tagged w/ GOP
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Credit to Ed Stein for this post.
http://edsteinink.com/post/41370072818/a-night-at-the-movies
I normally stay away from movie theaters these days, but I decided I really wanted to see Die Hard With Nukes on the big screen. I’ve seen all nineteen in the series, and the special effects are supposed to be the best ever. This is one I didn’t want to wait and see on TV.
The hardest thing about going to the movies these days is deciding what to carry. I generally feel safer in crowds with my big baby, the SR-25, but the gun holders in most seats are too small for it, and it gets heavy on the lap in a two-hour film, so I brought the AK47 with the folding stock instead. I wish the movie theaters would keep up with the times and accommodate modern weaponry. It’s not easy trying to balance both a semi-automatic and giant tub of popcorn on your knees.
Standing in line for tickets, I spotted a guy carrying a really cool Russian Sig 556R, which I’ve never seen up close, but something in the way he was glaring at everyone else made me decide not to approach him. You never really know whether someone is planning to shoot up the place or is just prepared to stop someone from shooting up the place. If you’re in doubt, it’s best not to engage.
Of course, he might just have been angry at those unarmed idiots in the line who selfishly expect the rest of us to protect them if someone starts shooting. As we all know, the only defense against a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. I’m one of the good guys, but I confess I kind of resent it when other people don’t feel a duty to pull their own weight.
The second hardest thing about going to a movie is deciding where to sit. Am I more comfortable next to someone holding an AR15 with a high-capacity clip who might or might not be planning to light up the place, or next to someone who’s unarmed and who might be a more desirable target? Or maybe they just appear to be unarmed but are packing under their coat. It’s always a guessing game.
The best place is probably in the very back row, where you don’t have to worry about who’s behind you, and where you have the best view of the entire place. The downside is the screen is so small from up there, and the explosions aren’t nearly as cool. Also, it’s farthest from the exit, so if anything happens, you’re guaranteed that you’re going to have to stand and fight. Not that I mind, because, as I said, I’m one of the good guys, so I think I have a responsibility to try to bring the bad guy down if he’s stupid enough to start something.
As it turned out, nothing much happened during the movie, although I ended up missing most of it anyway because I was concentrating so much on which of the other people in the theater might be a homicidal maniac. I was particularly worried about that guy a few rows down who had a six-pack of Red Bull in one hand and a Ruger in the other. He already seemed pretty jazzed before the previews ended.
I was kind of bummed when I found out that it was one of the other theaters in our multiplex that got shot up by some loony-toon who’d just gotten fired from his busboy job and ditched by his girlfriend. He missed his appointment with his shrink and spent the afternoon acquiring a pretty hefty arsenal at a gun show. Evidently the noise of multiple nuclear explosions in our theater drowned out the shooting next door. If I’d been there I might have stopped him. Then again, the armed patriots who were there took him down him pretty fast. Only 71 died, so it didn’t even make the national news. The police don’t bother anymore to figure out which ones the shooter nailed and which ones got it in the crossfire. It’s a pretty hopeless task. But, hey, that’s the price we have to pay for our freedom.
Now I have to decide whether to try and see the movie again tomorrow night or wait until they release the video game.Credit to Ed Stein for this post.... more
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(SECRET MEETING TO PLAN OBAMA TAKEDOWN BEGAN ON INAUGURATION NIGHT)
What I would like to know is, why this wasn't considered TREASON?
trea·son
[tree-zuh?n] noun
1. the offense of acting to overthrow one's government or to harm or kill its sovereign.
2. a violation of allegiance to one's sovereign or to one's state.
3. the betrayal of a trust or confidence; breach of faith; treachery.
Certainly sounds like some sort of treason was going on to me and by a Fifth Column to boot.
A fifth column is a group of people who clandestinely undermine a larger group, such as a nation, from within. A fifth column can be a group of secret sympathizers of an enemy that are involved in sabotage within military defense lines, or a country's borders. A key tactic of the fifth column is the secret introduction of supporters into the whole fabric of the entity under attack.[2] This clandestine infiltration is especially effective with positions concerning national policy and defense. From influential positions like these, fifth column tactics can be effectively utilized, from stoking fears through misinformation campaigns, to traditional techniques like espionage. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_column
I wonder if a secret meeting will take place this Inauguration Evening January 21, 2013. If it does will the Teapublicans get away with it AGAIN? thinkingblue
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As President Barack Obama was celebrating his inauguration at various balls, top Republican lawmakers and strategists were conjuring up ways to submarine his presidency at a private dinner in Washington.
