Via the WONDERFUL Pass The Doucheys on the RIGHT HAND SIDE
Author: Anne Leonard
“The individual activity of one man with backbone will do more than a thousand men with a mere wishbone.” (Boetker)
http://www.definedontdefend.com
GET OFF THE RAGG: Open Letter
Dear Radical Right Republicans, Tea Partiers, Birthers, Posers, and Hypocrites:
Have you no shame. We have endless for-profit wars over oil, special interests ruling our Nation, and American’s struggling to live, but all you want to talk about is Religion, Abortion, Guns, and Gays.
Allow me to address your issues on a personal level:
I consider myself a Progressive. Being a Progressive does not make me a ‘baby-killer’, a GUN BANNING fanatic, or a radical enemy combatant.
Now to address the CORNERSTONE issues of the Radical RIGHT:
(1) RELIGION
I tolerate all religions (and there are MANY) that celebrate the Golden Rule. I am an Atheist. I am not a god hater. You cannot hate what you do not believe in.
(2) ABORTION
What a woman chooses to do with her body, is a decision for her to make, after seeking the advise of her physician. I am PRO-CHOICE/PRO –LIFE. That does not mean that I advocate FOR or AGAINST ABORTION. I simply think that a woman should have the choice.
(3) GUNS
Guns (alone) don’t kill people. Guns in the wrong PEOPLE’S hands kill people (with some exceptions). We simply need to keep the guns out of the hands of the bad guys and leave the good guys with guns alone.
(4) GAYS
You don’t become gay-you are born that way. It’s not a disease. You either are, or you aren’t. It’s the way you’re made. Marriage is between two people who love each other, period (not genitalia requisite).
I am not alone in my beliefs. There are millions more like me. So, Dear Radical Right Republicans, Tea Partiers, Birthers, and Haters, please keep this in mind when you spread your messages of hate. The TRUTH may eventually set YOU free.
GET OFF THE R.A.G.G. -Humanity is calling.
Love and Peace.
CONTRACEPTIVE HEARING: “NO GIRLS ALLOWED”
Featured front and center were an all-male panel of witnesses from the Catholic church, the Lutheran Church, a Jewish Rabbi, and a Southern Baptist ethics professor, among others, all of whom seemed to object to being required to pay for contraceptives. Each man present said they felt that the requirement went too far and trampled on their religious beliefs.
If I were the Committee Chair, this would have been a VERY SHORT hearing:
Gentlemen, by a show of hands, please indicate if you have suffered from:
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome? (no)
Endometriosis? (no)
Amenorrhea (no)
Have you ever suffered from the pain & discomfort of Heavy Menstrual Cramps? (didn’t think so)
What about PMS from HELL? (no)
Gentlemen, you are not qualified witnesses. Please kindly show yourselves out.
THE RAW STORY REPORTED:
Female Democrats on Thursday walked out of a House GOP committee hearing on contraceptive coverage after the only female witness requested to speak during the first of two hearings was rejected by the committee chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA).
Reports from inside the hearing noted that some of the female Democrats left the room, and one member, Rep. Holmes Norton (D-DC), called the committee an “autocratic regime.”
Democrats say they tried to invite another witness — a young woman — to testify, but were blocked by Republicans.
Issa said at the hearing that he rejected the Democrats’ female witness, Sandra Fluke, because, as a Georgetown University law student who “appears to have become energized over this issue,” she was “not appropriate or qualified.” He said that in lieu of allowing her to speak at the hearing, he instructed his staff to post a video online of Fluke speaking at a previous press conference.
“I think this is a shameful exercise,” Connolly said, accusing the witnesses of “willingly” participating in political “demagogery” in an election year.
And, for the record, Contraceptives are not just for preventing ‘unwanted’ pregnancies:
What kinds of medical conditions can be helped with birth control pills?
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): is a hormonal imbalance which causes irregular menstrual periods, acne, and excess hair growth. Birth control pills work by lowering certain hormone levels to regulate menstrual periods. When hormone levels are decreased to normal, acne and hair growth often improve.
