An America Citizen

For the last couple of years, politicians like Rick Perry, Michelle Bachman, and the like have suggested that being a citizen of this country was to a certain extent about character. And although I have been willing to engage in their attacks on people like me now and then, I've been here for thirty one years, and I can tell you without hesitation, being a citizen of this country, is entirely about character.

For the record: yes, I am planning on becoming a card-carrying member of the ACLU like so many other Liberals, but the more important question is, 'Why aren't they?' Now this is an organization, whose sole purpose is to defend the Bill of Rights, so it naturally begs the question: 'Why would a Congressperson or a Governor, their party's most powerful spokespeople and candidates for President, choose to reject upholding the Constitution?' Now if you can answer that question folks, then you're smarter than I am, because I still can't fully figure that one out.

America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You've gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center-stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his or her right to burn that flag in protest." Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can stand up and sing about the land of the free.

I've heard the right-wings shtick for years, and I'd been operating under the assumption that the reason they devote so much time and energy to shouting at the rain was that they simply didn't get it. Well I was wrong, their problem isn't that they don't get it; their problem is that they can't sell it. We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, the right-wing is not the least bit interested in solving it. They are interested in two things, and two things only: making you afraid of it, and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections.

You gather a group of middle-age, middle-class, middle-income voters who remember with longing an easier time and you talk to them about family and, American values and character, and you wave an old Bible around and you scream about patriotism, you tell them that God hates anyone who doesn’t think like them and that those of us on the left are to blame for their lot in life.

We Liberals have done nothing to you, right-wingers. We have done nothing, but put ourselves through school, represent the interests of public school teachers, fight for the middle class, and lobby for the safety of our work places and our natural resources. You want a character debate? You better start with your own reflections, because we Liberals are way out of your league.

We've got serious problems, and we need serious people to solve them. And if you want to talk about character, you better come at us with more than a burning flag and membership cards. If you want to talk about character and American values, fine. Just tell me where and when and I'll show up. This is a time for serious people, right-wing, and your fifteen minutes are up. My name is Mr Liberal, I AM an American citizen and I AM THE 99%!

(This Blog is a rewording of the speech given by Michael Douglas in the film 'The American President. I hold no ownership of the original wording, only the edits.)

The Dangers of a President Paul Part 1

I'll grant you that on the surface Ron Paul's Libertarian ideas sound pretty good. Cutting spending, ending the T.S.A, ending American involvement in war, legalizing drugs. But, when you look closer at what Ron Paul wants to do to this country you can see that though he touts freedom, we will lose even more.


Let's start with abortion.


Right now a woman has the freedom to chose whether or not to carry an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy through to birth or to end one. Under a President Paul we would see this freedom in the most danger it has ever been in. Paul plans to work to overturn Roe v. Wade and institute a "Sanctity of Life Act", stating that life begins at conception. This "Act" is, in and of itself, a dangerous idea, even more so if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned as Paul states he will fight to do. Conception is defined medically as follows, 

"Conception: 1. The union of the sperm and the ovum. Synonymous with fertilization."


This is the notion that most pro-life people love to tout, but what you may not know is that there are two steps to conception. The second being that the fertilized egg must then implant into the wall of the uterus. This takes around four weeks to occur, and in some cases it does not even happen at all naturally. This "Sanctity of Life Act" would in essence make the Plan B pill illegal, thus forcing a woman to carry an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy to term with Paul having Roe v. Wade overturned. This "Act" is not a medically based law, but it is a religious law. And as a religious law, it is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Good bye freedom number one.


Now let us move on to Paul's stance on Healthcare.


Being a Medical Doctor one would think a President Paul would want all Americans to have the right to obtain healthcare. Wrong! As President, Paul would fight to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act  (Obamacare for those of you who only get your info from the mainstream media). Although not perfect, P.P.A.C.A makes it easier for Americans to obtain health insurance. Depending on your income level, you will enter into 'pool' that will determine how much assistance you need in buying a health policy. Sounds complicated doesn't it? What that means is the less money you make, the more help with healthcare you get. Now because this new system makes it easier for every American to have health coverage you really don't have a reason not to get it any more. But, for those who don't get health coverage there will be a tax increase to offset the extra tax money used to pay for the times when you need healthcare.


Other blessings of PPACA are that you will no longer be able to be denied health insurance due to a pre-existing condition and that insurance companies must use 80-85% of premium payment for actual medical costs. As President, Ron Paul would do away with this entirely, leaving us in pretty much the same place we are now, but with the same tax breaks PPACA provides.

Muppets Bomb Manhattan (satire)

BREAKING: The Muppet known as 'Crazy Harry' was arrested earlier today in New York City after it had been reported to the NYPD that a he had allegedly been seen piling up boxes of dynamite outside Fox News's New York studio. The police apprehended the slightly famous Muppet before he was able to activate the the dynamite plunger found connected to the large stack of TNT. As he was being placed into the back of a squad car, witnesses reportedly heard him say "Make the stupidity stop! I can't take it anymore!" 


