Those Silly Republicans and their Democratic Debt

Hello Papamoka Bloggers! Since I seem to have drifted into my summer season, which is more about playing outside than writing about politics, I'll still do my best to get angry about something. Let's see, how about what I like to call the most recent Republican Brainwashing Initiative (RBI 2.0). Let's face it, the majority of them (non-tea-party-folk) have been relatively silent for a while. I think that seems to be changing.

I think our Republican friends are beginning to stir a little more these days. It seems they've been listening to FOX "News" (RBI central) long enough now [since their election losses] for some of their more heinous brainwashing to take full effect. At least in my world, they've begun to share. They're beginning their usual blame game, and unfortunately facts have little to do with how they assess or assign blame.

The lies have begun to flow like girly-poop in a man-sized Texas toilet. In the same way Ronald Reagan's fake legacy blossomed after a a few years (I guess they forget faster these days - must be the drugs in our water), George W. Bush is beginning to emerge as a competent president who ran a highly successful foreign policy and economy. The signs are there that he is destined for honor and glory within the party. I must admit, you have to admire them for their ability to turn anybody, even the biggest loser, into a hero.

Unfortunately, and equally perplexing, President Obama is now the one responsible for everything bad that's happening in the world - especially the bad bits they're mostly responsible for.

I could ramble on (as I usually do - to get the facts right) with a laundry list of BS they're beginning to buy into again, but that would be exhausting for all of us, and I want to go play outside. So, let's focus. What are the far-right screw-ups - the ones who drink their own Kool-Aid - really annoying me most about these days? What propaganda pisses me off the most?

I know! It's that latest false factoid being spewed on FOX "News" day and night these days - not to menation the lesser media minions. Hannity, O'Reilly, Cavuto and the rest are all talking about it ad nausea. They even have their creepy-crawlies Coulter and Matlin carrying the water on other networks. I guess it must be an edict from the top, wherever that top is these days.

What is it? It's their claim - which my friends and family now believe - that Barack Obama has now contributed more to the federal debt than any president before him. It's BS, but they keep saying it.

The claim is outrageous. It has no bases in fact. The federal debt remains the responsibility of the Republican Party, since their leadership created over 90% of it. Barack Obama has contributed to less than 1% of the federal debt so far, and his annual budget deficit is still overwhelmingly the product of George W. Bush.

A matter of fact, George W. Bush is responsible for contributing the most to the federal debt. Now that's a fact you can take to the bank.

Of course, the far-right will ignore the obvious facts. A matter of fact (sorry, it's a fun word), I'm pretty sure we'll have somebody crapping those very same Republican BS-talking points in response to this very post.

As always, the Republicans are lying to the American people and to themselves. As you can see by the chart above, George W. created the largest annual deficits in American history. Incredibly, those annual deficits would be even higher if war borrowing had been included on the federal books. Barack Obama has included those negatives since taking office, which has increased the debt

I know it had to be done, but I wonder if the Republicans will get away with painting us with their own stink of irresponsibility. Unfortunately, our own honesty may become a liability in 2012.

In my humble opinion, because of these and other lies, the Republicans have no honor. They are liars, plain and simple. The Republican leadership/elite will do or say anything to regain their power, and that includes massive doses of propaganda. We can only hope the American people will not fall for it again. "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." Let's hope that shame remains a distant memory.

Just to be clear, the facts about the federal debt are simple. I have reviewed them on this blog numerous times. The overwhelming majority (over 90%) of today's federal/foreign debt was created during the leadership of the Republicans. They borrowed to lower taxes. It was done mostly under Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and George W. Bush. Bill Clinton lowered the debt. Those are the facts (see the chart below).

Like most Democrats, I can't stand the way President Obama is forced to spend to salvage today's broken economy, but to blame him for the debt is tantamount to blaming the Democrats for starting the Iraq War. They may have been involved to some degree, but the blame lies clearly at the feet of the Republican Party.

I will probably be writing about some of the other bits and pieces of propaganda the Republicans are pushing these days, but let's leave those for another time. Today it's all about the way they're lying about the money.

What do we ordinary American citizens do? We do what's right, and tell the truth. Please, keep talking to your friends and family about the facts. Tell the truth about the lies. I don't care how many times we have to say it, it's important to get our message out. WE ALL NEED TO TELL THE TRUTH!

