I have to start this post by reminding anyone who might happen upon this site that I’m a middle school teacher and not an economist.  However, I’m also a father and a grandfather and the evolution of America’s economy, as I see it, is right toward the top of the issues that are alarming me EVERY DAY!  Lately, I’ve been taping, from Free Speech TV, the show called “Ring of Fire” which is hosted by a person who’s becoming one of the people in America that I most admire, Mike Papantonio.  Before I go on, I would recommend that you either watch the TV version of “Ring of Fire” or listen to the weekly radio show that includes co-hosts Robert Kennedy Jr. and Sam Seder.  I found the TV version because the radio version was one of the casualties of the demise of “liberal” talk radio in Portland, Oregon – thanks to Mitt Romney and Bain Capital which owns (and controls) Clear Channel.  It is my understanding that part of the “blow-back” from Romney’s defeat at the polls in 2012 was the “shuttering” of “progressive talk” all across America.  I have since signed up for XM radio and now I’ve discovered “Free Speech TV” on the satellite so I still manage to get some perspective from people who are not part of the so-called “liberal media.”  (I hope by now anyone happening on this site realizes what a JOKE calling our mass media “liberal” is)

What prompted my thoughts today was a couple discussions which took place on “Ring of Fire” TV.  As usual, they had to do with the subversive work of those behind the present day republican party to undermine the fabric of America – and, while it wasn’t mentioned on the show, I believe the “powers that be” who are behind the scenes “pulling the strings” of the republican “puppets” won’t be satisfied until America has regressed into “third world” status.  And, I have to add here that probably the most frustrating part of all this is the culpability of those in the democratic party who are trying to feed out of the same “trough.”  I just last night re-read a post I made a few years ago and I feel even more strongly today that members of congress should be required to wear DECALS of anyone who provides them with financial support on their clothing (like pro golfers or NASCAR drivers).  That way when unscrupulous congress persons Like Phil Gramm, who in the late 1990’s was responsible for so much deregulation of the financial world (which he’s now profiting handsomely from) writes legislation that benefits his funders (and, in this instance, his wife who was on the board of Enron) at least we have a clearer vision of his TRUE motives!  We have a partnership between Phil Gramm, Larry Summers (OMG – soon to be head of the Fed???), and Bill Clinton (among others) to thank for the dismantling of Glass-Steagall (if you don’t know what that is – click here for one perspective) which has turned the financial behemoths on Wall Street into Alien like entities that are sucking the life out of the middle class of America.  We are witnessing GREED personified and if you haven’t read Karl Marx and his predictions on the ultimate destruction of capitalism, it should be an interesting read, to say the least, at this point in America’s history.

The two issues that really caught my attention recently (on “Ring of Fire”) were; first, the reporting on Wall Street excesses (I’ll try my best to restate them, but if you really want the “scoop” check it out for yourself) like commodities fraud and their attack on the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – which scares the Wall Street bankers because they can’t control it.  The second was an extremely interesting discussion on the state of higher education in America.  I have some personal thoughts on that “front” as I’ve been a middle school teacher for the last 20 years of my working life and have been witnessing first hand the assault on American education coming from the “right.”  In both instances we see the corporate powers of America doing everything in their POWER to tilt the “playbook” in the direction which FUNNELS billions of dollars into their “coffers.”  It’s sickening that all this is happening, and it’s even more sickening feeling as if our government has been de-frocked to the point where they are unable to do anything about it (the fleecing of our nation).  Anyone who’s been paying attention for the past several years knows that republicans are trying to “shrink the government until it can be flushed down a drain.”  The damage of allowing this philosophy to even be part of the discussion is becoming enormous and it will take a mammoth national effort to reverse the carnage to our system of government.  (In the meantime, we’re seeing the possibility of a “lost generation” of America’s emerging youth as this travesty continues.

First I want to talk about the Wall Street banks – although, the emerging student debt crisis is part of that problem as well – who are in control of a HUGE portion of America’s economy and who don’t PRODUCE anything!  They are strictly in the business of MAKING MONEY.  Using creative mechanisms – with little to no oversight – to simply generate income – at the expense of the American public.  On “Ring of Fire” TV there was a discussion of how banks Like Goldman Sachs have purchased HUGE warehouses and they are buying commodities, storing them, moving them around, and manipulating the supply in a way that allows for them to make huge PROFITS at the expense of the general consuming public.  And, as they do with virtually all their schemes, they find ways to circumvent what few laws are still on the books to regulate their behavior.  For example, the storing of commodities.  On the show they used aluminum as the example.  Goldman Sachs will purchase HUGE tonnages of aluminum and store it in warehouses to keep if off the market and push the price higher, at which time they then sell and push the price of the commodity higher than it would have otherwise been if the users of the aluminum were buying it from the manufacturers.  They circumvent the laws against storing commodities by moving the commodity from one warehouse to another (for example, they can’t store it in “one” place for more than a specified number of days – so, they just switch one batch with another from a different warehouse), from which the commodity in that warehouse is moved to the other one.  Quite the creative scheme, and evidently, the profits from this manipulation are HUGE and the costs are born out by the consumers in higher prices.

The comparative example used was a previous scheme by the infamous Koch brothers who purchased large oil tankers, filled them with oil, and then “parked” the tankers off shore until the price moved up in some unsuspecting area of the world and then “conveniently” they showed up with a tanker filled with oil.  It’s a great scheme to make money, but – considering all these “free market” proponents are behind these schemes to undermine the “free market”- at what point do “we the people” decide that the “national interest” is more important than Wall Street’s interest.  I guess a better way to say that is;  When, in America, is Main Street going to become more important than Wall Street?

The bottom line here to me is that the misbehavior of the “too big to fail (jail)” banks on Wall Street has not only NOT subsided since the “crash” of 2008, but it has intensified.  And, I can tell you this with confidence – should the next “crash” happen during President Obama’s remaining term, he won’t be able to blame this one on the republicans.  Yes, they are making things difficult – as difficult as they possibly can (they want him to FAIL) – but, Obama has shown an inclination to cower to Wall Street since his first days in office.  And, now we’re looking at the distinct possibility of Larry Summers as the head of the Federal Reserve Bank – which will just be confirmation that Wall Street will continue to rule unabated.  Apparently, the vision is for America to be a society with a distinct “upper class” and a shrinking middle class.  This brings me to the discussion of the higher education system in America.  We’re pushing students in droves through EXPENSIVE university educations, encouraging them to take on HUGE amounts of debt in student loans, letting the bankers profit handsomely from these loans, and then turning those who succeed and graduate into an economy which has few opportunities for them to earn enough to pay off their loans and begin their careers in any kind of a comparable fashion as to those who are presently making America’s laws.

As a long term middle school teacher, I’ve seen first hand the change (since GW Bush instituted “No Child Left Behind”) to a “top down” approach to educational reform which, unfortunately, finds its roots in our politicians in Washington D.C. and the corporate “heads” who are funding them.  We are “pushing” the idea of “college for everyone” to students as they enter the sixth grade – with few in the educational environment even understanding what kind of future we’re pushing these kids into.  The politicians are the “puppets” of the corporate elite in America and they have little to no perspective on what is important to the students in America – especially, to students in a high poverty school such as the one where I teach.  The “high stakes testing” which accompanied “No Child Left Behind” has been absurd, in my view, since the day it was instituted.  The objective (that ALL students would be at the same level by 2014) was absurd on its face, yet those of us in the schools are too busy teaching to become political activists. (and, most have no desire to do so, that’s why they’re teachers)  Now, we’re seeing the republican party on a national campaign to denegrade public school teachers in their attempt to push public education into the graveyard of public institutions in America destroyed by “privatization.”  I’ve focused on teaching students to learn to think for themselves and to think critically in my years in the classroom, but the pressure to prepare them for the high stakes testing is enormous because the funding is tied to the results.

What you end up with is WHITE test makers – many who are presumably in the university education departments – writing tests for Black, Asian, Hispanic, Islander, Russian, etc., etc. students who often times have no idea what the questions are asking  (again, I’m teaching sixth graders).  My experience has shown me that despite my efforts to assure students that should they “fail” the tests, that doesn’t mean they’re failure as students, many end up “giving up” by the time they’re in the 10th grade.  The high school drop out rate has increased dramatically since 2000 and the reports I’m getting from people associated with students entering college is that many are ill prepared for the challenge.  Now, I don’t know if that’s because the challenge has changed, but my instincts tell me it’s because the curriculum has changed due to the “importance” of all the high stakes tests.

I realize the economy is changing and the opportunities for our young people are changing, but I just don’t think you can expect our public schools to be “manufacturers” of “workers” for the Apple, Microsoft, IBM, and other corporations who would like our public schools focused on producing ready made employees.  At the university level, that should be the “program,” but in the middle schools and high schools I believe teaching students to think for themselves, emphasizing basic skills, and making sure that the curriculum includes more than a focus on math and reading tests should be the focus.  At my school there is no longer a wood shop, it’s been years since there was a welding program, the arts are being “squeezed,” and there is a lack of creative freedom for teachers.  Additionally, the teaching of how our government functions and the importance of citizen participation seems to be one of the victims of “high stakes” testing.   I just don’t think EVERY student is a candidate for “college” and I’m concerned that too many students who would be very successful in “trade” type education end up dropping out of school before they discover their gifts. Additionally, I know too many young adults who have no idea how our government functions or any interest in participating in the process.  This plays into the “hands” of people like the Kochs who are committed to the philosophy (of Paul Weyerich) that the fewer people who vote the better the republican chances of success at the polls.

Getting back to what the discussion was on “Ring of Fire” – the financial toll on America’s youth who are proceeding through college is an impending national crisis.  You can’t reasonably “saddle” a large number of young people with HUGE debts (and the banks are anxious to increase the interest rates on these student loans to exacerbate the problem) and not eventually face another “bursting bubble” from potential defaults from young people who can’t find employment sufficient to start their lives and pay for the loans.  When this “bubble” bursts I can see (and hear) the republicans now blaming Barrack Obama!

I’ve got plenty of issues with the Obama administration – but, the reality is that I genuinely hope that President Obama succeeds.  Trying to do so in the face of a republican party that is OPENLY working to insure our president FAILS makes it difficult for me to voice my gripes toward our president here – as I see nothing more important in America these days than making sure this republican assault on the fundamentals of our system is what FAILS!  (for example, the NSA issue is a serious breach of my confidence in our president.  I’ve stated many times on this site his reluctance to reverse the ill-gotten gains of the Bush/Cheney regime (and allow investigations into their illegal activity)  was a HUGE blunder on Obama’s part – and, unfortunately, I see him as continuing way TOO MUCH of the Bush policies.  Issues like the Head of GE – Jeff Immelt being an adviser on “jobs,” Michael Taylor of Monsanto being a leading adviser for the FDA, Larry Summers as chief economic adviser, Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary, and Eric Holder as Attorney General (along with other examples) are clear evidence that the obscene influence of Wall Street and Corporate America on the policies coming from our nation’s capital continues under Obama.)  I see evidence of many Americans on the “left” pushing to turn the “tide” against the forces funded by corporate America – but, it will be a long battle and it won’t be won until those of us on the “progressive” side (I really want to say liberal) have a leader in the White House who has the same attitude put forth by FDR – that the corporate heads “Hate me, and I welcome their hate.”  This is a WAR for the heart and soul of America (if you’ve read any of my previous posts, you’ve probably read that from me before – I keep pointing it out!)

If the republicans succeed in gaining their “permanent republican majority” – that is control of the congress, the courts, the White House, the media (keep in mind, the Kochs and Rupert Murdoch are attempting to purchase the Tribune Corporation – which includes the Los Angeles Times and other leading newspapers, and should they succeed, the SHRINKING of perspective in our “liberal media” will get even more DIRE) pushing back will be extremely difficult.  They are smart and they’ve been working on this since before the election of Ronald Reagan which was the impetus which gained them the real “foothold” that made their “dreams” possible.  The Citizens United Supreme Court decision and the gutting of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by the Roberts Court are integral parts of this scheme.  We’re living in a nation that is experiencing CAPITALISM gone wild, and if “we the people” don’t stop it at the voting booths soon – I believe the right wing cabal will spend unlimited amounts in the 2014 elections in an attempt to gain control of the Senate – and, should they succeed, it will be one more “nail in the coffin” of the remnants of the “New Deal.”  The right wing extremists of the modern day republican party won’t quit until they’ve either gained a stranglehold on America’s government or they’re voted from office.  People like Papantonio are putting up a great effort to inform “we the people” as to what is REALLY happening with our government – however, I believe it will be a losing battle until we get progressive politicians in Washington DC in sufficient numbers to expose the republicans for what they really are! (I hate to beat a “dead horse” – but, had Obama chosen to allow the investigations into the Bush/Cheney abuses and had he the courage to reverse their abuses of executive overreach – we could now be experiencing “The change we can believe in.”)

I’m presently reading “The Man who saved the Union, Ulysses Grant in War and Peace” by HW Brands.  It’s a very interesting read and I’m about through his early life up to the end of the Civil War.  As I’m reading this book and thinking about the “tea party” faction in the republican party I can’t help but draw some parallels.  It’s becoming more and more apparent to me that the issues that divided America in 1860 are still “hanging on” today.  It took Barrack Obama’s election to bring this out in the “open.”  William Sherman was one of Grant’s “lieutenants” during the war and he vented a frustration similar to one many on the left are having in present day America when he loathed the (what I will call the “liberal”) press.  Here’s an interesting quote from Sherman as he’s lamenting the destruction “from within” that was tearing America apart: “The press was the enemy as much as the rebels were” Sherman said.  “War cannot cease as long as any flippant fool of an editor may stir up the passions of the multitudes, arraign with impunity the motives of the most honorable, and howl on their gang of bloody hounds to hunt down any man who despises their order.  We can deal with armies who have a visible and tangible existence, but it will require tact and skill and courage to clip the wings of this public enemy.”  Kind of a present day reference to the likes of Fox “news,” Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Lars Larsen, Bill O’Reilly, and the rest of the minions of the right wing money machine that “hunts down any man who despises their order.”  And, of course, if you don’t get my sarcasm about our “liberal” media – the media I’m talking about is not liberal at all!