This comes on the heals of Fox News personalities Eric Bolling and Andrea Tantaros claiming that "The Muppets", a new movie staring the outrageous Jim Henson puppets, was brainwashing children with liberal bias. Neither could be reached for comment by deadline.

A spokesperson for The Muppets stated that "...although we denounce the actions of Crazy Harry, we totally understand why he would do something so extreme. Have you heard the dribble that those people spew?" A public relations firm for fellow Muppet Rizzo the Rat released a statement saying, "This is the sanest thing Harry has ever done." Muppet frontfrog, Kermit the Frog, has yet to be reached for comment on the alleged bombing.

The Dogs of War

For decades the American Government has been in the back pocket of who ever has had the most money. E.P.A regulations that are supposed to keep us safe from toxic pollutants have been ignored and in some cases overturned. Our borders have been opened to let big business send American jobs out, but closed to letting people in. For years we have allowed this and other crimes against the American people to happen unchecked. Only recently has the sleeping giant awakened, and the powers that be are scared.

It is the fear of those in power that brings me to speak of a fear that has haunted me since I was a teenager. A fear that war will once again find itself on our shores. I'm not talking about terrorist attacks, I'm talking all out war. We've seen a taste of this possibility in NYC, Oakland and other cities during attacks on Occupy protesters. In these instances we saw in YouTube videos and camera phone pictures showing the use of pure brutality against peaceful protesters expressing their First Amendments rights. What might happen when the powers that be realize that we are not just going to go away; that we refuse to be silent again?

I would not put it past our corrupt, bought-and-paid-for-decades-ago government to continue to do the bidding of their corporate owners and use full-on military force to turn a nation built on freedom into a total police state. Just look at some of the bills being sent through Congress right now. Senate Bill 1867 (S. 1867) is a prime example of the lengths that the powers that be will go to to keep us in line if we try to exercise our rights. 

My fear is that if legislation like this passes and is put into law, the once sleeping giant that is the American people will fight back and another Civil War will once again tear this country apart. It is up to us, the American people, to shine the light of day on shady corrupt actions. We are the new media, we are the new watchdogs of democracy. It is up to us.

Yet, should this fear come true and war break out across the country, we will have a choice to make. Do we fight on the front lines or do we support those that do in anyway we can? Everyone must make their own decisions. Fore if we choose to allow such actions to go unchecked such as S.1867, war will be a very possible consequence.

Dear Lt. John Pike, This One's For You.

We all know who you are, Lt. John Pike, thanks to YouTube videos like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjnR7xET7Uo&feature=share and pictures like this

Well Lt. Pike seeing as how your actions were UNCALLED FOR, evil, and ridiculous as hell I though I'd share that point through the art of Meme. So here you go Johnny boy.

You see how stupid and evil you were now? And doing that after the U.C. Davis Occupiers fed you? There's a special place in Hell for creeps like you Johnny, and it's right next to Hitler!

It Does Get Better

          Hey you. Yeah you with the gun to your head, the knife at your wrist. Step back for a minute and listen. I know what you're going through. No, I'm not gay, but I do know what it's like to be tortured by others for the way you were born. How? I'll tell you.

          I was already an outcast before puberty kicked in, but when my body changed my being different was visibly noticeable. I was the only 13 year old boy with breasts. No, I'm not a hermaphrodite, I was just born with breasts. Changing for gym class was a living hell that I didn't think I could survive until high school graduation. Just going to school made me physically ill. Every day I would have to face being called "fag", "homo", "hermaphrodite", and the most constant "tits mcgee". I would be chased home from school, have rocks thrown at me, and even had my books stolen from me and thrown into a water filled pothole in an alley. The school did nothing to protect me. In one instance after being sucker punched in the stairwell I was the one who got sent to in-school suspension for "instigating" the "fight". So yeah, I know what it's like to tortured for being born different.

          But, I never gave up. Oh I wanted to, believe me. I even had several different plans on how I was going to take my own life, but I didn't try any of them. It wasn't until my junior year of high school that I stopped being the victim; although I went about it the wrong way. It wasn't until I left school that I came to the true realization that those who had made my life hell for all those years were not going to define the man I would become. So here I am 16 years later, and I have a family full of people who care about me for who I am, breasts and all. Every now and then some ignorant jerk will say something stupid, but I just look at them and laugh, because I refuse to let the small minded people in this world tear me down.

          It will get better. Your lives will not be defined by the small minded people you're dealing with now, and one day you will look back and pity them. You will have the last laugh when you look around you and see those who love you and not those who never took the time to even get to know you. It really does get better.

The Fat-Cats are Afraid. Very Afraid.

Today the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reported that my friend and fellow Blogger, Heather DuBois Bourenane (Monologues of Dissent) and her family received a death threat in the early hours of 11/17/2011. This is proof that the powers that be, and those who blindly follow them, are scared out of their minds. Between the recall efforts being pushed through in Wisconsin by people like Heather and the world-wide Occupy movement, the Fat-Cats and their minions are terrified that they will soon lose control of this country and the government that is supposed to protect it from all enemies, foreign and domestic. They're afraid that their stranglehold on the working class and poor of this nation is slipping away and they are losing their control.

