Flagged as abusive!

Radical health care proposition by a world leader!!!!

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:21:42 GMT

Without adequate health care, no one can make full use of his or her talents and opportunities. It is thus just as important that economic, racial and social barriers not stand in the way of good health care as it is to eliminate those barriers to a good education and a good job.

Today the need is even more pressing because of the higher costs of medical care. Efforts to control medical costs under the New Economic Policy have been Inept with encouraging success, sharply reducing the rate of inflation for health care. Nevertheless, the overall cost of health care has still risen by more than 20 percent in the last two and one-half years, so that more and more Americans face staggering bills when they receive medical help today.

Upon adoption of appropriate Federal and State legislation, the Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan would offer to every American the same broad and balanced health protection through one of three major programs:

[1]--Employee Health Insurance, covering most Americans and offered at their place of employment, with the cost to be shared by the employer and employee on a basis which would prevent excessive burdens on either;

Every employer would be required to offer all full-time employees the Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan. Additional benefits could then be added by mutual agreement. The insurance plan would be jointly financed, with employers paying 65 percent of the premium for the first three years of the plan, and 75 percent thereafter. Employees would pay the balance of the premiums. Temporary Federal subsidies would be used to ease the initial burden on employers who face significant cost increases.

[2]--An improved Medicare Plan, covering those 65 and over and offered through a Medicare system that is modified to include additional, needed benefits.

[3]--Assisted Health Insurance, covering low-income persons, and persons who would be ineligible for the other two programs, with Federal and State government paying those costs beyond the means of the individual who is insured;

The program of Assisted Health Insurance is designed to cover everyone not offered coverage under Employee Health Insurance or Medicare, including the unemployed, the disabled, the self-employed, and those with low incomes. In addition, persons with higher incomes could also obtain Assisted Health Insurance if they cannot otherwise get coverage at reasonable rates. Included in this latter group might be persons whose health status or type of work puts them in high-risk insurance categories.

Assisted Health Insurance would thus fill many of the gaps in our present health insurance system and would ensure that for the first time in our Nation's history, all Americans would have financial access to health protection regardless of income or circumstances.

A principal feature of Assisted Health Insurance is that it relates premiums and out-of-pocket expenses to the income of the person or family enrolled. Working families with incomes of up to [a certain amount], for instance, would pay no premiums at all. Deductibles, co-insurance, and maximum liability would all be pegged to income levels.

There would be no exclusions of coverage based on the nature of the illness. For example, a person with heart disease would qualify for benefits as would a person with kidney disease.

The States would approve specific plans, oversee rates, ensure adequate disclosure, require an annual audit and take other appropriate measures. For health care providers, the States would assure fair reimbursement for physician services, drugs and institutional services, including a prospective reimbursement system for hospitals.

That’s… a massive amount of government regulation. This guy loves his government oversight and intervention. Moreover, he doesn’t seem to want to leave anything to the free market system! He must be a Socialist!!!

So any guesses as to who's radical far more reaching than anything proposed today, health care proposal this is?

Richard Nixon's....
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2009/September/03/nixon-proposal.aspx

Health care passed the house!!!

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:22:55 GMT

But Democrats voted against women's health and reproductive rights!

Last night's big disgrace was the first substantive vote when 64 Democrats joined all the Republicans to support the horrifying Stupak anti-choice amendment. It passed 240-194-1, that "1" reflecting a "present" by wily John Shadegg. Not one "pro-choice Republican" voted against it. Political Cowards all!

The 64 Democrats who crossed the aisle:

Jason Altmire (Blue Dog-PA)
Joe Baca (Blue Dog-CA)
John Barrow (Blue Dog-GA)
Marion Berry (Blue Dog-AR)
Sanford Bishop (Blue Dog-GA)
John Boccieri (D-OH)
Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK)
Bobby Bright (Blue Dog-AL)
Dennis Cardoza (Blue Dog-CA)
Ben Chandler (Blue Dog-KY)
Travis Childers (Blue Dog-MS)
Jim Cooper (Blue Dog-TN)
Jim Costa (Blue Dog-CA)
Jerry Costello (D-IL)
Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX)
Kathy Dahlkemper (Blue Dog-PA)
Artur Davis (D-AL)
Lincoln Davis (Blue Dog-TN)
Joe Donnelly (Blue Dog-IN)
Mike Doyle (D-PA)
Steve Driehaus (D-OH)
Brad Ellsworth (Blue Dog-IN)
Mike Etheridge (D-NC)
Bart Gordon (Blue Dog-TN)
Parker Griffith (Blue Dog-AL)
Baron Hill (Blue Dog-IN)
Tim Holden (Blue Dog-PA)
Paul Kanjorski (D-PA)
Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Dale Kildee (D-MI)
Jim Langevin (D-RI)
Dan Lipinski (D-IL/TN)
Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
Jim Marshall (Blue Dog-GA)
Jim Matheson (Blue Dog-UT)
Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC)
Charlie Melancon (Blue Dog-LA)
Mike Michaud (Blue Dog-ME)
Jack Murtha (D-PA)
Richard Neal (D-MA)
Jim Oberstar (D-MN)
David Obey (D-WI)
Solomon Ortiz (D-TX)
Tom Perriello (D-VA)
Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)
Earl Pomeroy (Blue Dog-ND)
Nick Rahill (D-WV)
Silvestre Reyes (D-TX)
Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX)
Mike Ross (Blue Dog-AR)
Tim Ryan (D-OH)
John Salazar (Blue Dog-CO)
Heath Shuler (Blue Dog-NC)
Ike Skelton (D--MO)
Vic Snyder (D-AR)
Zach Space (Blue Dog-OH)
John Spratt (D-SC)
Bart Stupak (D-MI)
John Tanner (Blue Dog-TN)
Gene Taylor (Blue Dog-MS)
Harry Teague (D-NM)
Charlie Wilson (Blue Dog-OH)

If you believed the bullshit about the Blue Dogs just being "fiscal conservatives," you saw the truth last night as almost the entire caucus crossed the aisle to vote with the Republicans against women's health!

STAY AWAY FROM WAL-MART!

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:11:53 GMT

Wal-mart, due to their draconian attendance practices demand that employees be at work, even if they are sick, or be fired. According to a new report from ABC

So Wal-Mart is now a hot zone for H1N1!

