There are a few ultra liberal ???democrats????. maybe and maybe not democrats, maybe just ultra liberals, right here in this blog that are going gang up together and make all the decisions for everyone here on Earth and save us from ourselves and save the world all by themselves without your help....get that grin off your face God, you know there ain't nuthin wrong with ultra liberals.

...BUT THE HORSE ISN'T GOING TO LEARN VERY MUCH EVEN IF IT EATS IT.

Over the vast majority of my adult life I have heard the mind numbing ad phrase..IF YOU WANT A BETTER JOB, GET A BETTER EDUCATION.

As well over the vast majority of my adult life I've seen hundreds of billions of tax payer dollars pumped into education, most of it in buildings and school administrator wallets.

The biggest bucks that can be spent on any system of education isn't worth the paper its written on, if students don't show up for class, and/or if politics takes classroom control out of the hands of teachers.

I think, in my one man opinion, that one of the major reasons kids are bringing guns to school with them, which is on the news regularly nowadays, is because teachers are afraid to even try to maintain disipline in the classroom for fear of being attacked by parents and their superiors, and/or get sued if they do disipline a child, and schoolyard and classroom chaos becomes the norm.

I personally know two highschool teachers that say flat out say that they are afraid to even try to disipline one of their students out of fear of getting shot to death...how about that for a revolting to teach in educational environment atmosphere.   Read More »

"You can't BORE someone into buying your product"-David Beckwith


Man can I ever agree with that!

The candidates for the past two decades have been raking the same old things over the "I promise you" coals, like health care, border security, fairness, open government, and all the other worn out platitudes repeated over and over that wind up with few if any positive results other than a few peaks and valley's; hardly anything benefical to the general population that endures and stands the test of time.

The general population has had the rug pulled out from under them so many times by ALL these political creatures all but a very few (and should by now we know who those few are) have severe rug burns.

Now here we go again with this two full years early 2008 campaign.... a few different faces but same old rhetoric, same old promises being made on both sides, with very little variation on themes, grinding it all up again into a mind numbing, mind muddling sausage-like mishmash of politico wordspeak bouncing back and forth like echoes heard in political canyons of the past.

So I'll do a little pushing myself!


Re: We need to get out of Iraq.

I fully agree Oplis Sloan, the congress just plain needs to refuse to refund another cent for the Iraq "OCCUPATION."

This is the number one priority that should be being discussed in this blog and our concerns sent enmass to the congress, and followed up in close second place with securing this nation's borders and coastlines before another terrorist group succeeds in another attack and it may be already too late for that!

If the congress (screw bush) can be absolutely convinced that these are the top two priorities that the voters demand to be resolved, with emphasis being that a continued NO RESPONSE-NO ACTION venue by the congress will see them all unseated....we just might actually see something positive and mutually beneficial for all get done.

But unfortunately, and the posts and replies Democrats and ultra liberals in this blog state it clearly, is that for the most part the Democrats and ultra liberals that post and reply here aren't even on the same page with each other, much less have close to the same sets of priorities on issues that are the most important critical issues facing this nation as a whole.

And keep in mind, I didn't write your posts and replies, you guys did...go back and read em.

This is my position on it and I stick to it.

Wow! Reply

By Retired Army Nov 7th 2007 at 11:37 am EST

I believe our party members (not representatives) have finally gotten pissed off enough to react. It's about time! Now more than ever many of us see our representatives for what they really are.

GUTLESS WONDERS, waiting for us to vote for them again (which in most likelyhood will occur). I for one will not vote for an incumbent unless there is no other (democrat) choice. I will not vote for an independent because they have no chance but can increase the possibility of an increase for the republican party. And being from Florida am really PO'd at the DNC!

Just my humble opinion!
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This is the "OFFICIAL" Democratic Party blog is it not?

At least the banner headline says it is; which makes me wonder if any of the top dogs of the party and any of the elected Democratic representatives even bother to come up here on the blog and read the things their own party members post and and their concerns they talk about.

If you ask me, it doesn't look all that promising that any of the party big shots or the currently running candidates do come here to this blog, or at least one or two of the candidates themselves or a representative from their campaigns would come here, present credible documentation that they are who they say they are with email addresses and/or campaign headquarters addresses and phone numbers and make official responses to the people that post here.

