Clevelands Secret Club Blog

BILL MOYERS: THE UNITED STATES OF INEQUALITY

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 21:41:00 +0000

PRESIDENT OBAMA AT THE 2013 WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT'S DINNER

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:31:00 +0000

WE SALUTE JOHN KERRY AND ASK THAT HE CONTINUE TO REMEMBER VIETNAM

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:19:00 +0000

WATCH DEMOCRACY NOW AND 2013 INAUGURATION

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:48:00 +0000

CLICK HERE

MAPLE HEIGHTS MIRED IN CONTROVERSY

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 07:15:00 +0000

What a crappy day ...

Things don't look so good for those lovely residents in Maple Heights. Actually they look horrible.

Here's what's happening. Various residents in Maple Heights are exercising their employer/legal rights (asking for public records and public information), and it looks like they're being stonewalled by John Montello, the law director. Remember, Montello is the Mayor's guy (the chosen one) and we figure if the Mayor gets swept up in a scandal, so does the law director and vice versa.

We think (our opinion - feel free to disagree) this guys picks for negotiators for Maple Heights, is not helping the residents in Maple Heights. Not only that, but it appears too much (for us at least) of this guy's actions have been to the detriment of some of his employers (resident tax payers). His legal opinions (which he published) helped (we feel) disenfranchise his employers in district 5. According to what we read and heard, he drafted legislation (?) on behalf of Mayor Lansky, that took money away from certain residents in district's 3 and 5 (restricting them to only 20% of money set aside for them for damage done to their homes due to the railroad - to which they state they haven't received a dime yet). He allowed the Human Services director to dodge answering serious questions asked of her by one of her employers (a taxpayer), and now he's decided to block certain information that is crucial to determining if affirmative action agreements have been violated, or if the leadership in Maple Heights is "giving away the store" to people who don't live in Maple Heights.

Oh yeah, we've also been told he couldn't find any affirmative action agreements entered into by the city of Maple Heights [wonder if he billed them that $95 an hr - or is it more now?], even though he was able to find a 1924 case law (or was it Mr. Blair Melling) that led to the residents/voters/his employers in district 5 being eventually disenfranchised (our opinion), and possible intimidation of members of council (declaring a council seat vacant for any reason).

One of his employers/a resident found the chief negotiator of those affirmative action agreements, and he gave her copies of those agreements. So what's up with Montello? You were given a hint, but still couldn't locate those agreements?

There's a lot more to this story, and you can dig up our old posts on Maple Heights. Here's a bit of advice Montello and Mr. Mayor, ...

You don't want to do anything that even looks like/smells like you're trying to cover up wrong doing.

And FYI, we bet a lot of you are just itching to find out what other information we've uncovered about the city of Maple Heights.

Here's a small tidbit. We were told by a credible source that there were over 560 foreclosure filings in the city of Maple Heights in 2012 so far (in a city of about 23,100 residents), and that there are many houses vacant. It also appears that the population declined from about 26,000 to the now about 23,100 (according to 2010 census) during the current Mayor's term in office, and the school's student enrollment has also declined (see our other posts). Now before we allow these city employees to say that things are bad all over Ohio, Maple Heights is one of the worst in terms of home foreclosures, and the market values and assessed values of the homes in Maple Heights has declined significantly.

A suggestion:
If any employee who works for Maple Heights government knows of a cover up, or any acts of wrong doing, or acts of racism by Maple Heights public employees, our suggestion is to come forward now. If there's a scandal coming, you don't want to be swept up in it.

Update 12/20/2012:

Mr. Blair Melling has decided to dip his toe .. wait ... no, dip his foot into the muck and mire in Maple Hts. Did Mr. Montello sick Mr. Melling on those poor folks in Maple Hts? Careful Mr. Melling, do you really want to get caught up in these murky waters? Just asking. [Re: Melling and Montello, click Here (about 10 paragraphs down) and Here. ] We'll keep you updated but it looks like besides issues stated on this post, constitutional issues also keep popping up.

This post is open to further editing if corrections or additions need to be made.

MAPLE HEIGHTS IN LOCKDOWN MODE August 10, 2012

How Little Old Ladies Got Thrown Under the Bus in Maple Heights March 20, 2012

And the Razzle Dazzle Continues in Maple Heights January 19, 2012

Who Does John Montello, Law Director for the City of Maple Heights Really Work For? December 29, 2011

The Boys Are Back in Maple Heights , November 9, 2011

and there is more

HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:14:00 +0000

CLEVELANDS SECRET CLUB WISHES EVERYONE A GREAT THANKSGIVING!

IS A VULTURE CAPITALIST COMING TO SAVE US?

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 05:56:00 +0000

You all know we don’t like most politicians, most big corporations, or private equity firms like Bain Capital. Mitt Romney is counting on your ignorance of finance (and not doing your own research), and quite honestly, we think he’s succeeding.

There were people that predicted (or foresaw) the financial crisis of2008, but no one was really listening. Part of the reason was most people have absolutely no idea about things like finance, or economics, or how the economy works, or what WallStreet is about, or have knowledge about credit default swaps, or derivatives, leveraged buyouts, etc.

What they do know is that they don’t know how to budget, that they try to keep up with the Joneses, that the price of gas has gone up, … basically they know they are screwed because they know nothing about finance, or Wall Street, or how the economy works, or debt and deficits, or how to live within their means.

The Joe Scarboroughs, and FOX (cable) news idiots (although there was one Fox smart guy), and CNBC whoevers, and contributors to Forbes, financial journalists, etc etc etc still are completely clueless how we prevent 2008 from happening again, and wouldn’t recognize the signs again, even if it smacked them in the face. All they seem to care about are a bunch of people making money and huge profits, and essentially that’s all Mitt Romney cares about when it comes to the economy.

What he does know, is how to use other people’s money (borrowed money) to loan it to businesses, so he can siphon off some of the profit (or most of it depending on what it says in the contract) and collect a fee; but that’s not creating a healthy economy, … Is it?

It’s disingenuous and hypocritical to hear people like Romney talking about debt and deficits, when basically he got filthy rich using investor's (borrowed) money to loan it to businesses (so they’re now in debt).

We’ve got a few videos for you to watch. Definitely watch MattTaibbi’s segment on “Democracy Now”, and the video about debt/deficits.

All Things Mitt

Debt and Deficits

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 05:44:00 +0000

"What follows is a PARTIAL list of Obama’s accomplishments so far. Unlike many such lists, there is a link to a citation supporting every single one.

Legislative Prowess

Despite the characterizations of some, Obama’s success rate in winning congressional votes on issues was an unprecedented 96.7% for his first year in office. Though he is often cited as superior to Obama, President Lyndon Johnson’s success rate in 1965 was only 93%. http://n.pr/i3d7cY

Fiscal Responsibility

Within days after taking office, he signed an Executive Order ordering an audit of government contracts, and combating waste and abuse. http://1.usa.gov/dUvbu5

Created the post of Chief Performance Officer, whose job it is to make operations more efficient to save the federal government money. http://n.pr/hcgBn1

On his first full day, he froze White House salaries. http://on.msnbc.com/ewJUIx

He appointed the first Federal Chief Information Officer to oversee federal IT spending. http://www.cio.gov

He committed to phasing out unnecessary and outdated weapons systems, and also signed the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act to stop waste, fraud and abuse in the defense procurement and contracting system. http://bit.ly/hOw1t1 http://bit.ly/fz8GAd

Through an executive order, he created the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. http://bit.ly/hwKhKa

Improving the Economy, Preventing Depression

He pushed through and signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as “the stimulus package,” despite the fact that not one Republican voted for that bill. In addition, he launched recovery.gov, so that taxpayers could track spending from the Act. http://1.usa.gov/ibiFSs http://1.usa.gov/e3BJMk

In his first year, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created and sustained 2.1 million jobs and stimulated the economy 3.5%. http://reut.rs/i46CEE

He completed the massive TARP financial and banking rescue plan, and recovered virtually all of its costs. http://1.usa.gov/eA5jVS http://bit.ly/eCNrD6

He created the Making Home Affordable home refinancing plan. http://1.usa.gov/goy6zl

He oversaw the creation of more jobs in 2010 alone than Bush did in eight years. http://bit.ly/hrrnjY

He oversaw a bailout of General Motors that saved at least 1.4 million jobs, and put pressure on the company to change its practices, resulting in GM returning to its place as the top car company in the world. http://lat.ms/zIJuQx

He also doubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership which is designed to improve manufacturing efficiency. http://bit.ly/eYD4nf

He signed the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act giving the federal government more tools to investigate and prosecute fraud in every corner of the financial system. It also created a bipartisan Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to investigate the financial fraud that led to the economic meltdown. http://abcn.ws/g18Fe7

He signed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act, which was designed to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive credit card practices. http://1.usa.gov/gIaNcS

He increased infrastructure spending after years of neglect. http://bit.ly/f77aOw

He signed the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, expanding on the Making Home Affordable Program to help millions of Americans avoid preventable foreclosures. The bill also provided $2.2 billion to help combat homelessness, and to stabilize the housing market. http://bit.ly/eEpLFn

