tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65021713049700697722023-11-16T01:48:48.394-06:00ProgressivePeorianWhen you strip away the hatred and bigotry forwarded by SOME on the "right", you realize its simply the truth that's "left".@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502171304970069772.post-9105379134665666512012-05-02T21:39:00.001-05:002012-05-02T21:39:34.675-05:00Americans For Prosperity Bunk Ad De-Bunked<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Sorry folks , I’ve been away and haven’t posted lately.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> I’ve been devoting time to find gainful employment
and taking care of medical issues.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> This
doesn’t mean, however, that I have kept my head in the sand and given up on the
fight.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So now, on to the heart of the matter…</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">American’s for Prosperity recently released a new TV attack ad
against President Obama (late April 2012).</span><span style="font-size: small;">
Now if you’re <b><i><u>not</u></i></b> paying attention to what
is ACTUALLY being said you could easily be misled.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">So to make sure NO American is misled, I will deconstruct
this false attack ad.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Let’s begin, shall we?</span></div>
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<a name='more'></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">(first let me note that I own no rights, intellectual or otherwise,
to the videos featured in this post)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Okay. So the very first line opens with </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Washington promised to create American jobs if we passed
their stimulus.”</span> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: small;">(video from 0:00 to 0:05)</span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lUQdP6y0ArM?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Washington means Repuglics and Democrats…NOT
JUST PRESIDENT OBAMA.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Oh, and isn’t it the
NEO-CONS who piss and moan that GOVERNMENT (“Washington”) <b>CAN’T</b> CREATE JOBS???</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">WE passed THEIR stimulus?</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Who is “we” and who is “their”?</span><span style="font-size: small;"> “WE” assumes Republicans since this is an
anti-Obama ad, and “THEIR” assumes the President and Democrats for the same
reasons.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Only
3 Repuglics in Washington voted for the “831 billion dollar stimulus”, and AFP
(Americans for Prosperity) would have you believe that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/us/politics/29obama.html">ZERO HOUSE
REPUBLICS (all 177 of them)</a> and 3 (out of 41) Republic Senators equals “WE”? Not hardly, right-wingers!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: small;">You see how this will go, right?</span><span style="font-size: small;"> I mean really, the very first sentence is a
crock of $hit!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">But I digress. Let’s continue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">“But that’s not what happened”</span> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: small;">(</span><span style="font-size: small;">video from 0:05 to 0:06)</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Whoa there, right-wingers.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Before we continue, according to a <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68965.html">CBO (NON-PARTISAN Congressional
Budget Office) report from 2011</a>, it created between 550,000 and 3.3 million
jobs.</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">So - can AFP <b><i>prove</i></b> that no jobs were
created?</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Or <b><i>prove </i></b>that very few jobs
were created?</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Note: watching unemployment
numbers, I’ve noticed that anything over 250,000 jobs added per month can
affect the unemployment rate by a percentage point.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Nice try, AFP.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Roll tape.</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Fact: Billions of taxpayer dollars spent on ‘green energy’ went
to jobs in foreign countries”</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></blockquote>
(video from 0:08 to 0:14) <br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/sep/9/green-jobs-no-longer-golden-in-stimulus/">11
of the total number of wind farms used their grants to purchase 695 of 982 turbines
from overseas wind suppliers</a>.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Let’s put
this in context: one wind farm, Goshen Wind Farms in Idaho, employs 150
turbines.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> So if there are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_onshore_wind_farms">30 wind turbine farms
in the U.S. (onshore only)</a> with an average of 150 turbines each, that total
is 4500 turbines.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> That’s a third of the
wind farms spending about 70% of their grants on turbines.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> <i>Isn’t that akin to a hospital purchasing X-ray
machines from Germany?</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"> The fact is that
American trucks moved the turbines.</span><span style="font-size: small;">
American workers erected and installed the turbines.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> The power generated is American…for America…and
isn’t traded on the world market as futures like petroleum is.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">HEY AFP!</span><span style="font-size: small;">
MAYBE IF REPUGLICS SUBSIDIZED WIND TURBINE MANUFACTURING INSTEAD OF BIG
OIL, THE U.S. COULD LEAD THE WAY IN WIND ENERGY PRODUCTION <i>SUPPLIES</i>!</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This next part of the attack ad is priceless…meaning, it isn’t
worth $hit.</span></div>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">“$1.2 billion to a solar company that’s building a plant in
Mexico”.</span><span style="font-size: small;"></span></blockquote>
(video from 0:25 to 0:30) <span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Note the wording here.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> NOT $1.2 billion <i>TO</i> build a plant in Mexico…but $1.2 billion to a company that is,
by the way, building a plant in Mexico.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: small;">More bunk to de-bunk... </span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Half a billion to an electric car company that created
hundreds of jobs in Finland”.</span></blockquote>
(video from 0:31 to 0:36) <br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Here’s what the AFP ad <i>doesn’t </i>tell you, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/car-company-us-loan-builds-cars-finland/story?id=14770875#.T6GofMVfUWI">according
to ABC News</a>: “Henrik Fisker said the U.S. money has been spent on
engineering and design work that stayed in the U.S., not on the 500
manufacturing jobs that went to a rural Finnish firm, Valmet Automotive.”</span><span style="font-size: small;"> SO ZERO OF THAT MONEY WENT TO EMPLOY FINNISH
WORKERS.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: small;">And still a little more de-bunk of the Repuglics bunk: </span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">“And tens of millions of dollars to build traffic lights in
China”.</span></blockquote>
(video from 0:37 to 0:41) <br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">I searched and searched the Pittsburgh Tribune
(triblive.com) but found nothing.</span><span style="font-size: small;">
However, according to an Obama Campaign video the a fore mentioned lights were
manufactured in the U.S. </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li>
</ul>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">“President Obama wasted $34 billion dollars on risky
investments – the result, failure”.</span></blockquote>
(video from 0:42 to 0:49) <br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> This one is interesting, because the photo shown
during this part of the video is of the President with a Solyndra banner in the
background.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Subtle Repuglics dog whistle
there for those who missed it.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">“American taxpayers are paying to send their own jobs to
foreign countries"</span></blockquote>
(video from 0:49 to 0:53) <br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">So let me get this straight.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Out of $800 billion, no good has come of
it?</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Wait - Let me re-phrase that.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> President Obama is responsible for the American
companies that outsource jobs overseas?</span><span style="font-size: small;">
Yeah, not so much.</span></li>
</ul>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Tell President Obama, ‘American tax dollars should help
American taxpayers’”</span></blockquote>
(video from 0:54 to 1:00) <br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">If we (Americans) “Tell President Obama” anything,
it should be that American tax dollars should help American taxpayers – <b>NOT big
oil companies.</b></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Remember voters, that this is TV advertising.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> And like many TV advertisements, you can’t
always trust what the advertiser is trying to sell.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">(do you actually believe a gecko can
talk?</span><span style="font-size: small;"> No.)</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Caveat emptor, America – it means “buyer
beware", America.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Now that you've read my "de-bunk" of AFP's junk, here, check out the official de-bunk vid from the Obama
Campaign:</span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8IkC4gM6QX4" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
4 more years! Vote Obama 2012!!! </div>@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502171304970069772.post-50431465380160967432012-03-22T18:42:00.000-05:002012-03-22T18:42:26.960-05:00Conceal And Carry, Trayvon Williams, And Why Florida Law Will Allow Tragedy To Happen Again<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Friday, March 9th I read an article on The Ed Show's <a href="http://ed.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/09/10625331-17-year-old-boy-shot-and-killed-for-being-suspicious-while-buying-candy" target="_blank">MSNBC website</a> about the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. At that time, the 9-1-1 tapes had not been released. But based upon</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> the info as reported by MSNBC and their sources, it struck me even then that this echoes concerns I have for "Conceal & Carry" laws.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://ed.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/09/10625331-17-year-old-boy-shot-and-killed-for-being-suspicious-while-buying-candy?threadId=3365957&commentId=63227004#c63227004" target="_blank">My comments from that day</a>:</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1120124696" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpvyP9LmCztjKX20EKC1YD8XpVLleaHbDoE_jBpuhYTP_kGN7Qszt9o7y_sE2x9WD1Bhd-tooGsqDh_kDVOQTEZ2sw9UvOoqb-T7phYFR2ygpIptClfMqm_UsEz9UmVg3eq9cEjA5t2G4/s1600/newsvine+comment.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://progressivepeorianblogspot.newsvine.com/" target="_blank">(screenshot capture from http://progressivepeorianblogspot.newsvine.com/)</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now, before the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is proffered up, let me assure readers that I unequivocally believe in the right to <b><i>own</i></b> a firearm </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">in the United States</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">...</span>(continued)<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">...I'm just not convinced everyone should be allowed to carry one with them out in the public.</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Nor do I think innocent people should have to suffer as a result of radical agendas and laws passed by GOP state legislators.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Case and point: the City of Sanford Florida's response to the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In a letter from Sanford Florida City Manager, Norton Bonaparte Jr., he answered the question, "Why was George Zimmerman not arrested the night of the shooting?", with the following response:</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"When the Sanford Police Department arrived at the scene of the incident, Mr. Zimmerman provided a statement <span style="background-color: cyan;">claiming he had acted in self-defense which at the time was supported by physical evidence and testimony</span>. By Florida Statue, <span style="background-color: cyan;">law enforcement was PROHIBITED from making an arrest based on the facts and circumstances they had at the time</span>. Additionally, when any police officer makes and arrest for any reason, the officer MUST swear and affirm that he/she is making the arrest in good faith and with probable cause. If the arrest is done maliciously and in bad faith, the officer and the City may be held liable..."</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So officially, the City of Sanford is saying that because Mr. Zimmerman basically said, "I didn't do it" and because he "says so" they legally have to drop it? Yeah, kinda. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">According to <a href="http://www.hessingerlaw.com/Articles/Self-Defense-and-Floridas-Stand-Your-Ground-Law.aspx" target="_blank">St. Petersburg law firm, Hessinger and Kilfin Law</a>, "The Florida legislative session law notes demonstrate the true intent behind the new law stating, <span style="font-size: large;">'</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Legislature finds that it is proper for law-abiding people to
