Humans Of America - WAKE UP!

Okay America, Seriously?
Are any of you with a brain or even just half a brain seriously thinking about voting for any of the unbelievably stupid Republican candidates running this year???
You have been inundated with videos of Christine O'Donnell talking about her days as a witch, her belief that evolution is not real and raped women must bring the cells to fetus level and then to full term, even if it means her life!
You have heard Sharron Angle speak the same thoughts about rape and abortion; her wishes to privatize the Veterans Administration, Social Security and Medicare.  And the dumb bimbo is suggesting that citizens look into "Second Amendment" methods to take out Harry Reid!!!!!
This statement should land the freaking idiot in jail, not the Senate!
And now we have Rand Paul claiming that President Obama got where he is by hypnotizing the Jews!  SERIOUSLY!  Here is his story.

Paladino exaggerating again.

And in New York we are given the choice of Mr. Cuomo who has exemplified fair and honest public service running against Mr. Paladino who loves porn e-mails and is so much of a filthy ranting disgusting low-life that he shouldn't even be allowed in the race.

Carly firing more hard workers

In Connecticut the voters are asked to take a former executive in the fake wrestling business seriously and in California voters may be asked to vote for Carly Fiorina who is famous for firing more people than just about every CEO before her with the possible exception of Chain Saw Al.
Top to bottom and left to right the candidates running under the Republican/Tea Party umbrella are zany at best and criminally insane at worst.  And if a majority of them get into Congress we are in for a two year stretch of insanity in DC.
With jack asses such as Jim DeMint threatening to shut down the government merely because he can how can any sane human being allow him to be part of a majority?????
SERIOUSLY!

We're Number Two! We're Number Two!

Nassau County Long Island won the Silver Medal!
Westchester took the Gold!
So what was the competition?
Could it have been a Jeopardy style game?
Was it a kind of real estate Olympics?
No, it was a list of the highest ranking neighborhoods in the country in terms of property taxes!
That's right, Nassau Country taxes it's residents an average of just under $9,000 per year for the pleasure of owning property there.
But for that money residents get, uh, wait a moment, hmmm.
Well we get lots of things.
Let's see, there are plenty of potholes to keep drivers on their toes!  That's actually a good thing because it makes it necessary to keep one's eyes on the road rather than texting or putting on make-up.
Critics will argue that we on the Island have very good schools and for the most part they would be correct.  But the argument has no place in this story wince School Tax is separate from and added to Town tax.
For years there have been politicians arguing that the 'downstate' area should secede from NY State and form the 51st star on the flag.  They even came up with a name, The Empire State.  After all the cool building is in Manhattan not Albany.
If the five boroughs of New York City were to team up with the two Island Counties we would actually have a very populated state.  Empire State would finally have two dedicated Senators and several new Representatives for lobbyists to grease.
And perhaps two stories that appeared in the news on the same day would have different endings.  Those stories were about the sky high and quite unfair property tax and the fact that while Long Island's poverty numbers remain constant they are still terribly high.
Jobs have left Long Island as the politicians continue to make stupid choices in their efforts to grab a personal spotlight.  One need only look at the woman in charge of Hempstead who must think her name includes her title to see the self-serving mind at work.
Supervisor Kate Murray has continued to block 'The Lighthouse Project.'  That development would keep a professional hockey team here (I use the term loosely.)
In fact any development of the ugly blighted area in and around the Nassau Coliseum has stalled while Murray claims she wants to be sure it will be good for the county.
But when it came to her well-off retired dad she never gave the county a second thought hiring him to a cushy high-paying do-little job that could have gone to any number of more qualified unemployed available tax paying Long Islanders!
Daddy Murray quit after the nepotism became known but the intent was evident and the pig's motive was out in the open.
Then there was Mangano voiding his predecessor's cap on severance for top cops by gifting them hundreds of thousand of our tax dollars to retire early!  Those of us who were laid off and forced into a sort of early retirement without as much as a penny truly appreciated that gesture!
The Long Island Railroad has been mis-managed for so long that we don't ever expect it to work!  If the weather forecast has rain in it the trains will be late! And the rain doesn't even have to be in New York!  Ever notice the trains are considered to be on time until they are over 6 minutes late?
I could go on all day with the idiocy of our so-called leaders in government but most if this is known.
The loss of tax revenue from the stalled Lighthouse Project; the gifts of bribe money to and probably from local governments; and the increased cost to ride the rails on Long Island taken together with the high property taxes and shameful poverty level are turning Long Island into a terrible place to live.
And as soon as housing prices stabilize and move higher watch the middle class jump ship and move to more friendly climes.  At that time there'll be plenty of open jobs for daddy Murray!
The county may not win another Silver medal but when it comes to poor value for the money they sure take the cake.

