Displaying 2,521 To 2,550 Of 19,504 Comments Weekend Music Thread – What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love and Understanding? Kind and Generous – Natalie Merchant » Posted By AdLib On April 19, 2014 @ 1:21 pm The Right Wing and Fox News: Patriots Who Want Gun Battles With America Here are the two parts of that segment from Comedy Central (so they can be embedded): » Posted By AdLib On April 22, 2014 @ 3:43 pm Aquarius, I am anxious for that day (probably not until the next redrawing of districts in 2020) when the true minority status of Republicans is reflected in our Congress. Though regressive states, especially in the South, will maintain Republican domination until the growth of minority populations overwhelm the white right wingers, the nation as a whole will send the GOP into the wilderness for a long time, until they rediscover some sense of social responsibility and moderation. In the meantime and even during that process, I’d expect Fox news and their ilk to become even worse and clamor even louder for attacks against our government. Something does have to be done, a precedent needs to be set that makes clear to ideological media entities that they cannot yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater, they can’t claim 1st Amendment rights for supporting militias attacking our law enforcement and government officials. The one problem though could be the five neanderthals in the SCOTUS, I can see them siding with Fox’s right to support armed attacks against America since Obama is its current President. Flip it around in a fictional scenario though and make the case about a liberal media outlet supporting armed insurrection against a Republican President and those same Five Frauds would howl about sedition. So, let’s hope Obama has a chance to replace one of those Fanatical Five this year or next then come down on Fox News like a ton of bricks! » Posted By AdLib On April 19, 2014 @ 9:39 am Thanks so much, Dbos! » Posted By AdLib On April 19, 2014 @ 9:28 am Dbos, it is a dangerous time and only getting more dangerous if such sedition is permitted to fester. I can understand why Obama might not want the RW to have a reason to play martyr and rally and energize in an election year but after the election, it will be high time for our government to lay down the law on Fox News and the Clivens out there. Protest is healthy but armed insurrections are treason. » Posted By AdLib On April 19, 2014 @ 9:27 am KT – Thanks for this Salon article, they make the point very concisely. Republicans are only against taxpayers being taken advantage of by thieves only when the thief can’t be portrayed as poor or a minority. When non-whites take what doesn’t belong to them, they are “crooks”, when white people take what doesn’t belong to them, they are “patriots”. Repubs have really thrown in the towel on hiding their racism and holding any principles above their hatreds. » Posted By AdLib On April 19, 2014 @ 9:24 am Nirek, opposing policies of any government including ours, out of principles that are based on what’s best for a society is a citizens duty. Using guns to fight police enforcing court decisions and claiming it’s in the name of freedom is a dishonest and anti-democratic act. And IMO, Snowden’s exposing the NSA was not wrong but doing so then running under the protective wing of a virtual tyranny is as unprincipled as one can get. Protest is what founded this country and should always be protected but assuming the role of an enemy of this country in the name of doing what’s right for the country is simply the twisted logic of those trying to deny their betrayal of American principles. » Posted By AdLib On April 19, 2014 @ 9:20 am Kalima, Repubs are fascists at heart and they have an easy time betraying the principles of America to embrace the tyranny of Russia…especially because Russia is now seen as an enemy of America…and as I mentioned (and revised) last night Repubs think, “The enemy of my country’s black President is my friend.” They are so narrowly focused on hating Obama and anything he is connected to…even the country he leads…that they would give aid and comfort to our nation’s greatest enemies just to oppose our President. They are mentally ill, no way around it. » Posted By AdLib On April 19, 2014 @ 9:13 am KT – What seems more important to these lunatics and those who profit off hate like Fox News, is how invoking Ruby Ridge and Waco activates and whips up the crazies. The RW is in the Aggrieved business, they NEED to feel like victims to justify their hatreds, bigotry and campaigns for oppression of others. Reality is irrelevant to them so the fact you bring up, that their rallying cries are calling back to huge failures of their types, is lost on them. They get gratification out of seeing past lunatics of their ilk as martyrs. As for Fox, they expose themselves as the fascists they are, supporting armed attacks against the U.S. government because they oppose the black President who’s in the White House. Don’t remember Fox calling for terrorist attacks on law enforcement when Bush was President. » Posted By AdLib On April 18, 2014 @ 11:54 am ppo, we have seen the RW Republicans cheering Putin for his “strong leadership”. Repubs are not-so-closeted fascists who can’t help bu love watching dictators in action. Professional jealousy? » Posted By AdLib On April 18, 2014 @ 11:05 am Yep, right wing anti-government extremists ready to kill others in pursuit of their paranoid delusions? Why does the name Bundy come to mind??? » Posted By AdLib On April 18, 2014 @ 11:02 am Nirek, it’s very American IMO to oppose the U.S. Government on any policies