Condi Rice Admits Torture

Over at the Huffington Post they have a great story about a Stamford student asking the former Secretary of State Condi Rice if she was a part of the authorization of torture on American soil. Condi pulled a tricky Dick Nixon and more or less passed the buck up to President Bush that she authorized torture by direct order from President Bush. Kudo to The Young Turks for breaking this story and the Huff Po for blasting it out there on the internet.

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I need to get my head into Soprano mode for a second here. If you are President and you tell your aka Captains to off somebody, because you are the President it is not against the law? What a sweet deal that is! If that is the case, lets assasinate that son of a bitch in Iran, Imadinnerjacket or whatever his name is. Then we should off that scumbag in South America Hugo Chevy or something or other is his name. Castro, he has to go. His brother too. Then we should get rid of them Teamsters and all them union people. Then we should go after the Jews and them pesky Catholics. Do you see a pattern here in this or should I go on?

Something tells me that this is only the top of the cake, just the frosting so to speak of everything Bush and Cheney did against the law and against the Constitution of the United States of America.

Condi Rice admitted in this taped conversation that she knew full well about torture when her boss was telling the American people that we as a country do not torture. And she passed on authorization and the orders to torture. If that isn’t gang land thinking then I do not know what is.

This matter is no longer in the Presidents pocket to squash. This is a matter for the Attorney General to enforce the laws of our nation regardless of whom it may charge with crimes against American law. Polls say that 61% of Americans do not want this prosecuted or followed through but that is not taking into consideration the number of people that have children or loved ones in the military that would never want these same “Enhanced Information Techniques” used against their loved ones. We are a land of laws and if this abomination of the law is ignored then it sets a very dangerous precedent for future Presidents or aka Kings.

The law is there for a reason, it sets boundaries and does not have a gray area to venture into and cross. If you break the law then you deserve to be prosecuted like Joe and Jane SixPack would be.

President Nixon crossed the line and resigned in disgrace over it. He broke the law. He stole the peoples trust. President Bush is guilty of the same crime. Defending America isn’t always about keeping us safe from harm, its about upholding our laws that our President’s swear to uphold on the holy bible.

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Time will tell if the Attorney General has the guts to actually do his job or not.

Papamoka

Is Olympia Snowe Defecting Too

We had Arlen Specter in the Senate defecting to the Democrats yesterday, is this piece in the New York Times from Senator Snowe of Maine another indicator light on the dashboard of politics a warning that she too might jump ship from the GOP? Having read the full piece penned by the Senator I’m of the inkling that she too is abandoning the GOP sinking ship. Check it out, read it all and tell me what you think…

It was as though beginning with Senator Jeffords’s decision, Republicans turned a blind eye to the iceberg under the surface, failing to undertake the re-evaluation of our inclusiveness as a party that could have forestalled many of the losses we have suffered.

It is true that being a Republican moderate sometimes feels like being a cast member of “Survivor” — you are presented with multiple challenges, and you often get the distinct feeling that you’re no longer welcome in the tribe. But it is truly a dangerous signal that a Republican senator of nearly three decades no longer felt able to remain in the party.

Senator Specter indicated that his decision was based on the political situation in Pennsylvania, where he faced a tough primary battle. In my view, the political environment that has made it inhospitable for a moderate Republican in Pennsylvania is a microcosm of a deeper, more pervasive problem that places our party in jeopardy nationwide. - New York Times

Kudos for the Senator from Maine for recognizing that her political party could give a rats ass about the common voter. Voters didn’t hijack the political thoughts and rules over the last decade on how to govern America, Republican hierarchy and donations to those in service to America did. America was sold out to the highest bidder and once the people accepting the bids are gone, the crisis is at a standoff on where you put your shoes when you bed down for the night. America is no longer facing a 45 caliber gun every single time we fill our gas tanks and that is money that is flowing eventually back into the rest of the economy that is America.

