04 July 2012
25 June 2012
Atheism is...
“Atheism is not a philosophy; it is not even a view of the world; it is simply an admission of the obvious. In fact, "atheism" is a term that should not even exist. No one needs to identify himself as a "non-astrologer" or a "non-alchemist." We do not have words for people who doubt that Elvis is still alive or that aliens have traversed the galaxy only to molest ranchers and cattle. Atheism is nothing more than the noises reasonable people make in the presence of unjustified religious beliefs.”
― Sam Harris, Letter to a Christian Nation
― Sam Harris, Letter to a Christian Nation
08 June 2012
03 November 2010
Congratulations GOP
Well, what can I say? It seems there are a lot of people out there who want politicians in Washington committed to shipping jobs over seas, lowering the minimum wage, restricting human rights and forcing women to have babies after being raped.
I don't understand it myself. If you are one of the people that voted to put right wing conservatives back in power, I'd love for you to explain to me how any of these things are good for this country.
I don't understand it myself. If you are one of the people that voted to put right wing conservatives back in power, I'd love for you to explain to me how any of these things are good for this country.
24 October 2010
Poor BP
Poor poor BP. Thanks to the Gulf oil spill, they are really hurting.
Their 3rd quarter profit this year was a measly $4.6 Billion.
Their 3rd quarter profit this year was a measly $4.6 Billion.
12 October 2010
Liberal policies made this country what it is.
I don't know the source of the piece below. I've seen it in many places across the internet.
But it does an excellent job of explaining the fact that historically it is liberal policies that made America the most powerful, richest and most free nation ever.
Time after time conservatives end up on the wrong side of history. Conservatives have fought against everything from the repeal of slavery, the minimum wage, the equal rights amendment and clean water & air legislation. Conservatives regularly oppose regulation of any kind. They've opposed regulation of the food industry so you don't get sick to regulation of the credit card industry so you don't get ripped off. And on and on.
So why do people constantly vote with conservatives and against their best intrest? One reason is that conservative routinely have the backing of the rich and powerful. And often conservatives are able to use that money to drown out progressive voices and flood the media with misinformation.
Conservatives love to tell us how poorly government works and therefore we should have as little government as possible. But in this day and age, that just won't work. There are to many big multinational corporate players standing by waiting to take advantage of a system with no rules.
Just look back to the most recent time in our history when there was little or no regulation of big business and industry. The result was horrific for the average laborer. Look back to when there was no social safety net. Poor people starved and died (in bigger numbers than they do now). Poor people died from preventable illnesses (In bigger numbers than they do now).
The solution to a government that isn't performing the way it should isn't to get rid of government. The solution is to double down and try to make it work better. The solution isn't to just stop spending indiscriminately. The solution is to spend smarter and with less corruption.
Next time someone attacks the idea of liberalism as something bad for America, have them read this -
Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to insure their safety and that they work as advertised. All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer’s medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance – now Joe gets it too.
He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor. Joe begins his workday. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn’t think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune. It’s noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression. Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime. Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers’ Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification. He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to. Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn’t mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day. Joe agrees: “We don’t need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I’m a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have.”
The fact is that from WW2 on, as liberal social programs in this country expanded, America became a better place to live for a vast majority of people. Why would we want to go back?
But it does an excellent job of explaining the fact that historically it is liberal policies that made America the most powerful, richest and most free nation ever.
Time after time conservatives end up on the wrong side of history. Conservatives have fought against everything from the repeal of slavery, the minimum wage, the equal rights amendment and clean water & air legislation. Conservatives regularly oppose regulation of any kind. They've opposed regulation of the food industry so you don't get sick to regulation of the credit card industry so you don't get ripped off. And on and on.
So why do people constantly vote with conservatives and against their best intrest? One reason is that conservative routinely have the backing of the rich and powerful. And often conservatives are able to use that money to drown out progressive voices and flood the media with misinformation.
Conservatives love to tell us how poorly government works and therefore we should have as little government as possible. But in this day and age, that just won't work. There are to many big multinational corporate players standing by waiting to take advantage of a system with no rules.
Just look back to the most recent time in our history when there was little or no regulation of big business and industry. The result was horrific for the average laborer. Look back to when there was no social safety net. Poor people starved and died (in bigger numbers than they do now). Poor people died from preventable illnesses (In bigger numbers than they do now).
