A recent article circulating is calling for Nancy Pelosi to step down.
... and they're right.
It's long overdue because the democrats splintered during Obama's tenure ... with the leadership on the left having no idea how to guide a ship that has power, but no steering ...
... and that's the problem with the democrats. There's a lot of pissed off people - especially those to think that Cheeto is the absolute best we have to run this country. Most people see both parties as being dysfunctional and unable to govern ...
... and they're right.
Neither party functions FOR the people anymore unless you're lining their coffers handsomely or make laws because it's what the party wants ...
The country has been long overdue for other options, but we're never going to see it as long as folks continue to fund these folks. Democrats are in a tough place because their support is dropping substantially ...
... and they're dropping for a reason, Dems. Look into it, don't be blind, listen to what the people are telling you and stop talking ... the sooner you understand - the better it's going to be for the party in the long term. The damage has been done - and it's going to take a long time to fix it.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Wednesday, May 03, 2017
Goodbye, so long, farewell Democrats ...
An exchange on Facebook has allowed me to reconsider my support on the left side of American politics. From this point forth - I will no longer support the Democratic side of the aisle. In a nutshell ...
I'm finished.
The blame game - is getting wildly out of control ... and I've had it. With no sense of self-accountability and the wicked pointed finger wagging everyone ...
I'm done.
They've lost all semblance of rationality - and if there's one critical moment that both parties could learn from: the American people want accountability. We're swinging laws from one end of the spectrum to the other ...
I'm tired.
When they lost the grand picture, the macro lens ... they lost touch with the things they needed to be working on. They can't fix something they don't know about ... and that ... is on them. With the collective brain trust that has been running the DNC for the last 2-3 years ... they are showing just how out of touch they really are.
No.
I don't blame Clinton. I think she ran an impressive campaign and there's something truly to be said to winning the majority of the votes and still lose. It was heartbreaking - it was tough and she handled herself with grace and dignity. She didn't throw blame out there until this past week - when she really should've started at her own party ... again ... I don't blame her for not doing that because it would torpedo the things they're wanting to try and accomplish while Cheeto is in charge.
So.
I'm on hiatus away from the Democratic party until they get their collective act together. Something that doesn't resonate right now - but hopefully will some day ...
Until then ....
Sighs ....
I'm finished.
The blame game - is getting wildly out of control ... and I've had it. With no sense of self-accountability and the wicked pointed finger wagging everyone ...
I'm done.
They've lost all semblance of rationality - and if there's one critical moment that both parties could learn from: the American people want accountability. We're swinging laws from one end of the spectrum to the other ...
I'm tired.
When they lost the grand picture, the macro lens ... they lost touch with the things they needed to be working on. They can't fix something they don't know about ... and that ... is on them. With the collective brain trust that has been running the DNC for the last 2-3 years ... they are showing just how out of touch they really are.
No.
I don't blame Clinton. I think she ran an impressive campaign and there's something truly to be said to winning the majority of the votes and still lose. It was heartbreaking - it was tough and she handled herself with grace and dignity. She didn't throw blame out there until this past week - when she really should've started at her own party ... again ... I don't blame her for not doing that because it would torpedo the things they're wanting to try and accomplish while Cheeto is in charge.
So.
I'm on hiatus away from the Democratic party until they get their collective act together. Something that doesn't resonate right now - but hopefully will some day ...
Until then ....
Sighs ....
Monday, December 05, 2016
Trump: Twitter Diplomacy
It's absolutely no mystery in the world that Trump, our beloved orange skinned lying maniac loves Twitter. Loves reaching out to "the people" and loves to just spew about any given thing that crosses his bitty mind.
Well - that's all said and perfect when it comes to elections and such maybe ... but now he's using it as a portal to voice his thoughts when addressing figureheads and countries. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that China is a little taken aback by the president-elect's actions. It shouldn't come as a shock when those cold waters of diplomacy get colder with each tweet he sends out.
... and that's the problem with this guy: he doesn't think. He doesn't care either because he thoroughly believes he's made of gold and can't be touched.
That ... is the scariest person alive to be running this country of ours.
Put all the rhetoric aside ... this is pretty dangerous to have someone go "half-cocked" and then not see the problem with that.
Well - that's all said and perfect when it comes to elections and such maybe ... but now he's using it as a portal to voice his thoughts when addressing figureheads and countries. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that China is a little taken aback by the president-elect's actions. It shouldn't come as a shock when those cold waters of diplomacy get colder with each tweet he sends out.
... and that's the problem with this guy: he doesn't think. He doesn't care either because he thoroughly believes he's made of gold and can't be touched.
That ... is the scariest person alive to be running this country of ours.
Put all the rhetoric aside ... this is pretty dangerous to have someone go "half-cocked" and then not see the problem with that.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
The Blind Leading the Blind ...
And with that, the Democrats have opted to take the path that leads them back into the spiraling Washington establishment because there is a tremendous lack of accountability.
... so we're blaming the FBI director who I will also candidly admit: played politics when it wasn't his place to. None.
But that doesn't address the larger issue Dems.
As I pointed out in the previous blog entry it's not Hillary's fault really. It's the heart of the democrat machine - and how they STILL ... continue ... to ignore the real reason why they lost the election this year.
It wasn't because of the damn emails.
It wasn't because of Benghazi-gate.
It wasn't even Bill. ...well that's not true - it's partly Bill, but not for the reasons you suspect.
No Dems ...
It was willful disregarding the grass-roots effort generated by one Bernard Sanders, former independent candidate from state of Vermont. He built a movement that reached the broadest amount of people. He did it without influence from corporations. He listened. He championed and he resonated with the base across all demographics, all races, all ages.