Endometriosis: Most girls with endometriosis have cramps or pelvic pain during their menstrual cycle. Birth control pills are often prescribed to treat endometriosis and work by temporarily preventing periods. When hormonal treatment is prescribed continuously, young women will rarely have periods, or not at all. Since periods can cause pain for young women with endometriosis, stopping periods will usually improve cramps and pelvic pain.
Lack of periods (“amenorrhea”) from low weight, stress, excessive exercise, or damage to the ovaries from radiation or chemotherapy: With any of these conditions, the hormone “estrogen” is not made in normal amounts by the body. Birth control pills may be prescribed to replace estrogen, which helps to regulate the menstrual cycle. For girls whose menstrual periods are irregular (too few – or not at all), birth control pills can help to regulate the menstrual cycle to every 28 days and provide the body with normal amounts of estrogen. Normal estrogen levels are important for healthy bones.
Menstrual Cramps: When over-the-counter medications don’t help with severe cramps, birth control pills may be the solution because they prevent ovulation and lighten periods.
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS): Symptoms of PMS such as mood swings, breast soreness, and bloating, along with acne can occur up to 2 weeks before a young women’s period. Birth control pills may be prescribed to stop ovulation and keep hormone levels balanced. Symptoms may improve, particularly when oral contraceptive pills are prescribed continuously.
Heavy Menstrual Periods: Birth control pills can reduce the amount and length of menstrual bleeding.
Acne: For moderate to severe acne, which over-the-counter and prescription medications haven’t cured, birth control pills may be prescribed. The hormones in the Pill can help stop acne from forming. Be patient though, since it takes several months for birth control pills to work.
Other Medical Benefits:
Because there is less menstrual bleeding when taking birth control pills, you are less likely to get anemia (low number of red blood cells, which carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues). Birth control pills lower your chance of getting endometrial (lining of the uterus) cancer, ovarian cancer, and ovarian cysts.
Suffice it to say that if any of the men pictured above, or any man on the planet had to endure any of the painful side effects of the above-mentioned disorders/diseases, we would NOT BE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION!
Liberty for the Dungeon Dwellers & Galley Slaves
The United States Constitution bears witness to the sanctity of person-hood. The founders of this nation did not begin their voyage to democracy by heralding, “WE the GOLDMAN SACHS, the CITIBANKS, the BANKS OF AMERICA, the WAR MACHINES, the EXXON MOBILES, The NO-BID CONTRACTS, or the HALIBURTONS.” [Cue the dungeon masters] Rousseau spoke of tranquility, “Tranquility is found also in dungeons, but is that enough to make them desirable places to live in.” No, Jean–Jacques, tranquility does not a desirable dungeon make. The Constitution began by citing the most important ingredient in the recipe of Democracy: PEOPLE, as in WE the PEOPLE.
The freedom ‘enjoyed’ by the people amidst the present-day chaos are not the result of quiet negotiations in an upscale corporate corner office (or are they?). We’ve been taught that these inalienable (delineated) rights were born in the minds of the free thinkers, carried on the winds of oppression, and written with the sacrificial blood of LIBERTY. The common definition of Liberty is freedom from arbitrary or despotic (tyrannical) government or control. Yet, Rousseau nailed it when he stated, “In Genoa, the word, libertas can be read on the front of prisons and on the fetters of galley-slaves.” Perhaps, this use of the word Liberty is more fitting for our current predicament. The majority of Americans fall into that niche of the ‘galley-slaves’ being held for ransom for the sake of corporate greed, special interest groups, or by warmongering Neanderthals. [Pardon me while I take a moment of silence to memorialize the passing of our dear friend liberty…]
Throughout history many have died to secure our freedom from tyranny; and yet, present day finds many of us struggling to free ourselves from tyranny’s death grip. Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains (Rousseau). No truer words were ever spoken.
The establishment of the North Atlantic Colonies was the prelude to government reformation representative of the will of the people collectively. Collectively. That word has a nice ring to it, but the collective will of the people is being overshadowed by greed, power, and special interests.