According to the report, which includes personal accounts from Walmart employees as well as documents outlining the company's attendance and sick pay policies, Walmart doles out points or demerits to employees who must miss work due to their own or a child's illness or because of an emergency not specified by the company.

So shop at your own risk!!

Blue Dogs...Republican in disguise......

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:57:55 GMT

Here's the full list of the anti-choice Democrats who are voting against allowing a vote on the health care bill unless women's choice is explicitly denied:

Jason Altmire (Blue Bog-PA)
John Barrow (Blue Bog-GA)
Dan Boren (Blue Bog-OK)
Bobby Bright (Blue Bog-AL)
Chris Carney (Blue Bog-PA)
Travis Childers (Blue Bog-MS)
Jerry Costello (D-IL)
Kathy Dahlkemper (Blue Dog-PA)
Artur Davis (D-IL)
Lincoln Davis (Blue Dog-TN)
Steve Driehaus (D-OH)
Parker Griffith (Blue Dog-AL)
Tim Holden (Blue Dog-PA)
Dale Kildee (D-MI)
Frank Kratovil (Blue Dog-MD)
Dan Lipinski (D-IL/TN)
Jim Marshall (Blue Dog-GA)
Jim Matheson (Blue Dog-UT)
Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC)
Charlie Melancon (Blue Dog-LA)
Michael McMahon (D-NY)
Alan Mollohan (D-WV)
Jim Oberstar (D-MN)
Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)
Nick Rahall (D-WV)
Mike Ross (Blue Dog-AR)
Heath Shuler (Blue Dog-NC)
John Tanner (Blue Dog-TN)
Gene Taylor (Blue Dog-MS)

Basically just a bunch of reactionary Blue Dogs who are opposed to health care reform regardless of choice issues. And that's just the House.....Our own Evan Bayh, is likely to vote against it, but then again, Wellpoint pays better than civil service anyway, his wife sits on the Boards of 4 different insurance and health care giants.

Speaking of wives that are in the insurance company pockets, the Liebermans.....Lieberman and his wife have taken millions of dollars in barely disguised bribes from the insurance industry and medical industry, she as one of Washington's more notorious K Street Whores, as Joe Wilson so eloquently put it, and he as a senator is always willing to sell his votes to the highest corporate bidder.

There's no way to know precisely how much money she's been paid as a lobbyist for these sleazy characters-- it's widely believed to be in the millions-- but the hypocritical senator from Connecticut has gobbled up $1,037,402 from Big Insurance and another $2,397,369 directly from the "Health" lobby. Remember, when he was losing in 2006, he was for Universal Health Care, now that he has been elected, he is firmly against it, and firmly for insurance company profits!

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cycle=2008&type=I&cid=N00000616&newMem=N&recs=20

Sen. Evan Bayh......Soon to be Former Senator.....

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:54:26 GMT

Evan, following his masters commands from Wellpoint, has joined the Republicans to filibuster the health care issue.

So I wrote him a letter.
I suggest you do the same.

While he only accepts email from Indiana, he accepts contributions from 36 states......Hmmm.

Here is the letter I sent:

Mr. Senator,

I am asking you as a Hoosier to abandon your filibuster ideas. Instead, make sure the bill works for the People of Indiana. According to recent polls, 52% of Hoosiers favor the public insurance option, your filibuster threats throws into question who you represent; your wife's employers at Wellpoint, your stock portfolio or your constituents in Indiana.

The fact that your wife sits on the BOD of four health insurance and pharmaceutical companies, and that one half to one million dollars worth of Wellpoint stock is substantial, and that $270,000 in "Contributions" from the health and insurance industry is I am sure a measure of their faith in your skill, not payment for services rendered, one must ask, Is this why you ran for the Senate? To enrich yourself at the expense of your constituents?

Of course you will counter that contributions have no bearing on how you vote, That however has not been in evidence during this debate. You seem to strongly support the status quo, and oppose increasing competition and lowering costs.

Show us that we elected the right man for Indiana, or you will not be going back to the Senate in 2010.

In a related bit of asshattery, Blue Cross/Blue Shield sent its South Carolina customers notice of an 11% increase in premiums, and a lowering of the caps...Also enclosed was a pre-printed, postage-paid note to Sen. Kay Hagan urging her to vote against reform as "Unfair competition"....

Lieberman will fuck it up again!

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:05:01 GMT

Sen. Lieberman, putting the con in Connecticut, has magically voted against his Democratic constituency since he came to the Senate!

A consummate liar, and corporate whore, he votes for whatever lobby group pays him the most!
Lieberman, has already taken $5 million in legalized bribes from the insurance lobby! http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cycle=2010&cid=N00000616&type=I&mem=

Other things he has fucked up pretending to be a Democrat:

Back in 1993, Lieberman called Bill Clinton's health care reform "too governmental, too regulatory and too costly." Worked hard to earn his insurance lobbyist cash....

Lieberman condemned the 2005 bankruptcy bill as "seriously flawed" and touted his vote against it but he voted to end a Democratic filibuster, allowing the bill to pass, which was when it mattered.

n 2005, Lieberman was part of the "Gang of 14" that ended a Democratic filibuster of some of President Bush's judicial nominees and promised that filibusters would end in "all but extraordinary circumstances." Which brought you Roberts AND Alito, Two complete conservative yes men....

In 2005, Lieberman voted for Alberto Gonzales to become Attorney General and said when the disgraced official resigned that he "deserved our appreciation." Showing all of us his complete ignorance of reality!

During Bush's Social Security privatization push, Lieberman refused to make his position clear. In 2008 he defended John McCain's privatization plan.

Lieberman has repeatedly and yet falsely intimated that the U.S. might need to bomb Iran and claimed Iran was going to war with us.

In 2008, Lieberman backed the Republican candidate for president.

Lieberman, a Jew, came to the defense of John Hagee, the pastor who said “Hitler was a hunter” sent by God to get “the Jewish people”.

In 2008, Lieberman refused to condemn waterboarding as torture and voted against banning it.

For years, Lieberman has championed the Iraq war and savagely attacked its critics. Even after the lies and cherry picked intelligence came to light..

During the 2008 campaign, Lieberman said it was "a good question" to ask whether Sen. Barack Obama was a "Marxist." He also suggested that Obama was a Muslim, despite all evidence to the contrary.