In addition to listening, he figured out how to do stuff without the blessings of the democratic party.
Why? What happened?
The democrats were bent out of shape that he left the party ... AND ... I strongly suspect that at some point in the last eight years, Hillary was basically "given" the chance to run in 2016 - as an agreement after the primaries of 2008 when Obama pressed forward into the national limelight. He was the best choice - and unfortunately the wrong choice. Because that's when the division it created in this country was substantial.
Every Republican vowed to block anything Obama was about to do - and they did it brilliantly.
So - Washington gridlock - for almost 8 years. Yes, Obama was able to get things through - but the democrats were doing a WONDERFUL job at shooting themselves in the foot, feet, hands, and arms and legs and ..... you get the point. But in that 8 year virtual gridlock, the approval ratings for both parties continued to plummet. Nothing was getting done - and yet - the press was completely on board with not correctly assigning the proper blame on the right party ...
Media corruption - yeah - nothing new there - but another blog entry on that probably forthcoming on that subject.
So with both parties suffering and everyone decrying for a change ... one party made a change ... one party did not. One party went against the status quo ... one party went back to the establishment.
Even a buffoon like Trump - an idiot - the most insane choice was so far out of the establishment ... that it resonated with voters. People who were sick and tired of the same crap happening in Washington had a hero that would liberate them from the nonsense.
Trump was that hero.
And Hillary would assume her role as the villain to a T ... and she had no idea she was even doing it.
The play was set.
Prognosticators, pundits, and smart people - all lauded how Hillary was going to make this a slam dunk. It was in the bag ... because - how can the idiot actually win?!? It was so incredibly inconceivable ... so far fetched ... so imaginary ....
... and perfectly executed.
The Republicans played chess ... the Democrats played tic-tac-toe ....
They abandoned the template Obama used in 2008 when he beat her the first time ... which is also the reason why Bernie didn't stand a chance this time around. Without any support from the Democrats, Sanders was able to energize folks to making a serious change in Washington. Hillary talked the talk - but she was always linked to Bill ... the establishment of 8 years that went wrong in the eyes of every Republican historian.
So -
The Democrats:
- were highly annoyed and agitated by Bernie from leaving the party
- ignored Bernie's popularity
- practically engraved Hillary's path to the White House as the primaries were just getting started
- ignored the mass of folks that supported Bernie
- ignored the establishment association / link between Hillary and Washington
- thought they had this in the bag.
... and they aren't taking responsibility at the places they need to. Debbie Wassermann Schultz - and the shit she pulled in her political life should be made into a book someday. She undermined several things Obama did - and she became the human shield for Hillary when primary season until Wikileaks finally revealed her part in this elaborate play.
The heir-apparent was destined for the White House ...
... AND ...
They had no contingency otherwise.
They had no backup plan.
Because Trump was supposed to lose handily ... and he didn't.
The Democrats ran blindly into the sun - and lost complete track where they were in the map of things.
And they lost. Badly.
Sure - Hillary has incredible margins overall, but she lost in places she should've been stronger in. Footholds that have been democratic for Obama.
They - for whatever reason - decided it to do it completely different and it backfired. They messed up a perfectly workable formula - and they abandoned the template they needed to follow.
So ...
Democrats only have themselves to blame on this one.
... and I feel bad for Hillary too. She ran the hardest campaign she could ... but it was destined to fail before it was finalized at the convention. They have to own that ... they have to learn from that - or they haven't learned anything from this experience.
Latest news today was in the fact that folks were polled and Bernie would've destroyed Trump ....
... well - that didn't happen folks ... but it's nice to think about what could've been.
Because the next four years are going to suck .... but more on that in a blog entry to come ....
... so we're blaming the FBI director who I will also candidly admit: played politics when it wasn't his place to. None.
But that doesn't address the larger issue Dems.
As I pointed out in the previous blog entry it's not Hillary's fault really. It's the heart of the democrat machine - and how they STILL ... continue ... to ignore the real reason why they lost the election this year.
It wasn't because of the damn emails.
It wasn't because of Benghazi-gate.
It wasn't even Bill. ...well that's not true - it's partly Bill, but not for the reasons you suspect.
No Dems ...
It was willful disregarding the grass-roots effort generated by one Bernard Sanders, former independent candidate from state of Vermont. He built a movement that reached the broadest amount of people. He did it without influence from corporations. He listened. He championed and he resonated with the base across all demographics, all races, all ages.
In addition to listening, he figured out how to do stuff without the blessings of the democratic party.
Why? What happened?
The democrats were bent out of shape that he left the party ... AND ... I strongly suspect that at some point in the last eight years, Hillary was basically "given" the chance to run in 2016 - as an agreement after the primaries of 2008 when Obama pressed forward into the national limelight. He was the best choice - and unfortunately the wrong choice. Because that's when the division it created in this country was substantial.
Every Republican vowed to block anything Obama was about to do - and they did it brilliantly.
So - Washington gridlock - for almost 8 years. Yes, Obama was able to get things through - but the democrats were doing a WONDERFUL job at shooting themselves in the foot, feet, hands, and arms and legs and ..... you get the point. But in that 8 year virtual gridlock, the approval ratings for both parties continued to plummet. Nothing was getting done - and yet - the press was completely on board with not correctly assigning the proper blame on the right party ...
Media corruption - yeah - nothing new there - but another blog entry on that probably forthcoming on that subject.
So with both parties suffering and everyone decrying for a change ... one party made a change ... one party did not. One party went against the status quo ... one party went back to the establishment.
Even a buffoon like Trump - an idiot - the most insane choice was so far out of the establishment ... that it resonated with voters. People who were sick and tired of the same crap happening in Washington had a hero that would liberate them from the nonsense.
Trump was that hero.
And Hillary would assume her role as the villain to a T ... and she had no idea she was even doing it.
The play was set.
Prognosticators, pundits, and smart people - all lauded how Hillary was going to make this a slam dunk. It was in the bag ... because - how can the idiot actually win?!? It was so incredibly inconceivable ... so far fetched ... so imaginary ....
... and perfectly executed.
The Republicans played chess ... the Democrats played tic-tac-toe ....
They abandoned the template Obama used in 2008 when he beat her the first time ... which is also the reason why Bernie didn't stand a chance this time around. Without any support from the Democrats, Sanders was able to energize folks to making a serious change in Washington. Hillary talked the talk - but she was always linked to Bill ... the establishment of 8 years that went wrong in the eyes of every Republican historian.
So -
The Democrats:
- were highly annoyed and agitated by Bernie from leaving the party
- ignored Bernie's popularity
- practically engraved Hillary's path to the White House as the primaries were just getting started
- ignored the mass of folks that supported Bernie
- ignored the establishment association / link between Hillary and Washington
- thought they had this in the bag.
... and they aren't taking responsibility at the places they need to. Debbie Wassermann Schultz - and the shit she pulled in her political life should be made into a book someday. She undermined several things Obama did - and she became the human shield for Hillary when primary season until Wikileaks finally revealed her part in this elaborate play.
The heir-apparent was destined for the White House ...
... AND ...
They had no contingency otherwise.
They had no backup plan.
Because Trump was supposed to lose handily ... and he didn't.
The Democrats ran blindly into the sun - and lost complete track where they were in the map of things.
And they lost. Badly.
Sure - Hillary has incredible margins overall, but she lost in places she should've been stronger in. Footholds that have been democratic for Obama.
They - for whatever reason - decided it to do it completely different and it backfired. They messed up a perfectly workable formula - and they abandoned the template they needed to follow.
So ...
Democrats only have themselves to blame on this one.
... and I feel bad for Hillary too. She ran the hardest campaign she could ... but it was destined to fail before it was finalized at the convention. They have to own that ... they have to learn from that - or they haven't learned anything from this experience.
Latest news today was in the fact that folks were polled and Bernie would've destroyed Trump ....
... well - that didn't happen folks ... but it's nice to think about what could've been.
Because the next four years are going to suck .... but more on that in a blog entry to come ....
Wednesday, November 09, 2016
Got what you wanted 'merca ....
It's been well over a year since I've been here.
I'm still alive - still kicking. My I slumped into a deep dark political depression.
Something is definitely askew in American politics and I've grown exceptionally ill to what's being served. I was opining yesterday to a work-friend of mine that the problem with the universe isn't the fact that we've elected a misogynistic, racist, class-celebratory idiot to the White House ... because the roots were long since there ... Trump just brought them out, highlighted them and soothed them that it's okay to be anti-women, anti-minority, hate-mongering and everything.
Read that again: It's OKAY to be those things ...
THAT is what America has become.
I know there will be an excessive amount of finger pointing happening in the Democrat camp in the days to come - but the top echelon of the party really has to do an honest evaluation of things. Never in political history has one party seized as much control as occurred last night.
It's a testament that our collective souls are black, angry, spiteful and surprisingly accepting of intolerance that breeds among us.
Democrats failed to recognize the trend of voters ... who are tired of how Washington runs.
Democrats failed to unite a clearly divided country.
Democrats emphatically went with the establishment.
Democrats lack vision and fortitude.
This is NOT Hillary's fault.
This is NOT a testament about women or their capability to run America.
We're clearly READY for a woman to run America ... the Democrats chose an established Washington candidate as their choice for America to vote on ... and America rejected that establishment.
NPR had the best summation of the night: "Exit polls show Obama has a 54% approval rating. This election isn't rejecting Obama, it's rejecting Washington."
Washington is burning this morning .. and that's a red glow we see coming from the east.
Now we have to fix it.
I'm not sure SpoonsRant will be resurrected.
I'm still in a very depressed state of mind - and probably more so.
... but maybe I have finally hit bottom.
There's a lot of work to do ...
... so ... what now?
Wednesday, September 02, 2015
It's only law if God says it is ...
I read the following Facebook headline/recommendation and wanted to hit my head on something concrete ....
Okay.
Well first of all, Kim is exercising her freedom of CHOICE. Which as we all know, merely means you can't prosecuted for your beliefs. So on the first test, yes - Kim is exercising her freedom of religion.
But ...
She also took an oath of office which specifically states she'll uphold the laws that are made. So ....
Kim Davis is standing firm on something she should recuse herself from. If you can't do the job as dictated by the highest court in the land, she simply should stand aside so that someone can do her job for her.
This isn't about the "militant homosexuals," nor does it have anything to do with the other 137 clerks. It has everything to do with doing your job, even if you don't agree.
As with most things conservative, there's a blatant hypocrisy here. If I was being forced to do something against my personally held beliefs, these same conservatives would be the first to say: "just find another job if you're not happy." Well ... why isn't that the same thing here?
Seriously folks, if you're going to attack something for persecuting your beliefs, then maybe it's time you take your own medicine ... do your job, recuse yourself or step down to become a Walmart greeter Ms. Davis.
