God's Vacation

Mysterium Magnum

2012-02-12T21:18:00.000-08:00

by Jacob Boehme

The Spiral Vortex by Michael Davis; Chapters 1 and 2

The Astrological Archetypes

2012-02-12T15:57:00.000-08:00

“The archetypes are, as it were, the hidden foundations of the conscious mind, or, to use another comparison, the roots which the psyche has sunk not only in the earth in the narrow sense but the world in general. Archetypes are systems of readiness for action, and at the same time images and emotions. They are inherited with the brain--structure-indeed, they are its psychic aspect. They represent, on the one hand, a very strong instinctive conservatism, while on the other they are the most effective means conceivable of instinctive adaptation. They are thus, essentially, the chthonic portion of the psyche, if we may use such an expression—that portion through which the psyche is attached to nature, or in which its link with the earth and the world appears at its most tangible. The psychic influence of the earth and its laws is seen most clearly in these primordial images."
C.G. Jung

JOHFRA and the Zodiac: http://www.johfra.nl/m_life_sub.php?lang=EN&sub=09

Bill Moyers: Where the Right Went Wrong | Truthout

2012-02-12T10:16:00.000-08:00

"The subtitle says it all: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy."

Bill Moyers: Where the Right Went Wrong | Truthout

Public Utility, Private Profit: Privatization of Water is as Benign as Lucifer | Truthout

2012-02-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

"Water in Marin County is a public utility. There’s a water board elected by the voters and various projects from time to time. For most of my life I was not even aware that water might be a problem for some people, blissfully wrapped in the Bay Area cocoon. What I’d heard seemed to be passing news bulletins. Droughts somewhere, I wasn’t sure. Relief efforts.

"I’ve also been ignorant about nearly everything else in the world. I don’t think I really got how deeply evil some corporations were. I didn’t understand how money worked, nor what the World Bank was about, nor the International Monetary Fund. They sounded benign. They are about as benign as Lucifer.

"I certainly didn’t understand how the World Bank and some huge corporations were, in concert, working to kill millions of people by depriving them of access to water. I do now."

Public Utility, Private Profit: Privatization of Water is as Benign as Lucifer | Truthout

Indiana Senate Candidate: Obama Deserves All Blame For Bad Economy, No Credit For Its Improvement

2012-02-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

"The facts, however, tell a different story. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, despite Republican claims, has been a success, and since its implementation, the economy has added jobs for 23 consecutive months. The auto bailout, another favorite Republican target, hasalso worked, saving thousands of jobs and returning American automakers to profitability for the first time in a decade"

Indiana Senate Candidate: Obama Deserves All Blame For Bad Economy, No Credit For Its Improvement:

GOP Continues To Oppose Contraception Coverage Plan Now Supported By Large Catholic Institutions

2012-02-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

GOP Continues To Oppose Contraception Coverage Plan Now Supported By Large Catholic Institutions: The U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops almost immediately rejected a compromise on requiring contraception coverage that the Obama administration announced on Friday, and Republicans have continued to attack the accommodation. Under the compromise, religious institutions will not be required to provide contraceptive coverage because insurers will provide contraception directly to employees at no cost, completely removing ...

We Take Care Of Our Own

2012-02-11T08:29:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-x8zBzxCwsM#!

Gov. Scott Walker To Use Foreclosure Settlement Money To Balance His Budget, Not Help Homeowners

2012-02-11T08:24:00.000-08:00

Gov. Scott Walker To Use Foreclosure Settlement Money To Balance His Budget, Not Help Homeowners: Yesterday, 49 states joined the federal government in announcing a $26 billion settlement with five of the nation’s biggest banks over the banks’ foreclosure fraud abuses. The money from the settlement is meant to aid homeowners who lost their homes to foreclosure or who find themselves underwater, meaning they owe more on their mortgage than ....

Mitt Romney Legitimizing White Nationalists By Speaking At CPAC Today

2012-02-11T08:23:00.001-08:00

Mitt Romney Legitimizing White Nationalists By Speaking At CPAC Today: Our guest blogger is Daniella Gibbs Leger, Vice President for New American Communities Initiatives at the Center for American Progress. Today, GOP presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich will kiss the ring of CPAC, the annual gathering of hundreds of conservative activists in Washington, DC. This is a must-do pilgrimage for anyone ...

Santorum Froths At CPAC About ‘Facade Of Man-Made Global Warming’

2012-02-11T08:23:00.000-08:00

Santorum Froths At CPAC About ‘Facade Of Man-Made Global Warming’: Rick Santorum, who scored several wins this week in the Republican presidential race, told a cheering crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington DC this morning that climate change is a leftist scientific conspiracy to destroy America. He railed that the “facade of man-made global warming” might convince people with the “sentimentality” to...

(And the looney tunes continue...M.D.)

REPORT: By A Nearly 2 To 1 Margin, Cable Networks Call On Men Over Women To Comment On Birth Control

2012-02-11T08:21:00.000-08:00

REPORT: By A Nearly 2 To 1 Margin, Cable Networks Call On Men Over Women To Comment On Birth Control: TP interns Zachary Bernstein and Fatima Najiy conducted the research for this report. President Obama’s regulation mandating that health insurance plans offer free birth control is an issue that most directly affects women. And yet, the cable news chatter over this controversy has been driven mostly by men, according to a new ThinkProgress analysis. From...

Hundreds Of Protesters March To Conservative Action Conference To ‘Occupy CPAC’

2012-02-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

Hundreds Of Protesters March To Conservative Action Conference To ‘Occupy CPAC’: WASHINGTON, D.C. — Hundreds of protesters, chanting “We are the 99 percent” and waving signs decrying corporate tax dodging and other issues, marched in front of the Marriott Wardman hotel in Woodley Park, the site of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, this afternoon. Occupy CPAC, as protesters dubbed it, featured a giant inflatable “corporate ...

(Way to go Occupy!!! M.D.)

