Commies!

Americans began to be indoctrinated into fearing and hating communism and using the word “Commie” as an insult with John Edgar Hoover and Joseph McCarthy. Everyone that didn’t agree with the system and dared to speak out was investigated and accused of being a Communist, a traitor.

Thanks to that practice, many innocent people were chastised and their lives were severely disrupted in the States. Such was the case for Sir Charles Chaplin, who fled the country and moved back to Europe – it was our loss, not his. Sean Penn’s father, Leo Penn, was also accused of this, and his acting career was seriously damaged, he never was able to act again but against all odds, Mr. Penn became a successful director.

Today, even after the fall of the Soviet Union we still hear the word “Commie” popping up, is the favorite insult Republicans and Conservatives use when confronted with the truth. For the conservatives, anyone who is not a sheep then must be a Commie, period.

If you are a socialist, for the uneducated Right that means you are a communist. You want universal healthcare? Commie! You want to end poverty and hunger? Commie! You want equal rights for all… Commie!

These accusations are always perpetrated by Conservatives, which are still stuck in the 1950s and want the rest of America to go back in time with them.

My family brought me here from a Communist country when I was in my early teens, which gives me the advantage of remembering how things were in my there and the similarities with what is happening here.

In my country, being gay was against the law. If you were a man and your pants were too tight, a soldier would cut them open by the seams; if a young man had long hair he was viewed by the government as gay or feminized and that was enough to take them to jail. Homosexuality was unacceptable.

Abortions were also banned, not because the Communist leaders believed in any deity but because for a Communist country the people are the workers that will bring progress to the land – they all work for almost nothing and can’t own anything it’s all profits for the government, and it was in the government’s best interest to keep the population growing. Food was rationalized, so the more people the less food there was, but that didn’t apply to the leaders so the lack of food was inconsequential. In countries where everything is owned by the government, Unions do not exist because the government will not allow it.

There are two things provided by the Communists that can be associated with Democrats: education and healthcare. Socialist and Communist countries (similar ideology but not equal) are for free education and free healthcare for every individual. It’s the only undeniable good in a communist political system.

The universal color for any Communist country is red, even China’s flag shows that color. In countries that were under that regime, people from the Communist Party were called the Right, not the Left. Lefties were the rebels; the ones not conformed to the regime.

Conservatives use the term Commie to describe those of us that are liberal, progressive or simply Democrats. However, Republicans color is red, they are the Right wing, are against unions, against gay rights, against abortion… That makes 5 similarities between Communists and Republicans. Communists are for free education and healthcare, so are Democrats, that’s two similarities... and the Right wing dares to call us “Commies"!

The Republican the GOP Doesn't Like

"To question your government is not unpatriotic — to not question your government is unpatriotic."~ Chuck Hagel

"I took an oath of office to the Constitution, I didn't take an oath of office to my party or my president."    ~ Chuck Hagel

Chuck Hagel, as all of us know, has been nominated by President Obama to be our next Secretary of Defense. This nomination has created turmoil on both sides of the isle and for different reasons. Democrats are aerated because a Democrat wasn’t nominated to hold that position, but truth be told… which of the two Parties is predominantly more aggressive? I think you’ll agree with me that Democrats are more the “peace and love” bunch in Washington where Republicans are more the war mongering type. I know I am stereotyping, and there are always exceptions to the rule, but it is my opinion that to lead an army you have to have a soldier’s mentality.

Mr. Hagel served in the Vietnam War as a Sergeant along with his brother and received several medals for his valor; he was awarded two purple hearts, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, the Army Commendation Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge. If someone knows what it entails to be in a war, that’s Chuck Hagel.

I must admit that I wasn’t pleased when the rumors began that President Obama was going to appoint him to be the Secretary of Defense. Mr. Hagel is extremely controversial and outspoken; he made comments and voted against homosexuals while he was Senator and he has made several questionable comments about Israel and the Palestine conflict. However, I rather have a person that speaks his mind without concern about what is politically correct than a hypocrite that will say one thing and do another when away from the public eye. That is not the case with Mr. Hagel, he will tell it as he sees it. Ultimately, all the decisions about civil rights and the relationship between The United States and Israel, how to approach the Palestine or any other global conflict lies with the President, not the Secretary of Defense.

But if we are honest, the positions he has taken throughout his political career are for the most part commendable. He is not like the Republicans we have become accustomed to, those that will vote against their principle just to stick with their Party. Not Mr. Hagel. He publicly criticized the Bush Administration when he said that the administration was “the lowest in capacity, in capability, in policy, in consensus—almost every area" of any presidency in the last forty years."

A lot has been said about Mr. Hagel being Anti-Semite. For what I have read, Mr. Hagel wants for Israel and the Islamic nations to have more of a diplomatic approach to resolve their conflict instead of a ballistic one. He is also against the United States to offer military support to Israel regardless of the situation without first demanding a peaceful resolution. The following is a direct quote from Wikipedia: “In July 2006, Hagel criticized the Bush administration on its handling of the Israel-Lebanon issue, saying "The sickening slaughter on both sides must end and it must end now. President Bush must call for an immediate cease-fire. This madness must stop." He also said "Our relationship with Israel is special and historic... But it need not and cannot be at the expense of our Arab and Muslim relationships. That is an irresponsible and dangerous false choice.”" It is for this type of comments that he is considered Anti-Semite, I don’t see it that way, I see it as a man that has seen too many unnecessary deaths because of wars and prefers to resolve differences in a more civilized manner, whenever possible.

