Crying Fowl

Look, here comes the Boogie Man...
Bringin' his Crow with him.

The Crow, 1994:  According to IMDb - A poetic guitarist Eric Draven is brought back to life by a crow a year after he and his fiancée are murdered. The crow guides him through the land of the living, and leads him to his killers: knife thrower Tin-tin, drugetic Funboy, car buff T-Bird, and the unsophisticated Skank.

One by one, Eric gives these thugs a taste of their own medicine.


Oops, so sorry, WRONG 'Crow'.

I came across an article at lunch today posted on WashingtonExaminer.com entitled, "Dem: Tea Party Reps want me "hanging from a tree".

Which was odd, because I don't remember anyone talking about hanging anyone from trees...  I'd better do some snooping to find out what's up.

And there it was, transcribed in black and white, online, a quote from Andre Carson, D-Ind,

"This is the effort that we're seeing of Jim Crow. Some of these folks in congress right now would love to see us as second class citizens. Some of them in Congress right now of this Tea Party movement would love to see you and me hanging on a tree." -  Andre Carson, D-Ind 

Since I'm not old enough to remember 'Jim Crow' laws 'personally' (not to mention the fact that I was NOT paying  enough attention in History class), I've taken the liberty to look up the legislation. 

Per Wikipedia: 
In the 1870s, conservative white Democrats gradually returned to power in the Southern states, sometimes as a result of elections in which paramilitary groups intimidated opponents, attacking blacks or preventing them from voting.


Gubernatorial elections were close and disputed in Louisiana for years, with extreme violence unleashed during the campaigns.


In 1877, a national compromise to gain Southern support in the presidential election resulted in the last of the federal troops being withdrawn from the South. White Democrats had regained political power in every Southern state.


These conservative, white, Democratic Redeemer governments legislated Jim Crow laws, segregating black people from the white population.


...


In some cases, progressive measures intended to reduce election fraud, such as the eight box law in South Carolina, acted against black and white voters who were illiterate, as they could not follow the directions.


While the separation of African Americans from the general population was becoming legalized and formalized during the Progressive Era (1890s–1920s), it was also becoming customary. Even in cases in which Jim Crow laws did not expressly forbid black people to participate, for instance, in sports or recreation, the laws shaped a segregated culture.

Jumping ahead 130+ years, if you are to believe Mr. Carson, the White Democrats who passed this un-fair racial legislation are now...  TEA Party people? 

Seriously? 

How'd THIS happen?  And, if I'm not mistaken, Democrats have ALWAYS been supportive of Minority causes - so what's with the 'Hate' legislation back in the post-Civil War South?  How could history have gotten the story so completely wrong?

I know that Democratic leadership is all for supporting Blacks in this country - why else would Black leaders encourage their friends and families to vote 'Democrat' for the past 60+ years? 

Did all these people not pay attention in their History class also - or is there something else going on?

It couldn't be because the Democratic Party has actually worked very hard to keep Blacks (sorry, this one's gonna sting, but it's the only way it's going to come out) 'In their place' could it? 

A few weeks ago I posted a blog entitled, "The Late Great Society" which looked back at LBJ's Great Society.  Don't look too hard at the Great Society in daylight, because if you do, you'll see that Blacks, and other Minorities in this country, have had their standard of living decimated throughout the ensuing years. 

It's NOT a nice picture to look at.  And yet, Blacks nationwide are encouraged by their local community leaders to continue their support of...  The people who have actively worked to keep THEM in poverty by destroying their families. Check out the charts referenced in the 'Late Great Society' quoted above - what's happened to Minority Citizens over the past sixty years is horrendous.   

I don't get it.  I really, truly do not.   

Getting back to the topic at hand, if we are to believe that TEA Party people want to 'Hang Mr. Carson from a tree', well, there must be proof, or evidence of this, somewhere, right?

Maybe if we watch and listen to the actual recording of Mr. Carson's speech, along with a few of his fellow Representatives in Congress we'll be able to sniff out the truth? 


So what IS the truth?
From the Examiner article quoted above: 


"The Washington Examiner contacted Rep. Carson's office to see if he would identify the particular members of Congress that he thinks want to see him murdered. Carson's office did not respond in time for this post.

Similarly, The Examiner also contacted Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the second-ranking member of Democrat party leadership,  to hear their reactions to Rep. Carson's comments, but neither office returned requests for comment in time for this post.

Update: a subsequent attempt to reach Leader Pelosi has also failed, because her press secretary is "away from his desk." When The Examiner asked when he might be available or might respond, the response was "I don't know, that's at his discretion."

If you're looking for the quantifiable and documented sources of Racial hatred in our country, look no further than certain elected officials charged with upholding and faithfully discharging their Oath of Office while in service to their constituents. 

In case haven't looked at it lately (this includes MOST in Congress), here it is in its entirety:

“I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

Do you feel the people captured in the video / audio clip above are living up to this Oath?

For those who do not honor the commitment which they freely made in exchange for the honor of representing the citizens of their districts:

I will do whatever I can to assure that the burden and obligations of leadership are taken from them, at the ballot box. 

So help me God. 

Difference between me and them? 

I keep my promises.  And I do not lie. 

"We're So Sorry, Uncle Omar"

Onyango 'Omar' Obama

Excerpted from Boston.com:
FRAMINGHAM - The uncle of President Obama arrested here last week on drunken driving and other charges has been a fugitive from deportation since 1992, according to two federal law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case.
 

Onyango Obama, who is from Kenya and is known as the president's Uncle Omar on his father's side, had lived a quiet life in Massachusetts until last Wednesday, when police said the car he was driving darted in front of a police cruiser, nearly causing the officer to hit his car...
...
Onyango Obama's sister, Zeituni Onyango, also faced deportation before a Boston immigration judge granted her asylum last year. She, too, had avoided the spotlight, living in public housing in South Boston despite a deportation order...


We're So Sorry Uncle Omar

We're so sorry Uncle Omar
We're so sorry if we caused you any pain
We're so sorry Uncle Omar
But there's no Green Card left at home
And I believe that ticket will cause some pain
We're so sorry but we haven't heard from your nephew all day
We're so Sorry Uncle Omar
But if deportation should happen we'll be sure to send you away

We're so sorry Uncle Omar
But we haven't heard a bloody thing all day
We're so sorry Uncle Omar
But the President’s not on the phone but it’s so hard to deport today

Head across the water (Kenya)
Head across the sky
Head across the water (Kenya)
Head across the sky
President Obama notified me
He had to had fix the economy or he couldn’t go to sleep
Krugman had another look and we had a cup of TEA and peanut butter pie
(the peanut butter wouldn't melt so I put it in the pie)

Head across the water (Kenya)
Head across the sky
Head across the water (Kenya)
Head across the sky

Live a little be a gypsy, get around(get around)
Get your feet up off the ground
Live a little, get around
Live a little be a gypsy, get around(get around)
Get your feet up off the ground
Live a little, get around

Head across the water (Kenya)
Head across the sky
Head across the water (Kenya)
Head across the sky
With all due apologies to Paul McCartnery...

The original, much better written, 'Uncle Albert' from 1971 - when I could run faster, jump higher, and I could never have imagined that a sitting President might have an extended family of illegal aliens living here...

Green Pets!

Hangin' With Lassie At the Spa
Bad Lassie, bad...

Two days ago I was looking for reference information on the Center for American Progress' website.  Would I go there for any reason other than 'research'?  No, I have a low threshold for pain. 

I go there for the same reason that people find it impossible to look away when passing a particularly gruesome accident on I-95.  You see the State Police car, the flashing lights, and think to yourself, "Holy cow, I'm glad that isn't...  Me!"  Then you say a quiet prayer for the passengers of the car and tell yourself that you need to be more careful driving - moments later you silently mouth the words, "Dear Lord, don't let THAT happen to me...  Oh, and let them be okay too."     

So, the experience was surreal as always, but I continue to be amazed by the uniqueness of the people I find posting 'stuff' over 'there'.

I came across an article entitled:  It's Easy Being Green: Earth-Friendly Pet Care  The post, surprisingly enough, includes options on how to 'Clean Your Pet in an Earth-Friendly Manner'. 

No! 

Really!  It was, and continues to be, about home pet tips which are 'Green' for cleaning your pet...

Yeah. You got it. 

Yes, YOU may not be maintaining your pet's 'parts' properly / greenly.  Why ask your licensed Veterinarian about basic pet cleaning needs when you can go straight to an Earth-Friendly Website?

Let's see what we can learn, um, about Washing Your Pet!

Excerpted from the site...

• Baking soda:  Baking soda’s greatest property is its ability to soak up stink. Sprinkle it on carpets, rugs, and your pet’s bed or favorite snuggling blanket, let it stand for 15 minutes, and then give the treated areas a good vacuuming to remove lingering odors.  
• Vinegar:  Vinegar is another wonder deodorizer as it’s both a solvent and antibacterial. If your pet has an accident inside, use a white vinegar and warm water solution to remove the lingering smell, which will discourage future accidents in the same place. 
• Other options: Further nontoxic products that can be used to clean up various pet-related messes include salt, which can be used to remove hard water stains in fish tanks and aquariums (remember to rinse with fresh water afterward); and club soda, lemon juice, and cream of tartar, all of which can be used to treat stains (use a paste of lemon juice and cream of tartar for best results). 

SUPER!  Now we know how to clean our pooches, deodorize urine, AND scrub the inside of our fishy tanks!!!

But, I thought that this was meant to be an Earth Friendly post? 

How did all the corporate greed, air / soil / water pollution, AND carbon-footprints get in here?  Sheesh, I thought they were going to tell us to go out the stream in the back yard, position your dog across a large flat rock in the stream, toss water and BBQ ashes upon the pet and then beat the large panting animal briskly with a large stick until it is clean (roughly six minutes). 

Oops, sorry, I got confused, that's how we do laundry at our house.  Silly me!  Unfortunately the people downstream from us do not appreciate the amount of hair, ash, and dark fluids which stain their clothing as they beat their laundry on the rock next to their home.  Phew, am I glad I live near the TOP of the hill and not at the bottom!

Okay, so here are my concerns with the above 'Green Solutions' for pet maintenance:

BAKING SODA 
Because the synthetic process used in the Solvay method presented some pollution problems, Church & Dwight Co. Inc. is basing more and more of its manufacturing on trona mining. Another large producer of soda ash, the FMC Corporation, also relies on trona to manufacture soda ash and sodium bicarbonate.

Trona is mined at 1,500 feet (457.2 meters) below the surface. FMC's mine shafts contain nearly 2,500 (4,022.5 kilometers) miles of tunnels and cover 24 square miles (62 square kilometers). Fifteen feet (4.57 meters) wide and nine feet (2.74 meters) tall, these tunnels allow the necessary equipment and vehicles to travel through them.

WHAT!?!?  Baking soda is mined 1,500 feet below the surface of the Earth, diesel-equipment is used to transport the raw materials up to the surface AND then it's processed [GASP!] -- Chemically?!?!

Yes, it is. 

For the entire process, you can click here:  How baking soda is made

Green solution my rump!  Baking soda is an EARTH KILLING agent invented by Republicans hundreds of years ago to destroy the sanctity of our planet.  Evil, money-grubbing, Republicans lining their pockets with their ill-gotten Baking Soda 'mined-on-the-backs-of-the-poorest-Americans' gains!

How can THIS be an Earth-friendly post?  Who did THEY get to to write this blasphemy!?!? 

Oh, yeah, and then they write, "then give the treated areas a good vacuuming to remove lingering odors."  A vacuum cleaner which is powered by carbon-footprint-laden ELECTRICITY! 

What in the heck is going on!?!?!

This REEKS of Dick Cheney.  Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Earth haters!!!

VINEGAR
The use of vinegar to flavor food is centuries old. It has also been used as a medicine, a corrosive agent, and as a preservative. In the Middle Ages, alchemists poured vinegar onto lead in order to create lead acetate. Called "sugar of lead," it was added to sour cider until it became clear that ingesting the sweetened cider proved deadly.

By the Renaissance era, vinegar-making was a lucrative business in France. Flavored with pepper, clovers, roses, fennel, and raspberries, the country was producing close to 150 scented and flavored vinegars. Production of vinegar was also burgeoning in Great Britain. It became so profitable that a 1673 Act of Parliament established a tax on so-called vinegar-beer.

HUH?!?!  "Called "sugar of lead," it was added to sour cider until it became clear that ingesting the sweetened cider proved deadly."  Let me get this straight, this Earth-Friendly product is CORROSIVE and POISONOUS?!?!  And they want me to put it into my pet's ears AND onto the carpeted surfaces of my home?

Oh no, I don't think so!  I was born at night, but it wasn't LAST night!  The only redeeming feature of vinegar is that it was Taxed by Parliament in 1673.  Yeah, I'm all for taxing hazardous materials and the rich corporations who manufacture them!  This will help people be safe!  Just like the cigarette taxes the Fed's been collecting for years - making Cancers...  Darn near 'Extinct'!

But you will not find me forcibly putting corrosive poisons into my pet's ears - especially not after that horrific beating she took on the rock in the stream in the back yard... 

Not me buddy.  Find yourself another 'Earth-Firster' to do this to their dog, not mine. 

Dirtbag corporations selling corrosive poison to unsuspecting Americans for PROFITS!!!

"Bush, where are YOU, Bush!?!?  I smell you all over this 'vinegar-poisoning-American-pets-everywhere. thing!!!"


OTHER OPTIONS (a.k.a.:  Salt)
Salt is obtained from two sources: rock salt and brine. Rock salt is simply crystallized salt, also known as halite. It is the result of the evaporation of ancient oceans millions of years ago. Large deposits of rock salt are found in the United States, Canada, Germany, eastern Europe, and China.

Underground salt deposits are usually discovered by prospectors searching for water or oil. When salt is detected, a diamond-tipped, hollow drill is used to take several regularly spaced core samples throughout the area. These samples are analyzed to determine if salt mining would be profitable.

Once again, the purveyors of 'Salt' have infiltrated the Green Movement.  Who knew that salt is discovered by Rich Multi-National Corporations drilling for oil and water?  They drill down to the very heart of Mother Earth and biopsy her flesh looking for unconscionable PROFITS. 

I can't go on, this supposedly 'Green Pet Maintenance' story reeks of Capitalistic Greed, Evil Corporations and Earth 'Rape'.

"What do you think Frisky, oh cat o' mine?  What do you think about these 'supposed' Earth-Lovers hurting our MOTHER EARTH!?!?"

"Very well then Frisky, let's prepare to moo-ve on to something else for tomorrow."

It's hard to believe that so many Americans continue to fall for the 'Failed policies of the past' when it comes to washing their dogs' 'bits'.  

Green Pet cleaning - indeed! 

That's it, nothing more to see here...  Well, almost nothing...

"Please don't kill Mother Earth.  Please?
I'm so afraid..."

"Beam Me Up Kruggie!"

"Barack Obama?  Barack!?!?  How do you fly this thing?!?!?
I'm crashing quicker than the Economy..." -- Joe Biden

Paul Krugman, that  'New-York-Times-Writing-Nobel-Laureate-Economist-Guy', loved by intellectual Keynesians everywhere, made news last week.  I heard about it, but the story went away without much more than a whimper and a few notations online. 

Now that my electrical power has been restored, my home has re-emerged from Irene's STORM OF THE CENTURY deluge, it's time, once again to turn my one, good (and somewhat jaundiced) eye to those fun-loving Liberals who are so ANXIOUS to spend money we don't have.  

This time they'd like us to be attacked...

By Space Aliens.
(Seriously, I couldn't make this up because YOU'd think I was nuts.  Ah, but who's NUTTY now?  Um, pay no attention to the peanut shells surrounding my desk...)



In case you don't believe what you just saw, here's the transcript from his CNN appearance:

PAUL KRUGMAN, NEW YORK TIMES: Think about World War II, right? That was actually negative social product spending, and yet it brought us out.

I mean, probably because you want to put these things together, if we say, "Look, we could use some inflation." Ken and I are both saying that, which is, of course, anathema to a lot of people in Washington but is, in fact, what fhe basic logic says.

It's very hard to get inflation in a depressed economy. But if you had a program of government spending plus an expansionary policy by the Fed, you could get that. So, if you think about using all of these things together, you could accomplish, you know, a great deal.

If we discovered that, you know, space aliens were planning to attack and we needed a massive buildup to counter the space alien threat and really inflation and budget deficits took secondary place to that, this slump would be over in 18 months. And then if we discovered, oops, we made a mistake, there aren't any aliens, we'd be better –
ROGOFF: And we need Orson Welles, is what you're saying.

KRUGMAN: No, there was a "Twilight Zone" episode like this in which scientists fake an alien threat in order to achieve world peace. Well, this time, we don't need it, we need it in order to get some fiscal stimulus.

Yes, one more of the 'Smartest guys in the room' opening his yap in front of a camera, immortalized for all time. 

Lest we forget, Paul Krugman is also the intellectual powerhouse who provided 'anyone listening' with the following gems of insight...

"I believe in a relatively equal society, supported by institutions that limit extremes of wealth and poverty. I believe in democracy, civil liberties, and the rule of law. That makes me a liberal, and I’m proud of it."

"The media are desperately afraid of being accused of bias. And that's partly because there's a whole machine out there, an organized attempt to accuse them of bias whenever they say anything that the Right doesn't like. So rather than really try to report things objectively, they settle for being even-handed, which is not the same thing. One of my lines in a column—in which a number of people thought I was insulting them personally—was that if Bush said the Earth was flat, the mainstream media would have stories with the headline: 'Shape of Earth—Views Differ.' Then they'd quote some Democrats saying that it was round."

"And that's just the beginning. More and more, conventional wisdom says that the responsible thing is to make the unemployed suffer. And while the benefits from inflicting pain are an illusion, the pain itself will be all too real."

And, my personal favorite, from 2002: 

"The basic point is that the recession of 2001 wasn’t a typical postwar slump, brought on when an inflation-fighting Fed raises interest rates and easily ended by a snapback in housing and consumer spending when the Fed brings rates back down again. This was a prewar-style recession, a morning after brought on by irrational exuberance. To fight this recession the Fed needs more than a snapback; it needs soaring household spending to offset moribund business investment. And to do that, as Paul McCulley of Pimco put it, Alan Greenspan needs to create a housing bubble to replace the Nasdaq bubble."
(Emphasis added.)

---  PAUL KRUGMAN


Following last week's surprising Earthquake, someone (not me) absconded with one of Paul Krugman's Twitter accounts and posted the following 'as the Nobel-Winner himself':

"People on twitter might be joking, but in all seriousness, we would see a bigger boost in spending and hence economic growth if the earthquake had done more damage.” 
Attributed to "Paul Krugman's" Google+ Account

You've got to figure your national perception is pretty bad when someone posts something 'So like you' that everyone assumes that you actually wrote it and that you have become a parody of, well, a parody of yourself. 

Lunch has been completely ingested (but not yet digested) and I must get back to things more economically-fulfilling than this (a.k.a.:  The REAL job).  I'll leave you with a quick-peek at President Obama's Economic Stimulation Plan due to be released in September, so you're not in the dark any longer:

Yeah, you think I'm kidding, but just wait until Galaxtar, President Obama's NEW Jobs Czar, finds out that Jeffrey Immelt, President Obama's current Jobs Czar, sent all those GE jobs to China...

Meet Your NEW Jobs Czar!  "Hail Galaxtar!"

I'm not sure, would this leadership 're-alignment' come under the heading of 'Hope' or 'Change'?

And, It's also shame that Ron Bloom, President Obama's Manufacturing Czar, announced that he's stepping down this month - he and Galaxtar would have been a HOOT at White House Dinners, Staff Meetings, and Golf Outings!

You remember Ron Bloom, don't you?  He's the Capitalism-Loving-Guy who said this:

"We know that the free market is nonsense. ...We kind of agree with Mao that political power comes largely from the barrel of a gun."

-- Ron Bloom, Obama Administration Manufacturing Czar



Breaking Moos:  President Obama's approval has fallen to yet another record low of 38%.  What are records for, if not for breaking??? 

Not surprisingly, the President is preferred by 'Aliens' 4:1 over any named Republican Candidate! 

Gotta love them Aliens, both Terrestrial, and outer-worldly...  They're the ones who keep the President's approval above the 36% mark. 

"Go then, there are other worlds than these..."  The Dark Tower, Stephen King, 1982

How to Grow a Progressive

Teddy Roosevelt - Founder of
1912's Progressive Party...
"Bully!"

I found it!  I was sitting here the other day trying to figure out whether Progressives were 'born' or 'made' (the old "Nature vs. Nurture" debate) and my extensive research - MORE than six minutes! - has given me the answer.

It is my civic duty to share it with you.  Because you MUST know... 

You know, in case anyone ever asks you!

Here's the deal: 

FIRST:  We must understand 'who' a Progressive is.  Okay, so, let's ask a Self-Proclaimed 'Who'!

The following is from the folks at the Center for American Progress Action Fund:

Who is a progressive?

Founded on the ideals of the progressive movement at the turn of the century, today’s progressive movement believes that an open and effective government can improve the lives of everyday Americans by playing an active role in solving social and economic problems.


In other words, a progressive is someone who is idealistic enough to believe that things can be better and pragmatic enough to get it done.

A Defining Moment...

i·de·al·is·tic (-d-lstk)

adj.

Of, relating to, or having the nature of an idealist or idealism.

[Figures, now I have to do MORE extensive research!]

idealism [aɪˈdɪəˌlɪzəm]

n

1. belief in or pursuance of ideals

2. the tendency to represent things in their ideal forms, rather than as they are

3. (Philosophy) any of a group of philosophical doctrines that share the monistic view that material objects and the external world do not exist in reality independently of the human mind but are variously creations of the mind or constructs of ideas

Compare materialism [2] dualism [2]

idealist n

idealistic adj

idealistically adv

Yet ANOTHER Defining Moment...

pragmatic [prægˈmætɪk]

adj

1. advocating behaviour that is dictated more by practical consequences than by theory or dogma

2. (Philosophy) Philosophy of or relating to pragmatism

3. involving everyday or practical business

4. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) of or concerned with the affairs of a state or community

5. Rare interfering or meddlesome; officious Also (for senses 3, 5) pragmatical

[from Late Latin prāgmaticus, from Greek prāgmatikos from pragma act, from prattein to do]

pragmaticality n

pragmatically adv

Using the definition provided above with a 'bit' of definitional enhancement: 

"In other words, a progressive is someone who will represent things in their ideal forms, rather than as they are to believe that things can be better and advocating behaviour in everyday or practical business  to get it done.

