A Problematic Resignation

Today, Martin Bashir, a political reporter with MSNBC, resigned following supposed uproar over comments he made about former Alaska Governor and one-time VP candidate, Sarah Palin. Although the commentary about Palin was rather innocuous, Bashir was forced to resign anyhow.
The message boards all either attacked Palin as the idiot that Bashir decried, or attacked the reporter as a leftist coward who should be held accountable for such treasonous views. However, not one respondent addressed the real issue at stake, so I had to elucidate the issue as succinctly as I could.
Here is my response:


"So now the Press can no longer hold our politician's feet to the fire?
If anything, the Press in the United States has been soft on our elected leaders as corporate media owners are deeper and deeper into the pockets of our politicians' war chests.

Where is the political accountability of days past when media pressure effected real change? These days you can't say boo about a politician without drawing the ire of some idiot who thinks that we have to pussy-foot around issues, scandals, etc. so that no one's feelings are hurt.

This "resignation" is problematic of the greater, systemic issue of media oversight that is increasingly bound and gagged, disallowing true freedom of the Press. As a whole, the US Press needs to step up and really investigate issues and stop being afraid of those who want truth and accountability hidden from the general public."

So far, in the 37 minutes since my posting, not one person has addressed my comments; opting instead to add fuel to the fire of either side the message board opinions as illustrated earlier in my comments. This lack of awareness as to the real issue typifies a growing ignorance and lack of caring about the direction in which our political landscape is headed, and of the perils [to the United States] which accompany such a dangerous path.

Upcoming Election

I know that I haven't put out any blogs on here in quite a while. This is entirely due to my ongoing struggle with Polycystic Kidney Disease.

If you follow my PCKD blog, you'll know that, overall, I am doing a bit better. However, I still am lacking the mental energy to write about the current events surrounding all of us. I want to only write with a clear, logical and educated voice. Unfortunately, what mental energy I do have does not allow any of this to happen in a concise and well-written manner; so, I don't write...for now. Once I have my transplant I am sure I will be back to my former self, and be making regular entries. Until then, I can only provide small glimpses. Which is why I am here today.

With the General election coming up in about three weeks time, I thought I should get on here to remind everyone that they need to get out and vote!

Pick up your local voter pamphlet, study it--understanding your local referendums, elections of city, county, State and Federal appointments, judges, etc--and know before you go into the voting booth how you will vote on each item on your local ballot.

I always take a piece of paper with me that lists my vote for initiatives, referendums and all elections. It's ok that you do this!

Please, be an educated, informed voter in this coming election! If you choose not to vote, then you have no say in how your local and Federal governments are run. However, if you vote, be sure you are voting for the best candidate in each item you vote in. Forget about parties. Ask yourself, "Who is the BEST candidate for this job?" Then, vote according to that decision.

This Presidential election is one of the most important elections in my memory. The very heart and soul of the United States is at risk, and how you vote will determine the future of this country.

So get out on election day! Go early! Be informed and be a part of what makes the United States the greatest country on earth!

Please...VOTE!!!

80 MPH on Utah Freeways?

There has been a recent push to increase the speeds on Utah's rural freeway system to 80 mph. The responses were a predictable Yes! with various reasoning as to why the respondents thought so.
Here is my response:

"It is amazing the justifications people use to exceed the speed limits on ALL roads here in Utah.
I was trained as a driver in another state and follow the laws as best I can whenever (and wherever) I drive; often resulting in other drivers honking, zooming by me, or pulling unsafe, boneheaded maneuvers all around me. As a former paramedic I have seen the results of speeding on the human body; and what I have seen and worked on would make most people vomit.

In Utah the State Patrol rarely pulls anyone over for speeding because they are too busy breaking the posted speed limit themselves. I have written the Governor and my Reps asking for better State Patrol funding to combat the horrific driving habits in Utah; only to have my inquiries met with silence.

Fact--The faster you go the less margin of error you have; the greater the stopping distance required. Higher speed equals greater trauma in any accident due to the excessive kinetic forces at work.
But, I suppose this too will fall on deaf ears as Utah drivers are too busy speeding (to wherever) to actually consider the issue with any thoughtful deliberation."

Motherhood and Presidential Politics

In a recent on-air statement, democratic pundit Hilary Rosen  stated that Anne Romney (wife of Republican party front-runner Mitt Romney) had no basis on which to comment on the economy because Mrs Romney had never worked a day in her life and therefore couldn't relate to the working moms throughout the country.