   

Only time will tell if the President’s decision to nominate Mr. Hagel was a good decision. I don’t agree with many of Mr. Hagel’s points of views, but I do like a man that speaks his mind, that says that which he believes to be his fundamental principles for what he thinks it’s the good of the country. It’s refreshing to see a Republican step outside the box where they seem to be stuck in and since the majority of Republicans are desperately trying to trash the name of Mr. Hagel, that is enough for me to endorse him!

Let it Fall Off The Cliff!

I don’t know if it is because of the Holiday Season, the down after the rush or simply that I am in one of these moods where everything seems to be uninteresting. Perhaps I can attribute this feeling to being unemployed and therefore broke. I have no idea what is it, but I have not been too inspired lately.

Then, I turn the TV on and start hearing the comments from those on the Right, you know the ones… those that live in mansions and have more money than they know what to do with. I start hearing that in order for them to continue to operate their businesses they must cut the working hours of their employees.  Of course, they are not talking about the salaried employees – I am sure they would be happy to work less hours and receive the same pay – no, these sons of bitches are cutting the hours of their hourly employees, the ones that earn about $10 an hour, the ones that are struggling to survive. When asked why were they doing this, they blamed it on Obamacare. My ass, Obamacare does not go into full effect until 2014!

They are just throwing a temper tantrum because their Party LOST and the Right can’t accept defeat, they have never been able to handle it gracefully. They have a lot to learn from Democrats who have always accepted defeat with decorum, even when the win has been stolen from them as it happened in 2004.  We accept our loss, move on and set our eyes on the next election, we behave like adults, and they behave like brats. I’m sure it is very difficult for them to handle defeat when they invested so much money in their candidates’ campaigns, when they concocted every possible idea to obstruct Democrats from voting and they still lost the electoral votes and the popular votes by a wide margin. That must be a very hard pill to swallow!

I am sick that so many so-called “Americans” are signing petitions to secede from the Union. Who gives a damn about these traitors? Let them leave! It would be a much better country if they all would get a one way ticket to hell never to set foot on this land again… They are all just a bunch of losers who are so immature that they can’t even comprehend why they lost. They blame everything and anything but themselves. They fail to recognize that their actions and complete disregard of the working class, their racism and sexism, their absurd disregard about science and the environment as well as their obstructionism is what made them fail miserably and what people rejected, but they refuse to accept it or acknowledge it and even less rectify their ways.

Now, we are back again at the beginning: the fearful “fiscal cliff.” While Boehner lies with a straight face and publicly say that the Republicans are willing to work with the President to avoid a fiscal cliff, the very next day he nominates Paul Ryan, of all people, to be the lead of the fiscal negotiations with the President. We can be sure that the Republican Party is still playing the same games, the “my way or the highway” tactic. Paul Ryan is on record saying that he will not approve or agree to raise any taxes. He is all for saving money by cutting funds to “unnecessary” programs. Which programs is he talking about? That’s easy because he is quite open and blunt when it comes to his fiscal ideas, the “programs” he is willing to put on the chopping block are Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, Social Security, Financial Aid for college Students, Education, Food stamps and any other program that was designed as a safety net for the poor. In a recent ABC interview with Jonathan Karl, Ryan had the audacity to say that the President has no mandate to increase taxes on the very wealthy, because the people retained the Republicans in the House. Not for long, I can assure you that!

These idiots have learned nothing, they refuse to recognize what the majority of the people voted in favor of, because this is not what the people that financially support them, that bought them, want to hear. The Republican Party sold their soul to the devil (Norquist) a long time ago and it’s a Party on the way to extinction unless they mend their ways.

In the meantime, the media is once more instilling fear in the American people with the financial cliff drama. The “financial cliff” is not the end of the world, actually it is a very nice and smooth ride and we should let the taxes fall off the proverbial cliff. Let them smash at the bottom into tiny pieces:

Hefty Tax Breaks were on the verge,

Hefty Tax Breaks fell off the fence,

All the rich Asses, and all the Congressmen

Couldn't put Hefty Tax Breaks together again!

Taxes will go back to how they were during the Clinton Administration. Let Congress fix the tax codes and close all the loopholes and then provide the middle-class with tax breaks in a retroactive manner. If this can’t be done, I rather not get a tax break than continue financing the rich to get more tax breaks with the excuse that they “create jobs,” they haven’t done so in over ten years.

Republicans don’t have a foot to stand on; this time around they have nothing to bargain with. The American people through their vote spoke loud and clear, we want fair taxation; it is time for every American to help move the country forward, because the working class cannot carry that burden alone!

Let Them Secede!

"WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:

Peacefully grant the State of _____ to withdraw from the United States of America & create its own NEW government

As the founding fathers of the United States of America made clear in the Declaration of Independence in 1776:

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

"...Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and institute new Government..."

***

Forty-Two out of 50 states are collecting signatures to secede from the Union. You can find them at the White House Petitions Page and the signatures are growing by the minute.

