Let's Check Facts Before Bashing Our President, Barack Obama

I hear many people who clamor, "Let's Blame Obama!" To them and others I say click over and go read Obama, Falling Gas Prices and Radio Silence from Jill Miller Zimon on Writes Like She Talks.

The attack television political ads by Romney and Company (i..e. Republicans) are just plain misleading and deceiving. Obamacare isn't the biggest tax increase in history. My friend Ron Prochaska put it this way on his Facebook wall: "Hey non-reseachers, check this simple chart. Even you can understand Obamacare is far from the largest tax increase in history. Facts are difficult to debate, but, hating Obama the way you do, you'll find a way." He then posted a chart similar to the one you will see if you click on over to read Republicans Falsely Claim Obamacare Is The ‘Largest Tax Increase In History’ by Pat Garofalo and Travis Waldron.

Earlier today, July 12, 2012, I wrote the following on my Facebook wall:
Fact or Fiction! People should get the facts before formulating an opinion. Far too many people neglect to fact check first. Then, they get all entrenched in their own ill-informed opinion and bash those who happen to disagree with them. SAD! Thank you goes out to Jerry Rosen for letting me share this. 
Health care law "largest tax increase in history on the middle class," says TV ad.

Hey, do remember reading Dumb Obama Bashers Need To Wake Up And Support President Barack Obama or have you not read it?

I say, "Let's check facts before bashing our President, Barack Obama."

Conservative Patriots of America: Kish mir en toches!

I recently saw that a person I know had placed something on that person's own Facebook wall that read as follows:

(Name redacted) shared Conservative Patriots of America's photo. If YOU AGREE, give this a "Like" & hit that "Share"!! Take a spin at the checklist pictured. This is the MOST heated conversation we have had on this page thus far. Obviously, this photo strikes-a-cord with MANY Americans, on BOTH sides of our politics, R & D -- CLICK INTO THE PHOTO TO JUMP-IN ON THE THREAD & TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!! IT'S YOUR COUNTRY!! GET ON THAT MODERN-DAY "FRONTLINE"!!
Connect with even MORE Patriots!! Join us here on fb at Conservative Patriots of America" 

blah, blah blah and then had a photo with the following written on it:

ELECTION 2012 IS COMING
HERE IS ALL I WANT
Obama: Gone!
Borders: Closed!
Language: English!
Culture: Constitution, and the Bill of Rights!
Drug Free: Mandatory Drug Screening before Welfare!
No Freebies to: Non-Citizens!
ALSO ----
BALANCED BUDGET!
TAX REFORM!
AND
TERM LIMITS FOR CONGRESS & SENATORS!
Only 86% will send this on, Should be a 100%.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to write a book of a response. Instead I quickly and simply wrote this:

I believe in the freedoms and the opportunities that the United States of America has offered to people throughout the world for over two centuries. I believe our country need to continue to do so with the same open arms it afforded our ancestors. I respect the President of the United States. I truly enjoy cultural diversity and the variety languages and traditions. I oppose mandatory drug testing by the government as I believe it violates the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the part of the Bill of Rights which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures, along with requiring any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause. Congress consists of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate; The Senate is not a separate entity as implied in the above proclamation. We already have term limits; it is called the ballot box and we exercise that right every two years on members of the House and every six years on members of the Senate. I believe Conservatives in the United States today to be a group of elitists, not very different from the National Socialism that was the ideology of the Nazi Party and Nazi Germany which was a variety of fascism that incorporated biological racism and antisemitism.

I left it at that; but, there really is so much more that could be said in response to the bullshit drivel of the Conservative Patriots of America. Now, mind you, with very rare exceptions, I do not normally use foul language or make personal attacks or name call in my written form of communications, but the crap those idiots and other asswipes that sympathize with them put out, such as the above, make it to my exception list.

I say to the Conservative Patriots of America: Kish mir en toches!

