Category: United States

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Citizens United Politics United States Wisconsin Wisconsin Union Bashing

Koch Brothers And American For Prosperity Attacked By Anonymous

The Koch Brothers and Americans For Prosperity have been put on notice… from Anonymous, the internet hacking group that came out in support for Wiki-leaks and other “internet injustices.” The group began their protest by joining the pro-union fight in Wisconsin, and by taking down the website for Americans For Prosperity.

Anonymous then put out a press-release stating their cause;

Dear Citizens of the United States of America,

It has come to our attention that the brothers, David and Charles Koch–the billionaire owners of Koch Industries–have long attempted to usurp American Democracy. Their actions to undermine the legitimate political process in Wisconsin are the final straw. Starting today we fight back.

Koch Industries, and oligarchs like them, have most recently started to manipulate the political agenda in Wisconsin. Governor Walker’s union-busting budget plan contains a clause that went nearly un-noticed. This clause would allow the sale of publicly owned utility plants in Wisconsin to private parties (specifically, Koch Industries) at any price, no matter how low, without a public bidding process. The Koch’s have helped to fuel the unrest in Wisconsin and the drive behind the bill to eliminate the collective bargaining power of unions in a bid to gain a monopoly over the state’s power supplies.

The Koch brothers have made a science of fabricating ‘grassroots’ organizations and advertising campaigns to support them in an attempt to sway voters based on their falsehoods. Americans for Prosperity, Club for Growth and Citizens United are just a few of these organizations. In a world where corporate money has become the lifeblood of political influence, the labor unions are one of the few ways citizens have to fight against corporate greed. Anonymous cannot ignore the plight of the citizen-workers of Wisconsin, or the opportunity to fight for the people in America’s broken political system. For these reasons, we feel that the Koch brothers threaten the United States democratic system and, by extension, all freedom-loving individuals everywhere. As such, we have no choice but to spread the word of the Koch brothers’ political manipulation, their single-minded intent and the insidious truth of their actions in Wisconsin, for all to witness.

Anonymous hears the voice of the downtrodden American people, whose rights and liberties are being systematically removed one by one, even when their own government refuses to listen or worse – is complicit in these attacks. We are actively seeking vulnerabilities, but in the mean time we are calling for all supporters of true Democracy, and Freedom of The People, to boycott all Koch Industries’ paper products. We welcome unions across the globe to join us in this boycott to show that you will not allow big business to dictate your freedom.

Things are starting to get interesting…! 🙂

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Barack Obama Health Michelle Obama Mike Huckabee Politics Republican Sarah Palin United States White House

Mike Huckabee: I Think We Should Thank And Praise Michelle Obama

Sometimes you just don’t know what to expect from  Conservatives. There are days when you turn on the television and Mike Huckabee is on, criticizing Obamacare as a “government take-over” – a claim that has been debunked by the way, since the millions of new policies are provided by private insurance companies. And then there are times when he bucks his party’s talking points and actually defends someone on the other side of the political divide.

This time, Mr. Huckabee is defending Michelle Obama against the onslaught of criticism coming from some in his own camp, namely Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin. On February 23rd, Mike was asked why the First Lady’s anti-obesity drive was viewed with such hostility. Huckabee replied;

Unfortunately I think a lot of it is because she’s the one presenting it, and that’s why I’ve been defensive of her. I still think her approach is the right one. I do not think she’s out there advocating that the government take over our dinner plates, in fact she’s not.

She’s been criticized unfairly by a lot of my fellow conservatives. I think it’s out of a reflex rather than out of a thoughtful expression. And that’s one of the things that bug me most about our political environment today.

We don’t have to believe everything the other side proposes is immediately all together bad. And the reason I’ve been very vocal, even doing an event with her and publicly speaking out for her initiative, is because it is exactly what Republicans say they believe, – that you put a focus on individual responsibility, you encourage people to make good choices and you reward them for doing so. I thought that was exactly what we were about!