"Pray for Kim Davis! Late last night the Supreme Court denied our emergency appeal to keep Kim out of jail. Even though they can go to any of 137 other clerks, today the militant homosexuals who sued her will be on her front step FORCING her to choose between obeying Scripture or going to jail."
Okay.
Well first of all, Kim is exercising her freedom of CHOICE. Which as we all know, merely means you can't prosecuted for your beliefs. So on the first test, yes - Kim is exercising her freedom of religion.
But ...
She also took an oath of office which specifically states she'll uphold the laws that are made. So ....
Kim Davis is standing firm on something she should recuse herself from. If you can't do the job as dictated by the highest court in the land, she simply should stand aside so that someone can do her job for her.
This isn't about the "militant homosexuals," nor does it have anything to do with the other 137 clerks. It has everything to do with doing your job, even if you don't agree.
As with most things conservative, there's a blatant hypocrisy here. If I was being forced to do something against my personally held beliefs, these same conservatives would be the first to say: "just find another job if you're not happy." Well ... why isn't that the same thing here?
Seriously folks, if you're going to attack something for persecuting your beliefs, then maybe it's time you take your own medicine ... do your job, recuse yourself or step down to become a Walmart greeter Ms. Davis.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
The Blind Hypocrisy
In his show, Jon Stewart has done it again.
http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/faezep/mighty-morphin-position-changers
He poignantly explained the differences of how Fox News covers its new stories. It is a blind hypocrisy for decrying one side of an argument while remaining incredibly silent on the other side. (The video explains a better please click on it.)
But it raises an issue not just specific to Fox News. Every news agency has been doing this for years now. A slant, a bias, a derived message. They've become nothing more than an opinion machines more than news outlets. As I said this happens on both sides of the aisle so it would be improper to demonize one side without admitting that MSNBC does the exact same thing.
Even Rachel Maddow admits that her program and network does pretty much the same thing that Fox does. The only difference is that they tend to be closer routed to the facts than Fox. That's where the debate really lies because if I'm about to tell you story, you're assuming that I am presenting a balanced argument. Especially if you find that I am a news person who you are trusting to provide information to.
It's something that Stephen Colbert once referred to as "truthiness." Defined as:
"the quality of seeming or being felt to be true, even if not necessarily true."
Which is exactly what Fox and MSNBC does. It's what CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS does. That's why it's very disheartening that if you want to get completely unbiased information, you have to go out of the United States to do it where corporate interests may not necessarily interfere with the actual news content.
That's the state of media today.
That's the state of journalism today.
It's something that I have been incredibly passionate about for a long time. We simply cannot rely on any of our news sources for information. We want news that feels good to us and is crafted in a way that molds to our belief of truth.
We have to be willing to look at ourselves in the mirror honestly. We can't do that if we keep wrapping ourselves in red, white, blue. We have all become patriotic to a fault. If we are truly going to be cooperative partners in the future we have to be completely honest with ourselves.
That doesn't make me unpatriotic. I believe in the United States, I believe in our founding fathers belief that we can be a better country for the world. But if we start looking at Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, it's become a schoolyard of bullies and fights. It makes a lot of people become turned off and it is incredibly despicable to think that our electorate and our propaganda mechanism known as the media insists on lowering the bar instead of raising it.
We have lost accountability.
We have lost honesty.
We have lost integrity.
And before you turn on the radio, or pick up your newspaper, or look online to see how your favorite political hack looks of this - realize that you can make independent decisions based on your own morality and beliefs.
We all have a fundamental basis of what's right and wrong in this country. We can continually point fingers back-and-forth to no avail, but in the end the message gets lost in the truth diminishes.
Admittedly I have probably have grown very tired of politics. I have grown tired of the antics of some idiots that want to go ahead and to question my patriotism because I ask, I demand accountability and honesty when they report their "facts" for the general public.
We as a nation have no concept as to what these dividing forces have on our nation. We are more alike than we think if we were to sit down and have an honest discussion about morality and what should and shouldn't be done in this country. If we stop listening to these dividing forces we can come together and we can grow. I'm sick and tired of rewriting our history and our science to accommodate a religious theocracy that is heavily flawed.
We need to grow. We need to move forward.
Change needs to happen.
http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/faezep/mighty-morphin-position-changers
He poignantly explained the differences of how Fox News covers its new stories. It is a blind hypocrisy for decrying one side of an argument while remaining incredibly silent on the other side. (The video explains a better please click on it.)
But it raises an issue not just specific to Fox News. Every news agency has been doing this for years now. A slant, a bias, a derived message. They've become nothing more than an opinion machines more than news outlets. As I said this happens on both sides of the aisle so it would be improper to demonize one side without admitting that MSNBC does the exact same thing.
Even Rachel Maddow admits that her program and network does pretty much the same thing that Fox does. The only difference is that they tend to be closer routed to the facts than Fox. That's where the debate really lies because if I'm about to tell you story, you're assuming that I am presenting a balanced argument. Especially if you find that I am a news person who you are trusting to provide information to.
It's something that Stephen Colbert once referred to as "truthiness." Defined as:
"the quality of seeming or being felt to be true, even if not necessarily true."
Which is exactly what Fox and MSNBC does. It's what CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS does. That's why it's very disheartening that if you want to get completely unbiased information, you have to go out of the United States to do it where corporate interests may not necessarily interfere with the actual news content.
That's the state of media today.
That's the state of journalism today.
It's something that I have been incredibly passionate about for a long time. We simply cannot rely on any of our news sources for information. We want news that feels good to us and is crafted in a way that molds to our belief of truth.
