Soundbites for Anyone to Use

Anyone who is for Freedom is against Republicans.

Anyone who is for Freedom - freedom from other people's religious ideas, freedom from the tyranny of unregulated corporations, freedom from discrimination, freedom from pollution - is against Republicans.

Right and Wrong are not relative to the size of one's bank account.

Republicans want all the benefits of society without having to pay for them - that is a sense of entitlement.

Republicans want all the benefits of society - military, law enforcement, justice system, interstates, highways - without having to pay for them, that is a sense of entitlement.

The only Freedom that Republicans support is the freedom to oppress and enslave other people.

The only Freedom that Republicans support is the freedom of the wealthy to oppress and enslave other people.

The Constitution's Message Missed

It amazes me how the "conservative" "republican" crowd can shout about the Constitution of the United States of America and at the same time, many of them completely miss the point of the whole document.
Maybe it shouldn't - because they shout the praises of the Bible and most of them really miss the point of the whole book.

This post was originally inspired by the "Constituting America" website, which totally goes left field with it's interpretation of the Constitution.

In researching this post, I found a post on the Daily Caller - "Our Conservative Constitution" - which got me totally derailed.  I hope you read it and come back here or the rest of my post may not make much sense...

President Barack Obama told Matt Lauer that, “I have not been able to force Congress to implement every aspect of what I said in 2008 … it turns out that our founders designed a system that makes it more difficult to bring about change than I would like sometimes.”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/10/our-conservative-constitution/#ixzz1mNPFg2N7

My reply to the author is This :

 "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." George W. Bush (http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/2002/10/29_Dictator.html)
Bush and the GOP wrote and passed the most anti-democracy bill in history - The "Patriot" Act.

Obama's statement is a LOT milder.  Still, he presided over the extension of The "Patriot" Act.

The fact is "Conservatives" were against rebelling against England in the first place.  Progressives were the ones who fought for and who wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. "Conservatives" - by definition - fight FOR the entrenched power in order to "Conserve" the status quo.

Here is what you miss about the Constitution : It gives the Federal Government the right to protect Citizens from abuse and harassment by State Government.  The growth in the Federal Government has been because many states seek to harm their Citizens by stupid, hateful, repressive laws - mostly put forth by "Conservatives" seeking to stop the flow of progress, tolerance and equity.

In THEORY, sure, "States Rights" sounds great. In Practice, though? Probably not so much.

So when you say : "Socialists could have their utopia in California or Massachusetts while conservatives would be shielded from that type of society in Alabama or Mississippi."

You forget that Freedom and Equality loving, Bigotry and Violence hating people would be persecuted in your Alabama or Mississippi.  Therefore, the Federal Government is authorized to step in to protect them from the predations of the State.  I live in Mississippi. Should I be forced to move, leave my family and home, just because I am not a Christian Conservative? Is that "Freedom"? Would a state such as you advocate even allow me to leave or would they imprison me and have me executed for heresy?

Maybe if we really had some freedom of movement (where people could actually afford to get up and move to a different state) or a state or fed paid for someone to move to the state they most aligned with. Then again, why should "liberals" be doomed to the cold or desert states or "moderates" doomed to the plains states and "conservatives" doomed to the heat of the south? Which culture would get which states and who would choose?

Recall that it was a Republican "conservative" president that stripped States Rights. Lincoln did so in refusing to recognize the right of secession.(more on that and the real "big government" party - http://www.lewrockwell.com/gregory/gregory40.html - there are so many things in there I want to quote here, so just go read it!!)

The "Conservative" Republican party is the party of the "Thought Police" and big supporters of a very anti-constitutional Theocracy where they enforce their religious dictates on all citizens (remember the first amendment?). Think not? Remember Prohibition? "Blue laws"? Rick Santorum advocates doing away with contraceptives, based solely on his "religious values". That is what the constitution protects (or should protect) us from.

I am a Thomas Jefferson Constitutionalist and I realize both parties have some really bad, really unconstitutional ideas and goals. Unfortunately, I also realize "Libertarians" are nut jobs who take "small government" way too far to have a functioning society. Right now, the Democrats are the least threat to Democracy and our Democratic Republic. "Conservatives" will always prefer Theocracy or Dictatorship to Democracy.

Okay, done with that reply.  Now on to more thoughts...

The "Conservatives" have one big, giant problem with the Constitution - it prevents them from forcing their 'values' and 'culture' on others.  So when you read that "conservatives would be shielded from that type of society in Alabama or Mississippi." you can safely interpret that as "conservatives would have the freedom to oppress and control the personal lives of every resident in Alabama or Mississippi."  That is not exactly "Freedom and Justice for All" by any stretch of the imagination.

Occupy Wall Street has come under fire for not having solutions to the problems they are pointing out.  Well, the first step is to admit there is a problem and the second is to identify the problem.

