Why Trump Shouldn’t Win In 2016

The 2016 election scares me because the Republicans scare me.

Looking at the lineup, from front-runner Donald Trump on down, it’s horrifically clear that the GOP has lost its mind.

Never mind – taking into consideration the voting records of the Republicans, along with the utterly ridiculous legislation they introduce, it should be painfully clear that they are not acting in the best interests of this country.

There’s something very wrong when those in government lose their sense of connection to the people they represent.  Tragically, that seems to be the case in our government – not just with the Republicans.

Even before passage of Citizen’s United, corporate America has had a death grip on U.S. politics.  We have not seen the likes of this since Boss Tweed and his cronies 100 years ago.  We need to do something about this – get the money out of politics and overturn Citizen’s United.

The GOP has leaned too far to the right, embracing the whims of the Tea Party, but forgetting at the same time that they represent the citizens of this country – HUMAN BEINGS.

The current crop of Republican lawmakers and candidates also come dangerously close to slamming the door on separation of church and state, liberties and rights of (horrors!) the LGBT community. There’s the battle over women’s healthcare and the right of women to make their own decisions regarding an abortion. It’s nobody’s business whether or not a woman chooses to have an abortion, is lost on the Conservative Christians and the Republican party.

Then there’s blatant racism. The GOP has traditionally been the “old, white man’s party,” and with the likes of Donald Trump leading the polls, you’d have to be totally oblivious not to notice the  thinly veiled hatred he espouses.  Racists unite!  The Republican party is yours!

Those with such leanings are buying into his rant of collecting 11 million illegal immigrants – which, hey – by the way, folks – aren’t all Hispanics, and shipping them back home.  Trump is like Hitler with a shit-eating grin on his face.

Never mind — assuming it was even legal to do so, how in the hell is the government going to find these 11 million illegals and how is this roundup going to be paid for?

For more, read the Forbes article: “Trump’s Deportation Plan Prohibitively Expensive.” 

A presidential candidate should act with integrity and in defense of every ethnic and religious group in America.  Trump had a chance to do this but he blew it.  “We have a problem in this country, it’s called Muslims,” stated a racist supporter at a recent rally. The man went on to reiterate that tired old “birther” theory about President Obama, something that Trump has vocally embraced in the past. What bothered me was that the Donald didn’t utter one word in the defense of Muslims in this country.  That in itself tells volumes about him.

The whole lineup of GOP presidential hopefuls are pushing for more war.   Trump is no exception.  In regard to the Middle East Trump said:

“Iran is taking over Iraq 100%, just like I predicted years ago,” he said. “I say this, I didn’t want to go there in the first place. Now we take the oil.”

“We should have kept the oil,” Trump continued. “Now we go in, we knock the hell out of them, take the oil, we thereby take their wealth. They have so much money.”

“They have better internet connections than we do in the United States,” he complained. “They’re training our kids through the internet. We have to knock out their wealth.”

“We go in, we knock the hell out of them, take the oil.”  No, Donald, you just can’t go “take the oil.”  That’s an act of war.

Dangerous, very dangerous things come out of the mouth of this man running for President Of The United States.

On Trump’s website there’s an article taken from conservative right-wing Breitbart News. It states — “20 Reasons Why It Should Be Donald Trump In 2016.”  

I can think of many reasons why he shouldn’t win:

He is not your ordinary politician: No, he’s not a politician and really has no clue about the political process. He’s a bully, an egotistical, spoiled-brat businessman who is used to getting what he wants and under the impression that he can just “do” things.  That’s not how government works.

He’s also very vague on how he’s going to get things done as POTUS. On his website “Positions” page, he lists only 3 areas:  Tax reform, immigration reform and 2nd amendment rights. If you do any research at all – and have followed anything but Fox News – you’ll find that his tax reform won’t truly impact the rich (like himself) and his immigration reform including of building a wall which he says that Mexico is going to pay for. Gee, has anybody asked Mexico about this?

What about foreign policy, Donald? Are you ready to hold American companies who’ve outsourced millions of jobs overseas accountable? How will you go about bringing jobs back to America?  What about making corporate America and the rich pay their share of taxes – not just hedge fund managers as you recently suggested, but all the 1%? Why aren’t you commenting on environmental issues, climate change and renewable energy? Any ideas on how to reign in Wall Street?  How about healthcare, overhauling the prison system? Student debt? Have you thought about the rights of workers and labor laws?  What about raising the minimum wage?  What are you going to do about rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure?

