Who would have thought attending an event as American as apple pie, could wind up getting you thrown in the slammer!
Nicole Sandler, a former Air America radio host and a regular fill in for progressive radio host Randi Rhodes, seems to have made that mistake. She went to her congressman’s town hall earlier in the week and did what most would expect at town hall meeting– she asked questions. Apparently her congressman, Republican Allen West was not in the mood to be bothered by his constituents and their silly questions. He was there to lecture and to let them know what was on his mind, not to respond to their nonsense!
So Sandler was arrested, and as she puts it, “… spent last night in jail and, thanks to the sickeningly awful people at the Broward County Jail was subjected to three hours in solitary confinement in a 7×10 room, and then maced.”
Americans going to town hall meetings to interact with their representative? Oh no, not here! That’s just not how it might go down in this, the land of the free!
Recently, I wrote a article on this blog titled ‘Why Blacks Left The Republican Party’ which sparked a discussion between a co-writer here at EzKool.com, Son Of Man and I. I’ve posted it here:
Son Of Man: Yes, the vast majority of black people in the United States have been loyal to the Democratic party since the days of Roosevelt. It has become quite clear that the democratic party is taking the black vote for granted. Black people in the U.S. have not shown the political savvy necessary to extract the possiblities of what America has to offer, politically & economically speaking. In this 2 party system, the black population’s relationship with the Republican party is so cold that its taken for granted that the black vote will be cast for the percieved ‘lesser of two evils’ in the Democratic party. The black vote shouldnt be automatically Democrat or Republican. The black vote if political savvy were in play would be cast for the party who’s candidates addresses the “black agenda” as presented to them by the black community.
Amy: Well—I’d wager to think that the idea of casting your vote for a presidential candidate that pointedly addresses the “black agenda”, especially if he or she is the first Af-Am president of the the US, or any other ethnicity that campaigns on any particular race’s issue is not very savvy. I think a big problem with many Blacks–like Smiley and West for instance who openly dissed Obama cuz they felt he wasn’t campaigning enough on black issues–should have had the savvy to know that white Democrats were not going to pitch in and help elect him if he had done so. And he couldn’t win with the Black vote alone, obviously. Yes, I know that white candidates do it all the time, but our POTUS is not white. And with a country that’s 15% Black, Obama had to be the adult in the room and show that he was going to be the President for All The People–as corny as that sounds. I think he’s hoping that Blacks will understand this and also understand that he knows the history leading up to him, his beautiful Black wife and kids being in the Whitehouse, and that he hasn’t forgotten who and what was responsible for that. Working on a more “universal agenda” can’t help but include Blacks, right?
Please check out this video on Youtube: “Black Intellectuals Pour Hate on Obama’s Speech!“
Son Of Man: Of course running a campaign as a “black candidate” is not only not savvy, its not right. That type of thinking is not fit for the office of the presidency. Utilizing broad, general tactics to resolve issues that are unique will not work. The economic woes for people of color are far worse than the general population and unemployment numbers for people of color are more than double that of the general population. Would the prescription for a common cold be the same as the prescription for walking pnumonia? is there a difference between an economic recession and an economic depression? The unemployment rate for blacks in the country put the black population at depression status. This needs to be addressed specifically while tending the needs of the countries economic woes in general. Your point seems to be that of an abused wife thats so used to being mis-used, mistreated and overlooked that she herself makes excuses for her abuser. The president must be held accountable to do the right thing, not just whats acceptable to whites. He himself said that he wouldnt govern to be re-elected, that he would govern to effect change. Well the Mr.President act on behalf of whats right and let those who need to catch up, catch up. You don’t digress backwards, you move forwards. If having a blackman in office means we have to continue being the dirty little secret, then put Bush back in office and lets get this thing over with.
Amy: If your expecting one Blackman to rectify an entire race’s indignation in this country for over 400 yrs in just 4 short years–a man who’s American nationality is being challenged everyday, adamantly, by his political opposition, a man who stepped into two wars and a major economic recession his first day in office, a man who’s own party shows division against his policies, a nuclear disaster in Japan, major earthquakes in Haiti,the worst oil spill in the Nations history and a pervasive racism that still beats strong in the heart of this country—than I think you might be a bit delusional. I imagine the changes Obama is setting into motion are of a more tumultuous nature. Like a pebble rolling down a hill and picking up mass and size and speed as it rolls along. Jobs, healthcare reform, education…are these not our issues? What do you propose he do differently? The ball is rolling. You wanna see it get bigger–get him into office for another 4 years.
