Clown fest 3

Republican presidential candidates held their third debate last night.  I watched.

For those who missed it, here is the debate in 100 seconds.

Remember how President Obama was criticized for not holding his hand over his heart during the National Anthem? This picture was taken during last week's debate.

Can we assume that Rick Perry is un-American?  Is his patriotism questionable?

And Joe My God points out what we've heard from the three debates.

CHEERS for the death penalty.
CHEERS for letting people die without insurance.
BOOS for active duty gay soldiers.

I cannot believe that Republicans would boo an active duty soldier who is putting his life on the line every day for our nation. Of course, last week I couldn't believe they cheered for letting an uninsured 30 year old man in a coma (hypothetical) die, or that they would cheer because Texas murders a lot of it's citizens.

Seriously, though, while the president is out promoting his jobs plan around the country, his foes are not offering any solutions to the problems the country faces. All they can do is bash the administration. And they can't even be honest while doing it.

Some statements from last night's debate; there are more from this source.

BACHMANN: "President Obama has the lowest public approval ratings of any president in modern time."

THE FACTS: That's true, if you leave out Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford. All of them at some point in their terms dipped lower than Obama's low point of 38 percent job approval, according to Gallup's comparison.

ROMNEY: "I don't support any particular program that he's describing," he said, disputing Perry's claim that Romney favors some of President Barack Obama's education initiatives, specifically the Race to the Top program.

THE FACTS: Romney was reluctant to tell Republican primary voters he doesn't hate every Obama policy. Romney does indeed support some of the specific policy changes encouraged by the Race to the Top program and said as much earlier in the week. Speaking in Miami on Wednesday, he praised the president's education secretary, Arne Duncan, for the program. And during the debate, Romney acknowledged supporting elements of the initiative, including teacher evaluations and charter schools.

BACHMANN: "I didn't make that claim nor did I make that statement," she said when asked by a moderator if she stood by her comment that the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer was "potentially dangerous."

THE FACTS: Bachmann can't escape the tape. Bachmann used that exact phrase during the last debate when she criticized Perry for trying to order pre-teen girls to get the vaccine in Texas. "Little girls who have a negative reaction to this potentially dangerous drug don't get a mulligan. They don't get a do-over," Bachmann said then. Bachmann has tried to distance herself from remarks she made after the debate linking the vaccine to mental retardation — a claim debunked by scientists. She said then and now she was relaying the story of another mother whose daughter had the shot.

PERRY: It's not the first time that Mitt has been wrong on some issues before. And the bottom line is, we never said that we were going to move this (Social Security) back to the states."

ROMNEY: "Well, it's different than what the governor put in his book just, what, six months (ago), and what you said in your interviews following the book. So I don't know. There's a Rick Perry out there (who) ... says that the federal government shouldn't be in the pension business, that it's unconstitutional. Unconstitutional and it should be returned to the states."

THE FACTS: In his book Perry heavily criticized Social Security, advocated states' rights and suggested federal entitlements were unconstitutional in general, but he never tied these beliefs together as succinctly as Romney claimed.

Even so, he danced close to branding Social Security as unconstitutional. He called Social Security the best example of a program that tosses "aside any respect for our founding principles of federalism." He also lamented: "If only the New Dealers had been kind enough to allow workers to make their own choice about whether to participate." And he said the program was introduced "at the expense of respect for the Constitution and limited government."

Republicans will have to choose one of these clowns as their candidate (or someone who has not entered the race yet). But American's will have the final choice, and surely we will not be fooled.  We must re-elect President Obama.

Wrong, wrong, wrong

The budget being proposed by the Republicans is wrong. Wrong for America. Wrong for our people. Wrong for the future.

It seems all they care about is the wealthy. Yet they can't get enough of it. Republican congressman Sean Duffy can't seem to make it on his $174,000 a year salary.

I am not wealthy by American standards. Certainly not by his standard, I guess.

The Republican budget will never pass. The Senate will have nothing of it, and the President certainly would not sign it.

But it lets us know how they really feel.

At least 30,000 people are fasting as a way to bring attention to the fact that the Republican proposal will leave children hungry and veterans homeless.





On Sunday MSNBC aired A Stronger America - The Black Agenda. During the show host Ed Shultz and Rev. Al Sharpton and others reminded us several times of the disparities that people of color face in our country, and how so much has not changed in the last 40 years, since civil rights were enacted.

Princeton professor Cornell West pointed out that the budget of Paul Ryan is an escalation of intense class warfare against poor people and people of color.

Velma Hart pointed out that the budget presents a challenge to poor and working people.

While the unemployment rate in the nation is 8.8% overall, among blacks it is 15.5%. Even when unemployment dropped to around 4% during the Clinton administration, it was pointed out that unemployment for blacks was almost double that. The disparity has always existed.

The Ryan budget would cut 700,000 jobs, they said on the show. This report says the cuts to Medicaid alone will cost 2 million jobs. Republicans would love to see the unemployment rate go up during the Obama administration.

Education is another area where disparities exist. As it turns out, there is a correlation within zip codes between high incarceration rates and poor performing schools. Many factors may contribute to that, but among them is unfair sentencing leaving children without fathers at home, and a lack of equity in school funding. The Ryan budget would turn education back, reducing funding. More disparity.

I find it hard to understand how the American people put these people into office. Have you ever woke up after a drunken night and thought to yourself, "What was I thinking?"

America was drunk with anti-Obama Kool-Aid in 2010.

Now America is waking up, finally asking itself, "What was I thinking."

I'm in

Barack Obama is the first candidate of either party to make it official.




I'm like Ed. I don't agree with everything Obama has done. In fact, some of my important issues got brushed aside while the president dealt with the mess he inherited.

I'm already convinced that Obama will be next to impossible to beat in 2012, and shared poll results in January to back me up.

