The Bad Witch Of The North ~ Malina Lobel-karimi

Well, the bad witch of the north, south, east and west has guided me onto Google+. Yes, of course I'm talking about the tireless, impeccable and indefatigable Laurel M Davila. I AM COMPUTER STUPID, make no mistake. I am not proud of this factoid, but it is what it is. Yet, I have managed to navigate with her help and now am ready to do whatever needs to be done in defeating these right-wing terrorists. Yes, they are domestic terrorists under the guise of elected politicians. (Sorry, but Hitler was also democratically elected). When a group is doing its damnedest to defeat a middle class that not only blossomed after WW II but created these vast corporations by being consumers (and there isn't another country out there whose people buy two of everything whether they need it or not) by shrinking incomes; making every attempt in denying our RIGHT to healthcare; claiming to want "Smaller government" but as we've seen these last few years, the small government they speak of is meant to fit in a woman's vagina only; when they are against same sex marriage or equality; blocking ANY path towards citizenship: These people are terrorists sans a bomb but instead using their minions who are clueless overall. Having Fox News as your information provider is much like having Helen Keller as your chauffeur. (Too soon for Helen Keller comic relief?). 

The bottom line is to take them out before they take us, the middle class completely out. It has been systematically dismantled these last thirty five years (thank you Ronald Reagan and "Trickle Down Economics") but it has accelerated at a dangerous speed commencing with the election of a black man. Whatever President Obama has done right, they have taken credit for. Whatever President Obama has done wrong, they have vilified him for. I've been curious for some time how any other human being...rephrase that, politician (they are only half human at best), especially a republican would have handled every attack levied at him with the dignity that Obama has. Being called a "liar" during his State of the Union Address comes to mind immediately. How would a Chris Christie have handled that? The Jersey way, by telling the offender to f*** off? While that may be what I would do, a statesman does not. And that's what President Obama is; a statesman. Thugs, playground bullies and
terrorists; that's what this current crop of republicans occupying the halls of Congress are and certainly not worthy of any title much less that of Senator or Representative. 

Democrats are notoriously lazy in showing up at midterms. I give you the special recall election in Co where two democrats were recalled for voting their conscience regarding anti-gun legislation. Democrats failed to show up in person and the NRA won a small victory. 

PLEASE folks, let's do whatever we can whether financially or by donating our time to ensure a democratic victory starting this November with Terry McAuliffe VS Ken Cuccinelli in Va.; the latter being an extension of Gov Ultrasound, Bob McDonnell. 

If the U.S. had not gotten involved back in WW II, we may all be speaking German today. I don't really want to speak redneck for the rest of my life...or my children's lives...or their children's.

This Was Our Finest Hour ~ Eric Smith

The Republican Party is now where Nazi Germany was in December of 1944 and January of 1945. They have lost the war and its final defeat is imminent. Yet like the Nazi Germany of that time it has launched its own Battle of the Bulge and instituted a reign of terror upon the American people which is the political equivalent of those V-1 buzz bombs and V-2 rockets that the Germans unleashed against English towns and cities in those closing months of World War Two when the outcome had long since been decided.

Among the timid the current onslaught seems like the end of the world but in the end, once the smoke clears, we will see as the Allied troops in Europe and the stout citizens of England who crawled from the rubble of their freshly bombed cities and towns saw, that these last desperate fusillades from a lost cause are in the larger scheme of things in Shakespeare's words "full of sound and fury and signifying nothing."

What we are witnessing now is the Last Stand of the Republican Party and the roars we hear are the death rattles of Conservatism itself. Final victory is at hand. We can only lose at this point if we yank defeat from the jaws of victory ourselves and that can only happen if we give credence to that which is not credible; that the Republican Party and its racist reactionary agenda can yet prevail. 

It cannot and it will not. So let us continue to march as Patton marched. Let us march to the capital of Conservatism as Patton and the Soviets marched towards Berlin and as the allies blew up that huge Swastika on the top of the Reichstag, let us symbolically blow up that multicolored elephant that is the symbol of the Republican Party and which has come to represent to America and the world much of what that Swastika represents to this day; hate, racism, oppression, and intolerance.

This is our time, America's time, justice's time, full equality's time, and that being so let us finish the task of finally eradicating the evil that is the Republican Party and then celebrate a long and hard won victory over its forces of retrogress and oppression knowing that history will one day say of us as Churchill rightly predicted it would one day say of Britain back then that "this was our finest hour!"

The Democratic Party Needs You ~ Lynne Smith

Clicktavism...it was something I had never heard of a month ago. I am not very tech savvy...trust me, I am not so much in to new things. I can remember when my family depended on me to know how to program the remote, teach them things on a cell phone or a computer. Now I am the one who needs teaching...lol! However, don't give up this group because you feel inadequate or fear it will be too hard to learn. If I can do it, you can too. Your country needs you and the Democratic Party needs you too. 

We have to stand in the gap for President Obama and other Democrats who are willing to step into the trenches to insure a progressive road map for our country is followed. Just think what those candidates go through. Every little single mistake or "sin" as the Tea Partiers would say, can and will be held against you in the court of public disclosure and worse than that your very jury may be FOX news. As a candidate you learn about things you have done that you don't even remember, acknowledge. Or have even done because truth doesn't matter. It is all perception. You and I, we're lucky though. We don't have to air our dirty laundry (some of us may be soiled while others just have a little faded color) in the public arena. 

We are being asked to learn a skill to stand in the gap like President Obama has for each us. When I first read Laurel's statement I thought, I already have a lot on my plate. This might be hard and time consuming. I may or may not be guilty of playing Candy Crush and Farm Hero...lol. Then I thought, well what if democrats had said that and shoved the ACA aside. What if they had thought we will never be able to do it, had other "pet" projects or thought it might cause them a political fall-out? My life would be meaningless in many ways. Prior to the passage of ACA, I was dying a slow physical death. I may never walk again, but I will have good solid medical care due to ACA that is affordable. 