Through the Worker, Home Ownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, he and Congressional Democrats provided tax credits to first-time home buyers, which helped the U.S. housing market recovery. http://bit.ly/dZgXXw http://bit.ly/gORYfL

He initiated a $15 billion plan designed to encourage increased lending to small businesses.http://1.usa.gov/eu0u0b

He created business.gov, which allows for online collaboration between small businesses and experts re managing a business. (The program has since merged with SBA.gov.) http://www.business.gov

He played a lead role in getting the G-20 Summit to commit to a $1.1 trillion deal to combat the global financial crisis. http://nyti.ms/gHlgp5

He took steps to improve minority access to capital. http://bit.ly/f9xVE7

He created a $60 billion bank to fund infrastructure improvements such as roads and bridges. http://bit.ly/e1SSaQ

He implemented an auto industry rescue plan, and saved as many as 1 million jobs. http://bit.ly/ibhpxr Many are of the opinion that he saved the entire auto industry, and even the economy of the entire Midwest. http://bit.ly/gj7mt5

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he saved at least 300,000 education jobs, such as teachers, principals, librarians, and counselors that would have otherwise been lost. http://1.usa.gov/ez30Dc

He dismantled the Minerals Management Service, thereby moving forward to cut ties between energy companies and the government. http://nyti.ms/bw1MLu

Provided funding to states and the Department of Homeland Security to save thousands of police and firefighter jobs from being cut during the recession. http://bit.ly/g0IKWR

He used recovered TARP money to fund programs at local housing finance agencies in California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Michigan. http://on.msnbc.com/i1i8eV

Crafted an Executive order establishing the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability to assist in financial education for all Americans. http://bit.ly/eyqsNE

Wall Street Reforms and Consumer Protection

Ordered 65 executives who took bailout money to cut their own pay until they paid back all bailout money. http://huff.to/eAi9Qq

He pushed through and got passed Dodd-Frank, one of the largest and most comprehensive Wall Street reforms since the Great Depression. http://bit.ly/hWCPg0 http://bit.ly/geHpcD

Dodd-Frank also included the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau http://1.usa.gov/j5onG

He made it so that banks could no longer use YOUR money to invest in high-risk financial instruments that work against their own customers’ interests. http://bit.ly/fnTayj

He supported the concept of allowing stockholders to vote on executive compensation. http://bit.ly/fnTayj

He wholly endorsed and supported the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act of 2009 that would close offshore tax avoidance loopholes. http://bit.ly/esOdfB http://bit.ly/eG4DPM

He made a deal with Swiss banks that permits the US government to gain access to the records of criminals and tax evaders. http://bit.ly/htfDgw

He established a Consumer Protection Financial Bureau designed to protect consumers from financial sector excesses. http://bit.ly/fnTayj

He oversaw and then signed the most sweeping food safety legislation since the Great Depression. http://thedc.com/gxkCtP

Civil Rights and Anti-Discrimination

He advocated for and signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which made it a federal crime to assault anyone based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. http://bit.ly/gsMSJ7

He pushed through, signed and demanded the Pentagon enact a repeal of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy that forced soldiers to lie to fight for their country, and put our troops at risk by disqualifying many qualified soldiers from helping. http://bit.ly/fdahuH http://bit.ly/mZV4Pz

He appointed Kareem Dale as the first ever Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy. http://1.usa.gov/fi5IY0

Helped Congress pass and signed the Civil Rights History Act. http://bit.ly/th0JC8

He extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. http://1.usa.gov/g2RLCj

He’s appointed more openly gay officials than anyone in history. http://bit.ly/g1lA7D

He issued a Presidential Memorandum reaffirming the rights of gay couples to make medical decisions for each other. http://1.usa.gov/aUueGT

He established a White House Council on Women and Girls http://1.usa.gov/rFfqMM

He signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers. This was after the GOP blocked the bill in 2007. Only 5 Republican Senators voted for the bill. http://bit.ly/fT3Cxg

Wrote and signed an Executive Order establishing a White House Council on Women and Girls to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies evaluate the effect of their policies and programs on women and families. http://bit.ly/e1puTk

He expanded funding for the Violence Against Women Act. http://1.usa.gov/dSbI0x

Under his watch, National Labor Relations Board has issued final rules that require all employers to prominently post employees’ rights where all employees or prospective employees can see it, including websites and intranets, beginning November 2011. http://1.usa.gov/qu2EhQ

Fighting Poverty

He provided a $20 billion increase for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps). http://nyti.ms/gfLqyM

He signed an Executive Order that established the White House Office of Urban Affairs. http://wapo.st/eWECA8

Improved Foreign Relations and American Status Abroad

He visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any previous president during his first six months in office. http://bit.ly/hZycda

As he promised, he gave a speech at a major Islamic forum in Cairo early in his administration. http://nyti.ms/dKvY4g

He did much to restore America’s reputation around the world as a global leader that does the “right thing” in world affairs, at least according to the rest of the planet. http://bit.ly/h743y7 http://bit.ly/ho4TCr

He re-established and reinforced our partnership with NATO and other allies on strategic international issues. http://1.usa.gov/e7QuDj

Closed a number of secret detention facilities. http://nyti.ms/rpUc9l

He improved relations with Middle East countries by appointing special envoys. http://1.usa.gov/tiGAGe

He pushed for military to emphasize development of foreign language skills. http://bit.ly/AxUCLV

Offered $400 million to the people living in Gaza, called on both Israel and the Palestinians to stop inciting violence. http://bit.ly/9axfWh

He refused to give Israel the green light to attack Iran over their possible nuclear program. http://bit.ly/xVmSZK

He worked to make donations to Haiti tax-deductible in 2009. http://huff.to/6YkAVY

He established a new U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. http://1.usa.gov/eX28DP

Issued Executive Order blocking interference and helping to stabilize Somalia. http://1.usa.gov/hxdf8U

He established new, more reasonable policies in our relations with Cuba, such as allowing Cuban-Americans to visit their families and send money to support them. http://n.pr/hY3Kwa http://nyti.ms/emQBde

He ordered the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay. It was Republicans (and a smattering of Democrats) who prevented him from following through. http://bit.ly/eW6CVF

Ordered a review of our detention and interrogation policy, and prohibited the use of torture, or what Bush called “enhanced interrogation.” He ordered interrogators to limit their actions to the Army Field manual. http://bit.ly/g6MTuC

He ordered all secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere to be closed. http://bbc.in/h6N9ax

He released the Bush torture memos. http://bit.ly/hWJ5z0

On his second day in office, he signed a detailed Executive Order that banned torture, reversed all Bush torture policies, and put the United States in compliance with the Geneva Convention. http://1.usa.gov/dL6Zve http://nyti.ms/hzWWys

In response to the emerging “Arab Spring,” he created a Rapid Response fund, to assist emerging democracies with foreign aid, debt relief, technical assistance and investment packages in order to show that the United States stands with them. http://bit.ly/zfmGv9

Passed the Iran Sanctions Act, to prevent war, and to encourage Iran to give up their nuclear program. http://1.usa.gov/wLtNjb

Ended the Iraq War. http://tgr.ph/ru0tyS

He authorized and oversaw a secret mission by SEAL Team Six to rescue two hostages held by Somali pirates. http://bit.ly/y8c9Fz

Better Approach to “Defense”

Created a comprehensive new strategy for dealing with the international nuclear threat. http://1.usa.gov/gDX1nE

He authorized a $1.4 billion reduction in Star Wars program in 2010. http://1.usa.gov/gLFZl2

He restarted nuclear nonproliferation talks and built up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols to where they had been before Bush. http://lat.ms/gkcl3i

He signed and pushed to ratification a new SALT Treaty. http://bit.ly/f3JVtw

Negotiated and signed a new START Treaty that will last until at least 2021. http://1.usa.gov/cI1bC4

Through the Defense Authorization Act, he reversed the Bush Administration and committed to no permanent military bases in Iraq. http://bit.ly/hk73OJ

He developed the first comprehensive strategy with regard to Afghanistan and Pakistan designed to facilitate the defeat of al Qaeda and the withdrawal of most troops, as well as the rebuilding of Afghanistan. http://wapo.st/ee4Xcs

He returned our focus to Afghanistan, stabilized the country, and began the process of withdrawing our troops. http://bit.ly/lNXUna

Fulfilled campaign promise and ended our involvement in Iraq, and will complete full troop withdrawal before Christmas 2011. http://onforb.es/nTUk4Z

He took steps to severely weaken al Qaeda and limited their ability to terrorize the world. http://yhoo.it/n5lXs6

He negotiated and signed a nuclear nonproliferation treaty with India. http://1.usa.gov/aHp0Cn

He took decisive action to use NATO to limit the slaughter of innocents in Libya, so that the Libyan people could topple a despotic government and determine their own fate. http://aje.me/qAh4Sj

Treating Soldiers and Veterans with Respect

He made sure that families of fallen soldiers could be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB, by providing funding for it. He also ended the media blackout on coverage of the return of fallen soldiers.http://nyti.ms/glqN66 http://bbc.in/gWSSkA

He funded Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with an extra $1.4 billion to improve veterans’ services. http://1.usa.gov/huhqfo

