Tag Archives: politics

The Unknown Soldier: Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama does not get nearly the credit she deserves….

In addition to her work on Health and Nutrition, she has worked tirelessly on behalf of Veterans and Military Families….

I was glad to see this article in US News that finally gives her some credit:

 

Often teamed with her lieutenant, Jill Biden, the vice president’s wife, Obama has organized and attended more events for and with military veterans and their families than any previous first lady, according to veterans groups. This year alone, for example, she’s participated in 50 events, many out of the eye of the media, and even dedicated the White House Christmas tree to supporting veterans. “There is this sense that this is genuine,” says Raezer. “We haven’t had this kind of visibility from the White House—ever.”

And it’s also more than a simple stop-by to drop off gifts at a local Toys for Tots outlet, like she did the week before Christmas, or a quickie visit and speech to welcome home troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama and Biden are leading the charge to encourage businesses to hire veterans, an especially difficult challenge with unemployment sky-high, through an initiative called Joining Forces. Many companies like Google now have programs to hire veterans. The International Franchise Association credits Obama with boosting hiring efforts like its bid to get more veteran couples to become franchise owners. “The first lady’s efforts accelerated those programs,” says spokesman Matthew Haller.

The first lady is also eager to get Americans unaffected directly by war to pay attention to the military and war families. “That’s one of the reasons why Jill and I started our Joining Forces initiative, because we wanted to rally all Americans to honor, recognize, and support our military families,” Obama says. Addressing military families at a White House holiday event, she added: “We wanted to make sure that never again would someone have to ask the question, ‘What is a Gold Star family and what does that sacrifice mean?’ We all should know.”

Sean O’Keefe, the former Navy secretary and NASA administrator, adds that Obama “has raised the visibility of the challenges confronted by the families of military service members—frequent relocation, psychological impact of children often raised by single parents due to long deployments, higher incidents of alcohol and drug abuse, and the often difficult access to healthcare.” Now CEO of EADS North America, he adds, “Her focus has prompted Americans to be attentive to these consequences endured by the families of those called to national service on behalf of all of us.”

via Vets: Michelle Best-Ever First Lady – Washington Whispers (usnews.com).

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Richard Nixon Had Gay Affair, ‘Nixon’s Darkest Secrets’ Claims

NO!!!

It’s bad enough we had to accept J Edgar Hoover into the Club.

We have to draw the line somewhere!

This is just not acceptable.  It has to be wrong….

Please let it be wrong!

From the Huffington Post:

Watergate was only one of several scandalous aspects of former President Richard Nixon’s life, according to a new book by a former White House correspondent.

Nixon’s Darkest Secrets: The Inside Story of America’s Most Troubled President by Don Fulsom (Thomas Dunne Books, $25.99), former correspondent for United Press International, makes several eye-catching accusations, including that the former president had a gay affair with Charles “Bebe” Rebozo, a Key Biscayne, Fla. banker apparently with ties to the mob.

The allegation is especially noteworthy because, as gay news website Queerty reports, Nixon was known to have made homophobic remarks.

From Queerty:

When a close aide to President Johnson was caught having sex with a former sailor in a YMCA bathroom, Nixon called the man “ill,” and added that such people “cannot be in places of high trust.”

The new book also alleges that Nixon beat his wife and that his aides referred to him as “our drunk.”

The Daily Mail reports that Nixon’s alleged secret lover also had a shady history of his own.

According to the Mail, the FBI claims Rebozo had ties to mob bosses Santo Trafficante and Alfred ‘Big Al’ Polizzi. He also ran a bank that, a former mobster claims, was used to launder money.

The book’s press release says that Fulsom used interviews with former White House staffers and ex-members of Congress, as well as government documents, to support his claims.

The Nixon Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

via Richard Nixon Had Gay Affair, ‘Nixon’s Darkest Secrets’ Claims.

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Is America Trending Towards Socialism?

There is some very interesting data in this article from Pew Research.  For one thing, if you know the demographic trending of the American Population- younger and less white- you see an increasing acceptance of- or at least not fear of- Socialism.

The older and whiter the demographic, the more they still see Socialism as the big, scary monster….

Here is a table of their findings and a link to the full article….

Read it and draw your own conclusions….

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Santa Baby

I will, hopefully, not be posting much on politics the next few days.