And it is that fear of losing control that is causing them to lash out violently at the sleeping giant they have awakened. They send their police to try and silence us at protests, single individual lackeys make threats against a woman and her children; but these cheap tactics will not stop us. We will continue to push for the recall of criminal politicians, we will continue to protest in every Occupied city. We are all Wisconsin, We are all the 99%.

The Sum of All My Fears

     We are standing on a major tipping point in this country. The people have joined together in unison to protest that which is wrong with this country, and our Government is attacking us for it. With the recent injury of a Marine Vet at Occupy Oakland I'm forced to think of all that might now follow.

     In my mind I see one of two things happening, and it is the worst of these that I'm going to write about.

     If the Occupy Movement for one reason or another turns violent I can see the Corporate owned Republican Party using that to take the White House and keep their seats in Congress. If this happens we will see a full on police state the likes of which we could never imagine. The Patriot Act will most likely be expanded to the point of full on marshal law, and the Constitution will be forever lost. I can see another civil war rise up and send this country to ruin. But the resistance to this new Republican Corporate Theocracy will be cut down and used to make new laws to restricted or even abolish our freedoms all together. I know how this sounds, but if you look at the world and how it is currently moving you can see this as a real possibility.

     It is thoughts like this that make me so adamant about keeping the Occupy Movement non-violent. We can ill afford for the Republicans to take full control of our Government. Fore if it happens, the freedoms we are fighting to keep will be all but lost.

Guest Blog: I am...not alone.

This blog was written by my wife on her public Facebook page, Opinionated Wife of Mr Liberal OWL and she agreed to be a guest on this blog.

Yesterday Brony (an admin over at High on Quack) posted his 'Coming Out Day' statement. I thought, "what a great idea!" I can express my (almost) deepest darkest secret over here, where my open-minded friends will be all warm and fuzzy. I wouldn't dare reveal my REAL sexuality on my personal page...my professional networking would be dead. 

So, I thought, here I go, "I'm bisexual...well, except...and not really...." Ok, stop. I've gone through this my entire life. I don't know what I am, and because of this, I didn't know who I was either. Several weeks ago a friend of mine posted that she supported LGBTA. Someone asked what that meant, and she responded with an answer I knew well, but she continued. She said it should actually be "LGBTAQIA." At that point I learnd the meaning of 'intersexual' (the others I knew). I thought, "Well, I must be 'questioning' because I sure don't fit any of the others really." Then, Brony posted that he was 'pangendered.' Stranger and stranger...

I didn't know I could be anything other than male, female or androgenous. I guess I thought there were three categories and I had to pick one. Well, it just never fit. It didn't fit to the point that I couldn't even properly describe my gender identity or sexuality. For example, if you tell a heterosexual, biological male that he is essentially the same as a homosexual woman, he looks at you weird..ok, well Mr. Liberal does anyway. No, Mr. Liberal knows he's male. To me, this was a foreign concept. 

I was so confused that I assumed there must simply be a continuum on which everyone existed somewhere. I've debated with Mr. Liberal, my childhood (homosexual, biological male) best friend and even with Duck about whether anyone can truly be ONLY homosexual or ONLY heterosexual. It was my opinion that everyone was at least a little bit of both...kinda like Republicans and Democrats, few people agree 100% with either side. 

So, back to me...When Brony posted that he was pangendered, I Googled it. Interesting concept, "a person who cannot be labeled as either male or female, but as a third gender entirely" (or somethin close to that). We were getting closer...but more important, I was starting to realize that I was not alone. I have always used the best descriptions I knew, but my ignorance caused me much strife. 

As open minded as I am, I was ignorant enough to think that my life-long problem describing my gender and sexuality was unique...now I learn that I simply did not have the necessary vocabulary to even find others like me. How good it feels to know I am not alone!  I feel like shackles have been removed that I do not have to use those three traditional words anymore.

So, what am I? Eh, I don't know yet. I want to find the perfect words before labeling myself again. All I know is, I am not alone. :)

UPDATE: I wrote this last night and almost posted it. Then, I freaked. Mr. Liberal was in bed and I didn't know how he would react. I mean, I know he's extremely liberal and he accepts all gender and sexuality identities as 'normal.' However, I realize that things could be different when they hit home. He knows I've identified myself as both 'bisexual' and 'a lesbian who fell in love with a man.' He knows that I always dreamed as a man until I met him. He knows I'm masculine...but how would he feel when I told him I may not actually be 100% female? I mean, what if he just isn't attracted to someone who is pangendered or two-spirited or whatever I might be...

His response: "I love you for you. I love all of you. I have always known you weren't simply female. Just because you didn't label it doesn't mean I couldn't recognize it. I will always love you for what you are, regardless of how you label it." 

I cried. (I don't do that often. :)

Mrs. Liberal

The Invasion within the Occupy Movement

Since the Occupy Movement has spread worldwide I have noticed one particular political group who has been trying to, and in some cases been successful at turning some of the Occupy branches into one-sided political platforms. Some of you already know what I mean.