I’ve been writing about the propaganda campaign that’s been going full tilt since the days of Ronald Reagan since I started this blog (if that’s what it is???  :o).  Sherman referred to the press that was attacking Lincoln and the generals who ultimately defeated the secessionists in the South when he complained about “any flippant fool of an editor (who) may stir up the passions of the multitudes, (and) arraign with impunity the motives of the most honorable.”  Now, I will be the first to admit that it’s becoming harder and harder to recognize “the most honorable” when talking about our leaders in Washington D.C. – but, it’s quite apparent to me that the corporate interests behind the “tea party,” Fox “news,” politicians like Sarah Palin (“he pals around with terrorists”)  and the aforementioned political pundits (hacks) act like a “gang of bloody hounds to hunt down any man who despises their order.”  My fervent wish as I”m writing this is that this type of behavior gets expunged from our acceptable political practice “sooner rather than later” and we can somehow avoid evolving into a society in which a vicious cycle of accusatory politics is the norm.  As Lincoln himself said, “United we stand, divided we fall” when he committed to defend the constitution and prevent the southern states from leaving the “Union.”  It seems to me that our present day press, which – if you haven’t been paying attention – is controlled almost entirely by a select few “conservative” corporations, is thriving on the philosophy of dividing the public in America in order to allow their benefactors to continue the great plundering of America’s unsuspecting taxpayers.

The press should be trying to educate the American public with factual information regarding our leaders in Washington D.C. all the way down to our local governments.  The reality is that the right wing forces being “pushed” by the likes of the Koch brothers and other wealthy and powerful sources in America (and, unfortunately, abroad) realize that by dividing Americans and turning the focus of our (we the people’s) attention onto divisive issues, they are able to stealthily gain a stranglehold on our system of government in a way that will ultimately (if we don’t stop them) be difficult to overcome.  They make up their own “facts.”  The more I read about American history and the more I pay attention to what’s “happening” in today’s “world,” the more alarm I feel. (And, consequently, the more I seem to write)  If you just take a short moment to examine the recent history since the so-called “Reagan Revolution” I think you’ll maybe understand what I’m trying to get across here.

I was talking to the man who fixes my cars today and we reminisced about the differences before Reagan and after.  And, he’s basically a pretty conservative person – a mechanic, a farmer, and a person who’s spent his entire life in a rural setting.  Additionally, he’s the classic “small business” person.  The first thing that changed when Reagan won the “White House” was the beginning of the “trickle down” economic theory which essentially was a smoke screen to facilitate the greed of America’s wealthy class.  The tax rate on the upper 1 or 2 percent of Americans was around 70% for their top income (in today’s dollars, I believe income in excess of $1 MILLION) and that was cut more than in half (I’m working from the top of my head here, so keep in mind that I’m not using exact numbers – feel free to check them out and clarify).  Additionally, the attack on unions was put into full force (and organized – an organized ATTACK on organized labor) and, maybe worst of all, the so-called PRIVATIZATION movement was initiated.  The first real EVIDENCE as to the folly of Reagan’s “revolution” was the QUADRUPLING of the budget deficit within a year or two of the first tax cut.  Reagan actually cut taxes for the wealthy while raising taxes on working class people – and got away with it because our “liberal media” allowed him to do so.  Reagan’s personality resonated with many Americans and the republicans first initiated  Goebbels “Big Lie Theory” during Reagan’s presidency.  And, the media bought into it “hook line and sinker.”

Just think if Barrack Obama had the same results as Reagan.  Since Obama took office the yearly budget deficit has dropped almost in half.  After Reagan’s first five years it was AT LEAST five times the deficit he inherited.  Obama managed to finish the job of getting Osama bin Laden while during Reagan’s years we lost HUNDREDS of troops in a terrorist attack on an American barracks in Lebanon (I believe it was something in the neighborhood of 300 American and French troops) and, within four months, despite claims to the contrary, Reagan withdrew all American troops from Lebanon.  Think of the republican response to Benghazi and just imagine if Obama had done what Reagan ACTUALLY did!  Reagan and his cabinet carried on an illegal war (Iran Contra) at the clear defiance of Congress and then one by one lied through their teeth about it (this action included “Bush 41”) to Congress and the courts.  Those who were ultimately convicted of serious law violations were all PARDONED and the theory that “if the president does it, it must be legal” was reborn (after being debunked during Nixon’s reign).  Honestly, think about the republican reaction if Obama should do such a thing!  And, what would Grover Norquist say about “tax increases?”  President Obama is trying to get the upper tax rates to the level of the Clinton administration – which is heresy to the republicans.  Well, Reagan did reduce taxes – mainly on the wealthiest Americans – but, at the same time his eliminating of deductions (really, that’s a euphemism for raising taxes) affected the Americans with the lowest incomes.  On that one, I suppose if Obama did that, the present day republicans (might not) complain.  (Actually, they wouldn’t agree to ANYTHING Obama was “for”)  When Reagan took office we were the largest “creditor” nation in the world.  By the time he left, we were the largest debtor nation.  I’ve yet to hear the “tea party” refer to that phenomenon!

As I study American history I find multiple circumstances where there’s  great disagreement between politicians and political parties.  However, I’ve yet to find an example of one party FOCUSING their efforts (ie – “our first priority”) on a president’s FAILURE – save for the Civil War and Lincoln’s avowed plan to save the union.  Technically, however, at that time the southern states had seceded from the union so I don’t consider it a comparable situation to today’s republican party (nationally) committed to making sure a president FAILS.  I’ve been saying this since the first day I heard Mitch McConnell, Rush Limbaugh, and Jim DeMint throw out the “talking points” that their (the republican party’s) first and foremost objective was to make sure President Obama FAILS – the only explanation for that plan is that Obama is a person of color and they (the republicans) want to make sure “we the people” don’t make this “mistake” again.  The FACT that their actions are crippling our government’s ability to intervene in the most desperate places (like our urban areas) is irrelevant to them. We’ve seen multiple evidence of legislation with overwhelming public support (the public option in healthcare reform and registering guns just to name a couple examples) being “torpedoed” simply because it’s more important to them that Obama FAILS, than if America succeeds.  They are entrenched in their “top down” philosophy of propping up the “rich” and the only welfare they believe in is “corporate” welfare.

Republicans are responding to the changing demographic in America in a very strange way.  Although, when I try to look at their “strategy” from someone who’s seeing things from a racist perspective, they have a difficult challenge.  They want to keep their “place” as the “white” ruling class in a country that is evolving to where whites will soon be a “minority.”  Instead of changing their philosophy to attract minority voters, it appears to me they are ramping up their efforts to gain their “permanent republican majority” through the stealth methods I briefly referred to above.  (Thanks to our right wing Supreme Court, republicans have the Citizens United decision to allow them to continue buying politicians and elections along with the gutting of the Voting Rights act to facilitate their strategy to suppress the minority vote in America)  And, the media I’ve been referring to has a huge part to play in this, by making sure that the American public has NO IDEA what’s REALLY happening in our government.  Yes, the republicans are very subtle (usually) in their “race baiting” – but, they find ways to assure their right wing base that they’re “all in” on the white supremacy “thing.”  From Ronald Reagan’s initiating his original campaign in a hotbed of racists (Philadelphia Mississippi, click here if you don’t understand my point) to John McCain’s reference in a presidential debate to Barrack Obama as “That one” I’ve been witnessing this crap (republicans subtly spewing out their “code”) my entire adult life.  Honestly, I really did think Obama’s election was a great step forward, but it really clarified the reality of the BATTLE for civil rights that is still paramount (and raging) in America today.

Obviously, the WAR for the heart and soul of America continues.  In essence it’s been ongoing for over 200 years and the “force” behind today’s republican agenda is grounded in maintaining the power with the white “ruling” class.  On many occasions on this site I’ve referenced the book “The Family” by Jeff Sharlett and you really need to read that to better understand the magnitude of what the progressives in America are up against.  However, this really is a WAR and the so-called (self described) “liberal media” continues to act in a way consistent with the complaints of General Sherman during the Civil War.  Right wing editors are stirring “up the passions of the multitudes, arraign(ing) with impunity the motives of the most honorable, and howl(ing) on their gang of bloody hounds (Limbaugh, Hannity, Larsen, Boehner, McConnell, etc.) to hunt down any man who despises their order.  In the case of our president, no matter what he proposes, they will attack him.  Therefore, it seems as if nothing is getting done.  Yet, I feel that if the left will mobilize and help the general public to sift through the BS it is possible to vote these present day republicans out en masse.  Just as in the days of the Civil War it was a HUGE challenge to overcome the attack dog press; however, it can be done, “but,” as said by General Sherman, “it will require tact and skill and courage to clip the wings of this public enemy.”

America has always overcome these right wing challenges to the foundation of our nation through strong leadership.  Lincoln came along at just the right time.  Grant reluctantly took his important place in the history of this nation at just the right time.  FDR came along at just the right time.  JFK was snuffed out by the forces behind today’s right wing movement, but he came at the right time.  I’m confident someone will emerge in the next few years to continue America’s push to prove that people CAN govern themselves in a way that is designed to benefit the masses (and not the few).  I was naive to think that President Obama was that leader.  His rhetoric was enticing, but I’m just not convinced he understood the challenge he was facing.  He’s got three years left, but he’s enabled the republicans to control the agenda and until I see him call them out – that is, draw a clear line on their overt obstruction, I don’t see him as the leader who “turns the tide.”  When FDR referred to the wealthiest class of Americans by saying “They are unanimous in their hate for me, and I welcome their hate,” he made it clear that he understood the challenge of progressivism.  The next American “FDR” who “welcomes the hate” from the right will find a large portion of America’s electorate vigorously supporting him or her!  Can you imagine how the Koch Brothers and Fox “news” will respond if America’s next president is a woman????

Recently I’ve been hearing some words coming from our president that are more in line with what I was expecting upon his first election, but I have to admit that I’m somewhat deflated by some of his ACTIONS since attaining the “White House.”  I don’t think I’ll EVER get over his decision to BLOCK all the NEEDED investigations of the Bush/Cheney cabal that clearly believed themselves ABOVE THE LAW.  That action, in itself, I think empowered the republicans to initiate this OBSTRUCTION that has been going on since day one of the Obama administration and which has gained so much “steam” that the potential “accomplishments” of those behind the republican “scene” are getting scarier all the time.  In addition to the ill advised policy of “looking forward instead of back” that President Obama put forth shortly after his inauguration in 2009 he has “deflated” his liberal “base” on several occasions.  (I will never forget Obama’s first “chief of staff,” Rahm Emanuel calling liberals “f_____ng retards”) He extended the “Bush Tax Cuts,” he followed the Bush negotiated exit from Iraq, we’re still in Afghanistan (I’ll NEVER understand that one), he’s put Social Security “on the table,” (regarding negotiations to reduce the debt that Social Security has no part in), and now I’m hearing that Larry Summers could be the next chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank.  That is the same Larry Summers who, in a coalition with Phil Gramm and other right wing republicans, orchestrated the end of the Glass-Steagall requirement that banks be banks and investment houses would not be gambling with American’s savings accounts.  The repeal of Glass-Steagall led to the “too big to fail (jail)” Wall Street “banks.”

I’m just beginning tonight’s rant with that caveat because I believe Obama’s rhetoric has become just that to many on the left (like myself) because of his “republican lite” reality in so many ways.  I continue to be one who longs for President Obama to SUCCEED in the face of a HUGE onslaught of right wing money aimed at insuring his FAILURE, but I’m just not sure he (or his advisers) “get” the reality of the “WAR” that is going on in America as I write this – and, it’s not a war coming from some external force, it’s that war from within that President Kennedy warned us about over 50 years ago.  Most people don’t understand the threat of people like the Koch Brothers (Charles and David Koch) and the stealth strategy they’ve been following for MANY, MANY years.  For example, not many Americans (including myself until recently) know about the “American Legislative Exchange Council,” (ALEC)  or the Heritage Foundation – both the outgrowth of the Koch’s whose father was a founding member of the John Birch Society.  These organizations are real threats to anyone who believes in the founding principles of America which were personified in the “New Deal” of Franklin Roosevelt and furthered during the years of Dwight Eisenhower (you don’t hear many republicans praising Eisenhower), JFK and Lyndon Johnson. The advances brought forth from Roosevelt’s election in 1932 until Reagan’s election in 1980 created the world’s greatest “middle class.”  These Koch funded groups are “chipping away,” little by little, every advancement for working class Americans they can and their sophisticated methods are bearing more and more “fruit” as time goes by.  They have unlimited funds, they have no sense of integrity (money, power, and profit are their motivators), and they are VERY resolved.

