Just because there are no words...

I know I said I wasn't going to do a lot of politics anymore....but this was too good to ignore.




'nuff said

Living up to her expectations...(In memory of Christina Taylor Green)

I have been thinking about Christina Taylor Green a lot the last couple of days, as I hope we all are.  When I think of the Tuscon Tragedy, it occurs to me that at first we put too much attention on the wrong victim.  Sure we are concerned about our lawmakers as they are the fundamental components of our democracy.  Our children, however, are the future of our democracy and if it is ever to change, if we are ever to become better, that hope rests in the innocent smiles of our children.  Another sad and shameful side affect of concentrating our attention on Rep Gabrielle Gifford is that we gave too much voice, too much face time and too much attention to one of the most divisive people on the political platform, Sarah Palin.

   

This is the face of the Tragedy in Tuscon.  A face of innocence.  A face that represents everything that is good and right about us a human race.  This nine year old girl should represent the hope that we have as a nation. Let us face it, Democrat or Republican, what we are doing now is not working.  We as liberals and Democrats refuse to lay down and get walked all over by the Right and the Republicans.  If you talk to the Right and to Republicans they will say the same thing.  Both sides are both victims and villains.  It is a deadly dance for power, one that both sides are willing to sacrifice this country over.  We, as a nation, are a shameful representation of what happens when politics get out of control.  Regardless of what Mrs. Palin says, this national political conversation is not healthy in its current state.  The result is cynicism, negativity and ultimately a disinterest in the process, or worse, a violent rejection of it and its participants.

I was reading President Obama's speech at the memorial service in Tucson and was touched by this portion:

"That's what I believe, in part because that's what a child like Christina Taylor Green believed. 

Imagine -- imagine for a moment, here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that some day she, too, might play a part in shaping her nation's future. She had been elected to her student council. She saw public service as something exciting and hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.

I want to live up to her expectations.  I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it.  All of us -- we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children's expectations. 

As has already been mentioned, Christina was given to us on September 11th, 2001, one of 50 babies born that day to be pictured in a book called "Faces of Hope." On either side of her photo in that book were simple wishes for a child's life. "I hope you help those in need," read one. "I hope you know all the words to the National Anthem and sing it with your hand over your heart."  "I hope you jump in rain puddles."

If there are rain puddles in Heaven, Christina is jumping in them today. And here on this Earth -- here on this Earth, we place our hands over our hearts, and we commit ourselves as Americans to forging a country that is forever worthy of her gentle, happy spirit."

President Barak Obama

As I read these words I thought about children. The things we tell them and how those gems of advice could be put into practice by us, the parents, in our involvement in the national political conversation.  Consider this:

(1) "Don't yell"  Tone is everything.  If we could tone it down and approach this conversation with less anger, less disrespect and more consideration.  If we could bring ourselves to swallow our pride and learn to agree to disagree we could possibly turn around the tone of the conversation in this nation.  I am guilty as the next person.  I am passionate.  I yell, snap, cuss and all kinds of other negative tones but in the final analysis it does not help the situation any.

(2) "You don't always have to win every time"  Boy this is a hard one.  On both sides, left and right, we cannot concede once.  To concede is to show weakness.  Neither of us are willing to be the first one to "lower our weapons" in this standoff.  We have to win, and we have to win every time.  The goal has somehow changed from governing to eliminating the competition.  Our politics in this country has been degraded to the point that we are like mobsters and mafia god fathers and the point is to eliminate the competition with any means necessary.

(3) "Don't hit!" or "Don't Bite"  I don't care what the Rush Limbaughs, the Sean Hannitys, the Glen Becks or the Sarah Palins have to say...our tone in this country has become to violent.  I have my personal views on whether or not both sides are equal in this, and at some point I may write a blog on it, but that is NOT the point right now.  The point is that violence against opposition has become "funny" and in some cases even patriotic.  When the Glen becks and the Sharon Angles start talking about "Second Amendment remedies" and start talking about armed revolutions and start having target practice with opponents initials on the targets then we have gone to far.  We have to make it clear that violence is not acceptable in a free and civilized society and we will not tolerate it.

(4) "Just because you can does not mean you should"  Yes we do have freedom of speech and we should not in any way limit it or legislate it.  We cannot infringe on that right and should not.  But we have to learn that just because we have freedom of speech does not mean we are free from the consequences.  A specific example (other than Sarah Palin) comes to mind.  I remember the relief pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, John Rocker, and the big stink that eventually ruined his career.  The things he said about minorities and about New York and its cultural diversity.  The backlash to his statements was so bad that it ended up becoming a circus that ended up distracting him and ultimately ended his career.  The lesson was simple...just because you CAN say something, does not mean you SHOULD say it.  Yes you have freedom of speech and freedom of expression but that freedom does not protect you from the consequences.  Sarah Palin has the right to say the crazy things she says...but that right does not protect her from the consequences.  And criticizing her, censuring her and ultimately rejecting her is NOT an infringement on her rights, to the contrary, it is the natural process.  If you CHOOSE to say things you should not just because you can, then you must prepare to face the consequences.  She CHOSE to use cross hairs on that map, she has that right, and the American people have equal right to judge her actions.

(5) "Stop calling your sibling names"  Ok...once again...I am guilty of this as well.  Just a brief perusal of my blog will show  exactly how I feel about Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, John Boehner, Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, Sean Hannity and a few others.  My treatment of the Tea Party has not been nice at all.  Sometimes in the heat of the moment we say things that are not fitting of us as an intelligent species.  How many times have we told our kids, "If you don't have anything nice to say...then don't say it?"  This is good advice for all of us to follow. Will I do it again at some point in the future?  Probably.  We all will and do.  That does not change the fact that we should become more aware about it and learn to soften our words. Vehement conversation and intelligent conversation rarely take place at the same time.

(6) "If jumps off a bridge are you going to jump after them?"  One of the most frequent defenses I hear for the tone of our national conversation is, "Well they do it too and heck THEY are worse!"  Really? Are we THAT juvenile as to think that just because the other side is violent, petty, childish and immature that it is ok and justifiable to behave the same way?  We are, as we tell our children, just "lowering ourselves to their level." Which is never a good thing.

These are simple rules that we apply at our house, with our children in the hopes that our houses become homes and our families become a little piece of heaven on earth.  Imagine if we all just took one big "time out" and reflected on these rules and applied them to our lives and our own behavior.  Just maybe we could live up to the expectations of a bright eyed smiling girl who went to see her Congresswoman with the bright eyed hopes and innocent expectations of a child. This would be a much better world for it..that much is for sure.

Please watch the following special comment by Keith Olbermann...Truer words Have not been spoken...

A horrific look into my past...

For those that may think I am a horrible partisan single minded stubborn rude and antagonistic butt wipe now as a Democrat...you should have seen me ten years ago.  My daughter stumbled across a website I had a long time ago...ten years ago to be exact.  I was mortified that Becky saw this me from so long ago...