Mobs Can Be Fun

If you've never seen a flash mob you are missing something.

A group of generally well intentioned young people get together to overwhelm an area just for the fun of it.

But they do it with choreography!
And with the popularity of the smash television hit 'Glee' it is an even more popular activity.

Flash mobs have taken over super markets and other stores in America but here is a group, a rather large group of beautiful young and slightly less than young motivated performers doing the flash thingy to an ABBA theme in Israel.

It's a real treat.

Turn on the sound,
Click This,
Enjoy!

What's Behind These Guys?

An old saying goes, "Behind every great man is a woman." 
This was of course not always true but it should have conveyed the message that many women were as good as if not better than the man in front.
But even if it is true then who's behind that woman? Or if the guy doesn't have a woman then what?
Unfortunately in our political system there are a few women in high places who do not belong there and they have made themselves into very public laughing stocks, at least to anyone with half a brain.  I naturally refer to Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann and the hopefully not successful Christine O'Donnell.
I could talk about the ladies on the 'right'for hours, but I would like to switch off to the men for a quick note.
For the last several years, or what seems like a lifetime we have watched a certain orange colored individual spew his party live rhetoric every chance he could get.  He has made more and more nonsensical statements as it gets closer to the November elections and is currently touting a retread of an old tested tried and failed manifesto renamed "The Republican Pledge."
The phrase brings to mind every charitable event I have ever seen since attendees are asked to make a donation or at least a pledge to donate at a nearby future date.  And while charities are for the most part a good thing I do not believe the Republican Party is one nor are they a charitable bunch!
If we allow them to take control of either the House of Representatives or the Senate this year more Americans will be relying on charity than ever before.

The man with two heads
(not always better than one.)
Cantor as always seen
with his Boner in front.

As it is the Republicans have scared the weak minded, cojones free Democrats into believing that the wealthy are so poor that they need tax breaks to survive.  The next thing we will find out is day is night and up is down!
But as the middle class heads toward its demise at the hands of the wealthy I think we should take a fast look at two of the men leading the retreat.
On a traffic signal there are three colors present. The green that means go and the red for stop along with an intermediate yellow for caution.  So in a way orange is a mixture of caution and stop!
What is driving their desire to take away health care for the poor and middle class?
Why do they continue to demand we stop spending but also demand that we not tax the wealthiest 2% a touch more?
Why do they insist that billionaires be allowed to pay taxes at a lower rate than a person earning minimum wage?
Why does the right-wing propaganda machine that is Fox donate millions of dollars and air time to only the Republican Party?
And why when the American public found out about all the lies and corruption among their party members do they still embrace each and every one of those would-be inmates?
And as if you needed any more reasons not to cast your fate to these windbags just look at the near past under Bush and Cheney.  Please learn from history!
Be cautious America before placing this couple in charge.  Stop and think how bad this will be!
Behind every Republican is a wealthy puppeteer.

For 2% It's a Wonderful Life

“You sit around here and you spin your little webs and you think the whole world revolves around you and your money. Well, it doesn’t, Mr. Potter. In the whole vast configuration of things, I'd say you were nothing but a scurvy little spider.”

Bad Potter

That quote is from the wonderful movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”  But it is not the only quote of note in the film.  There are so many other phrases and sayings and looks and overall intentions that the movie should be made a must see for all the people at the top of our current food chain.  I’m speaking of the guys and gals who make up the top 2% of the earnings in the country and pay taxes at a lower rate than the rest of the country!