Of course this comment was pounced on by Republican supporters, and even President Obama joined the fray by insisting that Rosen retract her comments because, as he stated, motherhood is the hardest job there is. Rosen, under intense pressure from every side, finally offered what can only be described as an insincere apology, at best.

The reason I am bringing this up is because if Mrs. Romney had been a working mom, I guarantee you that Rosen would have attacked her for not putting her family ahead of her work. This is typical election year hypocrisy that either side will hammer the other with relentlessly.

I sure would love to see a campaign in which the candidates abandon the tactic of attacking their opponents and instead, opting to discuss solutions, policy changes and how they would help Americans of every economic standing to prosper and live the American Dream. That won't happen...but it sure would be nice.

Another Utah Legislative Session? Whoopee...

The Utah State Legislature is once again in the midst of its yearly fifteen week period of worthless, time-wasting legislative meandering. An article in today's Provo Daily Herald talks about what a slow start the legislature is off to as members refine bills and conduct their endless discussions over language, content and budgetary issues of said bills. I've made it no secret what I think of this State's Legislature. This article gave me yet another opportunity to let local readers know just what a waste of time really happens in SLC every year. My response...

"The Utah Legislature is doing what this near worthless body always does each legislative session...make their bills, discuss them endlessly, posture and threaten, waste time for thirteen weeks, then, because they're short on time, cram fifteen weeks worth of real work into just two.
At the end of all that they've passed unwanted/unneeded or just plain poor legislation, overlooked real problems and issues and fail to assure proper budgetary oversight problems which redundantly end in the loss of tens of millions of wasted taxpayer dollars. 
It'll be a cold day in you know where before the Utah Legislature actually becomes a responsible, thoughtful and actionable governing body."

LDS Church and Party Preference

An article in yesterday's Provo Daily Herald described the efforts by new Utah State Democratic Chairman Jim Dabakis to get more members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to switch to the democratic party; an effort hindered by a decades old cultural assumption that all Mormons (the common name for the LDS church) vote Republican.
This came about because a church leader  once stated his voting preference in an interview (in the 30's or 40's, I believe), and church members here in Utah took his comment to mean this should also be the party preference of all LDS members. After that, this misconception took on a life of its own, and has morphed into the false thinking that all Mormons in the US have to vote republican as well--an erroneous thought that even church leadership has sought to dispel. 
Here is my rebuttal to the article...


"The entire assumption that all Mormons are republican is simply ridiculous. This political mirage exists not just in Utah, but throughout the US as well. Church leadership has never told its members to vote for one party over the other. To do so would go against one of the basic tenents of church doctrine, that of Free Agency. I am so tired of hearing phrases like, "Can a good Mormon be a Democrat?", a quote that was on [local affiliate] Fox13 news last night. How preposterous, ludicrous and downright ignorant of what should be a responsible news agency.

Whether you subscribe to Democratic, Republican, Tea Party or other political philosophies, the fact that you are participating in the political process is the only vital element that anyone should be concerned about. Who an individual American chooses to vote for is a purely individual right, guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States.

The real question every American voter should be asking is, why has the political landscape grown so hostile? These men and women are working for all of us. They should be setting aside their divisiveness and working for the common good. Unfortunately, the philosophical gap only widens with every passing year. Instead of Bipartisanship, we see only political posturing, threatening and grandstanding. The parties have become so entrenched in their limited views that real compromise is nearly impossible in every level of government.

We, the people, should be writing, calling and emailing our Representatives and demanding change, cooperation and real leadership. Are YOU doing this?

Remember, this is a government that is OF the people, FOR the people, and BY the people. Everyone, of all parties, should be actively involved in some way to see that our leaders are leading us.

We don't have to agree on any particular party platform; but we should all agree to be working together to make our country, state and cities better places through a truly representative government.

THAT should be our focus, and not the political infighting and cross-aisle temper tantrums that are so glaringly apparent today."

Gee! Dubya--What a Hypocrite

*OK, this one is all about railing on former Prez, Gee! Dubya Bushie.*

As I was watching today's coverage of the US Open, the announcers mentioned a charity event being hosted by our inept former President, Gee! Dubya Bushie. This event is a golf tournament for which its sole fundraising purpose is to benefit service men and women who were injured in either of the current engagement areas in the Middle East; namely, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hearing this drew an immediate, sharp verbal response from me because of the glaring hypocrisy of the event. Don't get me wrong--these men and women of our military, injured in their service, need all the financial support they can get, and this golf tourney is a fantastic way to raise both money and awareness for their plight.