On Election Day 2008, Lieberman told Glenn Beck he feared America as we know it would not survive if Democrats got a 60 seat majority in the Senate.

In October, 2009, Lieberman announced that he would support a filibuster of health care reform if it contained a public option after saying that he would support a vote.

He is also a complete hypocrite! He has done a complete turn around since the last time the people of Connecticut voted for him! He's a demonstrable lying sack of shit!

How about this whopper from July 6, 2006:

What I'm saying to the people of Connecticut, I can do more for you and your families to get something done to make health care affordable, to get universal health insurance.

Or this one from October 23, 2006:

I've been working on health insurance reform for more than a dozen years. ... I have offered a comprehensive program. Small business health insurance reform, plus something I call MediKids to cover all the children in America on a sliding fee basis up until the age of 25.

Lieberman also had Obama come to Connecticut and campaign on his behalf while he was loosing in 2006, he re-payed that by backing McCain, and furthering the Republican lies! Seems that Joe is only loyal to the lobbyist that pay him the most!

Joe is no more a Democrat than Limbaugh is. He is a lying fickle K street whore!

The sooner he is out of a job, the better!!!

Les Leopold's new book, The Looting of America. Very scary stuff

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:03:17 GMT

Two years ago the richest 400 Americans had a combined wealth of $1.57 trillion. That is roughly $3.2 Billion apiece. These are the folks that Bush targeted his tax cuts for, and the folks that will do anything to maintain the status quo!

For the past thirty years we have minted billionaires, and we have created the most unequal distribution of wealth since 1928-29. This didn't happen by accident. Corporatist operatives lobbied and bribed elected officials like Phil Gramm to sponsor legislation that deregulated the financial sector and Certain presidents, to curry favor and campaign funding deliberately eliminated the steep progressive taxes on the super-rich that had kept this sort of thing in check.

Removing the fetters of capital and finance we were told by Regan and his cronies, there would be this enormous investment boom in real goods and services, that would lift us all up, he called it the "Trickle down" effect.

Instead we got a bogus finance boom as Wall Street marketed derivatives and credit default swap schemes to those with excess capital.

We also got the biggest financial crash since the Great Depression. And Conservatives and their pet economists will do anything to make sure you do not connect the dots!

Perhaps the most stark measure of our emerging billionaire bailout society is seen by comparing compensation for the top 100 CEOs and to that of average workers (the 100 million or so non-supervisory production workers).
In 1970 the ratio was 45 to 1. By 2006 it was 1,723 to one. (The Looting of America p.167)

The most destructive element of our billionaire bailout society is the "jobless recovery."
This oxymoron refers to an economy that is growing, but that doesn't produce enough jobs to reach full employment (an unemployment rate below 5 percent).

Our current jobless recovery will be the worst ever. Right now the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the jobless rate at 17.0 percent and rising. (This counts the unemployed and the under employed.) If the billionaire bailout society becomes permanent, we may never see full employment again. It is just more profitable to employ Third World workers for pennies than it is to employ an American.

But that's OK by them, you don't need a full employment society to make billionaires! Take for instance Goldman Sachs.
They do not have individual depositors.
They are not public brokers.
They do not make loans to small business.
They are in the business of making money by playing the financial markets, (with other peoples money)from mergers and acquisitions, from trading, and from creating and selling unfunded fantasy high risk finance instruments.

In our corporatist society these are unquestioned positive activities. But what value do they produce in the real economy? What is their contribution to market efficiency? How do they lower the cost of capital? How do these activities create jobs in the real economy? Good luck answering those questions because they don't do any of that. They just make money for themselves while producing little or no value to our society.

To break away from the billionaire bailout society we need to tie the creation of wealth to the creation of work. We no longer have a system that can produce an adequate number of jobs through the normal working of the business cycle. The nonsensical invisible hand of the market just won't do it. That's why it's called a jobless recovery.

We need to stop allowing companies to send jobs overseas to boost profits! It really is that simple. Or charge tariffs or VAT or duty fees to make the re-importation of manufactured goods expensive enough to eliminate the profitability of shipping off the jobs in the first place!

Or, force them to relocate their offices to the country in which their factories are located, I am sure there are American entrepreneurs that will be happy to fill the void!

We once understood that the common good required full employment. We once understood that the common good was more precious than individual riches. We once believed that public service to achieve such goals was a high calling.

Now some weepy pantywaist college drop out calls that spirit of service "Communism" to the applause of the uneducated masses. Maybe it's not too late to stop or decent into Feudalism.

Billo the Clown Vs. Dr. Richard Dawkins

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 05:46:40 GMT

Ignorance on display! Why use logic reason or fact when you can turn to Jeebus!!!!

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:07:21 GMT

The Honduran government is upholding the rule of law and supporting democracy, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said loudly and proudly after returning from a fact-finding trip to the country. DeMint led a delegation including Reps. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), and Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) The lawmakers met with Honduran President Roberto Micheletti, Supreme Court justices, and candidates in upcoming November 29 elections. <p>
"We saw a government working hard to follow the rule of law, uphold its constitution, and to protect democracy for the people of Honduras," DeMint said. "We are very encouraged by what we saw and we hope to be able to work with our administration to support the upcoming elections." Despite the fact that this administration refused to recognize the coup as leadership.....

There was some minor embarrassment for the senator when somebody broke the news to him that his Honduran coup heroes had suspended civil liberties, though again it probably had to be explained to him that suspending civil liberties is considered a public-relations gaffe in some American circles. After all, suspending civil liberties has become one of the major goals of Republican governance -- and was regarded by DeMint and his colleagues as one of the great achievements of the Bush regime.

It probably also had to be explained to him why his junta hosts were prattling on about aspiring to follow the rule of law and hoping to restore democracy, since again Republican administrations in the U.S. over the last 30 years have worked so hard to eliminate both!

Of course we all know Senator DeMint's purpose in going, as he was making clear before he discovered that it might look bad to say so, was to give aid and comfort to the military junta there, You remember, the one that seized power last June, recognized neither by the United States nor Honduras's neighbors, to encourage them to stand firm against any impulse even to compromise, let alone give in. But was he supposed to stand idly by while there were fascists or authoritarians to rally behind?

Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was left looking kind of foolish because he managed to deny transport for DeMint's treason, (what else do you call it when a U.S. senator manifests his defiance of U.S. foreign policy so far as to collude and conspire with an illegitimate and illegal government?), only to be end-run by DeMint, who went to Sen. McConnell, who arranged transport through the Pentagon. (I assume the Defense Dept. employees who facilitated the deal have been fired, pending the filing of charges against them too.)

Unfortunately, it's left to us to imagine the scenario, if a Democrat had engaged in such behavior during a Republican administration. We know we would have the Right-Wing Noise Machine in full screech mode, and the "Secret forever expanding investigations" into the Democrat's life, relationships, childhood friends.............

As we have seen, any action on behalf of the will of the American people, this President, or even his advisers are persecuted by the Rabid Right to the fullest extent of their subversive imaginations. They themselves, however, are never held to account, never asked to pay a price for their lies, subversion, or even outright crimes committed.

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to Senator DeMint's treason trial. I assume prosecutors will be seeking the death penalty. I will not however be holding my breath.....

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:05:43 GMT

Mike Lux's fantastic new book, The Progressive Revolution: How The Best In America Came To Be and what I found the most telling-- and I believe it's what Lux was getting across-- that all the best in America, from the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution, the Bill of Rights, the emancipation of the slaves, the right of women and minorities to vote, the right of working people to form unions, the minimum wage, to Social Security, Medicare, the national parks, consumer protection, etc-- was a pitched battle between progressives pushing for these things and conservatives trying to prevent each and every one of them. Conservatives have always been, and continue to be, on the wrong side of history. And appear happy and or compelled to be so!

Yesterday a prominent conservative author and pundit, John Derbyshire best known for his reactionary columns in the National Review, was on the radio defending a chapter in his new book that has gotten some attention, "The Case Against Female Suffrage.” Basically, he is willing to admit what conservatives in general believe but keep to themselves, that their vision of the American Dream does not, has never, and will never include women being allowed to vote.

“The conservative case against it [women's suffrage] is that women lean hard to the left,” Derbyshire explained to an appalled Alan Colmes. “They want someone to nurture, they want someone to help raise their kids, and if men aren’t inclined to do it-- and in the present days, they’re not much-- then they’d like the state to do it for them.” Like most conservatives, he doesn't just want to take away the right of women to vote. He also doesn't see why minorities should be voting and freely admits opposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Godtards.......

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:00:33 GMT

The REAL reason I hate religion and all of the imaginary trappings that go with it, every Tom, Dickhead and Harry has their own interpretation of the Bible.

Some like Fred (I am a closet homosexual) Phelps, preaches hatred, others preach that Jesus' ministrations of the poor were a smoke screen, and he really wants you to be rich....

While still others....Think there are fucking zombies in the Bible!!!

http://www.biblestudymeat.org/prophecy/zombies%20in%20the%20bible.htm

ACORN......and other right wing stumbling blocks.

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:48:39 GMT

This past Tuesday, HuffPost's Ryan Grim posted a story that clearly demonstrated the comedy of the Law of Unintended Consequences. In its zeal to quickly and unthinkingly get on the side of hammering ACORN for its recent transgressions, Congress passed the Defund ACORN Act, a measure written so broadly that it could apply to just about anyone! In other words, Congress made a decision to apply robust oversight to all manner of government contractors by mistake!

To his credit, Representative Alan Grayson, a rookie Democrat from Florida, out-thought and out-maneuvered all of his colleagues and quickly went to work with the Project of Government Oversight (POGO) to compile a list of contractors that "might be caught in the ACORN net."

http://www.contractormisconduct.org/

Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman had 20 fraud cases between them? And that your Congress didn't care? It's true! Furthermore, let's allow POGO to put all of this into perspective:

Since 1994, ACORN has reportedly received a total of $53 million in federal funds, or an average of roughly $3.5 million per year. In contrast, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman respectively received over $35 billion and $18 billion in federal contracts last year alone. Their totals since 2000 are $266 billion for Lockheed and $125 billion for Northrop!

How about this:
A taxpayer-funded contractor for Blackwater USA got drunk and murdered an Iraqi in the Green Zone back in October 2007. That's a month after Blackwater employees went on a killing spree in Nisour Square in Baghdad. The taxpayer-funded contractors who guard the State Department facilities in Kabul spend their time taking photos of each other "peeing on one another, simulating anal sex, doing 'butt shots,' and 'eating potato chips out of ass cracks.'" Halliburton, another government contractor, bilked the Pentagon to the tune of $100 million dollars, and basically covered it up through lies and accounting tricks.

And while we're on the subject of ACORN, which had a handful of employees busted for offering assistance to a fake pimp and his fake prostitution business, let's consider the case of taxpayer-funded contractor DynCorp -- its employees actually, LITERALLY, did service a prostitution ring in Bosnia in August of 2002. Girls between the ages of 12 and 15 were involved. And then six years later, employees of the very same contractor went to Iraq and DID IT AGAIN! And this time somebody got killed!

That's one government contractor, two war zones, two continents, two prostitution rings, one known death, zero consequences.
ZERO!!!!!
What has your member of Congress done about it? Not a fucking thing, that's what! And DynCorp is still "supporting U.S. interests worldwide."

Now, this isn't to say that the measure passed offers the authority to pursue all of these scofflaws to the ends of the Earth. But Congress surely ought to do whatever it takes to end this wrongdoing and abuse, if for no other reason than that it's done on the taxpayer dime.

The only reason the American people have earned a potential tool in guarding against contractor fraud is because Congress created it BY ACCIDENT.

So all the bitching about ACORN, the paltry sums it receives and the alleged wrongdoing do not add up to one month's worth of crime, graft and corruption involved in some of these contractors business as usual!

Coffee just shot out of my nose!!!!!!

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:09:05 GMT

The Family Research Council's "Values Voters Summit" was this past weekend, and some folks actually filmed this nutbuggery! They caught Michael Schwartz, the chief of staff for Republican Senator Tom Coburn, saying some bizarre things about homosexuality and pornography. During a panel discussion on "The New Masculinity", Schwartz denounced pornography as a "blight" and a "silent disease" before stating that it causes young boys to become homosexuals.