protect themselves, their families, and others from intruders and
attackers without fear of prosecution or civil action for acting in
defense of themselves and others'</i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sanford City Manager, Bonaparte continues on to answer another question in the letter, "Why did Mr. Zimmerman have a firearm in his possession while acting in the role of a neighborhood watch member?". This is their official answer: </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Mr. Zimmerman holds a concealed weapon permit issued from the State of Florida. He is authorized to carry the weapon in a concealed manner wherever Florida Statute dictates. <span style="background-color: cyan;">Neighborhood Watch programs are designed for members of a neighborhood to be 'the eyes and ears' for police and to watch out for their neighbors. They are not members of the Police Department nor are they vigilantes</span>. Training provided by law enforcement agencies to <span style="background-color: cyan;">Neighborhood Watch organizations stresses non-contact surveillance of suspicious situations and notifying police of those situations so that law enforcement can respond and take control of the situation</span>.</span></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mr. Zimmerman was not acting outside the legal boundaries of Florida Statute by carrying is weapon when this incident occurred. He was in fact on a personal errand in his vehicle when he observed Mr. Martin in the community and called the Sanford Police Department." </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Read Bonaparte's <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/86330859/Zimmerman-Martin-Shooting" target="_blank">entire letter here</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Look Florida (Sanford, specifically), get it straight; either allow citizens to carry guns everywhere or allow them to protect themselves to the point of avoiding prosecution. <b>Don't allow both</b>. In Trayvon's case, it might have ended up as a physical assault that Zimmerman didn't get arrested for (no "Conceal & Carry", yes "Stand Your Ground"), or maybe it would have ended in a gun case he would be arrested for (</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">yes "Conceal & Carry", no "Stand Your Ground"</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">) - instead Trayvon was the one who suffered double-jeopardy: shot dead with no possibility of justice (prosecution) for his assailant.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you DO live in Florida, don't be surprised if something like this happens again. Maybe next time it won't be a kid. Maybe next time it will be your mother in the parking lot at the grocery store. Maybe next time it will be your husband at a restaurant with co-workers. But don't be surprised when it happens again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For those that DON'T live in Florida, just know that people who are allowed to carry a firearm in public may not have the proper training to use it in public. They may suffer from fatigue, impairment, or many more potential factors. What if this person using a firearm in public accidentally shoots a bystander? What if this person decides to transition from "Neighborhood Watch" to vigilante?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It will be too late to have this discussion. It is too late for Trayvon Martin, but doesn't have to be for anyone else. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.wftv.com/videos/news/teen-shooting-911-calls-1-3/vGZnj/" target="_blank">Listen to the 9-1-1 calls from the night</a>. Pay close attention at around 2:24, where it sound like Trayvon yells for his mom right before he's shot dead...then picture that scenario in your head and reconsider whether or not the laws about "conceal & carry" or "stand your ground" really do keep citizens safe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502171304970069772.post-25628890809010627722012-03-19T17:04:00.000-05:002012-03-19T17:04:52.268-05:00How Democratic IS The Democratic Primary IL 17th Congressional Dist?<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Liberals, how lucky are we? We have 3 Democratic candidates vying for the opportunity to run against IL Rep. Bobby Schilling in Illinois' 17th Congressional District. And tomorrow is the BIG day - the Democratic Primary, tomorrow (March 20th, 2012).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qEC0AIgrIjUYcXC4-zPDSxYrT6p4unezT4XctEmKiaaW0OZfocwnQx35J-uhZS16ImurBRqRHa3zlr2IwnAj_KDxv-DdjSRFiaMkwTNFUwpMv9EHu3lsdR_TrqwIvMEXIMaCDtuKmO39/s1600/365px-Democratslogo.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qEC0AIgrIjUYcXC4-zPDSxYrT6p4unezT4XctEmKiaaW0OZfocwnQx35J-uhZS16ImurBRqRHa3zlr2IwnAj_KDxv-DdjSRFiaMkwTNFUwpMv9EHu3lsdR_TrqwIvMEXIMaCDtuKmO39/s320/365px-Democratslogo.svg.png" width="246" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">But how </span><i style="color: #444444;"><b>democratic</b></i><span style="color: #444444;"> IS this Democratic Primary? In my opinion, not so much</span>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.wtvp.org/programming/debate/6-1203.asp" target="_blank">WTVP recently aired a debate</a> amongst the 3 Democratic primary challengers for the Illinois' 17th Congressional District: <a href="http://www.gregaguilarforcongress.com/" target="_blank">Greg Aguilar</a>, <a href="http://www.cheribustos.com/" target="_blank">Cheri Bustos</a>, and <a href="http://www.gaulrapp4congress.com/" target="_blank">George Gaulrapp</a>. Being a progressive liberal, I decided to watch the debate (by the way, good job, WTVP), and afterwards, wanted to learn more about the three candidates. So I went to the most popular, local, Democratic Facebook page (Peoria IL County Democrats, a page I "liked" even before this debate) to do a little research.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And what I discovered, was that even though this is a primary to decide who will run against Rep. Bobby Schilling, only candidate Cheri Bustos was being given coverage. Now don't get me wrong, Dems, should Cheri Bustos win the Democratic Primary, I will ABSOLUTELY support her in the general election. I would just kinda like Democrats to be fair about support for candidates vying the chance...after all, aren't we supposed to be the political party that champions equality and fairness?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"So where the proof that Democrats have already decided we should all vote for Cheri Bustos?", you ask? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Facebook page of Peoria IL County Democrats since Feb. 2012:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Feb 11 - Post/Link about Cheri Bustos, "<a href="http://bit.ly/Aemhtx" target="_blank">Former congressman gives backing to Bustos</a>".</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Feb 24 - Post/Link about Cheri Bustos, "<a href="http://trib.in/ww3VFC" target="_blank">Cheri Bustos endorsed for Congress by Chicago Tribune</a>".</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Feb 28 - Post/Link about Cheri Bustos, "<a href="http://www.starcourier.com/news/x1481614083/Lt-Gov-Simon-endorses-Cheri-Bustos-in-17th-District-race-for-Congress" target="_blank">Lt. Gov. Simon endorses Cheri Bustos in 17th District race for Congress</a>"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Feb 29 - Post/Link about Cheri Bustos, "<a href="http://tinyurl.com/89qyx4z" target="_blank">We have till 12 Midnight tonight!</a>" (soliciting donations)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mar 01 - Post/Link about Cheri Bustos, "<a href="http://bit.ly/Atzeyc" target="_blank">Bustos collects endorsements</a>"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mar 08 - Post/Link about ALL 3 CANDIDATES!! (Cheri Bustos photo though, reminding everyone to tune-in to WQPT)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mar 09 - Post/Link about Cheri Bustos, "<a href="http://www.pjstar.com/elections/bios/x1957362949/17th-Congressional-Cheri-Bustos-D" target="_blank">17th Congressional, Cheri Bustos (D)</a>"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mar 10 - Post/Link about Cheri Bustos, "<a href="http://www.cheribustos.com/content/challenger-bustos-raises-3-times-much-incumbent-schilling" target="_blank">Challenger Bustos Raises 3 Times As Much Incumbent Schilling | Cheri Bustos - 17t Congressional</a>" (LINK TO CHERIBUSTOS.COM)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mar 11 - Post/Link about Cheri Bustos <a href="http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Cheri-Bustos-in-Peoria-Tuesday--March-13.html?soid=1102880908186&aid=OviJORybXyM" target="_blank">inviting people to meet Cheri Bustos</a>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mar 13 - Post/Link about Cheri Bustos, "<a href="http://www.aledotimesrecord.com/newsnow/x299876758/Mercer-County-State-s-Attorney-endorses-Cheri-Bustos-for-Congress" target="_blank">Mercer County State's Attorney Endorses Cheri Bustos for Congress</a>".</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mar 14 - Post/Link about Cheri Bustos, "<a href="http://www.pjstar.com/opinions/endorsements/x1617891699/Our-View-17th-Congress-Democrats-Bustos?zc_p=0" target="_blank">Our View, 17th Congress, Democrats: Bustos</a>"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mar 14 - Post/Link about ALL 3 CANDIDATES!! (17th District Democratic Primary Debate on WTVP)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mar 15 - Post/Link about ALL 3 CANDIDATES!! (17th District Democratic Primary Debate on WTVP)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mar 15 - Photo from "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.333193910062064.73906.135659943148796&type=1" target="_blank">Cheri Bustos For Congress Fundraiser</a>"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mar 17 - Campaign Headquarters Photo from "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.335134879870849.84703.189777861073219&type=1" target="_blank">Cheri Bustos for Congress album</a>"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mar 17 - Photo from "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.334555536592568.74171.135659943148796&type=1" target="_blank">Cheri Bustos for Congress</a>" (St. Patrick's Day Parade)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mar 17 - Post/Link about ALL 3 CANDIDATES!! (WTVP debate)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mar 18 - Post/Link about Cheri Bustos, "</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rrstar.com/insight/x872947080/Our-View-Cheri-Bustos-our-choice-for-17th-House-District?zc_p=1" target="_blank">Rockford Register Star endorses Cheri Bustos!</a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mar 18 - Post/Link about Cheri Bustos, "<a href="http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=585591" target="_blank">Letter: Bustos has background, experience district needs</a>"</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hmm...so I posted a question on Peoria IL County Democrat's Facebook page asking if they too had endorsed Bustos. Here's the conversation:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jS8y9-PMnogdcMrpss8Fmx_ylUg8f3lkPzvFJPTbSlB4gL2hVxJaUs7rPrjHZYunimq5qeOurL27WQKVm8Qn5Uvy3mZtMfz2LDRd-gjwJ3856IkhXx6VFmZIWiaYT87OseiXQFWdAjfr/s1600/Facebook+Peo+IL+Co+Dems.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="471" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jS8y9-PMnogdcMrpss8Fmx_ylUg8f3lkPzvFJPTbSlB4gL2hVxJaUs7rPrjHZYunimq5qeOurL27WQKVm8Qn5Uvy3mZtMfz2LDRd-gjwJ3856IkhXx6VFmZIWiaYT87OseiXQFWdAjfr/s640/Facebook+Peo+IL+Co+Dems.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now while it's possible that Cheri Bustos has been in Peoria more than the other candidates, therefore garnering more "coverage", it just seems AWFULLY one-sided. And if posting articles is just being informative, again, seems AWFULLY one-sided!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Have the other 2 candidates not been endorsed by anyone?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Have the newspapers in the 17th Congressional District NOT written articles about the other 2 candidates?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Do they not have accomplishments or vital info on their websites that could or should be shared with other Democratic supporters and voters?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Putting Peoria IL County Democrats aside (whom, by the way, I do support - despite my consternation), let's look at the email I got from MoveOn.org:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktdgu2U0U4v2AF8tyFiCNGJ7rbGAXoll-BZikk8In50PNPYP5CTZ8tMSt-w2Az3ZEKQes788kp2sqES4wExJNz-3jtjCRfZo0u6rzYhV-3RwreGiaU48Johv1NxPYFqc1iYkYtv5GEI_L/s1600/proggressive+ballot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktdgu2U0U4v2AF8tyFiCNGJ7rbGAXoll-BZikk8In50PNPYP5CTZ8tMSt-w2Az3ZEKQes788kp2sqES4wExJNz-3jtjCRfZo0u6rzYhV-3RwreGiaU48Johv1NxPYFqc1iYkYtv5GEI_L/s640/proggressive+ballot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It's an email clearly suggesting candidates that progressives should vote for. Now, while they do have a link which may possibly include a disclaimer about not supporting any one candidate (don't know for sure), what is clear is that PRIOR TO THE PRIMARY Cheri Bustos is recommended...not Gaulrapp, not Aguilar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Finally, campaign literature was hand-delivered to my house yesterday (Sunday). All 3 of these were delivered by one person, all at the same time:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJeKrtyKO8VUSOcogVVCu1opdcRVbCyeshKlrwwkmGWPl0uL9GbAbSkLjBgdAkaHs3EkPD_I8pGPLW26Fe5GLld56iPMX8Qod9oaKvLFiqdoOZO82kEVL1KLe6J8zLqqbKS8STqm09JHt/s1600/cheri+bustos+mail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJeKrtyKO8VUSOcogVVCu1opdcRVbCyeshKlrwwkmGWPl0uL9GbAbSkLjBgdAkaHs3EkPD_I8pGPLW26Fe5GLld56iPMX8Qod9oaKvLFiqdoOZO82kEVL1KLe6J8zLqqbKS8STqm09JHt/s640/cheri+bustos+mail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Look closely at the "ballot". Where it shows 17th District Primary Candidates (circled red), Bustos has been selected of the 3. It is paid for by Friends of Allen Mayer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Once again, the fact that ALL 3 were delivered at once, suggests to me that they all came from the same place and that somehow this "one place" has already decided who we, as Democrats, should vote for. Once again, IN A PRIMARY, the other 2 Democratic (primary) candidates were not represented.