Oops, they have done it again…

Seems there are questions of possible editing mishaps in that NPR tape.  Hmmm…..let’s see – it is the work of a well-known conservative activist who has already been involved in some questionable activities.  

Unfortunately, the damage has been done – so the truth is no longer required.  Or is it?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/14/npr-sting-tape-analysis-editing_n_835384.html

Bomb Targets MLK Parade in Spokane

Now for more news you won’t hear on FOX. A backpack bomb was discovered along the parade route of residents celebrating Martin Luther King Day.

AP reports
http://www.omaha.com/article/20110118/AP09/301189781

“The bomb had a remote detonator and the ability to cause mass casualties, according to an official familiar with the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information about the investigation.

“The bomb was defused without incident Monday but unnerved residents of Spokane, especially those who took part in a parade whose theme was steeped in peace and nonviolence.

“The attempt on the day set aside to honor the slain civil rights leader raised the possibility of a racial motive in a region that has been home to the white supremacist group Aryan Nations.

“‘The confluence of the holiday, the march and the device is inescapable, but we are not at the point where we can draw any particular motive,’ Harrill said.”

*****

Another bomb was found a few weeks earlier near a court-house.

Remember when Janet Napolitano announced the finding that right-wing extremists posed the greatest threat of domestic terrorism, and the right-wing erupted in OUTRAGE!

Well . . . she was right.

And on the media front, this event got about as much coverage as the mosque bombings, e.g., hardly any.

David Koch is steaming

The Koch Brothers have been bankrolling the Far Right for decades, including Tea Party and anti-science front groups. Now that the monster they’ve created is burning books and slandering Muslim Americans, they’re not so keen on taking credit.

“It’s hateful. It’s ludicrous. And it’s plain wrong,” says David Koch as he begins the defense of he and his brother against recent articles that have said the two men are spending a fortune to secretly fund an anti-Obama insurgency.

Read more here.

Hypocrisy of the right-leaning media

David Frum makes a smart observation: When Dan Rather fell for a hoax about Bush’s war record in 2004, CBS kicked him to the curb. Now that Andrew Breitbart has published doctored videos that make a Department of Agriculture employee appear racist—and cost her her job—will he have to do the same? “Breitbart is the conservative Dan Rather,” Frum writes, “but there will be no discredit, no resignation for him.” Indeed, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and other conservatives are actually blaming President Obama and the NAACP for the whole brouhaha while neglecting to mention that Breitbart is the one who disseminated the video in the first place. Frum draws a connection to the right’s fury over leaked emails from Journolist, an email list-serve for several liberal journalists, that showed a few journalists expressing a wish to quash stories about Jeremiah Wright during the 2008 election. “Only, of course, the Wright story was not quashed—unlike the story of Breitbart’s role in Sherrod’s firing, which has been, at least among conservatives.”

Read more here.

ANYTHING, as long as Obama fails

If America fails too.  So what?  GOP goal is to make sure Obama fails!

In a 57-41 vote, Senate Republicans successfully killed a “tax-extenders bill” that includes tax cuts, aid to states, an extension of unemployment relief, and a delay in a cut to Medicare payments to doctors. Republicans, joined by Democrat Ben Nelson and Independent Joe Lieberman, complained that the spending is not offset with other spending cuts or tax hikes; Democrats, in order to satisfy them, offset all the spending except for the unemployment relief, but it still wasn’t enough.

The Man Who Changed Glenn Beck’s Life (via The Glenn Beck Review)

I’m just checking out WordPress’ new “reblogging” feature.
I’ve always maintained that I’m not “anti” anything, but rather “pro” other things.
Sooo….this is my disclaimer. I’m not anti-Glenn Beck, I’m PRO-REALITY and TRUTH!

Cleon Skousen was a right-wing crank whom even conservatives despised. Then Beck discovered him. W. Cleon Skousen By Alexander Zaitchik (reprinted here with permission of the author) On Saturday, I spent the afternoon with America’s new breed of angry conservative. Up to 75,000 protesters had gathered in Washington on Sept. 12, the day after the eighth anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, sporting the now familiar tea-bagger accoutremen … Read More

via The Glenn Beck Review

Illegal Immigration……………………

There are probably few topics that get more people hopping mad than the issue of illegal immigration. The recent “Stop and show me your papers!” law in Arizona has thrust the debate to center ice. There are critics of the law on both sides of the aisle, as well as supporters both red and blue.

Everyone, it seems, has a “solution” for the problem, some rational and some clearly idiotic. Estimates of the number of illegals in country range from official estimates of 10.8 – 12 million to insanely inflated totals of 30 million or more.

Solutions for dealing with those that are already here range from total amnesty to a mind-boggling round ’em up and bus them to Mexico, as if that were practical or all are Mexican nationals, for that matter.

Ideas regarding  border security include such thoughts as landmines, fences – real and virtual, machine gun nests, calling out the National Guard or the Army  and armed patrols of citizens.

There is no question that illegal immigration is a serious problem and it seems that damned near everyone has their own thoughts on the possible solutions.

These are mine……………………………………………………………………….

One, put some serious teeth into the penalties for knowingly hiring illegal workers. Teeth, as in “buckle-your-knees” jail time.

Two, provide a date certain by which those already in country,  for at least a year, can apply for and and receive for a Green Card without repercussion. At that time, they could begin the process of applying for citizenship under current rules.

Three, national ID cards, if there is a way to make them counterfeit proof.

Four, after that date certain, anyone found to be in country illegally would summarily deported to their country of origin.

Five, allow our president to use every option available to our military to protect our borders as he or she deems necessary.

Those are my thoughts. The pot is boiling and the lid is about to be blown off. What are your thoughts?

