Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Sued for Legal Malpractice

Steven Hackbarth of Silver Lake Minnesota has filed a Legal Malpractice lawsuit against Republican Gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. Mr. Hackbarth was a former supporter of Emmer stating "I pulled floats for him in parades for years. I have a John Deere tractor. My daughter has a goat, and we'd put a sandwich board on the goat with Emmer signs," Hackbarth told the blog, Ripple in Stillwater. "And now all I got was kicked in the head."

I found this story on page 2A of my local newspaper, but I commend Karl Bremer of The Ripple in Stillwater Blog for breaking this story. Of course Mr. Emmer has denied any wrong doing and has even gone as far as to accuse Mr. Hackbarth of extortion. I didn't know filing a lawsuit was extortion... Careful Mr. Emmer, burning the bridges of your former supporters can come back to bite you.

Please follow the link in this entry to The Ripple in Stillwater Blog". His story is very well written and the comments left thus far make good observations.

GOP sponsored Gay bashing has consequences

It's been a while since I've posted to my blog. It's not that I haven't had anything to say. Health Care Reform was just so important to me that things coming up since haven't seemed worth talking about... until now.

All of the political advertisements being thrown at us from both side of the political isle are disturbingly negative. But these conservative political and "Christian" organizations must take responsibility for what happens as a result of their "free-speech" protected gay bashing. Political ads portraying gay & lesbian people in a negative light, as "sinful", "immoral" & even calling them "dangerous" & threatening to the sanctity of marriage go too far. These advertisements incite hate & violent acts toward the gay & lesbian community in general but even worse they inspire students in our Nation's schools to feel justified when they bully their fellow students over their sexuality. The result? Suicides.

Search the internet or watch your local & national news, you'll find a recent rash of suicides. The sentiment is generally the same, "bullying is wrong" or "if we'd known maybe we could have stopped it". Bull Shit. We, as a society, sit by and allow the GOP & "Christian" groups to bash people based on their sexual orientation & then act surprised & shocked when that bashing has consequences. It's time to STOP! It's time to THINK!

Of course the Political & Religious Conservatives will say I'm politicizing a tragic event, again I say Bull Shit. That's an easy way for them to wiggle out of taking responsibility for their words. They don't want to admit they are inciting hate. The truth is if Jesus were here today he would be appalled at the Religious & Political Conservatives & what they do in "His" name. He would compare them to the Pharisees & turn over their tables in anger at their perversion of his message. Jesus taught us to love our neighbors, not hate them. Jesus taught us to accept those who are different, not turn them away & condemn them. I challenge "Christians" & Conservative Politicians to take a good look in the mirror & then to really think hard. When they reach the gates of Heaven will they be allowed in? Have they lived in the manner Jesus taught? Or have they spent so much time trying to condemn others that all they've really accomplished is to condemn themselves... to Hell.

#GOP, Reconciliation is NOT "The Nuclear Option"

Dear Republicans & Fox News:

Reconciliation & "The Nuclear Option" are not one in the same thing but two distinctly different legislative processes. Get your facts straight or Shut Up.

From Wikipedia:
In U.S. politics, the nuclear option is an attempt by a majority of the United States Senate to end a filibuster by invoking a point of order to essentially declare the filibuster unconstitutional which can be decided by a simple majority, rather than seeking formal cloture with a supermajority of 60 senators. Although it is not provided for in the formal rules of the Senate, the procedure is the subject of a 1957 parliamentary opinion and has been used on several occasions since. Senator Trent Lott (Republican of Mississippi) first called the option "nuclear" in March 2003;[1][2] prior to this it was known as the constitutional option.

Thank You Amy Klobuchar!

Amy Klobuchar has committed her support to Reconciliation in Health Care Reform! As of today we have 30 signatures in support of Reconciliation, that's so awesome! Mrs. Klobuchar's statement is below:

AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN):

"I support the House bill version of the public option which is based on negotiated rates, and if that came up for a vote in reconciliation I would vote yes. I do not support a public option based on Medicare rates because it exacerbates geographic disparities that already hurt Minnesota."

This is a major milestone but the fight is not over! Please contact your legislator and encourage them to sign the letter to Harry Reid in support of Reconciliation! Follow this link to get started today!

Introducing... Lucky!

Watch the Health Care Summit

[UPDATED] Stop #Beck - Visa

[Update] Here is the response I received to my email...