Homosexuality is inflicted on people... But all pornography is homosexual pornography because all pornography turns your sexual drive inwards. And that in fact is what it does. I know couples now who are struggling with the husband's addiction to pornography. It's a terrible thing. And that's what happens. And, you know, if it doesn't turn you homosexual, it at least renders you less capable of loving your wife. And it's something you need to be healed of.

This is the way Republicans actually feel? Fact-less science, Bible led psychology....
No wonder they are systematically fucking up the planet!

This is the GOP disconnect in a nutshell.

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:27:56 GMT

Republican Congressman Phil (I must apologize to El Rusbo for calling him an entertainer) Gingrey of Georgia showed his complete lack of understanding of the actual health care situation during a speech on the floor of the House. At one point during his long speech railing against health care reform, Gingrey found the idea that 14,000 Americans losing their health insurance every day constituted some kind of health care crisis somehow amusing.......

Just illustrates the disconnect between the actual situation his constituents and all Americans below a certain income level face every day, and the GOP fact challenged talking points.

Sent this to Morning Joe:

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:09:14 GMT

It is intellectually dishonest to continue to frame the anger from the left at the blatant and subtle racism on display by many of the "Health care" protesters, as simply "Any opposition to the president is racist".

You know this is not the case. Policy opposition, political opposition are not being described as such. Except by a few conservative pundits. Like yourself.

Please explain how "Welfare thug", Watermelons on the White House lawn, "Barak the Magic Negro", confederate flags, "Take our country back" signs, hanging in effigy, Beck's comments, Limbaugh's new assertions that "In Obama's America, the white kids get beat up while the black kids cheer" is policy opposition?

Your continued assertion that we on the left are calling all opposition racism is a LIE! By continuing such an obvious falsehood, you damage your credibility, so stop it.

We have little problem with fact based policy opposition, those are not the issues or the people we are talking about here, and the willful obfuscation of that fact is fomenting the "Leftist rage" you reported on this morning.

Sincerely

Me.

It's official...Orley Taitz is batshit crazy, and I have the court order to prove it!

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:11:53 GMT

US District Court Judge Clay Land issued a written ruling Wednesday denying Captain Connie Rhodes‘ motion for a temporary restraining order and dismissed the case in its entirety.

Rhodes, a military doctor, challenged deployment orders to Iraq, claiming the orders were unlawful because the Commander In Chief is not a legal citizen of the United States. Rhodes maintains that despite all evidence and confirmation to the contrary, President Barack Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii.

During Monday's hearing, Judge Land also refused to accept into evidence a document Rhodes' attorney, Orly Taitz says a person in her California office obtained from Kenya for a fee. Judge Land commented that the process sounded like bribery and therefore, could not justify the authentication of the birth certificate.

In his ruling, Land also cited that the plaintiff's attorney will be subject to counsel sanctions for bringing any future actions in his court which are similarly frivolous.

"(Rhodes) has presented no credible evidence and has made no reliable factual allegations to support her unsubstantiated, conclusory allegations and conjecture that President Obama is ineligible to serve as president of the United States," Land states in his order. "Instead, she uses her complaint as a platform for spouting political rhetoric, such as her claims that the president is 'an illegal usurper, an unlawful pretender, [and] an unqualified imposter.'"
Rhodes had objected only to deployment to Iraq under President Obama, not to serving in the military generally.

http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/wtvm/ConnieRhodesvsArmy.pdf

According to testimony from Major Ausprung, an attorney representing the army, Rhodes will deploy to Iraq in about a week to provide medical assistance to the military in combat.

Rhodes is not the first soldier to object to overseas deployment on the grounds that Obama is not a legitimate president. Stefan Frederick Cook, a reserve soldier who volunteered for an active duty tour, argued that he should not have to go to Afghanistan for similar reasons to Rhodes. The army revoked his deployment orders.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/14/stefan-frederick-cook-sol_n_231383.html

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 03:23:26 GMT

Rush Limbaugh's radio show Friday fucking pissed me off! He was complaining about President Obama's declaration that 9/11/09 is a "National Day of Service and Remembrance" when he gave a speech at the Pentagon. The President was calling on all Americans to be strong, firm, and united to serve the nation while remembering the events of 9/11/01.

This all sounds very inspiring. But not to Rush Limbaugh. He called it an outrage and accused the President of using a solemn occasion (the eighth anniversary of 9/11) to push a socialist agenda by asking citizens to serve the state. (www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_091109/content/01125106.guest.html) I just saw the video of the President's speech and all I can conclude is that Limbaugh is delirious.

How is what Obama has proposed any different than President Kennedy's call to action in his 1961 Inaugural address; "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country"? (www.bartleby.com/124/pres56.html) And how about President George H.W. Bush's call for community volunteerism with his 1988 " a thousand points of light" speech? (www.spansociety.com/2009/05/thousand-points-of-light.html), Or is it simply that Obama is not white.

Maybe I shouldn't be surprised after Limbaugh remarked that he wished Rep. Joe Wilson had not apologized for his rude heckling of "you lie" during the President's speech on health care to a joint session of Congress even after members of Wilson's own GOP party scolded him. (www.silobreaker.com/heckler-calls-obama-liar-5_2262589770112696325) Even though Wilson himself is the liar...

And this is also the same radio talk show host who said in regards to Obama's economic prescription for the nation during our deep recession: "I hope he fails." (www.huffingtonpost.com/.../limbaugh-i-hope-obama-fai_n_159397.html ) Not "I suspect he will fail" or "I disagree with his policies", but "I hope he fails." Isn't El Rushbo a great patriot?

Limbaugh has also continually called upon citizens to disrupt health care town hall meetings and protest with Tea parties, claiming these are ordinary Americans asserting their right of free speech while they display photos of Obama looking like Hitler. That is all well and good, the same had been leveled against President George W. Bush, but what of the President's call for civility?

As long as this bloviating fucktard has breath, he will lie, spin and scream any and all invectives at this president, no matter how ridiculous.

Texas....I have repeatedly told you so:

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:11:14 GMT

I have been told that the reasons for kids not hearing Obama speak in school was "Indoctrination". But what is busing the same kids to see Bush speak.......I guess it's different because he is a white guy and a Republican.

I just read that the same Texas school district that decided not to air President Barack Obama's 18-minute address to students yesterday -- in which he spouted such Marxist rhetoric as the importance of hand-washing and staying in school -- plans to bus its 5th graders to a speech delivered by former President George W. Bush at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas later this month.