But since January, as we have seen what the Republicans in congress want to do, it is absolutely necessary that Obama keeps the White House. And along with this, Democrats need to regain the house. But this is about the presidency.

There will be plenty of time to look at the issues (environment, energy, LGBT rights, wars, economy) over the next year and a half. But right now, it's just about the candidates.

Let's look at some of the competition, even though none of these potential candidates has made it official.

Donald Trump has only one issue - being top birther. In 2009 we all saw Obama's birth certificate and I wrote a newspaper column about it. Surely Trump does not really believe that Obama was not born in the United States. He needs to pay more attention to Bessemer Opinions.

Newt Gingrich has had too many wives and too many affairs.

Sarah Palin can see Alaska from her porch, (and Canada).

Michele Bachmann has made so many crazy statements and come up with so many goofy ideas that only the most far out Americans would ever want her to lead the country.

Mitt Romney is a Mormon and even though that in itself should not make a difference, Americans might be wary of a president that is against coffee and hot tea (among other things).

Mike Huckabee is a dominionist, and that alone should scare the wits out of you.

But even if the Republicans could come up with a decent conservative candidate, I think after seeing the agenda of the Republicans in congress that most Americans will reject their slash and burn type of government and will want to remain with the cool and calm Obama that has guided us through the storm.



So I'm in. Are you? Visit the Obama 2012 web site.

As I said before, this campaign season is going to be enjoyable and entertaining.

Racists. Who knew? (We did)

Often I have made to connection between the Tea Party and racists. Most of the time I get criticized for assuming all teabaggers are racists when the evidence is there for a few.
Example 1. Example 2. Example 3.

Now the Tea Party Nation has emailed its followers warning that whites are headed for extinction. If that isn't a page from the KKK, I don't know what is.

Here is a teabagger from a rally in Birmingham.



This is the same group that denounced the United Methodist Church for being Marxist, by the way. Here is where I wrote about that.

From the email sent today from Tea Party Nation:

What is keeping America's fertility rate up are immigrants - both legal and illegal.

and:

The White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) population in America is headed for extinction and with it our economy, well-being and survival as a uniquely America culture.

Racism can be against Latinos, of course, and that is what is going on here, but trust me, they feel the same way about African Americans. And gays:

There are those in America who are continuously attacking the family, bent on redefining marriage and have established anti-family government programs.

"Redefining marriage" is connected to the same-sex marriage movement, of course.

This is your Tea party, your Republican base, the congress members you elected in 2010; the group that invited Sarah Palin to speak, and Roy Moore as well. Roy Moore has indicated he might run for the GOP presidential nomination, incidentally. He couldn't win the GOP nomination for Alabama Governor, but believes he can win the GOP nomination for president. LOL.

Anyway, if you are a Tea Party member, you are suspect, I guess. In fact, if you are a Republican these days, you are suspect.

Things I heard in South Carolina

I'm sure the good Republicans of Alabama are just as uninformed as those in South Carolina. But this was interesting, considering Obama won the 2008 Democratic primary handily, with 55% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 27% and John Edwards (who was born there) 18%.

I wonder if South Carolina Republicans would be a venomous against Clinton, had she won the nomination and the presidency. Of course they would have, what am I thinking?

Here are some of the things I heard while there.

"Obama didn't recognize the annual day of prayer."

From the Presidential Proclamation - National Day of Prayer

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 6, 2010, as a National Day of Prayer."

This is the biggest piece of evidence that Republicans are uneducated, uninformed, and rely on the hype and lies coming from Fox News, because it just wasn't true, yet we kept hearing it and still hear it from Republicans.

But if that's not enough, here is some more of what I heard.


"We don't need a commander in chief that did not serve in the military."

Do they really want to bring up George W. Bush's national guard record? And I know that South Carolina Republicans voted for John McCain, and on his ticket was (non-veteran, unable to complete a term as governor) Sarah Palin. She would have been a heartbeat away from assuming the position of commander in chief, yet she had not served.

"Obama loves the Muslims."

So? This is hypocritical on so many levels. Remember this?



And also:



Of course there are the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Our country was founded on religious freedom.

Then there is Jesus, but I'm not going to get into his message of love for all people, loving your enemies, tolerance, etc.

"Obama detests the military."

Let me start with a few words about John McCain's record as a senator on veterans' issues. Click on that link, and you will get a feel for what the war hero thinks of current veterans, and of Obama's support for veterans. You will find that candidate Obama showed much more support for our veterans than presidential candidate John McCain did.

Obama has supported military families, and many in the military support Obama.






South Carolina Republicans are focused on one thing, it seems - limiting Obama to one term as president. "I'm going to do everything I can to see that he is not re-elected."

Here are some current poll results, showing Obama winning in most polls, and tied with a Republican candidate in a few.

I am really looking forward to the 2012 race, mostly because the Republicans are going to be so entertaining, trying to out demonize gays and Hispanics and also to see them try to explain their positions on jobs (so far, no position and no job creation) and energy (oil and nukes) and the economy.

As the American public becomes more and more educated on the issues they will realize that we are fortunate that the Democrats held on to the Senate in 2010 (thus avoiding a total meltdown of the economy), and we can look forward to regaining control of the House and holding on to the White House as well.

A confused gay republican

I've never understood gay Republicans. Actually, I've never understood Republicans, but let's stick to the gays.

GOProud is a group of Gay conservatives that have split the CPAC group wide open, and for that I commend them.

But they seem to be self loathing, or hypocritical, or something, as one of their members revealed at CPAC this weekend.

Matt Hissey, in an interview with Ebone Bell of Metro Weekly (at 1:39 in the video):

"I don't really like gay people that much. Gay people frustrate me, the stereotypical gay people, it frustrates me...someone who puts on a total act. I understand that some guys are feminine, which is fine. But some guys, at some point, are normal, straight-acting, whatever and the next minute they're jumping up and down. It just frustrates me. The whole conservative thing is just be yourself, be an individual and just don't be someone you're not. If someone does or does not accept you, that's fine but don't change who you are to look different to others."

