Stability For Our Time

So, if I'm understanding this right, the "teachers" in Wisconsin are equating a Scott Walker, man who was elected as governor in full compliance with the laws of the state, to a mass murdering dictator for the heinous act of proposing legislation, again in full compliance of all state laws.

If this represents the level of knowledge of teachers in Wisconsin, then I'd have to say that every day they stay away from the classroom is a win for the educational system in Wisconsin.

I wouldn't trust them to teach my dog to sit.

Unless I was holding a sit in.

Only in America can a President announce a budget that adds 7.5 trillion dollars to the National debt over 10 years and have his lapdogs in the media call it 1.1 trillion dollars in debt reduction.

Let me put this into perspective with an example we can all relate to. I'm going to modify my diet plan in accordance with the President's budget. Right now, I weigh in at 250lbs. For the purposes of this year's diet, I'm projecting that in 6 months, without dieting, I will weigh 300 lbs. So I'm going to increase my caloric intake enough to only gain 30 pounds, which means I will lose 20 pounds. 20 lps not impressive enough? Ok, I'll change my forecast from a 50 lb gain to a 60 lb gain. Now when I only gain 30, by Obama's math, I lost 30 pounds!

Cool!

What is obvious insanity for my diet is just business as usual in Washington. It's clear; it's obvious; and he's getting away with it because the folks who are supposed to be watching and reporting are two bus kissing his ass.

If you want to know why the media enjoys a trust rating somewhere south of used car salesman, all you have to do is look at today's headlines. Which major media outlets led with "1.1 trillion in debt reduction," and which led with "7.5 trillion in new debt?"

• * January 8, 2011
  * 3:34 p.m.
  cjensen#613296 writes:
  
  Without a shred of evidence, I'm predicting: NRA member, hates Nancy Pelosi, hates liberals, hates progressives, believes Beck is getting the truth out there, listens to Rush and is filled with Fox hate, anger and outrage, which is no surprise, given the environment he has immersed himself in.
  
  When every day, 24/7, hate, outrage, alarmism, the very fabric and existence of our country, is being threatened by the enemies of this nation, Reid, Pelosi, Obama, this is a natural outcome.
  
  Am I wrong? I doubt it. The pattern is so solidly established. Eventually, hate mongers always reap what they sow.
  
  


• * January 8, 2011
  * 3:40 p.m.
  The7thSon2010 writes:
  
  How long did the rightwing think they could spew hatred, divide voters, and villify the democrats, before something like this happened? They implied Obama wasnt born here, he is a muslim, the democrats would destroy America, and yet when something like this happens, they claim innocence...This the 2nd amendment solution the rightwing keeps threatening to use? Obviously somebody was listening.. Is healthcare reform such a hot issue, people are being killed over the hate being spewed 24/7 by the TEA Party and rightwing talking heads? Its just a healthcare bill, this was a lady, a elected representative, this isnt a Sarah Palin, wild west, shootem up society.. What is the rightwing politicians thinking will happen when they play to the nutjobs to try and win elections..


• * January 8, 2011
  * 3:41 p.m.
  Axedman writes:
  
  It's not the censor, it's the rightwingers hitting the "suggest removal" button because the consequences of their rhetoric have apparently come to fruition.


• * January 8, 2011
  * 3:48 p.m.
  cjensen#613296 writes:
  
  The chickens are coming home to roost.


• * January 8, 2011
  * 3:49 p.m.
  Axedman writes:
  When that tea party kamikaze crashed into an IRS building some of those people called him a hero. I expect the same here. (Even the Daily Kos has posted that Andrew Stack was not a member or a sympathizer of the Tea Party and in fact held mostly left leaning views. This demonstrates the need for conservatives to speak out and denounce slander whenever and wherever it occurs in order to get the truth out there. Otherwise people like Axedman here will continue to promulgate false information.)
  


• * January 8, 2011
  * 3:49 p.m.
  amoebatuba#353714 writes:
  
  Perhaps newly elected Rep. Allen West or his campaign manager might share some responsibility for this. And those who voted for him may have helped enable this kind of situation. Very sad. But don't expect an apology from Mr. West! That's not his style. Palin, Bachman and Beck all share blame! (most likely)
  


• * January 8, 2011
  * 3:58 p.m.
  The7thSon2010 writes:
  
  When the results of the spewing of false, hate filled, inflamatory rhetoric, is not denounced, and stopped by the republicans.. When the '2nd amendment' solution, yelled by Sarah Palin, and the TEA Party, are allowed to stand, unchallanged, and this assault on our system of government is tolerated, actually encouraged by the rightwing, this is the results..
  They cant plead innocence on this, they cant claim they didnt suggest using a gun, by campaining on the '2nd Amendment' solution.. Boehner is as much to blame as Palin, Beck, and Limbaugh..
  


