Scared About What Might Happen. Oblivious To What Already Has! ...GOP

It’s hilarious how the current desperation-based attack on President Obama is how he, in concert with Reid and Pelosi, will create a left-wing socialist majority that will crush America. First off the attack using who will be in control of congress is among the most desperate, a version of it was used in 2006 when cons saw the writing on the wall and tried to make the election about Pelosi being speaker (Sean Hannity said “There are things in life worth fighting and dying for and one of ‘em is making sure Nancy Pelosi doesn’t become the speaker”).Secondly, Bill Clinton was president for eight years. In that time we nationalized zero industries. Under George W. Bush? Well… we own Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and are becoming shareholders in insurance companies and banks. Funny thing.I continue to hear the socialist word well after the election, from bitter die-hard republicans (who got us into this ditch). The absolute irony does not escape me at all. Bush’s carefree spending into deficit hell complete deregulation of the banking (environment, etc) has = meltdown to government intervention. It is Bush who goes into history bringing heavier gov’t control in the financial sector. If only he applied the adage “too much of a good thing is a bad thing” in the last 8 years.Freaking socialist cons.

Bush is not an American

Some of the die-hard, rabid right-wingers who still support George W. Bush's immoral and illegal actions tried recently to overload my email system by flooding it with bitches and moans about recent columns about their poster boy for destruction of the constitution.Their grand plan didn't work. My anti-spam filter caught most of them because it quite properly considers GOP-generated mail spam (as it does for Democratic-generated mail).The handful of messages that got through cried about the language I use to describe their President."Your crude, obscene language destroys your credibility," one said. "Why not just shut up and go away."Gotta wonder who writes these missives for Bushites since most of the right-wing morons who clutter up bulletin boards like FreeRepublic can't string together a simple declarative sentence. Probably computer-generated.They're not the only ones who get upset at my language when it comes to describing the pukefest called the Bush administration. Hell, my mother complains and she's no fan of Bush.Too damn bad. I really don't give a flying fuck who gets bent out of shape. That's their problem. With Bush and his gang of goons at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue so hell-bent at destroying the Constitution and America, I don't have time to be polite. Bush is a heartless bastard who doesn't play by the rules so why should those of us who still love this country too much to see it destroyed by this madman?This is no longer an issue of differing political opinions or philosophies. This is war, a fight for survival of a once-great nation called America and war calls for street rules.In other words: No rules.Bush, in my opinion, is criminally insane, a pill-popping dry drunk whose erratic behavior and reckless actions threaten world peace and the future of this nation far more than any Islam-spouting religious fanatic. He is an enemy of the state, a mood-swinging despot whose threatens the very freedoms that form the foundation for this country. He has created a police state where basic American freedoms have vanished under an politically-exaggerated threat to national scrutiny, milked the human tragedy of 9/11 for his personal agenda and ripped the Constitution to shreds through the USA Patriot Act, a right-robbing piece of legislation put together by his former attorney general, the rights-robbing, bible-thumping John Ashcroft, an inept former Senator who couldn't even win an election against a dead man.George W. Bush is not an American. He and his daddy sold their souls and their loyaltiy long ago to Saudi oil interests, particularly the bin Laden family (yes, the same bin Ladens whose relative masterminded the 9/11 attacks). The bin Ladens, laundering money through Dubya's old Texas Air Guard buddy James Bath (the North American representative for the bin Laden family bank), bailed out Bush on his failed business adventures and then bankrolled his first run for Texas governor.According to Craig Unger, author of House of Bush, House of Saud, the Bush family has, over the years, received some $480 million from the Saudi business interests, including the bin Laden family. Bush is a politician and politicians are, by rote, for sale to the highest bidder so you tell us: Has anyone outbid the Saudis and the bin Ladens for Bush's loyalty?Having a President on the payroll of the family of the man who killed 3,000 plus Americans on September 11, 2001, raise a very real concern that Bush's illegal and immoral actions are a lot more than just politics as usual. It may explain the decision to all-but-abandon the search for bin Laden in Afghanistan and move American military resources to the ill-conceived invasion of Iraq. It took less than a year to capture Saddam Hussein yet bin Laden is still at large nearly four years after the September 11 attacks.All this suggests to me that the President of the United States owes a lot more to his Saudi money boys than he does to the country he has sworn to serve. It tells me the President of the United States is a traitor.Traitors should not be President. They should be arrested, tried and, upon conviction, punished for their crimes against their country.And, as far as I'm concerned, anyone who continues to support this traitor to America is equally guilty of treason. Don't like those characterizations? Too damn bad