A quick question, are you being yourself Matt when you highlight your hair like that, are you changing who you are to look different to others?



Now, let's dig a little deeper.

"Some guys...are normal, straight-acting, whatever and the next minute they're jumping up and down...."

So, he wants people to "be individual and just don't be someone you're not," but he wants them to act straight (whatever that means) while being yourself.

So is it OK for straight guys to jump up and down? He says, speaking of his fellow gays "But some guys, at some point, are normal, straight-acting, whatever and the next minute they're jumping up and down."

These are straight Green Bay Packer fans. Acting straight one minute, jumping up and down the next.



I don't know. Again, I can understand being conservative. I might disagree with their policies, but I understand that some people have conservative beliefs.

But to be gay, and support the party that wants to keep you from joining the military, keep you from legalizing your relationships, and wants you to be subject to discrimination in housing and employment, just does not make sense.

Iowa

How embarrassing for the people of Iowa.




I'm sure there are Republicans in Alabama who are just as uneducated, but at least (so far) we haven't seen them on national TV making fools of themselves.

No, we can leave that up to homophobic law enforcement officials and Gardendale lawmakers and the elitist Vestavia Hills City Council and racist college students in Tuscaloosa.

But I have two questions for the people of Iowa in this video.

What if I said I believed you were Muslim? You would respond, I'm sure, "No I'm not, I'm Christian."

But I wouldn't believe you. Because, according to this video, there is no reason to believe what one says about their religious beliefs.

My other question is, so what? What if a president or a senator or a teacher or a doctor is a Muslim? Who cares?

Remember, this is America. We value diversity. We value religious freedom. We value our other freedoms.

I don't know what kind of America these people want. But we are in the 21st century. They can stay in the 20th or 19th century if they want, but they are not going to drag me or the rest of America back with them.

A Tale of Two Cities

Actually, the governments operating in two cities.

The biggest problems facing the government are financial. Huge debts are looming. There's talk of default, and the consequences.

There are new people in government who can rightly say that they didn't cause this problem.

So how are these problems being handled?

It depends on which government you are referring to.

Both our local Bessemer mayor and city council and the President and Congress are facing similar issues, but their approaches to solving problems are very different.

In Washington today marks the start of a new congress, and Republican leaders in the House are ignoring the economy and the national debt and the deficit and are focusing on repealing the health care plan that, besides allowing millions of previously uninsured people to be covered, will reduce the deficit by $1,300,000,000,000 ($1.3 trillion) over the next 20 years, create 400,000 jobs a year over the next decade, and in general improve the economy.

In other words, kill jobs, increase the deficit and at the same time, deny people health care.

In Bessemer the sins of the previous administration are coming to light. At each council meeting, it seems that additional disturbing information about money the city owes vendors, or revenues that are not coming in, or important budget/financial information that was kept from the council and public, is revealed.

This finally reached a crescendo last night during the citizens participation portion of the council meeting when a member of the audience went to the podium and pretty much castrated the former mayor and council (one of whom is still on the council and was sitting right in front of him*); the former mayor for keeping information to himself and the council for not being aggressive enough. He said he might not have been "lied" to, but he certainly feels he was misled over the past few years. Misled to the point that now he doesn't know if Bessemer will be a better place for his children.

(*there are actually 2 members of the former council still in office, but one was not present)

Based on what I heard last night from the mayor and from every council member, either in private conversation or during the council meeting, this group is committed to working together, exploring all options, operating in transparency, and solving the huge problems that lie ahead.

And I think that any vendor that is owed money by the city will appreciate their attitude and be more likely to work with the city regarding payment.

The man at the podium and others in the audience (who applauded after he spoke) expressed their approval for this mayor and this council, not because of any results they have produced, but because we recognize their determination to solve the crisis and because we have the confidence that they can do it.



So, if you want to get your blood pressure up, watch Congress this week, where hypocrisy and showmanship will be on display, and the needs of the people will be ignored.

If you want to see how government should work, and how problems can be solved, come to the Bessemer city council meetings, where the livelihoods of the citizens and their quality of life is of great concern to the members. It's refreshing, and you don't often hear that about government activities.

Celine Dion - "A New Day Has Come"

As the 112th Congress begins

Republicans are going to do what over the next few days?

1. Waste a colossal amount of time (thus, wasting taxpayers money)?
   
   
2. Show themselves to be the uncaring souls that they are?
   
   
3. Both?

The correct answer is (3. Both).

House Republicans are planning to force a vote on repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as health care reform (HCR), before the President's State of the Union Address.

Rep. Fred Upton (R - Mich) said undoing the law would be "top priority" for the new congress, and he thinks there is enough support to overcome a presidential veto.

It may be a priority for Republicans, but in spite of their claim that support for repeal of HCR is growing, I doubt that Americans want to do away with the gains we have already made. There are no reliable current polls on the matter.

I will review the changes that the bill has allowed later in this post, but when January 1, 2011 rolled around, another set of changes came into effect. Those include the following benefits for seniors and all Americans.

• Offering Prescription Drug Discounts. Seniors who reach the coverage gap will receive a 50 percent discount when buying Medicare Part D covered brand-name prescription drugs.

• Providing Free Preventive Care for Seniors. The law provides certain free preventive services, such as annual wellness visits and personalized prevention plans for seniors on Medicare.

• Improving Health Care Quality and Efficiency. The law establishes a new Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation that will begin testing new ways of delivering care to patients. These methods are expected to improve the quality of care, and reduce the rate of growth in health care costs for Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

• Improving Care for Seniors After They Leave the Hospital. The Community Care Transitions Program will help high risk Medicare beneficiaries who are hospitalized avoid unnecessary re-admissions by coordinating care and connecting patients to services in their communities.