The event -- which provides a telling revelation for how quickly the post-election climate soured -- serves as the prologue of Robert Draper's much-discussed and heavily-reported new book, "Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives."
According to Draper, the guest list that night (which was just over 15 people in total) included Republican Reps. Eric Cantor (Va.), Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), Paul Ryan (Wis.), Pete Sessions (Texas), Jeb Hensarling (Texas), Pete Hoekstra (Mich.) and Dan Lungren (Calif.), along with Republican Sens. Jim DeMint (S.C.), Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Tom Coburn (Okla.), John Ensign (Nev.) and Bob Corker (Tenn.). The non-lawmakers present included Newt Gingrich, several years removed from his presidential campaign, and Frank Luntz, the long-time Republican wordsmith. Notably absent were Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) -- who, Draper writes, had an acrimonious relationship with Luntz.
For several hours in the Caucus Room (a high-end D.C. establishment), the book says they plotted out ways to not just win back political power, but to also put the brakes on Obama's legislative platform.
"If you act like you're the minority, you're going to stay in the minority," Draper quotes McCarthy as saying. "We've gotta challenge them on every single bill and challenge them on every single campaign." http://blackhistory.com/cgi-bin/blog.cgi?blog_id=230432&cid(SECRET MEETING TO PLAN OBAMA TAKEDOWN BEGAN ON INAUGURATION NIGHT)
What I would... more
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by Ezra Van Auken
This Thursday, January 23rd, the Republican convention will start in Charlotte, North Carolina. This is where elections will take place for the next National Committee Chairman. However, this year during the Chairman elections, Republicans could see a shift in the overall platform of the party, if current Chairman Reince Priebus loses to Mark Willis. Priebus has been the RNC Chairman for only one term, looking to roll into his second. Willis on the other hand has been Maine’s Republican National Committeeman.
The difference between the two is glaring. Priebus believes in a top down styled Republican Party and Willis thinks a bottom up party would be more beneficial, as that would bring more transparency to the entire party. Interestingly, Willis has come up as part of the ‘Ron Paul Republican’ movement within the GOP and played a key role during the National Convention in Tampa, Florida.
Since Ron Paul’s last campaign, the Libertarian-driven supporters have infiltrated the GOP from all sides, which has seemed to only anger top Republican members. In states like Iowa, Minnesota, Maine, Nevada and others, the Ron Paul Revolution, as its been branded, has gotten likeminded individuals elected to various spots. Not only have ‘Ron Paul Republicans’ taken spots inside the GOP, but also have endured cheating, physical assault and fraud.
Taking spots in the Republican Party haven’t just been local either. For instance, Drew Ivers was elected as finance chairman for the Iowa Republican Party and recently told Reason, “whether it’s Rand Paul or someone else, I have allegiance not to them, but to their ideals. Whoever steps forward to lead that charge is the kind of leader we should champion.”
According to StepDownNow.com, a pro-Willis initiative, the Challenger to Priebus has an 8-point plan to carry out if elected. “With your support, over the next two years I will implement my eight point plan to help ensure Republican victories in 2014 and beyond. Republicans are dissatisfied with the way the RNC has been run under Priebus. My plan will restore faith in the values and efficiency of the RNC,” Willis explained.
Some of the plan includes, “Adherence to the 2009 Resolution in Support of Good Governance to put out RFP’s for all contracts over $100,000 while ensuring quality services from each agreement.” A big measure by Willis is to, “Repeal the RNC rules adopted in Tampa. They are cutting the grassroots out of the 2016 Presidential election cycle.”
Ending Willis’ statement on StepDownNow, he notes, “I am not running out of malice or ill intent towards anyone. I am bringing forth the issues and solutions that Republicans are talking about outside the beltway across America. In the end, I believe my approach is the one that will win and regain the trust of the GOP grassroots and set the stage for Republican victories once again.”
During a Breitbart interview with RNC contender, Willis said that he has challenged Priebus to a debate before the election takes place.
Funny enough, the Associated Press reported this week that Priebus “has sought out Paul supporters as he seeks re-election.” Judging by the Republican distaste for Priebus in Tampa by Libertarians, it’s not too likely this wish will come true for Priebus.