Thank you for your recent correspondence regarding Visa’s advertising.

As a brand that was built on the trust and respect of its consumers, Visa values input from the people who use our products every day. Feedback such as yours is vitally important to our business.

We have forwarded your comments regarding the Glen Beck Show to our media-buying team. You can be assured that your views - along with those of your fellow consumers - will be taken into account as we plan for the future.

Again, thank you for taking the time to let us know your thoughts on this important topic.

Regards,

Visa Webmaster

Today we are contacting Visa, here is my email...

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am writing to ask you to discontinue your sponsoring of Glenn Beck. He spreads hate, incites and encourages anti-government sentiment and encourages race baiting. These practices negatively impact your customers, Glenn Beck is bad for your business.

Do the best thing you can for your business and discontinue your sponsorship of Glenn Beck.

Thank you

Please contact Visa with me and help Stop Beck!

UPDATE:
You can also contact Visa directly at 415-932-2564. This number is monitored Monday - Friday 9am-8pm EST. Thank you to an Anonymous commenter for the information.

Contacting Sponsors of Glenn Beck's-Chattem Companies

My email to Chattem Companies regarding their sponsorship of Glenn Beck's Fox News Network program.

Dear Consumer,

Let me start by telling you how much we appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts about our advertising. Chattem has been in business for over 125 years, and in that time, we have learned to listen to our consumers above everyone else. It is through feedback such as yours that we attain a real time understanding of the sensitivities and concerns of consumers. I will forward your comments to the appropriate department for review.

Again, thank you again for taking the time to contact us.

Sincerely,
Susan Shell
Consumer Affairs Representative


Sent: Monday, February 22, 2010 5:43 PM
To: Consumer Affairs
Subject: Your Sponsorship of Glenn Beck

I am contacting you to ask that you discontinue your company's
sponsorship of Glenn Beck on Fox News Network. Glenn Beck spreads hate
& bigotry against the very people who purchase your many products. It
is not good business to sponsor his vile hatred.

If you would like to join in our fight to stop the spread of bigotry and hatred br Glenn Beck, you can contact Chattem Consumer Affairs by following this link.

Thank You

Now Watching StopBeck.com

Please visit and support StopBeck.com Free speech is one thing, but hate is quite another, lets put an end to Beck's hate. Contact his remaining sponsors and tell them to stop supporting hate and bigotry. Click on the post title or follow this link and start contacting sponsors!

Thank you for your support!

[UPDATED] Note to Senator Amy Klobuchar

I composed this note to Senator Amy Klobuchar upon hearing that she had mailed a letter stating she does not intend to sign the letter to Harry Reid in support of Reconciliation and the Public Option. I'm sharing the contents of that letter in the hope it will inspire you to also compose a note to Senator Klobuchar encouraging her to sign the letter and support the Reconciliation and Public Option. Feel free to copy my note if you wish.

I have heard you will not sign the letter in support of the Public Option. I would like to ask you to reconsider. The Public Option is supported by a majority of Americans and its potential for cost savings is important. As you know the cost of health care for Minnesotans, as well as the rest of Americans, is skyrocketing. We need to revamp our health care system and that revamp needs to include a strong public option. Please take time to think about this issue again and reconsider your position. Join your fellow Senator Al Franken and sign the letter in support of the Public Option & Reconciliation.

Thank you for your time.

You can locate Senator Klobuchar's website by clicking on the header to this post or go straight to her email form by clicking here.

UPDATE 2/18/10:
This evening in my email I received a response from Senator Klobuchar, I have pasted it in its entirety below...

February 18, 2010

Thank you for contacting me about health care reform. Knowing your views is important to me as I work to ensure that Americans have affordable, high-quality health care choices. Many of you have written to me in the past and I want to take a moment to update you on the status of the health care reform legislation.

As you know, I am committed to enacting reform that will provide stable coverage and lower costs for Minnesota families, businesses, and individuals. Health spending in our country currently accounts for more than one-sixth of our economy. It is imperative that we act to make the system cost-effective, proactive and stable. As Congress works toward solutions to rising health care costs, I will continue to push for a bill that includes strong cost reforms, protections against insurance company abuses, comprehensive Medicare coverage and debt reduction.