I take this as a tantrum thrown by those sore losers that cannot accept having a black man running this country, and I should not waste my time on the subject but… I am fed up with their unpatriotic behavior, especially since we had to put up with their arrogance and claims of loving the country while implying that those of us that supported President Obama were traitors and unpatriotic. We put up with this crap for four long years and as it turned out, they are the ones that hate this country so much as to wish not to be part of it. I say, grant them their wish but with a twist.

Texas is a rich state, with plenty of oil and a shoreline. Texans have always considered their State as a Republic that is forced to be part of the Union but openly wanting to be a country in and by itself. Let’s grant Texas secession from the Union. Let’s give it to them. Then, every single individual that signed a petition to secede from the Union from each and every state should be stripped of their citizenship, their contributions to Social Security annulled and send them all to Texas. Needless to say that they can kiss their food stamps and welfare checks goodbye, after all, they hate “entitlements.”

These individuals will forever be forbidden to return to the United States and if they do, they will be arrested for illegally entering the country and charged with treason.

It would not be fair for those Democrats, Liberals and Conservationists that reside in the State of Texas to be stuck there, so we will grant them 6 months for them to sell their property and get their finances in order before they move to the United States.

The United States has Federal property in the State of Texas, which will remain property of the United States, such as the case with NASA until the year 2112. All military bases will be removed and all equipment, weapons and personnel should be relocated to the United States and this includes naval vessels, airplanes, helicopters, terrain vehicles, etc. All military bases should be stripped or demolished. The Republic of Texas should purchase their own stuff.

Members of Congress that wish to leave will be welcomed to do so; actually, I think we should encourage them. The same can be said about the Koch brothers, Donald Trump, Sheldon Adelson, Mitt Romney and family, Rush Limbaugh, Rupert Murdoch and everyone from Fox News.

Imagine what strides we can accomplish without all these negative people obstructing every attempt to move forward. Imagine how great this country would be without all these racist people. Imagine how peaceful we would live without these aggressive people around. The more I think of it, the more I like the idea!

We will remain with 50 States… Texas goes and Puerto Rico joins us. Long lives the United States of America!

The Report Republicans Don't Want You To See

This is the report that was pulled out due to the pressure from the Republicans in Congress.  The reason you may ask... Well, it's quite simple: The Republicans in Congress do not want you to learn that what has been for decades their theory that Reaganomics is what creates jobs its not true.  The trickle-down theory simply does not work, it is a scam to benefit the rich.  

Their economic theories are false and the only purpose it has served is to hurt this country, the middle-class and making the gap between the middle-class and the very wealthy wider and wider while sinking the working class into poverty.  That is the Republican Party for you, their only interest is for the rich not their constituents, not "we, the people."

I decided to post it this way instead of just the link to the report (which you can find at the bottom) because I am sure that it will not be available for long.

 

 

 

To read the report directly on the Congressional Research Service site, click here

I Voted Today

When I woke up today I was all excited because I was going to vote, first time I was to vote early.

I took my morning shower and wore my blue t-shirt with Forward on the front and Obama on the back along with Obama-Biden 2012; I embellished the t-shirt with some buttons mocking Romney and Ryan and got on my way to my precinct.

The precinct is in an affluent area. As I drove into the parking lot with my car full of stickers reflecting my political views, I got a mixed reaction from the people walking by. Some, not that many, gave me a thumbs up, others… well, let’s just say that if looks could kill, I would not be writing this right now.

When I got there the line that was already about two blocks long. Flustering as if moths attracted to the light, there were people from both parties representing almost every candidate in the ballot, providing last minute propaganda as to why you should vote for this or that candidate. I find this to be a waste of time, funds and paper, since at this point in the game most people have already made up their minds, but I guess it’s part of the “tradition”, like movies and popcorn.

There were some angry faces in the group. A tall, black haired woman that was obviously Hispanic (not because of her looks, because she was speaking Spanish) looked extremely upset. Apparently someone had mentioned that president Obama was slightly ahead in the polls. She kept saying that we couldn’t afford four more years of the same. I found her comments outrageous, but decided to keep my mouth shut. I was determined not to give them the pleasure of saying we Liberals or Democrats were not civil… I had resolved to behave and I was going to stick to my guns.

There was an elderly couple behind me. The woman was sporting a t-shirt from a local radio station that I know it’s Republican. We began to talk; they told me that she was a Republican and her husband an Independent. 

Anyway, I was committed to be a civil citizen. To behave as they certainly weren’t expecting from a Democrat, from a Liberal. I smiled all the time that I heard them say all the bullshit they kept repeating and that we all have heard so many times.

Then she touched the economy and how “mighty” Romney will “save” our economy. I allowed her to finish praising the Lord of Kolob and after she had finished her well learned rhetoric, I asked her if I could offer my opinion and of course, she said yes. I said, well more than my opinion I want you to answer one question. If Romney is going to cut the tax rate by 20% across the board (she nodded, very happy), if he is going to give tax cuts to corporations (again, a grim on her face and more nodding) and in top of that he is going to triple the budget of our military, which by the way is the largest budget in the world… Can you explain to me how can Romney get us out of debt if all he has offered as a budget plan is giving money away instead of producing any income? How can he say that he will bring down the deficit when he will have to borrow from that “hateful China” in order to triple the military budget? Her reply stunned me. She said, I know it sounds illogical, but Romney can do it. I told her that it was mathematically impossible and she said that it was not impossible with Romney’s mathematics... I laughed and said: sorry, but numbers are numbers and 2 +2 will never equal 7. She persisted, against all logic, that Romney could do it.

