These are the Days…for the well to do

 Boy the way they love free trade, why don’t they just have a parade, how the rich guys have it made, these are the days.

And it gets hard to grin, everyone seems to be republican, mister we could use a man like MLK or JFK again.

Higher unemployment rates, why can’t the poor just pull their weight, tax rates for the wealthy are just great, these are the days.

TSD

Halloween Reasoning

I find it necessary to open my heart on this Halloween and to share some honest thoughts. My first observation is about the current holiday. There seems to be a parallel between the Halloween of the past and the political scene of a kinder, gentler time. TSD in no way longs to roll the clock back and go back in a time machine to relive the racism or less technological times. I can speak of a childhood in the 70's and 80's. During my younger days, Halloween was simply the high holy day of candy. Clunky costumes and brown paper bags for collecting the tons of treats were the order of the day and teaming up with family or friends for the effort. We were free to dress as a devil or witch or ghost or vampire....non twilight kind or a zombie or werewolf without anyone taking it personal or being offended. I also remember local churches having haunted houses in their gym areas. The rumors began to swirl of apples with glass or razor blades in them and poison candy. These rumors took hold and evolved into fears of Satanic worshipers taking kids from the street and using this date as a Satanic high holiday with blood sacrifices. The sentiment spread across the land and the churches stopped the haunted houses, the costumes had to be non scary and we even had the war cry of "reclaiming the holiday". The celebrating of Halloween has become forbidden unless you are at an approved event, typically a "trunk or treat" event at church and don't bother showing up if you dress as anything scary. I do have an honest confession and apology to make here. There was a small point in the life of TSD when he was searching for truth and had thought the answer was in a strict church life. I participated in the theory and practice of Halloween being evil and bad. I have since had an awakening and know better and could never, in good faith, deny the kids the right to celebrate the greatest candy day of the year. I say all of this to relay my current experience to you. I took one of my children and her friends out tonight for trick or treat. I never gave much thought to the fact that today is Sunday but it quickly became apparent that this clash is ongoing. Some churches had trunk or treat tonight, some had a regular service, some had no service and many told their congregations of the horrors that society has bestowed upon us and the sin of celebrating this day. Entire subdivisions and groups of people decided to protest this holiday being on Sunday by offering treats only on Friday or Saturday or a very limited time on Sunday. My crew started in a large subdivision at dusk. There were a few front porch lights on and the kids went to the doors. We were quickly informed that they had done the trick or treating on Saturday and there would be no treats tonight. We also found a neighborhood that secured their gates to keep the trick or treaters out for the night. After a lot of driving and searching, we were able to find at least 2 areas that welcomed the kids. Some of the homes that we located were decorated for the event and the kids and parents on site were very much into it. Thankfully, we were able to celebrate the holiday enough that the kids never had to know of the conflict within the event. I couldn't help but be sad about the state of affairs. The truth is that we have become so divided as a Nation by all of the scare and fear of the political players that we can no longer reason together. There are bad people out there and they do want to harm us. The Liberals have been so vilified that we almost find reason to be skeptical of legit threats and the conservatives have found comfort in the hate and they feel that they can control the message and the world by convincing the public that there is a terrorist or Democrat hiding behind every door. Can we ever get back to the common sense and common courtesy that made us a great Nation? Can we agree that there is a common enemy and that we can work to be safe and believe in each other? We have a system and a game in place now but I long for a new, fresh time when we no longer allow witch hunts for our fellow man just because they are on the other side of the political isle but what I really fear is that this change can only take place through violence and cleansing of the worst kind. We have ignored the signs of failure and we have winked at the evil that does lurk in some of our hearts and minds but for some, there will be no change of heart until our bleeding hearts cease to beat. Maybe we could start with a simple step of giving Halloween back to the children by allowing them to dress as they choose and let them have a night of sweets and escape in a world that has become so dark and bitter.

The People's Plan

Just for consideration. Imagine that the people could come together a provide a better way to health care. The following is a brief description of an idea that I have been working on. By sharing this vision, I have two thoughts. The first is to gauge support for the idea and the second being to risk that someone will borrow the concept and make it their own. I'm tired of waiting and praying for a true Universal Health care option. The people that we have elected are not trying hard enough to provide the relief that we need. My greatest belief is that we could locate enough people, with a common purpose and that we can combine our smaller means into a greater cause for humanity. By providing for others, we will have what we need. Please feel free to add your ideas or support either in the comment section or on the facebook page. This would not be insurance but simply a way to pay for proper health care.

Monthly premiums- $300 for individual and $700 for family plan.
We would have to reach a certain commitment level before we could begin the program.
People would have to pay into the program for 6 months before they would be eligible for a claim or benefits. This to establish the fund for paying claims.
There would be zero deductible and no such thing as a pre existing condition.
This program would cover 100% of doctor, dental and surgery cost, including Rx.
The program administrators and workers could make a maximum salary of $100,000 per year. If there were a National sales person, they could have travel expenses paid but there would be no huge income rates or golden parachutes.
If the program was based on 1,000 members to start and the rate was based upon the minimum of $300 per month, in six months, the program would have $1,800,000 to start paying health care for the people. As you can see, the numbers only improve with more members and the coverage would be the best available. Since it is not insurance, we would have the ability to negotiate rates for Rx and doctors if we so desired. The intent of the program would be to provide a full coverage health care plan for all members by placing monies into a common fund. If the numbers were big enough, there would never be a lifetime limit of payout of claims...like the insurance companies like to do at 2-3 million. Some folks would have big claims and some would have very little but the numbers speak for themselves. The biggest threat would not be competition because no other insurer would be willing to cap the salaries or provide 100% benefits but rather, the biggest threat to the program would be that the insurance giants would try to buy the fund out. My idea would be to further place a contract over the fund that would prohibit the selling of it for an extended amount of time as well.

The idea sounds simple and it really is but I believe that the power of the people is strong. This program can cross political lines and be the basis for the health care that we all deserve and need. Please add your voice to this page and feel free to share the concept with others. I will be starting a facebook page for the idea as well. If you agree with the concept and would be interested in becoming a part of the fund, join the facebook page and if the numbers prove to be large enough, maybe we can make the dream a reality.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=157980040882789&ref=ts

TSD- 09/06/2010

The Rich and the Wrong

The Southern Donkey has a pedigree is religion. Sometimes my rantings and observations lead to friends and readers asking if I still retain my faith. The truth us, that life has offered me much sadness and heartache in this area. The more that I am honest with myself, the more I question everything. I notice that the real problems within the church can almost always be traced to power and greed. I recently sat under a sermon from a well meaning Pastor and the scripture being preached was on the following...
Luke 18:18-23 (with the context of vss. 24-30 also)

[18] A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

[19] "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good -- except God alone. [20] You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"

[21] "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.

[22] When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

[23] When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.

If you are a true believer, these verses are pretty simple and straightforward, the first lesson being that Jesus did not like being called "good" but yet we have reached a point that the religious leaders do like being called good and perfect and like being given free things and receiving discounts on everything. The second lesson is that the rich young ruler lied by saying that he has always kept every commandment which is of course, impossible so Jesus one ups him and says that since he has kept all the commands, then he needs to sell all his stuff and give all his wealth to the poor. This makes the rich young ruler sad because he was very wealthy. The health and wealth preachers love to say that this is not a sermon about how evil money can be and that the real story is that we allow people and things and attitudes to come between us and God. Given the chance to speak out against the big and rich church society, it is rare to ever find a Pastor that will do so. The problem is that many of the Pastors are well paid and well supported by the cheering crowd of the well to do and aspire to have more and more wealth and benefits. There is never a reason for big religion to have fat bank accounts and money horded up while the world around them dies and goes without. Playing church for show and dough is and always has been a sin. The church is no place for rich and powerful elite people that are racist and use their wealth to influence the pulpit with political party support and to silence the real message that should be shared.