It is bad enough that our laws allow billionaires to decide that their income should be considered capital gains but to have these same people spend millions to keep the loophole hidden borders on fraud.  And it’s a fraud that is willfully continued by our lawmakers who know full well what’s going on.  And if they don’t then they do not belong in government and should be tossed out on their bribe filled wallets.

The fact that the entire Republican Party appears to be peopled by Potters is not a surprise.  What is a surprise is that the Democrats don’t have the political will, nerve, balls to tell it like it is!

When a filthy rich do–nothing, 'worthless to society' turd such as Ben Stein has the nerve to go on television and whine and moan about a possible fair tax being levied on him and his multi-millionaire friends the entire country should step up and revolt!  Where is the outrage from the Tea Party?

Naturally that group of Republican funded phonies will not say a word since while they appear to be mavericks on the side of the little tax payer they are funded by billionaires such as the Koch brothers.  This pair of wealthy scions who made their billions by not dying before their father are as much to blame for the county’s woes as any other anti human group in the world today.

The wealthiest 2%ers who spin their webs and think the entire world revolves around them have been right for way too long.  But without anyone on the side of the people they will continue to win and continue to turn the country into a two class fiefdom.  We will have a smaller and smaller group of wealthy ruling class elites towering over a population of worker bees begging to be given a temporary job so as to feed their children or pay the mortgage and keep a roof over their heads.  And guess to whom that mortgage money will be paid?

If President Obama cannot get the Democratic Party to start doing their job or at least take credit for the good they have done so far then our future is sealed.  And the rest of will be reduced to sniveling fools hoping Zuzus petals will bring us luck.  Unfortunately in the real world there are not enough bells to ring and no angels to help us.

America - Still the Land of the Free

A friend of mine, and a good person in spite of that sent me a copy of a letter to the editor and asked for my opinion.
The letter was sent to a newspaper in Tawas City, Michigan which is a lovely waterfront town on Saginaw Bay quite a bit north of Detroit and almost closer to Canada.
The letter has been circulating around the internet and is supposedly representative of the thoughts of many right wingers.
Everyone has an opinion that they are entitled to share on just about every subject.  And since this is my blog I will hereby share mine.
First the letter in question.

Hopefully you can read the above but if not either click on it to enlarge the thing or "Google" the writer's name.
In the man's rant he makes many points or at least puts forth his fiery questions in a manner more confrontational than argumentative.
I counted 23 somewhat different points and tried to respond, not in kind but as best I could without animosity.
My reply may be better understood if you first read the letter and/or have a copy of it handy to refer to but I leave that up to you. 

Dear Dalia,

Okay – As always my thoughts are eclectic.

1.  Congress lying sucks and should be treated as a crime except in the narrow lane that is National Security. In other words State Secrets.

2.  Blacks treating whites badly IS the same as vice versa and should be treated the same. I believe the law would think so if a crime ensued. At least I hope so.

3.  I totally agree on the criminal vs. victim thingy.  Convicts should be put to work and some of the money they generate should be used to compensate in part their victims.

4.  Teachers don’t teach that homosexuality is okay merely that it should not be treated as a crime!

5.  As for God, unless you are going to teach about EVERYBODY’S GOD then you better not choose just one!

6.  I don’t wish to get into the abortion law with you but the law was tested in Roe V Wade and abortion as written in that law IS the law.  The question is and has always been Child or Fetus?

7.  As for execution I happen to be in favor of it in certain cases and with certain safeguards.  I just wish we could get it right.

8.  Rewriting books?  Look at Texas and how they have bastardized the nation’s textbooks.  That’s the real crime!

9.  Comparing our country’s border with Mexico (or Canada for that matter) to the 38^th parallel in Korea is just plain stupid fear mongering and the jerk should be ashamed of himself for including it in his rant.

10. Protesting against any President is in fact protected in our laws and is considered your 1^st amendment right.  Nobody calls them terrorists unless and until they perform terrorist activities.