On its surface, this may seem wildly hypocritical -- "I do not understand the duplicity in this situation," one local pastor said about the move -- but in a way it makes sense. This is Texas, after all, Bush's home state, where the school board is considering revising its textbooks to include "significant conservative advocacy organizations and individuals, such as Newt Gingrich, Phyllis Schlafly and the Moral Majority." Plus, aside from passing such widely admired legislation as No Child Left Behind, Bush himself has a demonstrated history of concern for the students of this country, through such statements as, "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"

Bush has stayed relatively quiet since leaving Washington, but he'll surely have plenty to say that contrasts with Obama. For example, while the current president admitted to his high school audience yesterday that as a youngster, "I did some things I'm not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have," Bush is famous for his inability to recall a single mistake he made in his first term. ("I wish you'd have given me this written question ahead of time so I could plan for it," he said at the time, although he did later admit to a minor misstep, telling ABC News last year, "I think I was unprepared for war.") And whereas Obama, surprisingly, upon being asked by a student for career advice, cited a cautious approach to social media as "number one" -- "First of all, I want everybody here to be careful about what you post on Facebook" -- Bush has shown no such facility with the internet at all, often preferring to cite an even more powerful force as the secret to his professional success. "I don't see how you can be president … without a relationship with the Lord," he once told The Washington Times.

Nevertheless, those parents who rejected Obama's address while agreeing to send their kids to hear the former president clearly see something more admirable in him. Perhaps they recall such timeless observations as say, the importance of humanitarianism abroad ("Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease") or the meaning of self-determination ("Tribal sovereignty means that; it's sovereign.") Or maybe they appreciate his words on the importance of family ("Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream") and his rather poetic explanation for preemptive force. ("I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace.")
Anyway, whatever its motivation, the Arlington Independent School District doesn't owe anyone an explanation, nor do its students' parents. In the immortal logic of the Decider himself, "I don't need to explain -- I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being president."

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:47:43 GMT

We have unabashed and unapologetic corporate whores, who really should be in prison for taking bribes,like Lamar Alexander-- who's have taken legalized bribes from the Insurance Industry, around $501,650 and from his sponsors in the Medical-Industrial Complex for another $2,070,958-- warning about revolution and the destruction of the Democratic Party (an idea he has in common with one of the more corrupt of the Blue Dogs, Minnesota's Colin Peterson) if health care reform is passed.

Imagine that!

Republicans and the insurance industry front groups just spent the entire summer trying to scare the public with nonsensical lies about death panels and government takeovers and illegal aliens and now you have a shill like Alexander telling the press there should be no health care reform because people are scared.

This is just a replay of what happened when progressives passed Social Security, the Minimum Wage and Medicare! The Republicans obstructed, spread lies and fear and smear and predicted the end of civilization.

Yesterday's L.A. Times pointed out that the states most likely to gain the most under healthcare overhaul are home to its biggest detractors. I have been arguing on activist boards almost daily, looking at the more callous opposers like Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), Wally Herger (R-CA), Paul Ryan (R-WI), Michele Bachmann (R-MN), David Dreier (R-CA), Charlie Melancon (Blue Dog-LA), and Parker Griffith (Blue Dog-AL), and their mid boggling determination to screw over their own constituents to preserve the status quo for their generous campaign donors.
They represent themselves and their corporate masters, not the people that elected them.

Yesterday, though, I found a whole new level of insanity as one of the cable news channels highlighted preparations three states are making for this winter's expected swine flu epidemic.
New York and California are going all out to set up programs to immunize school children and contain the expected severity of the problem. Texas has a two pronged attack: relying on the private sector and encouraging people to pray. Because private industry has alwys gone out of it's way to help the community and because prayer has been shown to be such an excellent antigen in the past?!?!?!

I wonder if Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, another opponent of government action, plans to exorcize the H1N1 virus.

Just to give you an inkling why this obviously simple and long overdue legislation is meeting such heavy opposition, Joe Barton, the ranking Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee has personally led the fight to de-rail the bill.

He's part of the GOP anti-health care leadership team charged with fucking up and opposing any legislation on behalf of Insurance companies; who have paid him well, he is a major recipient of Insurance Industry bribes $266,149 plus another gob stopping $2,142,421 from the Medical-Industrial Complex!.

He and politicians like him have had their votes bought and paid for. Corporations OWN their own legislators, and tell them how to vote and on what.

They no longer represent their constituents interests at all.......

What we are up against.

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 02:48:29 GMT

There are many ways to tell that Americans are not really the brain trust behind these protests and demonstrations:

Ignorant and racist

Ignorant and racist

Just plain old ignorant

Need a spell check

Ignorant, racist AND libertarian

Ignorant racists and teaching the kids the hate....

Racist fucktard

Extremely Racist confederate fucktard

Homophobic lesbian who wanted Germany to win the war?!?!?!

Just as smart as Sam Wurzelbacher.....

Racist, ignorant and too lazy to get out of his car.....

A FOX news scholar....

These people have many Americans in a tizzy. These folk are to stupid too get out of their own way! Keep it up, and with time we can return even conservatives to a high school grade level.

Insanity gets a larger and larger mouthpiece.

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:30:40 GMT

Today I learned of a pastor, Steve Anderson from the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe Arizona. He is an insane buffoon, who would not know a scripture if it bit him on the ass!

As many readers know, I am an evangelical atheist. I find the whole idea of faith silly, and superstitious. The very idea that the invisible man in the sky is going to help your team make that play, or insure that you will make the next traffic light is preposterous! And the price you pay, eternal torture....For even the barest of sins is a bit draconian for "The God of Love" isn't it?

But operating within the parameters of faith, you would expect a pastor, a reverend Christian teacher to, I don't know...relay the teachings of his deity as put down in the source book!

What follows is a partial transcript of this hypocritical Man of God, as he spreads God's words of hate and intolerance all aimed at a single black man. BTW, the Secret Service has this fraction of a man firmly in their sights......

"I'm going to tell you something. I hate Barack Obama. You say, well, you just mean you don't like what he stands for. No, I hate the person. Oh, you mean you just don't like his policies. No, I hate him."