A Republican Prayer

A Republican Prayer

Father forgive me for I have sinned
I have taken from the poor and provided for the rich
In your name I have declared wars and taken lives
I have taken bribes and embraced controversy
Hate and deceit have been on my tongue each and every day
I strive to obtain power no matter the cost to my fellow man
Pride has allowed me to sit in places of honor and esteem
While the poor and helpless wonder in the street
I have not been accountable in my moral state
But I have judged others as guilty with no shame
Money and greed have been my only concern
As long as I have mine, who cares if the world burns
Deny my fellow man the same rights I have
Don’t you know marriage is only between a Woman and a Man
I have no respect for the leader elected by choice
But I have questioned his birthright with a loud voice
Can there ever be hope or change for a sinner like me
Or have my choices confirmed my own dark destiny?

Top 10 Reasons to be a Democrat in the South

10. It's a ground floor opportunity. Lots of room for expansion.

9. You don't have to worry about matching any outfits to a rebel flag motif.

8. You can have ethnic friends.

7. It's a great way to make a preacher cuss.

6. You don't have to watch fox news.

5. You can have other hobbies besides shooting wildlife without questioning your manhood.

4. You can admit that Global Warming is real.

3. You don't have to be wealthy to have a voice.

2. You can run for office and make a difference.

1. There are plenty of parking spaces at our meetings.

Distorted Fireworks

The 4th of July should be a time to celebrate the independence of the United States. In the South, this means fireworks, overeating and jumping in a pool or pond. The meaning of this date should be simple but it is often lost and revised by well meaning Americans. On this day, let us reflect on the good and the bad.

The Good- America was founded for many reasons. Some of the early settlers that came here from Europe wanted a chance at a better life for themselves and their families and others came here because of religious conflicts with the Church in Europe. There was no established and or accepted one reason for the people coming here. The original settlers seem to have tried to coexist with the Native Americans and contrary to popular conservative belief, the Europeans were strangers in the land.

The Bad- America has been made out the be a noble establishment sanctioned by God without fault. We have been glamorized into a perfect foundation and it was our "christian " right to possess the land and oust the savages that were here before us. We have also rewritten history to place into fact that the founding fathers were all christian men and founded the Nation on God and the bible.

I found myself at a local church service today. It is always cause for concern for me when a patriotic holiday occurs on a Sunday. This is because of the mixing of the political and religious that has taken place over the past 20 years or so. I have in the past, observed people in the congregation, raising their hands and worshiping to the star spangled banner and I have seen veterans stand and do infomercials for the military from the pulpit. Of course, the common inference is always that God and Country and Republicanism are the same and equal thing. These days often turn into Obama or Democratic bash-a-thons and it is almost more than any normal person can stand.

The undeniable fact is that this Nation declared it's independence from Britain and it's self imposed tyrannical rule and then we imposed our own tyrannical rule and will on the Native American people. For lack of a better term, we are a bastard Nation that took a Country by force and exterminated the Native occupants almost to extinction. I know these are not words that make us want to celebrate and party but they are true nonetheless. I sat through a local pastor today that stated that this Country was founded by christian men and that the men that signed the Declaration of Independence were mostly christian and based that document on biblical and christian beliefs. My questions are many. If these founding fathers were as smart as we say that they are, then why did they not specifically state the christian beliefs in this document? If these were really Godly men, why did we not mention slavery being a bad idea? The local pastor said that the founding fathers wanted the bible to be taught in schools and that we could not find even one current congressmen that would support that notion nowadays. Not only do we have one that would support that, but we have every Republican and some conservative Democrats that would be for that. It would be a horrible idea and it would violate the very intent of the founding fathers documents. He also placed some art from the capital on a big screen above the sanctuary. The first painting was one of Pocahontas being baptized. The pastor was so proud to state that the legends of Pocahontas had left out the fact that she had become a Christian and had changed her name to Rebecca...a more Christian and less Savage name. I found that statement to be very offensive in and of itself. He went on to state that the Founding Fathers were not Deist like some would contend. He gave examples of approx. 6 of the men that signed the Declaration of Independence that were Christians. He said that he would not bore us with naming more of them for time sake. The funny thing was that 5 of the 6, were hardly known men and he used Samuel Adams as the anchor. This is coming from a pastor of a church that preaches against drinking at all and he is using Samuel Adams as his best example? I think he did not continue with more example because for every one that he gave, I could provide 2 that were not christian but were at best Deist and no, Deist is not Atheist. Deist believe in God only. They do not support or argue over his front men or prophets.

My point is, that I am getting very tired of the sentiment that we were founded as a christian Nation and that all the Founders were perfect christian people and that this Nation has been chosen by God to rule in dominion over all the earth. There is always negative comments about the current society being bad when compared to the good old days. I even heard a local speaker at a christian golf tournament say that we are an illegitimate Nation as he was referring to single parent households and Liberal ideas. As you will remember, I called us a bastard Nation earlier and we are but the bastardization started at the founding and has gotten worse because of our self righteous beliefs and our bull mentality toward anyone and anything that we don't understand or like.

On this day, let us reflect on the good and the bad but in our own way, let us better ourselves and speak out against the overreaching of these United States. Celebrate Independence and acknowledge our faults and strive to make this a better place for future generations. And the lesson that I learned today, is that the next time that there is a patriotic holiday on a Sunday, this Democrat will not be attending.

Life Within the Bubble

"These are the times that try men's souls." If you know your history, you already know that this statement was made by one of our great founding fathers, Thomas Paine. This is my favorite founding father and his writings are highly recommended but that is for another day. The aforementioned words were spoken in relation to the tyranny of Britain toward the United States. We did prevail and establish our Nation as free. We have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and are the “most free” Nation on the Planet. The former President even liked to say that we were attacked because of our freedoms. But I want to submit a question…are we truly free? We do have freedoms but often, personal freedoms come at a great cost. Thomas Paine, one of the founding fathers and no doubt, a patriot, ended up as an outcast because of his religious writings. He only had a few people that attended his funeral for fear of being associated with him. I have found that living in the South offers a very limited box of freedom. Although you can go anywhere that you like and you can for the most part, even harm your own body with all types of drink, pills and smoke, you are placed into bubbles of reality. Being involved in any of the recognized religions, will place upon you a lot of restrictions and will curb your freedoms greatly. I speak to many friends that I have grown up with and although they say the right things and behave the right ways, they are often very oppressed on the inside and would live much differently if they could do so without being ostracized by friends and family. When you are a part of the establishment, you are often crushed by parents that feel that it is their job to break you into submission. The parents mostly mean well and consider it to be their duty that you go to heaven and declare openly that you accept their religious ways or they will have your blood upon their hands. This is not unlike the ways of Islam and other world wide religions that make it the parents and spouses jobs to convert and keep you in their ways. Again, I am not being anti God but I want to express that unless a person comes to accept these ways as their own, then they are largely meaningless. It is impossible for a person to save another persons soul. With that in mind, we must allow expressions that may roam and not agree with our personal guidelines and beliefs. Freedom is only free when it is given away and allowed to be exercised. Many people in the South are quick to judge and quick to hate anything that is not common or comfortable. The irony that exist is that many that struggle with demons in their own lives, often speak out loudly against those same issues the loudest. How many times have you seen a political leader or pastor speak against being a crook and then they are one or speak against being LGBT and they are those things as well? If we could ever allow for true expression, we would find a truly free society as a result. Honest debate is always acceptable but bullying and hate are not allowable and are not family values. We already have laws to act upon if there would be those that carried the freedoms into areas that exceeded the legal limits. Freedom to speak your mind but not in anger, freedom to be different in appearance through the way we dress or make ourselves up, freedom to explore who we are inside and out and freedom to be as religious or non religious as we determine would be the hope of this simple writer. If you have a daughter and all she hears from you is a hatred for “black” people, then she may end up doing exactly the opposite of your wishes and by the way, once and for all, there is no biblical restrictions or teachings to support racism is association or dating or marrying. I know, “be not unequally yoked” and this does not apply. The bible speaks of not being tied together or married with unbelievers. I was almost removed from a local church for telling a youth group this. It is common to have rebellion in kids and the more extreme the upbringing, the more extreme the rebellion can be. We just can’t wash our hands of others, especially children for making mistakes or deciding to be different. You do not have to agree or condone any actions but also, you can’t force someone to conform through guilt or threats. Guilt is the greatest weapon used in the South and maybe in the Nation. We are taught to feel guilty from a young age and many are never able to live a normal life without guilt and shame and biting and chewing fingernails. I have gone through many major events in my life including a near death car wreck and legal battles. The one thing that I have learned through it all is compassion. I try to make peace and offer understanding to those that may not have anyone to do so. I try to have no shock factor because sometimes folks need to feel that they are acceptable as they are. Tattoos and piercing are expressions and should not be criticized as are music and the arts. There are myriads of people out there who are awesome musicians and painters and free thinkers but they will never stoke the fires within  because they have been mentally beaten down into submission. My one desire for all would be that you can truly find your passion and be able to follow it until the fires burn low. We might find room for all to exist and less room for hate in the end.

