jam-packed show last night

Here's another video from Rachels show last night, this one shows Congressman Eric Massa of NY telling Cheney to shut up! Good stuff!

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Rachel says it best!!

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God I hope the conservative trolls watch this video!! PlEEEEEEse watch it!

shut up Dick

Here is Cheney’s full statement:

"As I’ve watched the events of the last few days it is clear once again that President Obama is trying to pretend we are not at war. He seems to think if he has a low key response to an attempt to blow up an airliner and kill hundreds of people, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if he gives terrorists the rights of Americans, lets them lawyer up and reads them their Miranda rights, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if we bring the mastermind of 9/11 to New York, give him a lawyer and trial in civilian court, we won’t be at war.

“He seems to think if he closes Guantanamo and releases the hard-core al Qaeda trained terrorists still there, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if he gets rid of the words, ‘war on terror,’ we won’t be at war. But we are at war and when President Obama pretends we aren’t, it makes us less safe. Why doesn’t he want to admit we’re at war? It doesn’t fit with the view of the world he brought with him to the Oval Office. It doesn’t fit with what seems to be the goal of his presidency – social transformation—the restructuring of American society. President Obama’s first object and his highest responsibility must be to defend us against an enemy that knows we are at war.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/31054.html#ixzz0bBMLR4c6



Cheney and rethugs always seem to forget 9/11 happened on their watch, so when they are quick to condemn Obama and accuse him of being soft on terror, it's laughable. Once again Dick, just shut the hell up!

relatives...

We all have those relatives, the ones from the "right" who will argue til they're blue in the face. They don't see one single good thing about this president or the current Congress. They say things will NEVER improve in our country, jobs will NEVER come back, we will NEVER get out of debt. Its nothing but negativity and gloom and doom......

I'm talking about my younger brother. He was on the Obama bandwagon then fell off, I think head first cuz now he's reciting Glenn Beck. He talks about the 52 trillion dollar debt our country has, yes he said 52 trillion. He talks about the world ending in 2012. He says we are doomed and nothing will ever be the same...We talked about the HC bill and the first words out of his mouth were "the government will pay for abortions"! OMG, he is listening to all the Fox Faux Noise idiots!!! I'll never be able to talk to him without the insane talking points from Beck butting into every sentence!

I asked him to read the 90 accomplishments of the Obama first year, he just rolls his eyes and won't even read the list! How can you reason with people like him??

He says Congress will go back to rethug majority, but then he says there is no difference between democrats and republicans so it doesn't matter.

Me, I don't like the doom and gloom talk, it gives me anxiety. Are things gonna get better?? Or are we doomed?....please tell me he is wrong....

Truthspeaker

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While the repubs and the dems are arguing back and forth on my blog as well as in Washington, stop and listen to the voice of reason, Bernie Sanders. He speaks the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It's the good, the bad, and the ugly. Is this country so sick and tired of fighting that they will put an Independant in the White House next time around?? Maybe......

Wanna talk about Dick??

Dick Cheney: HUMAN EVENTS' Conservative of the Year !!!!!?


Cheney’s quiet, inner-directed motivation is simply impervious to the attacks orchestrated against him by the Chicago machine-style politicians at the White House, a fact also plainly visible to his fellow citizens. And it is yet another important reason to have confidence that Cheney’s solid policy analysis will yet prevail in the national political arena. Of course he is the conservative of the year!


Are ya upset with me for not leaving a linky to the whole article by John Bolten?? Sorry I just couldn't bring myself to read all about this prestigious award bestowed upon the Dickster,

DNC Press Secretary Hari Sevugan scoffs, "What does it say about the current crop of Republican leaders that the 'Conservative of the Year' is the face of a previous administration who regularly scored approval ratings in the 20s? No new ideas, no new direction, no new leaders -- your GOP giving new meaning to 'The Party of No' every day."


The Dickster is "Conservative of the Year". One of the most hated men in the country (possibly the world). Congrats Dick.....

shut up Joe....

My usual morning routine.....I got up at 5:55, turned on Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough says "Does anybody here have stock in the insurance industry? They are the real winners in this whole HC fight, yea baby, Change you Can Believe in!!!" He's of course speaking about the 60-40 vote last night. All 60 dems and I's voted YES, ALL rethugs voted NO even tho they got what they wanted from this Senate bill. You forget Joe, if rethugs(and some bluedawgs too!) wanted change so bad then they would not have fought to remove CHANGE, such as the public option! Joe forgets those little details when he slams democrats for passing a bill such as this......

I'll talk to ya later......

As with all rethugs,(and LIEbermann), the face only a Mother could love...

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Damn Mitch, stop with the whining and lying, I can't take any more of it! He sure looks pained and saddened.. OH MY....a train wreck....

60 is the big number!!!

Schumer: We've Reached Agreement With Nelson

Brian Beutler | December 19, 2009, 9:01AM TPM read more:

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Abortion, Ben Nelson, Chuck Schumer, Health Care Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) just told reporters that he and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid shook hands last night at 10:30 p.m. with Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) on an agreement that he would vote for cloture on health care reform, on the basis of the abortion language in the manager's amendment.

