Kibitzer

KIBITZER

Train Wreck of Thought:

Right off the bat apologies are in order, for this article is quite lengthy. With so much going on, I felt the need to touch on multiple topics. Just read a segment or two at a time, take a break and come back later to read a couple more. Hopefully when or if ya finish, you’ll feel it was worth it.

Ya know, the true Republican agenda with all its policies and GOP candidates really don’t have anything to offer up for the average American. Republican legislation is always geared for the rich and corporate while all their tactics are in the use of fear and deceit to unnerve the street right-winger in order to obtain and retain uninformed votes. Never of substance, but rather in ideological rhetoric is the GOP politicians’ modus operandi. Anything Obama stands for they are against, no matter if it would be beneficial to the country as a whole, such as the ‘Affordable Care Act’ (ACA). Which by the way is saving the nation’s economy by eliminating $137 billion from the federal deficit up until 2025; not to mention it has saved thousands of American lives since its inception. The nonpartisan ‘Congressional Budget Office’ (CBO) tells us so.

Currently, the international ‘Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action’ (JPOA) deal that will take the nuclear threat away from the hands of Iran, not one Republican has hailed its magnitude in achieving a nuclear free Middle East zone. Of course in literally declaring a nuclear free Middle East we all know isn’t totally the case, for no one yelps and hollers about Israel’s basement full of nuclear arsenal weaponry obtained and realized from stolen U.S. technology.

One of the GOPs worst fussing though was in its total obstruction to the ‘American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009’ (ARRA). This stimulus act was in response to the horrific ‘Great Recession’. Its resultant carnage by the way was brought about by Republican financial deregulation policies that virtually annihilated America’s middleclass while sending the working poor further behind the eight-ball.

So, Republicans caused the recession’s eruption and stranglehold on American and global economies, but then had the audacity to actually shirk responsibility for it by blaming Democrats and Obama. On the premise of Obama being elected president, Republicans actually claim that is what caused the financial whirlwind of a financial maelstrom. Further, at a time of financial collapse, they then had the audacity to attempt blocking any governmental attempts to ease the woes average Americans were experiencing due to the recession’s long reaching tentacles.

America was hemorrhaging jobs at 800,000/month with more of the middleclass dropping below the poverty line than at any time in American middleclass history. Entire savings, pensions and mortgages were wiped out in one day utterly destroying local communities’ and individuals’ investments. The ARRA countered in offering relief.

Less we need reminding, it was then Vice President Dickie Cheney who proclaimed, “Deficits don’t matter,” to then Secretary Treasurer Paul O’Neill. Even so, on Obama’s watch, Republicans decided to do an about face on their spending, borrowing and financial fiascos by placing emphasis on the national debt and deficit. Even though it was their GOP governance that raised the national debt and deficit skywards as history foretells, ever since Republican president, Herbert Hoover, Republicans are the party to raise these two entities with their pet projects only to bicker about the ensuing rise when a Democrat president takes office. The GOP did the same immediately with President Obama; even before the ink was dry in confirming his win.

Under newly elected President Obama, they bellyached back then that now was not the time for the government to be spending. But in fact, with no private sector investment in sight at the time, the only entity that should’ve spent was the government. Nonetheless, Republicans moaned the stimulus package would only increase the national debt and not create jobs, but further hinder job creation.

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and now presidential candidate still claims so as exampled in his February 2014 video where he stated, “If you recall five years ago, the notion was that if the government spent all this money — that, by the way, was borrowed— that somehow the economy would begin to grow and create jobs. Well, of course, it clearly failed. Five years later, underemployment is still too high, the number of people that have dropped out of the workforce is astounding, unemployment remains stubbornly high and our economy isn’t growing fast enough — proof that massive government spending particularly debt spending, is not the solution to our economic growth problems.”

Also in February of 2014 Senator Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) made some deceitful remarks of his own. Calling the ARRA “shovel ready” in his statement, Cornyn had this to say, “Five years later, our economy is still sluggish, Americans are dropping out of the workforce by the thousands, and the President’s latest big government experiment, Obamacare, is now on track to slash 2 million more jobs from the workforce.” He summed it all up with this, “The stimulus’ legacy has been one of more debt, fewer jobs, and less opportunity for growth.”

Of course Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) also slurred some spittle that February 2014 in tweeting, “Well, five years in, it looks like President Obama’s stimulus did actually create jobs. Unfortunately, they’re all at the IRS and NSA.”

One year after the stimulus act’s inauguration, ‘Moody’s Investor Service’ 2009 report presented to the ‘Joint Economic Committee’ stated that the ‘Great Recession’ was the “longest, broadest and most severe since the Great Depression.” The report went on to say, “The recession was twice the length of the average economic contraction, and it dragged down nearly every industry and region in the country. Its final toll in terms of increased unemployment and falling real GDP will be greater than that seen during any other recession on record.”

Although the recovery will be sluggish from the heavily dazed and cloudy economic impact, Moody’s report said that the recovery was due to the ARRA’s implementation of federal regulation and the actions of the FDIC’s guarantees on bank debt, the opening of emergency credit facilities, aggressive federal Reserve action, increases in deposit insurance limits, addressing the housing market and imposing stress tests on the nation’s largest nineteen bank holding companies. All this was through ARRA initiatives.    

The stock market, as measured by the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) showed the Dow’s all-time closing high occurred during Obama’s second term at 18,312.39 set on May 19, 2015. Since Obama’s inauguration, ‘Standard & Poor’s (S&I) stock index is up 160 percentage points from March 2009 to current.

As the graph below shows, the stimulus did affect government spending by increasing it. But viewed overall from a GDP perspective, total government spending was steady at about 33 percent GDP in the mid-2000s and then jumped, during the Great Recession to 41 percent GDP. But in the subsequent economic recovery total government spending has steadily declined as a percent of GDP down to about 34 percent GDP in 2015, which is back to Reagan year outlays. That is an amazing feat for the Obama administration by virtue that the stimulus, as opposed to Republican austerity measures, in the long haul worked diligently.

It’s apparent that these three senators along with their fellow Republicans don’t read or care for statistics much. At the time of their animus deliverance, unemployment had dropped from 10.0% in 2008 down to 6.1% in February of 2014. Today, private sector jobs have increased more than ever before and the nation has experienced an unprecedented job growth of 68 months in a row. From August of this year to February, the consecutive growth rate was greater than 200,000 for each month. For Republicans, President Reagan is considered the economic guru when it comes to modern presidents creating jobs, but will they switch that title to Obama since he has outperformed Reagan…nah…

Besides his rant on how the “economy is still sluggish” but doesn’t specify what Republicans would have done because they had no plan except to obstruct anything Obama offered, Senator Jon Cornyn (R-TX) is quite disrespectful in falsely claiming that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) stated Obamacare will cause a loss of two million jobs, for he knows what the CBO was really stating; he just preferred to twist the department’s report into partisan politics.

What Cornyn contorted, as explained by the CBO director, Douglass Elmendorf (who himself is a Republican) is that Obamacare wouldn’t cut employment, but it has the potential of having two million part time Americans working only for healthcare benefits to leave the workforce, in which only opens up employment opportunities for those actively seeking jobs.

As far as Cruz’ twit (I mean tweet) goes, it is totally bogus. Cruz also has said this year that, “There are 110,000 agents at the IRS,” when he was lumping the IRS in with immigration, two favorite topics his right-wing audiences like to dislike. His ruse though is not based on fact, for there haven’t been 110,000 employees in total working for the IRS since the mid ‘90s much less 110,000 agents. Currently at 82,000 total employees, under Obama IRS employment has been dropping rather than increasing.                    

Look, stimulus money was spent on worthwhile issues. To name a few, it covered food costs for families who had lost their incomes through the ‘Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’ (SNAP). With the ARRA’s additional $40 billion added to SNAP, giving disadvantaged American families nutritional sustenance not only reduced hardship, it provided an economic stimulus spark. SNAP benefits are added quickly to the economy in buying food. Every SNAP dollar generated added a $1.70 to the economy. This economic activity is recorded by the ‘Center on Budget and Public Policy’s (CBPP) revised August 02, 2013 report. CBPP also states that after the Republican ARRA sunset clause that took effect in October 31, 2013, not only created household hardships including 22 million children by cutting monthly food security 20%, it also will cost the food industry $6 billion across 2015 to 2016.  

In February 2014, the ‘Congressional Budget Office’ reported that the ARRA added 5.2 percentage points to the national GDP stabilizing its growth. That may sound minor, but considering the gross domestic product had dropped 6.3% in 2008 (the biggest drop in GDP percentage points in 26 years) due to the recession hemorrhaging the nation’s economy...that was not bad in nearly recovering all that was dropped in 2008.

In virtually every economic aspect the ARRA pulled America out of the recessionary throes. It created or saved 7 million jobs between the years 2009-2012. It gave credits up to $8,000.00 to struggling homebuyers, provided funding to local and state governments, expanded unemployment benefits, provided $55 billion in education allowing each governor to disperse the funds as they saw fit and a total of $68.4 billion went towards energy efficiency and renewable energies which by the way Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) utilized for his state even though he condemned the act.

It also gave tax incentives and credits to American companies, added $105.3 billion to badly needed infrastructure and gave $1.42 billion towards funding the ‘Department of Veterans Affairs’ to improve medical facilities and veteran cemeteries and provided state grants for the care of veterans in employment, health and retirement.

Really, to flip the coin, what did the GOP push to aid the hurting average American during the recession’s stressful times? Besides politically obsessing in obstructing anything Obama, can ya name one bill or piece of legislation pushed by Republicans to aid the nation?

Besides every congressional Republican voting against the stimulus package, holding the debt ceiling hostage bringing the country to the brink of default in 2011 downgrading the U.S.’s first ever debt rating, voting against extending unemployment benefits and lower class tax cuts, driving the nation towards a fiscal cliff, pushing for sequestration while clinging onto it once in place and actually shutting down government for sixteen days…what have they done for the common American voter…absolutely nothing.

As they sat back watching a large portion of Americana wilt away while whittling the middleclass down in half, they then decided to blame it all on Obama since it occurred on his watch. Uncannily, the oh-so misinformed base took the bait, for whatever their Obama biased beliefs rested on; assuredly GOP rhetorical politics tickled their fanny-perpendiculars proper. 

But with Republican coercion in doing too little is exactly what the government did, said the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize winner in economic sciences, Paul Krugman. As an economist writing for the ‘New York Times’, Krugman argued in 2009 that the stimulus wasn’t nearly large enough and was too cautious, and that would limit its effectiveness. He reiterated that point later on after the stimulus package was deleted when he stated:

“Next time someone goes on about how we had this ‘“huge stimulus that failed,”’ you can tell him that the ‘“huge stimulus”’ in response to the worst financial crisis in three generations…peaked at a whopping 1.6 percent of GDP, and was effectively gone in a bit over two years.” The demise of the stimulus act was strictly due to GOP resistance.

Buy American! This is indeed an implied GOP mantra aimed at voters, but it is completely hollow echoing in Republican’s actions against it. For ya see, the ARRA had a buy American provision that Republican congressmen squashed when they whittled down the Stimulus Act.

In the ARRA, there was a general requirement imposed that any public building or public works project funded by the new stimulus package must use only iron, steel and other manufactured goods produced in the United States. Republicans all voted against it.

Regardless of Republican hindrance in fighting for partisan ideology over constructive legislation, where has the Obama administration led the nation since the president gained office during those dark recessionary days?

Considering employment, Obama currently has unemployment down to 5.0% where W. Bush left office with it at 10%. In an October statement, John Fuhrman as chairman of the ‘Council of Economic Advisors’ said, “Our businesses have added 13.2 million jobs over 67 months of growth—extending the longest streak on record. The economy added 142,000 jobs in September, extending the longest streak of private-sector job growth on record.”