We have to be willing to look at ourselves in the mirror honestly. We can't do that if we keep wrapping ourselves in red, white, blue. We have all become patriotic to a fault. If we are truly going to be cooperative partners in the future we have to be completely honest with ourselves.
That doesn't make me unpatriotic. I believe in the United States, I believe in our founding fathers belief that we can be a better country for the world. But if we start looking at Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, it's become a schoolyard of bullies and fights. It makes a lot of people become turned off and it is incredibly despicable to think that our electorate and our propaganda mechanism known as the media insists on lowering the bar instead of raising it.
We have lost accountability.
We have lost honesty.
We have lost integrity.
And before you turn on the radio, or pick up your newspaper, or look online to see how your favorite political hack looks of this - realize that you can make independent decisions based on your own morality and beliefs.
We all have a fundamental basis of what's right and wrong in this country. We can continually point fingers back-and-forth to no avail, but in the end the message gets lost in the truth diminishes.
Admittedly I have probably have grown very tired of politics. I have grown tired of the antics of some idiots that want to go ahead and to question my patriotism because I ask, I demand accountability and honesty when they report their "facts" for the general public.
We as a nation have no concept as to what these dividing forces have on our nation. We are more alike than we think if we were to sit down and have an honest discussion about morality and what should and shouldn't be done in this country. If we stop listening to these dividing forces we can come together and we can grow. I'm sick and tired of rewriting our history and our science to accommodate a religious theocracy that is heavily flawed.
We need to grow. We need to move forward.
Change needs to happen.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Ferguson
I've stayed away from attempting to understand what happened in Ferguson, Missouri. The entire incident is racially tinged and incredibly traumatic for that community. The incident is another example why a race remains a problem in our society. As the case drew on, I started to look at it from a legal perspective.
The science apparently has spoken which gave officer Wilson the path to self-defense. While there are witnesses in conflict apparently the science corroborates the contention that Michael Brown was the aggressor and officer Wilson had no alternative but to respond using deadly force.
It is unfortunate that the entirety of the situation has been impugned by the systemic breakdown of the criminal justice system. In nearly every step of the process, the police, the mayor, the prosecutor, the governor all did their part to corrupt the process. This isn't to say that every officer is bad, I do not honestly believe that. But when you have the likes of officer Wilson who apparently has a past that could be racially provocative then we are left with a great deal of uncertainty with the performance of someone who is supposed to uphold the laws of land.
But what transpired on the grand jury panel can almost be deduced as being criminally negligent. Never in the history of the grand jury process has a defendant been entitled to defend themselves by testimony or statement on their behalf to determine if charges were to be levied against them. Even Anton Scalia agrees ... http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/11/26/3597322/justice-scalia-explains-what-was-wrong-with-the-ferguson-grand-jury/
The grand jury in Ferguson was allowed to hear the officers testimony and to take that into consideration and their deliberation. The prosecutor not just fumbled the process but did everything he could to protect the officer.
The entire grand jury process was a farce and a waste of time. The prosecutor did everything they could to ensure that the officer would not be charged while at the same time appeasing the civil unrest of Ferguson by going through this process. Instead of recusing himself and being replaced by a special prosecutor, he was adamant to remain on the case
Is there any wonder why the African-American community would be upset by this?
This is an egregious travesty of justice when the process is tainted and heavily biased from the onset. Anyone who is interested in trying to figure out why there is a race disparity in this country only needs to examine what happened in Ferguson as being a clear indicator for a broken system.
The science apparently has spoken which gave officer Wilson the path to self-defense. While there are witnesses in conflict apparently the science corroborates the contention that Michael Brown was the aggressor and officer Wilson had no alternative but to respond using deadly force.
It is unfortunate that the entirety of the situation has been impugned by the systemic breakdown of the criminal justice system. In nearly every step of the process, the police, the mayor, the prosecutor, the governor all did their part to corrupt the process. This isn't to say that every officer is bad, I do not honestly believe that. But when you have the likes of officer Wilson who apparently has a past that could be racially provocative then we are left with a great deal of uncertainty with the performance of someone who is supposed to uphold the laws of land.
But what transpired on the grand jury panel can almost be deduced as being criminally negligent. Never in the history of the grand jury process has a defendant been entitled to defend themselves by testimony or statement on their behalf to determine if charges were to be levied against them. Even Anton Scalia agrees ... http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/11/26/3597322/justice-scalia-explains-what-was-wrong-with-the-ferguson-grand-jury/
The grand jury in Ferguson was allowed to hear the officers testimony and to take that into consideration and their deliberation. The prosecutor not just fumbled the process but did everything he could to protect the officer.
The entire grand jury process was a farce and a waste of time. The prosecutor did everything they could to ensure that the officer would not be charged while at the same time appeasing the civil unrest of Ferguson by going through this process. Instead of recusing himself and being replaced by a special prosecutor, he was adamant to remain on the case
Is there any wonder why the African-American community would be upset by this?
This is an egregious travesty of justice when the process is tainted and heavily biased from the onset. Anyone who is interested in trying to figure out why there is a race disparity in this country only needs to examine what happened in Ferguson as being a clear indicator for a broken system.
Sunday, November 09, 2014
Really John?
“Finding common ground is going to be hard work, but it will be even harder if the president isn’t willing to work with us,” Mr. Boehner said in a news conference on Capitol Hill.
Considering this President had reached out to the Republicans CONTINUALLY for the last six years, trying to get them to work with him on legislation ... I consider Mr. Boehner's rhetoric attempt as gutless and disingenuous.
If only Americans really looked at the tally of things over the broader scale.
