The Wisdom Of Palin

Found at the great web site of BartCop.

Bachmann Ladylike ? Never !

Last Wednesday, two very mismatched people appeared on the same radio show in Philadelphia -- Sen. Arlen Specter, one of the most moderate and soft-spoken men in the Senate, and Rep. Michele Bachmann, an ultra-right-wing teabagger who wouldn't know the truth and good manners if they hit her square in the face. I'm not surprised that a little fur flew that day.

Like the gentleman he is, Sen. Specter allowed Bachmann to speak and make her (misguided) points. Bachmann did not return the favor. She continuously interrupted the senator and would not let him finish his thoughts. Like her teabagging brothers and sisters, she obviously thinks the loudest and most obnoxious person is the winner in any debate or discussion -- good manners and decent behavior be damned!

Finally, Sen. Specter asked her to act like a lady. He did not say she wasn't a lady. In fact, he said she was a lady, and should act like one. Of course, this has Republicans and teabaggers all upset. They are incensed that the Teabagger Queen had actually been gently chided about her unladylike behavior.

I appreciate the senator calling her on her bad behavior, but I have to admit that I didn't know he was such a believer in impossible dreams. I don't know how this woman was raised, but someone forgot to teach her how decent people act in polite company. She's not a lady, and I don't think she would have a clue about how to act like one. She's a lying, racist, obnoxious, teabagging buffoon, and to expect her to act like anything but that is truly an impossible dream.

I can't believe her constituents in Minnesota are not dying of embarrassment after sending her to Washington more than once.

(NOTE -- Bachmann is in one of the pictures above. I'm not sure which one.)

The Fat Man's Throne

Political Cartoon is by Mike Keefe in The Denver Post.

Afghan War Is Not Looking Good

The war in Afghanistan is not going well. Since President Obama announced his decision to prolong the war and send another 40,000 troops to the country, the Taliban has stepped up it's attacks against both American troops, Afghan troops and innocent civilians. Last week, they even struck very violently at what should be the safest area in Afghanistan -- Kabul.

It causes me to wonder just how effective the new troops are going to be in trying to stabilize the country. Those troops were meant to be stationed outside of Kabul where loyalty to the Afghani government is questionable at best. It was already doubtful whether the troops could do much to stabilize the countryside, and now it looks like the capital city itself needs stabilizing.

Frankly, 40,000 troops are probably not enough to stabilize that country, especially in light of the fact that when things get hot for the Taliban and al-Queda they just move to another area or hide in Pakistan. And when they get to Pakistan, the U.S. can do nothing but use attack drones (which kill more innocent civilians than enemy fighters).

We now learn that Pakistan is not going to help fight the rebels in their country. Yesterday Major General Abbas, PR spokesman for the Pakistani army, told BBC News, "We are not going to conduct any major new operations against the militants over the next 12 months. The Pakistan army is overstretched and is not in a position to open any new fronts." In other words, al-Queda and the Taliban will get a free ride in Pakistan for the next year.

This means that at least for the next 12 months, the best the U.S. and its allies can do is to fight a holding action. Victory cannot be achieved without fighting the militants in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. With no pressure being put on them in Pakistan, there is truly no path to victory -- just the continuing deaths of allied soldiers and innocent civilians.

In the current situation, there is no point in even sending 40,000 more troops. We need to just withdraw our troops. It is, and has been, a mistake to support the unpopular, corrupt and misogynistic government of President Karzai anyway.

With the recent Pakistani decision not to fight, our position in Afghanistan has become untenable. I urge President Obama to stop this mad folly and bring all of our troops home.

An Unpleasant Surprise

Political Cartoon is by Pat Bagley in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Ron Paul - Voting No Just To Be Mean

I think Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) has probably voted "no" more than any other member of Congress. In fact, he has become famous for voting that way and many times is the only member of Congress voting in the negative. It's almost as if it doesn't matter what's being considered or which party is pushing it, Paul can be counted on to vote no.

Now I'm not saying it's always bad to vote no. I've even agreed with some of his no votes, like when he voted against the sending of troops to invade foreign countries like Iraq. Iraq posed no danger to the United States and Paul's vote against the invasion made a lot of sense.

I can even understand some of the no votes that I don't necessarily agree with, because these votes are about some action or expenditure by the government. After all, there are going to be opposing views on nearly every action or expenditure by the government, and all that proves is that people have differing political points of view.

But every now and then something comes along that it just makes no sense to vote against -- unless it's just to be mean. One of them is the resolution on Haiti just passed by the House of Representatives. This innocuous, but important resolution was a non-controversial and non-binding sense of Congress statement "expressing condolences to and solidarity with the people of Haiti."

The nonpartisan resolution was passed by the House on a 411 to 1 vote, and yes, that single "no" vote belonged to Rep. Ron Paul (pictured). He actually voted to NOT send condolences and express solidarity to the people suffering a terrible tragedy in Haiti. What a jerk!