From what I've read and participated in with Occupy, it's supposed to be a leaderless movement where everyone gets a say and they only move in a direction when all are in agreement. With some Occupy groups however, that is not the case. I went to one of the local "Occupy" protests recently and saw it being overtaken by none other than a group of Libertarians. Can someone please tell me what the hell Libertarians are doing in a movement that goes against everything they stand for? We have all heard, whether we wanted to or not, Ron "Corporations will police themselves" Paul say time and time again that Government has no place telling businesses what to do whatsoever. And seeing as how I have yet to see one Libertarian disagree with Ron Paul on this or any other issue, I'm forced to ask "What the hell are they doing here?"

Well, if you Google Occupy Wall St, Libertarians or Libertarian Occupy, you will find a million Libertarians asking how they can infiltrate and take over the movement and use it as a tool to further their own agenda. In case you don't believe me I've posted some links from my search at the end of this article. The YouTube video might make you sick though, especially the description.

I know Occupy is about people from all walks of life and politics coming together to try and fix our broken money driven system, but I wish like hell the Libertarians would just stay the hell out of it and stop trying to twist Occupy into a tool to bring about their view of America as their Utopia. And by Utopia I mean an even worse system in place than we have now or could even fathom.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI6jbcq7i6g

http://www.dollarvigilante.com/blog/2011/10/5/a-message-to-occupy-wall-street.html

http://www.libertariantoday.com/

And these are just some of what's out on the web, imagine this kind of stuff being said in person.

We are the 99%

We, as a nation, have for the past thirty plus years allowed those with money turn our once great nation into a cesspool of greed and selfishness. I know why we let it happen. After the sixties we lost our willingness to stand up and challenge that which is morally and socially wrong. Basically, we forgot how to be Americans. So in our rut, we sat back and allowed ourselves to be ruled by those with money enough to buy those we voted into power. We believed Regan when he told us 'trickle down economics' would stimulate the economy and create jobs. We bought that line for thirty years and allowed the fat-cat controlled government pass tragedies like N.A.F.T.A and the like and 'thought' things would get better.


We now have seen the error of our ways. Almost two weeks ago the people began to speak again, began to act. Occupy Wall Street has not only grown on the streets of NYC, but has now spread like wildfire across the whole of the nation. And this is only the beginning...

Did Verizon Hire Blackwater/Xe for Strike Security? Part 2

As some of you may know, I've been researching  Mr. Santones claim that Verizon hired Blackwater/Xe, and in a previous post gave both Verizon and CWAs denial as evidence against this claim. This morning I recived an email this morning from John Proctor, a spokesman for Gibraltar Associates. Gibraltar Associates is Blackwater/Xe's P.R. firm. I've posted the email below.

Good morning Jeff,

Thank you for reaching out.

Xe has no contract or agreement, nor is the company, or any of its affiliates, doing any work for, or on behalf of Verizon. Further, Xe has not had any contact with Verizon on this or any other matters. The Examiner and Daily Kos stories published this week suggesting otherwise were erroneous. Both have since been retracted.

Let me know if you need any further clarification.

Best regards,

John

That's three for three. All involved, Blackwater/Xe, Verizon, and C.W.A, have now all denied Mr. Tom Santones claims.

And to put the final nail in the coffin of Mr. Santones lie, the C.W.A. has come to an agreement with Verizon, and the striking workers will return to work Tuesday. 

Mr. Santone should be ashamed of himself for spreading such a lie and presenting it as fact, and I hope no one ever using anything he post as any sort of a source again. 

Did Verizon Hire Blackwater/Xe for Strike Security?

     Last night [August 17, 2011] Daily Kos contributor 'santone' posted a story that Verizon had hired Blackwater/Xe to run their security during the strike. The Verizon Media Relations Executive Director, Bob Varettoni, denied the claim when we contacted him for a statement. He would give no other information.


     We also spoke with a spokes person at Communications Workers of America in Washington D.C (CWA) who told us that CWA did not have any information on Verizon hiring Blackwater/Xe and did not and would not give any such information to 'santone'. 


     This is a blatant falsehood on the part of Daily Kos and 'santone'. This type of journalism is why we on the left are brushed aside when we have facts that the people of this nation need to have. This is the lowest most unprofessional kind of reporting/blogging there is. Reporting such lies as facts is not only unprofessional it is dangerous and can cause all manor of problems when real bloggers or journalists try to gather information so that they can report the facts. This 'santone' blogger is the lowest form of writer. He has taken a lie and presented it to the public as fact in perfect Fox News fashion.


     I'm calling on you my readers. I'm calling on you to forward this article to anyone and everyone you know who has or would have read the Daily Kos post. We must inform people that that post is a lie and should be reported as such. We are not Fox News viewers! We actually want the facts!














UPDATE: Since I posted this blog Daily Kos has removed the article in question written by 'santone'. But, if anyone wants a copy for reference, just ask. I saved it to my flash drive.  

When Is a Joke Not a Joke?

~John Boehner looked at Michele Bachmann and said: "You know,I could throw a $1,000 bill out the window and make somebody very happy."


Michele shrugged her shoulders and answered: "I could throw ten $100 bills and make ten people very happy."


Hearing their exchange,the pilot of the plane said to the co-pilot: "Such big shots back there. I could throw both of them out the window and make 256 million people extremely happy!"~

Pretty funny right? Well, maybe not.