In reality, the political climate in America was changed by the election of Ronald Reagan (FBI informer) in 1980 to allow for institutions like ALEC and the Heritage Foundation to flourish.  Reagan led the charge to undermine the strength of Unions when he “busted” the Air Traffic Controllers union on national TV.  Since that day the number of unionized Americans in the workforce has declined to less than 10% from something approaching 35%.  It is not a reach to say that republicans are “anti-union.”  They will not be happy until there’s not a trace of a union workforce left in America.  They hate things like the minimum wage, unemployment insurance, social security, medicare, overtime laws, safety regulations, pollution regulations, bank regulations, and I could go on (and on) – anything that benefits us “little people.”  Read “The Family,” by Jeff Sharlett – it will open your eyes to their philosophy that the rich and powerful should make the rules – PERIOD!  (I’m not kidding when I point out they’ve adopted parts of Nazi philosophy along the way – this group has been fighting the New Deal since its inception)

If you don’t know – ALEC is a corporate funded group which writes corporate friendly (“conservative”) legislation for members of state legislatures and includes “funding” for the legislators who initiate their agenda. (in other words, they’re buying local politicians all across America)  This is probably happening in a legislature near you.  One reason ALEC has been more in the news is because they are the “force” behind the “Stand Your Ground” laws put forth (and supported by the NRA) and passed in something like 31 states nationally.  It is this “Stand Your Ground” law that apparently allowed the Sanford Florida court to “exonerate” George Zimmerman for murdering Trayvon Martin. (I’m assuming you’re familiar with that case)  It should be obvious to you that this is a “wake-up call” to all Americans who believe in civil rights.  I just finished reading a book about the Summer of 1919 when Blacks in America were tortured, beaten, and lynched in unbelievable numbers and this is the era that the people behind ALEC wish to return us.  (Check out the recent Supreme Court decision gutting the voting rights act and put it all together with Citizens United, “Stand Your Ground,” and the efforts to ensure our Black president “FAILS” and you should get my “drift”)  Click here to find out all you need to know about ALEC.

Then there’s the Heritage Foundation (a “Think Tank”) That was founded by one of the Coors Beer family and Paul Weyrich – famous for encouraging voter suppression – and supported by a long list of right wing “conservatives” including the Kochs.  (click here for the list supporters)  They are run by Jim DeMint, former racist senator from South Carolina.  Their website encouraging you (and me) to join, in their quest for 1 MILLION members is promoted by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.  Now, if you’ve listened to 15 minutes or so of Limbaugh you know he’s an overt racist and misogynist.  Hannity, on the other hand, (at least when I’ve been able to stomach a few minutes of his schpeel) is much more subtle than Limbaugh.  The other day I was listening to about 10 minutes of a conversation Hannity was having with someone regarding the George Zimmerman murder of Trayvon Martin (I actually happened on this accidentally on my XM car radio) and I was astounded at the number of racial “code words” spewing from Hannity’s mouth as he attempted to guide his unwitting guest through the conversation.  Personally, I prefer the Limbaugh type who come right out with their beliefs than someone as sleazy as Hannity.  These people are the “face” of the Heritage Foundation which is focused on the reversal of the “New Deal” and “liberalism.” (you know, the “mess” – as they refer to it – brought about by things like unions, bank regulations, civil rights, voting rights, child labor laws, etc., etc.)

An offshoot of the Heritage Foundation is the CATO Institute – with Charles Koch as one of the founders.  This is another right wing (libertarian) “Think Tank” that has as its purpose the elimination of as much of the “New Deal” as possible.  Their funders include a wide range of corporate interests who presumably benefit from, in the words of Grover Norquist, “shrinking government to the size where it can be flushed down the drain.”  It didn’t surprise me to see the oil companies and tobacco companies as their sponsors, but computer related companies like Microsoft and Sun were a bit unexpected to me.  Here’s the link to info about CATO.

I’m just pointing this all out to show the depth of the assault on America’s middle class.  Obviously, I believe the advancements that have come since Roosevelt’s election in 1932 have tremendously moved America in a positive direction.  In my mind, all you need to do is go back and study American History beyond what’s in the text books and it should be clear to you that the attacks from the “right” are dangerous and serious.  People like the Kochs, the Coors, the Scaife’s, the Walton Family (Walmart), and others with unlimited funds are not the people I want to depend on to do the right thing for us “little people.”  They have bank accounts that are beyond the imagination of “we the people.”  Their power grab is exactly what Thomas Jefferson was worried about as the American Constitution was evolving.  These “think tanks” are behind the “permanent republican majority” strategy that intends to suffocate America’s working class into a proletariat like under-class.  And, they’re succeeding while the rest of us are too busy to notice.  They obviously have control of the Courts and they virtually have control of congress (via the filibuster in the senate) along with control of our “liberal media.”  (calling our media “liberal” is such a sick joke to me that I don’t know how people can still be falling for that one – this is where the “Big lie theory” comes in)

This gets me back to President Obama.  He was elected to reverse the abuses of the Bush/Cheney regime and he, instead, chose to ignore them – and, in some instances, perpetuate them (i.e. – the “data mining” of U.S. citizens phone and email conversations).  As our president pursues his “grand bargain” – which includes cuts to programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. (I’m not totally sure how aware he is that the republicans would love nothing better than to “rid” America of these “socialist” safety net programs) – apparently thinking he MUST get SOMETHING  done in the face of this unbelievable obstruction from the “right,” I’m a bit confused as to what he envisions as his legacy.  I’ve stated this before, I hope he understands the FOLLY of being the Democratic president who allows Social Security and Medicare to be undermined.  I TRULY hope he has no intention of letting the likes of Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, and others on the “right” help to “fix” our social “safety net.”  Their “fix” would be to get rid of it!

There’s not much time left for the reality of the situation to sink in to President Obama.  If he really wants to accomplish what he was elected to accomplish, he needs to join the FIGHT to rid this nation of the present day republican party.  Now, I’m not saying the republican party per se – I’m talking about this “Tea Party” infected, right wing, Koch Brothers, etc. party – the “conservative” party that’s been hijacked by right wing extremists in cohorts with the authoritarian corporatists.  Traditionally, the republican party has been the “home” of some great American statesmen – Dwight Eisenhower, Everett Dirksen, Mark Hatfield, Tom McCall, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Rockefeller, and I could go on (those are a few names off the top of my head) – and, people like the Koch’s and the Coors’ and the Scaife’s, etc. were always on the “fringe” due to their extreme (and selfish) corporate and “libertarian” views. It will take a mammoth effort by “we the people” to get the message across that this republican party is unacceptable in 21st Century America, and we need strong leaders to stand strong against a very sophisticated “enemy.”  President Obama has the opportunity to lead the way, but he’s got to quit envisioning his “grand bargain” that sets the cause of America’s middle class back to the “robber baron” days.  Obama, himself, in my view is pursuing policies comparable to a moderate republican of days gone by.

For most of my life I’ve disagreed with many republican positions (although not always), but I could respect their place at the table and appreciate many results of bipartisan “negotiations.”  For example, Bob Dole is a republican who I generally disagreed with but mostly always respected because of his ability to communicate “across the isle.”  Actually, John McCain fell into that category until he ran for president and somehow got “sucked in” to the extreme right – possibly upon his choice to associate himself (almost unbelievably to me) with Sarah Palin.  In fact, the reality that republicans were comfortable with someone as uninformed as Sarah Palin being “a heartbeat away” from the presidency says it all to me regarding the depth of thought ruling that party today.  I’ve listened to several former Reagan officials who are almost as alarmed as myself regarding the direction of the “conservative” movement, but, in the end, it will have to be President Obama (or President Clinton – Hillary), or someone who “gets it” to be the leader of the FIGHT to put this present day republican movement back where it was after 1932 and the election of FDR.  I honestly thought Obama understood that when I originally voted for him, but as I watched his first choice of Emanuel, Summers, and Geithner to lead us out of the MESS that Bush/Cheney left I was somewhat alarmed.

I keep hearing, as stated above, the rhetoric that implies our president understands the issue, but he hasn’t shown me the where-with-all that would encourage his LIBERAL base that he’s serious about taking on this fight.  In actuality, I believe the republicans will not allow him ANY successes – NO MATTER WHAT – so, success will only be measured in how much progress he can make in leading this nation to purge the republicans from the congress.  Due to the gerrymandering of 2010, it will take a mammoth effort to regain control of the House and by firing up America’s working class LIBERALS I believe many of the worst offenders of the racist OBSTRUCTION in the Senate (Like Mitch McConnell) can be defeated.  Democrats should be doing everything in their power to make sure people like John Boehner, Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, McConnell, and others have to FIGHT to retain their seats in congress.  If President Obama would concentrate his efforts on the importance of regaining control of congress and making sure the American people (liberals) understood the importance of electing Democratic presidents until the Supreme Court is purged of people like Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas (unfortunately, Justices Roberts and Alito will be there until my children are my age – ughhh!) I believe he can energize his LIBERAL base to the point where they can overcome all the dirty tricks of the republicans.

Remember, with Citizens United (if you’re still not aware of what that is, Google it – it’s one of the worst Supreme Court decisions to come down in the HISTORY of the United States – the epitome of judicial activism) the republican corporate cronies will be FLOODING every future election with MONEY and misleading (to lying) advertising designed to BUY elections.  Additionally, the Supreme Court recently GUTTED the Voting Rights Act and republican Secretary’s of State all over America are already busy initiating voter suppression plans designed to limit voting by minority voters, students, and elderly people who already find it difficult in many precincts to vote.  (Remember, in places like Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania – in the last election, people in predominantly democratic areas had to wait in line up to 9 or 10 hours to cast their votes.  Obviously, many people are not able to do that.  It is at the voting booth that the revolution needed in America MUST take place, and republicans are (and will be) doing everything they can to stop it!  It will take more than empty rhetoric for President Obama to energize America’s Liberals to persevere in this BATTLE!  He needs to change his focus from the “GRAND BARGAIN” (that republicans will NOT agree to – and democrats like me don’t want) to the “GREAT BATTLE” – with the goal to purge the “Tea Party” republicans and those leading assault on the “New Deal” from Congress.  Only then will it be possible for an agenda that addresses the REAL problems of America!  (the failing infrastructure, the decaying inner cities, the unemployed and under employed, those without health care, the militaristic foreign policy, the “too big to fail” banks, too much corporate money in politics, corruption in Washington DC – and in American politics in general, etc., etc.)

This week, following the verdict in the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin trial in Sanford, Florida I’ve heard a plethora of commentary, both “official” and comments from listeners, as I drive around listening to “talk radio.”  Usually, due to an issue that I may share in this post, I’m listening to XM radio because the “progressive” station in my area was shut down.  (The closing of the progressive talk radio stations is part of the bigger picture that I see emanating from the verdict “exonerating” Zimmerman from murdering Martin)  However, what caught my attention was a short period I listened to a “conservative” station I happened on by accident (don’t know what program it was – I have to force myself to listen to their “stuff” occasionally so I have some idea of the latest set of “talking points” their minions are putting forth – not sure what I’m talking about?  Read one of my posts connecting the Goebbels’ “Big Lie Theory” to the republican [“conservative”] philosophy of media strategy).  To my surprise, a person claiming to be (and his conversation led me to believe him) an overseer of medical examiners in the state of Texas phoned in and broke down the evidence that is public record in a way that was astonishing to me.  Frankly, I was surprised the moderator (again, don’t know who it was) allowed this person to give his entire “testimony.”  In fact, he (the caller) pointed out the “expert witness” (medical examiner) that the Zimmerman defense relied on (and, which evidently helped sway the jury) was unprofessional and would be facing disciplinary action back in Texas due to his actions in this case.  Of course, the details of this all went over my head, but the point the man made was clear – there was no intention on the part of either the defense OR the PROSECUTION to get a guilty verdict for George Zimmerman.  Based on the information of this man, the trial was a sham designed to diffuse the negative national attention brought to their area due to the obvious racial profiling that led to the death of Mr. Martin.

According to what this person said, much of what Mr. Zimmerman’s defense relied on was not credible and there was EASILY evidence that would refute his claims of “self defense” that the prosecution chose not to use.  I don’t remember all of what was said in this particular phone conversation, but as I’ve listened to the blow-back from multiple sources since the end of the trial, it’s clear to me that justice was NOT carried out in this case and the issue of race, that I’ve been writing about since Barrack Obama won the presidency, is a MAJOR issue in America and we need to deal with it SOONER rather than later.  While this case was in progress I started and finished a very interesting book titled “Red Summer – The Summer of 1919 and the Awakening of Black America” which details the struggle of Blacks in America during the summer of 1919 as racial tensions exploded into mob violence leading to Blacks being murdered, tortured, and lynched in DROVES with little to no consequence for the violators of their civil rights.  In fact, many in America, at the time, didn’t believe African Americans should have civil rights.  As I read more about Black History in America (I have to mention that when I got the XM radio in my car I started listening to a program called “Make it Plain,” hosted by Mark Thompson, which is “progressive” talk from the perspective of those in the Black Community in America – it’s spurred me to read more about Black History including the biography of WEB DuBois who was one of the leaders of the NAACP as Blacks began to “fight back” during the “Red Summer”) the Zimmerman acquittal helps me to understand what must be extreme frustration from the Black perspective and a FEAR that the people I’ve been railing about for the past several years might be succeeding in pushing the “clock” back to the days prior to FDR and the “New Deal.”

The idea that the prosecution in this case had no intention of “winning” makes my stomach uneasy.  I’m really starting to question how deep is the infiltration of our justice system of the “loyalists” that were hired during the reign of George W Bush and Dick Cheney.  (Remember, it’s a FACT that new hires at the Justice Department, during the Bush/Cheney regime were forced to take a “republican” loyalty oath as a condition of employment – despite the FACT this would be a FELONY – and this went on until someone “leaked” the information to our “liberal media” and it was presumably stopped.  However, I’ve never seen evidence that one “impartial” member of the Justice Department who took that absurd oath was ever fired, the person administering the oath (and her superiors) never faced accountability, and also, all the lawyers who quit in protest of that policy are presumably working elsewhere.  The evidence that our “IMPARTIAL” Justice Department is tilted HEAVILY to the right seems to show its ugly head repeatedly.  Now, I realize that the prosecution in the case against Zimmerman was local, but I honestly have little faith that the Justice Department will intervene based on the very REAL probability that Trayvon Martin’s Civil Rights were PERMANENTLY violated.  This was such a “slam dunk” case against George Zimmerman that it has to raise eyebrows from anyone who believes in a fair justice system, and – from the perspective of Blacks in America – I can only surmise that the feeling would be more of a sense of deja vu all over again horror.