This past fall health care reform legislation passed in the House of Representatives. The Senate passed its version of the health care reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, at the end of December. The Senate bill includes incentives to increase access to primary care doctors, especially in rural areas; provides extensive tax credits to small businesses to purchase health care plans for employees; bans insurance companies from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions; fixes the "donut hole" by giving seniors better coverage for their prescription drugs; and includes provisions to combat Medicare fraud. If enacted, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office indicates that the Senate bill would reduce the federal deficit by $132 billion and extend the solvency of Medicare by nine years.

Currently, procedural options for the bill include having the House of Representatives pass the Senate health reform bill with changes and send it back to the Senate for a vote, or begin work on passing a revised bill. Among the changes I would like to see are eliminating the "Nebraska deal," improved protection for middle-class taxpayers, and making sure there is more transparency as the process continues.

While we continue to consider this legislation, I will work to ensure any version ultimately passed by Congress includes measures to benefit our state. I fought hard to ensure that the Senate bill included specific provisions to provide better health care for Minnesotans. Minnesota has consistently provided higher quality care, yet our health care providers are reimbursed for their services at a disproportionately low rate. To address this problem I worked to make sure that my bill to create a "value index" within the Medicare reimbursement system was included in the Senate bill. This provision would reduce costs by rewarding high-quality, cost-effective results, rather than paying procedure-by-procedure.

I was also able to ensure that the Senate bill reduced the original fee on medical devices - an innovative industry critical to our state's economy - by $18 billion and I worked to secure additional Medicaid dollars for the state of Minnesota. The Senate bill also includes the EARLY Act, a bill that I introduced to provide increased support and awareness to young women about the risks of breast cancer.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. One of the most important parts of my job is listening to what the people of Minnesota have to say to me. I am here in our nation's capital to do the public's business and to serve the people of our state. I hope you will contact me again about matters of concern to you.

Sincerely,
Amy Klobuchar
United States Senator

The response doesn't actually address my concerns, in fact it really skirts my whole email and just tells me what Health Care Reform she supports. The question of the letter to Harry Reid isn't even addressed in her response. Perhaps YOU can get a better response from her. Please email Senator Klobuchar and ask her to sign the letter to Harry Reid in support of a Public Option and using Reconciliation to pass it. Hurry, email her today!

There's still time to save Health Care Reform

Reconciliation in a legislative process is defined as follows:

A legislative process in the United States Senate intended to allow consideration of a contentious bill without the threat of filibuster.

Bold Democratic Representatives have authored a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid encouraging him to use reconciliation in passing Health Care Reform with a Public Option. But we still need your help. Contact your Representative and tell them you support a Strong Public Option. Follow the link, fill in your Name, Address & Zip Code then follow the instructions to call your Representative and voice your support!

You CAN make a difference, call your Representative today!

Winter Stock Photos

Had some fresh snow today so I bundled up and got a few new Stock Photos from my backyard. I've uploaded them to my deviantART account and you can preview them in the slide show at the bottom of this page.

Hope someone can use them and please share with me, what you come up with!

Thanks for looking!

My iPhone Apps

I've had my iPhone for about 2 months. Shorter than most but long enough to have accumulated a fair amount of "apps" along the way. I've decided to share with you some of the apps I have downloaded and tell you my thoughts on them. If you enjoy this article, please let me know in the comments and I will do more like it.

Best Buy Best Shopper
We were recently shopping around for a new LED television so I downloaded this little gem as an aid to watch prices at Best Buy, where we planned on making our purchase. The app let me know any time the prices on the televisions we were watching dropped or went up, as well as the lowest and highest those prices reached in a period of about the past couple months. What were my results? The app enabled me to purchase my new television at the lowest price in recent history so it's purpose was achieved. Were there any negatives to this app? We were also able to get a surround sound bar with our television in addition to getting it at the lowest historical price. How is this a con? We stumbled upon this deal because we had very good timing, the app did not list this additional purchase incentive. Not really much of a negative but maybe more like a way to improve it in future updates.

Twittelator
I tried many different Twitter apps when I got my iPhone. Many were good but one stood out to me and I now use it exclusively, Twittelator. I like Twittelator because in addition to letting me view the tweets of the people I follow as other common Twitter apps do, it also allows me to view tweets in which I am mentioned, Tweets that are directly and exclusively to me and, best of all, the new Twitter Re-tweets. What else do I like about Twittelator? Smileys. When communicating online and especially when you are limited to 140 characters, words can be easily misunderstood, smileys help communicate intention and emotion. Smileys are to the written word as body language is to verbal communication. I love smileys. Of course its got more options too, like it allows you to manually tweet what you are listening to in the iPod app. Even better, it also allows you to tweet a picture either from your media library or via an impromptu snapshot. Very cool feature. What are its cons? If it has any cons, I haven't found them yet. I love this app!