The solution to a government that isn't performing the way it should isn't to get rid of government. The solution is to double down and try to make it work better. The solution isn't to just stop spending indiscriminately. The solution is to spend smarter and with less corruption.
Next time someone attacks the idea of liberalism as something bad for America, have them read this -
Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to insure their safety and that they work as advertised. All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer’s medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance – now Joe gets it too.
He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor. Joe begins his workday. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn’t think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune. It’s noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression. Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime. Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers’ Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification. He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to. Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn’t mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day. Joe agrees: “We don’t need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I’m a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have.”
The fact is that from WW2 on, as liberal social programs in this country expanded, America became a better place to live for a vast majority of people. Why would we want to go back?
10 October 2010
This is an important post to read.
This blog post I'm linking to here is something everyone should read.
I'm warning you though, the racist images shown are very difficult to stomach. I almost stopped reading as soon as I saw the first picture. The Tea Party movement in this country has dredged up a lot of very ugly behavior from the worst of our society. And it is very troubling.
Reading this, I realize how ludicrous it is when someone points to the election of President Obama as proof that our society has moved beyond its racist past. We clearly haven't and I fear that it's moving in the wrong direction.
Right wing politics these days is driven by corporate greed, but somehow they've managed to package and sell it to millions of people as middle class and lower middle class populism. I think half the Tea Party has been duped into thinking they are voting in their best interest when it is actually just the opposite. And I think the other half of the Tea Party is just happy to finally have a platform from which to spew their uneducated racist bullshit without fear of being run out of town.
This blog post by a former Chicago Sun Times reporter is a stark look at the reality that has come to us along with the Tea Party movement.
Click here to read it.
-
I'm warning you though, the racist images shown are very difficult to stomach. I almost stopped reading as soon as I saw the first picture. The Tea Party movement in this country has dredged up a lot of very ugly behavior from the worst of our society. And it is very troubling.
Reading this, I realize how ludicrous it is when someone points to the election of President Obama as proof that our society has moved beyond its racist past. We clearly haven't and I fear that it's moving in the wrong direction.
Right wing politics these days is driven by corporate greed, but somehow they've managed to package and sell it to millions of people as middle class and lower middle class populism. I think half the Tea Party has been duped into thinking they are voting in their best interest when it is actually just the opposite. And I think the other half of the Tea Party is just happy to finally have a platform from which to spew their uneducated racist bullshit without fear of being run out of town.
This blog post by a former Chicago Sun Times reporter is a stark look at the reality that has come to us along with the Tea Party movement.
Click here to read it.
-
Top Ten Craziest Tea Party Quotes
The Tea Party is saying a lot of crazy shit these days.
Sorry for the four letter word, but there is really
no other way to convey how nutty these people are.
Click here for one blogger's top ten list.
Sorry for the four letter word, but there is really
no other way to convey how nutty these people are.
Click here for one blogger's top ten list.
06 October 2010
Where's the compassion?
AMAZING how many supposed Christians are defending the idea that it's OK for someone's house to burn down because they didn't pay for fire protection.
Republicans running away from the truth of their own policies
I will be posting more extensive entries soon.
In the meantime, here is some video of yet another right wing politician
running away from a reporter and refusing to answer questions about
or defend a policy he supports.
Because the policies he supports are indefensible!
In the meantime, here is some video of yet another right wing politician
running away from a reporter and refusing to answer questions about
or defend a policy he supports.
Because the policies he supports are indefensible!
28 September 2010
America the Dumb
There is part of me that really feels sorry for these Tea Party folks.
It's obvious that the educational system in this country has let
them down in a pretty bad way.
It's obvious that the educational system in this country has let
them down in a pretty bad way.
26 September 2010
The Lie of Trickle Down
This segment from Countdown with Keith Olbermann does a very good job of explaining the truth about the Bush tax cuts and why they do nothing but make the rich richer.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
25 September 2010
The wall of separation.
Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.
letter to Connecticut Baptists
- Thomas Jefferson
With the rise of a very vocal Christian Right over the last couple decades, trying to insert their religious beliefs into the political process as a means to deny certain groups their equal rights, and trying to convince everyone that America was founded as a Christian Nation - I can only imagine that there are quite a few people out there who wish Thomas Jefferson had never written this letter.
This passage from Jefferson's letter to the Connecticut Baptists is what should be carved in stone in front of court houses.
This passage from Jefferson's letter to the Connecticut Baptists is what should be carved in stone in front of court houses.
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