who have had it stripped away. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you", says a quotation from Ezekiel in the machzor, the prayerbook of the Days of Awe. To claim those for ourselves, we must first offer them to the bruised wanderers among us.
Natasha Roth made aliyah from the UK in March 2012, and is currently the Identity Claims Coordinator at the African Refugee Development Center http://www.ardc-israel.org/ in south Tel Aviv.

www.ardc-israel.org
The African Refugee Development Center (ARDC) is a non-profit organization found...See More

The UN shames itself by allowing Ahmadinejad to address its membership

Here is the United Nations Charter Preamble.  Read it, then ask yourself this question:  Why is Iran a member of the UN and why is Ahmadinejad permitted to speak?  He has taken every opportunity to disregard the Charter and to threaten the annihilation of Israel and the Jewish people.  If Hitler were alive today would he be permitted the same right to address the United Nations, which was specifically established to eradicate the type of hatred that Ahmadinejad spews out to the world.  He long ago discredited himself and his nation as members of the UN.


PREAMBLE

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED

  • to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and
  • to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and
  • to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and
  • to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

AND FOR THESE ENDS

  • to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and
  • to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and
  • to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and
  • to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,

HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS

Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations.


A new Grimm's Fairy Tale entitled "Cinderblock Gate." In this one, someone breaks into Lttle Red Lying Hood's office, mysteriously wipes out the hard drives, steals Grandma's cookies, and leaves. Little Red Lying Hood's staff doesn't password their hard drives? "Oh my," they cry. Little Red Lying Hood cries "foul" and runs all the way home. But the Big Bad BS Squad that actually has a brain figures out the crime in .47 seconds and solves the case. And everyone lives happily ever after except the Mad Hatter who serves coffee at the Tea Party brunch since this is National Coffee Week.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/24/michael-grimm-campaign-office_n_1909357.html?1348500702&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009



The first-term congressman was informed of the damage Sunday and quickly decried it as a "politically motivated crime" and "an assault on democracy and the political process."

Continuing, Grimm declared the episode indicative of something that he thought would take place elsewhere in the world.
"This ignorance, of violence, I would expect in the Middle East. You know, that wouldn't shock me at all," Grimm said. "But here on Staten Island, a family-based community, we're better than that."
The New York Daily News reported that police have found no evidence of forced entry at the building and are investigating the incident as an act criminal mischief, not burglary.
Grimm is currently under federal investigation over allegations that he took illegal donations during his 2010 campaign. The Tea Party favorite has denied any wrongdoing amid an ongoing probe that has focused on his connection to a wealthy Israeli rabbi.
Intruders were able to clear data from the hard drives by installing Linux on office computers. Grimm told authorities that the sensitive polling data, voter information, and other campaign material contained in the hard drives had all been backed up "literally hours before." He suggested that a suspect could have gained access to the building because his campaign hadn't changed the locks since it changed hands from the car dealership that had previously occupied the building.
Nathan Smith, a spokesman for the Grimm's Democratic challenger, Mark Murphy, also denounced the attack in a statement from the campaign.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Oh Mitt, what will we talk about after the election

I sure would like to have an Adjusted Gross Income of $13,696,951 without working even one day in 2011.  And I would gladly pay the IRS whatever the laws demanded.  And I surely would not care one bit that I paid above or below what the average taxpayer paid.

But get this.  A close inspection of the Ann and Willard Romney tax returns reveals this:

Income $13,696,951.
Income from Capital Gains taxed at 15% $6,810,176
Charitable deductions $4,020,000 30% of AGI
Charitable deduction claimed $2.250,000

Now why oh why would they actually donate over $4,000,000 but claim only $2.250,000?  Is it from a sense of altruism?

Or am I cynical thinking that the higher figure would have lowered his tax to 10.55% rate, much lower than his claim of never having paid less than 13%.  The lower deduction amount was an obvious manipulation to raise his tax rate and cheat the voters from the reality of Mitt.

I also realize that the Romneyites would not change their minds even if they discovered that he avoided the draft by being a Bishop of the Mormon Church.  Oh wait...

Even if he disregarded those serving in the military and called them not important.  Oh wait...

Even if he would call 47% of Americans freeloaders and moochers.  Oh wait...

