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Tag Archives: current-events

What If?


What if the Select Benghazi committee really wanted the truth? It would be a relief however if the truth is the real basis of this expensive inquiry? As a citizen I have listened to what the committee said they were looking for but the real story even though it is readily available does not appear to be on the table. To make a short story: The location of the embattled building was an out post embassy which did not have the extensive security that the full embassies have. It did have a safe room however that safe room was not air tight and it has been determined that the death of the ambassador could have been from smoke inhalation (not verified yet). It has been revealed that an alert was issued but due to weak security of the outpost there was not enough time or personnel to hold out. Given this little bit of information I have managed to find, I am wondering where the  expensive Congressional committee got their information and why it may be incomplete. As an aside, we have all heard of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes but do we really understand his process? The detective’s methods involve looking at all of the apparent evidence then studying the no so apparent evidence and forming a conclusion with all available  evidence. All of this evidence tell a complete story not a “chicken little” scenario. The Benghazi committee aside from spending taxpayer money is doing no more than proffering a political “witch hunt”. It is fine that the incident is being investigated but do it the right way. We have already had a failed investigation in the ’50s by former  Senator Joe McCarthy, which damaged lives and our country, we have a current Congress that has taken the President to task  for the ACA (Obama care) while not doing their due diligence and that is to read it then tweak it as needed. What if our Congress really attempted to do the job we elected them to do instead of looking for political advantages that net us as voters nothing but more of the same ineptitude we have been experiencing for much too long. What if?

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In A Country With Less Freedom


In a country with less freedom of speech and expression, the following people would be in jail for life:

Ann Coulter, Bill O’Reilly, Charles Krauthammer, Rush Limbaugh and a few others.

We have as many “terrorist” type groups in America as anyone else, some have the potential to do as much harm  as any others but fortunately a lot more people have no desire to broadly embrace them and their ideals (?). If we look at religion, we have as many sects and sub sects as the middle east fortunately we are not killing one another off because of the assorted interpretations of the known religious texts. The Middle east has within the Muslin umbrella of religion has alewites, Sunnis, Sufis, Shi’as, Wahhabis, Ibadan and these are just a few of the subsets which vary from country to country. To express an idea that does not mesh with the Government line  in many other parts of the world puts ones life in danger. In America that is not the case but sometimes the talking heads need a reality check and their forums reduced to a smaller audience. The freedoms of America allows for these diverse opinions and ideas which opens the door for more investigation in the basis of these ideas and opinions which in turn lets us see that the real basis is: notoriety with no foundation in truth. The worst thing about this is we have “conservative  Christians  who want to deny the rights of others because of their personal beliefs and often the misreading or interpretation of the Bible. These Christians  are no more than religious bigots with enough backing to gain the attention of like  minded followers who are for all intents and purposes terrorists with the same zest for punishment as any Radical Muslim cleric. In My Opinion!

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Russian Invasion


What if we had listened to General George Patton near the end of WWII? He advocated going after Russia then rather than later ( Remember General MacArthur? in Korea?). Russia has always been no more than a bully for years but with the might of their army they have bit by bit worked to consolidate and enlarge their grip wherever they could. The Syria situation requires the support of the entire UN to correct, the United States can no longer be the only front-runner in the resistance  and criticism of the Russian incursion in Syria. The middle east has never been at ease with themselves so we have Russia aiding and abetting wherever they can to help their own cause. They have turned to the Stalinist practice of taking what they want through might (as they see it, right).The confrontation if coming from the U.S. alone would be as close to a war declaration as you can come without the actual declaration.  The refugees have exacerbated the situation and created a  distraction for the Russian ambitions, which also aids the Syrian strongman’s cause. In case anyone missed it, this Russian “assistance” is no different than the events in Ukraine. We have had several U.S. congress member advocating more U.S. involvement including ground troops but have we not had enough loss of life after the past 10 to 12 years of an undeclared war in the middle east. The last “war” was beneficial for many big money people (including former VP Cheney) and gained us nothing but a loss of resources and lives. The aftermath left the people here in an economic spiral whose coming was ignored and obscured by the “war” in the middle east. Reasonably speaking: why did we go into Vietnam when France ran like a thief at the first opportunity, why did we go into Afghanistan when Russia cut their losses and ran? The answer as I see it is a financial windfall for munitions manufacturers (big Money). Along with the loss of life and the ongoing (even now) health problems for our veterans and the effects on their families, we had a government that ignored the issues for years. The current Russian invasion in Syria has so far no direct effect on us yet but we must be vigilant and insure that we press our elected officials to do what is correct.