On the chance that you don't care for my app reviews, I'm going to limit these first reviews to two. If you enjoyed these reviews and want me to write more, please leave a comment and let me know. I know most people don't leave comments on the blogs they read but I do and would really like to hear what you think of my posts.

Thanks for visiting!

We MUST Pass Health Care Reform!

Reconciliation in a legislative process is defined as follows:

A legislative process in the United States Senate intended to allow consideration of a contentious bill without the threat of filibuster.

Health Care Reform is in jeopardy. Although the Democrats have the largest majority in decades, they no longer have the magic filibuster proof 60 votes. But all is not lost. Representatives Jared Polis and Chellie Pingree have authored a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid encouraging him to use reconciliation in passing Health Care Reform with a Public Option. But we still need your help. Contact your Representative and tell them you support a Strong Public Option. Follow the link, fill in your Name, Address & Zip Code then follow the instructions to call your Representative and voice your support!

You CAN make a difference, call your Representative today!

How to Extract a Background

I am a Photographer by passion but you can't be a photographer in todays digital world without knowing how to manipulate them. In my quest to learn Adobe's Photoshop, I've found more than a few helpful Photoshop Tutorials. Today I'm going to highlight a very helpful but basic tutorial on How to Extract an Images Background. It's hosted at my favorite artistic website, DeviantART. Follow the link and learn something new today! :-)

World Citizen or Sepratist Nation

Recently the Supreme Court overturned limits on Corporate and Union campaign contributions. The actual opinion can be viewed here. This decision has the possibility of changing the political scene dramatically. No longer will the playing field be somewhat even between the small contributor, large special interest groups, Corporations and Unions. Large contributors may now have the opportunity to finance entire campaigns for politicians who may not have otherwise had the support of the majority of voters. Even worse, foreign corporations may now be free to influence our domestic politics, policies and politicians. How did this happen and what effect will it ultimately have on the United States?

Yes according to law Corporations are to be treated as individuals, I remember learning this in Business Law. If I remember correctly, the purpose of this was to protect business owners from being personally sued or held personally liable in court as well as giving the IRS a way to collect taxes from these large companies.

What will the eventual fallout be from this decision? Time will tell. Maybe things will work out so the American people will be able to see through the corporate sponsored advertisements that will soon be flooding their television and other media. Perhaps the average American voter will be able to distinguish between cleverly doctored political propaganda and political advertisements that are being influenced by off-shore Corporations. Or perhaps American politics will begin to behave more as World Citizens and Neighbors instead of behaving like the self-righteous Nation that knows what's best for the rest of the World even though it's the youngest of all the large Countries.

Which is the correct position to take? We'll have to wait for the future to reveal that answer.

Democratic vs Republican Psychie

I had just composed and posted a tweet along this same line when a few minutes later I came across this article by BaxterBlogs.

My Tweet:
The diff tween Repubs & Dems: Repubs throw temper tantrums when they lose, Dems roll over and accept it. #Sad #Truth

The title of the BaxterBlogs post:
Are the Democrats better at FIGHTING the establishment than BEING the establishment?

The similarities are eerie, get outa my head Baxter! ;-) Seriously, I was going to compose a post for my blog along these same lines but Baxter said it so well, I'm just going to direct y'all over to her Blog. Please remember to leave some comment love for her and I'd appreciate it if you'd let her know you found her blog through mine. :-)

BaxterBlogs

The Political Carnival gets it right

As you may know, I follow The Political Carnival, this article stands out to me and warrents highlighting. Please follow the link to read the full post.

The L.A. Times had a splendid editorial today. However I have to take issue with one sentence: "People are smart enough to separate fictional morality tales from reality." Please contine to The Political Carnival to read the whole article.

Pants on the Ground

Unlike most of the US, I'm afraid I must admit that I don't watch American Idol. But you don't have to be an Idol Fan to know who General Larry Platt is. You might answer that by saying "He's the guy who sang that Pants on the Ground song!" and you'd be right, but that's not his only accomplishment. Mr Platt is also an American Civil Rights veteran, having marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr!