GOP Ups The Ante, Introduces Legislation To Allow Any Employer To Deny Any Preventive Health Service

2012-02-11T08:18:00.000-08:00

GOP Ups The Ante, Introduces Legislation To Allow Any Employer To Deny Any Preventive Health Service: Earlier today, in response to criticism from Catholic groups, the White House altered its regulation requiring employers and insurers to provide no-cost contraception coverage as part of their health care plans. Churches and religious nonprofits that primarily employ people of the same faith are still exempt from the requirement, but now religiously affiliated colleges, universities, ...

Romney For Sale: Mitt Hosts $10K ‘Policy Roundtables’

2012-02-11T08:17:00.001-08:00

Romney For Sale: Mitt Hosts $10K ‘Policy Roundtables’: Giving a preview of how he would govern as president, Mitt Romney hosted a series of “policy roundtables” with top dollar donors Thursday at the JW Marriott hotel in Washington, DC. Once again demonstrating that he is much more concerned with helping the very rich than the very poor, the panels were open to all ...

Who Is Foster Friess? Seven Facts You Need To Know

2012-02-11T08:17:00.000-08:00

Who Is Foster Friess? Seven Facts You Need To Know: Foster Friess, the multi-millionaire financial investor who—until recently—was practically single-handedly bankrolling Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign, has a long history supporting Republican candidates and conservative causes. And unlike some of his fellow mega-donors like the Koch brothers or Sheldon Adelson, Friess has never tried all that hard to hide his intentions or methods. On his personal ...

It's the Sex, Stupid: An Interview With Author Nancy Cohen About How the Sexual Counterrevolution Is Polarizing America | Truthout

2012-02-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

"Nancy L. Cohen: "Delirium" tells the story of how a small group of religious zealots captured the Republican Party, took control of the nation's political agenda - and how Democrats let it happen.

"American politics today - the dysfunction, the polarization, the vitriol - isn't just about a reaction to the economy or hostility to President Obama. It has its roots in a shadow movement that started about four decades ago.

"The key point is what drove these people, what motivated them, in the first place. It's honestly quite strange when you consider we're talking about the politics of the world's oldest democracy and largest economy.

"They believed that sex was destroying America. So, you could say, it's the sex, stupid."

It's the Sex, Stupid: An Interview With Author Nancy Cohen About How the Sexual Counterrevolution Is Polarizing America | Truthout

Obama Bypasses Congress on No Child Left Behind | Truthout

2012-02-11T08:12:00.000-08:00

"The Obama administration is demanding education reform from Congress, but instead of waiting for lawmakers to act, President Obama granted waivers to ten states on Thursday allowing them to implement their own reforms instead of meeting the No Child Left Behind Act's (NCLB) 2014 deadline for reading and math proficiency.

"Educators and lawmakers agree that NCLB, which President George W. Bush signed into law in 2002, is problematic because it punishes lower-performing schools and causes teachers to teach to the test, but Congress has yet to come up with reforms that lawmakers can agree on."

Obama Bypasses Congress on No Child Left Behind | Truthout

Education now only for the wealthy?

2012-02-11T08:08:00.000-08:00

"Low-income children are screwed when it comes to getting a good education. New studies show that a quality education in America is now increasingly only available to the very rich. A study out of Stanford shows that the gap in standardized testing scores between rich students and low-income students has increased 40% since the 1960's. And another study out of the University of Michigan shows that gap between rich and low-income students when it comes to college completion - which is the single biggest factor when it comes to succeeding in the economy - has grown 50% since the 1980's." by Thom Hartmann

Education now only for the wealthy?

Is the Housing Market Finally Ready to Rebound?

2012-02-10T09:05:00.001-08:00

"As you may recall, Smithianism¹ is an economic forecasting model that suggests the economy will turn up this year because (a) So many cars have worn out over the past three years that sales pretty much have to go up at this point, and (b) So many people have been living in their parents' basement for so long that sheer desperation is going to drive them into the home and rental market. This, in turn, will get the economy back on track.

Okay, that's a little oversimplified. But basically true. As regular readers know, I've been striving to believe in Smithianism for the past six or nine months, and it's been hard. I've tried, but I end up backsliding a lot too. Today, though, Calculated Risk provides a strong endorsement:" by Kevin Drum, Mother Jones

http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/02/housing-market-finally-ready-rebound

Catholics Do Not Have a Deep Moral Objection to Contraception

2012-02-10T09:00:00.001-08:00

"Should secular Catholic institutions (such as hospitals and universities) be required to abide by federal rules that say healthcare plans have to cover contraception? Or should they receive a conscience exemption from this rule, as churches themselves do?

"Two new polls today shed some light on this question. The first one, from the Public Religion Research Institute, asked if all employers should be required to offer healthcare plans that cover contraception:" by Kevin Drum, Mother Jones

All Americans: broad agreement, 55%-40%
Catholics: broad agreement, 58%-37%

Food Stamp President(s) - Oh SNAP!

2012-02-10T08:57:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-AnuDkXlX0o

One Thing About Facebook We Don't Like

2012-02-10T08:54:00.001-08:00

http://ctj.org/ctjreports/2012/02/putting_a_facebook_on_the_corporate_stock_option_tax_loophole.php

Are We on the Brink of War With Iran? | The Nation

2012-02-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

"Only twelve minutes into his presidency, Barack Obama reached out to the Muslim world and Iran, offering America’s hand of friendship if Iran would in turn unclench its fist. Yet three years later, we are closer to war than we were in the last years of the Bush administration, with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta telling the Washington Post there is a “strong likelihood” of an Israeli strike this spring. How did we get here?"

Are We on the Brink of War With Iran? | The Nation

PoliticusUSA

2012-02-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

Real Liberal Politics-No Corporate Money. No Masters

http://www.politicususa.com/all-time-popular-posts

The 15 Wars Started By The GOP Since Obama Took Office

2012-02-09T09:37:00.001-08:00

The Contraception Controversy

2012-02-09T09:34:00.000-08:00

http://front.moveon.org/the-one-thing-11-2-million-women-in-america-have-in-common/?rc=daily.share&id=35576-17569941-Lt4A9ox

Ellen DeGeneres Fights Bigotry — And Wins!