So.... what are my solutions?  Stay tuned.
(as a bonus on Reagan, read this!)

Outrageous Stuff the GOP is Trying to do

Repeal laws requiring businesses let employees eat.

Outlaw Contraceptives... or at least make it where no insurance has to cover it.

Repeal child labor laws that prevent companies from forcing children to work.

Reinstate "Don't ask, Don't Tell" that allows military to kick out gay soldiers.

They (Tea Party) told businesses to Refuse to Hire anyone.

Cut public education, fund private prisons.

They want to give their own party every tactical edge, subverting Democracy by preventing likely opponents from voting.

Paul Weyrich, one of the acknowledged architects of the right wing ascendancy, said bluntly, "I don’t want everybody to vote…our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down."

Everyone knows they love busting up Unions and advocating for Employer Rights to Fire Employees At Will. ( Because "right to work" is a very misleading name for these laws! In "right to work" states, you don't have any right to work, your employer has every right to fire you at a whim. )

They attack immigrants - even though this nation was founded and built by immigrants. ( It is kinda funny seeing how damaging their laws are on the states in which they passed, but I feel bad for the good people it hurts )

Deny the equal rights and liberty to pursue happiness of just about anyone and everyone who is not a rich, white, "proper" Christian male.

"phone interviews with a random sampling of Christian preachers verified that the consensus was that gays and women [and non-Christians] do not deserve the Constitution’s guarantee of equal rights."

      (So, they are not ALL crazy ...and although this goes against my point, it is inspiring, hopeful and worth a read!)

     But they will sink low to have their anti-democracy way.

I find it a huge exercise in hypocrisy that the Anti-Freedom, Anti-Freedom-of-Religion folks on the "Right" are citing Freedom of Religion to deny people insurance coverage.  Its truly pathetic.  I wish I could have a "National Pagan Prayer Breakfast" and have the President attend.  Just to see them really show their true colors.

"This isn't a Catholic issue, this is a freedom issue," [Ann] Coulter told an audience of conservative activists.

Yeah, the freedom to stomp on the wants, needs and rights of others.

If you have more links to articles on crazy stuff the GOP is trying to do, comment here!


and to wrap up with a different tangent, earlier today I had the thought of posting to Facebook something to the effect of "Republican Women, a study in self-loathing?" and Ann throws up this comment to validate that:

Coulter said Friday that the feminist movement "set us back." In response to a question from a conservative female college student who asked about how to respond to those who question how a woman can be a conservative, Coulter said that "all pretty girls are right-wingers."

UPDATE : 2/15/2012
I would LOVE to see "Pretty Girls" send video clips to Ann saying, "Sorry, Ann. I am NOT a Right Winger. I am NOT a 'Conservative' and I am NOT a Republican."

Also, the GOP is now trying to Entrench and Codify Bigotry and Discrimination! Seriously, I can't make this stuff up! They want to allow employers to deny employees health coverage for any reason, as long as they can claim "religious or moral" reasons.  I morally object to bigots and bullies being able to legally screw people over!

Now, they are trying to limit free speech! They are going to fire teachers who swear or behave 'indecent' in or out of school.  Talk about being a controlling nanny-state! The GOP all the way!

Progress and Conservation part 2

(Read part 1)

Progress.  Pro. Positive. Movement. Activity.  Alive.
Liberal. Liberty. Life. Love. Freedom.

The antithesis of Conservatives, Liberals and Progressives made the United States!  The author of the Declaration of Independence made a statement (many, really) that "conservatives" would find highly offensive - "It does me no harm if my neighbor says there are twenty gods or no god at all. It neither breaks my leg nor picks my pocket." (Thomas Jefferson)

Liberals stand for Liberty, Justice and Freedom more than any other group.  You can be any religion you want or none at all - that is Freedom of Religion.  You deserve a chance at a good education, no matter how much money your parents have.  You deserve to be protected from the predations of those in a better position than you, no matter how little money you have. You can not trample on the rights of others and get away with it, no matter how much money or influence you have.  Progressives and Liberals are the "the government should leave me alone as long as I am not hurting anyone else." while Conservatives are the "the government should leave me alone even if I am hurting other people, but I want to make sure YOU don't do anything I say you shouldn't do, even if I do it in secret."

Am I saying Progressives are better than Conservatives?  Well, lets just say, "We hold these Truths to be self evident."

Do Liberals have their nutcases? Sure! The only difference is for the most part, Liberal extremists don't hurt others and Progressive extremists don't crash the national economy in the name of profit.