Larry Platt lives in East Atlanta where he surrounds himself with plaques commemorating his work toward Civil Rights and photographs of himself with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and he wants to make sure his recent celebrity doesn't overshadow his Civil Rights work. He's still an activist to this day! He can often be seen in downtown Atlanta holding signs protesting foreclosures, war, violence and racism. But one day when he saw a young man with his pants hanging below his waist he thought "After all this work I did with Dr. King ... walking around with your pants on the ground? They're going to have to get them up. I'm sorry." and with that he came up with the lyrics that have caught the attention of America and possibly the world.

So here is the video and the lyrics are printed below...



Pants on the ground,

Pants on the ground,

Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground!

With the gold in your mouth,

Hat turned sideways,

Pants hit the ground,

Call yourself a cool cat,

Lookin' like a fool,

Walkin' downtown with your pants on the ground!

Get it up, hey!

Get your pants off the ground,

Lookin' like a fool,

Walkin' talkin' with your pants on the ground.

Get it up, hey!

Get your pants off the ground,

Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground!

And it wouldn't be complete for a Minnesota Girl if I didn't include Brett Favre's version...

Massachusetts & the Future of America [Updated]

Health Care Reform in America is a top priority yet all the progress we've made could be lost in an instant if tomorrow's Massachusetts election is won by the Republican Party.

Massachusetts is holding a Special Election Tuesday January 19th to fill the seat vacated by the late Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy. In the running for the seat are (D)Attorney General, Martha Coakley; (R)State Senator, Scott Brown; (Ind)Libertarian Activist, Joe Kennedy; and (Write-in)Anti-Biotech Engineering Activist, John Howard. Leading the race are (D) Martha Coakley and (R) Scott Brown who are literally neck and neck in the polls. The outcome of this race is important because it could mean the end of Health Care Reform. The White House sees this race as so important, President Barack Obama made a campaign stop in Massachusetts in support of Martha Coakley. We need to win this seat, Health Care Reform is too important.

What can any of us do? If you have extra to give, you can visit Martha's campaign site and donate to her campaign. More importantly, you can contact any of your friends or family members living in Massachusetts and express your support for Martha Coakley. Explain to them why it's important for Ms. Coakley to win this race and what it means for the whole country. Encourage residents of Massachusetts to get out and vote, we can't win this race if people stay home.

Want some background information on the Republican candidate Scott Brown? Think Progress has information on Mr. Brown's position on Obama's legitimacy, his attempts to kill aide to Haiti and his justification for denying aid to 9/11 workers. Need more reasons to support Martha Coakley over Scott Brown? His relationship with Wall Street Fat Cats should give anyone an extra push.

Support Health Care Reform, Support Martha Coakley!

Update:
Received this tweet from Martha Coakley
Take action! Text CALL to 62262. You'll then get a call back w/talking points + connect to a Massachusetts voter #MASen

Favorite Reading

I like to read. I first discovered my love for reading while in High School. Literature was a required course for graduation but I was fortunate enough to be in a school that allowed for individual choice. We were able to choose from a selection of literature classes that included Classic Literature, Pop Literature, Modern Literature and several others I don't recall anymore. I chose Pop Literature and with that choice I was introduced to Robert Ludlum.

My tastes in books have evolved over the years. I've drifted from the likes of Robert Ludlum to the Vampire Series of Anne Rice but currently I enjoy what I like to call Historical Fiction. Wikipedia describes historical fiction as "a sub-genre of fiction that often portrays fictional accounts or dramatization of historical figures or events." Although not included in Wikipedia's list, currently my favorite authors are Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W Michael Gear. They are both archeologists who, as a husband and wife team, write a series of books referred to as "The First North Americans" series.

"The First North Americans" series are the stories of fictional Native American characters whose lives are based on archeological history in pre-historic North America. The characters are engaging and intelligent. The stories are suspenseful with plenty of plot twists. I have not read one book in the series that was not a page turner. The Gears have supplied plenty of books to keep you entertained and not just in the one genera either. Yes the Gears, together, have over a dozen published books in "The First North Americans" series but they also write books independently. W Michael Gear has at least a dozen books written independently of his wife Kathleen. And Kathleen O'Neal Gear has published almost the same number on her own.

Check out their site and get to know the Gears and while you're there surf over to their blog and read up on their personal adventures as well as those of their book characters who occasionally escape and leave post entries in the Gear's absence. These authors are not just for book readers, they are right at home on the web as well.