WE MUST NOT allow those at FOX "News," or similar-slimy-corrupt-propaganda-fake-news-outlets, to poison the minds of the American people. We need to keep reminding our friends and family the truth about what really happened, and most important, about what really went wrong.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

PS - I know most have to work, but I'm taking a break at noon to join a group of protesters in front of Dianne Feinstein's office on Santa Monica Boulevard at noon this afternoon. If you're in LA, please consider joining us to call on her to support a strong public option as part of health care reform. If not, please think about contacting your representatives. It's the only way to prevent the private-sector from robbing us of affordable health care. Thanks - MB

Selling Papamoka to Advertisers

I have to say that I love this blog to no end and I protect and defend its integrity to no end. Do we have some controversial posts? Yes we do! Do we make people think? Yes we do! Do we stir up the latest in thought when it comes to all things political? Yes we do! Does that make us controversial or just American’s with an opinion? Yes it does. But we still need to pay the rent.

Anywho, we are offering text link advertisements in the midst of one of our posts for a fixed amount for one year. Mind you, we are all over the world with visitors and your advertisement could be seen in Canada one day, Nebraska the next, Germany, England and China the next day. I would humbly point out to our ClustrMaps chart of visitors to see where Papamoka is in the world. Our feeds are linked in from all over the world and there is not a tracking device that can measure that traffic. And they only capture a fraction of the visitors to this site. We are everywhere and anywhere in America. This blog is unique in the fact that it is a middle of the road point of view but we do venture into the extreme opinion when we are passionate about any given topic. We reach the heartbeat of the issues and we always pose an opinion pro or con. Like it or hate it, it begins the discussion to deal with it. That is our mission here at Papamoka. Get the issues out, talk about them, and deal with them. Issues don't go away if you simply say they will go away and we present them front and center and get linked in by dozens of sites.

I’m reaching out for help to grow this blog into something that could be huge and an opinion source. Any of you billionaires (long shot) out there with some money (George Soros) to spare feel free to contact Papamoka to place an advertisement here. The rest of you that want to advertise feel free to contact us too. Everything in life is negotiable except the rent. That is a bill that has to be paid. I'm just a simple dad trying to keep the roof over his baby girls head.

Papamoka

Bye Bye Norm Coleman

I’ll just start off by saying a very well deserved goodbye to Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota. If there was a picture of the poorest political hack election looser then good old Norm would have his face posted on every search engine possible. I would be real curious to know which one of the candidates has been drawing a paycheck from the federal government as a Senator since the November election. Or maybe that both Mr. Franken and Mr. Coleman were collecting at the trough? If that is the case then somebody named Norm needs to write a huge check to the U.S. Treasury.

I have to admit that I was a listener of Al Franken on Air America and nine times out of ten I agreed with his talking points. Senator Franken has a learning curve to begin and find out that politics in DC is not always the place to make jokes. Can he survive in the belly of the beast, we shall see. He did volunteer for an election that would make him the equivalent of TUMS in politics in the Congress. I wish him luck. Talking Points Memo has this to say on the final decision of the Franken vs. Coleman election results …

The Minnesota Supreme Court has handed down its much-expected ruling in the heavily-litigated Minnesota Senate race from 2008 -- and it's a unanimous one -- deciding against Republican former Sen. Norm Coleman's appeal of his defeat in the election trial and affirming the lower court's verdict that Democratic comedian Al Franken is the legitimate winner of the race.

The courts finds that "Al Franken received the highest number of votes legally cast and is entitled under Minn. Stat. § 204C.40 (2008) to receive the certificate of election as United States Senator from the State of Minnesota." This means that when Franken is ultimately seated, the Democrats will have 60 seats and be able to beat any Republican filibuster if they stay completely united (though good luck with that, obviously.) TPMDC

Can we now get down to business and figure out how the hell to fix America? Grab a paddle Al, everyone is going to need to row on this lifeboat. I hope you brought some bright ideas to the table my friend.