Even if they found out he was a bully in high school.  Oh wait...

Even if they found out he was secretly Obama's twin brother and was trying to cover it by using white makeup.  Oh, never mind.



Friday, September 21, 2012

Apple I am coming for you!!!

I am announcing here to family and friends that I am going to take Apple to court.

This is not a frivolous lawsuit.  Oh no, this is for the entire enchilada.

Here it is:

I.  The use of the number "5"  I have used the number 5 for at least 60 years and did not give Apple the right to use it.

II. Apple claims the new iphone is thinner.  I have been told I am thinner than President William Howard Taft.  I did not grant Apple permission to use the word "thinner" that was applied to my stature at least 60 years ago.

III. Apple claims the iphone is "very capable."  In the third grade my teacher told my parents I was "very capable" of attaining a better grade than a B.  That was in 1953.  Steve Jobs wasn't even born yet.  No, Apple does not have the rights to that term.

IV.  Apple claims it's A6 chip is "twice as fast."  I raced Sheldon Katz down 75th Street in 1958 and won.  I reached the corner when he was just half way down the street.  Therefore I maintain I was "twice as fast."  Sorry, Mr. Cook, you lose.

To all of the lemmings waiting in line at Apple stores nationwide, be aware that I will soon own Apple and plan to ban those silly tables and paint the walls Phiilies red.  And those blue shirts will now also be Phillies red.  And all ipads will be Phillies red.  iphones, too.  So get ready.

Apple may settle this thing by responding to my blog.

I will start at 10 figures.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

The Romney Theory

Here's my Romney theory:  The Republicans figure they cannot defeat an incumbent POTUS.  They think they have a much better chance in '16 winning with one of the young guns like Ryan.  So, they nominate the biggest clown they can find.  Then, just to be sure he will lose, they feed him stupid juice 24/7.  This is similar to the MPT (McCainPalin Theory).  Lo and behold, the once moderate Massachusetts governor becomes a complete buffoon.  Not just a 47% buffoon, but a full 100% one.  One that not even his own party can any longer stomach, thereby assuring that the Tea Party will become the basis of the nomination in 2016.


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Hide the silverware!

It is the ultimate irony that Trump, in his arrogant smugness, says Midiot should not apologize for his 47% statement.


Donald Trump said Tuesday that Mitt Romney shouldn’t apologize for his remarks dismissing nearly half of Americans as dependent on government and out of the reach of his campaign, adding “what [Romney] said is probably what he means.”
“He has to not apologize; I think we’ve seen enough apologizing already,” Trump said on NBC’s “Today.” “He cannot apologize. What he said is probably what he means, and he did say ‘inartfully stated.’ The fact is he cannot apologize; he is going for those independents. He won’t get the votes of a lot of people he’s discussing, and if you’re not going to get the votes, let’s go on with it.”


Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81328.html#ixzz26prODniZ


Do these clowns ever say, "You know, we made millions, maybe even billions, shipping our manufacturing to places around the world like China, because labor costs overseas are so much less than here in America.  We blame Obama for the loss of jobs, but in reality people like us are the problem.  Rather than keep the American economy robust and Americans working, we pull the rug out from under them so we can throw darts at Obama."

Republicans shout from the rooftops that the economy is in bad shape because of Obama's lack of decisive action.  What they never mention is that they voted down every single effort being made to improve the economy.  

Midiot Romney claims he'll help solve the immigration problem.  How?  We don't know except that the Republicans voted down the DREAM Act.

Think about this...if you invited Trump and Midiot to dinner would you hide the silverware?  


Monday, September 17, 2012

Midiot is at it again

So Midiot insults the British, calls the Chinese cheaters, and now shows disdain for people getting Social Security, VA benefits, Medicare, etc...

WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Republican presidential
candidate Mitt Romney dismissed supporters of President Barack
Obama - almost half of U.S. voters - as people who live off
government handouts and do not "care for their lives," in a
potentially damaging video.

"There are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent
upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe
the government has a responsibility to care for them," Romney
said in a hidden-camera video of his remarks at a private
fundraiser earlier this year posted on Monday on the left-wing
Mother Jones magazine's website.