According to a federal ‘Treasury Department’ report, back in fiscal year (FY) 2013, the national deficit fell faster than in any year since WWII, declining from 2012’s $1.1 trillion to $680 billion in FY 2013. That was just the start, for since then the deficit has been dropping incrementally since the W. Bush years.

For FY 2015, with the deficit dropping in consecutive yearly quarters, the deficit is now at $435 billion down $48 billion from 2014’s $483 billion. Now compare those stats to FY 2009 in which the federal deficit was at a staggering $1.2 trillion the very day Obama was sworn into office.

Obama has cut the deficit below the fifty year average. According to the non-partisan ‘Congressional Budget Office’ (CBO), “the Federal Deficit is now lower than the average going back to 1965.” Now that’s fiscal responsibility.

In fact, regardless of how the GOP tries to portend that Republicans are the best answer to addressing the deficit, while the U.S. budget deficit grew under Reagan, H.W. Bush and W. Bush, it was lowered under Presidents Clinton and Obama by Clinton eliminating it with over a quarter trillion surplus and Obama sharply reducing it.             

Now, can anyone in earnest honesty describe at least one GOP policy, or perhaps a legislative bill, or even an action that helped get America out of the throes of the recession…anything? No, I reckon that there’s just not much good advice coming at all out of the Republican’s echoing chambered words. No ma’am, not much at all…    

Rally Whines:

Two GOP candidates down and fifteen more to go...

When the Pope came to set foot on American shores he immediately went to work in producing two miracles…Perry and Walker waving bye-bye.

With Rick Perry’s ongoing court indictment woes, possible prison time along with virtually no campaign financing flowing in, he didn’t even have a chance starting out the gate. Scott Walker showed the rest of the nation how really dull he was and his ‘divide and conquer’ strategy was not to be accepted by the rest of Americans outside his state of Wisconsin. With that revelation in clear view, the Koch Brothers abandoned his ship. With campaign revenue dried up, Walker bailed tucking his tail in between his legs back to Wisconsin.

But did the two point out these factors in their reasons for dropping out? No, Perry blames his felony abuse of power squarely on Democrats, even though the lead prosecutor is a Republican and the acting judge a conservative one.

On Fox News’ ‘Hannity Show’ September 14, 2015, Perry had this to say concerning his indictment, “The political opponents, they did their damage. They let that be a real corrosive effect on the process.”

Walker took the religious route in his excuse prophesizing, “While I was sitting in church yesterday, the pastor's words reminded me that the Bible is full of stories about people who were called to be leaders in unusual ways. Today, I believe that I am being called to lead by helping to clear the race so that a positive conservative message can rise to the top of the field.”

Of course prior in announcing his entrance into the presidential race he proclaimed, “I needed to be certain that running was God’s calling -- not just man’s calling. I am certain: This is God’s plan for me and I am humbled to be a candidate for President of the United States.” Kind of like wearing the religious cloak instead of truly believing in it, huh…I mean it appears that with Walker, God is all confused.

I truly wonder just what Walker says God’s plan is for him if a Democrat wins the presidential nomination. So much for leading in clearance humble pie; Walker never leads, he’s led.   

Have ya noticed how eerily creepy the GOP 2016 primary presidential election is in paralleling the tracing of the GOP 2012 primary presidential election? First ya had an outsider (Rick Santorum/Donald Trump) appearing in the beginning way behind frontrunners, but suddenly rise to lead in the polls. Then the GOP black and gender tokens shoot up (Herman Cain/Ben Carson & Michelle Bachmann/Carly Fiorina) in favorability.

As in 2012, the 2016 GOP candidates are copying their predecessors by sticking strictly to ideological rhetoric as opposed to substantive policy issues. Of course in the 2012 scenario, Santorum, Cain and Bachmann faded away once getting deeper into the elections. I indeed do suppose the 2016 election will follow suite as well.

It is a bit eldritch on the similarities though. Carson has even stopped campaigning for book signings just like Cain did. I just s’pose ya got to get the money while the gettin’ is good.

The Republican candidates must first appeal to the anger and spite pent up in their uninformed base’s core, but this seemingly necessary primary step leads to nowhere further down the path. Trump’s mouth smashing powder-puff football is ideal for gathering initial support with the Republican ranks, but it hasn’t any staying power with the remaining moderate and establishment Republicans much less in the national general election.

Yet most of the other GOP candidates are taking up the Trump cue and dishing out their own brand of trash talk. In the second Republican debate, Fiorina wore her contempt face well plowing into Trump with vindictiveness while falsely deliberating lies on ‘Planned Parenthood’ with a false video as her only charge. Just like Bachmann staying glued to the falsities of her baseless papillomavirus vaccine accusations, Fiorina prefers to stand behind her bogus abortion claims. Note that both false claims center on female healthcare.

Carson in his low brow delivery, instead of showing his intelligence, prefers otherwise to proclaim off the cuff memes to attract media attention and right-wing exposure. As he claims he once did, imagine telling a gunman in a “Popeyes Chicken organization” (his phrase; not mine) to point his gun away from you and direct it towards the man behind the counter then go sit down and calmly eat your food order as the gunman begins firing away all the while not being bothered with it for fear that your chicken wings might get cold. It gains attraction from Carson’s Tea Party base, but makes him look foolish in front of the general American public. No ‘Popeyes’, police or media record can be dug up that corroborates his outlandish story and he gives no specifics on what happened next or afterwards.

Carson’s story is nice and cushy for although it can’t be proven, it can’t be disproven either simply because there are no records that prove either way. So, if ya don’t want to follow the outlandish jest of it all, I’d suggest not believing it.

Carson’s tongue wagging in claiming if Jews were armed with handguns perhaps Hitler would never have made his mark resonates well with NRA fanatics who are incased in a government tyranny conspiracy, but it doesn’t do much in the eyes of the U.S. Jewish populace and Americans at large that are fed up with the ease of gun homicides in America.

First off, the Nazis had to eradicate nations’ governments the Jews were in before the Jewish roundup could be made possible. These nations like France and Poland were heavily armed and more so than just with a pistol in hand; they had military artillery such as aircraft, cannons and tanks. That didn’t stop the holocaust and neither did the underground Jewish organization that indeed did have pistols and rifles. They were a hindrance but more like a flea making the Nazi scratch.

Secondly, just like an armed student said at the Oregon shootings that he wouldn’t take out his gun to shoot the mass shooter for fear the incoming security forces would mistake him for the killer.

On Carson’s oft repeated condemnations of Islam’s Sharia laws because it attacks women’s rights, attacks LGBTs and usurps others’ religious freedoms, sounds a lot like he could be speaking of evangelical moral conservative Christians along with their GOP mouthpiece just as well.

He’s not against Sharia law per say, for there is a mounting sense of Christianity Sharia appearing in the U.S. No, he’s only against Islamic Sharia.

   

Carson is a devout Christian fundamentalist and that about says it all in obliterating the First Amendment to the Constitution. Of course he blatantly says that he feels being ‘politically correct’ is nonsense, as all Republican candidates are atoning to. However, he then about face infers that any liberal college that should dare speak out against conservative moral majority biased incorrectness they would be punished if he were president.

Recently last month while being interviewed on Dana Loesch’s conservative radio show, in response to Loesch’s question of what Carson would do to liberal colleges espousing on conservative Christianity he replied, “What I would do is I would solicit examples of extreme bias and I would use those as the basis for helping to determine which places need to have their federal funding cut.”

Loesch then followed that, “There are some who would say that it’s kind of like monitoring political speech. Do you agree with their assessment of that?” Carson calmly rebuttals, “No, I don’t, I think it’s a very big difference. But, of course, that would be the first thing that the left would claim because they want to be able to continue to do this. And it’s not appropriate for public funding to be used to indoctrinate students in one direction.”

Now one would think he would be hitting up the moral majority Christian colleges who won’t even allow a liberally minded student to enroll. Or one would think where conservative pastors are actually persuading their parishioners to vote Republican, or where actual Republican politicians are literally holding seminars to teach preachers how to introduce and present rightwing ideology into their sermons that Carson would be hitting them up in his so-called “extreme bias” vendetta. But no, he’s butchering the First Amendment of free speech and freedom of religion as targeted for liberal colleges only.        

Like Santorum, Trump is hanging on longer than most of the supposedly expert political pundits said they would, but once the exposure thrill is gone and the polls are showing he’s definitely spiraling downwards, Trump will bow out while still insisting he could have won if he’d stayed in. He knows when to leave on a high note once the writing on the wall dictates so.

Trump gave hints to this effect during the first full week in October, perhaps in response to his lowering numbers in the polls. With similar statements on ABC and CBS, Trump said to Chuck Todd on NBCs ‘Meet the Press’ this past October fourth that, “If I were doing poorly, if I saw myself going down, if you would stop calling me because you no longer have any interest in Trump because ‘he has no chance,’ I’d go back to my business.” Due to Trump’s previous exiting in presidential elections, rumors naturally started flying that he was cushioning for an exit this time around.

This nonsense that core Republicans want an outsider is prating in its total folly, for all GOP candidates are playing their ‘trump’ card so to speak in attempts to appeal to the extreme right.

‘Senator’ Ted Cruz wears the insider title of Washington senator, but claims to be an outsider to Washington only as a ruse to attract Trump supporters once the corporate mogul bows out.

Cruz, along with Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina and Jeb Bush under the guise of going to worship their Lord, went to the Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. Instead of worshiping, they quickly went to politically whipping up the 7,000 congregants in attendance. Sounds like a lot but the megachurch has a 40,000 standing membership.

Cruz had to inform the congregation that faith in America “was under assault” strictly due to the LGBT community now able to legally marry. Now I indeed do inquire, how does that infringe upon these so benevolent Christian devotees to Jesus’ religious rights?

After the preacher was asked if he thought his church’s non-profit status was at stake here after violating it with this political charade, multimillionaire Pastor Jack Graham, who gets rich off of Jesus Christ his supposed Lord replied, “Democratic presidential hopefuls were also invited — but didn't appear.”

But the pastor’s true colors surfaced when he further added, “Everyone was invited to come but we believe the right people are in the room today.”

He proclaimed this even after Bush’s remarks of, “I’m trying to separate church and politics, but Hillary Clinton said people of faith, ‘Just have to get over it.’ That’s just wrong.”

Whether it was due to enduring the four hour long self-aggrandizing political sermons the GOP candidates were delivering or merely Bush as the very last one to sermonize, parishioners began streaming from the aisles exiting the doors while he spoke.

With Jeb’s ongoing GOP family feud with Trump who’s been coercing Jeb to defend his brother W. from Trump onslaughts of regularly blaming W. for 9/11, ol’ Jeb himself doesn’t have much problem in baselessly blaming Obama directly for Benghazi. Jeb has even called Trump “pathetic” for accusing his brother of 9/11 irresponsibility. Some might wonder if he feels that he himself must be ‘pathetic’ as well in his false accusations of Obama over Benghazi.  

Jeb has insistently been accusing Obama with the Libyan raid on the Bengahzi consulate compound. Perhaps that’s so as part of a strategy, for he has the thought that he can overlook the primaries when he thinks he’ll be at a vantage point of throwing Benghazi at Clinton in the general election.

Well that is until he was caught flat footed making him appear flat faced when confronted with the charge by CNNs Jake Tapper. The saga unfolds in the video below.

Jeb can’t continue on aimlessly blaming the Obama administration for Benghazi due to lack of security and terrorist actions when aimlessly defending his brother over 9/11 under the same scenario. One of the two has got to go. Besides, where he claims Benghazi was the Libyan embassy, it wasn’t. The U.S. embassy is in Tripoli. Benghazi was a consulate as considered an outpost from the embassy. He also ignores the fact that thirteen U.S. embassy attacks occurred by terrorists under the W. administration killing fifty-four folks.     