Papamoka

Gun Toting Liberal has linked in with his Veteran opinion of Mr. Franken

Michael Jackson

Watching the news lately is pretty much like watching a car wreck with every single story. Michael Jackson passed away and everyone is looking to dig up enough dirt on the guy to bury the poor son of a biscuit eater ten million times over. Would I let Jacko baby sit my kids, hell no, but he was vindicated in the child molestation charges against him so just drop it. I don’t have the facts on the case, the media certainly doesn’t have all the facts on the case, so why are they bringing this facet of his life up over and over again? They do so because it adds drama to what would just be an obituary of yet another mega star that passed too soon.

When it comes to creating a new music industry Michael Jackson was the king of pushing the envelope till it burst and then some. Michael made millions off of his innovations’ and rightfully so. Michael Jackson was the first to come out with a storyline to a video going back to his Thriller album and it changed the music video industry. Michael Jackson created new techniques for shooting video that changed the music video industry again. Michael Jackson transformed modern music performance from just a bunch of musicians performing on a stage to an extravagant and memorable event to attend.

My heart goes out to the entire Jackson family at the time of their greatest loss. Michael was a kind hearted spirit, troubled with a world of success that he could never control. I thank him for the music he gave the world and I thank him for making the world a place where you found yourself humming or trying to sing one of his songs.

Some folks like to bash Michael for being an oddity in the world. Pick out a billionaire that can’t afford to be odd and I will ask you to ask them what they are hiding. With great wealth comes strange personality traits. Michael Jackson’s only fault was that he was kind, not a fighter, and never one to attack anyone. Maybe he surrounded himself with a bunch of yes men that should have said no but that is for time to tell. Thus, it is up to simple folks like me and you to thank him for the music and tell all the detractors to shut the hell up. Would you speak that ill of your own family that passed? Everyone has skeletons in the closet so how about we clean out them closets or just keep that door shut? Nobody is perfect in this life and it’s useless to think that any single one of us is completely innocent. Can we let his three children bury their father with the respect and honor he deserves from them and just leave it at that?

Jump on board and tell me what your favorite Michael Jackson song or video was.

Thank you for the music Michael, it was and will be greatly appreciated for years to come. God rest your soul my friend.

Papamoka

A Storm May Be Gathering in the East

Hello Papamoka Bloggers! Michael Jackson's death - may he rest in peace - came at a fascinating and highly uncertain time geopolitically, distracting us from a darkening political storm in the Middle East.

I'm talking about the clear rejection of religious fundamentalism in Iran - despite the government coup, which I will ignore to make a point. When you combine it with the anti-fundamentalist victory in Lebanon a few weeks ago, the two are very significant. Sadly, they may also represent bad news. Why? I have a theory.

President Obama's speech in Cairo went a long way to encourage moderates in both Lebanon and Iran to get off their backsides and vote against the mullahs. Of course, the Iranian government helped by giving it's electorate every indication their votes would count. They even held a few debates. Amazing, what were they thinking?

Those victories prove to many Middle East experts that people want more freedom, and that things may start to change even more - if Egypt begins to fracture, watch out. The problem is that whenever moderates stand up to extremists all kinds of bad things can happen, such as in Iran. Change that spins out of control can be disasterous, such as when the entrenched leadership begins to feel threatened. The way they are feeling today in Iran, and possibly even Eqypt.

Don't get me wrong, I realize the status quo doesn't work, and we all loved it when the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, but it's clear the Middle East is a powder keg and once ignited it could lead to worldwide conflict. One very dark sign is the growing Iranian-Russian-Chinese alliance - in various forms. Another is the possibility of a fundamentalist crack-down across the Middle East, igniting chaos. I'm convinced that's why more leaders aren't speaking-out. Nobody wants to be responsible for open conflict and mass murder.

Bush was the beginning. He lit the Middle East fuse with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - two places ill-equipped to handle Western democracy and the freedoms that come with it. Nevertheless, his actions started the pieces moving across the board. Sadly, despite his potential for domestic success, Obama's legacy will most likely be seen through the same presidential prism of the Middle East. Did he control events in the Middle East after Bush, or did he allow them to spin out-of-control?

You see, there is one very hard-to-predict variable. He is the very hard-headed, right-wing Benjamin Netanyahu. I would like to think that he's a Nixon-China kind of guy, but my gut tells me he's more from the Bush-Iraq school. If I were to see the glass-as-half-empty, I would guess he's the George W II. That to me is a terrifying prospect.

