Month: June 2013

Two Gay Marriage Decisions Of Supreme Court Are Landmark Path Breaking Decisions, Among Greatest In American History!

Ronald 9 Comments

The two gay marriage decisions of the Supreme Court today will be seen as landmark, path breaking decisions, among the greatest in all of American history!

It has been a long time coming for gay and lesbian Americans, to achieve legal equality under the law and Constitution of the United States. It is a fantastic victory for civil rights and human rights, and will make it a lot easier for young Americans, and really all Americans, who recognize they have a different sexual orientation, which should not be discriminated against by others who refuse to accept change!

The decisions declare the key provision of the Defense Of Marriage Act unconstitutional, and also allow California to follow the circuit court decision, negating Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in the state, after it has already been allowed.

So California will join twelve other states over the next few months that allow gay marriage—Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island in New England; New York, Maryland and Delaware in the Middle Atlantic; Iowa and Minnesota in the Midwest; and Washington State on the Pacific Coast.

It seems likely that other states, mostly “Blue” Democratic states in the last Presidential election, will soon join those 13 states, while the likelihood of “Red” or Republican states legalizing it seems far off, if not impossible to imagine.

But the fight to have the Supreme Court overturn the entire Defense of Marriage Act, allowing the Court to declare gay marriage legal in all states, following the tradition of Loving V. Virginia on interracial marriage in 1967, is the next battle, as the right to marry should be national in scope, not based on the states denying equal protection under the law!

It will take some time, but the day is not far off before gay marriage is legal everywhere in America, and if the right wing and the religious bigots have a problem, so be it, as they will have to accept it, as much as they opposed interracial marriage fifty years ago, but ultimately had to accept, at least publicly, although one can be certain there are many such people as these, who still are opposed to interracial marriage!

The point is that the right to marry is a civil right, and no public opinion poll, referendum, or utterance of a talk show host or some preacher should stand in the way of this basic human right, and the right to pursuit of happiness!

Texas: State Legislature And Governor Out Of Control, With Filibuster Rules Outrageous!

Ronald 2 Comments

Texas now becomes the state with the most outrageous and ridiculous Governor and state legislature, both totally out of control, with their filibuster rules the craziest and most unjust ever conceived!

Governor Rick Perry and the Republicans are determined to wipe out abortion to a greater extent than any other state, and were attempting to ram through restrictions that would make it nearly impossible for women to gain abortion rights under almost any circumstances in much of the state!

A courageous Democratic State Senator, Wendy Davis, attempted a 13 hour filibuster to stop the bill, and in the midst of chaos and anarchy unbecoming any state legislature, she was able to stop such legislation for the time being, but only under the most ridiculous rules imaginable, and only after being ruled out of order after ten hours of her filibuster!

Wendy Davis was told she must speak constantly for 13 hours by herself, with no food, no water, no bathroom breaks, and no leaning or sitting allowed. When she put on a back brace, she almost was ruled out of order, and when she went off topic somewhat, according to critics, her filibuster was declared ended after ten hours, but due to a breakdown of order, the bill banning abortion failed to come to a vote for now.

Wendy Davis is a true heroine, and Texas is shown as the sham of a state that it has become! It is out to deny human rights to women guaranteed by Roe V. Wade!

But the filibuster rules are even more outrageous, as no such rules exist in the US Senate, where anyone can talk about anything when filibustering, and can take brief breaks for food, water, and bathroom breaks. Can one imagine a United States Senator being told that he or she must live under the strict rules that Wendy Davis faced yesterday in the Texas legislature?

Texas is an example of the worst reality of states rights, and lawsuits should be brought to change the looney rules of a filibuster which is inhumane and makes Texas the laughing stock among states that would rank as the worst governed in America!

Ed Markey Wins John Kerry’s Senate Seat: First Step Toward Retention Of Democratic Senate In 2014!

Ronald 4 Comments

The Democratic Party has taken the first step toward hoped for retention of the majority of the US Senate in 2014, with the solid victory tonight of Congressman Ed Markey to John Kerry’s Senate seat in Massachusetts!

Markey, a 36 year veteran of the House of Representatives, enters the Senate with more years in the lower house of Congress than any in American history, and at an older age than most for a first term, being age 66!

Markey has been an outstanding liberal, and will add distinction to the US Senate, alongside fellow Senator Elizabeth Warren, making Massachusetts again one of the best states in representation, as it was with Ted Kennedy and John Kerry!

Congratulations to the new Senator Ed Markey!

The Voting Rights Act Repeal A Massive Step Backward, And Based On Trust Not Earned!

Ronald 30 Comments

The conservative Supreme Court majority has decided to overrule the Congress, which in 2006, agreed to renew the Voting Rights Act, and in so doing, has left it to trust that Southern states, which historically have worked to limit the right to vote, can now be trusted.

This is a massive blow to the civil rights movement, and to believe that things have changed from the time of a Democratic Dixiecrat South to a Republican South today is to be living in a illusion, that one can trust Republican legislatures that are presently working against women’s rights and victimizing immigrants, that somehow, without oversight, the present increased African American involvement in voting will not be reversed rapidly!