"My job is not to worry about those people. I'll never
convince them they should take personal responsibility and care
for their lives. What I have to do is convince the 5 to 10
percent in the center that are independents," he said in remarks
convincing donors to write checks for his campaign.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Mitt has foot in mouth disease

Way to go Mitt!  His latest ad attacking BHO states that the president had 7 chances to stop "The Cheaters."  Who are "The Cheaters?" CHINA!  That's right, CHINA!!!  So, the man who would be president has once again shown that he is unworthy of the job by again insulting a foreign government.  So we can now add China to the growing list he has antagonized.  Is this his version of diplomacy by insult, or is it just plain stupidity.  He obviously has no knowledge of the Asian policy of saving face.  They must be furious in Beijing, as they were in England and the insult hurled at the Palestinians.  Keep going Mitt.

This opens Mitt up to charges of Bain shipping jobs to China, does it not?

Friday, September 14, 2012

Americans should hold themselves to a higher standard

As I watch our embassies and consulates being attacked in North Africa it leads me into thinking back to all of the men whom I remember as presidents.  That goes back to Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, Bush II and BHO.  I cannot recall any president being as disrespected as Obama.  The rest of the world watches us and sees weakness when so many Americans show total disregard for the man and the position that he holds.  I do understand that all presidents are subject to political turmoil and that each and every one of the above named had their faults.  But Americans need to think about this: If we cannot treat each other with decency and respect, how can we expect the rest of the world to do the same.  I believe that those protesters in Yemen, Egypt, Libya and Sudan see that we are not one and show no fear knowing that there will be those who cast a stone at BHO without even knowing the facts.  It is shameful that a presidential candidate would show so little class, so little compassion, to use the death of Americans to castigate the president.  I would expect a man who is seeking the highest office in our country to show decency and respect.  What kind of a president would this man be?  I, for one, do not want to find out.

Democracy American style


I might not like what you say but I L-O-V-E your freedom to say it. We need to let these protesters and their governments know that when you kill Americans and burn our flag that there will be a price to pay. Namely, close down the embassies, pull out all the Americans, and discontinue American aide. That would be the way to let them know that they have the right to protest but not to destroy. They simply don't want to know that there is a vast difference between what America stands for and what democracy means. Americans tolerate all religions because we are a democracy. We tolerate freedom of speech not matter how despicable the words may be simply because we are a democracy. Yemen, Libya, Egypt, Sudan etc all equate hateful speech and American policy/government. We know this is a false premise. Until they understand the difference they may never be a true democracy.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

A Rush to nonsense


I have a theory...Rush is using his right hand to cover the swastika on his forehead. Or maybe it's to cover the scar from his recent lobotomy. He once said, if I remember correctly, "I'd rather have a frontal lobotomy than a bottle in front of me." Or maybe not. Just remember that the Tea Baggers take Rush's word as the ultimate truth. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence realizes that Limbaugh has diarrhea of the mouth and constipation of the brain.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Romney shames himself...AGAIN!

Shame on Romney. The families of those killed have not even had a chance to grieve and he is using it to slam Obama. This proves him unworthy to be POTUS and will make the world see him as the callous power seeker that he is. If he had taken the time to investigate he might have discovered that in 2006, following the Muslim world's outrage caused by a Danish newspaper cartoon, the US issued a very similar statement condemning those who belittle religious beliefs. This reminds me of the Chick-fil-a fiasco. I may not have agreed with the words but I agree with the right to say it. Our country was founded on two vital principles: Freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Respect for both is the American way. Without it we are lost.

Another point...notice that Romney has said nothing about what provoked Muslims in Libya and Egypt. It is not an apology but a simple recognition that Americans believe in freedom of religion and respect for all religions. He made no mention of the cause of the outrage and I find that insensitive. I wonder what his reaction would be if his polygamist grandfather was the butt of a cartoonist's pen? It would be pretty funny watching grandpappy flee to Mexico to avoid federal prosecution.

Will he say anything in order to win???


Surely the Repubs could have come up with a more respectful candidate than this guy. He will now make it as low as possible to gain anything on Obama. If he is saying that Obama should have censored the remarks from the American embassy wouldn't that be taking away the FREEDOM OF SPEECH that the POTUS is obliged to protect?