The Southern Donkey-06/18/2010

At What Cost?

I have heard that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I would offer that the road to enlightenment or the straight and narrow path is littered with toll booths. Because of my writings, I have been asked if I have a problem with God? I do not have a problem with God but I do have many issues with his front men. I believe that access to God is free and easy, if you choose to believe in a God figure. It seems as though there are myriads of people that try to copyright God and claim to have exclusive access to him. If you will only pay a fee, you too can enjoy full access to all that is God. I can speak from a Christian background. We have often been taught that you can come to God as you are and that salvation is free but of course the free part is for a limited time only. Once we join forces with a church, the fees begin. We are expected to pay tithes and offerings or we are guilty of robbing God. If you are not a faithful tithe payer, then you cannot hold any office in church and you are no longer on the good list. It is amazing how we can go from free access to fee requirements to being a thief.
Christianity is not the only religion that ask for fees. Pretty much all cult set ups ask that you give up all of your material goods and give them to the leader who either is God or has access to God. It is ironic that the person that ask you to give up your possessions and money will then keep your treasure and live like a ruler or a king. Sounds familiar to the prosperity gospel that I have heard on television by what I call the superstar preachers. These folks will tell you that it is God’s will for you to be rich and to have fat bank accounts. This leads to all sorts of problems. An end result is that we now have “Christians” that are against helping the poor directly as well as the vile mixing of politics and religion that breeds hate and contempt for anyone that is not just like you. We transfer the beliefs that all other religions are wrong and we now believe that it is not possible to be a Democrat and a Christian and that all Democrats, Catholics, Muslims, Hindu, Mormans , Jehovah Witness, Atheist, Deist and any other non approved church or political party is wrong and headed for a Hellish end.
The fees for all religions are not always limited to monetary. Inherent in pretty much every religion is the belief that there is only one God and that only that specific faith has the access and that makes all other religions and even all other sects of that faith wrong. The fees can range from submission to the power establishment in the faith to working for free to even laying you life down in the hopes of obtaining a harem is the afterlife. In the current economic times, we are beginning to see the emphasis being placed upon the church member to give till it hurts. To give even at the risk of shorting the needs of your family is the mantra and cannot be supported by biblical scripture or by common sense. The leaders of the churches are concerned first with preserving their current lifestyle. Most pastors are given housing, have their expenses paid, including cars, insurance, utilities and any other expenses that are deemed worthy. This is a pretty sweet system and would be easy to get use to and hard to live without once you are in the system. I recently heard a Pastor state that he could not wait to get back to Church from a vacation so that he could give his tithes. This is a funny statement because it would be easy to give back a small portion as a rebate of what the Church just gave you. I promise that if you will give me $100 right now, I will gladly give you $10 back and we can repeat the process over and over as long as you like. I would sign up for that gig but the positions are few and the aspect of living with yourself and the inherent greed would be more than an honest person could stand.
If you step away from your bias and consider the big picture, each faith is built upon having a God. Most all require living by a moral code and most are based upon eventually reaching an afterlife destination or being punished in the afterlife in a hell or equivalent bad place. The purpose of hell seems to be a threat to keep subjects in line and to maintain the law order and fees required to keep the doors open on buildings required and to support the chosen ones with salaries and all expenses. The threat of hell leads to a guilt complex and makes even the most moral people question their motives and live under a weight and fear of an image of a God with a sledge hammer that is waiting to swing down on the heads of the guilty.
The churches and religions will seem to always demand an almost all voluntary support army. These are the people that out of obligation, guilt or kind heartedness run most all labor functions of the church. Teaching of Sunday school, collection of offerings, cleaning of the church, landscaping, etc. are some of the many examples of free labor demanded so that the upper management that is paid, can enjoy the power and Lordship that they have come to expect. The larger churches seem to have developed a system by which the higher up clergy as well as many chosen business people can profit. The good old boy system is alive and well in the church, especially in the more prosperous ones. There are contracts awarded for lawn maintenance, construction jobs and upkeep of facilities. The purpose of any church or religion should be to serve “God” and provide support and assistance to all who are in need. The purpose should never be to get rich or prosperous at the expense of the less educated and guilt ridden sheep that place their trust in you. If you truly follow the gospels, you would realize that ministry has nothing to do with a payment system, salaries or hording up money to pay for large buildings and political functions. Capitalism should not be welcome in church or in any religion and until we are free to take an honest look at the cost that we are paying and the fees that are being demanded, we can never be free to assist the ones that are in real need.

Just some simple ideas.

If we are truly a Nation of the the people, by the people and for the people, why do we not take care of the people? Did you realize that if we simply ended the 2 wars that we are in, we could provide health care for everyone, make everyone tax exempt for 1 year and give a rebate to everyone in an amount to pay off their mortgages? Can you imagine the economic growth and job growth that could be created in this scenario? I know...I am just dreaming here but maybe if we ever got back to America first, we could rally and finally help each other out.

