different demographics

"Every state has different demographics, every state has different problems," said Senator Orin Hatch of the health care reform effort while speaking to a Republican student group at Utah State University on Friday. "It's good to allow them to work out their own problems rather than a one-size-fits-all federal government dumb-ass program. It really is an awful piece of crap." (msnbc.com)

Senator Hatch is a Mormon and his state of Utah had a whole different standard for those who were Mormons as to their definition of marriage. The politicos and the Church elders had to conform to the standards of the other states to even consider joining the Union. Seems the greater good of the Utah Territory was to abide by a Federal consensus to enjoy all of the perks of belonging to the United States. There was at the time, a greater good that had to supersede the smaller habit.

Within the demographics of the Southern states a whole different idea of who should be a free man and who should be a slave existed.The Confederacy worked out their differences by creating something called a Civil War. Then in the 60’s the southern states also had a whole different idea about who should drink from a fountain, sit at counter and go to a public school according to their demographic needs. The Southern states said they had a whole different demographic and needed to be respected in their form of segregation, equal but separate was okay for the Southern states and too bad if the Liberal Northern states didn’t agree.

In 1869 Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton realized that women were citizens of the United States and as citizens should have the same voting rights as men. They realized that this issue was greater then each state to determine, according to their demographics, if women had the right to vote. But the male dominated Federal government didn’t agree. The chauvinistic men in government seemed to be afraid of the power of women and refused to make this issue a Federal right. So slowly and slower some states agreed for the women’s right to vote and if you didn’t live in those states you were a second class citizen. As Senator Hatch proudly proclaims each state has their own problems, so I guess as a woman in the mid 1800’s you were no problem by not voting and would have been a greater problem if you were equal to men.

Anti-miscegenation laws, also known as miscegenation laws, were laws that enforced racial segregation at the level of marriage and intimate relationships by criminalizing interracial marriage and sometimes also sex between members of two different “races.” Typically defining miscegenation as a felony, these laws prohibited the solemnization of weddings between persons of different races and prohibited the officiating of such ceremonies. Sometimes, the individuals attempting to marry would not be held guilty of miscegenation itself, but felony charges of adultery or fornication would be brought against them instead. (Wikipedia)

Seems using Senator Hatch’s logic, each state has its own set of circumstances and until 1967, when the Supreme Court held that laws against mixed marriages was unconstitutional , each state could dictate who it deemed as second class citizens based primarily on religious dogma bigotry and bias. Dogmas remained the states right, until the Supreme Court ruled interracial marriage was not at the whim of the unique hatred of each state and proclaimed each state did not have the right to discrimination.

Senator Hatch is trying hard to win the favor of the Tea Bag Movement. He had been put on notice when his ex counter-part in the Senate, Bob Bennett was relieved as the Republican candidate during the 2010 election for not being considered bigoted and biased enough. Senator hatch was warned you had better hate harder. Senator Hatch as matter of self preservation has little to do with thinking via his conscience, and more to do with just a self serving need for power regardless of truth or value.

The leadership of the Tea Bag movement takes little time to read history or look at a greater good. They rely on hearsay and say they want smaller government but not when it comes to how we live our personal lives. Big government is okay when it denies, health care, a clean environment, marriage rights, women’s reproductive rights and union’s rights including collective bargaining. Many of the leaders within the Republican party, having no backbone nor a clear conscience acquiesce to the desires of a band of hoodlums who want to highjack the Constitution and the freedoms it presents all of the citizens of the US.

Senator Hatch who touts himself as a true American and a religious man is a phony. When he uses words like ‘each state has different demographics’, he is simply saying not all people are created equal. And as both a religious man and an American he is a sham of a human being.

If this country considers all of its citizens as equal under the law, then the law must enforce equality no matter in which state you live!

safer now

Seems Governor Walker of Wisconsin had contemplated, along with his Republican/Bagger Legislators about bringing in some hired hands to... kind of, sort of, almost add a little violence and pay for goons to cause harm while the peaceful workers protested union bashing. It had been discussed as a tactic to be used, because peaceful organizing, free speech, the right to gather are way too Democrat like and of course way too democratic.

A Congressman, Paul Broun, in Georgia held a town hall meeting, Mr. Broun a man elected to represent the people of Georgia as a part of our Federal Government, was elected to uphold the Constitution of this nation and abide by its laws. Low and behold an elderly man asked the question to Mr. Broun 'who is going to shoot Obama'. This Republican/Bagger Congressman did not stop his speech, point a finger at this elderly man, ask the police to escort the elderly man out of the room, or even stop his prepared remarks to say something like you are Un-American, Un-Christianor Un-Real, instead he added his own comments hopefully we will have a new President next year and continued speaking to his audience.

Ex Attorney General of Kansas Phil Klein used his elected office to open private health documents of women seeking legal abortions in his state. He found this personal and private information by using state paid employees to track down, in an illegal manner, using everything from using license plates to identify names and then finding addresses to send members of his Attorneys General Staff to their homes. He used his position as states Attorney General to discriminate against law abiding citizens bully them and intimidate them. He is on trial for ethics charges and smugly says he would do it all again.

During the rise of Nationalist Socialist Party in Germany brown shirted men were sent to roam the streets, bars, neighborhoods to help persuade the crowd to follow the lead of the government. In Tiananmen Square in Beijing the Government sent in soldiers in tanks to silence the crowd of protesters. In Kent Ohio, President Nixon sent in the Ohio National Guard to stop, even with force any Viet Nam protestors from organizing. In Egypt, during the first days of the uprising in Cairo, President Mubarak had his police fire into the crowd. In Tripoli today, Qaddafi has hired mercenaries to shoot innocent people requesting democracy in Libya.

In world history and sadly in American history violence, force and bullying by Governments has been a ready remedy to stop free speech, free right to congregate, and free expression of opposition. In the history of mankind, the fear of dissent has always seemed so great so powerful that Popes, Presidents, Royalty those demigods needed it to fight and fight hard at it ever finding a place at their table. Violence has been used as an excuse in many ways... as a message from God, a God given right, as necessary before any dialogue taking place, as the foundation to sustain the state.

In America 2011, we have a Governor and his legislators considering hiring people to cause chaos and disrupt peaceful protests. We have a southern Congressman who permitted a constituent to ask the question about who will shoot the President without protesting that illegal and immoral question. In the Midwest we an Attorney General ignoring his own responsibility to follow the law allowing his staff to suggest and intimidate innocent women.

In America 2011 we have people who call themselves Republicans, Tea Baggers who swear they know the Constitution, believe in the writing of the New Testament, swear they are more red, white and blue then any other person, and yet they rely on the treat of violence, the use of violence, and violent actions to get their way.

In 2010 we elected most of these people into office. Now that it is 2011 do you feel safer now?

so

So, the cause of all state budgets to be in such a deep deficit situation, is the fact that unions exist in state government, and in fact that those same unions are provided with the right to hold collective bargaining. So, in the same states whose budgets are suffering from deficits, the wealthy citizen has been given tax breaks, not asked to pay his/her fair share but somehow their elegant life style motivated by more money in their personal accounts have little to do with trying to balance a states budget.