Allen West please shut up


These idiots need to listen to themselves speak. When Obama hesitates to send troops to Syria they scream he's soft. When we help support the Lybian rebels and they turn on us they blame Obama for supporting them. West needs to shut his mouth and hopefully will be long forgotten. This dude was kicked out of the military for obnoxious behavior and now he wants the stage to hurl nonsense. Funny that he supports Romney who was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War as a bishop of the Mormon Church, doing his "missionary" work in Paris and Nice. They all need to just go away.

No Respect from Romney

I find it particularly obnoxious that Romney would pick a time like this to criticize Obama. That, to me, crosses a line that should not be crossed. Would he, or did he, do the same on 9/11/2001 when GWB was in the White House. Gingrich was on CNN this morning and was every bit as obnoxious as Romney in somehow blaming Obama and stating that he, Obama, has been sensitive to the demonstrators in Benghazi. More BS. Isn't it easy to be so critical when you are NOT the POTUS. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romney-says-us-sent-mixed-signals-in-response-to-embassy-attacks-in-egypt/2012/09/12/f247216a-fce6-11e1-98c6-ec0a0a93f8eb_story.html

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Romney Vs. Labor Unions


James Hoffa, Teamsters President, Says Romney 'Wants To Annihilate Organized Labor'


Posted:  Updated: 09/08/2012 11:22 am

"The way Teamsters President James P. Hoffa sees it, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney would be happy if an already weakened American labor movement ceased to exist altogether.
"He wants to annihilate organized labor as we know it," Hoffa told HuffPost outside the Democratic National Convention this week. "It's on his website. I'm not making this up. He's for a national right-to-work law. The Republican Party has veered dangerously to the right. It's rather incredible, in 2012, if you think about it."
Indeed, Romney's official stance on labor isn't kind to unions. His campaign website suggests that unions have outlasted their significance, "driv[ing] up costs and introduc[ing] rigidities that harm competitiveness and frustrate innovation." He supports states pursuing right-to-work laws, which weaken the clout of unions, and his party last week approved a platform pushing for national right-to-work legislation. He'd also like to prohibit automatic union dues-deduction from employee paychecks."


This really isn't surprising at all.  This guy is bought and paid for by Big Business and he is so enamored of the possibility of being POTUS that he is willing to sell out everything he may once have stood for.  Labor has a right to Unions and organization in order to collectively fight against poor working conditions, low wages, etc.  Do we go back to sweat shops and no minimum wage?  Workers at KFC in China make less per hour hour than the cost of a hamburger.  Is this where we are headed so that the likes of WalMart can squeeze the last cent of profit out of their workers?  Have you seen who works at WalMart?  Seniors who can't pay their bills if they depend on Social Security.  In the meantime Mrs. Ann Romney cooks pancakes dressed in designer dresses and pearls!!  Good luck with that!

Not so long ago I was a union representative for the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.  I witnessed many incidents where union members got away with what I would call lack of professionalism.  They were protected by the PFT.  But, the PFT brought so many positive changes to the school system that these few cases are not the ones to judge the union.  Those changes were not only in favor of the workers but also greatly benefited the students making sure that class size was adhered to,  clean and neat classrooms were the standard, restrooms were clean both for students and staff, and so on.  I went through the Philadelphia schools as both a student and employee and was encouraged by the positive changes.

I must admit that unions can go overboard with wage demands, working conditions, and protection of employees.  On the other hand, were the workers left to the kindness of their employers...well you can just imagine how the individuals would be taken advantage of and abused by greed for profits.

My father, rest his soul, called me a socialist-commie-hippie (in jest of course).  Not so.  I am for common decency toward our fellow human beings.  Do unto others, karma, and all of that.

Imagine...

Monday, September 3, 2012

It is very obvious in today's world that neither the Repubs or the Democrats are in control.  Corporations control all politicians, voters, prices, supply lines, and on and on.  No one is free from the reduction of the masses into an extension of their credit cards.  The battle of words over Medicare, Obamacare, Romneycare, and so on, is proof positive that it's just words and the real problem of health care means little except votes.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Paul Ryan - Do what I say not what I do

So the 2012 Olympics are done and there is little to divert our attention from what is bound to be a very dirty political season.  If only we could stay as civilized as those many Olympic athletes who held their heads high and were proud to represent their countries.  Not so in American politics.

