Do you still think that Christians can govern unbiased?

This story came out of Alabama and frankly truly upset me.  I face a lot of people that say I unjustly stand against "born again" Christians and the religious right.  I get accused of just grouping people together.  Whenever I make a comment about "Christians" in general I am often called to the floor for it.  Funny thing is that I rarely see anybody stand up to people that make those of us that are secular in our religious views feel like we are second class citizens.  When a Christian group puts up a sign decrying Islam few people say anything, most just nod their head in silent agreement or stand mute in silent permissiveness. And those that say something get muted local coverage while those that oppose the sign placed by atheists get national coverage on national networks for a week's worth of time.  Are there people that oppose the sign below?  Absolutely.  Are there Christians that oppose the sign below?  Of course there are.  But they get muted local coverage while haters like Newt Gingrich get massive coverage nationwide.  It is not equal in any way shape or form.

(sign on I-26 in SC)

However, let an atheist group put up a sign that questions the premise of the Nativity fairy tale and all hell breaks loose across the networks and atheists are reminded in no uncertain terms that they are to mind their place and realize that freedom of speech only applies to you if you are part of the Christian persuasion.  Muslims, atheists and those of other faiths, beliefs or outlooks are not covered in that clause.

(billboard sign in NYC during Christmas)

I have upset some people by saying that I would not and could not vote for people like Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin (beyond her obvious and usually unusual insanity and idiocy) simply because as members of the religious right they would put their faith and their Christian beliefs over the well being and will of the people.  The religious right is firmly set in bigotry, homophobia, xenophobia, ethnic and religious prejudices.  It defines them.  Yes there are exceptions.  Yes there are Christians I respect and hold in high esteem.  But they are Christians that the majority of OTHER Christians would reject as liberals.

I live with a woman that is a professing and practicing Christian, but understands that religious beliefs (or lack thereof) is a personal matter that does not affect, for better or for worse, the worth of the person.  My future mother in law and brother in law are the same way and I respect all of them for it.  We discuss, we disagree and we still discuss and respect each other.  But overall they are the exception rather than the rule.  

Coming out of Alabama is the story that brought on this blog this morning.  New governor Robert Bentley in a statement on his inauguration day  made it clear who he considers family, whom he holds in respect and who is not on his list and what they need to do to be on that list.  He stands, again, as proof of what I have said all along, the more intense, dedicated and committed to church, faith, religion and the Bible a person is the less qualified they are to govern.  I am not saying that Christians cannot govern, that would be as simple minded and prejudiced as the Christian right  I simply believe that the more dedicated a person becomes to their faith the more they will have to choose if they want to lead or be missionaries.  In this country you cannot be both.  Simple as that.  Your faith is YOUR faith and YOURS alone.  

With as much respect as I can muster for Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and others like them...this is NOT just a Christian nation.  We are a nation of different faiths, different views and different ideologies and while the rest of us may be going to hell (according to your faith) we are not there yet so you will just have to realize the reality of the fact and learn that it is liberty and justice for all...not just Christians, not just your brothers and sisters....but rather ALL.

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...

Can we? Are we?

In the wake of the tragic events in Tucson, AZ the most poignant words spoken were those by Rep. Gifford's brother in law, Commander Scott Kelly, commanding officer at the International Space Station:


"We have a unique vantage point here aboard the International Space Station. As I look out the window, I see a very beautiful planet that seems very inviting and peaceful. Unfortunately, it is not,  These days, we are constantly reminded of the unspeakable acts of violence and damage we can inflict upon one another, not just with our actions, but also with our irresponsible words. We're better than this. We must do better."

These words somehow resonated with me for some reason.  I am a passionate person, and while I have never advocated, condoned, joked about or in any way, shape or form encouraged or implied violence, I am still a man of strong passions and opinions and recent events have made me reflect a little more on my words. I think the first two questions that came to mind, after reading this statement, were the two in the title of this blog...Yes we must do better...but...Can we? and Are we better than this?

As you know, I am both an atheist and a liberal.  I am also a bit of cynic and a pessimist when it comes to the "good nature" of my fellow man.  I am a firm believer that we are, in essence, animals by nature.  Sure we can talk, have opposable thumbs, and some of us can think and spell (occasionally), but at our very core we are animals with all the instincts and capabilities that such a statement implies.  What ultimately makes us different is that we have social boundaries that make us behave different from animals.