• * January 8, 2011
  * 4:28 p.m.
  kharknox writes:
  
  This is the result of the militant tone of the Tea Party and tea party supporters. Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, O’Reilly and other extreme right wingers should not be surprised of the outcome that happens when you spread fear and hatred over the airwaves to millions of poorly educated easily influenced Americans.
  
  We are supposed to be in a war on terror, but terrorist are not only Islamic fundamentalist. They are white guys in coats that carry guns everywhere and watch Fox News as well. Why are we not going to war with real terrorist right here in our backyards and surrounding counties?
  
  I can only pray for the families of those killed today. I also pray that the whole tone of the right wing will change. Two groups of people disagreeing should not make them mortal enemies, only friends that disagree with each other on certain issues. A little civility is needed in Congress and the U.S. So I hope you Tea Partiers are happy with the result of your hatred and fear. Your party, political movement, television networks and ignorant leaders are the only terrorist holding our nation and freedom hostage.


• * January 8, 2011
  * 4:32 p.m.
  cjensen#613296 writes:
  
  When nothing but fear, loathing and hate is peddled every day, how can the Right be surprised at this?


• * January 8, 2011
  * 4:46 p.m.
  MzLillian writes:
  
  Absolutely sickening.
  
  Remember the Homeland Security report back in 2009 that warned about the rise of domestic right-wing terrorists? And how all the usual screaming "conservative" wackos claimed the Obama administration was trying to "persecute" them? (Never mind that the report was commissioned under the previous administration.)
  
  The most sickening thing about this incident is that something similar didn't happen sooner.
  
  Egged on by power-crazed Repugs and irresponsible sociopaths in the media, the rightwing lunatic fringe is out of control, armed and dangerous. They pose a graver threat to American democracy than any foreign enemy could ever be.

And that's about all I can stand.

By the way, as you read through the above, realize that these are the comments that the paper did not find vile enough to remove. There were a lot of comments that had been deleted, most from the same folks shown above.

What I really want to point out is not just the vile tone of these comments, the implied violence, etc, but the noticeable lack of factual evidence on display. In the first comment, cjensen flat out states that he has no evidence for his view, but then sticks to it in the face of growing evidence that the shooter was not a right wing extremist and in fact tended more towards anarchy with some liberal leanings.

These people have made up their minds based on false information, and now they refuse to process anything new that doesn't fit their preconceived notions.

I have a friend who believes in complete non violence and non aggression, and she suggests that the best course is to remain silent, to refrain from responding to these lies, and let the facts speak for themselves. Unfortunately, when we're dealing with people like the above, and more importantly with the cynical hypocrites who will manipulate them to gain political advantage, silence is not an option. If I don't speak up, and loudly, if I don't draw a line and say that I will defend that line of decency and truth, then I will lose the rights I hold precious by default.

I'm told that just because the other side is using vicious and scurrilous tactics is no reason for me to respond by pointing out those tactics, as if by some strange alchemical process pointing them out is morally equivalent practicing them. That's just garbage.

Let's get this straight. The shooter was a nutjob, motivated by his own issues, neither left or right. I have no need to defend myself against him or his actions because they have nothing to do with me. On the other hand, the constant barrage of slimy attacks coming from the left, seeking to place some burden of complicity upon me and other conservatives, a barrage launched in the absence of any evidence or support whatsoever, that, I must respond to as it is an attack on me, my beliefs, and my liberty.

I won't be silent when manipulative assholes decide that they can gain power by smearing me with the acts of a disturbed individual. When I am attacked, I will defend myself in the most effective manner available, using tools commensurate with the level of attack.

Period.

Once again, an act of political violence is being used by unscrupulous people to advance their agenda. A man named Jared Loughner has been identified as the one who opened fire on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, wounding her, and killing several others, including a nine year old girl.

Even before the echoes of the shots died away, liberals were blaming Sarah Palin, the Tea Party, and conservatives in general for the shooting. The usual suspects rushed to condemn everyone but the shooter. Kos posted a picture from Sarah Palin's PAC website, showing targets over the states of Democrat congress people she wanted to defeat in the next election. The hate spewed forth, almost as if by reflex, neither allowing for or requiring any conscious thought or reflection.