Mr. Romney has now chosen his running mate.  Conservatives (exactly what are they trying to conserve?) are in ecstasy.  Mr. Ryan was a bold choice, or so they say.

Here is why Ryan has garnered favor among the right.  He is tough, he knows economics.  He will repair the economy.  He will walk on water.

But, here are a few things you might like to know about the Mr. Budget Guru, beside the fear mongering that the Democrats will attack you with:

1. Ryan voted for the Bush Tax cuts
2. He voted for the Bush military campaigns with no future funding plan
3. He voted for unfunded security initiatives
4. He voted for the Medicare prescription benefits
5. He voted for the bank bailouts
6. He voted for the auto industry bailouts
7. He supports oil industry subsidies (his wife's father owns land leased to Exxon)

I could go on, but I'm sure the point is well taken.  Words rather than actions.  Twelve years in Congress and little to nothing to show for it.

I'm sure Ryan is a smart guy.  And a very ambitious guy.  If they lose in 2012 he'll surely be back in '16.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Politics 2012 - What is the meaning of "Conserve?"

One of Romney's ads contains the line, "I know what it's like to try to make ends meet."  Wow, it must be tough when you have hundreds of millions of $ in investment income.  Plus the hundreds of millions you inherited.  Plus all those Cayman Island accounts.  Plus Bain.  Poor guy.

Alexander Hamilton favored a lifetime executive, believing 1) he would not be swayed by corruption having to do with re-election 2) he would not be swayed in to unnecessary wars.  Rather like a monarch.

Does anyone today believe that Washington has Mr. & Mrs. Average American in their hearts and minds?

Solution: 1) Six year executive branch with recall.  2) Senators limited to two six year terms.  3) Representatives limited to four year terms.

Limit the Supreme Court to it's duties, i.e. judging laws not making laws.

Limit the use of Executive Orders so popularized by Theodore Roosevelt and our of fashion until Bush II.

Protect the Constitution.

Conservatives.  Can you explain exactly what it is you are trying to "conserve?"

Tea Party?  Explain your plan for America?






Monday, July 30, 2012

Say "Thanks" to a WWII vet

I was shopping at Sam's today and was walking next to an older (than me) gentleman.  I noticed his cap identified him as a WWII vet.  I asked where he was during the war and he explained that he spent time near Siberia...in a submarine!  For two years.  Wow, two years on a submarine.  We owe a lot to the now dwindling vets from WWII.  I was thinking how most of those men signed up, volunteered.  As they diminish in number we all need to say thanks when we have the opportunity.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Olympics 2012 and the Big Question

So, almost five hours of...WHAT???  Most of it, maybe fifty percent, left us thinking, "What's going on and what in the world does GOSH and NHS have to do with the Olympics?  And texting?  You've lost me.  Voldemort, Captain Hook, what a mess.  Great spectacle, but perhaps too British for the rest of the world.  I love when the teams march in.  That's the real show.  204 countries, with North and South Korea, Iran and Iraq, Israel and Palestine.  All standing together on the 5 Olympic rings.  But the biggest mystery to me, the head scratching moment, more baffling than the Queen jumping out of a helicopter, was...
WHERE'S RINGO???

Friday, July 27, 2012

"Friends" 2012

Thought for today (got to get this off my back)...Beware of those who pose as "friends." In today's world the word "friend" does not mean what it did when I was young. Back then a friend was someone you could depend on, who would never do you wrong; who you could reach out to; who would borrow a dime and give you back a dollar. Today a "friend" is someone who reaches into your pocket and takes a dollar; who sees you as someone they can exploit for their own ends; to whom loyalty and kindness means nothing. This seems to be the way of the world these days. I feel better now...sort of.  Perhaps we need to come up with a new word.  If you think this is about you then it probably is.  The innocent need not apply.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

The Illegal has become glued to our lives.


We sit by as Congress, the Supreme Court, and the President make laws, pass laws, and judge laws that are basically AGAINST the law.  

Here are the words of James Madison, the framer of the Constitution...

The Federalist #45

"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government, are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will, for the most part, be connected. The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State." 

Notice "...few and defined."  Special attention needs to be focused on the word "defined."  Defined as written.  Yet not a day goes by that the Fed doesn't stretch the undefined.  We submit to this tyranny because we are used to it, and lazy.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Where's the GOLD?