11. Pornography should be regulated but is protected by 1^st amendment speech regulations.

12. But the nativity scene in a publicly funded park is against the separation of Church and State foundation of our country. (See point #5 above.)

13. Criminals gone – sick people replaced them????  I don’t get that one at all unless he himself is sick.

14. Stem cell research, which is being used by enlightened scientists all over the world to find real cures for real human diseases DOES NOT USE A FETUS!

15. I am conflicted on the animal research stuff and cannot answer that one here in a short answer.

16. Taking money from hard workers & giving it to people who don’t want to work? I want names. Not every unemployed person is lazy. I personally want to meet this guy and discuss it further.

17. We all support the constitution – PERIOD! The statement is QED.

18. Freedom of speech is for all. If not would we be subjected to the crap that is coming out of the mouths of the Republicans these days? Privatize Social Security???

19. Parenting replaced by drugs & video games? Perhaps for this guy but not everyone is the same – Stupid generalization.

20. The land of opportunity stopped being that land when the wealthiest of the land figured out how to cheat and steal and pillage and turn the middle class into their bitches.

21. Similarities between the Bush administration’s non-response to the Katrina disaster (remember “Heck of a job Brownie?”) and the ongoing clean up of BP’s oil spill is far fetched at best.

22. The entire next paragraph is a silly rant and is quite wrong.  But government always appoints a committee to look into problems. That will never change since all politicians want to give their friends cushy jobs.  The ‘threatens’ ‘passes laws’ ‘raises our taxes’ to get re-elected is just stupid.

23. The writer was able to get this inane rant into a paper (I assume) even though most of it is drivel.  That alone should tell the jerk that the Land of the Free is alive and well.

Let’s see the dissatisfied American moron go to Iran and write the same thing about Achmadinejad.  In fact I’ll pay his way!


Note: My reactions to the letter were of necessity brief. If you would like to argue a point or wish me to expand my view on a particular 'reply number' just ask.  As you know I love to talk (write.)

Cell vs. Cell

For years there has been a debate over cell phones and their effect on the user.  Typically people hold their phones pressed against their ear for the duration of a call and many males wear them on their belts when not in use.
In order for a cell phone to work it must send and receive a signal from somewhere usually a nearby transmitting structure known as a cell tower.
Scientists have claimed there might be a danger of brain tumors or other long term damage to the brain for regular users.  They claim the proximity to the brain of these powerful transmitter/receiver may be scrambling more than voices.
Naturally cell phone manufacturers and service providers as well as the companies who erect the towers pooh-pooh these claims stating the signals are very weak and cannot cause human cell damage.  Even the FCC which is one might hope is on the side of the consumer has come out on the 'not that bad' side of the argument.
These debates flare up once in a while but in our sound bite world they tend to fade away when new issues arise such as, for example an economic meltdown caused by greedy bankers and Wall St. billionaires.
But on Long Island the issue has reared it's ugly wireless head as the towers are once again casting a scary shadow over the Town of Hempstead.
With certain restrictions the town council voted to ban the placement of new towers from being built near schools and residences.  This move should drastically limit their numbers.
The dilemma for consumers however is the ever increasing demand for better phone service and fewer 'dropped calls.'
Now, in a twist with a touch of irony FCC spokesman Bruce Romano (I do like his first name) is telling people that more transmitters would be better for the public and his reasoning is interesting.
Mr. Romano says that a phone will receive better service the closer it is to a cell tower and therefore more cell towers is a good thing.  He states that the increase in the handset's "bars' will show this.
He goes on in his effort to sell the cell by explaining that with more towers the phone would have to emit less energy while pressed against one's ear.
In other words he is admitting that there is a problem and has been one for years!
He is asking us to allow the placement of more wireless signal emitting towers so as to create a more comprehensive mesh of signals within which our phones will work better.
That sounds like a plan.  Build more towers to alleviate the danger of brain tumors due to cell phone use.  Of course in doing so you increase the risk of other types of cancers somewhere else on the body.
Interesting trade off, right?
Perhaps the battle of cell vs. cell is not yet over and more research work needs to be done.  None of us have definitive answers.
Oh and Mr. Romano, don't call me, I'll call you!