I was listening today to a caller (presumably a Zimmerman defender) on the Thom Hartman show complaining that in Texas two Black youths shot and killed a white person and there’s no national media following of this case.  Of course, I’m not familiar with the case, but Hartman suggested this was a case that was brought to the public via Sean Hannity – presumably suggesting that the “liberal media” is showing its bias by focusing on the Zimmerman case.  Again, I don’t know the details, and the reality was the caller to Hartman’s show was attempting, evidently, to suggest that the only reason there’s so much publicity in this case is because Zimmerman is white.  And, I don’t know the details of the other case, but I would suggest that if the caller’s information was correct and if two Black youth killed a White person in cold blood and then claimed to be innocent because they were acting in self defense (they felt their lives were in danger) there would be a lot of attention on the case – for example, if there was a “Stand your Ground” law defense – especially, if there was an all Black jury that acquitted them in the face of overwhelming evidence they were guilty. (as in the case of Zimmerman, there has never been any question that he shot Trayvon Martin right through his heart).  That kind of blow-back from the “right” (Hannity, Limbaugh, Fox “news,” Wall Street Journal, etc., etc.) is part of the LARGER picture that I see as the real PROBLEM here.

Of course, before I get to that, just take a moment and picture in your mind how this story would have unfolded had Zimmerman been Black and Martin White.  One more thing, I seem to remember when this case was unfolding that George Zimmerman, at the time of his arrest, had no visible marks on his head and/or face.  That was one of my curiosities as I tuned in to a small segment of the trial.  The defense was talking about all the wounds to his head as the result of Trayvon Martin’s violent attack.  I was wondering why the prosecution didn’t post the pictures I saw at the time that showed NO marks on Zimmerman’s head?  Back to this bigger problem – and, I believe it is what will keep the Justice Department from intervening in this case on behalf of Martin.  I’ve shared in previous posts that the local “progressive” talk radio show was shut down just days after Barrack Obama won his second term by defeating Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.  What I didn’t know until just recently is that “Clear Channel” – the station which was airing the “format” was bought out by Bain Capital (Romney’s Bain Capital) a year or two prior to the election and their claim was that KPOJ’s progressive format was losing too much money due to a .08 “market share” of the local radio market.  (This is in Portland, Oregon)  The progressive “voices” were replaced with a version of FOX in the form of a sports channel.  Since that time, it has been reported that the LIBERAL talk format had an audience almost TEN TIMES larger than the replacement.  I’ll let you draw your own conclusions from that “evidence.”

Knowing this only confirmed my suspicions (and fears prior to the shutdown) that “conservatives” would be willing to “invest” in the closure of progressive talk radio as a way to cement their stranglehold on our “liberal media.”  As I read more about the demise of KPOJ I saw that several other cities have suffered the same fate.  Prior to this assault on LIBERAL talk on the radio airwaves the conservative point of view occupied over 90% of the air space.  Evidently, that wasn’t enough for them.  So, how does this connect with the Zimmerman/Martin case?  Well, I believe the politicians in Washington, including our president. are political creatures who just don’t want to take on this “liberal media” – you know, like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Lars Larsen, and the rest of the people who are willing carry the “torch” for the Koch Brothers, Rupert Murdoch, and all the other corporatists who pay for their message to dominate the air waves.  This brainwashing has been going on for so long that many Americans just assume it’s “news” because there’s very little “blow-back.”  Many in America’s unsuspecting public actually believes, for example, that Fox is “fair and balanced.”  So, for some reason, the “right” took up the cause of racist killer George Zimmerman and if the Justice Department attempts to “jump in” all hell will break out in the right wing – oops – “liberal media.”

I’ve been pointing out on this site since the day Obama was elected that the racists in America were/are coming out from under their rocks in droves.  As long as we had White people in the “White House” it seemed as if the racial divide in this nation was diminishing.  I remember still getting tears in my eyes as I witnessed a Black (actually half Black) person winning the White House – as something that seemed inconceivable in my lifetime.  Well, that event has certainly “triggered” a reaction from the “right” that I really didn’t think would happen.  The overt racism on places like Fox and with the “talkers” like Limbaugh and Hannity has been over the edge for me.  I’m still wondering how they’re getting away with it.  For example, Limbaugh has made NUMEROUS comments much more offensive than Don Imus – Imus was FIRED but, evidently the entire world is afraid of Rush Limbaugh – because he just keeps spouting his hate and seemingly gets away with it. (I have heard that many sponsors are abandoning him, but whoever he works for obviously does not have the “stones” – in the words of Bill Clinton – to fire him as he deserves)  Hannity is the master with the “code words” along with other talkers and many of the leaders of the republican party.  Their “opinion” of Blacks in America, to be sure, is no secret to anyone paying attention.

So, what happened in Sanford, Florida didn’t surprise me all that much (although, in my mind is was a “slam dunk” case for a guilty verdict right from the start).  Florida is in the South and let us not deceive ourselves on what that means to persons of color.  Blacks are profiled ALL THE TIME (not just in the South) and the calls for immigration reform (from the right) want to extend that profiling to Hispanics.  I’ve only heard about what’s going on in Arizona, but it appears that if you’re of Latina descent you’d better be careful when around a police officer.  This case (Zimmerman/Martin)  should be (ANOTHER) wake up call to all progressives in America that there’s a WAR going on for the heart and soul of this great nation.  The Koch’s and their ilk have UNLIMITED funds and they will not stop – they can’t take NO for an answer.  (for example – the “Tea Party” controlled House this week made something like their 38th attempt to block the so-called “Obamacare”)  If they win we will get more right wing media, more right wing Court decisions (like Citizens United and the gutting of the Voting Rights Act), more fossil fuel welfare in Congress and less support for alternatives, more anti-Black and anti-Women legislation, and ULTIMATELY more CORPORATE control of America’s government.  The only people who could possibly make George Zimmerman out to be a “hero” are the “Tea Party” supporters of the republican party!  They shout REALLY loud!  It will take a ground swell of populist revolt to stop this right wing republican takeover of our government which includes this assault on Blacks and Women  – and, I hope and pray it happens SOONER rather than LATER.

Finally, just a reminder – the Supreme Court bludgeoned sections 4 and 5 of the Voting Rights Act and the longer it takes Congress to “fix” that decision (and remember, the Tea Party won’t be agreeable to fixing it) the more damage will be done in the form of disenfranchising voters who will be key to stopping this corporate takeover of our government.  We really DON’T want this Zimmerman verdict to somehow become “precedent” in our justice system.  Should that happen, I would advise you to read “Red Summer” to see how bad you want these people (the Koch’s, etc.)  to be able to take us back to the twenties!

I recently finished part one of a biography, written by Blanche Wiesen Cook, about the years of Eleanor Roosevelt’s life up to 1933.  I’ve read several biographies of FDR from that period on and was aware of the significance of Mrs. Roosevelt, but in this day and age of republicans attacking Women’s rights, this book has spurred me to write another – presumably – anti-republican post.  I was really wanting to show my “bi-partisanship” by writing about some of my disappointment with the democrats in general and President Obama in particular, but these republicans with their relentless attacks on what, essentially, Eleanor Roosevelt stood for and worked so hard (with many others) for simply keep me feeling a need to vent – in their direction.

Republicans, of course, have gained control of the Supreme Court which has led to some of – what I believe will go down in history as – the most abominable decisions in the history of this great republic.  Without going into detail I will remind you that this right wing court (albeit with a bit of a different make-up) chose George W Bush/Dick Cheney over the will of the people in 2000 (and, somehow got away with it – thanks in large part to that “liberal media” all the republicans seem to be constantly bashing) and that decision led to disasters of monumental proportions.  Then there was Citizens United – which I believe a majority of Americans continue to have NO CLUE as to the ramifications of what – I thought – at the time to be the worst decision in my lifetime – yes, even worse than Bush v Gore due to the long term effect on our electoral system.  And, just recently, the gutting of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 stands to be every bit as effective in the republican pursuit of TOTAL control of our system of government (ie, the so-called “permanent republican ‘majority'”) as Citizens United.  To me, these two unspeakable decisions by the court are simply more evidence that the republicans have their sights set on complete control of America’s government.

Since the Court’s ruling on the Voting Rights act we’ve seen the fringe “right” BOLT into action in several places around the nation as they attempt to reduce the number of  voters (the fulfillment of Paul Weyrich’s dream – from his famous quote to republican insiders, “As a matter of fact our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down“).   The result, of course, will be, if they get their way, far less democrats voting and a stranglehold on our system that will be EXTREMELY difficult to defeat.  (This is where much of my frustration with President Obama comes in; he continues to “pander” to these people – I can’t imagine his legacy if they succeed in their plans under his “watch”)  Additionally, we’ve seen republican legislatures around the nation feeling emboldened to go after female reproductive rights in a way that suggests they have every confidence this court will support their attempts to determine the most basic rights of women.  And, make no mistake, this is a play to energize their “base” because most of them must understand that the only women who will be affected by these efforts are poor women who won’t have the means to sidestep their legal roadblocks.

Now, I have to add here that I am not in favor of abortions.  I can’t imagine anyone being in favor of abortions.  This issue, to me, goes way deeper than the “abortion issue.”  In my mind, it is indisputable that when a female egg is fertilized and attaches to the womb, then requiring only food and oxygen to grow, it’s a living “thing.”  I’m a father and I believe it then becomes a fetus.  So, I’m not looking to get into that debate.  I once heard President Obama, when the topic of Roe v Wade came up saying that we should be focused on REDUCING the demand for abortions and I totally agree with that.  (My opinion on how you do that is a subject for much more than I’m going to write tonight)  What I find actually disgusting is watching a bunch of right wing MEN blustering over their success in sneaking anti-women provisions into their state budgets like what I saw with Governor Kasich in Ohio last week.  What it seems to me they will accomplish with their anti-women legislation – regarding women’s reproductive rights – will be creating MORE unsafe medical situations for women, especially those women without the ability to pay for needed medical procedures.  (Actually, what I HOPE they accomplish with this anti-woman strategy, is to energize women voters to help eliminate this right wing republican cabal FOREVER!)

I thought I would add, according to “AlterNet,” what they’re calling the “6 truly unbelievable ways Ohio has just eviscerated women’s rights.

“1. Places Limits on Rape Clinics

Rape clinics are no longer allowed to counsel victims on abortion options under the new budget. If clinics do undertake that counseling, public funding would be cut off.

2. Forced Ultrasounds

The bill requires any woman seeking an abortion to undergo a trans-abdominal ultrasound.

The legislation mandates “an obstetric ultrasound examination that portrays the entire body of the embryo or fetus.” The bill also requires an explanation of the what the ultrasound shows, and for the doctor to search for a heartbeat.

The main author of the bill, State Representative Ron Hood, told the website MediaTrackers.org that “if you talk to the pregnancy-center people across the state, they’ll all tell you that when a mother sees that ultrasound, she really realizes that, in most cases, the vast majority of cases, she doesn’t want to abort this baby.”

3. Cuts Funding to Planned Parenthood

The budget signed by the governor cuts off the reproductive rights group Planned Parenthood from $1.4 million in family-planning money.

Planned Parenthood provides abortion services to women, but also a number of other crucial reproductive rights services. These include STD testing and treatment, contraception services, cancer screening and treatment and more.

4. Restricts Clinics From Working With Public Hospitals

The anti-abortion legislation would end the practice of abortion clinics transferring patients to public hospitals. So if a woman has the ability to get an abortion–a big if considering all the restrictions–she would have to find a private hospital to get post-abortion care done.

5. More Money For ‘Crisis Pregnancy Centers’

While abortion clinics will see their operations severely curtailed–potentially leading to their closures–more money will be given to “crisis pregnancy centers.” These centers, run by religious organizations, usually give inaccurate information to women who enter them. They also seek to dissuade women from getting abortions.

6. Gives Women Information on Fetus to Dissuade Them From Getting Abortions

The budget also requires doctors to inform women  “of the probable anatomical and physiological characteristics” of a fetus. This is done in order to dissuade women from getting an abortion if they’re able to get one. Doctors also have to give women information on adoption–another way of pressuring women not to get an abortion.”

Again, I have to emphasize here that I’m not arguing in favor of (or against) abortions.  I would hate to see either of my daughters faced with that decision, but I’m certainly not the one to make it for them, nor are politicians like Kasich.  What my point is (I realize that sometimes it takes me a while to get there) the hypocrisy of republicans who are constantly clamoring for “less government” while, at the same time, pushing government into places it clearly doesn’t belong – like between a woman and her family and doctor.  This is consistent with the republican efforts to prevent people from voting and, essentially, to do whatever it takes to further their privatizing corporate welfare state and thus gaining a stranglehold on POWER in America.

Getting back to the biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, which spurred my thoughts as I pondered writing tonight.  The very people behind the attack on the voters who will be disenfranchised by the Court’s ruling on section 5 and the politicians who are seeking ways to prevent women from getting legal medical treatment and procedures are the same ilk who’ve been trying to reverse the effects of the New Deal which was the result of the administration of Franklin D Roosevelt.  And, as you read more about his wife, you realize the effect she, and those brave women she associated herself with in the 1920’s and on, had on the legislation that became the “New Deal.”  You have to remember that it wasn’t until 1920 that women even had the right to vote.  That was an enduring struggle in it’s own right that, as I look back, is an unbelievable blight on our history.  It’s not, at least to me, of the same magnitude as slavery and the subsequent evolution of minority rights that led to  the “Jim Crow” era and then the racism that still exists in America today, but the subjugation of women was carried out by the same male politicians who believe in White supremacy.  Obviously, as we’ve seen with the reaction of so many republicans to a Black president, and now with these attacks on women and minority voting rights, this faction of America is alive and well (and very powerful).  (Can you imagine how these people will react if Americans elect a woman president in 2016?  How do you spell apoplectic?)

