More Tea Party Crap

“If you quit giving people that stuff, they would figure out how to do it on their own,” Mr. Grimes said.

This from the mouth of a financial consultant who lost his job and looked to the government for health care.

You goddam greedy hypocrite.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/us/politics/28teaparty.html?scp=1&sq=Tea%20partiers&st=cse

Targeted by the Tea Party: Parkinson's Hero Speaks

Peeps, I almost didn't come on today because I get sick of getting down on the jerks all around, but really, I mean, seriously, this takes the cake.

If you are even THINKING you might be able to ally yourself with the Tea Bastards, please note that a little recent investigation by CNN disclosed that they are, for the most part, white males with above average incomes and, startlingly, education.

These people do NOT represent the general American public.

Take a look at the latest from Don Siegelman

Please take a moment to read this frightening statement from the wife of an Alabama county commissioner who was subpoenaed by prosecutors to appear before my grand jury. There is no doubt in my mind that if he had lied, as they apparently asked, he would have never been hassled. This is the sad state that this Rove inspired investigation sank to in my case.

Below is the statement by Judy White of Birmingham, Alabama, choosing to break the "conspiracy of silence":

"My husband, while serving as an elected county commissioner, was subpoenaed to give grand jury testimony against former Governor Don Siegelman and Richard Scrushy, because he assisted in arranging the meeting between them at which federal prosecutors contend crimes were committed that resulted in Governor Siegelman's and Mr. Scrushy's convictions. Please understand that I was present when my husband was questioned by federal officials, and I witnessed their demands that my husband testify as he was told, regardless of his insistence that he could not. Following his refusal to comply, the Office of the U.S. Attorney began investigating him, and obtained an indictment and a conviction, which was overturned by the trial judge. The U.S. Attorney appealed the reversal.

My husband got on the wrong side by refusing to commit perjury for their benefit. We have complained to the Office of Professional Responsibility and to the Department of Justice, to no avail, of numerous and verifiable instances of wrongdoing in this matter.

On one day we were highly respected, productive citizens, taking care of our family, and contributing to our community in numerous ways, serving on the boards of non-profits and raising awareness and money for worthy causes, aside from my husband's public service. Then, after my husband refused to commit perjury at the direction of federal officials, they have viciously focused on causing destruction, including the loss of employment, our home, relationships, and any and every resource we might have to fight back, to the point my husband is even unable to retain counsel.

Please help us, and please continue to help change a broken system.

If I did nothing, we would continue as we have since that fateful day when my husband refused to lie as demanded. Ultimately, I understand someone has to speak out and speaking out brings exposure. But if everyone with knowledge of the corruption spoke out, it would have to end, so I have chosen to not be part of the conspiracy of silence."

Judy White

......................................................................................
And now - they need some help. My heart goes out to them.

Please send a contribution to Gary White so that he can obtain counsel.

Mr. Gary White
7032 Greenwood Lane
Leeds, AL 35094
......................................................................................
Please help me continue to fight this injustice, as well.

Donate online or mail your contribution to:

3963 River View Drive
Birmingham, Al 35243

Thank you so much!

Don Siegelman
Governor of Alabama 1999-2003
"America's # 1 Political Prisoner", The American Trial Lawyer Magazine

Let's get friendl.

OK, peeps, after spending the morning dealing with drivers for my laptop, I have a little bit of time before getting completely ready to inspire or crash and burn with a seminar this afternoon, and I really just want to say a couple things:

1. Was anyone else in hysterics reading in the NYT yesterday that the British expelled an Israeli diplomat because it appears 10 assassins used faux British passports in gaining access for an attempted hit on Hamas, and the British government finds that entirely inappropriate behavior from a friendly nation? hahahaha. That's about as friendly as it gets. I don't know who is more ridiculous: Isreal for pretending to be a friendly nation to Great Britain while acting completely irresponsible and disrespectful, or Britain for not writing Israel off after this one.

2. And while we are on the subject of being friendly, how friendly are the people out there threatening and vandalizing property of Dems who voted for the health"care" bill? Hey, I don't like it either, but I am not malicious and immature enough to go do that. WTH?

Health "care" scamarama

Peeps, it is a good day, in that I was handed proof that my disapproval of the "health care" gem that Obama signed yesterday is justified. On the other hand, it is not such a good day for all of us who don't make much money, but make enough to get by, and are under- or uninsured.

Three quick Qs., and voila!

0http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/what-health-bill-means-for-you/

Thanks to Jim for today's little tidbit.