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now this isn't the general election, and I'm not giving up on the party. But I guess I AM wondering why the "Democratic Party Powers-That-Be" won't give us Democrats an un-biased look or choice at who is available for my vote tomorrow! With all of the effort and money put into convincing me who I should vote for in the primary for the 17th Congressional District, why is this same Democratic Party (seemingly) <a href="http://progressivepeorian.blogspot.com/2012/02/who-will-run-against-aaron-schock-in.html" target="_blank">given up on the race for the Illinois 18th Congressional District</a> already?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now you tell me...just how democratic IS the Democratic party?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On a side-note...do you wanna know who impressed me most in the WTVP's debate and who I would vote for in the primary if given the choice (yes, that was meant to be snarky)? Message me or leave me a comment, and I'll reply with that answer!</span></div>@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502171304970069772.post-57762012363335245112012-03-18T12:51:00.001-05:002012-03-18T13:00:18.049-05:00Pro-Liberal (Anti-Republican) Pics [Gallery]<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You're on Facebook. Your "friend" posts an anti-Obama pic that boils your blood.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here are some pro-liberal / anti-republican pics for you to post to <b>your</b> Facebook page...I hope you have the courage to fight fire with fire.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhYhRwXRQstiwK3stuWgjW-z_DO3PHr6IrwWCCR2R7zYJ9L5tmJx1D1I53wPv_u1KDJTXTQAzJFIDO9zZZh2fDH7kUJqKUq6ZHnHX_ST82NOMEafX8t0DxbNGT9SLma_lwjeAL_8NSBxP/s1600/424031_125902384204899_104867519641719_101018_1045544579_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhYhRwXRQstiwK3stuWgjW-z_DO3PHr6IrwWCCR2R7zYJ9L5tmJx1D1I53wPv_u1KDJTXTQAzJFIDO9zZZh2fDH7kUJqKUq6ZHnHX_ST82NOMEafX8t0DxbNGT9SLma_lwjeAL_8NSBxP/s640/424031_125902384204899_104867519641719_101018_1045544579_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYuDbPuvLfSS4zji2zaOpjGxAEvsIJQ_N-Mi6OLB_ZzYxgoUicRrTjG1ZwehbdbYPOP-cO6ENQXFRHPTSAQNLVSCOF2FSvs-pHThdrJR2iIuSSFk_r15E-YXygjExpn_T2Up2Gq327YHK/s1600/GOPKKK_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYuDbPuvLfSS4zji2zaOpjGxAEvsIJQ_N-Mi6OLB_ZzYxgoUicRrTjG1ZwehbdbYPOP-cO6ENQXFRHPTSAQNLVSCOF2FSvs-pHThdrJR2iIuSSFk_r15E-YXygjExpn_T2Up2Gq327YHK/s640/GOPKKK_2.jpg" width="621" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(Please note: the following pics are not mine. In fairness, I have credited the sites they were downloaded from.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">These following pics are all courtesy of the Facebook page, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/classwarfareexists" target="_blank"><i>I Acknowledge Class Warfare Exists</i></a> (please visit them for more pics!):</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKQy_IbDZLstae84sDAy_Ub3GyJENL2542Hqva01WpdIZnoIn6ZYWCqxyYLGSAOVJ1emGq76_uCP73BJKzYOuta0nUJ0ibpXwATIwQEqT7c4uvBNqvw9F9Yd8-21ZLjB64epArOOl1AFy/s1600/420376_385900554771525_196601040368145_1446327_1411004181_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKQy_IbDZLstae84sDAy_Ub3GyJENL2542Hqva01WpdIZnoIn6ZYWCqxyYLGSAOVJ1emGq76_uCP73BJKzYOuta0nUJ0ibpXwATIwQEqT7c4uvBNqvw9F9Yd8-21ZLjB64epArOOl1AFy/s640/420376_385900554771525_196601040368145_1446327_1411004181_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">By the way, here's the George Carlin video too:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here's a few more - from the Facebook page, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Formidable-Republican-Opposition/104867519641719" target="_blank"><i>Formidable Republican Opposition</i></a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(please visit them for more pics!)</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;">This one says it all...</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thanks again to the Facebook pages, </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/classwarfareexists" target="_blank">I Acknowledge Class Warfare Exists</a> </i>and </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Formidable-Republican-Opposition/104867519641719" target="_blank"><i>Formidable Republican Opposition</i></a>. Please comment and let me know if you find other great Pro-Liberal (Anti-Republican) pics. I'd love to do a part II!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502171304970069772.post-51887265026018746782012-03-16T18:34:00.001-05:002012-03-16T18:34:26.840-05:00Republican's Rhetoric Rewards Racism...Really!<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Is the Republican (hateful) Rhetoric leading to more racism in America? Let me answer that one for you. Yes. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I've known for years that racism and Republicans go together like white hoods and burning crosses, but I figure that many will argue that there is no connection...so let's connect the dots.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">First, a disclaimer: Not all Republicans are racists, and not all Democrats aren't.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Okay, now let's first look at racism and hate from the point of view of the Southern Poverty Law Center ("</span>an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that promote tolerance")</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The following is a graph from their website showing the decline of White Supremacist groups from '95-'96 to '08, followed by an explosion of groups beginning in 2009.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_470574282" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgln1XyRxXsa01mvrc7I51KpX8-QR8jw0pIlvgnw1RD-V3bOlZB-zDS5M0DiC9qfxv9J8U8CjrGtvaoAy9Jy7dNCo4SxHBtuit83bTzM2_Ttl52I9XkHdq-JMogrPUkx0GZHV_sCmLxWahl/s640/patriot_graph_0.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: #444444;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2012/spring/the-year-in-hate-and-extremism" target="_blank">(image is property of, and licensed by The Southern Poverty Law Center)</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The question to ask here is , "why". In my opinion (and using deductive reasoning) here's "why": </span></span></span></div>
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<li style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From '95-'99, there was a Democratic President in the White House. (unhappy Republicans=rise in hate groups)</span></span></span></li>
<li style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The drop in these groups began in 1998, coinciding with "impeachment" hearings of President Clinton. (Republicans were happy=hate groups decline)</span></span></span></li>
<li style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Between 2000 and 2008, these numbers were at their lowest. (Republican President=happy Republicans=drop in hate groups)</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">In 2009 to present day went up exponentially with a black Democratic President in the White House (Republicans unhappy+black president=boom in hate groups) </span> </span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now, I'm not a statistician, nor am I a sociologist, but if it quacks like a duck, you'd better look for feathers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now let's look at the current field of Republican Presidential candidates and how the things they say are racist (not too mention misogynistic, homophobic, etc.).</span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">Newt Gingrich - Known for calling President Obama a "food stamp President" and saying he best understood by his "</span><a href="http://gawker.com/5636212/newt-gingrich-kenyan-anti+colonial-behavior-is-model-for-obama" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">Kenyan anti-colonial behavior</a><span style="color: blue;">", not to mention his infamous "Welfare Queens".</span> </span></span></span></li>
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<li style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Rick Santorum - Known for calling President Obama a "snob" (for having and promoting college education), most recently, <a href="http://themoderatevoice.com/141622/santorum-staff-scrambles-to-erase-santorums-learn-english-puerto-rico-gaffe/" target="_blank">his comments that residents of Puerto Rican be required to speak English in order for them to be granted statehood</a></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">, and of course his comment about not wanting "to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money..." </span></span></span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MdfZmcuomcE?rel=0" width="480"></iframe> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Willard (Mitt) Romney - Supports a Constitutional Amendment defining marriage as the union between one man and one woman, in what is probably the least overtly racist comment addressed a young black child's jewelry as <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXGMi7a53jA" target="_blank">"bling"</a>, and now his pronouncement that he will de-fund Planned Parenthood.</span></span></span></li>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ron Paul - in a 1992 newsletter wrote, "<a href="http://www.thegrio.com/politics/ron-paul-racist-newsletters-the-top-10-most-racially-insensitive-claims.php" target="_blank">If you've ever been robbed by black teenage male, you know how unbelievably fleet of foot they can be", and many more instances outlined by The Grio</a>:</span></span></span></li>
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<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So how does all of this negative rhetoric effect politics in our country?</span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Just recently, during an NCAA tournament game, racist slurs were chanted by Southern Miss' band toward a Puerto Rican player on Kansas State's team.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="color: blue;">
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><iframe frameborder="0" height="324" src="http://d.yimg.com/nl/rivals/site/player.html#vid=28628645&shareUrl=http%3A%2F%2Frivals.yahoo.com%2Fvideo%2Fcollege-basketball%2FNCAA-Tournament-Spectators-heckle-player-1103218" width="576"></iframe>
<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">According to Huffington Post and Public Policy Polling, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/12/obama-religion-mississippi-alabama_n_1338990.html" target="_blank">the majority of Republican primary voters in Mississippi and Alabama STILL think President Obama is Muslim</a>:</span></span></span></span></span></li>
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<ul style="color: blue;">
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tuI2LEKHGiQ?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">And now, fresh of the presses - a new bumper sticker. One I'm sure people will find amusing, but one that truly underlays just what Republicans want to make this election all about.</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></li>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBoGgQKZi_2YZrlYWEmRRTuuot_rmjSIpGCbWlur71zuzFTEd7YwBvFm3UO_x3fjm6LLDwprdC_VLuw-qx8_qgCBg4TiQ_JeoYnyAPl0NcOn-yxbfxQKyktQvgmDWG5F_sps5E80hFCNV/s640/bumpersticker.jpg" width="640" /><a href="http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/thesideshow/bumpersticker.jpg" style="color: #444444;" target="_blank">http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/thesideshow/bumpersticker.jpg</a></div>
<div style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Have the proverbial dots been connected for you?</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<ul>
<li style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rhetoric</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Racism</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Republicans</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Really!</span> </span> </span><span id="goog_470574310"></span><span id="goog_470574311"></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502171304970069772.post-64717526286351744962012-03-09T22:59:00.000-06:002012-03-09T22:59:23.423-06:00Obama College Video And Critical Race Theory - "Don't Believe The Hype"<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Trending
yesterday on Yahoo: “<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/breitbart-obama-college-video-turns-dud-sparks-race-172252336.html" target="_blank">Breitbart’s Obama college video turns out to be a dud,sparks race debate.</a>”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Boy,
did this CNN interview cause a Twitter backlash against Soledad yesterday…but I honestly don’t
know why. She asked a very pointed
