Tuesday, 3/20/12, Public Square

41 Comments

Filed under The Public Square

41 responses to “Tuesday, 3/20/12, Public Square

  1. R.D. Liebst

    It gets so old, seriously it is getting so mundane listening to the campaign slogans and me-me of how terrible things are. And how it is the President’s fault that this is happening and that is because of that thing that has happen. Blaming President Obama for something that has or is happening that either he did not do or has no control over.

    Yes this is nothing new and is politics as usual and simply the way it always goes. Certainly if you are wanting to defeat a standing candidate you would not say how good things are going under that candidate.
    Though to accept it as being the case takes a good deal of delusion and denial of reality.

    In defense it happens with both parties and is not solely the Republicans or Democrats. But give me a break! The line from Abbott and Costello about, “How stupid can you get?” “ How stupid do you want me to be?” Well the sad part that tactic does seem to work, rather then reality it is the imaged reality that is the winning case.

    There are some actual issues that are important and real concerns like women’s rights over their own body.
    i.e. birth control and contraceptives. I can not deny that abortion is the taking of a human life since if allow to go the full term a human being will be born. But there is also the issue of standard of living and the welfare of the child if they would be born. The isolated example of child-less couples and the like are true but once those couple are satisfied then what? There has to be realistic thought as to the how a child’s life would be after birth.

    It has to be the reason I so hate election years, I get so tired of having my intelligence insulted every time some candidate speaks.

    • indypendent

      Sad to say – there never seems to be a break from the ‘election years’ .

      With the onslaught of 24/7 Fox News, Talk Radio, CNN and MSNBC – all this partisan bickering is now 12/24/7 (12 mos – 24hrs – 7days).

      But beyond that – it is the fact that nothing seems to change – except for those in power who get to control the money.

  2. R.D. Liebst

    On the other side of reality, the workers are doing a great job of tearing out the upstairs bathroom and getting ready for the shower and remod of that bathroom. It will make it so much easier for mom LOL though now the front yard is looking like we are having a outhouse. A tolet, a bath tub and cabnets.

    My ole my will the next door people be shock some morning when my wife is needing to go to the bath room or to take a bath till the workers are done! Not to mention how uncomfortable it would be if it snows.. Hurry up and get through I have to go! Hey don;t rush me you have any idea how hard it is to pee setting in snow?

    • R.D. Liebst

      LOL and now there is too many cooks spoiling the broth, the carpenters call in the plumber and now is saying it can not be done and the other is saying that it can! Each blaming the other for the inability for the other to get it done? The plumber is now saying that he can not install the shower we picked out because of the carpenters are not doing the floor right and the carpenters are saying that he can it is he just does not want to do the work it takes?

      And me who is standing there basically going “HUh?” not quite understanding the whys and how’s like I use to? Gee I use to be quite the jury-rigger so a part of me is thinking well where there is a will there is always a way. Meanwhile I have to laugh, the plumber who use to be the assistant to the plumber who had done some work before. And who had jury rigged some water line in the basement before. Which basically mean he was the one who years ago had done the jury rigging before that is now asking who did it?

      Is the same one who is asking who did it! Politicians and plumbers cut from the same cloth huh?

  3. prairie pond

    “Hey don;t rush me you have any idea how hard it is to pee setting in snow?”

    hehehe. Why yes, I do! It’s not a preferred situation, but all farmgirls know how to do it.

    Yet another reason i don’t go hunting anymore. I can get down, but getting back up requires an assist from the bumper of my truck these days, and even then, it’s always a risk.

    I remember Tracy saying one day all the things for which he was grateful. One was a warm place to sit on the throne. Funny how the older we get, the more we are grateful for the simple things. Hot coffee, warm bathrooms, warm and soft beds, and a loyal dog lying beside the computer!

  4. prairie pond

    I HATE home improvement, which is why my farmhouse slumps toward its return to the good earth ever more rapidly. Here’s hoping the job is quick and as painless as possible, Rick. It will all be worth it when it’s done.

  5. Good morning! I slept in today and caught up on some much-needed rest. I’ve been a bit under the weather, but today has started well.

    The seasons change so quickly nowadays. Today is the the vernal, or spring equinox in the northern hemisphere. One of the two times during the year the length of the day and night are about equal. Mother Nature is certainly waking up and dressing our world in her colorful attire. There’s plenty of clean up from ole man winter that needs done around here. I can remember when that was fun. It’s more work than fun today. Ah, the joys of aging! 🙂

    • prairie pond

      I hope you are feeling better, Fnord. Yeah, I remember when I looked forward to the riding mower season opener, and preparing the garden was a thing of joy and anticipation.

      Now?

      Just more damn chores, and hoping all the machines hold together one more year.

  6. “I don’t care what the unemployment rate’s going to be. Doesn’t matter to me. My campaign doesn’t hinge on unemployment rates and growth rates.” — Rick Santorum

    • indypendent

      But I thought Republicans want to create jobs?

      Could it be that Santorum’s grand ol’ speeches about bringing back manufacturing jobs like we had in them good ol’ days is nothing more than hot air?