There, isn't that better?  No more boorish, arcane, or burdensome words to look up online!

Having defined WHO a Progressive is, let's spend several minutes understanding WHAT they believe, according to the site quoted above:

What We Believe
As progressives we believe that America should be a country of boundless opportunity—where all people can better themselves through education, hard work, and the freedom to pursue their dreams.

We believe this will only be achieved with an open and effective government that champions the common good over narrow self-interest, harnesses the strength of our diversity, and secures the rights and safety of its people.

Real progress will be achieved only through innovative solutions borne of open collaboration.

  

To realize our vision we must:

• Build an opportunity nation where every hard-working person, regardless of background, can realize their dreams through education and decent work and fair play.
• Reawaken America's conscience, our sense of shared and personal responsibility, to build healthy, vibrant communities.
• Reform government so that it is of, by and for the people: open, effective, and committed to the common good adherence to the US Constitution.
• Use America's strength to bring the world together, not pull it apart  to protect and defend the United States, its allies and its Constitution.

You know, if you modified the Progressive Vision as shown above (the strike-throughs are mine, as well as the highlighted verbiage I added), you'd think they were a bunch of Right Wing Extremists... 

Or, your basic Conservative Group - as the terms are pretty much interchangeable these days in the Media. 

Thanks Media!

So how do you 'Grow a Progressive'?

That's easy, you begin early.  How early?  Let's shoot on over to Karl's place for his thought on the matter:

The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without a mother's care, shall be in state institutions at state expense.  -- Karl Marx

Great, thanks Karl, if it's not too much trouble, could you please keep away from my kids, um, and my dogs?  Super, thanks!

Okay, so you need to begin early. 

Let's get back to the original question:  HOW early?

Very.

Consider the following epic tomes of 'Youth-Oriented' Progressivism:

HUMANISM - WHAT'S THAT?  A Book for Curious Kids

Humanists espouse values of universal education, freedom of thought and free expression, open-minded pursuit of the truth, tolerance of others' differences, mutual respect, and preservation of the environment.

Complete with discussion questions, suggestions for activities and a bibliography, this innovative approach to presenting humanism to children and young adults will be welcome by parents and teachers looking to expose their students to a secular perspective.

 

WHY MOMMY IS A DEMOCRAT (Feel free to interchange the word 'Progressive' for 'Democrat' here)

Why Mommy Is A Democrat children's book. This delightful 28-page paperback isn't just for children. It depicts principles of fairness, tolerance, peace and concern for others, bringing to life the core Progressive values of the Democratic Party in ways that young children will easily understand and enjoy. It makes a great bedtime book for little Democrats!

"JUST PRETEND - A Freethought Book for Children"
A fun book which allows children of all ages to explore myths like Santa Claus and compare them with ideas like the existence of God. Entertaining and respectful of children's intelligence, Just Pretend encourages kids to apply the tests of reason to any idea, fairy tale, myth or religion.

Paperback, fully illustrated, 72 pages. 

Ah yes, Progressivism - Where joy goes to die...

MAMA VOTED FOR OBAMA!

From the people who brought you "Why Daddy (AND Mommy) is a Democrat," comes this colorful new book of Progressive rhythm and rhyme. It's a fun and easy way to let your kids know that you made the right choice in November 2008!

THIRD:  Kids don't have time to read to themselves once they're out of diapers - it's time for the multi-media messaging to convince them of the evils of coporations, Capitalism, and Conservatism!

Oh, you were hoping I was kidding, weren't you???







Funny, but does Karl here look a lot like 'Groucho' Marx to you?  Hmmm?

In conclusion, Progressivism is learned, it is not something you're born with.  Unfortunately, it's been taught for years. 

The folks at the Center for American Progress (and organizations like them) have been around for a hundred years.  They've done a fair amount of damage over the past century co-opting our kids through the education system, the Media, and most recently, Social Networking. 

I mean, seriously, how else could you possibly explain something as odd as, "President Barack Hussein Obama"?

Okay, given the fact that Progressive Republicans gave us "Senator John McCain", yeah, I guess that had a lot to do with it also. 

Americans have seen what Progressivism does when left unregulated with President Obama and the Democratic majority in the House and Senate in 2009 and 2010.  We have watched, we have learned, we have lived through the effects of Radicals left in control. 

Time to clean House (and Senate) in 2012.

Carter gave us Reagan.

Obama will give us, fingers crossed, anyone other than Obama.
 