My issue lies in its being hosted by Bushie.

This is a man who during his presidency was the first sitting President (I believe) to avoid going to Andrews Air Force base to greet the planes carrying the bodies of our servicemen and women home from the two wars that Bushie himself started. He also avoided greeting any injured soldiers who likewise returned home. When asked about this, the reason given was the Gee! Dubya didn't want to be photographed over the caskets of dead soldiers because he, El Prezzo Inepto, didn't want to be perceived by the American public as a President who sent our men and women to die in a war.

What the hell?!  Bushie DID send our military to war! What a damned idiot...

Do you see the hypocrisy? Gee! Dubya will send our military off to war knowing there will be casualties, and not acknowledge their ultimate sacrifices; yet here he is hosting a charity event that benefits the very same military personnel he couldn't even bring himself to face once they returned home scarred and maimed...or dead.

What a hypocrite.

But hey! That pretty much sums up Gee! Dubya Bushie in a nutshell.

TSA's Body Language Profiling

Today, a story emerged that the TSA (our beloved Homeland security Agency) is conducting visual profiling of passengers waiting in the lines of our nation's airports. They are looking for "suspicious behaviors," whatever that is supposed to encompass. I'm sure this new security measure is in other public places as the TSA is so eager to assure the security of American everywhere! (OK, that last sentence was rife with sarcasm; but you get my point.)

I replied on a couple of boards to the various comments those focused solely on how safe we have become because the TSA is a great entity that "benefits all Americans," as one respondent wrote.

The following are my two comments...

"We are witnessing the evolution of a police state right here in the USA; and no one is raising any alarms that our civil rights are being tossed aside in favor of so-called "security measures" that supposedly stop terrorists. Yeah, right. Groping the elderly, children and the handicapped (and everyone else) in the name of security really makes sense. Now, every person that travels via airplanes has to check their body language for fear they'll be singled out? This is asinine!

Every civil rights group in this country should be fighting the TSA and their advocates. Instead, it seems like everyone is rolling over and allowing the blatant abuses of our Constitutionally guaranteed rights. We, as a nation, are literally falling off the proverbial slippery slope."


"Every time the TSA institutes a new "security measure," terrorists who seek the destruction of the United States are one step closer to achieving their agendas. After all, these groups use terror in order to make everyone afraid. Their goal is to bring about the changes they want by cowing governments and citizenry into a stance of fear.

Historically, terrorism as a political movement, has never achieved so much as it has since 9/11 and Gee Dubya Bushie's establishment of the very Nazi sounding, Homeland Security Agency.

Right now, the TSA has instilled that same fear into nearly a majority of US citizens by instituting their so-called "security measures" and telling us we'll all safer now than before these things were in place. Cameras are everywhere; profiling is in high gear; Americans are patted down and assumed to be criminals without a shred of proof; personal belongings are searched without warrant at every airport in the country, etc, etc, etc.

Yeah...we're safer...right...and the terrorist organizations are closer to winning every day without doing anything that would be considered a terrorist act."

**My last comment was posted thirty minutes ago, and I have yet to have anyone disagree with or refute my comments.**

Please, if you're alarmed by the thing the TSA is doing, then write to your elected officials in DC and tell them of your displeasure with the TSA and its policies. I write to my Senator and House rep at least four times a year on this one matter alone. Remember, these folks in every level of government work for US! It is therefore up to each of US to speak out and make our voices heard in order to bring about the positive changes that will 'right the ship,' so to say.

Subsidizing Big Oil?

Over the past two weeks the cost of oil on the world markets has increased dramatically due (supposedly) to the internal conflicts of several Middle Eastern countries; currently, Lybia is the NYSE excuse scapegoat. The message boards are aflame with anger at the sudden run-up in the price per gallon of gasoline. Oil, which hasn't yet been delivered to US refineries, is the reasoning behind the sudden increases. As of today, gas has gone up 0.33 cents over the last two weeks.

In responding, I again made a call for Americans to write their Congressional Reps (both Houses) to end Big Oil subsidies and put that same money towards clean alternative energy research. My Response...

"This whole run-up is entirely about money--money for Big Oil, Foreign Powers, NYSE Trading Houses, Elite Oil Investors and certain current and former politicians whose fortunes were built on oil. No one else benefits. Certainly not the average American consumer.