      I suspect Santorum is correct in one thing – unemployment does not mean anything to him but those social issues are very important.

      After all, we cannot have strong, independent women making their own health care choices, their own sex life choices, and God forbid women get equal pay – because, after all, we all know that God wants every woman barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen making her man his supper while he is in the living room watching some television ad for an erectile dysfunction pill that will somehow – magically – make him feel like a ‘real’ man.

      Oh, did I forget to say the man will also be scratching himself and belching while watching those E.D. ads?

      Yeah, now that’s such an enticing mental picture for any woman to say ‘ Oh Hell NO…’

  7. Today is another republican primary, this time in Illinois. Will Romney be able to chalk up another win? I do know that these are republican voters and that helps me understand that Santorum is able to garner any votes, but I still don’t understand why it is noteworthy for Romney to be declared the victor.

    Come on, what kind of an accomplishment is beating Santorum?

  8. “Santorum made his very first sweater vest when he tore the arms off his straitjacket” — Andy Borowitz 🙂

  9. Next Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to begin hearing arguments about the constitutionality of the federal health care law.

    What to Expect: Supreme Court to Hear Health Care Law Challenge

    We all know the main reason contraception became so widely talked about is because the republicans saw this as an opportunity to bash ‘Obamacare,” and the Catholics are hoping they can force the federal government to reduce the numbers of women using birth control since their own teachings have failed to do that.

    But there are some who will go to all lengths to suppress women. Santorum is one of those. According to Santorum, true believers understand that a woman is to submit to her husband and have his children.

    It must threaten him and those who share his beliefs that 40% of working wives now earn more than their husbands and women make up more than half of college students. it’s predicted that by 2019 they will make up 59% of total undergraduate enrollment and 61% of those enrolled in graduate programs. This economic and educational freedom is directly linked to women deciding when they will have children.

    It should frighten republicans to know that women make up the majority of the electorate!

    If republicans have delusions of putting a female VP on the ticket or any other way of attempting to placate the female electorate, they only need look at how well females received their type of ‘feminist’ in 2008. Women aren’t that easily fooled! And they should note that even right-of-center women are appalled by their attacks on reproductive rights.

  10. indypendent

    As II’ve shared before, I force myself to watch a few minutes of Televangelist Pat Robertson on his daily money-beg-a-thon show.

    Last week there was an urgent and most dire warning – the Muslims are taking over Belgium and these Muslims are out to take over the world by populating faster than Christians.

    Perhaps this is a factor in the driving force behind this war on birth control pills also?

    These religious folks are hungering for their much-desired Holy War and they see that White Christians have not been popping out those babies like their perceived enemies have.

    I remember George Carlin saying something to the effect that Conservatives are about the preborn. The afterborn are on their own until they reach the age to become a soldier and then Conservatives suddenly care again about these kids.

    That just about sums it up……

  11. indypendent

    Looks like the Catholic Church has other things to do than to continue the War on Women in the USA.

    Old skeletons are beginning to come back to haunt….

    http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/20/10776901-dutch-church-accused-of-castrating-young-boys-in-1950s

  12. indypendent

    Seeing this news makes all my worrying about my country’s future, my grandchildrens’ future seem like some petty minor things – just so long as Peyton Manning is making $96 million dollars in 5 years.

    Wow – what a load off my mind.

    http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Peyton-Manning-Denver-Broncos-five-year-contract-96-million-dollars-032012

    • indypendent

      I an not a hater of football players – but seriously – $96 million for a 5-year-contract?

      This is proof that America is not a poor country – nor are we broke, as some would have us believe. America is a country that makes poor choices in what to value in our society.

      Pro sports will win over education of our American kids any day of the week.

      Pro sports will win over the affordable housing and health care needs of Amerians any day of the week.

      Pro sports will win over the lack of living-wage jobs for all Ameircans any day of the week.

      This is sad – IMHO. Just plain sad and pathetic.

      • Those friends of Mitten$ who own those teams are among the 1% and they’ve done mighty fine while everyone else suffered. They can afford to buy themselves toys.

      • indypendent

        Those owners are also displaying their ‘toys’ in taxpayer-funded stadiums – aren’t they?

        Once again – without the taxpayers, where would the 1% be?

      • wicked

        We have our priorities backwards. Seems it’s been this way for several years.

  13. Paul Ryan doubles down!

    🙂

    His memory isn’t very long, is it!? The first time he submitted a proposal to end Medicare as we know it was the beginning of resurgence in the popularity of President Obama. Not only are women not as easily fooled as republicans seem to think they are, neither are seniors.

    GO, RYAN! DOUBLE DOWN — push harder and faster to screw seniors!

    • All any senior needs to know is:

      Private insurers seek to maximize profits while minimizing costs.

      The Ryan plan essentially would revoke the guarantees that provide seniors and people with disabilities a specific set of benefits and services, replacing it with vouchers covering a portion of premiums to private insurance companies.