Son Of Man: Your point is well taken. President Obama’s magnificent steady hand in the face of all that he has inherited has been just that, magnificent. I am not delusional at all. I believe that our president has THE most difficult job of all time. Only a fool would discount what another has accomplished of good. Allow me to share some clarity from the smoke screen provided for you by the circus parading as news. This is INsight from outside the box; If America is going to solve her current woes, she MUST consider the specific issues that plague a significant portion of her population. Issues that America herself had no small hand in creating and perpetuating. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, have you forgotten that its within YOUR lifetime that blacks faced lynch mobs for daring to attend a decent school to be educated? Have you forgotten the counter intelligence programs launched in YOUR lifetime against any black individual or organization that dared to inspire the disinfranchised population? Have you forgotten that the hundreds of years of black chattel slavery made America the richest most powerful country in the world? In the game of politics, its convenient to forget. But in the world outside of the one provided by the ‘powers that be’, know this.… universal law which we are ALL under, does not forget. Guess what. We matter. WE MATTER. We are here. What would I have him do differently you ask? for starters id ask our dear brother president to stop these ludicris wars which are costing tens of billions monthly. Can you imagine what can be done to rebuild and restructure the cities of America in general and the black population in particular? Or dont we matter? The banks certainly mattered when it was time to bail their asses out. How about using the justice dept to investigate why over 50% of the prison population is black males of which the vast majority are incarcerated for drug related offenses when theres not one statistic available that doesnt tell you that white men are the overwhelming majority illegal drug users. How about using some of that military testosterone to stop the atrocities in the Sudan and across Africa? Or dont we matter? Hey, black president must be held accountable by his base, black or not. Busy or not. We matter.
.
Amy: I will concede this SOM: That just as our Africans ancestors have said, “It takes a village to raise a child”, so will it take “our village” to raise this President to be OUR President as well as the rest of the country’s. Hopefully, with constructive criticism, skillfully applied pressure tempered with solid support and confidence, Black folks can strike the balance. And what America does, the world will follow.
As Ezra Grant, our publisher, says: “Obama said yes WE can, not yes I can!“
Peace.
Son Of Man: Just constructive criticism to our dear president and the American family… with love, peace and blessings. Son of Man
———————————————————
Don’t worry, SOM and I are still friends lol!
AND COINCIDENTALLY, one of my favorite writer’s of several genres from science fiction to political discourse, Walter Mosley, appeared on GritTv last night covering a similar topic of discussion with it’s host, Laura Flanders.
In his new book, ‘Twelve Steps Towards Political Revelation’, Mosley says that ordinary people must begin to use politicians as the tools that they are–just as corporations do–and demand what we need from them in an organized, conscientious and informed agenda. It will be the People who will make politicians into the heroes we expect them to be…and that includes our President.
This town hall by Republican Representative Dan Webster is being considered by most as the most “raucous” yet, where those in attendance shouted down the freshman representative and were even scolded by the police.
A town-hall meeting held in Orlando by U.S. Rep. Dan Webster degenerated into bedlam Tuesday, with members of the crowd shouting down the freshman Republican congressman and yelling at one another.
It could be a sign of things to come for Webster, a staunch conservative in a competitive district that Democrats hope to recapture in 2012. Last week, Webster took heat fromconservative tea party members for not pushing hard enough to cut the federal budget.
But Tuesday, the heat came from the other side.
The event was the last of a series of town-hall meetings Webster has held during Congress’ spring recess, which ends Monday. While the others were civil and largely uneventful, the 300 people at Tuesday’s meeting were so raucous they were scolded by a police officer to act “like grown people.”
Paul Ryan, the unfortunate scapegoat for the congressional Republicans, is getting it from all sides. Even some of his fellow Republicans in the House of Representatives who voted for his budget, are now turning their backs on Ryan’s plan. But why would they do that? He’s such a nice looking young man!
Well, at least that’s what the voice on the commercial below says, “Paul Ryan looks like a nice young man.” The voice then continues on, talking about some of the facts of The Ryan Plan, like ending medicare and giving even more money to the rich. And at the end of the ad, the elderly sounding voice advise all to call the congressman and ask him, “What were you thinking?”
We’ve been saying it forever. Despite what the Conservatives and Republicans want you to believe, there is no such thing as “left winged media.”