question: “What’s the bombshell?” And Pollak's answer was, well, rather weak. And once I learned what "Critical Race Theory" ("CRT") was, I understood EXACTLY why Yahoo called this a "dud".</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">First, the "bombshell". According Pollak (in the CNN interview), the "bombshell" is the "revelation of the relationship between Obama and Derrick Bell". Now as far as I can see, the most apparent relationship is that of student and professor - beyond that, possible friendship, maybe? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">But, ahhhh, Pollak goes on to insist that Derrick Bell is the author of Critical Race Theory (by the way, Bell had with help from a white man named Alan Freeman), and that "White Supremacy </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">is
at the heart of critical race theory and Obama knew it!”.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"> They (the "right") are trying, of course, to characterize it as another radical association (he does this in another interview with <strike>Faux</strike> Fox News' Sean Hannity) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Sounds scary, doesn't it? But once you understand what "CRT" actually is, you might not be so scared.</span></span></div>
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Sooo, what is Critical Race Theory? Well in that same interview with <strike>Faux</strike> Fox News,
Pollak and his associate claim that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_race_theory" target="_blank">Wikipedia article on “CRT” had been altered</a>. So I went in search of a better, more
reliable source…and found one.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6N_3n3kJs6Mezk47rj-G9TKgQTHEMZPlYg-_C3d79__IHfkonXVfYqKI9dMJZA2LxayRCUVQdT1cKj-xERdTEzYOMCu4uOrwnVh64N5-aC3WQDQ8VNLSBhHCrAT4NReCFrDIUYf0jjNHz/s1600/500px-Temple_text_logo.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6N_3n3kJs6Mezk47rj-G9TKgQTHEMZPlYg-_C3d79__IHfkonXVfYqKI9dMJZA2LxayRCUVQdT1cKj-xERdTEzYOMCu4uOrwnVh64N5-aC3WQDQ8VNLSBhHCrAT4NReCFrDIUYf0jjNHz/s320/500px-Temple_text_logo.svg.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: #444444;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(image is licensed under Wikimedia Creative Commons License)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">From
2003, long before anyone allegedly “covered up” the video, <a href="http://www.temple.edu/tempress/chapters_1100/1169_ch1.pdf" target="_blank">Temple University published part of a book</a> (the forward, perhaps?) that addresses Critical Race
Theory. Put on your hard-hat, because knowledge
is about to be dropped ya, son. (sorry, black
colloquialism)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><u>First - WHY "CRT"</u>:</span></span></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #444444;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: small; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> "</span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: small; line-height: 115%;">the
Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s had stalled, and that indeed many of its
gains were being rolled back. New
approaches were needed to understand and come to grips with the more subtle,
but just as deeply entrenched, varieties of racism that characterize our times. Old approaches - filing amicus briefs, marching, coining new litigation strategies, writing articles in legal and popular journals exhorting our fellow citizens to exercise moral leadership in search of racial justice - were yielding smaller and smaller returns.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: small; line-height: 115%;"> As Freeman once put it, if you are up a tree and flood is coming, sometimes you have to climb down before finding shelter in a taller, safer one."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><u>Basic "insights" of "CRT"</u>:</span></span></span></div>
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<ol style="color: #444444;">
<li><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Racism is normal, not aberrant, in American society.</span></span></span></blockquote>
</li>
<li><blockquote>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The call to context - storytelling in which the writer analyzes the myths, pre-suppositions, and received wisdoms that make up the common culture about race.</span></span></span></blockquote>
</li>
<li><blockquote>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Interest convergence - the concept that white elites will tolerate or encourage racial advances for blacks only when such advances also promote white self-interests.</span></span></span></blockquote>
</li>
<li><blockquote>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The critique of liberalism.</span></span></span></blockquote>
</li>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><u>Bottom line of what Critical Race Theory seeks to accomplish (as I see it)</u>:</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Ultimately, the reader will have to decide whether our system of civil rights law needs a complete overhaul, as the "CRT" writers argue, or just a minor tune-up..."</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"CRT co-founder Kimberle Crenshaw critiqued the conservative right's and the liberal left's approaches to anti-discrimination law. Echoing the work of others, she argued that 'color-blind' race-reform law, espoused by the conservative right, can make only minor modest inroads into institutionalized racism. But she also pointed out that the left's harsh criticism of such measures ignores the benefits they can provide while downplaying </span>the role of racism in legitimizing oppression."</span></blockquote>
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Doesn't sound at all like "white supremacy" is at the heart of this a "radical" point of view, does it? (sorry, Repugs)</div>
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Now, if the argument is that Professor Charles Ogletree intentionally hid the video until after the 2008 elections, that's one thing. Although, it has not been proven that President Obama had any part of the "cover-up", and frankly, can you blame Ogletree? I mean look at how it's being characterized 3 years AFTER the election!</div>
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Additionally, IF WBGH withheld the video <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">once it was requested, </i>that's question that needs to be asked. I don’t, however, see how Pollak and Hannity or anyone else can classify this as a “Liberal Media” conspiracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s only one station! (unless the “right” means
that ONLY PBS is the “liberal media elite”, in which case congrats MSNBC, CNN,
ABC, CBS, and NBC <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- you’re off the “liberal
media elite” watch-list!)</div>
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<span><span style="color: #444444;">Can't wait to see what other "Bombshells" (video or otherwise) the late Breibart has in store. If they're anything like this one, Soledad O'Brien better hire more security...the "right" doesn't like it when their "outrage" is de-bunked as, well, bunk. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div>@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502171304970069772.post-76184444651099454572012-03-08T12:47:00.000-06:002012-03-08T12:47:23.106-06:002012 Presidential Election: Voting For Obama, Remember What It Felt Like?<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Romney and the conservatives (note the distinction?) would have you believe America is in decline. That our nation is on the brink of disaster, and that it's all President Barack Obama's fault. <b>Don't believe it. </b></div>
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<b>DO</b> believe this is an on-going attack on the hopes and dreams of Americans. And why not? It was the then Senator Barack Obama's message of hope that inspired us to believe America was still great and that we could fix what was wrong with America. And so if we continued to be inspired, have hope, and believe things can change for the better, this presents a threat to the status quo the "right" wants to maintain.</div>
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I recently was feeling discouraged about the prospects of the 2012 election, but then began to remember what it felt like to be inspired and vote for Barack Obama...here's (hear) my tale. I hope it (re)inspires you:</div>
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Remember what it felt like?
As an African-American, I remember compulsively watching every piece of
news, every debate, every speech – from announcing his candidacy in 2007, to another rally in
Springfield, Illinois announcing Joe Biden as his Vice-Presidential running mate, up to election night in November 2008. </div>
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Remember what it felt like for you? For me, I remember that I felt pride. And at the risk of suffering the same criticism
as Michelle Obama, I was really
proud to be an American, and prouder still to be black. Because for me (and other African-Americans,
I assume), election night 2008 was the culmination of my father’s dreams
realized. And his father’s dreams. And on and on. Not JUST because the United States of America
had elected a man of color to the highest office of the land, but because of
the hope that reaching this pinnacle meant a new era where everyone would get a
fair shake.</div>
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Remember what it felt like? For me, I scheduled that day, election day, off from
work and awoke that day tingling with anticipation and fear. Fixing a cup of coffee before my shower, I
turned on the tv for any advance news of the election, then took my shower and
got ready to leave to head to the polling place.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9e88cWs5-34-L4AlImP1LBPKDaGV5He12ah4iXYY4zMeQGejMuGEWSolfoHBEQqu362weeI51QtXV9pSYBbJiOy5Deuc2TV19mR9ceML7CfKT86TVcFyPNmipumwosgBFvnTS0fgTjJ8Z/s1600/100_1615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9e88cWs5-34-L4AlImP1LBPKDaGV5He12ah4iXYY4zMeQGejMuGEWSolfoHBEQqu362weeI51QtXV9pSYBbJiOy5Deuc2TV19mR9ceML7CfKT86TVcFyPNmipumwosgBFvnTS0fgTjJ8Z/s320/100_1615.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">(image is property of @G_Stevens and ProgressivePeorian.blogspot.com - all rights reserved)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #444444;">As I walked out to my car, I realized it was early.</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;">Too early for the polls to be open yet.</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;">But I was so anxious, I had to get started
anyway.</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;">I double checked to make sure I
had my driver’s license, voter’s registration and social security cards ( I
would not be denied this historic vote) got in my car and headed up to Grand
View Drive to watch the sunrise…I felt it was the dawn of a new era.</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span> </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUPXvJeJrmc46U2fhkHv-iZD8CERJL3Je59cIBq21Q4kyOA66ngwd9d2WLJSkNDJcvx5xWT3k3gFpowz4qPu8-DlqHCNuBJw_ZhcPINWW_Y0Du0h7_BZpTgHRFLS6JUh7IQLsiSlxbZhP/s1600/100_1626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUPXvJeJrmc46U2fhkHv-iZD8CERJL3Je59cIBq21Q4kyOA66ngwd9d2WLJSkNDJcvx5xWT3k3gFpowz4qPu8-DlqHCNuBJw_ZhcPINWW_Y0Du0h7_BZpTgHRFLS6JUh7IQLsiSlxbZhP/s640/100_1626.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">(image is property of @G_Stevens and ProgressivePeorian.blogspot.com - all rights reserved)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Yes, I remember exactly what it felt like.</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;">Do you?</span></div>
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I stood in line at the polling location with other Americans
– older and younger Americans, white and black Americans, male and female. That day, I
felt a kinsman-ship with all of them.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1o52I62V8U9hkSQQhrsZf8P4A6VRPPcGSQ8UYz9tL_ZncV7gVqDYFNaTz_qdr6TRl2Q1TT97f7BYuh5CZXxYgWVtQMLU28rL-EQpm_9xnaL_HLduan0MvZycxmKxIlxbch7JktpKGdgdM/s1600/100_1631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1o52I62V8U9hkSQQhrsZf8P4A6VRPPcGSQ8UYz9tL_ZncV7gVqDYFNaTz_qdr6TRl2Q1TT97f7BYuh5CZXxYgWVtQMLU28rL-EQpm_9xnaL_HLduan0MvZycxmKxIlxbch7JktpKGdgdM/s400/100_1631.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">(image is property of @G_Stevens and ProgressivePeorian.blogspot.com - all rights reserved)</span></td></tr>
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Once I got into the booth, I almost trembled with anticipation as I cast
my vote. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1BdDO3LmPJWhMjyXyOrLKDlrexEqaYY5quRtwJwCoNdHa1fp0jZcqk6U2V3Zc1qJUfPL9dP1YwuCSvGhyY1suV4LaVJaywhCkrY0Mb-INih8AY-78kg2TrSPoOAOg7vrkLC_A1NYEueN/s1600/100_1638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1BdDO3LmPJWhMjyXyOrLKDlrexEqaYY5quRtwJwCoNdHa1fp0jZcqk6U2V3Zc1qJUfPL9dP1YwuCSvGhyY1suV4LaVJaywhCkrY0Mb-INih8AY-78kg2TrSPoOAOg7vrkLC_A1NYEueN/s640/100_1638.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">(image is property of @G_Stevens and ProgressivePeorian.blogspot.com - all rights reserved)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #444444;">And on my way back to my car, I
smiled and nodded or said hello to my fellow Peorians who were outside waiting to cast
their vote too. I had made a difference. I was one of 63,700,000 Americans who had voted for Barack Obama.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd537_9cnWlRYDWglIBLQn54ZRAjHbRGf_B1_r8Z35kQwgoNKH3Q4E2w2irWdDshpMsYPbpwk12ScsQHe4s6Z-cnPInMOMj32dAH_LoBSsEPuKUqXvSLVGsg9jRdWJgMiqt6hIQ-tMlRj0/s1600/100_1630_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd537_9cnWlRYDWglIBLQn54ZRAjHbRGf_B1_r8Z35kQwgoNKH3Q4E2w2irWdDshpMsYPbpwk12ScsQHe4s6Z-cnPInMOMj32dAH_LoBSsEPuKUqXvSLVGsg9jRdWJgMiqt6hIQ-tMlRj0/s640/100_1630_edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">(image is property of @G_Stevens and ProgressivePeorian.blogspot.com - all rights reserved)</span></td></tr>
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All day long I watched all 3 cable news outlets and by 4 or
5pm, returns started coming in. And when
MSNBC finally announced victory for Barack Obama, I cried. I thought of my father. And his father. And I cried.
