Category: Progressive

GET OFF THE RAGG: Open Letter

On By Anne LeonardIn ANTI WAR, Democrats, EQUAL RIGHTS, EQUALITY, Justice, Liberals, peace, Politics, Progressive, RIght Wing Nuts, SUFFRAGE, Tea Party, WOMENLeave a comment

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.

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Politicians for SALE: Wall Street vs. Main Street

On By Anne LeonardIn 99%, ANTI WAR, Democrats, EQUAL RIGHTS, EQUALITY, Justice, Occupy America, Occupy Together, Occupy Wall Street, Politics, Progressive, RIght Wing NutsLeave a comment

Politicians have been selling out to the highest bidder for years. Who are the benefactors? It doesn’t take a Rhodes Scholar to figure it out. The GOP represents Wall Street; Democrats represent Main Street. Republicans may reign supreme from time to time. But, for many, many years–Democrats controlled congress…

Democrats controlled the House of Representatives for 60 years between 1933-1995 (in all but four years); and, they controlled the Senate in all but ten years. If you wanted something done, you needed the support of the Democrats. Those were the good ol’ days- a time when Congressional leaders upheld public interest. Somewhere, along the way, things changed:

Republicans seized power in 1994 by raising massive amounts of campaign cash. Between 1994-1998, Republican candidates raised a record breaking $1 BILLION+ dollars (Kaiser, 2009. So Damn Much Money, p. 272).

In 1994 (for the first time since 1954), Republicans gained control of both houses. The power shift gave the Neo-Cons a taste of how much power they stood to lose, if they didn’t keep their sponsors happy. Perhaps, this could explain why the power hungry Neo-Cons turned their collective focus away from public interest, to their corporate bedfellows. After all, they had $1 billion+ favors to repay. But, the Democrats would not go quietly- between 1995 and 2010, congressional power shifted as many times in fifteen years as it had in the past forty-five years (Lessig,L. 2011. Republic Lost, p.94).

In 2008, Republicans were dumping campaign cash at any contender they thought could beat a Democrat (Hillary or Obama). It didn’t take long for Democrats to learn that in order to beat Republicans (and BIG MONEY), you’ve got to raise a lot of cash, too. Presidential Candidates – Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain – together spent more than $1 billion, an unprecedented figure. But, Obama didn’t win because of the massive amounts of campaign cash alone, he had a message. Of course, the cash helped Obama, no doubt, but he inspired Americans at a time when many of us had had a belly full of Bush, Cheney, the Industrial Military Complex, and failed Republican policies.

And, just when we thought we’d be able to loosen the Neo-Con stranglehold on humanity, enter the DRAGON: Citizens United.

The Citizens United ruling in 2010, was the proverbial nail in the coffin of public interest. All hail BIG BUSINESS. The landmark decision allows corporations and unions to throw endless amounts of cash at politicians. (Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S.08-205 (2010), 558 U.S., 130 S. Ct. 876 (January 21, 2010)).

But, today, a silver lining appeared…today, Montana High Court Says ‘Citizens United’ Does Not Apply In Big Sky State. Lawyers attacking the Montana ban on direct corporate spending said the U.S. Supreme Court in its 2010 Citizens United ruling removed any barrier to corporate spending. But the Montana Supreme Court disagreed and took a more nuanced view:

“What was true a century ago is as true today: distant corporate interests mean that corporate dominated campaigns will only work ‘in the essential interest of outsiders with local interests a very secondary consideration.”

What does this mean? Time will tell. I can tell you that I now hold a new affection for the Big Sky State. All things considered, it’s still safe to say that Republicans will stop at nothing to defeat Democrats, and especially, President Obama. As the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” Therefore, I am duty bound to open up my checkbook and throw as much cash as possible toward QUALIFIED Democrats who do not worship at the altar of Wall Street, but work with us folks down here on Main Street. Please feel free to do the same, Main Street depends on it.

Cross posted on: www.definedontdefend.com and www.allthingsdemocrat.com

PERRY: RAPE is NO REASON for ABORTION

On By Anne LeonardIn Democrats, EQUAL RIGHTS, EQUALITY, Justice, Liberals, Politics, Progressive, RIght Wing Nuts, Tea Party, WOMENLeave a comment

Perry Shifts His Stance on Abortion

  • by Morgan Smith, The Texas Tribune
    • 12/27/2011

    • OSCEOLA, Iowa — At a town hall meeting tonight, Gov. Rick Perry said he no longer supported abortion in cases of rape and incest.

    As he responded to a question from the audience, Perry said he had undergone a “transformation” after viewing the film The Gift of Life, narrated by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and talking with Rebecca Kiessling, who was conceived during a rape. “She looked me in the eye and said, ‘I am the product of a rape,’ and she said, ‘My life has worth,'” Perry said.

    Joshua Verwers, a Sheraton pastor, asked the governor to reconcile what he had told him in November at the Iowa Faith and Freedom dinner — that he was against abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or when it was necessary to save the life of the mother — with his signature on a pledge from the anti-abortion group Personhood USA that bans abortion under any circumstances.

    After the meeting, Verwers said that Perry’s answer was “perfect” and “from the heart.” He said it particularly moved him that the governor had shifted his beliefs after speaking with someone who had been born from rape. Perry’s wife, Anita, has been a fundraiser for the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault since 2003 and has devoted her efforts to supporting other causes that work to prevent violence against women.

    During a Personhood USA teleconference tonight, Perry reiterated his change of beliefs and elaborated on why he decided to sign the pledge: “As I signed that document I will suggest to you that, all I can say to you, was that God was working out of my heart.”

    Fellow candidates Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich also participated in the call.

    Back To Top

    This article (shared with permission via website) originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/texas-politics/2012-presidential-election/perry-shifts-his-views-abortion/.

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    Photo and other great stuff available at: http://mariopiperni.com/abortion/the-uterus-of-the-united-states-of-america.php

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    “Let Women Die” Bill, H.R.358

    On October 13, 2011, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.358, an extreme anti-choice bill.

    The bill would allow a hospital to refuse a woman life-saving, emergency abortion care even if she will die without it. On top of that, it effectively would ban insurance coverage of abortion in state health-insurance exchanges, denying abortion coverage to millions of women (Via NARAL).

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    The Conservative agenda to deny Abortion services to women (even at their own expense) should be supported by NO-COST Birth Control for all WOMEN (But, alas, it is NOT!).

    Whether you are Pro-Choice or Pro-Life, it stands to reason that No-Cost Birth Control for all WOMEN, makes sense (doesn’t it?!)

    White House: Support No-Cost Birth Control for All Women

    The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) adopted medical experts’ recommendation that newly issued insurance plans cover birth control without copays. Women will feel the magnitude of this decision every time they go to the pharmacy counter and pick up their birth control without paying a copay.

    This is such a tremendous leap forward. However, women who work for a religious institution, like a Catholic hospital or university that opposes birth control, are at risk of not being included under this new policy.

    Anti-birth-control forces, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, are leading the fight. They have launched a massive campaign to allow religious employers to opt out of the new requirement (via NARAL).

    The Protester IS the Person of the Year-Worldwide and growing.

    On By Anne LeonardIn 99%, ANTI WAR, Democrats, EQUAL RIGHTS, EQUALITY, Justice, Liberals, Occupy America, Occupy Together, Occupy Wall Street, peace, Politics, Progressive, SUFFRAGE, WOMEN1 Comment

    VIA LEFT WING NUT JOB: Posted by Dusty on December 26, 2011 at 4:18

    It started with a single, frustrated Tunisian named Mohamed Bouazizi, a man that just wanted to be able to feed his family, in the only manner he had available to him in a nation ruled by a dictator for decades ..selling fruit on a street corner. This year, Time did get it right.