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Biggest Threat


Short post about the real radicals and threats, add the disparate groups we have in our Congress and we have a recipe for change that is dangerous. If you add the NRA’s radical ravings then consider this a homemade bomb put together by an amateur. The issue of “gun Control” keeps popping up yet the issue is not gun control, the real issue is who owns and can own guns. All of the other stuff ( concealed carry, open carry, etc.) is irrelevant. An example is the women who has a concealed carry license who shot a shoplifter in a parking lot of Home Depot, this was a poor choice on her part as the fired round could have done more damage than a flattened tire. Should this woman have a concealed carry? Hard to say but it could be that her ability to carry emboldened her to irrationality. This is the type of mindset that needs to be addressed not control of guns. This is my opinion.

Statistics Show White Supremacy is a Bigger Threat to the U.S. Than Radical Muslims

By Keisha Hatchett

Oct 2, 2015

Despite what Donald Trump and many other politicians have told you, the major threat to America isn’t Muslim extremism. In fact, statistics show that the real danger lies with domestic extremists who aren’t of the Muslim faith.

The New York Times reported back in June that since Sept. 11, 2001, almost twice as many people have died at the hands of white supremacists and other non-Muslim extremists than by radical Muslims. Using data compiled by New America, a Washington Research center, a study found that 48 people have been killed by extremists who are not Muslim—including the mass killings in Charleston, S.C.—compared to the 26 by self-proclaimed jihadists. However, this does not factor in yesterday’s tragic shooting or less publicized incidents like the Las Vegas couple who murdered two police officers and left a Swastika on one of the bodies.

These stats reveal a vast difference between public perception and the number of actual cases in which Muslim extremists have claimed American lives. So why aren’t more people outraged about domestic terrorists? Because then we’d have to admit that white supremacy is still a problem.

While the public hasn’t quite caught on yet, scholars say that the issue needs to be addressed. “There’s an acceptance now of the idea that the threat from jihadi terrorism in the United States has been overblown,” Dr. John G. Horgan, who studies terrorism at the University of Massachusetts said. “And there’s a belief that the threat of right-wing, antigovernment violence has been underestimated.”

That’s an understatement.

Tags: News, Racism, White People, Terrorism

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When Comparing American Deaths Caused by Terrorism to Those Caused by Gun Violence, a Startling Trend Emerges 

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Legends and What You Stand For


If the legend of Pinocchio were true, there would be no room to move in the Congressional chambers. We unfortunately are plagued with many representatives who can hardly tell the truth. Many are hard pressed to believe the truth. Given the tasks set before them as Legislators(?), one would believe they would not spend taxpayers funds on issues that have been previously resolved  (4.2 Million dollars on Benghazi). This being a run up year to a national election may have some influence on these activities. At some point in the past we had representatives who in spite of their later known personal issues joined with like minded representatives of the other parties to create and enact laws that benefitted most of us (especially the 99%). What have  now is a group of self aggrandized  elected officials whose sole purpose is to control the government and insure  that they can accommodate the needs of their large donors. It is unfortunate that the smaller  issues that mean more than the current prominent ones will and have gone unattended. The lies: planned parenthood has been attacked based on an edited tape and picked up by Conservatives as the truth, thereby causing the funding for women’s health to be reduced or defunded. This Lie has been picked up by the radical fringe of the Dupublican party as truth without as much as a cursory investigation and no thought of the effect on their constituents (who they never consulted). The pity of it all is that anyone who never had to use the services of Planned Parenthood do not understand the dire effect of  this defunding. The very people who need health services the most will be affected  regardless of  any abortions performed by Planned parenthood. The Fact that no government funding goes to any abortion services does not seem to affect the blatant disregard to the overall function of the agency. We have become so much like the Radical Islamists as to be identical except for the murderous rampages and beheadings. Our Radicals are the so called “religious right, moral majority or perhaps conservatives”. These disparate groups have gained a high profile due to Mainstream media coverage which plays to their radical thoughts and theories as if it were the National Trend. If we as rational people do not pay close attention we will have the closest thing to a dictatorship as any other  nation that is now fighting that same type of government. Then its the Email flap, how much will this cost us? It is important to remember the Alexander Hamilton quote: ”  Those who stand for nothing fall for anything”.