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwsLbI5_aAv7JakaeX0VP-N9iTLNtNBvZVdmgJhMIsu9pPBiAtFnepZ1tmDnIsRJfu_cOh6xbAzD2jM6boG2Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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I saw Jessie Jackson standing alone in crowd of millions crying, and I
cried some more.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUM4p8obNcvqj_sF3ydjQFe-LoEsemFr1aXBeBp-Dqg1p-XpdbWZBKGNMi0ErBAK7mnzxekM6Zaq077yuU49mQASUt6aBHcm3J8q3NoTvLQ_wTLjgUKkdLL4j5j0avCP8r_DHB3kdD62P/s1600/jesse_jackson_cries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUM4p8obNcvqj_sF3ydjQFe-LoEsemFr1aXBeBp-Dqg1p-XpdbWZBKGNMi0ErBAK7mnzxekM6Zaq077yuU49mQASUt6aBHcm3J8q3NoTvLQ_wTLjgUKkdLL4j5j0avCP8r_DHB3kdD62P/s400/jesse_jackson_cries.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: #444444;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(image hosted by <a href="http://thewellversed.com/2011/02/07/the-tens-10-things-that-went-wrong-at-super-bowl-xlv/barack-obama-holds-election-night-gathering-in-chicagos-grant-park/" target="_blank"><span id="goog_369913404">thewellversed.com</span><span id="goog_369913405"></span></a>)</td></tr>
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What about you? How
did that night make <b>you </b>feel?</div>
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Weeks after that historic moment, the hope began to fade
away as Republicans and their pundits continued their all out assault on Barack Obama and Democrats in the midst of our national financial crisis. The “<a href="http://crooksandliars.com/logan-murphy/after-roberts-oath-flub-wallace-wonde" target="_blank">swearing in” screw-up by a Chief Justice of the United States, John G. Roberts Jr.</a>, only fed the rantings of NEO-CONS that Obama wasn’t
really President. Add <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2010/10/25/126242/mcconnell-obama-one-term/?mobile=nc" target="_blank">Sen. Mitch McConnell’spronouncement that his PRIORITY in the U.S. Senate</a> was to make President Obama a one-term
President and the utter <a href="http://crooksandliars.com/jon-perr/republicans-unprecedented-obstructionism-by-numbers" target="_blank">lack of legislative cooperation</a>, <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57341373/tea-party-group-defends-depicting-obama-as-skunk/" target="_blank">attacks by the Tea Party</a>...I began to forget that feeling of hope.<br />
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But you know what? I
feel that flicker…that glimmer, that spark.
Things still CAN change. And - if you and I don’t recall what it felt like to feel inspired, to feel hope, we are doomed. Doomed to more racism, sexism, more giving
breaks to the rich, more having our voices stifled in favor of corporations and Wall Street.</div>
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Remember what it felt like in 2008? Hold on to those feelings, re-visit them,
share them, and let’s work to get those feelings of hope for a better America
back – RE-ELECT PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYSb0JB_RJNlL_29Vox7V9pogsIMV5msBxRx0vA3-ePwXT3EUX9o4PjAWIljZ3XNE0aUGFQrXDvcFnbLoqvKotPmJVBcWhJp30-UfRxMP4uejKQiFh8-qg5LkTcoDCdr-RuApb99xXSE3/s1600/Obama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYSb0JB_RJNlL_29Vox7V9pogsIMV5msBxRx0vA3-ePwXT3EUX9o4PjAWIljZ3XNE0aUGFQrXDvcFnbLoqvKotPmJVBcWhJp30-UfRxMP4uejKQiFh8-qg5LkTcoDCdr-RuApb99xXSE3/s400/Obama.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502171304970069772.post-2938075258549072812012-03-02T22:36:00.000-06:002012-03-02T22:36:27.798-06:00List Of Rush Limbaugh's Sponsors - Let Them Know You're Unhappy About His Inappropriate Comments About Sandra Fluke<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Rush Limbaugh and the "right" strike again. And by "strike", I mean "striking out" (double entendre)...and by striking out, I'm not just referring to the baseball term. Rush is "Striking out" (referring to <i>lashing out </i>against women - triple entendre!). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I want to make it easy for you to tell his show's sponsors just how you feel about his comments directed toward Sandra Fluke...so this blog post will have a list of his sponsors, contact info, and links (web and/or Facebook) where provided. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Please share the following important information...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">First, if you're unfamiliar with Rush's comments, watch the video of his show if you can stomach it (although, I <u>wouldn't</u> recommend it!)</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/C9JLRypv9eA?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(get a tic-tac or rinse that bile taste out your mouth, and we'll continue) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">* </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On to the list of sponsors of the Rush Limbaugh <strike>Sow</strike> Show (thanks to the <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/01/15/825644/-Rush-Limbaugh-s-Sponsor-List" target="_blank">Daily Kos</a> for providing the list):</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><strike><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Lending Tree (704) 541-5351 <a href="http://www.lendingtree.com/about-us/contact-us/">http://www.lendingtree.com/about-us/contact-us/</a> (Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LendingTree">https://www.facebook.com/LendingTree</a>)</span></strike></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(company claims they do not advertise on the Rush Limbaugh Show)</span></span></div>
<ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Life Quotes (800) 670-5433 </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><strike><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">e-Harmony (</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">626) 795-4814 (Email: usersupport@eharmony.com) (Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eharmony">https://www.facebook.com/eharmony</a>)</span></strike></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(company claims they do not advertise on the Rush Limbaugh Show)</span></span></div>
<ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">OnStar (800-947-AUTO<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">) (Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/onstar?sk=wall">https://www.facebook.com/onstar?sk=wall</a>)</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">HotWire.com (</span>877-468-9473<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">) (Email: </span>advertising@hotwire.com) (Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Hotwire">https://www.facebook.com/Hotwire</a>)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span>Cabonite, Inc. (617) 587-1100 Ext: 1115 (Email: david.friend@carbonite.com) (Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CarboniteOnlineBackup">https://www.facebook.com/CarboniteOnlineBackup</a>)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Select Comfort (dba Sleep Number Bed) (800) 438-2233 (Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SleepNumber?sk=wall">https://www.facebook.com/SleepNumber?sk=wall</a>)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Neptune Society of Northern California (Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NeptuneSocietyofNorthernCalifornia">https://www.facebook.com/NeptuneSocietyofNorthernCalifornia</a>)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><strike><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Oreck Corp. (800) 289-5888 (<a href="http://www.oreck.com/Customer-Service">http://www.oreck.com/Customer-Service</a>) (Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oreck">https://www.facebook.com/oreck</a>)</span></strike></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(company claims to not be an advertiser on the Rush Limbaugh show)</span></span></div>
<ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mid-West Life Insurance Co. Tennessee (web ads hosted on RushLimbaugh.com) (800) 733-1110 (<a href="http://www.midwestlife.com/">http://www.midwestlife.com/</a>)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><strike><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">AutoZone Inc. (901) 495-7185 (Email: investor.relations@autozone.com) (Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/autozone?sk=wall">https://www.facebook.com/autozone?sk=wall</a>)</span></strike></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(company claims they do not advertise on the Rush Limbaugh Show)</span></span></div>
<ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mission Pharmcal (Citracal) (800) 531-3333 (http://citracal.com/en/email-us.php) (Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Citracal/231458765563?sk=wall&filter=1">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Citracal/231458765563?sk=wall&filter=1</a>)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Legal Zoom (800) 773-0888 (<a href="http://legalzoom.force.com/LZWTC">http://legalzoom.force.com/LZWTC</a>) (Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LegalZoom">https://www.facebook.com/LegalZoom</a>)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><strike><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Blue-Emu (800) 432-9334 (<a href="http://www.blue-emu.com/contact">http://www.blue-emu.com/contact</a>) (Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/blueemu?sk=wall">https://www.facebook.com/blueemu?sk=wall</a>)</span></strike></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(company claims they do not advertise on the Rush Limbaugh Show)</span></span></div>
<ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><strike><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Citrix Online (GoToMyPC) (805) 690-6400 (Email: </span><a href="mailto:citrixonline_president@citrixonline.com" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">citrixonline_president@citrixonline.com</a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">) (Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GoToMyPC">https://www.facebook.com/GoToMyPC</a>) </span></strike></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(company claims they have PULLED their advertising from the Rush Limbaugh Show)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Some of these companies that claim they do not advertise on Rush's show may not be actively placing ad buys, but may be advertising as part of a barter advertising system. If you do indeed hear any of these advertisers on his show, you are encouraged to let them know, and to respond to let us at ProgressivePeorian.Blogspot.com know too!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In closing: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you're keeping score, <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/twitter-room/other-news/213929-scott-brown-limbaugh-comments-reprehensible-radio-host-should-apologize" target="_blank">Republican Sen. Scott Brown (Mass.) has denounced the comments as "reprehensible"</a>, while <a href="http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/washington/2012/03/palin-says-limbaugh-was-right-about-woman.html?utm_source=web&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">Sister Sarah (Sarah Palin) says Rush Limbaugh was right</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Why am I not surprised by either comment?</span></span>@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502171304970069772.post-29568583403269651822012-03-02T01:06:00.000-06:002012-03-02T01:06:01.519-06:00Montana U.S. District Judge Circulates Racist Email About Pres. Obama<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A member of the high court. A person who's sole responsibility is to ensure "justice for all". A Montana U.S. District Judge has admitted to circulating a racist email (as a "joke") about President Barack Obama.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">How does this happen in this day and age? In this age of supposed enlightenment when the country has elected a person of color to the highest office on the planet?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It is a topic, that those who fear to be labeled as racist say no longer needs to be addressed. It DOES, however, bear repeating as loudly and as often as possible until racism (covert and overt) is eradicated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We will examine the judge's "joke" and other recent examples of bigotry, racism, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and fear-mongering hatred</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">WARNING: This topic may make you uncomfortable. Turn back now!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Richard Cebull is the Chief U.S. District Judge for Montana, and according to an article in <a href="http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20120229/NEWS01/120229014/Chief-U-S-District-Judge-sends-racially-charged-email-about-president" target="_blank">The Great Falls Tribune</a>, this past February (2012) from his official courthouse email address, the following forwarded email was sent:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">(Subject line: "A Mom's Memory")</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #444444;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">"</span><span style="font-size: small;">Normally I don't send or forward a lot of these, but even by my
standards, it was a bit touching. I want all of my friends to feel what I
felt when I read this. Hope it touches your heart like it did mine."</span></div>
</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: small;">(here's the "joke" that followed) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">"</span>A little boy said to his mother; 'Mommy, how come I'm black and you're
white?' His mother replied, 'Don't even go