He's already ignoring the significance of the Iranian-Russian-Chinese alliance (a typical neo-con), as well as Obama's request to control settlement construction and focus on the Road Map. Instead, he seems to be taking his marching orders from the Republicans and the far-right in America.

Personally, I think he's in bed with the Bush-Cheney branch of the GOP, who are all pushing Israel to bomb Iran before it has the chance to threaten the existence of Israel - no matter what Obama says about it.

If Israel bombs Iran, then President Obama and the Democrats will lose their entire agenda - both domestic and international. The Republicans would use the conflict to divide, conquer, win votes and take back power. Right or wrong, as usual they would maneuver to benefit from the chaos. Poor Obama would be forced to spend his time and energy cleaning-up another conflict created by an irresponsible, paranoid and pernicious far-right.

Of course, the scariest outcome is that America could be dragged into a regional or world conflict. One clear sign of chaos would be a potential threat to President Mubarak in Egypt. Don't scoff at the possibility. It may even be secretly supported by Russia and China; the two powers who would love to see America's primary African ally on the Nile fall to extremists - at least the kind they could do business with.

Despite all my hope for Obama and my glass-is-half-full mentality, I'm terrified of the uncompromising and paranoid extremists embodied by the neo-con Republicans, Netanyahu and Ahmadinejad. President Obama and Secretary Clinton must pull off a diplomatic miracle soon to make sure the international far-right doesn't get another war.

Netanyahu must be made to tow the line. Ahmadinejad must be undermined to prevent Israel from using him as an excuse. Obama must lead and control events in the Middle East to prevent more conflict.

I also think Obama needs to act quickly to fire most of the Bushies still in government - especially those within the DOD, STATE and INTELLIGENCE. He should not trust them. They represent a possible shadow government operating within his own Administration. Unless he acts quickly to make sure that he has full control, anything is possible. This is something that has been worrying me since he took office.

It's clear that President Obama is a change agent. Now we need to make sure the change is the right change. There are hot spots throughout history involving change - think the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Kristallnacht and 9/11, and I think we may be witnessing another one about to hit - for good or bad.

Let's hope that while most Americans are spending this weekend mourning the death of the King of Pop, a potential Earth-shattering clash isn't brewing in the Middle East between East and West. Let's hope that President Obama can control the international far-right agenda led by the GOP and Netanyahu, and that angry religious fundamentalists don't light the world on fire.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

America's Latest Historical Revisionists

Hello Papamoka Bloggers! Did you hear the latest Republican gem? Dick Cheney has inked a book deal. The book is expected for the Spring of 2011 by Threshold Editions of Simon & Schuster. It's that charming division led by editor-in-chief Mary Matalin, a good friend and close aide to Cheney. Perhaps they should rename it to be more accurate. I would suggest the Propaganda Division. Once again, the Republicans demonstrate how close ties can help them create their own reality.

The really interesting thing is that Cheney's book comes out only a few months after President Bush's new book. I don't know about you, but something smells fishy. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wonders whether we have "dueling books" here competing for history's attention. That's my best guess.

Wow, both books should be shining examples of Republican historic revisionism, not to mention full of goodness and light. LOL! You know, they're very good at historic revisionism - that's what they call it, while the rest of us call it propaganda.

Did you guys know that Ronald Reagan single-handily pulled down the Berlin Wall? I hear that's why they named so many ships and freeways after him. That and for his famous ability to fly and use heat vision. There are also rumors that he helped George Washington cut down that famous cherry tree - you know, the GOP says he never told a lie. LOL!

The "Best of Cheney" (fine, kidding) is expected to be all about his long career in government, from chief of staff under President Gerald Ford to vice president under Bush. I wonder if that will make Bush feel less potent somehow. I doubt it. If he writes about his years at Skull and Bones and the subsequent drug years, his book should be a much bigger seller. Hollywood may even want to make a movie out of it. LOL!

What I find really hilarious is the way DICK told the AP "I want my grand kids, 20 or 30 years from now, to be able to read it and understand what I did, and why I did it." To achieve that noble idea, he needed $2 million dollars from Simon & Schuster. I guess Dick Cheney would need that kind of money to do a good deed for anybody - his grand kids or the nation. I hope he lies a lot in it, or his grand kids may get the wrong idea. LOL!

