Hillbilly Report - Front Page

John Waltz Gaining Well Deserved Momentum

RDemocrat — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:45:52 GMT

I wrote a few diaries several months ago about a Democratic newcomer in Kentucky politics when John Waltz announced his run here, here, and here. While I very much liked what Waltz was saying, I wondered about his ability to mount a race as a newcomer and in Kentucky's Fourth Congressional District. However, as this race is progressing John Waltz is proving to be an extremely viable candidate as well as being a real fighting Democrat. Now, Waltz's campaign is picking up steam and with our help could mount a real challenge to put Republicans on defense this fall in at least one previously secure district.

I was looking around on ActBlue last night and something caught my eye. Through hard work and solid vision the Waltz Campaign has accumulated a nice little war chest and with our help could mount a serious challenge in Kentucky's Fourth to Geoff Davis. Waltz has already succeeded in raising well over $60,000 on ActBlue alone:

http://www.actblue.com/entity/...

He has done this by letting working Kentuckians know that he will fight for them, not Mitch McConnell, Communist China, and the Big Banks like Geoff Davis. Working America and Kentucky will indeed have a friend in John Waltz who will fight for fairness and a chance at the American dream of attaining the middle-class or better:

It is imperative we assess current free trade agreements and any that come in the future to ensure that American companies and our workers can compete on an even level with their global competitors. We also need to allow businesses a chance to compete by providing job hiring tax credits and freeing up credit.
I support labor 100% including legislation such as the Employee Free Choice Act, which will provide job security, increase pay, and provide much needed benefits.

http://johnwaltzforcongress.co...

Waltz realizes that the tax cuts of the last few decades have created a system in which the working American is fleeced and the very few get to enjoy the benefits of lower taxes:

The upside down tax-cutting policies of the last thirty years has created a system where the top 1 percent of earners in America pay 6.4 percent of their incomes in taxes, which in contrast the middle class now pay 9.4 percent and the nation's bottom 20% are paying 9.4 percent. I will push to advocate for a progressive tax code, which will provide equitable taxation for working families.

And like so many of us out here in working American John Waltz realizes that the American people have lost control of their government. The current fights we have been forced to embark on even against Republicans, Bluedog Democrats, and "Centrist" Democrats in the Senate have shown one thing that should be painfully clear to all. Our government is bought and paid for and needs to be returned to its rightful owners, the American people:

For far too long our representatives in government have set the needs of voters aside because of the pay to play campaign finance system currently in place. We can put the power of government back in the hands of citizens with comprehensive campaign finance reform and creating a public finance system.
As your Congressman, I will fight for the Fair Elections Now Act, which will require a Congressional candidate to raise $50,000 via a limit of $100 maximum donations and a minimum of 1500 donors within the candidate's state for an exchange of $900,000 in public financing. This will finally put our government back in the hands of Americans and out of the hands of the special interest lobbyists who have a stranglehold on Washington D.C.

While I am not in any way affiliated with the Waltz Campaign I really believe that this guy could make a serious run at taking this seat. He supports the values so many of us hold dear, and he needs our help. As you can see he has a very good start at really raising enough money to mount a serious fight, and at the very least put the national Repubicans on the defensive in a district they planned on being safe taking money that could be used against vulnerable Democrats elsewhere.

The fact of the matter is we simply must support real Democrats who will pay us back with more than lip service when elected. Won't you join me in helping John Waltz storm on the scene with a stunning upset this fall?? Go here and help continue the momentum Waltz has been building and help a real Democrat who will fight for working America when elected:

http://www.actblue.com/entity/...

Coburn Hopes to "Out-Bunning" the Master

RDemocrat — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:17:53 GMT

Ah, the Republicans. Behind the guise of Christianity, fiscal responsibility, small government, or whatever they are calling it this week they constantly are seeking to find ways to show their complete scorn and hatred for their country and the folks within it who are just hoping to make enough money to move their families into the middle-class. We all remember how Jim Bunning, the most maniacal looney toon junior Senator from Kentucky sought to deny benefits to the workers Republicans policies displace by crashing the economy. Now, it appears as if that move was not heartless enough and another Republican has decided to once again show the American worker just how much scorn and hatred Republicans have for them. Yes, Tom Coburn is seeking to "Out-Bunning" the master himself, Jim Bunning.
Ah, but as always, first some introduction music for the modern Republican Party:

You see, when Jim Bunning decided to block a jobless benefits package he also caused the furlough of 2000 federal workers during a time when the economy is bad and every day's work can be the difference between making ends meet and not. Of course, while agreeing with him Republicans quickly distanced themselves from the Hall of Shame Senator because he exposed to readily their feelings they do not want the American people to know. Now however, it appears as if Tom Coburn wants to be a bigger horse's you know what, and is actually wanting to delay paying the workers the lost wages caused by Bunning's idiocy:

The Kentucky Republican's recent decision to unilaterally block a jobless-benefits package because it was paid for out of the deficit caused nearly 2,000 federal workers to be furloughed. Now Coburn is fighting efforts by Democrats to quickly pass a bill to allow those workers to be paid for the days they were told not to perform their jobs - because it would add to the deficit.

http://www.politico.com/news/s...

He sent a letter to his kindred spirit and good buddy Mitch McConnell begging him to let him know if Republicans will pay the workers quickly, or make them sweat and fall behind on their bills. I guess he wants to reserve the right to single-handedly block their pay just as Bunning did to the nation's unemployed:

In a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Coburn says that he'd like to be consulted before Republicans agree to quickly approve a bill to pay the 1,992 Transportation Department workers who lost two days' pay while Senate Democrats were battling Bunning over his objection to the package.

He used the same tired, wasted, hypocritical argument men like himself, Bunning and McConnell always seem to fall back on:

Coburn, one of the staunchest fiscal conservatives in the Senate, says that Congress is "shortsighted" in repeatedly passing emergency spending that adds to the deficit, and he argued that the Transportation Department had billions in unobligated funds that could have been dipped into to keep the projects afloat during the Senate standoff.
"This legislation can be approved quickly, as I am willing to accept a unanimous consent agreement to pass the bill with my amendment included or a unanimous consent agreement to allow me to offer my amendment for consideration and limited debate time," Coburn said. "Thank you for protecting my rights regarding this legislation."

Which begs the question of where were Coburn and his buddies Bunning and McConnell when they were rubber-stamping the Bush tax cuts which ballooned the deficit?? Where were they in standing up for "fiscal discipline" when we were wasting trillions of dollars on the failed Bush/Cheney vision of our country and the world?? They were lovingly embracing the failed vision and piling up debt, de-regulation and disaster for the American taxpayer that they are now paying dearly for on a daily basis.

The question for Coburn is since he, Bunning and McConnell are all millionaires and recieve so much $$ for protecting the interests of corporate America, is not their salaried a drain on the debt?? Why not just give their pay towards the deficit and they can earn what good they have done for America- nothing. Harry Reid said just about as much:

"If Sen. Coburn really wanted to take a stand, why doesn't he change his amendment so that it is paid for out of the Republican office accounts only?" said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). "Seems only fair given that they were the ones that blocked the money in the first place."

So, with Jim Bunning retiring all the heartless looney-tunes in America need not worry. They will be well represented by Tom Coburn, Mitch McConnell and the Republican Party who will wink to each other as they try to disguise their true intentions and their true hatred of any American that works. Yes, it appears as if someone has unbelievably been able to "out-Bunning" the master himself.

Itawamba County School Board In Mississippi Tells Constance McMillen, No Same Sex Prom Date

Hillbilly — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:59:15 GMT

USA Today
The Itawamba County school board Wednesday canceled the school's planned April 2 dance after a lesbian student challenged the district's policy against same-sex dates. As news of the board's decision spread across the nation, Matthew Sheffield of the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition said his office was flooded by people looking to help. Read More

Congressman Yarmuth Links Jobs and Healthcare

RDemocrat — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:51:45 GMT

Despite some inner bickering, one thing Kentucky Progressives agree on is that Congressman John Yarmuth of Kentucky's Third Congressional District is Congressman awesome. A co-sponsor of HR 676 and constant friend to the working American Yarmuth has been a leader in the Congress since first elected in 2006. Yarmuth was at it again in a video released today, linking the lack of Universal Healthcare directly to the loss of jobs in his district and calling out Mitch McConnell for delaying the process of fixing a broken healthcare system.
Yarmuth told how Jewish Hospital in Louisville was forced to lay off 250 workers with plans to git rid of 250 more:

Yesterday, Yarmuth commented on his support for ending earmarks to Corporate America in this release:

I strongly support this policy change, which is why I implemented it for my own Congressional Office in 2008. I believe that Members of Congress - not just agency bureaucrats in Washington - should have a say in how federal funding is allocated in their Congressional District. However, assuming this responsibility means we must make sure taxpayer funds are not being used to pad a corporation's bottom line, but are being used to support valuable public services, protect our citizens, improve our schools, and improve our infrastructure."
The House Appropriations Committee estimated that if a similar rule were in effect last year, 1,000 fewer earmarks would have been approved. The Committee also announced it would establish an online website where all House Members' earmark requests would be easily viewable.

http://yarmuth.house.gov/index...

One thing is for sure, since his election in 2006 when Working America has needed a friend in Washington D.C. they have always been able to depend on Congressman Yarmuth. Instead of constantly being part of the problem in Washington, he has constantly tried to be part of the solution. If you do not believe me, the record speaks for itself:

http://votesmart.org/voting_ca...

We should all go to his re-election site and find out how we can help assure this fighting Democrat who is not afraid to be Progressive wins this fall:

http://www.yarmuthforcongress....

While we are at it, we should all stop by his ActBlue page at sometime this year and donate whatever we can. This will be an investment that has ALREADY paid dividends and will only continue to in the future. Wall St. sure never offered such a sound investment:

http://www.actblue.com/entity/...

Christian Leader Calls for Beck Boycott

RDemocrat — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:25:12 GMT

I posted these vids the other night to show our readers just how much contempt the supposedly "Christian" right actually has for Christianity. Now, it appears as if the comments in the Beck video is raising a little fuss among some Christians who feel that he has insulted their faith. Even those within his own faith question whether Beck knows anything about his own religion.
Here is the comments by Beck as told by The Young Turks:

Rev. Jim Wallis was not in the least bit amused by such lunacy, and called on Christians to boycott Beck:

This week, the Rev. Jim Wallis, a liberal evangelical leader in Washington, D.C., called on Christians to leave Glenn Beck.
"What he has said attacks the very heart of our Christian faith, and Christians should no longer watch his show," Mr. Wallis, who heads the antipoverty group Sojourners, wrote on his "God's Politics" blog. "His show should now be in the same category as Howard Stern."

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes...

He was quickly joined by other religious bloggers who felt that Beck's call for people to leave any faith that promoted any kind of social justice as and affront on many different denominations:

Religious bloggers, from the Rev. James Martin, an editor at the liberal Jesuit magazine America, to Joe Carter, at the conservative magazine First Things, took Mr. Beck's decree as possibly an attack on Catholic teaching, and definitely an affront to Christianity.
Father Martin wrote on the Huffington Post: "It is not enough simply to help the poor, one must address the structures that keep them that way. Standing up for the rights of the poor is not being a Nazi, it's being Christian. And Communist, as Mr. Beck suggests? It's hard not to think of the retort of the great apostle of social justice, Dom Helder Camara, archbishop of Recife, 'When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.' "

Worse yet, showing just how idiotic Beck's statement really was, it appears now that if he were to follow his own advice that it would be time for him to find himself a new denomination to worship under also:

Philip Barlow, the Arrington Professor of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University, said: "One way to read the Book of Mormon is that it's a vast tract on social justice. It's ubiquitous in the Book of Mormon to have the prophetic figures, much like in the Hebrew Bible, calling out those who are insensitive to injustices.
"A lot of Latter-day Saints would think that Beck was asking them to leave their own church."
Mr. Barlow said that Mr. Beck's comments were particularly ill-timed because just this year, the church's highest authority, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, issued a new "Handbook of Instructions" to church leaders in which they revised the church's "three-fold mission" and added a fourth mission statement: care for the poor.

Hopefully this should show at least a few of his adoring fans who consider themselves Christian just how much scorn Beck and the Republican talking heads have for you. Real Christians that believe in Christian teachings should probably consider themselves pretty insulted by Glenn Beck. Beck should find another church in which to worship, because he has ignored the tenets of his own faith.

