Like Media Matters for America, I too was puzzled by the accusation that ACORN representative Bertha Lewis charges of racism against individuals critical of the group. Note the headline from the Washington Times below, as captured by MMA: “ACORN’s Lewis suggests opponents are racist.” So, when I see such an explosive headline, my first reaction is … “I can’t wait to see the mountain of evidence the reporter and newspaper have compiled to substantiate such a powerful charge. But, as you might expect, I was woefully disappointed by an article absent of the necessary information to support its unsubstantiated header.

Below is The Washington Times article as posted by Media Matters:

ACORN’s Bertha Lewis charged Tuesday that accusations about the embattled community organizing group are racist, alleging that a coordinated political effort started by former Bush adviser Karl Rove sought to stop the group from registering minority voters.

“For many years, there’ve been folks who’ve disagreed with our ideology or methodology that [have] gone after us,” Mrs. Lewis, ACORN’s chief executive officer, said in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington.

“I mean we, [going back] to 2004, we now see through e-mails from Karl Rove from the previous administration that ACORN itself was targeted, targeted to go after us so that we would stop doing voter registration because it was said that we were moving too many minorities to vote, changing the power dynamics on the local election and that we needed to be stopped.”

She also labeled as racist the infamous videos that show ACORN workers advising a man and young woman posing as pimp and prostitute how to circumvent the law. “These new filmmakers, [James] O’Keefe himself, told The Washington Post, ‘They’re registering too many minorities; they usually vote Democratic; somebody’s got to stop them,’” Mrs. Lewis said.

But Mrs. Lewis did not mention that The Post was forced to issue a later correction on the story, saying the quote attributed to Mr. O’Keefe was inaccurate.

But, as Media Matters points out, it’s difficult to see the evidence in the story that supports the headline.

Now, I know what people are going to say … the Washington Times is basing its misleading (if not inaccurate) headline on her comment about some opposition being troubled by the registration of “too many minorities.” But, the explosiveness of the headline does not match the thin (damn-near invisible) evidence supplied by The Washington Times.

This newspaper saw a book of matches on a table and immediately screamed “FIRE!” Notice the paper ignored the political angle that was in the same sentence it latched onto for the headline.

The paper’s supporting facts are weak next to the headline’s charge in what appears to be an example of poor and blatantly-biased journalism.

Scientists studying US voters say our political views may be an integral part of our physiological makeup.

Their research, published in the journal Science, indicates that people who are sensitive to fear or threat are likely to support a right wing agenda.

Those who perceived less danger in a series of images and sounds were more inclined to support liberal policies.

The authors believe their findings may help to explain why voters’ minds are so hard to change.

By Matt McGrath (BBC News)

Read More Here

Check out this awesome Stephen Harper Gooey Face Game. My creation is below:

According to the Ottawa Citizen, the difference between Stephen Harper and Sarah Palin is lipstick.

It looks like the hardest guy in show biz, Stephen Harper, took Sunday off the campaign trail.  He spent time finger painting with his kids and then they had a nice BBQ in the backyard.

We brought it to you attention last week that Harper likes to cut funding for the arts.  Well, he’s at it again.  This time he is using smoke and mirrors.  He thinks that introducing a tax credit for children’s activities will help.  If the programs have already been cut, there aren’t any activities for these kids to do anyways.  Moreover, it’s ridiculus to think that tax breaks for finger painting replace funding for the arts.  More conservative right wing agenda masquerading as a tax break.

I fell upon this paragraph in the blogosphere today.

Mitt Romney said it best in his speech at the Republican National Convention. Washington is broke. The U.S. Government has been under the control of Obama-style liberal elitists continually since the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt 75 years ago. It’s not that Democrats have always controlled the Presidency or Congress, but liberals have always been the vast majority of bureaucrats. This liberal majority has led the U.S. downhill to the point where mothers can no longer afford to stay home and raise their children properly, as they could easily do 75 years ago.

We’ve had Reagan, Bush 1 Sr. and then Bush II Jr. Let’s just cover those three for now. That is 20 years of having a Republican President and Vice President in office. Never in my life had I ever seen people as enthusiastic and defensive over a President as George W Bush Jr. And even Bush’s support abroad, (and it does exist) is FIERCE and unapproachable.

Oh, the conservatives DID complain about Bush every once in a while but mostly due to the Illegal Immigration problem in the US. Other than that, I’ve rarely heard a peep out of the Republicans.

BUT… now,… Washington is “broke”?

Do we really have a liberal majority? These people may not agree.

Look at all the Republican Presidents and Vice Presidents in office in rewind-mode. What do you think that Palin is going to do that Republicans in History haven’t? How will she nuke those liberal bureaucrats? And why have all the“true Republican Conservatives” been sitting there watching our Washington “break” since you were born?

Oh.. and Bush said “change” was needed back in 2004. Oh, yes he did. And that is what is so ironic.

If you don’t have the time to watch the entire video above, please start watching at 4:20 to see the ridiculousness in all this.

And what about those lobbyists, anyway?

In any event, I am fully aware that the Dems lie. But what about the Republicans? Are they as clean as a whistle as they are thought to be by their supporters? And, once again, how much power does a president have?

Really?

…But the Enquirer was recently vindicated after its long-running pursuit of John Edwards, a former Democratic presidential candidate, ended with him admitting he had conducted an extra-marital affair with a filmmaker he had met in a bar in New York and later employed on his campaign.

Yes, and the far right had a field day over this if I remember correctly.

The Enquirer responded: “The National Enquirer’s coverage of a vicious war within Sarah Palin’s extended family includes several newsworthy revelations, including the resulting incredible charge of an affair plus details of family strife when the Governor’s daughter revealed her pregnancy.

Pregnancy or pregnancies?

“Following our John Edwards exclusives, our political reporting has obviously proven to be more detail-oriented than the McCain campaign’s vetting process. Despite the McCain camp’s attempts to control press coverage they find unfavorable, The Enquirer will continue to pursue news on both sides of the political spectrum.”

To change the subject a bit, I just recently happened upon a staunch Palin support site. And I found this sticker:

This sounds more like me, actually.

But what exactly is Palin saying that is “painful”? Examples, please….? Oh wait! You mean THIS kinda painful?

Rustbelt Intellectual on Sarah Palin’s speech at the RNC:

In her speech, Palin compared herself to Harry S Truman. Bad comparison. And a bit creepy, considering how Truman ascended to the Oval Office. Others, including my fellow Rustbelt Intellectual Steve Conn, have compared her to Dan Quayle. But she was no deer in the headlights last night. 

Palin can best be described as Reaganesque. She projected a sunny optimism, romantically evoked the “values” of small-town America, conveyed some of that aw shucks faux humility that made Reagan so charming, and positioned herself as a true, authentic Washington outsider. 

But like Reagan, Palin put a cheerful face on a harsh right-wing agenda. Her mix of Christian conservatism, meddling family values politics (which ought to be softened by her own experience), anti-environmentalism, jingoism, and corporate coddling is a toxic brew which has brought us the mess that we’re in. But like Reagan, she wraps them in the mantle of reform and common sense. In our system of personality-driven politics, this is no mean feat.

Read the whole thing here

It’s Republican Hypocrisy at its finest!