An Epiphany and the Oil from Hell

TSD has had an epiphany and although I wish I were wrong, you be the judge. In my humble opinion, the flames that burn in the pits of hell are fueled by big oil. It has become obvious that big oil runs the world. There was a time when big oil and the automobile industry were hand in hand and seemed to conspire to keep modern advances in fuel economy, carburetor improvements and electric car equipment in the dark ages. I have heard stories for years about people that figured out ways to make cars run on water, trash, vegetable oil and all sorts of common items. I personally knew a man that figured out a way to increase fuel economy in large cars to an estimated 70 mpg with items that he purchased at a grocery store. Big oil made this guy an offer of $500,000 to start. The guy got nervous about it and eventually was made an offer that he could not refuse and he moved away. These stories are made out to be fantastical and are treated as make believe which is exactly what the big oil folks want. We learned who the boss was between big oil and the car companies when the economy began to tank. Big oil did not save the car industry but let the Government step in and keep them from the final curtain call. You would think that the car makers would have learned their lesson and would push forward with technology to end their reliance and dependence on big oil but the solution may not be that simple. I firmly believe that big oil has established ownership of the Government to the highest level and that they control the energy policy for the Country and they use the car makers and congress to do their bidding. We as progressives often think of ourselves as fighting the man and the large corporations that run the world. It is a noble cause however, it is a loosing battle as we do not have the numbers and influence and all the kings horses and all the kings gold can not match the billions and billions that big oil has. Take a look as the little slice of heaven called the Gulf of Mexico is being bombed with a lethal dose of oil with no end in sight. The ugly truth is that we have the technology to stop the well but we are witnessing another example of big oil exerting it's dominance over us and the environment. The worse the spill, the more the profits will be for big oil. The prices for fuel will begin to creep up because big oil will never pay their profits for the clean ups and recovery, they will simple increase prices to cover any clean up and recovery required. Why do the other big oil brothers not come to help BP? They have many ships and much technology to offer. They know that they stand to profit as standing in opposition to BP. We boycott BP and we use Exxon and big oil gets bigger and richer. I have said that the quickest way to stop the oil well from leaking would be to take BP executives from the top down and shove them in the hole and if it does not stop, then shove their money, cars, etc. in the hole. Funny thing is, I figure that after you shove the first one in, the leak would magically get fixed. Of course, when big oil is pulling the puppet strings, this would never be an option. Maybe it is time to realize that big oil is too big to fight. It is a global monster and lives on the souls and dollars of hard working people. The minions that have profited from big oil, have sold their souls for profit and you can not bargain with someone or something that has no soul. Perhaps we should allow big oil to profit from clean energy for the sake of future generations and for the sake of the environment. Big oil could be allowed to distribute solar power and wind turbines and all the technology to reduce the earth's carbon footprint. A handsome profit could be made by the over lords and we could begin to heal the planet. If it sounds like I have given into the corporate evil, you may be correct but at the moment of truth, I am not sure that we have any other options. We can continue to fight a loosing battle or when can perhaps make an effort to change the world for the better. Please offer your thoughts and opinions in the comments below and feel free to share any stories that you know about the technologies that exist that would allow us to live in a better and less petroleum based world.

Poster Boy...Looser!

TSD....update. Ever heard of Mike Gallagher? He is a local hack that has made it on the national conservative stage. This guy is considered to be a conservative all star but let me tell you the rest of the story. Many years ago, Mr. Gallagher was working at WFBC AM in Greenville,SC. He was a talk show host on a tiny scale and his show was typically about local issues such as high school fighting, popular culture and any other minor topic of local interest. I was working with a local church and had arranged for time on his station 1 night per week for 1 hour. I had paid in advance for the time and had lined up sponsors and guest for 2-3 weeks. The show was going to be a religious show aimed at local teenagers and the problems that they face and we were gonna take calls and play some tunes and try to help them cope with life. I made a final visit to the station the day before my 1st show and was called to the office of Mike Gallagher. Turns out, he was the acting station manager. He was very rude and short with me. He wanted to know what my show was about. I told him that is was a Christian based show geared to the youth. He said that he did not want any religious programming on his station and that since he was the manager, that was it and that I was done. I told him that I already had everything lined up and had paid up front. He said he would refund my money and pretty much threw me out. It was not long after this, that he got into trouble and was suspended for some racist remarks that he made on air. I assumed that he was finished and that justice had been served but as it turns out, he has reinvented himself as a conservative...God and Country right wing talker. Let me just say, that if Mike Gallagher is a Christian, conservative and honest person, then George Bush was a Rhode Scholar.

A Brief History Lesson

I continue to hear people from the red state locals all the way to the the mouth of the beast....fox news, speaking about how Obama is turning us into a Soviet style regime. I seem to remember the beginning of the Russian influence being in 2002. Bush created the Dept. of "homeland security"....the homeland? That sounds like mother Russia to me. Of course, we had just suffered a terrorist attack on the watch of Bush and we were told that any questioning of the leaders would mean that we supported the terrorist. The Patriot Act was a Soviet style over reach that basically jerked freedoms rug from under our feet as well. In the history of the United States from 1933-2001, we had 39 "czars" appointed. In the Bush administration, we had 35 "czars" appointed from 2001-2009. As any reasonable person can see, Mr. Bush....a republican, was the new age leader that brought us the art of czar appointments. Now, our leader, Mr. Obama has and will continue this trend because of the precedent set forth after 911 and the anxiety of the US since. We also witnessed our government using illegal wiretapping and eavesdropping on our citizens and the act of invading a sovereign nation that had nothing to do with the attacks of 911. The next time you see a tea party idiot or Palin or Limbaugh lashing out in "Beck" style, you may want to remind them of the facts mentioned here.

Big oil Sucks

It turns out that the oil rig in the Gulf is pumping 5000 barrels per day into the beautiful emerald waters. This is tragic and further proof that we are addicted to oil even at the cost of our natural treasures. I am including some images of Uncle Sam on big oil.

The Codewords of Dishonor

To those that have been asleep at the wheel, I ask that you awake and become familiar with the modern political vocabulary. Codewords are abundant and used as a dog whistle. I have composed a brief list of these words. Please feel free to add your own to the list through the comment section. The words shown here are used by the conservative super heroes to speak to their base and to insight responses as well.

Judicial Activism- This term as been used by political leaders and pastors and is used to describe any supreme court nominee that would not over turn Roe vs. Wade. You must understand that in this upside down, Sponge Bob opposite day world, up is down, black is white and wrong is right. Never mind the true activist conservative judges that overturn well established laws against influencing elections with corporate money. And be aware, that the new word being rolled out for the same issue is outcome based judging.

Entitlements- This translates to a hand out or give away, mainly used to infer that Mr. Obama is giving African Americans all sorts of free stuff. This was used to make people fear before the election. I was told by several people before last November, that "I like Obama and would consider voting for him but I'm afraid that he will just give everything to black people". The word entitlement is used by right wing radio to stir the white sentiment up against welfare and food stamps although the same folks are too ignorant to realize that the largest group receiving entitlements are white people.

Global Warming- This term is embraced by big oil and corporate giants because it is easy to manipulate and confuse the less educated masses with this term. When it is cold or snowy, such as when it snowed Washington under, the fox media machine loved to say...where is the global warming and Al Gore needs to build an igloo here. The better term would be climate change and anyone with any education knows that the warming is referring to the polls warming which is causing more moisture in the atmosphere and this can cause flooding, massive rain storms and more snowfall.

War on Christmas- Used by fox and conservative talkers to rally Christians into believing that the evil Liberals are trying to take away Christmas and the word Christ. In fact, we should be mindful that there are people that are Jewish or atheist that use the term happy holidays and there is no insult in using these terms instead of merry Christmas. This is another rally cry to the base. Nothing unites people like a common enemy.

Tolerance / Coexist- This term has been used for years to teach the sheep that it is o.k. to be politically incorrect and that tolerance means that we are trying to elevate the gay, black or Godless agendas over the "good American" ways. If you simply live by the golden rule, the proper actions will be taken.

Socialist / Communist- A way to project the hate, fear and discrimination of the Republican party onto the other side. The Republicans would be much more closely aligned with Hitler than Obama ever would and since they are aware of this, they try to paint the Democratic party with a cover up brush to divert attention from their own weakness.

War on Islam- This should be a war on religious extremist. The problem is, that then we would have to consider the abortion doctor killers, the tax revolt people that crash into buildings and gun violence nuts as terrorist as well.

Keeping us safe, weak on terror- Used to distort the fact that we were hit on George Bush's watch and there is no way that Bush and Cheney should be credited with keeping us safe when the worst terrorist attack in our history took place while they were in office. All attempts to blame the attack on Clinton are simply more of the same...excuses and distractions.