Thoughts on Mitt Romney

People are talking about Mitt Romney. What I am reading about what they are saying has got me thinking about Mitt Romney.

To read the message that got me wondering about Mitt Romney, just click over here.

There is more to all this than meets the eye. Read the article NBC's Taibbi Highlights Mitt Romney's Polygamist Ancestor and 'Controversial' Mormon Faith by Kyle Drennen, January 10, 2012, as it appears on  NewsBusters, which describes itself as "a project of the Media Research Center (MRC), the leader in documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias."

What about Mitt Romney's missionary work and his place in history as it relates to the Viet Nam War? Well, I found an interesting story about all that over this-a-way.

And what of Romney's position on China? Well, go on over to read an insightful article about this from Reuters.

USA Today has an eye-opening article about Mitt Romney, investments, banks, and taxes. For some enlightenment on this very interesting Romney approach, go on over to read this.

All this Romney stuff should make you think, I know it made me think. Food for thought. What do you think?

Christians Legislate To Impose Their Beliefs On Jewish People.

Often, I hear people assert that the United States of America is a Christian country. They do so despite the fact that there are many other religious faiths observed in America, including the small minority of people who adhere to Judaism. These Christians think it is perfectly appropriate, even their duty, to impose their Christian religious beliefs upon non-Christians, even to the point of passing laws at all levels of government thereby circumventing, ignoring, and violating The First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Despite their cries of indignation, outrage, and downright hostility to other countries who have governments that are controlled by religious beliefs (e.g. Islamic governments), these Christians who profess that those 'other' religions should not legislate and impose their beliefs unto the citizens of their respective countries think that the same rules do not apply to them here in the U.S.A.

Recently, Lisa Brown, a state representative in Michigan, gave a speech on the floor of the Michigan House of Representatives in which she pointed out that the Michigan Legislature was in the process of trying to enact legislation that would impose Christian religious beliefs on Jewish people, specifically in regards to the issue of abortion, a subject that is indeed covered under Jewish law.
Despite the argument put forth by Representative Brown, not only was the bill passed by the Michigan House of Representatives, but she was censured and forbiddened to speak further on the bill after she made her initial comments.

You may view and listen to those comments of Michigan State Representative Lisa Brown right here:

Prior to her initial and only permitted talk, Representative Lisa Brown was preceded by another State Representaive from Holland, Michigan who spoke about religious freedom. It was only after that spiel that Representative Brown spoke on the bill before the legislative chamber in which she spoke personally about her own faith. Here is the text of the portion of her speech that addresses the religious aspects of the debate:

I'm Jewish. I keep kosher in my home. I have two sets of dishes. One for meat and one for dairy, and another two sets of dishes on top of that for Passover. Judaism believes that therapeutic abortions, namely abortions performed in order to preserve the life of the mother are not only permissable but mandatory. The stage of pregnancy does not matter. Wherever there is a question of the life of the mother or that of the unborn child, Jewish law rules in favor of preserving the life of the mother. The status of the fetus as human life does not equal that of the mother. I have not asked you to adopt and adhere to my religious beliefs. Why are you asking me to adopt yours?

Why do Christians believe it is justifiable to legislatively impose Christian beliefs on Jewish people and other non-Christians, but it is not justifiable to legislate non-Christian beliefs onto Christians?

United States Senate Republicans Deny American Working Women Equal Pay For Equal Work

Apparently, Republicans in the United States Senate do not think that women are worth as much as men.

The United States Senate has failed to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act that would provide equal pay for women performing equal work as men. The failure to assure equality falls squarely on the shoulders of Senate Republicans, all of whom voted against Paycheck Fairness.

SHAME on the Republican Senators!

ref:
GOP Kills Paycheck Fairness Act, Equal Pay for Women, Common Dreams, June 5, 2012.
Paycheck Fairness Act Fails Senate Vote, Huffington Post, June 5, 2012.
Equal pay for women, The Issue, (an editorial), Times Daily, June 7, 2012.