there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you're lucky
you don't bark!'"</div>
</blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now, if you find that funny at all, you are a racist. That doesn't make you a horrible, evil person - just someone who is afraid. Cebull admits to sending this email to friends, stating it was not intended to be made public (paraphrase). He goes on to say,</span></div>
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"I didn't send it as racist, although that's what it is. I sent it out because it's anti-Obama."</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">He admits the racist nature of it, but denies that's why he sent it to his buddies. Let me say again that this is a U.S. District Judge.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> A member of the high court. A person who's sole responsibility is to ensure "justice for all".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But this is not an isolated case! On the contrary, this is the norm and not the exception. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For example, the controversial Arizona Sheriff, Joe Arpaio just concluded his investigation into President Obama's birth certificate's authenticity, stating its a forgery. Money that the tax-payers of Maricopa County have been forced to pay for, about an issue that has long-since been settled!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">No other president or vice-president have ever been held to such scrutiny. And regardless of what people like "Sheriff Joe" say, it is about race. Case and point, a comment left on <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/03/01/435878/sheriff-joe-birther-investigation/" target="_blank">ThinkProgress.org</a> about "Sheriff Joe's" investigation (it really shows that people will use any excuse to hide their racism):</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Because this is the first president that has blocked all access to his
records -- why is it no one...NO ONE remembers him from ANY of
the schools he supposedly attended here? Why is it his social security
no. does not E-verify??? It's not just the forged birth certificate, or
the forged selective service record, or the false soc. sec. no....it's a
conglomeration. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> It's been really stinking to high heaven for
a long time, but stupid folks like you keep spraying perfume all over
it -- it's still rotten as putrid fish --you can't make it go away by
crying foul! The truth is the truth. You either embrace it or hide
from it. You're hiding from it."</span></div>
</blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I see people on Facebook hide behind semi-anonymity tout their racist views. You may want to read my recent post about Facebook. Click the Facebook logo below to read it.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6502171304970069772#editor/target=post;postID=2956858340326965182" target="_blank">(image is licensed under Wikimedia's Creative Commons license)</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And recently, I lost someone I had considered a friend - not a close friend, mind you, but an acquaintance I had had drinks with. Our discussion was about his hypocrisy (working at Cat making a great wage, thanks to the union)...then turned into a discussion about people in front of him at the grocery store who were </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"irresponsible and had multiple children and multiple carts of food that his taxes paid for" and were "living beyond their means" (like people who receive welfare live high on the hog?). I explained that total Fed Revenue for one year is $5.2 trillion while Food Stamp expenditures equal $52 million per year, divided by 350 million Americans equals $.15 per American per year. He then tried to convince me that the Democratic Party supports the disparity in abortion among blacks, but let his "true self" show when he said the following:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"It changes things that they put a barely African American in the White House"</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When I replied that I am bi-racial too and called him a racist bigot, he replied,</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"You, of course, can't be (because) you're part white".</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This person and I no longer speak. In fact, I threatened him with physical violence (because he continued to text me when I insisted he stop and never text me again).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Look - if you are not white (non-ethnic, look white, pass
as white, accepted as white) then you have probably heard the phrase, "I'm not a racist" uttered in an attempt to convince you that person isn't racist (more likely to convince themselves they aren't racist). And while many of you may not be racist or think you're not racist, I am convinced that when you hear people who are experts (news, clergy, government, law enforcement) make it institutionally acceptable to be racist (covertly or overtly) especially within the confines of your own peer group. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Racism, is of course, no stranger to Central Illinois. After all, Pekin High School teams were known at one time as the "Chinks". A Pekin roller-skating rink was known as as the "Chink Rink". And a popular Central Illinois Urban Legend states there was a sign on the bridge that crosses the Illinois River into Pekin that "advised blacks to not be in Pekin after dark".</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Next time you read something or post something or say something, really ask yourself if its racially insensitive or motivated. Careful!! You may not like the answer. </span></div>@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502171304970069772.post-20845041059692161812012-03-01T11:24:00.006-06:002012-03-01T11:38:54.078-06:00Sen. Blunt Contraception Amendment Vote In The U.S. Senate<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Well, it looks like the Republicans are <i>still </i>legislating WOMEN'S HEALTH instead of doing anything to employ Americans. It's colloquially being referred to as the Sen. Blunt Amendment to the Transportation Bill.</span></div>
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<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">WHAT?? Women's Health Amendment to a <i>Transportation </i>Bill?</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfds5WnU3nDJ_HU4EERZBNkAoyummqPl9JKfnRc8KKePYqzLNqsMW9l0pdEuGCZxJoYsRpNqvkAeCctSGx9DGYdnrpLhYHeLEYEi3Q_NPAmk2WsZkOgjbsfyTTrI05Vd_DrCbOx71DX3m9/s1600/800px-Capitol-Senate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfds5WnU3nDJ_HU4EERZBNkAoyummqPl9JKfnRc8KKePYqzLNqsMW9l0pdEuGCZxJoYsRpNqvkAeCctSGx9DGYdnrpLhYHeLEYEi3Q_NPAmk2WsZkOgjbsfyTTrI05Vd_DrCbOx71DX3m9/s320/800px-Capitol-Senate.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: #444444;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(image is licensed under Wikimedia Creative Commons license)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">S.1813</span> </span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Jeez, where to begin. How about this...let's begin with the language of this amendment:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #444444;">
"...a health plan shall not be considered to have failed to provide the
essential health benefits package...to fail to be a qualified health
plan or to fail to fulfill any other requirement under this title if it
declines to provide coverage of specific items or services because -</blockquote>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #444444;">
“(i) providing coverage (or, in the case of a sponsor of a group health
plan, paying for coverage) of such specific items or services is
contrary to the religious beliefs or moral convictions of the sponsor,
issuer or other entity offering the plan...</blockquote>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #444444;">
“Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, a health plan shall
not be considered to have failed to provide timely or other access to
items or services under this title...because it has respected the rights
of conscience of such a provider...”<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></blockquote>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(thanks to <a href="http://www.timegoesby.net/weblog/2012/03/reject-the-so-called-conscience-amendment.html" target="_blank">Time Goes By</a> for the text and <a href="http://blunt.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/ce0de928-f717-436e-9da0-4a3e7fee0302/S.%201813%20Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">link to the actual amendment .pdf</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So what does the language in this amendment mean? <b> </b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Simply put, your employer will be able to deny ANY coverage of ANYTHING they deem "morally objectionable".</b> </span></div>
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<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">The possible implications?</span></div>
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<div style="color: #444444; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you are a woman, your employer could determine a hysterectomy is "morally objectionable". </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #444444; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you are a man, your employer could determine a vasectomy is "morally objectionable". </span></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #444444; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Have breast cancer? Your employer could determine that breast re-constructive surgery is "morally objectionable". </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #444444; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you have HIV/AIDS, your employer could deny coverage for treatment because its "morally objectionable". </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What if your employer deems treatment for early-onset Alzheimers is "morally objectionable"? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So who's to say what is and what is not "morally objectionable"? Your employer? <b>Your employer gets to decide YOUR morality FOR YOU?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I again, turned to Facebook (while watching the Senate debate on C-Span) and the post on (President) Barack Obama's "wall" about the vote this morning:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">(post that is AGAINST the amendment) Funny, how everyone is
talking about how employers don't want to "pay for birth control". Who
says they will be? At most, employers pay a limited portion of insurance
premiums. My employer, for example, actually doesn't pay any part of
the premium. So, if I'm paying my premiums every month, am responsible
for meeting my deductible, making my co-pays, how, exactly, is my
employer paying for my medicine? It is none of my employers business
what medicine I do or do not take, as long as it or my condition does
not affect work. That's true whether that's birth control or sinus
medication; and please don't get me started on the hypocrisy that Viagra
and Cialis are 100% covered by insurance.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<br /></div>
<ul style="color: #444444;">
<li>(post that is FOR the amendment) <span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"></span><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">This is another one of
Obama's lies. This isn't about contraception. This is about the
government forcing religious organizations to provide "preventive"
services for which the organization is morally against. Birth control is
FREE in this country. All you have to do is go to Planned Parenthood
if you want it.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What the person who is FOR the amendment doesn't take into account is the Republican Party's attempts to DE-FUND Planned Parenthood. This person IS right though, this isn't about contraception. It's about denying prenatal care. It's about denying cervical cancer screening. It's about denying breast health. It's about legislating away women's rights.</span></span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And what of the leading Republican candidate for President, Willard (Mitt) Romney? What are his thoughts on this amendment? (by the way, it is totally coincidental that it looks like he's holding puppet strings)</span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGSwU4CEsx54a2fWtN1WlqVy-pI3fz55bBHOxz4D5iAwm_uGNGyeObxlG1JRcK1YdzM8nsKJ6Yj-2EXot9Vgp1290-T3kH2CY1j-fStF_QZiThRoXjSI32FsNiuznkAhqiWh0BSoPPSVZ/s1600/Romney-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGSwU4CEsx54a2fWtN1WlqVy-pI3fz55bBHOxz4D5iAwm_uGNGyeObxlG1JRcK1YdzM8nsKJ6Yj-2EXot9Vgp1290-T3kH2CY1j-fStF_QZiThRoXjSI32FsNiuznkAhqiWh0BSoPPSVZ/s320/Romney-01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: #444444;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(image is licensed under Wikimedia Creative Commons)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: #444444;">
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">According to the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/romney-comes-out-against-blunt-amendment/2012/02/29/gIQAAjzriR_blog.html" target="_blank">Washington Post</a>, in an interview with ONN-TV he originally said the following:</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #444444;">
“I’m not for the bill. But, look, the idea of presidential candidates
getting into questions about contraception within a relationship between