Hey, you whining Republican babies,

just so you know, when you say "we" are going to take our country back in the fall? That is a lie. Our country was not built expressly by or for a bunch of rich whiners who wanted to do nothing but block any possible opportunity to bring people together under one roof with their general welfare intact.

Just in case you've forgotten, your job is not to sit around piss-bitch-and-moaning and saying NO, but to represent your people. Jeeezus Cripes, start ACTING instead of stalling. And I don't mean acting like spoiled rotten babies.

Or do you have anything to really add to "our" country that benefits everyone?

Probably not.

Health Crap Bill

Republicans Vow Repeal Effort Against Health Bill

"WASHINGTON — As jubilant Democrats prepared for President Obama to sign their landmark health care legislation with a big ceremony at the White House, Republicans on Monday opened a campaign to repeal the legislation and to use it as a weapon in this year’s hotly contested midterm elections."

The rest at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/health/policy/23health.html?nl=us&emc=politicsemailema1

Peeps, I am being honest here. I still can barely talk about this without crying. We are being screwed. Who benefits? All I can find in all the articles I sift through are the pharmaceutical companies and the hospitals and probably the elderly. And of course, the insurance companies don't have to be mentioned; they benefit by default because we are going to be required to buy insurance not far down the line, and guess what? If we can't afford it, the gubmint will help us out, but the bottom line is, the insurance companies will make a profit. More of a profit.

Eh, I can't talk about it right now. Just put me first on the jailbird list when they start doling out penalties for not buying in.

Bill Gates: Philanthropist or Monopolist Tyrant?

OK, peeps, I know I have said all this before, but I wish to condense it into one line, after explaining to you the frustration the FFM experienced with his laptop not recognizing his camera was plugged in and ready to download last night (while we sat in a Super 8 room in Green River, UT- a nice Super 8, btw) on the one real break we get in a year... and myself reminded of my own laptop sitting at home on the kitchen table with a brand new hard drive and OS but still not recognizing the internet card even though I used it every day pretty much before the hard drive crashed (when the laptop itself was just over a year old- hellelujah, it last past the average 11 months.)

So, the FFM just came back in the room with an English muffin, which he dropped on the floor, and a cup of typical weak motel coffee, and is sitting in bed now asking me, "Who are you writing about?" to which I answer, "That bastard Bill Gates," and he asks, "Why?" WHY?

I would like to place the blame for these kinds of computer ills squarely on Bill Gates's shoulders. Who created and perpetuated the twisted profit-sucking operation that keeps us all buying new crap all the time because the old crap dies (or because the old stuff that worked perfectly fine is now considered obsolete and won't do things it used to do because something else externally has been changed to make that happen), that keeps us from making choices to buy, keep and use a computer for an extended period of time?

Bill Gates. Philanthropist only because he has made how much money off that business plan and has shiteloads to spare, unlike the general public that is under his spell.

Huh, more education crap.

Why can't I escape seeing these things? I wanna be free!

Too old to stay? Court says yes

March 8, 2010 by Tom D'Agostino

It sounded like a pretty clear-cut case of age bias – but a federal appeals court said it’s not.

Under Alabama law, no member of the board of trustees of Alabama State University can serve on the board past September 30 following his 70^th birthday.

Joe Reed, who was set to hit 70 before his term on the board expired, sued the governor and chair of the board to block his removal. He said the age limit was unconstitutional because it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

No dice, the Eleventh Circuit appeals court said. Relying heavily on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Gregory v. Ashcroft, 502 U.S. 452 (1991), it said the mandatory retirement provision was constitutional because it satisfied rational basis review.

Cite: Clark v. Riley.

http://www.higheredmorning.com/too-old-to-stay-court-says-yes

Earmark my arse

I can't even be sarcastically witty about this one. It's our PUBLIC government, and earmarks, period, have no place.

No, no, don't get me wrong. It is not that I didn't know this shite happens all the time. It's just that having such a decision thrown in our faces like this, as though the Democrats are doing a GOOD THING, is ludicrous. It is criminal that either party ever endorsed or engaged in the practice in the first place. (ie. See paragraph 2.)

House Leaders Bar Earmarks to For-Profit Companies

By ERIC LICHTBLAU

Published: March 10, 2010

WASHINGTON — House Democratic leaders said on Wednesday that they would no longer dole out budget “earmarks” to profit-making companies, wiping out one of the most lucrative and controversial means of awarding no-bid contracts to private firms.

The ban is the most aggressive step yet in a three-year effort in Congress to curb abuses in the awarding of earmarks, which direct that federal money be spent in a very specific way. The move follows criminal investigations, ethics inquiries and political embarassment linked to the use of earmarks.