At the end of the video shown below, Huckabee says obesity is also a national security problem, and that Michelle Obama bringing this debate to the national level is good for the nation’s security.  He then added;

Rather than us condemning Michelle Obama, I think we ought to be thanking her, and praising her for what she’s done.

Of course, when Huckabee says the First Lady has been “criticized unfairly”  by his fellow conservatives, he’s primarily referring to Rush and Sarah. The two have been a personal vendetta to destroy Mrs. Obama’s anti-obesity drive. But don’t expect the words of the Republican presidential candidate to change any minds, there is money  to be made in disagreeing common sense practices, or disagreeing with the occupants of the White House.

See the rest of the video below.

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Politics United States Wisconsin Wisconsin Union Bashing

Koch Brothers To Liberals – We Will Not Step Back

Earlier this week, when a blogger called Wisconsin’s governor Scott Walker, pretending to be David Koch and talking to the governor for about 20 minutes, the joke apparently did not go down too well in the Koch compound. In an interview with National Review Online, Mark Holden, the general council for Koch Industries said the call was “fraudulent” ;

“There are serious fiscal issues at play in Wisconsin. Yet our opponents are interjecting us falsely into this story. But our Wisconsin story is about bringing and keeping good manufacturing jobs in the state. It is disturbing that when a blogger calls using the Koch name, it is used as an opportunity to attack the company.”

Mr. Holden wasn’t the only one upset. Richard Fink, the executive vice president of Koch Industries also voiced his displeasure, saying, “We will not step back at all.” He then accused the left of trying to “intimidate” the billionaire brothers empire, saying;

“With the Left trying to intimidate the Koch brothers to back off of their support for freedom and signaling to others that this is what happens if you oppose the administration and its allies, we have no choice but to continue to fight.. We will not step back at all. We firmly believe that economic freedom has benefited the overwhelming majority of society, including workers, who earn higher wages when you have open and free markets. When government grows as it has with the Bush and Obama administrations, that is what destroys prosperity.”

The brothers, whose millions have been used to finance the Teaparty movement –where average Americans are used to protest policies that are in their best interest — feel like their backs are up against the wall and they’re coming out swinging. Mr. Fink states that the attacks on the Koch brothers is not just coming from “left-winged bloggers,” but part of a much bigger scheme constructed by the Obama administration. He continued;

It involves the Obama administration, the Center for American Progress, aligned left-wing groups, and their friends in the media. This is just the latest salvo in their attacks on the Koch brothers and Koch Industries. But it is an escalation — they’re now bringing in some labor groups, which they have not done before. We expect this to be part of an ongoing effort against [Koch Industries] as the 2012 presidential campaign approaches.”

But don’t feel sorry for the multi-billionaire brothers just yet. They are fighters, and if the past is any indication, we can expect to see  hundreds of little old grandmas and grandpas, pushing their walkers and carrying signs along the streets of Wisconsin, demonstrating again for the poor Koch compound.

Read the rest of the interview here.

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Politics Republican Sarah Palin South Carolina United States

Sarah Palin Is Just Folksy Slangs and Bumper-Sticker Generalities

That description is not coming from me, but from her fellow Republicans who question whether she should be nominated for President in 2012, or even if her name should be mentioned as a potential candidate.

Steven Thomma reports;

At a recent gathering in South Carolina, the site of a crucial early presidential primary next year, party activists said the former Alaska governor didn’t have the experience, the knowledge of issues or the ability to get beyond folksy slang and bumper-sticker generalities that they think is needed to win and govern.

Many are shopping for someone else. They’re looking at Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., for example, and seeing what they call a smarter, more experienced candidate who’s equally as conservative.

“Sarah Palin with a brain,” said Gail Moore, a Republican from Columbia.

While national polls show that Palin still would win the support of about one in five Republicans in a national face-off today for the nomination, she no longer can claim the dominant role she enjoyed when she burst out of the 2008 campaign as the undisputed star of the party. She’s also losing ground quickly among independents, who hold the keys to the White House.

