Who We Are

The Obama-Biden Health Care Plan
by Oskar


We think about those who can't work due to an illness. Let's use the story of a cancer patient. They have no insurance, and they're dying. They might live if they had health insurance.

What if they have cancer, but were laid off from their job? Their debt of medical bills have already eclipsed the amount of house payments, times 4, and growing. Now they have been laid off. They are either going to die; or die broke, and possibly homeless. Let's say that was your Mother. Your Father. Your Sister. Your Brother. Your drinking buddy. Things are not as simple as just working hard. Opportunities present for the few, are not the same for all. Recognizing that, is called having a "world view". We are the ones who consider what is meant by caring for the better good of the whole, rather than for maintaining the privileged; without self-preservation. It's called being selfless outside the boundaries of religion. It's what separates conservatives from liberals.

Well It's Only Half Official...

Wednesday The House of Representatives voted in favor of The Matthew Shepard Act, a.k.a. The Hate Crimes Bill

In a 249 to 175 victory for equality, the Bill passed in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. But this is only half the battle.

What's Next For The Matthew Shepard Act?
Put simply, The Senate. Lies are mounting against the act. Some spurious campaign groups who are against the federal hate-crime law are calling this the "Pedophile Enabling Act" and are spreading lies that The Matthew Shepard Act will impinge on religious freedoms. The former certainly isn't true (simply vile) and the latter would run contrary to every other piece of legislation passed for LGBTs as they always tend to come with a protectionist clause for religious group.

What will the Republican conservatives come up with next? An organized tea party protest, parading across the hollowed ground where Matthew lies at rest. Thankfully the family has chosen to keep his final resting place private. I wouldn't put it past the hateful monsters who put him there in the first place.

Leave the fighting to us. Rest in peace Matthew.
-Oskar

[references and sources have been provided as links within this article.]

Although The Public Has Spoken...

Norm Coleman Is Still Making His Case Before The Courts

Monday, 27 April 2009

by T.W. Budig ECM Capitol reporter HometownSource.com Former U.S. senator Norm Coleman grabbed a coaster off the table, not to place under a drink but to illustrate a ballot. And then he grabbed another and another in depicting the activities of an election judge the night of Nov. 4, 2008. “We’re not talking about a mistake. We’re not talking about a random error,” said Coleman to the ECM Editorial Board on Friday, April 24), laying out the case his campaign will take to the Minnesota Supreme Court on June 1. As the his legal team has done for months, Coleman argued a lack of uniformity across the state in regard to counting absentee ballots — one ballot being accepted here, another in under similar circumstances being rejected there — betrays a basic flaw. At least 4,400 rejected absentee ballots should be counted, Coleman argued. Former U.S. senator Norm Coleman appeared before the ECM Editorial Board on Friday (April 24) to discuss the months-long U.S. Senate contest. The political drama will shift to the Minnesota Supreme Court in June when the Coleman campaign's appeal of a recent three-judge panel's verdict showing Democrat Al Franken the winner of the election will be heard. (Photo by T.W. Budig, ECM Capitol Reporter) “(They) did it wrong in their area, but had they lived elsewhere, they wouldn’t’ have had a problem,” he said of these voters. “And that’s the essence of the case,” said Coleman. It’s not a lack of training among local election officials. It’s more of a question of a difference in attitude, Coleman explained. Equal protection under the law And this, he opined, brings up the fundamental question of equal protection under the law. Coleman is “fairly confident” the Minnesota Supreme Court will see the merits of the argument. On a personal level, he talks about taking things one step at a time. “I’m doing fine — I can’t say great,” Coleman said with a laugh last Friday. It’s tough when things go on and on, explained the Republican. “We’re in uncharted waters,” he said of the drawn out contest with Democrat Al Franken. “No matter who wins the race, there’s always going to be a cloud hanging over them — did they really get more votes than the other guy,” said Coleman. “That’s a reality. And there’s nothing you can do to change that,” he said. Glancing back at the election, at a time when colored leaves were spilling from trees, Coleman his campaign was confident going into Election Day — even afterwards, at first, Coleman explained. But then his narrow lead began to shrink. “At that point I realized this thing was not going to get down soon,” he said. He could win at the state supreme court, Coleman acknowledged, and still lose the election. “We think we should be able to overcome a 300-vote difference with what is left,” he said. A 312-vote margin separates Franken from Coleman. Although a recent Star Tribune poll found almost two-thirds of Minnesotans believe Coleman should accept the three-judge panel verdict that Franken won the U.S. Senate race, Coleman on Friday said he believes the attitude among Minnesotan is, “‘Get it right.’” Not a popularity contest A Coleman campaign spokesman on Monday April 27 said that the rights of 4,400 Minnesotan to have their votes counted is not a popularity contest. Coleman dismisses the idea, heard from Democrats, that his campaign’s legal wranglings have more to do with national Republican Party national fortunes than judicial merit in Minnesota. “This idea that there’s some national movement out there delaying some things for the sake of delay — I think that’s a lot of blog talk,” said Coleman. Meaningless blog talk, he stressed. University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute Political Science Professor Larry Jacobs last week opined that Coleman’s U.S. Senate race challenges have been beneficial to the state. “Yes,” said Jacobs in an e-mail. “Coleman has done the state and our democracy a service by vigorously pressing the (State) Canvassing Board and courts to address important issues,” he said. “The result will give legitimacy to whoever wins,” he said. State sets high standard Although the delays have been irritating, the state has set a high standard on how to fairly handle a contest without partisan fighting, Jacobs opined. “Note that nearly every decision by the canvassing board and the District Court has been unanimous,” he said. Coleman hopes, he said, that when the supreme court reaches its conclusion “we’ll know who won the election.” People will rest easier if all the votes are counted, Coleman contends. “It’s not going to be restful sleep, but we’ll sleep easier,” said Coleman. Franken campaign spokesman Andy Barr said Franken believes what recent polls have indicated — that a majority of Minnesotans believe the state’s election system is sound and Franken got more votes than Coleman. “Now he (Franken) is focused on upholding the Minnesota tradition of public service and preparing for the work he has been elected to do for the people of this state,” said Barr.