• Bringing Down Health Care Premiums. To ensure premium dollars are spent primarily on health care, the new law generally requires that at least 85% of all premium dollars collected by insurance companies for large employer plans are spent on health care services and health care quality improvement. For plans sold to individuals and small employers, at least 80% of the premium must be spent on benefits and quality improvement. If insurance companies do not meet these goals, because their administrative costs or profits are too high, they must provide rebates to consumers.

• Addressing Overpayments to Big Insurance Companies and Strengthening Medicare Advantage. Today, Medicare pays Medicare Advantage insurance companies over $1,000 more per person on average than is spent per person in Traditional Medicare. This results in increased premiums for all Medicare beneficiaries, including the 77 percent of beneficiaries who are not currently enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. The new law levels the playing field by gradually eliminating this discrepancy. People enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan will still receive all guaranteed Medicare benefits, and the law provides bonus payments to Medicare Advantage plans that provide high quality care.

Add to that the thousands of young people and previously uninsured children who have been added to the rolls of insured, and eliminating the lifetime limits on coverage, provisions to crack down on Medicare and other fraud, funding and strengthening community health centers, and more provisions that were enacted in 2010.

These are all significant changes that will strengthen the health care system, improve the way it is delivered, and reduce the costs for all Americans (or at least lower the rate of increases).

As for the grandstanding republicans in the House, even if you pass a repeal, the claim that you have a veto-proof majority (I doubt that) is useless, since repeal would never pass in the Senate, and the bill would never get to the President's desk for the veto.

But go ahead, start the new Congress by showing America that you are unwilling to move forward, that the "new Republican Congress" is no different than the previous Republican minority; uninterested in helping America move through the recession and back to prosperity, instead they are focused on obstructionism and partisanship.

At least we will have one vote from Alabama against the repeal of HCR. Terri Sewell will have replaced our latest embarrassment, Artur Davis, whose previous vote against Health Care Reform cost him the Democratic nomination for governor, and possibly the chance to be our next governor. He can now wander off into obscurity.

Lame ducks

I usually don't write the title to my post before I know what I'm going to say, so this could go anywhere.

I mean, I could write a post about the Oregon football team, and from there pile accolades on Auburn and Cam Newton and Nick Fairley and Gene Chizik.

No one expected Auburn to be in the position they are in today; a number one ranking in the BCS and a confirmed date to play for the national championship in January.

But we watched them win their first game against Arkansas State, and felt good. Then we watched them win their second game, an SEC game against Mississippi State, and felt good. Against Clemson, we felt some good fortune was being bestowed on the team, with an overtime win. Against South Carolina, (the first time), we knew there was some magic. And so on.

My point is, our confidence in our team developed over a period of several weeks, until we had no doubt we could win our final regular season game against Alabama, and follow that with a huge win over South Carolina in the SEC championship game.

Now we face the Ducks. But these are not lame ducks, they are fast paced offense, high flying, high scoring ducks. Auburn is favored by 3 points.

So if I am to write about lame ducks, I guess it will be the ones in Washington.

And because Democrat senators, led by majority leader Harry Reid, want to pass several important pieces of legislation before this congress adjourns, they may have to limp right up until Christmas Eve.



Oh horrors, Republicans scream. "Disrespecting" of one of the "holiest holidays" said Republican minority whip Jon Kyl and "sacrilegious" said Republican Senator Jim DeMint.

But our troops can fight for us on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and our loved ones (or ourselves) can work on Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day (nurses, doctors, police, firefighters, convenience store attendants and others).

Harry Reid does not take such insults sitting down.

I don’t need to hear the sanctimonious lectures of Senator Kyl and DeMint to remind me of what Christmas means. . . . Some of my Republican colleagues have the nerve to whine about having to stay and actually do the work that the American people pay us to do. We make large salaries . . . we could work as most Americans do during the holidays. . . . It’s offensive to me and millions of working Americans across this country for any Senator to suggest that working through the Christmas holidays is somehow sacrilegious or disrespectful.

And remember, it's because of the Republicans' purposeful slowdown of the legislative process that these bills have not been passed already.

And because of the Republicans, the American people have not developed a confidence that the lame duck session will pass meaningful legislation. Every day is a surprise.

But look. We've given the Republicans every thing they asked for in the Tax bill, (which was not a compromise by any stretch of the imagination). If we don't at least get the arms control treaty passed, and Don't Ask Don't Tell repealed, and get the DREAM act passed, Democrats, and most Americans, will be hugely disappointed.

So come on Harry, get moving. Give us something to celebrate this Christmas. Even if we have to wait until Christmas Eve. The rest of America is working. We see nothing wrong with you all continuing your work as well.

More reasons not to vote Republican; and ...

Keith Olbermann took up where I left off in his Special Comment last night regarding the upcoming election and the Republican Tea Party candidates. Fortunately none of these candidates are from Alabama, but that doesn't mean the Republican candidates here don't have the same backward moving ideas that these candidates support.





Part 2




I know you might not have time to watch these two videos, so let me summarize.

The Republican Tea Party want to elect candidates who will...well, if you think Jim Crow was bad, just wait and see. They are trying to scare white voters by instilling fear of the different folk. Oh sure, the targets are brown instead of black this time, but it is no different than the racist candidates of the past trying to scare white voters in to voting for the racist candidates. Remember Jesse Helms?



Senator Hank Sanders is concerned. "I ain't going back to the cotton fields and Jim Crow days," he said in a robocall urging people to vote for "Ron Sparks, Jim Folsom and others who would do right by all of us."