Image Reference
http://spreadlibertynews.com/republicans-electing-a-new-chairman-jan-25th-ron-paul-republicans-vs-establishment-gop/by Ezra Van Auken
This Thursday, January 23rd, the Republican convention will start... more
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Just when we all thought the NRA could not get any battier, they come out with an absurd, over-the-top ad condemning President Obama's children for having armed guard protection.
(What in the world are they trying to say, President Obama and his family need protection more than any other President due to the advent of the prejudiced Tea Party that has more Bigots than Carter Has Liver Pills --You would have had to be brought up in the 50's to know that phrase)
Also, we now have a new group rising out of the Toxin and stirring up The Human Rotten called the Sandy Hook Truther movement It doesn't get any worse than this folks.
What is wrong with the American people anyway? It's perplexing that so many of our citizens do not want to see, think or hear candor, preferring Lies, Distortions and Conspiracy Theories instead of the NAKED TRUTH. I wish with all my heart that the massacre of 20 beautiful children at Sandy Hook did not occur but it did, just ask all those bereaved who lost their babies, I know they must wake up each morning and scream out "WHY?”… I wish there was a plausible explanation for such insanity but calling this heartsick tragedy a hoax is beyond anything a normal thinking human being could possibly endure. FAU professor James Tracy needs to step down as an educator, he has no business teaching when his perception of reality is so pathetically warped. And as for the Sandy Hook Truthers, How In The World Do You Live With Yourselves? thinkingblueJust when we all thought the NRA could not get any battier, they come out with an... more
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SAY WHAAAAAAT????
GOOD GRIEF, WHAT'S NEXT?
Listen to Ezra Klein (a Sane Person) tell Horse's Petute that this is NOT A GOOD IDEA. In fact it is a SCARY IDEA...
Are You Tired Of Calling The Wacko Teapublicans Wacko?
SO AM I, because we need to do so much more than to call them names, it's getting too scary! For over four years, perhaps a lot longer because they went by a different name pre-Obama, these crazy people have filled our airwaves, if not our senses with their psychopathic messages. That’s right, I said PSYCHOPATHIC, a quick Google search gives rise to the Teapublican meaning of this word:
Psychopathy is a personality disorder that has been variously characterized by shallow emotions (including reduced fear, a lack of empathy, and stress tolerance), cold-heartedness, egocentricity, superficial charm, manipulativeness, irresponsibility, impulsivity, criminality, antisocial behavior, a lack of remorse, and a parasitic (bloodsucking) lifestyle.
Look back on any video featuring Tea Party Pitchpersons and Talkingheads, floating around the Internet and it will bear witness to the above factual statement pertaining to those who identify with this so-called movement.
Let’s sum up some of the bills, laws and wacked theories the GOP Tea Party leaders have thrown around, (unfortunately with some success) like kids tossing not-so-hot baseball cards in some silly sidewalk game. (Note: this is but a small example of the horrendous laws these NUTS would force Sane Americans to live under)
Anti-Sharia Laws
According to Mother Jones , five states have banned “Sharia law” and another 11 are “working on it.” Aside from the fact that, for the non-crazy among us, there is no discrete legal code known as Sharia law, the other problems with these measures are the establishment and free exercise clauses of the 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Abortion Bills Conflicting with Roe
Less humorous are a spate of anti-abortion bills that fly in the face of the Supreme Court's longstanding view that the Constitution grants a “right to privacy” pertaining to such matters as abortion. These are not designed merely to pander to the base, but to restrict abortions to a degree that they become effectively impossible to obtain.
Nullification Laws
We've seen truthers, birthers, deathers and then there are the tenthers, who believe that states can simply opt-out of any federal law that isn't explicitly included in the Constitution. They've used it to pass – or propose – laws opting out of everything from hate crimes legislation to health-care reform. Yes, they're partying like it's 1861!
States Regulating Immigration
Again, the courts have long held, under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, that when a state law conflicts with a federal law, the former is, in the words of Justice John Paul Stevens writing for the majority in a 2008 case, “without effect.” The federal government has argued, and won, a whole slew of cases based on federal immigration laws trumping competing legislation passed by the states.
Don't Say This or That Laws
Guess what? Nowhere in the First Amendment does it say, you have the right to free speech, “except for those living in the deep South.”