Monday Morning Quarterbacking

Many of the less than intelligent people who continue to rail against President Obama for various reasons, not the least of which is his skin color don't realize that they are following a long range plan.
And what a plan it was and is!
The plan is far reaching and insidious.
And it started in the mid 1980s.
Actually you could go back to 1972 when a father worried about his idiot son's future called a friend for a favor.  Read the rest of this piece then go back and learn about the moronic main character of this piece and his early days.
It is almost easy to connect the dots of a long range event from the comfy perch of a future seat.  And using that couch I offer a telescoped view of the events from some thirty years ago to today and unfortunately beyond.
In the early part of the 80's some deviously smart people got together looking for a rube, an idiot with whom to work, to mold and present to the public as a leader.
They had to choose someone with money but not too much.
They had to find someone with a name and a family but not too powerful.
They wanted a malleable character who wouldn't ask too many questions.
And most importantly the person must have been a failure on his own and therefore open to being managed.
These people chose as the manager or brain for this rube a political unknown named Karl Rove.  And Karl Rove chose as his puppet one George W Bush.
One complication, not really a terrible one when you think about it was that G W Bush's daddy was elected President of the United States in 1988.  But that pushed the Rove Bush agenda back a bit.
The child treaded water by purchasing the Texas Ranger baseball team and nearly ruining it.  But when he finally was convinced to run for Governor he was aided by the first of many incredibly dirty campaigns run by that arguably sub-human dirt bag Rove.
Bush and Rove trashed his opponent in 1990 and won the election in the very religious state and was reelected 4 years later by a large margin.
In fairness to young Bush he did some good for the state but most of his work was 'faith based' and slightly backwards as far as the founders of the country would have thought.
But still the long range plan was to get this loser into the governors mansion of Texas and then onto the national stage with the Presidency and it's power as the ultimate goal.

Darth Vader wishes he was
evil as this bastard and his
pig of a daughter.

So step one was complete.
Late in 1998 the rest of the plan was unveiled and Rove let W know some of it but not all.  It never pays to let the little people in on everything too soon.  The team chose a long time political insider and favorably devious man Dick Cheney to run as Vice President and handle W once elected.

Severely disgusting Harris

But in order to get elected certainly already exposed frauds were planned and enacted.  These are well documented and known so I need not rehash them except to note that a disgustingly ugly human known as Kathleen Harris of Florida and a prophetic Supreme Court decision entered into the final act.
Once in office and some say even before the team got to work on a plan to invade Iraq and take out Hussein.  Cheney and his company Halliburton as well as other large corporations wanted the oil under that easy pickings country but had no way of how to coerce Congress into attacking.
Whether or not the war mongers of the team new beforehand about the events of 911 is up for future scholars to debate but one thing is clear it was used as a spring board to put their plan into action.
Billions of dollars were "lost" in Iraq and the friends of Cheney became overnight billionaires on the blood of American soldiers.
But the real prize for the "Faith Based" moron in the White House was yet to come.
During his two terms as an unelected President (The second term elections are also tainted) W was able to replace intelligent and fair Supreme Court Justices with hand picked and young 'right leaning' puppets to the lifetime post.

This is how much money I will
help the Republicans make!

The Supreme Court then went on a rampage against all that made America great taking us back toward the dark ages of religion run governments.
But in order to put the final touch on future elections they had to find a way to make an unsuspecting public vote against their better judgement and needs.  They had to convince the average citizen that the Republicans were good even though they gave not a rat's ass about the middle class or poor of America.
The Republicans needed to get the vote of a majority of citizens in a country where that majority is registered as Democrat.
They hit on full fledged 24/7 advertising blitz and control of the airwaves.  They would seed small groups and pepper them with planted shills to rile up the crowd.