For those of you who understand legislative language, the text of the abortion amendment is below the fold.

Sounds like they've got 60.

my guy Weiner...

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This is why I admire Anthony Weiner so much.

the more things change.....

Darren has posted about the White House and its stance on HC reform, as much as it pains me to admit it Darren, YOU ARE RIGHT! It pains me because I believed real change would come with a dem president. I believed the whole schmeel.

Now what do we do? We are being taken for a ride, we are being deceived and I HATE the fact rethugs are gonna throw it in our faces! I wanted a STRONG, opinionated dem president, one who would listen to his base, one who would bring change that we could actually see, so different from rethuggery we could throw it in their faces! Ah Ha look at our president, he's for the people, of the people! Not at all like your dictators Bush/Cheney!

Do you know why those 90 something accomplishments get over looked? Because the things we were counting on from our new dem president, wars ending and REAL healthcare REFORM, are not in our sight. We don't trust and we don't believe. [ I should stop here and say I, not we, these are my feelings and my opinion and this is my blog where I want to express them, thank you for letting me do that without condemnation.]

But we find ourselves so angry, so disillusioned these past few months. We have some who say hold on it's still early, but the signs are there. The lobbyists are still there, the insurance companies are spending millions and millions to buy senate support for their greedy fingers to keep a grasp on our pocketbooks. Obama said he was going to change Washington but I don't believe him, so far there are no signs of it. Darren is right, the more things change the more they look the same.....

Howard Fineman

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I like Howard Dean but I cannot believe he wants the bill killed. Listen to what Howard Fineman says about this....

And The House...I forgot all about the House with all this LIEbermann shit going on! Stay tuned...

Are we Happy tonight???

I'm not jumping up and down, are you? Ed Schultz is making me laugh tho and that's a good thing!

So, what did ya think about the Obama speech? I thought it was just more of the same. Very disappointing, very typical, OH SO boring. What did he say, oh yea, he said he feels cautiously optimistic we'll get this done, WTF??!!

Yes, alot are saying it's still a good bill, there are lots of good changes. NO public option, NO medicare buy-in, NO competition because the 3o million more will get their insurance from the big ins. companies who by the way are popping the corks tonight with the Christmas present they just received from LIEbermann!!! FUCK THAT!!!!

United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard, says don't blame President Obama, he's a good and decent guy who has had the rug pulled out from under him. Gerard says its not over, he has no intentions on giving up and neither do the progressive Senators who have fought so hard for us. But what about the president, can we continue to say oh he's just too nice?? He talks to these progressives, he sees the back-stabbing obstructionists, so why doesn't he do more??

Something else I don't understand, with NO public option, NO medicare buy-in, the legislation would be financed by about $460 billion in cuts in projected Medicare payments to health care providers over a decade, there will be higher payroll taxes on individuals making more than $250,000 annually and higher taxes on high-cost insurance policies, drug makers, makers of medical device makers and others. It's deficit neutral. Soooooooo, why are republicans still voting NO????

I like Joan Walsh, she reminds me of Annette and always makes me see the glass half full. She says the bill is good, get it in conference committee and WORK ON IT, it can be improved upon.

Also Alan Grayson says the bill is signable but he will continue fighting to make it better, and one Senator[LIEbermann] should not be allowed to dictate what the whole country gets, so he[Grayson] will be working on the filibuster legislation.

So, tonight I got a little mad, I vented some and I'm sure I'll vent some more before the nights over, but Joan has calmed me down just a little.

What do you think, was it a good day or not?!

Can Tom Harkin save the day?

We all know whats going on, we all know LIEbermann is trying to be a one-man wrecking crew. Why? Not sure we know why, but with reconciliation looking unlikely and LIEbermann looking like the fuckin obstructionist creep he is, then could Harkin be the one to save the bill??

Infidel talks about this today also, Here are some of Harkins words on the subject.....

Tom Harkin May Reintroduce Legislation To Kill Filibuster

Huffpost - Tom Harkin May Reintroduce Legislation To Kill Filibu

The Huffington Post | Rachel Weiner
First Posted: 12-14-09 11:54 AM | Updated: 12-14-09 02:17 PM

With the news that Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) plans to filibuster the current health care bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) options are looking increasingly limited. But one Democratic senator may introduce legislation that would make health care reform a lot easier.

Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa told reporters this weekend that he might reintroduce legislation to end the filibuster, something he first proposed in 1994. The Hawk Eye reports:

"I think, if anything, this health care debate is showing the dangers of unlimited filibuster," Harkin said Thursday during a conference call with reporters. "I think there's a reason for slowing things down ... and getting the public aware of what's happening and maybe even to change public sentiment, but not to just absolutely stop something."

Under Harkin's proposal, debate could be prolonged by the minority -- just not forever.

"You could hold something up for maybe a month, but then, finally you'd come down to 51 votes and a majority would be able to pass," Harkin said. "I may revive that. I pushed it very hard at one time and then things kind of got a little better."

When Harkin fought the filibuster 15 years ago, one of his top allies was none other than Joe Lieberman.