Yet Florida's legislature has passed a law barring physicians from asking patients if there is a firearm present in their home. An earlier version of the bill, subtly called “Don't Ask,” would have made it a felony, but that was apparently too crazy even for Florida.
Not to be outdone, the Tennessee Senate passed a law this week that “would forbid public school teachers and students in grades kindergarten through eight from discussing the fact that some people are gay.” The “Don't Say 'Gay'” law prompted George Takei, of Star Trek fame, to offer his own name to be used as a proxy.
Financial 'Martial Law'
Also in the less funny category is Michigan governor Rick Snyder's “financial martial law” legislation, which allows him to appoint “emergency financial managers” authorized to take over local municipalities. It empowers them, among other things, to “reject, modify, or terminate one or more terms and conditions of an existing collective bargaining agreement.” Typical war on unions stuff!
MORE HERE: http://www.alternet.org/story/151033/6_crazy%2C_unconstitutional_laws_right-wingers_are_blowing_your_money_on
Let us not forget about the Treaty modeled after Americans with Disabilities Act that failed to pass because of Tea Party Legislators— who treat collaboration with other governments and the United Nations as a surrender of US sovereignty — so they killed it.
MORE HERE: http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2012/12/06/treaty-for-disabled-should-have-passed/soFXhoBmxP7Prz9SeOluhK/story.html
Oh yes The Conspiracy Theorists, who make up a good portion of the Tea Party, have concocted a vast number of conspiracies, here is a partial list:
The Tea Party has attracted many conspiracy theorists to its cause. Anyone who spends time on an active Tea Party forum will see a number of conspiracy-related threads pop up. More common conspiracies include:
The belief that Obama is deliberately trying to destroy America, or trying to create a socialist/communist totalitarian government.
The belief that Obama's presidency is part of a plot to institute the New World Order - often referring to George Soros or the UN.
And, of course, Birtherism
An eagle eyed viewer may also find:
9/11 truthers
Conspiracies about chemtrails
Abiotic oil
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Tea Party movement and Teabaggers in general, ARE NOT A JOKE but I wish they were, they would be less dangerous as a JOKE! thinkingblue
"But they are nothing new, nothing new at all. They are mostly a bunch of cranky white men with money who are trying desperately to hang on to their privileges. Same as it ever was. They are what we have called "Republicans" for at least the last 30 years."
Jon Stewart once commented - in semi-praise of Ron Paul - that most were just "Moral Majority in three-corner hats."
The teabaggers claim to be the second American Revolution, and they have the flag to prove it! http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement
SEE FLAG HERE: http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad179/thethinkingblue/teabaggerflag.jpgSAY WHAAAAAAT????
GOOD GRIEF, WHAT'S NEXT?
Listen to Ezra Klein (a Sane... more
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Today would have been the 100th birthday of former president Richard Nixon. Nixon has gone down in history for his role in bugging the Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate Hotel, for which he later resigned his presidency. Though the Watergate scandal rightfully cast a shadow over his legacy, the Nixon presidency was a time of major progressive policy achievements. As the current president gears up to do battle with an intractable Republican Party over the debt ceiling, Nixon serves as a timely reminder of how extreme his party has grown.
Here are some of Nixon’s most important progressive proposals:
Protected the environment.
The bulk of modern environmental law was passed under Nixon, including the Clean Air and Water Acts, the Endangered Species Act, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency. Nixon’s interest in conservation, which some contend was politically motivated, led him to support Democratic measures that set the current standards for the environment.
Expanded the social safety net.
Nixon, who grew up in poverty, advanced many key policies addressing the plight of low-income Americans. Besides expanding Social Security and Medicare to millions of seniors, he tied inflation to Social Security, permanently protecting benefits from being reduced by inflation. He unsuccessfully pushed for even more protections for low-income Americans, including a comprehensive health insurance plan for those who could not afford it.
Another failed proposal would have given low-income families a guaranteed income supplement. The Supplementary Security Income program, which pays benefits to disabled adults and seniors, was also originally a Nixon proposal.
Promoted racial and gender equality.
Nixon himself was deeply racist and employed the “Southern strategy” now enshrined in GOP campaigns, playing on racial tensions between African Americans and white Southerners. Yet during his presidency, he enacted crucial affirmative action policies, including federal minority employment quotas loathed by modern conservatives. He also signed Title IX into law, which banned discrimination against women in athletic programs.