He provided the troops with better body armor. http://bit.ly/hzSv2h

Created the Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record program for military personnel, in order to improve the quality of their medical care. http://1.usa.gov/f4yaxW

He put an end to the Bush-era stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan beyond their enlistment date. (personal note: my son will be in harm’s way for six fewer months with Obama as president, so you know I love this one). http://nyti.ms/e2YQ7Q

He supported and signed the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which made more money available to enable better medical care for veterans. http://1.usa.gov/fN4ur1

He ushered through the largest spending increase in 30 years for the Department of Veterans Affairs for improved medical facilities, and to assist states in acquiring or constructing state nursing homes and extended care facilities. http://1.usa.gov/gY8O3x

He created the Green Vet Initiative, which provided special funding to the Labor Department to provide veterans with training in green jobs. http://bit.ly/epwUQY

He oversaw a $4.6 billion expansion of the Veterans Administration budget to pay for more mental health professionals. http://bit.ly/gjzTxX

Education

He has repeatedly increased funding for student financial aid, and at the same time cut the banks completely out of the process. http://bit.ly/gYWd30 http://bit.ly/e9c7Dr http://bit.ly/eEzTNq

Completely reformed the student loan program, to make it possible for students to refinance at a lower rate. http://nyti.ms/dMvHOt

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , he invested heavily in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education. http://1.usa.gov/gGRIAr This includes a major expansion of broadband availability in K-12 schools nationwide http://bit.ly/fNDcj3 , as well as an expansion in school construction. http://bit.ly/fYwNrV

Also through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he put $5 billion into early education, including Head Start. http://1.usa.gov/tzT2Rr

Signed the Post-9/11 GI Bill, also known as GI Bill 2.0 http://bit.ly/hPhG7J

He oversaw expansion of the Pell Grants program, to expand opportunity for low-income students to go to college. http://bit.ly/hI6tXz

He passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provided an extra $12.2 billion in funds. http://1.usa.gov/dQvtUe

Greater Transparency and Better Government

He signed an order banning gifts from lobbyists to anyone in the Executive Branch. http://bit.ly/fsBACN

He signed an order banning anyone from working in an agency they had lobbied in previous years. He also put strict limits on lobbyists’ access to the White House. http://nyti.ms/gOrznV

He held the first-ever first online town hall from the White House, and took questions from the public. http://bit.ly/gVNSgX

The Obama White House became the first to stream every White House event, live. http://1.usa.gov/kAgOP5

He established a central portal for Americans to find service opportunities. http://www.serve.gov

He provided the first voluntary disclosure of the White House Visitors Log in history. http://1.usa.gov/hQ7ttV

He crafted an Executive Order on Presidential Records, which restored the 30-day time frame for former presidents to review records, and eliminated the right for the vice president or family members of former presidents to do the reviews. This will provide the public with greater access to historic White House documents, and severely curtails the ability to use executive privilege to shield them.http://1.usa.gov/gUetLb

He improved aspects of the Freedom of Information Act, and issued new guidelines to make FOIA more open and transparent in the processing of FOIA requests. http://1.usa.gov/gjrnp2

National Safety and Security

He’s restored federal agencies such as FEMA to the point that they have been able to manage a huge number of natural disasters successfully. http://bit.ly/h8Xj7z

Authorized Navy SEALS to successfully secure the release of a US captain held by Somali pirates and increased patrols off the Somali coast. http://nyti.ms/efBO7B

Has repeatedly beefed up border security http://bit.ly/mMYB4i

Ordered and oversaw the Navy SEALS operation that killed Osama bin Laden. http://bit.ly/jChpgw

Science, Technology and Health Care

He created a Presidential Memorandum to restore scientific integrity in government decision-making.http://1.usa.gov/g2SDuw

Opened up the process for fast-tracking patent approval for green energy projects. http://bit.ly/j0KV2U

He eliminated the Bush-era restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. He also provided increased federal support for biomedical and stem cell research. http://bit.ly/h36SSO http://ti.me/edezge

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he committed more federal funding, about $18 billion, to support non-defense science and research labs. http://nyti.ms/fTs9t7

He signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first comprehensive attempt to improve the lives of Americans living with paralysis. http://bit.ly/fOi2rb

He expanded the Nurse-Family Partnership program, which provides home visits by trained registered nurses to low-income expectant mothers and their families, to cover more first-time mothers. http://bit.ly/jRRRJc

His EPA reversed research ethics standards which allowed humans to be used as “guinea pigs” in tests of the effects of chemicals, to comply with numerous codes of medical ethics. http://bit.ly/bKgqdS

Conducted a cyberspace policy review. http://1.usa.gov/gmbdvC

Provided financial support for private sector space programs. http://bit.ly/fn8ucr

He oversaw enhanced earth mapping, to provide valuable data for agricultural, educational, scientific, and government use. http://bit.ly/dNTRyP

He ushered through a bill that authorized the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products. http://on.msnbc.com/fiKViB As a result, the FDA has Ordered Tobacco Companies to Disclose Cigarette Ingredients and banned sale of cigarettes falsely labeled as “light.”

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he provided $500 million for Health Professions Training Programs. http://bit.ly/ecQSgA

He also increased funding for community-based prevention programs. http://bit.ly/frMPG3

He oversaw a 50% decrease in cost of prescription drugs for seniors. http://bit.ly/e5b1iq http://1.usa.gov/fVNkt9

He eliminated the Bush-era practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug companies on price. http://bit.ly/fOkG5b

Two weeks after taking office, he signed the Children’s Health Insurance Re-authorization Act, which increased the number of children covered by health insurance by 4 million. http://bit.ly/fDEzGv

He held a quick press conference, and urged Congress to investigate Anthem Blue Cross for raising premiums 39% without explanation. Rep. Waxman responded by launching a probe, and Anthem Blue Cross put the increase on hold for two months. http://yhoo.it/e8Tj9C

Ushered through and signed the Affordable Health Care Act, which expanded health insurance coverage to 30 million more people, and ended many common insurance company practices that are often detrimental to those with coverage. He also established http://www.healthcare.gov/

Through the Affordable Health Care Act, he allowed children to be covered under their parents’ policy until they turned 26. http://nyti.ms/fNB26V

Through the Affordable Health Care Act, he provided tax breaks to allow 3.5 million small business to provide health insurance to their employees, and 29 million people will receive tax breaks to help them afford health insurance. http://nyti.ms/fNB26V

Through the Affordable Health Care Act, he expanded Medicaid to those making up to 133% of the federal poverty level. http://nyti.ms/ekMWpo

Through the Affordable Health Care Act, health insurance companies now have to disclose how much of your premium actually goes to pay for patient care. http://nyti.ms/fNB26V

Provisions in the Affordable Health Care Act have already resulted in Medicare costs actually declining slightly this fiscal year, for the first time in many years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Last year’s increase was 4%. Compare that to the average 12% annual inflation rate during the previous 40 years. http://1.usa.gov/oMxpTh

Strengthening the Middle Class and Families

He worked to provide affordable, high-quality child care to working families. http://bit.ly/fNfidS

He cracked down on companies that were previously denying sick pay, vacation and health insurance, and Social Security and Medicare tax payments through abuse of the employee classification of independent contractor. http://nyti.ms/fOGLcj

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , he cut taxes for 95% of America’s working families. http://bit.ly/eSEI4F

Under Obama, tax rates for average working families are the lowest they’ve been since 1950. http://bit.ly/f74pD8

He extended and fully funded the patch for the Alternative Minimum Tax for 10 years. http://bit.ly/eFeSdP

He extended discounted COBRA health coverage for the unemployed from 9 months to 15 months, and he’s extended unemployment benefits several times. http://aol.it/evtVxD http://nyti.ms/emrqKJ http://bit.ly/hOtIpg http://bit.ly/fTT7kz

Environment and Energy

He fast-tracked regulations to allow states to enact federal fuel efficiency standards that were above federal standards. http://nyti.ms/e8e94x

He fast-tracked increased fuel economy standards for vehicles beginning with the 2011 model year. It was the first time such standards had been increased in a decade. http://politi.co/hiaPKM

He oversaw the establishment of an Energy Partnership for the Americas, which creates more markets for American-made biofuels and green energy technologies. http://bit.ly/lZp73y

His EPA reversed a Bush-era decision to allow the largest mountaintop removal project in US history. http://bit.ly/lP3yEL

He ordered the Department of Energy to implement more aggressive efficiency standards for common household appliances. http://1.usa.gov/g3MTbu

He ordered energy plants to prepare to produce at least 15% of all energy through renewable resources like wind and solar, by 2021. http://reut.rs/fV155p (As you can see, Republicans are trying hard to kill it.)