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Billions


Why is it that billions can be spent on campaigning but none is spent for infrastructure. It is understood that these billions are provided by external sources yet the roads and bridges still need funding. While the politicians argue and jostle for position, the legislation to fund the government for an extended time is  going undone. Suppose these statesman wannabes actually tried to be? The modern political climate is pretty much bought and sold by big money donors whose agenda does not include anything good for the voters of America no matter what they say in the media. In my opinion  anyone , voters, elected officials or even external sources who does not see the always present “handwriting on the wall” is either blind or they do not care that we as a country could have a serious problem. The current political and business climate harkens back to the time of the railroad and steel magnates who helped build this country but some totally disrespected their workers and kept them in virtual poverty and at the so called “lower rungs of society”. It is important to remember that this is not as much a racial issue as a class one. When the clouds roll by and the sky is clear one can readily see that most of us who are not millionaires have been pushed into the same leaky boat no matter what our religion, race or ethnicity is. This is class warfare on a grand scale with a sprinkling of Racism and religious outrage thrown in to muddy the waters. It is unfortunate that some of the folks who are in this boat have allowed their biases  to blind them to the greater problem which is the electorate and Billionaire rulers.

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Getting Real


No matter what your political preferences are, no matter what you believe and no matter which news you elect to believe one thing is sure we are all being played by the media and our elected officials. Between the media and the elected talking heads we have been drowning in lies and innuendo. The money spent in running election campaigns is too high to fathom for many of us but we still follow the progress without a squeak! Is it possible that we (the voters) could put an end to this madness? Answer is yes. First forget about political parties, religious beliefs and  ethnicities, these are all  items that the manipulators use to keep us from uniting for a better government.  There will never be perfection in government as we are as  a nation are too diverse to make laws that will be perfect for all of us but we can certainly strive to elect people who understand our diversity and can make the effort to create the laws that work the best for all of us. The last time we as a country unconditionally united was after 911 (even with the down side of the “WMD” nonsense)  and before that it was WWII. That unity quickly dissolved when there was no national focus. As stated in the preamble of the Constitution and Bill of Rights:  “We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
There will always be challenges to what the Constitution is and that is a good thing as it allows for clarification as related to the modern America. The key to our continued progress is to remove the grip of our elected officials who have served too long and  long ago stopped representing us in spite of their constant and convenient use of “the American people” in their speeches. The only existing term limits lies in the hands of the voters, there will never be a law to that effect. If one looks at the many laws around the country that affect us all you will recognize the need for informed voters. In some areas the states have effectively made moves that disenfranchised  voters, eliminated workman’s compensation that effectively pushed families into poverty. We the people means we the voters and that requires us to be well informed and not under informed by “faux news”, single-minded pundits or shiny objects.

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Australia Vocalizes


   This was forwarded on to me, the basic idea is clear. When you adopt another country as your home it is your duty to accept the laws and morals of that country even while maintaining your own however if your  morals and beliefs are contrary then you need to rethink where you are then change or leave.

Summary


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From the Daily KOS, this Occupy poster says it all!

Simply put, our politics have put us in deep debt. Remember nothing is free, taxes is how we fund the government we seem to hate so much yet we elect the same neer do wells time after time. We define ourselves by the liars we elect and somehow we believe what they tell us while eschewing any truth.