I love micheal moore

The richest 400 Americans -- that's right, just four hundred people -- own MORE than the bottom 150 million Americans combined. 400 rich Americans have got more stashed away than half the entire country! Their combined net worth is $1.6 trillion. During the eight years of the Bush Administration, their wealth has increased by nearly $700 billion -- the same amount that they are now demanding we give to them for the "bailout." Why don't they just spend the money they made under Bush to bail themselves out? They'd still have nearly a trillion dollars left over to spread amongst themselves!Of course, they are not going to do that -- at least not voluntarily. George W. Bush was handed a $127 billion surplus when Bill Clinton left office. Because that money was OUR money and not his, he did what the rich prefer to do -- spend it and never look back. Now we have a $9.5 trillion debt. Why on earth would we even think of giving these robber barons any more of our money

How The Christian Left Can Get It Right

How The Christian Left Can Get It Right by Todd Huffman

A close friend recently lamented in conversation that the Republicans have “stolen God”. Maybe, I said, but at least we still have Jesus. While many on the righteously religious right say they’ve “found” him, the story of the Jesus they’ve found is the one they’ve written themselves – the one in which a vengeful Jesus wields his cross as a sword and a shield. That’s not the Jesus I know, nor the one known by many Americans, irrespective of their political affiliations. I personally know at least a dozen Republicans who voted against their party in last November’s elections in part because they recognize this. They recognize that their party has been hijacked by those who’ve taken scissors to their Bibles and cut them so severely that their version now begins with the Old Testament and ends with Revelations, with little resembling Jesus’ teachings left in between. America in 2005 might be better understood not as a nation divided into red states and blue, but as a nation divided by two Christianities. While acknowledging and celebrating the presence of millions of Americans practicing religions other than Christianity, or practicing no religion at all, the simple fact remains that most Americans define themselves as Christian. How terribly unfortunate it is for non-Christian Americans, and for the world, that the conflict between the two American Christianities will direct the events of the 21st century. Americans who consider themselves Christian can be generalized as thinking about Jesus in one of two distinct ways. For many, Jesus was a divine spirit who died for their personal sins. To accept him as your savior is to be saved, and the pursuit of one’s personal salvation is paramount to all other concerns. One’s personal and exclusive relationship with Jesus matters far more than his admonitions to care for the poor, the weak, and the oppressed. For a smaller number of Americans, Jesus is believed as a peasant revolutionary who lived by example, and died for grace and compassion. To model your behavior after his is to bring heaven closer to earth. To turn away from your fellow human beings is to turn away from his teachings, and from God. This is the Jesus I believe in. Raised Christian but now identifying myself as Unitarian, I have long been struck by the smallness of Jesus – no, not small in any physical or inferior sense, but small in an unassuming sense; small enough to fit inside each one of us and yet be noticed by so few of us. The more magnificent our abundance, the more unnoticed he is. The Jesus I believe in was born of the most humble beginnings and raised in poverty. Throughout his life, Jesus was concerned with the poor, the powerless, and the oppressed. He was the friend of sinners, of the undesirables, and of the outcasts. Ridiculed, scorned, betrayed, condemned and crucified, his life was defined by suffering. The Jesus I believe in honored the victims, the sufferers, and the soul. In America today, we honor the victorious, the successful, and the body. Jesus glorified the dignity of all, whether he agreed with them or not. In America today, we largely shame the dignity of those we disagree with. Jesus resisted all temptation toward spectacle. No dazzling, pyrotechnic displays of omnipotence from him! In fact, Jesus refused the temptation of coercive power, knowing respect and faith are garnered through patience and compassion, rather than compelled through fear. Using power and the promise of security to force obedience was the way of Herod, the Rome-installed “King of the Jews”. Jesus instead preached the way of God, the way of nonviolence. He was quite explicit in his pacifism: “Love your enemy”, and “resist not evil”, he said. Jesus refused the temptation to destroy evil by force, preferring