I could keep going but you see my point. He hasn’t touched on a lot of issues, only saying, “It will be great,” It will be the best,” “You’re gonna love it,” “It’s just good management and I’m a good manager,” and endless reiterating of “I, I, I, Me, me, me!”

Trump is not reliant on donors: That means he can do and say what he wants.  See below about a “filter.”

Yes, he doesn’t have much of a filter. Bravo. He says what he wants and doesn’t care who he offends.  The POTUS needs restraint along with careful wording in response to world situations, and can’t go blurting out statements just because he’s pissed off.  There can be no verbal wars on Twitter. The President needs tact and diplomacy. Donald has none of these.  We can’t have the leader of the most powerful country in the world hurling insults at the likes of the Middle East, Korea, Russia or China. He’s dangerous. He’s too reactive.

He speaks for us little people. Got news for ya — so does someone like Bernie Sanders.  Dating back to the 60’s, he began fighting in the Civil Rights Movement.  His political stance reflects his determination to serve the people and has not changed since even before he was first elected to public office in 1981.  Unlike Trump, Bernie Sanders IS giving concrete suggestions on how to carry out what he proposes.

Trump on the other hand, comes from money.  He had a privileged childhood and today is worth billions.  HOW can he possibly know what it’s like to be one of the “little people?”  He doesn’t have a clue what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck, to work 2, 3 or 4 jobs and barely get by, or to be one hospital stay away from bankruptcy.  He’s just pandering to the desperateness of the ordinary citizen with no substance to back it up.  He’s built his empire on the backs of “We the people.”

Diplomacy:  See above on “he doesn’t have a filter.”  Point taken.

His business accomplishments:  Yeah, that’s nice that he’s head of a big mega-bucks corporation – but – being the President Of The United States isn’t the same as running a company.  You can’t dictate the rules; there is a process involved.  You can’t fire someone because you don’t like them. You also can’t declare bankruptcy.

Heck, Americans idolize him:  God, I hope not!  Unfortunately there are many conservative Republicans who think he’s the best thing since sliced bread.  He’s tapped into the anger as well as the fear that Fox News has brainwashed them with.

Trump panders to Conservative Christians that his 2nd favorite book is the Bible – yet he can’t quote one verse.

He seems to have wrapped up many factions of the Republican party: the gun nuts, racists and he’s even courted the Conservative Christians. Claiming that the Bible is his second favorite book (after The Art Of The Deal which is, of course, about himself) he started toting a Bible with him to events.  Most Christians I know who fervently believe in the Bible can also quote scripture ad nauseam. Trump can’t even relate one single line. He defends this with the suggestion that “It’s personal.” Yeah, Donald – you’re full of shit! Methinks it’s more sucking up to get the vote, don’t you?

Donald, in reality you are just like those politicians you are railing against.

What amazes me about Trump and the entire Republican party is:

  HOW CAN ANYBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND VOTE FOR THESE PEOPLE?

You are voting against yourself!

Republicans consistently vote against any programs to help the struggling citizens of this country.  They’ve tried to overturn the Affordable Care Act how many times? (I’ve lost count) and have voted against benefits and treatment for veterans.  Their witch hunt on abortion led by Conservative Christians is relentless.  There’s the Planned Parenthood debacle which is still going on.  Name a program – any program – and they’ve voted against it!  Their mantra of slashing taxes comes only at the expense of the average American citizen. They want to defund Social Security because they view it as an “entitlement.”  It’s NOT the federal government’s money – it’s ours! Our infrastructure is crumbling, people are out of work and desperate, they’ve lost their homes due to Wall Street’s recklessness but all the Republicans want to do is see that corporate America and the rich keep getting richer! What boggles my mind is HOW can anyone who has half a brain who knows the trouble we’re in can continue to support their plans.

What the hell is wrong with you people?

 Donald Trump is not the answer.

As far as I’m concerned, Bernie Sanders is leading the true revolution that this country desperately needs.

We The People -PETITION- Your Voice Needed on GUN CONTROL – NOW!

It’s TIME for better gun laws!
Photo: Simon Howden

Editor’s note: Don’t just “view” this – have the GUTS to sign it! It’s anonymous!

We need to tell our elected officials not to let the NRA hold our government hostage on gun control. WE NEED TO DO THIS NOW! The NRA  is bringing out its big guns for this gun legislation fight. They are convinced that the gun provisions being submitted to our lawmakers will never pass.

Let’s prove them wrong!