2012-02-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

video platform video management video solutions video player

GOVERNOR BROWN UNVEILS PENSION REFORM PLAN

2012-02-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

"SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today proposed 12 major reforms for state and local pension systems that would end system-wide abuses and reduce taxpayer costs by billions of dollars over the long term."

(There are some good ideas here, but personally I reject the 70% defined benefit and 30% 401k plan. In my opinion this will start a spiral to the bottom in public sector retirement programs. In the case of the California Teachers Retirement System (a defined benefit plan), teachers do not have Social Security to back up their retirement package because they do not pay into Social Security. Most places that have 401k plans also have Social Security as a back up. Hopefully better minds will prevail on this part of the package. Also, historically defined benefit plans like CalSTRS and CalPERS have performed better than 401ks. M.D.)

Here's a link to a detailed article about Gov. Brown's proposal:

http://gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=17296

Here's a link to an article comparing the performance of defined benefit plans to 401ks:

http://www.towerswatson.com/united-states/press/3964

(What is a four letter word that starts with an F and ends with a K and means your screwed? 401k...M.D.)

Make a Difference

2012-02-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

Hi Blogger Friends,

We have donated to Plan USA for many years. We have sponsored children in many countries and and still do. We have helped stock pharmacies with needed vaccines and drugs and have helped to provide water for communities. We also contribute to a program that keeps girls safe from trafficking. There are many ways you can help children around the world. Check it out at: http://www.planusa.org/

Michael Davis

Karl Frisch

2012-02-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

Worth reading and listening to: http://www.karlfrisch.com/

How the GOP Is Resegregating the South | The Nation

2012-02-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

"The use of race in redistricting is just one part of a broader racial strategy used by Southern Republicans to not only make it more difficult for minorities to vote and to limit their electoral influence but to pass draconian anti-immigration laws, end integrated busing, drug-test welfare recipients and curb the ability of death-row inmates to challenge convictions based on racial bias. GOP presidential candidates have gotten in on the act, with Newt Gingrich calling President Obama “the best food-stamp president in American history.” The new Southern Strategy, it turns out, isn’t very different from the old one." by Ari Berman, The Nation

How the GOP Is Resegregating the South | The Nation

Obama Job Creation

2012-02-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

Equality!

2012-02-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

Debt, Toll Roads and Patents

2012-02-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

"It's budget time, again. This means that the deficit hawks will be out in force warning us about the devastating debt burden that we are passing on to our children. So that this Halloween fright gang doesn't needlessly cause any kids to lose sleep, here's what parents can tell their children.

"First, it is important to tell your kids that the national debt is not in any way a measure of intergenerational transfers from the young to the old. Debt is also an asset to the people who own the bonds. At some point, everyone who is alive today will be dead, which means that the bonds they own will be passed on to their or someone else's children and grandchildren.

"Our children and grandchildren might owe the debt, but they will also be receiving the interest paid on the debt."

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dean-baker/debt-toll-roads-and-paten_b_1258040.html

Robert Reich

2012-02-08T07:56:00.000-08:00

"January’s increase in hiring is good news, but it masks a bigger and more disturbing story – the continuing downward mobility of the American middle class."

Robert Reich

The Cancer in Occupy

2012-02-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

"The Black Bloc anarchists, who have been active on the streets in Oakland and other cities, are the cancer of the Occupy movement."

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_cancer_of_occupy_20120206/

(I have attended many demonstrations over the years and several Occupy gatherings in the past several months. There have always been a small number of anarchists, but I've never seen it as a cancer. But, "the powers that be" want to latch on to anything that gives a black mark to the "true" people's movement, which is what the Occupy movement is, so one can view this article as a cautionary message. M.D.)

Santorum’s Incoherence: Manmade Global Warming Is a “Hoax” But Using “Science and Discovery” Makes Us Better Stewards

2012-02-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

Santorum’s Incoherence: Manmade Global Warming Is a “Hoax” But Using “Science and Discovery” Makes Us Better Stewards: GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum doesn’t mince words when it comes to his energy plan: humanity’s purpose is to dominate the environment. Speaking at an energy summit in Colorado yesterday, the former Pennsylvania Senator explained his belief that humans were “put on this earth … for our benefit, not for the Earth’s benefit.” In his ...

Why does a routine FAA spending bill include harsh anti-union language, making it harder for transportation workers to organize?

2012-02-08T07:46:00.000-08:00

"The Republican strategy on Capitol Hill of legislating through hostage taking worked yesterday – and now unions are screwed. House Republicans demanded that a routine FAA spending bill include harsh anti-union language that makes it harder for transportation workers to organize. The change raises the threshold for seeking a union from 35% to 50% for transportation workers – and Republican basically said if Democrats don’t agree to it then they’ll shut down the FAA again – just like they did last year. " by Thom Hartmann

Why does a routine FAA spending bill include harsh anti-union language, making it harder for transportation workers to organize?

Scott Walker and the Secret "John Doe" Investigation Explained

2012-02-08T07:44:00.000-08:00

"A dark cloud hangs over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

"A "John Doe" investigation launched in May 2010 has embroiled former Walker staffers and appointees from his time as Milwaukee County executive, his job before winning the governorship in November 2010. The investigation, led by Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, has led to home raids targeting former staffers with close ties to Walker and numerous felony charges for election law violations, embezzlement, and misconduct in office." by Andy Kroll, Mother Jones

http://motherjones.com/politics/2012/02/scott-walker-john-doe-investigation-explained

2012-02-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

"Their “21st Century Postal Service Act,” a supposed compromise now being weighed by the Senate, would still force the postal service to close hundreds of mail processing centers, shut thousands of post offices, cause massive delays in mail delivery and push consumers toward most expensive private-sector services. It is, says National Association of Letter Carriers President Fredric Rolando, “a classic case of ‘killing the Post-Office in order to save it.’ ”

"Their rationale for making the bloodletting, much discussed in the media, holds that radical surgery is necessary because the postal service is in financial crisis.