So, unemployment is almost at 10% and job growth at its lowest. Businesses and corporations have registered some of the highest profits on record and seemingly have bank accounts filled with dollars in the trillions. But with all the good news for their P/L statements ALL of the same corporations are afraid to begin the process of hiring new workers. More profit, more income but somehow all of that capital is not even enough to pitch in, and do their part, (and now that the activist Republican judges of the Supreme Court have permitted for corporations to act like citizens), they do not want to do their red, white and blue part and make some sacrifices.

So, even though history as proven as it did with many of the New Deal programs that construction and infrastructure help stimulate the economy by hiring workers, buying products, many of the Republican/Bagger Governors refuse to spend any money on beginning those projects. Bullet trains, light rail, transportation systems that will lessen America from using more oil, permit cleaner environments, reduce the stress of commuting, but somehow all of that good stuff is not good enough because the bottom-line goodies of the Oil Cartel who lobby and contribute to the Republican/Bagger Governors might be affected and reduced. It is kind of like the prostitute who pleases the sugar daddy so he/she can continue to live in the penthouse.

So, as the New Testament is carried and quoted, and the voices of the Republican/Baggers try and emulate their version of Jesus, laws are trying to be passed in Iowa, that killing abortion providers is okay, carrying guns on Texas campuses is good, and child labor laws in Missouri need to be disbanded and ended. As chorus’s of “its’ for the children” sung by choirs of Republican/Baggers ring throughout the right wing concert halls, cut backs in education, denying loving LGBT partners in a family from officially marrying, repeal of universal health from establishing any roots, and the denial of parent education prenatal preparedness, mothers health are being slammed and shut down. . And in the same voices the Republican/Baggers say they are doing God’s work.

So in 2010 you stayed home on election day, protested by not voting, hated the Dems./Progressives because they didn’t do enough, voted for the Republicans/Baggers cause you thought since you weren’t a Muslim, Gay, in a Union, a Women they had your best interests at heart. So, you think this will all pass over, much ado about nothing, it doesn’t really affect me.

So, the shame of the matter is that anything but speaking and acting on the truth is happening in this nation. So, the shame of the matter is that democracy has been hijacked with false promises, misguided allegiance, and any kind of bogus, bigotry, bias, racism, sexism, homophobia Christian crusade techniques that those in the Republican/Bagger army can be handed by people as Un-American as the Koch Brothers and their band of right wing, self serving billionaires.

So, chaos is consuming America wonder if you should do anything about it? Or maybe just saying so what… is sufficient enough? So?

suddenly

Suddenly, 8 years of Republican disregard for the reckless behavior of the Financial Markets, deregulation for the Banking Industry, nonexistent oversight for Wall Street causing a horrific recession, collapse in the housing prices, foreclosures and jobs losses, it is now the Unions and their right for collective bargaining who are to blame?

Suddenly after 8 years of Republican tax breaks for the wealthy, CEO’s of Wall Street and Corporations receiving millions of dollars in salary and bonuses, an increase in the division between the wealthy and poor grossly out of proportion, creating unemployment, less public services, more jobs outsourced, it is now those receiving social security, any kind of health coverage, those who teach in public schools being told they are the greedy ones and must cut back on any entitlement.

Suddenly with Republican/Baggers in the majority in the Congress, and most State Governments, jobs, jobs, jobs have been replaced with a mantra of social conservative interpretation of morals and values, division of church and state becoming nonexistent and replaced with this is a Christian nation, and entitlement to anyone but big corporations and the ultra wealthy being Un-American and a Socialist plot to take over this country.

Suddenly anyone working in a Union, worried about their own reproductive rights, equality in marriage, wanting fair and equitable health care is the scapegoat for the ills this nation had experienced during the 8 years of the Republican rule in this nations government. Suddenly solving the problem does not requiring understanding how the problem started and escalated it is instead dummied down to those who were victims in the first place now being accused of initiating the whole awful chain of events.

Suddenly Rush Limbaugh’s ignorant accusations and crude comments, Glenn Beck’s paranoid, bigoted mind, Sarah Palin’s misread and lack of understanding of both truth and history, are the guiding force as who will become the leadership of the Republican party and who in the Democratic party should be portrayed as evil, Nazi’s, Communists and non Christians. Suddenly a group of people with little allegiance to anyone but themselves, lack of understanding of the Constitution, receiving lobbyist money from people like the Koch Brothers, homophobes, Islama-phobes, racists, sexists are creating chaos and dissension never telling the truth but relying on lies and say they speak for America.

Suddenly we forget about Joe McCarthy and Richard Nixon both with their enemies list stopping democracy in its tracks and replacing it with a dictatorial direction. Suddenly Roe v Wade is ignored and the rights given to women via the Supreme Court are useless and ignored. Suddenly after 60 years of collective bargaining, establishing fair and equitable ground rules in the work place, for women and children are to be tossed and removed. Suddenly hard answers are replaced with easy scapegoats; difficult choices for all Americans are reduced to blaming the poor, the middle class the worker. Suddenly the answer to all democratic problems you do not like is to carry a gun. Suddenly those whose own greed and gluttony are no longer held for accountability and anyone else is better to blame.

If we do not take back the democratic principals this country was founded on, reading the Constitution looking for our rights not the dissolution of rights, stating that equality for all is the what makes America great, then suddenly we will not recognize the United States of America as anything but a Christian nation full of white people, working at the whims of billionaires, having separate not equal population of citizens, filled with hate and distrust.

Don’t believe it, easy to find…they started with the Gays, then the Mexicans, then the Muslims, then the Blacks, then the Women and then the Unions. Wonder who will be next, suddenly?

whose america?

Whose America are we becoming?

Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin wishes to do away with collective bargaining and hopefully disband unions. He wants to balance his states budget on the backs of teachers, maintenance workers, garbage collectors, correctional facility guards and any other group that earns a lower to middle class income. He says it is not a political maneuver, but in eliminating collective bargaining rights for unions, somehow the Governor has exempted the three unions which backed his campaign, local law enforcement, fire employees and state troopers. He says it is not about politics but somehow in balancing the budget, corporations and the ultra wealthy, vast contributors to his campaign will still receive tax breaks. Scary, that in their zeal to oust the Democrats and Progressives in Wisconsin the voters who did vote replaced the Liberals with a form of government using tactics that Hitler used in methodically turning his country into a Fascist state with no room for compromise.

In trying to become more Christian than Jesus, the Republican/Baggers have put notice to the country that Planned Parenthood would be on the chopping block for government funding. Small minded bigots who promised jobs, jobs, jobs and smaller government now want to expand their form of large government by controlling the reproductive rights of women. If any of these zealots would spend more time in reading the mission of Planned Parenthood and less time in finding passages from the New Testament to replace the passages in the Constitution, they would understand that Planned Parenthood educates women on the responsibility in having children and how to be responsible parents. That Planned Parenthood conducts health exams for women who have little to no health insurance. That Planned Parenthood is called Planned because it educates families on how to be loving, caring parents. Scary, in their zeal to fire the Progressives/Liberals in the Congress the voters who did vote have elected politicians who want to enlarge the government and establish morals police to govern how we have sex, with whom we have sex, and what how we treat our bodies.