Obama is a Muslim, racist or was not born here- More ways to stir hate for any religion that is different and to further distrust of the government. Funny thing is, McCain would be the one that would be questioned on this issue as he was born in the Panama Canal military zone. Also, what we learned was that Reagan and McCain, who never attended church, were "Christian" but Obama and Carter who attend church all the time and have confessed their faith, are actually Muslim, sinners and evil....go figure. More of Bush's fuzzy math.

The Good Old Days

When you take back something that has not been stolen, you become a thief. I continue to hear Christian leaders speaking of fighting the culture war and taking back our Nation or taking back what has been stolen. I am having trouble seeing what has been stolen. I find that located beneath the surface, is simply a longing by these folks to go back in time to the "good old days". The problem is, the good old days were not all that good. I have no desire to go back to the times of no central air, no cable television and no Internet. What was so good about the past? Was it a time when women and black people knew their place? Was it a time when we beat the crap out of our kids? Yea, those sound like great times to me and by great, I mean horrible. I have been told that the old days did not have crime, drugs, gangs and disrespect of elders. I am afraid that this is simply not true. You can go back as far in history as you like and all of these things were present, they were simply kept more underground back in the day. It is not possible to insulate yourself from the world with an ancient world view or with a Christian culture. Whatever you decide to keep that close to you will eventually abuse you. Modern society is not at fault for all the evils on the planet and neither is a liberal media or mindset. If you want to subscribe to the good old days philosophy, that is fine, go as far back in a time capsule as you want to but do not get mad at me when you are left behind and become an obsolete member of society. In the end, when you take back something that has never been stolen, you have become the thief.

420... I Got Your Immigration

As you may know, today is an international day for pot smokers. While watching the debate in Arizona about immigration, I had to believe that the two were somehow related. I have three levels of no that I use with my kids and I think we can use them in relation to the current immigration debate and happenings in Arizona.

Level 1- Negative 400- This is the lowest form of no and is used to state an obvious no. The fact that the state of Arizona is trying to pass a law that requires proof of birth for presidential candidates in future elections. This is a direct challenge to Mr. Obama and the fools that think he is not an American citizen. Negative 400.
Level 2- Negative 4000- This is the medium form of no and is used to express a bit more force. This comes to mind when the state of Arizona is on the verge of passing a law that gives police and law officers the right to stop anyone that they think is not a legal citizen. This is dangerous and gives way too much room for abuse and racial purging. Negative 4000.
Level 3- Negative 420- This is the most extreme level of no and is basically infering that the obvious answer is no and you must be smoking some good stuff to even consider the garbage in your head. This would apply to anyone that thinks that immigration is a political issue and has a simple solution based in discrimination. I have heard many republicans say that we should kick out all of the illegals. Never mind that this would destroy families and be at a financial cost that can not be conceived. This issue is an American issue and not an issue that any political party does or should own. Reagan was for amnesty and yet the tea party and modern conservatives are against it. Anyone that is pro discrimination and would enact racist policies should be told by the voters...negative 420.

Of course, there is a simple way to really affect this issue. If we could focus on the companies that hire the illegal aliens and punish the owners or managers of these companies, this issue would almost work itself out. We are punishing the wrong people. The companies hire these workers, pay them less than promised, provide no benefits and if the worker is abused or gets hurt, they have no way to file a claim against the company. There are also instances where the companies will use these workers for a few months or years and then the company will turn the workers into the INS so that they do not have to deal with any pay increases, etc. There is no punishment made to the hiring companies. Change this one issue and the immigration problem will begin to improve.

Let us persue peace and kindness and promote harmony within the United States and have pity on all humanity.

What Gives?

I have to openly question the anger and calls for violence being made by the right wing. Let's get real here, I own guns, I have hunted, I fish and I am not a vegetarian and I drive a truck. I have never even considered taking violent actions against any republicans or republican politicians. As much as I despised Bush, Cheney and all the illegal and horrible policies that they made, I, nor any progressives threatened to form a militia or suggested taking our Country back by force. Why is it that republicans and conservatives can never accept loosing elections? The recent tea parties and talking heads are sore losers and incapable of civil discourse because the policies that they support have no merit and they can not win the open and fair debate. Jimmy Carter was trashed and blamed for an economy that was not his fault and was defeated due to the hostage situation in Iran that conveniently resolved just after the election of Reagan. Can you say dealing with the enemy to win an election? Clinton was a brilliant president and although he won 2 times, was never given any respect by the right wing, I remember every Sunday, Jerry Fallwell selling videos about Clinton running drugs and having people killed. The only thing that ever stuck to Clinton was Monica....no pun intended. Then came Bush who was selected by the supreme court and not elected. If you don't believe it, simply research the articles written about what the result of any recount would have been. Bush stole that election and you can forget about Clinton having an affair, Bush Screwed the entire Country. Did Al Gore protest, or did we riot in the streets? The answer is no, we accepted the loss and went about trying to elect another candidate. Where were all of these tea party fools when Bush resided over the largest expansion of government of all time? Where were these "patriots" when we were taken into an illegal war, had the war cost kept off budget and had big brother listen to our calls and look at our emails? Even though we disagreed with these horrible acts, the worst thing that we did as Liberals was to protest in peace with marches. No one stormed into a church and mowed down all the Bush disciples, no one flew a plan into a tax building, no one gunned down a guard at a holocaust museum after reading books by Al Franken and we did not march on Washington with weapons. Liberals are smarter and have the superior position in any true debate. When the facts are on your side, you do not have to lie, cheat and steal to win. Now we find ourselves once again in the middle of an all out assault on Obama. He was elected by an overwhelming majority and has been nothing but Honest and open and yet once again, the conservatives can not accept him as legitimate and they interfere with every effort that he makes. Again, we see violence and threats of violence from the pulpit to the air waves and again, the lemmings are following. We can only hope that we can keep the attackers at bay. If you belong to a militia or if you are sympathetic towards them, you are a redneck and wrong. If you think the President is not a citizen, you are stupid and racist. If you think the government is coming for your guns, you are a lemming and if you want to loose your weapons, go ahead and act on your paranoia and you will have them removed. Tea party people are not legitimate and are simply providing cover to the republicans so that they can say any nasty, racist and false thing that they want. I recently heard a "christian" person say that we are a fatherless and illegitimate nation. I wonder if he felt the same way under Bush? One thing is for sure, I have had enough of this right wing garbage. At this point, we should treat anyone that follows through with violence against the government, abortion doctors, federal workers and other authority figures as what they really are...terrorist.