Daily Kos posted a story about Shery Lanford Smith, the chairwoman of the Sumter Tea Party. She posted to her page the following joke. Note the similarities between my joke and hers.

So what makes her joke worse than mine? Because it's about The Presidential couple? Because it's about an African American couple? I think this time  Daily Kos is blowing this WAY out of proportion. 

Enough is Enough!!!!

I have tried my best not to go completely off in my blogging, but tonight I'm throwing caution to the wind and saying Fuck It!


For a long time now this country has been assaulted by the religious right and their campaign to turn this Representative Democracy into a total fucking Theocracy. I, as a conscientious American and reader of the Constitution cannot sit by the way-side and stay politely silent any longer.


The First Amendment of The Constitution Of the United States says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...". Pretty damned cut-n-dry. Then why in the fucking hell can't these right wing theological nut jobs just fucking get it? It's not that damn hard. Fifth graders can understand it!


If you're a sci-fi fan you might have seen the film Escape from L.A.. In that movie the country was in the hands of a Life-Term Religious Zealot President who, among other things, out-lawed any religion other than Christianity. The citizenry of the nation who did not follow the religious mandate were either executed or deported. This is the kind of nation that the Tea Party and the rest of the religious right will, with-out-a-doubt, force on this nation should they continue to gain foot hold after foot hold in our political process. Is that the kind of country you want to live in, for your children to grow up in? I should fucking hope not.


"Oh, that's just a movie. That's not real life. That can't happen here."


It's the "It can't happen here" mentality that we had before Oklahoma City and 9/11. It can, and will happen here if we do not rise up as a free nation and put a stop to the forcing of one religion on the people of this entire nation. 


The founders of this country had the wisdom and fore-thought to keep religion and state separate. Those same founders came from a country where religion and state were one in the same, and did NOT want that in this new nation they were building. It was our ancestors who, after years of religious persecution, fled to the North American continent for the express purpose of religious freedom! Why would we, as a nation, want to revert to a time were if you don't follow the state religion you can be jailed or even killed for believing differently?! WE FUCKING WOULDN'T!


Then why in the fuck do most of us just sit by and continue to let it happen? Why is there not more outrage? For Christ sake, what in the holy hell is wrong with this fucking country?! Yes, I'm swearing. Of coarse I'm swearing, I pissed off at the lack of common sense the American people are showing when it comes to religion.


I'm not anti-religion by any means. I'm a Wiccan, I have faith in my religion. But, I do not go against the Rede and force my religious views on others. To do so would cause harm, something I've found all the religions I've studied teaches against; this includes Christianity. So, why then are these Zealots trying to force their extremist views on the rest of us? More importantly, why in the hell is it being allowed? 


If people like Michele "Bat-shit-crazy" Bachmann or Rick "This country needs Christianity" Perry continue to be elected to office after office, including the Presidency, the old proverb will prove true. Those who do not learn from their history are truly doomed to repeat it. But, this time it is the nation as a whole, that will suffer from the forgetfulness of those too blind to see the mistakes of the past.

Message To The "Tea Party"

     Dear "Tea Party",

     So, you folks like to scream that you are "Constitutional Conservatives", and "God fearing Christians". Well that's all fine and dandy, or it would be if there were any truth to those claims. I've been hearing you people claim to love this country and The Constitution for the last three years, and I'm so damned sick of that line of crap. If you loved this nation even a fraction of what you claim to, there is no way you would be doing the crap you're doing. So, you want to know what I'm talking about?

     Here's an example of the bull you people spew. I have read and heard you folks rant and rave about President Obama's birth certificate. "He's not an American Citizen! He was born in Kenya!" Sound familiar? Well, let me ask you this... How in the hell would he have even been able to run for the office of President if he wasn't born in this country? Do you actually think that he would have been able to produce a forgery so good that the F.B.I would have been fooled by it? Are you people that damned stupidly ignorant?

     Here's another example of your blatant ignorance when it comes to The Constitution. You people are hell bent on making Christian laws the law of the land. THAT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL! The First Amendment states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...". Translation? The Government of the United States shall not officially endorse any religion over another nor shall it hold the nation to one national religion. The Founders of this nation left England because of its national religion in the first place, why in the hell would they want to limit the religious freedoms of the new country they were building? Answer? THEY WOULDN'T! 


     You people also love to call yourselves Christians. Give me a break! There is NOTHING Christ-like about what you people are trying to do to this country. Tell me, where in the Bible did Jesus turn his back on the least among him? Who was it he threw out of the temples? And what was his stance on taxes? Answers: NEVER, THE RICH, an PAY YOUR TAXES! So, why then are you people doing the opposite of what your supposed God told you to do? This is why I call you people pseudo-Christians.


     In closing, you people need to go crawl back into whatever caves you slithered out of, actually read the Bible you claim to live by, and stay the fuck home on election days; you people are too damn clueless to vote.