"I am not going to pray for his good. I am going to pray that he dies and goes to hell."
"What goes around comes around. You love violence. You hate that which is right. You love to harm others. You love to hurt or kill the unborn or the innocent or the righteous. He is saying, God is going to bring that upon your own head, because whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. "

"Now, turn back to Psalm 58 and let me ask you this question. Why should Barack Obama melt like a snail? Why should Barack Obama die like the untimely birth of a woman? Why should his children be fatherless and his wife a widow, as we read in this passage? "

"Well, I will tell you why. Because, since Barack Obama thinks it is OK to use a salty solution, right, to abort the unborn, because that's how abortions are done, my friend, using salt -- and I would like to see Barack Obama melt like a snail tonight."
"If you think God is in control of this country, you're insane. A madman is in control of this country."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to6hd3zTq2E

This kind of shit goes on for an hour. I have included the URL, but I'll leave you to endure it as I did.

Yes, I know not all Christians are hate filled hypocritical morons, but the rhetoric is getting crazier by the day.

The Cable padded cell, and the facts....

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:30:41 GMT

The other night, I channel surfed over to the Faux News station, you know where the lunatics are luaded and facts non existent, and I saw the RNC’s titular halfwit, Michael Steele, sharing the TV screen with Sean Insanity.

When Steele opened his mouth and spewed out the lie that “Obamacare will have our federal government paying for abortions on demand”, I also thought of the recent NBC poll that showed that millions of lied to and misled American citizens actually believe that the health care reform legislation in Congress really represent a government takeover of health care, free health care for illegal immigrants (especially those illegal brownish ones from scary and strange i.e. non-white lands), Death Panels, Forced Euthanasia and mandatory sex changes etc.!

So, I thought that, although much truthful info is available in dozens of articles about health care reform, it might just be very practical to simply gather it up and compose a list of FACTS, not Republican “facts” or lies as rational folks call them, but FACTS. Presented here is this JUST THE FACTS FORM.

They could be useful if you encounter conservatives at the water cooler, at town hall meetings, or in Congress itself!
Why, you could even mail it to your own Congressperson, whether they are sane or not!
If your Senator is a Republican, you could even go over to your local airport and plaster the men’s room stalls with it!
You can use it to refute your Republican cousin's repetition of the lie, as you wonder why exactly Republicans celebrate Labor Day?!?!?

Here you are: JUST THE FACTS:

1. Our country has been trying to develop a national health care plan since Teddy Roosevelt split from the Republicans and formed the Bull Moose Party in 1912.

2. According to the World Health Organization, the US is the 37th in overall quality of health care in the World.

3. 78% of Americans with no health care are full-time workers.

4. As many as 22,000 Americans die every year because of delayed or denied medical treatment.

5. Insurance companies make their profits by denying claims and payment to those who most need it, AFTER they’ve paid their premiums, of course.

6. The rest of the civilized world regards health care not as a market commodity, but as quality of life issue.

7. Under our current system, Americans live about 3 years less than the French do. It’s not just the wine.

8. 46 of the 50 states in the US have single insurance monopolies. For instance, Blue Cross/ Blue Shield covers about 90% of all people insured in North Carolina. This situation does not bring NC citizens the lowest prices for health care. Capitalism thrives on competition, doesn't it?

9. There are no co-pays for preventative care. Preventative care saves money and wear on you just as it does for your car.

10. End of life decisions and living wills were mandated to all hospitals in the US by a bill that passed in the Congress and was signed into law by Republican President George H. W. Bush. The only difference in the currently proposed legislation, is that counseling on these issues now could be reimbursed by Medicare. Lunatics call this process a Death Panel. Rational folks call it reimbursement.

11. The Medical-Industrial Complex is spending $1.4 million PER DAY on 1000 “lobbyists” (bribers) to STOP health care reform and keep things just as they are. It works well for them! For you? Not so much.

12. Big Pharma’s profits now stand at $90 BILLION per year. They make their money by denying your claim, not by helping you maintain your health.

13. Insurance Company profits grew 42% from 2000 to 2007 while the wages of middle and working class Americans stagnated or declined AND co-pays increased. Hmmm, who was President then?

14. If you want the uninsured to just go to emergency rooms as W suggested, consider the price of the uninsured. It amounts to a HIDDEN TAX of approximately $1,700 per couple per year. That’s $42.7 BILLION per year. If you enjoy paying such hidden taxes, fight for the status quo, just as those who make millions running the Medical and insurance industries and their lackeys in Washington do.

15. Paying for it all: Bush’s war in Iraq is still costing over one BILLION per week. Projected cost for 2009 is $87 BILLION. That’s $87 Billion that could go a long way towards improving our health care system. And, you can bet that the cost of health care reform would be less per week! We can also repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy Top 2%. Soak the rich! They can afford it!

16. The United States has the highest infant mortality rate of any industrialized nation.

17. The United States has the shortest longevity rate of any industrialized nation.

18. The United States has the highest incidence of no-communicable diseases, such as obesity (that one’s pretty obvious), diabetes, heart troubles, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc., of any industrialized nation.

19. Approximately 1,800 more of our fellow citizens will have died due to poor health care in just the time that the Harry Reid led Senate has been on recess.

20. We in the USA spend 50% more per person per year on health care than the citizens of the nation with the next most expensive health care. And no, spending more does not equate to better quality, no matter how advanced we are told we are.

21. The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not provide universal health care. So, are those who say we can’t do the same just defeatists? Do they think America can’t do health care better than them damn foreigners; you know, like those dreaded Frenchies, or, God forbid, the Germans or the Swedes?

22. In the European Union, health care is defined as a right, just as President Obama said in the debates. His very old and very, VERY wealthy opponent claimed it was only a privilege. America chose Obama, so what are we waiting for?

23. American families deserve the same level of health care as not only our federal employees and Senators and Representatives, but as our prison inmates, such as Bernie Madoff and Charles Manson have. Congresspersons, crooks and murderers have even more in common than meets the eye!

24. Costs of health care for small businesses are a serious impact on the growth of small businesses.

25. 40% of small businesses are unable to even provide health care for their employees at all.

26. The health care costs of the average American family will double in the next 9 years. What do you spend now? Can you afford not to have a reformed, more efficient health care system? Do you really think your pay, despite all evidence to the contrary, will rise along with your health care costs? Are you ready to gamble with your family’s health just because you’ve bought into the lies of those who only want to preserve the status quo of making millions for themselves while downsizing you into oblivion and making sure you can’t afford to educate your kids thus tying them to a life of back-breaking, life-shortening manual labor at starvation wages?