After Oregon’s Umpqua Community College massacre, President Obama gave a compassionate and in depth speech espousing on how we continually repeat these deadly incidents over and over in America. Visibly shaken, Obama questioned America as to why we do not attempt to put a halt in the slaughter of the innocent. You can watch a segment of his speech on the video below.

In stark contrast, Jeb Bush’s response to the sad affair was simply, “Stuff happens!” Stuff happens huh? I’d appreciate much if he would have the tenacity to say that face to face with the grieving parents, but he wouldn’t dare. No, he said it only for the ears of his gun nut base to hear; to heck for the others who overheard. Ya see, it gives him that big man with the little britches tough boy image.

Jeb might want to quit dishing out advice as well, for it appears that most of the Republican voters are heeding his words of “go vote for someone else.” With dwindling donations and his sinking in the polls in the low single digits currently at 4% nationally, voters are taking him for his word.    

Now ol’ Jeb has come up with a new slogan, “Jeb can fix it,” but as folks are expressing, the “it” doesn’t refer to fixing the nation’s pressing issues, “it” refers more to fixing his campaign.

In vain attempts to prop up his sinking campaign, on a South Carolina radio show this past October 16 Rand Paul is proclaiming that Bernie Sanders’ governmental style of socialism is the same thing as Soviet communism.

So confused, Paul compares socialism to Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot’s communism. Name one successful democratic nation that doesn’t use some form of socialism to benefit its public. Of course he forgets the vast majority of Americans adore American social programs, like Social Security, Medicare, veteran benefits and yes now even the ACA. But ol’ Rand he’s fearful, even terrified of this so-called evil socialism having crept into our government which will exterminate our extreme capitalism. Go ahead, it’s only a little over a minute, listen to him in the below SOUNDCLOUD audio.    

Mike Huckabee is scooting real close to the edge of no return, if not already in freefall. This man of the cloth is promoting a policy to sell poor people as slaves. In an October 15 Iowa Jan Mikelson radio show, Huckabee in order to fix our judicial system, wants to go back to primitive Old Testament times and enslave the poor or criminal.

Huckabee is not implying, he is outright insisting that if someone steals something, is caught and can’t pay back four fold, then as in the Bible’s Exodus, he should be sold into slavery.

Now I’m going to be as mild as possible here as I will give him the benefit of the doubt in his senseless quest to appease the right-wing base, but if he really thinks this way…he’s freaking insane. That is as polite as I go and surely ya might sense what I would like to print of him. Listen to him below if you’d like on this SOUNDCLOUD audio.   

Do American Christians really appeal to this sort of inhumanity? If so, count me out and into anything that might be considered moral Christian under false eyes.     

Trump said of the first Democrat debate a day before its occurrence that people would tune in for 10-15 minutes then tune out in changing channels because it would be too boring. I did indeed concur with him because it wasn’t going to be the Roman arena spectator sport that Republican debates have turned out to be. No, I was sure the Democrat candidates would be a bit too boring speaking substance and policy standing instead of lashing out at each other and see who could out tongue lash the other. Ya know, like Trump and Jeb Bush going at each other’s throats like two schoolyard bullies from adjacent schools.

The debate proved both me and Mr. Trump as wrong, for it had the highest Democrat debate TV audience ever. Perhaps voters are finally taking note becoming a little more serious in wanting to hear policy. I suppose I insulted the American voter and for that I do apologize…wonder if Trump will…             

Obama has brought the deficit down from 9.8% of GDP in 2009 after just receiving the presidential reins from W. Bush to 3.24% of GDP for 2015 as reported by ‘usgovernmentdebt.us. That just happens to be a side-by-side comparison of the national deficit between a Republican president and a Democrat president. Let’s just look at the red states versus the blue states, where they currently stand.

In Minnesota, Democrat governor, Mark Dayton inherited a $6.2 billion state deficit from his Republican predecessor, Tim Pawlenty. Dayton promptly vetoed Pawlenty’s ‘Tea Party’ budget deals that included no highway funds or fishing licenses in a state known as the land of 10,000 lakes and then promptly raised taxes on the rich. The net result…currently the state is enjoying improved highways, a more structured educational system and a budget surplus of $1.23 billion. Fishermen are back to fishing too.

In contrast, Governor Scott Walker next door to Minnesota has made a mess out of Wisconsin. In the state, the budget is the one bill that must be signed into law making it prohibitive for budget deficit shortfalls. Wisconsin once had one of the most robust open records laws in the nation to uphold state governmental transparency.

Walker quickly gutted the law where he could hide what he has defunded or cut to pass a balanced budget bill. When found out, Walker had this to say, “After substantive discussion over the last day, we have agreed that the provisions relating to any changes in the state’s open records law will be removed from the budget in its entirety. We are steadfastly committed to open and accountable government.” Just goes to show any good crook knows how to cover his tracks.

This time around for FY2015, in addition to defunding many public programs, he cut $250 million from the ‘University of Wisconsin’s system to etch out a measly budget surplus of $254,000. His additional property and income tax cuts for the rich had put the state budget in a $1 billion shortfall.

In California Democrat governor, Jerry Brown beat out an ALEC-Koch propped Republican in Meg Whitman, but he was faced with a budget deficit left by Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger that was projected to balloon to an astronomical $40 billion shortfall. Due to California being known as a liberal state, it became the but-end joke for Republicans.

In remembering simple arithmetic from his grade school years, Brown went straight to work by increasing taxes on the rich and corporate and cutting fat programs. Net result, California is back to functioning as the fifth largest world’s economy with a $4.4 billion budget surplus.

Also, while the Koch’s and Koch Republicans are spending tens-of-millions to kill clean air standards, in inking international agreements to reduce greenhouse gases Brown is attracting environmentally friendly businesses from all over the globe.

Now compare front man Brown to Brownback. Two term Kansan Governor Sam Brownback’s trickle down Republican philosophy with cutting taxation for the rich and corporate while cutting virtually every public program Kansas had to offer has an $840 million budget deficit that Brownback has had to issue a certificate of indebtedness. This is normally a form issued by a public entity or private corporation that is likened to an unsecured bond. Essentially it is an IOU. In the real world Republicans would never allow any Kansan family to utilize this issuance in a grocery store, buying gasoline or to pay their utility bills.

The above is just a sampling of what Republican governors and state legislators are doing to their respective states. Look at the red states of Mississippi’s, Alabama’s Maine’s or Florida’s budgets. Even Texas, a state that has been under Republican control for over two decades is hurting regardless of the false premise that the Lonestar state is in great shape.

Texas Republicans have not only been lying to us about fiscal health, they’ve been lying to themselves. After giving away $19 billion to corporate tax breaks and subsidies, the state has found itself even deeper in the hole. Currently Texas, in never accounting for $244.1 billion in pension debt and $41.3 billion in bonds, has an ungodly whopping $341 billion debt.             

These red state governors instituting wealthy and corporate tax cuts while defunding public and education programs are wrecking their perspective states. The current field of GOP candidates wants to instill the same policies as the governors of these red states. Is that really a good idea?

Study the graph below from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, then decide for yourself which party creates growth in the private employment and economic sectors.

Fall of the House of Cards:

So Speaker of the House John Boehner’s packing his hankies. On a November 21, 2014 Friday press meeting, after coming off a right-wing postelection victory, Boehner vowed to get rid of Obama. During the press conference he proclaimed, “We will not stand idle as the president undermines the rule of law in our country and places lives at risk...we’ll work to protect the Constitution of the United States.” Then with the constitution and all those lives at risk, he promptly dismisses congress as he departs for vacation.

As it turns out though, it’s not Obama exiting; it is Boehner who is leaving due to his party’s extreme right handed side.

Everyone acting as totally surprised or caught off-guard due to his announcement in resigning, I just flat out don’t see it as such. Actually, I thought that it would have even been way sooner, for ever since the GOP 2011 debt ceiling hostage taking, the new brand of extreme Republicanism had warned Boehner way back then if he pursued the deal that he and Obama had hammered out he was finished.

Since 2011, whenever it was time for the House majority to vote in their leader, Boehner has been contested. This time around, he was going to be heavily contested, although most pundits said that he would likely squeak through.

About the only ones that were caught off-guard and should be the ones really surprised with Boehner’s departure is the actual forty member House ‘Freedom Caucus’. They were depending on using Boehner as a baited hostage; he took that option right out from underneath their feet by screwing them in taking a hike.   

What made House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy back down in taking the speakership was also the demise in Boehner’s logic to bow out and that is primarily due to the Tea Party’s House ‘Freedom Caucus’. The raucous this has caused within Republican Party ranks is primarily due to the group’s angst in not being fully represented. They feel diplomacy is a very nasty word and no matter the small size of their membership, they demand total representation of their demands.

With Cruz’ constant goading in interfering with House legislation by defying Boehner and coaxing mainly these forty extreme right Republican congressmen to defy the House Speaker, Boehner in parting had a little bit of a say in what to label Cruz with. That logo is another name for donkey.

On CBS’ September 27 ‘Face the Nation’ interview, when asked by host, John Dickerson, “Is Ted Cruz a false prophet,” Boehner replied, “Listen, you can pick a lot of names out. I’ll let you choose them. I’ll refer you to my remark at a fundraiser I made in August in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.”

At that Colorado Republican gathering Boehner called Cruz a “jackass.”   

Along with the likes of Cruz, an uncontrollable Tea Party sector and the bad mouthing coming from the conservative ‘Heritage Foundation’, Boehner decided it was time to depart. The next in line for the majority speakership was current Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), but he didn’t want his political career tarnished any more than it already has been, so exited the back door before throwing his name tag in the ring for consideration of the House’s highest ranking post. By protocol, McCarthy should have inherited the speaker’s seat.  

McCarthy also had the likes of Rep. Darrel Issa (R-CA), Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Tea Party Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL) lining up to run against him.  

McCarthy is downright fearful of his extreme right caucus. He’s scared stiff. Also, he’s only gotten two bills passed to his name. His legislation has been negligible as those two bills of his were merely to name structures in his home district. He’s been pushed through the ranks through tactical expediency instead of competence. As well, listen to some of his speeches; they’re a bit incoherent at times and although similar I can say for sure they’re not quite as bad as Sarah Palin’s wah-wah-wahs, but are in the same ballpark. The Speaker of the House should be a concise and precise orator.

So in the mass chaos, what do Republicans do to stem the disrespect of the fallen House Speaker’s throne? They beg Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI), but he initially absolutely refuses for he knows it could be a nasty decision. They then look outwards throwing out the names of former fallen Republican congressmen like Eric Cantor and Newt Gingrich. Warmonger Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) of ilk Iranian letter writing penmanship infamy puts Dick Cheney’s name into the pile. He backs his pick in explaining, “It’s important to have a steady hand on the helm during times like this.”   

“Steady hand?” Cheney not only has no problem using torture, he has no problem using it on folks found innocent. When interviewed by Chuck Todd on ‘Meet the Press’ 12/14/25 show this is what transpired…

CHUCK TODD: Let me go to Gul Rahman. He was chained to the wall of his cell, doused with water, froze to death in C.I.A. custody. And it turned out it was a case of mistaken identity.

DICK CHENEY: Right. But the problem I had is with the folks that we did release that end up back on the battlefield. I’m more concerned with bad guys who got out and released than I am with a few that, in fact, were innocent.

CHUCK TODD: 25% of the detainees though, 25% turned out to be innocent. They were released.

DICK CHENEY: Where are you going to draw the line, Chuck? How are...

CHUCK TODD: Is that too high? You’re okay with that margin for error?

DICK CHENEY: I have no problem as long as we achieve our objective.

Cheney has an aberrant psychological disorder. Those that harbor this type of personality we are trying to get guns out of their hands, we certainly don’t need these deviant types leading governmental departments. But this is how chaotic and in disarray Republican leadership has become.

With continual begging by his hapless party feeding his frenzied ego, Ryan finally relents but only under his stipulated demands will he take the helm as speaker. He used his own demands while complaining about the extreme rights’ sector in using demands. One of his requirements is that he must have three days off each week to go home, for he has children that have entered their formative years.

I s’pose that’s nice and all and that folks will say his stance is admirable, but wouldn’t it be nice if we all could do the same. Most of us never will, for what Ryan demands from his job for himself, he has continually voted against family leave for the rest of us whether it be for childcare, maternity or sick leave.

Yepper, Ryan says, “I cannot and I will not give up my family time.” But yet, he feels it quite unnecessary to guarantee all American workers have the luxury to balance work time to family time. His record is flawless in voting against every bill designed to aid the American worker in family leave, much less as paid leave.

On NBCs 11/01/2015 ‘Meet the Press, Chuck Todd pops Ryan on his hypocrisy stance where Ryan defends it by saying, “Because I love my children and I want to be home on Sundays and Saturdays like most people doesn't mean I am for taking money from hard-working taxpayers to create a brand new entitlement program. I think people in America would like to see their members of Congress be like them. Live among them. Live in their hometowns. Raise their families. Be with their kids. Go to volleyball and basketball, cub scouts and church.”

The dorkhead; with that said, Ryan is oblivious to his statement’s insincerity and mockery. It’s as if it is not OK to vote on bills to allow the rest of American families to have time off together, but with Ryan, as among his perceived will of privilege, it’s quite OK for taxpayers to pay for his time off. 

If the ‘Freedom Caucus’ had all voted against Ryan, he would not receive the speakership. As it turns out, only a quarter of the caucus voted against him. Ryan will now be the new speaker as soon as Boehner exits. So, all American taxpayers will be paying for Ryan’s family time, the very one who denies the taxpayer of their own family time. Kind of sad isn’t it…

Ryan though is going to have a hard go of it. If he or the rest of the moderate Republicans think that he will control his right-wing sector, they got another thought coming. Already the temporary peace is crumbling. Rep. Paul Labrador (R-UT) said that Ryan’s demand to keep the motion to vacate isn’t going to happen. Getting rid of the “motion to vacate is a non-starter,” so says Labrador. The ‘Freedom Caucus’ as outlined by one anonymous member feels that Ryan was setting up the group to be blamed if he hadn’t run and are angst by that inference.

Over at the conservative ‘Drudge Report’ they had this to say about Ryan,

KING PAUL: PLEDGE YOUR ALLEGIANCE

DEM FAVORITE

OBAMA’S NEW PARTNER

Meanwhile, while Obama is currently enjoying a 51% approval rating, the Republican congress is falling apart with a paltry 12% in favorability.

Obama and Boehner’s budget deal was passed. The right-wing did not like it. It keeps Republicans from holding the federal government hostage in renewing new budgets until 2017 and it defeated their bid to defund ‘Planned Parenthood’, even though Republicans promised their base that organization would be deleted from government funding by this past September. But not only was the budget bill passed, it was passed clean with no stop-gap amendments attached.

Boehner pushed forward with the intent on getting a debt ceiling and budget deal he has hashed out with Obama to a vote in both Houses of congress. Of course, Republicans are furious and are expressing their disdain.

After the announcement of the deal, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) was literally exasperated in a 10/26/2015 ‘Politico’ interview when he stated, “My knees quiver at the sound. I’m worried about how fast it’s moving. I see no reason for that. Based on what I know now, it appears the president got whatever he wanted.”

Well I can plainly see how that would make his knees quiver, for what the president wants is what the majority of Americans want and that is a functional government body with a two year budget to work with and no worry about American governance defaulting on its bills in being paid. 

Rep. Thomas Massey (R-KY) had this to say in referring to Boehner, “We can't stop it. He’s in league with the Democrats.”

Senator Jon Cornyn (R-TX) quirked, “I don’t think you’ll hear anybody popping any champagne corks.” No, ya won’t most likely be hearing Republicans popping champagne bottle corks, because it took away their hostage taking with the debt ceiling for the next two years, thus neutering their constant threats of shutting down the government as they’ve been doing so throughout Obama’s presidency.

Boehner is actually saving Ryan’s neck once he becomes speaker, for if a budget war would cause the government to be shut down, Ryan as the new leader of the GOP would be solely held responsible for the government’s inefficiency. Nonetheless, he doesn’t express gratitude but instead, utters contempt for Boehner’s actions in hurling to reporters, “I think this process stinks. This is not the way to do the people’s business. Under new management, we're not going to do the people's business this way.” Then he goes quietly to cast his yea vote for the budget bill anyway.

Ryan’s simply crowing to his right-wing caucus. Boehner has done him a big favor in giving some breathing room in extending to Ryan a two-year budget to work with.

Democrats love the deal for the sequester cuts will be removed, it neutralizes Republican threats to increase Medicare premiums, stops the Republican push to privatize Social Security benefits and deletes the GOP threats in cutting 20% of funding to the ‘Social Security Disability Insurance’ program.

In speaking of Social Security (SS), the one item line that moderators should ask all presidential candidates is, “What is your stance on Social Security?” Forget the six degrees of separation that most Republicans harp about when it comes to SS, there is virtually not even one degree of Americans that aren’t affected by SS in some way. If an American is not a recipient to SS, he assuredly most likely has an immediate family member that is. Candidates need to be pressed and hard on this issue.

If Republicans weren’t always wearing blinders they too would realize the deal is to their benefit. In it contains a small repeal of the ACA law where employers no longer have to automatically enroll employees into their health plans and it will boost defense spending by $80 billion over the next two years that is already around 58% of the national budget. More importantly though, since it cut the GOPs ability to shut down the government the new budget will actually aid them in the upcoming 2016 elections as it will make them appear more trustworthy in voters’ eyes. The last induced GOP sixteen day government shutdown cost the nation $24 billion.

Ryan’s first agenda as Speaker of the House was to hit the highways, air ways and radio waves to discredit Obama over Ryan’s excuse in not bringing the immigration reform bill out of its musty cellar and back up to the House floor for debate and votes.

The weekend of Oct. 31-Nov. 01, Ryan ran the gambit of political talk shows spewing out the same verbiage of we need “to wipe the slate clean” or, “We need to do the people’s business.” His main echo though was how we can’t trust the president and that is why he will not bring up the immigration bill to the floor when he repetitiously stated, “Yeah, I think he’s proven untrustworthy on this issue. He tried to go around Congress with an Executive Order to rewrite laws unilaterally. Presidents don’t write laws. Congress writes laws. So yes, I do not believe we should and we won’t bring immigration legislation with a president we cannot trust on this issue.”

Just to remind Ryan, President Obama remained silent when the passed senate reform bill was sent to the House, but the Republican House cached it allowing the bill to gain cobwebs. Then and only then did Obama issue his immigration reform executive order. As Obama has stated on numerous occasions, his executive order goes away as soon as he signs an immigration reform bill. It is apparent Ryan is lying to the American public or he’s simply dumb in being oblivious to the facts.  

Ryan is attacking Obama’s character because one, it rings well to his right-wing House members and constituents. Two, because he has already made a deal with the ‘Freedom Caucus’ that he would not bring up immigration until after Obama leaves office.

In not reviving the bill, Ryan is not doing the American folk’s business as he attests to when a ‘YouGovPoll’ November 4^th finding shows that 81% of Americans want the immigration bill to be passed. Heck, for that matter, Ryan himself once claimed to support the immigration overhaul senate bill.  

On a side note, wouldn’t it be nice though if we all understood what the ultra-conservative ‘Breitbart News’ projected in their Nov. 01 headlines, “Wouldn't It Be Great If There Was A Way To Wipe Ryan's Slate Clean?”

A Marred Mirror:

Donald Trump says refugees could launch a military coup and his base, along with other politicians soak up Trump’s chatter on the crisis. It’s dehumanizing in a tepid nuance of nationalism.

Below are some refugee stories that don’t make the headlines, but as the little drowned Syrian boy in the sands of a Turkish beach is symbolic of the plight so too, are these stories in humanizing the crisis.

http://www.upworthy.com/humans-of-new-york-went-to-europe-to-see-the-refugee-crisis-firsthand-the-photos-are-striking

Now I don’t expect any of these stories to tug at the hollow hearts of the Republican hardcore in seeing the inhumanity that exists herein, but I do fully expect it to at least open their eyes a little wider.

Showing hospitality and quick integration into a culture, if one individual or a whole nation is truly religious, this inclusiveness is by far the best means in dissolving terrorism within a country’s borders. The quicker folks are incorporated into a system they will feel a part of, the least likely they will attack it, as anxieties will vanish and a new belonging will forge. Do not isolate refugees, migrants, immigrants, or whatever you may call them, they will then assimilate becoming an asset rather than a hindrance. Everyone wants to belong and feel a part of.


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Republicanism today is idealism ‘trumping’ what’s in the best interest for national policy. This idealism has as its driving engine wedges. These wedges negate subtle and diplomatic discussions across the aisle and in the current GOP transient, even among themselves. This is the prevailing state of disarray going on within the party and the chaos it invokes, the ability is absent to even conduct a simple procedure in picking a new leader within its own ranks. It is now all about self-interest and to Hades for all the rest. Exclusion…exclusion…exclusion is the new Republican charge through biased exploitation.

Within their own ranks, they fully absolved Boehner as excluded fodder, cowered McCarthy and presently have their eyes set on getting Reince Piebus kicked out of his position as chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC).

Squawk boy Reince Priebus over at the RNC, most likely is trembling with his knees a-knockin’ these days, for he might just be giving Boehner some company.

Apparently there’s just too many dirty Republican diapers for Priebus to be wiping clean, for still fuming over the third GOP debate fiasco in blaming “liberal media,” right-wing radio talk show host Mark Levin is screaming ‘off with your head’ to Priebus in stating, “The head of the RNC needs to go! I say Reince Priebus should be fired over there at the Republican National Committee. That guy is an incompetent. He’s a boob! He’s another one whose tongue is tied all the time. And when he does talk, he talks in superficial gibberish. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus has allowed the media to distort and undermine the entire debate process so far.”

Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy and Paul Ryan were once considered the ‘Young Guns’ of the Republican Party as the vision of the GOPs future course. Cantor is no longer in office since voted out in the last election’s primaries. McCarthy has been silenced as the voice of the Party. Ryan lost a vice-presidential bid badly after staging theatrics like feeding the homeless only for photo opts and saying he was totally against the stimulus bill, when it was revealed he actually used it for his district. Also his love affair to Ayn Rand ideology suddenly went under the radar after it was exposed that she was an atheist.

Once again I’ll state a showdown between Ryan in his new leadership role as Speaker of the House is surely to erupt somewhere on down the road stuck between far right and corporate comrade Republicans. Instead of fighting, he’ll impishly throw a tantrum then quit the speakership.

Republican disarray with no leadership are blaming their quandary all on the media or as they say, the “liberal media.” Now they are entrenched in running with it.

Jeb, Carson, Trump, Fiorina and all the GOP candidates repeatedly say, don’t listen to the leftist media; go to my website where you can see me talk alone yo en mi (me on me) and also while you’re there, click the donate button.

In the third debate, as viewed from the above video, Cruz refused to answer the question, preferring instead to slam the moderators. The same as already mentioned Rubio refused to answer Jeb Bush’s comment about his voting record preferring instead to blame “liberal media.”