Whaddaya think R-A?

....that "the media is owned by the liberals" is very likely to be going to a proctologist to have my boot removed from their posterior.

There was not one word said about the cheney impeachment resolutions stated on FOX 4, NBC 5, ABC 8, or CBS 11 local evening news and not one word mentioned about it on any of national news last evening.

The only channel that did mention it was on the Jim Lerher report on PBS 13, and barely mentioned it at that. If you'd sneezed you would have missed it.

Same for the 10 o'clock local news, nuthin!

What did you people here in your towns? I suspect that you folks heard nothing about it either.

Dae,

Sorry fellow citizen I didn't go to any "site" if your reference meant a "website" to get the news about the reading of impeachment resolutions out that fast.

I was watching it all happen live on C-SPAN channel one that goes directly to the House floor and I posted the information while it was happening.

You might want to try watching all three of the C-SPAN channels, and not trying to be snide with you or anyone else, but I guaarantee you'll learn more and stay 101% better informed about U S Politics and what's going on there than you ever will on a socalled mainstream news channel or a website, other than C-SPAN.org that has both online TV and Radio plugins as well as political print news.

All three C-SPAN channels run 24/7/365 and much of what happens in congress on a particular day is repeated..just to make sure that working people that can't watch live have the opportunity to keep an eye on happenings.

check c-span .org for latest news!

Re: The Bush/Cheney administration truly think they are above the law. Reply

By One staunch Independent Voter Today at 9:34 am EST

Shopman said: The Bush/Cheney administration truly think they are above the law.....

...and the democrats in congress and all their little buddies out here prove day after day they don't have the balls to do anything substantial about putting an end to it.

Tell ya what democrats, if just a mimimum majority of you people ARE contacting your congressional representatives on a regular basis and pressuring them with you demands to put an end to bush, cheney and their tyrany, and your democratic congressional representatives AREN'T responding to your demands, YOU DEMOCRAT PEOPLE HAVE A "REAL BIG" PROBLEM and not just with your congressional representatives, but within your own party internally from top to bottom.   Read More »

As I walked behind the statues of Lady Liberty holding high her torch and Lady Justice holding high the scales of justice, when I looked up the sun was blinding, but I thought I saw knives sticking out of their backs.

Even though I could not be sure of it due to the glare in my eyes, at the end of the knife handles there appeared to be the symbol of a crooked cross, reminiscent of something out of a horrible past.

As my blog friends should already know, and everyone else in the blog know by now I'm a C-SPAN junky.

I have four T V's so I can listen in at least on all three C-SPAN channels at once to discover if anything special catches my attention.

C-SPAN in my one opinion, is the only real on site at the moment as it happens political news source windows left and available where the individual can listen in on the preceedings of the house, senate, and committee meetings and hearings and get first hand what this or that congressman, witness, or government agency rep says, instead of watching later in the day mainstream news reports where news report pundits, I call them hacks, tell you their slants on what is said.

And believe me, after watching C-SPAN for about 25 years now, I've heard from especially the invited guests on Washington Journal Program tell just about every lie that can be told, and conjure up just about every excuse that can be come up with as to why someting is done or why something cannot be done.

This morning for instance, the WJP had a guest speaker from the FDA that was supposed to be giving answers to the people that call in and ask questions, tell us views why the FDA cannot inspect much less test all the medicine ingredients made in places overseas like China and India as it arrives here in the U S A, due to lack of funds, personnel, and labratories with tezting equipment, and that even if they had the test equipment it would slow down the medicine ingredients arriving at the final destinations of the ??Final Assembly" medicine manufacturer plants here in the U S.

Imagine, especially you fellows, that anyone that uses a product like VIAGRA where the ingredients just may come from China, might actually be getting some REAL LEAD in their pencils...and I don't mean that to be funny. All but the Viagra user part was exactly what the FDA lady rep. said in excuse.

Can't inspect before medicines at any point before it hits the consumer retail market? Pardon the hell out of me...WHY NOT!!

Her excuse for why not was that inspection has to be left up to the end buyer of the ingredients to ensure product safety...in other words more "inspect and police thyself" crap.

Folks this nation is going down hill so fast its pathetic and if """WE""" don't do something about it, sure as hell, neither will the government or the entities policing themselves.