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Bigotry?


Reposting from Daily KOS. While every Republican may not be a bigot the trend for it is in their general beliefs. It almost amounts to hating America.  

 
Daily Kos member

Sun Sep 25, 2011 at 05:42 AM PDT

Top 10 reasons to vote Republican

by plf515Follow

Why would anyone vote Republican? Well, here are 10 reasons.

1. You are a bigot

It’s true that not all Republicans are bigots. But if you ARE a bigot, the Republican party will be much more your group than the Democratic party. Remember that there are lots of ways to be a bigot: You could be a racist, a homophobe, an Islamophobe, or lots of other things.

2. You like eating, drinking and breathing poison.

Many Republicans are calling for or voting for shrinking or eliminating agencies that protect us against poison. They seem to think that the corporations will do the right thing, without any pressure from the government. Uh huh. Read The Jungle.  Look at the way Monsanto is hiding facts about Round Up. Look at food safety and outbreaks of E. Coli.

Corporations exist to make money. They will do so any way they can. The government needs to stop them from doing so in ways that hurt people.

3. You think the rich don’t have enough money

The idea that giving more money to rich people (via tax breaks) will help poor people is nonsensical and has been shown wrong time and again in history. Huge tax breaks for the rich (a la George Bush) don’t work.

4. You don’t support our veterans

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran’s Association (IAVA) rates every member of congress on how well they support our veterans.  In the Senate, 9 people got A or A+: All were Democrats. 30 got D or F: 29 Republicans and one Democrat.  More on this

5. You like big deficits

Since the end of WW II the ratio of debt to GDP for the nation has gone down in 9 administrations (3 Republican and 6 Democratic) and up in 7 administrations (6 Republican and 1 Democratic).  The largest increases by this measure were GW Bush’s 2nd term; GHW Bush, and Reagan’s first term. The largest decreases were the three terms right after the end of WWII (Truman and Eisenhower). The last decrease under a Republican was in Eisenhower’s 2nd term

source

6. You don’t believe in free speech.

The American Civil Liberties Union is the premier defender of our civil liberties, including the right to free speech.  That’s free speech for EVERYONE; from Nazis to Marxists to Fred Phelps to anyone else. They rate politicians, including governors, senators and representatives.  12 people got a 100 rating: All were Democrats. 65 people got a score of less than 10: All were Republicans. Only 6 Democrats got a score under 50 (Joe Donnelly,  Michael Ross, Collin Peterson, Joseph Shuler, Mark Critz and David Boren). Only 2 Republicans got scores over 50 (Olympia Snowe and Mark Kirk)  Full list

7. You like big government

The Republicans like to claim they are against big government. It’s a lie. They only object when government helps people. But they are supporters of the Patriot Act; they want the government to say who you can marry; they want the government to forbid abortion; they want the government to be able to spy on you without restraint. Unfortunately, many Democrats agree with them on some of these, but to find opposition to these big government ideas, you have to look to the Democrats.

8. You want government to hurt people, but not help them

This is really just a summation of some other points.

9. You are greedy, short sighted and rich

You really have to be all three for this to work.

If you’re rich but not short-sighted, you know that, in the long run, when there is huge income inequality, it leads to things like stock market crashes and revolution, and everyone loses.  In a revolution, it is often the rich who lose most.

If you’re rich but not greedy, you recognize that helping others is a good thing, and that the government assuring that people have a safety net is a good thing as well.

10. You like torture

The Democrats don’t exactly shine here, but the Republicans are much worse.  It was, after all, Dick Cheney who bragged in his memoir about being a war criminal. It was Don Rumsfeld who opined that a problem in Abu Ghraib was that they weren’t torturing prisoners enough.  And it is mostly Democrats who have objected to torture.

Torture is wrong.  It’s also stupid. It doesn’t work. People who are tortured will say ANYTHING (true or not) that they thing their torturers want to hear.

Originally posted to plf515 on Sun Sep 25, 2011 at 05:42 AM PDT.

Also republished by Daily Kos Classics

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