Reformed education.
Education spending was greatly increased under Nixon, who lobbied for expanded federal funds to inner city schools and child development projects. He introduced the Equal Educational Opportunities Act to officially ban segregation and affirm students’ rights to education, which passed after he left office. He also shot down a constitutional amendment allowing prayer in school, declaring, “The real test of faith is whether it is strong enough to tolerate other faiths.”
By Aviva Shen on Jan 9, 2013 at 12:20 pmToday would have been the 100th birthday of former president Richard Nixon. Nixon has... more
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I have been blogging since 2005, I believe it’s because I enjoy doing so. Maybe ‘enjoy’ isn’t the right word, it’s more like a relief-valve for me
(relief valve (noun) - a device that, when actuated by static pressure above a predetermined level, opens in proportion to the excess above this level and reduces the pressure to it. Compare safety valve)
because I really don’t have a voice (except for my one vote) to express outrage, when I feel some lawmakers are harming our America, our home.
I saw a movie the other night, Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012), a movie I recommend not because of its acting or even its artistry because as far as movies go, it wasn’t a masterpiece far from it, (Read a scathing review http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maureen-ryan/hemingway-and-gellhorn-hbo-review_b_1540274.html ) but simply because IT MAKES YOU THINK.
The scenes, borrowed from old, war documentary films, on the rise of fascism in the world and how cruel leaders had the capability to annihilate and destroy everything we consider normal and natural. (Abolish that which logical and intuitive human beings believe to be the meaning of life, PEACE to live out one’s life without fear.) To see Hitler-like barbarous men rule with unthinkable bestiality and lockstep peons marching as if they were one organism (god forbid, if one should lose his stride) is a chilling and insane image to perceive (even if it is on celluloid).
Once again, I digress… the reason for today’s blog (or relief-valve) was a political cartoon I came across, posted on facebook by the group “Baby Boomers and Senior Citizens Against Republicans & The Tea Party” http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad179/thethinkingblue/violenceagainstwomen.jpg which questions the GOP War On Women, due to its allowance of the "Violence Against Women’s Act" to expire. On face-value it does appear that the GOP and its offshoot the Tea Party, really is a misogynist group at heart. But a thought or two deeper than face-value (along with a whole lotta common sense) will let the truth be known, it’s not that this far right-wing conservative group, hate women, it’s more like they... L-O-V-E
money. thinkingblue
PS: My relief-valve comment on facebook:
I believe the GOP don't really HATE women, after all, they have grandmothers, mothers, wives, daughters, sisters and some of them (although in the minority) are also women. Their apathy extends towards all, who may need government assistance whether it be, a woman, a man, a child or the elderly and the sick. Their bottom-line is MONEY, it's the almighty dollar that is their master and because of this 'supernatural' commodity that they worship, any empathy they may feel for those less fortunate or in need, is extinguished, allowing them to rationalize that the weak among us, brought it upon themselves, so they don't deserve a helping hand. It’s a hardness of mind parallel to cabals considered outside the law who also praise and respect material wealth and the power it brings, above all else. (What a way to go through existence, if they weren’t so harmful, I would feel pity for them instead of disdain.)
Let us not forget the other GOP/TEA-PARTY Big Nasty, against President Obama... (Below Picture)
Oh yes, besides loving money and power, THE GOP also HATES The President and is willing to harm America to bring him down.
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad179/thethinkingblue/toomey.jpg
VIEW HEMINGWAY AND GELLHORN TRAILER HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWFuQlLqqZkI have been blogging since 2005, I believe it’s because I enjoy doing so. Maybe... more
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Callous Conservatives: Gulf State Republicans’ Sandy Shame
by John Avlon Jan 5, 2013 10:45 AM EST
The Republican congressmen who use New York as a campaign ATM, but turn a blind eye to suffering here must be held accountable, writes John Avlon.
Slap a scarlet “S” on these callous conservatives. Sixty-seven members of Congress–all Republicans—voted against even $9 billion of Hurricane Sandy relief yesterday.
Remember their names, and hold them accountable.