He oversaw the creation of an initiative that converts old factories and manufacturing centers into new clean technology centers. http://bit.ly/mjnq2R

Bypassed Republican opposition in Congress and ordered EPA to begin regulating and measuring carbon emissions. http://bit.ly/froaP5

His EPA ruled that CO2 is a pollutant. http://bit.ly/iQTSNN

He doubled federal spending on clean energy research. http://bit.ly/iN0sCE

He pushed through a tax credit to help people buy plug-in hybrid cars. http://bit.ly/j8UP5Y

He created a program to develop renewable energy projects on the waters of our Outer Continental Shelf that will produce electricity from wind, wave, and ocean currents. http://1.usa.gov/fgfRWq

He reengaged in the climate change and greenhouse gas emissions agreements talks, and even proposed one himself. He also addressed the U.N. Climate Change Conference, officially reversing the Bush-era stance that climate change was a “hoax.” http://bit.ly/dX6Vj3 http://bit.ly/fE2PxK http://nyti.ms/hfeqvv

He fully supported the initial phase of the creation of a legally binding treaty to reduce mercury emissions worldwide. http://bit.ly/eJ6QOO

He required states to provide incentives to utilities to reduce their energy consumption. http://bit.ly/lBhk7P

Following Bush’s eight year reign, he reengaged in a number of treaties and agreements designed to protect the Antarctic. http://bit.ly/fzQUFO

Created tax write-offs for purchases of hybrid automobiles, and later he and Democrats morphed that program into one that includes electric cars. http://bit.ly/glCukV

Mandated that federal government fleet purchases be for fuel-efficient American vehicles, and encouraged that federal agencies support experimental, fuel-efficient vehicles. http://bit.ly/h5KZqy http://1.usa.gov/fLWq5c http://1.usa.gov/hmUSbk

He oversaw and pushed through an amendment to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 authorizing advances from Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. http://1.usa.gov/yTRYVo

He also actively tried to amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to eliminate the liability limits for those companies responsible for large oil spills. http://nyti.ms/bxjDi3

He initiated Criminal and Civil inquiries into the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. http://nyti.ms/bVuB7a

Through his EPA, he asserted federal legal supremacy, and barred Texas from authorizing new refinery permits on its own. http://bit.ly/ww8eMd

He strengthened the Endangered Species Act. http://bit.ly/hscjsH

His EPA improved boiler safety standards to improve air quality, and save 6500 lives per year. http://bit.ly/jYH7nt

Through the EPA, he took steps to severely limit the use of antibiotics in livestock feed, to increase their efficacy in humans. http://bit.ly/fBuWd2

He increased funding for National Parks and Forests by 10% http://bit.ly/fbJPjY

He announced greatly improved commercial fuel efficiency standards. http://1.usa.gov/oQiC1K

He announced the development of a huge increase in average fuel economy standards from 27.5mpg to 35.5mpg starting in 2016 and 54.5 starting in 2025 http://1.usa.gov/qtghsW

Other Stuff

He has expanded trade agreements to include stricter labor and environmental agreements such as NAFTA. http://bit.ly/etznpY

He oversaw funding of the design of a new Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History, which is scheduled to open on the National Mall in 2015. He protected the funding during the recent budget negotiations. http://on.fb.me/fD0EVO http://bit.ly/ff5Luv

Oversaw and passed increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. http://bit.ly/dFb8qF

He nominated Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor is the first Hispanic Justice in the court’s history, and the women represent only the third and fourth women to serve on the court, out of a total of 112 justices. http://huff.to/eOChg6 http://bit.ly/i02wgP

He appointed the most diverse Cabinet in history, including more women than any other incoming president. http://bit.ly/dX6vNB

He eliminated federal funding for abstinence-only education, and he rescinded the global gag rule. http://bit.ly/eCFAI1 http://bit.ly/f92drF

He loosened the rules and allowed the 14 states that legalized medical marijuana to regulate themselves without federal interference. http://huff.to/eQfa7j

His FDA banned the use of antibiotics in livestock production. http://bit.ly/jUjLzo

Ushered through and signed national service legislation, increasing funding for national service groups, including triple the size of the Americorps program. http://bit.ly/idgQH5

Read the original article at http://pleasecutthecrap.typepad.com/main/what-has-obama-done-since-january-20-2009.html "

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA DNC 2012 SPEECH

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 01:26:00 +0000

TRANSCRIPT OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S 2012 DNC SPEECH

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MAPLE HEIGHTS IN LOCKDOWN MODE

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:54:00 +0000

What's that famous "Godfathers" line? Oh yeah, Michael Corleone: "Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in."

Okay, okay ... nothing bad on my end, however ...

What the hell is wrong with these guys in Maple Heights. Rumor has it that certain government officials (and/or MHTS public employees) have been given orders not to talk to or release any, or is it any really important information to certain residents in Maple Heights (who shall remain nameless).

Look, Ohio has a public records law and there are sunshine laws. What you Maple Heights public employees are doing, ... honestly looks like a cover-up. You shouldn't be going around deciding who and who you are not going to release public information to. You can't be that dense. Now a whole bunch of people want to know what you have to hide, and now I want to know what you have to hide?

If there's nothing, release the damn information that you are legally required to release.

And here's a question: Can a public official become an "accessory after the fact", and can "obstruction" be charged against a public employee?

Update 8/24/2012:
A few friends thoughts "Are these guys Republicans, cause they certainly act and sound like it?"

Update 8/23/2012:
It is official. Requests by a person, who shall remain nameless, for public information/records were sent to a Ms. Waller, Ms. Gambosi, Mr. Montello, Ms. Vopat, and a Charles Crews Jr. As of this date, the individuals named have not given the information requested.

It also appears that Mr. Montello or/and Mayor Lansky (two public employees who work for the taxpayers in Maple Heights, and not the other way around) may have put the "lock" on the release of certain public information (that they call inquiries). And since when did public employees get the impression they don't have to answer questions from taxpayers/residents (again, who pay their salary)? The words "arrogance" and "insubordination" come to mind (my opinion). Yep, something doesn't smell right.

To be continued

2012 Ohio Sunshine Laws

**Related post:

Who Does John Montello, Law Director for the City of Maple Heights Really Work For?

BOYCOTT PRODUCTS AND COMPANIES THAT BANKROLL RIGHT-WING ATTACK ADS

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 14:54:00 +0000

ANDERSON COOPER 360 SHOW ON SYRIAN CHILDREN

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 05:08:00 +0000

THIS IS EXTREMELY HARD TO WATCH:

KIDS SUFFER IN MAKESHIFT HOSPITAL IN SYRIA

The Tragedy of Trayvon Martin - BET 106 & Park Special, March 29, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 23:34:00 +0000

To honor Trayvon Martin, we wanted to post the video from the BET special, "Shoot First: The Tragedy of Trayvon Martin"; however, THE EVENT HAS PASSED

In addition: The awesome and extremely informative "106 & Park" BET, March 29th special PHOTOS "RACIAL REALITIES: STAY SMART, STAY ALIVE" is also available on BET. Hopefully, the full show special will aire again soon.

Follow the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin case

ANOTHER SITE TO FOLLOW THE GEORGE ZIMMERMAN/TRAYVON MARTIN CASE

UPDATE - SEE ALSO: TULSA SHOOTERS CHARGED WITH HATE CRIMES April, 14, 2012

Stand Your Ground Law

Justice For Trayvon Martin Update

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:52:00 +0000

To honor Trayvon Martin, we wanted to post the video from the BET special, "Shoot First: The Tragedy of Trayvon Martin"; however, THE EVENT HAS PASSED

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How Little Old Ladies Got Thrown Under the Bus in Maple Heights

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:21:00 +0000

We were going to resume commenting on national politics, when the following came across our desk ...

According to the Plain Dealer, on October 17th, 2007, because of a plea by Councilman Paul Priebe to dedicate money from the Northfolk Southern Railway Company, to people who directly abut the railroad [for "other problems" created by the railroad], money was placed in a special fund for those special people. Please read the story here. [click on the word "here"]

Many of those special people have grown quite some years older waiting for that money so they could repair their homes, some may even have moved or since passed away.

Well, we guess, council decided that they giveth (even though no one ever received it), so they can take it away, and we're sure the law director probably gave his blessing on that. Sources tell us that the council president (at the mayor's request?) asked various members of council to help author a resolution (which is then drafted by the law director) that would allow council (or the finance director) to take that money in the special fund and throw it into the general fund to spend it however the finance director "needed" to spend it [and council, the mayor, and finance director (?) agree they really needed it].

Well, those various members of council, did in fact, help (?) author such a resolution (which, we were told, was really the mayor's resolution) which would only give 20% of that special fund (which is now worth around $818,000) to those special people; and, it appears they also put in a little extra wording which basically says that any further monies going to the city from railroad fees, would not go to those special people , but would go directly into the general fund (?). Some (or more than some) of these special people are little old ladies, (many of whom are African American by the way).

Now this resolution was discussed for (what?) a few months, before ... the final vote, which would take place on Wednesday, March 7th.

Now, ... from what we hear, ... the newly appointed council person for district 5 (African American, Charles Crews Jr. who represents some of those who directly abut the railroad, which includes those little old ladies), came up with a proposal to give the special people an additional 10% of that special fund money (again, money that was set aside for them for "other problems created by the railroad"). Cefaratti (?) (who represents district 3, the other people who directly abut the railroad) was agreeable with that idea. Sources told us that Cefaratti (?) asked the finance director about that extra 10% , and the finance director concurred with Cefaratti.

Here's what appears happened though ....