Progress and Conservation in 2 parts

Part 1 : Conservation

(First, let me be clear that this is not a blanket attack on everyone who calls themselves a conservative.  The people who identify with the term vary widely.  The term as I am using it is applied to the public faces of the Republican Party seeming majority as portrayed by such "luminaries" as Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Santorum, Gingrich, Boehner, and that creepy looking 'lets turn medicare into a voucher' guy... Paul Ryan.)

Conservative. Con. Servitude. Stagnation. Stuck.

You hear a lot about how "Conservatives" are all about Freedom, Liberty and the Constitution.

I would challenge anyone to point out a reality based example of a modern "Conservative" actually championing those ideals.

The Right Wing shouts of "Freedom and Liberty" come with a lot of 'Except' clauses.

"We value Freedom to make your own choices! Except of course, if you choose to not be the right kind of Christian, to marry someone of the same sex, to have an abortion, to buy alcohol on Sunday, to smoke anything other than tobacco, to heal yourself using products we can't patent, to organize Labor Unions, to choose your time to have a child, to respect other cultures, protect the environment or regulate any industry in any way." (my paraphrasing of a conservative mindset)

(I am sure I missed a lot of their 'excepts')

Their philosophy is why we can't smoke Marijuana (would hurt tobacco companies) to ease pain and increase appetite for cancer patients.  Their philosophy is why we can't cure cancer - there are whole industries built around treating cancer... we can't damage their profitability!  I mean, if the market doesn't allow a product to be available, then its "Free Market" right?

Conservatives seek to preserve (conserve) the status-quo - to keep the rich rich and the poor disadvantaged.  They don't want to give people a hand out nor a hand up - they want to give people a heel on their neck and take the coin from their pockets in the name of the almighty Profit.

The Constitution? Oh, they hate the real Constitution of the United States of America.  So much so that they have invented a delusional, revisionist history version to cling to.  Most of the people holding up the grand Document at Tea Party rallies haven't read it (maybe can't read it).  They certainly have not read or studied the History of the United States nor such things as the debates on ratification of the Constitution or works of Thomas Jefferson.  ( One must remember, Conservatives opposed forming the United States in the first place! )

Conservatism is a greedy, fear based philosophy that, in the end, ensures its own fears must come true.  It collapses economies and destroys civilizations.  It creates poverty, hunger and crime.  It is one big Con-job by the ultra rich to dismantle Democracy (or our Democratic Republic) and institute a Theocratic Plutocracy.

If you think I am totally off base - read this commentary from a right-wing insider.

"I know what the stakes are. I know from the inside just how deranged, corrupt and awful the marriage between Wall Street and the unwashed Tea Party/Religious Right anti-abortion, racist, homophobic and misogynist mob really is. I know that these people will buy elections then try and turn America into a theocracy -- on matters of personal morality -- and into an Ayn Rand libertarian and heartless swamp where the 1% eat the rest of us-- when it comes to the economy." - Frank Schaeffer
 



Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back

Stay tuned for Part 2!

How to Kill your Wife and get a Pardon

NOTICE : Don't kill your wife.  There is nothing worth doing that for.  Just leave her - one of you deserves better and the other one needs to learn a life lesson. This post is about politics! Read part 2!

If you are tired of the old ball and chain, bring her to Mississippi to kill her - the governor will give you a pardon. Working as a trustee at the governor's mansion helps a lot.

Here is a list of murders Haley Barbour pardoned

David Gatlin (wife killer)

Joseph Ozment

Anthony McCray

Michael David Graham (wife killer)

Clarence Jones (girlfriend killer)

Paul Joseph “Jody” Warnock (girlfriend killer)

Bobby Hays Clark (girlfriend killer)

William James Kimble

but no pardon for
Cory Maye - shot a cop during a botched drug raid on the wrong home.
No pardon for Jamie and Gladys Scott, who were each serving double consecutive life sentences in state prison for a robbery in which no one was injured and only $11 was taken. ( Barbour gave them a suspended sentence so the State didn't have to pay their medical bills. )
Nothing for the innocent people imprisoned by the corrupt (in)Justice system in this state.

Now, the people of Mississippi have elected someone just like Barbour - who actually bragged on the fact - to continue this atrocity.  May the Gods all get together to help this state!


Articles abound :
How many more killers will he free?
Miss. Gov Pardons killers.
Democrats criticize pardon of murderer.
Barbour helps domestic killers.
Barbour's Bizarre pardon record.
The Mississippi Pardons.

The stories about Hayne and West have been all over Mississippi's newspapers and TV and radio stations, and on a few occasions have made national news. Yet Barbour hasn't uttered a word about them. He hasn't expressed sympathy or apologized to Kennedy Brewer or Levon Brooks for their wrongful incarceration (and in Brewer's case, his near execution). Nor, for that matter, has Barbour said anything about Cedric Willis, another Mississippi man recently exonerated for a murder he didn't commit. "It's disappointing that the governor's mercy largesse hasn't reached the people whom Dr. Hayne and West affected—many of whom, unlike the people the governor pardons, are unquestionably innocent," says Tucker Carrington, who heads up the Mississippi Innocence Project.