You and I are lucky though. We aren't military personnel who go off to fight "stupid" wars or real conflict. Through grassroots campaigns we elected a commander in chief who tries to insure every day, that the lives of our military are protected. He doesn't view these lives as expendable; he views them as sons and daughters, mothers and fathers. Even as the war mongers call him name he holds his ground standing in the gap for the military. Our Democratic leaders stand in that gap every day, fighting for fairness regardless of your race or agenda. They stand in the gap for children, who in America shouldn't go hungry, and face those Tea Party folks who seem to have only one loyalty, and that is themselves. 

When I began to think about what has been given to me, so that I might live in an America that doesn't forsake children, that doesn't send young people into wars "just because", that fights for the rights of workers, and is trying to give us all health insurance, I think to myself, surely I can learn a few new programs in the privacy of home, sitting in an easy chair. You too can do it. I need you to help me and millions of other Americans insure that we have life-saving medical care regardless of our medical needs, age, or gender. We need you the Democratic Party to stand tall and do what it takes to start a grassroots effort across social media. This is the new going house to house to bring truth to the masses. 

Finally, the American public and the Democratic party needs you so that America can return to a time of activism that brought us the women's right to vote, a focus on the needs of a child, a vision to protect Senior Citizens, health insurance for all and a return to a simpler time when neighbor cared for their neighbor. Don't give up, get mad, get stubborn, but come on folks we have to stand in the gap for our children and grandchildren and teach them what it means to be a Democrat and a citizen of these United States. We have to insure tomorrow comes.

Who Really Has A Heart? ~ Eric Smith

Even if there was 100% fraud in the food stamp program versus the less than 1% fraud there actually is, I don't see how the Republican Party can justify its proposed cuts. For one thing many of the people they would deny food to have children and my thing is what did these kids do to deserve being starved & otherwise malnourished for the so called misconduct of their parents? Well some of these Republicans will no doubt argue that if these poor people didn't have so many babies there would be fewer kids out there who needed food stamps to begin with which is ridiculous on its face because these same Republicans have fought tooth and nail against common sense birth control measures that would greatly reduce the number of pregnancies. They've sought to defund Planned Parenthood which preaches the virtues of birth control and both teaches & enables the least fortunate among us how to acquire and use birth control properly.

Of course their efforts to reduce the number of abortions and outlaw abortion itself would only serve to increase the birth rate; those who can afford to leave the country in order to have abortions will do so as they did before Roe versus Wade and more than a few of course will resort to the back alley abortions where any lay person will be empowered to shove a pair of unsanitary coat hangers, scissors, pliers, and Lord knows what else up a pregnant woman's vagina and yank the unborn child out piece by piece, limb by limb, leaving parts of that shredded fetus to rot in the woman's womb after the procedure, leading to blood poisoning, the death of the mother, and invariably orphaned children who themselves will invariably suffer the further indignity of going hungry because their grandparents & other family who themselves are probably disabled & destitute, who have serious health issues of their own, will have been denied food stamps because of these cruel cuts.

One cannot possibly justify this for these are lives; human lives, American lives; the lives of innocent men, women, and children at play here. What the Republican Party is seeking to do with the food stamp program alone should make everyone hate it; it should make everyone feel ashamed to have the word Republican attached to their name in any way shape or form because what it is doing here is wrong, it is immoral, it is evil, and if one has even an ounce of compassion; a scintilla of care for the plight of their fellow human beings, then the word Republican itself should be more than enough to make them wretch as it does me; as it does anyone who really does care; who really has a heart.

The Fierce Urgency of Now ~ Eric Smith

There has been some trepidation and in some cases vocal reservations on the part of certain members of this group to take our struggle against the GOP (or as I prefer to call it the POG-Party of Genocide) to the next level by getting our message out to a much larger audience via Google Plus, Unite Blue, and OFA. These reservations are understandable to a point and on a personal level they remind me of that time in January of 1987 when in the second & final semester of my senior year at Morehouse College I was driving around with some friends through downtown Atlanta when we stopped to observe a parade in what was the second observance of the King Holiday.
Now I had been a youth leader as a teenager in New York and had never missed voting in a major election (I still haven't) and I thought I was politically engaged. However, as I leaned out the window and observed the passing parade one of my classmates saw me and rather than wave back at me as I waved at him, looked at the driver of the car in which I was a passenger and while pointing in my direction "He!" meaning me. "Should be out here marching with us!" Needless to say I jumped out of that car mighty quick and joined the procession. That evening on the news I saw horrifying images of the late Hosea Williams, a lieutenant of Dr. King being literally stoned by angry residents of Cummings GA as they attempted to march through a part of Georgia that had not had an African American resident since 1912 and who had driven out every person of color who had entered into that county since with the rope and the gun.
I immediately knew that it was time to leave my comfort zone and that I had to join the followup march that was sure to come. The night before my departure from Atlanta to partake in that demonstration I called my parents in New York to in effect to say goodbye because it was so volatile and so dangerous that I had serious doubts about leaving that county alive. Both of my parents were sad and distressed at what I was about to do but all my Mom said was "I know you have to go." and left it at that.
I remember that bus ride from Atlanta; the sharp shooters on every overpass on the 35 mile route, of being told not to rest my head against the window of the bus so as to lessen the chance of it being shot off en route, the rednecks in their pickup trucks with loaded rifles and Confederate flags, of a little boy being slapped silly by his parents for having dared to wave at me as we marched, his parents holding a sign which read "N*****s ain't got no God!", the flag of the Klu Klux Klan with the drop of blood in the center of a cross, a Klux Klansman in full white robes & pointed hood himself, and the screams of terror on the part of my fellow marchers after I left the ranks to go to the aid of a woman who'd fainted and unknown to me, nearly backed into that very Klansman who raised his hands as though he were about to strangle me. I remember kissing the ground in front of Ebeneezer Baptist Church (the embarkation & return point) after our safe return and glancing up at the floodlit tomb of Dr. King and thinking that a true angel had watched over me and others that day.
I say all of this to remind everyone in the words of Dr. King of "the fierce urgency of now." I say this to tell everyone that we all have a needed role to play in this struggle, and that we, all of us, can make a profound difference if even the only weapon we use is the sound of our voice & the expression of our thoughts. This is not the time for standing still. This is not the time for being complacent or playing it safe. I can tell you from experience that the dangers of social media are absolutely nothing compared to the dangers & the terror of literally putting your life on the line; of walking into a place in defense of your ideals knowing damn well that there's a good chance that only your physical body will leave.
This is not a game. It is not a moment to preach to the choir. It is a time that demands we preach the Gospel of Liberty & full Equality for All from the top of our lungs in every venue through which we can give voice. It is time for us to be counted, to be heard; to do our part to leave this nation & this world a better place because we lived, because we cared, and because we did our part to bend history towards justice. So do not run from but rather towards Laurel M. Davila and others who urge you to redouble your efforts; to take the fight to the enemies of justice and bring closer that day when injustice dies and freedom is made eternal for human beings; not just in this nation, but all over the globe.

