Worshipping at the Altar of Duplicity

Duplicity is the act of deceiving for personal gain, i.e. politics. We live in a world in which personal gain is of utter importance when running a political campaign. In fact, politicians now have their own television and radio stations that are willing to deceive for them as a means of perverting and distorting the truth. It is money and power that drives all these players.

You know that you are in for trouble when you hear the words the “No Spin Zone or Fair and Balance”. If you have to advertise these position then it goes without saying that you have created the exact opposite of what you are preaching. How do I know this? The correct name for North Korea is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea? You see what I’m getting at? No, then I can’t help you because you have drunk the Kool-Aide. An obscure reference for some. Use Bing or Google and see what it is all about.

 

I am sick of politicians and talking-heads who are so enamored by their own voice speaking up for the rest of us. I am also tired of their hubris that seems to think they are the be all and end all for the world as they see it. We are to take their word as gospel and there are for too many people who worship at the altar of duplicity.

It is sickening to think that many Americans are unable to think for themselves, and that the hate and specious arguments being used on our airways is helping to crack the foundation of democracy. A bit of hyperbole? No at all. The second Amendment dispute is a perfect example. There are no rights in the constitution that are unfettered.  They all embody imitations, however, in the eyes of many the Second Amendment has no limitations. This is completely absurd.

To retain its singular purpose which was to have a militia to protect us from foreign and domestic enemies is no longer applicable. A well-regulated militia is an anachronism. It is a relic of the past that can no longer apply in our world. Your AK-47 is of no use against an Abrams tank or a drone strike or a cruise missile. Ask al Qaeda how they feel about the weapons that have decimated their leadership.

Our friends that like to play army on the weekends have no idea what they would be up against if they tried to start an armed revolution. I want you to know none of those armed militias speak for me. I have no desire to have some jackalope decide that our government is so corrupt that it must be destroyed in the name of some form of perverted freedom when they refused to recognize the freedoms they have at act like petulant children.

It is kind of like the folks that what to mix government and religion. There is no reference to any religion in the Constitution. Now, the Federalist Papers is another matter, but we disposed of those ideas with the ratification of the Constitution. There is no need to have a prayer before a government meeting unless you are going to pray and recognize all the religions that are practiced here in the United States. I don’t see that happening anytime soon because those who want to pray are of some warped Christian mindset that is intolerant of other belief systems.

Myopia is a strange disease of these Christians. They seem unable to see beyond the end of their noses, and they want to impose their brand of religion on the rest of us. That is the antithesis of the Constitution. It is not what the founders fought and died for over 240 years ago. It is time that these people be called out for their duplicity in the public arena. Their self-interest and hubris is not in the best interest of the country. They are tearing the country apart with their partisan and hate filled speech disguised as being reasonable and inclusive.

Do not be fooled by their phony sentimentality or their seemingly home spun tales. Deep down they are after the soul of America. They want to drive home their point of view and make it the point of view of America. They are unreasonable people that want you to bend to their will and believe that diverse opinions are harmful and show weakness. Our strength as a country only comes from diversity of thought and opinion in which a compromise is met that leaves each party dissatisfied as to the outcome. We have forgotten this idea in the early 21^st Century.

Rick Santorum Calls for an Anti-abortionist Jihad

There are crazy people that do crazy things in this world that make us all feel uncomfortable. Thank God there is Rick Santorum to act as comic relief. He can take the sting out of any serious situation with his mind numbing logic. Give it up for Rick. In this case there is no comic relief.  He compares at one point in his speech to the anti-abortion group Students for Life, the American Revolution to the fight to deny safe and effective abortions to American women, and goes on to say that anti-abortion activists are not willing to sacrifice enough for the cause.

After reading Rick’s comments to Students for Life. I really don’t know what to say. I am dumbstruck as to the point of his speech. I guess that he wants to say is that anti-abortion activists are not willing to sacrifice for the cause like pro-abortion activists. What kind of sacrifice is he looking for?

Does he want the aforementioned group of students to engage in acts of violence? Anti-abortion activists have used terroristic tactics and bombed clinics, thus, gone to jail for their actions. Looks like some sacrificed a lot. I have not heard of any pro-abortion groups carrying out such tactics.

Maybe Rick wants these student to go a step further and kill an abortion provider in their church. That murdering terrorist sacrificed his freedom for the rest of his natural life. In Rick’s eyes this must not be a sacrifice. Murdering a fellow human being must be okay as long as the person doing it feels as if they are acting on behalf of the unborn.

Truly, what are the sacrifices Rick wants these young people to make? It is not clear to me what he is after. More than that, I am extremely disturbed by his speech. Maybe he is calling for an all-out holy war against the pro-abortion antichrists. It sounds to me like a Christian jihad. Have the Crusades not been over for a few hundred years? Not in the eyes of these inflexible, intolerant Christian extremists.

His speech says all the wrong things to young people today. It is full of hate and venom. It demonstrates the intolerance and arrogance that spews from the mouths of Limbaugh, Hannity and Savage. It is full of lies and deceits that all these characters play off as absolute truths, which are never to be questioned.