- Unemployment = down
- Wages = still stagnant
- Veteran's benefits = still a big problem
- DOW = up
- gas prices = coming down
- US economy = continues to rise
- Budget deficit = returning back to pre-recession levels
- gun ownership = same
- immigration = still a problem
- LGBT rights = improving (finally)
- Another 9/11 = nope
- healthcare system = improved
What's really to fix here John? Oh wait. The reason why John is forcing this is because it happened on a Democratic watch. Republicans have nothing to show for it - and Democrats (in their own "let's shoot ourselves in the foot" way of thinking) failed to latch onto the progress that has been made already.
Considering this President had reached out to the Republicans CONTINUALLY for the last six years, trying to get them to work with him on legislation ... I consider Mr. Boehner's rhetoric attempt as gutless and disingenuous.
If only Americans really looked at the tally of things over the broader scale.
- Unemployment = down
- Wages = still stagnant
- Veteran's benefits = still a big problem
- DOW = up
- gas prices = coming down
- US economy = continues to rise
- Budget deficit = returning back to pre-recession levels
- gun ownership = same
- immigration = still a problem
- LGBT rights = improving (finally)
- Another 9/11 = nope
- healthcare system = improved
What's really to fix here John? Oh wait. The reason why John is forcing this is because it happened on a Democratic watch. Republicans have nothing to show for it - and Democrats (in their own "let's shoot ourselves in the foot" way of thinking) failed to latch onto the progress that has been made already.
Thursday, October 09, 2014
In the news: Fox discourages young people from voting
Their rationale is nothing but ironic:
"Do we want them [young people] to vote if they don't know the issues?" Harris Faulkner asked Wednesday afternoon.
"No!" Lisa Kennedy Montgomery answered. "You absolutely don't!"
"Do you really want to motivate them to vote and be ignorant at the polls?" Faulkner continued.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/08/fox-hosts-young-people-vote-elections-youth-voters_n_5953798.html
I posit this:
Folks that watch Fox News should also be included in that bunch given that they have routinely been found to be incompetent regarding the issues.
Snark?
No, fact.
"Do we want them [young people] to vote if they don't know the issues?" Harris Faulkner asked Wednesday afternoon.
"No!" Lisa Kennedy Montgomery answered. "You absolutely don't!"
"Do you really want to motivate them to vote and be ignorant at the polls?" Faulkner continued.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/08/fox-hosts-young-people-vote-elections-youth-voters_n_5953798.html
I posit this:
Folks that watch Fox News should also be included in that bunch given that they have routinely been found to be incompetent regarding the issues.
Snark?
No, fact.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Keep doing what you're doing.... No really!
I recently read an article where an incumbent Republican from Kansas is in danger of losing his governorship to an independent. At first this didn't raise an eyebrow or anything about it. What it did do was make me cheer on the incumbent Republican to stay to the script. No hedging, no misinterpretation, no fudging. Stay to the script.
Why?
Because it is time for America to see Republicans for who they are. They want to repeal Obamacare even though the number of uninsured has dropped to its lowest level since 1990. They want to secure more tax breaks for businesses who send American jobs overseas. They want to become more invasive and to eliminate basic rights of Americans because "if you have nothing to hide then there shouldn't be a problem."
The problem with the Republicans is where their core beliefs are located. They dwell in the pit of some unknown donor box carefully crafted by corporations who really don't give a damn about Americans. Republicans are steadfast to protect the interest of the shareholder over the interest of their constituents.
That's why I want Republicans to stay on message. Keep these flawed beliefs and don't come off of them. Remain true to yourselves or continue to be the obnoxious hypocrites you're set to be.
Eventually America will get it.
Why?
Because it is time for America to see Republicans for who they are. They want to repeal Obamacare even though the number of uninsured has dropped to its lowest level since 1990. They want to secure more tax breaks for businesses who send American jobs overseas. They want to become more invasive and to eliminate basic rights of Americans because "if you have nothing to hide then there shouldn't be a problem."
The problem with the Republicans is where their core beliefs are located. They dwell in the pit of some unknown donor box carefully crafted by corporations who really don't give a damn about Americans. Republicans are steadfast to protect the interest of the shareholder over the interest of their constituents.
That's why I want Republicans to stay on message. Keep these flawed beliefs and don't come off of them. Remain true to yourselves or continue to be the obnoxious hypocrites you're set to be.
Eventually America will get it.
Benghazi all the time
I understand the folks at Fox News have a particular beef when it comes to this president and what happened in Benghazi. When I don't quite understand is how many investigative bodies that have investigated the incident have said that there was nothing inappropriate this administration did. It all comes back to the fabled birth certificate debacle. "When are we going to see the true birth certificate?"
Making the reach of comparing the NFL issues with Benghazi is nothing short of spectacular!
I swear to God these folks get a bonus each time they can correlate anything or any news story having to do with Benghazi:
"There's a cold front coming in from Canada, but when are we going to hear the truth on Benghazi?"
"Yesterday and there was a car accident on the interstate that involved a cleanup, why can't the Obama administration come clean on Benghazi?"
"Today's winning lotto numbers are 2, 14, 16, 22, 30 and 47. Now if only we can have the records of the Obama administration's handling of Benghazi."
"This NBA broadcast is brought to you by head and shoulders, the makers of hair shampoo and other fine salon products. Now if only Obama would come clean on his own Benghazi dandruff."
It gets to the point of being completely stupid and phony. They consider themselves to be a journalistic entity but they sure as hell don't act like one.