If you agree that it is time to take our country back; time to have our elected officials work for us; time to stand up for ALL the victims of gun violence, be it in Newtown, Aurora, Oak Creek, The Long Island Rail Road, at Virginia Tech, Columbine, The Sikh Temple in Joplin Missouri; in our inner cities, the young black men in inner cities who are dying every day to gun violence, the little children in inner cities who are being killed by drive-by shooters — to ALL who have died at the hands of gun violence — NOW is the time to SPEAK UP for ALL THE VICTIMS!

I have started a petition on the White House “We The People” page. It needs 150 signatures to be visible on the We The People page. It needs 25,000 signatures to get to the president.

We The People:

Don’t Let The NRA Hold This Country Hostage Over Gun Control.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/dont-let-nra-hold-country-hostage-gun-control/LrncYgsT

Please copy and paste this link on your Facebook page.

Send it out in e-mails, on Twitter in any form of social media you choose.

It needs to go viral!

I am sick of the NRA’s poisonous rhetoric on gun control. 

• Their uncompromising attitude over ANY changes to gun laws.

• Twisting the Second Amendment – trying to convince the American people that an assault weapon is a covered under their Second Amendment Rights. (this is total bullshit – there are plenty of other guns to choose from that you can have your 2nd Amendment rights!)

• Buying & threatening our government officials who, over the last 40 years have let the NRA get their way regarding gun legislation.

• Litigating their way through the American legal system for their own agenda

• Voting against the global initiative of gun bans.

• Promoting their secretive brand of racism and right-wing views

• Spreading lies that “the government is coming to take your guns away.”

• Coming just short of advocating treason, telling their members that they need to be armed and ready. (see above)

All of this information is out there.  It’s even on the NRA site.  It’s been in articles from esteemed publications.  We need to spread the word about what the paranoia and lies and influence they have in Washington.

IT’S TIME TO TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK

Scream louder than the money;

Scream louder than the influence & threats to our government and democracy!

Scream louder because we are tired of innocent people & children being killed on our streets!

SIGN THE PETITION NOW and SCREAM LOUDER than the NRA!

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/dont-let-nra-hold-country-hostage-gun-control/LrncYgsT

More NRA Lies

More NRA lies:

Hitler confiscated all the guns in Nazi Germany.

The NRA is NOT connected to the gun manufacturers in any way.

Read about NRA Board Members.  Although they may be upstanding citizens actively teaching respect for guns (which is very admirable), many are pro-gun lobbyists, gun manufacturers, political activists, and even politicians! On this list you’ll find Grover Norquist, Senator Johnny Nugent, musician Ted Nugent and my heart is broken, Tom Sellick.

Another NRA fib: Guns keep you safe

Gun Control: Congress Must NOT Let NRA Threaten Them

A mother’s grief – another senseless murder of a young man.

The NRA has morphed from a responsible organization into a bully.

At its founding in 1871, it taught marksmanship. The 20th century  saw the organization focus on gun safety.   The Gun Control Act of 1968 was passed by Congress following the assassinations of President Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the brother of the President, Robert. F. Kennedy.  Soon after, the NRA started opposing gun regulation.  Today they have become a paranoid,  Second Amendment-twisting, fear-mongering bully.

The NRA has had its hands in government for a long, long time.  Obviously they’re very good at what they do:  influence our lawmakers not to pass legislation which would limit gun sales.  Its hooks are heavily embedded into the Republican party.  Members of the GOP are more likely to vote down gun control laws. (see voting record link)

It is very clear after the shootings in Newtown that killed 20  elementary school children that the NRA has absolutely no interest in preventing more gun violence.

There still is an incredible amount of talk about gun control laws being reinstated.  They should be.  The government needs to listen to the people of this country, NOT the NRA.

The Republican party is heavily influenced by the NRA. In the past it is they who have voted down gun control laws.  Look at any voting record and its ties to how much money received from the gun lobby:  the ones generally who received the most funds voted no for reinstatement of gun laws. This must change!

 Congress needs to listen to the people of this country

not the NRA

Richard W. Painter writes in his article for the New York Times, The NRA Protection Racket:

The message to Republicans is clear: “We will help you get elected and protect your seat from Democrats. We will spend millions on ads that make your opponent look worse than the average holdup man robbing a liquor store. In return, we expect you to oppose any laws that regulate guns. These include laws requiring handgun registration, meaningful background checks on purchasers, limiting the right to carry concealed weapons, limiting access to semiautomatic weapons or anything else that would diminish the firepower available to anybody who wants it. And if you don’t comply, we will load our weapons and direct everything in our arsenal at you in the next Republican primary.” 

Congress must not back down this time; they must act in the best interests of their constituents.

The NRA’s evil stranglehold on our government has persisted for too long.

We cannot allow this any longer.

The NRA and all those lawmakers who have voted against gun restrictions and background checks have blood on their hands.

The blood of all the innocents from Newtown, Aurora, Virginia Tech, Columbine is on their hands.

Thousands of citizens who have been killed due to gun violence, their blood is on the hands of Congress and the NRA.

The blood of little children playing outside their homes who have been killed by gunfire; grandmothers or grandfathers sitting on their porches on a bright sunny day, teenagers with bright promise ahead, murdered walking home from school; pregnant women walking on the streets; shopkeepers in their bodegas, people pumping gas or commuters riding on a train:  our citizens’ blood IS on the hands of the NRA and government officials too cowardly to stand up and do what is right.

I urge every one of you who reads this

to contact your lawmakers

NOW.

TELL EACH and EVERY ONE OF THEM that the NRA cannot guarantee their seats in government any longer, no matter how much money they pay them.

TELL THEM that YOU WILL VOTE THEM OUT in the next election.

The NRA cannot save them.

GO TO:  http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

RELATED:  NRA influence in last election cycle  (Open Secrets.org)

The NRA Protection Racket (Richard Painter, NY Times)

Since When Do We Need The NRA’s Permission to Change Gun Laws?

We’ve had 20 elementary schoolchildren and 6 of their teachers killed in a mass slaughter.  The rampage began with the shooter killing his own mother.  It didn’t end with him going out  like in the movies, in a hail of bullets while trading shots with the police.  He took the coward’s way out:  suicide.

This morning 2 firefighters were killed as they responded to a blaze in Webster, New York.  There is speculation that the fire may have been intentionally set.  The gunman wanted some live target practice.

Over the past week we’re heard of shootings in Pennsylvania and across the country.

Since the shootings at Newtown, 160 people have died in gun related deaths in this country.  Of course, this does not include the killing of the two firefighters this morning.

What in the hell has happened to this country?

Is the lure of  “15 minutes of fame” so great?  I am at a loss to even begin to grasp why.

Four days following the shootings in Newtown, the NRA released this statement:

“The National Rifle Association of America is made up of 4 million moms and dads, sons and daughters, and we were shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders in Newtown.  The NRA is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again.”

So we waited to see what their “meaningful contributions” would be.

The most powerful lobby in this country, the NRA, is ensconced in its own little la-la land.

Despite the rising number of mass murders committed in the past few years, they see no need to limit the sale of semiautomatic and assault-type weapons.  Both NRA President David Keene, and Executive Director Wayne LaPierre said the same thing in separate interviews on Sunday’s Face the Nation and Meet the Press.

They refused to make any  concessions on limiting the sale of assault-type weapons or semi-automatic firearms. Both LaPierre and Keene insisted that outlawing the sale of these guns wouldn’t make a difference.

Wayne LaPierre ranted about getting criminals off the street.  What he didn’t mention was that criminals aren’t the ones who have committed these mass murders.  He evaded every question by changing the subject.

At the end of the segment when asked if he would support reworking of the mental health system, cracking down on violence in the media and gun regulations, LaPierre said the NRA would support armed guards in schools, mental health reforms and more prosecutions.  He did not say that the NRA would support gun reform.

So much for “meaningful contribution.”

Since when does our government have to ask the permission of the NRA to pass a law regarding gun sales?

The people of this country have had enough!  We are fed up with reading day after day about senseless slayings.  It’s about time our government stood up to this Second Amendment-twisting, paranoid, so-called protector of  “the right to bear arms.”

The NRA does not own this country. Neither do gun manufacturers.  The NRA is nothing more than a mouthpiece for the gun industry.  Although their influence in Washington is great, the game is up!

Politicians must have the balls to reinstate the assault weapon ban and stand up to the NRA.

NRA, Gun Manufacturers, George Bush & GOP Helped Kill Newtown School Children

The NRA,  gun manufacturers, George Bush, the GOP party have blood on their hands.  By letting the 2004 ban on semiautomatic assault weapons expire, they directly contributed to the deaths of  20 children at the Newtown  Elementary School.

They’re responsible too, for all the other victims who’ve died in mass shootings committed with these weapons  since the ban.

Gun manufacturers: You have the blood of the 20 innocent children and their teachers on your hands.  Your insistence to market military-type assault weapons and fight for their sale to the public is reprehensible.   Like the NRA, you’ve also  twisted the Second Amendment to fuel sales.     Your greed, because you were not satisfied just making guns for the military or law enforcement, has indirectly caused the deaths of many in mass shootings.

After 4 days of silence the NRA has appeared to express it’s condolences.  That’s very nice. (sarcasm completely intended!)