Justin Amash (R-MI)
Andy Barr (R-KY)
Dan Benishek (R-MI)
Kerry Bentivolio (R-MI)
Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
Jim Bridenstine (R-OK)
Mo Brooks (R-AL)
Paul Broun (R-GA)
Steve Chabot (R-OH)
Doug Collins (R-GA)
Mike Conaway (R-TX)
Tom Cotton (R-AR)
Steve Daines (R-MT)
Ron DeSantis (R-FL)
Scott DesJarlais (R-TN)
Sean Duffy (R-WI)
Jeff Duncan (R-SC)
Jimmy Duncan (R-TN)
Stephen Fincher (R-TN)
John Fleming (R-LA)
Bill Flores (R-TX)
Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
Trent Franks (R-AZ)
Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
Paul Gosar (R-AZ)
Trey Gowdy (R-SC)
Tom Graves (R-GA)
Sam Graves (R-MO)
Andrew Harris (R-MD)
George Holding (R-NC)
Richard Hudson (R-NC)
Tim Huelskamp (R-KS)
Randy Hultgren (R-IL)
Lynn Jenkins (R-KS)
Jim Jordan (R-OH)
Doug Lamborn (R-CO)
Kenny Marchant (R-TX)
Thomas Massie (R-KY)
Tom McClintock (R-CA)
Mark Meadows (R-NC)
Markwayne Mullin (R-OK)
Mick Mulvaney (R-SC)
Randy Neugebauer (R-TX)
Steven Palazzo (R-MI)
Steve Pearce (R-NM)
Scott Perry (R-PA)
Tom Petri (R-WI)
Mike Pompeo (R-KS)
Tom Price (R-GA)
Phil Roe (R-TN)
Todd Rokita (R-IN)
Keith Rothfus (R-PA)
Ed Royce (R-CA)
Paul Ryan (R-WI)
Matt Salmon (R-AZ)
David Schweikert (R-AZ)
Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
Marlin Stutzman (R-IN)
Mac Thornberry (R-TX)
Randy Weber (R-TX)
Brad Wenstrup (R-OH)
Roger Williams (R-TX)
Joe Wilson (R-SC)
Rob Woodall (R-GA)
Kevin Yoder (R-KS)
Ted Yoho (R-FL)
Twelve of the scarlet 67 voted for Hurricane Katrina relief—which passed ten days after that devastating Gulf Coast storm—but against Hurricane Sandy relief 69 days after its landfall in the Northeast. Their names: Trent Franks (AZ), Ed Royce (CA), Sam Graves (MO), Steve Pearce (NM), Steve Chabot (OH), Jimmy Duncan (TN), Kenny Marchant (TX), Randy Neugebauer (TX), Mac Thornberry (TX), Bob Goodlatte (VA), Tom Petri (WI), and Paul Ryan (WI).
These congressmen are content to use New York City and the tri-state area as an ATM when they are looking for campaign funds, yet they willfully turn a blind eye when hundreds of thousands of homes and small businesses are damaged or destroyed and more than 100 Americans are dead.
Note the name of last year’s vice presidential nominee and potential 2016 presidential candidate Paul Ryan on this list. Donors would do well to ask him about this vote. The Texas delegation likewise asked for federal funds when hurricanes have devastated their state, yet are ignoring suffering in the Northeast. But then conservatives often become liberal when an issue affects them personally. Just two years ago, Missouri Congressman Sam Graves begged President Obama for an emergency declaration to deal with flooding in his district—now he is afflicted with convenient amnesia.
The full list of the 67 “nos” is tilted toward the conservative Gulf Coast states and the congressmen—many elected after Katrina—whose constituents often feel the brunt of natural disasters.
Congressman Paul Broun—who when Obama was elected in 2008 called the president-elect a “Marxist” and compared him to Hitler, who denounced evolution as a “lie from the pit of hell” despite serving on the Science Committee—had no trouble asking for FEMA funds when his district was flooded in 2009. And Alabama’s Mo Brooks was equally eager for federal funds when tornados devastated his district in 2011.
The larger point, of course, is that massive disaster relief is a role for the federal government. There are times when we are 50 individual states and times when we need to unite and act as one country. Hurricane relief should be a no-brainer.
But Club for Growth and other conservative activist groups decided to make Hurricane Sandy relief a litmus test for their annual scorecards, and conservative congressmen started running scared.
The presence of pork in the original Senate Hurricane Sandy relief bill was a predictable disgrace. For example, in an essay on CNN, I called out the presence of pork like $150 million for Alaskan Fisheries and $41 million to military bases including Guantanamo Bay. But that pork was rightfully stripped from the ultimate Senate and House bill. Angry conservative activists never bothered to update their talking points and so they argued from ignorance.