"[People] are fed up -- frustrated and fed up and angry about the way in which our government does not work, about the way in which we come down here and get into a lot of political games and seem to -- partisan tugs of war and forget why we're here, which is to serve the American people," Lieberman said at the time. "And I think the filibuster has become not only in reality an obstacle to accomplishment here, but it also a symbol of a lot that ails Washington today."

You're right, we are fed up, we are beyond angry! The Senators who have the guts to show up on TV and STILL SAY the bill will likely pass but it won't be a bill we wanted, they look like they've had a whoopin' behind the woodshed, they look defeated and embarrassed to admit their inability to take down LIEbermann. What the hell is going on in Congress??

Within the hour President Obama will be meeting with Democrats, will he just rally the troops, or will he stand up and demand results?

Cookies and Tequila!

THIS IS TRULY MY ALL TIME FAVORITE CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPE. PLEASE READ.

Jose Cuervo Christmas Cookies

1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup or brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila

Sample the Cuervo to check quality. Take a large bowl,
Check the Cuervo again, to be sure it is of the highest quality,
Pour one level cup and drink.

Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter
In a large fluffy bowl.

Add one peastoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point
it's best to make sure the Cuervo is still ok, try another
Cup just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy.

Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup
Of dried fruit.

Pick the frigging fruit off the floor.

Mix on the turner.

If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaters just pry
It loose with a drewscriver.

Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Who geeves
A sheet. Check the Jose Cuervo. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.

Add one table.

Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can
Find.

Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall
Over.

Don't forget to beat off the turner.

Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the
Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the wishdasher.
Cherry Mistmas !

A WIN for ACORN.....

I got this article from Salon, you can read the whole post here,

Major victory for ACORN and the Constitution

By Glenn Greenwald

(updated below)

In September, I interviewed Rep. Alan Grayson about the unconstitutionality of Congress' attempt to de-fund ACORN, and a couple of weeks later, examined Supreme Court precedent -- principally the 1946 case of U.S. v. Lovett -- that left little doubt that the Congressional war on ACORN violated the Constitutional ban on "bills of attainder." Yesterday, in a lawsuit brought by the Center for Constitutional Rights, Federal District Judge Nina Gershon of the Eastern District of New York found Congress' de-funding of ACORN unconstitutional and enjoined its enforcement. This is a major victory not only for ACORN, but also for the Constitution.

Judge Gershon's opinion is a model of careful and dispassionate judicial reasoning. Rejecting the DOJ's claim that Congress had merely exercised its funding discretion rather than "punished" ACORN, the court wrote: "Wholly apart from the vociferous comments by various members of Congress as to ACORN's criminality and fraud . . . no reasonable observer could suppose that such severe action would have been taken in the absence of a conclusion that misconduct occurred." The court pointed to numerous statements made by Senators, including the bill's primary sponsor (Sen. Johanns), in which they anointed themselves judge and jury to declare ACORN guilty of crimes with which they had not even been charged, let alone convicted.

Why post this ACORN piece you ask? Well see my constant commenters Lisa and Linda love to talk about the evils of ACORN so I thought they would enjoy this. Below is an update...

UPDATE: As always happens whenever there is a judicial decision that undermines the Right's political interests, there are going to be hordes of right-wing polemicists marching forth to denounce this ruling as "judicial activism." They're already starting. These are people won't bother to read a single word or case about "bills of attainder," but overnight, they're self-proclaimed legal scholars on this Constitutional prohibition and are in a position to criticize the Judge's ruling as legally erroneous. Of course, the only thing they really know is that they hate ACORN and therefore dislike the outcome of this case. In other words, they're denouncing the decision for reasons having nothing to do with law and everything to do with their own political beliefs and outcome preferences -- i.e., they're advocating, as usual, for the consummate act of outcome-based "judicial activism" which they endlessly claim to oppose.

As the cowards in Congress rushed without a trial to unconstitutionally punish ACORN on a very bipartisan basis, Judge Gershon was able to ignore the lynch mob and dispassionately apply well-settled legal principles to safeguard core liberties

Do you still have HOPE??

Glenn W. Smith has written an interesting piece at firedoglake, please read it.

He says this.....

" Progressives have to remember that the president is not the symbolic hero in a movie we just sit and watch. We’re in the movie. It’s about us, not him.

America has never had a progressive president or a progressive government. We have achieved progressive reforms, of course, all of them due to the work of champions of freedom and equality who worked outside of government. Abolition, universal suffrage, labor reforms, civil rights – all of these were the achievements of a people, not a person."

I know, you've heard it before, alot of us progressives keep harping on the same subject... keep the faith, stay positive...but we have to keep saying it, we can never let our guard down and give up by being lazy and uncommited. Too many people worked long and hard to get where we are today. Glenn is correct, it is about us, we are the ones who can change this country, if we stay focused and positive. Don't fall for the rethugs scare tactics, they say 2010 is their year, yeah when pigs fly!!
So come on guys, we have alot of work to do, don't be all down in the dumps and most of all don't give up HOPE!!

"When we fail to inspire hope, we fail the future"

GOP [full of lies] address

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Every week Annette posts President Obamas weekly address, well for comic relief I want to post for you the GOP address, ENJOY IT!!