The Fiery Trial Through Which We Pass ~ Eric Smith

 

A future with the Republican Party is a hopeless future indeed; it is a future so horrible and so hopeless in fact that it is one where the living will envy the dead. So for the sake of remaining hopeful and maintaining our sanity as well we must, in spite of ourselves, continue to believe in and envision a nation where there is no Republican Party. We must envision a Republican free America even if we must envision an America that we ourselves are no longer alive to see.

For only by doing this can we ensure that we will continue to rail and fight against the evil that this party and its radical ideology represents. Only by believing in its inevitable destruction will we continue to labor to ensure its destruction. If we believe that the Republican Party is destined to remain a scourge to our national existence into perpetuity then what is the point to our continued efforts to fight it? Why continue to fight for a cause we believe to be lost for make no mistake a cause is only lost when those fighting for that cause believes it is is so.

If we have any faith in ourselves & in this nation then we have to believe that the Republican Party & what it stands for is on the fast track to extinction. We have to convince ourselves in spite of everything that its days are numbered and that future generations will not be burdened by its mindless madness of hate & intolerance. We have to believe this & comport ourselves accordingly not only for our sake, for our children's sake, for our nation's sake and for the sake of the future; not only for the future of the people of this country but for the sake of the future of all the people all over the world; to the very end of time itself.

Global posterity is counting on us to rid the globe of the scourge that is the Republican Party and we can neither let not have we the right, to let posterity down. What President Abraham Lincoln said to America in his December 1st, 1862 Message to Congress in regards to the great evil of his time that was slavery, applies equally to us as we confront the great evil of our time; the Republican Party & all the hate and intolerance it now represents.

"We cannot escape history." said President Lincoln back then. "We will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation. We shall nobly save or meanly lose, the last best hope of Earth."

~By Eric Smith [stay tuned for more blog entries by Eric in the near future]

Why I Am So Passionate About ACA/Obamacare ~ by Lynne Smith

Lynne Smith

It strikes me that while I have been lucky that you all have just folded me into your group, because we all have a common, which is to support President Obama's agenda, it might interest you why I am so passionate about ACA/Obamacare. I would like to tell you my story. You have my permission to share it with anyone you are trying to convince about the need for ACA and whether or not it will be effective.

In early 2000, I developed cysts under my right arm. My father had died of non-Hodgkins lymphoma so I am sure you can understand my fear when I felt multiple lumps under my arm. They turned out to be benign, but I began to go down a road that would forever impact my life. At the time I had life by the tail a they say. I had a Master's Degree in Clinical Social Work and loved being a therapist and helping people effect the changes they wanted in their life. I was about 40 pounds over weight, but otherwise with the exception of these cysts or lumps I was in great health.

When I went to the doctor I was given a medication called Levaquin. I was told it was a relatively new drug and that it was used for a variety of infections and would quickly take care of the cysts. Well, it did. i did notice however during the same two week period that I had horrific pain in my legs. I brought it up to the doctor and she told me I should go to the gym and start a work-out program and lose the excess weight. So, that is what I did. I remember standing on the treadmill, with pain in my right ankle and both calves that felt like someone was sticking a pitch fork in my leg. I kept with it day after day and after 20 to 30 minutes of this excruciating pain, my legs would just go kind of numb.

While the medication for the cysts seemed to work, six weeks later they were back an I was prescribed Levaquin again. My legs were still hurting and I found that when I went to the mall to shop ( oh yes, I loved to shop), I would have to sit down on the benches all the time to rest to regroup from the pain. The cysts returned 12 times in 18 months and each of those times I was either given Levaquin or Cipro. In 2003, I was working at a university and got $900.00 in parking tickets, because I simply could not walk from the employee parking lot to my building. I was gaining weight because I could not move much, but I was so embarrassed at my inability to walk, and my shame at gaining weight, that I just listened to the lectures from my doctor about the need to exercise and paid the tickets.

By 2004, I could only walk less than 250 steps. That is the number of steps from the closest parking spot at the mall, to the first bench. I would count those steps and internally just force myself to keep going. By 2005, I could only walk 100 steps. By 2006, I was no longer working and could walk less than 50 steps at a time. I tried to get insurance, but my weight and the cysts kept me from being eligible. It was a vicious circle.

Finally in 2008, I purchased horrible insurance, I think it was called limited liability. Basically, it paid for five doctor's appts a year and so much per day if you were hospitalized. That was the year I was diagnosed with levaquin toxicity syndrome. It seems that the antibiotics I had taken to help me, hurt me, because a drug company failed to reveal the devastating effect this medication can have on ligaments and tendons.

In 2010 I developed lymphadema. I really went downhill. I was taken to the emergency room by ambulance because if you swell up to much, you can get looney in the head...lol! The ER sent me home, pretty sure it was because my insurance was no good. My son, begged me to return to the ER two weeks later on the night of his graduation, because he was afraid I would be dead before he got home. You know something, he was almost right.

This time when I got to the hospital, I had a different doctor and he admitted me immediately. I was in the hospital 2 weeks and a nursing home for 2 months. No, I am not a senior citizen...this happened at the ripe old age of 49.

When I heard about ACA I was thrilled. When I found out that there was a program for people with pre-existing illnesses I cried. It was simple to get the insurance. They didn't care about my illness, my weight, they only asked me for my age. That is how my premium was figured. For the last 2 years I have paid $300.00 per month for insurance.