The reckoning is coming.

Yup, I reckon so...

Can't Write Now, Busy Dancing...

Hi,

It's Friday, I've got to get home and get my oldest boy packed for college then on the road to Buffalo early tomorrow morning. 

You know what that means...

Yup, we're having a mutant-cow dance party!!!



Have a great weekend...

Mike

The Magical Misery Tour

The one.  The only.
Magical Mystery Tour.

Just for the record, I'm not a huge Mitt Romney fan.  This being said, the man (or his staff), understands marketing and messaging. 

Just came across the following while eating lunch moments ago - come on THIS is funny...

Click here for the original link:  Magical Misery Tour Shirts

With sincere apologies to The Beatles...

Magical Misery Tour

Roll up, roll up for the magical misery tour, step right this way.
Roll up, roll up for the misery tour.
Roll up, roll up for the misery tour.
Roll up (AND) THAT'S AN INVITATION, roll up for the misery tour.
Roll up TO MAKE A RESERVATION, roll up for the misery tour.

The magical misery tour is waiting to take you away,
Waiting to take you away.

Roll up, roll up for the misery tour.
Roll up, roll up for the misery tour.
Roll up GOT EVERYTHING YOU NEED, roll up for the misery tour.
Roll up SATISFACTION GUARANTEED, roll up for the misery tour.

The magical misery tour is hoping to take you away,
Hoping to take you away.
A misery trip.
The magical misery tour.

Roll up, roll up for the misery tour.
Roll up (AND) THAT'S AN INVITATION, roll up for the misery tour.
Roll up TO MAKE A RESERVATION, roll up for the misery tour.

The magical misery tour is coming to take you away,
Coming to take you away.
The magical misery tour is dying to take you away,
Dying to take you away, take you today.

Go ahead, listen to the original, you know you want to.  It'll remind you of happier times.

Yeah, I'm ALL for that...



UPDATE:  Yeah, I guess it was only a matter of time...

Bonus Song!!! 

Obama Bus

Every day I get in the queue (Too much, Obama Bus)

To get on the bus that takes me away from you (Too much, Obama Bus)

I'm so cocky I just sit and smile (Too much, Obama Bus)

Martha's Vineyard is only another mile (Too much, Obama Bus)

Thank you, driver, for getting us here (Too much, Obama Bus)

You'll be a Transportation Czar, have no fear (Too much, Obama Bus)

I don't want to cause no fuss (Too much, Obama Bus)

But can those people there buy my Obama Bus? (Too much, Obama Bus)

Nooooooooo!

I don't care how much they pay (Too much, Obama Bus)

I wanna drive this bus to over voters each day (Too much, Obama Bus)

I want it, I want it, I want it, I want it ... (You can't have it!)

Thruppence and sixpence every day

Just to drive my spending 

Thruppence and sixpence each day

'Cause I drive my agenda every way

Obama Bus, Obama Bus, Obama Bus ...

I said, now I've got my Obama Bus (Too much, Obama Bus)

I said, now I've got my Obama Bus (Too much, Obama Bus)

I drive this country every way (Too much, Obama Bus)

Each time I go the same old way (Too much, Obama Bus)

I want it, I want it, I want it, I want it ...

Every day you'll see the dust (Too much, Obama Bus)

As I rob the country blind in my Obama Bus (Too much, Obama Bus)

Yeah, I'm a Racist -- Right, Got It...

Less than two years ago Janet Napolitano's Right Wing Extremist Risk Assessment made its way into the media (by accident). 

You remember it, right?  

In case you've forgotten, here's a refresher for you:  

"It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration," the report said.


Yes, if you believe in protecting our borders or even the 'un-born', you, and quite possibly I, can be defined as a "Right Wing Extremist" by the Department of Homeland Security. 

Super!

We've also learned many other interesting things about Racism over the past few years...

Take the following scientific TEST to see if you've become 'interesting' over the past three years!!!
(Please Check Y for Yes or N for No for each of the following statements!)

1. Y   N    Do you disagree with the President on ANYTHING? 
2. Y   N    Do you want to balance the Federal budget?
3. Y   N    Do you believe that TEA Party members are, by and large, Patriots?
4. Y   N    Do you think that Unemployment Checks are NOT the best way to create jobs
5. Y   N    Do you believe that 'One Half' of America subsidizing the 'Other Half' of America is a 'Bad Thing'?
6. Y   N    Do you believe that keeping generations of Americans on Welfare is 'almost like' slavery?
7. Y   N    Do you believe that the Constitution IS the foundation of our Freedoms as American Citizens?
8. Y   N    Do you find yourself clinging to your 'guns and religion'?
9. Y   N    Do you believe that MTV was better when it had MUSIC on it?
10. Y   N    Do you take offense when the President of the United States tells you that YOU need to 'Buy American' as he takes his Canadian-sourced buses on tour from the Midwest to Martha's Vineyard?