“So be it”! House Speaker John Boehner said last Tuesday that the GOP plans to “get serious” about government spending, and if that means eliminating government jobs, “so be it.” If unemployment is already nearing 10% it doesn’t matter if we fire government employees, especially if they are jobs created by President Obama. Only Republican created jobs count and as of this date no new proposals for jobs has even been proposed by the Republican/Baggers. The deficit is big, but cutting jobs and entitlement programs is the only way to solve our problems so say the Republican/Baggers. Never mind that many of the cuts to the lower and middle class come from the expense generated by not increasing taxes for the ultra wealthy, or stopping tax breaks for oil companies, nope, those two groups pay for the campaigns of the Republican/Baggers. The party elected on the promise of jobs, jobs, jobs has spent their first weeks in office reciting an abridged version of the Constitution leaving out the parts they didn’t care for, planning on denying the Constitutional rights for women to have abortions, and trying hard to cut collective bargaining for union workers and trying to block honest “fair and balanced” radio and public television from receiving any government funds. Scary, in their zeal to eliminate any laws created by the Progressives/Liberals, in Congress, the voters who did vote elected politicians who believe the rich rule, the worker is a socialist, women once again are mere chattel and honest debate based on facts not heresy are not American values.

Whose America are we becoming when a smaller government is promised but not when it comes to the version of morals and values of self stated profits of God. Whose America are we becoming when health care, wages, social security for the majority of middle to lower class citizens is traded away so the top 2%of the wealthiest can keep more of their money? Whose America are we becoming when compromise, consent are replaced with my way or the highway, I am right and you are wrong, the Bible has more precedent than the Constitution? Whose America is it when lies replace truth, fiction replaces fact, and rewriting history to have it happen the way you wish is front and center and preached to a low intelligent community who base reality on what they see on FOX TV?

And whose America have we let this nation become, because many of us did NOT vote in the last election, thought our votes did not matter, wanted to vote the bums without thinking about the bums we voted in?

If the sane, the intelligent, the caring, democracy loving citizens in this nation do not stop the radical right from establishing the ground rules, this America will stop being the home of the free, the land of the brave. If we are removed from voting because we think our vote does not matter just whose America will this country become?

President's Day

It is President's Day, 2011, and as we celebrate this holiday the countries in North Africa are staging a revolution trying to bring democracy to places in the world that have not seen the light of freedom for quite awhile. While in America we are seeing the exact opposite, with the Republican/Baggers trying to squelch any type of choices, freedoms or free thinking. In 2010 those who voted staged a rebellion of sorts electing into office people who promised a change, but only want to change this country into a Christian state, owned by billionaires creating chasms and chaos for the citizens of this great nation.

We heard all about jobs in this country and on President's Day we witness a Republican/Bagger Governor in Wisconsin funded by the Koch Brothers wanting to disband organized labor and rid the American public of any safety net that provides safe work places, fair wages, and equal opportunities and wanting to diminish any equity for those who still have jobs.

On President's Day we hear less about jobs and more about a Christian conservative plan to enforce their brand of family values and good Christian values. We hear from Missouri State Sen. Jane Cunningham (R) introducing a bill to minimize child labor laws. Family values but have the child in your family work longer hours and at more dangerous jobs. The constant denial of same sex couples to marry and have an in tack family, adopting kids who otherwise would remain in an orphanage or foster care home. Quite the Christian values when kids don't have the safety net of a legitimized household, or are denied a long lasting love by parents who want to share love for kids who seem to be tossed and tattered.

On Presidents Day we have Health Care Reform treated by the Republican/Baggers as evil for America. We hear how unconstitutional it is for all Americans to have access to fairly priced health insurance, but hear very little about the outrageous profits garnered by the for profit health insurers. We hear about how the average American must make sacrifices but very little about how the top 2% of ultra wealthy Americans can't have their tax bracket increase. We hear how bad the unemployment rate is and in the same breath are read the trillions of dollars just sitting in the coffers by corporations, who are not quite sure they are ready to take those profits and hire more workers.

On President's Day we watch a slew of potential Republican/Bagger people wanting to run for President, each spouting a more divisive and partisan platform on how certain people in this country will not matter if they are elected. We hear from Haley Barbour, Governor of Mississippi who isn't sure of the true cause of the Civil War, saying slavery was not the reason we went to war. Tim Pawlenty catering to the bigots by not saying the President is a citizen, but by saying if he says so then maybe he is. Donald Trump saying he does not like to do business with the Chinese. Newt Gingrich saying all Muslims must not be trusted as many of them might, just might be terrorists. Mike Huckabee stating this is a Christian country founded by the founding fathers without any separation between church and state. And these are just the tip of the iceberg of the division-ist and dividers from the Republican/Bagger party who want to become President.

It is President's Day in America, and with all that the Republican/Baggers are promising if they gain greater majorities in the Government I am so worried that all that past Presidents fought for will diminish and die.

arrogance

Arrogance is never noticed by the ignorant. It is many times misinterpreted as sticking up for one's rights, or speaking loudly all the privately held biased and bigoted thoughts hidden inside your small visioned world, or just statements supposedly being spoken on behalf of the downtrodden.

Arrogance is a manner of speech used by powerful people who want to maintain control over others. They never want to earn the power they hold, but need to deny power to anyone else.

Arrogance is quoting selected scenarios from the Bible, choosing selections you want to teach but ignoring the rest of the lesson your limited passage supposes. Arrogance is stating that only you are the receiver of God's message, and that God speaks only to your morals and ethics.

Arrogance is saying that rape is not really RAPE and in most cases that in fact women are to blame for a man's God given right to claim his chattel. Arrogance is slaughtering doctors who perform abortions for women who for personal reasons request them, saying as they load their guns, its for the kids, but then never spend one minute more on the welfare of that child when he/she is born into poverty or a broken home.

Arrogance is to stand on your soapbox and spew hate for unions, poor people, unemployed saying they are freeloaders, lazy,Un-American as you secretly receive lobbyist dollars from billionaires who know nothing but the black ink of their bottom lines. Arrogance is to speak about the Constitution as you deny rights for people living in this country who don't look like you, pray like you have sex like you and speak like you.

Arrogance is being Gay and saying that issues like marriage equality don't really count it's a state by state issue. Arrogance is being Gay and just because you are in the closet and self loathing assume other Gays should be the same. Arrogance is being a man and defining family planning, reproductive rights for the female assuming it is just a female silly fling like hot flashes when they must endure an abortion. Arrogance is saying, jobs, jobs, jobs, deficit, deficit, deficit and spending your time trying to stop health care for most, reproductive rights for women, breaking unions, denying gay marriage, and re-defining the separation of church and state. Arrogance is fooling the lemming and patting yourself on the back for just how stupid they seem.

Arrogance is the smug attitude of those who decided not to vote in the last election saying who cares, or they are all bums, or whatever happens in politics does not affect me. Arrogance is looking at this country in 2011 and not doing anything to stop the madness.

Arrogance is never noticed by the ignorant and accepted by the insecure.

imagination

Imagine if you were a female, working at a government job like teaching or firefighting having joined a union was raped by some man running down the street who was horny and a deviate, you happened to be a Muslim were born to parents who were illegal immigrants but was born in this country and have lived here for 20 years having graduated high school, and oh by the way also happened to be a Lesbian wanting to marry the woman you loved.

Imagine as a female that some state legislatures figure your work does not equal the same amount of pay as a male doing the same job. Imagine the legislators explaining to you that men are more capable have more responsibility to families, history has demonstrated that men just make more salary. And oh by the way the Bible tells us that women should lead the home and men should be the bread winner.