Eleanor Roosevelt and many of the women she partnered with in various groups led the fight for the (at the time) 48 hour work week (which ultimately became the 40 hour work week – yea!), child labor laws, unemployment insurance, “old age” insurance (which, obviously, became Social Security), unionization of workers, bank regulations, and various other worker’s rights that evolved into key components of the New Deal legislation which ultimately, with a little stimulus from WW II, fostered the great American middle class that thrived until the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. Since Reagan, the republican focus  has been  a systematic program of dismantling the “New Deal” piece by piece via people who always seem to be remnants of the “Reagan revolution” or further to the “right” – ie, Koch brothers and people of their ilk – John Birch Society-ish.  (Seriously, Google the JBS so you understand where these people are coming from)

Of course, after Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson further antagonized this right wing bunch with his “War on Poverty” and the “Great Society” which brought us Medicare (At the time, Ronald Reagan said, “Medicare will usher in federal programs that will invade every area of freedom as we have known it in this country.” and, “All of us can see what happens once you establish the precedent that the government can determine a man’s working place and his working methods, determine his employment. From here it’s a short step to all the rest of socialism, to determining his pay….He will wait for the government to tell him where he will go to work and what he will do.”) and ultimately Medicaid.  The great irony, as you examine the response to Medicare and Medicaid from the “right,” (including the aforementioned Reagan quotes – which came from ads sponsored by the AMA at the time – 1961 – as they attempted to stop this “socialized” medicine) is the stated fear of socialism by a group of people who are presently acting like authoritarian fascists.  Yikes!!!  And, as I realized that it was women’s groups, who had just gained “suffrage” who spurred on these great advances for ALL AMERICANS, it gave me pause, and hope, as I’ve been observing this misogynous and racist assault on our society from the fringe right.  (Actually, people like the Roosevelts were subject to the “Socialist,” “Bolshevik,” “Communist,” scare tactics that are still part of the republican “attack” arsenal today – J Edgar Hoover had a significant dossier on Eleanor Roosevelt while she was America’s “First Lady”)

People like the Koch Brothers (with BILLIONS to buy legislatures), Rush Limbaugh (an overt misogynist and racist radio “talker” with a large – but shrinking audience), Bill O’Reilly (and the others at Fox “news”), Mitch McConnell (in the Senate), John Boehner and Eric Cantor (in the House), and basically the republican party of today (that walks in “lock step” – which is the sign of any good AUTHORITARIAN organization) maybe have stepped in their own “you know what.”  As I thought about all the good that came from Eleanor Roosevelt and the other women of her era who fought for so many advances for working class people in America, it dawned on me that these attacks on women’s reproductive rights just might awaken a HUGE segment of our population that will lead the fight against this republican authoritarian corporatocracy.  Evidently, the “stakes” haven’t been high enough for the rest of us to get our attention.  I believe that not only the legislation republicans are cramming through (while they think no one’s watching), but also the way in which they’re doing it (no public comments, much of the legislation passed in “midnight” legislative sessions, etc.) is going to “backfire” on them.

I would welcome the dialogue on how we significantly reduce the demands for abortions in America.  I certainly would agree that there should be no public funding of abortions.  However, it really baffles me how politicians on the one hand seem gleeful (as in the case recently in Ohio – Kasich and a bunch of old men acting like they’d just gotten away with something) as they attack the right of women to “choose” and then with the “other hand” pull funds from programs that provide women with education and support should they choose to become mothers.   I no longer have access to the liberal “talker” Randi Rhodes, but she used to put it best – republicans seem to “love the fetus, but hate the child.”  As a sixth grade teacher in a high poverty school, I’ve seen the result of that attitude “up front and personal.”  This has been the republican “mantra” since the beginning of the “Reagan revolution” and it is leading the United States to second rate status in the world.

I realize the issues I’m discussing in this post, by themselves, don’t warrant the previous “accusation,” (that the US is headed for second rate status) but the mentality that would allow for this kind of collective attitude in one of our major political parties is what is leading us in that direction.  That is exactly why I’ve been lobbying for people to vote out all republicans for the past several years.  I still like to call myself an independent, but the republican party has moved so far to the right that the only solution is to vote against ALL of them – until we get republicans who will think for themselves and recognize that the function of the government is to work from the “bottom up” in their support for our society.  That “aint gonna happen” under the present republican leadership and, while I’ve got many issues with democrats, “we the people” CANNOT allow the so-called “permanent republican majority” to become a reality.  Instead of further dismantling the “New Deal” we the people should be RESTORING the key pieces of it – like Glass-Steagall, pro union legislation, single payer health care (OK, that’s an “add on”), repeal “free trade” agreements, re-regulate business (like doing away with all the off-shore tax havens for people like Mitt Romney and others who can’t seem to get rich enough), jobs programs, rebuild our infrastructure, un privatize health care, prisons, etc. and on and on.  (I could – and have- write several posts on the issue of, for example, the folly of privatizing prisons.  The corruption that it leads to is unbelievable – and why anyone would allow that is beyond me.  Just think about the motives of a “private prison.”  It certainly wouldn’t be rehabilitating the inmates.)

In my mind, the only way working class people (and remember, there’s more of us than there is of “them”) can support republican policies is as a result of the brainwashing we’ve endured for the past 30+ years.  Somehow Ronald Reagan convinced “we the people” that we could reduce the taxes of the wealthiest among us and “balance the budget.”  That, “Government is the problem, not the solution.” Reagan convinced too many Americans (workers included) that unions are bad and he was the stimulus behind this awful privatization of so many of the vital responsibilities of government.  That was the beginning of the “plan” that’s on the verge of “coming together.”  And, it’s frustrating to me that so many Americans watch outlets like Fox “news” (GOP TV) and listen to people like Limbaugh, Hannity, Lars Larsen, and the others who have convinced America’s middle class to vote for their own destruction.  They’re good at what they do, I just don’t understand how some of them can sleep at night.  (Actually, pathological liars, after a while, begin to believe their own lies as the words leave their mouths)

Since the day Reagan succeeded in selling the so-called “Trickle down economic” propaganda scheme we’ve been sinking further and further into debt and the working class (middle class) in America has been shrinking.  Many of the young people I talk to today have no idea what people like Eleanor Roosevelt were all about and they take many of the benefits resulting from the struggle she led for granted.  As stated above, my hope is that the republican “war on women” will “wake up” that MAJORITY of our population and there will be a severe price to pay for their (the republican) intrusion into the private affairs of these women – because it’s just a segment of the larger struggle.  Of course, if that wish comes true (women uniting against republicans), then the next step is to go after the democrats – many of whom are “feeding from the same trough” as the republicans.  It has been LIBERALS like Mrs. Roosevelt who’ve led the fight for so many rights we all enjoy (and, incidentally, she eventually was also a leader in the civil rights movement for African Americans) and, I look forward to the day when our “liberal media” no longer portrays the word LIBERAL in a derogatory manner!  It appears to me that, just as in the 1920’s, it will be women who play a significant role in stopping this republican assault on the foundation of our system of government.

There have been a few occasions where I’ve started posts by saying something like “I’m not trying to ‘pat myself on the back,'” when clearly that’s exactly what I’m doing, and this could be another of those occasions.  Today, as I was driving around I heard the news that our WONDERFUL Supreme Court has decided to “gut” the Voting Rights Act that was the result of so much sacrifice from so many back when I was a “youth.”  This (like the recent reports of our government “surveilling” we the people) came as no surprise to me because this is the same Court “makeup” as the 2000 Court which chose to “crown” George W Bush as president despite the FACT he was not the choice of “we the people” and which managed to “upend” over 100 years of campaign finance laws with the absurd “Citizens United” decision, “judicial activism” in its purest form from the very people who decry “judicial activism.”  Seriously, this is getting SERIOUS!  I have been pointing out the sophisticated ways the “right wing” of the republican party have been slowly CREEPING toward their “permanent republican majority” and this is another vital step in their strategy.  It has long been on the “public record” that republicans believe the fewer the number of people voting the better their chances for success, and this is a key component of that strategy.

In the 2012 election cycle there were numerous attempts by various states in the union to disenfranchise voters.  Their targets:  Blacks, students, poor people, Hispanics, etc. – basically the portion of the voting public that would tend to vote in favor of democrats.  Just last night I watched a portion of the Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC (I rarely watch anything on TV that’s considered “news” anymore – it’s ALL biased, although Maddow generally appeals to me as we seem to see things through the same “lens”) and she pointed out a plan being proposed in a section around Houston Texas to reduce the number of polling places from 80 something to around 12.  The interesting part of the plan is that in the sections of that area of the country where people are “affluent” (white)  there would be something like 6500 voters per polling place.  In the poor (Black/Hispanic) areas the ratio would be 67,000 “voters” to one polling place.  This is just one example of the methods republicans are using to make it more difficult for “minority” and/or poor voters to participate in the electoral process.  Almost as soon as today’s decision was rendered you could hear the “conservative” secretaries of state around the nation (especially in the South) proposing new voter ID laws designed to disenfranchise the very voters this law was designed to protect.

If you’ve been following politics for the past 30 or so years (or longer) you know this is the republican plan that’s “coming together.”  I can hear Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, the Koch Brothers, Karl Rove, Mitch McConnell, Roger Ailes, and I could go on and on,  on the sidelines saying “I love it when a plan comes together.”  As I said in a recent post, losing an election doesn’t slow these people down at all.  They have clearly been proponents of “the end justifies the means” theory for years and they’ve finally got to the point where they’re getting a grip on our political “system” from virtually EVERY angle.  And, they’ve got unlimited capital which they’re willing to use to accomplish their goals.   Let me remind you, what the republicans are doing is EXACTLY what the “founding fathers” of this great nation were trying to PREVENT!  The system of “Checks and Balances” was put into our constitution to prevent specific “factions” from being able to control the government.  In this case, it’s a “faction” (the fringe right of the republican party) that publicly professes to HATE government – yet, they (people like the Kochs and other wealthy “elites”) are spending BILLIONS in order to gain a stranglehold on that government they HATE!  It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out why they’re doing this.  It’s all about the POWER and the MONEY!

There’s not enough space on this post for me to go back over the entire history of the process of what’s “HAPPENING,” but let me just summarize by saying they ( this right wing fringe element of the republican party) already have control of two of the most important parts of the “wheels” of government – that is, they control the Supreme Court and they control the “liberal media.”  (something “unbelievable” to me is that two of the Supreme Court justices, Scalia and Thomas, regularly meet with Koch affiliated support groups – and, this is hardly mentioned by our “liberal media” – just think of the ramifications of them doing this) This process has been going on for years and, through their (republicans) control of America’s media (both print and broadcast), they’ve brainwashed “we the people” in a way that’s actually quite clever (and, from my perspective, scary), but also is designed to be destructive to our representative democracy (I guess the correct term for our form of government is “republic”).  I can’t tell you, for example, the number of supposedly educated Americans I’ve met who actually believe our media is “liberal.”  This is the classic “Big Lie Theory” of Joseph Goebbels in its finest form. (for anyone not paying attention, Goebbels was the head of Nazi propaganda during the Third Reich)  If you look at who controls the VAST majority of America’s media it becomes obvious there’s not much “liberal” about any of it.  large corporate interests “own” the airwaves and CONTROL the messaging.  We the people are continually getting our brains “POUNDED” by the messaging that is intended to enrich and enable the corporatocracy that seeks TOTAL control of America’s government.

I could try to explain this in detail, but I’ll trust you to “infer” ( the same skill I teach my 6th graders) from one example.  Have you ever wondered why BP is always putting adds on TV that claim the “Gulf is better than ever?”  Especially, when – if you do a little research – you know that the damage from the huge OIL SPILL of a couple of years ago has left HUGE (under water) columns of oil in the Gulf of Mexico that will be an environmental hazard for years to come.  Why the adds then, “informing” us that the Gulf is “better than ever?”  Well, let me just say, the media outlets would prefer the money generated from BP’s adds to doing actual investigative journalism to expose the realities of the aftermath of the oil spill.  I’m just giving one example, using BP, but think of all the commercials you’ve seen on TV from companies that are selling nothing.  I know I said just one example, but have you ever wondered why Monsanto advertises on TV?  Such a wonderful company.  Well, as a former small “family farmer,” pay attention to the process that produces America’s “Farm bills.”  Again, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to understand corporations like Monsanto have a corrupt “grip” on our national legislature and they don’t want anyone in the “liberal media” exposing what they’re doing to the general public.  The corporate TV interests are more interested in their advertising (to whom?) dollars than the truth about their seeds and their corporate practices.

