The Impossible Just Happened...

Campaigns across the country just got uglier.

Probably the one you've heard about in the last 24 hours is the close U.S. Senate seat for North Carolina: Kay Hagan vs. Elizabeth Dole.

Dole will probably get a lot of awards this year for her latest ad about Kay Hagan. Unfortunately, these awards will have words like "worst" "most despicable" "most horrendous" "lousiest" and "most offensive." The advertisement in question raises questions about Dole's desperation: it is horribly cobbled together and ends with a "quote" from Kagan that "there is no God." One problem: Kagan is still a Sunday school teacher and a member in very good standing with the Presbyterian Church! AND Kagan's voice was faked!

This is almost as nasty as the extortion of ProtectMarriage.com on businesses that donated to Equality California (No on Prop 8).

Extortion. Fraud, Libel. Money laundering.* The chicanery seems to be pretty one-sided at times, but there have been many attacks by the left as well. Will all this stuff end on Nov.4th?

NO.

Just a thought.








(see any article on the manipulation of campaign contributions by Michele Bachmann).

The Obama Assassination Attempt Reminds Us: Vote With Reason ...

...And Not HatredWhile an actual attempt on Barack Obama's life was not carried out, the knowledge that two self-proclaimed skinheads (one affiliated with Supreme White Alliance*) had outlined a plan to kill him and as many African Americans as they could is a chilling indictment of the hatred that still resides in this country.

Think of it: at no time in recent history has an election year been as contentious and vicious. Local, state and Federal campaigns across the country have focused on character assassination and smear tactics while bribery, corruption, lies and cronyism along with every other horrendous trait of dirty politics is left to be discovered by journalists and bloggers.

We've seen "family values" campaigns using blackmail and intimidation. We've witnessed candidates like Sarah Palin continuing to use fear of the unknown and wild accusations. We've viewed religious clergy openly attacking candidates and policies from the pulpit. And we've experienced just how expensive it is for a party to campaign - even down to a candidate's clothing allowance.

Mob mentality has begun to creep into our democracy. Early voters are being aggressively harassed.

When the energy (and possible violence) of November 4th dies down,
the symptoms of all the anger will not.

Just a thought.

* I realize that flippancy at this point would be distasteful, but I can't resist passing on this comment made in the blog of The Southern Poverty Law Center: "Oh wow. I thought the “Supreme White Alliance” was a bunch of drag queens who worshipped Diana Ross." LOL!

WWJD About Prop 8? Find Him In This Collage of Love!

O.K., Mormons will never go for the above. They "invested" $10 million in Proposition 8 and no matter what the Bible says, they will NOT give gays and lesbians equal marriage rights. To them, it's a matter of economics: they get more money from traditional "families" and tithes than they do from gay couples.

I especially love the dictum: "Marriage is honorable in all." Can't you hear the screams right now? "The Bible didn't mean same-sex marriage!" Oh? Then how come Jesus honored the relationship between the Roman Centurian and his slave? While true Biblical scholars don't overlook the possibility, bible-thumpers and televangelists always seem to forget about that part of scripture and it's Greek translation!

Below is a collage of loving couples. Some of them may just be a bit lustful, but some of them pray for the day when they will have the equality to marry. Does anyone who's human want to stand in their way?

Just a thought.

From Comtemptuous to Desperate: Lies in the Prop 8 Campaign Will Be Uncovered Sooner Or Later

But For The Sake Of Equality,
The Discovery Must Be NOW!

The supporters of California's Proposition 8 have used lies and even extortion to get what they want: discrimination.

Discrimination (especially focused discrimination such as Prop 8) is the start of Fascism. Lies are the foundation of discrimination. Here is a good video answering the lies put forth by ProtectMarriage.com, the organization that wrote the blackmail letter to thirty businesses demanding money.

Republican Christofascists: Like Sarah Palin, Just as Venal

"The verdict shines a light though on the corrupting influence of the big oil service company”

Sarah was, of course talking about VECO, the oil services company she herself took campaign donations from.

(From Think Progress)

Last month, Palin donated to charity “more than $1,000 in campaign contributions from two Alaska politicians implicated” in the federal corruption probe surrounding Veco.

Palin had accepted the donations from the state legislators, John Cowdery and Bruce Weyhrauch, after their offices were searched by the FBI in 2006. Palin made the charitable donations only after the AP had reported that she accepted the money in 2006.

From Wonkette:

So in four years, John McCain will be way too old to run for President again, Palin will be the obvious front-runner, and she will be free to run the campaign she wants to run: a campaign about black preachers and socialism. ... The 2012 election cycle will make this one look serious and thoughtful.

So, on the local and national scene, Republican Christofascists have:

• Tried to blackmail supporters of No on Prop 8 (ProtectMarriage.com)
  
• "Crazy-pastored" their way into the hearts of millions of American voters. (John Hagee, Rod Parsley, Thomas Muthee)
  
• Predicted that Israel will do a pre-emptive strike against Iran, thus ushering in Armeggedon. (Pat Robertson)
  
• Been investigated for money-laundering (Frank Vennes, campaign contributer to Michele Bachmann)
• Called for a McCarthy-like investigation into the "un-Americanness" of members of Congress (Bachmann)
• Back-stabbed each other (Sarah "Rogue" Palin - whose blind ambition will always be a quality praised by her Christofascist base of "Values Voters").
• Endorsed corrupt politicians (FRC hanging on to Ted Stevens until the last sentence/minute)
• Covered up campaign contributions from a convicted felon by laundering it to the felon's charity (Bachmann)
  

The list goes on and on. From televangelists to the highest positions in government, people labeling themselves as "concerned" Americans have shown themselves to be vicious, destructive, and corrupt.

We should all beware of them, but, like wolves in sheep's clothing, the masses will never suspect them. They keep on telling the same lies until people think the lies are the truth and even the wolves themselves will begin to believe their own lies. They are like "Bad Seeds" who seem to be born without consciences.

It all sounds so very melodramatic, doesn't it?

It is. Just wait.

Mark Twain vs Ann Coulter? No Contest!

Against The Assault of Laughter, Nothing Can Stand!

AP

McCain getting hammered on late-night TV
Tuesday October 28, 9:22 am ET
By David Bauder, AP Television Writer

McCain, Palin overwhelmingly the butt of late-night jokes

NEW YORK (AP) -- As if sinking poll numbers and political attacks weren't enough, the McCain-Palin ticket has been taking it on the chin from late-night comics.

They've provided a rich vein of material -- lipstick on pigs, bridges to nowhere, expensive wardrobes, seeing Russia over the horizon and simply McCain's white hair. Yet the degree to which the Republicans have been the butt of jokes this fall, compared to Barack Obama, is astonishing.

We need Mark Twain now more than ever. Think of what a great political pundit he would be! He would probably tell us that amidst all of the jokes at the expense of McCain, Palin, Bachmann and all Republicans, there simply must be a grain of truth. Comedians are not taking aim just to shoot. They are taking aim to assault incompetence and ignorance. Biden may be gaff-prone, but people still respect him too much to really dig. Obama laughs at himself first and people respect him for that as well.

Here's Mark Twain on Republicans:

No one has ever seen a Republican mass meeting that was devoid of the perception of the ludicrous.

On religion (for today):

What a man wants with religion in these breadless times, surpasses my comprehension.

On God (of the Southern Baptist Convention):

Men are more compassionate/(nobler)/magnanimous/generous than God; for men forgive the dead, but God does not.

On (same-sex or traditional)Marriage:

If it were to do over again I would marry in infancy instead of wasting time cutting teeth and breaking crockery.

On Senators (Stevens)

People who make laws in Washington when not doing time.

On Popularity (Sarah Palin)

The best of us would rather be popular than right.

And, finally, Mark Twain on Ann Coulter:

That cat will write her autograph all over your leg, if you let her.

Sorry, Congresswoman Bachmann, Your Political Career Will NOT Rise From The Dead!

October 31st - When Spirits Rise From Their Graves!
November 4 - When Political Careers Are Pronounced Dead!

Michele Bachmann will believe just about anyone who says "I've been saved and born again! Glory hallelujah!"; that, along with large donations to her political career will insure her loyalty. Think of it: here is a congresswoman who calls for the investigation of Congress (by the media) in determining how many are "anti-American" while she requests a pardon from the President for a reformed ex-con who is definitely not reformed.

Frank Vennes, Jr. is a man of many schemes, all of them nefarious and all of them illegal: fraud, money laundering, firearm and drug offenses. The latest raid on Vennes' house looked like a scene from Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves :

Last week, agents with the FBI, IRS criminal investigative division and U.S. Postal Inspection Service seized scores of documents, computers and records from Vennes' home -- including checkbooks from one of the charities he had sponsored.

Also:

"...boxes and buckets of silver and gold coins, trays of jewelry, five stacks of $100 bills, boxes of gem stones, silver plates and Rolex watches. Agents also seized diamond rings and numerous paintings, including dozens with religious themes, such as the raising of Lazarus from the dead." Vennes and his brother donated over $35,000 to Bachmann's campaigns over a period of only 3 years. They were her largest individual contributers.

Yesterday, it was disclosed that Bachmann removed her request from the president when it was learned that Vennes was still under investigation. She gave the money, ostensibly, to "charity":

(From the Minnesota Independent):

Last week, Bachmann said that her campaign had given a contribution from Frank Vennes Jr., an ex-con under federal investigation, to charity. FEC records indicate the charity was Minnesota Teen Challenge, “a faith-based evangelical recovery program on whose board of directors Vennes served as recently as February 2008.”

“Vennes’ contribution to Bachmann, in other words, seems essentially to have gone from the pocket of one Vennes pal to the pocket of another.”

Another reason why we should look askance at "faith-based evangelical recovery programs?" Nah, but it IS a reason to kick Bachmann out of Congress for (at best) being a gullible fool or (at worst) being an uber-hypocrite and corrupt.

Is Bachmann anti-American?


Just a thought.

Legislating Hate: The Family Research Council On The Attack!

TRUE BLUE Americans Get Married,
Have Tons of Christian Babies
...and Bash Fags!

New York Times 10/27

About Proposition 8:

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian lobby based in Washington, said in an interview, “It’s more important than the presidential election.”

“We’ve picked bad presidents before, and we’ve survived as a nation,” said Mr. Perkins, who has made two trips to California in the last six weeks. “But we will not survive if we lose the institution of marriage.”

Tony Perkins is beginning to sound like a bad Sarah Palin imitation. He rallies his troops with threats to freedom, democracy, the American Dream, (hockey) motherhood and apple pie. He knows he's hate-mongering whenever he writes or speaks, but no longer cares. He's even blamed John McCain for the nation's lax morals:

“He’s not helping, and he’s not being helped by the support for the marriage amendment,” Mr. Perkins said, in contrast to the campaigns of President Bush.

Perkins sees himself as a General in the culture wars (although James Dobson is definitely the commander-in-chief). His rhetoric is not quite as militaristic as Rod Parsley's, but he's definitely trying to fire up an infantry of angry mobs ready to lynch anyone they deem "un-American."

The chief problem with all this: Perkins' meaning of a "Christian Soldier" is a redneck from a Sarah Palin mob .

Remember: Proposition 8 is really "Proposition Hate."

Just a thought.

But Rick, What About Solomon's 500 Wives?

This Is A Moral Issue, Not A Political One - Huh?

Pastor Rick Warren thinks that traditional marriage - one man, one woman - has been around for 5000 years. And that all the countries of the world observed traditional marriage for 5000 years. This kind of leaves King Solomon out of the picture. And Mormons. And, well, a LOT of people.

There is a resource on societies past and present: the Ethnographic Atlas Codebook. It notes 1231 societies. Of them, only 186 were monogamous, 453 had occasional polygyny (polygamy) 588 had more frequent polygyny, and 4 had polyandry (multiple husbands). There were also group marriages.

From where does Warren get his history, ethnography and demographics? Disneyland? "Only 2 percent" of America is gay, is so bogus that only Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would believe it! Warren covers his ass with one statement: that Proposition 8 is a moral issue and not a political one. That way he can support Proposition 8 and still keep his tax-exempt status.


What he fails to mention is that civil rights are always both moral AND political. Equality is both moral and political. And if only one person is discriminated against, it is simply - wrong in both senses. Warren fails miserably as "The Good Shepard."

In his supportive commercial below, notice that Warren still tries to look cool to his flock.

He isn't.

Fall Of An Empire: McCain, Palin & Rovian Treachery

Fall Of An Empire: McCain, Palin & Rovian Treachery
Originally uploaded by MrBurlesk

Yes, it's a bit silly, but somehow there's a ring of truth to this photo from Flikr.com: the treachery of Sarah Palin is so obvious that even a child sees it. And as McCain tries to pick out a talking point (at random, it seems), Palin feather's her own vulture's nest and continues to speak to the angry, unwashed (and illiterate) masses.

The Latest Christofascist Extortion Is Unbelievably OUTRAGEOUS!!

"Either You Give Us Money
Or We'll Take You And Your Company Down!!"

This just in from NoOnprop8.com:

Yesterday, donors and supporters of Equality California began receiving threatening letters for their support of the statewide organizations efforts to protect LGBT youth and seniors from the "Yes on 8" campaign leadership.

These letters threatened to "expose" the donors listed on Equality California's website if they don't donate to the "Yes on 8" campaign and refrain from supporting LGBT equality in the future.

The letter, sent on their campaign letterhead, was signed by four members of the group's executive committee and suggests our donors withdraw their support for their own good. It demands an equivalent donation or else:

"Were you to elect not to donate comparably, it would be a clear indication that you are in opposition to traditional marriage. You would leave us no other reasonable assumption. The names of any companies ... that choose not to donate ... to ProtectMarriage.com ... will be published."...We will contact you shortly to discuss your contribution."

This outrageous attempt to raise money by using threats reveals their true agenda: to permanently harm the LGBT community, our organizations, our allies and our supporters.

Remember, these people are Christians...NOT! I seriously doubt that ProtectMarriage.com will suffer any serious investigation because we know how well-connected people like James Dobson and Tony Perkins are. Justice may not be served in this case. I'm trying to picture the kind of person who would dream up this form of extortion. Alas, the only people I can think of are characters in movies: Marlon Brando as Don Corleone and Edward G. Robinson in Little Ceasar. Both characters seemingly born without ...a conscience?

God help us all.

21st Century Christ - Drill, Baby, Drill!

21st Century Christ
Originally uploaded by traqair57

We've heard the chant before, but not exactly in this context.

Why not?

Probably because the B**H administration had conditioned us to think in terms of righteousness and self-defense and not outright greed. It is not commonly known (at least not by the "Joe-The-Plumbers" of this country) that we have troops stationed around the Caspian Sea to protect oil interests.

And after January 21st, you small hear a small but persistent voice from Paraguay chanting "Drill! Baby! Drill!"

Will APPLE Be Extorted by Protect Marriage?

The latest news about Protect Marriage's extortion efforts is so disconcerting that it can't be understated. I don't know exactly why I can't let it go. Maybe it's because of the audacity of it, then maybe it's because of the sheer vindictiveness of it.

Now the newest victim of this extortion: Apple. Surely, it also received the same letter that other businesses received.

(Statement from Apple in an article by Think Progress)

Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.

Come to think of it, did Google get a letter? Did Brad Pitt? They were also big donors. Maybe Brad's said "We'll never watch another one of your movies if you don't give us $100,000! Pay up or you and Angelina and the kids will be in the poor house before you know it!"

Idea: let's call for a letter to the No On Prop 8 donors thanking them for their support and let them know that whenever we get the chance, we'll support their businesses.

We/They: The Dychotomy The Christian Right Will ALWAYS Cherish!

We/They
Originally uploaded by Antifluff Superstar

This is the dichotomy that Christofascists will always want. They are, after all, the ones who truly created "pagans" "heathens'' "lepers" "outcasts" "pariahs" "white trash" "niggers" and..."homosexuals" . Without them, we would be in better harmony with each other today.

So Just What Part Of America Is THE MOST Patriotic, John McCain?

Redneck City?
Originally uploaded by The_Moores
URBANIZATION OF REDNECK CULTURE.

“Western Pennsylvania is
the most patriotic,
most God-loving,
most patriotic part of America.”

- John McCain

Barring the redundancy of the statement, where does that leave the rest of us? McCain didn't say "just as" or "one of the", he said MOST. Apparently patriotism and God-loving come in degrees.

What spurred this on: Democratic Rep. John Murtha said “there is no question that Western Pennsylvania is a racist area.” The Republicans are counting on that out-of-context sentence to make blue Pennsylvania see red and vote red(der) - more than it normally votes. So what other areas of the United States did McCain call the MOST patriotic and the MOST God-loving? Probably every place he's campaigned. But what's significant about this complement is that racially charged areas will take it that he MEANS it.

Again, he's sowing the seeds of dissent and discontent when he thinks he's only pandering. The whitest of white guys is telling rednecks that they are the ones who are the MOST important when it comes to patriotism and God-loving. Yes, they mighjt be in a minority, but McCain, in one stroke, made them THE MOST RIGHTEOUS of minorities in the country. He empowered people whom Jeff Foxworthy wouldn't even associate with.

The doors of the single-wides have been flung open and it's "lock and load" time for Western Pennsylania.

Someone is going to get hurt.

Just a thought.