Smug Roberts of SCOTUS

But while many of the behind the scenes billionaires were all for the plan it was going to take more money than any one person was allowed to donate to the cause.
Enter the Bush flooded Supreme Court and the puppets of the wealthy.  The ruling that corporations are people too open those flood gates so that multi-national corporations may now fund a seemingly endless attack on the Democratic Party and the middle class.
In effect the SCOTUS ruling allows the wealthy to hand pick and fund the candidates of their choice so that they can finally use their money the way they always wanted, to buy the government outright!
The billionaires of this country continue to deflect our attention from the fact that they only want more wealth and less taxes on it.  The Tea Party is yet another distraction to the real agenda started way back in 1980.
And counter-intuitively the election of President Obama was actually a God send for this ungodly group.  They were able to channel the deep seated hatred by a majority of rednecks against Black Americans in America into an anti-Democratic campaign sure to gain back the majority control of our government.  They also sprinkled in a little Muslim hating and illegal immigrant fears along the way just for good measure.
This is of course an unauthorized accounting of history but it sure as hell fits the events that have come to pass.
And while it may be Monday morning quarterbacking the game is not over.  It is up to the Democrats to decide if we the people still have a chance to come out on top.
This is September and as Yogi says, "It ain't over till it's over."

Train Your Politician

When we are upset with a politician for not doing what we want we vote them out of office. Unfortunately that is often the wrong thing to do although at times it appears as though it is our only choice.

That has always been the preferred method and is known as 'working within the system.'  It is certainly better than a military coup as some other countries use.

But many times the alternative candidate is far worse.

There is a reason for the adages, ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’ or ‘Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.’

So what is the solution to our current problem?

How can we change Congress and the inactive, ineffective way our elected officials are performing?

Well we could go the screaming and yelling route, tossing out anyone 'in' to replace them with anyone 'not in.'

That Tea Party tactic turns Government topsy turvy.

Or we could use our voices in a saner, more rational and quiet way to get the job done.

We may not wish to hear this but politicians have two jobs.

One is to fight for legislation that helps the plight of their constituency and the other is to get enough money in their campaign funds to get re-elected.  For most that second job has become job one!  And for many that has become their only job!!

It is up to us to make them realize the error of their ways and get them back on track and working toward their original purpose; helping the people they represent.

We who sit back and expect our representatives in government to glean our needs by looking at polls or sticking their wetted fingers in the air to sense the wind’s direction are at fault.  We have to be proactive and let these men and women know our true feelings.

We can do this with letters and emails and phone calls and personal visits to their local offices.

But when we go this route we must be respectful of their position and not treat them like children.  We must not yell at them but rather calmly explain our thoughts.

Remember another adage that is also true, “You get more bees with honey than vinegar!”

Make believe America is a company and our congressmen and women work for us.  Isn't it better and more cost effective to tweak their skills rather than hire new workers and start from scratch?

And if our employees listen and do the right thing then we reward them with your vote!

So's Your Old Man

Listening to the inane rhetoric of insane politicians with no positive agenda to put forth is enough to make one sick!
Luckily Congress was able to pass a health reform bill this year that may make getting better less expensive in the future.

As for that health reform bill Republicans love to bash it and call it names just as all of us used to do before we graduated 6th grade.

According to Republicans when it comes to Obama-care (ouch) “Nobody knows what the full impact is going to be.” (Uncle!)

But isn't that true of every legislation?

Did anyone know the full impact of the Bush war against innocent Iraq before his war mongering war criminal Vice President and cronies proposed it in 1999?

That’s right, 1999!

That’s when Cheney started to fantasize about ‘taking out’ Hussein and taking over the oil fields for his company, Halliburton.

If this country waited until we knew the full impact of every legislation we would most likely never do anything.

As for the health reform bill I wonder why the Republicans are so dead set against it as to continue to spew lies about it’s worth.

Could it be that many of the Republican supporters are health care firms looking at a future loss of profit?

Surely they cannot be looking at the possible benefit to the average citizen and voter.

Allowing Americans access to a more affordable health care system should be a goal for all politicians who were elected to serve the people!

Threats to repeal such hard fought legislation is nothing more than childish!