to destroy it by faith, and love. To this Jesus, a nation that rains down destruction upon another people, and then waxes triumphant, cannot possibly be becoming in God’s eyes. A leader who claims war as his providential mission is a leader whose Christianity, as well as that of his followers, needs to be born yet-again. Blessed are the conquerors! Blessed are the strong! No, Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek”, and “Blessed are the peacemakers”. The Jesus I believe in saw people not as citizens of nations, but of Mankind. Nations he considered inventions of men; no one truly favored over another by God. I wonder if Jesus would consider it vainglorious to say “God Bless America”, as if America were divinely entitled – singled out for and deserving of special blessings, especially during wartime. Somehow I cannot imagine God up their in the cosmic bleachers as war plays out down here on earth. Look! There’s God! He’s cheering for us! He’s waving our flag! The Jesus I believe in is impartial, even to a fault. If he shows favor, it is only towards the weakest and most humble members of humanity. This country once welcomed such people, as evidenced by Emma Lazarus’ eloquent invitation to the tired, the poor, the huddled masses, and the homeless inscribed at the base of our Statue of Liberty. Now these are the people our nation has forsaken. If the Christian Left is to win this 21st century conflict, we cannot let anyone steal the Jesus we know. It’s up to us to insistently restate and defend the true Christian principles – Jesus’ principles – of justice, humility, grace, and compassion. It’s up to us to walk with the poor, the sinners, and the undesirables. It’s up to us to call national attention to the gulf between what Christians are called to do – be peacemakers, lift up the hungry and impoverished – and the unjust, war-mongering, wealth-favoring policies of our self-proclaimed “born-again Christian” political leaders. It’s up to us to refute the myth widely-held amongst the powerful and wealthy that power and wealth are somehow a mark of having established a personal relationship with Jesus, and that poverty and suffering are punishment for having not. To believe in this manner simply dishonors the teachings of Jesus, who chose a life of poverty, and gave his life for grace and compassion. It’s up to us to insistently call attention to the planks Jesus would see in our national eye: our growing numbers of homeless and impoverished, our increasingly ill-fed and ill-educated schoolchildren, our evermore neglected disabled veterans and chronically ill. It’s up to us to finger those on the righteously religious right as hypocrites for abusing the name of Jesus to promote their personal bigotries, hatreds, and revelational fantasies. It’s up to us to finger them as hypocrites for claiming to follow the Prince of Peace by serving the God of War. It’s up to the Christian Left to talk more, much more, about spirituality and about Jesus. Protecting separation of Church and State does not require that religion be banished from public discourse. If it’s true what my friend said, that the righteously religious Republicans have stolen God, then by continuing to let them control the religious conversation we'll soon let them succeed at stealing Jesus, too. Todd Huffman, MD is a pediatrician living in Eugene, Oregon. He is a regular political columnist for numerous publications.

Thank Liberals for sound banks

Canada's banks are sound because Liberal policy prevented bank mergers. Our "little" banks did not "compete" in a larger playing field along with the "big players," nor did they entangle themselves with big global players' toxic lending activities. Because of Chrétien and Martin's foresight, three Canadian banks now rank in North American's top 10 by market value and the remaining two are not far behind.Thank God for Liberal sage stewardship. Thank God Prime Minister Stephen Harper never got his majority. Harper never got the chance to impose his "less government is best" mantra.According to BDO Dunwoody/Chamber Weekly CEO/Business Leader Poll by COMPAS, as published in the Financial Post, Harper advocated a reversal of Liberal policy, allowing for bank mergers. Harper's deregulated Canada would have ended up like Iceland.The Bank of Nova Scotia is no longer based in Halifax. Similarly, the Bank of Montreal has headquarters on Bay Street. Harper's unleashed merged banks would have relocated on Wall Street, far from the prying eyes of the OSFI; while "shell" offices not dissimilar to those still in Montreal and Halifax would maintain the pretences of "national banks."Minority status notwithstanding, Harper managed to rush us into American fiscal foolishness and our own version of subprime silliness only after Conservatives opened the doors to predatory American competition.