She told me that president Obama had 4 years to take us out of the recession and that during the first two years he had a Democratic Congress and had accomplished nothing. Really? I replied. Let me refresh your memory – I said - first of all we never had the majority in Congress – in case you don’t know it takes 60% to pass anything in Congress and we never had those numbers. She agreed, at least that was good. I continued saying that since day one, Republicans in Congress made it very clear and said publicly that their number one objective was to make of President Obama a one-term president. Again she nodded, agreeing with me. Also, the Republicans in Congress obstructed every single effort presented by the president that would have helped the middle-class and the country to prosper and to my surprise, she agreed with me! I mentioned that the country was in shambles when president Obama took office and that every economist was predicting another depression and that he, against all odds, had stopped this from happening. I asked her if she was going to vote any of those Congressmen out and she said no, that they were doing their “job” and that she agreed with them since President Obama was a Communist and he had to be stopped. I looked at her perplexed and told her: A communist? Nothing could be farther from the truth, he is a centered Democrat and those accusations are completely false! So you are going to reward them by keeping them there. You are going to reward their criminal behavior – she wanted to interrupt me but I didn’t allow her. I said, yes, criminal behavior because while they were getting paid to work for America they were golfing and doing nothing. Criminal because they ignored separation of Church and State and, all the bills that they have created in Congress have mainly been related to abortion and women’s issues, not jobs, not the economy not anything that will help the country move forward but you, you are rewarding them and telling them that their dirty tricks and irresponsible behavior is the way to go.

She looked at me and said, I’m sure that if Romney gets elected Democrats will do the same thing. I was fuming but maintained my composure. Let me remind you – I told her – that when Bush was in power the Democrats never used that tactic and I sure hope that if Romney wins, the Democrats in Congress pay back with the same. She got offended, told me that would be an awful thing to do because what mattered most was the country and not the different political ideals. Oh, so when Republicans do this it’s OK, but if Democrats do it then it is awful? Gosh… No wonder the country is the way it is!

The hypocrisy of these people is beyond reasoning. Their logic is inexistent and there is no way to reason with them. It is because of people like them that this country is going down the drain. It is because of people like them that nothing gets done.

Fortunately enough, it was my turn to vote and I walked away from that cancer that was eroding my self-control... one more second and I would have smacked her!

Silencing the Vote

Today I went to renew my driver’s license, which doesn’t expire for a few months but since I moved, I needed it to reflect my current address, I don’t want any problems on November 6.

I tried to get an appointment online, but all the appointments were for days after the election day and since my main concern was to have everything in order to cast my vote, I decided to go in person to the closest DMV.

I drove to the same office where I have renewed my license for years. To my surprise, it was abandoned, gone, closed. Facing that predicament, I checked on my cell for the closest DMV location in my area. Most of the well-known and accessible locations had been closed; precisely the ones located in the most populated and  central areas were no longer in existence. I found one at a mall that was within driving distance and I headed there.

I got in line with my passport and current driving license. When it was my turn I was asked for my birth certificate or passport, good thing I had my passport with me. Then I was asked for my social security card and two bills or mail with my current address and showing my name. I asked the DMV employee if that was something new, the social security card and the two different bills/mail, if everyone had to produce those documents or if I had mentioned that I needed to change my address. Well, it turns out that they are requesting this from everyone, renewals, new licenses, lost licenses, change of address or name, IDs, etc. I had to rush back home to get the social security card and two pieces of mail with my name and current address on it.

I am outraged at this new “law” that conveniently went into effect precisely on an election year. Even to get employment, a passport is good enough to prove your citizenship. After all, it’s a document issued by the government, with your picture, date of birth, signature, etc. Why the social security and two pieces of mail on top of your birth certificate or passport? There can only be one answer: silencing the homeless, the elderly and the poor.

Imagine if you lost your job and your home and you are living in your car (as so many do today), how on earth will you be able to get a driver’s license or ID if you can’t produce two pieces of mail showing your address? The very poor usually don’t have a passport or a credit/debit card, the only thing they have is an ID or driver’s license to show at the voting precinct and cast their vote. Now, thanks to this new “law” most of them will not be able to acquire a license or ID and therefore they will not be able to vote. This is just another way of suppressing the vote of likely democrats, to obstruct the most sacred right of every citizen of this nation.

To those that still have a current ID or Driver’s license but have moved, or your name has changed or are living in your car… Don’t try to renew your license now, wait until after election’s day. If your license is about to expire, ask a friend or family member to allow you to use their address or ask them for a notarized letter stating that you live at their house (this is allowed in lieu of correspondence). Don’t let them get away with this, do whatever you need to do to get that license or ID.

America is on life support and if the Republican’s tactic is successful, we will be witnessing the annihilation of Democracy by the hands of corrupt Republican politicians and we will need to be prepared to attend the funeral of our nation. Don’t allow this to happen… Vote!

Tonight... We try to take over the World!