“Her major weakness is that she needs to bone up on how the government works,” said Don Long, a retiree from Lake Wylie, S.C. “I don’t know if she’s done as much of that as she needs to.”

Equally funny is their assumption that Michele Bachmann has a brain, or is more electable than Palin is. But these potential nominees exemplifies the Republican conundrum.  When you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place, just pray that you’re not claustrophobic!

Read the rest of the report here.

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Barack Obama Health Care Politics Repeal Republican United States

Poll Finds Half Of Americans Believe Health Care Was Repealed

In a nation of newspapers, radios, televised media and even the internet including the google, information is still not reaching the masses. Or, maybe the masses don’t want to accept the information that they’re getting. In either case, a new  Kaiser Health poll found that only half of Americans know that Health Care was not repealed.

According to the poll, 48% of Americans either believed the law was repealed or did not know enough about the law to say whether it was still in effect. Just 52% of Americans correctly know that the law is still in effect.

Congressional Republicans can therefore exhale. If half of Americans think the bill has already been repealed, then what’s the fuss? John Boehner should just let this segment of society – probably ardent FOX viewers –  continue believing that Republicans have done what they promised.

The rest of us – the other half who know the repeal bill will never reach the President’s desk and if it does, it will be vetoed – we will play along, wink wink!

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democrats Dick Cheney Politics Republican Ronald Reagan United States

Reducing The Deficit Is Not In A Republican’s D.N.A

Republicans have fooled Americans into thinking they’re all for cutting the deficit. And if you listen to them long enough and fail to do the most minimal of research, you will tend to believe the lies. But here’s a little breakdown from Robert J. Elisberg that shows how concerned Republicans were when the deficit exploded… under Republican Presidents.

During the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, the national debt increased a combined 35.6%. It was the largest debt increase in U.S. history. Mr. Reagan alone tripled the national debt from $997 billion to $2.85 trillion.

Yet Republicans didn’t complain, didn’t rise up in anger, didn’t revolt. In fact, what Republicans did do was lionize Ronald Reagan as a patron saint, the near-God of conservatives.

Under George W. Bush, the national debt increased by a combined 27.1%. The U.S. budget went from a $128 billion surplus to a $482 billion deficit. The national debt doubled from $5.7 trillion to $10.7 trillion.

And there was no outcry by Republicans. Republicans didn’t complain, didn’t rise up in anger, didn’t revolt. Even when Vice President Dick Cheney was quoted, “Reagan proved deficits don’t matter.” Republicans didn’t complain.

In Bill Clinton’s administration, the national debt decreased. It went down by a combined 9.7%. Further — he balanced the U.S. budget.

And yet Mr. Clinton didn’t become a hero to conservatives, even the vaunted fiscal ones. The mere mention of his name still today causes body twitches.

Consider, too, that in every full administration since Nixon-Ford in 1973 up through George W. Bush in 2008 — EVERY national debt increase in America has occurred during a Republican administration. And EVERY reduction of national debt has occurred during a Democratic administration.

To this day, Republicans — that party of supposed “fiscal responsibility” — slam the Jimmy Carter presidency for incompetence. Yet the national debt went down 3.3% during the Carter administration.

Yea, there are those who refuses to do the google, and see for themselves. These are the unfortunate souls who still put their belief in the promises of the Republican party that they will “reduce the deficit.” But history is more than a subject taught in school, it also teaches us that those who fail to understand their history, tend to repeat it.

Read the rest of the article here

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Politics Supreme Court of the United States United States

Judge Rules Health Care Is Constitutional, News Media Gone Fishing

So the theory is true — that proponents for health care reform will get little to no media press coverage as compared to those opposed to it. A  few weeks ago when a Republican judge ruled the entire Health Care Reform was unconstitutional and should be thrown out,  because of one aspect  called the individual mandate, the media went crazy! They were all over the story like white on rice. But yesterday, when the third judge – U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler – ruled in favor of the Obama administration and agreed that the bill is constitutional, we heard crickets!