Back to the issue of the Voting Rights Act (of 1965 – re-authorized 4 times since, upheld many times before this by previous Courts) so I make sure you understand the significance of this Court action.  When I look at the map of the states involved – that is, the ones affected by section 5 of the Act which is the heart of the Act and was the section “gutted” by the Court, most of those states are what are termed “Red” states already.  (do you find it interesting that the color associated with republicans is “red states?”)  That means they’re already voting republican.  So, you might think, what’s the difference? What matter does it make?  Well, if we can get beyond the issue of how important it is in America that EVERYONE has access to the polls, that our government is not making it more difficult for ANYONE to VOTE and, you can get past “Well, they vote republican already” you will be able to see why this court decision is so significant.  It’s really hard for me to put these reasons in a sequential order because they’re all so significant, so I’ll just list them as they come off the top of my head: First, as is the norm now with republicans, while they complain about “judicial activism” (which is very dangerous) this decision, along with Bush v Gore and Citizens United, take judicial activism to really scary heights.  Instead of being the arbiters of America’s “agenda” this court is setting the agenda!   Second, this vote clearly brings into focus the republican’s fears about the “color line” in America and how it’s changing.  Those of us who are “white” will soon no longer be a majority, and with the election of Barrack Obama it’s clear (I”m sure to the republicans) that too many “white minions” are willing to vote for people of color.  These people (the Kochs, Rupert Murdoch, and all the others who are funding this right wing republican party) are planning ahead in an attempt to keep their “majorities” in these mostly southern “bastions” of their WHITE “Christian” base.  For example, in Texas, the Hispanic population is growing rapidly and they vote predominantly democratic.  Here’s a way to “keep them down.” And, finally, (I’m sure I’ll think of other reasons later) when you have the appearance of justices who are not impartial, the very foundation of our system of government is called into question.  In my view, Justices Scalia and Thomas should be removed from the Court for their partisan political activities.  I pointed this out during the Bush/Cheney regime that Bush/Cheney were undermining the foundation of our government through “loyalty oaths” from members of the Justice Department (some who are presumably still there) and the association of Scalia and Thomas with people like the Koch brothers at public functions is just as BAD and should be UNACCEPTABLE.  This whole episode is further evidence that UNACCEPTABLE is no longer an obstacle to members of our nation’s government. (ie – do you remember Bush/Cheney being war criminals and nary an investigation)

Additionally, this Court decision opens the door to political shenanigans in places like Wisconsin, Ohio, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, and other places where Koch brothers (Tea party) funded “conservatives” have assumed control of state and local governments.  Just last year (2012) the Justice Department had to intervene in Pennsylvania (for one example) to block an attempt to disenfranchise poor and/or Black voters during the presidential election.  Had the republicans been able to keep enough “minority” voters from the polls in Pennsylvania and Ohio we’d be forced to stomach Mitt Romney (and his hundreds of Cayman Island Tax haven accounts) and Paul Ryan (he of privatizing Social Security and Medicare).  I’ve stated this many times on this site – people like the Koch’s, Rush Limbaugh (the de facto head of the republican party), Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Ron and Rand Paul, John Boehner, and the list goes on of right wing republicans, HATE the New Deal of Franklin Roosevelt.  All of the “rights” that came with the New Deal, the Civil Rights movement, and the “Great Society” of Lyndon Johnson, to name some of the “liberal” movements in America’s history, took years of toil to accomplish.  The American people need to understand that this right wing cabal will be able to dismantle these advances in a matter of months and days if they succeed in gaining their “permanent republican majority.”  And, this action by our Supreme Court is another crucial step in this republican attempt to sidestep the intentions of our founders.  They only need about 4 more seats in the Senate and the White House and, should that happen, I guarantee you that if you think like a “liberal” you will be very, very disappointed.

I’m going to end this by referencing the NSA “eavesdropping” that was divulged by the so-called “traitor” Edward Snowden. (He was actually charged with espionage – I’ll have more to say about that on another day)  Many people I’ve talked to give the unnerving response to being spied upon by our government by saying “I don’t have anything to hide, I don’t care if they’re listening to my phone calls.”  (OK, I know “they” aren’t listening to phone calls, they’re just collecting the data from EVERY phone call and email and ????? you/we do)  It’s this attitude that really makes me nervous.  My parents went through the “Great Depression” and I had great conversations with my grand parents about what it was like.  It was during that era that many of the advances the republicans are trying to reverse took place.  And, in reality, we’re not far from that (the Great Depression) situation today – with nearly 100 MILLION  Americans near or under the “poverty line.”  (This makes me even angrier as I watch and observe the objectives of this right wing republican party – they’re cutting food stamps, meals on wheels [for the elderly], Head Start, unemployment insurance, and other parts of the “safety net” that was the signature of the New Deal and Great Society)  My point is this:  The American public needs to understand, it’s much easier to give up rights than to get them back!  The same attitude that is willing to allow government eavesdropping (despite the fourth amendment to the constitution) is one that looks the other way when the Court “guts’ the Voting Rights Act – our most fundamental “right.”  (And, very curiously to me, is outraged at the thought of any “gun laws” they believe – incorrectly in most instances – will infringe on the second amendment) When the people behind this right wing movement gain a stranglehold on our government, getting rid of them will be much more difficult than if “we the people” band together NOW and say ENOUGH ALREADY!

I’ve been watching (and listening) with curiosity as the “liberal media” “processes” the news that a “leaker” has spilled the beans on the NSA’s (National Security Agency’s) secret spying (with compliance from the major communications corporations) that’s been presumably going on under “Obama’s watch.”  Here’s the rub for me; if you check my archives (and, I’m not going to look up all the times I’ve written about this) we shouldn’t have needed a “leaker” to point this sad reality out to all of us (meaning “we the people”) – I’ve been writing about the abuses of the original FISA law since the “dog days” of the GW Bush/Cheney regime when the abuses of the 4th amendment went all “Nixon” on  us (again).  I’m just a 6th grade school teacher – if I was able to put two plus two together, why is this such a surprise to so many Americans?  And, I’ve (even though I’m one of those strange Americans who want our president to succeed) not been too gracious to President Obama on all of this.  If you check, you’ll see that I actually wrote him back in 2008 when he was still a US Senator and he committed one of his first “red flag” events by voting for the FISA bill which, for all intents and purposes, gave corporations like Verizon, AT&T, etc. exoneration for succumbing to government pressure which led to illegal surveillance without the benefit of a warrant.

Obama, in a response to my letter to his campaign complaining about his vote, (OK, I know the response didn’t come directly from him) assured me that once in office he would “fix” the FISA bill.  As he’s done nothing of the sort, it didn’t take a lot of logic to figure out the reason he wasn’t eager to “fix” this rotten bill was because he was doing the same thing (probably, at this point, more-so) that Bush/Cheney were doing.  And, anyone who thinks he’s not aware of what’s been going on, well, I’ve “got a bridge I’d like to sell you.”  This is kind of like “we don’t torture” – yet we have Bradley Manning sitting in solitary confinement in clearly “torture” conditions for almost a year (or more) – right in front of everyone’s noses, yet the only push-back comes from a few internet “watch dogs” who are not part of that “liberal media” I so often refer to.  You know, like Fox “news” (GOP TV), CNN, ABC, CBS (the outfit that fired Dan Rather in a classic case of the “liberal media” being intimidated by the conservatives who run it) etc.  Now there’s congressional leaders calling for the guy who did the leaking (Edward Snowden) to be extradited from China (or wherever he chose to seek asylum from America’s “anti-leaking” police).

My response to these congressional thugs is “huh?”  The guy just told the truth.  If this isn’t a problem, then why all the secrecy?  I’ll tell you why all the secrecy – it’s because this “data mining” is very likely a violation of the fourth amendment to the constitution.  All these “important” officials who believe that our “safety” is contingent on throwing our constitution “under the bus” are, to me, short sighted dimwits.   I mentioned this in a previous post (again, I can’t remember which one – I’m getting up there in years) that our “leaders” are totally doing what Osama bin Laden hoped they would do when he orchestrated the 9/11 attacks on America.  Those who “rule the roost” in Washington DC have been operating via the fear factor ever since that fateful day.  And, this will continue until “we the people” put a stop to it – through the ballot box.  Now, I’ve got plenty of disappointment in President Obama, but I’ll just throw out AGAIN, for anyone paying attention, that I believe step number one in “taking back our country” as the Washington politicians like to put it to us, is purging Washington DC of EVERY republican who is walking in lockstep to lead our nation to failure under President Obama.

I have no problem with their disagreeing with Obama’s philosophy of government.  What really is annoying (actually, I should come up with a more severe word there) is their obstructionism that has caused Washington to be in TOTAL gridlock since the day Obama was elected.  Even what legislation does get through is substandard because of all the hoops that have to be gone through to get ANYTHING passed.  This is while our nation is in a virtual depression that is the result of corporate and Wall Street excesses initiated during the years of Bush/Cheney (OK, and prior).  The tax cuts, the deregulation (much of that damage done in the Clinton presidency – ie repeal of Glass Steagall, Telecommunications Act of 1996, NAFTA, GATT), the unfunded (and illegal) wars, the TARP bailouts, etc. all put America “behind the eight ball” when Obama was originally elected.  The obstruction since then has been unconscionable.  However, to me, that does not excuse the Obama administration for the illegal wiretapping, the torturing that’s continued (Guantanamo is still alive and well), and the secrecy surrounding an administration that CLEARLY PROMISED transparency in their original campaign.

Do you remember when guys like me originally started to question the “path” of President Obama?  Do you remember Rahm Emanuel?  He called “liberals” “f—ing retards.”  With little to no backlash from the president that I remember.  The problem that they don’t seem to understand is that it’s the LIBERALS who got them elected into office!  One of the many dangerous precedents President Obama may be committing is patronizing liberals to get elected and then abandoning them once the election is over.  Now, I realize that is somewhat a bit of a “reach” because President Obama is FAR BETTER than the alternative.  But starting his second term with a proposal to “cut” Social Security and Medicare (to even put them “on the table”) and now to be defending the NSA’s “data mining” – Obama seems to think they’re not really doing this (based on part of an interview I heard him give) – is not the way to mobilize “liberals” for the 2014 election which is President Obama’s only hope for “getting things done” during his second term.  I can guarantee you that there’s no way for the democrats to take back the house without strong support from liberals.  And, I’ve seen this many times before, liberals will “sit out the election” if they don’t believe the president is going to FIGHT for the issues that matter to them.

So, what can be done to “move things forward?”  Well, in my mind – even though it’s getting dangerously late to do this, President Obama needs to lead a strong fight to STRENGTHEN Social Security and Medicare (and Medicaid), re-institute the need for the “public option” in regards to the roll out of “Obamacare,” FIGHT for a major “jobs bill” that addresses the needs of America’s crumbling infrastructure, make a major push for relief to America’s inner cities and the high unemployment there, get our troops out of Afghanistan and CUT the defense budget, make a concerted effort for education reform (without trying to destroy public education), break up the “too big to fail” Wall Street conglomerates (re-institute Glass Steagall), PUSH for accelerated advances in alternative energy, and I could go on.  Essentially, Obama should take a FDR (or was it really Eleanor Roosevelt who instigated the New Deal? – I’m reading a biography of her right now and we need another ER) approach to his last 3 1/2 years as president.  The right wing corporatists who are fighting him now are descendents of the same people who fought FDR (If you remember his famous quote, “I welcome their hate”) during the implementation of the New Deal and Obama needs that same attitude toward them.  Unfortunately, from where I sit, it has appeared that our president has been constantly “reaching out” to them, and the sad reality is there’s NO CHANCE they are going to agree to anything “progressive” while President Obama is in office.

Oh yes!  One last thing.  In 1996 Bill Clinton signed the aforementioned Telecommunications Act of 1996 which has allowed the takeover of America’s media by a few right wing corporations.  That particular “Act” needs to be repealed.  It is unthinkable to me that people like Rupert Murdoch and the Koch Brothers can gain a stranglehold on the print and broadcast media because of their great wealth.  This is exactly what the “founders” were trying to prevent when they came up with the system of “checks and balances.”  This, along with the suggestions mentioned above, to name a few things that would ignite liberals, would be the way for our president to have a FIGHTING chance to get that democratic congress he needs to be able to enact any of these “progressive” initiatives.  The “status quo” is not what people like me expected when President Obama took office.  We’re chomping at the bit to FIGHT for the values we believe made this nation great, and there’s a LOT of work to be done, but I don’t see cutting Social Security and Medicare and now, being exposed as a “data miner,” as the way to create a “catalyst” for “the change we can believe in.”  I’ll end by saying, if the “surveillance” being done by the NSA is legal, then why on earth all the secrecy?  They don’t have to tell me who they’re surveilling, they just need to be up front about doing it!

I was reading my email this morning and got a good taste of why, as a sixth grade teacher, I try to teach my students the importance of “comparing and contrasting” as you process information.  First, there was the email from Alan Grayson which included the “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” written 50 years ago by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – to say the least a “profound” read (I posted the letter if you want to read it) – and then an internet petition to sign (they’re coming fast and furious these days – and, thankfully, there’s a lot of “activists” out there “fighting the good fight”) From Credo to oppose the Koch Brothers acquiring the Tribune Company, which includes several major newspapers including the Los Angeles Times.  What an interesting combination!  Dr. King is a hero to many like myself in America and yet people like the Kochs are, and have been for years, doing everything they can to make sure King’s dream is never fully a reality.  The election of a Black president put the Kochs and their “ilk” on “red alert” and they’ve been throwing everything, including, seemingly, “the kitchen sink,” at making sure President Obama FAILS and that they have such a stranglehold on the “message” that they don’t have to worry about a repeat of what, in their minds I’m sure, is a real tragedy.  You have to remember that the Koch’s father was an original member of the John Birch Society, and if you don’t understand what that means in relation to Black presidents, “Google it.”