      • indypendent

        I’ll tell you a dirty little secret Republicans will never say – without Medicare, a certain Church operating all those health care facilities would not be in business.

        And let’s set the record straight here – many folks believe that a non-profit group is a charity group.

        That is not necessarily true – case in point, a non-profit hospital can and often makes a good profit.

        What makes it non-profit is the fact that this group does have stockholders.

      • indypendent

        does NOT have stockholders….

        This group keeps all the money within the ‘family’

    • One more point to remember about the Ryan plan —

      women all know republicans can’t be trusted with their health care decisions!

  14. wicked

    Via Alan Grayson…

    “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you.” 1 Thessalonians 4:11 (Paul of Tarsus, quoting Jesus)

    Hmmmmm…..

  15. wicked

    The above was sent in an email in response to Santorum’s pledge to make (distribution of) porn illegal when he’s president. There’s one big problem with that. Well, actually several problems, but the first is that porn is in the eye of the beholder. What I might think is porn, my neighbor might think is art.

    Will Ricky then make it legal to only get my news from Fox? Or read newspapers endorsed by him? Just where will he stop and what parts of the Constitution will he take a black marker to?

    These guys seem to think that if they say it, that makes it true. As if they can actually make laws on their own, without benefit of Congress. And people believe them!

    Sad. Real sad.

    • indypendent

      Fundies also seem to be under the illusion (or delusion) that just because they make some law legislating morality – and have you noticed they’re mostly concerned about sexual morals ? – that all will be hunky dory.

      I wonder if the prostitute that Jesus saved from beign stoned to death was also found guilty under one of the morality laws that those holier-than-thou types had passed? If I remember correctly, didn’t Jesus rebuke the holier-than-thou types and said to them- Ye without sin cast the first stone?

      Has anyone noticed that those folks who like to pass the most morality laws seem to be the ones with the most skeletons in their own closets?

      • indypendent

        BTW – if the prostitute was to be stoned for her sin – then why weren’t the men who had sex with this same prostitute stoned for their sin?

      • indypendent

        One last BTW – Someone needs to tell Rush and his Rusbots that a slut is only made a slut when men get involved.

      • prairie pond

        Uh…. well…. uh… oh, nevermind.

        I’ll just keep my reply to myself. Let’s just say, ahem, that’s not 100% accurate.

        🙂

      • She got you there, Indy! 🙂

        I think it’s safer to say it takes (at least) TWO to tango.

      • indypendent

        Actually, Rush’s definition was that a slut is someone who wants to be paid to have sex. And who is generally the ones that pay for sex? – it’s the men.

        If men are not paying for sex – is the woman really a slut?

      • prairie pond

        Hee Heeeee. I was just trying to be funny, Indy.

        In thinking about this, though, I don’t know any lesbians who would call another woman a “slut.” It just isn’t a term we would use. I always thought a “slut” was someone who had a lot of indiscriminate sex, with or without pay.

        Not that there’s anything wrong with that… If you can handle it… and your partners can handle it… and you use protection… you get my drift. It aint easy to pull that off without eventually courting drama at best and disaster at worst.

        I think in my community, it’s more likely such a woman would be called a player, or a “stud” which is, of course, a mighty sexist term. Mostly, I think we’d all be jealous 🙂 You know the definition of a whore?

        Anyone who’s gettin’ more than you!

      • wicked

        I have to agree with prairie pond on the definition of slut: Someone who has indiscriminate sex with anyone. Sluts can be guys, too. In fact, I think most teenage boys and many grown men are sluts. LOL

      • indypendent

        But Rush went further and said that since ‘we’ were paying for her to have sex – then he demanded that she put the videotape online for everyone to see.

        I guess that makes Rush a porn watcher – huh?

        But I don’t anyone calling him that.

        As for for the definition of slut – I think it is anyone who commits adultery – well, that sure as hell knocks Newt and his lovely third wife Callista out of contention for any position in the White House.

        But how many Evangelcials and Catholics are supporting those two ?

        So I guest makes those who support sluts also sluts? After all, one is known by the company they keep.

        Birds of a feather flock together…

  16. indypendent

    Should President Obama personally apologize for a joke told at one of his fundraisers?

    Oh, BTW , the person demanding the apology is also the person who must not see the need to demand a personal apology from Talk Radio Shock Jock Rush for the Magic Negro song that he infamous sang …

    Newt – while I may think DeNiro’s comments were inappropriate – I personally do not feel your third wife – Callista – is the best example of a First Lady (no matter what color of her skin) because she was your mistress while you were cheating on your second wife (which was also your mistress while you were cheating on your first wife).

    I don’t think Callista is the best example for these young girls based on her behavior – not the color of her skin.

    http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/20/10776671-gingrich-demands-obama-apologize-for-de-niro-joke

    • indypendent

      clarification – Obama did NOT make this comment – Robert DeNiro did.

      I have not seen many Republicans running to apologize or demand an apology from any of their colleagues when they got caught sending those racist emails about our president.

      Newt is just doing what Republicans do best – throw that red meat to their GOP base.