I swear, the man is a caricature of today's Republican. They make up their own facts, their own history, and their own reality. They always miss the irony. It's kind of sad really.

When they finally come out both books will be considered history by Republicans and complete works of fiction by Democrats and the rest of the civilized world. It's strange, but Republicans see themselves as the principled party of strong families, strong defense and strong economies - history and reality do little to cloud that perception. It's incredible, but they soak up their own revised history like a sponge in crude oil - slowly but surely.

In the end, they believe all of it. That's when they start fighting to name things after their great leaders, and their "achievements." It usually requires about a decade to pass before things calm down enough, thus allowing their propaganda to work. The funny part is they think we don't notice or remember. Unfortunately for them, we do. We remember Watergate, Iran-Contra, and the years of turmoil under George W. We also remember the Republican debt, no matter how many tea parties they try to hold. Despite their best efforts, they're getting a reputation.

While they pine away for guts and glory, and marvel at aircraft carriers named after themselves (I'm sure that's how they see it - don't you know they're all heroes), we Democrats sit down and work hard to find solutions to the problems of everyday Americans. While we try to draft solutions to health care, energy, finance and immigration, the Republicans bitch and moan about the workload and how we Democrats are changing America too much. All the while they never realize that America is always changing, and they are always trying to catch-up.

In the end it all works. Real history is about Republicans getting big ships named after them, while Democrats quietly enjoy a small and simple plague on a remote bridge - one that might have fallen down and killed somebody if we Democrats didn't fight to spend the money to rebuild it. Republicans love to see themselves as the world's "freedom fighters," yet real history suggests they ignore problems here at home to pay for those adventures - those frequent, very expensive adventures.

No matter what Cheney and Bush write about, we Democrats - and all Americans - will know the truth. Their spin won't be strong enough to hide their disasters. Their spin won't be fast enough to prevent history itself from praising all the successes and improvements since their departure. In the end, they will be left with a small group of fans. A group that will mean little to the rest of us.

History will shine brightest on those Americans who fight to improve the country. History will be kindest to those with truth and justice on their side. History will ultimately credit the Democrats with helping Americans cope in this challenging and difficult world. In the end, Americans will know truth from fiction.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

America's Weak Link in Health Care Reform

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers! When it comes to health care reform it appears the House of Representatives is doing a great job, especially my Congressman Henry Waxman. The weak link so far appears to be the United States Senate, and that's where WE THE PEOPLE have to apply pressure to make sure we get a viable public option.

As I've said in my earlier post, a viable public option is necessary to drive down costs and to ensure fair competition in the health care market. Did you know that health care, along with baseball, is one of the few industries exempt from anti-competition, anti-trust laws? That's one of the main reasons why the costs are so high. It's well known that health insurance companies conspire and collude to drive up costs for sick Americans.

Did you also know that health care and pharmaceutical companies are some of the largest givers to national elections? Our representatives appear to be bought-and-paid-for these days thanks to a lack of reasonable campaign finance reform. It also seems that money creates a perfect storm of DC greed and corruption, making it very difficult for the American people to find a fair solution to this problem.

Forget the Republicans, for they are so deep inside the industry's pocket it's disgusting. Rank and file Republicans should be offended and repulsed by their leaders, but instead they seem to follow their every lead. Supporting our unfair, broken system seems to come natural to the GOP. It's beyond my reckoning. Personally I'm stumped why they support such an unfair system!

Now, for the Democrats. There are still a few that are undecided - probably due to big money contributions. We need to make sure they know what WE THE PEOPLE think. See the list below to identify the uncommitted Senators along with the industry money received so far - to see who you can lobby.

1. Mark Warner, $69,000
2. Harry Reid, $78,800
3. Kent Conrad $78,800
4. Joe Lieberman, $72,000
5. Blanche Lincoln, $91,000
6. Tom Carper, $58,450
7. Evan Bayh, $66,100
8. Michael Bennet, 2,000
9. Dianne Feinstein, $44,000
10. Mark Udall, $43,500
11. Max Baucus, $141,250
12. Ron Wyden, $40,750
13. Mary Landrieu, $38,000
14. Mark Pryor, $30,000
15. Ben Nelson, $106,123

I already wrote Senator Feinstein a strongly worded letter. I hope you do the same if you see your own senator on the list, Yes, I'm asking you to please TAKE ACTION! WE THE PEOPLE need to step-up and make sure our elected officials do not abandon us during our time of need. Here is the tally for the entire Congress so far:

House 195 YES/6 NO/239 DON'T KNOW
Senate 37 YES/40 NO/22 DON'T KNOW
Combined 232 YES/46 NO/261 DON'T KNOW

What you see here means that we have a good shot at getting the legislation passed, but it also means we need to start lobbying the Senate hard NOW! We worked hard to get Hillary and Barack elected, along with dozens of other new Democrats, so why can't we use that same spirit to pass comprehensive health care reform? It's important for us all to do something!