Undoubtedly, the NRA and gun manufacturers will continue to push against the rising tide of public opinion limiting the sale of  military-type assault weapons. It will haul out its highly paid lawyers, supporters in government, circle the wagons and go into battle.

In 2005, President George Bush signed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act,  which protects gun manufacturers from lawsuits. Plainly it states: “To prohibit causes of action against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and importers of firearms or ammunition products, and their trade associations, for the harm caused solely by the criminal or unlawful misuse of firearm products or ammunition products by others when the product functioned as designed and intended.“

In the National Law Journal, Erwin Chemerinsky writes:

“Semi-automatic weapons — such as the Uzi, the TEC-9, some AK-47s and the Colt AR-15 — have the capacity to kill a large number of people in a short amount of time. In fact, they have no other purpose. Semi-automatic weapons are not used to hunt; they would obliterate the animal. They exist to fire multiple bullets in quick succession, a function that is useful only in war.”

America, we cannot tolerate this any longer.  That a person is able to purchase a semi-automatic assault weapon — a weapon DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY to kill as many human beings as possible in a very short period of time — is a crime against humanity.  Like the purpose for which this piece of metal is crafted, war, it is an abomination.

To those who would twist the “right to bear arms” portion of the Constitution, the photo directly below depicts a gun that was the state-of-the-art weaponry used when  the Second Amendment was crafted.

This was the weapon of choice when the 2nd amendment as written.

Fast forward 200+ years to the image below.

This fires 45 bullets a MINUTE!

This gun, the Bushmaster AR-15, was used in the recent mass murders of the 20 children and their teachers in Newtown, CT, at the Sandy Hill Elementary School.  It was also used at a mall shooting by Jacob Roberts in Oregon. James Holmes, too, used this weapon to kill 12 and wound over 50 others in the Aurora, CO movie theater shooting.  This is the most popular weapon in the United States right now.  Gun dealers can’t keep it on the shelf.

“This thing is just a killing machine,” said Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. “[I]t’s a weapon that can easily shoot hundreds of … In fact it’s very similar to the weapon that James Holmes used to shoot up the movie theater in Aurora.”

How can we ANY weapon capable of killing a great amount of people in a minute to be for sale in this country?  Unfortunately we are a violent nation. We glorify violence in movies, music and in video games.  Our children learn through the media that the only way to deal with a problem is to kill someone:  just like the heroes do on TV and in the movies.  The hero with the gun always wins.

The NRA has fueled this testosterone dominated market for decades.  It’s time to pull the plug.

20 children are dead because of an assault weapon:  a legally purchased  military-type assault weapon, whose owner was the first victim.   Need I say more?

RELATED:

NRA’s Lies About Obama Administration (NRA)

Is This An Assault Weapon?  (Salon)

AR-15 Most Popular Rifle (NY Times)

Assault Weapons in the Cross Hairs (Nat’l Law Journal)

NRA Fear Mongering (Bernd Bebusmann, Reuters)

Newtown School Shooting: NRA & GOP – Protect Our Children!

Yesterday’s shooting at the school in Newtown, Connecticut surely will have the NRA and the GOP on its toes today.  Why? Because they have led the fight to keep assault weapons in the hands of the public. Now it’s time to take those guns away and get serious about gun control.

Assault weapons were banned from sale to the public 1994 to 2004.   President George Bush, his buddies in the NRA and other gun proponents, along with much of the GOP party, led the the charge to let it expire.

The Violence Policy Center (VPC) did a study on gun manufacturers stating that,   “Today, militarized weapons–semiautomatic assault rifles, 50 caliber anti-armor sniper rifles, & armor-piercing handguns define the U.S. civilian gun market & are far and away the ‘weapons of choice’ of the traffickers supplying violent drug organizations in Mexico.”  

It also finds that,“The gun industry has become so dependent on militarized product lines that 11 of the top 15 gun manufacturers now market assault weapons.”  and “The gun industry designs, manufactures, imports, and sells firearms in the civilian market that are to all intents and purposes the same as military arms. It then bombards its target market with the message that civilian consumers–just like real soldiers–can easily and legally own the firepower of militarized weapons.” 

The link to the gun study from the VPC is a scary read follows below.  It clearly shows the brainwashing of the NRA and the gun industry.

 http://www.vpc.org/studies/militarization.pdf    

WHY  should these guns available to the citizens of this country?

Oh, wait – silly me, because the second amendment in the Constitution says so!

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Then we have the NRA dragging out its 2nd amendment banner and its GOP buddies to vote against any gun legislation on assault weapons,  convincing American citizens that to take away these guns is a threat to their freedom!