Even ‘Fox News’ has been demonized in GOP media complaints as in Trump calling out Megyn Kelly and the station could now be literally listed under the “liberal media” by Republican rampage.

Now, Republicans are insisting that all questions coming from moderators be slow-pitched softballs lobbed by Republican pundits only. Cruz has even suggested the moderators be Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin, three of the most misinforming talk show hosts conservatives have to offer. It just goes to show that logical deduction is not built on physical derision.

President Obama even had a little bit of fun poking at the GOP media hissy fits.

I hope that they do go to that softball game format, for Americans would never hear the truth in being informed enough to vote for one of them simply because they lie in knowing their base living in ‘mythomania’ land doesn’t care for factual content; they only want what rubs their biased beliefs. With those lies not being rebutted by the conservative moderator, but actually promoted, they will appear as pathological liars to the rest of the nation.

Case in point, Ben Carson’s continual lying about his background. In deceiving then disseminating his alleged thuggish background –slash– finding Jesus while sitting on the bathroom pot drivel. His bogus West Point scholarship admission acceptance, ‘Popeyes’ chicken escapade and his alleged meeting with General Westmoreland when the general’s itinerary shows him completely out of Michigan at the time, much less in Detroit and etcetera is a reflection of the Republican Party in general.

Republicans are perjurers, for lying about lying is a pathological liar. It doesn’t matter though, for since the Carson lying revelations, the right-wing base has stepped up donating $3.5 million to his campaign in just one week. Carson’s lies stroked and stoked them just fine.

The GOPs systematic problem with spreading false rhetoric, dealing only in ideology rather than policy substance along with systemic vetting, instead of looking inwards for solutions, they inevitably cast blame elsewhere…it’s all the so-called liberal media’s fault.

If Republicans only realized that with their stance of entertainment over sound policy issue discussions, the “liberal media’s” attention covering the GOP has given them tremendous exposure. Maybe they need to look a little more inwards at what is making them appear silly outwards.

Yes, the standard practice when Republicans are under fire for their actions is simply to blame the press. This doesn’t conceal their infighting and it isn’t isolated in the clown ring of Republican politicians, it also pores over into the Republican pundit ring as well as witnessed in the video below. Please note the authenticity in the paper shaking in O’Reilly’s hands around 4:02 minutes.

Over a Reagan book authored by Bill O’ Reilly, Billy and George Will, two ‘Fox News’ employees, went after the other’s egotistical tongues. Accusing each other as incompetent in slinging back and forth the words hack and liar, O’Reilly and Will typify the rift in Republican politics.

A “hack” and a “liar!” Now that is really nice to see two seasoned Republican cognoscenti intellectuals battling it out in right-wing living rooms all across the nation while watching newsworhtiness.    

Ben the Gauze Zit:

Yepper sport fans, Republicans are irately frustrated, for they’ve been preparing and conniving for years to politically bring down Mrs. Clinton. Right before their eyes though, they’re currently witnessing the partisan wall they built come crumbling down into dust. The Benghazi investigations were their bold attempt to thwart Mrs. Clinton’s ascension to the presidency. But in a democracy under primary rules that is solely the job of Bernie Sanders, not the acting Republican congress. Their first and foremost job in spending American tax dollars is to legislate for the public’s better good that by the way the GOP has totally ignored.

The Benghazi hearing this past October 22^nd opened up with its chairman, Trey Gowdy attempting to convince everyone this is not about Hilary Clinton, but about four dead Americans. But mind you, as soon as his deliverance was over Republicans jumped onto the Clinton bashing bandwagon. Unfortunately for the angry white boys, Clinton remained rock solid in her replies to the accusations that only angered them more.

The hearing from the outset immediately turned into the Hilary Clinton Show with her factual answers and direct candor. This confounded the ol’ Republican boys. They resorted to old disproven accusations from the previous hearings furthering their goals of vainly attempting to nail Mrs. Clinton.  They wanted to paint a picture of Clinton as the one solely responsible in those four American deaths due to her dereliction of duty. Problem is, instead of oil, they used water colors and it rained down hard on the canvas totally smearing their portrait of her and it back fired. When will Republicans learn…when you attempt to attack facts with false accusations…you will lose.

Republicans at best were banking on what Clinton’s campaign press secretary, Brian Fallon revealed when he said to NPR’s Tamara Keith, “She [Clinton] was at worst a passive recipient of unwitting information that subsequently became deemed as classified.”         

For ya see, when it comes to classified information under the new law, standards are not all black and white. In the absence of markings that officially designate information as classified, common sense can nonetheless cause disagreement on the character of the information folks are dealing with and both parties could be completely justified in that perspective. Besides the addendum making it illegal to use private servers was only added to the ‘Federal Records Act’ in 2014, well after Mrs. Clinton had left office.

Conjointly the ‘Federal Records Act’, in all the other laws such as the ‘Freedom of Information Act’ (FOIA), the NARA regulations or Section 1924 of 18, it has been proven or shown she did not break the laws. 

This private e-mail usage all started when a Romanian hacker, Marcel Lazăr Lehel was thwarted breaking into Clinton’s email account by her computer security, but his attempt exposed the fact that she had a personal e-mail. However, Lehel’s failed attempt disclosed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private e-mail account. Lehel was the so-called smoking gun Republicans used to promote their attack on Clinton giving the hacker the code name, ‘Gawker’ to keep the source in a secretive cloud. From that the GOP attempted to tie in Clinton to receiving information on her private e-mail from Sidney Blumenthal, the same email that supposedly she had retained classified information on. Republicans came up with a scheme based on no evidence that Clinton was relaying sensitive information with Blumenthal in arranging an info swap that if Blumenthal exposed a confidential CIA source, he in turn could pursue business opportunities in Libya due to Clinton’s influence.

This worked well at first, for there has been a long seeded mistrust of Hillary by political and street Republicans. They’ve come up throughout the years with many discredited conspiracies concerning her and her husband, President Bill Clinton and this Benghazi line would fit perfectly into the skepticism held by Republicans for Clinton. But alas, as all the former baseless accusations, this one bore no fruit either except to add more fuel to the raging fire of hatred Republicans hold for the Clintons. 

At first the GOP claimed “top secret” documents were conducted on Hillary’s private e-mails demanding probes with ‘Fox News’ Bret Baier spreading the ruse to the public on his august 11^th ‘Special Report’ edition when he stated along with Mike Emanuel:

EMANUEL: The breaking news of the hour is that the intelligence inspector general has told top lawmakers on Capitol Hill that two of those four classified emails from Hillary Clinton’s personal server were top secret in nature. And they’re still studying the other two to figure out what the relevant classification should be. Bret?

BRET BAIER: ‘Top secret’ marked on the e-mails. FBI inquiry obviously already ongoing to classified information improperly stored, they said, on her private server. And also, Mike, a thumb drive held by her attorney?

EMANUEL: Well that’s absolutely correct. All of her e-mails have been stored by her personal attorney. And a lot of folks on Capitol Hill have been asking, why is that still out there? Why is that not controlled by the intelligence community or by the State Department, this existing in the possession of a personal attorney? And so lots more questions on Capitol Hill and throughout the intelligence community this evening.

Unfortunately for the Republican cause those accusatory statements were adamantly false, for back in the previous month of July the Justice Department said that the e-mails supplied to them by the Republican witch hunt, once reviewed, the federal officials acknowledged there was no information contained that was marked as not only “top secret,” but none were even marked as ‘classified’.

The inspector general, I. Charles McCullough III, said in a separate statement that he had found information that should have been designated as classified in four e-mails out of a “limited sample” of 40 that his agency reviewed. As a result, he said, he made the “security referral,” acting under a federal law that requires alerting the FBI to any potential compromises of national security information.

Currently as required, the FBI is conducting an ongoing investigation on state department equipment seized by them.

Gowdy insists that the hearings were not at all about Clinton, or Blumenthal and her e-mails; it was strictly to find out what happened in Benghazi to give grieving family members some form of closure.

Dang it all, how considerate in nature is he, but only if it were true, for he used that line for cover in what these wasted taxpayer dollar investigations are…to politically weaken Mrs. Clinton. He was condescending to family members using the hearings just as all the other right-wing politicians were using it for…and that was for campaign donations.

Besides, it was revealed by Chuck Todd on ‘Meet the Press’ October 25^th airing that Gowdy had himself in the last hearing mentioned ‘Benghazi’ only 17 times while mentioning ‘Blumenthal’ 35 times and ‘e-mails’ 76 times. In conclusion, so much for getting at the truth and wiping the sad tears away from the Benghazi victims’ survivors’ sorrow.

If one still insists the excruciating hearings were for getting at the truth and not a political vendetta, even after ranking Republicans, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY) both confess the hearings were designed to go after Clinton politically. Even if that one won’t listen to former Benghazi investigator Major Bradley Podiska, who himself is a conservative Republican to the core, when he states the investigative GOP ran committee had trained their sights on Clinton after her tenure of Secretary of State e-mails were revealed last March.

Podiska further adds, (mind you he is a conservative hired by Gowdy) that any thorough and objective fact finding was below the radar while political motivation was flying high in the proceedings…if that one still can’t comprehend the truth; maybe that one only accepts factored fiction that cushions his biased beliefs.

If that one further won’t accept a CNN/ORC October 22^nd poll result that 72% of Americans believe the House Select Committee on Benghazi is being used for Republican political gain, then that one is deaf, dumb and blind to any truths. For once the viewed revelation on how badly Republicans were looking in the investigations and the final hearings, impeachment proceedings were being moved up in the House of Congress by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) to impeach Clinton on day one of her presidency merely to attack her with more irreverent futility.        

Mo reckons, “In my judgment, with respect to Hillary Clinton, she will be a unique president if she is elected by the public next November, because the day she's sworn in is the day that she's subject to impeachment because she has committed high crimes and misdemeanors.”

He bases this all on her usage of her personal e-mail server, ya know, the very same e-mails that eight $4.8 million worth of GOP hearings have worthlessly been spent on in finding no wrong doing. So Mo feels more taxpayer dollars need to be wasted along with the peoples’ vote not counting on who they want for president.

Actually, if you want to blame anyone over Benghazi, one could make a good case against the whole bunch of Republicans. In 2009, led by Ryan and Rep. Darrel Issa, Republicans voted to amend embassy funding by cutting out $1.2 billion from State Department funding which included funds for 300 diplomatic security positions. One just might also recall, this time led singly by Ryan, Republicans in 2011 cut embassy security funding by $128 million with another cut roll out in 2012 of an additional $331 million. This was after Hilary had said the GOP proposed cuts would be “detrimental to America’s national security,” in which Republicans pompously rejected her claim.

Even after Benghazi, for fiscal year 2013 Republicans cut $216 million out of the Obama administration’s ‘Worldwide Security’ program, while another 20% more in slashing the State Department’s budget including $400 million in defunding embassy security under Ryan’s 2014 budget.                       

Republicans saw how bad they were losing in the hearing discussions that ‘Fox News’ cut its programming hearings short where ‘CNN’ and ‘CNBC’ continued and finished it. Even after proclaiming itself as the “Official Benghazi Network,” ‘Fox News’ ditched their coverage because Republicans were losing so badly. The entertainment network simply did not want to expose its ignorant viewers to live-on-the-spot unraveling of all the GOP Benghazi conspiracies it had been pushing endlessly on the air.

The point blank core crux of it all is the Benghazi hearings, purported to get at the truth, have little to do with the Benghazi incident at all. In the current e-mail topic over Clinton’s usage of her personal server, only a small portion entails Libya and none of that deals with Benghazi. The emails are strictly an unrelated extension in the Benghazi investigation by the GOP to hinder and brandish Clinton’s aspirations in getting to sit in the White House’s oval office.