If the ban had been in effect last year, it would have blocked some 1,000 earmarks, many of them for military contractors that received multi-million-dollar contracts, leaders of the House Appropriations Committee said in announcing the decision.

The move came less than two weeks after the House ethics committee cleared seven members of a defense appropriations subcommittee of allegations growing out of their awarding of earmarks to political contributors.

The earlier decision to clear the lawmakers drew sharp criticism from government watchdog groups, who said it would open the door to further abuse. The ban announced Wednesday appeared to be an effort by House Democrats to regain the high ground after a series of allegations against their own members. Republican leaders are considering how and whether to follow suit.

Since retaking control of Congress in 2007, the Democrats have taken a series of steps, including disclosing publicly which lawmakers requested each earmark, in an attempt to eliminate abuses. While outside critics of the earmark process have dismissed some of those steps as cosmetic, the ban on earmarks for profit-making companies announced on Wednesday drew quick praise.

“I think it’s a pretty big deal,” Scott Lilly, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, the liberal research group, said in an interview.

“That was always the most questionable and problematic aspect of the whole process,” he said, referring to the practice of directing awards to private contractors. Earmarks for universities, research organizations and other non-profit groups would still be allowed under the new restrictions.

Stephen Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a a budget watchdog group that has also been critical of the earmark process, said that “for-profit earmarks are ground zero for pay-to-play, and it makes sense to rein them in.” But he added that the Senate leadership would have to adopt its own similar ban for the restrictions to be effective.

Senator Daniel Inouye, the Hawaii Democrat who leads the Senate Appropriations Committee, showed little inclination to follow the House’s lead. Mr. Inouye said that current restrictions on earmarks, including the disclosure requirements, “have erased the impropriety” of past years.

He said that it did not make sense to discriminate against profit-making organizations. “I am not sure why we should treat for-profit earmarks any differently than nonprofit earmarks,” Mr. Inouye said.

Israel Unveils Plans to Further Aggress Against Palestine, While We Fear Iran Will Make and USE Nukes?

As Biden Visits, Israel Unveils Plan for New Settlements

By ETHAN BRONNER

Published: March 9, 2010

"JERUSALEM — Hours after Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. vowed unyielding American support for Israel’s security here on Tuesday, Israel’s interior ministry announced 1,600 new housing units for Jews in East Jerusalem, prompting Mr. Biden to condemn the move as “precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was clearly embarrassed at the move by his interior minister, Eli Yishai, head of the right-wing Shas party who has made Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem one of his central causes.

A statement issued in the name of the Interior Ministry but distributed by the prime minister’s office said the housing plan was three years in the making and that its announcement was procedural and unrelated to Mr. Biden’s visit. It added that Mr. Netanyahu had just been informed of it himself.

Mr. Netanyahu supports Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem yet wants to get new talks with the Palestinians going and to maintain strong relations with Washington. But when he formed his coalition a year ago he joined forces with several right-wing parties, and has since found it hard to keep them in line.

Mr. Biden came to Jerusalem largely to assure the Israelis of Washington’s commitment to its security and to restart peace talks with the Palestinians.

He began the day on a note of support, asserting the Obama administration’s “absolute, total, unvarnished commitment to Israel’s security.”

But by the end of the day, Mr. Biden’s tone had a very different quality. He issued a statement condemning “the substance and timing of the announcement” of the housing, and adding: “Unilateral action taken by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations on permanent status issues.” He said the announcement “runs counter to the constructive discussions that I’ve had here in Israel.”

On Monday, George J. Mitchell, the administration’s Middle East envoy announced that Israel and the Palestinians had agreed to four months of indirect peace talks, the first such negotiations in more than a year.

Nabil Abu-Rudeina, spokesman for the Palestinian government, called the new housing announcement “a dangerous decision that will torpedo the negotiations and sentence the American efforts to complete failure.” He added that “it is now clear that the Israeli government is not interested in negotiating nor is it interested in peace. The American administration must respond to this provocation with actual measures, as it is no longer possible to just turn the other cheek, and massive American pressure is required in order to compel Israel to abandon its peace destroying behavior.”

Last spring, the Obama administration tried to get Israel to stop all settlement building in order to get peace talks going again and hoped Arab states would promise confidence building measures in exchange. No such measures were forthcoming and the Israelis rejected the freeze."

Finish up here while I go calm down:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/world/middleeast/10biden.html?8au&emc=au

Yes to de animals

I can't believe I hadn't seen these before.