A split Congress will be unable to do anything about enforcing voting rights fairly, anymore than protecting the rights of women and immigrants affected by discriminatory state laws.

This is the ultimate outcome of the disputed Presidential Election Of 2000, and shows once again, that elections have consequences. So the Republican majority Supreme Court has insured that its agenda will be the future, as much as it was in interfering in the 2000 election, putting a loser of the popular vote by a bigger margin than the three previous cases, into the White House!

Bill Hemmer, John Roberts, Ed Henry, Evan Bayh, Dennis Kucinich, Howard Kurtz et al: Money Over Principle!

Ronald 1 Comment

Fox News Channel, infamous for creating news and promoting constant lies and deception, has been able to lure journalists and politicians to grace its channel, in an attempt to gain distinction and credibility, except it is not working!

Sure, more people watch Fox News Channel than CNN or MSNBC, no question about it!

But since when is “popularity” in electronic or print media a judgment as to quality and balance and fairness of coverage of news events?

Tabloid newspapers historically did better than major national newspapers in circulation, although now they are not doing better, because Fox News Channel is available for those who wish sensationalism and manipulation of the news!

So the decision of journalists such as Bill Hemmer, John Roberts, Ed Henry, and Howard Kurtz to leave CNN and go to Fox News Channel is clearly one of money over principle.

And the decision of former Indiana Senator Evan Bayh and Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich to join Fox News Channel, being well aware of their distortion of the truth, is also simply one of money over principle.

No one is saying that money is not a factor in decisions people make, and no one is saying that these individuals should not pursue as much financial gain as they can acquire.

But face the facts: principle and quality are not the goals of these journalists and former politicians, but personal financial gain alone!

IRS “Scandal” Not A Scandal: Progressive Groups Targeted As Much As Conservative Groups!

Ronald 3 Comments

The purpose of the Internal Revenue Service is to make sure that Americans pay their proper level of taxes to support the needs of the federal government, and to insure that political groups do not get tax exempt status and avoid taxation through deceit and false claims as to their activities.

California Congressman Darrell Issa and others have tried to dramatize what they see as IRS corruption, due to accusations that only conservative groups have been targeted tor investigation by the IRS.

But now it turns out that progressive groups have also been investigated, and been denied tax exempt status, as required by a fair enforcement of the laws.

So therefore, there is no scandal, and the IRS is doing what it is supposed to do—insure fair collection of taxes! This is the law under 501 c 3 and c 4 of the tax laws—no political activity if organizations want tax exemptions!

So all the attention to “corruption” ordered by the Obama Administration turns out to be just typical conservative and Republican propaganda, but what else is new?

Two Supreme Court Justices Prove To Be Disasters And Embarrassments: Clarence Thomas And Samuel Alito!

Ronald 4 Comments

It is now clear that the second Supreme Court nominee choices of George H. W. Bush and his son, George W. Bush, have turned out to be disasters and embarrassments to the Court they serve on!

Clarence Thomas was appointed by the elder Bush, and went through a tumultuous Supreme Court nomination battle, centered on sexual harassment charges by Anita Hill, and his confirmation was the closest vote of a successful nominee in decades!

He has proceeded to be an embarrassment, showing bitterness and the desire for revenge, and sullying the memory of the first African American Justice, Thurgood Marshall, who he replaced on the Court in 1991.

And a beneficiary of affirmative action, he has now, just today, compared affirmative action to slavery and segregation, an absolutely crazy comparison!

This man is inappropriate in his behavior in so many ways, including NEVER asking a question during oral arguments, the only Justice in memory to have that unfortunate distinction!

And then there is Samuel Alito, the appointment of George W. Bush in 2005, who mouthed open opposition to Barack Obama’s criticism of the Citizens United Case in his State of the Union Address in 2010, embarrassing himself and the Court!

And Alito, today, mocked fellow Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg with gestures, including rolling his eyes, shaking his head, and looking at the ceiling. And Alito apparently has a problem with the other women Justices, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, showing disrespect for them in open Court. As Dana Milbank of the Washington Post said today, Alito displays “Middle School antics”.

And imagine, Alito could have been the Chief Justice if John Roberts had already begun testimony to replace Sandra Day O’Connor, but before he could, Chief Justice William Rehnquist died, and President Bush decided to switch Roberts to the Chief Justice position, and so Alito replaced O’Connor as an Associate Justice on the Court! Imagine Chief Justice Alito, the sour puss and nasty personality!

So the Bushes made major mistakes in selection of Thomas and Alito, and the Court is stuck with them for many years, beyond the retirement of another conservative, Antonin Scalia, who is more intelligent, and more charming, even if often obnoxious as well!

The Imminent Doubling Of College Student Loan Interest Rates: Tragedy For America!

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If nothing is done to prevent it, on July 1, student loan interest rates will double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent, and the Republicans in the House of Representatives are doing nothing to prevent this tragedy, not only for college students, but for the long term future of the American economy!