So here's the deal. When you vote for Republicans, you empower that party and those within the party that do want to return to Jim Crow days, that do want to return to pre-Lawrence v Texas days, that do want to do away with Social Security, that do want to take Alabama children off of the insured list and return them to the uninsured list (Robert Bentley wants to repeal health care reform. He's a doctor, yet would remove children from their insurance).

And what will the Republicans in Washington focus on after the election? Their Senate leader let us know. If you only watch one of these videos today, watch this one.



Ok, that concludes the negative portion of this post. Now for the positive.

The president appeared on The Daily Show last night, where he reminded us of the accomplishments that have been made during the past 2 years, and that the change we were hoping for is ongoing, and that the promise was not that we would see change that we can believe in within 18 months.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Barack Obama Pt. 1
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Part 2

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Barack Obama Pt. 2
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Part 3

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Barack Obama Pt. 3
www.thedailyshow.com
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=1677108722778516534
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

The president also met with progressive bloggers (my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail) yesterday. Read a transcript here of what he said about DADT and gay marriage. Here's a bit of it.

But I also think you’re right that attitudes evolve, including mine. And I think that it is an issue that I wrestle with and think about because I have a whole host of friends who are in gay partnerships. I have staff members who are in committed, monogamous relationships, who are raising children, who are wonderful parents.

And I care about them deeply. And so while I’m not prepared to reverse myself here, sitting in the Roosevelt Room at 3:30 in the afternoon, I think it’s fair to say that it’s something that I think a lot about. That’s probably the best you’ll do out of me today.

So...the President's attitude, like the country's as a whole, is changing. "The arc of history," he said.

About Republicans and their beliefs

I posted the following on Facebook yesterday.

Republicans believe our best days are behind us. I'm voting Democrat because they believe our best days are still to come.

And the other day I wrote that I'm voting a straight Democrat ticket.

Here are some reasons I cannot support any Republicans.

Monday night in Kentucky a (Republican candidate) Rand Paul campaign worker stepped on the head of a woman who was trying to get a picture of the candidate with her RepubliCorp sign.



The Republican candidate wrote this off as "passion." And he wants to be a Senator.

Republican candidate Sharron Angle of Nevada has used anti-Hispanic rhetoric and pictures in an ad where she says "waves of illegal aliens streaming across our borders."



First of all, Nevada does not have a border with any other country, let alone Mexico.

Second, crime actually decreases as immigrants come into our cities.

Yet she demonizes Latinos and insults the intelligence of Nevada voters (and the rest of America). She wants to be a Senator.

In 2007 the Republican presidential candidates debated and the question of evolution came up. That such a question even had to be asked of prospective leaders of the country amazes me, but when three candidates raised their hand after being asked who does not believe in evolution I couldn't believe it.



The three were Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo and Mike Huckabee.

Tancredo is now the Republican candidate for governor of Colorado.

Republicans in that state actually want to elect someone who does not believe in science to lead their state.

Republican Christine O'Donnell also does not believe in evolution (or self pleasure).


She says evolution is a myth. Republicans in Delaware (all 7 of them) chose her to represent their party. She wants to be a Senator also.

Oh, one more.

I am making an assumption here, (that this guy is a Republican), but Midland, Arkansas, School Board member Clint McCance has publicly stated (on Facebook) that he would only wear purple "if they (gays) all commit suicide" and that he "enjoy(s) the fact that they often give each other AIDS and die."



This is a school board member, whose duty is to make policy, including providing a safe learning environment for kids. All kids. Except for the ones he wants dead.

He also said he would "disown" his kids if they were gay, and he would "absolutely run them off." I can't wait till one of them comes out...but I feel for them.

These are just a few examples of the uncaring, hateful, uneducated, bigoted, racist, frightening Republicans running for or already in office. How can anyone support a party that believes in these things.?

Passion

pas·sion 

[pash-uhn]
–noun
1. any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.

2. strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.

3. strong sexual desire; lust.

4. an instance or experience of strong love or sexual desire.

5. a person toward whom one feels strong love or sexual desire.

6. a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything: a passion for music.

7. the object of such a fondness or desire: Accuracy became a passion with him.

8. an outburst of strong emotion or feeling: He suddenly broke into a passion of bitter words.

There are a few more definitions, mostly relating to Christ, but it is this one, "an outburst of strong emotion or feeling" that we saw yesterday from Rep. Anthony Weiner of NY after Republicans sought delaying tactics over the 9/11 health compensation bill.




From 9/11 health now The bill would spend $3.2 billion on health care over the next 10 years for people sickened from their exposure to the toxic smoke and debris of the shattered World Trade Center.. It would spend another $4.2 billion to compensate victims over that span, and make another $4.2 billion in compensation available for the next 11 years.

Republicans blocked it. Weiner's passion I believe is directed not just at the blocking of this bill, but at the Republican - Tea Party strategy that we have seen ever since Barack Obama was sworn in, and that in to be the Party of No. Last week it was forget the unemployed they are not important. Now it's forget the victims of 9/11 that are still suffering, and that the Republican - Tea party minority does not care about.

An unscientific poll on CNN that I saw a little while ago showed that most responders predict that the Republican - Tea party will not gain control of either house of congress this year.

We can only pray that they are right, because if they do, just look for more suffering, more neglect, greater disparities and less compassion.

No wait, we can do more than pray. We can work to get Democrats elected, we can make phone calls, we can donate money. We can put our passion into action.

Standing in the school house door

One hundred and three students will be denied their scholarships as a result of Governor Bob Riley's raid on Greentrack earlier this month.

This information comes from The Tuscaloosa News.

The scholarships provided between $500 and $900 each semester to the students.

“This governor, in 2010, is standing in the schoolhouse door,” Rev. John Kennard said. “He is standing in the schoolhouse door to prevent 103 of our children from furthering their education, and we’re not going to take it.”

Kennard is vice president of the group, Clergy Who Care.