Therein lies my disgust. It is playing on emotions by twisting the truth to fit a personal belief system. Both the left and the right do this all the time. There is no one side that has the corner on this market, however, the right shouts louder and pushes harder, and the one time that the left pushes back, (the Texas filibuster) the right gets all whiny about the behaviors.

There are plenty of examples of the hypocritical stance the right like to take in regards to the left. When a man in Florida spews lies about our president and the congresswoman allows it to stand, I can only shake my head stunned. Is it that she believes the lies or is it that being reelected is so important that she perpetuated the lie through an act of omission or commission? Your guess is as good as mine.

So, Rick, what do you really want from these children? What actions do they need to do to prove to you they care enough? The Muslim extremist expect children and adults to carry out act of terrorism and sacrifice their lives. Look at Boston. Is this what you want? Do these children need to carry out your unholy war? Are they the fodder for your extremist views that you want to foist on the rest of society?

These republicans in power believe as you do that government can force the general public to bend to their will. They have gerrymandered their districts so that they are bulletproof, for now, but you are helping to kill the republican chances of gaining any national offices. I return to my opening question, “What are these young people to take away from your speech in July?”

Republican Welfare

As usual the Republican House has found a way to save 40 billion dollars. They are going to steal it from the mouths of American children. What a shock. These children can’t vote and many of their parents do not vote. Moreover, these parents do not contribute to federal election campaigns for Republicans or Democrats so they make up a silent minority that is struggling to make ends meet, therefore, does not have the ability to buy protection from congress unlike American corporations.

From the Republican perspective, if you aren’t a large corporate donor, then, your needs are of no concern for them. They must make sure that the money keeps rolling in to their campaign coffers, and any welfare benefits must go to the highest bidder like the Koch brothers or big oil or big pharma or corporate farms. These people need the American taxpayers’ largess not those welfare frauds making minimum wages or less.

The House Majority leader Eric Cantor is leading the charge. The man who has grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth has no ability to empathize with people working for minimum wage. He is also leading the charge against the Affordable Care (Obamacare) because the taxpayers will be asked to again help the most vulnerable with their healthcare and corporations will be required to provide healthcare options for their workers, which is a travesty for American corporations.

Why should all Americans have the option of having healthcare? Why should corporations be forced to cut into their shareholders profits take care of their workers? That is a bunch of hogwash. On top of that, members of congress and their staff will be required to get healthcare like the rest of the country. That is a ridiculous situation for a member of congress and their staffs. I mean you get elected to one term in congress and you have retirement and healthcare for life no matter your age there is no need for a change. Hell of a gig. Who would ever want to give up that gig?

I only wish that someone would calculate what we are paying in healthcare and retirement benefit to former members of the House and Senate. People would be outraged by the number especially when these members are getting outrageous salaries from lobbying firms and such on top of their retirement pay. Remember that former members of congress get free healthcare upon retirement be it forced through the election process or not.

This sickens me as a teacher as I think about their perks in regards to some of my students that do not have enough to eat. From these republicans we hear, “These kids and their parents are ripping of the government and need to be punished for their poor choices.” What they are saying is that if you are rich and powerful you can rip off the American taxpayer, but if you are struggling to make ends meet, it is your fault and the government is going to punish you. The moral of the story is make sure you are rich before you try to get government benefits.

I think that there is an inscription on the Statue of Liberty that goes something like, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore…” Not in Republican world. They will only reward those that do compensate them monetarily and to hell with everyone else so says Eric Cantor and the rest of his sycophants.

At what point are the American people going to stand up and say enough? Enough of corporate greed? Enough of the attacks on unions? Enough of the attacks on the weakest? I don’t know? I wish that there would be a concerted effort to go after these people that are against women’s reproductive rights and food stamps, yet for billions in corporate welfare. These want women and men to always remember that very pregnancy needs to go to full term no matter the consequences and once you are born the protections stop.

The Republican motto should be: “It is a dog eat dog world, good luck. Take care of yourself because the government could less about you until you have enough money to buy yourself a congressman or woman and/or a Senator.” Mitt and his minions can tell you all about this.

1st Amendment

This is the craziest thing that I have written in a long time.  Glen Beck is correct.  We must protect the 1^st amendment at all costs. I never agree with Glen; I find the majority of his positions to be reactionary hog wash, but in this case he is right on target until he attacks progressives for booing Nancy Pelosi on her stance in regards to Snowden and his release of classified documents.

At that point in his discourse, he goes on to attack progressive’s rights to free speech and states their rights should be curtailed because they are threat to his and his fellow conservatives’ right to say any and everything. He ruins a great idea in the last minute of his speech. The funny thing is that he or his minions seem to have no idea about the irony of the final statement or his hangers-on don’t have the balls to tell Glen what just happened to his argument.

Glen also refuses to acknowledge the efforts the right has taken to silence any and all who refuse to believe as they do. Look at what Rick Perry said about Wendy Davis and abortion as he tries to silence his detractors. I started watching Glen’s rant because he was defending Paula Deen and later Bill Maher. Both have been fired from high profile jobs for positions and statements they have made that many found offensive.