William Stephenson Clark

The Huge Growth in Patriot Groups

The Southern Poverty Law Center indicates that there were 149 Patriot groups in 2008 and as of 2009 their numbers were 512; an increase of 244 percent!  These groups include militias as well.  They all hold the view that the Federal Government is their primary enemy.

In the above referenced source, the authors conclude that our situation currently is much like the time before the Oklahoma City bombing.  Bill Clinton reminds people that words do matter and those of the media have a special responsibility in not inflaming people.

iggydonnelly

Bring Your Guns To Washington Rally! April 19, 2010

The False Equivalency of the Left vs. Right Rage

In response to the unprecedented rage that has been leveled at Obama, the Right contends that the Left’s rage against George W. Bush was just as toxic.  This has to be the best example of False Equivalency I have seen for some time.  Were there an equal number of death threats against political figues during the Bush terms?  I am not recalling them.  The whole tenor of the rancor is much worse now than at any time during the Bush junta.

Sure we said Bush looks like a chimp.  The fact is:  he does!  Even though he invaded foreign lands on false premises, did we ever refer to GWB as Hitler:  we did not.  Even though Bush did everything he could to shuffle govenment resources to his corporate friends, did we say he was out to squander our country’s resources:  we didn’t.

We should have done all of the above and more.  Where else did we fail in our criticism of POTUS 43?

iggydonnelly

THE ISSUES OF THE CIVIL WAR

Watching Chris Matthews going after Pat Buchanan on hardball about the Civil war and the issue in Virginia. Buchanan being a member of a Confederate ancestors group.

Brought back the differences between how the North see that war and how the South see it.

The same actions and occurrences but totally different reasoning behind it.

Matthews kept bring it back to the issue of slavery and stating that was what it was all about.

And that was the issue that brought Virginia into the war, Buchanan brought up a different reason.

Virginia did not separate from the Union because it was a slave state it was only after President Lincoln ordered Virginia to send its troops to attack into another state that was a part of the new Confederacy.

The Governor refused saying they would not kill their brothers!

Having talked to several and having lived in a State where the Stars and bars are still flew proudly.
I know how they saw it and their reasons for it, for them it amounted to the same as if Washington D.C. was ordering West Virginia to stop Coal mining.

When a entire regional economy is based on one aspect the questions of it right or wrong has a greater impact then just the moral question.

When it came to the question of slavery to the South it is the same as if the Slave South was demanding that the Industrial North stop using its industry. Either way it would have meant that region would be thrown into hunger and ruin.

I do not defend slavery of any people, but this war was so devastating that it still has not truly been settled.
And may not be until both sides can address the total cases of it.

I have never met a Southern that wants slavery back for them that is not the issue of redress or distress .

Where were you?

Where were you during those miserable eight years of bush the lesser when everything you complain about was happening?  Do you realize how small and petty your outrage appears today?

The Hutaree: A Right Wing Threat

A paramilitary group from Michigan which called itself Hutaree planned to kill police officers whom it considers to be foot soldiers of the government.  They planned to make a fake 911 call and then kill the officers who responded to the call.  Further they planned to show up at the funerals of the officers and kill more officers who would likely attend the funerals.

Strange as it may sound this group considered themselves a Christian organization.  From the Washington Post  “The group’s Web site bears the slogan ‘preparing for the end time battles to keep the testimony of Jesus Christ alive.'”

Eugene Robinson in his editorial today notes that the very real threat of extremist groups now appears to derive soley from the right wing.  While the left had violent groups in the past, this is not currently the case.  Anyone have a theory on this development?

iggydonnelly

Creating An Anti-Bullying Culture

This is happening at some of our nation’s schools!  Such an exciting and badly-needed lesson to be learned.  There is an excellent article at NPR titled, “Hit Back At Bullies?  Not At This School.”

What we’re losing without noticing.

Civility. Compromise. Discussion.

Remember them? Me too. I feel as if I’ve been a witness to their destruction at the hands of Stridency, Volume, and Exclusion.

Consider the news this week. A man with Parkinson’s disease, engaged in the simple act of letting his opinion in the face a of anti-health care reform protest – shouted at, mocked, humiliated. Was he hit or injured? No. Can you say you didn’t believe it was about to happen the first time you saw that video? Me neither. I feared for him and admire his bravery.

Where was the voice of reason in that crowd? I’d like to think I live in a nation where people are not afraid to protect those who need it, regardless of their political stripe. Yet none of the bystanders raised a hand to stop what was going on. “This is wrong, brother. I don’t agree with him either, but this is wrong.” That is all it would have taken. It didn’t happen.

This morning’s news is that Congressmen in favor of health care reform were spat upon and called hateful names that dredge up shameful portions of our nation’s history. What has become of us when men who are responding to the voices of their constituents can be humiliated for doing their job?

An important principle of our nation gives us all a voice. We’re all blessed by that principle. I’m not sure that principle doesn’t imply that we use that voice responsibly. Who in that crowd on Capitol Hill yesterday said “this is wrong brother. I don’t agree with them either, but this is wrong”?

On social media sites, opinions on health care are often met with strident opposing responses that come across as dismissive of opinions other than what the responder holds. Friends and families become estranged because the political atmosphere calls for not only rejection of opposing opinions, but shaming those who hold them.

My son will vote in his first election in November. After seeing the tone of arguments made on-line by admired friends and family, he has made the choice to speak only with his vote on political matters. I’m proud he’ll stay engaged in the process, but saddened that the tone of discussion these days is driving his voice, and probably others, into silence.

This is wrong, brother. We don’t agree, that’s our right,  but this atmosphere is wrong.

Omawarisan