one disagrees with but to urge on armed battles against the government is traitorous. » Posted By AdLib On April 18, 2014 @ 10:54 am Kalima, I think the DoJ should let the courts decide on this, do news networks have the right to promote insurrection against the U.S. under the 1st Amendment? I don’t think so but a warning shot needs to be fired. News networks are supposed to report news and yes, offer opinions but for an entire news network to support armed attacks against our government, that’s not journalism, that is sedition. » Posted By AdLib On April 18, 2014 @ 10:52 am glenn, all excellent points and I am in complete agreement with you. With this incident, I think Fox crossed the line of Free Speech to sedition and they should be harshly sanctioned by the government…or they will continue on as a media version of Cliven Bundy. I completely appreciate how distasteful and undesirable a confrontation with Fox News would be over this, how the RW would be energized and rally around Fox so they could once again call themselves victims and Patriots. An election year probably isn’t the best time to come down on them but a legal investigation by the DoJ could begin and come to fruition next year. This is wrong, we can’t sustain a democracy when a massive media company is manipulating private militias to wage war against our government. It is sedition and allowing it to continue is letting the fuse burn shorter on an eventual threat to the lives of Americans in the government and opposed to it. Not to mention attempts to sabotage our democracy and undermine the rules of a civilized society, regressing into having some sections of the U.S. like Taliban enclaves where the clans with the biggest private armies decide what the laws will be in their province. This is serious stuff and a warning of what violence can happen in the near future. » Posted By AdLib On April 17, 2014 @ 7:51 pm KT, I don’t think Roger Ailes and his clan at Fox are crazy but they are mercenary in their mission to tear down any government where the reigns of power aren’t in their hands. They also know their viewership very well and rooting on hatred and violence against the government headed by a black Democrat means a spike in viewership and ad revenue. So they are willing to support the killing of the golden goose as long as it means they get a lot of gold in the process. Your point is very well taken. True American Revolutionaries didn’t fight against the government of the American People, they fought against the tyranny of those who opposed democracy. Here, these lunatics are fighting against our democracy for a lawless, undemocratically ruled nation, where those who threaten and aim guns at others can do or take whatever they want. These assholes are anti-democratic, they even state that they don’t believe in the authority of our American government. Of course, if these deluded idiots ever really engaged the government in armed conflict, they would ultimately be wiped off the face of the Earth by drones, assault helicopters, tanks, etc. They live in a fantasy and think that if they can finally get an armed insurgency AGAINST THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT started, that the majority of Americans will just say, “FInally!” too and join with them. Right, most Americans want racist, paranoid, conspiracy theory loons as their leaders, dispensing justice at the the point of a gun. Sounds like they have more in common with tyrants like Putin than any Americans, let alone the Founders. I’m making my case, I believe that Fox News has crossed the line that protects free speech and that they are offering aid and comfort to anti-American forces that want to kill government officials and law enforcement officers. IMO, Fox and Ailes should be criminally investigated and steps should be taken to withdraw their broadcast license. This is serious stuff and may be treasonous. Must we wait for Fox to successfully spur on the murders of government officials before they are stopped? » Posted By AdLib On April 17, 2014 @ 7:38 pm Murph, very funny observation! Quite a coincidence, I was thinking about the name Fox today too! I noted that of course Fox existed before it was owned by Murdoch but life is ironic and sometimes sneaky people and companies are called Fox and “skulk”. Other times Republican candidates pay a price for running a firm called “Bain”. The leader of impotent Republicans in the House is called “Boehner”. Anyone who claims God doesn’t have a sense of humor isn’t paying attention. » Posted By AdLib On April 17, 2014 @ 7:22 pm Five Reasons Why Democrats Could Do Well in the 2014 Elections Thanks Aquarius 1027, nice to see you (I read your comment to me on Nirek’s post as well!). Really appreciate your points about all the Repub Governors who are in trouble. Kasich in OH has a scandal that can hurt his re-election and Rick Snyder is vulnerable in MI. In the near term, I do hope that the anti-Repub Governor shift helps Dems Senate and House chances this year and heading into 2016. In the longer term, I hope Dems are firmly in control of the majority of states after 2020 when the next census and redistricting happens so we can (hopefully for good) take apart the gerrymandering Repubs have used to grab far more power than they should have. » Posted By AdLib On April 17, 2014 @ 1:09 pm Murph, I’m with you on that. » Posted By AdLib On April 16, 2014 @ 11:21 pm Murph, I would invoke that old quote, “Sometimes the best defense is a good offense.” The Dems could spend the entire election cycle defending themselves from Repub lies. Instead, I think they should go on the attack against Repubs and force them