It changed my life. I was on 24 hour oxygen for the first year. I found out I had apnea. i was able to go to pain management and get help for my levaquin toxicity syndrome. I went to physical therapy. In December 2012 I had gastric sleeve surgery. You see if you can't move, you can't burn calories. When I was hospitalized in 2010 they explained to me I was malnourished, way overweight, but malnourished. Since December I have lost 150 lbs and I have some to go. My lymphedema is better. I no longer need Oxygen. I have a scooter and can do my own grocery shopping. I can get in a car. I will never walk again due to the damage the levaquin did to my system, but I have a quality of life, I thought I would never regain. More important than that, because of President Obama and his willingness to stand in the gap and say health care should be a right not a privilege I will have the opportunity to live, to see my son marry, and to help others. Thanks for reading. I hope it will help others.

So, Let's Look At Abuse ~ Charlie Kent

Abuse: Abuse happens everywhere. Abuse of Tax Code for YOUR BENEFIT, abuse of Tax Loopholes for YOUR BENEFIT, and ABUSE of PRIVILEGE -as being exhibited by a 'certain branch of Congress' which would 'allow' several million people to starve, risking lives, livelihoods, and the future -all because Mr. Eric Cantor -a total douche bag of a human being, thinks "it was "wrong for working, middle-class people to pay" for abuse of the program"

So, let's look at 'abuse': 

Merriam-Webster defines abuse as: 

1: a corrupt practice or custom
2: improper or excessive use or treatment : misuse <drug abuse>
3: obsolete : a deceitful act : deception
4: language that condemns or vilifies usually unjustly, intemperately, and angrily
5: physical maltreatment

So, if I am to understand it correctly, number one could mean, 'the propensity of certain members of congress to 'ABUSE' filibuster, the number of times attempted to repeal something that was law which in turn was upheld by the SUPREME COURT, or the ability for 'certain members' of Congress to 'benefit' from lucrative business contracts, donations, and benefits on the tax payers dollars for essentially doing nothing.

Number two could suggest, abuse of work related practices and the ability to be purchased, and as such contort the gesture into something altruistic that is essentially malignant. As for the drug use portion, if bourbon, whiskey, smoking and orange hued spray tans are a 'drug' I rest my case, not to mention the abuse of the words 'God, Religion, Morality, and Responsibility' -because let's face it we are looking at a full house on that one.

Number Three could allude to manipulation of facts to coerce a constituency to support causes and agendas that are actually against their better interests, such as blaming a ballooning deficit (which ironically is shrinking all while the scary word 'debt' is being swung around like a pinata at a Mexican kid's birthday party) on the backs or the elderly, the sick, the infirm, veterans, children, and the unemployed -because let's face it when it come to abusers and fraud that's what comes to mind, right?? No one would suspect anyone using free vacations, generous benefits and retirements, the ability to manipulate air traffic, all on the taxpayer's dollars would never be someone that is 'abusive'.

Number Four might allude to the fact in the eyes of a particular demographic of the population, all of the above mentioned parties, the elderly, the sick, the infirm, veterans, children, and the unemployed are the ones 'abusing' the system...not the accusers, because when it comes to being described as villains, no one ever suspects a Mormon Missionary, an orange caricature, or a 'grandfatherly' type from the rolling hills of Kentucky to be villains..

Number Five -well that speaks for itself. I know I have been beat up by the elderly quite a bit in my life. I know that a lot of elderly white men have abused my female friends by restricting their access to healthcare; I have seen children and the disabled deprived of food and healthcare and that seems pretty abusive, especially when the abuser should know better...

So, when it comes to 'abusing' the middle class tax payer, perhaps Mr. Cantor, Tootsie Turtle, and Bonehead you, and your 'ilk' should all take a long hard look in the mirror and perhaps be a little bit concerned there might be a hell -because that is where you are going... [Look for more of Charlie Kent's entries in the near future.]

The Truth Regarding ACA and Medicare ~ Lynne Smith

~ By Lynne Smith

One of my Facebook friends told me today her Medicare costs were going up not down and that ACA would not help her. So, I had to research it, because I found that rather sad. So to everyone on Social Security, here is what I found. 

1. Throughout the whole process of ACA or Obamacare coming to this point there has been certain members of a certain party who shall remain nameless but is the elephant in the room that has engaged in destructive fear mongering. Because of this Medicare was pretty much left untouched with the exception of three things. The donut hole is closed, so those people who had to pay $650.00 after their Part D had paid up to a limit on prescription drugs will no longer have to pay that $650.00. Investigating and doing away with fraud will be stepped up. Finally, Medicare will also cover the same preventative services that all Americans are now guaranteed at no cost.

2. Other than these changes Medicare was left alone. During the past two years when Republicans have had vote after vote to try and repeal Obamacare they have refused to try and make minor changes to the law like making subsidies for insurance available to seniors. This has resulted in many seniors paying more for coverage than those who will be in the exchanges. This is a change that should be made right away.

3. Social security payments are not increasing as much as Medicare payments. That is a sad state of affairs, but when you look at what we consider to be poverty level and that the amount of money to be considered at the poverty level hasn't really changed in a decade it is understandable.
Right now there is a big battle to try and defund ACA or Obamacare. Please call your Congressman and tell them no. Why? Because if they succeed, you will be responsible for the donut hole and the free preventative services you would be able to have under ACA. These services are things you probably have done about yearly such as mammograms, prostate checks, colonoscopies, and some check-ups. If ACA is stopped think about what the increased cost will be. At the same time tell Congress you want the same subsidy benefits of ACA. You have worked hard all your lives and you deserve to have the same breaks as any other American.”

The Culprits of Jim Crow and Anti-Women's Rights ~ Timothy Franklin

~By Timothy Franklin

 

 

“Efforts by the Attorney General, the Democratic Party and civil rights organizations around the country to address the republicans attempt to re-institute twentieth and nineteenth century Jim Crow and anti-women laws in republican controlled states are commendable and necessary if we are going to save this country from itself. However my brothers and sisters in the Democratic Party and those fighting the good fight in the Civil and social Rights communities have treated this issue like it was a “States Rights” abuse on the part of the offending state legislatures. There is clearly a coordinated effort to prevent certain groups of voters from exercising their right to the franchise and to deny women the right to make decisions about their own bodies. Our target should be the National Republican Party and organizations like ALEC who are the real culprits leading this country’s march backwards into the 20th century apartheid, anti- women’s rights America .”