"The postal service, we are told, is broke.

"There’s only one problem with this diagnosis.

"It’s wrong.

"The postal service is not broke." by John Nichols, The Nation

http://www.thenation.com/blog/166103/post-office-not-broke?rel=emailNation

Guest Post: Independent Report Contradicts Western Portrait of Syria

2012-02-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

"While the Western media act like the Syrian government is wantonly and indiscriminately killing its own people without provocation, an independent investigation has found a different reality on the ground.

"Specifically, over 160 monitors from the Arab League – comprised of both allies and mortal enemies of Syria – toured Syria and published a report on January 27th showing that the situation has been mischaracterized."

Guest Post: Independent Report Contradicts Western Portrait of Syria

Appeals court strikes down California’s same sex marriage ban | The Raw Story

2012-02-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

"A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday afternoon that a Proposition 8, California voter ban on same sex marriage, is unconstitutional.

"A three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled 2-1 Tuesday that a lower court was right to strike the law down."

Appeals court strikes down California’s same sex marriage ban | The Raw Story

Chris Hayes: Why Republicans hate Clint Eastwood’s commercial | The Raw Story

2012-02-07T11:06:00.000-08:00

"Dirty Harry has turned against the GOP.

"That’s basically the message in last night’s episode of The Rachel Maddow Show, during which guest host Chris Hayes examined the popular Chrysler Super Bowl ad featuring Oscar-winning director Clint Eastwood.

"His conclusion: Eastwood’s sideways endorsement of the auto bailouts punches conservatives where it hurts — right in the Reagan."

Chris Hayes: Why Republicans hate Clint Eastwood’s commercial | The Raw Story

George Carlin On 'Pro-Life' Conservatives

2012-02-07T08:28:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vZijLQGH1v0#!

Mitt Romney's New Policy For The Poor

2012-02-07T08:26:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0wMLu011Ilk

Jim Hightower | GOP "mad as a hatter" about EPA mercury regs

2012-02-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

"Why do congressional Republicans hate unborn babies?

"Yeah, I know they profess to love the unborn, even considering them "persons" from the very moment of conception.

"Yet, whose interest do you think these same politicos have chosen to protect when it comes to regulating an especially-nasty industrial toxin that wreaks holy hell on unborn babies?"

Jim Hightower | GOP "mad as a hatter" about EPA mercury regs

Revolution and Counterrevolution in Egypt: Military Power vs. Protest | Truthout

2012-02-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

Revolution and Counterrevolution in Egypt: Military Power vs. Protest | Truthout

Bailed-Out Banks Won't Create Jobs: What Next? | Truthout

2012-02-07T08:11:00.000-08:00

"Unlike during all of the previous 11 US recessions since 1945, the government sector has not created jobs to offset private-sector job loss during the recession. Instead, the public sector has become a major contributor to job destruction. Local governments has laid off 643,000 workers since June 2009, nearly a quarter million of whom were teachers. Public workers and teachers continue to be laid off at a rate of 20,000 a month or more. At that pace, by the end of his first term, President Obama may have presided over a loss of nearly a million public workers' jobs."

Bailed-Out Banks Won't Create Jobs: What Next? | Truthout

Iran: War Drums Beating | Truthout

2012-02-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

"Washington's political class is apparently counting on the short memory of the electorate: it is barely a month and a half since we withdrew the last combat forces from Iraq, and already we have incessant agitation over Iran. America's Iraq adventure took seven years, cost 4,500 US military deaths(ii) and sent a trillion dollars down the drain. And that one was going to be a cakewalk, remember?"

Iran: War Drums Beating | Truthout

A Majority Of Small Business Owners Favor Letting The Bush Tax Cuts For The Rich Expire

2012-02-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

A Majority Of Small Business Owners Favor Letting The Bush Tax Cuts For The Rich Expire: According to a new poll from the Small Business Majority, American Sustainable Business Council, and the Main Street Alliance, a majority of small business owners both believe that millionaires are not paying their fair in taxes and favor a higher tax rate for individuals making more than $1 million annually. A majority of small business...

Big Oil Pumps More Than $1.2 Million Into Romney Super PAC

2012-02-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

Big Oil Pumps More Than $1.2 Million Into Romney Super PAC: Coal, oil, and gas companies have contributed at least $1.2 million to Restore Our Future, the super PAC supporting Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a ThinkProgress Green analysis reveals. The super PAC Restore Our Future has fundraised $30 million to Romney to the White House. The super PAC spent $800,000 on pro-Romney ads, but it...

Senior Gingrich Campaign Official Scrubbed Infidelity, Tiffany Credit Line From Wikipedia Page

2012-02-07T07:58:00.000-08:00

Senior Gingrich Campaign Official Scrubbed Infidelity, Tiffany Credit Line From Wikipedia Page: Newt Gingrich loves technology, but apparently it doesn’t always love him back enough on its own and sometimes needs encouragement. Gingrich has already been caught vastly inflating his Twitter following with phony accounts, and now CNN now reports that the campaign’s communications director, Joe DeSantis, has been aggressively making dozens of edits of Gingrich’s Wikipedia...

Former Wall Street Trader: ‘There’s No Other Industry Where You Could Get Paid So Much For Doing So Little’

2012-02-07T07:56:00.001-08:00

Former Wall Street Trader: ‘There’s No Other Industry Where You Could Get Paid So Much For Doing So Little’: One of the problematic developments for the U.S. economy in the last several decades has been increased financialization. In the 1950s, the financial sector made up less than 3 percent of the economy. Today, it is back to its pre-recession heights of more than 8 percent. The financial sector accounts for about 30 percent of...