Today I read that the GOP is accusing President Obama’s Administration for recent suspected leaks of highly classified information. That accusation should not come as a surprise to anyone. As usual the GOP, through their military make-believe hero John McCain, is claiming that the “leak” benefits Obama at the upcoming elections, how or why do they believe this beats me since the information leaked is not beneficial to our President but we all know they will say whatever they want and if repeated enough times, they will even believe their own lies and so will the members of their Party.

The GOP is demanding an independent investigation to find out who among President Obama’s administration is leaking the classified information. I find it extremely odd that, the majority of the Committee on Homeland Security members are Republicans and, they are the only ones that truly benefit from this allegedly leak. We know that Republicans are willing to take this country to hell and not necessarily back if by doing so they will get absolute power which is the only thing they care for. They don’t give a shit about the country, patriotism, American citizens, education, economy, jobs or anything else. All they care for is power; they are like Brain from “Pinky and the Brain”… probably Romney asks the Koch brothers “What do you want to do tonight Koch?” – “The same thing we do every night Romney – try to take over the world!” I am really offending Pinky here, I doubt Romney is as smart as this adorable mouse was.  I think I will start calling them Mitty and the Bain.

The Republican Party’s elected officials are a disgrace to this country, composed of people of little or no morals, no ethics, no values, no patriotism and no compassion even when they shout at the top of their lungs how moral they are and all that crap about family values, there is a saying that goes something like this: “He who shouts the loudest is the one who knows the least.” I’ve always been a democrat, a liberal and have not agreed with many of the ideals republicans had stood for in the past but there has been a common ground before, things where both parties would agree to but sadly, that is a thing of the past. Today, if President Obama says the sky is blue… I am sure that the GOP will stand up in anger shouting that the sky is not blue but gray. You don’t believe me?

President Obama bailed out the American automotive industry; we all remember the GOP comments where they criticized Obama for trying to save a “dinosaur.” I remember when the discussions were taking place in Congress and the GOP kept praising all these foreign companies such as Honda, Toyota and the South Korean Hyundai and how great they were doing in some of their states. That the American industry should follow the example of these companies which meant that the American automotive industry should have lowered the salary of the workers, their benefits and dismantle their unions. When the bailout worked, now they are trying to steal the thunder and claim that Obama did exactly what they suggested he would do… sure!!!

Child obesity is an epidemic that is seriously affecting our country where one fifth of our children are obese and 4 percent of the children population is morbidly obese. Our first lady has adopted “Let’s Move” as her personal project and she has been a formidable representative in this fight against child obesity. Leave it to the GOP to criticize and ridicule even this wonderful campaign and mock our First Lady for having an ass that can compete with that of Jennifer Lopez, our First Lady is fit, toned and has a very nice curvy body… I guess Republicans are not used to having a hot First Lady and President, after all, has anyone noticed how fat most of them are? Just think of Christie, need I say more?

I think President Obama should say that he wants to promote Citizens United, tax cuts for the rich, eliminate governmental jobs and try to ban same-sex marriage. You may think I am crazy and maybe I am, but I am sure that if President Obama would say anything of the above, the GOP would immediately say and push for the opposite maybe that way we will finally see Citizens United reversed, the tax cuts a thing of the past, micro-government stopped and our gay friends will be able to make their vows in matrimony.

The above is just a thought… everything else has failed except for the GOP to go against whatever is proposed by a Democrat. Perhaps is time to play reverse psychology!

The Dog Dilemma

The not so new “news” about President Obama is that he has eaten dog meat; this is an effort by the Republicans to diminish how Mitt Romney treated his dog back in the 80s. The comparing of Romney, an adult father, who strapped his dog on top of the family car for a 12 hour trip at a speed of about 75 miles per hour, inflicting such terror into the poor dog that caused her gastrointestinal distress and horrified his own children by seeing the dog’s diarrhea running down the rear window of the family car.  Comparing that with what happened to a child less than 10 years old in a foreign land, who was being fed what the adults felt was a normal diet. There is an abysmal difference between the two occurrences: President Obama was a child, not responsible for the food choices of the adults that fed him, Romney was the adult who managed to horrify and probably traumatized his own children by his cruel and unnecessary treatment of their family dog.  He continues the fine example as Mitt Romney and his family are friends with a man that voluntarily barbequed and ate a dog as an adult and who today is his biggest political supporter, Fred Malek.

This claim is just another weak attempt from the Republicans to damage President Obama’s image, having nothing else that they could find. The funny thing is, that it was our own president who candidly mentioned it in his book “Dreams from my Father”. It is no secret that this book is an autobiography of President Obama before he became a Senator, let alone the President of the United States. Among the many things that President Obama shared with the world in this autobiography, it imparts to the reader what a young mulatto had to endure growing up in the United States in the 60s, in a country filled with racism and hatred. We can perceive this best when he so eloquently wrote “I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to the whites), I see the split-second adjustments they have to make, the searching of my eyes for some telltale sign. They no longer know who I am. Privately, they guess at my troubled heart, I suppose – the mixed blood, the divided soul, the ghostly image of the tragic mulatto trapped between two worlds. And if I were to explain that no, the tragedy is not mine, or at least not mine alone, it is yours, sons and daughters of Plymouth Rock and Ellis Island, it is yours, children of Africa, it is the tragedy of both my wife’s six-year-old cousin and his white first grade classmates, so that you need not guess at what troubles me, it’s on the nightly news for all to see, and that if we could acknowledge at least that much then the tragic cycle begins to break down… well, I suspect that I sound incurably naïve, wedded to lost hopes, like those Communists who peddle their newspapers on the fringes of various college towns. Or worse, I sound like I’m trying to hide from myself”, I believe one does not have to be bi-racial to understand and feel what the President was trying to relay to the reader. It is a shame that the majority of Republicans can’t understand it; to be capable of this requires a heart and if they have one, is usually filled with hate leaving no room for anything else.

