Saturday, April 30, 2011

William Bennett's Radical Dreams Become a Reality - Thom Hartmann: FLorida Public schools

In November 2008, right after the election of Barack Obama, the Republican Governors' Association Annual Conference met in Florida. I watched panels of Republican governors and their friends for 2 days on C-SPAN. What's shocking is that most of the governors sounded reasonable, until I heard William Bennett (former education secretary under Reagan) speak. You wouldn't know it to look at him; but, Bill Bennett is a very scary man with radical views regarding education.

With Bennett on one of the panels, discussions turned to how to change the culture/values/ideology/etc. to reflect right-wing values/culture/ideology. The most important, according to Bennett, is to indoctrinate children (using the: internet, media, classroom and text books) with conservative, right wing values, [with a right wing slant/re-write/whitewash].

Now we've found out, Bill Bennett and his Republican cohorts' dreams are about to come true.








Thom Hartmann: FL Public schools - the Wall of Separation is about to Crumble | Thom Hartmann - News & info from the #1 progressive radio show April 29, 2011


Texas Conservatives Win Vote on Textbook Standards - NYTimes.com March 12, 2010


2008 Election Cycle - C-SPAN Video Library November 12, 2008 (listen to William Bennett - about 52 minutes in)
I understood back then, that Republicans had found a way to regain power. They had to claim the majority of state governor seats. [and thanks to ill-informed citizens, they did it]

The Corporate State Will Continue its Inexorable Advance Until We're Locked into a Permanent Underclass | | AlterNet by Chris Hedges, April 29, 2011



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Sunday, April 10, 2011

THE LATEST FACES OF REPUBLICAN INSANITY AND CALLOUSNESS

THE CENTRAL FIGURE IN REPUBLICAN INSANITY



April 4, 2011 - Please listen to Greenstein.



Media Briefing: The Ryan Budget’s Radical Priorities — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities this was back in March 2010


Rachel Maddow Tears Into Beltway Media For Paul Ryan Budget Coverage (VIDEO) 4/7/2011




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CRAZY AND CALLOUS


Eric Cantor

ThinkProgress » Cantor Sees Current Medicare and Medicaid Programs As A ‘Safety Net’ For ‘People Who Frankly Don’t Need One 4/10/2011






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HE LIES


Tom Graves -
The Last Word - 4/7/2011





Debunking Graves lies:

Under Obama Taxes Reach Lowest Level Since Truman - Robert Schlesinger (usnews.com) Feb 8, 2011

Daily Kos: Zombie Lie: That Dems "Failed" to Pass Budget - NO, GOP Senators BLOCKED IT 4/7/2011

Ezra Klein - Was Simpson-Bowles really so great? Ezra Klein, 2/16/2011


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Thursday, April 7, 2011

OHIO RALLY AT THE STATEHOUSE SATURDAY APRIL 9TH


JUST PASSING THIS ON:




This Saturday, thousands will rally at the Statehouse to say "we are Ohio" and voice their opposition to SB 5 and Gov. Kasich's anti-working family agenda.

WHAT: We Are Ohio Campaign Kick-Off Rally

WHEN: Saturday, April 9 starting at noon

WHERE: West Lawn of the Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus

Interested in helping to get SB 5 on the ballot to allow Ohioans to cast a citizen's veto of the bill? Email killthebillohio@gmail.com to become a volunteer petition circulator.


"Last week, Gov. Kasich and his allies in the Ohio General Assembly pushed through the first in what will be many attacks on local communities, working families and services Ohioans rely on everyday. With the passage of Senate Bill 5, lawmakers have shown they are more interested in pursuing a political agenda to destroy good jobs and weaken our communities than focusing on real solutions to job creation and our budget deficit.

As poll after poll shows, this agenda doesn’t represent the will of Ohioans. That is why this Saturday thousands of Ohioans from across the state will rally at the Statehouse to say “We are Ohio.”

Will you stand with other Ohioans this Saturday to protect workers’ rights and work to allow the voices of voters to be heard on this important issue?"

From Tim Burga
Ohio AFL-CIO President





Tuesday, April 5, 2011

GOP INSANITY AND PAUL RYAN'S DEATH PANELS

Has the GOP gone completely insane?!!

Ever since Barack Obama was elected in 2008, Republicans have literally lost whatever sanity they had left [which wasn't much] after [with the help of corporate Democrats] gutting a world's economy and contributing to millions of jobs disappearing in a matter of a few months.

This is going to be very difficult for me to articulate, because what we are witnessing in the chambers/halls of Congress and across this nation, leaves one almost speechless ... I did say almost.

Everyone with any ounce of sense knows that the folks on Wall Street [aided by conservative politicians] gutted this economy; and with utter horror and reluctance, tax payers were forced to bail out the gutter trash.

How does the GOP repay the good people, the regular folk for their act of forced kindness? ... They line up to kick and stomp the ordinary folk who were forced to rescue the gutter trash, and at the same time, the GOP rewards that trash with tax breaks, tax cuts, and the ability to do whatever the hell it wants to do. Insane!!


Look, here's the GOP in one fragment and one sentence:


Deregulate whole industries, ... gut child labor laws, ... gut the unions so workers have no say in their wages, their working conditions, their retirement and health care, ... eliminate the minimum wage, ... allow corporations to continue to outsource jobs with no penalties, ... allow corporations to pollute the water and the environment with impunity, ... start war all over Africa, the Middle East, etc (well, I guess we're doing that now).

In a nutshell, they will hasten our already downward spiral into a third world economy/ country, ... an Orwellian society, where the majority of Americans will be poor, or just above poor, .... and the rich will be richer than ever.





Watch all 4 videos, and enjoy the last one.



Theater of the absurd
- the Last Word - Robert Greenstein - President of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 4, 2011







Blow up the World Economy ... AGAIN! - the Last Word, April 4, 2011







Wendell Potter - Kill Medicare - Death Panels
, April 4, 2011







Who is to Blame if Gas Prices Rise -April 4, 2011







To End on a Hysterically Funny Note - Lawrence O'Donnell - The Last Word - Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, and Donal Trump - April 4, 2011






Sunday, April 3, 2011

HEAVEN SAVE US FROM A CENTRIST

There are a number of so-called centrist organizations (ex. "No Label") or centrist entities popping up all over the place. These centrists say they are simply people who are sensible, who don't want to yell and scream, who just want to work things out, who are willing to compromise.

Don't confuse "centrist" with "independent".

Right now (in my opinion) we don't need a centrist ... because the one thing you don't need when your house is on fire, is for someone to politely try to work out a solution to put the fire out. Yes, be rational, ... but hell, your house is on fire!! Muster all the people, money and other resources on heaven and earth and put the damn thing out now!

I don't want someone who is watching their family being murdered and raped, say "you can rape and kill him and/or her, but leave what's left of my family alone". I want them to move heaven and earth, and do whatever they can, and find whoever they can, to stop their entire family from being slaughtered and raped.

See centrists (again, my opinion) are status quo people. These are the folks who would leave the poor and disabled to fend for themselves in order to arrive at some kind of "compromise", or because they need certain folks money to campaign and win elections. They never think to stand on street corners, go house to house, and walk from city to city, state to state with a message, ... that in America (with my family) some things are worth fighting for.

Centrists were the ones who politely compromised on health care reform while women who had breast cancer were dying (are dying) because they couldn't (can't) afford treatment.

Some things you simply don't compromise on. For example: It is a woman (not you or me or the state) who decides what to do with her life and her body (and no one should put barriers up or should stand in her way) ... non negotiable. For example: Our children deserve to be (and because they can't do it all by themselves) protected, fed, clothed, sheltered now, to have health care now ... non negotiable.

No one can see far into the future. What we do know is ... that people are unemployed, and people are dying in America because they can't afford food, proper shelter, and affordable and proper health care. What we do know is ... that there is no prosperity for all when there is no Middle Class. What we do know is ... All workers have a right to collectively bargain and be treated fairly; and one of the reasons why, is because that organization/entity cannot survive without them. What we do know is ... trickle down economics doesn't work.

What we do know is .... that the entities, [that caused the collapse of a world's economy, and the destruction of many persons/families livelihoods], and the people who reaped benefits from the collapse of a world's economy, must pay monetary restitution. The world's economy (and the people whose lives they destroyed, and the families that were destroyed) must be made whole. There is no compromise ... it is non negotiable.

There is another word for a centrist ... when the shoe fits ... that word is "coward" ... and/or a person who is not willing to take a strong stand for what is right, ethical, moral (and let's not get into the pro choice/anti choice fight), and good. I've already stated what is non negotiable.

Right now, in this place, at this time, ... I need, we need .... people who are willing to take a strong stand. To fight back against the insanity that is taking place in the "peoples chamber" in Washington and across this nation. I want fighters, not peace keepers, to say, "you will not destroy any more lives, ... that there are some things that are non negotiable and worth fighting for, ... and I will not you hear me, ... will not back down". I want them to take an unshakable stand, place the blame where it should be, ... demand that those responsible for the destruction, the carnage, and those who reaped the benefits from it, to make us whole.


In other words, ... I want a progressive. (1)