Read part 2!

Say No to the GOP "No!"

before his supporters in Iowa, Romney said: "This is a campaign night where America wins. We're going to change the White House and get America back on track."

Lets take a look at that Track that Romney wants to put America* back on.

Remember that : "During the first half of 2001 and the 2003–07 period, the GOP maintained full control of both the White House and Congress."  Those are the years that lead up to THIS economy as we try to recover from the REPUBLICAN lead crash of 2007.

Spending:

Historically, Republicans have often been worse spenders than Democrats. Since 1962, they controlled the White House during six of the 10 largest annual percentage increases in real discretionary outlays (see Figure 1). Discretionary spending is the part of the budget that is appropriated every year, as opposed to mandatory spending, which is on autopilot and can only be changed by altering the law behind the programs. For three of the 10 years with the biggest increases in discretionary spending, Republicans controlled Congress as well as the White House.

The Republican (Bush) tax cuts are killing the economy and driving a majority of our National Debt.

Is there any one of the GOP contenders who would be willing to let the tax levels for high-income individuals revert to their pre-Bush levels? That is, the levels they were at during the Clinton administration, when unemployment stayed low, the economy grew at a startlingly lively rate, and the government ran - gasp - a surplus? If so, they've been pretty quiet about it.

Democrats are better at GDP growth, Republicans cause recessions.

Since Franklin Roosevelt’s third term (1941–44), Democrats have generally presided over faster growth and stronger stock markets than Republicans; Republican administrations have been friendlier for disinflation and the bond market. Also, Republicans tend to preside over recessions early in their terms, with growth accelerating as time passes; Democrats tend to preside over earlier accelerations followed by slowdowns as the term matures.

The Republican Agenda should frighten anyone who loves Liberty, Peace and Freedom of Religion.

The extremist Tea Party agenda won a clear victory. No matter who the Republicans nominate, we'll be running against someone who has embraced that agenda in order to win -- vowing to let Wall Street write its own rules, end Medicare as we know it, roll back gay rights, leave the troops in Iraq indefinitely, restrict a woman's right to choose, and gut Social Security to pay for more tax cuts for millionaires and corporations.

They will continue to destroy the Middle Class.

the reason that the parents are not there to instill values into their children and coach their baseball teams is because those mothers and fathers are working their ass off. While Republican governors such as the likely former candidate for President Rick Perry seek praise for their ability to create minimum wage jobs, the people working those jobs realize they simply do not pay the bills. They need two of these jobs and their wives need one and none of them provide adequate health care.

The GOP propaganda machine, aka Fox Misinfotainment, aka Faux Newz is spewing distortions and lies which any precursory fact check can reveal.

The Bush administration left the American working people with a huge deficit  The hole dug over 8 years by the previous administration will take more than 2 years to fill.  

It is time to oust the Party of No.

*America is a large land mass consisting of two continents - North and South America.  North America has 22 Nations, including the United States of America.  South America has 13 Nations.  It appears Romney wants to create an American Union, destroying the U.S.'s sovereignty.

Comment (Answer) I wanted to (edit and) share :

Q: Why do Republicans avoid their record and only attack Obama?
A (by bob): A quick look at their record will answer this question. forty years of the conservative agenda and the country has had only one little spurt of progress, and that only when a Democrat was president. Other than that, it has been a consistent record of failure. Economic growth during the Reagan and Bush administration that was supported by borrowing and record setting debts. Poverty increased every time a Republican was president, Increased unemployment every time a Republican was president, Decline in manufacturing every time a Republican was president....Now their only hope is that they can force a Democratic administration to be the total failure they were. So far, they haven't been too successful and last month the Obama administration added more private sector jobs than Bush did for his entire first term, the stock market keeps plugging along, manufacturing has increased and they have been successful only in stalling Democratic proposals.
In 2006, the economy was not "humming along." The stock market was up, but the entire economy was a house of cards built on an extraordinary amount of borrowing, both private and public. Both private debt and the national debt were at record highs. The unemployment was good, but it was also up from the 3.4% Bush inherited from the Clinton years. Republicans took office and for four years the Bush administration did not have a net gain in private sector jobs (ended the first term with an administration that had not recorded an increase in the number of jobs for the first time in history and finished two terms with a net increase of only 2 million jobs...again, worst performance in history) Hard to put this on a little more than one year of Democratic control of congress...especially in the light of the fact that George Bush recorded a record number of vetoes in that year and a half after having completely lost his "veto pen" for the first six years.

and a "HELL YEAH!" to Obama standing up to the Do-Nothing GOP congress!