Sincerely,


Mr Liberal

A Message to America

     With The Fourth of July upon us I would like to thank the Men, Women, and Families of the United Sates Military for all the do and have done from 1775 to today. I would also like to thank our nations teacher's for educating our nation's children, also our nations work force (or what's left of it), and thanks to the countless former American workers for not giving up hope. And, let us not forget every American who has done his or her civic duty by voting in our local, state and national elections.

                  Thank You My Fellow Americans For All You Do To Improve This Nation.

          (Except you teabaggers out there; you're the ones trying to choke the life from this nation.)

Christian Nation? Not Even Close.

     For a long time now the political and religious right (one in the same really) have been shouting the idea that America is a "Christian Nation". Can someone tell me when that happened? I thought this nation was a melting pot of not only cultures but religions as well. So, when exactly did just one religion take the lead in this country and deserve to be used as a guide for the laws that govern all of us?

     Answer? It didn't. Christianity is only one of many religions in this country, and I'm sorry if this pisses any of you off, but it is far from the one that we should be basing our laws on. The faith of Christianity is fed and lead by an ancient religious book, the Bible. The Bible is full of all kinds of really sick and twisted stories. I'd rather have Stephen King books as the basis for our laws over the Bible.

     Now I don't hate the Bible nor do I hate Christianity, but some of the things some so-called Christians are spouting off with these days scares the hell out of me. These are the same people who claim to be Pro-Life, yet will shoot and kill an abortion doctor all while clad in a t-shirt that reads "God-Guns-Family". So excuse me if I have a problem with calling my country an Christian nation.

     Honestly, I don't want anyones religion holding sway over the laws that govern this nation, not even my own. I love Wicca, it has done wonders for me spiritually. But, I would not be so arrogant as to force my faith on others in the way of Federal or even State Law. It comes down to this; what is good for one is not good for all. The sooner the political/religious right get this through their collective heads, the sooner we can get this country back on its feet again.

        We have a separation of Church and State for this reason, and I for one want to keep it that way.

Bristol Palin Accuses Levi Johnson of Rape in New Book

     Bristol Palin wrote in her new book that Levi Johnson "stole" her virginity. WTF?! This moron lays down and spreads her legs for her boyfriend, more than once I'm sure, and has the nerve to basically say that he raped her. This is 100% Grade A bull shit!

    Women who do get raped have a hard enough time getting taken seriously, and now this twit has made it worse. This idiot needs to be called out publicly for this bold-faced lie. This is a call to action! Blow up Facebook, Twitter, other blogs, news outlets, YouTube. Let the world know that the this line of bull shit will not be tolerated. Rape is not something you yell to sell a book! This little girl is sick in the head and must be shown as the criminal she is!

Anti-Choice Advertising is Vulgar

As a new resident of Florida I am sickened at the kinds of billboards that the state is allowing to be put up in full view of children.

Kids do NOT need to see pictures of bloody fetuses lining the interstate when they travel. What kind of damage is being done to children that see some of these vile images? This is the same to me as if pornographic pictures were being placed on these billboards for kids to see. It's just plain disgusting. I don't care what kind of the debate you're on, you should be able to agree to that.

And by the way, these billboards also state that life begins at conception; if that's the case then any woman who has a menstrual cycle after one of her eggs has been fertilized would be considered by these people to be a murderer. That kind of mentality is just plain ignorant.

Don't ask me where Jose is.

This morning five well armed federal agents decended on my neighborhood. Why where they here; were they looking for drug dealers, rapists, murderers? No. They were looking for an out of work father of three who had committed none of the above crimes. Why? Why were five armed government agents looking for this stay at home dad? The answer is, because he wasn't born in this country.
Jose, not his real name, is an illegal alien. He came to this country looking for a better life, much the same way some of our great great grandparents did. He doesn't have a Green Card, but neither did our ancestors. This, and this alone, is his only crime.
Jose keeps to himself mostly, spending his time raising three adorable kids who are always laughing. Every other weekend he'll have friends over and spend the afternoon playing mariachi music, and they're pretty damn good.
So why are our tax dollars being spent to hunt down a loving husband and father? It's not like Jose and his family don't pay into the tax system. His wife works for a well known poultry producer in NW Arkansas and pays income taxes, not to mention the sales taxes they pay when the spend that taxed income. So why then is Jose being treated like a criminal?
The reason is sickening and simple; he wasn't born here. And, it is that one fact that scares the hell out of "Real Americans".
People say illegal immigrants steal jobs from those of us who were born here. Bull s***! These hard working people do the jobs that we don't want. They mow our yards, clean our pools, pick our fruit, build our homes, etc. I haven't had a single one of those jobs stolen from me; I don't want them.
So when one of the armed agents asked me where Jose was I answered, "I don't know." It was true enough. I didn't know exactly where Jose was. I just refused to share that with the ICE agent. And if the agents come back and ask me again they'll get the same answer whether I know or not.
"I don't know."

Common to the White House, GOP goes insane.

When it was announced that the rapper Common was invited to the White House for a poetry event, the GOP went on the attack. Say what you will about Common, but take a look at his poetry before you do.

 In "A letter to the Law' Common lets his outrage be known and directs it at the police and former President George W. Bush, which he views as corrupt. As someone who lived on the wrong side of the tracks for most of his life, I can understand where Common comes from and I can also see past the negative images aimed at the police and former President and find beauty in the theme and rhyme.