Due to the Holidays, there is little going on except more Republican obstruction and childishness.  In other words, the situation is business as usual and I’m going to try to ignore it all for a few days to focus on enjoying the Holidays and bracing myself for the 2012 Election Madness that starts right after the Holidays end…

So….let’s all focus on enjoying the next few days and worry about life in a decaying democracy later.  After all, tomorrow is another day…..

In that spirit, let’s move on to the fun and frivolous!

Eartha Kitt owns this song, but there really isn’t a great video….

However, Kylie Minogue does a damn good job here!

Let’s not talk about the Madonna version….

Here is today’s Christmas Video:

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Barney Frank’s Nipples Steal The Show During House Address

This is one headline- and picture and video- that I really hoped never to see….

It also serves as evidence that the guy who wrote the book in my previous post is so deadly wrong….

Here is the article, if you must, you can click the link and see the pictures and video at the Huffington Post….

Outgoing Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) appeared to have the congressional equivalent of a wardrobe malfunction Monday, when he delivered an address from the House floor and ended up being upstaged by his own chest.

Dressed in a snug, light blue crew neck shirt with a jacket draped over his shoulders — perhaps because he’s now wearing a large cast on his left hand — Frank stood at the podium to deliver a speech on bank failures, and instead raised questions about how cold it was in the House chamber.

Frank has announced that he will retire when his current term is up. No longer beholden to electoral politics, it’s possible that we’ll see some more unusual sartorial decisions before he departs the halls of Congress.

Before he decides to go with this outfit again, which doesn’t appear to fit under traditional House floor dress code, perhaps he should consider tracking down a “manzier,” the undergarment invented by Cosmo Kramer in the 1990s sitcom “Seinfeld.”

via Barney Frank’s Nipples Steal The Show During House Address (VIDEO).

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Anti-Incumbent Fever Could Hurt Republicans

This is good news.

I just hope the trend holds until next year AND that the Dems actually nominate credible, progressive candidates as alternatives….

I’m so sick of the Dem’s nominating Candidates who are like GOP Lites, instead of true Progressives.  I hope they realize how much things have changed…

From the Huffington Post:

Results from a new national survey from the Pew Research Center should strike fear into the hearts of incumbents in Congress, especially those who are members of the Republican Party. A record number of respondents want to vote sitting lawmakers out of office, and Republicans take more of the blame than Democrats for perceptions of a do-nothing Congress.

According to the Pew Research report, two-thirds (67 percent) of registered voters nationwide say “most members of Congress” should be voted out of office in 2012, while only 20 percent want most members reelected. This desire to fire all incumbents marks a record level of discontent since the Pew Center started asking the question 18 years ago, far exceeding previous highs of 57 percent in 2010 and 56 percent in 1994.

via Pew Research Poll: Anti-Incumbent Fever Could Hurt Republicans.

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My Grown Up Christmas List

People tell me I am impossible to buy for at Christmas time, so I thought I would make it easier for them this year.

Here is my Grown Up Christmas List.  I don’t mean that smaltzy song about no more wars, no more people torn apart, etc.  I’m not that optimistic, so I’ll set my sights a little lower…

I have more than enough “stuff”, so here is what I really want….

If you can’t get it all now, I’m patient.