Karen,

You said: You seem like a very down to earth fellow. What made you decide to be an activist? (Don't let that scare you...
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Don't forget you asked...are you ready.......

I've been a political actvist since the day I cast my first vote at age 21.

Like I say over and over and over it doesn't take a genius, or rocket scientist, or Phd medical doctor, or even bright intelligence to know when something is badly wrong when everything that surrounds you says "Hey...that can't be right!"

I had already served three years in three different theaters of combat in Southeast Asia long before my 21st birthday, and if you think that won't make you grow up in one helluva hurry and start up political activation in you, well lets just say you can't get much more wrong.

In mid 1971 when I got permanently back to the world I left in in 63, it was a world turned upside down, even some of the people I grew up with had undergone radical changes, when compared to the way it was when I left it.

And if you (Karen) have any age on you and/or have read U S history of the 60's and 70's I won't have to go into a loooooong tirade of in-depth explanations.

I would have stayed in the military had I not learned when it was time to re-up, that due to my "special skills" training as a special operations special weapons/intel specialist, with well demonstrated survival skills, that instead of going into the training end here in the states as I was promised, that I was going to be sent right back into that hell for the FOURTH time, and I didn't re-enlist even after they upped the re-enlistmet bonus to over a hundred thousand dollars.

There is just so much gambling and risk anyone can absorb...and after being wounded three times already I figured I'd already used up about seven of my nine lives.   Read More »

Struggling for Relevance in Cuba: Close, Still No Cigars

Since Raul Castro seems to be transitioning to a more permanent position of power, the administration has begun talking about Cuba policy again. One would think we would be able to survey the results of the last 45 years and come to logical conclusions. Changing course never seems to be an option, however, no matter how futile or counterproductive our past actions have been.

The Cuban embargo began officially in 1962 as a means to put pressure on the communist dictatorship to change its ways. After 45 years, the Cuban economy has struggled, but Cuba 's dictatorship is no closer to stepping to the beat of our drum. Any ailments have consistently and successfully been blamed on US Capitalism instead of Cuban Communism. They have substituted trade with others for trade with the US , and are "awash" with development funds from abroad. Our isolationist policies with regards to Cuba , meanwhile, have hardly won the hearts and minds of Cubans or Cuban-Americans, many of whom are isolated from families because this political animosity.

In the name of helping Cubans, the US administration is calling for "multibillions" of taxpayer dollars in foreign aid and subsidies for internet access, education and business development for Cubans under the condition that the Cuban government demonstrates certain changes. In the same breath, they claim lifting the embargo would only help the dictatorship. This is exactly backwards. Free trade is the best thing for people in both Cuba and the US . Government subsidies would enrich those in power in Cuba at the expense of already overtaxed Americans!

The irony of supposed Capitalist, free-marketeers inducing Communists to freedom with government hand-outs should not be missed. We call for a free and private press in Cuba while our attempts to propagandize Cubans through the US government run Radio/TV Marti has wasted $600 million in American taxpayer dollars.

It's time to stop talking solely in terms of what's best for the Cuban people. How about the wishes of the American people, who are consistently in favor of diplomacy with Cuba ? Let's stop the hysterics about the freedom of Cubans â�" which is not our government's responsibility â�" and consider freedom of the American people, which is. Americans want the freedom to travel and trade with their Cuban neighbors, as they are free to travel and trade with Vietnam and China . Those Americans who do not wish to interact with a country whose model of governance they oppose are free to boycott. The point being â�" it is Americans who live in a free country, and as free people we should choose who to buy from or where to travel, not our government.

Our current administration is perceived as irrelevant, at best, in Cuba and the message is falling on deaf ears there. If the administration really wanted to extend the hand of friendship, they would allow the American people the freedom to act as their own ambassadors through trade and travel. Considering the lack of success government has had in engendering friendship with Cuba , it is time for government to get out of the way and let the people reach out.

Does anyone but myself, my wife, and our families and friends, think its time for one presidential candidate to step up to the plate and have the guts to say "REGULATION" and if elected actually do something to relieve part of the strife and pressure that's been on the consumer public's back.

Strife and pressure that has cause breakups of entire families, strife and presure that has cause families to lose their jobs and homes, strife and pressure that causes people to choose to between eating, paying bills, or medicines and other outrageous healthcare costs.