The truth is, there is a right winged media, and just about all it covers is everything the Right does. Remember the town hall meetings of 2009? Remember the Teaparty rallies and marches on Washington? And remember the handful of individuals – 5 people to be exact – who gathered in front of Harry Reid’s office to protest Planned Parenthood and to call for a government shutdown? Yes, even those 5 people got massive media coverage.
Now, remember the hundreds of thousands that showed up in Wisconsin – on a daily basis? No? You can’t recall because the media totally drowned out those marches and protests. How about the time when constituents began questioning the Republican’s votes on the Paul Ryan’s budget plan? Right, you can’t recall those town halls because the main stream media is not covering it.
The short-sighted freshmen Republican congressmen were so blinded by the euphoria of robbing the middle class and giving to the rich, they forgot that they would need these same middle class Americans to donate more money for their re-election campaigns. Now, the reality is becoming very apparent – you can’t squeeze blood from a rock.
Figures released by the Federal Election Commission last week showed that Mr. West raised more than $433,000 in the first quarter of the year, ranking third among all freshman Republicans. And he has already spent much of that, mostly on direct-mail fund-raising and other expenses. During the same reporting period in the 2010 campaign, Mr. West raised just over $839,000.
Two Democrats challenging Mr. West for the 2012 election, Patrick Murphy, a businessman, and Lois J. Frankel, a former mayor of West Palm Beach, did fairly well in the first quarter of 2011, raising $352,000 and $250,000 respectively.
Mr. West is one of more than two dozen Republican freshmen facing tough re-election battles in Congressional districts that lean Democratic or were won by President Obama in 2008. Others include Michael G. Grimm and Nan Hayworth of New York, Robert Hurt of Virginia, Patrick Meehan of Pennsylvania, David Schweikert of Arizona and Steve Stivers of Ohio.
Mr. Grimm, Ms. Hayworth and Mr. Meehan all raised less in this reporting period than they did a year ago.
But have no fear freshmen, the conservative-leaning Supreme Court has made it possible for corporations to donate an unlimited amount of money to you. Who needs the darn, pesky middle-class when a corporation can buy your election?
No wonder you’re so concerned about giving back to these corporations. So the vicious cycle continues…
I’m usually not a big fan of Ed Shultz. I know his passion for the issues, but there are times when he allows his passion to take over the debate and, in my opinion, losing focus of the bigger picture. So for that reason, 10PM is usually the time I switch from MSNBC.
But last night, Rachel Maddow’s lead into The Ed Show made me keep the remote control at a distance. She promised that his show was going to be different, something I should not miss. Rachel was right. Last night, Ed Shultz earned his money.
Mr. Shultz had Michael Steele – the former RNC Chairman – on the show and asked some very pointed questions. Like, why haven’t Republicans done anything about the jobs situation like they promised the American people in the 2010 midterm campaigns? Of course, Steele tried to stick to his talking points, but Ed kept his cool and insisted on answers to his questions.
But the moment in the show that really brought it home for me, was when Ed introduced two Republicans citizens, one a fireman and the other a cop, who felt that the Republican party has, as they put it, “left us behind.” And listening to Michael Steele trying to calm these former Republicans and bring them back into the fold was well worth the show. Pure comedy! Trying to explain verbatim would not do the show any justice, so without further ado, watch what happened below.
Senator John Ensign. Do we need to say more? We can end this post right here and everyone would walk away with a picture in their minds of a Republican Senator who had an affair with a Cynthia Hampton, the wife of a former top aide, Doug Hampton. And everyone will remember Mr. Ensign’s parents doling out $96,000.00 to Cynthia and her husband in an effort to quietly bury the affair.
And Ensign is making news again, this time, announcing his retirement from the Senate. The news was confirmed on his website earlier today, where he issued the following statement;
“It is with tremendous sadness that I officially hand over the Senate seat that I have held for eleven years. The turbulence of these last few years is greatly surpassed by the incredible privilege that I feel to have been entrusted to serve the people of Nevada. I can honestly say that being a United States Senator has been the honor of my life.”
Uh-huh…Mr. Ensign is under investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee due to his affair with Mrs. Hampton and his actions afterwards, where he wallowed being lobbied by her husband. Resigning now is Mr. Ensign’s way of sparing his family the embarrassment of going through an investigation.
“While I stand behind my firm belief that I have not violated any law, rule, or standard of conduct of the Senate, and I have fought to prove this publicly, I will not continue to subject my family, my constituents, or the Senate to any further rounds of investigation, depositions, drawn out proceedings, or especially public hearings. For my family and me, this continued personal cost is simply too great.