If you answered "Yes" to ANY of the above, you are a Racist.   Additionally, if you want to defend our borders AND the un-born, you are categorically a: 

RIGHT WING EXTREMIST RACIST AMERICAN CITIZEN

Sorry, it's just the way it is. 

For almost three years I have been told that if I disagree with the President on anything, it's not HIS fault, it's because I have a problem with the President being '50%-Black'. 

Using this logic, if the President was 100% Black, I would disagree with him roughly, um, [taking off shoes for completion of higher-Math] I would disagree with him TWICE as much as I do today. 

Honestly folks, this is not a 'Spinal Tap' moment - I don't GO to Eleven... 

It would be physically impossible for me to more vigorously disagree with the President's legislative and economic actions during his first two years in office.  While presiding over a Democratic majority in the House and Senate, the President pretty much did what he wanted to do - he pushed his 'Fundamental Transformation of America' rhetoric, increased legislation of private-sector industries, shut down fuel exploration in the US, and bought the votes required for his 'landmark healthcare legislation' with OUR money.  To me, it's not a Black or White thing, it's a Right or Wrong thing.

But let me ask you this: 

If I opposed the President ONLY because of his RACE...  Would you call me a RACIST?

Yes, I believe you would - and rightly so. 

So extending my twisted logic a bit further: 

If Representative Maxine Waters -D, CA supported the President ONLY because of his RACE...  Would you call Maxine Waters a RACIST?



The following is excerpted from CBS News Online: 

Waters, speaking at a freewheeling forum at Detroit's Wayne County Community College, suggested members of the CBC don't pressure Mr. Obama because their constituents are proud to have an African-American president, adding that "if we go after the president too hard, you're going after us." "The Congressional Black Caucus loves the president, too," she went on to say. "We're supportive of the president, but we're getting tired. We're getting tired. And so, what we want to do is, we want to give the president every opportunity to show what he can do and what he's prepared to lead on. We want to give him every opportunity, but our people are hurting. The unemployment is unconscionable. We don't know what the strategy is. We don't know why on this trip that he's in the United States now, he's not in any black community. We don't know that."

The unemployment rate for African-Americans as of July was 15.9 percent, and it's significantly higher in Detroit. Waters told her audience Tuesday that when you "unleash us and you tell us you're ready to have this conversation, we're ready to have the conversation."

After Waters told the audience members of congress will act "when you tell us it's all right" to have a conversation with the president about these issues, an audience-member yelled, "it's all right!" After she said she wanted to give the president "every opportunity" to show what his plan is, someone yelled, "how long?"

"When you let us know it is time to let go, we'll let go," Waters added.

Ignored in the above excerpt from CBS News, but caught in the video above, is the audience members shouts of, "Let it go!" in response to Maxine Waters' statement,  "When you let us know it is time to let go, we'll let go"

Ms. Waters, it's time to let go. 

Let go of the Racism.

Let go of the hesitation.

Let go of the partisanship.

Let go of the race-baiting.

Just let it go. 

As an elected Representative, Maxine Waters has the responsibility to faithfully represent the wishes of her district's citizens - regardless of Race, Color, or Creed. 

Why must politicians always break Americans into 'Hyphenated Groups'?  Is it for the benefit of Pollsters who tell are elected officials 'What they think'?

Consider the following group titles which have become mainstays of political discourse in our country...

MUSLIM-AMERICANS
CATHOLIC-AMERICANS
JEWISH-AMERICANS
NATIVE-AMERICANS
AFRICAN-AMERICANS
WHITE-AMERICANS
HISPANIC-AMERICANS
ITALIAN-AMERICANS
ASIAN-AMERICANS
IRISH-AMERICANS
WORKING-CLASS-AMERICANS
WORKING-POOR-AMERICANS
RETIRED-AMERICANS
ENTITLEMENT-CLASS-AMERICANS
RICHEST-AMERICANS
POOREST-AMERICANS
GAY-LESBIAN-TRANSGENDERED-AMERICANS

You do not unify a Nation by focusing on the differences of the people within it.  You must focus on the things which unite them. 

In the end, we are all just 'AMERICANS'.

Almost fifty years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. told America of his dream, it included, in part, the following: 

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." 

All these years later - we still don't get it.

Bottom-line:  Being opposed to someone because of their race is Racism.  Supporting someone only because of their race, in the end, comes to the same.