Keith Oberman, former MSNBC anchor

This is Olbermann's statement following Congressman Gifford's shooting.

"If Sarah Palin, whose website put and today scrubbed bullseye targets on 20 representatives including Gabby Giffords, does not repudiate her own part in amplifying violence and violent imagery in politics, she must be dismissed from politics—she must be repudiated by the members of her own party, and if they fail to do so, each one of them must be judged to have silently defended this tactic that today proved so awfully foretelling, and they must in turn be dismissed by the responsible members of their own party…

“If Glenn Beck, who obsesses nearly as strangely as Mr. Loughner did about gold and debt and who wistfully joked about killing Michael Moore, and Bill O'Reilly, who blithely repeated ‘Tiller the Killer’ until the phrase was burned into the minds of his viewers, do not begin their next broadcasts with solemn apologies for ever turning to the death-fantasies and the dreams of bloodlust, for ever having provided just the oxygen to those deep in madness to whom violence is an acceptable solution, then those commentators and the others must be repudiated by their viewers, and by all politicians, and by sponsors, and by the networks that employ them.”

Check out the link, on the Title, to the Daily Beast original post.

Vitriolic Politics Contributing to Violence?

Details to come ....

On Miss Alaska, Sara Palin of Wasilla

I guess most Americans enjoy hearing simple, sing-song verbage. Like her 'hopey-changey thing' or 'you betcha'. And I would bet most Americans don't read Time Magazine, Newsweek, or The Wall Street Journal. So that tells me Mrs. Palin fits in with the average American, which is fine. And she certainly has the "almighty dollar" as her goal and motivation. She left that post as governor so quickly she was still dragging office supplies that stuck to her skirt when flew out the door, into her soccer mom vehicle and straight to a $250,000 gig over at Fox. (per episode! She is beholding to an often many of those corporations out there. The ones that donatie, buy the seats at her fundraising dinners, and then there are the "tea-party folks" Created before our eyes on Fox news. Even duplicating footage from weeks before to show hou much a "party" was the tea party.

So to give a fact or two before finishing this entry, the average American can comprehend at the 5th grade level. And thee people vote? 'some do and some dont'. I know I've been shuffled around by volunteers who weren't sure where I need to.

But imagine the leader of the most powerful (?) nation in the world being chosen by a majority of people with a mediam graduation age of 16. That is why I have educated by daughter with regard to the workings of government. What is everyone else doing? Quitting their jobs for self-aggrandizing greed? Blaming others for entrapment with questions like - what magazines or newspapers to you read? Ooo, didn't see that one coming. We can clean up our accents and our diction, but we can't take that 12 year old any further beyond the narcissitic beauty queen. So how's that beatin' fish to bloody a death and shooting , albeit missing, your rifle, so how's the beatin and shooten thing going for ya?

Anchor Babies?

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

Fox News - July 1, 2010
Representative Louie Gohmert, (R) Texas

Anchor: Your theory is that Al Queda will send a pregnant woman over here to have a baby and then start to train these babies to be terrorists. Is that right?"

Rep. Gohmert: Well, Harry, It is not just a theory.

Further statements by this representative include  -

Hate crime laws lead to necrophelia. (having sex with a dead body)

Senators should be elected by state legislators. ~ quotes from John Stewart on The Daily Show

Senator Lindsey Graham (R) South Carolina

We should change our constitution ... (with reference to the 14th amendment)

They come here to drop a child. It's called "drop and leave".

I recall talk by some Texans in the not too distant past of the state of Texas succeeding from the union. I thought it an outrageous idea, but maybe I will give this idea further consideration from this new perspective.

I also believe "hate crimes", as mentioned by Senator Gohmert, are born of racism. My musings on why one would be against hate crime legislation lead me to the conclusion that those who oppose this legislation must be the same who would carry these values and beliefs that lead to hate crimes. I welcome discussion of different viewpoints. I'm just not sure with this idea where to go from here.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Jon Stewart On Anchor Babies, The 14th Amendment, And Over-The-Top TV Pundits (mediaite.com)
• Texas Congressman Louis Gohmert Says Terrorists Have Babies Here Who Will Kill Us In 20 Years (alan.com)
• 10 Reasons Why Republicans Want to Repeal Birthright Citizenship (race.change.org)
• Thinking Really Longterm (talkingpointsmemo.com)

Obama's Press regarding the oil 'leak'

Image via Wikipedia

Watching Chris Matthews this a.m., my favorite Sunday show, I was very surprised to hear Matthews characterize President Obama's mention of his daughter asking about plugging the hole, as if it was a contrived story. The other 4 commentators had a very similar interpretation. I understood his story to be an indication of his concern being so pervasive as to become part of his family conversation. It also indicates his children understanding the gravity of the situation, which indicates extended discussions at home.