The mayor (we hear) did not fight for the extra 10% proposed by Crews, or even suggest he would give back some of his own salary, or suggest that council agree to give those special people (many of them - remember - little old African American ladies) more from future fees from the railroad. No, this mayor, who said he was one of the founding sponsors "of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C.", who said he was a "Wall of Tolerance Honoree in Montgomery, AL with recognition from Rosa Parks", who used a picture with President Obama and Mrs. Obama on his campaign literature ... NO, inside sources said he ("threatened (?)") further layoffs of government employees (something, we guess, he felt he would have to do to help pay the bills) to get those "yes" votes on council's resolution, ... to get a "yes" vote from a man who was appointed by council, with the law director's blessing, that disenfranchised his constituents/employers in district 5, who are also some of the law director's (and council, and the mayor's ) employers.

By the way, one of those little old ladies in district 5 ... She collected signatures for the petition for a special election, and spoke up at council meeting for her right to elect her own council person. The mayor derided her and another resident in district 5 for expressing their right to a special election. Was this payback?

Was the mayor right to do what he did (if in fact that's what he did)? You judge.

So did the newly appointed councilman for district 5 stand fast to get more money for his little old ladies who directly abut the railroad? Nope, ... he along with every other voting member of council except for Anthony Cefaratti (who represents those special people in district 3), and Richard Trojanski (district 6 ) voted to throw those little old ladies "under the bus" with what we feel is a raw, raw deal. We applaud Trojanski and Cefaratti.

You do some real digging into this matter and see if you agree with us. Oh yeah, while you're digging, ask those little old ladies (and the others) that are entitled to that special fund money, if they think 20% was fair, and enough to compensate them for the horrible noise and damage to their homes caused by the railroad.

Big question ... Why is it that Maple Heights has no problem giving millions of dollars to a whole bunch of folks who don't live in Maple Heights, and a whole bunch of businesses that are not Maple Heights based and the owners don't live in Maple Heights? Yet, a bunch of little old ladies get a measly .. what (?) $5,000 to $8,000 to fix up their homes damaged by the railroad. Bull!!!

[To be further edited, with corrections made if necessary]

Update: What's up with these brand new police cars? ... And now that this railroad money is in the general fund, how is that money being spent?

Check this out:
City officials had to know about Kasich cuts back in June 2011 and the devaluation of homes (going back to 2007), etc ... right? So why is everyone surprised?

The kicker, ... The vast majority of protective service public employees live outside the city and seem to be doing alright financially, while those little old lady who live in the city, seem to be getting the shaft. Our guess: City officials were gearing up to take these ladies money way before the November election in 2011.
http://mapleheights.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf/minutes/071812_Council.pdf

Lord Save Us From Passive Agressive Politicians

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:35:00 +0000

[Updated March 19, 2012, with corrections]

We’re sorry, but we just had to get this off our chests.

On February 15^th, a piece of city council legislation was passed that was one of the worst pieces of legislation we've ever seen. A councilman (a politician) authored (or was it council president's idea) a piece of legislation under the guise of accountability that looked to be essentially passive aggressive at its core.

The legislation appeared to be targeted at 1 present, and 2 former council members (politicians) who missed the last public council meeting of 2011, … one member who was stuck in traffic or whatever, the others who had given prior notice that they were not going to be at that council meeting because of an important Democratic function.

There was one other council member missing; however, we think the 3 were the main targets, though we've been told there are some who aren't fond of the other missing council person (and we really don't know if he had said previously that he would not be there).

Anyway, there was no addendum for the meeting, there were no committee reports, and of the 7 department reports, 2 of the department reports were to wish everyone a nice holiday; while most of the other department reports were not an emergency, and didn't need the presence of the missing council members.

[Big Hint] The 3 people, by the way, had been endorsed by the Democratic Party (in last year’s election) while the others (except for two at the local level) weren’t.

At that last 2011 meeting, one of the pieces of legislation the council president, and several others wanted to vote on, was a union contract (collective bargaining agreement) where we noted (in a previous post) … allowed police union members to continue to pay only $20 individual / $40 family a month for their health insurance (that included dental and vision). Anyway, council needed a quorum to pass the minutes; and also, due to a lack of a quorum, several pieces of legislation (mainly involving police collective bargaining agreements) were not read or passed.

This city has 1 or possibly two African American police officers/patrolmen out of about 40, in a city of about 70% African Americans.

The council president (a politician) at that last 2011 meeting, publicly scolded those 3 people, and the other (in grandstanding style) for not showing up (as if it had never been done before, though one of those she scolded, had only missed [we believe] that one meeting her entire 2 yr term), and the mayor (a politician) in council caucus, etc went on and on about them being sore losers, etc (because two of those same people did not win in last year’s elections). We think some other words that came out of the mayor’s mouth were “get over it” (you lost).

That last 2011 public council meeting … well, … seems members of council (politicians) met later on and passed the damn thing (and most of the other things they wanted to vote on) anyway.

Now get this … what this piece of legislation (at the Feb 15^th public council meeting) boiled down to was … if you don’t let us ( council president, or council secretary) know you are going to miss a council meeting, we’re going to fine you. [However, … if you get sick, or a relative dies, or for a myriad of other acceptable, arbitrary reasons, you don’t show up without prior notice, … you won’t get fined.]

Didn’t the mayor (last year) do an almost last minute endorsement of a person (a politician) who had been very ill, and could very well have missed many meetings in 2012? [Oh, … and that mayor endorsed, elected individual, … well, (and this is not funny, or meant to be a “dig”) he died about a month after the November 2011 election, causing all kinds of problems for his district's residents.] So give us a break.

These members of council (politicians) apparently go to a bunch of closed door meetings all year long. Suggestion: Inform and open up all meetings to the public, and have 1 official public council meeting a month (since they all pretty much know how the other is going to vote anyway, and you could save on electricity.)

Instead of all that passive aggressive bullshit legislation, the councilman could have said (one of a number of possible scenarios), "Look, ... I'm pissed off because the Democratic Party endorsed them and not me ... And damn it, we needed a bunch of council members at our last public council meeting in December, so I and a bunch of other politicians (who may or may not have read the union contract) could have "kissed ass" and voted yes, on that collective bargaining agreement, etc. ... and not mess up our Christmas holidays".

Three things we’re tired of, … passive aggressive politicians, passive aggressive (worthless) legislation, and (although we love our unions) police unions who may have bullied their employers with contracts that could potentially cause financial burden on a city (current or further down the road). The police unions know their members will be the last to be laid off.

If there is one group of public employees that shouldn’t have a union … it’s the police. Their leadership can put anything they want into a union contract, … and, who in their right mind would vote “no” on most of the important things (to the union) in that contract … knowing the police could show up at your or your relative’s door, or put you six feet under, or plant false evidence, or throw you in jail, or give you a ticket … and, you’d be almost powerless to do anything about it.

What's comical ... even though Republicans hate unions, a lot of union members lean toward the Republican Pary ... certainly the FOP is conservative leaning (to their credit, they give to good causes). We'll let you figure out why Republicans tolerate police unions.

Though most police are just doing their job, don’t tell us you have no fear of the police … Don’t tell us you don’t think about abuse of police power. A big humongous suggestion: Make sure your city has a civilian review board.

And … while we give a pat on the back to most public employees, ... we’re still watching all you politicians, and a host of other potentially dangerous public employees, ... and most, if not all, large corporations.

[To be further edited, with possible corrections if necessary]

What the Hell is Going On at City Hall?

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:23:00 +0000

Just so you know where we’re coming from:

Ever since a politician decided to tear his African American opponent (in last year’s mayoral race), to shreds in public (and calling her a criminal), we decided to take our focus off national politics, and zero in on a local political scene.

Please do read our headline … part of which says “we’re progressive, political, controversial, provocative, thought-provoking ...” We also “connect the dots” when other folks won’t.

If you’ve been following us for years, you know that Clevelands Secret Club members are predominantly African American. It now appears that a local politician (and/or his supporters) set his/their sights on finding out just who our members are, and taking close aim at who they think are the members. It also appears that this politician or politicians (and/or their supporters) took aim, and/or are now taking aim at the African American women who were endorsed by the CC and local Democratic Party, and/or are taking aim at those who stood by his opponent.

The one thing we won’t tolerate is intimidation or being harassed by politicians (elected officials), because (to us) harassment means that the politician, and/or politicians (and/or supporters) doing the harassment, have something to hide, and/or are extremely dangerous and vindictive.

Especially be leery of any politician who tries to bully people; and politicians who try to intimidate people with threats of lawsuits against them.

Our club has always been critical and leery of politicians, as is most of the world. These politicians have made the decision to become public servants, and so they’ve opened themselves up (and rightly so) to public scrutiny. If they don’t like the public scrutiny, then they probably should leave public office.

Outside sources told us, that an African American former councilwoman had two police officers show up at her home to demand that she give them two keys to city hall (?). Now, correct us if we’re wrong, but we believe that every council member gets one key to city hall(?). And why was it necessary to have police officers show up at her home, when (we were told) she called ahead of time, and told them she was going to city hall to drop off her key. This same former councilwoman’s son was beaten before the elections; and then after last year’s elections (she ran for council president) her home was burglarized.