Playing on a Short Field

Picture if you will, a football field. The end zone to the left is the Democratic Base and the end zone to your right is the Republican Base. You are seated at mid field on the 50 yard line. Back in the day...I refer to pre Ronald Reagan, the field was a full one and the choices in politics were very plain and obvious. There was freedom to cheer for your team and hardly any question of your moral integrity for choosing a certain side. There was a misconception made however that the media was Liberal. This became the launching point for a consistent effort to shorten the field by the right and to even the media bias at any cost. The Left was still busy trying to enact policy and provide leadership for the people and although we could see efforts being made to change the system, we were far too busy to get involved and we also thought that the people were smart enough to not be deceived by bogus tactics. Boy were we wrong on all counts. While we played by the old rules, the Republicans hijacked religion and the media, starting with the radio market and ending up with the mother of all evils, fox news. Right under our noses, the playing field got short changed from 100 yards to 50 yards. The entire game was now being played from mid field to the right end zone. The public was deceived into thinking that mid field was Liberal and that the red zone for the right was the middle. This is evident in the make up and discussions over the supreme court. We are now living in a land where Bush can nominate 2 of the most activist, conservative and openly Republican appointees of all time in Roberts and Alito. The Democratic leaders did not even challenge these choices based on the false testimony that they would not legislate from the bench and that as a gentleman's agreement, the next Democratic President could feel free to nominate qualified Liberal or Progressive Judges without a fight to the death with these same Right Wingers. We were once again proven to be gullible and have been stabbed in the back by these lying scums. Obama nominated Sotomayer, a well qualified person for the job but the Republicans went wild and you would have thought that the nominee was Malcolm X. As you can see, we are living in a world where mid field is now considered left wing and we are constantly told that we are a center right Nation. I submit that we are not now nor have we ever been a center right Nation. I submit further that we are a center left Nation. If the public was not constantly carpet bombed with conservative radio...the talk airways are overwhelmingly dominated by the right...over 90% and with conservative and biased "news"...fox news, then we might could see the truth. We might could get back to a level and full playing field. It is tough when the modern Republicans are hanging their collective hats on racial fears, moral guilt, fear of terror and the President and discrimination against the poor, ethnic and same sex relationships. The party of no has achieved all star status in delivering talking points, most of them being lies and in running on a sound bite rather than substance and policy. When they were allowed to govern with having the Presidency and both sides of Congress, we saw their policy and affects. The policy is obvious and a failure. Tax cuts to the wealthiest 2% and convincing the others that it is a moral obligation to vote for more of the same and against their best interest. If allowed to continue, the end result would be expanding and bankrupting the Government and killing Medicare, Social Security, Welfare and any other assistance or Social efforts, with the exception of Corporate welfare. I have noticed, that none of these right wingers seem to realize that there are more white people on welfare than black and Corporate Welfare exceeds public assistant programs by an insane amount. Simply look at Exxon Mobile, which made more profit in 2009 than any company in the history of the world and paid the large sum of $0 in taxes in the United States. Can you now see the impact of the Supreme Court ruling that money is speech and that Corporations can now spend unlimited amounts in support or hit ads in political campaigns. Thank you activist right wing judges. It is time that the Democratic Party spoke the truth because we have it on our side. We should expose the greed and lies on the right and make every effort to establish a full field again. At this point, we would have to have a Presidential race between Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich in order to have a legitimate debate again. This would force the public to choose between two very clear and distinct views and make a decision based on policy rather than all the other fluff. Maybe this analogy is too simple but I am compelled to believe that simple truth may be our only hope for the future.

TSD...Bustin a Rhyme

I'm feelin like I gotta spit some rhymes

if you'll take out your wallet and give me a dime

I'm greater than you are no matter what you think

I can afford to buy the state of California a drink

Throw your hands up in the air

Put one back down to untwist your underwear

I'm whiter than snow and and blonder than honey

There's not a bank big enough to hold my money

I voted for Obama and I got his back

And if your a hater, it's cuz your white, old and fat

Tea party peeps deserve to be tea bagged

They can't be sexy when they're sportin all that sag

This rap took like all of 5 minutes

If you think you can answer...two words...bring it!

Planes and Buses

The Republicans do one thing well. They can rally the masses to support a cause even at their own peril. The best mental image is that of the Republican party sending buses to pick up the low information voters. Imagine a bus with Christian logos and signs on it pulling up at church after church to pick up the the religious right wingers, then imagine a bus with racist slogans, pictures of Palin and nra logos on it pulling up at nascar events and hunting camps to pick up good ole boys and imagine buses with all types of fear and smear on the sides about Republicans keeping us safe and how Democrats are soft on terror pulling through low income areas to pick up anybody that can be scared easily. Now imagine if you will, a convoy of these buses lined up and rolling down the freeway on the war path, every bus full of mostly white people, each having their own angry reasons for being on board. What the buses are unable or unwilling to see are the large private jets flying above the buses full of very wealthy, pasty white, power players that own the buses and control the message delivered to the less informed masses through fox news, conservative radio and even through the standard media and pulpits. The fat cats flying way above are drinking and toasting and laughing at the army of fools below them. Comments being made include..."those Christians are nuts, they think we're going to overturn roe vs. wade" and "I bet the gun nuts down there can be worked up into a frenzy and will bring guns to see Obama". Limbaugh can be heard saying "if they knew that I am an animal lover and support Peta, they would die". Hannity and Beck are also in a plane and as they choke down caviar, can be heard laughing out loud and saying, "can you believe that the bus people are that stupid? They believe everything we say and they think that we are just like them". The truth is, the Republicans have figured out that it is easier to control a heard of cows than to let everyone use their minds and exercise freewill. By rallying everyone around common enemies, they ensure compliance by their base voters. The Democratic party has decided that free will and free thinking are best and therefore you do not see blind loyalty on the progressive side and you see much more diversity in voting and debating of the issues. The Democratic voters arrive on the political highway in junker cars, bikes,limousines and all manner of transportation. All that I can hope for is that folks will eventually wake up and notice the puppet masters that are controlling them so that we may once again return to a true debate of ideas and not just defending party over the Country.

Set the Record Straight!

All the recent hate and fear being spread by the tea party / republican party / Hannity, Beck and Limbaugh is nothing new but it is cause for concern. We are witnessing a perfect example of projection. This term is basically used to explain when someone has a problem with an issue and projects it upon others in order to appease the soul or to distract from their own issues. An example would be when George Bush and Carl Rove projected that John Kerry was a coward and did not deserve a purple heart. This was of course absurd and should have never been allowed to stand. Bush was a true coward and he surrounded himself with chicken hawks that used every trick and contact to avoid actual war service. The recent cries of socialism and communism and Hitler comparisons made by the above mentioned folks against the President is another huge example of projection. I know that the right wing of this country would be much more closely aligned with Hitler and the racism and hate that he preached and enacted. I recently visited a website for a German Metal Festival and the following is a direct quote from the site...."Racism will not be tolerated! Hereby we once again would like to state we are strictly against any form of right-wing philosophy or racism. We also count on your help: if you come across anything, please inform us immediately! Either approach security or, even better, go to the ticket counter. We will take immediate action against the people involved." So, I think we can deduct further that the next time you see a tea bagger with a racist slogan on his sign, you can rest assured that he is simply pointing out to the entire country exactly what he, the conservative talkers and the republican party are.

What the Government does right!

Seems like all we hear these days are talking points from the right side of the isle. I will give them credit, they can produce a bullet point and make it catchy enough for the whole base to understand. The most common phrase that I am hearing is that "the Government can't do anything right". This is being used mostly in relation to health care reform and the hope of eventually getting to a single payer system. The pundits are also saying that the IRS will be taking over the health care system and handing out fines and that the average pay for a physician in countries with single payer is $100,000 and this is shown on some conservative websites. The truth is that the average pay in countries with single payer is in the ranges of $200,000- $350,000. I would recommend that everyone watch the Michael Moore film Sicko as a homework assignment. Back to the actual point, the following is a list of things that the Government does right. Compare this to the corporate run failures of Blackwater, Haliburton and the money grubbing health insurance companies that only make profits by denying coverage and health care to those that need it.

US Post Office- The most reliable form of affordable mail service on the planet. The post office has hard working dedicated workers and I have zero reservations or doubts about sending a payment or photo to anywhere in the country. I am blown away that I can place a 44 cent stamp on an envelope and a few days later, it appears at my friends house in San Diego...across the Country. Now that's what I call service.

The much overlooked FAA. It is rare that planes crash unless there is a rogue tea party guy trying to destroy an IRS building. There is screening and testing performed and these are mostly run in an economical and proficient manner.

Social Security- This is the safety net for America and payments always arrive on time. Haters will always say that the system will eventually run out of funds but the cures are simple...such as not limiting the cap for social security tax as incomes go up to lofty levels. Thank God that Bush and the republicans were stopped from making this program private...the wall street crash would have wiped the program out.