Meet the Press had Republicans harping about what a poor job President Obama is doing, including a clip from my favorite Republican John Boehner. (He is still sore because he did not get the Speaker of the House position.)

I agree with several pundits observation, wish I could remember a few names. Respect for the office of the President has deteriorated to a dangerous level. And what about national pride? Working together to make our country great.  I realize the founding fathers were not in lock-step in creation of our nation, Republicans and Democrats will not be in such agreement.

Please let us come together in support of our nation with pride in our capable leaders. The world is watching and listening.

Related articles by Zemanta

• BP Blast Oil Leak Could Continue Until August (news.sky.com)
• Time's Joe Klein: Oil Spill is 'Bush's Second Katrina,' 'Republicans Look Worse Than Democrats' (newsbusters.org)

News on McCain I was not aware of, Even from Republicans!

Image via Wikipedia

10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't):

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.¹
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."²
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.³
   
4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."⁴
5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.⁵
6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.⁶
7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."⁷
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.⁸
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."⁹
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.¹⁰

John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be. Please help get the word out—forward this email to your personal network. And if you want us to keep you posted on MoveOn's work to get the truth out about John McCain, sign up here:
http://pol.moveon.org/mccaintruth/

---

Sources:
1. "The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day," ABC News, April 3, 2008
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html
"McCain Facts," ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008
http://colorofchange.org/mccain_facts/
2. "McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq," Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aF28rSCtk0ZM&refer=us
"Buchanan: John McCain 'Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,'" ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/06/buchanan-gandhi-mccain/
3. "McCain Sides With Bush On Torture Again, Supports Veto Of Anti-Waterboarding Bill," ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/20/mccain-torture-veto/
4. "McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned," MSNBC, February 18, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/
5. "2007 Children's Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard," February 2008
http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2007
"McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion," CNN, October 3, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/03/mccain.interview/
6. "Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady," Associated Press, April 3, 2008
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80
"McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,'" Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHMiDVYaXZFM&refer=home
7. "Will McCain's Temper Be a Liability?," Associated Press, February 16, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4301022
"Famed McCain temper is tamed," Boston Globe, January 27, 2008
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/27/famed_mccain_temper_is_tamed/
8. "Black Claims McCain's Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: 'I Don't Know What The Criticism Is,'" ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/02/mccain-black-lobbyist/
"McCain's Lobbyist Friends Rally 'Round Their Man," ABC News, January 29, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4210251
9. "McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam," Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008
http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html
"Will McCain Specifically 'Repudiate' Hagee's Anti-Gay Comments?," ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/12/mccain-hagee-anti-gay/
"McCain 'Very Honored' By Support Of Pastor Preaching 'End-Time Confrontation With Iran,'" ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/hagee-mccain-endorsement/
10. "John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record," Sierra Club, February 28, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/77913/
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MoveOn.org Political Action: 10 things to know about McCain

The loss of the Office of President

I have learned a lesson that is difficult to swallow. The more outrageous a statement the ".." wingers (fill in left or right) make, the easier it is for the centrist to go further in their statements. Eventually, civility is gone. You may already have it, but I want to give an example.

So Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh or Lou Dobbs, who each have well intentioned followers, really want the big ratings. The more they are on news reports, etc. even if it is for saying something with no actual value, the more they become emboldened to say even more outrageous accusations. Soon the followers are used to hearing  these outrageous statements, and they feel comfortable repeating them, and our congressman, party leaders, become more lax in their statements. I don't know how to respect a congressman who yells out "you lie" a the President of the United States during an address to both Houses of Congress on national television. I don't care if he or she is a democrat, republican, or alien from outer space, how can I respect someone who would do that. Yet look at the 'repercussions'. He was give $2 million dollars in campaign contribtions in one week. He did not apologize publicly, to the public, not the President.

Imagine this happening even 20 years ago. It just wouldn't happen. People would never go that far no matter how they felt about what was being said. It is sad to see our society stooping to such levels. And people wonder about children being difficult these days. I wonder how that man's children behave. And the other people who draw the President of the United States of America in white face on large signs or terrible slogans about monkeys. Those are nothing but out and out racist. How else does one explain them?

That's it for now. Thanks for reading if you are still with me.