A dream of LIBERTY set sail on the Atlantic Ocean to escape tyranny. As they say, history repeats itself, but unless 99% of Americans set sail to an obscure island to escape the tyrannical reign of the 1%, we had better get busy defending our LIBERTY from the tyrannical powers that be. Gather ye the dungeon dwellers, the galley slaves, the warriors of middle earth, there is no kryptonite powerful enough to stop us—it’s time to take America back.
Cross Posted on All Things Democrat
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BOOBIES…(And, punishing poor women for political gain!)
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BOOBIES…(And, punishing poor women for political gain!)
Komen has arrived on the front lines, in the War on the POOR. (Hey, if Mitt Romney, the Radical Republicans, and the Tea Partiers don’t care about the poor, then why should Komen… ) {SARCASM INTENDED & APPLIED}
Yes. The legendary Susan G. Komen Foundation, known for its fundraising efforts in the fight against cancer said that it would be withdrawing grants given to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings. Who does this hurt? Women at or below the poverty level.
Komen, really. We looked the other way when we found out that your CEO rakes in almost a ½ million dollar a year salary-But when you cave to political pressure in spite of the lives it will cost, we draw the goddamn line!
33 MILLION WOMEN visit Planned Parenthood each year. 76% of 33 MILLION are at or below the poverty level.
Fun facts about Komen and the Far, Far RIGHT….
Congressional Republicans being the Far Right’s willing foot soldiers in its war on women, Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) launched an inquiry to determine whether Planned Parenthood uses public money to fund abortions. Planned Parenthood receives federal money but cannot use it to provide abortions. The malicious and farcical inquiry is based on the ongoing smear campaign against Planned Parenthood by Religious Right activists, but Komen is using this as its excuse to stop funding Planned Parenthood’s critical work — citing a new policy about not supporting organizations under congressional investigation.
The right-wing pressure leading to Komen’s decision also came from within the organization. Last year, Komen hired as its new vice president of public policy Karen Handel, an anti-choice former secretary of state and Republican candidate for governor in Georgia. During her failed primary bid, Handel vowed to cut off any state-allocated funds to Planned Parenthood and was one of Sarah Palin’s infamous “Mama Grizzly” endorsed candidates. Indeed, the bio on Handel’s Twitter account reads “Lifelong Conservative Republican formerly Georgia’s first Republican Secretary of State,” giving an indication of her priorities.
It’s now being reported that Komen’s top public health official, Mollie Williams, resigned in protest immediately following the Komen board’s decision to cut off Planned Parenthood in December.
In another apparent nod to anti-choice activists, Komen has also quietly stopped funding potentially life-saving stem cell research, showing that its mission to find “a cure” takes a back seat to its desire to please social conservatives.
Komen’s board includes Jane Abraham, the General Chairman of the anti-choice Susan B. Anthony List (SBA). SBA constantly spreads false information about federal government funding of abortion and public health and medical evidence surrounding safe abortion care. Abrams is also closely tied with the Nurturing Network, which exists for the sole purpose of convincing women that abortions cause a range of unrelated health problems, like promoting the mythical link between abortions and breast cancer. Jodi Jacobson at RH Reality Check rightly asks, “Can you trust a breast cancer organization whose staff and board members lie about breast cancer?”
The GOOD NEWS? Planned Parenthood donations have surged. Let’s keep the momentum going: Donate Now.
More about Komen’s decision:
Alter Net: Breasts Yes, Vaginas No?