Medicaid- Takes the rejects from the big insurance companies and never turns someone down for age or pre existing conditions and runs much more fluid and with less over head than corporate health insurance.

Public Schools- When funded and held accountable, this is perhaps the most underrated public program. We even provide free and reduced lunches and breakfast to children that can't afford them.

Fire Dept and Police Dept- These servants are underpaid and over worked but when you need them, they never ask what political party that you are in before helping and they never ask if your property had a pre existing condition that caused the fire or crime.

a short list of others would include but not be limited to....
FDIC, Public Library, Interstate Highways, DMV, the Military, NASA and many many others.

The dirty little secret is that Republicans have always hated social programs and if they could, they would end them all and have their corporate giant buddies take them over at great profits and at horrible service standards. I'm afraid that the tea party people are just too dumb to understand that they are doing the bidding of the corporate minions and republican masters and it is against their best interest to support crashing the Government and as a result, loosing the social security and medicare that they are using.

Don't Ask Don't Lie

The year is 2010 and we are still discussing the service of Gay people in the military? Call me crazy but I had dreamed of a world that no longer discriminated against others. I still meet people that are filled with hate and are homophobes. This is of course going to end up as a low information voter issue. The local churches are already getting cranked up and telling their congregations that the President is the anti-Christ because he is going to repeal the don't ask, don't tell policy for the armed forces. I have been approached by several church members that were using this talking point. My response was that the President is going to repeal the policy and he should. How can we continue to discriminate and support policies that do. There have always been gay men and women that have served in the military and unless all the haters are willing to take their places, then we need to use some common sense here and hold our tongues. Support the troops...except for the gay ones I suppose is the war cry of the right wing. I deeply believe that many of the religious leaders condone and support hate and hate crimes against the homosexual community. This falls into the category of creating a common enemy to rally the forces against. I have heard too any pastors and church members make fun of homosexuals and wink at the violence that takes place. If the truth was known, many of the men and women that speak so loudly against the gay community, probably struggle with homosexual urges as well. You may keep any feelings that you want and if you do not believe in gay marriage, don't marry a gay person but how can we continue to deny equal rights to all people?

The South

What comes to mind when you think of the South? For many southerners, the South is not properly defined. There are portions of the Deep South where the people consider you to be a Yankee if you live where it snows. I have tried to compile a short list of what most people would agree to be Southern States and what they are famous for. As you read, feel free to comment and leave your thoughts as to what comes to mind when you think of the South.
Virginia- Many Southerners below North Carolina do not even think of Virginia as a Southern State. Virginia is home to more US Presidents than any other state. Also as the bumper sticker says, Virginia is for Lovers.
North Carolina- For certain, we can almost all agree that North Carolina is a part of the South. The Wright Brothers come to mind as well as barbecue. They also play a little college basketball here.
Tennessee- College football gets the people of this state moving. Also known for Mountain living and Mountain music as well as the Blues.
South Carolina- I call it the buckle of the Bible belt. We are a state that does not like anyone telling us what to do. Known for having churches on every corner and a rebel attitude. Golf is king especially on the coast and people travel from far and wide to take advantage. Also the low country Shrimp and Grits are to die for.
Georgia- Also known for college football. Peaches are big time and the prettiest ladies are also called Georgia Peaches. I also have to mention Jimmy Carter, a very under rated President and Good Man.
Alabama- I know this gets old but also a famous College football state, Bear Bryant, need I say more? Also known as the heart of Dixie and the rocket capital of the world.
Mississippi- The Magnolia State. Home of the Blues and birthplace of Elvis. Old Southern Plantation homes can still be seen here. Catfish farming is a big business as well.
Arkansas- Hogs, both basketball and football are college traditions here. The Natural State. The Arkansas River as well. Sam Walton hailed from this state and we all know where that went. I also have to mention another of my favorite people, Bill Clinton. Although vilified by the right wing and Jerry Fallwell, he endured and history will show that he was a brilliant leader and took the American Economy to wealth and prosperity during his time in office.
Louisiana- Cajun life, Who dat? New Orleans Saints, world champions. The Mississippi river is more famous here than in its namesake. The French Quarter is world renown. Site of perhaps one of America’s biggest natural tragedies. The Government response to the Hurricane will forever be looked at in a horrific light. Craw fish Capital of the World. The first American army to have African American soldiers.
Texas- Everything is big there. Long Horn cattle and football. The Alamo. The Lone Star State. Mexican food famous around the globe. I won’t go into grand detail because there are folks that consider Texas more Western than Southern.
Florida- Although Deep South, is not claimed as such by some because of the large populations of Northerners…I.E. Yankees as well as the Cubans. Known for warm temperatures, golfing, the Gulf of Mexico with great fishing. Beautiful water and white sandy beaches. Everglades and gators both in the water and on the football field. I know, Florida State and Miami and a whole host of other teams. This is the richest talent pool for high school football in the world.

This list is brief and debatable but the point is, the South has much to offer and although it seems at times that I walk as a stranger among friends and relatives based upon my political beliefs, my hope is that we can find common ground above the political fray. We can all have or opinions but not offer judgment upon those that we disagree with. May we not make others into enemies based on radical talk shoes and ideas that are feed into us at church or on the radio? Comment freely and add your thoughts on what the South means to you.

Beer Goggles

I know we have all heard of the term Beer Goggles. Typically it is applied to people that drink and loose perspective as to the real appearance of the opposite sex. You go home with Megan Fox and wake up with Roseane Barr or for the ladies, you go home with George Clooney and wake up beside Danny Devito. I think this same phenomenon applies to the Republican Party as of late. I have wondered why the Republican folks that I know can in good faith, believe and spread all of the lies and mis-information? The only sensible conclusion can be that they are so proud to be in the Republican Party and a part of what they believe in that they simply can not see the true appearance of those that they follow and listen to. I'm not saying that the conservatives think that they are sleeping with Ann Coulter and then wake up to Rush Limbaugh although some might argue that they are both dudes. I am saying that they have been taught that the end justifies the means. In other words, if you believe that there is an evil...Liberal media out there, then you some how conclude that it is reasonable to lie, cheat and bend the truth....fox news. Also, if you are taught that to be a Christian, means to be a Republican, then you can judge any non believers and Democrats as hell bound. The Democratic Party may have it's issues but at least the supporters that I know are not wearing beer goggles. We typically know when we are spending time, especially intimate time with the less than attractive. We are also not afraid to voice descent within our own party. What appears to be a lack of governing ability is in reality a true exercise in democracy. It is somehow refreshing when you have a friend or a political party that will call you or the leaders on their Bull intead of simply drinking the kool aid with you. We have reached a point that a beer summit was needed to calm racial fears. Maybe if we could use the beer goggles on the opposite party insted of the opposite sex, we may begin to heal the great divide that so bitterly defines us as a Nation.

Pro Life?