At that time I was a pastor, fiercely loyal to God, church and the King James Bible.  I was a fire and brimstone preacher.  I believed in holiness and a judging fierce god that loved us and that at the same time we were to fear and love.   I was everything I hate today.  Everything I blog against today.  I was a bigot, I was self righteous, judgmental, I was homophobic, xenophobic and racist.  I was a religious purist who had little patience or tolerance for people of a different faith or political view. I am ashamed of what I was then but am proud of how far I have come.

A lot has changed since then.  I have been through a lot.  I got knocked off my high horse and taught some lessons in life.  The loss of a child, the loss of a lifestyle, the loss of my faith, the loss of my marriage and the loss of my other children to a cheating ex wife led me through a catalyst that changed the person I was and the way I thought, the way I looked at the world around me and as a result the ideology I espoused at that point in my life.

I am still passionate.  I would like to think I am overall a little more accepting of others and a little less judgmental...but I know I have my moments still.  I still have little patience for idiots.  I am opinionated, I am sometimes extreme and I am somewhat stubborn.  I still see the world in black and white; there is little room for gray...though I am learning it somewhat.

Overall I am ashamed of the person I was then; the way I really thought I was the shit.  I thought I had all the answers and I thought I was THE man of god.  I had a wife, two kids and I had a ministry.  I was getting invitations to preach at other churches and I was THE man.  I was being invited to pray in Spanish on the court steps to rally people to vote against alcohol sales on Sunday (because heathen folk should not be allowed to do what they want on MY sacred day dammit and if I have to legislate their rights away then so be it.)

I am still pretty opinionated and I guess I always will be.  I take sides and I throw myself behind it with passion and enthusiasm.  It is who I am...I am glad to see the progress and am glad to see I stand on the side I am standing on today.  I do so unapologetically.  Hey what can I say?  I do hope though that ten years from now I will look back and maybe still be embarrassed by what I write today...it shows growth, development...

So anyway...for whatever it is worth...here is the link...please be kind and remember....it was 10 years ago...and I even hate the person I was back then...

(Radical Religious Right Rants

gawd....I really was an idiot!)

For Whom the Bells Toll

Ok.  So today I am feeling a little apocalyptic.  I have already been told (affectionately) that that is no new occurrence but rather that I am always like that…maybe so…but I have reason to feel this way today.  I know I tend to be partisan…I kind of grew up that way.  You think I am a rabid Democrat…you should have seen me as a Republican several years ago!  I have been really working hard at being “statesman” like.  I have worked hard at trying to see the gray in the world around but to be honest I suck at that.  I grew up in a world of black and white.  While I do see shades of gray sometimes it really comes down to black and white for me.  It is a failure of mine.  One I try to change.

The situation I am living in is one that encourages me to seek that balance and to seek out the gray.  Mandy, her mom and brother are all adept at that.  For them the world is all gray and there are very few (and I do mean VERY few) things that are simple black and white.  It is a trait I attempt to emulate but I fail miserably sometimes.  Today is one of those days for me.  I look at the election and to me I see the beginning of the end.  Mandy just smiles, shakes her head and I think mentally pats me on the head! Lol  I am passionate about some things.  And my utter despite that I have for the current crop of tea party right wing nut job Republicans is one of those things I am passionate about.

Now I know that this will just get tossed into the pile of ridiculous partisan bullshit and ignored.  That is fine.  Given my past writings I can’t say I blame you.  But I do want to clarify that my problem is not with the actual party of the GOP/Republicans.  My problem is with the current crop of Republicans.  The rabid homophobic, xenophobic, God Fearing, gay bashing, religious purists, racial profiling, civil rights allergic tea party Republicans are, at least to me, a terrifying group of people.  I am terrified that at the end of today, the Sarah Palins, Glen Becks, Rush Limbaughs and Jim DeMints will be fist pumping in elated victory.

So yes, I am feeling VERY apocalyptic.  Today I hear the voice of the American people.  And make no mistake; it is the voice of the American people.  That is something I understand.  It doesn’t matter that they were lied to.  It doesn’t matter that they were incited by the basest and ugliest of human emotions.  None of that matters.  The voice that spoke the loudest spoke at the polls.  Because THAT (Mr Boehner), in the voting booths across this nation, is where the voice of the American people is heard.  Not rallies, not polls and not threatening riots and filibusters, but rather at the polls.  That is where the American people spoke in 2008 when the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA , (not enemy of the state number one) was voted into office by a resounding voice.  So today the voice that spoke the loudest was heard, and in it I see the beginning of the end for us all.  See?  I warned you I am feeling apocalyptic.

 So for whom do the bells toll?

 (1)       For human rights

The current crop of GOP politicians are a group of righteously indignant radicals.  They attack the rights of gays, of Muslims, of Latinos among others targets with impunity and without remorse.  Human rights mean nothing to these people.  The tea party has demonstrated time and time again that they are racist, that they have channeled their anger into a movement that is giving them what they want an outlet for their hate and their fears and their homophobia and xenophobia.  When they rally around the Confederate Flag in backwoods Georgia, people, I lived there; they are not rallying around “history”.  There is a reason people of color and other races don’t dare show up at these rallies; and that reason is simple…WE DON’T FEEL WELCOME.  For the first time in my life I am afraid of what my Hispanic name can cause.  Now for those that judge me for how I feel, for how passionate I am about these things take into consideration this question…when is the last time you went into someplace, called someplace, went into a bar or in any other situation felt the need to refer to yourself by your initials rather than your given name?

The GOP attempted to make much of the President referring to them as the enemies of the Latinos in this country.  Well news flash…I am an atheist, I am Hispanic, I support gay rights…guess what?  They treat me as the enemy.  Not only THEIR enemy but they treat me as an infiltrator, a hater of this great country and a traitor.  To them, my defending my rights from being racially profiled, my defending my right to NOT worship their God makes me an America hater, a traitor.  I have felt targeted by the Republican party, I have felt intimidated and bullied by the “angry white man” that the GOP has stirred up to win this election.  Whether you agree or not, you cannot change how some of us feel.

(2)   For Civil Rights

The bells toll for civil rights.  Do you understand how this group of people actually feel about civil rights?  Do you understand that Rand Paul believes parts of it should be repealed?  Do you understand that helping our fellow man in a tough time is considered a crime, is considered socialism, is considered a destructive force in this country.  Do you understand that these people are against equal opportunity employment?  Do you understand that they are calling for the changes to these bedrocks of our country?  Do you understand that the Republicans are running against each other, trying to make laws intended to curb the immigration problem, a problem they are blowing out of proportion so as to excite the fears of the voter, laws that blatantly disregard the dangers of racial profiling?