Imagine being a teacher, a firefighter working for a state or municipality and some state legislatures say that working in a government job is a cowards way to work. You as a teacher and firefighter are living off the dole of the state, county, city. Imagine legislators telling you that unions are the bane of America, that negotiating for fair salary and benefits is a Socialist plot to over throw Capitalism. Oh and then add when did God join a union.

Imagine being raped, taken sexually without any free will and being told that perhaps you really egged the perp on and had you been less seductive he would not have violated your body. Imagine if legislatures said that if you have a lemon you should make lemon aid, or stuff happens and we can learn from that stuff, or was it really rape. Imagine legislators proclaiming that most incidents of rape are just encouraging advances from women. Oh yeah, God would not let something bad like that happen so it was in his plan.

Imagine being a Muslim wanting build a new mosque a new shrine a new place to worship. Imagine city or country managers telling you that permits for such a building just are not that easy to come by. Imagine that legislatures want to pass no Mosque zones. Imagine that legislators assume if you are a Muslim that you will want to change American law into Sharia Law so no matter what nothing Muslim will be permitted to be built. And, yeah this is a Christian nation founded by God and thus who never said church state separation.

Imagine being born in this country, living here all 20 years of your life... in America. You want to become a citizen of this nation, the only nation you know. Imagine wanting to attend a state university, you know the university of the state in which you have spent the first 20 years of your life. Imagine legislatures saying no matter what the Constitution says about children born in this country, you must go back home to the land you know nothing about but the place your parents were born. Imagine legislators saying even if you were born in the US, we don't recognize your love for apple pie and mom, so you must leave. Uh, huh and being told God is white and traveled from Bethlehem with the Christian Founding Fathers.

Imagine if you are a Lesbian have been with your partner for 20 years, just met a woman you love and want to get marry because you ARE in love. Imagine being told that even if I am on my second or third spouse, beat my spouse, am derelict in my marriage, practice adultery, infidelity I have more right to marry then you. Imagine legislators voting in unison to save the Institution of Marriage from the demons of the LGBT community. Imagine legislators bemoaning that if Anna love Eve then Joe and Mary's marriage will fail and families will fall. And yep your wanting to marry will have God sending thunder bolts to America because love is not an important feature when marrying.

Imagine how all of the above is actually taking place in many state in the Unites States of America now, and imagine how awful and horrible it will be to imagine America in 2012 if more of the Republican/Baggers win jobs as legislators in state legislatures and how many more states will behave.

Imagine what happens if you stay home one more voting cycle because you think your vote does not count, or the Dems are bad, or the Republican/Baggers have your concerns in mind. Imagine if your sister, mother, aunt, daughter were raped, if your brother father, son wanted to earn a fair wage and join a union. Imagine if our child was born in this country, only knows life in America and must be deported. Imagine falling in love, or being in love with a person for 8, 10, 15, 25, 30 years but being told that your love is less then someone who beats their spouse, cheats on their spouse, and has taken a spouse two, three or four times over. Imagine being told that God hates you for no other reason then you happen to be a women, raped, in a union, Muslim, a child of an immigrant, of Gay.

It would be hard to imagine, except if you tune into any talk show, read any paper, browse any Internet service, talk to anyone you work with, or include in your family, then you need no imagination because fact is scarier then fiction.

Imagine once any of the horrendous attacks against people you think are not like you happens to you. imagine who is next!

states wrongs

April 12, 1861, the official date given as the start of the US Civil War. Certain states felt they had rights, States Rights as stated in the Constitution, to keep a population of people living in the United States brought to this country not on their own volition, then raised in this country from generations before them from being free citizens. It was felt by the southern states that they had the moral and ethical right to discriminate against Negro’s and keep them as slaves as per the Constitution. Not only were there State’s Rights involved in maintaining slavery the same folks who insisted the Constitution permitted them to hold slaves also quoted their preachers who shouted from the pulpit Negro’s were not equal and from the owners of plantations and businesses, freeing the slaves would be bad for business.

South Dakota politicians now feel that that even though Roe V. Wade is legal it is not so legal in their state. Women should not seek abortions, and to make sure they don’t abort, no matter what the case, the South Dakotans want to pass a law making it acceptable to kill doctors who provide reproductive terminations to women seeking abortions. South Dakota Republicans/Baggers want to chip away at women’s reproductive rights one woman at a time.

Wisconsin now wants to eliminate collective bargaining within its public employee unions. The same unions that want their workers to strive for and receive middle class living standards are being told that in the state of Wisconsin, it is not the accepted American way. If this law passes then what is next for unions? If this law passes then working conditions, safety regulations, salaries and benefits will be at the discretion of Republican/Baggers who love to keep the rich wealthy and the rest of the world poor.

Minnesota now proclaims via the Republican/Bagger elected officials that equal pay for women in their state is unnecessary and costly. They want to repeal their landmark 1948 ‘fair pay law”, that ensures systematic pay discrimination against women does not happen. Women apparently should not make as much as men in the state of Minnesota because if anything they are just women, a rib off the body from Adam.

Arizona Republican/Baggers want to pass a bill that would require hospitals to report illegal immigrants who show up for care and have the hospital staff act as immigration agents. To make sure those pesky illegal’s learn a lesson for being illegal in the state of Arizona they had better make a decision of either dying from an illness or going to the hospital to be deported. And if their kids are ill, well bring them to the hospital for care or just take the sick child with you as you cross the boarder to Mexico.

South Carolina is seeking a ban on Sharia Law in that state. For the Republican/Baggers there is a risk that the Islamic based law, Sharia will become the law of that state if the elected officials don’t place a line in the sand now. There is no trust in the state of South Carolina for most non Christian Evangelical religions, but the distaste for the Muslims is of great worry. Seems if in the country that prides itself of freedom of religion the state of South Carolina feels paranoid that too much freedom will lead to their God taking control and shoving his human type law on everyone. And Sharia law doe not exist in this country at all.

Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Utah, 10 states have amended their state Constitutions to permit marriage by one man and one woman only. They feel that by doing so they have protected the Institution of Marriage, the sanctity of religion, and have made inequality a States Rights provision. No mention ever of the divorce rate, the spousal abuse, the broken homes generated by heterosexuals who can marry but don’t marry for love, but lots of mention about God’s wrath when homosexuals who do love can not marry.

In 1861 states demanded that they be heard and that they knew what was good for them. They were the masters of their destiny and would rip this country apart if they did not get what they wanted and felt what they deserved. They used their interpretation of the Constitution, the Bible and the Bottom Lines of Businesses to make their point. They shouted Un-American epitaphs towards those who felt equality was just, they shouted Anti Christian eulogies at those who felt that God created man and woman of every race as equals. They shouted tyranny to those who denied businesses to continue to make a better profit using cheaper or free labor. They had their preachers and pastors, their white wealthy men, their fabricated facts to prove that States Rights were right even if they denied human and equal rights to the people of America.

Watch out America… those of you who stayed home last election cause the bums needed booted out… those of you who said it didn’t matter because they all are losers…those of you who thought about voting but didn’t bother…those of you who said you were Independent minded people and it was now the turn of the Republicans to take control again…those who swear by States Rights. Watch out cause taking away the rights from working women, women’s reproductive rights, health care for all, unions, Gays and Lesbians is just the beginning of a whole new America. An America where it won’t be so easy to travel from one state to another if you don’t look, sound or pray like those who don’t think for themselves but let biased and bigoted bullies think for them.