a man and a woman, husband and wife, I’m not going there.”</blockquote>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">However, afterwards in an interview with Howie Carr, he changes his tune.</span></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bfrGFGibuzw?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Mitt the Flip" doing what he does best - himming and hawing to reverse his position, calling it a misunderstanding. </span></span></div>
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<div style="color: #444444;">
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Funny though, that the discussion in the Howie Carr interview is about "religious exemption" while the <a href="http://blunt.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/ce0de928-f717-436e-9da0-4a3e7fee0302/S.%201813%20Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">Blunt Amendment</a> clearly is attempting to hide the <i>over-reach</i> allowance for employers.</span></span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">**************************************************************** </span></span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text" style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As I finish this blog post, it is with great pleasure that I announce the U.S. Senate has voted 51-48 to "table" the amendment.</span></span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe voted to table the amendment, while Democratic Senators Ben Nelson, Joe Manchin, and Bob Casey voted AGAINST tabling the amendment. </span></span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(On another note too, right-winger blogger, Andrew Breitbart (<a href="http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/video_sherrod/" target="_blank">the man who unfairly accused Ag Department official Shirley Sherrod of racism</a>) died today.)</span></span></div>@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502171304970069772.post-38405000388360288442012-02-22T22:41:00.000-06:002012-03-09T17:35:57.480-06:00G.O.P. Hypocrisy: Contraception Mandate in the Health Care Law<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">With passage of the Affordable Healthcare Law, certain provisions of the law will be enacted soon. One of these that is causing great "concern" within the G.O.P. is the mandate concerning contraception.</span></div>
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<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But - is this a real issue within the G.O.P.? Or just more fake outrage?</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="720" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ynx4ERqLvkI?rel=0" width="960"></iframe>
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<br />
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hmm...upon further review, this G.O.P. outrage seems more like a right-wing dog whistle than actual concern for the rights of Catholics...just sayin'. </span></div>@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502171304970069772.post-46142599809740681562012-02-17T22:42:00.000-06:002012-02-17T22:42:04.131-06:00Are Willard (Mitt) Romney's Claims Of Credit For 2002 Olympics' Success Hypocritical?<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">G.O.P. Candidate (again) for President of the United States, Willard (Mitt) Romney claims credit for success of the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. In fact, it appears its one of the pillars of his "qualifications" to be Commander-In-Chief.</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But is this claim just more GOPocrisy? More Mitt Romney flip-floppery?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It certainly is a topic of discussion that has taken hold recently. And with Mitt Romney losing ground to Rick Santorum, its a topic that can't help his efforts.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I found this article in the Boston Herald. Their headline reads, "<a href="http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view.bg?&articleid=1404394&format=&page=1&listingType=politics#articleFull" target="_blank">Mitt Romney says he turned around Olympics. Did he?</a>" Well before we dive right into the whole messy deal, I would like to offer my answer: "Yes, I think he did." BUT - that is not why I am posting about this. Rather, I would like to focus on Mitt Romney's hypocritical position on Federal hand-outs (my term, not his).</span></span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We all remember Willard (Mitt) Romney's position on the Federal government providing money ("bail-out") of the Detroit auto-makers. My assumption, and that of other pundits left and right, was that Mitt Romney took the position he did on the "bail-outs" to better his standing with Neo-Cons and Tea Party supporters.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What's that, you say? Your recollection of Mitt Romney's position is fuzzy-at-best? Allow me to refresh your memory with help from YouTube and "DemRapidResponse":</span></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JxvURgyJ26w?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hmmm...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now, contrast <b>that </b>with the following video uploaded by the DNC. (look for the John McCain cameo):</span></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qY29UIpGhAs?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hmmm... </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Does this seem like hypocrisy to you? Because it does to me. Mitt Romney accepted over a billion from the Federal government when it suited his purposed...but when the auto makers of Detroit needed money, it was a totally unacceptable concept to him.</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;">And while you ponder whether or not this more GOPocrisy or Mitt Romney flip-floppery (seek help if took you more than :12 seconds to decide) remember this:</span> </span></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DpJyN5U4Z5E?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>
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<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hmmm... </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;">Willard (Mitt) Romney touts "saving" the 2002 Olympics as one of his qualification to be President of the United States, but the manner in which he DID save the 2002 Winter Olympics goes against his "Conservative principles" (my words, not his).</span></span></span>@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502171304970069772.post-66612408513333948942012-02-16T23:02:00.003-06:002012-02-16T23:02:41.555-06:00Facebook - Battleground For America's Soul<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When I first joined Facebook (summer of 2009), I wrote in the "About Me" section that I was dragged, kicking and screaming to Facebook and that it was the devil and would melt my brain.</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyiHRkPw5PH1nU2IZKJIlZHXGzXD_gsZMlbkUyzhN_5VQSdeEjON1DHL9B4pOvXd10JVwCOxfiKdW9wGIM9q8gYisklqXAdwZfQgR5ddSpA_Q3OSz62LEwVFt-cfyrYHe0J3KdGookNhRZ/s1600/500px-No_Facebook.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyiHRkPw5PH1nU2IZKJIlZHXGzXD_gsZMlbkUyzhN_5VQSdeEjON1DHL9B4pOvXd10JVwCOxfiKdW9wGIM9q8gYisklqXAdwZfQgR5ddSpA_Q3OSz62LEwVFt-cfyrYHe0J3KdGookNhRZ/s320/500px-No_Facebook.svg.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: #444444;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(image is licensed by WikiMedia's Creative Commons License)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Little did I know how close to the truth I was - except it hasn't melted my brain, it's melted America's (collective) brain. And as far as Facebook being the devil, one can certainly argue that like heaven and hell, Facebook is the battleground for America's soul. For instead of being a social meeting place to keep up with old school chums, show off pictures of your dog and your kids, it's now a semi-anonymous platform for people to espouse hateful things that I doubt they'd otherwise say in person if confronted by those they attack.</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I'd like to share 3 instances I've seen via my Facebook "wall". One is a photo a "friend" shared. Another is a conversation initiated by the national television morning show, Today Show. And the third is the President of the United State's Facebook wall.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Check out this screenshot from a friend's Facebook wall (all personal info has been redacted). This is a person I worked with and have known for 10 years. Needless to say, I was surprised to see this "shared" photo posted:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs29SO5QIpGSdRSf7UfqQ6tqv5HQL2NuW_o-v8VtAUwpEzlNSBAU598vMsn5SwQ8p9TaxlKpR9wq84ocjhWoFNAzia6jL2JnxKFowLOCPV0gwWjEN6ff25QllkpiZKQSTY9Zc_iK8BHQiq/s1600/friend+facebook+print+screen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs29SO5QIpGSdRSf7UfqQ6tqv5HQL2NuW_o-v8VtAUwpEzlNSBAU598vMsn5SwQ8p9TaxlKpR9wq84ocjhWoFNAzia6jL2JnxKFowLOCPV0gwWjEN6ff25QllkpiZKQSTY9Zc_iK8BHQiq/s1600/friend+facebook+print+screen.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #444444;">There were four additional comments following mine:</span></span></span><br />
<ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"<i>Do some homework, Geoff. Get back to us when you see the truth.</i>" (comment was "liked by 4 people)</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"<i>People don't get angry at this photo because of Obama's policies. He disrespects America by not showing respect during the national anthem.</i>" (comment was liked by 2 people)</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> "<i>Thanks Steven! We all have a right to free speech!</i>"</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"<i>This photo nothing more than propaganda nonsense.</i>" </span> </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Today Show on NBC is a great morning television program (in my opinion), and their Facebook page can be quite controversial...not in what THEY post, but what their "viewers" post. For example, their post asking people to grade the President's performance at the Apollo Theater (again, all personal info is redacted):</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibih3l4qwcwX8YnkbJeGV4UNkojTb4QEnW5qoAyEHA5iQiyyxXGR9ZeV7_MQ0WGaBk5QJmJG20jj_63l5hzPhZsBp82IB1sy6V7HQssiuwsbp_MP88_NgLYxC2Zi-x0Hnk84Ic6JOr64N/s1600/today+show+facebook+print+screen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibih3l4qwcwX8YnkbJeGV4UNkojTb4QEnW5qoAyEHA5iQiyyxXGR9ZeV7_MQ0WGaBk5QJmJG20jj_63l5hzPhZsBp82IB1sy6V7HQssiuwsbp_MP88_NgLYxC2Zi-x0Hnk84Ic6JOr64N/s1600/today+show+facebook+print+screen.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">These are comments on the Today Show Facebook page JUST because the President was singing. How pathetic. You can't tell me that this open hatred of President Obama wasn't precipitated by the <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/11/03/360433/romney-koch-tea-party/" target="_blank">Tea Party Republicans-supported by Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks-funded by the Koch Brothers</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">I think the last example we'll examine amazes me most: President Obama's Facebook page. Now, I am not a fan of the Tea Party; therefore, I do not "Like" any of their Facebook pages. Same with White Supremacist's pages, or the Green Bay Packers pages for that matter. And yes, I understand that white supremacists and Green Bay Packers fans </span><b style="color: #444444;">are not at all similar</b><span style="color: #444444;"> - I'm just trying to make a point, which is that I don't "like" those pages. Why then, would someone who </span><i style="color: #444444;">hates</i><span style="color: #444444;"> the President, "like" his Facebook page? Simple answer: to espouse their hatred. One post-er even has the poor taste to make her profile pic the photo of Arizona Gov., Jan Brewer sticking her finger in the President's face (this is how someone identifies themselves?):</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ETdvZI0UkAhuwy5TRze4RetKj1v4cJ5sn4PumkoDD8wltMszTosbFgP1kg3rTWW-chv4jNHw1h7fozemy33WLN8JuZLwBFilvxUn7kXlrzEFEr61oVIkPj1N1i473GC9uB1pZLIeEEB3/s1600/Obama+facebook+print+screen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ETdvZI0UkAhuwy5TRze4RetKj1v4cJ5sn4PumkoDD8wltMszTosbFgP1kg3rTWW-chv4jNHw1h7fozemy33WLN8JuZLwBFilvxUn7kXlrzEFEr61oVIkPj1N1i473GC9uB1pZLIeEEB3/s1600/Obama+facebook+print+screen.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now I don't mean to suggest that you don't have the right to express your opinions. Nor do I mean to suggest that Facebook is all bad. But isn't there a point when it's no longer constructive to hate just to hate? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It's the battle for America's soul, and it's just begun. Good luck, America.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So to all of you who do hide your hatred behind the semi-anonymity of Facebook: </span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">"Ha, ha. Charade you are." (</span><a href="http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=95;t=000735;p=1" style="color: #444444;" target="_blank">Pink Floyd lyric</a><span style="color: #444444;">)</span></span></span></blockquote>@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502171304970069772.post-81125622302825547232012-02-14T20:17:00.001-06:002012-02-14T23:24:45.113-06:00Who Will Run Against Aaron Schock In The Race For Illinois' 18th Congressional District?<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The 18th Congressional District of the
State of Illinois has certainly had a long and storied history. Since
I've been alive, this district has been represented by 3 men: Rep. Bob