By the way, why do people continue to think that McCain CHOSE Sarah Palin as his running mate? That is not true. McCain first two choices were VETOED!

A letter from someone who has known Sarah Palin since 1992

Dear friends,

So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the
last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .

Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in
common: their gender and their good looks.

ABOUT SARAH PALIN

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
father was my child’s favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular
girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and
won’t vote for her can’t quit smiling when talking about her because
she is a “babe”.

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She
kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents
for seven months.

She is “pro-life”. She recently gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby.
There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn’t take positions; she just “puts things out
there” and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a
champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin’s kind of job is highly
sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his
work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or
so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their
major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything
like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

She’s smart.

Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000
(at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about
670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.

These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus
in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will
make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she
proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she
recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while
she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today’s
surplus, borrow for needs.

She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by
her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the
basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin’s
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of “old boys”. Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal–loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State’s top cop (see below).

As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla’s Police Chief because he “intimidated”
her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska’s top
cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
and she had every legal right to fire him, but it’s pretty clear that
an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn’t
fire her sister’s ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn’t
like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything
publicly about her.

When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got
the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one
of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no
background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great
job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the
high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this
Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)
engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some
undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all
her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and
garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
gutsy fighter against the “old boys’ club” when she dramatically quit,
exposing this man’s ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel
politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to
nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget
guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing
projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative
action restored most of these projects–which had been vetoed simply
because she was not aware of their importance–but with the unobservant
she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party
leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated
them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a
fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
They call her “Sarah Barracuda” because of her unbridled ambition and
predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly
stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made
point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah’s
mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and
experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package
of legislation known as “AGIA” that forced the oil companies to march
to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
global warming. She campaigned “as a private citizen” against a state
initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from
pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the
state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State’s
lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior’s decision to list polar
bears as threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a
heartbeat away from being President.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more
knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there’s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are
regretting it.

CLAIM VS FACT
•“Hockey mom”: true for a few years
•“PTA mom”: true years ago when her first-born was in elementary
school, not since
•“NRA supporter”: absolutely true
•social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships
(said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
•pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to
promote it.
•“Pro-life”: mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby
BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life
legislation
•“Experienced”: Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has
residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.
No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on
supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city
administrator to run town of about 5,000.
•political maverick: not at all
•gutsy: absolutely!
•open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
explaining actions.
•has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
•”a Greenie”: no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
•fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
•pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city
without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built
streets to early 20th century standards.
•pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
residents
•pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
government in Wasilla’s history.
•pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union
doesn’t make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim
that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed
voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting
programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny +
Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local
government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I’ve always operated in the belief that “Bad things happen
when good people stay silent”. Few people know as much as I do because
few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don’t have a job she can bump me out
of. I don’t belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no
fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will
cost me somehow in the future: that’s life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100
or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah’s
attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to
say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in
spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor)
from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of
Wasilla, and I can’t recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust
for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible
for a private person to get any info out of City Hall–they are
swamped. So I can’t verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the
population of Wasilla, ranging from my “about 5,000″, up to 9,000. The
day Palin’s selection was announced a city official told me that the
current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was
5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to
2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90’s.

More recommended readings:

Mayor Palin: A Rough Record

Why Palin is a bad option for Vice President or even President

So, while Palin was sitting in a nice comfy leather chair for years raising taxes causing Alaska to be in deep debt, and trying to ban books like a Neo-Nazi, Obama was working with the people on the streets trying to get their lives back together – hands on. As mentioned here…

Community organizing isn’t easy work, it doesn’t pay well and often yields small results, meaning the person doing the work has to find motivation somewhere other than instant success and change. They have to find motivation in the people they are meeting and truly believe in the grassroots work they are doing. And even if you can’t usually pinpoint it’s success, community organizing is vital to understanding how communities work and what the needs of working people, and low-income people are. And this it seems to me would be an important thing to understand as the President of our country.

I’d like to quote my friend Zontar from what he wrote in the comment section of my other post on Palin:

Zontar at first observed her as a fine speaker. Zontar thought the speech was well crafted. Then half-way she turned into a liar and was giving a hatchet job upon Mr. Obama. Zontar thought that her making fun of Mr. Obama for “community organizing” while she was busy as mayor of Rectum, Alaska was most uncalled for. She uses her power to ban books from the local library she deems offensive, tries to fire her ex-brother-in-law for revenge and raise a slut who obviously didn’t listen to Palin’s lectures on abstinence as the only acceptable method for birth control.

Palin! Mr. Obama could have, upon graduating from Harvard Law gone into any number of lucrative professions. Instead he went into the slums of south Chicago to help the poor, the disenfranchised, the homeless and the starving to try to improve their lives. You call this not accomplishing anything! How dare you, you pious hypocrite.

And for your information Mr. Obama is, had you really listened to his acceptance speech, is very much committed to fighting terrorism, but only in places where are true enemies are, such as Afghanistan, not frittering precious lives in Iraq, a ridiculous war which, if it ended tomorrow would not have accomplished anything.

Nothing.

Mr. Obama did not say he was going to raise taxes. Just on the five percent of the population who have too long gotten a free ride at the expense of the average American.

As they say in Texas, Palin is all hat and no cattle. How come we heard no specifics from her?

What is so very wrong with the neo-cons who listened to both Obama’s and McCain’s speech? What is all this talk about McCain’s speaking “straight talk”? I don’t get it. Obama was, by far, the straightest shooter to date regarding all the speeches we’ve heard during the conventions. How was Obama indirect and McCain and Palin “more” direct? Put the fireworks, packed stadiums, strippers, and flashing lights aside and listen to Obama’s speech. Then critique it. I feel as if the neo-cons cannot see beyond the superficial distractions. And to clear the air on the recent disputes, Obama DID write his own speech.

Yes, we can.

Yes, we can.

Yes, we can.

VS

USA

USA

USA

I choose “Yes, we can”. It’s the change I trust, and it’s not an empty suit.

Disclaimer: This post is all about rumors bases on these outdated “conspiracy theories”, fabricated stories or whatever you want to call them. Here are my opinions, and a couple rhetorical questions.

Just to start with this quote:

As the 21st century began, human evolution was at a turning point. Natural selection, the process by which the strongest, the smartest, the fastest, reproduced in greater numbers than the rest, a process which had once favored the noblest traits of man, now began to favor different traits. Most science fiction of the day predicted a future that was more civilized and more intelligent. But as time went on, things seemed to be heading in the opposite direction. A dumbing down. How did this happen? Evolution does not necessarily reward intelligence. With no natural predators to thin the herd, it began to simply reward those who reproduced the most, and left the intelligent to become an endangered species.

Well…. we’ve got a potential VP here who is “pro-life and can shoot”. Anyone notice the irony?

Lies:

Who (Palin’s daughter) is off for 5 months for mono? A week or two max should be expected, but 5 months?

Who is 6 months pregnant at 44 years old and doesn’t show (unless they are fat)? May I see a picture of her looking prego? Not one with these in them, please.

Palin’s water breaks and she proceeds to give a 30 minute speech and then takes an eight hour flight back to Alaska to deliver “her baby”? Defying all laws of science, much? Who did she think she was kidding, anyway?

Is this daddy?