(3)   For our economy

All I can say is I hope I get on full time where I work before the “euphoria” of the Wall Street fat cats wears off and the economy takes its double dip into the recession…going even further into a full out depression.  Look.  I don’t agree with Republicans and Tea Party radicals.  That much is obvious.  Studies show a decade of trending where the income gap favors the wealthiest 5% of this country.  Their income is going up and for the rest of us it is going down.  They make more, on the backs of the hard working Americans, and thanks to a conservative activist Supreme Court can influence the idiots that slave away making them richer.  All the while, as they get richer, we are told over and over how we have to give them more money, they should have to pay less, because THEY are the job makers in this country.  Really?  At almost 10% unemployment you want to talk about the job makers???  I quit believing in the trickle down myth a long time ago.  Well, now the fat cats on Wall Street and in the Insurance industry can get back to business as usual, because they have people watching their back and the rest of us be damned.

Furthermore, the downfall of this economy is necessary for Republican aspirations.  Make no mistake, 2010 was merely a stepping stone.  They want 2012, they want the White House.  Call me cynical but a successful economy means they lose the White House in 2012.  They won’t take that risk.  You and I must fail for them to succeed.  And that is all that matters to them.

(4)   For Religious freedom and rights

The Republicans of today are religious purists.  There is only one faith that has any rights…their own.  If you are a Muslim then you are an enemy of the state.  If you are an atheist, then you are an enemy of the American way.  These are no grays for these people.  It is black and white for them and if we give them the power then the world will be the world they legislate into place.  There is no room for backing down from them anymore.  Make no mistake, they have made it clear where they stand.  A recent communication to the tea party faithful singled out a congressman for no other reason than he was Muslim.  Do you not understand the danger these religious purists present.  The distance from them to Milosevic is access to mustard gas and freedom to eliminate and chase out those of a different faith.  That may sound extreme, but that is the thing people are not getting…These people ARE extremists.  We are talking of people who have no problem talking about mine fields at the American-Mexican border.  We are talking of people who have talked about armed uprising and civil war with the carelessness of a child talking about the weather.  These people ARE violent.  These people ARE extremists.

I am not saying that all Republicans or people that claim to be Tea Party members are violent and hate filled.  I simply mean that the voices that are being heard, the people that are being voted into office…the people that will be making the rules are the ones that are talking this craziness.  We are NOTHING to them.  We are the enemy.  They are true Americans and patriots…we are traitors.  

(5)   For we the People

I hate that people I love and respect will read this, and will just shake their head and think I am going over board, that I am an alarmist or that I am maybe a little crazy.  I guess only time will prove the point…sadly.  This is history repeating itself.  We will not always be the great super power we are people.  Like it or no, history is scattered with the ashes and ruins of the Roman Empire , The Babylonians, The British Empire, and many many other super powers.  Our economy is our strength in this world right now.  China is working hard at catching up.  If our economy falters again we may never recover.  Already this afternoon the world looks at us and is afraid at how the republicans and their policies will affect the global markets.  Sure our markets jump with glee, the Wall Street fat cats got what they wanted.  But abroad, the people we owe money to, those people are losing faith in us, and it is already expected the dollar will weaken.  Don’t believe me? Read it here on yahoo. 

Remember, remember the 2^nd of November…(and yes I know it is a misquote and is supposed to be the 5^th but hey…I am adapting it…it fits my mood…)

P.S. I wrote this yesterday, November 2^nd and am posting it today.  Since then I found out that my job is being eliminated and replaced by a computer program.  So let’s see if ANY of these idiots…asses AND elephants can do something…because while they are manipulating the system, while they are building empires and plotting take overs…we are hungry.

Americans and the Boogeyman

As the mid term elections approach I am struck with the knowledge of something I never understood or recognized before.  It is a truth that is beginning to sink in...and affect my views of American politics.  As I watch (don't gag) Hardball with Chris Matthews, The Ed Show with Ed Sholtz (even I can't stomach him half the time) and the nightly Countdown with Keith Olberman I find the truth to become more and more evident...and very sad as well...

American politics revolves around the Boogeyman.

Now before you start yelping in defense I want to make a couple of points about the concept of a Boogeyman:

1. Rarely is a Boogeyman real, especially in the sense it is created by the story teller
2. The Boogeyman is an abstract concept hid in shadows and short on details
3. Rarely is there a clear cut solution to the Boogeyman

Having said that I want to also make clear that in American politics the Boogeyman has different names and different faces depending on your point of view and ideology.  Make no mistake...both sides of the political spectrum make use of the Boogeyman...liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Tea Party Republicans, right and left alike. 

Politicians feed on the baser nature of their voters.  Simple as that.  Fear, hate, elitism, class warfare, extermism, prejudice, pride, anger and just plain out ego and selfishness.  These are the emotions the put politicians in office.  The current surge against incumbants is not some lofty aspiration...it is politicians feeding on the baser of the human emotions.

Politicians deal in superlatives.  They are the BEST option set against the backdrop of the WORST President, Senator or Congressman EVER!  These superlatives are useless, meaningless and insulting...yet we the voters award them by cheering for them, donating to them and voting for them.   Our own anger at not getting what we want when we want leads us to look beyond reason and seek the quick answer...that never really is as quick as we expected and rarely is the answer at all...instead, more often than not, it is just more of the same.

Another fact that plays into this Boogeyman fuel in American politics is the ego of Politicians.  Politicians want to save us.  Simple as that.  Politicians have to have something to fix, or there is no need for them and most certainly no need to replace them.  If there is NOT a problem with our society, economy, culture, etc.  Than there is no need for elections.  It has to be a problem that only they can fix and that preferrably the person they want to replace had a part in creating. So by necessity, in order to get into office there has to be a Boogeyman.

Take the Tea Party Republicans for example.  The success of the Tea Party GOP is not that they have new ideas....their ideas are ones being rehashed and have been rehashed by the extremists in this country over and over.  Their success is not that they are so bright and intellignet...please...O'Donnel, Miller, Palin and Angle...these people are not exactly intellectual giants.  No.  Their success is built on some very distinct and basic human emotions: hate, selfishness, ego, fear and racism.  Their lack of leadership provides a wide array of behaviour and misbehaviour that leaves NOBODY accountable.  So people like Palin and Beck can ride the surge, take advantage of the opportunity, advance their own personal political and religious agenda without having to take responsiblity for the actions of their own people.  Fear of government, religious theocratic views, fear of the Brown Man, the Black Man...and for that matter anybody that is not white...all these baser urges and instincts have fueled the Tea Party GOP.

There are those that want to fight the tie of the Tea Party to the GOP.  Those that want to say the Tea Party is both Democrats and Republicans.  I point to one simple truth...not one Tea Party candidate in any race accross this country has challenged a Democrat in the primaries...the only seats they have contested are Republican seats because they ARE Republicans and the ONLY seats they CAN fill are Republicans.

But enough of that...let's look at the Boogeyman. Each party has its own Boogeyman...so let's look at it.

Republicans prefer a Boogeyman that appeals to patriotism.  Right now in our country their three preferred Boogeymen are: Islam, Barrack HUSSEIN Obama and illegal immigrants.  I could go into all kinds of talk about this but frankly I am so disgusted with them and so tired of hearing their hate filled rhetoric that I would rather not get into it.  Islamophobia fueled by good old fashion hate and racism and religious extremism has spread like wild fire threatening the very values that have made us great. Tack onto that the homophobia of the right and their resurging thocratic views and Boogeymen abound.