For example, we would shudder at the thought of having a bowel movement (in an effort to avoid the profane and vulgar in order to not invalidate my entire argument) in the middle of the street like a dog.  But that is actually a more recent development in our human history as such a thing was not unheard of in earlier times of our social development.  We detest the thought of killing and, indeed, every society at some point has had some rule that made killing a detestable act, but consider this: if tomorrow the world was one post apocalyptic horror, would you hesitate to steal, and if need be, kill in order to feed your children?  See?  What makes us different is not our instincts, not what is in that deepest darkest place in our soul, but rather the environment we live in and operate in.

Here is another example for you to consider.  I was watching the movie, "The Pianist".  The movie is set in Nazi Germany during WWII.  This movie gave me much to think about.  I have always thought of the big names in the Third Reich and thought how evil these men were, how soulless and dark.  Names like Hitler and Himmler induce thoughts of the incredible evil and cruelty these men promoted, encouraged and enacted.  However, as I watched "The Pianist", what struck me was not the cruelty and horrors of Hitler and Himmler but rather of the average enlisted man, the average soldier, the average citizen.  Now mind you, I do not ignore the fact that there were acts of heroism and generosity.  I understand that many sacrificed their lives in order to assist and save the lives of the Jews that the cruel regime attempted to destroy.  So the argument may be made that these people embody the best traits of the human animal.  My reply as that these people show the strength of those social restraints when held firmly in a logical mind, the echoes of a fading society. But that is not the point of this argument.  What struck me was the casual cruelty of the average soldier.  The pleasure they took out of culling a few from the crowd and senselessly killing them with a casual shot in the head.  The casual manner in which a group of soldiers could take a cripple in a wheel chair and dump him off of a balcony.  These acts, that in any other environment would be reprehensible, were rewarded.  And while yes there were acts of kindness and heroism and sacrifice, the fact that these men nearly took over the entirety of Europe brought to mind the sheer cruel animal that we can be, given the right circumstances.

John Calvin, Reformer and founder of the Presbyterian church and the Calvinistic point of view, believed that man at his very core is evil and without hope.  Man, in and of himself, is incapable of helping himself or changing himself.  He may wear a facade, may be bound by the constraints of society, but at his core he is an animal and can never truly be changed into something better.  The answer, according to Calvin, was trust in God and that God chose some for a destiny of happiness and redemption and others for their just deserts as the animals they are.  As already mentioned, I am an atheist and therefore do not subscribe to the idea that a non existing being can change man.  I do, however, agree that at our core we are beasts that are held in constraint by the limitations of society, limitations that come, not from a divine being and his rules that apply to everybody other than himself, but rather from a sense of self preservation.  We do not want to be killed, so therefore we prohibit it.  We want to keep our things, therefore, stealing is not permitted.  These rules have surfaced over time, through every step of our development but are not inherent to our race.

When I was growing up I read a book called, Through Gates of Splendor.  This book was about a group of missionaries led by Jim Elliot, that went to South America, and were brutally murdered by the natives.  The process was unique though.  Among the Aucas, the tribe that killed them, it was considered a skill to befriend and lull to complacency an enemy before killing them.  Killing them was an art but it was considered an achievement to "fatten for the kill".  For these people, killing was not only a way of life, it was an expected behavior.  The Mayans were notorious for massive feasts that involved nothing more than butchering countless victims, ripping their hearts out and holding it up while the organ beat its last.  The point I am getting at is that when man is removed from the constraints of society, of "civilized" society, then the same patterns of violence and cruelty will emerge.  Even more pertinent to the tragedy in Tuscon, is the case of Nazi Germany that I already mentioned; when society adapts to allow for violence and even encourages cruelty, as a race we will, with a few exceptions, revert back to the basest instincts that exist in our genetic makeup.