Oh well, I guess he could always reform his death metal band:

Tea Party Irrelevant In Texas Primaries

SmackontheWeb — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:05:57 GMT

Voter turnout in last Thursday's Texas state primaries was the highest it has been in more than 20 years and what the voters of Texas had to say about the Tea Party, they said loud and crystal clear. Yet, in one more example of just how out of touch teabaggers are with reality and how impervious they are to truth and fact, the baggers have claimed victory in the Texas primaries even though every single teabagger candidate got their clocks resoundingly cleaned and their lunatic asses handed to them by the voters of Texas.
Ignoring not just the facts but the vote count as well, teabaggers bray like jackasses as they claim "their" candidate, two-term Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry and his beat down of his two opponents, is proof of their electorial influence even though the official Tea Party candidate in that race never got out of last place throughout the campaign and only managed to garner 18% of the vote. Not a single Tea Party candidate in any of the primary contests came anywhere near close to serious contention in their respective races.

Of the host of Texas House GOP incumbents who faced challenges from tea party opponents, the only one who faced anything remotely resembling a scare was Representative Ralph Hall - who dispatched his nearest competitor by nearly 30 percentage points. The highly touted primary challenge that Republican Congressman Ron Paul was supposed to have faced from three Tea Party activists never materialized and ended with a Ron Paul landslide. Paul won 80.8% of the vote against teabaggers Tim Graney (9.7%), John Gay (5.3%), and Gerald Wall (4.2%). [So much for the teabaggers who think Paul is a dried-up, washed-out, wrinkled old whackjob. That's twice Ron Paul has kicked teabagger ass in a little more than two weeks.]

Teabaggers will use Sarah Palin's endorsement of Rick Perry to justify their imagined victory where utter defeat is a matter of reality. We are supposed to forget Palin and the Tea Party have stated time and time again that she is not their leader and they are not her followers. I've looked for any specific mention of the Tea Party giving Rick Perry any kind of official endorsement and it's just not there. What I did find in that search were more references to Dick Armey of FreedomWorks endorsing one of Perry's opponents, Kay Bailey Hutchison. FreedomWorks - one of the proud owners of the Tea Party wouldn't even endorse the official Tea Party candidate, gun-toting 9/11 conspiracy theorist Debra Medina - imagine that.

Where does anyone but the delusional or just plain ignorant see a victory for the Tea Party in any of the irrefutable facts above? I cannot imagine the twisted logic used to claim any kind of Tea Party victory in the Texas primaries when the Tea Party was completely, categorically and overwhelmingly defeated.

Bunning, McConnell Vote Against Poor, Unemployed, Uninsured and Medicare Recipients Roll Call

Hillbilly — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:30:16 GMT

When Senators Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell voted against H.R. 4213: Tax Extenders Act of 2009, March 10, 2010, they voted against folks on Medicare, folks on Medicaid, the unemployed and folks on COBRA. Click here to see the roll call.

Jim Bunning And Mitch McConnell Voted Against The Elderly On Medicare:

Dot Med News
The Senate voted Wednesday to delay the 2010 cut in Medicare physician reimbursement. The 21% reduction was to go into effect March 1 till a vote last Tuesday put it off till the end of March. Yesterday's follow-up means the cut will take effect October 1.

Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell voted to allow the 21% reduction Medicare physician reimbursement. Shame on them.

Jim Bunning And Mitch McConnell Voted Against Folks On Medicaid:

los Angeles Times
The bill included $25 billion in new Medicaid funds to help financially hard-pressed states pay for healthcare for the poor.

Jim Bunning and Mitch Mcconnell voted against $25 billion in new Medicaid funds to help financially hard-pressed states. Shame on them.

Jim Bunning And Mitch McConnell Voted Against The Unemployed:

AP
The unemployment insurance alone — to provide weekly unemployment checks averaging above $300 to people whose core 26-week benefit package has run out — will cost $66 billion through December. In some states people are eligible to receive benefits for up to 99 weeks.

Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell voted against this unemployment extension. Shame on them.

Jim Bunning And Mitch McConnell Voted Against The Uninsured:

Congress Matters
When signed into law, the bill would ensure a continuation of all current extended unemployment compensation (EUC) and extended benefits (EB) programs, as well as the additional $25 per week unemployment insurance (UI) payment and the federal 65% subsidy to eligible COBRA beneficiaries.

Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell voted against folks on COBRA. Shame on them.

When It Comes To The Poor, Elderly, Unemployed And Uninsured Jim Bunning And Mitch McConnell Have This To Say: Tough Shit.