And I am not the only one saying this. Here’s what Jed Lewison said about the unfair coverage;

coverage of Judge Roger Vinson’s decision against reform saturated the media, even though his ruling had no immediate impact on health reform.

The Vinson ruling received A1 coverage in The New York Times and dominated cable news. The Kessler ruling was covered on A14 of the Times and as far as cable news goes, I was only able to find two references to it — both on Fox, and each for less than a minute. (I’m basing this on closed caption text searches, so it’s possible I missed a couple of references, but there was hardly any coverage at all.)

After the Vinson ruling, Steve Benen pointed out the huge disparity in coverage between the two rulings in favor of reform and the two rulings against reform. Even if you were to dismiss the significance of those numbers on the theory that the rulings against reform were bigger news because they happened after the rulings that upheld reform, yesterday’s ruling should be at least as significant as Vinson’s ruling because it means that three judges have now ruled in favor of reform compared with two who have ruled against it.

If you’re keeping score, it’s 3 Democratic judges for the constitutionality of the bill, and 2 Republican judges against.

But have no dispare. There’s sure to be another Republican judge to rule against Health Care Reform, and then we will once again hear all manner of analysis and theories and punditry, references and cross-references, and interpretation, and evaluations, and breakdowns, and…..

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hypocrite Michelle Obama Republican Rush Limbaugh Sarah Palin United States

Michelle Obama Eat Ribs – The Republican’s World Stops Rotating

Media hound Rush Limbaugh knows how to grab the attention of the audience, and it is so obvious that when he say stupid idiotic things on his radio show and the media dive on his nonsense, it makes him feel good – makes him feel like he’s accomplished something meaningful, like he’s made some significant contribution to humanity. In short, giving Rush Limbaugh and his kind the time of day is allowing him to continue his attention grabbing permanent delirium. This week, in his effort to grab the spotlight again, macho-man Rush Limbaugh is picking on the First Lady, Michelle Obama.

The issue?

Like all First Ladies, Michelle Obama choose to show the American people – parents in particular – the dangers of childhood obesity and the benefits of eating healthier. She has never urged, demanded, advocated or required that anyone give up their eating ways and “eat tree barks” to become healthy. What she is doing is providing valuable information to the public and allowing the American people to decide for themselves – like they always have – what foods are best for them and their families.

For this reason, Michelle Obama has come under constant attack from people in the Republican party, namely, Sarah Palin and now Rush Limbaugh. Evidently, providing Americans with information is now against the law and these Republican pundits and commentators will go out of their way to show Americans how dangerous having this information is.

All Eyes On Michelle

She ate ribs on a recent ski trip with some friends and the world stop turning!!!

Well, at least the Republican’s world stop turning. The sudden jolt from their stopped world caused all kinds of  mayhem and the protectors of the Republicans were sent out to investigate. Seeing the First Lady eating this stake caused Rush to flip his lid. “She is a hypocrite,” he said, then the tirade began…;

“I’m sure you’re aware that nutritionist-at-large Michelle Obama is urging, demanding, advocating, requiring what everybody can and can’t eat. She is demanding that everybody basically eat cardboard and tofu. No calories, no fat, no nothing — gotta stop obesity. Except as in the case of all leftists, that’s true for you, but not for them.”

Their ears perked up. The people of the Republican world stood at attention. Their leader was talking. Rush continued;

“Michelle My Belle, minus the husband, took the kids out to Vail on a ski vacation, and they were spotted eating and they were feasting on ribs, ribs that were 1,575 calories per serving with 141 grams of fat per serving. Now I’m sure some of you members of the new castrati: “This is typical of what you do Mr. Limbaugh, you take an isolated, once in a lifetime experience, and try to say that she’s a hypocrite.” She is a hypocrite. Leaders are supposed to be leaders. If we’re supposed to go out and eat nothing — if we’re supposed to eat roots, and berries and tree bark and so show us how. And if it’s supposed to make us fit, if it’s supposed to make us healthier, show us how.”