The Party is Over

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The president praised the House action Friday, and called on Congress to act swiftly to get the bill to the White House for his signature.

"The crisis from which we are still recovering was born not only of failure on Wall Street, but also in Washington," Obama said. "We have a responsibility to learn from it and to put in place reforms that will promote sound investment, encourage real competition and innovation and prevent such a crisis from ever happening again. "

Not a single repub voted yes for the bill. I guess they don't like oversight and regulations imposed on big banks and Wall St. firms. Hmmmmm, I guess they don't care about protecting Main St. from the reckless behavior of Wall St. Typical.... Rethugs think they have a plan, vote NO on everything important to dems and Obama and if all fails they will be off the hook. They think this spells victory for them in 2010 but look out rethugs, it's all gonna backfire on you! The people know what you are doing, it's all political for you, you care NOTHING about this country and the good people. We ARE NOT STUPID. We are aware of the games you play!

Nancy Pelosi says the House is sending a clear message to Wall St., "THE PARTY IS OVER"

Obama doctrine??

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I loved the speech, I loved the look on his face, he was humbled and moved. Today I am very proud of you Mr. President. If you so choose, you can read the speech on any of the news websites. Here are a few passages that I felt stood out explaining his views on war...

" I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war. What I do know is that meeting these challenges will require the same vision, hard work, and persistence of those men and women who acted so boldly decades ago. And it will require us to think in new ways about the notions of just war and the imperatives of a just peace.

We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations - acting individually or in concert - will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.

I make this statement mindful of what Martin Luther King said in this same ceremony years ago - "Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones." As someone who stands here as a direct consequence of Dr. King's life's work, I am living testimony to the moral force of non-violence. I know there is nothing weak -nothing passive - nothing naïve - in the creed and lives of Gandhi and King.

But as a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone. I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: evil does exist in the world. A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda's leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism - it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason."

He also spoke about the mistakes from the Bush/Cheney administration, torture and what it did to our reputation around the globe...

"Let me make one final point about the use of force. Even as we make difficult decisions about going to war, we must also think clearly about how we fight it. The Nobel Committee recognized this truth in awarding its first prize for peace to Henry Dunant - the founder of the Red Cross, and a driving force behind the Geneva Conventions.

Where force is necessary, we have a moral and strategic interest in binding ourselves to certain rules of conduct. And even as we confront a vicious adversary that abides by no rules, I believe that the United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight. That is a source of our strength. That is why I prohibited torture. That is why I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed. And that is why I have reaffirmed America's commitment to abide by the Geneva Conventions. We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend. And we honor those ideals by upholding them not just when it is easy, but when it is hard."

One of my favorites...

"The non-violence practiced by men like Gandhi and King may not have been practical or possible in every circumstance, but the love that they preached - their faith in human progress - must always be the North Star that guides us on our journey.

For if we lose that faith - if we dismiss it as silly or naïve; if we divorce it from the decisions that we make on issues of war and peace - then we lose what is best about humanity. We lose our sense of possibility. We lose our moral compass."

This speech is the Barack Obama I admire so much. Yes, today I am so proud of our President!

looks like we're fucked...

For your viewing pleasure I bring you Hannity slobbering all over Dick, what a fuckin Dickhead, how dare he keep talking like he IS somebody important!

I'm pissed, I can't bring myself to talk about the latest news with HC reform, or what's left of the so-called reform. I'm not going to talk about it til the bill is complete because it changes day by day. So no use getting upset about dems pussy footing and caving to BigPharma and insurance companies. It's mindboggling what dems are doing to their base, it's fuckin shocking and I'm not gonna talk about it! We keep hearing the few progressives say they aren't giving up, they will fight til the end, well fight for what??? It's obvious Obama and the few obstructionist dems don't want a public option, It's obvious lobbyists are writing the bill with the approval of President Obama, so what can I say anyway?? I have signed all the petitions from my inbox, I have called my senators, I have emailed the White House, so fuck it, I'm not gonna talk about it!!

BTW, this is from Obama to ME!!

Susanne --

As we head into the final stretch on health reform, big insurance company lobbyists and their partisan allies hope that their relentless attacks and millions of dollars can intimidate us into accepting the status quo.

So I have a message for them, from all of us: Not this time. We have come too far. We will not turn back. We will not back down.

But do not doubt -- the opponents of reform will not rest. So I need you, the members of Organizing for America, to fight alongside me.

We must continue to build out our campaign -- to spread the facts on the air and on the ground, and to bring in more volunteers and train them to join the fight. I urgently need your help to keep Organizing for America's 50-state movement for reform going strong.

Please donate $5 or whatever you can afford today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/FinalStretch

Let's win this together,

President Barack Obama

DONATE??? TO WHAT??? no thank you

Is more spending the answer?

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I recall republicans crying and whining, saying tax cuts for small business is the way to go, and now that President Obama is proposing just that(a new tax cut for small businesses that hire in 2010) plus an elimination for one year of the capital gains tax on profits from small business investments, they are STILL CRYING!! What the hell do these guys want?? Bonehead Boehner is a friggin blowhard and needs to get his head straight before he comes out in public criticizing the president. Stimulating the economy for job growth means spending, sorry rethugs but we have no intentions of going backwards and doing it your way again, so cry all the tears you want!

It's the ladies turn!

Leslie asked for some nekked men pics, so here ya go girlfriend, enjoy! Lenny Kravitz looking mighty FINE!! What?? What sunglasses, I didn't see any sunglasses...

Sorry guys, my internet connection was down all day and I didn't get any news to report, so enjoy the view...

Wanna hug a tree in Key West?

Fifteen mature environmental activists -- age 44 to 78 -- took off their clothes for a fund-raising 2010 calendar called Women Sustaining the Earth.

"It took a while to get used to the idea,'' said 74-year-old Shirley Freeman, a former mayor and commissioner of Monroe County. ``I've always tried to present myself as professional and with good judgment. But this is a different side of me I really never have explored. And, it's for a good cause.''

The original 500 calendars have been sold -- raising $8,000 for the "community garden'' fund of the nonprofit organization Green Living & Energy Education. But organizers are willing to print more if there's a demand.

This is from Common Dreams.org. Would you call it porn? Alot of commentors are calling it that, Hmmmmm, must be alot of conservatives, hypocritical conservatives...

Call it what you will, it's for a great cause, a leftist cause. Yes we do love our trees and our earth. Earth Day's upcoming 40th birthday is in April, HUG A TREE!

We won't know what we've got until it's gone...

I just came from Leslies, she has posted this link from Nathan Newman-TPMcafe, about Obama and his achievements thus far. It surely was an eye-opener for me since I was feeling kinda glum this week. Yes I'm upset about the war, I'm upset about the new troop surge, but damn people whats wrong with us?? We fought so hard in the last election to put a Dem in the White House. Why are we letting the lies and manipulating fuckers from the right tear us apart?? I don't want to be swayed from my progressive stance. I will never turn my back on my president and surely NEVER be swayed by the right!

Here is the list of accomplishments from our current administration. They are working hard for us damn it! Sure there are things we won't be happy with, things that won't get done exactly like we want, but read this list and then tell yourself the "glass IS half full" afterall. We have a long way to go people but hold on and don't turn your backs on the progress at hand, it would be suicide for our party!!

Quick Summary of 2009 Progressive Victories

• Three major health bills (SCHIP, tobacco regulation, and stimulus funds for Medicaid, COBRA subsidies, health information technology and the National Institutes of Health) enacted even before comprehensive reform
• Stimulus contained myriad other individual policy victories, not only preventing a far worse depression but also:
  • Delivered key new funds for education
  • Expanded state energy conservation programs and new transit programs
  • Added new smart grid investments
  • Funded high-speed Internet broadband programs
  • Extended unemployment insurance for up to 99 weeks for the unemployed and modernizing state UI programs to cover more of the unemployed
  • Made large new investments in the safety net, from food stamps (SNAP) to affordable housing to child care
• Clean cars victory to take gas mileage requirements to 35mpg
• Protection of 2 million acres of land against oil and gas drilling and other development
• Executive orders protecting labor rights, from project labor agreements to protecting rights of contractor employees on federal jobs
• Stopping pay discrimination through Lilly Ledbetter and Equal Pay laws
• Making it easier for airline and railway workers to unionize, while appointing NLRB and other labor officials who will strengthen freedom to form unions
• Reversing Bush ban on funding overseas family planning clinics
• Passing hate crimes protections for gays and lesbians
• Protecting stem cell research research
• Strengthening state authority and restricting federal preemption to protect state consumer, environmental and labor laws
• Financial reforms to protect homeowners and credit card holders
• Bailing out the auto industry and protecting unionized retirees and workers

These are just summeries, if you want to read descriptions about each entry go here

Dennis Kucinich

CONTACT: Congressman Dennis Kucinich Nathan White (202)225-5871

Kucinich: Afghans Want to be Saved from Us, Not by Us

WASHINGTON - December 2 - Following a speech on the Floor of the House of Representative, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today made the following statement:

“Why are we still in Afghanistan? Al-Qaeda has been routed. Our occupation fuels a Taliban insurgency. The more troops we send, the more resistance we meet. If we want to be truly secure, we need to redefine national security to include financial security. Yet America has record debt, skyrocketing unemployment, huge trade deficits, record business failures and foreclosures.

“The people of Afghanistan don’t want to be saved by us. They want to be saved from us. Our presence and our Predator drones kill countless innocents, creating more US enemies and destabilizing Pakistan. The US-created Karzai government is hopelessly corrupt and despised by the Afghan people. Our solution: Provide him with a high-level US minder which will make him even less legitimate. Another strategy: Buy or rent "friends" among would-be insurgents and give them guns and cash. But when the money runs out they shoot at U.S. soldiers. We've played all sides in Afghanistan and all the sides want us out. They do not want our presence, our control, our troops, our drones, our way of life. We are fighting the wrong war, in the wrong place at the wrong time. What part of "get out" do we not understand?

Makes total sense to me!