So I ask again...ARE we better than this?  The answer, in my opinion, is that at our core we are not, BUT thanks to the restraints of society we CAN be a part of the facade in order to promote self preservation.  In other words...We MUST do better.  But what happens when logic, self preservation and the general well being of our fellow man is superseded by a sick mind?  Well the tragedy that happened in Tucson is what happens.  The despicable irreverence of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas that plans on protesting at the funerals of the victims of this tragedy happens.  What separates us from animals is not only the restrictions of society, but our ability to understand why they are necessary and the capability of the human mind to understand the logic, and in the absence of logic, the emotional reasoning for adhering to those rules and restrictions.  When we lose the ability to understand we lose the ability to restrain ourselves from foolish and sometimes cruel acts.

Much has been made of Sarah Palin and the political rhetoric of our time.  It is no secret that I am no fan of Sarah Palin.  I have made that abundantly clear on this blog.  I will not go so far as to say that Palin is to blame for this violence, the perpetrator must be responsible for his own actions, and blaming Sarah Palin for it does nothing to solve the problem.  Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, Sean Hannity, Keith Olberman, Ed Harris, Rachel Maddow and the other extremists on both sides of the political spectrum have certainly not helped the environment but they are not to blame for this person's actions, he is.

I do not believe that either side is innocent in the extreme tension that has taken over the conversation in this country.  I do not, however, agree with those that say that both sides are equal and that the left is as violent as the right, but in the final analysis, pointing fingers does not fix the problem.  Neither does covering for people fix the problem.  Whether Sarah Palin likes it or not, whether the pundits from the right like it or not, Palin did post a map with cross hairs and then called for her followers to "not retreat but reload".  With all the respect I can muster for Limbaugh, Bortz, Hannity and the others rushing to Palin's defense, if she meant it as geological survey symbols she would have referred to "digging the opponents out" not reload to remove them.  Her intentions were clear and covering for her only excuses her.  I repeat that I am not blaming Palin for this act, but I do blame her and others like her for promoting an environment that removes those social restraints and provides an excuse in the mind of those whose mind is already disturbed.  No, the shooter was not a Tea Party member, and more than likely really lacked any real political identification or affiliation.  His politics is not what makes the connection to Palin and others like her, it is the fact that at our core we are violent animals and it is only the restraints of society that keeps that beast in check and when an environment promotes that violence, and excuses that violence, making it non consequential, then those restraints are removed and the weakest minds in our midst can, in the chaos of their own mind, excuse their behavior.

Conservative blogger, David Frum, said it best:
"Again: this talk did not cause this crime. But this crime should summon us to some reflection on this talk. Better: This crime should summon us to a quiet collective resolution to cease this kind of talk and to cease to indulge those who engage in it."

We, and I do mean we, have to realize that providing an excuse, making violence humorous or worse, patriotic, using extremes to describe and define our elected officials, only removes the restraints that bind us from the weakest minds amongst us resulting in the kind of tragedy we have seen in Arizona.  Are we better?  No, not really, but we MUST do better...there is no doubt about that...

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…

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...

"Gotcha" ya idiot...

So there is a fad going around with the new crack pots of the tea party patriots. The candidates the media love to promote and love to interview because the gems of idiocy these people give up as offerings to the media are really just too good to be true! Of course it is NOT the fault of the candidate being interviewed...it is the fault of the one doing the interview. So let us for a moment look at a few things about this....

1). Their Terminology

I find the way they refer to the media humorous. They have several terms when referring to any media that is not radio talk show hosts and Faux Noise (FOX News)that are quite funny...and curious. For instance the reference to the Media as "Big Media" (as opposed to big business and big oil?) the Elite Media (as opposed to crude, rude and fear mongering right wing nut jobs like Rush Limbaugh and Hannity) "Gotcha Journalism" (as opposed to their patsy on the radio waves that actually agree with their radical ideas and cover for them.) These cracked tea pots cater to the hate and the fear mongering of the racist, neo nazi, theocratic extreme right wing that seem to fail to understand that freedom of speech is also accompanied by freedom of the press...which means if you say something stupid on Sunday...you can bet the whole country will hear of it by Monday.