Paul's spokeswoman, Rachel Mills, tried to justify his mean-spirited vote by saying it was more than just sending condolences and includes support for "government-to-government aide and he's just not comfortable with that." What a smelly load of horse crap that is!

The non-binding resolution would not send or prevent the sending of a single penny to the government of Haiti. It was simply a statement saying the government of the United States cares about the people suffering in Haiti.

Paul's vote was not a vote of conscience. It was just a mean-spirited and self-aggrandizing action aimed at his uncaring and anti-government base. He should be ashamed, and so should the people who keep sending him back to Congress.

Where's The Toughness And Fight ?

Political Cartoon is by Nate Beeler in The Washington Examiner.

Pat The Publicity Seeker

From the thoughtful site of the Naked Pastor.

Thoughts On Health Care Reform

According to CNN, Democrats are scrambling around trying to figure out what to do about health care reform. I don't know that this is a very apt description of what is going on, because it's already becoming clear what needs to be done. It's now just a matter of Democrats accepting the reality and proceeding accordingly.

There is now no doubt that a compromise bill between the House and Senate is never going to pass the Senate. President Obama and Senator Webb (D-Virginia) have both asked that the Senate not act until the new Massachusetts Republican is seated. That means the Republicans will have 41 votes, and that's enough to kill any compromise bill because it is extremely likely the Republicans will vote as a block against any kind of reform.

It is also becoming increasingly clear that the House will not pass the Senate bill without changes. There are enough progressives in the House that simply could not vote for the Senate bill, even by holding their noses while doing it -- the bill just stinks of giving in to the private insurance companies. Enough members are willing to stand up for their progressive principles and and demand real reform for their constituents.

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Massachusetts) said, "If it comes down to that Senate bill or nothing, I think we're going to end up with nothing. I don't hear a lot of support on our side." Rep. Anthony Weiner agreed, saying, "I don't think there are the votes in the House for the Senate bill."

That leaves just two options. One thing being discussed is to cut all the real reform out of the bills and just put a small band-aid on our current badly broken system. It would just involve changing a couple of things like not allowing pre-existing conditions to be considered by private insurance companies.

The bad part is that this would mean private insurance companies would still be dictating the treatment a patient could get (instead of the doctor). And while the private companies could not deny insurance because of pre-existing conditions or age, they could price those policies much higher (like the Senate bill allowed) and that would still exclude those consumers from the market. There would also be no pressure on private companies to lower their rates.

And there is no reason to believe the Republicans would allow this kind of band-aid solution to pass either. They have voted en masse to protect the private insurance companies (their masters) in the past, and there's no reason to believe they would allow this kind of bill (which might affect insurance profitability) to pass in the future. Remember, they are the party of NO and believe they can return to power by opposing ANY Democratic proposal.

That only leaves one option -- budget reconciliation. The House members need to write a better bill, with a public option that would force rates down, under this process and then send it to the Senate. If the Democrats can't get 51 votes for this bill out of the 58 they have (I refuse to count "Traitor Joe" Lieberman, who would vote Republican anyway), then they don't deserve to rule.

Some of the wimpier Democrats are balking at using the budget reconciliation. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Virginia) said, "It looks too partisan." And Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-North Dakota) called it "legislative trickery". These sorry blue dogs need to shut up and stay out of the way. Congress has been nothing but partisan since President Obama was elected. The Republicans are not about to be bipartisan, so why should any real Democrat care if it "looks partisan".

And why is it "legislative trickery" when Democrats do it, but just good politics when Republicans do it. President Bush and the Republicans used this same process many times during his two terms and nobody whined about partisanship or trickery. The Democrats need to grow some balls and get as tough as the Republicans. They are the majority party and they need to start acting like it, and if that involves trickery or partisanship -- so be it.

House Democrats need to just kill the ugly Senate bill. They don't even need to vote on it -- just walk away from it. Then start over and do it right. They promised reform. They need to deliver on that promise.

The Hacker

Political Cartoon is by John Cole in The Scranton Times.

'Whites Only' Basketball ? That's Stupid !

When Barack Obama was elected president of the United States, there were many people (including myself) who thought it might herald a new era of better race relations in this country. Maybe it will, but it has also had another effect. It has caused many racists to crawl out from under their rocks and once again make their slimy presence known.

In the last few years, it had become socially unacceptable to be openly racist. The racists were still there (although fewer in number) but they kept it to themselves and the few like-minded friends they had. Even racist organizations like the KKK were having trouble attracting new members.

But President Obama's election changed that. Perhaps fearing their racist beliefs were not just out of vogue but disappearing altogether, the racists have once again become public and very vocal. And they have found a comfortable home in the Republican Party and other anti-Democratic and anti-government groups (such as the teabaggers). These groups allow them to thinly disguise their racism as a form of rabid patriotism (which it is not).

Almost every week we see more examples of this newly public brand of obvious racism. Of course they all deny that they are being racist. To hear them tell it, they are just trying to protect some vital aspect of American society and culture, and race has nothing to do with it. But their racism is so clearly the driving force behind their actions that their denial of it just seems stupid and inane.