I've read a number of posts today referring to the subsidies given by the US Govt to Big Oil, as if Big Oil couldn't survive without them. Well, I've previously postulated that we need to press our politicians to eliminate subsidies to Big Oil, and put the same $$ towards alternative energy research and job development.

Such spending could very well be the catalyst for the next great American industrial revolution. Untold numbers of jobs would be created, Big Oils' grip on the US would be over, our environment would be cleaner, and energy would be cheaper. How is this a bad thing?

THAT should be our focus--not subsidizing absurdlywealthy CEO's, Foreign Princes, Oil Traders, etc. It's time for America to stand up and say, "Enough!" Let's work towards clean energy Independence, and put the United States atop the world once again as a beacon of hope, change and economic leadership."

As previously, I have gotten zero replies or support for such an idea. I guess everyone is too busy whining to take the time and think about solutions.

Truancy Laws Gone Too Far

In Provo, UT a law is being considered that would criminalize truant youth and children should they be caught off campus or away from their schooling during school hours. This law would also require adults to call the city police to report violators. The intent behind the considered law is to confront the growing gang issue in this central Utah city.
All of the reader responses prior to my submission were filled with shock; and many feared the repercussions pertaining to home schooled children and youth, and how ridiculous it would be to arrest six year-olds and give them a police record just for being on the city streets during school hours. Some of the respondents even went into a 'Police State, Socialism' rant that was entirely counterproductive to any serious discussion. Yesterday I wrote the following response to the article in the Deseret News:

"First of all, the city is looking for ways to fight increasing gang activity. This idea isn't the smartest, I'll give you that; but to jump way ahead and feign horror at children being arrested is not only foolish, it's downright ridiculous.
Instead of being offended at the "potential" of this proposal, why don't you form community meetings to brainstorm legitimate ideas to address the issue, present them to the school board (leaving the city govt out of the discussion), then both sides work to find viable solutions.
The answer to this lies not in legislation, but in a cooperative effort between the community and the school district. It seems, after all, that most parents are feeling like their voice is lost--and it has somewhat, because they now complain loudly but never step up and start grassroot efforts to challenge school officials, city leaders etc. So stop complaining and step up! Become a leader who enacts change!
And JMT (a respondent on this board), please leave your "1984" scare tactics out and present an intelligent, thoughtful discussion that goes beyond an 'I'm right, you're wrong' mentality that only seeks to instill fear and remove rational thought. "

Of the eighteen responses after mine, not a single one commented on the merits of my proposal; instead continuing the fear-mongering that all of the earlier posts had provided. Since there was no rational thought amongst the lot, I decided to write another response today.

"RE: JMT "Two kids fighting over a remote; the wishbone from Thanksgiving turkey; candy at Christmas; who saw Lagoon first; playing fetch with the dog; Grandpas attention, etc..."

This type of thinking is irresponsible. It seeks only to create fear and suspicion.
Please, leave the addressing of community and national issues to the adults because clearly, individuals such as this only want to make us afraid without offering any sort of leadership that might help us all to climb off of the slippery slope this nation now finds itself upon.

If you're concerned about issues and law-making, write, call or email your elected representatives at every level! Make sure you take part in the electoral system we all enjoy. Start community efforts to enact change. Do something!--Because doing nothing but complaining gets us nowhere."

So far, I have not gotten any retort.

Gee! Dubya Bushie Says "No More politics."

I read a story today on AOL in which former (good riddance!) President Gee! Dubya Bushie stated that he was done with politics of any kind. No campaigning, no fundraising, etc.
I absolutely HAD to respond! ;o)

Gee! Dubya Bushie was done with politics well before he even took (stole) the office of US President. He is an idiot of the first degree who left this country in shambles.

The Constitution is hanging by a thread because of the Patriot Act, Americans are looked at as criminals by the TSA (a bunch of F'n Nazi bastards, as one relative puts it), freedom from government oversight is very nearly a thing of the past, the country is in so much debt that China may end up owning it lock, stock and barrel, and the off-shoring of jobs absolutely devastated the economy.

And that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg!

Gee! Dubya Bushie can keep his mouth closed. He will go down as the President who led the country to the brink of destruction when all is said and done.

We will be lucky to recapture the true spirit that the Founding Fathers wanted for the United States...*Freedom, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

(*That would be Freedom OF, not Freedom from!)

Letter to My Congressional Representatives

I wrote the following letter to my Congressional representatives regarding the ever-growing abuses of the Civil Rights of American everywhere in the ongoing War on Terror."