After Republican Michele Bachmann blamed Democrats for Swine Flu...

Minnesota Republican Representative Bachmann's swine flu comment gets country riled up...

CityPages Of Minneapolis/St.Paul

By Emily Kaiser in Michele Bachmann

Wednesday, Apr. 29 2009 @ 10:50AM

Yesterday we posted a video of Rep. Michele Bachmann on Pajamas TV talking about the outbreak of swine flu. She decided to try and make some slight connection between Democratic presidents and swine flu, but failed miserably because her fact was just plain wrong.

"I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970s that the swine flu broke out then under another Democrat president Jimmy Carter. And I'm not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it's an interesting coincidence."

Wrong. The first cases that spurred the swine flu vaccinations actually happened in 1976 under Republican President Gerald Ford when some Fort Dix soldiers became ill. Carter continued the vaccinations when he took office.

The story spread across the blogosphere, made it in some major political publications, and was picked up by the Associated Press. We're all Bachmann crazy.

Check out the roundup of coverage below.

Here is the original quote:


Politico noted our fact check and the story seems to have taken off from there. Pretty soon Wonkette, Huffington Post, Talking Points Memo, and the Associated Press was on it.

Locally, DumpBachmann, MinnPost, and Minnesota Independent made note of it among many others.

We're not sure if this is Bachmann's dream come true or worth nightmare.

The comment made it on TV too, with a brief mention on MSNBC. Keith Olbermann discussed it and then nominated her as one of the worst people in the world for something else.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

But at the end of the day, Bachmann isn't all bad. The HuffPo gave her a little credit for something good.

Tags: Democrats, fact check, Michele Bachmann, Minnesota, Pajamas TV, President Obama, swine flu

Republican congresswoman says Matthew Shepard's murder was "a hoax"

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

AMERICAblog News

by John Aravosis (DC) on 4/29/2009 02:21:00 PM

The House Republican chosen to lead the charge against including women, people with disabilities, and gays in America's already-existing hate crimes law - existing law already counts violent crime based on the race, religion or national origin of the victim as a "hate crime" - just referred on the US House floor to Matthew Shepard's murder as "a hoax."

You will recall that Matthew Shepard was the young gay man in Laramie, Wyoming who, a decade ago, was tied to a fence, Jesus-like, pistol whipped in the head some 50 times, then left for dead in the cold fall night, only to be found a day later clinging to life. Shepard died five days later. Even though Shepard's murderers admitted that they killed him because he was gay, the far-right bigots who control the Republican party couldn't resist the opportunity to gay-bash Shepard one last time. Now by referring to his brutal murder as a hoax.