The first reason this “comparison” has rung a “bell” with me is that I live in the radio market of Portland, Oregon.  Over the previous 8 (or so) years, prior to Obama’s initial election there was a “liberal” talk radio station in Portland that was kind of a prototype for what amounts to a miniscule opposition to the right wing messaging “machine” that has evolved on “talk radio” since the first days Rush Limbaugh started his right wing racist ranting during the Reagan years.  I have believed all along that it’s (right wing talk radio) part of the larger plan to form what Karl Rove calls the “permanent republican ‘majority'” (the additional quotes are mine – if it happens it will be a “majority” similar to Hitler’s “majority” in the 1930’s Germany).  After Limbaugh was established, along came Fox “news” and “think tanks” like the Heritage Institute of the Kochs both of which have worked in tandem with the right wing talkers like Limbaugh to “cement” the right wing propaganda “machine.”  Portland’s liberal talk station was a push-back, albeit a minor push-back because the “conservatives” control over 90% of the radio airspace.  So, it was no surprise to me when, shortly after Obama’s second election Portland’s (KPOJ) was replaced by (surprise surprise) a “wing” of the Fox network.  I was angry, but not surprised – for anyone not paying attention, this is just further evidence of the FACT the “conservatives” have a stranglehold on our “liberal media.” (seems like an oxymoron, huh?)

That gets me back to this morning’s emails.  I’ve known for weeks that the Kochs are attempting to purchase the Tribune company and that it will be a travesty if it happens.  I’m also very aware that Koch Industries generates over 100 BILLION dollars in revenue per year and the Kochs themselves are worth well over 50 BILLION dollars.  If they want to buy the Tribune company, they have the funds to do so.  The question then becomes how much of a stranglehold of our media are “we the people” willing to allow this right wing message machine to control?  I can’t even watch Fox “news” because I’ve read too much to allow me to NOT understand that they are purely and simply a right wing propaganda organization (as long as you’re “googling” things, Google the holdings of Rupert Murdoch – the owner of Fox “news,” the Wall Street Journal, and many other media outlets – and “Google” his political leanings).  They are run by a republican operative of the 70’s and 80’s – back in the days of Watergate (Roger Ailes).  They have “both barrels” aimed at Barrack Obama and anyone who might be considered “liberal” and they care only about POWER and nothing about the average and below American (their ONLY concern with the “average and below” Americans is keeping them IGNORANT of their REAL motive – ie – keeping them as “low information voters” – that’s the term that got Lars Larsen to call me an “elitist liberal” :o).  Their “talkers” (Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Limbaugh, along with the small time voices like Larsen’s, etc.) are willing to say anything for their large paychecks.  And, they are the epitome of liars who lie so much that they get to the point where they’re believing their own lies as the lies come out of their lips!  (the term is pathological)

Losing elections doesn’t slow this right wing cabal hardly at all.  That’s the problem I see with those of us “liberals” – and, that is we seem to think once we win an election the message has been “sent.”  For example, the previous election of 2012 was focused on the “social safety net” – programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, unemployment insurance, Head Start, etc. along with the so-called “roll-out” of “Obamacare” ie – “The Affordable Care Act.”  Since that election we’ve seen republicans in the House voting AGAIN (something like the 38th time) to repeal “Obamacare.”  There’s no shame with these people.  Instead of trying to figure out how to make the legislation better for “we the people” they’re focused – STILL – on undermining our president.  And, of course, he’s playing into their hands by seemingly an endless attempt to get them to agree to something – which led to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid being put “on the table” in the ill advised budget negotiations (which aren’t really negotiations at all because there’s no way the republicans will agree to anything Obama will sign).  Liberals like me have only to hope that the democrats will AGGRESSIVELY work to gain enough control in congress by 2014 to be able to pass some progressive legislation.  That hope was dealt a severe blow by Obama putting the foundation of the “New Deal” and “Great Society” signature achievements “on the table.”  And, sadly, many democrats are so concerned with their reelection that they’ve become intimidated by the power of the right wing media.  I can guarantee you, there will be no let up from the “right” until “we the people” vote them out (along with the wishy washy dems) en mass!

Additionally, the other day I listened to parts of a speech President Obama gave to the graduating class of Morehead State University in which he AGAIN chose to “lecture” an audience of Blacks – this time newly graduated Morehead seniors and their faculty and families about the importance of being responsible men in our society.  I guess because our president is Black he feels comfortable broaching this subject (over and over) with Black audiences – but, I find this a bit disconcerting.  While there’s validity, I’m sure, to what he’s saying – I can guarantee you the problem is “bipartisan” – or whatever the correct word would be for there not being a “color line” for irresponsible men and fathers.  So far, I haven’t heard the same subject being “preached” to a white audience – not that it’s impossible that he has.  My point in bringing this up is that I don’t see Obama as a great leader for the Black community.  Again, I realize he’s up against a congress which is NOT going to agree to ANYTHING he wants – and this suffocating “liberal media” – controlled by conservatives is bent on his “failure” – but, he MUST put up a fight for the basic values that made the democratic party the representatives of the average Americans, the workers, the Blacks, the Hispanics, the unions, etc.  Liberals feel as if they’re fighting a losing battle if they work to elect people who then turn around and push republican values in their faces.  As I’ve written before, if I wanted Social Security and Medicare cut, I would have voted for Romney/Ryan.  If I wanted to hear my leaders attacking the Black community, I would vote for republicans.  President Obama seems unaware of the magnitude of the WAR that’s going on right now internally in America.

As I stated above, despite losing elections (including the last one) republicans continue to try to cram the same CRAP down our throats we’ve been getting since the day Ronald Reagan gained the White House.  Only, now it’s the fringe “right” who are “guiding the ship.”  Most people I know, many of them with graduate degrees from top universities, don’t even know who Charles and David Koch are.  They have no idea how much power they’ve managed to gain in the last 30+ years and they have no idea how “out there” their philosophy is.  The Kochs are the money behind the so-called “Tea Party” which they managed to work up into a frothing lather in 2010 (after Obama’s first “victory”) that resulted in all the “Tea Party” freshmen republicans who took over the House in that 2010 election (if you watched any of their “rallies” during the 2010 election or listened to the speeches you know how overtly RACIST the “Tea Party” is).  What many of us didn’t understand at the time, was that they also gained control of many legislative bodies and governorships across the nation and managed to “gerrymander” countless congressional districts (this happens every 10 years – next time it’s possible will be 2020) making it more difficult for democrats to unseat some extremely radical republican members of the House.  Now, I’m hearing reports of the same type of aggressive, anti-government, anti-Obama rallies as they are evidently going to make the same “push” in the 2014 election with the objective of taking control of both the House and the Senate.

That’s obviously where the battle lines are presently drawn.  For those of us who are “liberals” (or progressives if you’ve “bought” the right wing “cool aid” that “liberal” is a dirty word) recognize that unless democrats can take back control of the House of Representatives the republicans will continue to block any kind of progressive legislation for the remainder of Obama’s term in office (and presumably going forward – they are trying to convince the American public that the “only” way to get anything “done” will be to elect a republican president (which would give them their “permanent majority – that is, control of the House, the Senate, the courts, and the media – and, in reality, they are correct – it will be hard to unseat them)  On the other hand, the liberals who are fighting back recognize the same problem and are (hopefully) intent on gaining control of the House while retaining control of the Senate (and removing the filibuster rule) so that we can move this nation back in the direction that created our great middle class in the first place – toward the New Deal and Great Society.  These “Tea Party” rallies should energize the “liberals” in America if they will only pay attention to what is being said there and how these people are carrying themselves.

In 2010 there was one BLATANTLY racist sign after another at the “Tea Party” rallies.  If you go back and listen to some of the speeches it was very disgusting.  Many of the remarks coming from members of congress pandering to the group.  The “code words” were “flying” hot and heavy.  Many of the speakers I heard made little attempt to hide their disgust that a person they referred to as “other” could be living in the “White House.”  Now, we’re hearing comments like “Waterboard Obama” and “Waterboard Clinton” at their rallies by people holding signs adorned with swastikas!  I’m not going to “go off” on my frustrations at Obama for not allowing the investigations into the war crimes of the Bush/Cheney regime, but if republicans gain control again, they’ve made it quite clear how they feel about torture.  And, as I’ve stated before on this site – there’s a group called the “Family” that are at the foundation of this right wing push of the last 30 plus years – and, their original affiliation was with members of the Third Reich who were not prosecuted after WW II and they’ve adopted the propaganda scheme of Joseph Goebbels, the head of Nazi propaganda – the so-called “Big Lie Theory.”  If you really believe our media is “liberal” then explain to me why no one seems to be pointing this out, or even investigating it?  Read the book “The Family” – I believe the author is Jeff Sharlett – it should open your eyes a bit.

One of the most blatant of the congressional speakers at 2010 “Tea Party” rallies was then senator Jim DeMint from South Carolina who was spewing out the racial “code words” in a speech I saw while the “Tea Party’ members he was speaking to had the most disgusting racist signs regarding President Obama I had, up to that point, seen.  And, of course, DeMint was encouraging them with his racist rhetoric.  Since that time he’s become the head of the Koch’s “Heritage Foundation” – a “conservative” think tank.  Other members include people like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, two of the major mouthpieces of the right wing “big lie theory” in practice.  They have unlimited funds and they have every intention of continuing this WAR for the heart and soul of America until they succeed in gaining the aforementioned “permanent republican majority.”  Of course, they’ll never have a real majority, but they might be able to pull off enough CRAP at the ballot boxes to make it appear that they do.  (remember 2000 and the Supreme Court anointing GW Bush as president – think that can’t happen again?)  The Heritage website proclaims to be wanting to take America BACK to “her founding principles” – and, make no mistake about it, they’re talking about pre New Deal!  The principles of no unions, no Social Security, no Medicare, no unemployment insurance, basically NO social safety net.  They are talking about the times when the “Robber Barons” were in charge.  They’re pushing a “race to the bottom” for wages and benefits of America’s workforce. (As I’m writing this, republicans are leading an “assault” on things like food stamps)

On the Heritage website it is written right out front for anyone to see (evidently, our “liberal press” doesn’t pay much attention to the Heritage website) – “The clock is also ticking on this historic opportunity to advance conservative reforms. As many as possible must be enacted and defended now, while liberals have their guard down and we have an opportunity to rally public opinion.”  They believe (and probably rightly so – as 2010 proved) that post election “liberals” are back to taking care of their families and “have their guard down” – this is the time to  CRAM through as much “conservative” legislation as possible.  They’re calling this a “once in a generations opportunity.”  And, I guarantee you their plan is to have a complete STRANGLEHOLD on our government that they so often say they despise.  Their plan is to turn America into a fascist state!  And, they’ve got BILLIONS of dollars to spend in order to pull this off.

That is why the contrast between the two emails I received gave me such “pause.”  There was a day, not too many years ago, when I thought we were on the cusp of achieving Martin Luther King Jr.’s “dream.”  I thought we might finally overcome the obstacles to a truly free nation that were represented in King’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail.”  The night President Obama was first elected president I can remember thinking how much I had believed that a Black person would not be elected president in my lifetime.  I remember calling my teaching partner at the time – a Black teacher, pastor, veteran of Viet Nam – to me, the epitome of a great American – who was literally in tears.  Little did we know at the time that Obama’s election was going to energize people like the Koch’s and those in America who believe that this is a nation that should only be led by White people – and, certainly, little did I know how many people would join the movement to attempt to make sure our first Black president FAILS.  History will judge our president against all the obstacles thrown his way – when I watched the movie “42” (the story of Jackie Robinson) I was reminded that President Obama’s situation is somewhat similar to Robinson’s.  I would love to see our president being more forceful in his battle against these republicans, but I’m constantly reminded (in my thoughts) about how I have no idea what’s going on behind the scenes.  All I can say is that those of us on the “liberal” side have our work cut out for us – the “conservatives” as is published on the Heritage website – feel we have our “guard down” and they have every intention of taking full advantage of that.

Today I got an email from Alan Grayson, one of the few members of Congress who have not been “bought and sold” by special interests (therefore, he’s the TARGET of many a special interest groups – ie Koch brothers and their network of right wing “think tanks,” Karl Rove, Fox “news,” Rush Limbaugh, etc.) commemorating the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail.”  That email and another I received regarding the aforementioned Koch brothers and their attempt to acquire the Tribune Company (which includes, I believe, 7 major newspapers including the Los Angeles Times) prompted thoughts of another post, but while I was allowing the thoughts to go through my head it became clear that I should post a copy of King’s great letter.  Maybe by reading that letter it will help people who are visiting this site to better understand why I have written so many posts about the NEED to get the republican party, as it exists today, into the history books.  Since the day Barrack Obama was elected America has inched more toward the days this letter was written than toward the days Dr. King was envisioning in it.  That is going BACKWARD and we need to be going FORWARD!  We need more in America to realize that the motivations of those who wish for our first BLACK president to FAIL are precisely because of the color of his skin.  There should be no place of leadership (I realize people are going to believe what they believe) in our society for the racists who are trying to undermine an American presidency (they did this to a lessor extent with Bill Clinton, called by some facetiously as the “first black president”).  Read this letter and pause to think about the reality of today’s political arena and I believe you will see the importance of standing strong behind the basis of King’s famous words:

MY DEAR FELLOW CLERGYMEN:… .

I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly….

We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we stiff[ly] creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging dark of segregation to say, “Wait.” But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking: “Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?”; when you take a cross-country drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading “white” and “colored”; when your first name becomes “nigger,” your middle name becomes “boy” (however old you are) and your last name becomes “John,” and your wife and mother are never given the respected title “Mrs.”; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you go forever fighting a degenerating sense of “nobodiness” then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience….

But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Was not Amos an extremist for justice: “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Was not Martin Luther an extremist: “Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God.” And John Bunyan: “I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience.” And Abraham Lincoln: “This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.” And Thomas Jefferson: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal …” So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary’s hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime—the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists….

I have no despair about the future. I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle in Birmingham, even if our motives are at present misunderstood. We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham, and all over the nation, because the goal of America [is] freedom. Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with America’s destiny. Before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson etched the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence across the pages of history, we were here. For more than two centuries our forebears labored in this country without wages; they made cotton king; they built the homes of their masters while suffering gross injustice and shameful humiliation — and yet out of a bottomless vitality they continued to thrive and develop. If the inexpressible cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail. We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands….