Ready for another Civil War?

scare tactics

'Scare Tactics' is a show whose premise is to pull a practical scary joke on a good friend and watch them sweat, swoon and shiver as possible ghosts, zombies, ax murderers, paranormal entities and space creatures invade their private space. The idea is to set up your friends in situations that scare the flesh off their skin, and then once they have peed in their pants, or thrown up their lunch, you come to their rescue, wrap a "I got you" arm around them and tell them it was all a good joke. The wonder of the show for me, is that one, I am not the person on the receiving end of the horrible joke understanding that the reaction demonstrated by the victims is probably how I would respond, and two that it was only a joke and a rather good one at that and no one got hurt.

As with most good scary shows, the viewer lives through the spooky stuff, the creatures calculating and crude, the monsters mayhem but know usually at the end of the spectacle, the horror and the violence, the awful and the ugly will end and after all...it was only a movie or TV show and nobody in real life died.

"Operation Iraqi Freedom began on 20 March 2003. President Bush declared an end to major combat operations in Iraq on 01 May 2003. The single worst day of Major Combat Operations was 23 March 2003, on which 30 American soldiers died. A total of 116 service members were killed in action during major combat operations, and another 25 died due to non-hostile causes such as accidents."

There’s no room for failure—when it comes to Weapons of Mass Destruction, even a single incident could be catastrophic.

In July 2006, the FBI created the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, or WMDD, to build a cohesive and coordinated approach to incidents involving nuclear, radiological, biological, or chemical weapons—with an overriding focus on prevention. (Wikipedia) But there were never any Weapons of Mass Destruction then and there were never any plans for any Weapons of Mass Destruction ever. It was a ploy to rile up, terrify, overwhelm Americans to fight a war based on lies. It was a Scare Tactic.

Bush, Cheney, Rice, Powell, Rumsfeld decided that it was time for them to play a game of 'Scare Tactics' on the citizens of the United States. They thought they would use the American Troops and the Iraqi citizens as the dupes on which the game would be played, and Bush, Cheney, Rice, Powell, and Rumsfeld watched as their choice of victims died, 4500 Troops, over 100,000 Iraqi's as their little game of liar, liar played out.

Unlike the TV show Scare Tactics, when the plot is unveiled as phony and a set up having the best friend come forward and admit it was all a set up, the boys and girls in the Bush Dictatorship, have remained silent in owning up to any shenanigans, or feigning ignorance to their scheme. Instead they are writing books earning lots of dollars in defending why this tactic was used and blaming anyone but themselves for putting it into place.

They said it was all red, white and blue what they were doing. After all they were Republicans and if anyone knew how to save this country from Communists, Socialists, Terrorists, the Boogie Men it was a band of apple pie, God Bless America Republicans. Saddam was a bad man who was going to blow up Peoria Kansas and unless we sent in our Troops to dismantle his cadre of mushroom cloud makers he would succeed. They said it was the American way.

Like many Republicans with irreparable reputations filled with falsehoods, fabrications, and lies, the Bush's, Cheney's Rice's, Powell's and Rumsfeld like to rewrite history and re-explain the facts. They love to dumb down America and double speak, deplete, or deny what history has proven to be true. So far George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld have written fiction books trying to cover the truths about their scare tactics. Both have received hundreds of thousands of dollars for their lack of honesty, almost as much money as people who have died or been injured in the Scare Tactic war they invented.

I have had no friends star in Scare Tactics on TV, and I thank God have had no friends die due to the Scare Tactics used by Bush and company. But I wonder how hard the families of the Troops and Iraqi's who have died or been injured are laughing watching the originators of a bad joke lie their way out of something immoral, unethical and so Un-American.

In the show 'Scare Tactics', the victims of the pranks usually warn their conspirator friends, just wait till it is your turn. Perhaps the victims of the horrible scare tactics, almost all Americans, used by Bush and Associates should find a way to make these jokers face the injustices they lied about. Wouldn't it be nice to see real American justice delivered.

valentine cards

As a student at the Linden Elementary School in Pittsburgh during the black and white everything fits into a pattern, change is scary, days of the 50’s, if you were in grades K to 6, Valentines Day it meant preparing a colorful Valentines Box to bring to homeroom, purchasing enough Valentines for your entire classroom and perhaps a special Valentines card for the teacher and in my circumstance some home made goodies fresh from my mothers kitchen. (No one baked like my mother)

It was a ritual at Linden Elementary School that all holidays, National, Christian, almost religious (Hanukah made the list, but there was no Kwanza), are celebrated and participation was required for all the students. It was the American way in the 50’s to be a part of the bigger picture even if your ethnicity, beliefs, religiosity, family values said I really don’t want to do this as it goes against everything I stand for stood in the way. The bulletin boards were decorated in red for the month of February and stayed that color until the green tissue paper for St. Patrick’s Day was unfurled and ready to hang.

We were told by our principal Miss Paterson, a very demon like character at about 6’2 and very much overweight with very wiggly triceps that waved like a flag in the wind when she threw a hissy fit, that we are family at Linden, and what is good for one is good for all and she would be the person who would define what it was that was GOOD.

However, once a student reached the big boy and girl grades of 7^th and 8^th (Linden was one of the few schools that had a K-8^th curriculum) to prepare us for the cold calloused world of teenage life, Valentines day was still observed but the mandatory cards for all were replaced with bring in cards for those you desire to send them to. This grownup feature created two definite actions. The first was it presented itself as to who was popular and who was not. Who during all those formative years were patronized with cards never really intended to convey real care, and in the case of the boys in the class who might really be QUEER (in the 50’s the LGBT community were not happy types, Gay, just strange so QUEER was the word) because in the 50’s boys DID NOT send a lot of boys Valentines cards if they even said I like you let alone I love you!

In the 50’s there was little opportunity to think outside of the box, to express your own insights to dance to a different tune. Oh, it was still America and the right to free speech was available but the consequences to do so were weighty, tenuous and very trying. If it was Valentines Day, damn it YOU WILL SEND VALENTINES CARDS.

In Maryland today, the politicians are deciding whether boys should be sending boys Valentine’s Day Cards and if girls should be sending them to girls. In the state of California, for a few sane weeks, just like the kids in K thru 6 at Linden School, everyone could send everyone, no matter their sex, same or opposite, Valentines (but like the kids in 7^th and 8^th grade) the voters who felt that equal does not mean for all took the away the privilege of same sex couples from sending Valentines. New York State is promising an equal trade of Valentine cards, and the bigoted self described Christians of Iowa who have Jesus confused with the Devil want to un-permit same gender Valentine cards from being exchanged again.

In the 50’s everything we were told had an order, a place a slot, a way of thinking. We were told that we won the Second World War and the Korean Conflict by following order, denying chaos, forgoing free thinking and that God would shine his smile on this country because sameness was like Godliness. We were able to grow up in teeny tiny spurts, like the kids in 7^th and 8^th grade, but there had to be a Principal to demonstrate what was and is good.

Then the 60’s happened upon us and suddenly growing up came fast and furious and we saw that voices of opposition, cries for change, concern for the individual were important;that we all had so much in common but the commonality was not forced rather shared.

And it seemed that this country grew and flourished gained and matured.

And now for Valentines Day 2011, it seems the freedoms to send a Valentines to anyone you desire is being restricted once again by people who fear the rights, the freedoms, the choices of individuals. It is trying to be denied to drown out personal fears, phobias and paranoia of some who are lost in life and don’t want anyone else to find their way.

