In the wake of the Omaha mall mass killing, you just knew idiots
like Glenn Reynolds and Neal Boortz would see that the solution to
this gun violence is what they always say it is: turn
everywhere in America into Tombstone. They never think like a
normal person and consider whether it is wise, as a society, for us to
give out mass-kill weapons to everyone with the equivalent of a Mickey
Mouse Club card and just hope for the best.
Idiots.
Hey Mitt--I Have
Values, You Prick
From Station Agent for Ice
Station Tango
It bothers me because it was a total bastardization of JFK's 1960
speech on religion and politics in Houston.
It bothers me even more because Mitt clearly implies that atheists
can not be moral because they have no faith.
Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom.
Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his
most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion
endure together, or perish alone.
Congrats Mitt, you've given a truly
ignorant speech on a vital issue. You've endeavored to further
divide us along religious and non-religious lines. Very Christ-like,
asshole.
My anger is soothed a bit by the fact that you will never be
President, Mitt. The people you just stuck your hand out to--the
people that you hoped to fool into believing that you could lead
them against the secular hoards--will never love you and never vote
for you in a million years.
In
the
last
couple
of
days
I
heard
two
shocking
stories
of
innocent
people
being
shot.
The
first,
of
course,
being
the
19-year-old
who
shot
8
people
with
an
AK-47
in
an
Omaha
shopping
mall.
The
other
story,
which
hasn't
gotten
as
much
press,
is
about
an
8-year-old
girl
who
was
shot
when
she
tried
to
protect
her
mother
from
the
mother's
ex-boyfriend.
These
are
very
different
circumstances:
in
one
we
have
a
depressed,
angry
young
man
who
steals
his
stepfather's
assault
rifle
and
goes
on
a
shooting
rampage.
In
the
other
situation,
domestic
violence
rears
its
ugly
head
again,
as
a
little
girl
sees
her
mother
get
shot
twice
and
then
jumps
in
front
of
her
to
protect
her
from
further
harm.
Unfazed,
the
ex-boyfriend
fired
six
shots
into
the
little
girl,
critically
injuring
her.
The
common
thread
in
these
stories:
guns.
Why
does
anyone
need
to
have
an
AK-47
?
Or,
for
that
matter,
a
9mm
semi
automatic
pistol
like
the
one
used
by
the
gunman
in
Detroit?
There
is
no
reason
to
have
these
guns!
I
know
the
argument
that
citizens
should
have
guns
for
"protection"
but
I
would
like
to
see
a
study
showing
how
many
times
a
crime
has
been
averted
because
a
victim
had
a
gun.
I've
never
heard
of
such
a
study,
so
if
you
know
of
one
please
let
me
know.
I
have
however,
seen
studies
here,here,
and
here,
for
example,
that
show
that
guns
kept
in
the
home
are
much
more
likely
to
be
used
to
kill
innocent
people
than
to
ever
be
used
in
self-defense.
From
the
Brady
Campaign:
A
gun
kept
in
the
home
is
22
times
more
likely
to
be
used
in
an
unintentional
shooting,
a
criminal
assault
or
homicide,
or
an
attempted
or
completed
suicide
than
to
be
used
to
injure
or
kill
in
self-defense.
So
I
ask
you:
why
?
Know a blog that
deserves to be featured on the Blog World Report? Contact Robert.
Homo-hate thuggery is alive and well -
and targeting out officials
From Pam Spaulding for The
Bilerico Project
Openly gay Chapel Hill (NC) Town Councilman Mark
Kleinschmidt (who I recently met up with at the G&L
Leadership Conference last weekend) is the target of a bunch of
online neo-Nazi thugs who have compiled a list of out gay elected
officials, or as one put it, "List of Open and Unapologetic
Faggot Politicians." Mark:
Over
the last 3 days I've seen at least three sites re-post the same list
of gay officials from around the country. The post is a reprint of a
list of openly gay elected officials maintained by Actwin,
an lgbt activist who monitored the voting records of gay elected
officials.
The most disturbing element? This repeated statement:
Because the information is perishable, local activists are best
advised to use this information first as a precursor for
additional investigation before taking "direct action".
What do you think "direct action" means?
These cowardly cretins (no one is signing their real names, of course)
have descended onto Mark's blog and unleashed some of the most vile
homophobic, anti-Semitic crap I've read in a long time.
Happy Channukah to everyone.
Channukah celebrates the dedication
of the Temple in Jerusalem after its
desecration by the Romans. According
to the Talmud, at the re-dedication
following the victory of the
Maccabees, there was only enough
consecrated olive oil to fuel the
eternal flame in the Temple for one
day. Miraculously, the oil burned
for eight days, which was the length
of time it took to press, prepare
and consecrate fresh olive oil.