to spend their time defending themselves. I do think that the biggest lies should be confronted but I’d propose marrying defenses with a strong offensive swing at Repubs. When you’re on defense, all you can do is try to prevent the other team from scoring. You need to be on offense to score and win. Yes, educating the public is very important and we have enough good minds in the Dem Party who could figure out simple and effective memes for the entire party to promote. » Posted By AdLib On April 16, 2014 @ 1:50 pm Funk, good point on the level of anger on the right (and even in the middle) not being anywhere near the intensity of 2010 so not having as broad an effect on GOTV for Repubs. Like you, I haven’t sen the Dems, especially the DNC, roll out a nationalizing of the campaign but it is still early and I have heard the rumblings of that. True, the poor usually don’t vote in high numbers but there is a growing anger out there among the poor, protests by low wage workers have been on the rise and the squeeze on them is getting worse. I don’t know if it will bubble over this year but it is building. And as Repubs campaign to slash programs for the poor and those in red states see those in blue states getting Medicaid insurance they can’t, it could grow even quicker. I do think that the oppression of the poor is a ticking time bomb, if it is not addressed it will eventually become so intense that it explodes in one way or another, politically or otherwise. No knowing when that will be though. This is a base turnout election so as the campaigns kick into high gear, I think we’ll see more extremism being broadcast by Repubs. We’ve already seen quite a bit of it so far even though the Repub Elite have been trying to tamp it down. The attacks on women and pay equality are extremist, plenty of gay bashing and race baiting (under the guise of “the poor”) going on too (remember all the hatred at CPAC?). In order to win this year, the Repubs know they need their base to turn out and the only way to do that is to pander to their hate and fear of those who aren’t white Christian male gun nuts with a fear of science, a penchant for conspiracy theories and blinded by religion. You can’t motivate the Repub core voters without tagging at least some of those extremist bases. Defeatism is a constant Democratic issue. Dems should be aggressive right now, knowing they have a fight on their hands but determined to win that fight with brains and brawn. Instead, it’s always a battle between those Dems who are like that (“Winners”) and Dems who are quick to throw in the towel when the odds don’t favor them or it looks like an uphill battle (“Losers”). Can you imagine if the Dems were a sports team and every time they played against a team that was favored over them, they just gave up and forfeited? A winning team recognizes and accepts challenges and does their best to rise to the occasion. Sometimes your team can surprise you and perform far better than expected and sometimes the other team can stumble and make mistakes. Dems should be strategic and determined, we can indeed win in 2014 as long as we play like we want to win. » Posted By AdLib On April 16, 2014 @ 10:47 am James, agreed, this election should be positioned as a vote for Obama’s last term…since it really is. If Dems prevail and keep the Senate, Obama will be able to accomplish a lot more in his last 2 years. If not, it will be nothing but 2 years of obstruction, hatred and little accomplished. We do need the nation to recognize just how destructive a Republican takeover of Congress would be for our country and our future. » Posted By AdLib On April 15, 2014 @ 12:33 pm Murph, that is a very effective and comprehensive list, really like it. It just bewilders me how adverse Democrats typically are to being aggressive. Why is that? I agree with all you say about how they need to take on the Repubs loudly and aggressively and promote their messages full throatedly. The one thing I’m not sure about is spending so much energy on refuting Repub lies. My concern is that it amplifies the lies and constantly keeps Dems on the defensive. Dems need to go on the offensive and really deliver some gut punches to the GOP, making them have to go on the defensive and amplifying the Dem messaging. GOTV couldn’t be more critical. I do think there are millions of Americans who are primed to be energized to get out and vote. The 10 million and growing who have Republicans trying to take away their ACA healthcare, minorities who have Republicans trying to take away their voting rights, women who have Republicans trying to take away their control over their own bodies and the poor and unemployed who have Republicans trying to take away their means of survival. Dems should be focused like a laser on energizing these people who represent a strong majority of voters and can be among the most motivated voters. And there should indeed be an aggressive campaign by Dems on a set of specific populist issues, voting rights protection, minimum wage increase, protecting women’s rights and pay equity and standing up to the Republican class war on the poor. Dems need to get voters thinking about the big picture of what voting for their rep means, voting for two years of government destruction and inaction on their and the nation’s problems or voting for government to work and make things better. » Posted By AdLib On April 15, 2014 @ 12:27 pm Funk, this is really one fantastic, grounded argument against the austerity/debt frenzy of the RW. And it exposes the true agenda of theirs is to slash spending on programs that help the majority of Americans under the guise of “saving” America