Perhaps, no other single issue has so divided Americans. I used to not really know how I felt on this issue and frankly, at one point, I did not even care. We should look back historically at this term and realize that this term has indeed changed over time. The people and groups that opposed abortion were at one point referenced as anti- abortion and the people that supported the right to choose were called pro-choice. The religious crowd and their political gurus got involved and decided that the term anti- abortion was a negative term and they wanted to change the term to pro-life. They also wanted the pro choice folks to be called pro-abortion. This change was made through the so called “liberal “media and was pushed by pastors and churches and through the exploding medium known as conservative radio. The change was such a success that no one seems to even remember the former terms. My first comment would be that I am a male and as such, I feel that I am not qualified to decide what is best on this issue. Until a man can have a baby, I don’t think that we should be making these decisions for women. I can guarantee you that if men were the ones that got pregnant, then abortion would not only be legal, you would be able to get one at any grocery store 24 hours a day. I do agree with President Clinton when he said…”abortions should be safe, legal and rare”. I also would like to dispute the perception that abortion is used as birth control. There is simply no truth in women using this embarrassing procedure as a way to control pregnancy. What person in their right mind would want the cost and health risk and self guilt of going through this process over and over? My last question would be the same as I asked a group of conservative Christian people recently. I simply want to know if these same people supported the war in Iraq? The obvious answer is of course they do. My next question would be, you are anti-abortion as well? Again, the answer is yes. The final question would be, how can you be pro-life and yet support the killing of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of innocent lives in Iraq? I was shouted down after this question and was told that we were justified in killing the people in Iraq because that was keeping us safe. How could this be because the facts have been blurred? Iraq had nothing to do with 911 and had no way to harm us as a Nation. I’m afraid that these same people have been brain washed by the Bush administration and right wing media and somehow believed the propaganda about Iraq. If you have any doubts, simply perform a Google search and view the myriad of articles and interviews that admit such by President Bush, Vice President Cheney and all the others involved in the march to war. The point I want to make is, if you are a pro-life person, how can you support the killing of innocent people anywhere in the world? How can you care about an unborn baby but no care after they are born and how can you ever not support the right of every American to universal health care? Who would Jesus deny coverage to? I think that what we are looking at here is a case of ironic behavior. The same people that support small Government and keeping Washington out of your lives are more than happy to have the government involved in your life in the case of abortion, homosexual behavior and generally trying to dictate morality to others. If you are so against abortion, simply don’t have one. If you are anti abortion, then don’t be a war monger and don’t preach such hate that it cost a doctor, a nurse or a patient their lives at an abortion clinic. In my view, the hate merchants that constantly wink at violence against anyone in the legal women’s health profession, are nothing more than domestic terrorist and should be treated and prosecuted just like any other terrorist. Seems like lots of these folks also support torture and water boarding, maybe these treatments would be good for them if they plot, plan, preach or support any violence in the name of God. These issues will never be solved by your conservative leaders because they need a bogey man to unite the base. If the conservatives had any intention of changing the law, they would have done so on the many occasions that they had total control over the congress and the Presidency.

The White House

The White House

Weiner To Republicans: "You Guys Have Chutzpah" | The New Republic

Weiner To Republicans: "You Guys Have Chutzpah" | The New Republic

Recovery Act at Work

Route 66 in Tennessee. Recovery Act in action. This is proof positive that the recovery act is putting folks to work in the South. The next time that you hear a conservative saying that the financial rescue package did not make any difference, you can rest assured that they are lying. It's funny that the same political hacks that say that the stimulus was a waste and has done nothing are far to happy to hold up the big checks and pose for a photo and take credit for the money coming in to their counties.

Foxy Terrorist...

from ThinkProgress....

Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal owns a 7 percent stake in News Corp — the parent company of Fox News — making him the largest shareholder outside the family of News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch. Alwaleed has grown close with the Murdoch enterprise, recently endorsing James Murdoch to succeed his father and creating a content-sharing agreement with Fox News for his own media conglomerate, Rotana.

A brief history lesson will reveal that most of the attackers on 9-11 were from Saudi and so is Bin Laden. Seems like I remember someone......Palin....accusing Mr. Obama of hanging around with terrorist but now I think it is clear that Fox News is the one that is aiding the real terrorist. And where does Mrs. Palin get a paycheck from now?....of yea...Fox News. Anyone else connecting the dots? Think about it.

Big Tent Party

The Democratic Party has been referred to as having a big tent. I’m glad that the tent is large enough to allow all walks of life. The tent includes all races, sexual orientation and ages. This is the party of diversity and that is the way it should be. In recent times, the tent has another sect included and that is Conservative Democrats. The decline of the Republican Party as a whole and the fact that they are becoming a Southern and White Party makes me ask 2 questions. Should the Republican Party even exist? If the Democratic Tent now includes Conservatives, why don't the reasonable Conservatives simply come into the Democratic Party? We could then have one political party with a Conservative wing and a Liberal Wing. Instead of having the Democratic and Republican Parties, there would be the Conservative Democratic Party and the Liberal Democratic Party. Of course there are bunches of inherent problems with this in that there would be zero room for tea bag people or political terrorist….i.e. religious nuts that believe in killing abortion doctors or for racist people. These folks would have to go form other fringe parties to show themselves for who they really are. Imagine the below as a list of political parties to vote for in the future….

Democratic Liberal / Progressive
Democratic Conservative
Southern Tea Party…Sweet Tea Party
Green Party….Ralph Nader if you must
Libertarian
Christian Party….very exclusive I guess


Of course the other question that I have is…has the tent gotten too big? Democrats find themselves in rare territory in that because we include all points of view, we often find it hard to vote as a block on issues and that allows the Republicans and Conservative Democrats to obstruct true reform and change. The Republicans seem to always vote in lock step but I suppose it is easier to do so when you represent a narrower viewpoint. Just food for thought, please leave your thoughts in the section below.

Believe it or not!

I have said that meeting a Democrat in South Carolina is like seeing big foot. It is a rare occurance and the majority of folks don't beleive that you saw one. The history of the Democratic Party in SC is interesting. Below is a quote from www.270towin.com.

South Carolina, one of the original 13 colonies, attained statehood in May 1788 and has participated in every presidential election except 1864, when it had seceded from the Union. South Carolina has had eight electoral votes since 1932. Like many other southern states, South Carolina voted almost exclusively Democratic from the time of Reconstruction through the early 1960s, before turning Republican largely in response to civil rights legislation. South Carolina was one of only six states to vote for Barry Goldwater in 1964 and has voted Republican since, except in 1976 when it voted for fellow southerner Jimmy Carter.

Although, the Republicans would like to ignore the Democratic Party in South Carolina, you might be suprised at the final total in the last Presidential election. The state did give 8 electoral votes to Mccain but the percentage was closer than should be comfortable for the big elephant party.

2008 / voting / South Carolina- 54% Mccain and 45% Obama.

Suddenly, I don't feel like such a Yeti or Bigfoot anymore. It makes you think that there may actually be hope for the little guy after all.

Praying Nutbars...

I hate to drift back to the old stand by of religion but I just can't help myself. My father and mother are good folks and they attend a local Church in SC. The pastor of the church insist upon bringing politics into the pulpit and mixing it into a kool aid that the congregation must drink. My father has warned the guy on several occasions that contrary to popular belief, not everyone at that Church is a Republican and that he should tone down the conservative rhetoric. The pastor refuses to stop using the bully pulpit for political purposes. The latest example was when he said that God really moved in the election for the senate seat in Massachusetts didn't he? First of all, what business is it of a Southerner to take solace in a political election in the North? These are the same folks that hate "Yankees". Also, if that result means that God moved in that senate race, then God must have really moved last November when we elected Barack Obama. My point is, that God doesn't support any political party. There is no moral high ground in politics either. The sad reality is that we have voters that blindly believe whatever they are told and they get their marching orders from people who often don't give a darn about them. We have folks voting against their best interest simply because either a pastor or conservative talk radio tells them that Democrats kill babies or that Democrats are weak on terror. How on earth can a Republican President reside over the worse domestic terror attack and then be perceived as tough on terror and able to "keep us safe"? I don't care if a pastor wants to be a Republican but I do not want to hear it from the pulpit or when I'm eating lunch with him. I am fair minded though, I also do not want to know if he is a Democrat. Any church, pastor or religious group that is active in politics should have their tax exempt status removed and then we will see how many faithful givers that they keep. It's a sure sign that these groups and religious leaders have no faith in the message if they spend all of their efforts on politics and not on the faith and scriptures that they cling to in word only and not in deed.