Mediaite
At today’s White House briefing, the subject of Senator Jim Bunning’s obstruction of an extension of unemployment and COBRA benefits came up several times. Bunning held up the bill despite the fact that his own leadership doesn’t support his objection, and when a Democratic Senator implored him to drop it, replied “Tough shit.” Hey, it fits on a bumper sticker!

Turn on your Love Light

Acebass — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:51:35 GMT

A very good friend of mine is going to Haiti and asked me to spread this around. I hope you will help them out.
A very good friend of mine is going top Haiti and asked me to spread this around. I hope you will help them out.

Friends:

I will be travelling next month on a relief mission to Catholic Superior School of Law in Jeremie , Haiti , to see what can be done to support the students upon whom the future of Haitian society will depend. Without the rule of law, there can be no peace. Without courageous, well-meaning, well trained lawyers, there can be no rule of law. I look forward to writing about my observations upon my return.

I am hitching a ride to the island with a group of Catholic missionaries from South Louisiana who have established Haiti Mission, Inc. (http://www.haitimissioninc.com/ ) and who have been working in Haiti for many years.

One of many projects upon which they are working is to distribute solar lights to the people living in the villages of Ravine Sable and Numero Deux. Many of us who lived through Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath can remember the weeks living without electricity and can therefore relate to this most basic necessity. Just one of these lights (pictured above) can have a huge impact upon the quality of life for an entire family.

Each light comes with both a crank and a solar panel. Each unit costs $40.00.

I ask that you consider donating one or more of these lights so that we might bring them in our luggage to Haiti next month for distribution. If you wish to help, please send your tax deductable donation to:

HAITI MISSION, INC

P.0. BOX 694

THIBODAUX, LA 70302

Thank you,

Buddy

Doyle Spell, Jr.

SPELL & SPELL

Felony Defense Trial Lawyers

1225 North Columbia Street

Covington , LA 70433

(985) 795-9500

Jim Bunning And Mitch McConnell Snub U.S. Senate Youth Program!

Hillbilly — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:59:58 GMT

According to our source Senators from each state were supposed visit the young people last night, March 10, 2010, attending the 2010 United States Senate Youth Program Washington Week. Well guess what? Senators Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell didn't show up. The Youth program sent the senators an invitation, Jim Bunning refused and Mitch McConnell didn't respond. When Mitch McConnell didn't respond another invitation letter was sent along with an email and Senator Mitch McConnell still didn't respond. Senator Mitch McConnell HONORARY CO-CHAIR of the 2010 UNITED STATES SENATE YOUTH PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEE and he didn't respond?

It must have been embarrassing for our two, very bright, Kentucky youths to watch the youth from other states interact with their senators. This is nothing new for Jim bunning and Mitch Mcconnell they were also missing last year. Like I've said before, Mitch McConnell has been saying no for a very long time.

Grayson Introduces Public Option Act

RDemocrat — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:58:06 GMT

Alan Grayson has been a godsend in a mostly disappointing Democratic Congress. Like John Yarmuth of Kentucky, he has been elected in a district that is not a cakewalk but still fearlessly stands up for what he believes is right. With the Healthcare fight raging on and getting closer to an up or down vote, Grayson is once again trying to speak for the will of the majority of the American people who would like to see at least a public option in the Healthcare bill that will eventually be voted on.
On Tuesday, Grayson introduced the Public Option Act to open up Medicaire for anyone who will pay for it:

March 9, 2010
Washington, DC
Congressman Alan Grayson, D-Fla., today introduced a bill (H.R. 4789) which would give the option to buy into Medicare to every citizen of the United States. The "Public Option Act," also known as the "Medicare You Can Buy Into Act," would open up the Medicare network to anyone who can pay for it.
Congressman Grayson said, "Obviously, America wants and needs more competition in health coverage, and a public option offers that. But it's just as important that we offer people not just another choice, but another kind of choice. A lot of people don't want to be at the mercy of greedy insurance companies that will make money by denying them the care that they need to stay healthy, or to stay alive. We deserve to have a real alternative."
The bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish enrollment periods, coverage guidelines, and premiums for the program. Because premiums would be equal to cost, the program would pay for itself.
"The government spent billions of dollars creating a Medicare network of providers that is only open to one-eighth of the population. That's like saying, 'Only people 65 and over can use federal highways.' It is a waste of a very valuable resource and it is not fair. This idea is simple, it makes sense, and it deserves an up-or-down vote," Congressman Grayson said.

http://grayson.house.gov/News/...