[Stay tuned for more entries by Timothy Franklin in the near future]

I'm Terrified By These Zealots ~ Claire Conner Mork

~ By Claire Conner Mork, Author of "Wrapped In The Flag"

"Imagine this, the founder of the John Birch Society-Robert Welch-was a personal friend of Rousas John Rushdoony, the leader of the Christian Reconstructionist Movement. Rushdoony said that he admired the John Birch Society but never became a member. "Welch always saw things in terms of conspiracy," Rushdoony explained, "and I always see things in terms of sin."

I wrote about Rushdoony in my book, Wrapped in the Flag. Here's a snippet from Chapter 16, "Carrying the Cross."

"In his magnum opus, 'Institutes of Biblical Law,' published in 1973, Rushdoony described the Old Testament laws that would be the backbone of the new justice system in a Christian America, along with the punishments he envisioned for those who broke them. Criminals would be burned at the stake, hanged and stoned, depending on their sins. The folks facing such punishment included gays, blasphemers, unchaste women, and incorrigible juvenile delinquents. Of course, doctors providing abortions and their patients would also be executed."

John Rushdoony understands that it would take time and hard work to bring his vision for America to fruition. He saw HOME SCHOOLING as the way to "train up a generation of people who know that this is no religious neutrality, no neutral law, no neutral education, and no neutral civil government." 

It was Rushdoony who first urged Christians to take "dominion over the land as the Bible commanded them to do."

When you read about Ron Paul's home school curriculum and trace its ideas back to Rushdoony, you'll understand why Ron Paul is such a dangerous man. 

When you hear the term "Dominionists," know that these are NOT just Christians; these people intend to turn the US into a replay of the Spanish Inquisition, this time run by radical evangelicals. 

When I talk about the fusion of radical right wing politics and radical right wing religion, Robert Welch, John Rushdoony and Gary North are leading the parade.

I'm terrified by these zealots. They are the most dangerous kind. They believe they are chosen by God to bring America under the boot of the Old Testament."

[Please stay tuned for more entries by Claire Conner Mork in the near future]

Another Day, Another Shooting ~ Claire Conner Mork

~By Claire Conner Mork

 

“Another day, another shooting. In this case, the shooter in DC had been discharged from the Navy, had troubling mental health issues but could still land a concealed-carry permit issued by the state of Texas. With license in hand, he is reported to have bought his guns in Virginia. 

America's death by gun continues, and we're apparently too paralyzed to do anything about it. I imagine there will be suggestions that we ought to revisit reasonable gun safety regulations and a whole lot of politicians will offer "prayers" for the victims of the Navy Yard shooting and a few folks will hold press conferences to decry gun violence. 

But, in the end, Americans will buy more guns, fill their closets with ammunition and prepare to defend themselves from some real or imagined threat. 

From the far right, there will be the usual howls about the "gubbmint" coming for your guns and more nonsense about false flags and how PBO planned and executed this mass shooting so he could accelerate his tyrannical plan to rule in DC forever.

It will take something more awful than Tucson, Aurora, Newtown and the Navy Yard to jolt us into action. It will take something more awful than 10,000+ deaths in 9 months. It will take something more awful than scores of kids killing themselves while playing with their parents' loaded guns. It will take?”

 

Reference: 

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/09/17/2631891/navy-yard-shooters-troubled-past-forced-navy-prohibit-purchasing-guns/

[Stay tuned for more good entries by Claire Conner Mork, who is the author of "Wrapped In The Flag"]

What Did Lincoln Really Think of Conservatives? ~ Eric Smith

~ By Eric Smith

"Conservatives/Republicans claim that they are not racists & pursuing racist policies because President Abraham Lincoln was a Republican and he freed the slaves. Fair enough. However that said, what did Abraham Lincoln really think of Conservatives? Well if you want to know all you have to do is point to what he said in his famed Cooper Union speech delivered on February 27, 1860 in New York City; the year he was later elected President of the United States when he asked "What is Conservatism? Is it not the old and tried against the new and untried?" Not much of an endorsement of Conservatism is it so of course it's not surprising that Conservatives/Republicans never mention what Lincoln really thought of Conservatism."

"Now what would Lincoln say of today's Conservatives/Republicans threat to do major damage to our country by shutting down the government and sending America into default if Obamacare is not destroyed? What would he say of their claims that President Obama and the Democrats will bear sole responsibility for the resulting national disaster which will arise from a government shut down and a default on our national debts because they did not cave to Conservative demands to defund/destroy Obamacare? Probably the same thing he said later in that same speech in regards to Conservatives vow to destroy the nation if slavery was not made universal & permanent all across the land when he stated the following:"

"In that supposed event, you say, you will destroy the Union; and then, you say, the great crime of having destroyed it will be upon us! That is cool. A highwayman holds a pistol to my ear, and mutters through his teeth, 'Stand and deliver, or I shall kill you, and then you will be a murderer!"

"So this is precisely what today's Republican Party is doing right now. It is literally holding a gun to America's head and muttering "Stand and deliver, (destroy Obamacare) or I shall kill you, and then you will be a murderer!" Sorry Republicans but if America dies because of your actions then it will be you and you alone who killed it because it is you and you alone who are holding a gun to this nation's head; it is not the other way around. There is a word for this of course; what these Republicans are doing, and that word is treason."

Why The GOP Are Eager To Privatize Education ~ Claire Conner Mork

~By Claire Conner Mork, Author of “Wrapped In The Flag"

 

 

“From Diane Ravitch, [reference Salon article below] "those who now sharply criticize the public schools speak fondly of an era when most schools were racially segregated; when public schools were not required to accept children with physical, mental, and emotional handicaps; when there were relatively few students who did not speak or read English; and when few graduated from high school and went to college."