Komen Faces Backlash After Pulling Planned Parenthood Funds
Komen Foundation In Contortions Over Justifying Planned Parenthood Decision
Bill Moyers… TRUTH on Plutocracy
Bill Moyer: TRUTH on Plutocracy (Just in case you missed it the first time around)
“SAME AS IT EVER WAS…”
“SAME AS IT EVER WAS…”
You know what they want? They want obedient workers. Obedient workers, people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork. And just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shitty jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits, the end of overtime and vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it, and now they’re coming for your Social Security money. They want your retirement money. They want it back so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street, and you know something? They’ll get it. They’ll get it all from you sooner or later cause they own this fucking place! Its a big club, and you ain’t in it! You, and I, are not in the big club. (READ MORE)
Senate Aims to Bypass Obama on Keystone Pipeline …
Political one-upmanship is on the rise in Washington DC. Congressional Republicans are planning an attempt to circumvent President Obama to hasten the approval of TransCanada’s controversial Keystone XL pipeline.
Republicans last month used Keystone XL as leverage to pass economic stimulus, which President Obama signed into law. Obama is now compelled to make a decision on the pipeline, which crosses international boundaries, by February 21. The State Department was expected to spend several years deliberating its approval.
The stage is set for a showdown. The Administration has questioned whether Congress’s 60-day deadline could run afoul of environmental laws, and the GOP is drafting legislation that would exert Congress’s authority to regulate commerce with foreign nations if the White House denies TransCanada a permit (READ ON…)
Rectal Exam ADDED Amendment To Anti-Abortion Bill … (APPLAUSE!)
To protest a bill that would require women to undergo an ultrasound before having an abortion, Virginia State Sen. Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) on Monday attached an amendment that would require men to have a rectal exam and a cardiac stress test before obtaining a prescription for erectile dysfunction medication.
“We need some gender equity here,” she told HuffPost.
GOP AIMS TO commit political suicide by opposing the Buffet Rule …
The reality is that Whitehouse’s bill stands next to no chance of becoming law. Republicans overwhelmingly oppose it and Senate Democratic aides said privately they don’t expect GOP support for it.
And, my response to all of this…. to quote the great philosopher David Byrne, “Same as it ever was…”
Cross Posted on All Things Democrat
WE GET IT; YOU DON’T LIKE ANYONE (whose skin is darker than Edgar Winter’s).
WE GET IT; YOU DON’T LIKE ANYONE (whose skin is darker than Edgar Winter’s).
J.D. Rourke on the site Could Everyone STOP PISSING ME OFF, wrote the following open letter to Jan Brewer:
Dear Governor Brewer,
Look, we get it. You really don’t like brown people. Or black people. Or anyone whose skin is darker than Edgar Winter’s.
That’s fine. Obviously, you’re into that “pure white” look made famous by those creepy kids in Village of the Damned. But what’s with your deep-seeded loathing for the Office of the President? Sure, the current President happens to be African-American, but regardless of his color, the man still represents these United States. For you to trash-talk the President in your memoir and then to also point your bony finger at him for all the world to see, well, it shows a consistent disrespect for both the President and all that he represents (namely, our country).
Are you that hateful of anyone who doesn’t require a sunscreen with a SPF of 600 or higher? Is your bigotry so entrenched that it eclipses your love of the good ol U.S. of A? Have you simply received too much sun and eaten too many tacos by living in the desert? We understand that “crazy” runs in your family, but perhaps it’s finally time for you to publicly admit that you cannot stomach being around anyone who doesn’t look like you; in which case staying on as governor of a border state may not be the brightest idea. And clearly, Gov. Brewer, you’re a big, big fan of all things bright (and not dark).
So why not step out of the political light and simply let someone who is just a wee-bit less racist run Arizona for a while? Then you can finally kick-back, relax and avoid anyone you don’t like to be around altogether (like that fossil, McCain). Put your feet up, Jan, enjoy a White Russian, and leave the politicking to those who might be a bit more tolerant of all types of people – say, someone like Pat Buchanan, or David Duke.
With purest intentions,
.
The Melting Pot
Ref: (http://jdrourke.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/dear-governor-jan-brewer/ )
Read more of JD ROURKE’S open letters HERE: http://jdrourke.wordpress.com/
Related STORIES: Huffington Post: Brewer vs. Obama
FOX NEWS EXIT POLL..Perhaps the only truth they’ve told all year…
FOX NEWS EXIT POLL..Perhaps the only truth they’ve told all year…Or,maybe not.. check the math.