We don’t know if all these things are just coincidental, or related to the elections, and/or her former position; however, we won't tolerate having her and her family victimized, and we will be paying close attention to all public employees that may be responsible. We (their employers) have given them tremendous power over our lives, and all of us should be extremely watchful of what they do.

Our suggestion, again, to every resident in any local municipality ... make sure you have a civilian review board, and report any suspicious activity by politicians and/or police, to federal authorities. Intimidation is what unscrupulous people use to get what they want, and in this day and age, there is a plethora of unscrupulous and dangerous people.

Addendum:
Word to the wise. If after you've criticized a politician, or a member of law enforcement, or some law enforcement agency, ... and police start driving by your house at all times of the day and/or night (and you've never encountered this kind of thing before), jot down that cars tags and anything else that will help authorities identify who the culprits are. If you get audited for taxes, or something having to do with a government agency and it happens within a month or two, or three, etc. of the time you've criticized that politician or member of law enforcement or law enforcement agency, you need to contact your lawyer a.s.a.p., your friends, your family, your congress person, the ACLU, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and anyone else you can think of. Definitely keep your friends close, because they may go after them too, and a pattern of behavior can be documented. If you feel you're being followed, turn into a side street to see if they continue following you.

If you contacted that offending law enforcement agency about a prior matter unrelated to your critique of them ... they may see that as a vulnerability and they may prey on that vulnerability.

Be aware that GPS devices like cell phones and smart cars can pretty much locate you at any time and any place if you are in the same vicinity as devices and cars w GPS installed. Because there are a host of unscrupulous politicians, etc., get some exercise and start walking w/o these devices, etc. around (smile). Sorry if that sounded a bit paranoid (again, smile)

Helpful: Install some good mobile security software on your cell phone

Also be aware that these unscrupulous people have no problem with bugging your car, your home, etc. ... and may even use these and other spy tactics under the guise of homeland security (which will allow them to use the local police or GPS tracking or bugging your property).

Don't let them worry you ... just keep a journal, and note anything that seems suspicious. You can't remember everything, so write it down, and have back-up copies online just in case your home is burglarized. [You may think this is funny; however, if it happens to you in the future, you'll thank us.]

Again, the most important thing is to keep good records and don't keep silent. Put them on the defensive. It's a shame, and while most public employees are good people, all it takes are a few bad apples to ruin an entire profession (as we've seen in the past and present).

It would be great if the offending politicians/agencies/departments clean house.

Black Girls Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

I'm over 60 years of age, and I thought I'd seen alot; but (a few days ago) when I witnessed a room full of Black (so called) men allow a white man to disrespect two sisters without any repercussions, ... I was through. Did you hear what I said? ... I was through ...

First, I don't dislike men, ... but what in God's name has happened to Black men? Our voting rights are being rolled back, women's rights (and that includes a "sister's" rights) rolled back, unemployment sky-high in Black communities, poverty rates climbing in Black communities, Black men continuing to be incarcerated in unprecedented numbers, ... and what do (far too many) Black men do? .... Many do nothing; and some of them do worse than nothing (if that's possible). ... Yep, ... they do the "Uncle Tom" or "Stepin Fetchit". Yes sa, Mr. White man, ... go ahead and disparage, disenfranchise, and spit on my mother, my grandmother, my sister, and my aunt.

So why should I be surprised when I see a room full of Black males allow an arrogant, "full of his own self-importance", Caucasian male, disrespect two good sisters and a lot more before that? Why? .. because I'm a sister, ... and what I witnessed made me nauseous, and shocked the hell out of me. I can't help it, but I really do expect so much more from Black men than what I've seen.

Sisters have been fighting the good fight since before slavery, ... Strong Black sisters, who despite all the racism, unspeakable horrors, and disrespect they've had to endure through the centuries by (too many) Black males and (far too many) white males, ... still rock on. ...

They still rock in their community, ... They still rock going to school, and work, and then church on Sunday, ... raising and feeding their family (and sometimes other folks children) ... They rock on.

A couple of weeks ago, I watched a show called "Black Girls Rock" on BET. Hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross (co-star of "Reed Between the Lines") and Regina King (co-star of "Southland") , it was an awesome celebration of Black women, and dedication and tribute to Black women who have amazing accomplishments. If you can, catch it in reruns.

Award recipients:

Grammy award winning legendary gospel singer, Shirley Caesar

Civil rights activist, writer, professor and scholar, Angela Davis

Philanthropist, businesswoman and powerhouse president of the Women's National Basketball Association , Laurel Richie

Academy Award-nominated actress , Taraji P. Henson

Young, Gifted, and Black actress, Tatyana Ali

Imani Walker and Malika Saada Saar

Performers:

Mary J. Blige

Erykah Badu

Jill Scott

Shirley Caesar

Estelle

Mary Mary

Melanie Fiona

Elle Varner

I am so proud of these strong, talented Black women, and many, many more (African American women - athletes, singers, song writers, playwrights and other authors, politicians, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, performers, producers, directors, community activists, scientists, physicians, lawyers, teachers, engineers, businesswomen) who did not receive an award that evening.

Everyone of you ... Keep Rocking!

Be sure to catch "The Help" on DVD or Blu ray.

Update:
Just published in the online Washington Post, 1/22/2012 / 9:21pm ..
Survey paints portrait of black women in America

And the Razzle Dazzle Continues in Maple Heights

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:52:00 +0000

Okay, we've got the skinny on last night's Maple Heights City Council Meeting, and lo and behold, the Mayor orchestrated another grand display of "Razzle Dazzle".

[Background]
When "Extreme Makeover" came to town, the mayor robocalled all the residents; but when Richard Taylor, the man who was elected to represent district 5, died before being sworn into office, no one bothered to robocall all the residents in district 5 of that man's passing. No one robocalled residents of district 5 to let them know what course the law director, the mayor, and the council president were considering to fill that council seat or ask for suggestions. [There are still residents in district 5 that don't know Mr. Taylor died.] We were even told that a resident of district 5 called the law director asking for a special election, but the law director asked her was she going to pay for it. So clearly, there were other courses of action that the mayor, the law director, and city council could have taken. They chose the path of disenfranchisement ... and they used the (what some say as ambiguous - open to interpretation) city charter to do it.

Maybe we're wrong, but it appeared to us, that council and others who attended caucus last night, met behind closed doors the previous day to put the finishing touches on a scheme to calm any rustling of dissent from the employers (taxpayers) in district 5 (those who knew of his passing wanted to vote for their council person to replace Mr. Taylor). In addition, it also appeared to us, that council and others wanted to make sure that most of the residents in Maple Heights didn't catch wind of the economic tsunami coming their way (actually its been coming their way for quite awhile now - see Kasich budget cuts back in June 2011, and previous audits and budgets of Maple Heights).

City council's hand-picked African American councilman for district 5 .. (who we understand may have been asked by the mayor, or someone in his inner circle, or someone on the city council, to apply for the vacant council seat in district 5), was sworn in by his wife, Pamela Crews who is the President of the Maple Heights Board of Education. From what we've gleaned, Mayor Lansky and the perhaps the council president have a close relationship with the Maple Heights Board of Education.

Next, the mayor bestowed praise and honors on a group of young African American males for coming to the aid of a man who needed help.

Heads of various departments then gave their reports, and then the employers (the constituents/taxpayers) were allowed to speak, and trust us ... district 5 did not bite their tongue. They believe (and we believe) that their civil rights and political rights (yes Mr. Mayor ... there is such a thing as political rights) were violated by the mayor, the law director, and the members of city council when they decided that members of council (who are from different districts) would choose district 5's council person.

What is absolutely astounding is that the mayor, the law director, and council members are pleased with what they've done. They seem pleased that they've disenfranchised their employers. They state they were simply following city charter ... the law. Well, we know what that charter was built upon ... a city that has had many civil rights violations, real estate redlining, segregation, ... / case laws going back to 1924, when African Americans could not own a home in Maple Heights, and racism was rampant in the great state of Ohio. What a fine legacy.

When you glance across that council table, you see a sea of white faces (fire chief, police chief, heads of other departments) ... and now 2 lone African American males who are council members who work for a city (of an est. 23,100) that has about 68-70% or more African American residents (with unemployment numbers for African Americans around 10-15%). If you haven't read our previous posts regarding Maple Hts, please do so. [Would have been a sign of good faith to the predominantly African American community if the recently retired fire chief had been replaced by an African American fire chief ... but, oh well ... he wasn't.]

Ask the mayor's administration about the people who lost their homes to foreclosure ... We bet most were African American ... and the number of African Americans in Maple Heights who have lost their homes to foreclosure, or are in jeopardy of losing their homes to foreclosure continues. If they receive real help to stop foreclosure ... that help will almost always come from outside Maple Heights.