"I am growing extremely concerned at the growing tide of governmental abuses against the civil liberties of Americans everywhere.

The Constitution guarantees certain freedoms and liberties to every citizen; yet with the advent of the so-called "War on Terror," Congress seems to be turning a perpetual blind eye to the infringements we are seeing every day.

The 4th Amendment guarantees freedom against unlawful search and seizure; yet the TSA is conducting these millions of times a day at our nations airports. Every US citizen that has the temerity to fly via commercial airline is suspected of being a criminal (or, having criminal intent) without a shred of evidence-- and are subjected to unwarranted searches by either body scan or physically intrusive pat downs. How is this allowed without trampling on the Constitution?

Since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on NY and DC, Americans can seemingly no longer go about their lives in anonymity due to the explosive proliferation of security cameras that appear nearly everywhere including parks, businesses, sidewalks, etc. Since when did my desire to live my life as an American citizen, unencumbered by governmental oversight, become a threat to national security so much that I am almost constantly watched or monitored by some means? Where is the Constitutionality of a seemingly evolving police state?

Then today, it was announced by the Dept. of Homeland Security, that WalMart management is going to encourage its consumers to report any suspicious behavior [by other shoppers] to the police or other law enforcement agencies. This move, endorsed by the Dept. of Homeland Security, smacks of historical totalitarian dictatorships such as the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany; and, it is reflective of the fear mongering created by the McCarthy trials of the 1950's. Citizens spying on citizens, and reporting them to police? The United States is on a dangerously slippery slope, and the Constitution is beginning to teeter on the edge.

The following are quotes by a few of our Founding Fathers regarding the very situation the United States finds itself in today...

"The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free
men or slaves."
-George Washington

"It will be found an unjust and unwise jealousy to deprive a man of his natural liberty upon the supposition he may abuse it."
-George Washington

"Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people."
-John Adams

"Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security."
-Benjamin Franklin

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."
-George Washington

"Even peace may be purchased at too high a price."
-Benjamin Franklin

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
-George Washington

The Founding Fathers correctly foresaw the dangers of the removal of freedoms. They perceived the very dangerous ground we now tread upon were the Constitution and Bill of Rights to be ignored or trampled under foot in the name of "security."

Please, as my Congressional Representative, I implore you to speak out against the Federal Agencies and Congressional Acts that are openly violating the freedoms of every American citizen not only in your District, but across the whole of the United States as well.

This madness that is happening in the name of "the War on Terror" has got to stop. Al Qaeda and all the other terrorist groups have already won their little war as freedoms are whiled away in the name of security. The more freedoms we lose, the greater their victory.

Please, speak out against this blatant trampling of Civil Rights. The price we will pay, as a country and a society, is far too great should the current climate be allowed to continue."

I encourage everyone reading this to write, call or email your Congressmen/women if you are as alarmed by what is happening the trampling of our Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. Nothing will ever change if ordinary citizens stand on the sidelines and silently accept the abuses that are happening now, and have yet to transpire--which they most assuredly will based on recent history. If you think your voice is inconsequential, you are absolutely wrong! Speak up! Encourage others to speak up, too! Every voice counts! Please...Speak up!

Local Congressional Rep Critisizes Federal Wage Earnings

(I made the following comment in my local newspaper after reading an article in which our House Representative, Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), criticized the average pay rates of Federal employees. In his remarks, Chaffetz falls well short of saying that he himself (and his fellow Congressmen/women) makes too much money--currently at $174,000+.)


"Typical comment from Chaffetz--What a putz.

He's spewing the latest Republican party rhetoric because they'll have control of the House in late January, and are posturing their 'cock of the walk' (in this case, the House vs. the President) stance well ahead of controlling the House to tell everyone that the Republicans are gonna make things better...well, at least that's their "Do as I say, not as I do" campaign smoke screen.

Chaffetz is a terrible Representative of his District--and yes, I made my vote accordingly on election day--and doesn't have an original political thought in his head. He constantly bows to his Republican masters rather than doing what his constituency wants. That's certainly no way to make a difference; it only further widens the political chasm that divides our Congress.

Former President Jimmy Carter was absolutely correct when he recently stated that the current political landscape in the US is an embarrassment to the rest of the democratic world.

So long as the political parties remain divisive on all issues, nothing positive and forward-thinking will be accomplished in DC."

Are Political Parties Still Necessary?

I wrote the following response to a question posed on the website Intersect.com that asked, "Are political parties still necessary?