The people who self victimize, who blame others for all that is wrong, who like lemmings, follow the lead of self serving cowards want boys to send girls Valentines, as long as it is the white boys sending it to white girls, Christian boys not sending it to Muslim girls, and wealthy boys ignoring sending anything to poor girls. But no matter what boys shall not send boys cards and girls will not send valentines to girls.

2011 has the smell, sound and rancor of the 50’s when authority was never questioned, love it or leave it the pursuit of happiness and the colors of red white and blue could be found and defined within the New Testament.

I never want the Valentine’s days of the 50’s to return to my life or the life of my kids or grandkids. I will send my Valentines to anyone of the opposite sex or same sex as I wish and want. I am out of Linden School.

Happy Valentines Day Joe, you are my lover and my partner, both of us have created one wonderful couple …so there Miss Patterson, so there!

seeing is not believing

At the ripe young age of 57, I had my supposedly mid life melt down, wanting to escape all I had planned for professionally and redefine myself transforming myself into someone new doing something I wanted to do because I loved it not because I had to.

So, after 25 years of Jewish communal work I ended my career and became certified as a personal trainer/nutritionist. I wanted to train people and become a fitness coach encouraging individuals to live a life that promoted positive mental, physical and nutritional health. And where else to create this new career but the sunny, funny, physical is God land of LA.

Now, I am happy with my appearance, I am not drop dead handsome, nor am I movie star material and perhaps with my shirt off I would not worry the likes of the "Situation" from Jersey Shore, but nonetheless no one turns to stone when sharing a glance my way.

However, I train clients at a gym where the average age of each trainer is 25, the average height 5'10, the average body fat 5%, and the average looks of said trainers is about 9.5 to 10 on a scale of 10. Many if not most are in between gigs as a soap opera, porn or reality show star. And many to most look almost perfect in their appearance.

For new clients shopping around, seeing is believing so they assume. And what they see they believe is what they want.

During the primaries for the 2010 elections, many candidates representing the supposed views of self identified Libertarians, Tea Baggers, Conservative Republicans, looked all red, white and blue, draped in the Bible and apple pie, and repeated rhetoric that made future voters perspire with joy as to how they would reintroduce personal freedoms and states rights claimed to be lacking from this country's recent history.

The new crop of politicians promised change, differently than the socialist, communist change the current Kenyan born President had pressed for, and real change so they hinted that honest to God Americans could and should believe in. The 'wanna be' politicians on the right lectured us that honest values, honest love for the individual, honest Christian morals would pounce upon this nation if they were elected demolishing the bogey man-devil like ruminations of the current anti Christ Progressives and Liberals running this country. For many a weary American, for many a frightened fellow, for many a bigoted bloke the new wave of Right Wing, Conservative Christian, Tea Bag loving candidates shouted seeing is believing. You see what you have and it is bad, now see us and believe us.

Because your trainer is 25, looks perfect in shorts and a tank top does not mean he/she actually knows the proper way to work out for anyone say 40 and older. The fountain of youth dripping from their bodies may not necessarily flood over and drown your 40 year old body with the same muscle, curves or less than 5% body fat. Seeing them does not mean that in fact they can do the job they have done on their body to your body. The promise of seeing them may not translate to the mechanics your body needs.

Because the Libertarian, Tea Bag Christian Conservative candidate quotes passages from the Bible in a country supposedly with a separation between church and state... swears he/she has read the Constitution and knows better then we what our Founding Fathers really meant when they wrote the Constitution... speaks of less interference of Big Government, but wants big government to decide your rights about reproduction,marriage, sex and drugs...hates the people openly you privately hate, does not mean they no shit or shineola about honest fair and equal politics and policy. Because they look good pledging allegiance to the flag, draped in the flag standing next to the cross, wearing teeny tiny flag lapel pins does not mean that what they do is being done for you or they are better, brighter American.

In this country, recently it has become more about the exterior of things then the interior. It has become a show and tell society and not a demonstrate and watch environment. It has become about the quick, the shiny, the slick and gloss and not the guts, the sweat the matter, the substance that counts

We can have minions follow the three line tweets of Sarah Palin to think she understands internal or external current events. We can have millions of people watching Bill O'Reilly who cuts short any answer his guests offer if what they offer sounds smarter then he. We can watch Glenn Beck draw mysterious lines, ornate circles, three word phrases calling everyone and his mother a Nazi, and we can assume without anything more than three-seconds of thought that what we see is true. If it looks good it must be good.

I love being a personal trainer and at first was intimidated that my biceps were not bold enough, my pecs not perky enough, my hair too balding and my close up would never be one Mr. DeMille demanded as compared to the perfect physiques at my gym. But knowing there was substance to my manner and reason to my mechanics I moved on knowing that the smarter client, the one who wanted more than the shell would find me.

I love being an American, but worry more so then ever that the lies loosely leveled by hypocrites, the promises pronounced by hooligans, the selfish self serving antics by people who say they are people like us are no more than smoke and mirrors, no more than fancy gift wrapping hiding a bag of garbage.

I do not believe what I see coming from the current rash of elected officials, and I wish others would follow suit sooner than later before our blindness denies any insight at all.

fat chance

I admit, I was hooked on the auditions for American Idol. I had to see the promising stars and starlets of the 2011 season and pull out my Kleenex as they rambled about their lives so sordid, sad and saturated with sorrow. I had to hear their pleas and promises of how they should be the next Idol. It will be a bumpy road ahead for the Idol viewer getting past the novella type stories and trying to figure out who is the one who REALLY has the talent, not the hype, marketing or hearsay…

And with the same hesitation to become involved with the lackluster talent of Idol, the back stories, the hyperbole and hype I watched the Republican/Baggers take the stage as the 2012 race for the White House begins its new season of slander, silly and surreal surprises. The slew of wannabe’s pretending to be the real thing is amazing.

The oldie but goodies filled with virulent religious hatred for those not praying to the God of their choice, the Christian God who fought with the colonists during the Revolutionary War, the God who only loves you if you are not Gay, or considering an abortion, or of a certain darker shade of color like Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum are lining up or is it piling up to consider a run for the Republican/Bagger ticket in the 2014 presidential race.

The holier than thou, lets pretend facts don’t count, if I said it and you misunderstood what I meant and heard what you want and misquoted me even if it was on tape cause you are the liar not me like Michelle Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Haley Barbour are gearing up or is it gyrating up for a run at the White House from the Republican/Bagger ticket.

The, I am a business man, free markets reign, just like the free markets during the Bush/Cheney dynasty, who needs regulations or rules because Capitalism runs regulation free, money can and does buy anything in this country, wealth is good poverty bad, and if have to I will fire you, even if you are a citizen Mitt Romney and Donald Trump are greasing the wrists, stuffing the pockets of the Republican/Baggers for a bid as the top executive of the US.

We hear from Governors Tim Pawlenty, Mitch Daniels that states rights are what matters so any issue from taxes to marriage, to abortion, to poverty and education must be settled by the states. States rights are the centerpiece of individual rights so if we want to use assault weapons, deny equal pay for women, slash the cost of living standards, deny unions any rights and stop this silly health care for all, we can do that, (just like the Southern states did during the Civil War) so give us the nod for the run for presidency from the Republican/Bagger ticket.