Obama is awesome !!!

The quality that I most like in President Obama is that I see him as a "process" person. Someone who cares as much about the process of making decisions as the decisions themselves. A lot of hurt can be accomplished by a "decider" stance. How many of us in our family lives rely solely on the "decider" model to make decisions? Don't we listen to what our family members have to say? It should be the same way with our President. Listening to others is never a sign of weakness; only strengthThe failure of human groups to make rational decisions is usually a failure of process. This is something we have to rationally evolve. Obama is a student of group process, and he is showing a masterful touch for trying to improve decision making by getting not only the smartest and wisest people around him, but a process that works better than what was used by Bush et al. I am increasingly impressed with Obama and pleasantly surprised that he is actually doing what he said he would do, but accomplishing it though group and interactive process. Great to see.The MSM is going nuts over the what they claim as Obama's contradictions in torture policy. Fox News has made a lot of hay from this subject, because it feeds into their mythology of wishy-washy Democrats. Sure we all want justice for the crimes of the Bush administration, but it isn't that easy when there is a 25% base that will always support Bush, and another 20% that are either scared, misinformed or both. Obama may have won the popular election, but he is far from eliminating the influence of the Republican Party, and that explains why he is reluctant to create commissions, distractions and politics until the timing is right.I agree with Obama, that torture commissions and war trials will be an enormous distraction, and will cause psychic damage to the public, even though the crimes were heinous. The demons are now out, and the battle begins. The public loves simple subjects like wars, celebrity names, scandal and a good OJ trial, which is the red meat of the MSM."The President is a "Centrist". He does (@ will always) govern from there. He is not a Conservative, or a Liberal. There are some things he will be liberal about, as there will be things that he will be conservative about. His ideology is pragmatism. What is the best that we can do now given the present circumstances to ensure sucess moving foreward is how he operates. Get used to it. We elected a "smart guy". He will analyze every problem from every angle before moving. We're so used to Dubya's "gut" that we forgot what an intelligent president is! Go Obama!"

Jack Layton: Captain of the team to re-elect Stephen Harper

by Richard Littlemore
If Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper is re-elected next week as Canadian prime minister, he will owe the biggest vote of gratitude to the New Democratic Party and its leader Jack Layton.There has been comment enough about the lack-luster performance of Harper's most dangerous opponent, Liberal leader Stephane Dion, but the Liberals aren't losing this election because Dion lacks charisma. The Liberals are losing because the NDP has pushed tax-averse voters into Stephen Harper's lap.The proof of this clumsy and wrong-headed maneuver can be gleaned from the rolling public opinion polls that Simon Fraser University collects and makes available here. You will see that, as of today (Thursday, October 9, 2008), Tory popularity is down slightly from where it was when the party won a minority in 2006, but that Liberal support is down even farther.In most places in the country, you could imagine that the reason was - again - Stephane Dion's failure to use the English language in a way that voters find appealing. But if you look at the polling results in British Columbia, you'll notice how effective the New Democrats have been with their attack on the federal Liberal carbon tax.In a cynical effort that values political opportunism over sensible policy, the NDP has been attacking a provincial "Liberal" carbon tax since early this year. (For people who are not from these parts, BC Liberals are NOT the same as federal Liberals. The BC brand is a coalition of Liberals and Conservatives, who stand together to keep the NDP from power on the Left Coast.)When Stephane Dion's federal Liberals found the courage to propose a carbon tax this summer, the federal NDP (which IS connected to the provincial NDP) extended the craven anti-tax attack, critically undermining support for what is - according to 230 top economists - the most promising piece of climate change policy that has ever been made available to Canadian voters.So, the NDP has successfully undermined the federal Liberals. Bravo to bare-knuckle politicking!But did the disaffected voters switch to the NDP? No chance. People who are blindly anti-tax are not ever going to join Jack Layton's lefty army. They drifted instead to the Tories, who have enjoyed a bigger increase in support in British Columbia than in any other part of Canada.Looking at national results, it seems likely that the New Democrats have done enough damage to provide the increasingly unpopular Tories with a free pass back to the halls of national power. The only hope is that environmentally conscious voters will act strategically in tight ridings and gang their votes for the candidate most likely to defeat the Conservative.