2). Their Ideology

Here's what gets me. Where does personal responsibility come in? Think about it for a minute; the media is SUPPOSED to ask tough questions. How do you think Watergate came out? How do you think the right got all of their ammunition for Monicagate? How do you think these things happen? The media is SUPPOSED to ask tough questions. It is their job. And the conservatives were not talking about "gotcha journalism" when THAT was all going down. The media asks their questions and the politician answers them. So who, in fact, is responsible for the answers? I agree that taking statements out of context is wrong...like when the radical right was going around saying that President Obama was saying that "America is not a Christian nation" (which is of course the truth but that is another blog post) when in reality what he said is that America is no longer a Christian nation-only...it is also a Muslim, Jewish, and a nation of non believers. But the wording made it convenient to cut off the only and everything that followed. THAT is "gotcha journalism". But asking a question, even a tough question, that elicits a stupid, radical and unpopular answer from an obtuse moron is not the fault of the person asking the question but rather of the person giving the answer.

The point is that for a group of people that want to talk about personal responsibility and accountability, they have a very hard time being personally responsible and accountable for their answers and their idiocy. They solve this dilemma by avoiding the media, shutting them out, only allowing their right wing nut job buddies in, people that won't ask them the questions that show they are out of touch with the majority of Americans and will reveal their looney policy ideas. They answer the criticisms with pouting, whining and accusations. It boils down to this...like it or not...regardless of WHAT the political leanings of the reporter...if you can't answer the question of an insignificant peon from CNN or the Washington Times...then what makes you think you can answer the questions of the President of France, the President of Russia or the leaders of Iran, Iraq and a dozen of other nations that hate us and are always trying to trap us in some moral dilemma that will put us in trouble with the rest of the world. What will they do when they walk down the steps of the Capitol and the media is waiting for them? Or when they are in the Rose Garden?

3). The Cracked Tea Pots

SO just a couple of comments on the poster children of the crack tea pots.

Sarah Palin...Seriously...the queen of idiocy...the half term governor that would be queen. She seems to still be under the delusion that she can win the presidency. The woman who made even Bill O'Reilly roll his eyes at her stupidity and empty headed dribble manages to keep herself in the news...all the while bashing the Elite Media. FOX News, the fair and balanced idiots and pawns of the movement they created, just sucks on the crotch of this woman's panties! I mean excuse the vulgarity, but seriously...Fox makes no attempt at fair and balanced when it comes to Palin and her crackpot ideas. They just nod their heads all intellectual looking like, like she really makes sense, and why can't ALL of America see the absolute brilliance of this nut job that can't even finish a full term as governor of a half empty state but thinks she can be the leader of the free world.

Sarah Palin's run ins with the media are well documented. Ever since that fateful interview with Katie Couric, in which the Elite Media were out to get her by asking her questions...gosh durn it...how dare they ask her questions!!!!! Since then she has waged a war with the media...and the funny thing is she really thinks she can win. Sure there is a level of distrust from the American people when it come to the media, but can you imagine what George W. Bush would have been able to do if the media was not watching him like a hawk? Hell...look at what he DID get away with!




Michelle Bachmann....this woman has the intelligence of Palin with the charisma of Perot. She really is a scary sight to see. This woman is the personification of Forest Gump's motto...Stupid is Stupid does. This is the woman that accused "libruls" and President Obama of "celebrating" 9/11 because he referred to the "anniversary" of that infamous day. If she thinks that the word "anniversary" necessarily means a celebration...then she must have never been married! This woman has appeared beside Palin so many times that even Hannity, bless his limited intelligence, referred to a Palin-Bachmann team...of course...the only question is who gets to be on top!















Rand Paul...The boy who would be king. This guy has managed to give us the picture of the future of America under the rule of the Tea Party. An America where the White Supremacists rule, the Civil Rights Act is removed, handicapped people are back to being a bother to society and not treated with decency and respect. A world where God is ruler, the Bible is the law book and bigoted Christians determine who can be married, who can be leaders and who has any right to control their bodies. An America where our elderly can be treated with indecency and lack of respect, back at the mercy of family that don't want to pay or are incapable of paying for proper care and medication and the government takes the money that they have given and invest it in war and bloodshed. A world where big business and big oil run everything under some pretense of free market. A world like the one we already live in...only worse.






Sharron Angle...Harry Reid's opponent in Nevada is another perfect example of the idiocy and the totally out of touch lunacy that seems to be such a huge part of the tea party. A woman that advocates doing away with Social Security, advocates the USA walking away from the UN and also said that the purpose of the Second Amendment is to arm the citizens so they could throw down out of control government and then added the words, "if Congress keeps going the way it is going..." as though it would justify an insurrection in our country.