Tradition is that you give a gift a
night. So many people sent me stuff
this year that I had to break Jewish
law and extend Channukah to a 9th
night..... So for all my friends all
over the world -- I share my gifts
and have a wonderful Channukah (or
Kwanzaa or Christmas)
Patrick Fitzgerald sent me.....
With Libby you get the added bonus
of a conviction as well, which of
course is negated by 'clemency'
bestowed by his holy lord the King
of McDoodypants --- but fortunately
Tom Delay still can have an
indictmint
There was a joint gift from Randy
Rhodes, Jon Stewart, David Shuster,
Keith Olbermann...
From Nancy Pelosi I received....
it's back ON the table...
and they are so tasty too...just
like coke
Laura so kindly sent me a model of
her WBD (weapon of boyfriend
destruction)
Although the pickens were slim
[groan]Rummy sent me one of those
missing WMDs...
Condi Condi Condi so many shoes, so
little time....my very first pair of
but being the Russian
scholar/incompetent Secy of State
she is -- she didn't realize pumps
are so last mushroom cloud
from
Jenna and not-Jenna, a signed copy
of the only book they have the
brains to write farm out
not-Jenna was able to be the
illustrator, while Jenna picked up
the goat shit -- they are such loyal
team players
how thoughtful those NY Senators are
- Schumer and Clinton
my very own Talking Senator Larry
Craig Action Figure. While the
figuree is about 12" tall,
according to many bathroom
attendants Larry is nowhere close to
that. Larry wears a t-shirt
emblazoned with his declaration:
"I Am Not Gay." His limbs
are bendable, so you can put him in
all sorts of poses... even the
famous "wide stance".
and finally from Ann Coulter
herself...
the
Ann Coulter Action Figure
Ann, being so humble and warm, sends
me herself. By pressing her Adam's
Apple I can listen to Ann spout her
own special brand of anti-liberal
diarrhea. In her own breathless
voice she threatens to kill Justice
Stevens, calls John Edwards a fag,
wishes the NY Times building was
bombed and degrades the 9/11 widows.
You can even program her to mock
Bill Clinton. The Ann Coulter Action
figure stands a statuesque 12 inches
high, and sports a black jacket with
velvet collar and a very short
skirt. Her head is crested with
flowing locks of blonde hair and her
feet sport stiletto high-heel shoes.
Her penis is well hidden.
At Kyoto talks in Bali
during which China is
talking for the first time
about
"commitments",
the new Canada, US, and
Japan org, henceforth to
be known as CUJO for
short, could certainly use
a little branding help to
clarify their crappy bad
boys spoilers rep on the
world stage. And a
dangerous rabid dog seems
about right.
"In the most
contentious move of the
conference so far, Japan
insisted it is
“essential” for the
world to “move beyond
the Kyoto Protocol.”
Just a few minutes
later, in what appeared
to be a prearranged
move, Canada threw its
weight behind the
Japanese position,
lending crucial support
to Washington's refusal
to sign the Kyoto
treaty."
U.S.: the next climate
agreement must be
“economically
sustainable” and must
promote economic growth
for people and nations
“everywhere.”
Japan : there must be
“compatibility”
between environmental
protection and economic
growth.
Canada : there must be a
“balance” between the
environment and
“economic prosperity.”
Synchronicity!
None of the three
mentioned binding
commitments or mandatory
targets for reducing
greenhouse gases or
short-term targets for an
agreement to replace Kyoto
when it expires in 2012.
And yet, most amusingly,
despite Canada's assertion
that there must be a
'balance' between the
environment and 'economic
prosperity', the G&M
reports that
"Canada is not
sending any ministers to
the meetings of trade and
finance ministers at
Bali."
Apparently although we
place the highest priority
on an economically
sustainable environment
treaty, somehow we just
don't feel like talking
about it right now.
Hopefully The
Yes Men will yet make
an appearance on our
behalf.
Bush's
credibility
evaporates,
takes the
Republican Party
with it
From
The
Richmond
Democrat
Not
only has
George W.
Bush lost
all
credibility,
he's
dragged
every
Republican
presidential
candidate
except Ron
Paul down
with him.
Of the
Republicans,
only Ron
Paul got
it right
on Iran.
Bush may
have also
fatally
wounded
the candidacy
of the
Republicans'
favorite
opponent:
Hillary
Clinton.
When
Clinton
voted for
the
Kyl-Lieberman
amendment,
which our
own Senator
Jim Webb
felt gave
cover to
Bush'
plans to
attack
Iran, she
showed an
incredible
lack of
judgment
that may
come back
to haunt
her with Democratic
primary
voters.
It's
an amazing
set of
circumstances:
Rudy
Giuliani
has been
advocating
the use of
tactical
nuclear
weapons
against
Iran, all
based on
Bush's
lies.