The ‘Legislative Wall’: Dick Armey’s Top Five Tea Party Republican Candidates

2012-02-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

"As most independent groups focus on the presidential nomination contest, FreedomWorks for America is focused on electing far-right Republicans to the U.S. Senate. The independent-expenditure-only super PAC is part of the FreedomWorks astroturf network of former U.S. House Republican Leader Dick Armey (R-TX).

"Yesterday on CNN’s State of the Union, Armey said his groups aim to elect tea party-minded conservatives to Congress to force the White House on a far-right path. “We’ll build a legislative wall… We’ll either be walling a Republican president in, or walling a Democratic president out.”

"Here are the bricks they aim to put in their wall:"

The ‘Legislative Wall’: Dick Armey’s Top Five Tea Party Republican Candidates:

Morning Briefing: February 7, 2012

2012-02-07T07:54:00.000-08:00

Morning Briefing: February 7, 2012: As the bankrolls of GOP-aligned Super PACs continue to grow, President Obama’s campaign announced that it will no longer oppose the use of Super PAC funding to aid the reelection bid. Obama made the decision reluctantly and simultaneously announced that he supports a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. Good news on the jobs front ...

Many Catholic Universities, Hospitals Already Cover Contraception In Their Health Insurance Plans

2012-02-07T07:53:00.000-08:00

"Catholic leaders and the GOP presidential candidates have intentionally distorted the Obama administration’s new rule requiring employers and insurers to provide reproductive health benefits at no additional cost sharing. Conservatives are seeking a way to politically unite Republican voters around a social issue and portray the regulation as a big government intrusion into religious liberties. In reality, the mandate is modeled on existing rules in six states, exempts houses of worship and other religious nonprofits that primarily employ and serve people of faith, and offers employers a transitional period of one year to determine how best to comply with the rule."

Many Catholic Universities, Hospitals Already Cover Contraception In Their Health Insurance Plans:

Are Senate Dems About To Cave On GOP Union-Busting? | AlterNet

2012-02-07T07:45:00.000-08:00

"Democrats and Republicans have been unable to pass a long-term reauthorization because Republicans insisted it include a provision that would change mediation rules such that workers who abstained from unionization votes would be counted as if they'd voted "no."

"Democrats held their ground, and the provision was stripped. However, what went in was this: a new union-busting measure would make it harder for workers to trigger a union election by increasing the percentage of workers who must declare interest in unionizing from 35 to 50."

Are Senate Dems About To Cave On GOP Union-Busting? | AlterNet

Corporate Front Group Airs Misleading Anti-Union Ad During Super Bowl

2012-02-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

"While Super Bowl XLVI will be remembered for its dramatic ending, the issue of workers’ rights and union representation also surrounded the National Football League’s biggest game. A labor dispute nearly cost the NFL its 2011-12 season, and in the days before the game, Indiana passed an anti-union “right to work” law that led to union and Occupy protests at Indianapolis’ Super Bowl festivities throughout the week.

"But despite fears from sports columnists and right-wing blogs that the protesters would “ruin the Super Bowl,” the only visible advocacy for some of the game’s viewers came in the form of a misleading anti-union attack ad from a corporate front group. The Center For Union Facts, an organization that has run newspaper ads comparing unions to Kim Jong-il’s authoritarian North Korean regime and endorsed an editorial comparing unions to Nazis, produced and paid for the 40-second ad, which ran in the Washington DC television market just before halftime ended. Watch it:"

Corporate Front Group Airs Misleading Anti-Union Ad During Super Bowl:

SNL parodies Gingrich as ‘moon president’ | The Raw Story

2012-02-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

SNL parodies Gingrich as ‘moon president’ | The Raw Story

Georgia court: Assisted suicide restrictions unconstitutional | The Raw Story

2012-02-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

"The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the state’s law banning people from advertising assistance for suicides violates free speech rights.

"The court unanimously struck down the 1994 law on the grounds that it “restricts speech in violation of the free speech clauses” found in the U.S. and Georgia constitutions, according to The Associated Press."

Georgia court: Assisted suicide restrictions unconstitutional | The Raw Story

Does Obama deserve a second term? | The Raw Story

2012-02-06T08:19:00.000-08:00

“I deserve a second term. But we are not done,” Obama said in the interview, stating that three years ago, “we were losing 750,000 jobs a month.”

“Now, we’re creating 250,000. We created the most manufacturing jobs since 1990. But we’re not finished,” Obama said, pointing to the need to see that “all American manufacturing is building again and selling overseas.”

“We’ve got to make sure that we’re pushing American energy. And that includes not just oil and gas, but clean energy,” he added.

Does Obama deserve a second term? | The Raw Story

Maddow: The GOP ‘is waging a war on contraception’ | The Raw Story

2012-02-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

“80 percent of people say that insurance — anybody providing health insurance should be required to cover contraception,” she said. “So there is a way you can try to make this into a religious freedom issue. But all of the Republican field has gone very, very far right specifically on the issue of contraception and they get a great response for it from the Republican primary audience. But campaigning against the availability of birth control in America is going to run into a 21st century ceiling.”

Maddow: The GOP ‘is waging a war on contraception’ | The Raw Story

Top Obama advisers praise Clint Eastwood’s Super Bowl ad | The Raw Story

2012-02-06T08:16:00.000-08:00

“Powerful spot,” David Axelrod, one of President Obama’s top campaign advisers, immediatelyposted on Twitter. “Saving the America Auto Industry: Something Eminem and Clint Eastwood can agree on,” added White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer.

Top Obama advisers praise Clint Eastwood’s Super Bowl ad | The Raw Story

Parents Stand Up for Teachers Under Attack | Truthout

2012-02-06T08:10:00.001-08:00

"With Mayor Emanuel aligning himself with an extremist group focused on attacking teachers, a group of Chicago parents has decided it’s time to speak up in their defense.

“We’re upset with all the teacher-bashing that’s so fashionable today,” said Erica Clark of Parents For Teachers. “It’s a complete distraction from the real issues facing our schools.”