The bottom line …Clinton (w)on(e)…Trey and GOP troop zero. The hearings were a complete reversal in what the GOP objective was, for it made Mrs. Clinton appear presidential and Republicans as whining dimwits.

More Nonsensical Nonsense:

Drowning in a cesspool by diving deeper into the muck instead of swimming to the surface for a breath of fresh air, Republicans can do nothing except for what they do and that is not constructive legislation, but unending investigations and bogus impeachment proceedings.

Republicans decided another investigation was in order, so had Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) to spearhead a hearing on ‘Planned Parenthood’ (PP) and its CEO executive, Cecile Richards. Once you watch the video below you’ll realize another GOP investigation backfired.

The chart used in the video by Chaffetz is displayed below and as anyone but Chaffetz can see is clearly marked by the anti-abortion group in the bottom right hand corner.

Chaffetz thinking he had Richards in a ‘gotcha’ moment insisting that his poster card graph came directly from her corporate reports finds out that it was originally sourced from ‘Americans United for Life’, an anti-abortion group. Its data was also false, so in eating crow and finding no grounds to further pursue Planned Parenthood, Chaffetz closes the investigation by stating he could find no wrongdoing with his final statement, “Did we find any wrongdoing? The answer was no.”

That’s not enough though. It’s as if Republicans love mud in their face for they as yet are going to have not just another, but a “special” investigation on ‘Planned Parenthood’ and it surely is doomed to fail as well. Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), just as Gowdy did in the Benghazi hearings, claims, “This will be a broad-based, information gathering, fact finding mission to answer questions about how we treat and protect life in this country.”

Blackburn will lead the investigation and is already preparing to hold the hearing this November. It has nothing to do with fact finding, but is a ruse to discredit ‘Planned Parenthood’ in attempting to portray the women’s health organization as a practitioner of gruesome conduct. Blackburn has a sordid history in not presenting the facts and in shying away from factual information her little inquest is going to get embarrassed. She will be pushing her form of evangelical religious doctrine to denounce ‘Planned Parenthood’ as solely a slayer of fetuses.

Blackburn is trudging forth to convince America ‘Planned Parenthood’ needs defunding for atrocious acts and a miscarriage in justice even though Chaffetz’ initial interrogation, a FBI and Department of Justice investigation have already cleared the organization of any wrongdoing.

Still this doesn’t matter to Republicans as witnessed below to read for yourself:

‘Jindal cuts off state Medicaid funds for Planned Parenthood’ –The Hill, 08/3/15

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/250129-jindal-cuts-off-state-medicaid-funds-for-planned-parenthood

‘Texas cuts off Medicaid money to Planned Parenthood’ – CBS News, 10/19/15               

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-cuts-off-medicaid-funding-to-planned-parenthood/

In addition Arizona’s Republican governor, Doug Ducey has cut off government employee donations to the women’s health group through the ‘State Employee Charitable Campaign’.

If that isn’t enough, Republican Missouri state lawmaker Rep. Rick Brattin has said that he is going to write a bill demanding that PP build a memorial wall just like the ‘Vietnam Wall’ to honor aborted fetuses.

Yet, there is another investigation brewing as Chaffetz and Republican Inc. are preparing to launch yet another dead-end before it begins impeachment proceedings on IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.

If one might recall, in 2010 Republicans became hysterical in insisting the IRS was targeting right-wing charity status and they demanded justice. They tried to nail the IRS official Lois Lerner as the epicenter in rushed up hearings, but failed to find anything incriminating, so they demanded the ‘Department of Justice’ conduct a thorough investigation and the DOJ did. Unfortunately for Republicans, nothing unusual except at times some poor spotty management ever came to light. So, as of this year, after a two year lengthy investigation, the DOJ concluded and cleared the IRS of any wrong doing.

In the clearing of the IRS, Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik stated in a letter, “We found no evidence that any IRS official acted based on political, discriminatory, corrupt, or other inappropriate motives that would support a criminal prosecution," Kadzik said. “We also found no evidence that any official involved in the handling of tax-exempt applications or IRS leadership attempted to obstruct justice. Based on the evidence developed in this investigation and the recommendation of experienced career prosecutors and supervising attorneys at the department, we are closing our investigation and will not seek any criminal charges.”

But never mind the DOJ investigative conclusion that the IRS never targeted Republican groups or that Kosiken didn’t become commissioner of the IRS until 2013, three years after the Republican IRS whining started, the GOP is going to carry on with the impeachment.

Republicans have relentlessly, but highly unsuccessfully been vainly attempting to impeach Obama. For the GOP, not in any way was the president duly and rightfully elected by the American populace. Republicans have infuriatedly been trying to undo his presidency with no legal process. From distorting his birthplace, ‘Fast and Furious’, the IRS shenanigans, his executive orders and of course Obamacare, the right-wing has been trying to make something stick to impeach Obama. Well now, they think they got just the cudgel to make an impeachment stick. Now I’m not making this up folks, but that ‘sound reasoning’ for impeachment is that Republicans contend Obama wants to be impeached.

It all started, when former Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) picked up on a cue of Obama befittingly mocking Republicans to sue him as shown in the video below.

In the Texas 2014 summer sun, on the ultra-right-wing ‘WorldNetDaily’ Stockman proclaimed, “President Obama is begging to be impeached. He wants us to impeach him now, before the midterm election because his senior advisers believe that is the only chance the Democratic Party has to avoid a major electoral defeat. Evidently Obama believes impeachment could motivate the Democratic Party base to come out and vote.”

This Stockman proclamation caught on as Rush Limbaugh a bit later told his dittoheads, “[Obama] is really trying to goad the House Republicans into impeaching him. Really trying, I mean, very hard. It’s become obvious. It’s so obvious, he’s not fooling anybody.”

Glenn Beck spreads the flames by insisting, “The president is going to change the subject and he’s going to make it about impeachment…so who wants it? The president does, because then he’ll be able to say ‘I demand justice.”

Over at ‘Fox News’ Megyn Kelly chimes in that there is “a drumbeat of impeachment talk from the Democrats.”

The new GOP whip, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) declares this “might be the first White House in history trying to start the narrative of impeaching their own president.”

Scalise is attempting to blame all the baseless GOP impeachment proceedings onto Obama, although at the same time refuses to take it off the House table. That’s like blaming a fireman fighting the flames for the house fire, while hiding behind the bushes with a Bic lighter and kerosene.             

                 

Due to Koch money influence, Republicans have been inspired to pursue two other dead-end hearings. One is harassing climatologists while the other is getting rid of the IM-Ex Bank.

Through the backing of the Koch Brothers, Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) as ridiculously head of the ‘House Science Committee’ is attacking the ‘National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’ (NOAA) and its scientists for an unfounded claim of “suspicious subpoena power,” as insinuated by Smith.

Lamar has subpoenaed seven years of NOAA work from e-mails to research papers where on the taxpayer’s dime he’ll have his paid non-scientist assistants pore over them for any i not dotted or t crossed. The shameful aspect of it all is that it is a total waste of time and money. For ya see, every last piece of the subpoenaed data is already accessible and can be viewed by the public. Smith however has got to show he’s doing at least something while not attending to the people’s business.

Since its founding by the FDR administration, the Import-Export Bank has been authorized sixteen times by Democrat and Republican presidents/congress alike due to its facilitation of American global business. It has been a lifeline in aiding American companies to compete globally by issuing low interest loans. In promoting certainty and protection in new markets, in the last two decades it has generated nearly $7 billion more than the cost of its operations and lowered U.S. trade deficits. But the Republican congress this past summer denied the bank charter’s reauthorization.

Let’s make this perfectly clear, although the bank is backed by taxpayer guaranteed loans, the IM-EX Bank does not operate on taxpayer revenue. It gets its operational revenue from the loans it issues. The CBO states the bank doesn’t add to the deficit, no quite the opposite, as it has contributed $14 billion over the last decade in revenue. It also doesn’t compete with private sector banking as it only fills financial gaps with its loans when other lenders are unable or unwilling to do so.            

Since Obama’s inauguration the IM-EX has supported 1.3 million private sector American jobs. Halting the bank’s loans will jeopardize thousands of jobs and cut into American corporations to compete abroad. Nonetheless, the Koch Brothers for some reason detest the bank and are pouring their money into both congressional houses to rid it. Republicans have picked up and sniffed out the Koch money trail in changing their minds on backing the bank as traditionally Republicans always have favored it.

Veronique de Rugy, a senior research fellow of the ‘Mercatus Center’ at ‘George Mason University’ is an expert on the IM-EX Bank. She contends that without the involvement of the Koch network of conservative groups they fund influencing congress, “we wouldn't be where we are.”

Republican candidates in currying Koch money favoritism, all of a sudden have come out against EX-IM. Scott Walker campaigned against it while Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush are currently bashing it on the campaign trail. But they really offer no sensible reason as to why.

Funny that, while ‘Jebya’ is saying it needs to be shutdown, his brother ‘Dubya’ praised the bank when reauthorizing it in saying, “I have today signed into law S. 1372, the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2002. This legislation will ensure the continued effective operation of the Export-Import Bank, which helps advance U.S. trade policy, facilitate the sale of U.S. goods and services abroad, and create jobs here at home.”

IMEX  percentile services 

Finally though, the House got enough Republicans rounded up and reauthorized the bank just this past November 04. The Kochs must be reeling and it also shows how sad the GOP presidential candidates are in rooting for the wrong side just to powder their noses with Koch money.

As senate minority leader, Harry Reid said recently on the senate floor about the GOP candidate contenders, so it goes, “You can’t make this stuff up. It would be tragic if the Export-Import Bank wasn’t reauthorized because some Republicans with White House ambitions are more interested in auditioning for the Koch brothers.” 

In their IM-EX vendetta, I can really find no pertinent reason why the Koch Brothers would want to assail the bank. My brother, David and I have brainstormed pumping out reasons why they might, but to no real avail. It’s not because it is ‘government’, for Koch Industries under the brothers’ dad got its start with the help of the IM-EX Bank in opening up business with Joseph Stalin in the USSR.

It isn’t due to their current excuse that the bank peddles “corporate welfare” or “crony capitalism.” Many of the Koch subsidiaries currently have made use of IM-EX loans, like ‘Georgia Pacific’ and ‘Koch Heat Transfer’ borrowing over $16 million from the bank. IM-EX doesn’t even fit under the corporate welfare definition the Koch funded ‘Cato Institute’ interprets the phrase as. If they want to attack crony capitalism they need to look no further than the mirror.

The bank is beginning to divest more into renewable energies and I think that is a big part of the Koch mentality in attacking the bank. The Kochs’ believe government is ‘collectivism’ that interferes with business. They do not believe a government should do anything at all, other than provide a military and protect not all but their own private property. And with this assailment on the IM-EX, they don’t even consider our own government should help our own country’s companies. No, the Koch’s regard is that there is no ‘national’ interest, but only their ultra-billionaire interests.     

So the Blind Can See and Pack Too:

Here are the statistics…

Year 2015 shootings up to Oct. 01

States with the five highest gun deaths of household gun ownership to gun deaths per 100,000 year 2014 as compiled by ‘The Violence Policy Center’:

1.     Louisiana 45.6% / 18.91

2.     Mississippi 54.3% / 17.80

3.     Alaska 60.6% / 17.41

4.     Wyoming 62.8% / 16.92

5.     Montana 61.4% / 16.74

States with the five lowest gun deaths of household gun ownership to gun deaths per 100,000 year 2014:

1.     Rhode Island 13.3% / 3.14

2.     Hawaii 9.7% / 3.56

3.     Massachusetts 12.8% / 3.84

4.     New York 18.1% / 5.11

5.     New Jersey 11.3% / 5.46  

Please note that the above stats show all red states with the highest level of gun violence while blue states have the least.