I must support my president....

30,000 more troops.........thats the presidents answer to the quagmire in Afghanistan....

Mike Barnicle said it right this morning, he said the numbers we will be looking at are the casualties, how many young men and women have to die for a corrupt government over there. Will Afghanistan look any different in 18 months, in 5 years even? I have serious doubts. Actually I can't imagine that remote country ever changing.

I do understand the presidents reasoning, I do understand his fears, but we have been there for years and another 18 months will make a difference?? I don't see it, sorry Mr. President, I don't see it....

But President Obama is my president and I support him and feel his heavy burdens, and remember this is not his fault. He did not choose this war. I must put aside my anti-war stance and stand with my president.

IF America succeeds in 18 months what will that tell us about Obama's administration compared to Bushes? Sorry, with all the vileness coming from Cheney I had to get that in!

Cult of Conservative Christian GOPers

By Stephen Webster, Raw Story. ALTERNET: Posted November 30, 2009.

The African nation of Uganda is weighing a bill that would impose the death penalty on HIV positive men who have committed what it calls "aggravated homosexuality."

As if that were not shocking enough, a U.S. author is claiming that a secretive group of American politicians appear to be a driving force in seeing the proposal become law.

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009, heavily supported by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, was first read in October, triggering a wave of condemnation. According to the gay blog Queerty, Joann Lockard, public affairs officer at the Kampala, Uganda embassy, said the law would "constitute a significant step backwards for the protection of human rights in Uganda."

She added: "We urge states to take all necessary measures to ensure that sexual orientation or gender identity may under no circumstances be the basis for criminal penalties, in particular executions, arrests, or detention."

While that condemnation by a U.S. official would seem reflexive, others in U.S. political circles are providing financial and political support for the bill's sponsors, according to author Jeff Sharlet.

Sharlet's book "The Family" is an investigative look at a secretive group of fundamentalist Christian lawmakers in Washington, D.C. In a recent interview with NPR's Terry Gross, he broke the news that The Family's influence in Uganda is rife.

"[The] legislator that introduced the bill, a guy named David Bahati, is a member of The Family," he said. "He appears to be a core member of The Family. He works, he organizes their Ugandan National Prayer Breakfast and oversees a African sort of student leadership program designed to create future leaders for Africa, into which The Family has poured millions of dollars working through a very convoluted chain of linkages passing the money over to Uganda."

And how did Sharlet discover the connection? "You follow [the] money," he said. You look at their archives. You do interviews where you can. It's not so invisible anymore. So that's how working with some research colleagues we discovered that David Bahati, the man behind this legislation, is really deeply, deeply involved in The Family's work in Uganda, that the ethics minister of Uganda, Museveni's kind of right-hand man, a guy named Nsaba Buturo, is also helping to organize The Family's National Prayer Breakfast. And here's a guy who has been the main force for this Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda's executive office and has been very vocal about what he's doing, in a rather extreme and hateful way. But these guys are not so much under the influence of The Family. They are, in Uganda, The Family."

Under current Ugandan law, homosexuality is a crime punishable by life in prison. The proposed law would not just condemn HIV positive gay men and "repeat offenders" to death, it would also jail for three years anyone who knows a gay man but refuses to report them to authorities. Further, anyone who defends in public the rights of gays and lesbians would be subjected to a seven year prison term.

In his NPR interview, Sharlet said the bill would "very likely" pass and become Ugandan law. He added that the nation's president, whom he called a "dictator," has long been in The Family's fold.

"The Family identified [Museveni] back in 1986 as a key man for Africa," he said. "They wanted to steer him away from neutrality or leftist sympathies and bring him into conservative American alliances, and they were able to do so. They've since promoted Uganda as this bright spot - as I say, as this bright spot for African democracy, despite the fact that under their tutelage, Museveni has slowly shifted away from any even veneer of democracy: imprisoning journalists, tampering with elections, supporting - strongly supporting this Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2009."

Canada and the U.K. have been leading the international charge against the proposed law, with both prime ministers Gordon Brown and Stephen Harper condemning it.

"Addressing the Commonwealth People’s Forum, Stephen Lewis, the former UN envoy on Aids in Africa, said that the Bill made a mockery of Commonwealth principles," the Times Online reported. "Nothing is as stark, punitive and redolent of hate as the Bill in Uganda," Lewis said.

"We needn't tell you: The implications are dire," opined Queerty. "It's not abnormal for foreign heads of state, like Museveni, to have ties to American politicos. But he's deeply routed in a secretive organization that promotes hatred under the guise of loving Jesus. And the very people — America's elected officials who believe in human rights — we would expect to pressure Uganda's lawmakers not to make such a bill law are turning out to be its biggest supporters."

'hatred under the guise of loving Jesus'. Yes it's true, conservative religious fanatics, THE FAMILY, are supporting a law to murder innocents. People unlike themselves are not worthy to live on this earth? I said it before and it caused a firestorm, but I will say it again..... these right-wing religious fanatics are not walking in Jesus' footsteps, but they are wrapped in the arms of Satan.....

Tell President Obama NO!!