I have three arguments against this.

#1: The second amendment was written over 200 hundred years ago; this country was far different that it is today.

#2:  States do not have “militias” any longer.

#3:  Holding up this argument because the founding fathers said it, because it’s in the Constitution which is often twisted to suit the gun lobby’s wishes, is wrong!  The creators of the Constitution had no way of knowing that assault weapons, capable of firing about a hundred bullets a minute, would ever be invented. This is utter bullshit!

Sorry NRA-ers, sorry gun lobbyists:  we MUST change the law!

There is a difference between a GUN BAN and GUN CONTROL.  Thanks to the NRA, however, they have equated the word “ban” and “control” to mean the same thing.  They’ve successfully bought the Republican party; undoubtedly some Democrats too, into believing that any action in any form is an onslaught on the freedoms of gun ownership in this country.

It is not!

Deaths from mass shootings – does not include Aurora CO or more recent killings. (Click to enlarge)

People will talk about mental health and gun control.  That’s all very well and good but, as someone has said:  “You can’t regulate crazy.”  If  a person has no record of violence, any history of crimes regarding firearms, has never been arrested for any reason, or has a blank slate where problems in mental health goes, this will go on undetected.

Additionally,  many state laws are lax in allowing gun purchases from a dealer with no background check whatsoever.

NRA:  20 children were killed yesterday – CHILDREN! School is supposed to be a safe place.  Parents should never have to worry when their child gets on the bus in the morning that their child won’t be coming home.  The parents, siblings and extended families of these children, loved ones of the teachers killed & their families, should never have had to face this unbelievable anguish. The close-knit community of Newtown, Connecticut has been shattered.  The entire nation grieves with the families of the slain.

New gun laws should put the welfare and safety of the public ahead of the interests of the NRA and gun proponents.

America has the highest rate of gun deaths in the industrialized world. Citizens of this country must demand new gun laws and pressure their lawmakers to pass them!  New gun laws should put the welfare and safety of the public ahead of the interests of the NRA and gun proponents.  The number of crimes being committed with assault weapons is on the rise.  A ban on the sale of ANY firearm that has the capacity to fire over 10 rounds a minute or, can possibly be modified to do so, needs to happen immediately.

Our lawmakers should not grovel in the presence of the NRA and sweep this issue under the rug ~ again!  For our children and the safety of the American public:  this is no time to take the coward’s way out!

RELATED:

Assault Weapons Ban: (pdf UPenn)  Impacts on gun market & gun violence 1994-2003

GOP: Out To Destroy America For All But Wealthy 1%

Republicans are out to destroy this country. While the extremist right-wing GOP members scream about communism, they are advancing an agenda that only benefits the top 1%.  Every time I read an article about who wants to cut what, it always seems that the Republican party out to decimate a program or law that only extends the control of the super rich.

I’m sick of it and you should be, too!

What has happened to the Republican party?

They’ve become relentless in their destruction of anything which benefits this country or the majority of the citizens.

An excellent article in Reader Supported News about the 1% and this country.  I wish I could have written this piece, it’s excellent!

It seems that every article I read there’s some GOP spokesman saying, “NO!,” to a bill adding a protection for citizens; “NO!” to taking away corporate America’s power; “NO!” to an increase in taxes for the wealthiest (who can afford it the most) and  “NO!” to any regulations on corporate tax loopholes, worker’s rights or making the top 1% – and corporate America, take responsibility for any of their actions.

The super-rich control our country:  we do not! They dictate policy to government officials, sneaking in additions to the laws which benefit themselves.  They buy their way into political campaigns through that travesty of Citizen’s United.  They silence dissenters.

An excerpt from an article in the New York Times about the real fiscal cliff by Frank Rich writes:

“The Republican-led Michigan legislature just passed a “right-to-work” law, severely diminishing union power in a stronghold of American labor. Is this an overreach by a party fearing for its survival or the latest wave in a powerful anti-union surge?”
(Assistant editor Eric Benson replies:) “For all the Beltway hysteria about the fiscal cliff, the forgotten Americans in the debate are American workers: both those who are employed and have seen their wages stagnate and those who are unemployed and can’t find work. The fixed ideas in Washington right now — reducing the deficit, cutting entitlements, increasing tax rates for the upper 2 percent — do not begin to address this crisis. What the stunning victory of the Michigan GOP (the governor as well as the legislature) demonstrates is that while Romney may have lost, the Koch brothers and other right-wing industrialists determined to erode workers’ pay, benefits, and standing have only just begun to fight. If they can’t win a national election, they will pour money in at the local level in state after state, even seemingly blue states like Michigan and Wisconsin, to further their own financial interests. It’s going to be trench warfare in the coming years.” 