Courtesy of The People’s Boycott
‘Nuff Said…
GET UP OFF OF YOUR ASSES (AND VOTE!)…
GET UP OFF OF YOUR ASSES (AND VOTE!)…
In 2008 we voted for Change… and, we would have gotten that change had everyone followed up in 2010, by voting in the congressional elections…
Do you wonder why the same radical leaders continue to hold their positions of power? It’s because people do not take voting seriously; while those of us who do vote grow weary at the complacency of Americans who do not vote.
Hello America. Are you tired of the way our country is being held hostage by corrupt politicians? Are you tired of corporate money influencing politics?
The American people are being dismissed. The leaders elected by the majority of the voting public are not doing what is best for the citizens they represent.
Let’s face it; Lobbyists (not the American people) have the most influence in Washington. Do you want to do something about it?
Then get up off your asses and VOTE!
Americans continuously wonder why things aren’t getting any better-yet, the power to change all of this lies within their own reach: the ballot box…
National Voter Turnout in Federal Elections: 1960–2010
This page provides information about voter statistics, including age of voting population, voter registration, turnout, and more.
| Year | Voting-age population |
Voter registration |
Voter turnout | Percentage Voter Turnout |
| 2010** | 235,809,266 | NA | 90,682,968 | 37.8% |
| 2008* | 231,229,580 | NA | 132,618,580* | 56.8 |
| 2006 | 220,600,000 | 135,889,600 | 80,588,000 | 37.1 |
| 2004 | 221,256,931 | 174,800,000 | 122,294,978 | 55.3 |
| 2002 | 215,473,000 | 150,990,598 | 79,830,119 | 37.0 |
| 2000 | 205,815,000 | 156,421,311 | 105,586,274 | 51.3 |
| 1998 | 200,929,000 | 141,850,558 | 73,117,022 | 36.4 |
| 1996 | 196,511,000 | 146,211,960 | 96,456,345 | 49.1 |
| 1994 | 193,650,000 | 130,292,822 | 75,105,860 | 38.8 |
| 1992 | 189,529,000 | 133,821,178 | 104,405,155 | 55.1 |
| 1990 | 185,812,000 | 121,105,630 | 67,859,189 | 36.5 |
| 1988 | 182,778,000 | 126,379,628 | 91,594,693 | 50.1 |
| 1986 | 178,566,000 | 118,399,984 | 64,991,128 | 36.4 |
| 1984 | 174,466,000 | 124,150,614 | 92,652,680 | 53.1 |
| 1982 | 169,938,000 | 110,671,225 | 67,615,576 | 39.8 |
| 1980 | 164,597,000 | 113,043,734 | 86,515,221 | 52.6 |
| 1978 | 158,373,000 | 103,291,265 | 58,917,938 | 37.2 |
| 1976 | 152,309,190 | 105,037,986 | 81,555,789 | 53.6 |
| 1974 | 146,336,000 | 96,199,0201 | 55,943,834 | 38.2 |
| 1972 | 140,776,000 | 97,328,541 | 77,718,554 | 55.2 |
| 1970 | 124,498,000 | 82,496,7472 | 58,014,338 | 46.6 |
| 1968 | 120,328,186 | 81,658,180 | 73,211,875 | 60.8 |
| 1966 | 116,132,000 | 76,288,2833 | 56,188,046 | 48.4 |
| 1964 | 114,090,000 | 73,715,818 | 70,644,592 | 61.9 |
| 1962 | 112,423,000 | 65,393,7514 | 53,141,227 | 47.3 |
| 1960 | 109,159,000 | 64,833,0965 | 68,838,204 | 63.1 |
Read more: National Voter Turnout in Federal Elections: 1960–2010 — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781453.html#ixzz1kF2Sjcpr
Source: Federal Election Commission. Data drawn from Congressional Research Service reports, Election Data Services Inc., and State Election Offices.
GOT THE PICTURE, YET?
http://progressivebumpersticker.com/democraticbumperstickers.html
Define. Don't Defend. 