Day: March 24, 2010

Fiery Rhetoric After Health Care Passage “A Clear And Present Danger”!

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Mike Vanderboegh, an Alabama survivalist and former militia leader, has advocated that Americans break the windows of Democratic leaders’ homes. After calling for this last week, we have had attacks of violence against property, and death threats against Democratic politicians. He is now calling for supporters to be well armed and ready to defend the Constitution.

This event, on top of demonstrations planned at the home of an Ohio Congressman in his district; and Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King slapping a picture of Nancy Pelosi in front of a Tea Party crowd in Washington, DC; and the continued fiery rhetoric of Republican leaders, including John Boehner and John McCain, makes it clear that conservatives and Republicans, either by plan or by their dangerous rhetoric not being understood to be inciting, is provoking a possible insurrection that will lead to bloodshed and death!

All of these events are a “clear and present danger” that will soon force the government to utilize the Schenck case of 1919 and intervene to keep law and order in the midst of what is rapidly becoming a threat to public security! People must be held responsible for their speech, when it incites violence!

We cannot allow chaos and anarchy to rule this country! The evoking of the Constitution does not allow violent action to be considered legitimate! It is time for violent rhetoric and advocacy of lawlessness to end! Cease and desist!

Threats Against Bart Stupak And Other Health Care Supporters: Republicans Must Be Held Accountable For Ugly Atmosphere They Have Created! :(

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It is indeed a sad time when Democratic members of Congress, at least ten at last count, have to face threats and intimidation because of their support of the Health Care reform legislation.

Bricks have been thrown through windows, a gas line to a house was broken, and threatening emails and phone calls have been delivered, with the biggest victim of these attacks by fanatic right wingers being Congressman Bart Stupak of Michigan, an anti abortion Democrat who came to an agreement with President Obama that led him and others who were anti abortion to support the Health Care reform legislation. When one listens to the obscene, threatening, despicable phone calls that went to his home in Michigan, terrifying his wife and family, one can only denounce the whole mood encouraged by the extremist right wing radio talk show hosts and Fox News Channel, and even by the rhetoric of Republican leadership in both houses of Congress!

And when Glenn Beck talks about picking up guns, and Sarah Palin makes a list of Democrats in Congress to target for defeat with the image of cross hairs of a gun surrounding their states, one has to say again that freedom of speech is being abused to the extreme!

There has to be real fear that violence is going to escalate, and it will be blamed on GOP tactics that have so divided this country in the past year, that there is no civil discourse anymore!

The Republicans have a responsibility to stop provoking continued anger among their supporters, and act in a civil manner in defeat! Otherwise, they will bear the responsibility for any tragic events that might occur because of their rhetoric!

Barack Obama And Joe Biden: A Close Relationship

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Barack Obama proved once again how much he respects and relies on Joe Biden when he came out with the Vice President to hail the passage of Health Care reform legislation on Sunday evening, and had the Vice President introduce him on Tuesday as he signed the landmark legislation.

It is not typical for a President to allow his Vice President to share the limelight with him at key moments in his Presidency. Some Vice Presidents have been kept at a distance, such as Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Spiro Agnew, George HW Bush and Dan Quayle.

Only Walter Mondale and Al Gore were seen as real partners with their Presidents, but even they rarely shared the limelight with Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Dick Cheney was sometimes in the background, but was much more often not present at all in the public spotlight.

But Joe Biden has become an important part of decision making under Barack Obama, and he is totally committed to and loyal toward his President, and Barack Obama knows it and trusts him implicitly. Obama is not an egotist who needs the total spotlight for himself, and is very generous in having Joe Biden, his good friend, rejoice in the successes of the administration.

We are very fortunate to have a team of Obama and Biden, as together they are dedicated to essential change and reforms at home and abroad!

Rep. Louie Gohmert And Direct Election Of The Senate

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One of the great “progressive” reforms a century ago was the 17th Amendment, promoting the direct election of the US Senate by the people, a move advocated because of the terrible and corrupt image of the Senate due to corporate influences on the state legislatures, who had the responsibility to select the Senate under the Constitution.

Now, Texas Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert promotes a repeal of the amendment, in order to promote states rights!

This is a loony idea, to move AWAY from democracy, back toward corrupt state legislatures and corporate influence!

Is this Texas Congressman crazy? What is it about Texas that they elect such loony people to Congress?

I would argue there is a better case for giving Texas back to Mexico LOL than to repeal the 17th Amendment! 🙂

Republicans And Destruction Of The “Safety Net”

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The Republican party is beginning a “war” on the “safety net” that Democrats have created nationally since the 1930s, and is also reaching into the states, as for example, Florida, to destroy gains made by state employees in a state famous for low pay!

Nationally, the Republican plan, enunciated by Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan and others, is to gain the majority in Congress and work to privatize Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid, along with repealing the Health Care reform legislation just signed into law by President Obama.

In Florida, the dominant Republican majority in both houses of the state legislature is setting out, as we speak, to destroy the Florida Retirement System as we know it, by dramatically changing the system for pensions for teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other state workers.

In many cases, the pensions will be cut by one third to one half for future recipients, and the method by which state employees have built up pension credits will be retroactively negated. Thus, work already completed in past years will be put under a new, much more stingy, pension crediting, and include the need to work more years to be eligible, and sick leave and overtime work in the past and the future will no longer be counted.

This is an outrage, and will be occurring in a similar fashion in other states, and is a harbinger of what is going to happen nationally IF the Republicans regain control of the Congress.

Having done tremendous damage for the 12 years they held the Congress from 1994-2006, and now doing the same in Florida and other states, is there anyone in their right mind who would support the Republican goal of retaking power in the nation’s capital?

More than ever, the Democrats in state governments and nationally must fight “tooth and nail” for every legislative seat and every governorship to prevent further destruction of the “American dream”!