Obama's about to decide whether to send more troops. Tell the President: DON'T.

You've probably heard that President Obama is about to decide whether to send a lot more troops to Afghanistan.¹

And since you're an activist, you also know that there are a ton of reasons this would be a mistake: Hundreds more troops will be killed along with countless civilians. And we could get stuck in an Iraq-style quagmire for decades, while terrorism experts say this isn't even a good way to fight Al Qaeda.

Well, here's one more reason: The war will bankrupt our economy and divert funds we urgently need for health care, education and jobs.

Afghanistan is just about the most remote, difficult-to-access part of the world there is. Sending a gallon of gas there costs $400; keeping a soldier armed, fed and cared for costs almost $1 million a year!²

Tell President Obama -- with the economy in shambles, we just can't afford any more war. It's time to stop sending troops, and create a clear timetable to bring everyone home from Afghanistan.

http://act.truemajorityaction.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=44

We have nearly 70,000 troops already in Afghanistan,³ yet over the last few months, things have consistently gone from bad to worse despite our engagement. So it's no surprise that most Americans are now opposed to the war.⁴

Despite Afghanistan's problems and lack of public support, some people inside the beltway want to send a huge number of additional troops into harms way -- with no timeline for their return and no clear mission to gauge progress by.⁵

It's the same mistake that got us trapped in Iraq, and which President Obama has promised to avoid with a new foreign policy.

Don't let us go down the same path again - tell Obama not to send more troops.

Is President Obama really going to tell us tomorrow thousands of our troops are going to Afghanistan?? I'm sorry but I can not support the president on this decision, no matter how long and hard it was for him. I don't see an end to these quagmires. I'm so thankful I have no family or friends fighting in these wars or I don't know how I would handle this horrible news! Cindy Sheehan is my hero, here is some of the latest news about her....

In August, 2009, Sheehan protested at Martha's Vineyard during President Barack Obama's stay there. According to ABC News: "Sheehan invoked Sen. Ted Kennedy's passing as part of her message, noting that he was firmly anti-war and how he said his proudest vote as a senator was his 2002 vote against the Iraq war."^[84]

On October 5 Sheehan was arrested with sixty others at the White House protesting President Obama's continuation of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She told CNN: "I think the mood of the country and the mood of our movement is getting a little bit more desperate, and (that) this will be the time to be able to translate our tireless activism and work for peace."^[85]

^{Please sign the petition!}

INSANE Americans heart Sarah......

This is one of the most bizarre videos of American insanity I have ever seen! It's actually scary we have people like these living in our neighborhoods, our kids are playing with their kids, they are working side by side with us!! Good Lord, this is what we have to listen to for the next 3 years?? I say 3 years because after that Palin will be long forgotten, in fact it's her own rethug party that will destroy her, thank God!!

One idiot man said... "I think you'll see crowds like this wherever she goes"
Yes sir, idiots JUST LIKE YOU....

I hope you listen to this whole video, it's amazing!!

US says no to landmine ban

Help us understand this RZ!

U.S. won't join landmine ban, administration decides

From Charley Keyes, CNN Senior Producer

November 24, 2009 6:05 p.m. EST

Washington (CNN) -- The United States won't join its NATO allies and many other countries in formally banning landmines, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said during his midday briefing Tuesday.

"This administration undertook a policy review and we decided our landmine policy remains in effect," Kelly said in response to a question. "We made our policy review and we determined that we would not be able to meet our national defense needs nor our security commitments to our friends and allies if we sign this convention."

Opponents of the U.S. landmine policy said they were surprised.

"It is a disturbing development," said Steve Goose of Human Rights Watch. "The administration never said a policy review was under way."

Goose said the decision to leave the policy in place is at odds with the administration's professed commitments to international agreements and humanitarian issues.

"The international treaty against landmines has made a a huge difference and it is a very strong deterrent," Goose said. "It has to have been a very fast and cursory review."

The United States will attend an international conference on landmines next week in Cartagena, Colombia, sending an inter-agency delegation from the State and Defense departments as observers.

Kelly said the United States continues to work with governments as well as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to help remove landmines.

"The U.S. is proud to be the world's single largest supporter of humanitarian mine action," Kelly said. "Since 1993 the U.S. has provided more than $1.5 billion worldwide dedicated to building new partnerships with more than 50 post-conflict countries and supporting efforts by dozens of NGOs to promote stability and set the stage for recovery and development through mine clearance and conventional-weapons destruction programs."

The United States is the only member of NATO that will not sign the landmine treaty, Goose said. Russia and China also have not joined the 156 nations that have endorsed the ban, he said.

I am feeling increasingly uneasy about this administration and President Obama. Now don't get me wrong, I don't plan on badmouthing him, or jumping ship. I just want to see a more forceful president when it comes to progressive issues. He has disapointed me with the stance on Afghanistan, and his laid back style with the HC reform is so annoying. I am growing impatient and I don't want to. I'm always the optimist remember??

On my bloglist you will see Annette has a video up , there is an event coming up in January, a rally in Washington that we hope will put any 'ole teabagging groupie to shame! This is a rally to support the president and his agenda. We need a massive amout of people there so check out the video and write down the date! We dems have to show the rightwing nutjobs what a real rally looks like, plus I need to get my half empty glass half full again!! I need this bad!