Democrats favorite Boogeymen are rich people and big business.  I tend to defend some of these views because of my own liberal leanings but that does not change the fact that the same ploy is used by liberals on the left.

The point is that American politics will always be ugly because there will always be some horrible Boogeyman out to destroy us.  Until this changes our system will continue to degenerate and there is no Pledge to America that can stop it.  Our system is becoming more and more useless the more we cater and reward the demagoguery.  It is sad the point we have sunk to in our country...the talk about "Restoring Honor" sounds nice...but is in and of itself just more of the same.  The Boogeyman is gonna get you if you don't vote for us....and in the end...we all lose...

A Banner Week for Bigotry and Hate...

So it is Sunday night and I look back over this week at some of the news this week and suffice it to say that this week was one where the media pandered to the hate and bigotry of the Republicans and to the radical religious right that has taken over the GOP.   And as if the GOP and it nutcase teabaggers were not enough the cowardice of the Democrat Party Leaders was in all its glory as Harry Reid and a few of the others did not hesitate to side with the religious right (in regards to the ‘Mosque’ in NYC but we will get to that eventually).  So just a quick recap…

California…so let us start in the land of fun and sunshine.  Prop 8 was declared unconstitutional and since a gay judge ruled that made him biased, nevermind the fact that he made solid arguments all the way around on why it was not constitutional he was an “activist” judge…because obviously being a heterosexual judge would have made him unbiased!  

Prop 8 defenders, however, stay on message that the gays and lesbians are destroying the family institution as seen by the 50%+ divorce rate and soaring teen pregnancy.  Just as an ironic side note, teen pregnancy is highest in the more rural, less educated but more religious “Bible Belt” South.  Despite the fact that they have no economic, social, psychological, physical, logical or even practical reason other than the superstitious, bigoted, malevolent, archaic and religious nonsense they insist on spewing and regurgitating they have managed to discriminate against the rights of a minority group in our great lan of freedom and liberty and justice for all.

The right insists that this is a matter for “the people” to decide…but is it?  Consider the following two questions:

1.      

Is   Is marriage a civil or religious matter?

This question is significant because if it is a religious, dictated by the religious realm, then other issues can ostensibly become a part of the regulation process (i.e. adultery, fornication, divorce, etc.) and a much more stringent rule would be applicable. If marriage is, however, a civil matter than to important issues become a part of the consideration:

a.       Legality.  If this is a civil matter then it an issue that is affected by law not the mob.  What these nut cases don’t understand is that today you are voting on somebody else’s rights and fifty years from now they will be voting on yours.  It is at moments like this that these people prove they miss the message of “Do unto others as you want them to do unto you.”  I was just discussing this last night with a good friend and he was saying that marriage should not be a state sanctioned thing then it would not be an issue.  On the surface I would agree with this. BUT, as I was thinking about it afterwards I was thinking, where would we be today if the state had not ordered desegregation?  Sure eventually it would have happened but we would be years, even decades, behind where we are now.  If you left this marriage issue to people it would never happen.  People are too deeply entrenched in their superstitions, phobias and irrational bigotry to have made this change or even accepted this change with anything less than a fight.

b.      Civil rights.  If marriage is a civil matter then, as in all things civil, civil rights apply.  There was a time when a black person could not marry a white person.  Heck, not too long ago, like last year, a judge was forced to retire because he refused to perform a mixed race marriage.  Marriage is a civil union between partners committed to a lifetime of mutual dedication and as is the case in all other civil matters, that right cannot be infringed upon due to race, religion, age or gender.  The Constitution does not define marriage, neither implicitly nor by implication.  Now there are those that would argue that the founding fathers would have clarified it if they had felt it necessary and if they had seen where we would be today.  And they may be right, but like it or not they did NOT define it and that fact does not leave it open for the right to speak for the Founding Fathers and define it for the rest of the country.  The religious right, who seem to think they are the Elite of Americans and the only true Patriots, were not given some divine right, passed on by George Washington to dictate to the rest of the country what the Founding Fathers “meant” to say.  Where there is no definition outlined in the Constitution it falls under the individual freedoms of the citizen, a freedom that no other citizen has the right to infringe upon.

2.       Is this a theocracy or a Democratic Constitutional Republic?

Are we run by the law of God or the laws of Man?  And if the answer is by the laws of God then, which God?  This may come across as sarcastic but the theocratic Republican Teabagger Sarah Palin is so fond of pointing at the now defunct Soviet Union and nod sagely an remind us that socialism does not work.  Ok.  Allow me to point at Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Kuwait and a slew of other countries as examples of the simple fact that theocracy does not work either.  These people are not interested in the rights and freedoms of the American people.  These people are only interested in their own rights and liberties and then in forcing the rest of us to line up with their twisted, distorted and bigoted view of the world, adhering to their ideals and beliefs.  We are free country governed by the laws of society, laws made by men to govern men. (And by “men” I am referring to the human race.)  I do not acknowledge the right of you or your God telling me or my family or my friends how we can live our lives.

Now let us take a cross country ride to the other center of bigotry, hate, racism and idiocy…

New York City…The last place I would have thought to have been a bedrock of conservatism, NYC is now the place of the most heated controversy.  A couple of city blocks away from Ground Zero in Manhattan there are plans to build an Islamic cultural center and this has started an uproar that is being played by the political leaders, eager to drum up anything they can to get the base livid enough to get out and vote in November so they can be back in power .  I would blame this on the Republicans if it weren’t for the eager whimpy ass Democrats lining up to sell our freedoms and liberty for their preservation of power. 

It has been ten years since the horrible disaster that claimed so many lives and even now, despite the fact that, between Afghanistan and Iraq, we have exacted more than our share of bloodshed and revenge we still show fear, we still show cowardice and hate in the face of a religious system that at worst is just as violent, oppressive, bigoted, divisive, hate filled and archaic as the one this country espouses.  Christians often point at the Koran and select passages that speak of violence as proof that it is a religion of violent control unworthy to exist in our great country while ignoring the Book of Joshua where their God ordered the complete genocide of an entire region including women, children an even the animals of people whose only crime was worshiping a different God and happen to make the mistake of living on a piece of real estate they wanted!

The point is that we have, as a nation, allowed a group of extremists make every religious movement a political movement.  At what point did we allow our fear of a religion dictate our freedoms and liberties?  At what point did the First Ammendment get assigned a “no fly” zone?  At what point did ANY acreage, any real estate fall under an exemption to the freedom of religion?  At what point did we decide that the Constitution only protects certain religions?  At what point did we say it is ok to put a chapel on sacred ground where the Christian God could be worshipped but a Mosque (which this is NOT a Mosque but so what if it were?) would not be allowed for people to worship Allah? 

Somebody called the radio station here and made a comment stating that building a Mosque near Ground Zero would be like the Catholic church building a church near a playground!  Truth is that there is no room for this kind of foolishness in our country.  There was a time we would have defended this basic right.  But it became ok to be a bigoted, hated filled  and ignorant fool as long as you could hide behind patriotism.  Make no mistake, there is not a damn thing patriotic in standing against the rights of your fellow Americans. 