    “LIVE” FROM STUPID ISLAND…

    On By Anne LeonardIn 99%, Democrats, Justice, Progressive, RIght Wing Nuts, Tea PartyLeave a comment

    Seems like only yesterday Ann (scary lady) Coulter was comparing Leftist mobs to Legions of Demons.  More recently she defended filandering Herman Cain arguing that “our blacks are better than their blacks.”

    Stealing from Bill Engval: Ann, here’s your sign.

    And, as I’ve always said, If you want any sh*t out of Perry, just squeeze his neck.

    FORGET THE BOOTS, SAVE THE WATCHES! It’s getting deep around here. During a stop in Iowa on his campaign trail, Rick Perry took the time to tell a young woman that he’s against homosexuals serving openly in the military because it’s a sin.

    “I just want to know why you’re so opposed to gays serving openly in the military, why you want to deny them that freedom when they’re fighting and dying for your right to run for president,” Rebecka Green,a high school student from Decorah, asked the Texas governor. ‘Not an unreasonable question. Homosexuals can shoot a gun and die for their country just as well as anyone else. There is, to my knowledge, no such prohibitions against homosexuals serving on the police force or as fire fighters anywhere in the country (if you know of one, let me know who and where and I’ll happily tear them a new one). They risk their lives just as much as soldiers.’ (Read the entire story at Addicting Info).

    Perry, here’s your sign.

    Perry’s dysentery of the mouth must be contagious…

    In an attempt to steal Perry’s idiot status, Ted Nugent tries to steal the spotlight by telling the poor, “It’s your own fault!” Teddy boy is part of the extreme right wing, dumber than dirt rednecks who think they know everything and want to kill everyone.

    “….Being poor is largely a choice, a daily, if not hourly, decision. If you decide to drop out of school, fail to learn a skill, have no work ethic or get divorced, a life of poverty is often the consequence. The children of parents who choose a life of poverty quite often pay a horrible price, and so does all of America.” Teddy has a column in the Washington Post, if ignorance entertains you, read the entire article here.  Teddy, here’s your sign.

    Blow Hard O’Reilly’s claim that ‘Democrats are dumb-ing down Americans’ has been totally debunked in this post… but, that is another argument altogether.

    Idiots like Perry & Nugent heralding the Tea-Publican Party message of STUPID make it easy for me to be a Pinko, Leftist, Liberal, Progressive Democrat!

    Crossposted on: www.allthingsdemocrat.com

    “Death is CERTAIN”

    On By Anne LeonardIn 99%, ANTI WAR, Democrats, EQUAL RIGHTS, EQUALITY, Justice, peace, Politics, ProgressiveLeave a comment
    Christopher Hitchens
    Image via Wikipedia

    “I became a journalist because I did not want to rely on newspapers for information.”  Hitchens

    Christopher Hitchens—the incomparable critic, masterful rhetorician, fiery wit, and fearless bon vivant—died December 16, 2011,  at the age of 62.

    Hitch is remembered for many brilliant accomplishments.  The following example is not the most notable.  It does, however,  showcase  his sheer intestinal fortitude for exposing hypocrisy; even if it meant calling out the now defunct commander-in-chief and the entire industrial military complex (bravo, Hitch!).

    Christopher Hitchens, after subjecting himself to waterboarding in 2008, was one of the first outspoken critics of this type of particular torture.  He lasted for all of 16 seconds:

    “It’s annoying to me now to read every time it’s discussed in the press or in Congress  that it simulates the feeling of drowning,” he said at the time. “It doesn’t simulate the feeling of drowning. You are being drowned, slowly.”

    Hitchens’ exposure to waterboarding was brief and intense- similar to his legacy… that will, without a doubt, out live us all.

    READ MORE ABOUT CHRISTOPHER:

    NATION

    VANCOUVER SUN

    UPCOMING MEMOIRS

    NEW YORK TIMES