Consider this new and perfect example of this new public racism. There is a group now that wants to create a new professional basketball league. And one of the major rules of the new league is that all of the players must be "natural born citizens with both parents of the caucasian race" (white). Of course, the people trying to create this new league say it has nothing to do with race and they are not racists.

The league will be called the All-American Basketball Alliance (AABA) and they say they will start play next June with teams in 12 cities. The league commissioner, Don "Moose" Lewis, says he is not racist, but just wants to get away from "street ball" and get back to "fundamental basketball". He went on to say:

"There's nothing hatred about what we're doing. I don't hate anyone of color. But people of white, American-born citizens are in the minority now. Here's a league for white players to play fundamental basketball, which they like....Would you want to go to the game and worry about a player flipping you off or attacking you in the stands or grabbing their crotch? That's the culture today, and in a free country we should have the right to move ourselves in a better direction."

I am amazed at this man's stupidity. He as much as says that all the bad behavior in the NBA is by African-Americans and white boys would not act like that, and doesn't even realize that his statement itself is racist? Any rational thinker knows that neither bad nor good behavior is linked to race (which is in itself a spurious concept invented to advance colonialism and greed).

The league is based in Atlanta and is targeting cities in the Southeast to fill the 12 slots for franchises. However, they are already having trouble in one of the targeted cities -- Augusta, Georgia. The city is making it clear they want no part of the new league. Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver says, "As a sports enthusiast, I have always supported bringing more sporting activities to Augusta. However, in this instance I could not support in good conscience bringing in a team that did not fit with the spirit of inclusiveness that I, along with many others, have worked so hard to foster in our city."

Augusta State University athletic director Clint Bryant was even more blunt, saying, "It's so absurd it's funny, but it gives you an idea of the sickness of our society. It shows you what lengths people will go to just to be mean-spirited." Mr. Bryant is absolutely right. This sort of thing is sick and mean-spirited.

Now I don't think this new league has a chance of succeeding. Even if it does get established, it will quickly fold because most people will not support this kind of overt racism -- even in the South. The South still has its problems, but it has come a long way since the bad old days of Jim Crow.

But personally, I'm damn sick and tired of the new public racism that is rearing its ugly head in this country. Because of our country's free speech rights, these racist creeps have the right to speak their evil minds. But we also have the same right, and we have a responsibility to come down hard on this racist sickness. Racism doesn't just hurt individuals, it hurts our country as a whole.

It is time for decent people of all ethnicities and colors to rise up and let the racists know we just won't stand for it. It's both the decent and patriotic thing to do.

Solution To Luggage Fees

Political Cartoon is by Henry Payne in The Detroit News.

David Van Os On Massachusetts Election

Following the Democratic defeat in Massachusetts, Texas progressive David Van Os provides the following thought:

Yesterday in Massachusetts, one of the most reliably Democratic states in the country, the voters handed Ted Kennedy's seat to a Republican who campaigned against the Obama administration's health care plan.

For the sake of our country, I hope this turn of events serves as a wake-up call to President Obama and his advisors. Barack Obama did not win the presidency by calling out for caution and incrementalism. We all know this. He won the presidential election because he inspired a significant winning margin of voters with his bold calls for hope and change. Yet for Obama's first year in office his message to the populist base that gave him a mandate was, "Don't expect too much". The audacious, ringing cry "Yes we can!" turned into the cautious admonition, "No we can't". I didn't just start saying this today. Here is a Letter to the Editor of mine that the San Antonio Express-News published last July. Working People Get the Short End of the Stick Again Many of the populist-minded grassroots voters who formed the core of Obama's voter base do not feel motivated to rally around a health care plan that the robber barons who created the health care crisis helped to write, and that did not and does not offer anything bold or visionary to be inspired about. This was a time for something bold and visionary, but we got incrementalism and caution instead. Instead of fighting for the people we got a deplorable concentration on appeasing the opponents of progress.

The "public option" conceived by the White House was minimal anyway, but it would have at least brought some change and started the country on the right track. Without it, the administration bill becomes regressive - it will strengthen, not diminish, the oligopoly power of the insurance and health care robber barons, and make real change more remote than it is now. The Obama administration and its allies in the Congress gave the Obama support base nothing to get excited about. As a consequence the mass of that support base did not and is not infusing passion or energy into the health care fray. Meanwhile the Employee Free Choice Act, which as originally introduced would have at long last re-energized the labor movement to the benefit of health care and every other socio-economic need of working people (the best solution for health care always has been and always will be a strong collective bargaining system powered by strong unions), got rudely shoved to the side. All in all, the robber barons continue to run the show and the blue collar and white collar working Americans continue to get the short end of the stick. David Van Os (Published by San Antonio Express-News in Letters to the Editor, July 2009)

Change Is Needed

Political Cartoon is by R.J. Matson in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.