And now the call is going out to “denounce” the President as a Muslim.  And so what if he were?   John F. Kennedy was a Catholic and they swore he could NOT be President because he would be a slave to the Pope.  Our Constitution very clearly states in Article VI that religion is irrelevant when it comes to holding office.   Why are we so ready to sell off our rights, freedoms and liberties to these fear mongering idiots in the name of National Security, Patriotism and propriety?  Why are our leaders Republican and Democrat so ready to betray all we revere and love about this country in order to pander to a group of people that are nothing more than the squeaky wheel that the media seems to insist on giving too much air time to?  Have we come that far that we have forgotten what it truly means to be America? I shudder to think what these right wing nut jobs will do once they have the votes in November…

Most Republicans, Weekly Churchgoers Anti-Gay Marriage

Link: Most Republicans, Weekly Churchgoers Anti-Gay Marriage

In my previous blog I had argued that the more dedicated a person is to their church the more likely they would be intolerant, particularly on the subject of gay marriage.  I also argued that age, region of the country and political affiliation would affect this spirit of homophobia.  I mentioned that I wished a poll would be made to prove this by the numbers.  Well... Gallup heard my plea for help and the above link reinforces that thought.  I know that it is at this point where I will hear the argument that you can make any numbers mean anything you want to...but I for one at least feel somewhat vindicated in my argument.

Opposed or In Favor (Nationally)?

Opposed 57% / In Favor 40%

By Party:

Republicans:  

Opposed 80% / In Favor 20%

Democrats: 

Opposed 42% / In Favor 55%

Independents:  

Opposed 52% / In Favor 45%

By Age: 

18-29:

In Favor: 59% / Opposed 37%

30-49:

In Favor 40% / Opposed 57%

50-64:

In Favor 37% / opposed 61%

65+

In Favor 25% / Opposed 71%

By Region:

East Coast

Opposed 50% / In Favor 47%

West Coast :

Opposed 50% / In Favor 46%

Mid-West:

Opposed 56% / In Favor 41%

South

Opposed 68% / In Favor 31%

By Church Attendance:

Weekly:

Opposed 78% / 19%

Nearly Weekly

Opposed 57% / 39%

Seldom / Never

Opposed 40% / 59%

The point is simply this...by its very nature church and religion are homophobic and bigoted...especially when it comes to issues like gay marriage.  Here is another significant poll done by Gallup when it comes people's views on gay marriages.  At least one promising poll indicates some hope that our homophobic society will learn some level of tolerance and come to the realization that discrimination of any kind should not be allowed or tolerated.

Tea Party Crackpots Strike again...

Shall we start talking about "Radical Leaders prey on the fearful & naive"? I am too angry to even begin on this one...

"W" ring a bell? You don't even WANT me to get started on King George. Now THERE was a radical leader that was a MASTER at preying on the fears and naiveté of the American people.

How about the leaders, from BOTH parties, that sold our rights down the drain (Patriot Act ring a bell?) for the illusion of security?

How about the Republicans feeding the xenophobia, racism and white supremacy as they do their best to set this country back 50 years in civil rights race baiting and setting Americans against Americans, feeding on their fears and naiveté? Or how they took the balanced budget of the Clinton years and turned it into an unbelievable debt that they are trying to pass off on Obama while their brain child, the Teabaggers, turns on them and bites the hand that created them.

Do we REALLY want to talk about radical leaders preying on the fear and naiveté of the people they want to rule?

To compare Obama to Hitler, a man that murdered millions of Jews or Lenin that instituted one of the cruelest regimes of modern history while ignoring and defending Jan Brewer and the State of Arizona that wants to turn it into the "Show me your papers" state which just happened to be step number one of the Holocaust is grossly irresponsible and hypocritical. But then irresponsibility and hypocrisy are the calling cards of the Tea Party anyway...along with hate, racism and ignorance.

I don't even know how to end this so I am going to just stop here and continue muttering the rest of the day....

Somebody throw South Carolina (and the GOP) a climbing rig...

So today is the runoff in South Carolina and it is one I have been watching with some interest. Partly because South Carolina politics will be my politics in a couple of months and partly because South Carolina politics, in many ways, represents EVERYTHING I hate about the Republican Party, everywhere, but particularly in the south.

I have argued before that the GOP is the party of faith and racism. If you are a Republican, I am sorry for the generalization. I am aware that not ALL Republicans are religious bigots and racists. However, enough of them are to elect some real idiots in to a variety of offices across the nation and in particular in the south and in the Midwest. Nor am I implying that ALL Republican elected officials are religious and racist bigots...just enough that the national Republican agenda has become one of defending big business, harassing minorities and making it un-American and wrong to be of any religious persuasion other than Christian. Once again, South Carolina is a perfect example of this...and hell...it is among their own candidates (since a Democrat in South Carolina is like...an albino squirrel...not quite extinct but definitely a rarity.)

In this case in particular we have Nikki Haley against most of the GOP Establishment in South Carolina. Now she is leading in the polls and will win the GOP nomination for Governor, which in South Carolina means she will more than likely win the election. Her winning is hopefully a sign that enough of the population of the Palmetto State is tired of the "good 'ol boys" and their strangle hold on the state. I was reading an article (please read it here)and it defines the "Southern Test" Mrs. Nikki Haley has been forced to take over and over...

(1) Faith

Let's get this straight, Article VI of the Constitution of the United States makes a statement that is both plain and definitive:

but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

Simply put no elected official in this Country can legally be put through a religious test. No elected official can or should be elected based on what religious faith they have. In short, for those idiots that can't quite get it...IT IS NEITHER LEGAL OR ETHICAL TO DEMAND THAT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIAL BE OF A SPECIFIC FAITH OR RELIGION! In other words, my religious beliefs or the religious beliefs and affiliation of any candidate should not even be questioned.

Yet...that is all you hear in South Carolina when it comes to Candidate Mrs. Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley. The South Carolina GOP bigotry club has dissected her conversion, chronologically cataloging her rise in politics with her conversion to Christianity from Sikh. Because, clearly, the only thing that is important to these ignorant buffoons is that she be of the right faith. Because, we ALL know that good Christian men like Mark Sanford, are sooo much better, are more in tune with the needs of the Christian Southerner, and more apt to promote and protect true Christian family values and the American way. All though...I am not sure if that was BEFORE or AFTER the affair...details, details, details. The point is that while I am in no way a supporter of the Sarah Palin Pageant Queen Winner of the Election Cycle in South Carolina the way she has been put through the ringer and forced to defend her level of commitment to her faith is absolutely wrong, un American and unconstitutional.

(Note: And before I get the snide remarks about how sexist the Sarah Palin Pageant Queen Winner sounds, it was not intended as a snide remark at Haley's being a woman but more of a snide remark at Sarah Palin who has traipsed through this country's elections treating her endorsements like it is some stupid pageant. And the reference to Palin and her pageant attitude has less to do with her being a woman and more with her trying to play on her being a woman and acting like a Barbie doll girl in a Barbie doll world.)