Making the reach of comparing the NFL issues with Benghazi is nothing short of spectacular!
I swear to God these folks get a bonus each time they can correlate anything or any news story having to do with Benghazi:
"There's a cold front coming in from Canada, but when are we going to hear the truth on Benghazi?"
"Yesterday and there was a car accident on the interstate that involved a cleanup, why can't the Obama administration come clean on Benghazi?"
"Today's winning lotto numbers are 2, 14, 16, 22, 30 and 47. Now if only we can have the records of the Obama administration's handling of Benghazi."
"This NBA broadcast is brought to you by head and shoulders, the makers of hair shampoo and other fine salon products. Now if only Obama would come clean on his own Benghazi dandruff."
It gets to the point of being completely stupid and phony. They consider themselves to be a journalistic entity but they sure as hell don't act like one.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Freedom? Really?
I've been reading about Daniele Watts' incident with the LAPD and ... again ... I forget that there are a lot of stupid people in the universe.
"They ask to see her ID, produce the ID."
But she did nothing wrong. That's the problem with the logic of "don't hide anything if you have nothing to hide." For those that believe that it is perfectly okay for law enforcement to go walking up somebody, demand to see their ID, without any reason, any suspicion or any cause is just insane.
We don't live in a police state. The founders would never agree to that even after what transpired on 9/11. Our liberties are worth so much more than the government that wants to suppress it.
When the police circumvent the laws and protections in an egregious manner with no provocation then it is an abuse of power. That isn't to say that we don't have a crime problem in this country, but if you have questionable motives while attempting to enforce those rules and laws - then the system is equally problematic.
For those that believe that there is no problem for law enforcement to stop and ask someone questions and to detain them by handcuffing and throwing them in a police car then I would assume that the same people have no problem with law enforcement breaking into their homes to double check and make sure that the guns that they own actually belong to them.
After all, if you have nothing to hide then cooperate. See how that works?
"They ask to see her ID, produce the ID."
But she did nothing wrong. That's the problem with the logic of "don't hide anything if you have nothing to hide." For those that believe that it is perfectly okay for law enforcement to go walking up somebody, demand to see their ID, without any reason, any suspicion or any cause is just insane.
We don't live in a police state. The founders would never agree to that even after what transpired on 9/11. Our liberties are worth so much more than the government that wants to suppress it.
When the police circumvent the laws and protections in an egregious manner with no provocation then it is an abuse of power. That isn't to say that we don't have a crime problem in this country, but if you have questionable motives while attempting to enforce those rules and laws - then the system is equally problematic.
For those that believe that there is no problem for law enforcement to stop and ask someone questions and to detain them by handcuffing and throwing them in a police car then I would assume that the same people have no problem with law enforcement breaking into their homes to double check and make sure that the guns that they own actually belong to them.
After all, if you have nothing to hide then cooperate. See how that works?
Tuesday, September 09, 2014
Tired ...
I make absolutely no apologies for being who I am. I fully realize I'm on the extreme left side of things and I'm perfectly okay with that. I choose to be an idealist for humanity than a protector of capitalism. From where I stand, the soul of humanity isn't governed by wealth, but by doing the right things. I know there are those on the opposite side that say the same thing. We can respectfully disagree on things - that's fine.
But I'm finding that the "reason" why folks think as they do has very little to do with actual factual reasoning. The blindness - the willful and complete blindness by my right side counterparts can almost be described as completely insane. The hypocrisy is alarming and yet they don't care one iota. They remain smitten that they don't have to be accountable for anything or anyone because "we're right because I heard or read that I am."
Really?
It's an absolute waste of time attempting to argue with folks that can't rationally acknowledge their irrational inconsistencies. They abhor progress because it disrupts their ultimate game plan of acquisition. In their universe: nothing else matters. It's "he who dies with the most toys, wins" mentality which can't be rationalized in the scheme of humanity.
Our founding fathers wanted us to be civil towards one another, to respectfully disagree - but accept the progress of society. We have none of that. We continually dwell in our uncivil nature as it continues to push our nation in a downward angle.
So - I'm tired.
I'm tired of the bullshit.
I'm tired of the hypocrisy.
I'm tired of the stubbornness.
I'm tired of the double standards and the expectations that it's okay to be self-absorbed at the expense of everyone else in the world.
We're in retro-progress ... and we are falling behind fast. Other nations continue to make advances to further their countries. What's the US doing? We're bickering and can't agree on table settings. We are obsessed with gossip and have no willpower to fix problems.
With the ineptness of Congress, I'd personally like every single one fired that ever used the filibuster to contain the progress that could've been made as a country. I'd like to see those that are adamantly defending corporations to be removed from public office because CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE (for the love of all things Zeus!)
Folks that defend corporations are only defending them because they overwhelming majority of Americans aren't for your party. Republicans have fought to control the media and the influence behind it so that they can continue their shoestring connection with the governing process. You see, Republicans know that if it was a fair fight, head to head, they'd lose without their corporate backings because their policies fail in the face of the average American. They continually pull the wool over those that defend them ... and with blind assurances as their measure - they are vilified and feel vindicated.
So. To those folks that can't rationally understand their shortcomings, I can't help you anymore. You're mired in the muck that you simply have no desire to get out of. For those folks who continue to thwart the progress of this country, I'm removing you from my life. You're no longer in my conscience or on my Facebook feed. You're no longer the annoying insignificant gnat. I'm not longer following you on twitter or wherever your little universe is.
I'm done. Fin.