Who does Trig belong to? Can’t be Sarah Palin’s.

Somewhat off topic:

Who pops out babies and then throws them into someone else’s hands to raise (while they play career woman) and has the audacity to call it their baby? (this applies to all parents) This isn’t a sexist remark. There is one extreme (sexism) and then the other extreme (an irresponsible parent or overboard feminism or Chicks with Dicks). What ever happened to balance? So, to prove one is shaping the way for women and equal rights, you can just hump like rabbits having kid after kid and continue having someone else do the “raising part” because a woman (god forbid) should not be in the home? Must we fight one extreme with another? That is where America has been for years: in an extreme rebellious state. And if the US is going down the tubes, this is one of the most damaging reasons. The family structure has broken down.

And I’m sick of hearing about “her daughter” with “Down Syndrome”. “Her daughter” doesn’t have “Down Syndrome”. She’s just another Republican, is all.

And no! I do not sympathize or admire one for having 5 children. It’s easy to get laid. It’s hard to raise a child. Have children and be an active responsible parent and then you just may impress me. And why must we all get down on our knees just because one has a Down Syndrome child? What a painful journey for ANY parent, but for the love of all that is holy, that does not make one MORE capable to take the White House should McCain croak (the guy’s only had cancer four times and additional extreme conditions)!

Fast forward to the present:

In all “fairness”, “the truth” has come out. But what explains all the lies beforehand? If she was “so proud” as she claimed to be in the above article, then why oh why had she not announced it saying, “my daughter is prego lego and just wow… I’m funna be a granny”! She really IS proud, right? Since God says that birth control is bad, I can see why she’s so proud. I wonder who daughter Palin is going to appoint the position of raising her child? Someone will have to bear the brunt. But wait. She chose life, so everything else is minutiae, right? Hmm…

More Opinions:

I’m also glad that Palin’s a good aim when she’s out there hunting, though. Hooray! The Right is having a field day over this news. At least we know she won’t be drawing blood from any lawyers out there.

Oh, this is all just so petty, anyway, right? It is none of my business just like John Edwards’ affair, Slick Willy’s killing spree, Obama’s lies, and what have you? What politician doesn’t have blood on their hands, anyway?

Leave the children alone?

What children? A 17 year old decided to make an ADULT choice by having unprotected sex and deciding to become a “mother”. If you are mature enough to make adult choices, than you are mature enough to be a symbol of the neo-con version of “abstinence”. And naturally, they are going to keep the baby. Sarah is and has been a politician for years. They don’t have a choice as to what to do with the baby as other Americans do. I’m still not impressed. The media is telling me that I am to feel compassion for them. That is sickening and only encouraging more people out there to be irresponsible and careless. But you are right. This has nothing to do with whether or not Palin will make a good Vice President.

In any event, I am guessing Palin is a “woman” who feels an obsessive/compulsive need to prove herself. We all know that if you don’t hunt, it is hard to get on the Republican ticket, so Palin makes the case for that. But she takes it to a further extreme and shoots wolves, bears, and moose from the air. Call me a hypocrite, though. I DO eat meat, fish, and lots of things with faces. But to get joy out of shooting random animals and watching them bleed for the sake of feeling accomplished and “an equal to men” is not something that I particularly find respect-worthy or impressive especially coming from a god-fearing and self-proclaimed “caring Christian”. We expect more from these people than their dirty atheist counterparts, anyway.

And is this really a woman about “ethics”?

I don’t like Palin’s ideals (not writing about them all here), so count me in on the smear campaign. There is not one thing I like about this woman and her politics. These are my political beliefs, so you can probably see why. And Palin wants to teach creationism in PUBLIC schools??? Whatever happened to not teaching either creationism or evolution and letting kids decide for themselves if they want to be god-fearing or not? Where does critical thinking enter the picture? And this is public school we’re talking about – not a private Catholic school or a protestant school where there are 5 kids per class and one of the kid’s parents is the teacher.

Putting organized religion aside, why do any belief systems have to be shoved down anyone’s throat? Schools shouldn’t be religious or political. It should be revolved around EDUCATING and teaching people to THINK FOR THEMSELVES. It shouldn’t be about opinions. It should be about facts. Opinions should be properly noted as opinions. If any “ideals” are brought up, the teachers should take a  NEUTRAL position. Shell out the facts and let kids decide for themselves. This has nothing to do with conservatism or liberalism. It is not political. This is common sense.

There’s not anything I like about Bush either – except that he does have a sense of humor, a nice smile sometimes, and has done some things right. Bush and McCain <—(our former Democrat) are just happy little misguided retards whereas Palin is just downright intentional and mean.

I think Mitt Romney would have been the better choice.

If McCain/Palin win this upcoming election, we will be even further on our way to “Idiocracy”. Seriously, watch this movie. I ask you only this favor. The below is only a modified trailer.

Note to all the noisy feminists out there: If you have to go out of your way PROVE you’re an EQUAL to men, then you’ve already lost. You remind me of “men” who are still trying to prove that they are girls men.

For those that have known me as a blogger since 2005, also know that this is one of the few topics that I discuss here. And I have … a lot if you look through my archives under crime, bullying, etc.

I feel that this is a passionate topic for most of us, and it usually winds up being the liberals vs conservatives and/or the atheists vs the believers – where I don’t see a relationship, but that’s where it goes. And then it comes down to a lot of name-calling, swear words, that serve no purpose in the debate but to humiliate one for their views.

So, I approach the most daring topic! This one, at least for me, is what I consider a “touchy topic” more so than the abortion debate, the prayer in schools debate, the illegal immigration debate, and the list goes on.

Some reading this will know that I’ve been peering into other blogs, and found this being discussed! You’re right. I have an opinion on this too. I hope that this can be intelligently discussed. I will do my part as well to respect the opinions of others. Keep in mind, that there’s a big difference between a liberal and a leftist elitist. I’m not the later… at all. So, don’t shake my crib too hard, ya hear?

These are just opinions, anyway – and there’s no harm intended.

The reason why this debate is so hot-headed (my self-included) is because no line is drawn as to what “discipline” is as opposed to what “abuse” is. We’ve drawn these lines between marital partners and between friends, right? But not when it comes to children.

This is a debate that, unlike popular belief, has A LOT of gray areas. There’s no black and white… as least the way I see it.

Let me first just start out with the many questions I want people to ask themselves. You don’t have to answer them here.

- What is discipline? EVERYONE who spanks, beats or whatever… calls it “discipline”. This is true!

- How do we spank? How hard is too hard? Should the panties be up or down? What part of the body do we recommend? What instrument do we use? Is it only abuse when our instruments leave a mark? Do marks indicate more pain? Which is child abuse – which is discipline?

- What calls for it? What did the child do to deserve the spanking? Did he spill a glass of milk? Did she interrupt mommy while she was talking to daddy? Did he pee on the kitchen table or scream in the store to get his way?

- Why are the noisy brats that run around aimlessly in restaurants and inside planes automatically associated with the ” modern liberal no spank society” when we cannot see what actually happens in the home? How do we know that these parents aren’t just putting up a “project no spank” facade only because they’re in public? Heck, my mom showed one face in public and another one in the home.

- Are parents telling their children WHY they’re getting physically punished? Or are these parents assuming that the child is fully understanding what is going on?