The beauty of Commons poetry is lost on many Republicans. Sarah "Half Governor" Palin praised a story by the Daily Caller that ripped Common for "A Letter To The Law', stating that it was full of death threats towards cops and former President Bush. Karl Rove had much to say on Sean Hannity the other night, calling Common a "thug" among other thing.

Lets face facts here folks. Most old white people are scared to death by rap music. If it was Toby Keith that was invited to read poetry at the White House I highly doubt there would be any problem at all. If you've lived in this country at all, you know that rap music is looked down upon by a large number of old white guys. And the reason they look down on it and are afraid of it is simple, they don't have a clue what life is like in the real world.  Rappers like Common have lived in the worst neighborhoods and have seen first hand how the system has failed those of us from the wrong side of the tracks.

I challenge the likes of Rove and Palin to spend just one year in the public housing of Chicago or on the south-west side of Columbus Ohio. Let them witness how the system has failed these areas for themselves. Then, and only then can what they say about the poetry of Common and other rappers be taken seriously.

Michelle Obama did the right thing by inviting Common to the White House, and anyone who has gone to sleep at night to the sounds of gun fire and sirens knows that.

What's so damn bad about 'Judas'?

(First off let me say that I am NOT a Lady Gaga fan.)

 Ever since Lady Gaga released the track 'Judas', Christians have been going absolutely nuts. People have been calling Gaga Anti-Semitic, Anti-Christian and a few other choice words since the songs pre-Easter release/leak.

Dave Bohon of the Right-Wing site 'The New American' said "...Lady Gaga’s Judas appears to be motivated mainly by a demonic impulse to sully the symbols and stories that millions of Christians hold precious — in this case the legacy of a woman from whom Jesus cast seven demons...". 


Even people who are supposed to be open-minded have taken aim at the song. A former Facebook friend went so far as to say this shortly after the song was released/leaked:

Demand Equality

I have been saying for a week now that this song is about the blood libel, about the Jews killing Jesus, and that Lady Gag is a Jew hater, and here's the quote to prove that what I have been saying is correct: "I believe in the gospel" and in the Gospel the Jew Judas betrays the Jew Jesus, and that's the beginning of the blood libel that Jews killed Jesus. Lady Gag hates Jews and that's what the song is about.


I was immediately unfriended when I asked how she came to that conclusion, and stated I didn't get that from the lyrics at  all. 


I started wondering, "Why is this song causing so much outrage and making seemingly sane people go nuts?" So, I reread the lyrics, and I still didn't understand how people were getting all these Anti-Jewish/Christian vibes out of a song that seemed to me to be about Gagas' own inner religious struggle. 


I just don't get what is so bad about 'Judas'. I see nothing anti-anything about the song or the video. BUT, if you do you'll find links to the lyrics and the Youtube video for 'Judas' below. Please read the lyrics and watch the video and give me your opinions on this song, and whether you find the song offensive or not and why.


http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/l/lady_gaga/judas.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wagn8Wrmzuc

Self Proclaimed Tea Party Member Asks How To Kill The President, Defile His Body

We've all seen signs at Tea Party rallies calling for President Obama to go back to Kenya (though he's proven that he is an American), and calling him Hitler. Some members of the tea Party even go so far as to call the President of the United States of America hateful, harmful, evil derogatory remarks and slurs. Well, now we can officially add death threats to the list of horrid things Tea Party member say.

Greg W. Howard, a Right Wing Blogger, tweeted something extremely hateful and unpatriotic on May 1st. He tweeted,

@GregWHowardGreg Howard

Poll. Hang Obama's body from Lady Liberty? Ground Zero? Or grave to be used as outdoor latrine? #tcot #p2 #ocra#sgp #tlot #phnm #teaparty

Now, I don't know about you folks, but this looks like a death threat to me. This is how low some members of the Tea Party will go in their unflinching hatred for all things Liberal. I want to know how something like this can even be legally covered by the First Amendment. I thought any threat made to the President, valid or plausible was a federal offence. (Please join me in reporting this wing-nut to the Secret Service)

Mister Greg W. Howard isn't the only Tea Party member going this far; some have gone even further. I posted my first blog on the racism shown in sections of the Tea Party. In that blog I gave a link to www.viletweets.com. The people over at viletweets.com search twitter day and night to show just how sick and twisted some members of the Tea Party can be. This post by Mister Greg W. Howard is just one of the worst.

It's no wonder the Tea Party tries like hell to state they aren't racists, they are afraid that people will come across members like Mister Greg W. Howard, and tarnish their reputation. Don't be fooled folks, this highly un-American sentiment runs deep in the Tea Party. Go to viletweets.com, click on the link below to see this tweet for yourself, just don't by it when the Tea Party claims to be patriotic. It's far from it.

Greg W. Howard's Twitter Post: https://twitter.com/#!/GregWHoward/status/64890861045039104

Let me get this straight. Part 3: Break down of the Fifth Circuits ruling.