John Adams, the second President of the United States wrote, "The essence of a free government consists in an effectual control of rivalries." (Balancing and compromise between parties.)

I don't doubt the need for political parties for even a second. Without structured goals, ideals and leadership, out government would quickly fall into chaos. On the other hand, I completely agree with those who state that Congress has lost its way; that millionaires now control the country on not just the National level, but the State level as well. The voice of the commoner has become lost in a proverbial sea of Special Interest lobbyists who are more concerned about their right to pollute the environment, put unpronounceable chemicals in and on our foods and increasingly deny hardworking American the health care we so desperately need. Who is speaking now for the average American? I guarantee you it's NOT my Representative or Senator! They are too busy dancing the DC two-step in order to appease their business lobby financial backers.

The Founding Fathers did not want an exclusive wealthy leadership. They framed the guidelines for elected office with the thought that even the least noticed could lead the wealthiest.

Also, the Spoils System was supposed to have gone the way of the Dodo back in the early 1900's. But, it's back! We see this in Cabinet appointments, National Leadership appointments, passage of laws favoring certain industries as exchange for election backing (money, votes, etc).

It seems that what made this country great, what really separated it from other national governments, is being lost as party fighting (and in-fighting) reaches an all new crescendo as each tries to out shout the other in their quest to "carry the banner of freedom."

So, how do we fix it? Easy--Get rid of all lobbyists; electively replace every member of Congress with those having a real and true desire to serve *the will of the people*, insist that our Presidents abandon any semblance of the re entrenched spoils system, and reduce the powers of the presidency to its original parameters.

Return the power of the government back to the people. That would be a good start.

Will it happen? I doubt it; but it is a worthy goal that is certainly worth working towards. For the sake of the United States, I hope it actually happens.

Prop 8: A Base Issue Discussed Again

(I wrote the following response to an opinion by Dr. Pepper Schwarz on the SeattlePI.com. Her article sought to sway the reading public that politics should play no part in deciding the issue of gay marriage. She (inexplicably) even went so far as to equate the efforts of the gay community [to get marriage approved] to the 19th century fight against slavery...I didn't touch that part. No sense in legitimizing what is clearly a poor correlative attempt)

Personally, I think that the approval of gay marriages is an inevitability. However, American society as a whole is not yet ready to accept this. Over time this will change.

Unfortunately, the gay community is seeking to literally force society to accept the idea of gay marriage. Therefore, the issue becomes a small minority of the citizenry imposing their will over the vast majority.

Founding Father, and our nation's first President, George Washington said, "Laws made by common consent must not be trampled on by individuals."

With the recent ruling in California, this very thing has happened. The people voted, the losing side didn't like it, and got the courts to overturn the common consent of the people, thereby imposing their minority will over that of the vast majority.

A society, not ready to accept change, will inevitably push back against that change; and the fight for equality will take longer than simply allowing for the natural progression of societal acceptance. Give the issue time.

Thoughts and ideas will change and progress, and everything the gay community seeks--equality, in all its various applications--will be achieved.

**As a side note: The reader responses to the article were many, and quite varied. Different responses challenged most every other response by just about every reader. However, of the three dozen + responses that have appeared after my response, there was not a single dissenting opinion to what I wrote.

Civil Rights for Air Travelers?

I have a real issue with the Transportation Security Administration.


The TSA, created out of the fear mongering by Gee Dubya Bushie and Henchmen following the 2001 attacks in NY, DC and Pennsylvania, are ratcheting up the ante in its ongoing attack on the Bill of Rights with its installation of full body scanners in airports around the country.


An article in the Wall Street Journal is the latest in a number of media pieces that are seeking to stir up the citizenry of the United States to stand up to the TSA for its blatant supposition that every person flying has a terrorist agenda. Basically, we are guilty until proven innocent.




If I don't want a body scan, I am required to do a pat-down as if I were a criminal. What about my civil rights? Why am I being treated like a criminal without the slightest bit of evidence? Treat everyone like criminals in the name of paranoid safety concerns? It's happening right now; and most citizens don't think twice about it. Next thing you know, cars traveling across the country will be stopped at every state border crossing.

I say that the citizens of the United States start a write-in campaign to their Congressional leaders to demand a basic restructuring of the TSA (if not a complete elimination) so that they are better at identifying real threats to our airline safety, instead of targeting six year olds whose name inexplicably somehow winds up on a terror watch list; or an eight year old cub scout who also is identified as a terrorist.