- Does spanking provide TRUE strength for men or does it just turn them into guys like these?

- What is “being spoiled”? How do we determine what spoils a child? The term “being spoiled” can mean two totally different things:

1. The child is spoiled because everything they ask for, they get. “Mommy mommy, please buy me…” “Well, sure honey….”
2. The child is spoiled because from “too much” love and affection? Sure this can go to an extreme. But we all must come to some agreement here that a child needs comforting words and touch, encouragement, support, and feel safe and secure in their own home (you know the basic emotional stuff). No?

- Are a child’s feelings any less important because they’re a child, don’t pay bills, don’t know “true misery and heart break”, don’t have to work yada yada yada? I will tell you from my own personal experience that being an adult rocks! The best years of my life were my adult years. So, if any toddlers are listening, don’t pay attention to the hype. Being an adult ain’t so bad.

- Is child research and child-psychology a myth or a liberal “agenda”?

- The Freedom of Speech debate is often thrown into this topic by the “spankers”. Why? Conservatives claim that by the government ruling a “no spank” regime, they are taking away freedom of speech in the home and therefore “fascists”. But what about those people in Alabama that want to masturbate with dildos? What about companies dictating no smoking in the home because it makes insurance too expensive? Why can’t I smoke a joint in my own home when studies show that alcohol has a worse effect on my brain and temperament? There are liberals who feel, just as well, that the government is invading their freedom of speech too. It works both ways.

- Are you going according to your natural instinct to spank or are you literally going against your will to spank your child for their benefit?

- As a parent, do you ever admit to any wrongs? Do you feel there is room for improvement? Are you open to different styles of parenting? How do you feel when something new is placed on the table – new research development? Or do you just feel that all things coming out of a liberal’s mouth is incorrect by default? Have you ever taken the time to thoroughly research this topic looking at both sides fairly? Do you agree with medical advancements? If so, why do you disagree with any advancements in parenting or child psychology? What’s the difference between a medical advancement and a psychological one? At the end of the day, aren’t they both one in the same? Don’t they both affect each other?

- Do you feel that when a child or adult smiles that they are genuinely happy?

- Why can’t we hit adults or other’s children we don’t know outside school? Some will argue that we must spank kids at certain ages because at that time, they’re growing and need to learn right from wrong. My husband thinks that I misbehave sometimes, but if he strikes me, he can get into trouble for that, no? – especially if he hits me in public! If your child starts to annoy me at the dinner table talking way too loudly, and my hand just happens to be quicker than yours, can I whack him across the face? Can I do the same to your husband, brother, sister, mother, father etc if I feel they’re misbehaving? Is misconduct only specific to children? Is the necessity to learn proper conduct only specific to children? Should employers spank their employees? What about prison inmates?

- Do you ever stop to analyze why a a child is acting a certain way or even ask them to explain? Do you always feel that a child manipulates EVERY SITUATION to get their way?

- Do you believe that such things as “denial” and “repression” exist or is this more made up bologna from the liberals?

- What distinguishes one who can come out of a spanking home successful vs one who is non-successful in life?

What is “successful”, anyway? Having more money, two dogs, a good job, a Yale graduate, two cars, and mauve window blinds or being happy just getting by from day to day?

The successful ones were spanked and the non-successful ones were abused?

(Keep in mind again, EVERYONE calls what they do to their kids, “discipline”. EVERYONE! We NEVER get a chance to see for ourselves what ACTUALLY happens (!!) behind closed doors!)

- How do you feel after you spank the subject? Relieved, shaky, guilty, refreshed, like a good mommy/daddy?

- Why do both sets of parents on both sides say what they do works? Who’s lying? Who has a reason to lie? Is there such a thing as “trauma-bonding/Stockholm Syndrome” or do kids honestly say how they feel no matter how humiliating, scary and painful? Are adults always honest about their past?

- Should a child learn out of fear? If he learns something out of fear, is he/she really learning? Do you believe in such a thing to be able to learn a right from a wrong without fear? Is it even possible?

- Why do we sometimes sit in confusion when there’s a major shooting in a school, a mass murder, or serial killings? Is Criminology just more “liberal rhetoric” devised to take freedom from conservatives?

- Why do the conservatives blame crime and suicide on “not enough spankings”?

- Why do the liberals blame crime and suicide on “too many spankings”?

- Why do we think that crime and suicide is a “modern-day-trend” when it truly dates back to ancient times!!??

- Why is this such an emotional topic for most people? No. Really.

- Just because your parents did it, does that make it right? If it feels good, does it mean it’s right?

- Are parents … just because they’re parents exempt from any criticism because … they are parents? Should we just be thankful that they fed us, gave us a roof over our heads, clothed us, and anything else goes!?

- How do you judge your success in life – by your own parent’s doing or by your being able to think independently from them or a little bit of both?

- When someone says that they’ve never been spanked, do you believe them?

(Of course, we still have to determine “what is spanking”, and also consider “denial” + “repression” (understanding how dynamic this is in regards to survival) and be open to the fact that unless we’ve seen it for ourselves, we don’t know what happened in anybody’s home….ever!)

Is this person below just being a baby?

Let me tell you that I remember vividly getting spanked. My dad was ‘old fashioned’ and threw us across his lap, pulled down our pants and underwear. As a child I was petrified. Some would say well behaved b/c I didn’t even speak around my dad. I found it beyond humiliating and felt helpless. Even then I knew it was way overboard for teaching me not to do something. As an adult it makes me sick. It is very violating, particularly for a girl. And..no surprise..I like sex on the violent side. Psychologists could have a field day. Now when I see a child get spanked or hear a child get ‘warned’ it makes my stomach turn. Perhaps that is the key- a quick swat on the butt is one thing, but being held down, being violated by having your pants/underwear forced to be removed just to get the pain factor up a bit is sick and very detrimental. I am one adult that lives with those bad memories daily.

I actually wrote about this topic a few years back: the connection between being violated and wanted to relive this as an adult.

- Do people just talk about wanting a free country only when it suits them?

- Is it a coincidence that the crime rate is higher where corporal punishment exists?

OK. I’m done with the questions!

Some random thoughts I have on this topic:

In my opinion, time outs are unsuccessful when they are, because THE KID IS IN THEIR ROOM WITH TOYS, VIDEO GAMES ETC!!

There’s research all over the internet with actual PARENTS using non-violent means to raise their children with success. So, they say. I didn’t watch it happen, so….. I don’t claim to be a professional on this topic, either.

People say verbal abuse is WORSE than physical abuse. Really? I say that physical abuse IS verbal abuse – it’s action speaking LOUDER than words! Again, we have to define “what is abuse” because that’s going to be the core of this whole argument.

I don’t think liberals like being told how to raise their kids, either!! But we all have our opinions, right? It’s not like either one of our camps are enforcing our beliefs down the throats of others although secretly we’d like to. We both feel right. No doubt about that. We both have our fair share of “how dare you’s” to be tossed about. This topic is emotional for a very good reason. It hits us all V-E-R-Y close to home.