Mmm- hmm…Mr. Ensign will present his official resignation to Vice President Joe Biden on Friday, his last day in the Senate listed as May 3rd.
Family values at work here people. This is the conservative way!
These words most easily explain what is going on between Glenn Beck and Mike Huckabee. Mr. Huchabee, a 2008 Republican presidential candidate fell on Glenn Beck’s wrong side because of his support for First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign which addresses childhood obesity. Mike Huckabee even went as far as saying, “I think we should thank and praise Michelle Obama.”
That support coming from a Republican to the Democratic First Lady caused Glenn Beck to call Mike Huckabee a “progressive!” Now normally, being called a progressive is considered a complement, but coming from Glenn Beck, progressives are considered scums of the earth! Mr. Beck even said on one of his shows, that progressives are like America’s cancer.
Mike Huckabee did not take this insult lying down. He fired back on his website, saying;
This week Glenn Beck has taken to his radio show to attack me as a Progressive, which he has said is the same as a “cancer” and a “Nazi.” What did I do that apparently caused him to link me to a fatal disease and a form of government that murdered millions of innocent Jews? I had the audacity—not of hope—but the audacity to give respect to the efforts of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign to address childhood obesity.
I’m no fan of her husband’s policies for sure, but I have appreciated her efforts that Beck misrepresented—either out of ignorance or out of a deliberate attempt to distort them to create yet another “boogey man” hiding in the closet that he and only he can see. The First Lady’s approach is about personal responsibility—not the government literally taking candy from a baby’s mouth. He seems to fancy himself a prophet of sorts for his linking so many people and events together to describe a massive global conspiracy for pretty much everything.
Sadly, he seems equally inept at recognizing the obvious fact that children are increasingly obese and that we now see clinical evidence of diseases in children that as recent as 20 years ago were found only in adults, such as Type 2 diabetes. The costs to our nation are staggering in increase health care expenses, but it even effects national security with now 75% of young men between the ages of 17 and 24 are unfit for military service primarily due to obesity! His ridiculous claim that John McCain and I collaborated and conspired in the 2008 campaign is especially laughable.
Is he not aware that McCain and I were competitors—not cohorts? Beck needs to stick to conspiracies that can’t be so easily de-bunked by facts. Why Beck has decided to aim his overloaded guns on me is beyond me. But he ought to clean his gun and point it more carefully lest it blow up in his face like it did this time.
Since falling off the media wagon, Glenn Beck has been left up to his own destructive devices. He has been fighting for recognition from the media, but for the most part, he’s been ignored. Consider this attack on one of his own as a way to be mentioned again, and for this brief moment, he got his wish… Glenn Beck. Moving on…!
Republican Paul Ryan is able to go on television and proclaim the myth that taking money from seniors and giving it to billionaires in the form of a Tax cut is the way to get America back on the economic track. On television, with the media bought and paid for by some of these same billionaires, Ryan is never questioned about exactly how is this concept supposed to work. But at home, the people of his state knows better.
In a town hall meeting, with the very same voters that put Mr. Ryan into office, questions were asked about his budget plan for which Ryan had no favorable answers. Among other things, Ryan’s plan would give seniors an $8000.00 check to be put towards purchasing their own health care from the private market.
Michele Bachmann appeared on Good Morning America and was asked about Donald Trump and the whole Birther conspiracy. Mrs Bachmann answered that she thinks we should “move on, end of story.”
The Republican representative was responding to host George Stephanopoulos when he presented her with a copy of President Obama’s certificate. Mr. Stephanopoulous then went on to describe the document, saying;
It’s certified, it’s got a certification number, it’s got the registrar of the state, signed. It’s got a seal on it. And it says: ‘This copy serves as prima facie evidence of the fact of birth in any court proceeding.'”
“Well, then that should settle it,” said Bachmann. She added: “That’s what should settle it. I take the president at his word and I think — again I would have no problem and apparently the president wouldn’t, either. Introduce that, we’re done. Move on, end of story.”
So is Michele Bachmann a convert? Has she come over to the side of sanity? Of course not. Bachmann is going to use this Birther issue again in the future. She was presented with facts and placed on the spot, so she had no other choice but to admit the whole birther conspiracy was crazy, but wait… given the appropriate time, in front of the appropriate audience, Bachmann will flip.
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