Yeah...great job TSA! Way to protect us from marauding six year olds! You guys are really on the ball!

In the mean time, they force humiliating searches and pat-downs on Americans who want nothing more than to get to their intended destinations with as little hassle as possible.

Where is the ACLU in all of this? They should be screaming "Injustice!" So far, I haven't read a single reference to their involvement in the stripping of air travelers' civil rights. Why Not? The ACLU will fight vehemently for individuals whose rights are being so trampled on that they seek to enforce their personal will and thinking upon the entire country (that's another blog all together!); but they won't stand up for the majority of citizens? What's up with that? So I ask again, why isn't the ACLU all over this?

Please-- write your Senator! Write your Representative! Tell them to stop the stampeding of our civil rights! If you don't stand up and speak, nothing will ever get done about this!

A Victory!

FINALLY!

Today, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a lawsuit aimed at stripping the wishes of the vast majority of Americans by ruling that the phrase in the Pledge of Allegiance "Under God," and the phrase on US currencies "In God We Trust" are NOT unconstitutional.

The following AP story states

"A federal appeals court in San Francisco upheld the use of the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency, rejecting arguments on Thursday that the phrases violate the separation of church and state.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel rejected two legal challenges by Sacramento atheist Michael Newdow, who claimed the references to God disrespect his religious beliefs.
"The Pledge is constitutional," Judge Carlos Bea wrote for the majority in the 2-1 ruling. "The Pledge of Allegiance serves to unite our vast nation through the proud recitation of some of the ideals upon which our Republic was founded."
The same court ruled in Newdow's favor in 2002 after he sued his daughter's school district for forcing students to recite the pledge.
That lawsuit reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 2004, but the high court ruled that Newdow lacked the legal standing to file the suit because he didn't have custody of his daughter, on whose behalf he brought the case.
So Newdow, who is a doctor and lawyer, filed the challenge on behalf of other parents who objected to their children being required to recite the pledge. In 2005, a federal judge in Sacramento decided in Newdow's favor, ruling that the pledge was unconstitutional.
"I want to be treated equally," Newdow said when he argued the case before the 9th Circuit in December 2007. He added that supporters of the phrase "want to have their religious views espoused by the government."
In a separate 3-0 ruling Thursday, the appeals court upheld the inscription of the national motto "In God We Trust" on coins and currency."

This is the second attempt by Mr. Newdow to force his atheistic views on hundreds of millions of people. This is Mr. Newdow's second failure. Isn't it time he gives up his ludicrous attempts to enforce his personal preferences upon the whole population of the United States?

After all, NO ONE FORCES him to read the phrase on coin or paper bills.
NO ONE FORCES him to utter "Under God" when reciting the pledge.

So why should Michael Newdow be allowed to FORCE everyone else to feel the same way he does? What makes him so special?

If Newdow really studied the founding of this country, he would know, without doubt, that the Fathers were strongly, religiously convicted to form a government and country that would follow Christian/Protestant mores and values. They knew that if we followed these simple, logical values espoused by their christian heritage that this nation would prosper. And so it has.

I applaud the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Their decision was not only right and just; it was also a true reflection of the wishes and beliefs of the overwhelmingly vast majority of Americans.

Sean Hannity--GOP Puppet

Sean Hannity is a Republican party whore. He is so blindly following the pathetic agenda of the republican party that he cannot see the forest through the trees.

I first came to listen to Mr. Hannity on AM Radio while working on a construction site, and my co-workers loved listening to his show. His democrat bashing words would spew out of the radio speakers ad nauseum. It didn't take long to understand that any caller having a differing opinion from this republican prostitute was immediately shut down, and the conversation ended. He isn't the least bit interested in fact...just the advancement of the Republican Party agenda.

Throughout Georgie Dubya Bushie's travesty of an Administration, Hannity was all rah, rah about what the president was doing, yet would relentlessly attack any politician who might question Bushie's policies, decisions, etc. His constant referrals to former President Bill Clinton's infidelities (instead of his actual record of service) only serve to show what a shallow, narrow-minded media whore Mr. Hannity truly is.

Now, I'm neither Democrat, nor Republican. I am a registered, unafilliated voter who crosses all party lines on election day. I choose to vote for those whom I believe will be the best at whatever job they are seeking, no matter what party they belong to. I am an educated, informed person when it comes to politics. Being a student of the democratic process, I ignore party rhetoric, and look at facts, history, voting records, etc.