If you still have doubts about the public option, despite all my rantings, you should take time to look at all the great sources available. One of my favorites (and it's honest, based on the primary candidate legislation now moving through the House Energy and Commerce Committee) is Stand with Dr. Dean - by Chairman/Governor/Doctor Howard Dean.

The site FAQ section is a great source for finding out everything you need to know - in easy to read bullet form. I also encourage you to sign the petition on the homepage.

This is one of the most serious issues I've ever been involved in. It's critical to the well-being of the American people, American families, and to the American economy. I beg you not to listen to the lies and the propaganda out there. They are deceiving you. Many of our own elected officials are hard at work deceiving us. Don't trust anybody! Do your own research.

All I'm asking is that you look at a variety of sources for information. If you do figure it out, and see that it will lower costs, create a better system, and help the economy, then please TAKE ACTION and contact one of your elected officials and make sure they know how you feel. We all need to do everything we can to make sure that we get legitimate health care reform and a viable public option.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
From Our Rants & Raves Blog

Editor's Note: If you wish to debate me personally on this subject, be sure to visit Our Rants & Raves blog where I will be hosting my own debate.

PS - There is information about how to contact our national elected representatives in the right margin of Our Rants & Raves blog. I hope you decide to help out. Thanks - Michael

Just Wondering

If I could time travel in my truck, I wonder what kind of gas mileage I would get? - Papamoka

Meltdown or Melt UP in Iran

Democracy is a funny business where you have the right to protest when you think your government is subject to criminal acts. Criminal acts like ballot box stuffing, election fraud, or even a dictatorship by religious zealots. Leaders that would unleash full brutality upon their own people that actually thought they lived in a democracy. That is exactly the case in Iran.

No amount of guns or violence will ever quell or silence the voice for freedom from any people anywhere on this planet. Freedom is a dish that once it is served to you, you can not refuse second or third helpings. Iranian’s have tasted freedom, they have learned what freedom is, they like the concept and they will not give it up without a fight. The ruling religious clerics made a fatal mistake by taking the strong arm against the protesters. Eye for an eye is the law of the land in Iran, that is the law the clerics live by. That is the law that all Iranian’s live by and that law is not limited or dismissive of the clerics that rule with an iron fist or a bloodied baton. Note to self, if I am ever a dictator, quelling or silencing a rebellion is best done by not reinventing the Nazi SS and killing my own people. Over at the WAPO they have this on arresting Mousavi who allegedly lost the last presidential election in Iran…

By Thomas Erdbrink and William Branigin
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, June 21, 2009; 5:17 PM

TEHRAN, June 21 -- Government media Sunday lashed out at opposition leader Mir Hussein Mousavi, suggesting that some of his actions were illegal and blaming terrorists for the deadly clashes here Saturday. But the former prime minister responded by strongly condemning the use of force against the protesters and urged his supporters to stay calm.

Mousavi, who maintains he was cheated of victory in the June 12 election over President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, argued in a posting on his banned newspaper's Web site that Iranians have the right to protest against fraud. - Washington Post

Video Link




Freedom is based in information. Iranian leaders blocked all internet and any reporters from reporting the facts going on. Right off the bat that tells me they are very afraid. Somebody do a Zurich Switzerland search and see where they are hiding the money from the comfy religious leadership positions they hold. Maybe Google or Bing can come up with some interesting information that the Iranian people would really like to know about.

Iranian’s have a chance to take their nation back and much to the world’s dismay the United States is taking a hands off approach. President Obama just doesn’t want to get involved and I honestly believe his approach is the correct direction needed. This situation in Iran is an internal problem for the people of Iran to deal with. Any outside influence from the United States government would be construed as an overthrow of the sovereignty of Iran. Revolutions are won by the people and not by words from a world leader thousands of miles away.