Because kids...That is the Conservative ideal. Robber Barons and wage slaves.

The Republikooks like to bitch about the Canadian health care system that they know nothing about, so, how about a list of facts about Canadian health care, too?

1. The Canadian system distributes health care at the provincial (state) level. Most of the money is federal, but each province also kicks in money. So, if you live in the wealthy provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, there is less “rationing” (meaning you get non-critical services more quickly). Non-critical service is slower in the poorer provinces. But, if you have a serious or acute problem you are seen and treated immediately.

2. There are no death panels in Canada.

3. There is no paperwork for patients in Canada. You show your Social Insurance card and that’s it. All the paperwork is between the doctor and the government. There are NO DEDUCTIBLES OR CO-PAYS, and the insurance covers dental. But, it does not cover prescription drugs until you are 65. Then, coverage is 100% (drugs are free). However, Canada negotiates with big pharma and drug prices average 35%- 40% less than in the US, so until you are 65, you pay less. After 65, you pay nada.

4. Yes, there are fewer doctors and hospitals in Northern Canada, because it’s sparsely populated. But, if you do live there and require hospitalization, insurance even covers the cost of FLYING YOU TO THE HOSPITAL!

5. As a comparison, in the US doctors and hospitals are more prevalent in urban areas and rich states, so people in Alabama or rural Idaho, for example, have the same problems Canadians have and, in the US, the patient has to pay to get to the doctor.

6. Canadian health care is not socialized. Doctors are in private practice and people choose whatever doctor they want. Some hospitals are private and some are public, just like in the US.

7. Canadians (92%) are happy with their health care and wouldn’t trade it, especially for the US system and no Canadian government would ever try to limit the program.

8. The insurance industry led “horror stories” about Canadians not being served and coming to the US in droves are lust propaganda. There are people, however, who, if they have the money, will come to the US for elective, not critical procedures. They will sometimes do this rather than wait in their home province, or they might come to the US to see a particular specialist or hospital for a unique condition. Chances are, though, that you will be allowed a longer recovery stay in a Canadian hospital.

9. Canadian health care began in 1947 with Saskatchewan government leader Tommy Douglas. He is now regarded in Canada as a national hero, complete with statues. Ironically, the “father” of Canada’s single payer system could be said to be Lyndon Johnson. Back in 1964, LBJ proposed a dream single payer system. Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson, not wanting to be outdone and embarrassed by his neighbor to the south, successfully rushed through his version of LBJ’s dream proposal. LBJ had to compromise with the Conservatives of the day and ended up with a scaled back co-payer plan for senior citizens called Medicare. Pearson did not have such ideologues to bargain with. Pearson is also regarded as a HERO in Canada.

10. Canada’s health care system is between 30% and 60% cheaper than ours for procedures, medications, and hospital stays. If you like paying more, then, by all means, keep screaming like a loon at town hall meetings or following deviant cult leaders like Hannity, Beck or Limbaugh.

So, there you are. While vacant-eyed Republican zombie women are accusing openly gay Jewish congressmen of being Nazis and pro-Hitler and not even noticing a hint of irony in their batshit crazy thoughts, and while the ironically named Dick Armey goes to Hollywood to pal around with Hollywood stars in liberal Hollywood and dance all over healthcare reform while more people suffer and die needlessly, you will now have a handy checklist of real, honest to goodness facts about the state of healthcare. You can even turn it into flashcards for your intellectually impaired Conservative acquaintances. Hell, if I owned a coffee shop or diner, I’d laminate it and use it for placemats while serving up some of President Obama’s prized recipes for BBQ human baby meat that I’m sure we will be hearing about on FOX any day now. The possibilities are endless; even free thorazine for Glenn Beck.

The Pledge of Allegiance...Conservative style

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 06:31:18 GMT

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.*

*Certain restrictions apply. "Indivisible" offer not valid in Texas. Your mileage may vary. The terms 'all', 'liberty' and 'justice' do not constitute any promise, expectation nor implication of liberty and/or justice to any or all applicants, nor does reference to God imply any belief nor disbelief in Him or Her, nor recognition or endorsement of He or She, nor agents of The Same. Offer available only to well-qualified customers. Consult your doctor before pursuing life or liberty. May contain peanut or wingnut residue.
Cash value 1/20 of 1¢.

Backfireing? Or just Texas?

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:50:22 GMT

At a “grassroots” rally organized by the American Petroleum Institute in Houston on Tuesday, activists bearing American flags were turned away. Oil company employees were bused in to the “Energy Citizens” gathering to hear billionaire Drayton McLane Jr. attack President Barack Obama’s clean energy agenda as an economy-destroying energy tax. However, grassroots tea-party activists told Public Citizen Texas that they and their American flags were refused entry to the company picnic:

ACTIVIST: They said, “We won’t let you have an American flag either.” They said they won’t let you have this, and then the guy touched this, the American flag.

ANOTHER ACTIVIST: I got an email from Freedomworks saying, “Come, it’s free, free food,” doodah doodah. And then I get here and they say, “Well, it’s against fire code to let people in the door.” And then, they let all these people in. Granted, one of the people was Drayton McLane. He’s got more money than God, so, I guess…

Watch it:

The activists explained that they were invited by Dick Armey’s Astroturf organization Freedomworks, one of the participating organizations in the new Energy Citizens coalition. While the activists were locked out, employees of the public corporations Chevron, Anadarko Energy, Halliburton, ConocoPhillips, and others were “invited to participate” and bused to the event on company time.

At the company picnic, Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane defended his billionaire lifestyle, saying, “We need to preserve this way of life.” Inheriting much of his wealth, McLane made billions by selling his grocery business to Wal-Mart. In January 2008, McLane received the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service for showing a “deep concern for the common good beyond the bottom line.” National Black Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Harry Alford, who recently accused Barbara Boxer of racism, was also a featured speaker.

Thanks to Brad Johnson of the Wonk room!

What the signs say.....

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:49:28 GMT

The most Honest protester ever

The woman with the ANGRY MOB sign is either a wry comic genius, or simply unimaginative......

At last! Someone who knows exactly what they want!