“My comments: What do these Jeb Bushies, ALEC and DeVos people want. Why are they so eager to privatize education? The answer is simple: $$$$$$$$, lots and lots of $$$$$$$$$$$. This is another scheme to fleece American taxpayers, put kids in front of computers (and call it personalized education), avoid accountability (because these private schools aren't required to meet the testing standards of the public schools) and kill what's left of the teachers' unions.” 

“These "reformers" are all in with the corporate model -- and we know how well the corporate profit model has worked for our other public services, don't we?”

http://www.salon.com/2013/09/15/diane_ravitch_school_privatization_is_a_hoax_reformers_aim_to_destroy_public_schools/

[Look forward to more blog entries from Claire Conner Mork, in the near future.]

Women Are Not Going Back Under Male Dominance ~ Ruth Ann Satchfield

~By Ruth Ann Satchfield

"The world is changing around us, sometimes too fast for many of us to comprehend. The people who call themselves conservative - whether on the left or right - have trouble with change. Much of the abortion debate is about change. People who do not accept necessary change would send the world back to the 1950's where half the population had very little choice but to get married and stay with their husbands - even the abusive ones. Men were dominant in that society and many would like to return to that time. That is why many of the preachers and the religious right are coming out against birth-control. If preventing abortions was their actual goal, as they state, they would instead be promoting birth-control. Returning to male dominance is their actual goal. Why all the insecurity? It might be the fact that women score higher than males on intelligence tests, and are now considered the smarter of the sexes. In the last 100 years, everyone has been gaining IQ points on tests, but women are progressing fastest. Until recent years, women lagged behind men; not anymore. There are two reasons. Experts suggest that women were always more intelligent, and given equal education have naturally progressed, and/or because women have been forced to become very good at multitasking due to today's lifestyles, their IQ's have increased. It is true that girls mature faster than boys and are usually more productive in school, in general. I know some very intelligent men who did not perform well in high school, but did exceptionally well in college. Girls have been consistently furthering their educations, as well. Since 1982, more women than men have been graduating from college with bachelor's, associate bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. Women have earned 4.1 million more bachelor's degrees and 9.1 million degrees overall than men in the last thirty years. Could this be driving the need to return to the 1950's lifestyle? Women are well-prepared for the jobs of the future, while men are going into fields that could be short-lived, but are they? It is true that physical-labor jobs are being replaced with robots more and more and have been for years. Many of the jobs that went overseas will not be there long before automation takes over. The auto industry has been one of the main industries to use automation; those jobs are expected be to be decreased by 18% by 2018. Jobs that were previously thought to be secure may be in danger in the future. Robots are being developed to perform these jobs and some are already functioning. A robot recently prepared 350,000 doses of medication with no mistakes. Pharmacy has traditionally been a profitable career field into which both men and women have invested time and money to further their education and secure their future. Other jobs that will be in jeopardy from robots because of technology already developed, are surprisingly quite varied as bus drivers, chauffeurs, lawyers, song writers, reporters, astronauts, rescue workers, soldiers, baby sitters, and of course retail clerks. What does this mean for them?" 

"These are just a few of the changes coming our way. There are many more. Rice University projects that by the year 2045, robots will take over many more of the jobs humans do now. This country should be increasing funds spent on the education of our students instead of devaluing education altogether. There will be fewer jobs in other fields in the future but technology will be exploding. Even if they have robots to build the robots, there will have to be people to oversea the creation and design of the new technology and program, maintain, and repair those robots. We will need a workforce that is competent in computer science and programming, engineering, math, and science. If we do not turn our country around and equip our children for the future, what future do you think our children or our country will have? The lifestyle ahead will be different for both men and women. With all these changes coming our way, does it make sense to try and move our society back to the 1950's just to appease some insecure people? Women are not going back under male dominance no matter what. We have found out what it means to make our own choices and to be self-reliant. As a divorced single mother, the most important gift I gave my girls was the gift of self-reliance. They are both educated with degrees, although happily-married, they have the self-esteem and the ability to make it in the world alone. From the figures about the education gap, I am not the only parent to see the necessity of raising our daughters to rely on themselves. Now, it is time to give ALL our children the tools to make our country a leader in the future. We use to be number one in the number of college graduates, now we are number sixteen. Going backwards is just not an option!"

http references are as follows:
://.wwwsingularityhub.com/2013/05/15/moshe-vardi-robots-could-put-humans-out-of-work-by-2045/://.wwwbusinessinsider.com/9-jobs-that-are-already-being-replaced-by-robots-2011-3?op=1
://.wwwaei-ideas.org/2013/05/stunning-college-degree-gap-women-have-earned-almost-10-million-
more-college-degrees-than-men-since-1982/
://.wwwtimesfreepress.com/news/2012/feb/21/edu-women-overtake-men-in-earning-degrees-at-all/
://.wwwabcnews.go.com/blogs/health/medical-unit/
://.wwwsingularityhub.com/2010/02/11/no-humans-just-robots-amazing-videos-of-the-modern-factory/

Putin Gives Lip-Service To Democracy ~ Elizabeth Sulzby

~ By Elizabeth Sulzby, Professor at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

“President Obama has been talking with Putin about Syria for over a year and just talked with him again at the G20. His administration has been having diplomatic talks with Putin and his administration all during this time. There is so much that we do not know because it is secret--in order to do hard diplomacy. The President got Putin and Syria to admit that Syria has chemical weapons, has been producing more chemical weapons, and "will" (i.e., should) sign the international agreement banning chemical weapons. I expect there will be ups and downs in these negotiations, of course. And I take Putin's statement as part of this diplomacy. He "gave" again to President Obama in the Op-Ed and kept up his "save my face at home in Russia" rhetoric which all US and Russian leaders do and have done. I hope everyone will read the op-ed: Putin gives lip-service to democracy. That's not a small thing. He is a horrible leader in so many ways but we negotiate with all kinds of leaders. Our President is plenty strong and much smarter than Putin but Putin isn't a dummy. Don't fall for the right's rhetoric about the President's so-called "weakness," etc. They just make it up--playing their eternally obstructive and uninformed games.”