Although the FBI won’t consider a mass shooter’s carnage unless three or more people die, with the deaths of nine at the Oregon community college, one death at ‘Northern Arizona University’ where four were wounded and at ‘Texas Southern University’ where one was wounded and one killed, there have been 300 mass shootings just this year. What makes these last three so unusual is that all three occurred within a week’s time.

In the above chart, a total of 43 shootings have been the result of toddlers acquiring firearms and as the chart shows, it is not just the toddler shooting him or herself, they have also pulled the trigger on others wounding or killing them.

In August of this year, a 22-month-old in the St. Louis area found a loaded gun laying around in the house loaded and shot himself in the torso. He later died at the hospital. A three-year-old in Ohio found an unattended loaded gun and accidentally shot his younger one-year-old brother in the head killing him instantly. Do we really need to continue ignoring these statistics? 

Speaking of statistics in buying guns steamrolled by paranoia, the ‘National Rifle Association’ (NRA) couldn’t love enough an old fashioned American mass killing as their way in producing money. Whenever there is a mass shooting, gun sales rocket through the skies, for gun aficionados are so fearful the government will use that as an excuse to ban all gun sales.

The NRA after each and every mass shooting has a standard but primitive mode of shaking up its membership in stating Obama is coming after your guns. The organization goes out on the airways, highways, www ways and radio waves by attacking anyone for just suggesting some common sense gun legislation. Below is just a sampling of the NRAs crude responses to mass shootings in their rebuttal to the Oregon killings.

Although Republicans push back hard against any legislation dictating ‘gun free zones’ do ya think that they will allow guns at their events and debates? Nah, anyone who enters any Republican affair will be searched first, entering weaponless no matter how many right to bear weapon laws, openly or concealed the local Republican legislatures have passed.  

   

Weaponry nuts have the same primeval mentality as the 50,000-yr-old cave man; the only difference is that today’s primal man has guns instead of sticks and stones. As long as weapons intended for the battlefields exist in our neighborhoods where children are at play, mass killings will continue as unabated. How the outright numbness of it all in the killings that has filtered through into American society almost makes us look like a nation that accepts it as a part of life.

Indeed, the rest of the world looks down on the United States of America’s lack of resilience in approaching this dilemma; even when it strikes down our children. Take for instance the normally conservative country of Australia. In 1966 a mad gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania with a semi-automatic.

Led by the country’s very conservative Prime Minister John Howard, instead of insisting of piling more guns, guns and guns into the public as is America’s direct path after any mass shooting, they took all semis and fully automatics out of the public’s reach. The net result where America keeps mourning the deaths of gun victims, in Australia’s approach, not one mass shooting has occurred since. Australia’s common sense approach highlights the civility of the nation where the issue is not a partisan one, but a united one. Australia also inaugurated a buy-back program that has gotten even more unwanted weaponry out of the public domain that could’ve been used by the murderous minded.

Currently, what do Australians think of the U.S.? They’re disgusted. After the recent Oregon shootings and Obama’s speech concerning its aftermath, the highly popular Australian journalist, Michael Pascoe ripped into America’s violent society concerning its insatiable lust of guns. In the ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ he wrote:

“In his very fine speech this morning, full of sorrow and frustration, President Obama made a mistake: Australia is not like the United States. We decided not to be. We decided to grow up instead and become a more reasonable, rational society that explicitly values human life and prefers to think the best of people, rather than the worst. The US is too immature a society to be allowed to play with guns. It has never shed its Wild West mythology. It’s a country that values property more than life.”

Pascoe’s comment was heralded in Australia. Imagine if a journalist wrote in the same vein here in the U.S.; he’d be crucified before finishing up with the last sentence’s period.

We’ve become a nation so senseless to common reason where even a blind man is allowed to pack and carry a concealed weapon. Not to belittle the blind’s rights, but could you envision a blind man emptying his rounds at a perceived threat in a crowded setting or how easy it could be taken from and used on him once revealed in an isolated setting?

I have nothing against the truly blind, but I cannot comprehend where these red states like Iowa make it legal for the blind to pack and carry concealed weapons. There are just some thing’s a handicap limits us in performing. What’s next…allowing the blind to drive?

Ya know, Republicans always like to bring up the fact of black on black shootings and yes in any poor community neighborhood that is a problem, it needs to be addressed. But I find it a bit strange when they never bring up the fact of these white boys going into our schools committing mass murders with assault weapons killing anyone in their sites whether it be white, black, red or yellow.              

I’ll simply leave you in this segment with a quote by John Oliver from his 10/18/2015 ‘Last Week Tonight’ episode:

“One failed attempt at a shoe bomb and we all have to take our shoes off at the airport. Thirty-one school shootings since Columbine and no change in the regulation of guns.”

Cop-out:

Thus far for year 2015, there have been 32 policemen killed by intentional gunfire, but a total of 107 have died in the line of duty of various causes. Below you can click on and read the ‘Officer Down Memorial Page’ stats.

https://www.odmp.org/search/year?year=2015

In contrast, 981 folks so far have lost their lives at the hands of cops. The vast majority was due to police gun shot. ‘The Guardian’ is keeping its own database of police shootings. Clicking on the link below will give a short description of each killing and various statistics from state to national.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/jun/01/the-counted-police-killings-us-database#

Actually, being a policeman is statistically one of the safer jobs in America, for believe it or not, a fisherman is ten times more likely to lose his life than a policeman would, while a garbage man is three times more and that’s according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ reports.

According to FBI statistics, by far the amount of cops killed while on duty at any given precinct is due to auto accidents and policemen are more liable to commit suicide than be killed by a criminal.

Recently, there is a push to expose policemen deaths to the media. It is disheartening to see the list, for that matter it’s disheartening to see any death list. Unfortunately though, there has never been any official list for victims killed by police in particularly killed unjustifiably.

To correct this, Democrat senators, Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) are introducing legislation known as the ‘Death in Custody Reporting Act’ would require federal, states and local police forces to register and record all lethal and non-lethal shootings by their police departments. They insist this is necessary as there are no official or reliable statistics to track these tragic incidents.

This does make sense to responsibly have data and is a good first step in the right direction to contend with the problem. As Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) states, “You can't begin to improve the situation unless you know what the situation is.” But as it stands, Republican politicians don’t want it.

Cops posing with, not apprehending escaped convict David Sweat

Republicans have always had a torrid love affair with law enforcement even be it so that most police precincts are unionized. Scott Walker in Wisconsin attempted and accomplished in weakening unions to a mere 10% of their former bargaining powers, but he left the police union alone. Republicans and corporate alike like to view the police forces as their militaristic token to fight against civil unrest when GOP policies cause upheavals, just like in the Ferguson affair and the protesting at the Wisconsin state capitol.      

          

I am not going to detail the recent killings of unarmed blacks by cops. They are too numerous and lengthy, but still seemingly continue as unabated. I will however briefly state a few incidents and deliver a bit more information on three.

Now mind ya, not all these are black incidents but white as well, so be careful on what side ya blindly root for. Except for the videos, I did not introduce color of skin for each incident because I would like you the reader to do a little of your own research if one story compels you to do so.

After pursuing an unarmed man for an expired inspection sticker, in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania Officer Lisa Mearkle shot David Kassick twice in the back lying on the snow covered ground after she had tased him. In her trial she was found not guilty of all charges. Two disturbing videos (one a newscast) are below.  

At the end of October, an off-duty police officer arriving in an unmarked car shot and killed Corey Jones on the side of a West Palm Beach, Florida highway. The reason…Jones had a gun.

Now let’s put all this in perspective for all you gun nuts’ reasoning capabilities. Jones indeed did have a legally registered pistol found in the front seat of his car. He possessed this gun legally in a state that has ‘Stand your Ground’ laws and rights to conceal and carry regulations.

Jones’ car had broken down on the side of the highway. He does everything else sensible in calling for a tow and his friend to come pick him up. As he’s waiting, a stranger arrives with no identification that might suggest that he is a policeman. Jones made sure his gun was handy in the seat for protection against this would-be intruder. The interloper who just so happens to be an off-duty plain clothed cop, fires and kills Corey simply because he ‘feared for his life’ in Jones having a perfectly legal gun in his possession.     

Dana Reiner was in hard late labor when James Reiner, her husband got her in the car and began their trip to the hospital. James was pulled over by two police officers. He got out of the car and began explaining why he was six miles over the speed limit. The officers forced him to the ground at gunpoint, handcuffed him face down and stalled for nearly ten minutes before they finally called for an ambulance.

The ambulance arrived and just got her to the hospital in time in Crown Point, Indiana to emergency deliver an infant girl. It was a difficult delivery as the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck and the doctor professes that if the infant was born on the side of the road it would have been still born. The father was not able to be there during his daughter’s birth because he was arrested and in jail for probable cause felony in resisting arrest in just trying to explain his urgency.

This past September, Houston, Texas police shot a double amputee in the head killing him at a mentally ill group home. They claim that the handicapped Brian Claunch was trying to stab them with a writing pen and ‘feared for their lives.’

Also in Texas, Alan Pean who is a registered mental illness patient had a psychotic episode at Houston’s St. Joseph Hospital. Pean was combative so one of the two police officers that arrived at the scene tased him. But once they subdued him enough, the cop decides to shoot him instead of putting him under control with handcuffs.

On this past July 26^th in Seneca, South Carolina, the 19-yr-old unarmed teen, Zachary Hammond was busted in a ‘Hardees’ parking lot for the possession of marijuana…all ten grams of it which was actually in the possession of his passenger.

Hammond was shot twice and killed by Officer Lt. Mark Tiller. At first, police resisted giving out Tiller’s name and an official report stating only that Hammond was shot due to “attempted murder.” Once lawyers became involved, a report did come out stressing that Hammond was trying to run Tiller over with his car when he fired the fatal shots. Autopsy reports verify that Hammond was shot with the two bullets entering his backside and not the front as would’ve been the case if indeed Hammond was accelerating the car towards Tiller.

        

This last one really hurts me from deep within the recesses of my mind, body, soul, guts and sometimes belly button too.

In Wilmington, Delaware distraught Jeremy McDole, who was wheelchair constrained was shot multiple times by police killing him at the street scene. The reason…they claimed he had a gun and ‘feared for their life’. We do know he did originally have a gun according to reports as he was threatening suicide. But nowhere does a video show he was holding a gun as the cops kept screaming out to drop his weapon. In my research conducted I cannot come up with any evidence that McDole had a weapon on his person, much less wielding one in his hand as cops stress at the scene and in their initial reports.

The video of the incident is below. Let me warn you it is graphic in witnessing a young handicapped man dying as he’s shot repeatedly bound in his wheelchair.     

For some odd reason, Republicans as a whole have rallied for cops who have murdered and as such act as the sounding board for the justification in the unarmed killings; but, so too the so-called ‘liberal media’ portray this slant. The media for the most part will attack groups like ‘Black Lives Matter’ by bringing in guests that say the group is for killing policemen while totally ignoring the fact of what they are representing which is that this nation has a solid and sordid history of vice against black lives. In this country’s past, we made it very difficult, even illegal at times for blacks to receive a living wage job. Then we corralled them into poor neighborhoods and what naturally occurs in poor depressing communities, crime and drugs rise. This is no matter if the neighborhood is filled with blacks, Italians or the Irish. It just happens to be primarily blacks or Native Americans on reservations at the moment.