Some related links:

• This really blows my mind
• Stop hitting.com (links galore on this topic)
• No evidence of long-term benefit from spanking
• More on true child abuse vs discipline

As a child abuse survivor myself, this is with no intention to belittle those who too have been abused. And no! I don’t consider a pat on the hiney “abuse”!! But I will argue that there are “degrees” or “levels” of abuse. We could all sit here and discuss our child life and past abuses, but that won’t solve anything at all. Why? Because then it will be a debate about who had it the worst, and when the conversation goes in THAT direction, it’s already ended. It’s stupid. Pain cannot be measured or compared. Let me give an example that’s already been over-done and tired: *yawns*

Person A says: “My mom used to light a match to each of my fingers for coming home from school late, so as an adult, I’m bla bla bla……..”

Person B replies: “That’s belittling true child abuse because when I was little, my mom set fire to both my legs, so as an adult, I’m bla bla bla…..”

We can agree that both of these experiences are horrific to some degree or another – even though it has nothing to do with spanking. All I’m saying is that we will ALWAYS, in our lives, find people who’ve had it worse and better! Child abuse is not a black and white topic as it’s very broad and covers many ranges – just as the word, “crime” has its degrees from petty theft to rape and murder.

Before anybody accuses me of trying to get a “no spank project” legislated in the United States, I tell you now, that I have not voted on this issue, I have not demonstrated, I have not picketed, I have not written to congress, or tried to take these “freedoms” away from you.

I don’t believe this issue has to do with freedom of speech, anyway.

I would be curious what you all think of this.

From “The Men They Will Become”
Eli H. Newberger, M.D.

Chapter 6 – Discipline and Punishment

Men can lead perfectly honorable lives based on observing norms of behavior they have learned from others and that are promoted by, others – by their families or communities, or by their professions or the religions or philosophies they adhere to. But there is always a question of how men will behave in a situation beyond the direct influence of those institutions. Some individuals revert to behavior that is unworthy of their usual standards when they believe they can get away with it. Others, however, have deeper resources that enable them to remain consistent with their publicly scrutinized behavior. They have internalized values; their self-disciplined behavior doesn’t depend on anyone’s reminding them what the rules are.

Perhaps there is no more confused subject in childcare than the issues that swirl around discipline and punishment. In relation to character development, the word “discipline” has acquired several different meanings. As used most broadly, it connotes training, which corrects, molds, strengthens, or perfects – in other words, character formation itself, particularly as it is guided from without by a parent or mentor. (“Discipline” and “disciple” have the same root.) The word is also a synonym for punishment or chastisement – he was disciplined by being denied permission to play outside. Still another usage points to the control gained by enforcing obedience, the control implied, for example, in the phrase, “military discipline.” Finally, the term can refer to rules or systems of rules that are meant to affect conduct. Except when used with the prefix “self,” all of these meanings point to something that is imposed on a boy from outside and that relies heavily on rules of conduct.

You can read the rest here.

Is spanking a biblical duty? Read here.

And Most importantly….

Spanking a child in the US is not violating ANY law by any means… AT ALL. So, why is the spanking crowd so worried about being called by Child Protective Services? Can’t you just defend yourselves by saying that you use spanking as a means to discipline? Wouldn’t that be the end of it? What about out in public? So what if someone sees you spanking your child? Why would you care? Let the “loony lib” call the police. How far can they really go considering that you “have done nothing wrong”?

To conclude, so long as people stay in the dark (whatever that means for you) regarding child rearing, the violence in the US will never stop. Is this to imply that everyone subjected to physical “tough love” growing up are going to be violent as adults? Nope. It IS to say, however, that …. isn’t funny how every violent crime committed or suicide involves a person from a violent background? And we know this didn’t come from taps on the hiney-bump because the child must feel the pain in order to learn, right?

In my opinion, I believe you just have to look at where in MODERN society there is less crime and less obesity and measure that with their corporal punishment laws, and you’ll get the answer.

Help Mom, There are Liberals Under my Bed ???

WTF?

Book Description
This full-color illustrated book is a fun way for parents to teach young children the valuable lessons of conservatism. Written in simple text, readers can follow along with Tommy and Lou as they open a lemonade stand to earn money for a swing set. But when liberals start demanding that Tommy and Lou pay half their money in taxes, take down their picture of Jesus, and serve broccoli with every glass of lemonade, the young brothers experience the downside to living in Liberaland.

From the Publisher
Would you let your child read blatantly liberal stories with titles such as “King & King,” “No, George, No,” or “It’s Just a Plant”? …

You can read more of this crapola here.

Hat Tip: Blame Bush

While I did find the description of this new book to be humorous, I also find it to be doing more harm than good to children because it’s not coaching them to think or reason; it’s coaching them to follow like wussies.

Is this not teaching hate and intolerance regarding the viewpoints and opinions of others? Is this not teaching stereotypes and gross exaggerations? Is this not teaching Liberal Extremism and not what a True Liberal is all about?

Is this what America’s supposed to be all about: Contributing more to the division of hate between the political parties? Is this what God wants?

I was right all along. A lot of the stubborn/extremist opinions that people have are based on this concept: “Mommy and Daddy told me so”. For more information on the “Mommy and Daddy told me so” syndrome, read the “Appeal to Authority” section of my entry, “Logical Fallacies”.

Go on now… Create some more sheep out there!

IDIOTS!

To all the uninformed idiots telling the people of New Orleans to “help themselves”, read this! Damn, I wish all Republicans could reason like Ken.

Some are just missing the picture.

Sam Nixon (R) walks through high water on Canal Street as he carries a dog he rescued in New Orleans, Louisiana. Fresh floods, fires and looting rode in the destructive wake of Hurricane Katrina, deepening a humanitarian crisis that left hundreds feared dead and sections of New Orleans submerged to the rooftops (AFP/Getty Images)

No sympathy for you. Help yourselves?

No wait. They deserved this right?

Sheila Dixon of New Orleans weeps as she clutches her 18-month-old daughter, Emily, as they sit on the side of Interstate 10 near New Orleans after being airlifted Wednesday out of the flood-besieged city. Dixon said that everything she had was lost and she didn’t have any idea where she was being taken.

Too bad; too sad, right? Forget that some of these people had medical conditions too. Others with worse medical conditions couldn’t evacuate at all. Too bad, grandma. It was your fault. You deserved to DIE. And to all the Diabetics without medication: Get over it and “fend for yourselves”.

NEW ORLEANS – A Hurricane Katrina refugee collapses while waiting to board evacuation buses in New Orleans, yesterday. (Photo: AP)

Body Count Rises Along Gulf Coast:

Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said on ABC: “The biggest concern is that this whole situation is totally overwhelming. I know the desperation of all of the folks who had evacuated. I know the desperately want to get in. In most cases, it is totally impossible for them to get in. The streets are inundated with water.”

The hurricane knocked out power to more than 1 million people from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, and authorities said it could be two months before electricity is restored to everyone. Katrina also disrupted petroleum output in the very center of the U.S. oil-refining industry and rattled energy markets.

By the way, how do some of these people know to evacuate if they don’t have any electricity?

Ever thought of the possibility that these people could be Republicans that voted for Bush? There’s got to be at least one Republican in New Orleans.

A couple cries after returning to find their home and business destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

(ROBERT SULLIVAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Hug for Daddy: Carmon Williams of the Rowan County Sheriff’s Department gives his daughter, Logan, 5, a hug goodbye before they loaded up and headed down to Louisiana. Photo by Brett Clark, Salisbury Post.