In order to lessen the negative impact of Mitt Romney’s cruel behavior towards what was supposed to be his beloved pet Seamus, the Republicans have dug out a phrase from that wonderful book, where President Obama describes in a few sentences, one of his many experiences while living in Indonesia. We must remember President Obama was around 6 years of age when he moved there. But it should come as no surprise to anyone that the Republicans are comparing a heinous act committed by an adult in front of his own children to what a child accepted from an adult. I guess that will allow the Democrats to blame Mitt Romney’s children of abusing their “beloved” pet too, if it applies to one then it should apply to the other as well.

For those who have not read the book and who might not know much about President’s Obama childhood I will try to set up the premises to the story and will let you judge for yourself. In 1966 after her divorce Ann Dunham, President Obama’s mother, married Lolo Soetoro and in 1967 she and her new husband moved to Indonesia taking her six-year-old son with her. In 1971, out of fear for her son’s safety, Mrs. Dunham sent President Obama back to Hawaii to live with his grandparents. Mrs. Dunham and her daughter born of that marriage joined President Obama a year later.

We can deduce that when President Obama ate dog meat, he could have been anywhere between 6 to 10 years of age. At that age, you are not responsible for what you eat, food is usually provided by either your parents or another adult.

This is how President Obama mentions the “exotic” culinary experience: “With Lolo, I learned how to eat small green chill peppers raw with dinner (plenty of rice), and, away from the dinner table, I was introduced to dog meat (tough), snake meat (tougher), and roasted grasshopper (crunch). Like many Indonesians, Lolo followed a brand of Islam that could make room for the remnants of more ancient animist and Hindu faiths. He explained that a man took on the powers of whatever he ate: One day soon, he promised, he would bring home a piece of tiger meat for us to share.” That passage of the book is what is being used to compare President Obama’s ill moment with dogs and that of Mitt Romney.

It is necessary in order to pass a sound judgment, that we compare both incidents from a source that is not biased. The following was taken from a supporter's website dedicated in its entirety to Mitt Romney: http://aboutmittromney.com/dogs.htm.

This is the story about Seamus, Mitt Romney’s unfortunate dog: “Before beginning the drive, Mitt Romney put Seamus, the family's hulking Irish setter, in a dog carrier and attached it to the station wagon's roof rack. He'd built a windshield for the carrier, to make the ride more comfortable for the dog.” Just the thought of putting a dog on top of a car roof for a 12-hour road trip is enough to make by skin crawl, but that is not all. The story proudly continues as if that act was not bad enough.

“Then Romney put his boys on notice: He would be making predetermined stops for gas, and that was it."

"The ride was largely what you'd expect with five brothers, ages 13 and under, packed into a wagon they called the ''white whale.''

“As the oldest son, Tagg Romney commandeered the way-back of the wagon, keeping his eyes fixed out the rear window, where he glimpsed the first sign of trouble. ''Dad!'' he yelled. ''Gross!'' A brown liquid was dripping down the back window, payback from an Irish setter who'd been riding on the roof in the wind for hours."

“As the rest of the boys joined in the howls of disgust, Romney coolly pulled off the highway and into a service station. There, he borrowed a hose, washed down Seamus and the car, then hopped back onto the highway. It was a tiny preview of a trait he would grow famous for in business: emotion-free crisis management.”

Apparently, the Romneys thought of this incident as a joke. What it's so difficult for me to understand is that Mitt Romney had more than enough money to send Seamus by plane to Toronto, leave him in a reputable boarding facility or rent a damn van where the whole family and Seamus could comfortably fit but he chose none of them. Instead, he opted for the cheapest and cruelest one, strapping his dog on the roof of the car and, not content with that, when the poor dog vomited and defecated all over the car out of sheer terror the reward Seamus got was to be hosed down, not even dried and eight more hours of the same torture. That incident clearly reflects where Mitt Romney’s heart is, in his wallet.

For the Republicans that are trying to compare these two incidents, let me tell them that there is no comparison possible. One was an act of an adult inflicted on a child – the child should not be blamed. The other was the act of a cheap, cold hearten, irresponsible adult on an innocent dog.  So don’t you dare to compare!

Let’s play ball!

It is incredible how many people are still protesting against the Health Care Reform Act and carrying big signs denouncing the unconstitutionality or their outrage for this bill.

I can understand up to a point that the people feel upset that they will be forced to get health insurance. What I can’t understand is their outcry that they don’t want government to get involved in their health issues… That outrage of course lasts until they reach their golden years and retire. The sad thing is, these seniors and retirees that are screaming that they don’t want government “making their health care decisions” have Medicare, and God forbid that someone takes that away from them! What do these people think Medicare is? Medicare is what all of us would have been entitled to if it wasn’t for all the morons that were against single payer or public option. The stigma of the government involved in our health issues was greater than the benefits we could have enjoyed.