Several students attended a rally organized by Kennard. They seem determined, in spite of the governor's action.

Governor Riley's office issued a statement yesterday about the VictoryLand profits that actually reflect his beliefs about bingo in general, thus, also about this issue in Green County.

“The casinos mislead people into believing they’re helping charities. But the reality is, the only people who actually benefit from it are the casino bosses and their cronies.”

So, the governor does not consider these students as "people," I guess.

Governor Wallace stood in the schoolhouse door on June 11, 1963. He thought he was big stuff, but that attempt to preserve his way of life looks pretty foolish now, doesn't it.

And remember, Republican candidate for Governor Dr. Robert Bentley wants to do away with electronic Bingo too. So he would leave these students out in the cold as well.

This is not about looking for other sources of funds for each student to continue his or her education. The students are doing that, and let's hope they are successful.

No, it's about stripping away a source of college education funds that the students already had secured and on which they were depending.

It's about making things more difficult for students of color.

It plays right along with this undercurrent of racism that has swollen into a torrent over the last two days following the release of an edited video by a right wing blogger meant to further divide our nation and remind white people that they are supposed to be afraid of black people.

Rachel Maddow tells how white voters are being targeted to be afraid of black people.

Part 1, where she talks about George Wallace, and shows a comic book he used during a campaign to promote his views, and the "southern strategy" for winning political races by making white people be afraid of black people. Wallace used it in the 60's, and it is still being used today.



Here's part 2 of Rachel's segment.



How long will the real racists, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Andrew Breitbart, Fox News, who are among us be allowed to control the news in this way? How long will we (the big we...the media, the White House, the bloggers) continue to be fooled in this way?

Alabama Republicans are a symptom

It's as if someone has brought a really, really sick cat into the vet's office. A good veterinarian will do a thorough examination, probably order some lab tests and/or radiographs, and begin supportive treatment while awaiting results. The doctor and staff will be encouraged by signs of improvement, and will not be dismayed by recurring symptoms of the illness. Rather, they will adjust their treatment plan with confidence, knowing that a successful outcome is probable.

The same is true of Alabama politics. The loudest voices are those of the conservative sickness that represent an era and mindset that we have been trying to overcome for decades.

The rest of the country, and many in our own state, see Alabama as a backward and racist, in spite of the fact that as individuals we are pretty much like everybody else in the country. For instance, we look at evolution as a matter of science , and a necessary part of education and not a political tool. And we get along with our co-workers and neighbors who are of a different race.

But then Republicans and conservative groups open their mouths. You can pick almost any of them, but for the purpose of this blog, I will choose three examples. Just hearing any of these might be enough to make a progressive pack up and give up. But the things we are hearing are just a symptom of a disease that is being defeated.

Jeff Sessions

Yesterday at the opening hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elana Kagan Alabama Republican Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III took shots at the future justice and in doing so (once again) embarrassed all of us from Alabama.

"Ms. Kagan has associated herself with well-known activist judges. She clerked with Judge Mikva and Justice (Thurgood) Marshall, each well known activists. These justices really don't deny their activist ideas, they advocate it. And they openly criticize the idea that a judge is merely a neutral umpire."

Sessions and his Republican counterparts at the hearing referenced Thurgood Marshall (negatively) 35 times. Marshall's son, Thurgood Marshall, Jr, sat in the audience and listened.

Thurgood Marshall is best known as the Supreme Court's first African-American justice, but as a practicing attorney and solicitor general before that he argued before the high court on numerous occasions. The most famous was Brown v Board of Education, the landmark case that did away with separate but equal public education because it could not be equal. He won 29 out of the 32 cases he argued before the Supreme Court.

Here see Sessions and other Republicans criticizing this American judicial hero.



Senator Sessions: the year is 2010, not 1965. Segregation is over. Gone. Done away with. It's not coming back. Give it up.

Unfortunately, Senator Sessions gets to continue his assault today (in fact, as I write this, he is grilling the appointee on her views regarding Don't Ask, Don't Tell).

Rick Barber

Rick Barber is in the Republican runoff with Martha Roby to challenge for the congressional seat held by DINO Bobby Bright of Montgomery. Barber has run ads which have been criticized for advocating gun violence and now is running an ad in which he and an Abraham Lincoln portrayer agree that health care reform is a form of slavery. I won't force you to watch his ad, but here's a screen shot.

Rick: as has been pointed out, President Lincoln imposed the first Federal income tax in 1861 for the purpose of raising money to fight the Civil War. That is not too unlike using tax money to promote the general health and welfare of the nation. And Rick, the south lost that war, and as a result, Barack Obama was able to run for president. I don't think Zombie Abe and you see eye to eye on this issue.

But you did a good job of embarrassing us in front of the rest of the nation.

Christians against Bradley Byrne

I heard a political ad on the radio, in which Republican front runner Bradley Byrne was criticised for promoting evolution, profiting from gambling, and supporting Sunday liquor sales. Then the voice said or indicated that Byrne was (paraphrased) distancing himself from the Bible.

Whoever put this ad out: First, evolution is the accepted explanation for the diversity of life that we find on our planet. Second, show me in the Bible where it says thou shalt not sell liquor on Sunday. Third now explain why your beliefs about such things, based on your biblical worldview, should apply to all of us. Fourth, isn't your entire ad sort of gossipy, and doesn't that sort of distance you from the Bible?

So, these examples of Republican silliness show us that Alabama conservatives want to return us to the good old days. Remember, the Tea Party people carry signs advocating taking the country back, and all indications are that they want to take it back to the 1950's.

But we keep reminding ourselves. This is 2010. These guys are just symptoms of the illness that affected our state a half century ago. An illness characterized by inequality and ignorance.

In reality, we are past that. We are (for the most part) an educated populace that believes in science and equality and celebrates the historical figures that got us here, most notably in this case, Thurgood Marshall.