Parents Stand Up for Teachers Under Attack | Truthout

2012-02-06T08:10:00.000-08:00

"With Mayor Emanuel aligning himself with an extremist group focused on attacking teachers, a group of Chicago parents has decided it’s time to speak up in their defense.

“We’re upset with all the teacher-bashing that’s so fashionable today,” said Erica Clark of Parents For Teachers. “It’s a complete distraction from the real issues facing our schools.”

Parents Stand Up for Teachers Under Attack | Truthout

Anniversaries From "Unhistory" | Truthout

2012-02-06T08:07:00.000-08:00

"George Orwell coined the useful term “unperson” for creatures denied personhood because they don’t abide by state doctrine. We may add the term “unhistory” to refer to the fate of unpersons, expunged from history on similar grounds.

"The unhistory of unpersons is illuminated by the fate of anniversaries. Important ones are usually commemorated, with due solemnity when appropriate: Pearl Harbor, for example. Some are not, and we can learn a lot about ourselves by extricating them from unhistory.

"Right now we are failing to commemorate an event of great human significance: the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s decision to launch the direct invasion of South Vietnam, soon to become the most extreme crime of aggression since World War II." by Noam Chomsky

Anniversaries From "Unhistory" | Truthout

GOP Rep. Mike Rogers: An Israeli Attack On Iran Would ‘Light The Middle East On Fire’

2012-02-06T08:02:00.000-08:00

GOP Rep. Mike Rogers: An Israeli Attack On Iran Would ‘Light The Middle East On Fire’: The past week brought heightened discussion of a potential Israeli unilateral attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. But House Intelligence Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), appearing on CNN’s State of the Union with Candy Crowley this morning, agreed that an Israeli attack would “light the Middle East on Fire” and could be “a real problem for...

Poll: By Large Margins, Americans Trust Obama Over Romney To Handle Foreign Affairs And Terrorism

2012-02-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

Poll: By Large Margins, Americans Trust Obama Over Romney To Handle Foreign Affairs And Terrorism: Out on the campaign trail and in debates, Mitt Romney has tried to paint President Obama as a ineffective commander-in-chief. The former Massachusetts governor regularly says things like the President is “weak” or that he “went around the world and apologized for America” — an assertion the Washington Post said was “based on distortions.” But ...

Fox And Friends Pretty Sure The Labor Department Is ‘Cooking The Books’ On Jobs Numbers

2012-02-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

"If it weren’t improper to psychologically analyse strangers, one might think the Fox hosts are displaying a textbook example of cogitative dissonance here, a psychological phenomena in which people who hold on strong belief about something invent (sometimes far fetched) explanations for new evidence that conflicts with their existing views. Obama is bad for the economy, the jobs numbers show the economy is doing better, so there must be something wrong with the jobs numbers. Needless to say, this is hardly the behavior one expects from fair and balanced journalists Fox hosts claim to be."

Fox And Friends Pretty Sure The Labor Department Is ‘Cooking The Books’ On Jobs Numbers:

The Frog of War

2012-02-06T07:53:00.000-08:00

"Atrazine isn't killing the frogs," Hayes explains. "But if they're reproductively impaired, that's killing the population."

http://motherjones.com/environment/2011/11/tyrone-hayes-atrazine-syngenta-feud-frog-endangered

Tell Us: How Do You Teach Your Kids About Climate Change?

2012-02-06T07:50:00.001-08:00

When I was in New Hampshire recently, I met Sarah Larson Dennen, a teacher at Moharimet Elementary School in Madbury. We were talking about something else entirely - the decline of New England's sugar maple - but another part of our on-carmera interview has stuck with me ever since: how Sarah teaches her young students about climate change.

"Language is really key when you're talking to kids," Sarah explained. "I don't use terms like 'global warming'. I use terms like 'climate change'. And I try to back things up by really showing them data."

"I look to see that these kids are care-takers of our whole natural world," she said.

"That got me thinking: how do you teach your kids about climate change? You don't want to tell your kids the world is in uttter peril… right? But if they ask about climate change, what do you say?

"Climate Desk wants to hear your stories. Leave your comments below. Or - and I encourage this! - head to our YouTube page and click "Create a video response" when you're commenting:

http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/02/tell-us-how-do-you-teach-your-kids-about-climate-change

"Let Detroit Go Bankrupt?"

2012-02-06T07:46:00.001-08:00

Mitt Romney Not Concerned About Poor or Middle Class

2012-02-06T07:44:00.001-08:00

Man Has Come to be Man’s Worst Enemy

2012-02-05T20:36:00.000-08:00

“Man has come to be man’s worst enemy. It is a clash between man and God, in which man’s Luciferian genius has produced in the H-bomb the power to destroy more effectively than any ancient god could. We must begin to learn more about man until every Jekyll can see his Hyde.

“Everything possible has been done for the outside world: science has been refined to an almost unimaginable extent, technical achievement has reached an almost uncanny degree of perfection. But what of man, who is expected to administer all these blessings in a reasonable way? He has simply been taken for granted. No one has stopped to consider that neither morally nor pyshcologically is he in any way adapted to such changes.” From The Earth Has a Soul: C.G. Jung on Nature, Technology and Modern Life

No Man Is An Island

2012-02-05T20:34:00.000-08:00

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.
– John Donne

2012-02-05T20:30:00.000-08:00

All spiritual disciplines are done with a view to still the mind. The perfectly still mind is universal spirit.
– Swami Ramdas

The Mill And The Cross.....Stunning!

2012-02-05T20:29:00.000-08:00

Hello Blogger Friends,

We just watched The Mill and The Cross last night and it was awesome. It’s about Pieter Bruegel’s painting, The Way To Calvary circa 1564. Equally important, it is also about the time period, and that is what makes the movie relevant. That, and the stunning cinematography that melds the real life scenes with the painting. It is at once surreal and vividly real.

When we look at paintings from the past we admire them for their form and beauty, but we don’t often understand what it was like at the time of the painting. This movie makes it very clear what it was like and how these protestants were under the siege of the Spanish inquistion.....