Since we couldn’t get the public option or single payer because of all the false allegations that the political liars used to instill fear on the elderly and the gullible, we now have to pay for private insurance… because the rights of the health insurance companies were far more important than our own personal interests.  We have the Tea Party and Republicans to thank for that one. The same people that didn’t want to have a single payer or public option and don’t want to be forced to get health insurance claiming it is unconstitutional. Why is health insurance unconstitutional and not, let’s say, automobile insurance? Why is it that health insurance is an evil thing that government shouldn’t mandate or impose on all of us when not having it affects us ALL yet, it is OK to be forced to have auto insurance for every single vehicle we own?  Why is it OK for one type of enforced insurance but not the other?

When a person that doesn’t have health insurance is hospitalized and can't or won't pay the bill, we end up ‘picking up’ that tab. Every year hospitals nationwide ‘lose’ millions of dollars in unpaid balances incurred by uninsured people incapable or unwilling to pay their debt. The reality is that no hospital really loses money, they just increase the price of their services making all of us that have insurance to pay for those that didn’t. And all of us, those that incurred in the bill and those who see their premium increase pay again in the form of taxes, the government assumes a lot of those loses... kind of a bail out for hospitals.

If you have an automobile or motorcycle and you have a traffic accident, chances are that there will be two cars involved.  Usually, the person that hits pay for the repairs or medical needs of the injured through their insurance and their insurance premiums most likely will increase when they renew their policies.  Automobile insurance companies raise the premiums nationwide according to the accident ratio within that city or state.  Most of us hate them, but since it is the law to have it, we conform... Except if you live in New Hampshire where having automobile insurance it's an option, I think I will move there!

It seems that for Americans protecting an object is far more important than protecting themselves.  We hear people say all the time when their vehicles have been stolen things like "thank God I had insurance!"or "I don't worry because I'm insured."  Why don't they think the same way when it comes to their own person, their own bodies?  Once again, an object is far more important than a person.  No wonder they granted "personhood" status to corporations and we, the workers, have become the property of these corporations!

And now, here we are again fighting against the “Obamacare” as it has been "baptized". This bill has been taken to the Supreme Court to deem it unconstitutional.  It is sad that most likely they will win and repeal the law, after all the Supreme Justices enjoy having Public Option until the day they die.

I believe that is a shame. Many people that could be insured with preexisting conditions will  have no insurance and that includes babies and children. These people once again will have no insurance and perhaps due to being uninsured they may lose their lives.  We can place this injustice on those same people that are constantly yelling how precious every life is: the pro-life people. Once again they have proven that the only life they care for are the one before it passes the birth canal, once you take a breath you are on your own!

I suggest that all the judges and politicians that are fighting and claiming Obamacare as unconstitutional to have their insurance revoked. No more government insurance for them since it is so evil. We progressives and liberals are always trying to work for the people and if these people don’t want insurance especially insurance provided by the government, then we should take that burden away from them. The same can be said about all the senior citizens that have fought so vehemently against government subsidized insurance; let’s cancel their Medicare, Medicaid and food stamps. What do they think those are, manna?  I am sure they will be thrilled since in their opinion they do not use any government assistance and want government out of their lives, let’s be nice and give them what they want.

Let’s repeal Obamacare but do what I suggest above. All congressmen that are against Obamacare, revoke their insurance. Every citizen that has signed anything against Obamacare, let’s cancel his or her government provided insurance. Let’s start playing their game. Let's begin by automatically canceling health insurance of all the fat cats in Congress that have done nothing but inflict fear in their constituents and of all the seniors that claim that government should stay away from their health insurance.  When they stop getting these benefits, they will be begging for the Single Payer Option, not Obamacare which is the watered down version of what was original intended… Let the games begin!

Sorry seems to be the Hardest Word...

Today, Rush decided to “apologize” on air about his remarks against Ms. Sandra Fluke. This new apology is as bad or worse as the one he provided two days ago. As is common with bullies, Rush is not offering a true apology since he keeps apologizing for using inappropriate words, not for his statements. In today’s new and improved apology, he decided to take it a bit further, and put the whole blame on Democrats.

According to Rush, he lowered his standards trying to fight Democrats and in doing so became like them. I couldn’t believe my ears! Since when has Rush held any “standards”? He is well known for being a guy (I refuse to call him a man) who verbally abuses women, gays, people of other races and all the Liberals, Progressives and Democrats on the face of this planet. His vulgar demeanor is well known. It is that vulgarity and absurdity, which feeds the Neo Nazis who waste their time and the little brain they have left with vile hate against everything and everyone, that fills his pockets.

He had the audacity to say, in today’s version of his “apology”, that he has always maintained a VERY HIGH DEGREE OF INTEGRITY and independence on his program! Really? It must be that for cormorants the type of behavior displayed by Rush is what constitute a high degree of integrity, we can’t expect him to know what integrity means, he knows not the meaning of the word.