harper sucks

How dare some old conservatives patriarchal puffball speak for me. I strongly object to the conservative statements that canadians are upset and confused and against the coalition. I am all for it. Dec. 1 was a GREAT DAY FOR CANADA - it means that there is still such a thing as democracy alive in this country. I was getting discouraged by the prospect of being held hostage by bullying conservatives for another four years, so when I heard about the coalition, I was elated. The energy of the coalition is just so very good and I support the coalition 100 percent. All that conserrvative fear-mongering about separatists running our country is just goofy. Duceppe clearly said last night that he was not a part of the coalition but supported it and would continue to work on behalf of Quebecers best interests, but WITH RESPECT TO THE REST OF CANADA. What about that is so difficult for mentally-and-morally-challenged conservatives to understand? But since conservatives don't understand much, let them shut up rather than dare to try to speak on my behalf.

conservatives are liars

Reform Alliance Conservatives had no trouble preparing a document on election night 2000 to be signed by Stockwell Day, Joe Clark, Gilles Duceppe to form a government if Liberals did not get a majority. Harper himself signed a letter together with Duceppe and Layton in 2004 to oust Paul Martin. Harper has given more to Quebecors including 'Quebec Nation' and paying $3 billion of our money and he can't beat the Bloc. Talk about sleeping with the enemy. Harper throughout his entire career in government has always dependent on and propped up by Duceppe, over 100 times in parliament

fiscal conservative my ass

This is about Harper's mis-handling of government finances. Very different matter and very much within his control. Had Harper not gone on a record breaking spending spree to buy votes... we would be nowhere near a deficit.Had Harper not wasted away the Liberal contingency fund which was designed precisely for these kind of economic and fiscal times... we would be nowhere near a deficit.Had Harper not cut the GST... we would be nowhere near a deficit.Had Harper not slashed away at government revenue sources... we would be nowhere near a deficit.Like his own appointed budget chief said yesterday: the looming deficit is Harper's fault. But once again Harper is passing the buck and not showing real leadership.

Harper blah

Power grab? Why do people delude themselves into thinking that politics is about anything other than attaining political power? It's such an inane comment to make, in my view. Of course it's about power! Harper and his government, disproportionately comprised of well over 70 evangelicals, wants power to roll back laws on our universal health insurance system, gay marriage, abortion and other women rights like pay equity, social spending, Aboriginal rights, etc., while liberals, social democrats and sovereigntists want power so that they can pursue sound economic principles and social justice for all Canadians. To implement either agenda, one needs political power. Just make sure you vote for those MPs that best reflect your personal value system.....and now a mesage from our sponsers ..............If Paul Martin's Liberal minority government falls, you should] consider your options....We respectfully point out that the opposition parties, who together constitute a majority in the House, have been in close consultation..."-Stephen Harper, September 2004, in a letter to then-Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, calling for her to ask him to form government in the event that Martin's minority collapsed

palin uh ewww

Sarah Palin still thinks she is running as VP? Is she in denial, the race is over!!!! Stop making excuses why you did not win. Katie Couric simply asked what do you read, the average American could have answered that- it was not a trick question!!! If anyone exploited your children, it was you, because you were the one who kept bringing them on stage day after day! If you did not like Saturday Night Live, then why did you make a guest appearance!, if a student is not attending school, they are considered a drop out, I suppose Alaska has a different rule. I wonder what blogger told you that President Elect Obama was a Socialist and a Terrorist? Sarah, your crying just does not add up- we all understand that you do not want to be forgotten- believe me, we will not forget you- but you do not have to keep making yourself available for stupid comments at every reporter's whim! I am sure you are needed in Alaska!Vice Presidential nominee running with a 72 year old with a history of cancer... Palin was running for an office that very likely could have made her the leader of the free world. Damn right we are going to scrutinize. There is nothing "arbitrary" about that and Ms. Couric did an excellent job. Is Govenor Palin really that stupidBtw ...this is so awesome ...i hope they nominate her for 2012 .....ok ok ...i have something better ...Jeb bush wins the nomination and then picks palin as the Vp pick...omg omg ..... i love it i love it ...Republicans are no nothing party .!!!!!