What has happened to our government? It’s stopped being government.  It’s turned into a playground for the super rich to enable them to get their way.

Corporate America is an entity which has great wealth.  Because of Citizen’s United, it was given octopus arms exerting a python-like grip which it is strangling  WE the PEOPLE of this country with!  

Truthfully, we don’t have a government any longer. Oh, on the surface it appears that we do.  The checks and balances are corrupted.  There are a few who recognize this but they are far outnumbered by the greed of corporate America.  We the people, are helpless.  The only tool that we have is to vote the scums out of office.

How can we change the laws if the only ones who can do that – our government – won’t?  Most of them are in it up to their eyeballs; it threatens their entitled way of life.  Pass higher tax rates for the rich? They’re all rich; it will cut into their money.  Revamp the system so that they lose perks? That’s up to them, too!  Initiate corporate tax reform so that the biggest corporations have to pay their share? Oops – the crooks in government are owned by the likes of Sheldon Addelson, the Koch Brothers, the banks, Walmart, Monsanto, just to name a few.  They can’t do that!  Where would the Republican party get its money from?

Citizen’s United saw to it that the rich remain rich by controlling our government.   Could the Supreme Court been bought and influenced by the rich?  It would not surprise me a bit!  Only ~human beings~ are people. A corporation IS NOT A PERSON – it is a group of people and therefore should have no say in government.  Corporate America is an entity which has great wealth.  Because of Citizen’s United, it was given octopus arms with a python-like grip which it is strangling “We the people” of this country with!

After President Obama’s election in 2008, the Republicans attempted to make him a one term president through calculated evisceration of any and all of his policies during his first term. Those who didn’t bother to look and add up all the facts during the election, believing all the garbage spewed by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, the GOP party itself and Fox News, voted Republican.  Still Obama prevailed. That alone tells me something.  Somewhere out there is a glimmer of hope.  My question is:  how do we make it erupt into a full-fledged fireball of concrete change and take back our country?

Related:

Robert Reich: Rich Keep Pouring Money Into Government

 

 

Ken Cuccinelli of Virginia: Possible GOP Nominee For Governor, Another Todd Aiken

Ken Cuccinelli, will be running on the GOP ticket for Governor in Virginia in 2013

God help us here in Virginia.  If  Ken Cuccinelli  wins the election for Governor in the Commonwealth, we’ll be going backwards! He’s been compared to Todd Aiken which  should send shivers up the spine of any reasonable, progressive citizen.

Think Progress has posted an alarming composite of the man who wants to be Virginia’s next governor.

Tom Perriello, a Democrat and  highly regarded in the political arena across the country, has decided not to run for the Commonwealth’s governor’s spot for the Democratic party. He has thrown his support behind Terry McAuliff who will probably be the party nominee.

“No one has worked harder to prevent this extreme agenda from reaching the Governor’s mansion than Terry McAuliffe,” Perriello said. “I hope that progressives and moderates can unite as Virginians choose between the worst of our past and the best of our future. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli says what he believes, but those divisive beliefs are devastating to our Commonwealth. I will be supporting Terry and all of those who are willing to put their names on the ballot to keep Virginia moving forward.”

Cuccinelli, the current Attorney General,  seems to be a Tea Party, religious right, Bible-thumping dream.   He has extreme views on abortion, opposing it in all cases.  His views are so extreme that he even branded an event at George Mason University campus which dealt with health, contraceptive and sexuality issues as  “soft porn.”

Additionally, he denies that climate change exists, has worked against any recognition of LGBT rights,  sides with Arizona’s immigration laws, subscribes to tenthers belief that issues like healthcare, because it was not specifically mentioned in the Constitution, is therefore illegal.

Leave it to Virginia to elect  Cucinelli  Atty. General with the same extreme conservative views like Todd Aiken.  Our current Governor, Republican Bob McDonnell, put Virginia in the news last year by signing the abortion bill requiring  vaginal ultrasounds prior to an abortion.  A last-minute concession to nationwide outcry gave women the option to opt out.  This is one step shy of the Texas bill  which requires a verbal  description of the ultrasound, displaying the image to the woman before she undergoes an abortion.

What bothers me about politicians such as Cuccinelli is the backwards, restricted thinking of conservative politics.  They favor legislation and ideals taken from literal religious and constitutional translations.