We hear more and more about denying rights, moving more to the edge than the center, exclusion as a Constitutional right. We witness comments and commentary derogatory and degrading and denials by these Republican/Bagger candidates when accused of stating them. We are told the bottom line of corporations is what makes America great and that once the rich are as wealthy as they need, the rest of the nation can bask in some success but to ask for their fair share prior to that happening makes you a Communist.

We see hero’s arise within the Republican/Bagger party like Glenn Beck with his apocalyptic ruminations of socialism, Nazism, Demonology…like Rush Limbaugh laughing at journalists beaten and hurt if they are not from FOX, stating that the most beautiful thing about a tree is what you do with it after you cut it down and beating his chest shouting, Feminism was established to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream…like Pat Robertson who blamed the blizzard in New York city on Gays who needed to be stopped who wanted to leave the city to spread their evil Gay ways…like Dick Cheney who had his staff “out” a CIA agent, pretended there were weapons of mass destruction leading to the murder of over 4000 Troops.

The CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) 2011 Conference, the Oscars of the Republican/Bagger political world is in session. It is the showcase of people crawling from under the rocks of bigotry, bias, bogus-try, using the American Flag, God and Apple Pie as permission to hate, harangue, and halt progress. It is the epicenter of those ideas, those ideals, those ideologies everything conservative. It is the first entrée to the American public of the new batch of conservative Christian culturally correct who want to make America in their mold. In making that mold this breed of CPAC darlings want to make sure difference is bad, consensus evil and lemming like response mandatory.

Like American Idol we get to see the talents and the talons of an aspiring class of performers hoping to win the number one spot. We get to hear snippets of how they will guide this nation to fame and fortune, as long as we provide them with fame and fortune. We hear their sob stories about how bad America is currently, (as if they had no part in making it that way), and how being new to the scene they will make it better. (Three fourths of this group have been around way too long.)

Listen closely all of us out there who stayed home during the 2010 elections, keep an ear to the tracks cause the next speeding train is coming soon and it might just run us down, like it did in the 2010 elections. Look to the light of redemption as explained by the CPAC crowd forgetting any history they made, any errors in judgment on their behalf, any foibles or falsehoods they presented and vote away change Obama promised and settle for fat- chance they propose.

becoming invisible

I remember hearing stories from survivors of the Holocaust, especially those living in Berlin during the rise of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi's, who as Jews said loudly and proudly, we are German's first Berliner's second and at the least Jews. The news of Hitler's attempt to reign in Jews from across Europe were whispered in family gatherings but Berliners who happened to be Jews had little to fear so they told themselves. Some of the upper class Jews were able to tune out the distortion of reality, thinking they were not like the other Jews of Europe, they were Berliner's.

The Jews of Berlin swore that the kind of Jews they were, the kind of German beliefs they had, their participation in German government would surely set them a part from any other Jews.

GOProud is a very conservative group of Gays and Lesbians. GOProud's mission is to represent gay conservatives and their allies, emphasizing conservative principles such as limited government, individual liberty, and national defense over what are usually considered bedrock issues of gay politics such as same-sex marriage, criminalizing targeted violence against gays and lesbians, and recognition of sexual orientation as a protected civil rights class.(wikipedia)

GOProud believes that they too are like the Conservatives in the Republican party. If they, GOProud, let smaller government, play out then by all means individual liberties will reign supreme and the mere fact that they as Gays practicing Conservative principles, then no one will notice they are Gays or Lesbians.

We are not different, say those who have been identified by the majority as being different. We are like you and to be like you we will, well, we will change our perceived identity so you like us. We can do with less rights or freedoms or choices for us because we want to be like you. Please like me, please accept me, please save me.

Lots of Orthodox Jews relate in principle to the evangelical Christians. They define marriage as a union solely owned by opposite sex couples, they consider homosexuality a scourge on Gods intentions, and they would rather kick their kids out of their own home if in fact they had the "balls" to come out. The Orthodox Jews like the Evangelical Christians think that punishing and hating their homo kids promotes a God like parenthood. The Orthodox Jews vote as the Evangelical on most issues of parenting and gay stuff.

Lots of Orthodox Jews appreciate the love for the state of Israel by their "goyem" brethren and know that when it comes to politics as long as the Evangelicals promote the existence of Israel life will be good in the U.S. The Christians believe in Jesus but they also believe in the Jewish homeland. They believe in the Jewish homeland so much that the Evangelicals want all the Jews in the world to move, to live, to become citizens of the State of Israel. And when all the Jews become citizens of the State of Israel then the Rapture can begin bringing the second coming of Christ, and once and for all finally we can rid the world of those Jesus denying Jews.

I happen to be Jewish, I happen to be Gay, I happen to have a great love for people who happen to be Jews and happen to be Gay. I want no more nor no less out of life then those who don't happen to be Jewish or Gay. I want freedoms, liberties and the pursuit of happiness the million of Americans are entitled to who happen not to be Jewish or Gay. I don't want special favors to win the favor of those who identify themselves differently then me. I don't want to pretend that there is a greater good then the good that should come my way in 2011 in America. And I don't want to see people like act in such self loathing manners.

When do we learn from history that appeasing others so they can pretend to like us makes little to no sense. Once we let others define our identity, ignore our identity we become invisible and then missing.

don't get it

I am seriously trying to understand, the compassion, the concern the care, the Republican/Baggers say they have for individual rights, the children, too much big government, the common man. But somehow, day after day, week after week, the Republican/Baggers seem to fall prey to the adage Newt Gingrich espouses, '...do as I say, not as I do..."

Compassion: In Arizona the Republican/Bagger Congresspeople have still declined to fund the budgets that have saved lives of their citizens who are in the throws of needing an organ transplant. The Governor has refused to listen to suggestions how this budget item can be revived, and the legislators snidely remark that most of those on the transplant list are going to die anyway, so why spend good money on a bad life.

Care: Seems that every other word the Republican/Baggers mutter has to do with what is good for big business, big corporations, and really big rich people. Making cuts in social services is as easy as one-two-three according to this group of politicians, but anytime the word tax erupts from any one's lips for big business, big corporations, big rich people, all we hear is a serenade of how it will eliminate the potential of jobs. Amazing to me that during the 8 years of the Bush/Cheney dynasty empowered by the majority of Republicans in the Congress who did all they could for their corporate, business wealthy sponsors, we lost more and more jobs and ended up with an unwieldy recession. Why is the care only for the wealthy and caring less is gladly granted to the lower and middle class citizens?

Individual Rights: Guns are the right of individuals to carry as stated in the Constitution because we must be able to protect ourselves from the Government when they decide to invade our homes. Right now the individual can carry a whole assortment of guns, with rounds and rounds of ammunition to keep the killing going. And add to that that very few even have to offer up any semblance of sanity, history of conviction or motive as to the purchase of that weapon. But when an individual wants to be protects from someone carrying an assault weapon with 30 rounds of ammo, or does not want a person to carry that gun in a school or park or bar, their individual rights are called unpatriotic and poo poohed by the Republican/Baggers.

The Children: No matter what is done, no matter what the rational, the reason for making cuts, denying social services, entitlement programs by the Republican/Baggers is that they are doing it for the children. Does not matter that the current batch of children my have less access to health care, schools, jobs, nope it is for the foreseeable future of children.

The children go to schools, yet in most state budgets the first slice of the budget pie is the money going for education. In Florida, the Governor wants to slash 10 per cent from that states budget toward their education department. In the Congress, the Tea Baggers are surrounding the Department of Education with bright smiles and elimination written on their T-Shirts.