No! You’ve got to be kidding. He’s heading off to Louisiana to help out? Stop him now! The people of New Orleans need to “help themselves”!

A New Orleans resident tries to drive his car through floodwaters past the University of New Orleans on Tuesday. (AP/Bill Haber)

This article and picture was published on Friday, August 30th before the hurricane actually hit. So you can imagine what it was like trying to evacuate.

Disclaimer:

This post was intended for the Right-Wing Extremists that have absolutely no clue what it is like to be in a hurricane, have no concept of this kind of devastation, have not been paying attention to the news, who don’t have a heart, who are misinformed, and who thinks that the people of New Orleans need to “help themselves”.

The Non-Radical Republicans have told their story in this fashion which has taught me (if you will), that rather than blaming Bush, that the lack and delay of aid, the looting, the snipers, the destruction and failure of the levees is the fault of the Mayor of New Orleans/the local/state government.

With that said, it appears that even some Conservatives aren’t agreeing with each other.

Rapture Ready is the name of this site.

The site’s description is as follows:

This site is dedicated to converting hethen-liberals into God-Fearing conservatives who follow the words of wisdom of George W. Bush, reject the ACLU and pro-homosexaula agenda. I want to prepare you liberals for conversion and for the coming Rapture. R U Rapture? You better be or you will be left behind.

He welcomes you to his blog:

Hi! My name is Alberto Trippe. I am a God-fearing family man who hates the ACLU, the homosexual agenda, the liberal agenda and anyone who speaks out against God’s anointed messenger, the great George W. Bush.

God Bless the USA and George W. Bush!

In this blog I hope to get people ready for the coming Rapture.

Visit here often and I will alert you to those God-hating liberals who are trying to kill off God’s will in this the greatest place on earth, the United States of America.

He welcomes everyone to comment:

Hello. I welcome comments from everyone, especially liberals as you are in the most need of help.

I commented on his post. I told him that I needed help. I certainly hope he can find some help for me. I’m wondering if there’s a 12-step program out there for us Libs?

If anyone knows, please tell me because my Prozac isn’t working anymore.

(UPDATE!: This post is 3 years old. If you click on this guy’s blog above, you’ll notice that his post is now spam. He’s abandoned his account, however, the comments are still there.)

Disclaimer: This post is all about my disdain for the wide-spread homophobia that’s prevalent in our society.

You know how you can find out if someone’s gay? It’s really simple.

First off, there’s a difference between homosexuals (gays) and fags. Homosexuals prefer to sleep with those of the same sex. Fags are asshole gays.

Closet fags are actually more transparent and just as much (if not more) obvious than their flamboyant counterparts. How is that? If anyone you know preaches “anti-gay-isms” and is a blatant homophobe, it’s a dead give away that they are a closet fag.

My Totally Gay Boy Scout Leader The tormented Republican mayor of Spokane might have molested young boys. Boys like, well, Mark Morford

And now, this: Jim West, the Republican mayor of Spokane, a longtime serious player in regional politics and the former majority leader of the state senate and a potential Republican gubernatorial candidate and apparently one of the fiercest and most hot-tempered and most powerful Republicans in the state of Washington, is in deep trouble.

Claims are now rampant that West has used his position of power for years even since the ’70s, ever since he was a Scout leader, ever since he was handing out cute plastic trophies to young preteen boys exactly like me and actually to me in particular (I won a couple — what can I say?), West has used his position to lure men and teenage boys into having sex with him.

If you know anything about the Mayor of Spokane (Jim West), you’ve heard about his constant Anti-Gay preachings and rants – a very staunch homophobe.

Well, so what? No big deal, so far. Creepy and deceptive though it may be, West has, so far, done nothing horribly illegal. Just another powerful, closeted, hypocrite Republican (the antichoice West voted for the invidious Defense of Marriage Act in ‘98 and once proposed that teen sex be outright criminalized — not just intercourse, mind, but all sexual contact, of any kind) showing his true colors and leveraging his power to work through his rather sad boy-toy fantasies and insodoing giving all true open-hearted gay and bisexual humans who just want to celebrate their love and be left alone a very, very bad name.

Okay, let me get this straight: It’s okay to bang and fondle little boy’s private parts ruining the rest of their lives – (not to mention the whole act being non-consensual), but it’s NOT okay to have sex with someone you love before marriage?

And there it is. Not merely a sad closeted gay Republican mayor using his office to cruise for and have regular sex with all manner of incredibly young but still of-age males, but allegedly a true-blue pedophile, a child molester, a bona fide, first-class, card-carrying demon. Could it be possible?

Oh sure it is. Here are some more characteristics of a closet fags:

• He has a macho-machismo persona
• He brags about how tough he is
• He’s usually very well-built and tall
• He’s an emotional retard and has never cried once in his adult years
• He often reminds you of his gun collection (GTL , I know you have a gun or guns too, but you don’t brag about it or try to use it to defend your manly-hood.)
• He’s a born again Christian and whips about the bible when he’s at a loss for words.
• Let’s just say he’s a little bit overly masculine – almost like he’s over-compensating.
• And just like Jim West, the fanatical Republican Preacher, he’ll boast about his Anti-Gay-Pride and how teens should avoid sex until they’re 30.
• His name is Tex Taylor.

So, if you know a person like this – even if he’s your next door neighbor and he’s very, very nice, think again. And know that every night he’s fantasizing and dreaming about having his own Neverland Ranch.

And someone should really do a national, once-and-for-all study to back up what everyone already knows — which is, of course, that the more repressed and sanctimonious and uptight you are about sex and love and gender and religion, the more likely you are to be involved in secret kink, in deep perversion, illegal perversion, perversion that crosses the line from healthy and slippery and delicious to degrading and morally reprehensible and Karl Rove. Just ask — did I say this already? — the Catholic Church.

Amen to that!

There is, of course, zero causal link between homosexuality and pedophilia. I couldn’t care less that West might be gay, or bisexual, or whatever the hell else he tells himself he is when he goes to sleep at night and dreams of, I don’t know what. Bunnies. In leather chaps. On fire.

Here’s what does it. Here’s what makes West and people like him rife with potential for, well, some of the nastiest and most dishonest and dangerous abuses humans are capable of.

It’s the ability to ignore the incredible hypocrisy of your own life.

Read more about the hypocritical homophobe here.

Read the rest of Mark Morford’s article on Jim West here.

Why am I not surprised by all of this?

Get a load out of this!

NOT GOP? You’re Excommunicated!!

Following the report that nine members of the East Waynesville Baptist Church in western North Carolina were excommunicated because they did not support President Bush in the election, Ralph G. Neas, President of People For the American Way Foundation, had the following statement:

“What have we come to when the doors of a church are closed to longtime members because of their political beliefs? When a pastor equates political support for the ‘wrong’ candidate with a sin before God?

“I would say to Senator Frist and Karl Rove that this is what comes of attempts to manipulate religion for political gain. Americans simply will not accept the claim that ‘unless you accept my political beliefs, you cannot be a good Christian.’

“This nation was founded on respect for religious belief, and tolerance for religious diversity. Men and women of faith have every right to advocate for their political beliefs. While churches, of course, can set their own membership standards, no one should punish people of faith for their political beliefs.