You just
never know
what you
are going
to find on
the web!
Here are
some
photos
from
previous
*UGLY
CHRISTMAS
LIGHT
DISPLAYS*.
As the
site
explains,
this is to
honor
those who
have no
sense of
decency in
light
displays.
"We
will show
the
garish,
the ugly,
the weird.
For your
own sake,
and the
sake of
your
neighbors,
do not try
this at
home.".
They are
still
taking
photo
submissions
for the
2007
round, but
have many
years of
archived
"winners"~
best of
the worst
pics, can
be found
here:
http://www.uglychristmaslights.com/
Click on
the photos
to enlarge
the
picture.
How
did that
bible
story go?
Jesus,
Mary,
Joseph,
Winnie the
Pooh,
Santa
&
three wise
men.... Find
the
house...
there IS a
house,
right?
Needs
more
decorations Penguin
Infestation Detainees
Sponge
Bob
refuses to
step into
the
frey...
Damn
bastards
did not
give me a
Christmas
bonus
again,
this is as
festive I
get!
Spiked
Eggnog
You
didn't
listen
when they
gave the
instructions,
Eh?
On
the road
again~ Who
says tacky
can't go
mobile?
Show
Me The Money (or at least
who is spending it)
From
Colby Natale for Montana
Netroots
I
especially
like how
Romney
is out
advertising
his
nearest
Republican
counterpart
by a
factor
of
18.5!
I wonder
if there
is any
explanation
for
that.
Anyone?
EDITOR'S
NOTE
It has
been
more
than a
week
since
the last
edition
of the
Blog
World
Report.
Your
editor
has been
a little
on the
sick
side for
more
than a
week.
In
addition,
do not
expect
more
than
three or
four
editions
each
week.
Putting
this
report
together
is
extremely
time
consuming
and I
just
don't
have the
time to
keep it
up in
the
manner I
started.
Thank
you for
your
patience.
Stop
the FCC's
Holiday Giveaway
to Big Media
From
BAC for Yikes!
People
across
the
country
are
building
a wall
to stop
the
FCC's
plan to
let Big
Media
swallow
up more
local
stations.
FCC
Chairman
Kevin
Martin
refuses
to
listen
to
the
public,
but
Congress
is
starting
to
pay
attention.
This
week,
the
House
announced
a
formal
investigation
into
the
way
the
FCC
conducts
business.
And
yesterday,
during
a
House
oversight
hearing,
Congress
scolded
the
FCC
for
a
"short-circuited
decision-making
process"
and
"abuse
of
power."
The
Free
Press
campaign
is
gaining
momentum,
but
you
need
to
join
in
the
stand
against
Big
Media.
In
response
to
a
growing
public
outcry,
the
Senate
Commerce
Committee
this
week
passed
the
Media
Ownership
Act
of
2007
(S.
2332).
This
crucial
legislation
would
force
Martin
to
slow
down,
give
the
public
more
time
to
comment,
and
address
the
negative
impact
of
media
consolidation
on
minority
and
female
ownership.
Help
Free
Press
get
10
more
co-sponsors
by
Friday.
Chairman
Martin
hopes
you
aren't
paying
attention.
He
wants
to
vote
on
his
proposal
to
let
Big
Media
get
even
bigger
on
Dec.
18.
If
you
think
we
need
more
local,
diverse,
and
democratic
media,
now
is
the
time
to
act.
Congress
is
taking
action,
but
we
need
to
show
that
this
isn't
just
another
inside-the-Beltway
issue.
Too
much
is
at
stake,
and
they
need
to
see
the
faces
of
the
millions
of
Americans
who
are
fed
up
with
another
massive
giveaway
to
Big
Media.
In
2003,
nearly
3
million
citizens
like
you
stood
up
to
the
FCC
and
put
a
stop
to
media
consolidation.
We
can
do
it
again.
But
we
need
to
put
a
public
face
on
the
resistance
to
media
consolidation.
TAKE
ACTION
NOW.
Write
Your
Senators.
Add
Your
Picture
to
the
Wall.
Stop
Big
Media.
To
fully
understand
what
Chairman
Martin
doesn't
want
you
to
know
about
his
new
ownership
rules,
read
the
new
Free
Press
report:
Devil
the
Details
It’s Christmas time in Hollywood and you know what that means –
plastic surgery season!
Yes, it’s the time of year when stars or anyone over 28 can sneak
off for a couple of weeks and get that face lift, tummy tuck, botox
treatment, and boob job they’ve needed since October. Instead of
Aspen or Hawaii they can spend the holidays locked away looking like
raccoons or Rocky Balboa after a fight.