One of my best friends is an Iranian immigrant that became a U.S. citizen, he works his ass off to make a life for himself and his family. He would work twenty plus hours a day to make sure his children have a better opportunity in life than he ever had. But he is a realist. He lives with the stigma that he is Iranian, people immediately judge him. They shouldn’t. My Jewish friend from Iran left his homeland and country because he feared for his life. I thank God above that he made it to America where he can be free. And yet he isn’t.

Iran needs to work out its own issues and her people need to decide the fate of the Mullahs who now rule with an iron fist. Many people are going to die in this fight and my heart goes out to them. Mir Hussein Mousavi may just be one of them that will pay the ultimate price for democracy in his homeland. State police will most likely arrest him, torture him, and ultimately hang him or kill him by some other means for treason. And when or if that happens, the Mullahs days of rule will end in Iran. Democracy does not live in the mind of one man or woman but in the hearts of the many.

Say a prayer for the protesters in Iran that freedom will find its home in Tehran once more. They voted to unseat a madman and their vote was stolen. Democracy was stolen from the Iranian people.

Papamoka

Jack's Fathers Day

I’m thankful in this life to be the proud father of five beautiful baby girls. Ages go from 19 all the way down to 6 years old. Every single one of them is a blessing bestowed on this humble servant of life. We see far too much of dead beat dads and yet we don’t go out of the way for the guys that just do what is right for their babies. We need to change that scenario around. We need to break the cycle of the kids without dads as best we can and in any way that we can.

I grew up as the baby boy of a family of seven kids. We were by far not rich, affluent, or even had a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of. One thing we did have growing up was a dad that loved his children to no end, would give his life for them, sacrificed for them everything he could. All of my years growing up, dad worked hard in the trucking industry, eventually becoming a manager on the night shift. Every single payday he would drop his check on the kitchen table for mom to cash or deposit to pay the household bills. It actually got to the point where the bank only recognized my mothers forgery of his signature at the bank. All he asked for was a few dollars to go to the Irish Club with her on Saturday night for a few drinks and some dancing. As I became old enough to partake in adult beverages I used to love to see them dance on air together. It was almost as if they were magical in one another’s arms as they moved with the ease of a well tuned timepiece. Two people moving to the music and yet they were one.

My mother used to take a ton of crap from her sisters that married well because she managed the families finances. My mother came from a very well off and society connected family. Mom used to be able to smack them down because her husband never hit her and theirs did. Mom was the equivalent of the Catholic confessional in her small little home that attracted her sisters and brothers to no end as to how to deal with the relationship disasters they had to live with.

Dad wanted to beat the crap out of his brother in laws many a time but he differed to his wife’s wishes not to do so. One of my sisters was involved with a religious cult, to much LSD or whatever she was on before that point in her life, he stood by my mother as she dived into the bible to counteract the version of truth she was dictated for several years. Mind you, my sister disappeared off the face of the earth for two years and nobody knew where she was. We were all terrified. Dad finally had enough and was taking his baby girl back. He went to the house she was in when she finally came back to the city and was promptly placed in a police cruiser as his daughter looked the other way. The police let him go and told him to just go home. He cried at the kitchen table as mom tried to console him back at the house.

When my oldest brother was kicked out by his wife down in Florida, 1,500 miles from home, and when the call came my mother panicked. There was no such thing as credit cards in those days. There was no money to pay for a plane ticket back home to Massachusetts. That week they had used up all of the available cash to repair a broken septic system. Dad came out with an envelope of money he had been saving in his bedroom for a vacation trip for the family. My brother was home a few days later.

What I’m getting at is that I am living my life in the footsteps of the man I admire most life. Jack was an amazing father, an amazing husband, and most of all my friend. Was he a bastard at times, hell YA! Was he a hero, hell YA! Most of my siblings don’t recognize all that he did for his children but I do. He sacrificed more than anyone will ever know and yet he will never know how much I love the man for all that he did for his family. Jack was a class act that I can only dream of being able to follow in his footsteps. He was my mentor and my hero, most of all he was my friend till the day he died in 2003.

Love ya and miss ya Dad! Happy Fathers Day.

Mat aka Papamoka