The Colbert Nation Campaigns for Haiti

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Haiti Disaster Relief Donations - Kathleen Sebelius
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Economy

Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief
Text the word HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross.

Other ways to donate:
• American Red Cross
  
• Mercy Corps Haiti Earthquake Fund
  
• Partners in Health
  
• The White House

God Bless Haiti [Updated]

Organizations Helping Haiti:
• American Red Cross
  
• Doctors Without Borders
  
• American Refugee Committee
  
• Americares

There are many more organizations available, just Google "Haiti Emergency Relief Fund" Thank you

Coming Clean

Mark McGwire has Come Clean. Don't know what that means? Let me clarify.

During Mark McGwire's tenure with the St. Louis Cardinals he broke several rather long-standing records, the most recent one being Roger Maris' 1961 record of 61 home runs. As his accomplishments with the Cardinals stacked up there was increasing speculation about Mr McGwire's use of anabolic steroids. He had consistently denied using steroids throughout his career, going so far as to refuse to answer questions from a Congressional inquiry panel in 2005.

View transcript portions of Mark McGwire's Congressional testimony here

He's now reversing his story. In a statement Monday to the Associated Press McGwire admitted to using steroids during his career and apologized. Saying "I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come.. It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected. I used steroids during my playing career and I apologize." He added, "It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologise. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era." What brought about this sudden change of heart, Mark? "Now that I have become the hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, I have the chance to do something that I wish I was able to do five years ago," In other words, do what I say now not what I did then. Guess he's got to protect those records he "earned".



So what does all this mean for the rest of Major League Baseball? Only time and the Baseball Commissioner will determine that. What are your thoughts? Please leave a comment explaining your position on the subject!

Forgetting the Past

In an ABC interview with George Stephanopoulos, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani appears to have had a major case of amnesia. In the interview, Mr Giuliani was criticising President Obama on his handling of the recent domestic terror incidents. Mr Giuliani stated: "What he [Obama] should be doing is following the right things that Bush did -- one of the right things he did was treat this as a war on terror. We had no domestic attacks under Bush. We've had one under Obama. Number two, he should correct the things that Bush didn't do right. Sending people to Yemen was wrong, not getting this whole intelligence thing corrected." Of course Mr Giuliani has since released a clarification of this statement saying he was clearly referring to Bush's Presidency "Post 9/11". Really? Let's look at Bush's Presidency.

George W Bush served as President of the United States from 2001 through 2008
• September 11, 2001 Commercial airliners are hijacked, two are flown into the World Trade Center, one is flown into the Pentagon and one is forced down by passengers in Pennsylvania before it reached its final target. Over 6000 people were killed.
  
• September 18, 2001 Anthrax begins arriving in U.S. mailboxes
  
• December 2001 Shoebomber, Richard Reid attempts to bring down a trans-Atlantic airliner
  
• October 2002 The Beltway Sniper attacks begin
  
• August 14, 2003 A Major Blackout leaves 40 million Americans in the dark

So Mr Giuliani you may say there weren't any "domestic attacks under Bush" after 9/11, but I think the facts speak for themselves. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider your criticism altogether?

The incidents I've listed are freely available in the anals of history and are easily verifiable. There may even be more incidents so, if I've missed any, you have my apologies. I invite everyone to list any terrorist incidents that I've forgotten in the comments for this blog entry.

Moving Forward

In a recently announced book titled "Game Change", a statement made by Sen Harry Reid which had previously gone unnoticed has been drawing a large amount of controversy. The book reports Sen. Reid commenting on the electability of then candidate Barack Obama by saying Obama was a light skinned black man with "no Negro dialect" unless he wanted to have one. Sen Reid has since apologized to President Obama for his "poor choice of words" and President Obama has accepted the apology. But of course the subject matter has not been dropped.

Senator Reids comments have been compared to those of Trent Lott. View Trent Lott's comments below:



Personally, I think Trent Lott's comments speak for themselves. Mr. Lott was recounting the Strom Thurmond run for president at Mr Thurmond's birthday party. Strom Thurmond was a well-known segregationist and in 1948 ran for President under the States Rights Democratic Party or Dixicrats. The Dixicrats opposed integration of the races and believed in maintaining Jim Crow's laws, their slogan was "Segregation Forever!" For Mr. Lott to say our country would be better off if we had followed Strom Thurmond's example is not just an unfortunate use of words but a clear move backward to a time of few if any civil rights for minorities in the United States.