They need to be ready because in January the awards season begins!! A
standard rule of thumb: an actress’ skin must be pulled tighter than
the red carpet. What they don’t understand is that viewers don’t
say, “Wow, she looks amazing!”, they say, “Wow, she looks like
Barry Manilow.” Not that the interviewers are any better. One day
Joan Rivers and Ryan Seacrest will look as one.
Lip enhancements are big these days. Here’s Meg Ryan (compliments of
Radaronline.com) from 2001. AMERICAN PSYCHO producer Clifford Streit
said it looked like she installed a vagina on her face. Later, they
actually did that operation on an episode NIP/TUCK. Meg would be so
thrilled to know she's a trend setter.
There is a high rise hotel adjacent to Beverly Hills that reserves two
floors exclusively for celebrities hiding out while recovering from
their transformation to the Joker. Can you imagine how many poor room
service guys are traumatized for life? “Here’s
your club sandwich Ms Bullock…AAAAA!!!”
It’s not just women of course who go in for these procedures.
Compliments of Awfulplasticsurgery.com, here’s Burt Reynolds turning
Japanese I really think so. And have you noticed that every
local news anchor is starting to look like Jack Lord, including the
women?
One celebrity who doesn’t buy into this nonsense is BOSTON LEGAL’S
Julie Bowen (pictured right). And despite being somewhat flat-chested,
she’s found you don’t need a boob job to be provocative while at
an awards ceremony.
But the astounding thing is that it’s not just stars who flock to
the knife and suction hoses. In L.A. a large number of elective
surgery patients are…are you ready?…real estate agents.
That’s right. You’ve got to look young and glamorous if you
possibly hope to move that tear-down in Mar Vista. Why is the housing
market in Los Angeles so screwed up? Because there are now 5,000 Liza
Minellis running around with real estate licenses! No wonder everyone
makes fun of us!
In the rest of the world Santa asks “What
would you like for Christmas?” But here in the land of
perpetual beauty, endless award shows, and a tight housing market
Santa asks, “What don’t you like
about yourself?”
I've noticed NeoCons John Bolton and Norman Podhoretz have been
trying to making the case that the intelligence community is
corrupted with an anti-Bush cabal. Bolton stop short of calling
them traitors for releasing the NIE, but it's obvious in the right
setting with the right kind of crowd he'd call for the heads of
the intelligenc community (IC). Of course there is the obvious
lying spin they are all pushing that 'this report proves Iran had
a nuclear weapons program' which fortunately most people are
dismissing as rubish.
But this other notion that somehow now our intelligence
community is betraying Bush therefore betraying America is beyond
me. The IC had already sat on this NIE for the better part of a
year at the behest of Dick Cheney. Seems to me the IC has produced
the results and reports that Bush/Cheney have wanted up to this
point. So now, all of a sudden they are traitorous cowards who
need to be executed? After all the lies about Iraq; after keeping
quiet for as long as possible so they would not contradict the
President and now they are being called traitors? Lest we forget
it was not just the IC pushing back on the Iran rhetoric. Admiral
Fallon head of Centcom had also openly and publicly stated there
would be bombing of Iran on his watch. I've been expecting his
resignation for the past few months.
What has happened is that true patriots, people that love
America, both in the military and the IC, have had enough of Bush
and Cheney. They saw the road to bomb Iran being paved by this
Administration and collectively decided it is not in the best
interest of the United States. These people are heroes but
ofcourse they are being called traitors by the right.
Interestingly, Bush has seemingly lost his game when calling
for more billions for Iraq. He's threatened to cut the equipment
and aid to the troops. He's made sure the Pentagon was making
budget cuts that would affect the troops first. Then he went in
front of the American People and said 'Congress don't support the
troops if they don't give me the funding I need'.
Well Mr. Bush, here's some more money for ya, go fetch it. And
while you're at it go find the missing $13 billion in Iraq and ask
the Pentagon about the
missing $2.3 Trillion Donald Rumsfeld had disclosed.
(CBS) This story was written and reported by Laura Strickler of
the CBS News Investigative Unit.
Tractor trailers, tank recovery vehicles, crates of machine
guns and rocket propelled grenades are just a sampling of more
than $1 billion in unaccounted for military equipment and services
provided to the Iraqi security forces, according to a new report
issued today by the Pentagon Inspector General and obtained
exclusively by the CBS News investigative unit. Auditors for the
Inspector General reviewed equipment contracts totaling $643
million but could only find an audit trail for $83 million. Full
Article Here and Inspector General Report
SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! Pickup Truck
Smackdown
From CDP for Aunt
Dahlia
2 pick-up trucks, side by
side, at a stoplight at an
intersection in Silver
Spring:
On the left, Blue Ford
F-150. Bumper stickers that
read "Ted Kennedy's Car
Has Killed More People Than
My Gun";
"Bush/Cheney '04";
"George
Allen--Senate"
(Virginia plates)
On the right (yes, this one
was on the right), white
Toyota Whatever pickup with
bumper stickers reading
"More Trees, Less
Bush", "I'll be
Postfeminist in the
Postpatriarchy", and
"January 20, 2009: The
End of an Error".