To continue:
We were told that, despite the fact that petitions (re: district 5's right to choose their own council person) were presented to city council from residents in district 5, the mayor kept nastily harping on one, of several online petitions that were meant to bring social media attention to the issues that residents of district 5 were dealing with. When you bring social media attention to an issue, you don't really care if the signers actually live in the area. The idea is to put pressure on the people who are the source of the problem. Signature goals are chosen by the organizer of the petition, however, the standard goal is 100. Again, district 5 decided to do online petitions (several) and going door to door. They would have continued going door to door; however, at a district 5 meeting attended by Ohio Senator Nina Turner, Senator Turner advised them to not waste their time pursuing their goal to vote for their council person. Senator Turner has ties with the suburban mayors and business community - (she sided with them regarding issue 6, thereby causing a fire storm in the African American Cleveland community who supported issue 5). Interesting note: She used the same wording Lansky used.

-

This bunch ... city council, mayor, law director, ... are out there selling Maple Heights, ... telling folks that Maple Heights is a wonderful place to live in, do business in, etc. Well, that's one of their jobs. They take credit for whatever good happens in Maple Heights, and can place blame elsewhere for things that go wrong. They won't talk much about burglaries, thefts, foreclosures, unemployment rates, poverty rates, or bad things that happen in Maple Heights, or even if they're doing a lousy job making Maple Heights a vibrant, prosperous city, where residents thrive and local businesses (owned by residents) flourish.

If you were to call the mayor regarding the concerns of his employers from district 5, we could almost guarantee that this mayor would state that what he, city council and the law director have done is legal, and the people making all the noise about their civil rights are just sore losers and whiners.

"It's unfortunate, but this mayor's behavior (I feel) demeans the office of mayor, because he is disrespectful, and has belittled not only his employers, but also others. This is the same mayor who chose to smear the character of an African American woman who ran against him in last year's mayoral election. It's bad enough that he belittled African American women senior citizens in council meeting, but he did it when there were African American children in the room" [Quote by Maple Hts resident]

Council members probably won't cross him ... **Remember, the law director used a 1924 case law to declare the district 5 council seat vacant; stating that the leadership (or a majority of council members) could declare any council seat vacant, for any reason. Seems to fit right in with that whole climate of intimidation.

This dear friends is why blogs like ours are crucial. We give no one a free pass ... not a Democrat or Republican. Our job is not to sugar coat. Our job is to shine a light on what's underneath all that razzle dazzle.

Three more things ...

1. With the city in such dire financial straights, will the mayor take a nice, big ole pay cut, or if that's not possible, give back some of his pay voluntarily?

2. Will council take a pay cut, or if that's not possible, give back some of their pay voluntarily?

3. Is there a conflict of interest with the appointment of Mr. Crews?

a. His association with the UAW (a local UAW [someone let us know which local] endorsed Mayor Lansky for mayor last year). Remember, this is the mayor who smeared his African American female opponent. Makes you wonder how any UAW (local or otherwise) could endorse a person who would do this. This is very troubling.

b. Married to the President of the Maple Heights Board of Education - teacher's union endorsed Lansky for Mayor last year, and the mayor appears to have a close relationship with the board.

c. Did the mayor or a member of council or both, approach Mr. Crews (or his wife) to ask him to apply for district 5's council position? We understand that around 9 people had applied.

d. Lansky backed Jackie Albers for council president, and we believe she may have close ties with the board and/or teacher's union.

e. So is this appointment of Mr. Crews (married, parent, African American, associated with labor and the school board), really all about the mayor and his agenda (which could also include his getting himself elected again), and/or needing someone to rubber stamp whatever the mayor and/or council leadership wants? Remember, the council president rode in on the coat tails of the mayor (who, it appears, has gathered an all white administration). Without the mayor (Remember that slick campaign piece?), Ms. Albers could very well have lost the election (as council president) to Carolyn Gamble (who spent very little money campaigning, and had some, but no major endorsement outside of a poorly supportive Democratic endorsement).

Question: How many council meetings has Mr. Crews attended in the past? Ask him.

We predict: Now that Ms. Albers has her ducks in a row, she will instruct her minions to follow a plan to take money meant for residents who abut the railroad in districts 3 and 5.

Just to be very, very clear ... Any politician, or public servant that threatens, intimidates, harasses, or tries to disenfranchise anyone, or take money or land meant for African Americans (even under the guise of legality), ... they will be scrutinized and called to task. We don't tolerate illegal, or unconstitutional, or unethical (especially a pattern of) behavior from any politician. They will be reported to the proper authorities if warranted.

We're going to be digging deeper into this ...

[to be further edited]

**Related post:

Who Does John Montello, Law Director for the City of Maple Heights Really Work For?

Addendum:

While people are getting a nice fuzzy feeling about those 5  new schools that cost residents about $50 million to build, ... and all that publicity around those new schools:

Here's something that's distressing to us.  A great number of residents started  losing their homes beginning around 2007 while elected officials and the superintendent were pushing to pass a levy for new schools and other bond/levies, even through most of 2008. [Property owners provide a major source of revenue in paying bond interest payments, etc.] Their explanation for the new schools was the schools were becoming too costly too repair, and the state was going to give half of the money for those projects.  Why wasn't there talk of reducing the number of schools, and letting private developers come in (with a requirement that they hire residents on projects) to (develop that land) bring new businesses into the city that would create jobs for residents, and help train residents for the jobs of the future? What about that rec center that was discussed? What happened to that? Who really made money in the building of these schools (were any residents hired?), and just how did Maple Hts residents really fare? How much money did residents really gain from these projects?

ALSO REMEMBER: REGARDLESS HOW MUCH THE POPULATION DECLINES, OR THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS DECLINE, OR HOW MANY HOMES GO INTO FORECLOSURE, THE PROPERTY OWNERS ARE STUCK (ON THE HOOK) PAYING BOND INTEREST PAYMENTS (FOR ANOTHER WHAT 20+ YEARS?)

A lot of money flew out of Maple Heights resident's pockets into a lot of pockets of people and businesses that did not reside in Maple Heights. A lot of money appears to be still flying out of their pockets to pay bond interest payments, and into (still) a lot of pockets of people that don't live in Maple Hts, and into the pockets of business owners and large businesses that don't reside in Maple Hts.

Hey, if we're wrong ... show us where the money went.

5 NEW SCHOOLS (3 of which -BARACK OBAMA, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, JFK - are elementary schools - what?) for about 3,900 students, [Update 8/2012: 3, 793] with a declining city population? It may be good political strategy to build those schools if you want to get elected mayor in Maple Heights; however, we don't call that forward thinking.

Update August 2012
BIG QUESTION:
Are these 3 new elementary schools in a predominantly white area of Maple Heights, even though African Americans make up about 70+% of the population? So, most African American children (of elementary school age) must either take a school bus or have their parents drive them to school?

Update August 2012:
BIG QUESTION:
Whatever happened to Raymond Elementary School (which was in a predominantly black area of Maple Heights)? Someone said something about asbestos being found, so they had to knock the whole school down. Who were the contractors on this project? When last we looked, it looked like the school was completely demolished, and there was nothing but dirt and and chain link fences.

Update August 2012:
And get this: The Maple Heights Board of Education, and administrative offices, etc. (it is said) will be moving to the predominantly white area of town and into the new school near Rockside Road. Wonder what's going to happen to that old space they were working in?   Also, the board (?) made a lot of cuts to staff, programming, reduction in health care benefits, etc. ... How much did they cut off their salary?  Did they cut salaries, etc of school employees who lived in Maple Heights? (cause you really don't want to do that)

Update 2012:
There may be a tv mini-series (fiction/non-fiction?) that involves bank foreclosures, city officials, school officials, a football star, bonds, contract negotiations, contractors, budget cuts to cities, discrimination, racism, local UAW endorsement, teacher's union endorsement, a dying man, FBI or homeland security, or use of law enforcement/surveillance of people's home/persons for political reasons and not national security, state officials, resolutions revolving around a railroad, sloppy/incompetent/compromised investigative reporting by local news outlets, brand spanking new police cars, and a mayor who has high and lofty political aspirations on Capitol Hill ..... stay tuned.

What American corporatists are getting away with now

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:53:00 +0000

AWESOME JANE STILLWATER

From:
Jane Stillwater's Web Log

After I got my long hair caught in a vacuum cleaner the other day, my first thought was pure terror -- like I had just been attacked by werewolves or vampires with claws! But then my second thought was, "Gee, at least I HAVE a vacuum cleaner".

Despite the recent huge economic downturn, most Americans are still relatively well-off right now, even me. Sure, our infrastructure sucks eggs and we mostly have run-down schools and hospitals, but at least we still have them. Old and run down. But still functioning at least.

But wait! Perhaps help for our hospitals is finally on the way! Is it really true that American corporatists have recently decided to spend over nine billion dollars to build at least 20 brand new state-of-the-art hospitals in Georgia? According to RT News, yes indeed this is true.

The only problem here, however, is that the corporatists who currently own our country are now in the process of building these 20 wonderful new hospitals in the former Soviet-bloc state of Georgia -- not in the American state with the same name that's famous for peaches and Braves. http://rt.com/politics/us-georgia-iran-war-441/

How bizarre is that news?

And now I've just read where American corporatists have recently sent in the U.S. Coast Guard to break up a strike by American longshoremen. That's even more bizarre than getting one's hair sucked into a vacuum cleaner -- and even more painful. One can always just cut one's hair off, but forcing America's military to act like low-life strike-breaking scabs? That's a cut to our democracy that may never heal.