So as progressives we recognize that these vestiges have a limited life, and we will continue to educate and inform and push our state forward, not pull it back.

Oil and kudzu

We (humans) can do little things that become big goofs. Some things look big, but are actually small, but still can be a big goof.

Two articles in today's Birmingham News show us that this is true.

Oil

Article

One article is about the oil spill. How big is the spill?, the headline asks. Let's put it in context, the headline answers.

The Mississippi River pours as much water into the Gulf of Mexico in 38 seconds as the BP oil leak has done in two months.

For every gallon of oil that BP's well has gushed into the Gulf of Mexico, there is more than 5 billion gallons of water already in it. That's 1:5,000,000,000.

If all the oil that has spilled were poured into the Superdome, it would only fill it one seventh of the way up.

Kudzu Article

If you live in Alabama you know Kudzu. The sprawling vine covers 61,295 acres in our state, according to the U. S. Forest Service. The Alabama Cooperative Extension Service estimates estimates over 250,000 acres in our state are covered.

There are 52,419.02 square miles = 33,548,172.8 acres in Alabama. Using the U. S. Forest Service estimate, that's 1:547 acres of our state are Kudzu covered.

(Depending on where one looks for information and whether just land is counted or all area, land and water, the number of square miles in Alabama varies, by the way.)

Kudzu first appeared in the U. S. in 1876, and was used as an ornamental. In the 1930's is was decided it could be used to control another human goof up (soil erosion from improper agricultural practices in the Southeast) and so 85 million (85,000,000) kudzu seeds were shipped to southern landowners.




Now we learn that Kudzu may be responsible for some of the ground level ozone that affects our air quality and gives people like me fits on days when we are warned not to go outdoors in Jefferson County.

So, here's my point. Republicans and other contrarians that deny global warming have said that we cannot affect the climate, that human action is too small compared to the expanse of the world and air that surrounds it. Republicans and other petro lovers have said that the Gulf oil spill is not that big a deal and are still screaming drill baby drill. Tony Hayward said the spill was "relatively tiny" compared to the "very big ocean." Technically, as has been shown, he was right.

There are two kinds of people in the world (really there are many kinds, depending on what one is talking about), those who care about the environment and those who do not. Of the ones who care about the environment there are two kinds, those who understand that little things we do today, can have a huge impact tomorrow, and those whose concern about the environment goes no further than what they see at the moment and their perception of a more immediate future.

A little ornamental vine that was exhibited at an exposition in Philadelphia in 1876 has turned into a monster that affects our health as a result of human activity.

The relatively small amount of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico is going to forever change some of the most fragile and important lands in the coastal states, and affect many species in ways we cannot predict yet. The root of this problem is human, also. Human greed.

Republicans have called for less financial regulation, in the aftermath of a financial crisis that was caused in large part by lack of regulation.

Now they want to block the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases, and are critical of the president's halt of deep water drilling.



Here's the deal. America has to wake up. Quit putting off the development of alternative energy sources while saying we have plenty of fossil fuel and time to slowly make the changes. And quit drilling in the Gulf...really forever, but at least until you can assure us that you know WTF you are doing!

Here's an idea. Add a $4.00 per gallon gas tax and let the proceeds go toward alternative fuel research. We made a drastic and relatively quick change from horse and buggy to steam engine to gasoline powered vehicles and I'm sure the horse traders and horse feed producers didn't like it one bit. The industrial revolution changed the way goods were produced and I'm sure that as the factories were beginning to manufacture what we needed (or wanted) the cottage industry folks were concerned about their way of life.

It's no different now. A big change is going to come about. It's just a matter of who will accept it and learn to change along with it, and who will be kicking and screaming because they can't adjust.

PS. The new Share buttons that follow this are probably not working. Why not give it a try and let me know if anything happens? When I click, it does not give me opportunity to share. How about you?

What we learned yesterday

Where to start after yesterday's primary election?

I've not spent 13 hours at a polling place since my own campaign on election day 4 years ago. Those of us making a last minute effort to influence voters had a good day at Thompson Manor in Bessemer.

Do we do any good by handing out ballots or candidate info to people on their way in to vote?

Who knows, But in a close race, when there are many races on the ballot, a voter might be coming to the poll in strong support of only one candidate in a single race, and really not decided on the other races, so we pass out our literature in hopes of gaining a vote or two.

At any rate, I think the voters of Alabama proved one thing yesterday. We are not a teabagger state.

Xenophobe Tim James seems destined to be left out of the runoff. He's currently in third place.

Theocrat Roy Moore can ride off into the sunset on that horse he's pictured on in today's Birmingham News.

Racial profiler wanna-be Steve French lost. (The victor of this primary may well be a teabagger).

Laughingstock Dale Peterson lost his youtube based campaign of threat to a couple of more sensible Republicans that will face each other in a runoff.

Teabagger-come-lately Parker Griffith lost his Republican bid for the seat that Democrats gave him 4 years ago. It's not nice to fool Mother Nature, and it's not nice to fool Democrats either, Griffith. (His replacement leans teabag).

As for the Governor's race, the only surprise on the Democrat side was the margin of the Ron Sparks win over "throw 'em (both gays and blacks, other wise known as "your base") under the bus" Artur Davis.

Davis' vote against the health care bill has to go down down as one of the biggest political errors in Alabama history. Pundits are downplaying it, while every single black person I spoke with, and there were many, said that vote sealed the deal against him. Whoever advised him to vote that way (surely he didn't come up with that himself, heck, he's got a Harvard education! after all), should be fired. Oh wait, they don't have a job now anyway, do they?

On the Republican side, it is truly a gift from God if in fact it turns out that Tim James can join Roy Moore at Buck's Pocket (many of you younger readers might not know, but Buck's Pocket is "where all the defeated public officials go to lick their wounds after an unsuccessful election."