Just how much GODDAMNED more strife and purposfully laid on pressures do these professional politicians running for office think average and below average working U S Citizens can take before we all go to hell in a handbasket.

We common folk for all practical purposes have been allowed to be enslaved because the people we elect to office, run our governments, and perform the day to day operations for us...have deserted us for their own personal voyages to personal gain and power.

I propose that its the professional politicians that need to be REGULATED...by US! If they won't or refuse to give their full support by action and deed for the Citizens that elect them..THEN KICK THEIR ASSES OUT AT THE EARLIEST LEGAL OPPORTUNITY!

The news media in the United States in all its facets over the past thirty or so years has become nothing more than a huge conglomeration of whores that offer pander to just about everyone with a dollar in their pocket and sell out to who ever pays them the most for their services.

The news locally and nation wide has become distorted mockery of news, especially when the news pertains to politics and government news.

The media reports what they are told to report, even the current presidential debats declare this...moderator questions spoon fed to them...racing around certain candidates almost totally ignoring some of the candidates, rushing less favored candidates answers and sometime just plain cut them off before they can complete their thoughts then let favorites yammer on without limit of time imposed on those in disfavor.

This in my opinion is just one step away from telling less favorable candidates, they can't get on the stage.

And these ONE HOUR debates are ludicrous in the first place.

That sort of idiotic timeframe only allows all but a favored few of the candidates to state snippets, miniscule bits and peices of their platform positions.

I think voters from every political aspect in this nation would prefer to be able to listen to candidates responses to questions in depth. Our attention spans are somewhat more than a gnat aren't they? And we are perfectly capable of sitting attentively and listening are we not; the frige and cokes and chips are within earshot of our televisions...what more could voters ask for considering what is on the line for us all.   Read More »

Anything at all can become addictive, and anyone that get themselves involved with an addiction can become totally absorbed by it.

I have my own beliefs about God or the absense of.

And people that have deep beliefs in "A" God, any God is just fine by me unless they start trying to cram "their" beliefs down my throat.

I'm an avid reader of all types of history.

And one of the things I've learned while reading religious history, is that everywhere all the missionaries of every religion went....they found that God had preceded them even at "the later dates" just a few hundred years ago, here in the Americas, millinia after the beginnings of the many differing state of mind beliefs in God's and religions formed and preachings started to be dictated by the wiser, or at least more inventive people within societies, to the sheep..er..less knowledgable, to worship "THEIR" God they way they were told.   Read More »

Interested people that post here, all of us, whether liked or not, take time out of their lives to contribute to our policial process and they don't do it just to have discourteous people run in the blog, post their all too self important stuff, push other posts off into the etherenet and run off to find something else to post and do it all over again.

And those that do it know who they are.

Have a little courtesy for others won't you.

Take an interest in what other people have to say even if you don't agree with them.

I'm retired and I get around quite a bit in the heavily traveled local public areas like malls, resturants, government buildings, etc..

But my traveling around to these places aren't quite what could be considered usual meandering...I go to these places with a purpose...to sit around and listen to people here in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area; one of the largest bastians of neocon republicanism in the U S A.

What do you think that these "I love bush-warmongering supporters of war-"I love and support our troops" neocon repubicans are talking about?.....Not the war, not how they are supporting the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan with anything but lip service, not what they have done or are doing for their neighbors that have a family member fighting over there.   Read More »

some really wise old owl said:

"Justice has been stolen and hidden within the law"

Ain't it the truth!

I'm a conservative but I've made up my mind!

Please get me in contact with candidates (other than repubilicans) that will be running for congress in my Texas 76012 zip code area.

These...people...I don't know what the hell they are...but they are surely not republicans, like cornyn, hutchinson, and barton MUST go and they must go this election cycle.

I was born and raised here in Texas and I've watched politics turn from fair, to worse, and finally in the last twelve years after the neocon take over at the national and state level, turn absolutely INSANE!

I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but you don't have to be a friggin genius to diffrentiate between what is right and wrong.

And people like cornyn, hutchinson, barton and all the rest of these Texas neocons can't help but know they are dead wrong, criminally wrong, 90% of the time in the decisions they have made and are still making especially during the past seven years.   Read More »