CIA
Destroys Torture Tapes
From
Rick B for Ten
Percent
They
destroyed
the
evidence
but
maybe
not
when
they
said,
maybe
only
after
it
was
discovered
they
had
them.
The
CIA
has
three
video
and
audio
recordings
of
interrogations
of
senior
al
Qaida
captives
but
misled
federal
judges
about
the
evidence
during
the
case
against
terrorist
Zacarias
Moussaoui,
federal
prosecutors
revealed
in
a
Nov.
9
court
filing
that
was
made
public
Tuesday.
But
now
they
have
changed
their
story-
The
Central
Intelligence
Agency
in
2005
destroyed
at
least
two
videotapes
documenting
the
interrogation
of
two
Al
Qaeda
operatives
in
the
agency’s
custody,
a
step
it
took
in
the
midst
of
Congressional
and
legal
scrutiny
about
the
CIA’s
secret
detention
program,
according
to
current
and
former
government
officials.
The
videotapes
showed
agency
operatives
in
2002
subjecting
terror
suspects
—
including
Abu
Zubaydah,
the
first
detainee
in
CIA
custody
—
to
severe
interrogation
techniques.
They
were
destroyed
in
part
because
officers
were
concerned
that
tapes
documenting
controversial
interrogation
methods
could
expose
agency
officials
to
greater
risk
of
legal
jeopardy,
several
officials
said.
The
CIA
said
today
that
the
decision
to
destroy
the
tapes
had
been
made
“within
the
CIA
itself,”
and
they
were
destroyed
to
protect
the
safety
of
undercover
officers
and
because
they
no
longer
had
intelligence
value.
The
agency
was
headed
at
the
time
by
Porter
J.
Goss.
Through
a
spokeswoman,
Goss
declined
this
afternoon
to
comment
on
the
destruction
of
the
tapes.
If
The President Was Regularly
Putting Your Family Members In
The Grave For No Reason, You
Would Start To Sour On His
Agenda Sooner Than Later, No?
From
Windspike for Educational
Whisper
The military
families I know
have had a
strong distaste
for Bush and his
cronies for a
great long
while. It's not
enough that he's
"all hat
and no
cattle,"
but he's putting
people into
harms way for no
real legitimate
reason and
continues to
toss good money
after bad to the
tune of billions
of dollars owed
to the Chinese
that our
following
generations will
be working on
paying down
until their
grandchildren
have
grandchildren.
I'm not certain
why this is now
news (well, it's
because some
person decided
to run a poll to
sell
newspapers), but
for those of us
with friends and
family that have
served our
country know the
support for Bush
was extinguished
quite some time
ago.
Families
with ties to
the military,
long a
reliable
source of
support for
wartime
presidents,
disapprove of
President Bush
and his
handling of
the war in
Iraq, with a
majority
concluding the
invasion was
not worth it,
a Los Angeles
Times/Bloomberg
poll has
found...
...Nearly six
out of every
10 military
families
disapprove of
Bush's job
performance
and the way he
has run the
war, rating
him only
slightly
better than
the general
population
does.
And among
those families
with soldiers,
sailors and
Marines who
have served in
Iraq or
Afghanistan,
60% say that
the war in
Iraq was not
worth the
cost, the same
result as all
adults
surveyed.
"I don't
see gains for
the people of
Iraq . . .
and, oh, my
God, so many
wonderful
young people,
and these are
the ones who
felt they were
really doing
something,
that's why
they signed
up," said
poll
respondent Sue
Datta, 61,
whose youngest
son, an Army
staff
sergeant, was
seriously
wounded in
Iraq last year
and is
scheduled to
redeploy in
2009. "I
pray to God
that they did
not die in
vain, but I
don't think
our president
is even
sensitive at
all to what
it's like to
have a child
serving over
there."
Patience with
the war, which
has now lasted
longer than
the U.S.
involvement in
World War II,
is wearing
thin --
particularly
among families
who have sent
a service
member to the
conflict.
One-quarter
say American
troops should
stay "as
long as it
takes to
win." Nearly
seven in 10
favor a
withdrawal
within the
coming year or
"right
away."
Military
families tend to
be relatively
quite of their
disdain for this
man because they
are used to
doing their
duty, as
promised. Even
so, it's
dramatic when a
sitting
president fails
the military he
was
"elected"
to lead.
To
Congress: Reject
Bush's Selective
Fix on the
Mortgage Problem
From
Kathy in
Blacksburg for DemocracyUpsideDown
Here's an
excellent Raisingkaine.com
article
about
Bush's
trial
balloon
concerning
mortgage
crisis
relief.
It's not
what meets
the eye.
Read about
it here.
Update: I
should
have added
this
respone by
"PM"
at RK.
Americablog
is one
of the
most
liberal
blogs
around.
Here is
what its
main
editor,
Jon
Aravosis
said:
http://www.americablog.com/200...
I can
deal
with
someone
who was
cheated
by their
mortgage
broker,
banker,
or
whomever.
Someone
who was
literally
lied to
about
how much
their
mortgage
was
going to
cost
them
now, in
two
years,
in five
years,
in ten
years.
But what
I can't
deal
with are
all of
these
heart-tugging
news
broadcast
and Joe
and
Suzie
who
simply
wanted
the
American
dream
for
their
children,
so they
risked
their
entire
family's
livelihood
on a
gamble
that
they
could
sell a
house
they
couldn't
afford
before
the
"real"
mortgage
rate
kicked
in.
Sorry,
Charlie,
but
those
people
knew
what
they
were
doing.
They
gambled.
They
lost. I
had the
same
choice
they
did, and
I said
"no,"
things
were
simply
too
expensive.
So now
they get
a bail
out and
I get
nothing
because
they
wanted
money
for
nothing?
I
(KathyinBlacksburg)
couldn't
agree
more.
Be
very
scared:
Romney
says
Freedom
requires
Religion
calls for
greater
Role for
Religion!
How can
anyone say
that after
this
perverted
mess?
From
James
Joiner
for An
Average
American
Patriot
Be very
scared:
Romney
says
Freedom
requires
Religion
calls
for
greater
Role for
Religion!
How can
anyone
say that
after
this
perverted
Governmental
Religious
mess of
Bush's?
I am
afraid
there
are many
perverted
right
wingers
who
believe
that but
first I
have to
tell you
before I
discuss
this
fool
when I
heard
these
ridiculous
statements
I
decided
to check
on that
and I
found
that
Atheistic
countries
do very
well. I
will
focus on
Finland
one of
the top
10
Atheist
/Agnostic
countries
in the
world :top
50
Atheist
countries
in the
world
Not only
is it
predominantly
Atheistic
but it
is one
of the
freest,
wealthiest
per
capita,
and
happiest
Nations
on
earth.
With her
clean
natural
environment
and the
vibrant
cultural
life,
Finland
offers
an
excellent
setting
for many
activities.
Finland
covers
an area
of
338,000
square
kilometers,
of which
10
percent
is water
and 69
percent
forest.
There
are over
187,000
lakes,
5,100
rapids,
and over
179,000
islands,
including
Europe's
largest
archipelago.
The
natural
beauty
is
available
to
everyone.
Everyman
is
allowed
free
right of
access
to the
land and
waterways,
irrespective
of who
owns the
land.
To
complement
the
outdoor
activities,
Finland
has a
vibrant
cultural
life.
Altogether
15
professional
symphony
orchestras,
an
extensive
range of
musical
festivals,
and more
than
1,000
museums
are but
a few
examples
of the
cultural
activities
available
in
Finland.
Finnish
universities
are
known
for
their
high
standards
in both
teaching
and
research.
There
are
altogether
20
universities
in
Finland:
ten
multidisciplinary
universities,
three
universities
of
technology,
three
schools
of
economics
and
business
administration,
and four
art
academies.
In
addition,
the
Finnish
higher
education
system
includes
the
polytechnics;
29 more
practically
oriented,
often
multidisciplinary,
regional
institutions
which
particularly
focus on
contacts
with
business
and
industry.
Considering
Finland
is a
country
of 5.2
million
people,
the
higher
education
system
is a
clear
indication
of the
country's
commitment
to
education
and
knowledge.
finland
In
contrast
I found
that
like the
Right
wingers
are
quick to
point
out and
I
disagree
with is
that
America
is a
Christian
Nation.
I say
Bull we
are and
I found
that
Among
Wealthy
Nations
… the
U.S.
STANDS
ALONE IN
ITS
EMBRACE
OF
RELIGION.
Religion
is much
more
important
to
Americans
than to
people
living
in other
wealthy
nations.
The
Global
Attitudes
study
correlated
views on
religion
with
annual
per
capita
income
and
found
that
wealthier
nations
tend to
place
less
importance
on
religion
– with
the
exception
of the
United
States. US
is
unique
in its
embrace
of
Religion
You see
what
Religion
is doing
to our
Government
and our
Nation.
It's
horrible.
Romney
is
calling
for more
of it.
Beware
of a
worsening
of
Bush's
nightmare.
just
look at
this one
fact.
The
United
States
has by
far the
highest
rate of
gun
deaths
--
murders,
suicides
and
accidents
-- among
the
world's
36
richest
nations,
a
government
study
found.
The U.S.
rate for
gun
deaths
in 1994
was
14.24
per
100,000
people.
Japan
had the
lowest
rate, at
.05 per
100,000.
The
study,
done by
the
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention,
is the
first
comprehensive
international
look at
gun-related
deaths.
It was
published
Thursday
in the
International
Journal
of
Epidemiology.
The CDC
would
not
speculate
why the
death
rates
varied,
but
other
researchers
said
easy
access
to guns
and
society's
acceptance
of
violence
are part
of the
problem
in the
United
States. Christian
US leads
in gun
deaths
Look at
what
perverted
Religion
has done
to us.
These
idiots
call us
a
Christian
nation
and look
at the
control
and
violence
we get
from all
sides
including
the
Government
and
Romney
wants
more of
it?
White
House
hopeful
Mitt
Romney
on
Thursday
articulated
his
position
on the
role of
religion
in
America,
but
avoided
details
about
his
personal
faith.
Romney,
who
hopes to
become
the
first
Mormon
president,
said
"religious
tolerance
would be
a
shallow
principle,
indeed,
if it
were
reserved
only for
faiths
with
which we
agree."
** I'll
tell you
right
now he
is dead
wrong
and is
speaking
from the
view of
a strict
Religious
follower.
However
he
really
did
shoot
himself
and Bush
in the
foot and
I
haven't
heard
anything
mentioned.
Isn't
ruling
with
religion
what
Bush is
telling
Islam
they can
not do?
Isn't
ruling
with
perverted
Religion
what he
is
guilty
of? We
were
told
from the
start
that
Muslims
wanted
us off
their
lands so
Bush
attacks
them.
Isn't
all they
otherwise
want is
Religious
freedom?
The
right to
govern
themselves
as they
want?
The
right to
practice
their
Religion
as they
want?
Not as
Bush
dictates
despite
centuries
of doing
so?
**
Freedom
requires
Religion
but what
about
for
Islam
and
Muslims?
Despite
what the
role of
Religion
has
negatively
done to
us
Romney
wants a
greater
role?
what the
hell?
Meanwhile
Islam is
being
told
Religion
plays to
much of
a role?
I don't
get it?
I am
sick of
the
every
day
every
instance
do what
I say
not as I
do
double
standards!
Meet
a Bush/GOP
Billionaire
From
TomCat for
Politics
Plus
...Mr.
Kravis’s
ties
to
the
Bush
family
go
back
decades,
to
the
time
when
his
father
was
friends
with
Senator
Prescott
Bush,
the
president’s
grandfather.
Another
major
player
in
the
debate,
the
Carlyle
Group,
is
based
in
Washington
and
led
by a
group
of
well-connected
former
top
government
officials...
...Henry
Kravis
is a
billionaire,
the
57th
richest
person
in
America.
He
acquired
this
wealth
by
purchasing
public
companies
with
borrowed
money.
To
pay
off
the
debt,
he
cuts
benefits
at
the
company,
sells
its
assets,
and
lays
off
employees.
This
get-rich-quick
scheme
made
him
$450
million
last
year.
Meanwhile,
his
tax
rate
is
lower
than
teachers,
firemen,
nurses,
even
his
own
cleaning
staff!
Yet
everyday
we
hear
another
story,
we
live
another
experience,
we
see
another
example
of
the
horrific
economic
pain
our
country
is
being
devastated
by.
On
Saturday
December
1st,
3600
individuals
braved
the
nasty
weather
in
Des
Moines
IA
to
attend
a
forum.
This
forum
was
special
in
the
fact
that
the
everyday
people
would
be
able
to
ask
five
of
the
Democratic
Presidential
candidates
questions
that
mattered
to
them.
The
Democrats
who
showed
up
were:
John
Edwards,
Barack
Obama,
Chris
Dodd,
Hillary
Clinton
and
my
pick
for
President,
Representative
Dennis
Kucinich.
Only
Hillary
phoned
it
in,
unable
for
some
reason
to
attend
in
person.
The
Heartland
Presidential
Forum
has
received
scant
notice,
hell
NO
notice
by
the
MSM...which
shouldn't
surprise
us,
but
it
should
piss
us
off.
This
Forum
was
unique
in
that
the
questions
weren't
filtered
through
a
cadre
of
network
heads
like
CNN,
MSNBC
or
Fox
Noise.
Real
Americans
asked
their
real
questions
and
voiced
their
real
concerns
to
the
candidates.
The
Forum
was
sponsored
by
community
groups
across
the
nation.
It
should
be
noted
that
the
Republican
candidates
were
also
invited,
but
only
one
of
them
accepted
the
invitation.
The
forum
lawyers
ruled
that
to
only
allow
one
Republican
to
attend
might
appear
to
be
an
illegal
political
endorsement
and
therefore
he
was
not
allowed
to
attend.
This
wonderful
forum
allowed
everyday
Americans
to
address
the
candidates
of
their
choice
directly
on
the
stage,
face
to
face.
The
entire
video
of
the
event
can
be
seen
at
MovementVisionLab.org
or
portions
can
be
watched
on
their
YouTube
channel.
The
one
MSM
writeup
I
could
find
was
the
San
Francisco
Chronicle.
Below
are
some
of
the
individuals
and
their
stories
they
highlighted
from
the
event:
Erica
Fernandez,
a
17-year-old
student
from
Ventura
County,
spoke
eloquently
of
her
community's
struggle
against
the
siting
of
a
liquefied
natural
gas
facility
-
and
asked
John
Edwards
to
address
questions
of
environmental
justice
(the
first
time
I've
heard
the
issue
raised
at
the
presidential
level).
Patricia
Divine
Wilder,
a
small
business
owner
from
Walla
Walla,
Wash.,
spoke
to
Hillary
Clinton,
choking
back
her
own
tears
(and
ours)
as
she
struggled
through
a
story
of
a
nephew
whose
recurrent
neck
pains
went
unaddressed
because
he
lacked
health
insurance.
When
he
finally
broke
down
and
saw
a
doctor,
it
turned
out
to
be
inoperable
lung
cancer.
Clinton
responded
at
length
about
the
arcane
details
of
her
health
care
plan
-
and
was
then
cut
off
for
exceeding
time
limits
so
that
she
could
hear
from
an
undocumented
immigrant
student.
Identified
by
first
name
only,
she
noted
that
she
had
graduated
at
the
top
of
her
high
school
class,
is
two
years
away
from
finishing
a
B.A.
in
education,
and
will
never
be
able
to
teach.
Following
her,
Larry
Ginter,
a
white
family
farmer
from
Iowa,
pleaded
that
"to
save
our
national
soul,
we
have
to
stop
treating
immigrants
like
common
criminals."
Echoing
the
theme,
Tam
Tran
from
Los
Angeles
told
Dennis
Kucinich
her
tale:
she
and
her
family
fled
from
Vietnam,
were
rescued
by
a
German
boat,
and
came
to
the
United
States
when
she
was
6.
Now
the
United
States
wants
to
deport
her
-
to
Germany
-
and
agents
have
followed
up
by
raiding
her
parents'
mobile
home
two
months
ago.
And
Barack
Obama
found
himself
floored
by
Dedra
Lewis
from
Springfield,
Mass.
She
recounted
her
shock
when
her
10-year-old
daughter,
Alexsiana,
developed
a
sight-threatening
eye
condition
-
and
her
relief
when
the
State
Children's
Health
Insurance
(SCHIP)
program
threatened
by
President
Bush's
veto
pen
had
saved
her
when
she
lost
her
job
and
her
private
insurance.
Alexsiana
was
there
-
she
and
Obama
exchanged
hugs
and
quiet
words
before
he
went
on
to
outline
his
health
care
plan.
There
are
many
more
stories
like
these
on
the
pages
of
the
SFChron
writeup
as
well
as
the
writeup
by
the
MovementVisionLab
author
Sally
Kohn
who
calls
these
folks
this
years
swing
voters
in
her
article.
There
were
white
folks,
brown
folks
and
black
folks
that
brought
their
issues
to
the
Presidential
candidates.
Many
of
the
stories
rang
true
for
me
or
people
I
know
and
love.
I
would
like
to
suggest
you
watch
the
entire
presentation,
but
if
you
don't
at
least
watch
some
of
the
YouTube
video's
of
the
speakers
and
the
candidates
response,
it
will
make
you
proud
to
be
an
American
again..at
least
it
did
me.
We
need
more
of
these
types
of
events
for
the
candidates,
where
the
questions
are
asked
by
those
who
will
be
voting
for
our
next
President.
Nothing
was
canned
or
phony
to
me,
it
was
genuine
concern
based
in
living
a
life
in
these
here
United
States.
The
American's
were
from
all
walks
of
life,
investors,
farmers,
undocumented
immigrants
who
have
worked
hard
to
make
a
life
here
and
still
fear
being
deported.
Single
mothers
who
worry
about
making
ends
meet
and
feeding
their
children
every
day.
I
could
go
on
and
on..but
hopefully
you
get
my
point
dear
reader.
So
watch
our
Americans
in
action
and
how
the
candidates
responded
to
them.
Over the last 3 days I've seen at least three sites re-post the same list of gay officials from around the country. The post is a reprint of a list of openly gay elected officials maintained by Actwin, an lgbt activist who monitored the voting records of gay elected officials.