“This is terribly sad. I urge the President to express his opposition to all attempts to manipulate faith for political gain.”

And yet, this is just another example of our self-proclaimed, “Christians” at their best.

If you don’t emulate my thoughts, opinions, way of life, you get the boot, Charlie Brown!

The sad part about this – is that the hypocritical, Neo-Nazi, extreme right-winged, God Fearing, intolerant haters will read this and not realize that they’re one of them.

For all you mental midgets out there: Do you all really think God approves of your evil ways? I think he’s planning to burn you guys extra slowly in Hell!

We Bloggers can be influential. Are we not?

Even my “favorite” conservative blogger, Cao states that she wants to influence people with her blog.

I understand what’s going on today and am carrying the tradition of my ancestors: I am still opposing the things that are wrong. I hope I can share some of these views and make a difference.

Some people are afraid of activism. I don’t know why they are. I’m guessing people have this picture in mind when they think about activists.

or this

or this

or this

or this

or this

or this

or this

and our elder hippies

But it’s not just the liberals, man. Take it from a true, right wing conservative! They keep the word alive in their blogs.

Here’s an example list I stole from Cao’s Blog of Conservative Bloggers who passionately support their political views and argue (like I do) relentlessly against the other side (the side that I’m *not* on):

10ft2ft
2Slick’s Forum
A Collection of Thoughts
A Day In Iraq
A Physicist’s Perspective
Aaron’s Rantblog
American Warmonger
Ankle Biting Pundits
Another Man’s Meat
Anti Idiotarian-Rottweiler
AntiProtester Journal
Any Soldier
BadEagle
Bayouranter
Better Living Through Blogging
BlackFive
Blogs for Bush
Bloodletting
California Hammonds
Cathouse Chat
Citizen Smash
Cold Fury
Conservative & Right
Conservative Dialysis
Conservative Eyes
Conservative Response
Davids Medienkritik
Defend America
Democrats Give Conservatives Indigestion
Dhimmi Watch
Dump Dick Durbin
Eurosoc
Everything I Know Is Wrong
Evil Conservative
Faith Freedom
Feces Flinging Monkey
Follow That Star
Freedom Of Thought
Frickeville
Give Me Liberty
GOP Insight
Human Events
Hyscience
I Love Jet Noise
IMAO
Internet Insomniac
Intolerant Elle
Iraq Files
It Is What It Is
Jihad Watch
Kenders Musings
Lady Mac
Leaning Right
Leanne Wildermuth : Artist by Nature
Louisiana Conservative
Marine Corps Moms
Michael Savage
Michelle Malkin
Michigan Blog
Military Bride
Modern Vertebrate Speaks!
Mofizixgr4fix
Montana Politics
Moonbattery.com
Mr. Minority
Nostrablogass
Obiter Dictum
Ogre’s Politics and Views
One Man’s Thoughts
Pardon My English
Peace For Our Time
Peppermint Patty
Pirate’s Cove
Rage4Truth
Rancette
Ravings Of A Mad Tech
Ravings Of John C. A. Bambenek
Rebel Rouser
Regular Ron
Res Publica 2004
Right Wing News
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They use images on their blogs to promote the beliefs they hold close to their heart.

Hear from the Republicans:

I agree that Liberals have a tendency of overstepping their boundaries when it comes to protesting or promoting their views, but not all Liberals agree with violent and chaotic protesting.

In essence, both Republicans and Democrats hold their beliefs intensely and sometimes ferociously. But bloggers come by and listen to our rants anyway.

However, the day may come that bloggers have to keep their opinions to themselves. Who knows?

Internet bloggers should enjoy traditional press freedoms and not face regulation as political groups, lawmakers and online journalists said Friday.

In separate letters, Democratic lawmakers and Internet commentators urged the Federal Election Commission to make sure that political Web sites that serve as focal points for political discussion, like Wonkette.com and Freerepublic.com, don’t have to comply with campaign-finance rules.

“Curtailing blogs and other online publications will dampen the impact of new voices in the political process and will do a disservice to the millions of voters who rely on the Web for original, insightful political commentary”, said the Online Coalition, a group of bloggers and online activists.

Fourteen members of the House of Representatives said blogs foster a welcome diversity of viewpoints.

“This ‘democratization’ of the media is a welcome development in this era of media consolidation and a corresponding lack of diversity of views in traditional media outlets”, said the group, which consists of thirteen Democrats and one Republican.

The FEC ruled in 2002 that Internet activities do not count as “coordinated political activity” and thus don’t have to comply with laws that regulate money in politics.

But a U.S. judge struck down that ruling as too broad last year, and the FEC is scheduled to consider it later this month.

If the FEC determines that online “blogs” are in fact political organizations, they could face fines if they work too closely with political campaigns by, for example, reprinting their press releases.

Let’s have some fun while it lasts!

The Far Left and the Far Right Have a lot in Common!

You’re all blithering idiots! Sorry I had to be that blunt but I spent the morning cruising from blog to blog and seemed to keep stumbling upon these sites that just, quite simply, had nothing to say. It seems like they spend all their time and energy spinning hate and disgust for the other side. Instead of spending time trying to come up with one constructive thought about what’s going on in the world they regurgitate what they just read on their favorite editorial site and then proceed to bash the opposite side for not seeing it their way.

I find it hard to believe that someone could actually believe their side is 100% right. Instead of bashing the other side maybe, and sit down when you read this, you might spend your time actually thinking of ways to better the political party you so staunchly protect, hold your leaders accountable for the promises they make and break, both parties have them.

No side is worse then the other because collectively they wouldn’t be able to come up with one original thought to better themselves or mankind. Rather, they seem quite content with being pigeon holed in their own private hells.

I couldn’t agree more! I actually never outwardly bashed the Republican Party until recently. Now, I see myself participating in the bashing. Like I commented in the above entry, written so beautifully by The Bastard , I am sick to death of the bully-like insults, name calling, and the relentless YOU’RE WRONG! WE’RE RIGHT!, bullshit. I got fed up and now I’m bashing them back.

What’s funny is (and I know I’ve mentioned this before), is that the Liberals think I’m not Liberal enough. I’m way to conservative on many issues for them to consider me a part of their group or even their web-rings. (The third one I’ve tried for is at the bottom of this page, and it appears I haven’t been accepted into that one either.)
However, according to the Republican Party, I’m stupid, I’m a hippie, I’m a commie, I’m a vegetarian, I’m psychotic, I belong to PETA and spend all my waking hours protecting fish (if they only knew I EAT THAT STUFF RAW), I’m un-Patriotic, I hate America, I sit on my ass waiting for the government to feed me, I’m insensitive, I hate freedom, I spit on soldiers, I’m a whiner, I worship Saddam, I love Clinton, I’m just a Liberal to get attention, I burn flags, and I beat up Republicans in the street. Is that the best argument you extremists have? I mean, is that the best argument “for Bush” that you have? Really?

Ummmm……

::::NEWSFLASH::::

I’m neither one of those things.

Why oh why, can’t the Republicans accept that?

You know, when I say Republicans here, I’m speaking of the EXTREME Republicans. I’m aware that there are Republicans out there that are level-headed and maintain some kind of balance in their lives.