“The point of the talks going on for over a year is information to use to defuse the right’s claims that Putin “gave” something to President Obama and that Obama “should have been doing diplomacy”—he was, strong diplomacy and gamesmanship. They claim that all this just happened after Secretary Kerry had a “slip of the lip.” No, it was based on information of what was going on “behind closed doors.”

[Stay tuned for more entries from Elizabeth Sulzby in the near future]

A Former KGB Enforcer Invokes Democracy ~ Claire Conner Mork

~By Claire Conner Mork, Author, Wrapped In The Flag

"Vladimir Putin, the Russian dictator, has invoked God and freedom in his op ed piece in the New York Times [ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/opinion/putin-plea-for-caution-from-russia-on-syria.html?hp&_r=0 ] and peppered his article with steaming bull like this: "This internal conflict, fueled by foreign weapons supplied to the opposition, is one of the bloodiest in the world."

"How convenient. Putin blames the foreign weapons going to the opposition and forgets to mention that Russia provides weapons to the Assad regime and continues to sell those weapons even today."

"Syria is Russia's closest Middle East ally and Russia has blocked multiple resolutions in the UN Security Council that would have tightened sanctions on Syria."

"And, let's not forget, Vladimir Putin was a KGB strongman who now runs a dictatorship that allows no dissent, but here he is writing for the New York Times. Remember, freedom of speech and freedom of the press is a fiction in Russia."

"Finally, Putin ends his piece with this: " It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal."

"Oh the irony, a former KGB enforcer invokes democracy, asks the Lord's blessings and channels Thomas Jefferson. I might be sick."

[Stay tuned for more articles by Claire Conner Mork] 

Time For Americans To Wake Up ~ Claire Conner Mork

~ By Claire Conner Mork, Author, "Wrapped In The Flag"


"It's time . . . way past time . . . for Americans to wake up."

"On this solemn day of remembrance, I say a special prayer for the heroes who raced into the towers to try to save those trapped inside. So many gave their lives for people they did not know, in circumstances that were impossible."

"Since 2001 and the ensuing wars and economic disaster in the US, many Americans have been convinced that our public servants are, in fact, public enemies. Police officers, firefighters, teachers, nurses, janitors, public school employees and other government workers have been painted as on the dole, lazy, ineffective, incompetent and dangerous to our economy." 

"While the wealthy have grabbed an ever increasing proportion of America's income--last year the top 1% of US earners got 19.3% of income, the most since 1928-the anger of many Americans has been pointed toward middle class and working class Americans who struggle to make ends meet."

"It is time . . . way past time . . . for Americans to wake up. Your neighbor is not your enemy. The poor are not your enemy. Teachers, firefighters, police officers (at least most of them) are not your enemy. Government employees are not your enemy." 

"Our future is threatened by a politically active plutocracy that spends millions of dollars to take us down the rabbit hole of more tax cuts for the rich, lower tax rates for corporations and the magical imaginary trickle down economic model. Now those uber-rich plutocrats are keeping company with the uber-hate government libertarians." 

"It is time . . . way past time . . . for Americans to wake up."

[Stay tuned for more entries by Claire Conner Mork, Author, "Wrapped In The Flag"]

My Thoughts on Religious Extremism ~ Michael Hoyt

~ Michael Hoyt:

"When I was a kid I used to go to church. Now I’m not a Christian, I don’t pretend to be one. Usually I would go because a girl I liked invited me to go. So when I was invited to go to church I would put on my best go to meeting clothes. My life more closely resembled that of Tom Sawyer than it did little Lord Fauntleroy so my choice of go to meeting clothes was limited. I would put on my best clothes and head off to church. I would sit in the pews next to my girlfriend and I would pretend to pray when they prayed and I would hold the book and sing the hymns.
As I recall, preachers back then talked a lot about the Ten Commandments. You know “thou shall not kill, love thy neighbor, do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” and other things. One quote that I remember quite well is “it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it would be for a rich man to enter the gates of heaven.” 
As little amount of time that I spent in church I did learn a lot. I learned that Jesus was a good guy. He advocated for the poor and even told the wealthy that they should use their wealth to help the poor. As I recall, he even threw the vendors out of a temple because they were plying their goods inside the temple. Jesus was also a healer. There is even a story about how he brought one person back from the dead."

"I don’t want you to think that I am confusing Jesus with the Ten Commandments. I know the commandments were given to Moses by God sometime before Jesus’ birth, so don’t anybody think I’m getting confused."

"My point is this; you never hear those on the right who claim to be good Christians talking about these things anymore. Now you hear a “therapist and school counselor” on Fox saying things like “it is a teaching moment when hungry kids can’t get school lunches.” I ask you, is that Christian like? I wouldn’t want this guy anywhere near my kids."

"And then there is the so called religious leader John McTernan, who claims that Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Isaac were all due to the fact that God was systematically destroying America because of the “homosexual agenda.” Several conservative lawmakers repeated this ridicules claim."

 
"OH!!! I almost forgot my favorite one. Glenn Beck, who claims to be some kind of leader (not sure what kind) made the statement that liberals should be hunted down like Nazi’s. (Presumably the last part of that would be to have them executed.) And Pat Robertson suggests that gays wore special rings to intentionally spread Aids. Just because he’s a cruel idiot doesn’t mean everybody else is.
What I’m getting at here is that I am sick and tired of these so called right wing conservatives claiming to speak for God or claiming God told them to do something. I seriously doubt that God told anybody, especially not Bachmann, Perry or Cain to run for president. I don’t think He much cares who the leader of any country is. These right winger people seem to be able to go into the bible and find passages that appear to justify any mean, cruel injustice they want to perpetuate on humanity. New Testament or Old Testament, it doesn’t matter. As I’ve said before, there are many good Christians. Their religion has been taken over by right wing extremists much as some of the Muslim religion has been taken over by extremists. What religion needs to do is get back to teaching the basics-love thy fellow man, the Ten Commandments, and the love that Jesus taught. Maybe then more people would accept religion."

Republicans Bring Back Feudalism ~ William A. Boyle

~ By William A. Boyle

 Since the 1970's the Republican Party leadership has put in place a MASTER PLAN to bring back FEUDALISM. 