Must be too many of those minority kids going to public school. Must be too many teachers are part of the union and unions are a communist plot. Or maybe when a child is home schooled, you have no need to discuss history written by scholars but can replace the facts with idiot comments from the likes of Michelle Bachman or Sarah Palin. Or may the whole concept of evolution can be ignored and replaced with creationism.

Big Government: Why is government too big when the Republican/Tea Baggers don't like to be bossed around, but government is not big enough when the Republican/Baggers want it to include their brand of religious imperatives. Seems the Republican/Baggers want big Government to decide for women who should and who should not get an abortion. they want to write into law a bill stopping hospitals to cease abortions even if it means the death of the mother. They want to define what is rape anyway. They want to deny women who have been horrifically been abused, been violated, attacked from claiming that was rape. The Republican/Baggers want be the deciders just who is permitted to marry. Love ha nothing to with it if you are Gay, equality has nothing to with it if you are the same sex and want to marry. Freedom is not your choice if you are Adam and Steve wanting to say "I do".

Common Man: Why is the common man, as defined by Republican/Tea Baggers white, Evangelical Christian, wealthy, and full of hate?

I don't understand how we permit these close minded hypocrites to continue their war on America, American values, and American freedoms. Do we remain silent until some of the programs and ideals spread by the Republican/Baggers actually affects us, and then cry out? But haven't we learned from history by the time they come for us there is usually no one left to stop them!

one is the loneliest number...

One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
Two can be as bad as one
It's the loneliest number since the number one (One, by Three Dog Night)

The Paper Clips Project is a project by middle school students from the small southeastern Tennessee city of Whitwell who created a monument for the Holocaust victims in Nazi Germany. It started in 1998 as a simple 8th-grade project and evolved into one gaining worldwide attention. Soon the students were overwhelmed with the massive scale of the Holocaust and asked their teacher if they could collect something to represent the lives that were exterminated during the Holocaust. Through Internet studies, the students discovered that Johaan Vaaler a Norwegian, designed a loop of metal, and the Norwegians wore paperclips on their lapels during WWII as a silent protest against Nazi occupation. The students decided to collect 6,000,000 paper clips to represent the estimated 6,000,000 Jews killed between 1939 and 1945 under the authority of the Nazi government of Adolf Hitler. (Wikipedia)

The number 6 million was too big to understand for these students. It seemed the larger the amount of people affected by the Holocaust the more impersonal it was to the students, not because they did not care but because grasping something bigger than their themselves or the lives they lead seemed like reaching for a piece of hay in a silo filled with wheat. They knew there was tragedy in the suffering and death of one person, but how to understand or explain that same feeling for the other 5,999,999 was hard to comprehend. The number 6 million almost made the entire Holocaust unreal, invented, unimaginable. But one person at a time, one paperclip at time added meaning and momentum to the villainous actions that took place.

American businesses earned profits at an annual rate of $1.659 trillion in the third quarter, according to a commerce department report, released Tuesday. That is the highest figure recorded since the government began keeping track over 60 years ago, at least in nominal or noninflation-adjusted terms. Corporate profits have been doing extremely well for a while. This breakneck pace can be partly attributed to strong productivity growth — which means companies have been able to make more with less — as well as the fact that some of the profits of American companies come from abroad. (The New York Times).

We are a nation built upon Capitalism and free markets. We celebrate success and our bottom-line dressed in black provides us with the incentive and motivation to do more to do better. We can understand when at the end of the month in our own personal lives we have $100, $300, $500, a dollar in our checking accounts how much jubilation there is that at least for this month we did not go broke or borrow from ourselves to pay ourselves. How many of us have even seen what a trillion dollars looks like, feels like, smells like and yet in one of the roughest times in our current history corporations have amassed $1.659.

Yet for those who at the end of the month who have spent their unemployment check on either food or rent or medical coverage, those who have been the recipient of charity from friends or family to at least eat one meal a day, those who roam the streets begging for a dollar here or there…yet for those something so grand as $1.659 trillion seems like counting the water molecules in the ocean as they drown finding their way to shore.

The number of job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs fell

from 8.9 to 8.5 million in January. The number of long-term unemployed

(those jobless for 27 weeks or more) edged down to 6.2 million and

accounted for 43.8 percent of the unemployed.(Bureau of Labor Statisitcs)

Politicians campaigned on jobs, jobs, jobs. The President provided speeches on job creation, job growth; each and every newscast spends at least 15 minutes in an ominous, dour and somber tenure explaining the jobs situation. We hear the number of 8.9 million dropping to 8.5 million and as we are told of the drop of 400,000 we are to silently celebrate that some jobs were had, some people were hired.

We see the big picture, the national outlook, but seldom does the camera pan into the home of one family, one individual who alone has to face the fear of foreclosure, cutting back on healthcare, feeling less than and useless. We hear the big numbers of millions and millions yet those numbers mean nothing because we are encumbered by our own small number of one, the one we happen to be who is unemployed.

For some of us the greater good has no chance of surviving when 8 million is bandied about and the focus on millions seems to supersede just one.

Coalition Troop Casualties in Operation Iraqi Freedom as of February, 2011 (4754), Coalition Troop Casualties in Operation Enduring Freedom/Afghanistan as of February, 2011 (2322). (icasualties.com)

Former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged in his new autobiography that he made a "misstatement" in asserting in the early days of the 2003 invasion of Iraq that he knew the location of weapons of mass destruction in the country, the London Guardian reported today.

In his 815-page memoir, "Known and Unknown," Rumsfeld said he erred in a March 30, 2003 interview by disregarding his normal practice of being exact and cautious when discussing intelligence assessments in responding to a question on Iraq's alleged unconventional weapons stocks.(National Journal Group)

We hear the number 4754 from one war and then the number 2322 for another war. Many of us with clear conscience, lucky enough not to have had a loved one accounted for in those numbers, ring our hands, touch our hearts, and heave a big sigh sharing an overwhelming bit of sympathy for the families touched by these deaths. Some of us become infuriated that life, so precious had to be destroyed. Many of us see the big number, few of us realize what it means when just one of the 4754 or 2322 Troops killed was our father, mother, sister, brother, lover, spouse.

Adding the numbers from both wars, 6876 makes the total even more difficult to tolerate, yet understand. Then there is 1 man, Donald Rumsfeld, who helped share in the responsibility to drive these Troops to war who suddenly standing behind the shield of his pen and paper provides America after the death of 6876 Troops who says, oops I may have erred, my bad, maybe those Weapons of Mass Destruction’ were more of weapons of my imagination. One man’s oops, thousands of people’s death.

Sometimes we want to see the big picture, canvassing the horizon in a 360 degree range. We amaze at how many or how large, and see the colors, the hues, the shapes but many times miss the smallest of details.

We know 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust, we read that corporations have earned $1.659 trillion in profit, we sigh over 8.6 million Americans unemployed, we cringe at the number of 6876 Troops killed in two wars. But somehow until it affects us, smack us right in the face splattered all over our silent defenses we seldom realize that all it takes for those large numbers to grow is one person, just one person.

One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
Two can be as bad as one
It's the loneliest number since the number one.

No is the saddest experience you'll ever know
Yes, it's the saddest experience you'll ever know
`Cause one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
One is the loneliest number, worse than two. (One, by The Three Dog Night)