Let’s take for example one blogger who is a member of the Independent Party that is in favor of the Iraqi War. Read his entry about the Iraqi War. Do you see any name calling, inane Dem-Bashing, or condescending, self-righteous dribble there?

Even though I’m a Liberal and I feel right about my views, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m right. I will listen to the arguments from the other side with an open mind. It doesn’t necessarily mean I will change my mind, but you never know. The truth of the matter is, if one in favor of the Iraqi War poses an intelligent argument WITHOUT bullying the other side, I will listen. In fact, there were times in the past, I have re-thought the way I feel about things because of a good argument I heard.

The Extreme Right-Wingers desperately want to be heard. Not only that, but they use every single cell in
their body to convert the Left to the ‘Right’ side! Well, okay, that’s all good and well, but how do you people expect us to change listening to THIS???!!! And I quote…..

In part two of our investigation into the liberal mind and the syndrome of NAPPS (Narcissistic Peter Pan Paranoid Schizophrenia), we look into what has recently been termed the Peter Pan Syndrome. PPS is not an actual syndrome in psychological terms, but it is a label most of us innately understand. It refers to, in essence, those people who will just ‘never grow up’. People whose development has all but stopped in the adolescent phase. People who will avoid responsibility at all costs. People whose fear of the future, fear of failure, and fear of inadequacy has held them in a seemingly permanent state of dependency. This mental problem seems to be more common now than ever…

You gotta love that! Us Liberals need to “grow up”. This is actually funny more than anything else. We need to grow up? Why… because we share a different view? If not sharing common ground with your self-righteous blather is what YOU call being

• a Paranoid Schizophrenic,
• not “grown up”,
• Narcissistic,
• and feeling fear of inadequacy or failure

than it is YOU that need to grow up.

Have you ever heard of the word, “projection”?

How many babies and little kids do we know that cry and throw a temper tantrum when they don’t get their way? If you’re talking about issues concerning insecurity and immaturity, can you Right Wingers explain why your panties knot up in a ball when you read blogs written by Liberals? You must fight them. You must go out of your way ‘prove them wrong’. Your demeaning, sarcastic, and mean spirited comments only show
that you are hurt.

From this entry one can only assume that you know something about Psychology. If that is the case, anyone in that field professionally will tell you that anger comes from hurt!

And YOU call yourselves “Wide Awake”? Are you kidding me?

And YOU call yourselves “mature” and “mentally stable”? If the answer to this question is “yes”, than please tell me to sit down first because I will wet my pants laughing so hard. I’ve already went through too many packages of Depends laughing at you people, already. No, seriously.

But he continues….

PPS may not, in itself, be recognized by the mental health community; however there is a psychological syndrome that embodies many of the symptoms we use here to describe PPS.

It is Dependant Personality Disorder. Persons with this disorder are described here:

1) A yearning for a strong figure who will provide the resources for their survival and happiness (sounds like the left’s definition of government to me)

Well partner, looks like Bush is doing something for YOU or you wouldn’t have voted for him. Everybody’s for himself. That’s the way people are. Don’t give me any bologna that you voted for him for the common good for our country. Hogwash. You had your own best interests somewhere – even if it was to please mom and dad. Give me a break!

2) The need for support (ever hear of the term ‘entitlements’?)

Excuse me? YOU don’t feel entitled to anything. Really? You expect nothing from our government until something happens to you or your family. Then you’ll be squealing with the rest of us. That’s how hypocritical you people are. I know a soldier that lost all the movements in his hands due to driving over land mines in Iraq. He’s back in the U.S.now. And guess what? HE’S ON DISABILITY! And where’s that money coming from? YOUR TAX DOLLARS! According to your ‘logic’, he should just wither away and die of starvation without an income. Well, that is your ‘logic’. But I welcome you to correct me if I’m wrong.

If I’m not going to receive Social Security when I’m 70 years old, than why the hell am I putting money into Social Security with every pay check I get? Yes, I feel entitled. That’s my hard earned money! That money’s going to support the rich. While everyone’s entitled to get what they earned, the rich are getting more than that off of Bush being president. While the rich are getting more than they earned, there are those less fortunate that are busting their butts working 3 jobs just to get by.

So, you’ve got it backwards. It’s the Rich Republicans that feel entitled to more. Face it. Nobody thinks about anybody else but themselves. And the more you people deny that, the more foolish you come off.

3) Desiring help from other people (and if necessary, of course, that help will be forced by the penal power of government through the redistribution of wealth.)

Redistribution of wealth? Which democrat is expecting to get more than what they earn at work?

You must be talking about those living off welfare and disability. There are quite a few people that take advantage of the system. There are also those who pop out one baby after the next, wind up with 6 kids and are on welfare. I agree with you there. It’s not right. But there are people who genuinely need it – like that soldier who cannot use his hands at all. And I’m sure he’s not the only soldier on disability eating off your hard earned tax dollars.

4) Subservience and subordination (through the ceding of one’s rights for the feeling of safety)

What the…. Can anybody make out what this means? More power to yah if you feel you don’t deserve to live in a safe country. By the way, what are you doing sitting at home?

If you’re not a “Weenie”, why aren’t you all out there helping our men in Iraq? You couldn’t possibly be one of these cowards, could you?

1) Feelings of helplessness (in themselves and thus projected onto others)

2) Fear of independence and having to do things for oneself (why be independent when the nanny state can take care of all one’s needs?)

3) Fear of rejection or criticism (remember the Narcissist? And what happens when he feels criticized or rejected? Uh oh.)

In the end, those with PPS/Dependent Personality Disorder wish to avoid, by any means, the world most of us know simply as adulthood. They refuse to acknowledge the need for independence and personal responsibility. They refuse to face the fact that life can be sometimes hard and mean. And, as perpetual adolescents, refuse to uphold their own duty to society. And, it is this refusal of the ‘Peter Pan’ to face true reality that ultimately leads directly into the next subject of this investigation and the next post…Paranoid Schizophrenia.

The above is priceless. Really. Fear of rejection or criticism? And ……. this behavior is only specific to Liberals??? Give me a f’n break?

Somebody, please tell me this person isn’t serious.

Could this not be you? I mean you spend so much of your time fighting Liberals. And if you’re so educated in the field of Psychology, you would know that if you were really secure in your Right Winged stances, you wouldn’t waste your time off work insulting us.

That’s the problem with you Extremists. You can’t handle a difference in opinion. You immediately go into hysterics, and again calling us “stupid” and “insecure” and making ridiculous assumptions about us. What’s that all about? If you ask me, that’s about YOUR insecurities. One doesn’t even have to major in Psychology to know that spewing out insults or pointing out grammatical/spelling errors as a substitution for what could be a clean, intelligent debate, is without doubt a mark of insecurity.

With the kind of attitudes you hateful Extremists have, you can go on and on and on preaching about god and conservatism until you’re blue in the face, and you’re not going to convert any of us. Just as much as I think I’m going to convert you….. it ain’t gonna happen. Get used to it.

None of this is to say that I’m perfect, I’m right, and that I never make hypocritical statements. However, I can proudly admit that I can debate without resorting to insults. If you insult me, though, you’re a fool’s fool if you don’t think I’ll bite back or just simply ignore you.