“The problem is — and dare I say this — it doesn’t look like Michelle Obama follows her own nutritionary, dietary advice. And then we hear that she’s out eating ribs at 1,500 calories a serving with 141 grams of fat per serving, yeah it does — what do you mean, what do I mean?”

Of course, Limbaugh – who is himself massively overweight – has every right to talk about obesity. So he continued suggesting that Michelle’s not following her own advise, and is therefore overweight;

“Haven’t seen any evidence here if that advice is being followed that it works, that’s all. It’s just, look it folks, leaders lead. They can sit up there, they demand we do this and demand we do this and demand we do that, but show us. Poor kids are living in food deserts, parents are unemployed, kids got no place to go other than the mall, hang around for scraps at the Orange Julius place, maybe get some papaya juice out there, and then they hear about Michelle My Belle and the kids 1,500 calories per rib serving — 141 grams of fat, I’m just saying. Mom and dad unemployed, kids in the food court hoping for some drips of papaya juice and there they are eating ribs, skiing in Vail.”

Information is a cancer to the Republican world. If the people of that world gets information, then it will be harder for their leaders to control them. So anyone providing knowledge to the inhabitants must be despised, considered as enemies and must be prosecuted.

As all dictators know – you controlled the masses by controlling the message. Always suppress knowledge and information… Always!

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Glenn Beck Republican United States Wisconsin

Glenn Beck – “It’s Time For Everyone To Pay Their Fair Share.”

Glenn Beck says everyone should “pay their fair share” – that is, those pesky middle class Americans. If you’re a millionaire who gets tons of tax cuts and tax loopholes from the Government, then Beck thinks you’re not getting enough.

The call to pay up came when Glenn Beck put his two cents in regarding the story in Wisconsin, where the Republican governor is trying to silence the unions by taking away their bargaining abilities. Governor Scott Walker suggests the reason for trying to implement these rules – which includes a requirement that public workers pay half the costs of their pen­sions and  at least 12.6 per­cent of their health care cov­er­age – is for budgetary reasons.

“You know who should be angry are not the unions [sic], the parents,” Beck laments, when talking about the teachers who left the classrooms in Wisconsin for 2 days to join the protesting.

How dare you! How dare you do this and take time off from the class rooms. Have you seen your test scores?

…. this has not gotten better as they promised under Jimmy Carter when we got the Department of Education and all they did was organize labor, organize the money, suck us dry and tell us exactly how politically correct we have to be. Its not working. And I’m sorry, it’s time for everyone to pay their fair share. To pay for some of what they receive.

Words spoken by a millionaire who, as recently as December 2010, criticized the government for wanting to allow the tax rates on himself and other millionaires and billionaires to go back to what they were under Bill Clinton – a massive increase of 3%.

Teachers, union members and other middle class Americans have been paying our fair share and some of yours too Glenn Beck, when are you going to join us and do the same?

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Republican Sarah Palin Sarah Palin United States

Sarah Palin – The Real Welfare Queen

Sarah Palin and the Republicans believe that Government is too big, and should be drastically reduced. And you will be crucified by them and called all manner of names like “welfare queen” if you collect any form of subsidy for any reason from the Government. But if you’re a Corporation or a Republican like Sarah Palin, collecting these government subsidies is not only okay, it’s expected.

When she was still a half-term governor in Alaska back in 2008, Palin created policies that would give subsidies to any film company spending over $100,000.00 in Alaska, and according to Anchorage Daily, this subsidy would give Sarah Palin and the producers of “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” – the TLC show featuring Palin – $1.2 million in subsidies. That’s more than any other reality show in Alaska’s history. According to the report;

Shows such as “Deadliest Catch” and “Ice Road Truckers” have also received credits in the past year, though no reality show spent or received as much as “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” according to Alaska Film Office figures.

Creating a policy that takes tax-payer’s dollars and puts that money in her own pocket? Seems Sarah Palin is the ultimate Welfare Queen!