The moment you can be a productive member of SOCIETY that makes it about others and not about self-serving your own singular purpose - then we can probably finally begin a meaningful dialogue about solving the problems we face ... together. In the meantime, keep playing with pennies in light sockets and using hairdryers in the shower. Oh and if you do that, you'll become more enlightened. Moreover that logic (and yours, Republicans) comes from the internet so "god it has to be true then."
*bangs head against wall*
But I'm finding that the "reason" why folks think as they do has very little to do with actual factual reasoning. The blindness - the willful and complete blindness by my right side counterparts can almost be described as completely insane. The hypocrisy is alarming and yet they don't care one iota. They remain smitten that they don't have to be accountable for anything or anyone because "we're right because I heard or read that I am."
Really?
It's an absolute waste of time attempting to argue with folks that can't rationally acknowledge their irrational inconsistencies. They abhor progress because it disrupts their ultimate game plan of acquisition. In their universe: nothing else matters. It's "he who dies with the most toys, wins" mentality which can't be rationalized in the scheme of humanity.
Our founding fathers wanted us to be civil towards one another, to respectfully disagree - but accept the progress of society. We have none of that. We continually dwell in our uncivil nature as it continues to push our nation in a downward angle.
So - I'm tired.
I'm tired of the bullshit.
I'm tired of the hypocrisy.
I'm tired of the stubbornness.
I'm tired of the double standards and the expectations that it's okay to be self-absorbed at the expense of everyone else in the world.
We're in retro-progress ... and we are falling behind fast. Other nations continue to make advances to further their countries. What's the US doing? We're bickering and can't agree on table settings. We are obsessed with gossip and have no willpower to fix problems.
With the ineptness of Congress, I'd personally like every single one fired that ever used the filibuster to contain the progress that could've been made as a country. I'd like to see those that are adamantly defending corporations to be removed from public office because CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE (for the love of all things Zeus!)
Folks that defend corporations are only defending them because they overwhelming majority of Americans aren't for your party. Republicans have fought to control the media and the influence behind it so that they can continue their shoestring connection with the governing process. You see, Republicans know that if it was a fair fight, head to head, they'd lose without their corporate backings because their policies fail in the face of the average American. They continually pull the wool over those that defend them ... and with blind assurances as their measure - they are vilified and feel vindicated.
So. To those folks that can't rationally understand their shortcomings, I can't help you anymore. You're mired in the muck that you simply have no desire to get out of. For those folks who continue to thwart the progress of this country, I'm removing you from my life. You're no longer in my conscience or on my Facebook feed. You're no longer the annoying insignificant gnat. I'm not longer following you on twitter or wherever your little universe is.
I'm done. Fin.
The moment you can be a productive member of SOCIETY that makes it about others and not about self-serving your own singular purpose - then we can probably finally begin a meaningful dialogue about solving the problems we face ... together. In the meantime, keep playing with pennies in light sockets and using hairdryers in the shower. Oh and if you do that, you'll become more enlightened. Moreover that logic (and yours, Republicans) comes from the internet so "god it has to be true then."
*bangs head against wall*
Friday, August 29, 2014
Wait, what?
I almost couldn't believe when I read another article about the situation in Missouri. Apparently the chief of police is rather upset that the public has become outraged at the conduct of his officers. He openly defends their conduct and doesn't see a problem ... And that's a problem.
"A whole bunch of what you'd call citizen journalists, who were sitting with cameras recording, waiting for something stupid to happen, which they got. They won on this one," Jimenez told the publication.
First off, referring to citizen journalists is a bit hypocritical when your police force is caught in outright lies. Secondly, they are witnesses to the conduct that your officers exhibited during the Ferguson situation. Thirdly, it really goes to the training that the officers got if a video camera is simply the means to "wait for something stupid to happen."
I understand that you stand behind your police force as they have endured a great deal over the last couple of weeks, but what the chief doesn't understand is that if we have to protect ourselves by filming events to ensure that an unbiased witness (i.e. the camera) can correctly recall and otherwise ensure the integrity of the process, then there is no more doubts. Things can be taken out of context and reports can be skewed and twisted to whatever end. But it's not our fault that the police didn't exercise greater restraint.
Not when you have gems like this on your force:
In another incident, Glendale Officer Matthew Pappert was fired Thursday after posting on Facebook that Ferguson protesters should be "put down like rabid dogs" and asked where "is a Muslim with a backpack when you need them?"
Don't blame us for your own internal hatred. Not my issue, it's yours former officer Pappert ....
"A whole bunch of what you'd call citizen journalists, who were sitting with cameras recording, waiting for something stupid to happen, which they got. They won on this one," Jimenez told the publication.
First off, referring to citizen journalists is a bit hypocritical when your police force is caught in outright lies. Secondly, they are witnesses to the conduct that your officers exhibited during the Ferguson situation. Thirdly, it really goes to the training that the officers got if a video camera is simply the means to "wait for something stupid to happen."
I understand that you stand behind your police force as they have endured a great deal over the last couple of weeks, but what the chief doesn't understand is that if we have to protect ourselves by filming events to ensure that an unbiased witness (i.e. the camera) can correctly recall and otherwise ensure the integrity of the process, then there is no more doubts. Things can be taken out of context and reports can be skewed and twisted to whatever end. But it's not our fault that the police didn't exercise greater restraint.
Not when you have gems like this on your force:
In another incident, Glendale Officer Matthew Pappert was fired Thursday after posting on Facebook that Ferguson protesters should be "put down like rabid dogs" and asked where "is a Muslim with a backpack when you need them?"
Don't blame us for your own internal hatred. Not my issue, it's yours former officer Pappert ....
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