from an economic nightmare that a large debt would allegedly bring about. Boiling down a central part of your post, a country that prints its own money can never end up in a position of not being able to pay its bills…unless it’s prevented from doing so legislatively. And that hogwash about how much of the debt our children would be burdened with seems a non sequitur. It would be fascinating to have a Presidential candidate run on that platform, “Forget the deficit because it isn’t a threat to our economy, we’ll spend what we need to in order to improve our nation!” » Posted By AdLib On May 28, 2014 @ 5:27 pm BREAKING: Republicans Sued By Bizarro Superman For Plagiarism Assumed, good to see you! It is actually a very cynical fraud that companies and corporations employ, cloaking their desire to depress salaries using secrecy as “respecting privacy” and protecting confidential company information. As you say, they know full well that disclosing average salaries for different demographics invades no one’s privacy. The true motivation is the same as why they don’t want unions. When people are informed about what’s going on in their company, they can come together and protest unfairness. As long as women don’t know that the man working right beside them is making 30% more than they are. how can they complain? And it is again, a propaganda tool of the wealthy, which we’ve seen on display as the Repubs have pushed back against income disparity, that people are poor solely because they are lazy and people are rich solely because they work harder than those who aren’t. The figures on the wealthy being so because they were simply lucky to be born to wealthy parents (like Donald Trump, Mitt Romney, George Bush, etc.) are much more instructive. I suppose all the trust fund kids out there are never lazy and work so hard? Who works harder than a single mom with two or three jobs? » Posted By AdLib On April 16, 2014 @ 10:57 am Bizarro Mitt was perfect Bizarro candidate. Him say opposite of whatever he just say one second before. Bizarro Cruz love logic like all Bizarros and that am why he never use it. Bizarro Bachmann inherit eyes from Bizarro family and miss flat planet of Bizarro World. We am happy for her to come home after this year and we am going to celebrate by exiling her. » Posted By AdLib On April 10, 2014 @ 10:55 am Me think Appalling Ryan trying to help run for Republican nomination for President by showing he am idiot like base am. That am best trait for Republican candidate that want to win. Me hear Ryan also think that women give birth to more babies than men because men am working harder and get paid more. Him am great candidate so on election day, me stay home and not vote for him. » Posted By AdLib On April 10, 2014 @ 10:45 am Bizarro Superman can answer question. Republicans like me am, just want wealthy to have all money so we not like anyone else getting money or benefits from government. Money am people and me want all of them to be with rest of family who am part of wealthy families. It am like kidnapping for 99% to hold money hostage from true home. And that am unreasonable answer from unreasonable person, me hope it am useless to you. » Posted By AdLib On April 10, 2014 @ 10:34 am Me watch Box News too! Me hate news so Box am my favorite channel. Me like Appalling Ryan, he think like us. Me also find amazing fact that people in hospital need more medical care than people who run marathons. So me come up with great health care policy, close hospitals and make sick and old people run marathons. Then everyone am healthy! Old people only get sick because they have Medicare, that am fact which me just make up. Take away Medicare and old people say, “Now that me have to pay from little money me have, me stop having heart transplant me not need and just have for fun.” Me hear my brain words on Box News. Last, there am not pay inequality for women. Next to last, women deserve being paid less because they am able to have babies. Eighth, it demean women to say them have pay inequity and worse than them getting paid less. First, it am patronizing to support women getting paid same as men, instead, am not being patronizing to pay women less. Me hate logic. Me left out racial issue. It am racist to call someone racist who say racist things. This am no-brainer and no-brainers know this. Hello! » Posted By AdLib On April 10, 2014 @ 10:26 am Thanks Nirek! Republicans’ heads are actually despised by the universe, that’s where that saying came from, “Nature abhors a vacuum.” » Posted By AdLib On April 9, 2014 @ 3:02 pm What Issues Are You Passionate About? Well done, Nirek. We’ve employed many energy conservation tactics as well including energy efficient windows, lightbulbs, setting thermostat lower in Winter and higher in Summer, recycling (which saves energy as opposed to new manufacture of plastics), high mileage vehicles, etc. We have been waiting for PACE funding to be put in place for residential properties to install solar. PACE plans are basically city or county funded plans that simply add the amortized cost of solar panel installation to your property tax bill, assigning the financing to the house instead of to the current owner. That’s been a sticking point for us, under all other financing plans right now, if you sold your home, you would still be stuck paying off the loan/lease for solar panels even though you don’t own the house anymore. They have PACE for commercial buildings in L.A. right now but not for residential yet. Hoping it’s in the cards soon! » Posted By AdLib On April 8, 2014 @ 8:41 amComments Posted By AdLib
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