And once again, as more information comes to light, we discover that Loughner was far from being a right wing activist. At least one friend has identified him as a liberal activist, and as you tube videos and myspace profiles emerge, the picture is not one of a conservative motivated by fear of the left, but of a left leaning anarchist, disappointed by the centrism shown by Congresswoman Giffords.

Now the right is cranking up it's spin machines, ready to counteract the leftist spin. We're seeing right leaning website dig through Kos and other liberal sites, finding images similar to the Palin image and linking them faster than Kos can scrub them. As more information comes out, we're seeing the shooter being transformed in the media from a hate-filled right wing monster to a disturbed, troubled young man, frustrated by the slow progress of the progressive agenda.

This is not the time to try to score political points. This is not the time to lay blame on anyone or anything other than the jerk who pulled the trigger. We don't know enough to do anything else. Any attempt to try to assign a reason or motivation to his actions is pure political partisanship, regardless of which side it comes from. We don't know why he did it, and anybody who says different is just trying to sell you something.

All we do know is that several innocent people died and more are in critical or serious condition because of the actions of a disturbed young man. Now is the time to pray for healing for the injured, salvation for the murdered, and peace for the survivors.

Ever since the mid term elections, I've heard Democrats calling for a new tone of civility in politics.



It would certainly be new to them.

I spent my evening repairing my old planer. It's been in the garage for a bit too long, and I couldn't adjust the height of the cutter head. It took a couple of hours, a small sledge and a crow bar, but I finally freed up the cutter head, disassembled the unit, cleaned it up, and put it back together.

The good news is that according to Obama economics, I created $400 by not having to go buy a new planer.

The bad news is that the IRS wants to tax the $400, the Treasury Department wants to talk to me about counterfeiting, OSHA fined me for inadequate lighting and poor tool usage procedures, China is hauling me before the WTO for unfair trade practices, Nancy Pelosi has subpoenaed me to appear before Congress for unlawfully engaging in commerce by not engaging in commerce, and the local labor union is filing a grievance because I repaired it myself, taking work away from both a repair shop and equipment manufacturers.

Does it bother anybody else that the group of people who voted overwhelmingly for our current President shows more outrage over Bristol Palin and her success on a TV show than over North Korea starting a shooting war against South Korea?

First, I want to congratulate Madame Pelosi on maintaining her leadership of the House Democrats. And second, I want to thank the House Democrats for showing just how tone deaf they are as they arrogantly dismissed the loud voice of the electorate, guaranteeing that Congressional Democrats will continue to press the same agenda America loudly rejected a couple of weeks ago. Between Rangel's corruption convictions and Pelosi and Reid maintaining their leadership roles in Congress, it's like Christmas has come early for Republicans.

What's the difference between Pelosi and the Captain of the Titanic?

The captain of the Titanic only got to sink his ship once.

As long as Pelosi and Reid are the face of the Democrat Party, Republicans will continue to pick up seats every election cycle.

So once again, thank you Dems! Your generosity is appreciated.

Establishment Republicans have mounted an assault against Sarah Palin and other Tea Party supporters and their candidates. According to the word from Karl Rove and his compatriots, Tea Party voters and candidates cost the GOP the Senate, and therefore they must be put into their place, and not allowed to drag the rest of the party down.

To anybody who knows anything about Tea Partiers, how they think, and what they believe, this is ludicrous. Better still, it's destined to be completely ineffective.

A couple of years back, I wrote that for a true third party to come into power, they would have to start locally, in the State Houses and Senates, and build a base to launch national campaigns. While the MSM and Karl Rove want to concentrate on the few big races the Tea Party candidates lost, what they should be paying attention to are the dozens of State elections won by Tea Party backed candidates. These folks are now in charge of their State legislatures, and can begin to build up their base. If the RNC fails to back these newly elected state legislators, as the Republican Senatorial Committee is failing to back Joe Miller in Alaska, then you can expect to see these new legislators start to work together across state lines to form a new party, probably not in time for 2012, but certainly in time for 2016.

But what is more likely is that the Tea Party candidates will begin to take over the national organization, revitalizing the Republican Party with true fiscal conservatives.

What everybody seems to forget, or not want to deal with is that Tea Partiers have many social conservatives, but the driver for the movement is reducing the size of government and it's interference in our lives. The second driver is fiscal responsibility, returning to a federal government we can afford. Social issues are way down deep on the priority list.