To me, this is what Democrats should have been pushing all along. "Medicaire for everyone". Grayson is right on the mark and if H.R. 676 cannot be considered then this bill by Grayson is desperately needed. Here is Grayson introducing his bill and some commentary from The Young Turks:

Thanks once again Rep. Grayson for trying to speak for real solutions for the folks that are really hurting. Grayson and John Yarmuth are two Democrats that every Progressive Democrat in the nation should be fighting for and donating to.

President Obama Joins the Fight Against Mitch McConnellism

RDemocrat — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:21:16 GMT

Its about time. For decades Progressives in Kentucky have been completely disgusted with the anti-American tactics used by Mitch McConnell and his minions in the Kentucky Republican Party who followed him like obsessed disciples. When President Obama first entered office I could not believe that a man as seemingly intelligent as he is could ever think he would be able to work with a man such as McConnell. Now, it appears after reaching out to McConnell and his radically Corporate Republian Party and pulling back a bloody nub just as we predicted here the President has had his fill. Thankfully, he is finally taking McConnell and his crowd to task.
Now it appears as if Obama has reached the boiling point Kentucky Progressives reached long ago and is calling Mitch McConnell out by name:

"I heard the Republican Leader of the Senate the other day - he's warning Democrats, 'You better be careful about voting for this; it could hurt you,'" the president said in a speech to 400 invitees who packed into a high school auditorium just outside of St. Louis.
"I don't know how sincere the Republican Leader is about the best interests of Democrats. [But] he's been very generous with advice."

http://www.politico.com/news/s...

When a typical tea-bagger heckler behaved as expected, Obama turned it into another opportunity to mock McConnell:

When someone hooted from the back of the room during a Wednesday night fundraiser in St. Louis, Obama stopped mid-speech, and quipped, "Was that Mitch McConnell? ... They don't like it when we're talking the truth."

Obama also ripped into the Bush-era Republicans led by McConnell who lovingly rubber-stamped every failed policy of the Bush Administration as they brought about the collapse of the American financial system and two costly, mismanaged wars, and embarked on a huge propoganda campaign to steal generations of Constitutional protections from the American people using the "War on Terror" as a guise:

The president, in rolled-shirtsleeves, Iowa-2008 mode, blamed Bush-era Republicans for inaction on health care much, as Candidate Obama relentlessly targeted them for rushing to war in Iraq.
"[B]y the way, I don't recall any of these Republicans trying to do anything about insurance companies' abuses during all the years they were in charge," he said as Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), looked on approvingly.
"I don't remember them doing anything about folks who needed some help when the government was running surpluses."

Do you know why you did not see any of that Mr. President?? Because during all those years of prosperity Mitch McConnell and his ilk were doing all they could to ship American middle-class jobs overseas to exploit oppressed peoples who are virtually slaves. They were out there making sure the greediest and least patriotic among us would get to fleece the American taxpayer and destroy the middle-class in an attempt to bring back a two-class society of the elites and the "serfs".

So thank you President Obama for finally joining us in the fight against Mitch McConnell. We hope you will be hitting him back even harder, and believe since close to 80% of Americans despise the man, this is a winning strategy.

President Obama's comments:

Dennis

RDemocrat — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:55:18 GMT

Enjoy this from The Young Turks:

Obama Wants to Take Your Fishing Poles??

RDemocrat — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:30:11 GMT

Man for so many years in rural America we have heard that Democrats would take our guns, although no Democrat has taken a gun from a rural American that I know. Now, it appears as if the guns aren't all Obama and the rest of us in the "Socialist-Nazi-Communist" cabal that is trying to turn the Capital into Red Square want to seize from rural Americans. Yes, now the good ole boys had better brace for the next fight. Yes, Glenn Beck watchers now we want your fishing poles!!
Ah, but before delving into this edition of "Looney Tunes" some introduction music is in order as always:

You see, right-wing looney tunes want to seize upon anything to prove that Obama and the Democrats are trying to do a wide array of ungodly things to our country. They soon seize upon anything to forward that message:

Following the lead of an ESPNOutdoors.com opinion writer, who provided no evidence for his claim that a federal strategy "could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing," right-wing blogs have advanced the outlandish charge that Obama "wants to ban sport fishing." These media outlets cited the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force's interim report on coastal and marine planning, but the task force has proposed nothing of the sort.

http://mediamatters.org/resear...