Here is what North Carolina (figures) Republican had to say about Shepard's horrific murder:

If you didn't vote for this bill -- against this bill and against this rule for anything else, you could vote against it because we are spending additional money. i also would like to point out that there was a bill -- the hate crimes bill that's called the matthew sheppard bill is named after a very unfortunate incident that happened where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. it wasn't because he was gay. this -- the bill was named for him, hate crimes bill was named for him, but it's really a hoax that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills.

Now read what really happened:

During the trial, Chastity Pasley and Kristen Price (the pair's then-girlfriends) testified under oath that Henderson and McKinney both plotted beforehand to rob a gay man. McKinney and Henderson then went to the Fireside Lounge and selected Shepard as their target. McKinney alleged that Shepard asked them for a ride home. After befriending him, they took him to a remote area of Laramie where they robbed him, beat him severely (media reports often contained the graphic account of the pistol whipping and his smashed skull), and tied him to a fence with a rope from McKinney's truck. Shepard begged for his life. Both girlfriends also testified that neither McKinney nor Henderson was under the influence of drugs at the time. The beating was so severe that the only areas on Shepard's face that were not covered in blood were those where his tears had washed the blood stains away.

Media Matters has lots of links, and quotes, from the mainstream media attesting to the fact that Shepard was murdered because he was gay.

A hoax? Belittling the brutal murder of a 21 year old college student? And Republicans wonder why their angry, hateful, pathetic party is now only 20% of the US population.

Watch the video for yourself. Then feel free to call this sorry excuse for a human being and tell her what you think of her bigotry.

Phone: (202) 225-2071
Phone: (336) 778-0211
Phone: (828) 265-0240



I wonder where Virginia Foxx stood on letting blacks swim in our pools fifty years ago. Actually, I think I already know.

Arlen Specter Changes Parties

American Chronicle

Michelle Malsbury, BSBM, MM

April 28, 2009

In a bold move that may stun some in the republican party Senator (R-PA) Arlen Specter just officially announced that he changed his party alliances from republican to democrat. (Murphy, P., 2009) Senator Specter has continually proven to be his own man. He has been making decisions that do not fall along party lines, but based on what he felt was best for the people of Pennsylvania and the country. Welcome to the Democratic Party Senator Specter!

Senator Specter has been a registered republican since 1966 and is one of the senior ranking senators in congress at this time. Ms. Murphy´s article (2009) makes mention that there were some 200,000 registered republicans in Pennsylvania that changed their party affiliations in this past presidential election and are now being counted amongst the growing number of democrats. If I were a registered republican, which I am not, I would find this troubling to say the very least. Will this bold move from Senator Specter set a new precedent? Will more registered republicans join the democratic ranks as time marches onward?

In 2006 there were 55 million registered republicans, 72 million registered democrats, and 42 million registered independents or green. (www.answers.google.com/www.usatoday.com) In the 2008 election cycle there were 86 million registered democrats, 55 million registered republicans, and only 28 million registered independents. (www.wikianswers.com) There was no change in the number of registered republicans in that two year time frame according to those tallies, but I have met many registered republicans who told me that they voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 election. There was an uptick of 14 million registered voters who moved from independent into the ranks of democrat in the time between the 2006 mid-term elections and the 2008 race. Statistically speaking that bodes a growing number of people who feel more comfortable with the democratic party. Thank you all for joining our ranks!!!

For any republicans who are sitting on the fence I say weigh the negatives of your party, and there are a multitude of them, against the positives of my party and then make the move to join us! The democratic party is one where ALL people are treated equally regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic plight, educational level, or just about anything else. The democratic party is about making the sometimes difficult changes that can move America and ALL Americans forward from energy independence to healthcare to educational opportunity. The democratic party embodies hope, diplomacy, peace, and prosperity for ALL. Come one, come all, to the democratic party where your voice is heard and acted upon accodringly!

Senator Specter said that he switched parties because he was "….deeply concerned about the future of this country….". (Murphy, P., 2009) He also mentioned that he would be returning the campaign contributions from republicans that were counted in this past cycle and suggests that his loyal followers make future campaign contributions to the democratic party where he plans to run in the 2010 mid-term elections for the state of Pennsylvania. Thank you Senator Specter for taking a leadership role and for considering what is best for your state and this country first and foremost! May more people be emboldened by your spirited move to join us in the democratic party!

References;

Murphy, Patricia (2009). Arlen Specter Statement on Switching Parties. Posted on the web site www.politicsdaily.com on 4/28/09.

www.answers.google.com

www.wikianswers.com

www.usatoday.com