So let's compare the statements made by these two men. Senator Reid's comments were about the electability of a legitimate candidate for President in the year 2008. Barack Obama is not the first American of African descent to run for the office of the President of the United States and during the campaign of 2008 it was obviously not yet known that he would go on to be successfully elected. When deciding which candidate to support for his party in the run for Presidency, Mr Reid was not alone in assessing the electability of each available candidate. Mr Reid's assessment of Obama as having light-skin and no "Negro dialect" is not racist, it's an assessment of whether or not Mr Obama will be accepted by the majority of American voters in race for President. Mr Lott's trip down memory lane with Strom Thurmond is clearly a wish to go backwards in time and undo the progress that has been made in civil rights. Hmmm... if the two comments can be compared in any way it would have to be in how opposite they are; Mr Reid's comments move us forward and Mr Lott's comments move us backward.

Now Following Think Progress

Please check out the website Think Progress and you can follow them directly from my blog! Check out their RSS feed on the right side of the page! --->

Obama Effigy Hung in Plains, GA

Apparently it was too much to expect. Apparently a New Year doesn't bring a new slate, new attitudes and a renewal for our country. Why the cynicism? Saturday, the second day of the New Year, the second day of January 2010, what was found in the southern city of Plains Georgia? An Effigy of President Barack Obama hanging by the neck from a noose on the side of a building displaying a Red, White and Blue tribute to former President Jimmy Carter. What the Hell!?

See news video coverage here and the Reuters coverage of this story here

My first instinct was to blame the mentality of the South, after all it is well known that African Americans have been hung, burned and generally treated atrociously in that area of the country. And it wasn't that long ago there were still separate entrances to buildings as well as separate bathroom facilities and violence towards African Americans was practically sanctioned by law enforcement! But even with all that, I don't blame the mentality of the South.

Who DO I blame? Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Fox News, Republicans and "Tea Baggers". They've all been spouting half-truths and outright lies since before President Obama was elected. Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh are total nut cases and No I'm not just calling them names, it's the God's honest truth. Beck has called for revolutions against the Government, a dangerous, treasonous and very illegal thing to do. Yes we are the home of free speech but that crosses the line. Both Limbaugh and Beck have compared the Democrats to Natzi's and President Obama to Adolf Hitler. Nothing could be further from fact and closer to the pot calling the kettle black. Both Beck and Limbaugh have advocated for the exclusion of those less fortunate or physically handi-capped. Limbaugh went as far as to make fun of and even ridicule Michael J Foxx for his Parkinsons induced shaking. Fox News sponsored and even organized "Tea Bag" parties, protests and rallies. One of the biggest supporters at "Tea Bag" rallies is Minnesota Republican Congresswoman, Michelle Bachmann. What is the purpose of these "Tea Bag" protests? To actively protest and call for more protests against the government of the United States.

All these Lies, half-truths and organized protests have caught the attention of many mentally unbalanced American Citizens and even sparked "Tea Bag" groups to pray ill-will to befall our Democratic Senators and Government officials. C-SPAN even received a call from a person claiming to be a "Tea Bagger" who, in response to a request from Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), said this live and on air: "Yeah doctor. Our small tea bag group here in Waycross, we got our vigil together and took Dr. Coburn’s instructions and prayed real hard that Sen. Byrd would either die or couldn’t show up at the vote the other night.

How hard did you pray because I see one of our members was missing this morning. Did it backfire on us? One of our members died? How hard did you pray senator? Did you pray hard enough?" What exactly did Republican Senator Tom Coburn say to invoke this response? "COBURN: What the American people ought to pray is that somebody can’t make the vote tonight. That’s what they ought to pray." Now Coburn didn't exactly come straight out and direct people to pray for ill-will or bad things to befall Republicans but obviously in the mentally unbalanced minds of Republican followers that's how it was interpreted. And now they are hanging effigies of our American President Barack Obama in the public streets. It's disgraceful, sickening and even treasonous but most of all it's sadly not surprising.

Sources: The Political Carnival, Reuters and C-SPAN via Planet POV

UPDATE: Tea Party Activist pens protest sign with "N" word. Follow link to view evidence. http://washingtonindependent.com/73036/n-word-sign-dogs-would-be-tea-party-leader