Then, the talking poisonous snakes on the lunatic right-wing media whip the looney tunes into a frenzy:

Hoft: "New Regulations Will Ban Sport Fishing." On March 9, Gateway Pundit blogger Jim Hoft posted a blog titled, "Obama's Latest Assault on Freedom-New regulations Will Ban Sport Fishing." Asserting that Obama "wants to ban sport fishing," Hoft quoted from the ESPN column and further stated, "Barack Obama has a message for America's 60,000,000 anglers- We don't need you."

No matter how proposterous the claim, they pound it home:

RedState: "Obama: The Will Of The People Be Damned - I'LL Decide Who Can Go Fishing." In a March 9 RedState post titled, "Obama: The Will Of The People Be Damned - I'LL Decide Who Can Go Fishing," Dave Poff quoted the ESPN column's claim that the Obama administration's plan "could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing the nation's oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters." Poff also stated, "*Now* he means to ration recreational fishing and boating, folks," adding that Obama has been "[p]lotting a Federal takeover of all our bodies of water (freshwater...saltwater...doesn't matter), in an effort to set up MORE bureaucracies and circumvent the rights of the States to determine fair use and access rules amongst themselves based on the local interests of everyone involved."

Malkin: "Obama's war on fishing?!?!?!" In a March 9, post titled, "Obama's war on fishing?!?!?!" Michelle Malkin posted the ESPN column's claim that "[t]he Obama administration will accept no more public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing the nation's oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters." Malkin added, "Longtime readers know I love to fish and have been at war with the anti-fishing nuts at PETA for years."

Ah, but as always in the twisted world of the paranoid, delusional, and downright dishonest Conservative media, the actual truth is always twisted into something sinister that mixes Socialism, Communism, Facism, and a one world govenment:

Task force plan seeks to "better manage," not ban recreational fishing alongside other uses of ocean, coasts, lakes. In its September 10, 2009, interim report, the Interagency Ocean Policy task force recommended that the administration implement "coastal and marine spatial planning," which has been described as ocean "zoning." The interim report states that such a system "will allow for the reduction of cumulative impacts from human uses on marine ecosystems, provide greater certainty for the public and private sector in planning new investments, and reduce conflicts among uses and, between using and preserving the environment to sustain critical ecological, economic, and cultural services for this and future generations." A December 9, 2009, task force report discussing coastal and marine spatial planning in more detail states that "CMSP provides an effective process to better manage a range of social, economic, and cultural uses, including" commerce and transportation, commercial fishing, conservation, mining, oil and gas exploration and development and recreational fishing, among many others. Nowhere in the September 10 or December 9 reports does the task force propose a ban on recreational fishing.

Marine biologist Larry Crowder: "It's not an environmentalist manifesto." The Christian Science Monitor reported on March 9 that marine biologist Larry Crowder, of Duke University, stated of the task force, "It's not an environmentalist manifesto. It's multiple-use planning for the environment, and making sure various uses ... are sustainable." CSM further reported that "Obama has said he will not override protections put in place by Presidents Clinton and Bush that established recreational fishermen as a special class" and that "nonpartisan experts say the task force has already made strides in better recognizing various stakeholder groups, including recreational fishermen, and that it doesn't intend to undermine the ability of states to manage their natural resources, as many fishermen fear."

In other words, the Obama Administration seeks to find ways to better use and preserve our natural resources, such as the fish in our waters. They seek ways to protect these areas where Americans enjoy fishing from pollutions and other activities such as overfishing, mining, and oil and gas exploration in recreational areas. Only in the twisted mind of the modern ultra-Conservative looney tune mind can this be taken as an assault on their rights to fish.

All this paranoia is destroying our country. When Progressives where paranoid about the Bush Administration stealing our rights, we actually had a leg to stand on with the propoganda campaign that was the "War on Terror" which brought us the Patriot Act and the FISA Bill, and caused anyone that question the Bush Administration policies to be branded as cowards, or worse yet traitors.

Progressives do not want anyone's fishing poles. We seek a more sustainable way of preserving recreational areas for all generations to enjoy fishing for decades to come. We want to keep guns only away from criminals and those to irresponsible to own them without putting other people's lives at risk.