Freedom

When the symbol of freedom becomes more important than freedom itself, then we have no freedom.
- Roland Louis Hansen

The question "What is the importance of freedom?" was posted on the political science pages of eNotes. Click here to read the responses.

In the United States of America, our flag is the world's symbol of freedom; and, symbols of freedom are taught to 1st grade children.

Freedom is a valued aspect of American democracy; and, yet many Americans want to limit the freedom of other people, especially when they place a higher value on the symbol of freedom, such as the Flag of the United States or the Pledge of Allegiance, than they place on freedom itself. Read what Ron Gibbons wrote in Letter: A symbol of freedom not more important than freedom itself.

You might find it interesting to read what American children write about freedom. Click on over to American Freedom Essay Contest, Student Winners, and from there you may follow the embedded links to read the actual essays.

Now, how about going on over to read:
Freedom quotes from ThinkExist.com, "You think, therefore You exist."
Freedom Quotes courtesy of BrainyQuote.com.
Quotations about Freedom from The Quote Garden.

Dumb Obama Bashers Need To Wake Up And Support President Barack Obama

Take a look at this excerpt from an article I recently read:

There is a number buried in today’s government labor report that deserves closer examination: 35,000. That’s the net number of private sector jobs created during the Obama administration to date. That’s right, it’s a positive number. After the worst economic disaster to befall the United States in 80 years, that’s a number that maybe we should be applauding. ..... But the real eye-opener comes when we compare Obama’s numbers to George W. Bush’s. In Bush’s first term, the economy shed 913,000 private sector jobs! 913,000!

Now, go read the entire article:
Leonard, Andrew, Bush vs. Obama: Jobs, During George W.'s first term, big government boosted employment. For Obama, it's the opposite, Salon.com, May 4, 2012.

You know, I cannot help but wonder, WHY ARE OBAMA'S CRITICS SO DUMB?, especially after having read

"When Obama took office, the United States was losing around 750,000 jobs a month. The last quarter of 2008 saw an annualized drop in growth approaching 9 percent. This was the most serious downturn since the 1930s, there was a real chance of a systemic collapse of the entire global financial system, and unemployment and debt—lagging indicators—were about to soar even further. No fair person can blame Obama for the wreckage of the next 12 months, as the financial crisis cut a swath through employment. Economies take time to shift course."

That is an excerpt from a Newsweek article written by Andrew Sullivan. Here go read more of the article over at The Daily Beast:
In Newsweek Magazine, Andrew Sullivan: How Obama's Long Game Will Outsmart His Critics, January 16, 2012, The right calls him a socialist, the left says he sucks up to Wall Street, and independents think he's a wimp. Andrew Sullivan on how the president may just end up outsmarting them all.

And over at The Huffington Post, you can read:
Obama One Of Five Presidents To See Dow Jones Gain More Than 50 Percent Over First Three Years

There are over 200 reasons to support the re-election of President Barack Obama as listed in the Forbes magazine article of February 24, 2012 written by Chris Weigl. Go on over to read:
What Do Americans Think Of Obama's Performance As A President?

Gay Marriage. President Barack Obama. Mitt Romney.

The 2012 campaign for President of the United States of America is heating up. However, neither of the two major political parties has yet officially nominated their respective candidate. None-the-less, it does appear that the Democratic Party will nominate incumbent President Barack Obama, and that the Republican Party, i.e. GOP, will nominate Mitt Romney.

President Obama is viewed by many as a liberal, some people even allege that he is a Socialist or a Communist. And then there are the zealous, self-righteous, self-appointed religious experts who incorrectly proclaim that President Obama is a Muslim, his Christian church membership and attendance notwithstanding.

Some people (read that to include me) see Mitt Romney as a rogue conservative who fluctuates on the issues given the situation of the moment, as a billionaire who could not care less about low and moderate income Americans or the middle class, and as a Mormon who worships three different and distinct entities while concurrently professing to be Christian.