One day the South will recognize its real heroes. There will be the James Merediths, with the noble sense of purpose that enables them to face jeering and hostile mobs, and with the agonizing loneliness that characterizes the life of the pioneer. There will be the old, oppressed, battered Negro women, symbolized in a seventy-two-year-old woman in Montgomery, Alabama, who rose up with a sense of dignity and with her people decided not to ride segregated buses, and who responded with ungrammatical profundity to one who inquired about her weariness: “My feets is tired, but my soul is at rest.” There will be the young high school and college students, the young ministers of the gospel and a host of their elders, courageously and nonviolently sitting in at lunch counters and willingly going to jail for conscience’s sake. One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judaeo-Christian heritage, thereby bringing our nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in their formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

Never before have I written so long a letter. I’m afraid it is much too long to take your precious time. I can assure you that it would have been much shorter if I had been writing from a comfortable desk, but what else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think long thoughts and pray long prayers?…

Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.

Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood,

Martin Luther King, Jr.

I haven’t done much “patting” on my own back lately, but I can still remember writing posts at the beginning of Barrack Obama’s first term as president explaining the gravity of his decision to “look forward instead of back” regarding the illegal activity of the Bush/Cheney “crime family.”  I pointed out that the republicans should have been exposed for the reality of what they were at that time – the American public deserved no less.  I also pointed out this, in my view, was one of the major executive branch blunders in my lifetime.  (This is following the “blunderest” administration of all time – Bush/Cheney)  It was not hard to see that this mistake would come back to haunt Obama and the democrats and it has – OVER and OVER!  Couple this with a spineless bunch of Democratic Senators and the republican propaganda “machine” (which has been operating at “full throttle” ever since) and you now have a recreation of the “Clinton years” as the topic coming from the “right” is “impeachment.”  Tonight, on my way home from work, I heard a clip on the radio of Dick Cheney (of all people) claiming (to Sean Hannity – go figure) that the Benghazi incident last year was the worst national defense disaster in the history of our country.  Other republicans, evidently, are comparing it to Watergate and who knows what.  And, the word is that the House is intent on impeaching President Obama.  OMG!

Talk about your “pot calling the kettle black!”  OK, I know I need to come up with a better analogy, because the real problem here is that the President of the United States is half BLACK.  The racists have been fulminating out from under their rocks since before Obama took the oath of office.  They even were blaming him for the failed economy and the TARP bailout before he took the oath of office.  And, their thoughtless “minions” have gone along with all the BS since the day the reality struck them that over 50% of America would vote for a Black person as president.  Who knows, some day it could be a woman – or even a Latina!  These people are in full out panic mode and it would be embarrassing if they didn’t have so much money and control of the media behind them.  This is exactly why I’ve been calling for the removal from office of every possible republican – until this right wing fringe group gets expunged from any kind of position of authority.  Really, is there anyone out there who really believes Benghazi was a worst disaster than 9/11, or the lying our nation into invading a sovereign country (for the first time ever without provocation) causing HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of lives to be lost and MILLIONS to by uprooted?  Was Benghazi worst than over 200 Marines killed in Lebanon (yes, during the republican’s god Reagan’s watch) with virtually no push-back from America?  Was this more dishonest than Iran/Contra? (I’m saying this not knowing what level of misinformation came from the Benghazi incident, because the republicans are simply recreating the “Whitewater” “witch hunt” that took place during the Clinton years – and the reports I’m hearing are pointing out the right wing “info machine” is “doctoring” their evidence.  I don’t know why that doesn’t surprise me)

The loss of the diplomats in Benghazi was a tragedy, no doubt, and there may have been mistakes – who knows at this point.  But, it seems a bit curious to me that the same people making a big deal out of this terrible situation gave not even a whimper during the Bush/Cheney years when something on the order of 60 American diplomats perished on duty in various places around the world.  The sad reality is that, due in large part to our militaristic government, being a diplomat in America’s diplomatic corps is very dangerous.  There are many places in this world where Americans are “Persona non Grata.”  And, the idea that none of them are going to be in harms way is absurd, even more-so in the face of a congress that has chosen to cut back on the available funds necessary for protection.  Again, this would be ridiculously funny if it wasn’t so real and so absurd.  How anyone in America can give any credence to media outlets such as Fox “news,” or radio talkers such as Rush Limbaugh is beyond me.  These republicans stated from the first day of Barrack Obama’s term in office that their number one goal was his defeat (they used the term FAILURE) notwithstanding the effect of that policy on our nation and our attempt to recover from the ills of the Bush/Cheney administration – which left America on the brink of financial and military disaster as they left Washington DC with their “tails between their legs.”

I hate to revisit all the ills of Bush/Cheney, but since Dick Cheney is right in the forefront of the most recent attacks on President Obama, I’m guessing some in America are suffering from severe political partisan amnesia.  And, I’m saying that as an elderly person who sometimes can’t remember if he washed his hair when he gets out of the shower in the morning.  However, I don’t think it’s possible for me to forget the damage Bush/Cheney did to this nation I love.  I can agree that Obama has committed some serious mistakes, but Benghazi and its aftermath are way down the list for me (whatever those mistakes might be).  Blocking the investigations into Bush/Cheney was – if Obama has committed an impeachable offense – a failure of massive proportions – he took an oath to enforce the laws FAIRLY.  For starters, both George W Bush and Dick Cheney have repeatedly admitted to being WAR CRIMINALS.  Both have confessed on national TV that they authorized WATERBOARDING – and worst, in my mind, they both have said they would do it again.  (click here to read about how America prosecuted Japanese interrogators who waterboarded American prisoners during WW II) This is a direct violation of American law and International law – CLEARLY violating the Geneva Conventions ban on this form of interrogation.  Additionally, you don’t have to read many books on Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo to realize that torturing was much more severe than the waterboarding.  Prisoners were killed and brutally tortured by Americans and sent to “black holes” (ie Egypt, or Central Asian “prisons”) around the world knowing what would happen to them upon arrival.  I guess GW Bush and Dick Cheney – two men who “chickened out” of the Viet Nam war wanted to demonstrate how “tough” they are.  This is ABSURD!  You have to have your “head in the sand” not to understand that the orders to torture prisoners came from the White House and the office of Donald Rumsfeld in the Pentagon.

Yet there’s much more.  How about outing a CIA agent because you don’t like her husband exposing the truth about the lies used to get America entrenched in Iraq (which subsequently has destabilized the entire world to this day).  This was clearly Cheney’s doing but he was all too willing to “throw” his assistant, Scooter Libby, “under the bus.”  Of course, Bush commuted Libby’s sentence so that he could disappear into the sunset and Cheney, once again, could “get away” with breaking the law.  (Cheney even proved he can shoot people in the face while being drunk and avoid any consequences)  In case you wondered, outing a CIA agent is a treasonous offense.  Of course, we’ll never know how many under cover agents perished once Valerie Plame’s identity was on the front cover of every paper in the world – but, there’s a reason why disclosing the identity of a CIA agent is such an egregious violation of the law. (now, I’m no fan of everything the CIA does, but “I’m just saying…….”)

Then, you’ve got the undermining of the Justice Department (which, in my view, is still reeling to this day) where assistant attorneys general were fired for refusing to politically prosecute democrats – or for investigating republican lawbreakers.  They actually had a young attorney (from Regents University law school – home of Pat Robertson) who was forcing attorneys hired at Justice during the Bush/Cheney regime to take a “loyalty oath” to the republican party – in itself, a felony.  Undermining the appearance of impartiality at the Justice Department is, to me, an attack on the very foundation of our government.   And, then Attorney General Gonzales had to be quietly sent out to pasture because he got up before congress and perjured himself OVER and OVER for about three days of absurd (“I can’t remember”) testimony.  Of course, the democrats were unwilling or unable to call him to account for his lies and he was ushered out of town quietly and “all was forgotten.” (obviously, not by me – and, I suspect, millions of other Americans who believe the Justice Department has an obligation to be non-partisan and operating with integrity.)

Let’s get back to 9/11.  Whether Bush/Cheney will admit to this or not – this disaster happened on “their watch.”  They had more warning for this than I think Obama had on Benghazi if you want to look at it that way, but this was terrorists invading the United States from Saudi Arabia (mainly) with the response aimed at Afghanistan and Iraq.  Go figure!  I’ve read books that document that the NSA knew at least some of the “attackers” were in the country as early as January of that year and there were plenty of warning signs that went without response even suggesting an attack using aircraft.  That being said, I never tried to place blame on Bush/Cheney until their irrational and incompetent actions required revisiting EVERYTHING they did.  I actually was totally in support of the United States going to Afghanistan to get Osama bin Laden, which of course the Bush/Cheney regime had no intention of following through on because that would have undermined their REAL intention which was to FIND a way to justify invading Iraq.  When I listened to Cheney tonight on the radio (as mentioned above) it was clear that much of his motivation regarding the attack on Obama for Benghazi was an attempt to undermine the success Obama had in “getting” bin Laden, which of course, Bush/Cheney failed miserably in doing.  These people (republicans) are desperately attempting to rewrite HISTORY in a way that “looks forward instead of back” and, unfortunately, their biggest ally in this is President Obama himself.

I could go on and on with the FAILURES of the Bush/Cheney administration – or the illegal behavior – like the undermining of the very institutions they were under oath to protect (again, for you Obama “haters” – he’s under oath to enforce the laws which is why letting Bush/Cheney “off the hook” is such an egregious failure on his – and Eric Holder’s – part), the tax cuts which turned a 250 BILLION dollar surplus ultimately into a multi TRILLION dollar debt (which they, again, blamed on Obama before he’d taken the oath of office), and the deregulation which led to the “Too Big to Fail (Jail)” bankers and the TARP bailout under BUSH’S “watch.”  Remember, Hank Paulsen did not act until it was evident that Goldman Sachs was within days of crumbling into a pile of unredeamable debt – just like Lehman Brothers – one of their main competitors – Goldman Sachs being the company Paulsen had led prior to his stint as Treasury Secretary – and undoubtedly, in my mind, the home of his fortune in stock or stock options that was about to go away without government intervention.  I might be wrong on this, but – again – not even a hint of an investigation.  And, not one Wall Street Banker who had a hand in almost destroying our economy (and succeeding in destroying many a workers pension plan) that I know of was prosecuted and went to jail for their reckless gambling of public funds.  Again, for all you Obama haters out there – this lack of prosecution is on “his watch.”

The end result of “looking forward and not back” is the revitalization of Richard Nixon’s claim that “if the president does it, it must be legal.”   Is Obama’s message to us little folk that there’s a fraternity of presidents and that they really are “above the law.”  When I look back at Ronald Reagan and then look at George W Bush and Dick Cheney that’s the message I get.  Well, if I was face to face with the president right now I would ask him, “How’s this plan working for you now?”  Because, obviously, the republicans operate in an entirely different sphere.  Now, I really believe that the public is smart enough to see past any attempt to impeach our president over whatever excuse they’re (republicans) going to come up with, but none of this had to happen.  The investigations (as I believe I pointed out around 4 years ago) were inevitable, but they should have been about the actions of the administration that began (or accelerated) the downward trend of America in the eyes of the rest of the world as we emerge into the 21st century – Bush/Cheney.  There’s the old saying, “Those who ignore history are destined to repeat it.”  We’re seeing how true this is OVER and OVER again in the recent past of America.  I would love to put it all on the republicans (really, Iraq – to me – was from DAY ONE Viet Nam all over again – perpetrated no less by two Viet Nam “chicken hawks”) but President Obama should have known better than to let Bush/Cheney off the hook!  Now we’re likely to have to endure another ridiculous republican impeachment circus.  Really, at some point maybe the American public will listen to me and people like me and vote these thugs (right wing republicans) 0ut of office so that we can regain some semblance of a working representative democracy in our nation.  If democrats want this dream to have any chance of reality it’s time to quit placating republicans for a few meager votes (ie – putting Social Security and Medicare “on the table”) and start FIGHTING for the values this nation stood on from the end of WW II until the days of the “Reagan Administration” which began this terrible “lurch” to the “right” and set the precedent (Iran/Contra) that republicans can violate America’s laws and it’s OK because the democrats don’t have the stones (in the words of Bill Clinton at the last democratic convention) to hold them accountable for their blatant lawbreaking.

One last thought – it just popped into my head – the reality is that is how this site evolves – As usual, I believe the republicans are always “one step ahead” of the democrats because their tactics ALWAYS have a diversionary component to them.  That is, there seems to be an obvious “point” to their actions, but there usually also is a “hidden agenda” to every move they make.  You have to give them credit for being conniving and overtly dishonest in a way that almost implies people operating without conscience.  They CLEARLY believe “the end justifies the means.”  I believe they DO want President Obama to FAIL in the worst way – yet, they also understand that impeachment has no chance of being upheld in the Senate.  It’s a political side show and circus designed to throw “raw meat” to their most rabid base.  However, it’s entirely possible, in my mind, that the real object of their attempt to impeach Obama will be Hillary Clinton.  (via the Benghazi “blame game”) I ask myself, what could be worst for these racists who’ve been less and less covert about their motives since the day Obama took office?  Well, the obvious answer is how about another Clinton? – and, a woman at that.  Believe me, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, the Kochs, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, and I could go on and on, DON’T want a woman as president AND they really don’t want another Clinton.  One thing they know for sure about Hillary Clinton is that she will not be as amenable to their CRAP as President Obama has been.  I believe it’s very possible all this Benghazi “to do” of the past few days is directed as much at the possibility of Clinton running for president in 2016 as Obama being impeached in 2013 or 2014.