As it is, many college students are in a bind, unable to pay their student loans, and therefore, will lose their credit rating, and be unable to purchase homes, rent apartments, buy automobiles, plan to have children, and all of the other plans and dreams of young people, who get an education and then discover how difficult it is to gain employment in their field of study!

37 million young people have student loans, and close to 7 million are delinquent on student loans more than 90 days.

The average outstanding student debt per household was nearly $27,000 in 2010, and one in four students have a debt more than $61,000 per household, an insurmountable burden.

69 percent of student loans are paid by middle class and poor families, and 24 cents of every dollar earned in a poor household and 12 cents of every dollar earned in a middle class household goes to student debt payments. For the higher income level, only 2 cents per dollar earned goes to student debts, and only 31 percent of loans are in higher income households.

$1.1 trillion, second only to mortgage debt, is owned by students who have no hope in many cases of ever coming out from under what is a form of economic slavery!

With the Great Recession of 2008 and its aftermath, the effect has been to delay or forgo the vision of ever having a normal economic life of home, automobile, and marriage, the whole concept of the “American Dream”!

While this crisis festers, banks are able to borrow from the Federal Reserve at 0.75 percent, one eighth of what students will face after July 1, adding $2500 to their financial burden, while under a plan of Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, students would get the same interest rate as banks, and save an average of $6500 per student.

This change in student loan interest needs to be adopted, but the GOP seems uninterested in doing anything, and lack of action will victimize millions of college students!

67 percent of Americans want the Warren plan adopted, and 83 percent want the loan rate to stay at 3.4 percent or go down to the bank rate of 0.75 percent!

Can the Republican Party for once do what is right for young people, since not all young people are born to wealthy parents? Can they show some understanding of the struggles of young people trying to get ahead and get an education, and still have a future of independence, ownership of homes and autos, ability to have children, and save for retirement?

Should student loans become a new form of economic slavery forced on us by banks which have no conscience, other than obscene profits?

Bill Maher On Ronald Reagan Two Weeks Ago: Right On The Mark!

Ronald 18 Comments

Comedian Bill Maher is famous, and infamous, for stating outrageous opinions, and sometimes, he states opinions through humor that one can find unacceptable, or disagree with.

But other times, he is right on the mark, and such case occurred two weeks ago, when he dared to challenge the mythology around President Ronald Reagan.

The Republican Party and conservatives tend to worship the ground that Ronald Reagan walked on, and while interpretations of Reagan will continue to evolve, both positive and negative, what Maher had to say about Reagan in a negative way, makes a lot of sense!

Maher said that Reagan, by his comments and his actions, fit the following profile:

That Reagan was the forerunner of the Tea Party Movement, that he was anti government, that he believed in busting unions, that he was anti abortion, that he was insensitive to gays on the issue of AIDS, that he was anti intellectual, that he cut the taxes of wealthy people while raising taxes on the average middle class person, that he worshiped the military industrial complex, that he believed Medicare was Socialism and that senior citizens were waiting for handouts on the program, that he promoted states rights, that he spread the myth of the welfare queen in Chicago who was black, and that minorities were waiting for the government to support their needs, described the New Deal as Fascism, said that unemployment compensation was a prepaid vacation for freeloaders, that he had no concern for the poor, that he said trees cause pollution, that he promoted hate of government, and that he is the man most responsible for our decline since the high point of the economy and wages in 1973!

Can anyone deny that all of the above is true and factual, based on what Reagan said and did, in and out of the Presidency?

Republicans And Food Stamps: “Red” States Are The Major Beneficiaries, And Their Supporters Seem Unaware What Republicans Are Doing To Them!

Ronald 12 Comments

The Republicans have declared war on “Food Stamps”, and have called Barack Obama the “Food Stamp” President!

While promoting all kinds of support for the corporate world, Republicans are out to promote massive cuts to people who are expected to feed themselves in a way no civilized person in America would want to be faced with! To hell with a balanced diet and nutrition, and therefore the promotion of bad health habits, which lead to medical problems, for which many will not have health coverage if one leaves it up to the Republicans and conservatives!

So people should starve, because they are “bad” people for being poor, and their children should do without adequate nutrition, which is impossible on the present Food Stamp benefit, before any further cuts!

But this is all veiled by the belief of conservatives that MOST of the recipients of food stamps are African American, Hispanic and Native American, and are located in “Blue” Democratic states in the major urban areas of the nation.

The facts are otherwise, as the vast majority of people on Food Stamps are white, are single females and their minor children, and live in Republican “Red” states in the South, Great Plains and Rocky Mountain areas of the nation!

So it is the “Red” states that are the real “welfare” states on Food Stamps and other benefits for the poor, and it is in these states that ignorant, uneducated, and clueless people vote Republican, without awareness of what the GOP is trying to do—make the lives of poor women and children, as well as elderly and disabled, heavily white populations ever more difficult!

This is all mind boggling, and one wonders when these poor whites will get the message as to what the party they vote for is doing to them and their children’s future!