In a blog post below (Part 2), I copied the Fifth Circuits Courts ruling. I want to take some time now to show you exactly how/why this ruling is wrong/unjust. I have to thank my wife, a third year law student who turned legalese into regular speech so that I could explain it easier.

Here is a segment of the ruling where the problem lies:

"Finally, Appellants claim SISD (School District), Bain, Lokey, and McInnis (Superintendent, Principle, & Coach) violated H.S.’s right to free speech under the First Amendment because H.S.’s decision not to cheer constituted protected speech inasmuch as it was a symbolic expression of her disapproval of Bolton’s and Rountree’s behavior. Courts have long held that public school students do not [this quote is important] ‘shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.’ Tinker v. Des Moines Ind. Community Sch. Dist., 393 U.S. 503, 511 (1969)."

In the Tinker case cited above, some high school kids wanted to wear black arm bands to protest Vietnam. The school district wanted to stop them, and the court held that the students were not interfering with the school’s purpose, and more importantly, that students do not lose their freedom of speech when they walk into a school. So, a student’s freedom of speech can be limited if it were to interrupt the work of the school (e.g., swearing, shirts with sexual pics or slogans, etc.). 

Now what is the work of a school? To educate students or to hold sporting events? To educate students, right? But, this court basically ruled that the work of the school was also to promote extracurricular activities. Now, my wife and I looked over Tinker and this case for several hours. Nowhere in Tinker does it state that the school’s job is to promote sporting events.

The Fifth Circuit ruling against H.S. continues below.

 "In order to determine whether conduct “possesses sufficient communicative elements to bring the First Amendment into play, [we] must ask whether an intent to convey a particularized message was present, and whether the likelihood was great that the message would be understood by those who viewed it.” Canady v Bossier

Parish School Board, 240 F.3d 437, 440 (5th Cir. 2001) (citing Texas v. Johnson,

491 U.S. 397, 404 (1989))."

So what this says is that the court had to determine whether or not H.S.'s actions (Standing back with arms folded during the cheer for Bolton) conveyed a message on lookers would be able to understand. I think if I saw a cheerleader refrain from cheering for the guy who raped her I would understand quite clearly. Further, this town knew very well that Bolton had been convicted of the sexual assault of this cheerleader. As a member of the public, I would have understood her communication.

The Fifth Circuit continued:

"Appellants (H.S. and her parents) contend the district court erred in holding that H.S. ‘did not convey the sort of particularized message that symbolic conduct must convey to be protected speech.’ Even assuming arguendo that H.S.’s speech was sufficiently particularized to warrant First Amendment protection, student speech is not protected when that speech would ‘substantially interfere with the work of the school.’ Tinker, 393 U.S. at 509."

Now here's the big screw up. Nowhere in Tinker does it say that sporting events are covered under the phrase "work of the school", sporting events where not even brought up in that case. The work of any school is to educate students and protect them while they are in the schools care, that's it.

“‘The question whether the First Amendment requires a school to tolerate particular student speech ... is different from the question whether [it] requires a school affirmatively to promote particular speech.’ Hazelwood School Dist. v. Kuhlmeier, 484 U.S. 260, 270 (1988). In her capacity as cheerleader, H.S. served as a mouthpiece through which SISD could disseminate speech—namely, support for its athletic teams. Insofar as the First Amendment does not require schools to promote particular student speech, SISD had no duty to promote H.S.'s message by allowing her to cheer or not cheer, as she saw fit. Moreover, this act constituted substantial interference with the work of the school because, as a cheerleader, H.S. was at the basketball game for the purpose of cheering, a position she undertook voluntarily.”

Did you see that? "…this act constituted substantial interference with the work of the school." Now tell me, how is it the work of the school to force a cheerleader who was raped by a basketball player to cheer for said player? And if sporting events are indeed the work of the school, how did her silence interfere with that in any way whatsoever? From what I understand, the game did not stop. She was sent home and it continued without her even being there; so why would her silence interfere when her absence did not?

Now I'm not a law scholar, so I can only give you the information as I understand it once it has been translated out of legalese. So this is what I am going to do. I'm going to set up an appointment with a Constitutional Law Professor as soon as law school finals are over, so I'm hoping sometime next week. I will continue to keep you up to date on all of what I find out.

Until next time my friends and readers.

In the meantime, here are some rules from Tinker that the federal Fifth Circuit completely ignored:

1.      In order for the state, in person of school officials, to justify prohibition of particular expression of opinion, it must be able to show that its action was caused by something more than mere desire to avoid the discomfort and unpleasantness that always accompany an unpopular viewpoint.

2.      Prohibition by school authorities of expression of one particular opinion, at least without evidence that it is necessary to avoid material and substantial interference with school work or discipline, is not constitutionally permissible.

3.      School officials do not possess absolute authority over their students.

4.      Students in school as well as out of school are “persons” under Constitution and are possessed of fundamental rights which state must respect, just as they themselves must respect their obligations to the state.

5.      Students may not be regarded as closed-circuit recipients of only that which state chooses to communicate, and they may not be confined to expression of those sentiments that are officially approved.

6.      School officials cannot suppress expressions of feelings with which they do not wish to contend.