My Birthday is in October…

  1. That I win the Powerball lottery.  I’m not greedy, but it would be nice if the Jackpot was more than$50MM.
  2. For there to be a retro revival among today’s youth making Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Katharine Hepburn, Lena Horne, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman and Steve McQueen Role Models again.
  3. For all religious Colleges and Universities to go out of business so their “students” would have to deal with the real world and a diversity of opinions and backgrounds while getting a real education.
  4. A return to the concepts of personal honor, responsibility and dignity.
  5. Manners.  Good manners…..
  6. The understanding that it is preferable to look and act like Ladies and Gentlemen rather than Goths, Pimps, Bigots, Braggards, Thugs, Slackards, Bikers and ‘Ho’s…
  7. That Occupy Wall Street comes roaring back to life in the Spring and is the major force in the 2012 elections.
  8. The abolition of all MBA programs and a renewed focus on Liberal Arts Educations that teach people to think, not manipulate numbers for personal gain.
  9. A decent nation-wide passenger train service so we can avoid our horrible airlines.
  10. That Virgin Atlantic airways takes over the entire US Airline industry and shows them how to do it right.
  11. The understanding that some countries do some things better than we do and that it’s okay to learn from that…
  12. The return of the Preppie Look that was so popular in my youth. We really did look cute….
  13. Laws mandating technology that Telephones and mobile devices will shut down while a motor vehicle engine is running or the person is in a Theatre or Concert Hall.
  14. For people to finally realize and accept that Marriage is, in actuality, only a legal contract between two people, regardless of their sex, that conveys certain public and private protections and obligations and that has nothing to do with religion.  Therefore, it’s not any one else’s goddamn business but those two people so contracted.
  15. If we can’t legalize Gay Marriage, let’s criminalize Straight Divorce.  I’m not above revenge….
  16. That people realize there is no longer any such thing as a Country Club, fiscally responsible, socially liberal Republican.
  17. That someone can logically explain to me why people who think they are such good Christians and moral arbitrators will vote for a  man who abandoned his first wife in the hospital for his mistress, then had an affair on wife number 2, said mistress,  with the latest Mrs Gingrich, but still claims to support a “no adultery” pledge.
  18. Someone to prove to me that Mitt Romney is real and isn’t just a big robotic Ken Doll- made in China, of course.
  19. For all the Crocs factories to go out of business and all existing crocs to spontaneously combust.
  20. Public funding of all US Elections and the abolition of private and corporate donations to political candidates.
  21. A Constitutional amendment that Corporations are not People and that Money is not Free Speech.
  22. The instant revocation of the tax exempt status of any religious institution of any kind that dabbles in politics by telling people how to vote.
  23. For people to realize, once and for all that it was deregulation and primarily the policies of the George W Bush Administration that ruined our economy and caused the deficit.
  24. That some of the Wall Street “leaders” who helped cause the economic crash actually be held accountable and go to jail.
  25. That people realize we have to invest in the future to grow out of the deficit.
  26. While we are at it, that people finally realize George W Bush and Dick Cheney are War Criminals and they are prosecuted as such.
  27. Fox News goes bankrupt and shuts down.
  28. Legislation that states “opinion” journalism must be so identified on TV with a border of flashing red lights and tap dancing pigs so people will know the difference between reporting and propaganda.
  29. Legislation that all company profits, over a certain percent,  must be reinvested in growing the company and creating jobs, not just sat upon or used for Executive Salaries.
  30. All Corporate lobbying expenditures must be matched equally with taxes -paid dollar to dollar, no loopholes.
  31. Legislation that no company employee may make  salary more than X percentage more than the lowest paid employee.
  32. Permanent incarceration, in solitary confinement, of anyone named Khardashian.
  33. The Cancellation of “Jersey Shore”.
  34. A committee, headed by and with veto power held by me, to be created to determine who is an actual “Star” and who is just trash after some cash.
  35. If the GOP wants people to pee in a cup for a check, then all politicians should do the same.
  36. An IQ test and threshold to run for Public Office.
  37. That all my friends from the past years, who meant so much to me, would join Facebook so I could find them and be in touch again.
  38. That people would exercise some control over how many silly pet pictures with captions they post on Facebook.  An occasional one is  cute, but too many, especially as we grow older,  makes one fear they are becoming pet hoarders or otherwise demented.
  39. That everyone had a full length mirror in their home and looked at it long, hard and critically before going out in public.
  40. Effective Mass transportation in all cities with more than 50,000 people.
  41. Renewed focus on planning, creating, saving and building for the future instead of shopping for useless crap to own now.
  42. Renewed focus on the concept of Quality over Quantity.
  43. Legislation prohibiting any more Broadway Musicals based on relatively recent movies.
  44. That television shows must be at least as long as the total air time of their commercials.
  45. Regular, heavily discounted airline fares between all US  airports and London and Paris.
  46. Requirements that all school districts fund Senior and Junior High School Cultural Exchange Learning trips abroad for all students.  You may raise my taxes for this….
  47. For people in the South to realize the Republican Party is using you and not working for your interests….
  48. For the Tea Party People to finally admit they are just bigots who hate President Obama because he is Black….
  49. That 2012 brings us an election resulting in a Democratic President, Senate and House.  At least, something positive might get done…
  50. That the Tea Party is dead and gone.
  51. For people not to argue about the “War on Christmas” or what holidays and traditions should be recognized, but to just shut up and enjoy a season of good will and sharing time-and cocktails- with friends.
  52. Respect that we share many Holidays and Traditions in December- and at other times-with many people who may not believe as we do- and that’s okay.