Anyway, here we are once again with a democrat as President, and once again, Sean Hannity attacks our leader with vicious attacks on his agenda, his plans, and policies.. (I know--a terrible shock, this one...). The latest attack has Mr ho' whipping up his listeners into a frenzy about taxes and getting his small-minded cronies to start little revolutionary 'Tea Parties' across the country to protest the taxes being imposed on the citizens of this country.

I don't know about you, the readers out there, but this to me smacks of nothing more than an attack on our new Democratic President to undermine his ability to try and pull this country out of the economic free-fall it finds itself in because of the reckless spending and war-mongering of Georgie Dubya Bushie and henchmen.

I really don't get why Sean Hannity is attacking Barack Obama when it was the former Republican leadership that got us into this mess in the first place.

Maybe it's because it really wasn't the republican party that was in charge the last eight years...No, Dubya was DEFINITELY a republican. Then maybe it's because Bushie let the democrats in Congress do what they wanted...No,..quite the reverse actually. President Bushie and top Henchman DICK Cheney literally shoved Congress into doing whatever they wanted...even to the ultimate degradation of this country. Ok, how about this--Sean Hannity is attacking President Obama because he is looking to blame anyone but the Republican party for the whole mess we find ourselves in today.

That's it! I've hit it squarely on the head!

I'll be the first to tell you that I am astounded by all the taxes we pay. I even wrote a post about that very subject. However, this country will complete its financial free-fall into unthinkable economic depression if hard choices are not made, enacted, and seen through. There are no easy solutions to fixing the financial problems besetting us today. But if we ignore them, and simply assign blame on an opposing political party/President/Congress, then the problem simply grows to unimaginable complexity that will almost certainly end in ruin for the once strongest economy in the world.

Sean Hannity is not the least bit interested in what HAS to be done to salvage this country. He is merely pushing, spewing, and fomenting the Republican rhetoric that got us here in the first place. He could care less that hard times demand hard choices, and difficult sacrifices by everyone. So long as a Democrat is in office, Sean Hannity is going to attack our President; even when our President is working to rebuild this country after the near complete the destruction left over from a Republican Adminstration.

At least President Obama is trying to fix the problems--unlike his predecessor who was constantly turning a blind eye to the social, economic, and environmental devastation he was causing.

Instead of placing blame, maybe Mr. Hannity should try supporting the efforts of our new President; helping the American people to understand that these difficult times require dedication, hard work, and an unwavering eye on the ultimate goal of economic recovery.

Wait...I was starting to forget the basic fact here...that Sean Hannity is nothing more than a Republican whore who is doing nothing more than selling the party rhetoric of his agenda-minded republican pimps. You go Hannity. You should get employee of the month! What a ho!

CHRISTMAS vs Holiday

...we interrupt your Christmas music for the following news...

Headline.....Political Correctness runs amok....Atheists tell the vast majority of religious citizens that god and all religion are a myth perpetrated to enslave minds...political leaders, fearing for future votes, cave in to the demands of this "oppressed" minority...News at 11.......


...Extra! Extra! Read all about it!....Christmas is off! The yearly "Winter Holiday" is officially celebrated on December 25th!...Atheists now feel they are included in a society they claim was NOT founded on Christian principles...There is NO Christmas because Christ does NOT exist...Extra! Extra! Read all about it!...


...Dateline, Olympia, Washington...Governor Christine Gregoire, fearing that the Constitutional rights of a very small handful of people (most of whom aren't even in her constituency) are being denied, today allowed a Wisconsin Atheist group to place a sign next to a Nativity scene [in the Washington State Capital building] that did nothing but spit in the collective faces of all religious folks.
Predictably, the religious response was both swift and on the mark as they stated that Christmas was not just a religious holiday, but one of love, sharing, and giving as well; and anyone who opposed even these precepts had no right imposing their will on everyone else...

...Editorial...Since when does the Christmas Holiday offend anyone...I mean...really!? This reporter suspects that these so-called non-believers have celebrated Christmas for decades, and felt as much a part of society as they do every other day of the year.
In my humble opinion, if they want to enforce their will on 99.999999% of the population,let them try. In the last 10 years there has been a growing backlash against the supposed trampling of civil rights on a few who want to change both the Letter and the Spirit of the Constitution.
I say, boo hoo you poor wretches. No one makes you include religion in the annual holiday. Just share presents, eat good food, and let your friends warm your hearts with smiles and gifts.
Would that really be such a terrible thing? I think not...

...and now, back to more of everyone's favorite CHRISTMAS music...