Vote for the Fish

Ninety-three percent of Iceland's taxpaying voters decided against letting their government repay foreign investors who lost out when an ONLINE Icelandic bank crashed. As one fisherman noted: it's not his fault people got greedy and turned to banks and away from fish.

So now the government is trying to negotiate more favorable repayment terms, which means the people will pay anyway.

I vote for the fish.

All About Genocide

This morning, I am anti-American. I disagree with the House panel decision to approve an Armenian genocide resolution. Sorry. I know, it's akin to saying I believe when Iranian President Ahmadinejad says there was no such thing as the Holocaust. Because if these esteemed Congresspeople of this Great Nation had not approved this resolution to declare that what happened in the middle east about a hundred years ago between Ottoman Turks and ethnic Armenians, well, then it wouldn't really have happened, would it have?

And our President, Mr. Obama, is anti-American, too. This is yet another reason to berate him for not doing a good enough job picking up the mess left behind by the last administration. But then, he can't win. The same people who will use this excuse to admonish him for not being enough of a US presence in the world, are the same who are currently giving him hell for not sticking to his guns and getting our troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq. Wait and see.

It is our Job, as the Greatest Nation in the World, not to listen to the Turkish government when they tell us we ought to keep our nose out of their business and let them iron it out themselves. And it's not enough for our President, or any one of us Americans, to personally abhor genocide but not wish to push politically our disapproval of something that happened a century ago. If we really love our country and stand proudly within her borders, shouldn't we distrust that Turkey and Armenia can really work diplomatically to solve their issue so they can comfortably open their borders to each other?

I'm sorry, peeps, I am not on that boat. Hellz, for some bizarre reason, I am still wondering when we are going to take care of our own intolerance of people of different racial or ethnic backgrounds right within our own borders. I know, it's different. No one is killed because of racial, ethnic, or gender preference hatred here. Ever.

Don't Fence Me In!

OK, peeps, so this morning I took myself for a little snowshoe up in the Happy Jack hills. It was a balmy, sunny, probably mid-40s, and even though the snow was crusty on top, well, this little excursion was just what I needed.

Then, I got back and tried to sneak into the office to work all afternoon on this slide show I have to submit for a presentation I am giving in Montana by the 15th of March. And lo and behold, who is the first person I encounter? Yes, the prof who runs this afternoon's seminar, who expected me to be out today... And I am not out. So, I will attend seminar. Which is no big deal, but...

Then I got into my e-mail account, and really, people, please don't put deadlines or schedules on me! I mean, seriously, there are people out there who want me to do things, and they would like me to do those things at their leisure, and frankly, the older I get the more I realize that as much as I am programmed to a) help people out and b) get shite done, I am also programmed to c) react poorly to schedule expectations.

I used to practically kill myself to do things when people asked or expected, and now that I am approaching middle age, I don't want to kill myself for other people any more.

And I still hate money, too. I don't mean "economics" or similar terms people have equated with "money." I mean "money," and this urge people have to center their lives around buying crap and making money.

Ew!

GOP Sen. Kyl: Unemployment Benefits Make People Not Want To Get A Job

Ah, Senator Kyl, you are so on top of it. I mean, it's guys like you we are so blessed to have in Congress. Or, what was that comment Ali said her sister would have? Something about a "stupidhead?"

"A debate on the Senate floor Monday over unemployment compensation crystallized, at least for a moment, the divide between the two parties in Washington.

"Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, the Republican whip, argued that unemployment benefits dissuade people from job-hunting "because people are being paid even though they're not working."

"Unemployment insurance "doesn't create new jobs. In fact, if anything, continuing to pay people unemployment compensation is a disincentive for them to seek new work," Kyl said during debate over whether unemployment insurance and other benefits that expired amid GOP objections Sunday should be extended.

"I'm sure most of them would like work and probably have tried to seek it, but you can't argue that it's a job enhancer. If anything, as I said, it's a disincentive. And the same thing with the COBRA extension and the other extensions here," said Kyl.

"Unemployment benefits are generally so small that much of it is often used to pay for COBRA health insurance, even when subsidized. The size of the benefits does not generally cover the cost of living and it would be hard to find a single person who would prefer unemployment to having a job so that they could get subsidized COBRA."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/01/gop-sen-kyl-unemployment_n_481526.html?ref=fb

In fact, I bet the unemployed people in this picture are all just hanging out on Facebook and not looking for jobs, at all. Especially considering unemployment checks are huge and they just keep coming forever. Hellz, if I were Senator Kyl, I'd find a way to get out of my job and go on the dole... I think he's working on it!