A divided left-wing

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Why is it republicans stood behind a joke of a president like Bush, but when the majority of the country elects a democrat, a very popular democrat, the left can't make up its mind what it stands for? How can we sit by and let 3 or 4 obstructionist dems(yes I said obstructionist dems, not rethugs, we all know rethugs are irrelevant) take down the president and this very important reform that will shape his presidency!

Harry Reid I have one word and one word only... RECONCILIATION!!!!! Do Not take us back to 1994!

Monday Funny!

We could use a good laugh, besides this reminds me of the repubs from the deep south, in a red state of course. You choose which state! :-)))

I got this today in my inbox......


Dearest Redneck Son,

I'm writing this slow because I know you can't read fast. We don't live where we did when you left home. Your dad read in the newspaper that most accidents happen within 20 miles of your home, so we moved. I won't be able to send you the address because the last family that lived here took the house numbers when they moved so they wouldn't have to change their address.

This place is really nice. It even has a washing machine. I'm not sure about it. I put a load of clothes in and pulled the chain. We haven't seen them since.

The weather isn't bad here. It only rained twice last week; the first time for three days and the second time for four days.

About that coat you wanted me to send; your Uncle Billy Bob said it wouldbe too heavy to send in the mail with the buttons on, so we cut them off and put them in the pockets.

Bubba locked his keys in the car yesterday. We were really worried because it took him two hours to get me and your father out.

Your sister had a baby this morning, but I haven't found out what it is yet so I don't know if you are an aunt or uncle.

Uncle Bobby Ray fell into a whiskey vat last week. Some men tried to pull him out but he fought them off and drowned. We had him cremated, he burned for three days.

Three of your friends went off a bridge in a pickup truck. Butch was driving. He rolled down the window and swam to safety. Your other two friends were in the back. They drowned because they couldn't get the tailgate down!

There isn't much more news at this time. Nothing much out of the normal has happened.

Your Favorite Aunt,

Mom

RETHUGS, THE PARTY OF NO! Did you expect anything more??

Well, the vote is in, Democrats vote to proceed with debate. Rethugs vote NO. Fuckers are nothing but obstructionist pigs. They deserve nothing from the citizens of this country. They are irrelevent!! If you think for one minute these rethugs are voting NO because they care about you, or they care about deficit numbers, you are mistaken. They care only about destroying President Obama!! FUCK YOU REPUBLICAN PARTY OF NO!!!

The Ed Show talks, yes it's HC and rethug obstruction

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This clip of the Ed Show is a long one I'm sorry. but at 3:20 in you will see Debbie Stabenow talking about the HC bill. At 7:30 in they talk about this bill helping small business which rethugs are AGAINST. Yea you heard me, AGAINST. Republicans are liars, they are not interested in helping small business and Main St. Do yourself a favor, listen to this video, it's a good one.

Tomorrow night is the vote, picture this, I'll be in my flannels, I'll have my bowl of popcorn and a large Pepsi, I believe word on the street is all 60 will vote yes to proceed!

Presidential material, you betcha!!

Oh yea baby, you got yourselves a smart one this time.....lol

HC in a nutshell

For those who don't have time to read the 2,074 pages of the HCB, here's a rundown. Courtesy of Think Progress:

The Details Of The New Merged Senate Bill

Moments ago, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) released the merged Senate health care bill. According to preliminary CBO analysis, the Senate bill costs $849 billion over 10 years and reduces the deficit by $127 billion over 10 years. The legislation could further reduce the deficit by up to $650 billion cut over the following decade, the budget office says.

The bill –which includes a national public health insurance plan with the option for states to pass a law and opt-out — reduces the uninsured by 31 million Americans and covers 98% of Americans by 2019.

The bill increases the threshold for the so-called Cadillac tax, raises the payroll tax by 0.5% on individuals who earn more than $200,000 and families earning more than $250,000 a year, and cuts waste from Medicare. The payroll tax increase would only apply to employees (not employers) and generate $54 billion.

Did you get that rethugs? It WILL NOT increase taxes on small business and kill jobs like you love to wish it did!

The bill maintains the Senate Finance Committee’s immigration language and preserves much of the more moderate Capps-abortion compromise. Federal dollars can only be used to pay for abortions when the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother or results from rape or incest; private premiums must be used to pay for any other type of abortion, including those for health reasons. Each plan in Exchange will decide whether to cover additional abortion services and at least one plan in each market must offer abortion services and one plan must not. In the public option, the Secretary can cover abortion only if the procedure is financed with private funds.

Since the Exchanges don’t open open until 2014, the bill offers immediate insurance reforms for Americans purchasing coverage in the individual market. Insurers will no longer be allowed to rescind coverage or impose life-time or annual limits and will be required to meet a medical-loss ratio of 85 percent. Americans who are denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition would participate in a national high-risk pool program until the Exchanges are established. Young Americans can stay on their parents’ policies until they turn 26. Small businesses will receive a tax credit.

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