Within this rant, Glen makes another error in his assessment that neither aforementioned person should be fired for alleged or real comments made based on the 1^st Amendment. This could not be farther from the truth. I am no constitutional scholar, but I know that if your actions are deemed a detriment to a company, then, they can fire you. Guess what Glen that is what happened in both cases. 

Whether either or both of these people were fired for what they said is completely reasonable and actionable and has nothing to do with the 1^st Amendment. Companies get to create their own reasonable expectations concerning their employees’ employment.

I wonder how Glen would react if one of his employees exercising his free speech came out and attacked Glen and his belief system and revealed internal documents concerning Glen’s show. Would he fire said employee or take the high ground and say that all is good because of the 1^st Amendment. Don’t believe so.

Be that as it may be. Glen gets to say and believe whatever he wants.  It matters not what I think or anyone else thinks. He is protected under the 1^st Amendment. However, not all speech is covered under the 1^st Amendment. One example would be slander, another would be screaming fire in a theater when none exists.  Moreover, you may not threaten the president or other government officials without negative consequences, but you can attack people and say mean, nasty things to your heart’s content. Think about Westboro Baptist Church and their shenanigans.

Freedom of speech and the press and religion is a must for our country to thrive. Also, lively political discourse is a must. There must be two sides to our political battles. It is these differences of opinion that set us apart from other countries. Democracy is a messy business, and as I travel in the UK, I have seen and read about the political drama taking place here. Democracy is the great equalizer.

I am glad Glen is on the air. We need to hear all voices on all sides of the argument no matter how extreme. Glen is right when he is talking about the negative consequences of muting voices we find offensive. He is offensive though not the most on the right. As Glen would say, being offensive is our God Given Right. Ask Michael Savage or Howard Stern about freedom of speech.

This is America, everyone gets a chance to puke up any vile disgusting statement they please. Our founding fathers would be so proud of how far we have come to be inclusive. John Adams may not be so accepting based on his use of the Sedition Act during his presidency. Oh the irony.

Attack of the Governors

I look around me and try to figure out what people think is important in our world. So many are going crazy over the birth of a royal baby when on the same day in the UK, 650 babies were born into poverty. There is no news when it comes to the poor in our society. We all know that it is all their own fault. They are only looking for a hand out. They are not interested in working and providing for themselves and their families. Rick Perry likes to bring this myth to life in the Republic of Texas.

This is the back story to Rick Perry’s desire to end abortion as well as diminish the poorest of us to obtain food stamps or school lunch programs, yet he wants to give massive tax breaks to gun manufactures this makes total sense. The poor do nothing for the economy so let’s make sure that there are more babies born into poverty and take away services that might help them get out of poverty. On the other hand, let’s make sure that the government gives a hand out and up to the wealthiest. They need the extra help. Their profits for the shareholders need to go higher.

This is the beauty of our system. Government officials today take care of those that take care of them. This is quid pro quo at its finest. Good for Rick Perry. He has ginned up the system to work for him. Of course he is not the only one to do this, but he has one hell of a high profile. You will not be able to get pre-natal care or cancer screenings or an abortion if you are of a certain economic status, but the middle and well-to-do will still be able to get these same services even if they are inconvenienced a bit. Nice work Rick.

When you grow up with a silver or gold spoon in your mouth, it must be terrible to think that there are others that want to get something for free when they cannot contribute to your campaign or hook you up with a term on the board of directors of their corporation and a six figure salary. You’ve got to love modern politics. Rick you and George need to hang together. You can swap governor stories and Rick, you can drool over the fact that George got it done on the national stage and you face planted.

There is another former governor that is making headline with some of his own problems these days: Mitch Daniels. He is not for academic freedoms. He wants to dictate to his professors at Purdue and the Indiana public school system what they can and cannot teach. This is nothing new for Mitch.  He must think that he is still governor and can attack the academic community willy-nilly.  Hell, this is the kind of decisiveness that all universities are looking for from their leaders. Nice work Mitch.

I love all these egotistical assholes. They give me something to talk about. Keep up the good work gentlemen. In Mitch’s case, he gots to love email. Mitch, Mitch, Mitch you left a trail a mile wide. You want to teach history as if you were the victor. Nice try. You’re in academia, now. Make sure in the future when you converse with your right-wing tools you keep it on the down low. Did you forget that emails are public information especially when used on government time?

The beauty of the right-wing is that they believe that whatever they say goes. They see the world as their play thing and get really pissy when other people have a different idea as to how it works. They are used to trampling on the rights of all those around them. Watch all the ID laws that will now be enacted by GOP state legislatures in the name of fairness. These laws are as Orwellian as they can be. As Big Brother said in 1984, “Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength”. Nice job Mitch showing how to keep the other half down so that you can perpetuate your personal beliefs and impose them on an unsuspecting public. I guess we are not so unsuspecting anymore thanks to the fourth estate: journalists.