He went on and on trying to make a connection as to the reason for his blatant attack on Ms. Fluke – mentioning only the one day he called her a “slut” and a “prostitute”, conveniently omitting the other days where he trashed her without using those two words, but insulting her again by saying that if he was to pay for her contraceptives, in return he wanted a video of her having sex. But no, no mention of that because he couldn’t blame the Democrats for him “losing his integrity” again and again… could he?

If you wish to read the transcript of his excuse, sorry, “heartfelt apology”, click here.

For the a transcript of his "apology" on March 3, 2012, click here.

For Rush message to the Advertisers abandoning his show, click here.

For those that have the stomach to hear the apology, below is the link. Enjoy!

Fox News, Huffington Post, MSNBC, Time, Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, CurrentTV, CNN, CBS

Working for the Jobless?

I am so glad that Congress came to its senses and approved extending the payroll tax measure. After three years of Democrats having to virtually fight for any measure to be approved by the GOP aka the Party of No, this time around there was no big fight to approve this measure. Being on an election year and with the Congress approval rate at its lowest (10% approval rate according to Gallup as of February 8th, 2012) is no wonder Congress and specially the Republican Party have decided to be benevolent and finally work, literally work, instead of simply occupy a chair and vote against everything suggested by the opposing party.

Now here’s the punch line… After openly and carelessly opposing anything that would benefit the middle class and the unemployed, at times even mocking the unemployed, John Boehner [R] has the audacity of blaming the Democrats for playing political games, in a statement published by the Associated Press, Boehner said “We are not going to allow the Democrats to continue to play political games and raise taxes on working Americans. We made the decision to bring them to the table so that the games would stop and we would get this work done.” First of all, I think that in negotiations everyone has to come to the table, not “bring them” or did Boehner personally grabbed the hand of each Democrat Congressperson and pull them to the table? No. Coming to the table, Republicans, Democrats and Independents, is what Congress should do to negotiate new bills and measures, the problem is… Republicans haven’t really negotiated anything in a long time, unless holding things hostage can be called negotiating, so I guess they’ve forgotten how Congress is supposed to work. Second, after 3 years of constantly blocking every measure, of constantly discarding benefits for the poor and middle class and giving priority to the measures that would only benefit the very wealthy and multinational corporations, does the GOP really think people will change their minds about the awful job Congress has been doing since President Obama took office? Does the GOP really think that Americans are so stupid?

Now, they want to take the ‘glory’ for simply doing their job, after three years of playing golf paid for with our taxes; after countless days of vacations and holidays, and after three years of perceiving a hefty salary for not working while the average unemployed American has to survive on $300 a week! Now they are puffing and huffing that they’ve worked for the American people, give me a break!

We must bear in mind that they managed to inflict some damage to the unemployed – they would not be Republicans if they didn’t do that – but they are not eager to let us know what they got away with “for the good of the American citizen.” Thanks to the Republicans in Congress, those unemployed will see the a reduction in the numbers of weeks for which they can claim unemployment benefits, from 99 weeks down to 73, and we can truly thank the Democrats who fought to defend the unemployed during this economic crises, Republicans wanted to bring it down to only 59 weeks!

Republicans brought a lot of nonsense to the negotiation table that thankfully was rejected by the Democrats. Among the things the Republicans wanted was that for a person to obtain their unemployment benefits, they had to obtain a high school equivalency degree or GED. Where do they come up with these absurd ideas? Do they talk among themselves and, as if a joke, choose the wildest and craziest idea among them to bring to the table perhaps in an effort to shock the Democrats? Now, please, can anyone tell me why, if I worked and paid into my unemployment insurance and as well as my employer and I get laid off, would I have to get any degree to receive what is rightfully mine? But of course, the GOP is constantly trying to ‘work for the American people,’ they just don’t say that the American people they work for must, in order for the Republicans in Congress to help them, have a bank account exceeding a million dollars – otherwise, you don’t qualify for them to keep your interests in mind.

Not another Bush!

Now, after having fun writing the previous blog, let’s talk about a serious political subject: Jeb Bush.

Rumor has it that the RNC is seriously thinking in introducing Jeb Bush in the primaries. I hear many Democrats are excited about this because they think this will translate into a sure win for Obama. I have my doubts. Democrats seem to forget that for the far right, for those that are always blaming Obama for the state in which the country finds itself today, the Bush family is the best that has happened to them since their private "holy grail": Reagan. We have all heard and read their comments about how great Bush was and how everything that is happening today is President Obama's fault, they tend to suffer from a chronic dementia that includes a serious case of amnesia. As the story goes, they cannot recall any wrongdoing from the previous administration. We all have seen the posters of “Miss me yet?” they so flagrantly show everywhere.

So, we must not take this rumor lightly. Jeb Bush has a Mexican wife, which the GOP will try to use to get the so desirable Latino Vote. Jeb Bush is far more intelligent than his brother, granted even a chimp is more intelligent than GWB, but the guy is not an idiot like his brother is. Jeb speaks perfect Spanish, with almost no accent, and he is well liked among many Hispanics. Regardless of Bush’s previous history, they will love Jeb, remember, for the far right nothing that took place 24 hours ago is to be held against any of their candidates!

We must begin a strong campaign against Jeb Bush, we can’t sit on our laurels and trust that people will remember how disastrous that last name has been for our country. The campaign against another Bush in the White House must start now and must not let our guard down.