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Bill O'Reilly Birthers Republican United States White House

Karl Rove Caution G.O.P Leaders on Birthers Conspiracy

They’re all still bat crazy, even if Karl Rove is attempting to sound like the voice of reason. In a recent interview with Bill O’Reilly, Rove cautioned the Republican leaders against their quick embrace of the Birthers. The Republican strategist put it this way;

Republicans had better be clear about this.

We had a problem in the 1950’s with the John Birch Society, and it took Bill Buckley standing up as a strong conservative and taking them on.

Within our party, we’ve got to be very careful about allowing these people who are the birthers and the 9/11-deniers to get too high a profile and say too much without setting the record straight.

He then implied that the White House is behind the Birthers conspiracy, calling it a trap. When asked by Bill O’Reilly if he believes a recent poll by Public Polling that indicate as much as 51% of Republicans are Birthers, Rove said;

I don’t know, but whatever it is, it ought to be less, because we need the leaders of our party to say “Look, stop falling into the trap of the White House and focus on the real issues.”

Asked again by Bill-O  if the strategy of the White House was to keep the conspiracy going, Rove answered, “sure it is.”

… because if we are where we are, which is we have a group of people out there who keep repeating this, and we’ve yet to get into a place where candidates are being asked about this in debates — look, don’t you think in the Fox debate or one of these debates that’s gonna be televised, candidates are going to be asked about this?

If  Rove is right, and this is a plot by the White House to keep the Republicans focused on where the President was born instead of the “real issues,” then it is a genius of a plan.  With over half of Republicans in this nation believing the President is a secret Kenyan agent sent to America as a child on a mission to become President, then destroy America from within by installing his Moslem beliefs, then I say keep the conspiracy going White House. It’s working brillantly!

Let the rest of this nation look upon the Republican Birthers as the fools they  are!

Categories
Barack Obama Politics Republican United States

Boehner Sheds No Tears For “200,000” Americans Out Of Jobs

“In the last two years, under President Obama, the federal government has added 200,000 new federal jobs,” Boehner said. “If some of those jobs are lost so be it. We’re broke.”

Okay! Forget the fact that Boehner is lying about the job figure. Independent researchers have come up with drastically smaller figures, somewhere around 20,000. But let’s say for argument sake that Boehner is correct. Should “so be it” be the appropriate response to putting 200,000 American families out of work and possibly out on the street?

John Boehner and his Republican comrades won the House of Representatives and gained seats in the Senate in November mainly because of a promise to “create jobs.” He traveled from state to state, district to district campaigning on the platform of “Where’s the jobs?” and accusing the Obama administration of being mis-guided with their domestic policies.

After the mid-term elections, it was Boehner who was heard in an interview with ABC news saying;

“I think the American people want us to focus on their message during the election: stop the spending, get rid of the uncertainty. Let’s get around to creating jobs again and staying focused on what the American people want us to focus on is my number one priority.”

What happened to his “number one priority?” Well, it came to a head-on collision with the reality of actually governing. John Boehner is slowly beginning to realize that actually “creating jobs” like he and his allies had promised is easier said than done. He’s seeing that being responsible for one branch of the federal government means people are going to look to you to actually get things done. No longer is just saying “no” to all the president’s policies acceptable.

So what’s a Boehner to do?

Create a distraction. He’s not going to come out and say to the American people, “Listen, I can’t create jobs because I am totally in over my head and this governing thing is a lot harder than I thought it would be.” No, that will be suicide for the Republican party to renig on one of its major campaign platform promises. And his incompetence as Speaker of the House will not be forgotten in 2012.

So the distraction would be to pivot. Take the focus off of ‘creating” jobs and make it about the so-called 200,000 unnecessary federal jobs created by the Obama administration. Now Boehner knew this number was inflated, but he had to go big, big enough so that the Teaparty would be impressed with his ability to cut unnecessary spending. After all, that too was another promise he made, “cut unnecessary spending.”

However, in his haste to create the illusion of being on the job and uncovering massive savings by eliminating 200,000 unnecessary federal jobs, Boehner unintentionally created another headline asking where are his tears for the 200,000 families he would single-handedly place on the unemployment line?

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