In the race to replace Davis in AL-07, Terri Sewell led the pack with 31,489 votes over Sheila Smoot with 24,376 votes. Earl Hilliard, Jr. came in third with 22,939 votes. Sewell and Smoot will face each other in a runoff.

Six weeks of campaigning to go for those in runoffs. I will investigate some numbers and comment more on these and other races later.

Maine bumper sticker: OMG GOP WTF

And the whole country is wondering.

Republicans in Maine, where both the senators (Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe) are pretty moderate on issues and at times act in cooperation with Democrats (in a bipartisan fashion), this week voted overwhelmingly to replace their party platform with the Teabagger platform.

The document calls for the elimination of the Department of Education and the
Federal Reserve, demands an investigation of "collusion between government and
industry in the global warming myth," suggests the adoption of "Austrian
Economics," declares that "'Freedom of Religion' does not mean 'freedom from
religion'" (which I guess makes atheism illegal), insists that "healthcare is
not a right," calls for the abrogation of the "UN Treaty on Rights of the Child"
and the "Law Of The Sea Treaty" and declares that we must resist "efforts to
create a one world government."

The entire platform can be read here.

Here are some highlights.

"Oppose any and all treaties with the UN "

"No amnesty, no benefits, no citizenship -ever- for anyone in the country illegally. Arrest and detain, for a specified period of time, anyone here illegally, and then deport, period." (Maine, by the way, is 97 % white, it seems, and the Maine teabaggers are unlikely to understand what diversity is. To them, a black person, or even a southerner, might be deemed an "illegal.")


"Reassert the principle that "Freedom of Religion" does not mean "freedom from religion". (To my atheist and agnostic friends - your beliefs or lack of beliefs are threatened)


"Discard political correctness" (So we can all speak in hateful, bigoted language like you do?)


"Pass and implement Fed bill #1207 (Introduced by Ron Paul), to Audit the Federal Reserve, as the first step in Ending the Fed." (Ending the Fed? Yeah, that would create stability now, wouldn't it?)


"Investigate collusion between government and industry in the global warming myth." (Myth? Myth? What rock do you people live under?)


"Prohibit any further stimulus bills." (Even though the stimulus bill was part of what saved this country from the policies of republican leadership in Washington, and if I searched, I'm sure I could find where Maine specifically benefited.)


"Espouse and follow the principle: It is immoral to steal the property rightfully earned by one person, and give it to another who has no claim or right to its benefits." (Does this mean they want to do away with Medicare and Medicaid? - yes!)


"Clarify that healthcare is not a right." (Yes it is. Period.)


"Eliminate Dirigo" (Dirigo is the Maine health initiative to provide all citizens with affordable health care coverage. Dirigo is also the motto of Maine, meaning "I direct" or "I lead." I'm not sure which one they want to eliminate).
　
　
"Eliminate the Department of Education." (A favorite target of teabaggers).

This video shows the excitement generated by the passage of the platform.


　

Maine has been referred to as the "South of the North."

One comment points this out:

It's a sea of white hair in the video above. Almost all recipients of SS checks
and Medicare coverage. In other words, they are on welfare. "Health care is not
a right!" they bellow as they receive hip transplants, heart valve replacements,
and other life-saving operations on the public dime. "Socialism is evil" they
wail while waiting to cash their Social Security check.
Selfish, small-minded, ignorant hypocrites.

I wonder what Snowe and Collins think of their party's new platform? I wonder what they think about their chances of surviving when their Senate seats comes up for re-election (Snowe in 2012, Collins in 2014). I wonder what they think about switching parties.

Spill, Baby, Spill

Not much originality in the title, but its amazing to me that people still don't get it even though the Gulf of Mexico is turning into a sludge pool.

Big oil funded politicians are still calling for more offshore drilling.

I've been reluctant to comment on the Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill, mainly because anything I write might not be relevant within hours of publishing because of changing conditions and predictions and such.

But then I heard Texas Governor Rick Perry say,"From time to time there are going to be things that occur that are acts of God that cannot be prevented."

It's no surprise to learn that the GOP (Gas, Oil, Petroleum) worships big oil, but to claim that probable negligence of man was actually caused by God is a bit ridiculous.

God, or his team of writers, did say this, however, in Leviticus11: 9-12.

9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. 10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: 11 They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. 12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.

So maybe God is being vengeful because of all the Red Lobsters and Captain D's springing up across the country. God hates shrimp. Just like he hates the gays.

No, God doesn't work that way. Not in the 21st century, anyway.

Then Dana Perino chimed in with "I don't want to introduce a conspiracy theory," followed by "but was this deliberate?…Was it sabotage?"

Are these people nuts?

Here is something I don't understand, from al.com.

"With extra time to respond, BP officials said they were continuing efforts to block or contain three gushing leaks 5,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf."

That followed a couple of paragraphs that concluded that no landfall of oil was likely for another three days.

I don't see how conditions on the beach have anything to do with BP's urgency to stop the flow of oil in the middle of the Gulf. There is no "extra time." No extra time!

The problems on the beach and the problems on the ocean floor are not connected in the sense that oil not washing up on the beaches has nothing to do with the 210,000 gallons per day still leaking.

And then there is this statement by BP's Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles yesterday in Mobile, who said he hoped one of the leaks would be blocked by late Tuesday.

"I don't believe that will change the total amount of oil being leaked, but it does mean we'll go from three leak points to two, which is progress."

Think about that. Yes, it's progress, in that if they stopped one, they can stop the others. But, he expects that 210,000 gallons of oil a day will still be leaking, even after a leak is stopped.

When do you expect all the leaking to stop? That is the question we want answered.

Watch Celine Dion sing "A New Day." We need a new day, that's for sure.