The video below by ‘Act.tv’ expresses the point:

Police are sworn in to protect the public, but a fair majority makes it seem they’re only deputized to save their own skin in their constant excuse of, “I feared for my life.” Of course, most of these cop killings were unarmed victims. Perhaps we need to redefine the definition of “I feared for my life.” If a cop truly fears for his/her life that much to justify all the unarmed victims being shot and killed by cops, then surely it is time they find another job.

In regards to 12-yr-old Tamir Rice 

Violence is instilled in American society. We like our contact sports and war games. Police brutality follows suit, for it is not an anomaly in it being so widespread. There is history in this nation against minorities of forced injustice from U.S. policing in slave patrols to today’s shooting of unarmed young folk. Brutality is built into our nation’s law of enforcement. Why we even have tanks patrolling the streets now.

No U.S. government entity whether it be federal, state or local is gladly willing to display data of police killing its citizenry because the government is the one giving license to enforcement agencies to freely use deadly force to kill. The government implicitly does not want its citizens to know how much citizens they indeed kill.

But apparently eyes are finally opening up. At least there appears to be an acknowledgement that America has a race problem borne and nurtured by the country’s own doing. A poll conducted in the first days of May by the ‘New York Times’ and ‘CBS’ showed that 61% of the respondents expressed that race relations are bad in America and need improvement. That’s up almost 20% taken from a poll in December 2014. In a ‘Yougov/Huffington Post’ at the end of last April, the majority of white respondents agreed that cops treat black confrontations much more harshly. Recognition is the first requirement in solving dilemmas; hopefully this poll is a forecast.

But of course, there are still those, whether they’re right-wing active or couch bigots that say Obama’s ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ initiative is racist. Go figure…     

Ending It:

To end with this “liberal media” thing, the Republican field is portraying how tiring it is when contemptuously insisting this so-called “liberal media” keeps pressing on “gotcha” questions. In fact reporters and moderators usually are stating the very Republican’s quote.

I at regular intervals through voice or script am told that not all Republicans aren’t this lunatic fringed in their exclusive march to the local looney bin. OK, I’ll let them have that much but I’ll tell ya what…there’s certainly hordes more of ‘em today than there was yesterday in joining in on that suicidal march.

Just as hypocritical as the right-wing street base is in their false patriotism, so too are the right-wing politicians.

Marco Rubio has missed more votes in the senate than any other senator; a total thus far of 59. When pressed by Jamie Gangel in a CNN ‘State of the Union’ interview he displayed his lack of competence in holding office. As pointed by Gangel that other presidential candidates who are senators like Paul and Sanders have only missed fewer than 10 senate votes each during Rubio’s senatorial term, why does he not hold voting as important.

Rubio excitedly answers, “Well, I can tell you that in the history of presidential politics when they’ve been running for politics in the Senate, they’ve missed votes. A lot of these votes don’t mean anything. They’re not going to pass, and even if they did, the President would veto them.”

As Rubio is scrambling to justify his non-voting record and not doing his job, Gangel hits him with his previous statements in that federal workers who don’t do their jobs should be fired, so why should he not be by implying, “Someone might say you’re not showing up. You’re not doing your job by voting.”

Like deer eyes caught in the headlights Rubio wiggles with the excuse, “Not true, because voting is not the most important part of the job. The most important thing that a senator does is constituent services.”

Gangel counter slams him but once again, “Wait a minute. Votes aren’t important. Intelligence Committee hearings aren’t important? 

Digging deeper in slanting his laziness Rubio proclaims, “We do all the intelligence briefings. I was just there this Tuesday. I got fully briefed and caught up on everything that’s happening in the world. I’m fully aware. We have a staffer that’s assigned to intelligence who gets constant briefings. I think votes,of course, are important, but unfortunately, too many of them today are not meaningful.”

So what Rubio additionally confesses is that he not only doesn’t appear at the senate floor to vote, it is Obama’s fault and he doesn’t attend intelligence briefings either preferring instead to get it second hand from a staffer. This is a presidential candidate Republicans will vote for? One who wants to fire federal employees whom he feels do not do their work, but yet slack on his own job as a senator of the USA? Mind boggling the mind…

Ol Jeb even brought up Rubio’s voting record in the third GOP debate. Instead of answering Jeb, Rubio deflects in stating, “I don’t ever remember you complaining about John McCain’s vote record.” Then he defers away further from the central point of the question by saying he is running against Hillary Clinton.

In refusing to answer the question, Rubio’s campaign management had set him up on how to reply by not answering. Jeb fell into that trap. With that, Republicans claim Rubio won the round. I guess the real issue of a senator not doing his job in missing votes and key intelligence meetings isn’t a problem for GOP voters.

Aside from admonishing his senatorial duties, Rubio’s credit card scandal is about to erupt in gaining wider media coverage. Even though he won’t release his own personal records, he’s maintaining that it is only an attempt by Democrats to smear him or that it was his travel agents fault. Rubio had a bill of $10,000.00 for a family reunion of his charged on his American Express credit card. That card was issued to him when he was Speaker of the Florida House by the Florida Republican Party for official business only. Claiming it was the fault of his unnamed travel agent in charging $10, 000 to the American Express credit card instead of one of Rubio’s own personal credit cards, he still has yet to repay it back to the Florida government and hence the Florida taxpayer.

Funny though how it is that he never noticed the charge showing up in his own monthly personal credit card statements among others in a four year period. Unfortunately there is more to Rubio’s dubious finances.

This all started when the disgraced former Republican Speaker of the Florida House, Ray Sansom was convicted of official misconduct. During his trial it was revealed Sansom had misused his issued state card. Investigators delved farther in finding Rubio’s mismanagement.

Rubio also charged the American Express card for $1,000.00 to repair his minivan and thousands more to rent a vehicle while the van was being repaired. Also in 2007, for eight personal flights he charged the card $3,000.00. For this, he again claims it was his staff who used the wrong card even though he signed off on each of the eight flight charge vouchers.

Another charge was for $10,000.00 for twenty rooms at a Georgia resort where his family members stayed in celebrating his senate swear-in. He even charged the card $10.50 to watch a movie. He personally paid for flooring with the card, but claiming he accidentally pulled the wrong card from his wallet.

As in other avenues, Rubio avoids answering the pertinent questions and accusations preferring instead to blame others. His campaign management has come out blaming Charlie Crist’s office for leaking information. But Crist fires back, “If he wants to find out who to blame for this, he should look in the mirror. He is the one who made these charges, not me, not any of my friends.”

Although he adamantly will not show his personal records, Rubio claims he has paid back the state for all his personal charges on the issued card. But that is not what leaked official records obtained by the ‘Tampa Bay Times’ reveal.   

A Republican consultant, Chris Ingram has stated, “Certainly this has eroded some of the support Rubio had. When you project yourself as something of a Boy Scout and people start seeing you're not much different than a lot of these other guys that can be damaging.”

An ethics complaint was filed against him in 2010 and although he was cleared by a state ethics commission in 2012 due to innocent carelessness, one member of the commission board said Rubio’s “negligence was disturbing.”

A little humor…at a New Hampshire campaign event Rubio was asked at a Q&A forum which non-political public person he would like to have a beer with. His answer was Malala. Funny he would say her, for she’s not only Muslim, she’s under aged to boot. Let his conservative supporters stew over that flub.        

Trump, the Republican Party’s current top presidential candidate, is showing no patience when he in Miami this past October 23^rd stated to some peaceful protesters in his crowd of supporters, “See the first group, I was nice. Oh, take your time. The second group, I was pretty nice. The third group, I'll be a little more violent. And the fourth group, I'll say get the hell out of here.”

This mindset mirrors his right-wing followers as they reflect his attitude and words. That is why in kind, a protester was dragged and kicked by a Trump supporter as caught on the video just above.

In a recent Virginia Trump event, one protester was spat upon by his abetting supporters. Two die-hard Trump supporters in Boston beat a Hispanic man with a metal pipe then urinated on him while he lay bleeding on the sidewalk. Apprehended they glorified Trump in stating he was right in going after immigrants. Trump’s comment after the incident…he said their actions were wrong, but then finished with, “I admire their passion.” 

Some might logically call all this spreading of venomous fear and hate barbaric and it surely is a tad perplexing to argue against that.

I’ve tired of hearing Refibs stating it is in God’s authority that they inflict their will onto the rest of America. ‘Fox News’ wholly realizes their viewership’s mentality and plays on it well, but in the ‘Fox News’ broadcast below, they’re actually coherent in reason concerning Kim Davis’ case.

Republicans claim sole rights to Christianity and quite often I might say remind me constantly that their party represents “Christian values.” But while professing this they’ll hypocritically condemn the poor in considering them a non-entity having no rights in being fed in complete contrast as Jesus their savior dictated to do so.

They cheered when their politicians cut $39 billion from SNAP that feeds the needy. Those same Republican politicians that cut food program funding gnashed their teeth when a series of states blocked the GOP nutrition cuts.  

Republicans rush to idiosyncratic heroes to paste and advertise their false “patriot” monikers as an emblem of emblazonment that only those who think like they do can only be patriotic.

Immediately they raised the likes of Joe the Plumber, Josh Duggar and Kim Davis to the status of idolized heroes. They’ve been quickly abandoned by the right, so where are they now?

Instant Republican Hero #1: Joe the Plumber, AKA Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, who wasn’t even a licensed plumber, in Ohio attempted to run for congress, won the Republican primary but lost badly to incumbent Marcy Kaptur (D-OH). He railed against unions, as on any Republican must do list, but took a union job anyway at a Chrysler plant. He currently runs a racist blog where white supremacists, white priders and the just plain ol’ imbecilic can vent. Joey himself declares that we need a white Republican president again.

Instant Republican Hero #2: Josh Duggar who was on his family’s reality show was an instant star amongst Republicans with his myriad right-wing religious rhetoric. Even after it was revealed that ol’ Joshy had molested 19 kids, Republicans defended him with a vengeance. But when it was revealed that he had used the ‘Ashley Madison’ adultery site, the right left him in droves.

Instant Republican Hero #3: Kim Davis, the Republican darling who defied issuing out Kentucky marriage licenses to gay couples even had GOP presidential candidates coming over to defend her decision. Now any respectable Republican would denounce any liberal refusing to do their job and would expect them to be immediately fired, but not Davis, uh-uhh. It’s perfectly alright for her to not do her job but continue on in receiving her income through taxpayer dollars. Also they can overlook her numerous four marriages and having a set of twins out of wedlock.

   

So far, two circuit courts have denied her of her denying gay couples being issued marriage licenses. Should she go for a trifecta and appeal again? Stay tuned… 

All I can say about all this is to paraphrase an old phrase…

‘Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.’

‘Right is right even if no one is doing it.’      

Cruz, Huckabee and Jindal, three Republican GOP presidential candidates attended the ‘National Religious Liberties Conference’ held at the ‘Iowa Events Center’. The forum was diligently organized and held by Pastor Kevin Swanson. Ya know, the preacher that insists all homosexuals should be...not just persecuted but executed. The idiot, doesn’t he know that once he begins killing off gays, God will simply pop out more.

But seriously this is downright shameful. For three US presidential hopefuls while praying hand-in-hand with Swastika Swanson in hopes of gathering a few old testimonial votes is insane. Someone should tell them the U.S. presidency is representative to all Americans.  

The ills of a party to gravitate into incompetency, ignorance, falsehoods and mean-spiritedness as an embracement of virtue and use that in defining what the ‘real American’ or the ‘true patriot’ is…well, that’s the true sign of a party dumbing down.

There’s an old Texas adage I’ll twist a bit to paraphrase here: If ya don’t stand for something ethical, you’ll fall for anything.

The GOP primary is a great spectator sport, but nothing there you’d want to vote for in running this country.  Happy entertainment on viewing the fourth GOP debate…

In Unraveling Perplexing Politics,

BJA

11/09/2015