There’s not a lot of dialogue, but it is enough to make the point and it is in english.

Here’s a critique in the New York Times: http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/movies/the-mill-and-the-cross-review.html

Here's the painting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_d._%C3%84._007.jpg

What The Hey?

2012-02-05T20:25:00.000-08:00

If You "Know" What I Mean

2012-02-05T16:31:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0vK88YDD4M

Living In The USA

2012-02-05T10:29:00.000-08:00

“What America Needs in the face of the tremendous urge toward uniformity, desire of things, the desire for complications in life, for being like one’s neighbors, for making records, et cetera, is one great healthy ability to say “No.” To rest a minute and realize that many of the things being sought are unnecessary to a happy life…..” from The Earth Has A Soul: C.G. Jung

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRDEWJXf1jg

Koch Brothers Convene Super-Secret Billionaires' Meeting for 2012 Elections | Truthout

2012-02-05T09:15:00.000-08:00

Koch Brothers Convene Super-Secret Billionaires' Meeting for 2012 Elections | Truthout

Is Fox News Ignoring Today’s Jobs Report?

2012-02-05T09:13:00.000-08:00

Is Fox News Ignoring Today’s Jobs Report?: Today’s surprisingly good jobs report is dominating the news, except for at Fox News, which appears to be downplaying or ignoring the news that many view as favorable to President Obama. As Politico’s Dylan Byers noted this morning, while other major news outlets gave the jobs report top billing on their websites, FoxNews.com “bur[ied]” in ...

Florida Republican Stripped Of Senate Chairmanship For Opposing Prison Privatization Scheme

2012-02-05T09:12:00.001-08:00

Florida Republican Stripped Of Senate Chairmanship For Opposing Prison Privatization Scheme: The biggest critic of a massive prison privatization scheme in Florida was stripped of his chairmanship of the Budget Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriation for opposing Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) plan to outsource prison oversight to the lowest bidder. Sen. Mike Fasano (R) is one of ten Senate Republicans who opposes the plan...

Senior U.S. And Israeli Officials Express Serious Reservations About Israeli Strike On Iran

2012-02-05T09:12:00.000-08:00

Senior U.S. And Israeli Officials Express Serious Reservations About Israeli Strike On Iran: For the past 24 hours, news outlets have feverishly reported on Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s belief, as first reported by the Washington Post’s David Ignatius, that “there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June.” The views attributed to Panetta were quickly echoed by Israeli officials. But the appearance ...

How Issa’s Paranoid ‘Fast And Furious’ Witch-Hunt Endangers America’s Law Enforcement System

2012-02-05T09:09:00.000-08:00

How Issa’s Paranoid ‘Fast And Furious’ Witch-Hunt Endangers America’s Law Enforcement System: Yesterday, House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) convened the sixth hearing on one of a series of deeply misguided gun stings that began in 2006 under George W. Bush. Issa, however, has shown little interest in actually getting to the bottom of how these ill-conceived operations, which eventually led to illegal guns being turned against ...

ANALYSIS: Obama Reproductive Health Reg Mirrors State Conscience Protections

2012-02-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

ANALYSIS: Obama Reproductive Health Reg Mirrors State Conscience Protections: The Catholic Bishops and their Republican allies argue that the Obama administration’s regulation requiring insurers and employers to offer reproductive health coverage at no additional cost sharing is an “unprecedented attack on religious liberties” that will force houses of worships to sacrifice deeply held beliefs. In reality, the rule, part of the Affordable Care Act, ...

VIDEO: Protester Struck By Police During OccupyDC Raid, At Least Eight Arrested

2012-02-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

VIDEO: Protester Struck By Police During OccupyDC Raid, At Least Eight Arrested: United States Park Police bearing riot gear and on horse back raided Occupy DC this morning and throughout the day, removing tents that were deemed to be in violation of a no camping rule at McPherson Square. Park Police spokesperson Sgt. David Schlosser said the raid did not constitute an eviction and that protesters would...

Romney's 1 percent nation under God | romney, focus, poverty - Amy Goodman - Appeal-Democrat

2012-02-05T09:02:00.000-08:00

"In the same New Hampshire speech, Romney said President Obama "wants to turn America into a European-style entitlement society." Curious words from a man who salted $3 million into a Swiss bank account. His hastily closed UBS bank account stands out as its own form of European entitlement. Coupled with investments in tax havens like Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, Romney's effective tax rate was 13.9 percent in 2010, a fraction of the 35 percent paid by average middle-class families that he claims to care so much about.

"As Romney campaigns across his 1 percent nation under God, he moves from Florida, the state with the highest foreclosure rate, to Nevada, the state with the highest unemployment rate. Expect him to increasingly care, if not for the very poor, then for the votes they will likely cast against him.

Romney's 1 percent nation under God | romney, focus, poverty - Amy Goodman - Appeal-Democrat

Fighting Bullshit

2012-02-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

"Ah, but what's the proper response to bullshit? Karl is almost certainly right that among actual conservative economists, only a few actually believe that Fannie and Freddie played a big role in the financial collapse. But those few true believers have a significant effect on:

Other conservative thought leaders, who don't know anything themselves but are happy to parrot congenial talking points.
Conservative legislators, who need intellectual justification for their speeches on the House floor.
The media, which is willing to continue suggesting that this is a genuine controversy as long as conservative thought leaders and conservative legislators keep pushing it.
Millions of rank-and-file conservatives, who listen to Fox News and read the Wall Street Journal editorial page and honestly believe this stuff because they're getting it from people they trust."

"Does Mark Zandi know this? Of course he does. He's not an idiot. But what's the proper response? If you ignore the bullshitters, then the anti-GSE narrative gets set in stone whether or not it's bullshit. If you fight it, at least it remains fluid for a while — possibly long enough for things to settle down." by Kevin Drum, Mother Jones

http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/01/fighting-bullshit

Lying With Charts, Global Warming Edition

2012-02-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

"Look! No warming trend! But do you see the problem? I've given you a hint by embedding the 1997-2011 data within a larger chart, instead of just producing it on its own, as the Mail did. So that should make things pretty obvious. But in case you need a bigger hint, click the link for the full set of data, not cherry-picked to begin with the huge El Niño spike of 1998.