So, this morning, March 8, 1933, Americans received the news that all GOLD had to be turned in to the Fed.  Didn't matter what is was, bullion or trinkets, you had to turn it in.  The Fed promised it would be returned to you at the time that the banking crisis was over.  Remember this is the Depression.  The banks are in trouble because there has been a run on the banks.  Banks traditionally had a 10% reserve of cash to handle customer cash demands.  But, somehow, the remaining 90% was lent out and the demands exceeded the cash reserve.  Therefore, everyone had to turn in the GOLD to assist with the emergency.  Nobody, not the Fed or the banks, explained how or why the GOLD would circumvent the emergency.  The price of GOLD meant that the cash you were given was not equal to the value of the GOLD.  Who set the price of GOLD, none other than the Fed in the person of the Secretary of the Treasury and (hold the applause) the President...Franklin Roosevelt.  How did they determine the price?  Well, maybe they looked outside and it was a sunny day so let's make it $20 an ounce.  Oh, it's raining today so maybe $25 an ounce.  So, would you want to deal with a GOLD standard that had no standard?  Essentially the value of money the very next day was not based on anything but the Fed determining value.  And has been ever since.  No GOLD was ever returned and in fact it was not until the 70's that the ban was lifted.  Today the value of your money is set at the Fed level, which is unconstitutional.  The Constitution does not allow the value of money to be set by the Fed, it only grants the Fed permission to coin money and value it.  So they just print money and nobody know or cares what the standard is.  Thus inflation is at the whim of the Fed.

Anyway, does anyone know where the GOLD is?  Fort Knox?  If it is in Fort Knox what is it being used for?  We no longer place the value of a dollar as a certain amount of GOLD.  So why does the Fed need to store our GOLD in Fort Knox?  If it really is there.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Paterno NO

Below are a few of my thoughts concerning the Joe Paterno statue at Penn State:


It's not my decision, of course, but in the name of decency and compassion for the victims Penn State needs to take it down.


Another thought. Imagine the kids that will now be wearing the PSU uniform this football season. Remember that these are young people and attending football games at other schools will be for them like, pardon, feeding the Christians to the lions. If PSU has any heart at all, it will suspend the football program, request of the NCAA that all players on scholarship be allowed to transfer to other schools without being penalized, and accept full responsibility for their actions, or lack of action. I realize this may be a bit much, but I pity the kids when they go to play at Ohio State, etc. They may get cheered at Not-So-Happy Valley, but terror awaits them on the road. What is the point? Suspend the program now, but don't punish the innocent players who will be ashamed to put on the uniform of a disgraced university.


In response to another post by someone defending Paterno:


Ken: You must remember that it was Paterno's responsibility to not just look the other way. I was an educator for 32 years, 30 of them in Philadelphia. I cannot tell you how many times we were instructed to report any suspected abuse. It was always to protect children, and if we erred on the side of an adult being innocent rather that than what happened at PSU. You are being a bit naive to think that it is acceptable to go to someone and take their word for it that it was innocent. Innocent or not, you have to live with yourself and the knowledge that it might not be so innocent. All the positive things he may have done no longer matter. This is enough to negate all of it. I also respect what you are saying but we will have to agree to disagree. A hideous error cost many children their normal lives. Please don't forget that and place yourself in that situation. I don't think you would be so forgiving.


I ask:  Is Pennsylvania State University a school or a feeder program for the National Football League?  Do the 80 or so players on football scholarships count more than those attending for an education rather than a place on the team?  The bottom line here is the bottom line.  Without the football program PSU would not be in the Big Ten.  Without the football program PSU would lose millions of dollars.  Without the football program alumni would not build buildings.  Without the football program the other sports would not be funded.  What would be left?  A place of higher education, that's what!  Paterno looked the other way for one reason and one reason only.  If he shouted from the rooftop the school would be embarrassed and the program would crumble and with it his reputation of being a football god.  But guess what, by not saying anything he comes out far worse than he ever could have imagined.  By shouting we would all be praising his courage rather than damning him.  He and the others not only looked the other way, they ruined it for the kids attending the university, the future of the university, and caused so much harm to those victims of evilness.


Take it down!!!