ILWU members had been promised jobs in Longview as a priority condition for allowing corporatists to receive massive federal subsidies to build a new terminal at the Washington state port. But after the terminal was safely built, greedy corporatist slugs then fired the longshoremen's union members point-blank -- and not only got away with it but used the U.S. military as their own personal enforcers and thugs. http://www.longshoreshippingnews.com/2011/10/san-francisco-unions-support-ilwu-local-21-at-egt/.

Am I the only one that finds this news a bit bizarre?

American coproratists seem to be getting away with EVERYTHING these days. Cheating on elections, throwing people out of their homes, never paying taxes, robbing our treasury blind, fighting undeclared wars for fun and profit on our dime, beating protesting citizens with clubs, buying off Congress, etc. But almost nobody in America seems to want to stop them.

Here's more bizarre news -- Stephen Cobert's video explaining how corporatist superPACs steal our elections: http://www.colbertsuperpac.com/

Had enough yet? Or do you want to read some even more bizarre news about what corporatists are getting away with now? Yes? Then take a long look at this: The unassailable New York Times, the esteemed Gray Lady herself, recently reported that the IAEA had accused Iran of using its nuclear program to develop military weapons. But guess what? The IAEA had said no such thing. Now the esteemed Gray Lady has lied to us (again) in order to get us into a useless and unnecessary war (again) that would only benefit corporatists. http://publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/times-errors-irans-nukes-sfs-voting/

Very deja vu. Very bizarre.

But -- to me (but apparently to nobody else) -- this is the absolute most bizarre news of all: Perry, Santorum, Obama, Romney and even Newt Gingrich and JEB Bush are all running on a platform of being good Christians. Huh? What?

NO ONE who either calls for the bombing women and children in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and America -- or is actually out doing it -- can EVER call himself or herself a good Christian. Ever. These people are no more good Christians than was Attila the Hun.

Send drones to kill babies? Where in the Bible does it say that Jesus did that?

Leaving the meek of the earth to starve to death and the peacemakers of the world to be jailed? Jesus is down with that too? Not!

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," said Jesus. Beating down non-violent OWS protesters with pepper spray, tear gas and truncheons? NOT CHRISTIAN. Not Christian at all.

Yet no one seems to be calling these monsters out on their uber-hypocracy. No one calls them out at all. That's bizarre.

And it's also rather bizarre that all these corporatist presidential candidates are happily telling us that they are in favor of "Democracy". There is NOTHING less democratic than a corporation. Face it, CEOs are tyrants. Corporatists worship the dictatorship model. To tell us that they want America to remain a democracy is absurd.

Corporatists by definition are top-down kinds of guys, "Do what I say or else you will lose all." Corporatists by definition are bullying-type authoritarians who spit on America's treasured democratic principles -- and don't you ever forget it!

Now let's turn to the comic-page section of the news.

The average American today seems to more and more resemble that Peanuts cartoon character Charlie Brown -- always trusting that somehow Lucy will let him finally kick the football. But guess what? No matter how many times you vote for the party of Bush-Obama-Romney-Santorum-Clinton-Paul or believe mainstream media reports or trust corporatists to finally hold the ball upright, you are still gonna get tricked every time. And you're still gonna land flat on your face while corporatist secretly laugh at you as you lie there in the mud. And it's still gonna hurt.

How's that for bizarre news?

by Jane Stillwater

Who Does John Montello, Law Director for the City of Maple Heights Really Work For?

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:46:00 +0000

It's beginning to be a mystery to us as to who John Montello (Maple Heights Law Director) actually works for; considering that the taxpayers of Maple Heights (his employer) pay his salary. [Remember, this was Mayor Jeffrey Lansky's choice for law director] He recently put out a legal opinion regarding what he deems a vacancy in city council with the death of Richard Taylor, who just recently won the seat of council person in district 5. Mr. Taylor who had been ill for quite awhile, never was sworn into office.

District 5 residents are now becoming aware of Mr. Taylor's passing, and where that leaves them in regards to representation.

NEWS FLASH ... according to the law director, it appears the residents of Maple Heights (district 5) will have literally nothing to say about who will represent them for the next .. what?.. 2 years?.

Is this the attorney who helped negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with the police union, where it looks like police officers in Maple Heights would still only be paying $20 individual/ $40 family for their monthly health insurance premiums (dental and vision care are included in that small premium they are paying)?

In case you forgot what Maple Heights residents are dealing with financially and racially, see our other posts regarding Maple Heights.

Will the law director try to confuse or intimidate the residents of district 5 with legal minutia. (Well, ... in our "non-legal" opinion, haven't his actions already done that)?

Regardless of what the law director puts out, it's just his legal opinion (emphasis on "opinion"). Only district 5 residents matter here. They have to live with the consequences of his actions, and the actions of the Mayor of Maple Heights and Maple Heights City Council.

What's important is... are the actions [of Maple Heights City Council, and the city law director] ... unconstitutional? Do their actions violate district 5 residents civil and political rights (constitutional rights) regardless of what's in the city charter?

Come to think of it, .... are sections of Maple Heights City Charter unconstitutional; or is the whole charter unconstitutional? [Update: Gee Mr. Mayor, have you no sense of humor - lighten up. Also, just who do you think wrote this post? Do you have ESP or do you have spies lurking around? Careful, you might be letting the "cat out of the bag".]

What's definitely not funny in any way, shape, or form ... is that this law director, and this city council appear to be using Maple Heights resident's money (yes, that includes the residents of district 5), to disenfranchise them. We'll say it again, ... use his employer's money to disenfranchise his employers. Unbelievable!

Bear with us (cause we just thought of this) ... Did this law director go looking (digging) for (1924) case law ... that (in effect) resulted in the residents of district 5 (his employers) being stripped of their right to vote for their own representative in council?
-

The employees of Maple Heights government need to tread lightly ... cause their employers (the residents of district 5) are getting very upset.

Let's look at three wiki articles regarding voting rights:

Under Jurisdictional Differences/United States, paragraph 2

(note paragraph 5, in Montello's legal opinion - appears to be targeting one individual in particular

         (but also targets 1 particular group) in that paragraph - this opens up a "whole can of worms".
   Interesting what Ron Paul says about our military and court system (and he's not wrong about that,
   though we don't like his views about the Civil Rights Act of 1964)

    15th Amendment

    Voting Rights Act of 1965


    Interesting Wiki article (1) Interesting Wiki article regarding segregation in Ohio (2)

[The leadership (where the power rests) in Maple Heights is predominantly white - actually, the heads of almost every department are white - most high salaried positions are held by whites (who may or may not live in Maple Heights); Maple Heights District 5 is predominantly African American, and 70+% of Maple Heights population are non-white]

History of Maple Heights (population, etc)

Addendum: The use of the 1924 case law by this law director, could be construed by members of council, as an act of intimidation ... that if they do not go along with the leadership and majority rule, they could find their seats declared vacant too.

THE LEGAL OPINION (CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO VIEW):

CLEVELANDS SECRET CLUB WISHES YOU A FANTASTIC HOLIDAY 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:36:00 +0000

WISHING YOU A FANTASTIC HOLIDAY 2011

Confronting Stereotypes of the African American Woman

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 07:45:00 +0000

Poor People Are Just Shiftless ... At Least That's What Newt Gingrich Believes

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:59:00 +0000

I'll give it to conservatives. They don't bite their tongue. They just come out and say exactly what they think of minorities, women, poor people, and especially poor children.

These people cannot wait to bask in the shade of an Orwellian society. Well, actually it's pretty dark in that kind of society; .. but they must think existing in an Orwellian society will be fantastic. Personally, I don't get it.

Now we all know how they hate minimum wage laws and child labor laws; and how they love outsourcing to countries that have cheap labor. They totally embrace and "tap dance for" the 1%ers and we know that too. ... So how in the hell do they think they'll get elected? Here's the reason ... they believe most of us have short memories, and most of us are just plain dumb. ... And judging by the results of the 2010 elections, they must be right.

Comedian George Carlin on the 1%and politicians

Remember what George Carlin said about Republicans?

Why are there so many conservative lunatics among us? Anyone have an answer?

Let's listen:

On "The Ed Show"

The Rachel Maddow Show

National Day of Action, Thursday, November 17, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Cleveland) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:20:00 +0000

Break out your tennis shoes. Thursday will be a "National Day of Action" ... and the "We are the 99% " will be peacefully gathering at events all over the country.

In Chicago: Occupy Chicago

In Portland: Occupy the Banks

Facebook: Out of the Park and into the streets

Events Near You

More

Daily Kos

Undaunted by Crackdown, Occupy Wall Street and New York Activists Plan Massive Day of Action | | AlterNet by Sarah Jaffe, November 16, 2011

On the international front, people all over the world (Belgium, Germany, Madrid, etc.) will take part in the two month anniversary of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement (#OWS).

Twitter: #N17

Thursday's Day Of Action - A Big Deal | OurFuture.org by Dave Johnson, November 15, 2011

The Evictions Won't Stand: Make Nov. 17 A Day Of National Occupation | OurFuture.org (Isaiah J Poole), 11/15/2011