"Hey look! The warming trend is back!" by Kevin Drum, Mother Jones

(An example of how the global warming deniers cook the books. M.D.)

More: http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/01/lying-charts-global-warming-edition

The Unemployment Rate is Down No Matter How You Measure It

2012-02-03T09:09:00.001-08:00

More: http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/02/unemployment-rate-down-no-matter-how-you-measure-it

Chart of the Day: Federal Government Pay vs. Private Sector Pay

2012-02-03T09:07:00.000-08:00

"The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) weighed in today on the fraught subject of whether federal employees are paid more than comparable workers in the private sector (full report here). Their analysis attempted to control for occupation, years of work experience, geographic location (region of the country and urban or rural location), size of employer, and various demographic characteristics (age, sex, race, ethnicity, marital status, immigration status, and citizenship). Their conclusion should come as no surprise: When you account for both wages and benefits, Uncle Sam is generous toward those with less than a college degree and stingy toward those with PhDs or professional degrees." by Kevin Drum, Mother Jones

More: http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/01/chart-day-federal-government-pay-vs-private-sector-pay

Soaking the Poor, State by State

2012-02-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

"You have heard, perhaps, that rich people in America are egregiously overtaxed. And the poor? They're the lucky duckies! Why, 47 percent of Americans pay no taxes at all! (This is not true, of course. Many poor and elderly Americans pay no federal income tax, but they pay plenty of other taxes.)

"Still and all, it's true that the federal income tax is indeed progressive. Conservatives are right about that—though it's not as progressive as it used to be, back before top marginal rates were lowered and capital gains taxes were slashed in half. But conservatives are a little less excited to talk about other kinds of taxes. Payroll taxes aren't progressive, for example. In fact, they're actively regressive, with the poor and middle class paying higher rates than the rich.

"And then there are state taxes. Those include state income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, and fees of various kinds. How progressive are state taxes?" by Kevin Drum, Mother Jones

http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/02/soaking-poor-state-state

The Komen Foundation Pinkwashes Anti-choicers, Punks Planned Parenthood

2012-02-02T14:39:00.000-08:00

"The anti-choice movement can be so clumsy, and so weird, we forget that it is also smart and strategic and busy busy busy. Because while you were shaking your head over pink Bibles and stem-cell futurology, Komen was hiring Karen Handel as senior vice president for public policy. Handel is not your typical philanthropy administrator. She is a Republican pol, a former Georgia secretary of state, who ran in the 2010 gubernatorial primary, with endorsements from Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney and anti-immigrant finger-pointing Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. At that time she described herself as “staunchly and unequivocally pro-life,” opposed to stem cell research and a fan of crisis pregnancy centers—places that have repeatedly been shown to use scare tactics and misinformation to dissuade women from seeking abortions." by Katha Pollitt, The Nation

http://www.thenation.com/blog/166026/komen-foundation-pinkwashes-anti-choicers-punks-planned-parenthood?rel=emailNation

Colbert launches ‘vicious personal attack’ Twitter meme to ‘help’ GOP | The Raw Story

2012-02-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

"He announced that he’s creating the hash-tag #preparethem as a venue for “vicious personal attacks” on the Republican candidates. For instance, he said, you could say something like the only person who could vote for Newt Gingrich would have to be someone who has been in a coma for twenty years. Of course, if that were the case, then Newt would probably have divorced you. Or “Mitt Romney is not a vulture capitalist. Vultures only eat things that are dead.”

Colbert launches ‘vicious personal attack’ Twitter meme to ‘help’ GOP | The Raw Story

Daily Show co-creator mocks Komen charity’s Karen Handel | The Raw Story

2012-02-02T11:41:00.000-08:00

"Lizz Winstead, co-creator of The Daily Show, on Wednesday mocked Karen Handel of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure after the charity cut off all grants to Planned Parenthood.

"Nearly 170,000 clinical breast exams performed by Planned Parenthood were supported by Komen grants.

“I think she said it herself when she was running for governor, when she said, ‘I don’t support the mission of Planned Parenthood,’” Winstead said on Current TV’s Countdown."

Daily Show co-creator mocks Komen charity’s Karen Handel | The Raw Story

ACLU files lawsuit over drone strikes targeting U.S. citizens overseas | The Raw Story

2012-02-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

ACLU files lawsuit over drone strikes targeting U.S. citizens overseas | The Raw Story

Alabama Republican Senator: Low teacher pay mandated by God | The Raw Story

2012-02-02T11:38:00.000-08:00

“It’s a Biblical principle. If you double a teacher’s pay scale, you’ll attract people who aren’t called to teach. To go and raise someone’s child for eight hours a day, or many people’s children for eight hours a day, requires a calling. It better be a calling in your life. I know I wouldn’t want to do it, OK?”

"He continued: “And these teachers that are called to teach, regardless of the pay scale, they would teach. It’s just in them to do. It’s the ability that God give ‘em. And there are also some teachers, it wouldn’t matter how much you would pay them, they would still perform to the same capacity. “If you don’t keep that in balance, you’re going to attract people who are not called, who don’t need to be teaching our children. So, everything has a balance.”

"McGill voted in favor of a 67 percent pay raise for lawmakers in 2007."

(What's in Alabama's drinking water? It appears to be a large dose of hypocrisy...M.D. )

Alabama Republican Senator: Low teacher pay mandated by God | The Raw Story

The Unabridged Guide To The Mitt-isms Of The English Language

2012-02-02T10:32:00.001-08:00

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/01/mitt-isms.php

An interesting image from 1911... 'Trickle-Down' economics aren't anything new.

2012-02-02T10:29:00.000-08:00

An interesting image from 1911... 'Trickle-Down' economics aren't anything new.