(2) Race

So the media and the establishment that opposes Haley have started using Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley in reference to the candidate. Sound familiar? As in Barrack Hussein Obama? She is lucky she is just running for governor! If she were running for President she would have to produce a birth certificate and even then some idiots would be claiming it was falsified and invalid. The fact that her race has even come up is an embarrassment to this country. But hey, this is the south and some things never change.

(3) Gender

This has not been as big of an issue and is really a non issue in the news. But the fact remains that if she wins the Governorship she will be the first woman to sit in the Governor's office. And while it is not a big deal in the news, the consensus of most of the people I know say that it is generally considered to be the public secret, the good 'ol boy establishment is not thrilled at having a woman at the top spot.

(4) The Civil War

This one irritates me. Seriously? The Civil War? The good people of South Carolina do not want to elect somebody that will not swallow hook line and sinker the southern myths about the Civil War. Look. For years I repeated the same horse shit, the Civil War was about state rights and not about slavery, well hell, slavery wasn't even that big of an issue and most of the people that fought in the Civil War didn't even have slaves. This all sounds good but is full of half truths...so let me just say this:

(a) The Civil War was not about slavery, it was about state rights.

Yeah...just like the Civil Rights movement was not about segregation but about the right of people to be ignorant hate mongering rude Neanderthal morons to minorities. The very same people that were in favor of slavery were in favor of segregation, their children were in favor of keeping the black man in his place. And his place was one of servitude to the white man. So spare me the bullshit! The Civil War was about whether or not this country should allow its states to legalize the traffic in human lives. THAT was the right the states of the south were defending. There are some things that are just morally and ethically wrong and should not be tolerated under any condition and should not be delegated to the states to decide. The truth of history is that the Southern States wanted the right to choose whether or not they could have slaves, and the American People elsewhere felt that it was a moral sore that needed to be removed...and it was...on the backs and blood of hundreds of thousands of American men and women.

(b) Most of the people that fought and died in the Civil war did not have slaves.

This is absolutely true. Most of the people that fought and died in the Civil War did not have slaves...only the rich plantation owners could even afford slaves. So as usual, the middle class and the poor of our country pay the price of blood, sweat and life while the rich reap the benefits and play the victim. Sound familiar? Like BP? It is the hard working people of Gulf States that are struggling while BP owners go to yacht events and Republican law makers defend BP's actions, defend the off shore drilling that irresponsibly led to it and apologize to BP for the President doing something about making BP pay up to those very hard working people. And while the GOP have their plates full defending and protecting poor BP, they are attacking the President for "not doing anything".

Now many would disagree with this statement but I will say it anyway. BP did the GOP a favor. With this mess in the Gulf it makes it difficult for lawmakers and the President to even do their job. And as long as the Republicans can keep the President and Congressional Democrats and the nation focused on a problem their own policies caused, the more they can use it and use the lack of other business getting done to win in November. And you know what? Once the Rethugs take over in November...it is over. Then they can get back to the business of handing the country back over to big business, big banks and big oil. Oh...and guess who will be Chairman of the Committee that regulates the oil business? Why that would be Barton, the guy that apologized to BP...fascinating huh?

For now...today I will be watching the run off in South Carolina...and hoping I get the pleasure of watching the "good 'ole boys" wring their hands in anguish. And as for the Mrs. Brabham said, "She grew up here. . . . Come on! I thought we had climbed this mountain." Apparently not...

A Progressive's Coming Nightmare (In the middle of living the dream)

So this year has already been a year of big changes, and there are many more to come. I began my year with the following resolution: Live, Laugh, Love and Learn. I feel like this year has already been a better year than last year. I met a wonderful lady that I have grown crazy in love with. (I always hated the phrase, Fall in love, is like you tripped on your shoe laces or something!) Mandy and I have decided that our families are perfect together. Bethanie loves her to death and she loves Bethanie. Abby and Molly love me and Zach I think tolerates me, but I am growing on him. And I love them deeply and am looking forward to being a part of the family and helping raise these kids together.

So the goal is for us (that would be Bethanie and Myself) to move down there sometime this year, more than likely at the end of the summer. This is a dream come true. She really is all I ever wanted in a woman. She and I relate on so many levels. We have the same dreams, plans and goals in life. I really could not ask for anymore...plus..hell...she is a redhead! I mean seriously guys...it doesn't get any better than this! lol

In the middle of this dream come true, there is a single shadow of a nightmare...kind of a Dream within a Dream (or nightmare as the case may be). As I have made it clear in my blog I am a Progressive. For you sanctimonious conservative bitches that means I am a "librul". Yeah...exactly...one of those 'Merica Hating, Nazi, Communistatic, gay loving, baby killing, terrorist thingamagie type of people. So living in Georgia is one of those things where I usually feel like a sore thumb. In my little town of Chatsworth, GA I think I am the ONLY person that admits to voting for President Obama...and really? I may be the only one that actually did! I am pretty much in the same situation as vjack over at Athiest Revolution and Red State Progressive. A progressive in a conservative state.

So, having said all that, I am now finding myself in the position of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. GA politics, while conservative...are not quite as nutty as SC. In SC the conservative Republicans are so in control that they even control who runs as a Democrat (i.e. Alvin Green). It is a heavy Tea Party state that is infatuated with *wink wink* Palin. So just to kind of take a view of SC Politics....lookie lookie at the Circus:

1. Jake Knotts.

Now here is a real idiot. As the primaries heated up for the South Carolina Governor's seat, Republicans, who have no need to attack the basically non existent presence of Democrats, were busy in fighting. And since they are all competing to be the most conservative, it left little to attack except on a personal level. So Nikki Haley, candidate for Governor, was attacked for her ethnicity...her parents are of Indian decent and Sikh. She was Sikh until just seven years ago. And the implied argument goes that she became Christian for political reasons and has become more and more "Christian" the more opportunities she had in politics. Obviously, as is the case with the right wings nut jobs, ONLY radical Christians are even QUALIFIED to govern. So Jake Knotts had the brilliant idea of going on a show and saying that we have already one raghead in the White House and we don't need another raghead in the Governor's Mansion. Nice. Seriously...I really could add so much to this but hell...that is another blog.



2. Nikki Haley (and the Tea Party)

OK. I will start off saying that if I had to choose a Republican in SC, Nikki Haley would be that Republican. Thankfully I do not have to pick a Republican because even she nauseates me. She is pure Tea Party. And I don't even have to go there. The fact that Sarah Palin endorses her is enough to make me say no to the Crack Pots! Sad thing is...since a Democrat doesn't have a prayer she more than likely will be the next Governor...of course...from what I can tell she is the lesser of 3? 4? evils.







3. Arizona Wannabes.


Talk in South Carolina is all the rage about the illegal immigration and the need to duplicate Arizona's infamous Immigration Law. I have already dealt with this subject so I won't go into it again here. Suffice it to say that it just adds another facet to the madhouse that is South Carolina politics. And they don't really care about boycotts since technically they have been under a boycott for years for flying the confederate flag on government property.





4. Alvin Green

Have you seen this guy? For those that are not familiar with him, this is the completely unelectable Democrat candidate for senator that will be running against wildly popular tea party Senator DeMint. This guy is facing criminal charges for showing pornographic pictures to a college student who he then allegedly attempted to seduce. He did not spend enough on his campaign to even have to register as a candidate...yet somehow he won an astounding 58% of the democratic primary. How? Well to hear him tell about it he did it with good old fashion hard work...but oddly enough nobody knows him. The Democratic Party in South Carolina has begged him to step down rather than sully their name and drag them to further depths then they have already sunk in South Carolina politics, but as expected, he refuses. As high up as the Democratic establishment in DC is saying that this guy is plant by Republicans, which when you look at the facts...makes perfectly good sense. The question is...why? I mean let's face it, DeMint is so wildly popular in this nutbag state that he would have trounced anybody that had run against him...so why? In a state where people can cross party lines to vote in the primaries, it is pretty obvious that the cruel streak is not a "leadership" issue...but rather the rank and file Rethugs.

So...here I am...a Progressive, Puerto Rican, Democrat atheist...jumping out of the frying pan into the fire...if my vote meant nothing in Georgia...it will mean less than nothing in South Carolina...but knowing me I will still get a kick out of watching people's faces turn 20 different shades of purple as they sputter how un American I am. I have a feeling we have an interesting life ahead of us Mandy, my Love, in so many ways and I look forward to every minute of it...all I have to say is if we ever move...we move to some place more...Progressive...like California...just think..beaches, Hollywood...*echo echo echo*

Oh...one more thing...since this all about SC and GA and all...Let me just say...

GO DAWGS!!!
(heheheh...Love you Mandy!)

Personal Responsibility and Accountability in the Gulf

Much ado is being made about the damage to wildlife in the Gulf due to the oil spill. The pictures of animals covered in oil, suffering and dying populate the web used by the liberals to attempt to defend their Muslim, America-hating President and use to their advantage in their constant battle to put us further under the thumb of Christian hating nations that want to destroy America. These crazy liberals communist, Nazi fascists that they are have jumped on the Deepwater Horizon bandwagon, a bandwagon they themselves constructed and orchestrated while attacking and condemning REAL Americans and REAL American heroes like Sarah Palin.

And the vehicle these traitors are using are the pelicans covered in oil, the dolphins dying of toxic waste and the turtles rotten in their shells. Even the plankton are so called victims of the industrial heroes that make our nation what it is and are trying to help free us from the tyranny of god hating, hate mongering, suicidal irrational theocrats in Muslim countries.

Let's face it. The Bush Administration's dogged defense of Big Oil, a business that both he and his VP were big shakers and movers in, had nothing to do with those pelicans being covered in oil. BP with its back room deals, corrupt dealings with politicians, money poured into lobbying against regulations instead of pouring it into better equipment and safer procedures is not to blame for the dolphins that are drowning in oil slicked waters. It is not rock star-style politicians and personalities like Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and Glen Beck that have deluded the American people into believing that BP, Exxon, Shell and the others all hold the answer to the energy problem and that the hippy tree hugging liberals are idiots for pushing for cleaner energy...it is not their fault that even the plankton that feeds the wildlife in the Gulf is being killed off while they line their pockets flush with cash. No...it is not these people's fault at all that these animals are dying off do to this unfortunate event since it probably would have happened anyway as an act of nature.

No. Let us consider for a moment personal responsibility and for once let us hold the ones accountable who are truly responsible for these animals dying in this horrible condition. The animals themselves. I mean seriously. Who told this pelican to land into the oil slicked waters of the gulf. The oil slick is, after all, visible for miles from air, the stupid bird can see for itself that it isn't safe to land there! It chose, of its own free will, to land there and it is suffering the consequences of that decision. The turtles and dolphins and even the plankton choose to remain in this area affected by progress and if they die, then it is their choice to deal with the consequences of that decision. It is a big ocean and they are welcome to relocate and if they decide not to then they must deal with the consequences.








The point is that, as the Grand Ol' Party has always upheld, the government cannot be expected to support dead beats that are unable to make right choices. The government cannot be responsible for handouts to those with the poor judgement to make bad choices. Simply put, you make your bed you sleep in it. These creatures must learn to stay out of the way of progress, and the sooner they learn this the better. The Gulf is just the start. The elks in Alaska better look closely at these pictures and learn a lesson...the government will not be held responsible any longer for the foolishness of those that refuse to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and take responsibility for their own decision making and choices.

This is not communist Russia or Nazi Germany! We do not give handouts to idiots. We do not subsidize failure. We believe in progress...progress at any cost. We do not believe in stifling those that truly want to see America progress. Hold those accountable that should be held accountable! Drill, Baby Drill!

(Insert sarcasm here...for any idiot that missed it. If you truly believe this pile of crap...then vote for the Republican of your choice.)

GOP prime candidate for Supreme Court Justice

Well the President has chosen his Supreme Court justice nominee. Immediately the conservatives that have hijacked the GOP had to scream their absolute insane dribble. I have made myself a promise to attempt to cut down on my profanity so just (insert the profanity of your choice here)!!! Rumors about her sexual orientation, opinion of gay rights and abortion...all the usual verbal regurgitation of GOP and conservative sexual repressed emotions. Just like the divorced Governor of South Carolina meeting with his Argentinian girlfriend is big news to the prudes that kneel and accept communion from the blood stained hands of pedophiles. Once again...it always comes back to sex for these guys.

Anyway. It appears that a woman cannot be justice because she would be too conscious of the rights of women. A minority cannot be a justice because a minority would be too conscious of the rights of minorities. A gay person cannot be a justice because they would be too conscious of the rights of the gay and lesbian community. At this rate only a white male can be completely qualified for the position of Supreme Court Justice.

I kept researching, trying to find somebody the GOP would readily confirm without a fight so as to pass this information on to the President...you know...trying to help him out and all...after much research I finally found him! Well...in all actuality BOTH qualify...a White Male that is large and in charge...or a bombshell blonde that knows her place...



And of course, must be willing to pass it on to their children.

So how DO we fix the illegal immigration problem?

So I have done the ranting and raving at the new Arizona "show me your papers" Law. I have ranted at the racists and the bigots and neo nazis. I have cussed screamed and seethed. But the truth of the matter is....there really IS a problem that must be dealt with. It is a problem that must be dealt with at a Federal level because it is a security issue which clearly falls under the constitutional responsibility of the federal government. The reason, however, is not only constitutional but is also practical. If you have every state making its own laws you will have some that are more lenient and others that are hate filled racists.