They forgot to bring crystal balls to the signing of the Constitution to see 200 years ahead so “healthcare” would be legal.

I guess Ben Franklin, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton & their buddies forgot to bring crystal balls to the drafting sessions of the Constitution so that they’d know that, in 200+ years, there’d be something called “healthcare.”  We all know the literal interpretations of the Bible modern-day  GOP conservatives  use to prohibit any rights to the LGBT population & the way they’ve forced their version of religious morality to infringe on a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions.   I’ll say it for the ten millionth time:  It’s nobody’s business!

We don’t need more Cuccinellis:  we need less of them.  More restrictions on our privates lives, ridiculous, outdated ideas from the  extreme religious right and the Tea Party are going to stall and stagnate our government.  Ken Cuccinelli along with his GOP counterparts will continue to try to force their moralistic & religious views on the rest of this country.

What we do need is a government with common sense to make laws for all the people and deal with the reality of the times.  Government based on ridiculous, far-reaching, fanatical interpretations the Constitution is dangerous – and threatens our rights under that document!  Allowing extreme, conservative Christian fundamentalist dogma and literal interpretation of a religious text more than 2,000 years old violates separation of church &  state.  The Bible has been rewritten,  deleted, mistranslated over the centuries but is now routinely used to concoct law which clearly limits individual freedom in favor of just one segment of the population.

WE THE PEOPLE need to get our government back, not to hand it over to the likes of Cuccinelli and the extremists.  Above all we must initiate some kind of constant reminder to all politicians that they work FOR us, not themselves, and it is not their place to enforce their religious views on the rest of the country.

GOP: Grover Norquist Was Not Elected President, Nor Does He Own You!

Grover Norquist does not own your soul, Republican Party!  Photo: CNN

Grover Norquist was NOT elected president, nor does he run the Republican party!

Sadly, members of our government are cowering because of a 20-something year old pledge which one man, Grover Norquist, keeps under lock and key.  ONE MAN!    Something’s very wrong when an individual has such a grip on those who make our laws, influencing them to go against the will of the people and common sense.

The only thing they should concern themselves with is what has transpired in the recent election. The American people have spoken LOUD & CLEAR in 2012.  They do not want continued tax relief for the upper 2% of  the population. They do not want more protection for corporate America and rewards when they ship jobs overseas.  They do not want massive cuts to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare which would plunge millions more into poverty.   They want our government to realize we are still struggling with the effects of the recession. The last thing the people want is to go backwards.

It is heartening to hear that many Republicans are choosing to go against this pledge.  They realize that it is their constituents they must listen to, not the fanatical ravings of one man and his anti-compromise stance.

Republicans who are choosing to jump ship on Norquist are rising every day:  Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Peter King, Steve LaTourette and Scott Rigell.  Peter King of New York commented on Meet The Press,   “A pledge you signed 20 years ago, 18 years ago, is for that Congress. For instance, if I were in Congress in 1941, I would have signed a declaration of war against Japan. I’m not going to attack Japan today. The world has changed, and the economic situation is different.”

Jenna McGregor in an article on the Washington Post said that those who choose to stand up,  … [are] “having the courage to go right when others go left, and being willing to open oneself up to criticism to do the right thing for the greater good.”   Jeff Sessions of Alabama stated: “Oh I signed it, but we’ve got to deal with the crisis we face.   We’ve got to deal with the political reality of the president’s victory.”

Yes,  there is that reality of the president’s victory. The other reality is that our government is not run soley by some overblown clown who seems to have a mystical, supernatural grip on our elected officials, especially those in the Republican party. Get with it, GOP!  Norquist does not own you!

Even former President Bill Clinton weighed in last year reiterating an account of   Norquist’s raves against a bipartisan push to eliminate subsidies for ethanol producers. He (Norquist) perceived this to be a sneak attack tax hike.  Clinton stated that it was like any changes in the GOP platform should be “approved in advance by Grover Norquist.”  Clinton went on to say,  “You’re laughing,  but he was quoted in the paper the other day saying he gave Republican senators permission” to scrap the subsidies. “I thought, ‘My God, what has this country come to when one person has to give you permission to do what’s best for the country?’ It was chilling.”

Chilling, indeed.  The United States of America  is not a monarchy of which Norquist is king & supreme ruler. He is not God.  His faithful Republicans need to realize that or come the next round of voting, they could find themselves out of a job like their buddy, Mitt Romney.  There is no surety in politics.

Maybe all the Republicans still on the side of Norquist need to read the quote at the top of this page from that brave NYPD cop, Frank Serpico:

“Sometimes you have to go up against the odds to do the right thing.”