Michael from 1957-1995 (House Minority Leader from 1981-1995), Rep. Ray LaHood from 1995-2009 (Current U.S. Secretary of Transportation since 2009), and since 2009, Rep. Aaron Schock - someone who, in my opinion, has not represented this district with the distinction his predecessors have.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenCkRpyhRYN28pYD2GHEcV-3Tyq3DsG40AVgSUZOP5Cdn_VLidbedMz58ex0yZNXkF8vR4cRYTGIQkXkHSR6CzRMgcbsaUf_ahJNhI4rXNLXhUrfZW2PMlDehhOFGHm0tLUox1EXKACgV/s1600/IL-18_congressional_district.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenCkRpyhRYN28pYD2GHEcV-3Tyq3DsG40AVgSUZOP5Cdn_VLidbedMz58ex0yZNXkF8vR4cRYTGIQkXkHSR6CzRMgcbsaUf_ahJNhI4rXNLXhUrfZW2PMlDehhOFGHm0tLUox1EXKACgV/s320/IL-18_congressional_district.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">(image is licensed under WikiMedia's Creative Commons license)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">This November 2012, will see another historic election. Not just in the sense of being able to re-elect the country's first black president, but also in the sense of the Democratic Party (not Democrat party) having the real potential to win back the U.S. House of Representatives. And even though Illinois' 18th Congressional District has long been Republican-leaning, I believe this fall it stands a good chance of "turning blue". But for that to happen, Rep. Aaron Schock needs to be voted out of office. And for THAT to happen, takes organization, support, and a certain amount of excitement.<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do the current declared Democrat candidates have what it takes?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Let's examine the "declared" candidates, according to Project Vote Smart: Matthew Woodmancy and Steve Waterworth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Matthew Woodmancy.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeU-uOK9JOM7SsHWVJgzRdL3lvhfXUddCbFPagMeNwGHOJzPajBcPDFe5z9o3WrTsqwjK8dj3TTR4AIlV00zMemUcC-oz-rIhKZ67j-VnkFwXKWPDf_8AJRLZdudO_BG2URR3WrkbqCvq/s1600/woodmancy_facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeU-uOK9JOM7SsHWVJgzRdL3lvhfXUddCbFPagMeNwGHOJzPajBcPDFe5z9o3WrTsqwjK8dj3TTR4AIlV00zMemUcC-oz-rIhKZ67j-VnkFwXKWPDf_8AJRLZdudO_BG2URR3WrkbqCvq/s1600/woodmancy_facebook.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: #444444;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(image is taken from the Matthew Woodmancy for Congress Facebook page)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MatthewWoodmancyforCongress?sk=info" target="_blank">Matthew Woodmancy's Facebook page</a> states he was born in 1984 and has been an assistant manager of Gumby's Pizza in Normal, IL since 2007. He also has a <a href="http://woodmancyforcongress.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blogger page</a> that is undeveloped.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">It would appear that Woodmancy is a friend to Labor, having authored a guest editorial published in the blog <a href="http://takebackpeoria.blogspot.com/2011/04/guest-editorial-matt-woodmancy-on-labor.html" target="_blank"><i>Take Back Peoria</i></a>, where he appears to support of Labor, but mostly from the standpoint of safety, not in the support of "living wages" that unions help provide Americans.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">And in a press released published on the <a href="http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/2012/01/27/press-release-matthew-a-woodmancy-on-rep-aaron-schocks-discretionary-voting-habits/" target="_blank">Peoria Pundit blog</a>, Woodmancy directly takes Rep. Schock to task for his voting record saying, </span><i style="color: #444444;"> </i></li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #444444;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>While all of these efforts might seem noble to the corporate
entities who have placed him in the congress, perhaps Mr. Schock should
spend his time actually working for his constituents in Central Illinois
instead of doing favors for his cronies and missing votes. Perhaps Mr.
Schock would consider working on legislation that will help to correct
the inequities in the system and turn the economy around. We have some
major issues in this country, like creating jobs, raising revenues to
pay down the national debt, rebuilding our Social Security System,
rebuilding our failing infrastructure, and regaining the American Dream
of home ownership and prosperity for the American people.</i></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I must point out that a commenter of that posting referenced Woodmancy's criminal battery, embezzlement, and DUI. This, however, has not been looked into by me and is not substantiated within this article.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;">On to a look at Steve Waterworth.</span></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWLCzmUI5xfVYHTAqM6Su4Q8rUwdCMeJ5OmumXq9EaP3td54u15Qi7YnpnFU0FQQO84od0wXk03kBWGY2EQ7ScbQqFumLorUlDsDfTADLRXphTWoSbie4BZEX_IJ5-5zZR_Z6AfJxhQYc/s1600/33598_Waterworth_VoteSmart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWLCzmUI5xfVYHTAqM6Su4Q8rUwdCMeJ5OmumXq9EaP3td54u15Qi7YnpnFU0FQQO84od0wXk03kBWGY2EQ7ScbQqFumLorUlDsDfTADLRXphTWoSbie4BZEX_IJ5-5zZR_Z6AfJxhQYc/s1600/33598_Waterworth_VoteSmart.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: #444444;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(image is taken from VoteSmart.org)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Waterworth-for-Congress/105466146233164?sk=wall&filter=12" target="_blank">Steve Waterworth's Facebook page</a> doesn't state much. Only that he is from Easton, IL and is running for Congress. </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/33598/steve-waterworth" target="_blank">VoteSmart.org</a> only
provides a little more information: father of 3, previous candidate for
the 18th Congressional District in 2004 and 2006. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are also TWO "Waterworth For Congress" websites: One website, <a href="http://www.waterworthforcongress.org/" target="_blank">WaterworthForCongress.org</a> is "coming soon" and the other website, <a href="http://www.waterworthforcongress.com/" target="_blank">WaterworthForCongress.com</a> (found when doing a "Google search" for Steve Waterworth) seems to be about alleviating stretch marks and uses for Botox.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In a questionnaire published by <a href="http://wjbc.com/candidates-for-congressional-district-18/" target="_blank">WJBC</a>, Waterworth states he is indeed in favor of the Affordable Health Care Act, and in favor too of the <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/the_best_policy/2012/02/the_romney_rule_raising_capital_gains_taxes_is_both_morally_right_and_good_for_the_economy_.html" target="_blank">Romney Tax Rule</a>.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">There you have it, Democrats. Our two (so far) choices to oppose Rep. Aaron Schock this November.</span></span></span></div>
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<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Understand - I am a devoted Progressive Democrat who believes Rep. Schock is vulnerable and <b>can</b> be voted out of office! And currently, I do not endorse either candidate (not that it matters), but will support whomever runs against Rep. Aaron Schock. I must say though, that I am very disappointed in our choice of candidates, or at least with their current campaigning efforts. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">With this much lead time before the November elections, Democrats need to ask:</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why wouldn't these candidates be out in front of everyone they could as often as possible? Especially addressing all of the local unions? </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why wouldn't these candidates connect with Facebook users often? (weekly, at least) Especially when pages like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peoria-IL-County-Democrats/135659943148796" target="_blank">Peoria Democrats</a> are so active on Facebook? Candidates could easily increase their "likes".</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why wouldn't these candidates be drawing <b>clear distinctions</b> between themselves and Schock as much as possible and as often as possible?</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;">Why wouldn't these candidates be trying to energize Democrats and Independents in this district? </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;"> </span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;">If these are our only choices to run against Aaron Schock, I don't think these gentlemen have demonstrated that they are "all in", doing whatever it takes to win; and I'm not convinced that the <a href="http://www.dccc.org/" target="_blank">Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee</a> has brought all needed resources to bear to ensure the 18th District elects a Democrat this fall. If this is the best we can do - we need to do better...much better.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Time to get into the fight, Democrats!</span></b></span></span></span></span>@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502171304970069772.post-32930712442837842512012-02-12T13:48:00.000-06:002012-02-12T13:48:06.677-06:00My Facebook Friends And Mitt Romney In Favor Of Drug-Testing Welfare Recipients<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
I have, in the past, argued with “friends” on Facebook against
the idea of drug testing welfare recipients.
My assertion has been that, constitutionally-speaking, it’s wrong. Worse yet, it’s racism. And if it’s not racism, then its AT LEAST discrimination
against the poor. My personal belief is that people still unfairly associate welfare with minorities;
therefore, the attack on welfare recipients is an attack on minorities.</div>
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And now, Republican candidate for President, Willard (Mitt) Romney, has indicated he is in favor of testing ANYONE who receives government funds. The context, of course, was that he agrees with Florida's law to drug-test welfare recipients. In agreeing with that policy though, he included anyone receiving government funds:</div>
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But I digress. Back
to drug testing welfare recipients.<br />
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The
state of Florida passed a law mandating welfare recipients be tested for illegal drugs in their system. <a href="http://www2.tbo.com/news/politics/2011/aug/24/3/welfare-drug-testing-yields-2-percent-positive-res-ar-252458/#fbcomments" target="_blank">This has resulted in 2% of those recipients being tested positive and loosing benefits</a>. TWO PERCENT. The overall rate of drug use in Florida is
8%. EIGHT PERCENT. Therefore, the argument that welfare
recipients are more likely to abuse drugs is just false…an attempt to demonize the
poor.</div>
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Of course, in Florida’s case, it can be argued that there
are improprieties with <a href="http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/gov-rick-scotts-drug-testing-policy-stirs-suspicion-1350922.html" target="_blank">that state’s governor having ownership in a drug testing company</a> that provides the testing.
Similar to the accusations of <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/08/22/20100822arizona-private-prisons.html" target="_blank">Arizona’s governor having a financial stake in the privatized prison system</a>, therefore having a financial interest in
the passage SB1070.</div>
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Now drug testing welfare recipients legislation has been
introduced in other states too: Hawaii, Indiana, to name a few. However, I have not noticed the same fevered push to
drug test other recipients of government funds.
<i>Congress is not mandated to be drug tested. None of the bailed out banks were required to
be drug tested.</i> Where is the fairness in
that? If the argument is that anyone
receiving government assistance should have to be drug tested to make sure they
aren’t using government money for drugs, then EVERYONE who receives <b>any</b> money
from the government should have to be tested.</div>
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Yes, I am aware that some will argue that reason for the low percentage of welfare
recipients who test positive in Florida is because the law itself dissuades
recipients from filing in the first place.
REALLY? Do these people who argue
this point really believe that argument?
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If I have no job, no source of
income or assistance, am I going to decide to keep using drugs I cannot afford to
purchase since I have no income or assistance, opting to not receive those
benefits just to keep using the drugs I cannot afford?</i> Explain the logic! I saw one very informed observer breakdown
the numbers even further (unsubstantiated): The 2% of Floridians who fail (and
loose benefits) save the state $48,200 per person per year. Multiply that by the 38 people who failed and
that equals $1.83 million. Seems
significant, doesn’t it? UNTIL you learn
that the cost of administrating the policy/program is $178 million. So much for saving money for the tax-payers
of Florida, huh?<br />
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So setting aside the “fairness” issue of drug testing
welfare recipients, the next time you “like” a Facebook post or page about “mandatory
drug testing for all welfare recipients”, ask yourself why you think it’s really a
good idea. You may not like the answer
you come up with if you’re honest because it really has nothing to do with
saving your tax dollars and more to do with the opening paragraph of this
article.</div>
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</div>@G_Stevens_http://www.blogger.com/profile/03270730021647511709noreply@blogger.com1