If you do celebrate Christmas, I ask you to take this time to think  not just about Jesus’s birth but about his life and what he stood for- helping the poor, feeding the hungry, loving your neighbor- and see how you can emulate these Christian behaviors throughout the coming year.

Let’s try to keep this in mind instead of judging and trying to force your beliefs on others throughout the year….

That’s my job.

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Mitt Romney: Poor Little Rich Boy

In honor of Mitt’s $10,000 bet with Rick Perry at last night’s debate….

Most of the pundits today seem to think it’s a fatal error that makes it clear that $10,000 to Mitt is like $10 is to most  everyone else.

They opine that this means Mitt is one of the 1% who can’t relate to the Middle Class or the 99%…

And that the Middle Class and 99% won’t be able to relate to Mitt….

DUH…..

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Is Christmas Bad for the Economy?

Interesting article on the economics of Christmas that my friend Kirk sent to me….

It’s worth a read and a thought…

From Yahoo News:

 

Close your eyes and imagine a totally make-believe world where families just like yours have a long wish list. But in this fantasy universe, they spend the whole year not buying what they want. Rather than spread their purchases evenly, they wait until the last six weeks of the calender to do half of their shopping. They accumulate unwieldy towers of goods from overstuffed malls in a graceless display that involves rushing into an electronics aisle, shoving aside a small mother, and excavating a cardboard box, like a vulture swooping over a crowded carcass. Half of the purchases are gifted to friends and family in a show of love, but a great deal of the recipients hate their presents, anyway. It doesn’t work out much better for the stores, who encourage this sordid behavior by slashing prices at the same time that they have to hire additional workers to clean up the mess. What civilized society would ever go through with this parade of indignities year after year?

Ours, naturally! So, Merry Christmas.

More:   Is Christmas Bad for the Economy? – Yahoo! Finance.

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Benefits of “ObamaCare”-Part 1

The benefits of Health Care Reform, aka “ObamaCare” are starting to slowly become apparent.

 

This prescription drug benefit had a big impact this year.  As someone who manages his elderly mother’s finances I saw it myself.  There was a very big difference in what we had to pay when she hit the “donut hole” this year as opposed to last year.  Really substantial savings…

While I was disappointed Health Care Reform did not go farther and deliver a single payer option, this is a big step in the right direction.  Add in the requirement requiring Insurance companies to actually invest their premiums in coverage and not profit-which I’ll talk more on later- and the other benefits such as being able to cover children on a parent’s insurance until they are 26- and this will really make a difference.  I think it will just take time for the benefits to sink in….

Since the Corporate Media isn’t going to report too much on this, we have to be grateful for this coverage from  USA Today:

 

 

WASHINGTON – More than 2.65 million Medicare recipients have saved more than $1.5 billion on their prescriptions this year, a $569-per-person average, while premiums have remained stable, the government plans to announce today.

Medicare patients are saving $569 per person, on average, on prescription drugs under the new health care law.

That’s because of the provision of the health care law that put a 50% discount on prescription drugs in the “doughnut hole,” the gap between traditional and catastrophic coverage in the drug benefit, also known as Part D.

And, as of the end of November, more than 24 million people, or about half of those with traditional Medicare, have gone in for a free annual physical or other screening exam since the rules changed this year because of the health care law.

“We’re very pleased with the numbers,” Jonathan Blum, director of the Center for Medicare, told USA TODAY. “We found the Part D premiums have also stayed constant, despite predictions that they would go up in 2012.”

The Department of Health and Human Services announced in August that 2012 Medicare prescription drug plan premiums would average about $30 a month, compared to $30.76 in 2011.

Starting this year, seniors who reach the doughnut hole in prescription benefits receive a 50% discount on name brand prescription drugs. Drug companies must provide the discount to participate in the prescription plan. Before the health care law took effect, Medicare patients had to pay full price for their prescriptions once they reached the gap in coverage.

via Health care law changing behavior – USATODAY.com.

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