Having said that, what SHOULD be done? The problem is not an easy one to solve. First, let's make clear what will NOT solve it. With respect to neo nazi republican J.T. Ready and his tea bagger friends...a mine field is not the answer neither is a division of marines. The marines are not the answer for two reasons. First, their president George W. Bush sent them off to defend his oil interests and OUR president lacks the nuts to pull them back. Of course at this point we are in so deep that just issuing orders cannot be done without leaving a bigger mess in its wake. The second reason is simple; do you KNOW any marines? My brother is a former marine and tact and gentleness and consciousness of political and civil right consequences is NOT in their play book or way of thinking. Can you IMAGINE thousands of these people with guns and hand grenades and missile launchers on our border? It would only be a matter of time before we have the Second Mexican War on our hands!!!

Obviously the law in Arizona, the infamous SB1070, is not the answer. Let's make this clear. There are two distinct problems in Arizona, and the REAL problem is NOT going to be solved by SB1070. The rancher that was killed that was used as the driving force to get this law passed turns out was killed by drug smugglers and the police actually believe it was a white man...not an illegal Mexican. The dirty truth that Arizona GOP do not want to realize or admit to is that the Drug Smuggling and the illegal immigrant problem are two separate problems that are not even related. Solving the illegal immigrant problem will not solve their REAL problem...the drug related crimes and the drug smuggling. The law in Arizona is merely a statement. And it is an ugly statement at that. There are states like Minnesota that do not even HAVE a real immigration problem, but in their racism and anti federal government attitude are wanting a similar law. They want to be part of the statement.

Before we can do anything that is truly effective in fixing this problem we need to fix our attitudes about it. Latinos AND whites. First, Latinos need to fix their attitude of entitlement. Just because you are a minority does not mean you are entitled to special treatment. The law is the law. It must be followed. I am against racism but I am also against people that defend the illegal actions of others. Forgery of papers, purchase of forged documents and other crimes committed can NOT be defended. Defending the actions of illegal activity is not right, regardless of race or color. There is a process, and that process must be followed. While I agree that the process needs to be fixed, that process still exists.

I will, however, repeat...I am against racism and hate. I am against constitutional rights being abrogated in any manner that includes race and color. I am against being stopped on the street and forced to show my birth certificate to some Texas Ranger wannabe that wouldn't know if my birth certificate is legit or not. Here is a scenario I have SEEN happen. I lost my birth certificate and order a new one. I get the new one. I am 33 years old so my birth certificate should show wear and tear because I am 33 years old. I get stopped and am required to show my brand new birth certificate that I just got in the mail from the State of California. Because it is new...it must be fake. I have seen this happen. The truth is that that kind of thing happens many times. The truth is undeniable....these same people that have made the illegal immigration their problem or their mission in life to fix are the same people or children of the same people that fifty years ago were seeing the black man as the menace to society and wanted to keep him segregated like an animal. The attitude has not changed. I have been on the other end of it. If you want legitimacy in this issue then people with level heads and honest concern, rather than hate, must be in charge and at the forefront leading the change.

Once the attitude is fixed there are some changes that must be made to fix it. And busing them all south of the border is not the answer. I know these neo nazi hate mongers think that that is the answer but our economy cannot afford for such a huge percentage of the people pumping money into it to be suddenly gone. The small town I live in would be a ghost town, would go under, if the dumb rednecks get their way. No change must come in a different way. Here is my opinion on how...

(1) Secure the Border.

Internal change cannot happen and last unless the valve is closed. This is not about more manpower, it is about being smarter. A fence is only a mild deterrent more like a snag in the crossing. They have to cut it, jump it...sure...but it does have some sense in slowing their entry. The other half of this is technology. You mean to tell me they can take a picture of you in your back yard from a satellite but cannot patrol our borders with that kind of technology and dispatch units check out movement? I don't know all the ins and outs of it but surely we have technology that we can use and not have to resort to explosives like J.T. and his buddies want to because any life that is not white is not really life is it? We have satellites for everything else...why not?

(2) Fix the current system

If you have never been involved in the system then you really don't understand how totally screwed up it is. The immigration system is too often run by incompetent, lazy and inconsistent personnel. I have seen one person that did not deserve approval sail through and a good, honest and hard working man with a family get rejected for no reason at all. I currently know a situation where a man and his wife and children live here. He went through the process and when his interview came up he was deported because the judge felt that there was no evidence that his wife and children would suffer from his absence. His family is already losing their home. Why should these people follow a system that is inconsistent and lets the dead beats stay and the hard working people that would be a positive addition to our community be deported?

Another problem is that states have different rules and enforce the rules with different levels of dedication. Even different counties in the same state have different rules and different levels of dedication. In one county an offender may be released to the street and then in the next deported. The immigration laws and system has to be made consistent across the country on a federal level.

(3) Zero Tolerance

Simply put we need to enact and enforce it. We have laws. You break the law you don't belong here. I don't know how many times I have seen somebody that has committed a misdemeanor or even in some cases a felony and is released on probation. Why? We are looking for people that will be an honest and positive addition to our community. People that drink ad drive, do drugs, steal, beat their wives and commit a myriad of other crimes should not be allowed to remain in this country. There is no bail. There is not parole. There is no probation. They are gone. If they commit a violent crime, or another crime (such as drug related) let them serve their time, pay their debt and have a nice bus trip (of the State conducted type) to the border, handed over to border officials and sent packing back to where they belong.

(4) Streamline the process for the current illegals here.

I know. Amnesty pisses white people off. (not all so don't get on me Mandy lol) When you argue amnesty you get a whole bunch of people all up in arms cussing and swearing that that just rewards a bunch of *expletive* wetbacks and sets it up for a whole new crop of them to come in. And this is true if you do not fix the border and fix the system. But if you fix these two issues then it is a matter of sifting through this mess and getting the ones that are a good addition to our community legalized and move on. Simply put, the reality is this. Our economy cannot afford to send these people home. These people work and they spend their money here. If you bus them all home that will leave a huge void in our economy that we cannot recover from. So we sift through them, and the dead beats, the losers, the criminals (zero tolerance) we ship out. The rest? we get legal and move on.

In conclusion, let us remember one thing. We are all immigrants and descendants of immigrants. English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, Russian, Asian, African, Spanish, Mexican, South American, Japanese, Middle Eastern, Indian....all of us. Unless you are Native American...TRULY Native American...not just some...well my granddaddy married a Native American...I mean true blue Native American...you are descendant of an immigrant. Mandy's ex, in defense of SB1070 said that he was ok with it...so what...HIS descendants are from here...sorry buddy...just not the case. My family is descended from Jews, fleeing the Inquisition in Spain. We are all from somewhere else. I am not saying we should let every sorry loser in. I am definitely in favor of making sure we are getting healthy people physically, mentally and morally (and by morally I am not referring to some form of forcing your moral values on somebody else I mean in legal matters, DUI, drugs, violence...etc.) I am not talking about carte blanche. Something needs to be done. Arizona's SB1070 is NOT the answer. Fix the border, fix the system and fix the current illegals. It is a simple formula and a simple plan for success that ALL Americans can live with...unless you are just some racist neo nazi pig...and in that case...I say we just give them their own little country...with it's Capitol in...shall we say..Tucson?