So for now, I can assure all the looney tunes that their fishing poles are indeed quite safe.

On The Fear Of Government, Or, Let's Get Back To Basics

fake consultant — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:06:38 GMT

It seems like everywhere you look these days, someone’s trying to spread...The Fear.

All around us...in every town...on every corner...a massive Army Of Fear is standing by, according to the Messengers, ready at a moment’s notice to obey the dictates of some unappointed Czar or another.

Just ask Glenn Beck: concentration camps for the white people, jackbooted stormtroopers ready to snatch the guns from your cold dead fingers...Socialist Government-Controlled Healthcare That Threatens Your Not Socialist Medicare...it’s all coming, my friends—and unless we organize, as a community, to return to the values of the Founding Fathers, The Government, meaning that awful Obama and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and George Soros and all the other Evil Community Organizers, will win.

There’s no government, we’re told, like no government.

You know who would find all of this fear of self-government just entirely bizarre?

The Founding Fathers.

In today’s conversation we’ll consider the fundamentals of American patriotism, we’ll ask one of those Founding Fathers how he saw the role of Government—and we’ll toss in a few words from Abraham Lincoln, just for good measure.

"...There's a lot of different scenarios...We've got a great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that. But Texas is a very unique place, and we're a pretty independent lot to boot..."

Texas Governor Rick Perry, April 15, 2009

In a conversation about American Patriotism, it’s hard to find a better place to start than with the words of Thomas Paine...as long as you actually understand what he’s trying to tell us.

“The trouble with people is not that they don't know but that they know so much that ain't so.”

--Henry Wheeler Shaw, as Josh Billings, “The Encyclopedia of Wit and Wisdom”

Lots of people figure it’s just plain common sense that Government must be evil, and to make their point they regularly quote from the very first paragraphs of Paine’s seminal work, which, coincidentally, is also entitled “Common Sense”:

“...Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness...Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil...”

But what these observers fail to understand is that, in the end, Paine’s not condemning government’s intrusions as much as he is man’s frailties.

Consider this passage, from just a bit farther down on that same page:

“...Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence: the palaces of kings are built on the ruins of the bowers of paradise. For, were the impulses of conscience clear, uniform, and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other lawgiver; but that not being the case, he finds it necessary to surrender up a part of his property to furnish means for the protection of the rest; and this he is induced to do by the same prudence which, in every other case, advises him out of two evils to choose the least. Wherefore, security being the true design and end of government, it unanswerably follows, that whatever form thereof appears most likely to ensure it to us with the least expense and greatest benefit, is preferable to all others.”

(Emphasis appears in original)

So...what is Paine actually saying?

Since people don’t always do the right thing, you need a government that governs wisely and well—and the last thing that you want, if you want security...is no government at all.

Paine continues by giving an example of how a community of people formed out of nothing will eventually have no choice but to organize themselves—and in a turn of phrase that our Tea Party friends would do well to note, Paine goes on to say this about societies forming governments:

“...And however our eyes may be dazzled with show, or our ears deceived by sound; however prejudice may warp our wills, or interest darken our understanding; the simple voice of nature will say, it is right.”

You’ll notice that when Paine writes about government he is referring to a thing which is imposed upon a people by a King, or someone similarly placed. Of course, since “Common Sense” was written before the American Revolution, what he could not yet do was speak from experience about a different kind of government: one that is created by the people themselves.

Abraham Lincoln could, however...and one November afternoon, he did:

“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.

(Emphasis added)

Government of the people, by the people, for the people.

In other words, a government that belongs to us, run by people of all political persuasions, working for the benefit of everyone.

What would Abraham Lincoln say to today’s Tea Party community? I suspect the obvious question he’d want to ask is: “In a country where we are the government, why in the world would you be afraid...of yourselves?”

And that is the question we should be putting to those same people.

We should be asking them why they are afraid to help captain the Ship of State...why they are afraid of the same democracy Ronald Reagan thought was the greatest on Earth...why, if they really feel that patriotic, they are afraid to do exactly what Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Paine told us would be best for the Nation: be a part of your own government, charting your own future, along with all of the rest of the citizens of the United States...and, most importantly of all, we should be asking why they are, today, so afraid of our shared democracy that they can’t help the rest of us as we try to turn Pluribus...into Unum?

"Part of the Problem"

RDemocrat — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:25:46 GMT