The steps of the Republican plan:

(A) Get Ronald Reagan elected president in 1980, to begin implementing the MASTER PLAN to bring back FEUDALISM.

(B) Reduce taxes on the "1%" so that they have enough money to effectively corrupt and bribe any government officials and to pay for the BEST political lobbyists and spin-doctors for each part of their MASTER PLAN.

(C) Put in place "Bait and switch" politics -
The bait:
Reduce YOUR taxes!
And, the switch:
Less tax revenue makes SURE that the government does not have enough money to effectively supervise financial institutions!

(D) Reduce supervision of financial institutions so that (most) everyone of the "99%" is effectively broke and in debt...
And, the economic effects of these policies have been...?

[Look forward to more blog entries by William Boyle in the near future]

Controlling the Christian Vote ~ By Ruth Ann Satchfield

~By Ruth Ann Satchfield

There have been several stories going around that are being used to control the Christian vote in the upcoming elections. One talks about how the Affordable Healthcare Act favors Muslims at the expense of Christians, which is not true. Check here: http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/exemptions.asp They are also passing around this: "DEAR FACE BOOK FRIENDS AND FAMILY I NEED YOUR HELP "ATTENTION" I WAS PICKING UP MY MEDS AT CVS/PHARMACY IN ORANGE VA WHEN THE GUY I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH FOR MANY YEARS CAME TO THE WINDOW HE ALWAYS WEARS THE NEATEST TIES WITH BIBLE SCRIPTURE OR MAYBE A PICTURE OF THREE CROSSES THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL SO TODAY I NOTICED HE DID NOT HAVE HIS TIE ON AND SO I ASK WHERE WAS THE BEAUTIFUL TIES THAT HE ALWAYS WEARS AND HE TOLD ME VERY SADLY I AM NO LONGER ALLOWED TO WEAR ANYTHING PERTAINING TO MY RELIGION I WAS OUTRAGED HE TOLD ME THAT SOMEONE HAD MADE A COMPLAINT TO THE COM. THAT HIS TIES OFFENDED THEM WELL IT HAS OFFENDED ME THAT I WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO SEE THE BEAUTIFUL TIES THAT I THINK HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO WEAR SO I CALLED CVS CORPORATE OFFICE AND LET THEM KNOW I WOULD BE SPREADING THIS SHAMEFUL ACT ABROAD SO PLEASE TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW SHARE THIS PAGE WITH EVERY FRIEND AND TELL THEM TO TELL THERE FRIENDS I AM ALSO STARTING A PETITION TO MAKE THEM LET HIM HAVE HIS TIES BACK WE HAVE TO TAKE A STAND THIS IS CRAZY AND IT HAS TO STOP WE AS CHRISTIANS NEED TO TAKE A STAND PLEASE, PLEASE STAND WITH ME AND LETS SPREAD THIS EVERY WHERE UNTIL SOMEONE SEES THIS AND MAKES THIS WRONG RIGHT THANKS." It is not new; I read this months ago. Internet searches reveal no news stories about it; shouldn't there be at least one? Why do intelligent people fall for obvious ploys to control how we vote? Statistics reveal that between 78-84% of us identify as Christian in the U.S. ( http://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-myths-fastest-growing.htm) (http://religions.pewforum.org/reports) That leaves the rest to be divided up among the other religions or no religion. So why do Christians feel persecuted? How is it possible for the majority to be persecuted by the minority? The Christians have been promoting the "fact" that our forefathers wanted our country to be a Christian nation, but the truth is that they did not! Please see http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/farrell_till/myth.html. I have written about the reasons before, and you may find this work on my blog at Wordpress.com/ras2709 or Ruth Ann Satchfield. This country is set up with laws to prevent anyone from making our government controlled by the Christian population, and some of that group are frustrated at not getting their way at the expense of everyone else. But why do right-wing Christians fall for all of these ploys to control their votes? The Republicans play into fears propagated by... the Republican Party. Along with right-wing pundits, the Republican Party and people like Rush Limbaugh instigate a deep contempt for and fear of people who are not just like Rush: blacks, browns, women, and people of different nationalities, sexual orientation, or religion. They also instigate jealousy of others. Republicans make you believe someone else is getting more out of your tax dollars than you are, and at your expense. By instigating fear and jealousy, they instigate hate. This is their method of keeping the American people divided and many of the people voting Republican against their own interests, due to a lack of personal research. Why is this working on Christians? In the Bible and in the teachings of Jesus Christ, we are taught that hate, jealousy, and even fear are tools of evil, yet the Republican Party uses those exact tools to control their Christian members. We are also taught that we are descended from Adam and Eve, so that means we are all related. It does not say that blacks are related to blacks, and whites to whites. It says "all." When we deny our brothers and sisters, do we not also deny God? Pardon my preaching, but I am descended from preachers on many sides of my family, so it comes naturally. In researching my own ancestry, I followed one branch of my family back to Wooden Odin, and from him, there are links on the internet that take his heritage back to Adam and Eve. When you get that far back - whether technically-accurate or in general - the interrelationship of all mankind becomes clear. The messages put out by the Republican party are not Christian. How many of you ate at Chik-Fil-A in support of "Christian" CEO Dan Cathy? We all were told that he was being persecuted for his Christian beliefs, but nothing could be further from the truth. The person you turned out to support was helping to put a Ugandan government in power, one whose policies are to kill all gay citizens of that nation. Do you consider this Christian? Would God? If God makes us all in his image, how do you justify supporting such vitriolic hatred of any of God's creations? You paid your money to eat at that restaurant, and some of it was used to support this most un-Christian activity. (http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/five-reasons-chick-fil-a-isnt-what-you-think/politics/2012/08/01/45437) (http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/chick-fil-a-profits-are-supporting-ugandas-kill-the-gays-bill/politics/2012/08/01/45430) Why are we so easily misled by these false claims that Christians are being persecuted? Why are any of us supporting a political party which uses the tools of the devil to control? I do not understand. Can this be justified?

snopes.com: Dhimmitude -- Health Insurance Exemptions

www.snopes.com

[Look for more blogs from Ruth Ann Satchfield in the near future]