These two individuals, Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama, have recently addressed the issue of same-sex marriage; and, that subject has now been injected into the 2012 Presidential campaign, and done so wrongly, in my opinion. Gay marriage is now all over the news. But, why??? Since when does the President of the United States have the authority to make public policy concerning the issue of marriage? And, why should the government, any level of government, even be involved in the personal and domestic topic of marriage?

Mitt Romney has gone on the record with this statement:
"I disagree with the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Marriage is an institution between a man and a woman. I will support an amendment to the Massachusetts constitution to make that expressly clear." 
Hey, don't take my word for it; you can see and read that Mitt Romney statement and more for yourself in the web page Romney position on Same Sex Issues. And yet, Mr. Romney claims his perspective on the issue is not religiously based. You can read that for yourself, also. Just click over to The Washington Post Election 2012 Blog to read Romney: Gay marriage stance was ‘not a religious decision’

Meanwhile, many individuals and the news media are incorrectly stating that President Obama is "in support of gay marriage" - or perhaps I should say that it is my belief that the wording being used is incorrect and misleading. The wording is in many news stories like the following, for example:
Obama's gay marriage endorsement could sway state battles, by Dan Springer, published May 14, 2012, FoxNews.com.

It is my perspective that the wording is incorrect and misleading; because, I view the approach by the President as one that concerns equal rights for individuals in determining their own personal domestic arrangements among consenting adults.

Who am I and who the hell are you to determine which adult should be able to wed which other adult??? It is none of my business; it is none of your damn business; and, it damn well should not be the business of any freaking government!!!

Whatever happened to the perspective held by many Republicans, by many Conservatives, and by many, many members of the Tea Party Movement that individual rights are sacrosanct and that there should be limited government? OR, do they apply that value only as it relates to their own strongly held beliefs?

I put forth that this whole brouhaha over same-sex marriage, or as some may call it, gay marriage, is nothing but a prejudicial, discriminatory smoke screen to deny people equal rights under the law.

Oh, and by the way, I really believe that all marriages should be gay, as in happy.

Just Be Yourself. To Thine Own Self, Be True.

I am so sick and tired of all the two-faced hypocrites. They put one face on in public and a different face on in private.

There are holier-than-thou religious hypocrites who proclaim to be good followers of a Supreme Being but who spew forth venom of hatred toward persons who do not agree with them. Many of the religious zealots will ostracize those who do not share the exact same religious beliefs. They will kill in the name of the Lord. These "good" people are some of the most prejudiced, discriminatory people on Earth.

There are the passionately biased politically opinionated people who are strong advocates of the freedom of speech and of political expression for all those who are of the same opinion; but, woe unto those who are of a different perspective because all of a sudden the same ideals of freedom of speech and of political expression do not apply.

There are those hypocrites claiming to be of sound moral character that lead secret private lives quite different from that which they profess. And yet, while in the public eye, these same people will sit in judgement regarding other peoples' lives whether it be marital relations, religious practices, sexual mores, etc.

There are the folks who say or write whatever they want to whoever they want and whenever they want, but who do not afford others the same courtesy. They will say whatever is on their mind at the moment. They will voice their unsolicited opinion. They will tell you what you should do, when you should do it, and how you should do it; But, all hell breaks loose if you dare do that to them

There are the friends and relatives who claim their love and affection but will turn their back at the drop of a dime for the silliest of reasons or for no apparent reason at all. They will like you only as long as you never disagree with them. They want you to visit them or telephone them, but never reciprocate in kind. They know you when it is beneficial to and for them to know you; otherwise, you never hear from them. As long as you are whatever others want you to be, they will like you. The moment you are not who or what they want, you are history.

I could go on and on and on. However, I choose not to. My message is simply this:

BE YOURSELF! 

To Thine Own Self, Be True.

On Religion and God

Here is a message On Religion and God from George Carlin: