I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

River_Rat

Sandy, gotta laugh if they're concerned about our right to bear arms.  DH and I are 2nd amendment Democrats, although he more than I.  The NRA scares them with nonsense.  Romney actually signed a weapons ban bill.  Obama hasn't.  Although neither DH or I would object to an assault weapons ban (which Mitt thought still existed and seemed supportive of its existence).

pupmom

I missed that. But watch out, Obama is about to "take away our guns!" 

kayfh

And would that BE so bad? I mean, really?

kayfh

There seem to be a few thinking women on the the other side of the mirror, but I think for the most part, they are kookoo bananas. And mean too!

pupmom

No, but that's just me.

IllinoisLady

I second Kayfh's post.

Jackie

IllinoisLady

I wasn't completely kind.  I think I meant to say.......if they could tear themselves away from the Faux Farce news long enough they would all find out the world is not such a bad place......and how wonderful for many to get their minds back -- no longer twisted into imbecilic dancing puppet behaviors. 

Jackie

lassie11

I liked the one about the right to "bare arms" too. Aren't those the same people who complained about Michelle Obama's bare arms?!

IllinoisLady

Yes and as so many I've known as well as hearing it often at home....they'd complain if you hung them with a new rope.  Some people fix things -- others complain.

Jackie

pupmom

Lol, lassie! And another good one is that Barack and Michelle know NOTHING about being middle class because they are rich NOW. Totally ignores the fact that Michelle's parents worked multiple jobs to put her and her brother through college and Barack's mother could barely make it while he was growing up. In other words, Barack and Michelle are self-made successes. But let's not allow facts to get in the way of delusion!

Anonymous

http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickallen/2012/11/10/romney-the-great-manager-not-nearly-as-good-as-obama-the-election-proved/

If I knew how to make those jumpy emoticons, I might add one, then again, maybe not, decisions, decisions, decisions.....this is a GREAT article - from FORBES - talking about who's the REAL manager....ok, I'm thinking it so I may as well say it, TEE, HEEEEEEEEE.......

Anonymous

oh, no...really - somebody wrote bare, instead of bear - and all those Assault rifles we SO need to have in everyone's home, and in the theaters, and, and....why are you good women reading that trash?  If ya wanna slop around in a sewer, I hope you're at least wearing high waders ;-)  Butit's just POISION and does no one any good - and we know ( from experience) how truly mean some people are....shiver, shiver, shiver....

read Forbes - you'll love it

River_Rat

Sunflowers, loved that Forbes piece.  I agree that it's not helpful to my sanity to read in certain circles.  And really you can pretty much guess what's being discussed just by what's trending in the right-wing blogs and Fox world.  If you need your own poll de-skewing and your own news network you might want to consider if you're living in the real world.

IllinoisLady

Votes Are Counted, Allen West Lost But Claims ‘Race Remains Undecided’

November 10, 2012

ByLorraine Devon Wilke

Delusion and arrogance are funny things. They can make you scream that the “election is a total sham” and call for revolution (Trump Calls For ‘March On Washington’ For ‘Revolution’), they can send you sputtering like the Wicked Witch after burning through millions with no results (Obama Wins, Rove Throws Prolonged Tantrum (VIDEO)), or they can compel you to act like a bad boyfriend who won’t leave even after the break-up letter’s delivered, the ring sent back, and her Facebook status updated to “single.”

As of Saturday morning, November 10, 2012, all the votes in Florida were counted andAllen West lost. His campaign, however, maintains that the “race remains undecided.” For them, maybe; not so much anyone else. You got the boot, Mr. West. It’s not even “complicated.” Florida broke up with you. Stop being a bad boyfriend. Pick yourself up, mourn as you will, but MOVE ON, man!

suzieq60

I would be really scared to live in the US - recently found out my brother over there has several guns. You have to have a special sporting permit to own a gun here.

River_Rat

A few questions worth posing to Republicans that now realize that Fox and the right-wing media was lying to them about the polls.  What else might they be lying about?

Is it possible that  your "knowledge" that Obama has raised income taxes is the result of more lies? See for Yourself

Is it possible that only 14% of the current Federal deficit is due to policies enacted since Obama took office? The Complete Guide of what to blame for our debt problem

Is it possible that your understanding that Obama has gutted Welfare Reform is simply NOT TRUE? Look at REAL facts for a change

Chickadee

These lyrics seem appropriate, would you say WR? Any guesses on who the white knight and red queen could be?



"When logic and proportion

Have fallen sloppy dead

And the White Knight is talking backwards

And the Red Queen's "off with her head!"

Remember what the doormouse said;

"Feed YOUR HEAD...

Feed your head"

Chickadee

Ooh I think Nate Silver would make a good dormouse.

bluedahlia

One of my favourites!  I loved growing up during that era!

IllinoisLady

RR.....I just checked your links and saw the welfare ad that Romney used.....and was the first time I saw it, but what struck me was.....if Pres. Obama was actually doing that or a number of other things he has been "accused of"  almost any one here would be jumping up and down and throwing a fit.  We would be doing it long before any Regressives could. 

But then --- I guess when you don't use your own brain power and common sense and let it flow from the Faux Farce squak box....it must become unimaginable to you that anyone else would attempt to use the brains God gave them.  He must be up there shaking his head at them.........wondering why they don't accept the loving gifts he left for them.

Jackie

1Athena1

Lassie --superb!!

Wabbit

I do recall one attempt to take away the right to bare arms.  Back when I was a teenager a new minister at the local Baptist Church forbid (forbade?) his female church members from going sleeveless.  They replaced him pretty quickly. 

Seriously ... this take away your guns bogeyman is bunk.  Used against every Democrat for decades.  Obama was supposed to be coming for your all your guns right away when he was elected in 2008.  All the fanatics were buying up guns and ammo like crazy.  Didn't happen.  Gabby Giffords was shot by a crazy ... still nobody came for your guns.  More shooting and deaths in Aurora ... nobody tried to take away your guns.  Are we seeing a pattern here?   

I think I'm going to collect a bunch of the crazy 'we are doomed' predictions.  Should be fun to revisit them in a couple of years.

White Rabbit ... best song ever!!!  My daughter uses it as her ring tone for me     

Chickadee

WR, google Focus on the Family 2008 prediction letter. The whack jobs are 0 for 34.



I imagine they have a new one, gotta get rich raising that money from the bubbleheads.

bluedahlia

Yup, I think I see Daryl and Merle. 

Chickadee

Hope I'm not boring anyone but its easy to move on and not think about ongoing challenges of those who have been devastated by Sandy. And partly so that those who think private charities can manage this endeavor get a broader understanding. So I include the latest update.



Superstore Sandy Update



Team,



In the almost two weeks since Sandy made landfall, we have seen an outpouring of support from across the whole community. In addition to the almost 15,000 people deployed from across the federal government, over 2,300 personnel have been brought in from other states through Emergency Management Assistance Compacts (EMACS).



All of the 53 organizations that are members of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters are actively involved in Sandy operations, with an estimated 17,000 volunteers providing support in some way. The American Red Cross alone has over 5,700 volunteers on the ground and has served over 3.7 million meals. As the lead agency for the City Food Access Program, the Salvation Army has also been providing life sustaining measures for hundreds of first responders and survivors. From Catholic Charities to the Southern Baptists to the Lutheran Disaster Response, among many other organizations, the faith based community has really come together as part of a whole community response to this disaster.



And while all of these numbers help tell the story of assistance, our focus remains on the outcomes for survivors. As we move forward, we must remain mindful that the focus of the whole community is on serving the needs of survivors. Behind every number, such as the 280,000 customers without power or the over 4,800 individuals living in shelters, there is a survivor in need. These needs range from providing life sustaining commodities, such as food and water, to implementing recovery measures, such as providing fuel, power, and temporary and long term housing.

CherrylH

Chickadee, thanks for sharing.

IllinoisLady

Chickadee... the numbers are almost mind boggling --- over 3.7 million meals already.  Also all of the help it takes to even begin to adequately meet basic needs of people devastated by horrid weather events.  We were only without power a week ( no heat, light etc ) and it was quite wearing for just that short period.  I can only imagine what it would be like for the Sandy people at two weeks out now.  Then the Nor'easter on top of it. 

Jackie

alexandria58

Hi all,  Internet's been out for a day  again. Always frustrating.

Anyway, Chickadee, thanks for the bit of Jefferson airplane.  My favorite song by them. 

What I find surprising or even shocking about Romney's being so shocked at losing is that he didn't prepare even for the possibility of defeat - and that in itself, quite apart from anything else, indicates he would have been a terrible president.  It seems to me that a key requirement for a good president is being able to understand and evaluate all possible outcomes of a decision.

One of the biggest problems here in the Northeast, as I understand it, is not just the short term lack of heat and food.  So many people lost homes in an area where real estate is expensive and scarce, and there is a real question about whether the homes on the shore should even be rebuilt.  Sandy may have been a conglomeration of many unlucky factors, but we will continue to see bad storms hitting the coastal areas as the planet continues to warm.

lewing

Alexandria, agree that the housing issue is really sobering.  At least in the NYC area, the hardest hit areas where homes were destroyed or badly damaged were middle/lower-middle class sections of the city, including lots of retirees.  Aside from the horror of being displaced and seeing your house and possessions destroyed, finding a new place to live is going to be a HUGE challenge.  I'm guessing the situation in NJ is similar. 

I posted over on the Mirror thread, in response to a question that invited responses.  What I found interesting about the question was that it was about Canadian immigration policy, but seemed to be making points about the writer's impression of U.S. policies.  The problem is, the writer's impression of U.S. immigration policy was riddled with myths and misstatements (undocumented immigrants collecting "welfare," no language requirement for citizenship etc. etc.). 

Maybe the question was rhetorical, and we weren't really supposed to respond.  (Then when no one responded, we could be trashed for having no answers, which seems more than a little unfair.  It'll be interesting to see if there are complaints to the mods and Lassie and I are asked to take down our posts.)

Linda

P.S. On the language requirement for U.S. citizenship, does anyone know the history of the exception for older people who've lived here a long time?  I have a vague recollection that came about in response to the plight of older Russian Jewish immigrants back in the 1970s-1980s, who wanted to become citizens but stumbled over the language, but I'm not sure.

IllinoisLady

Senator Mitch McConnell has based his entire tenure as Senate Minority Leader on the proposition of blocking legislation, of making President Obama a “One Term President.” With the re-election of Obama, it is clear that Mitch McConnell has failed, utterly and absolutely. His six years as Senate Minority Leader has been one of the most abysmal of any minority party. Through his failure to engage with the majority, he has effectively turned the Republicans into what the public view as “the party of no,” a do-nothing Congress. His positions have painted the Republican party as anti-women, anti-LGBT, anti-minority, the party of rich, white men only. If he stays in his position as Senate Minority Leader, 2014 will be a Republican bloodbath.

In order to prevent this, MoveOn has put upthis petitioncalling for him to resign his leadership position and have Maine’s senior senator, Susan Collins, take up the mantle. This is the message they advance with the petition:

We, the undersigned, believe that one of the major reasons the Republican Party lost the 2012 election was their general lack of respect for women. While it will take many years for Republicans to overcome the sour taste they have left in the American electorate’s mouth, we believe there is something they can do immediately to begin to heal the problems they have with women. The first step in this process would be to not place Mitch McConnell back into the Senate Minority Leader Position. Instead, they should select Susan Collins of Maine for this position. Susan Collins has been a Senate Republican since being elected in 1996. She has cast over 5,000 votes in the Senate. More importantly, she has supported issues important to women. She has supported the re-authorization of the CHIP program. She has called for limits on pollution which is important because it is causing many children to develop asthma. And she voted for important middle class tax cuts in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the stimulus).

While good qualifications, there are far more pressing reasons why Susan Collins would make a better minority leader in the Senate.

• Currently holds the record for most continuous votes taken
• Positions on LGBT rights are in the mainstream
• Strong pro-business without being anti-worker
• Good at balancing the needs of the environment with business demands
• Pro-American focus on trade, including enacting punishments against countries which engage in currency manipulation
• Against the Citizens United decision

From a historical standpoint, she is a mainstream Republican. More importantly, she is a symbol. Mitch McConnell is a symbol of the “ole boys club” era of politics, which has resulted in the Republican party beingout-of-touchwith mainstream America. With Susan Collins in the position, the main arguments against the Republican Party, how it has become the party of the rich white male, can be addressed in the public eye. In addition, she is a shrewd negotiator, able to get provisions and amendments inserted into bills presented by the other party. That is a talent sorely lacking in the Republican side of the Senate today.

If the GOP does not do something big and quick, come 2014 there may not be enough of a party left to be considered a national party. A Republican party as a regional party may be the only thing left for them otherwise.

 

PETITION TO SENATOR MC CONNELL - STEP DOWN AS MINORITY LEADER