Moreover, the bill that Congress passed on Friday was just $9 billion of the total $60 billion Sandy relief bill (an amount far less than the Governors’ estimate of $80 billion in damage). We’ll have to wait until at least January 15th for a vote on the remaining $51 billion.
Club for Growth and other conservative activist groups decided to make Hurricane Sandy relief a litmus test for their annual scorecards, and conservative congressmen started running scared.
The 67 congressman who voted against relief would have almost certainly voted for it if the impact was felt in their district. But if those 67 were to visit Staten Island or the Jersey Shore or the Rockaways today and see the citizens and volunteers still struggling to dig their way out of the devastation, they might have a different opinion. These folks need relief. And the region needs to increase its resilience to avoid future costs.
Hypocrisy is the unforgiveable sin in politics—and it abounds among ideologues in congress. But the absence of compassion matters as well. Because if the threat of professional partisan activist groups is enough to make you overlook the struggle and suffering of your fellow American citizens, maybe it’s time to look in the mirror and consider a field of work other than public service. More Here: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/05/callous-conservatives-gulf-state-republicans-sandy-shame.html
26 Bells
Newtown Massacre of Little ChildrenCallous Conservatives: Gulf State Republicans’ Sandy Shame
by John Avlon Jan 5,... more
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WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In the aftermath of the fiscal-cliff deal, Republicans in Congress issued a heartfelt apology to the top 1.5 per cent richest people in America, offering “messages of profound condolence” for allowing their taxes to increase slightly.
“Our hearts go out to them,” said House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), still teary-eyed after hanging up the phone with a multimillionaire in Orange County, California. “We came to Washington to do the work of 1.5 per cent of the American people, and we didn’t get it done.”
The House Speaker said that he had spoken to several members of the top 1.5 per cent who were “understandably despondent” over seeing their taxes rise marginally as a result of the deal: “Some of them were so upset they even considered moving to Canada, until they found out the taxes were higher there.”
Mr. Boehner said that he tried to offer the wealthy consolation by reminding them that because of an increase in payroll taxes, millions of middle-class and working-class Americans would be suffering more than they would: “That usually put them in a better mood.”
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) assailed the fiscal-cliff legislation today, calling it “a classic example of putting 98.5 per cent of the American people ahead of the rest of the country.”
Offering words of hope to the top 1.5 per cent, Mr. Cantor said, “In a few months we’ll have the next debate about the debt ceiling. As God is my witness, we will try to do a better job of bringing this nation to the brink of Armageddon.”
But to billionaires such as Harland Dorrinson, a longtime super-donor to the G.O.P., such assurances ring hollow: “If the fiscal-cliff deal is the kind of performance we can expect from Republican politicians, what’s the point of owning them?”WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In the aftermath of the fiscal-cliff deal,... more
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"It's why the American people hate Congress. Unlike the people in Congress, we have actual responsibilities."
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped a bomb on Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Congress for refusing to allow a vote on Hurricane Sandy relief in the final hours of the 112th Congress. It was an instant classic of principled political outrage. It provided a strong dose of what Washington has been missing: blunt, independent leadership.
(read the whole article at link)"It's why the American people hate Congress. Unlike the people in Congress,... more
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The White House "We the People" petition site is a resource all of those who care about democracy and saving our country should utilize. Get past the RWNJ gun nut petitions and there are some truly brilliant ideas that need support. Here is an example of a petition I think we should all sign:
Impeach the GOP Congress, immediately withhold their pay and all benefits. Make this retroactive to 11-7-2012.
The Majority of American voters have made it clear what they expect from elected officials, the GOP Congress continues to represent less than 1% of the population in the USA! They abandon their duties, and when they are present they do not accomplish what the majority has said they want. They are injurious to the people of the USA, and they abuse their positions and their misconduct is egregious. IMPEACH the GOP CONGRESS, RETROACTIVELY WITH HOLD THEIR PAY and BENEFITS.
Here's the link:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/impeach-gop-congress-immediately-withhold-their-pay-and-all-benefits-make-retroactive-11-7-2012/r6cWXfDx
This one's even better than mine. Sign up!The White House "We the People" petition site is a resource all of those who... more
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