The funny thing is...The Republican Party and FOX News, created a monster they can't control. The media is biased be it for the right or for the left. They purposely ask questions to corner the opposing candidate. It is what happens in politics. It dates back through our entire history. It is only "gotcha" journalism when you they "getcha" or get your your opponent. In the mean time, if you do not want to be in the fish bowl, do not want to be asked the hard questions and do want to trouble yourself with facts, logic and reality...then stay the hell home.

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.

National Day of Prayer...easy as the First Amendment

So tomorrow (or today by the time you read this) is the National Day of Prayer. A day that has been recently ruled as un Constitutional by a court of law and will be appealed by the current Administration which is kind of disappointing considering that as a Constitutional Lawyer this President should know better. But in all fairness his Presidency has given rise to more kooks, nut cases, radical and hate groups than any President before him. The accusations of him not being a national born American by the birthers, a Muslim God hater by the right, a socialist Nazi Marxist Kenyan by the Tea Party and a N*&$^% by dumbass rednecks abound and fill our media, our internet, magazines and newspapers...oh and don't forget our radio waves. So given the political environment in which the President is operating I cant say I blame him...but am still disappointed in him.

First, this has NOTHING to do with me being an atheist. While I personally have no use for faith I do respect it and respect people's right to it. This goes way beyond personal beliefs and faith. This has to do with freedom and has to do with the Constitution and has to do with the fact that one law is for the whole nation. This is a nation based on equality and freedom of speech and freedom of religion. We have a wall of separation of church and state for a reason. Because our fore fathers came to this great nation from a world that was dominated by Catholicism in some places and Protestantism in others...the Church of England to be specific in their case. Religion dictated state affairs in these countries in Europe, and our fore fathers had the common sense to know that this could not be the case in this new nation they were founding.

I have several problems with the National Day of Prayer that have absolutely NOTHING to do with faith or with being an atheist. Consider these:

(1) The First Amendment

Simply put here are the facts. On April 17, 1952 President Harry S Truman signed a law that had been passed by Congress declaring that every President that followed MUST set aside an annual Day of Prayer. I want to emphasize the fact that it was a law passed by Congress.The First Amendment of the Constitution reads...

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;

Simply put...Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...Congress made a law that establishes predominance to religion in general and a certain type of religion to be specific. Make no mistake this is a law that specifically singles out the Judeo-Christan system of belief and grants it a special place above others. So it boils down to the Constitution, Congress shall make no law...Congress has made a law...it is that straight forward.

(2) The fact that the very proponents of the National Day of Prayer are the very ones that PERSECUTE other faiths.

Consider this for a moment: The very ones that are attacking the President on the bogus charge that he is trying to do away with the National Day of Prayer are the very ones that are also attacking him because they claim he is a Muslim, though he has been Church of Christ for 20+ years. Why should this be a problem? If we are talking about Freedom of Religion that is. But we are not really talking about Freedom of Religion. We are talking about Freedom of THEIR Religion...and not just freedom; we are talking about a favored place for their religious views, a recognition that their religious views have priority. Would these same radical nut jobs be in favor of a National Day that recognizes Ramadan? These very people would be foaming at the mouth. Once again it proves the point...the Constitution is meaningless to these people, the Bill of Rights is merely parchment for them to wipe their ass with UNTIL THEY wants something....then it is all about freedom and law and rights.

This nation has a history of Christian Privilege. This nation has a history giving priority to those of faith treating people of a different faith or of no faith as second class citizens. The National Day of Prayer excludes every citizen that is not Judeo-Christian. It excludes pagans, Native Americans, Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists, Agnostics and a whole slew of people from different walks of life and faiths and views. It violates our Constitution and it tears down the wall of separation of church and state.

Sarah Palin and her fellow wackos like James Dobson and Billy and Franklin Graham try to tell us that there should be no separation of church and state and that they are losing their rights (give me a fucking break and cry me a river of tears so I can piss in it!). And my response to them is that just as they like to scream socialism and how it has been tried and failed and we don't need that here, well theocracy has been tried in countries like Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Pakistan and others like it and you know what? It doesn't work and we don't want it or need it here.