If you really think about it, over the past two or three years the money pit that was Washington has been seeing an abandon ship mentality. The rats have been jumping ship either out of scandal or sheer discouragement. Everyone even thought to be connected with corruption has left office on the right side of the aisle. I’m not saying that the left side of the aisle is innocent but there has been a serious exodus of Republican’s from public service over the last few years. I am just saying that the gravy train in Washington has come to a stop and everyone needs to get off the train. This train has no more stops.

Papamoka

I Guess He's Better Than Nothing

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers! I would like to share my reaction to the Arlen Specter news yesterday. Let's just say that I'm both happy and sad.

I know I should be very happy, but to be honest my reaction is tainted by my slight bitter belief that we need to move away from the old guard and move toward a new type of politician - a less bought-and-paid-for kind. That said, I do believe Arlen Specter is a man of honesty and integrity, but he's still very much a product of today's broken system.

For me, he'll have to be more progressive on all the new Obama initiatives before I feel comfortable selling his seat out from under a perfectly good, new Democratic talent.

I'll admit, his record on Project Vote Smart shows that he's a very well-rounded, moderate Senator. His voting record paints a picture of a conservative Democrat, one who has helped the middle-class by and large. No matter, I still have reservations. I especially dislike his positions on preemptive war and employee choice, or what the "pro-business GOP" likes to call "card check." They both suck!

Anyway, I guess we're stuck with him since Harry "the wimp" Reid and President Obama obviously struck a deal. I hope they know something we don't, such as a quiet, verbal commitment by him to vote WITH THE DEMOCRATS to end GOP debates. As Martha Stewart likes to say, that would be a good thing.

Overall it's accurate to say the Senior Senator from Pennsylvania is not overly conservative. His conservative special interest ratings are low. The John Birch Society rated him a low 28% in 2008, The Christian Coalition 30%, GOP USA 16%, The Club for Growth 13%, The American Conservative Union gave him a generous 48%, and The Americans for Prosperity 0%. Wow, don't conservatives name their organizations well? The names have nothing to do with their psycho agendas, but they are cool. What a bunch of lying assholes!

So, I guess he's not as bad as some. Despite that fact, I still have a lingering feeling that we may have been better off with a younger, more dynamic Democrat. Age and wisdom are important, but not if they're going to mean another decade or two of old-fashioned, slow, antiquated politics. Like so many of you, I voted for CHANGE in 2008, and I want as much of it as we can get.

Michael Boh

Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor

from Our Rants & Raves Blog

PS - On another subject, I think we should complain to the FCC about the FOX Network's refusal to air the President's news conference. There are few national broadcast networks, and they should all cover the President during times of crisis. FOX denies us news at a time of war, pandemic flu, and economic collapse. It just goes to show you that Rupert Murdoch is the WORST import since our last major pandemic. The man is SCUM!

Specter: man or mouse? The blogosphere moots...

Alex says: It seems that few people, even those who are celebrating the extra step towards the magic 60 Senate seats, have much positive to say about the beloved aisle-hopper. From a quick review of some of my favourite blogs, I’ve assembled a kind of blogospheric conversation on the topic... and the old truism that nobody likes a traitor, not even those who stand to benefit, seems to hold out pretty well.

Certainly, any concerns about Specter himself to one side, no-one short of the true believer is posing this as a good day for the Republicans. ‘Good Riddance’, even in this RINO’s case, can't help but ring false when a party is about to lose its only significant weapon in the senatorial arsenal. As Connecting.the.Dots says, this “is the latest sign of an eight-year process--the shriveling of the Republican Party to a one-size-fits-all collection of conservatives that started in 2001 with Sen. Jim Jeffords leaving and even John McCain flirting with the idea after being splattered by the Rove smear machine in the primaries a year earlier... This politically suicidal process cries out for psychiatric intervention, shrinks to stop the GOP from shrinking itself down to Rush Limbaugh and a few office-holding lookalikes.”

But if this is a bad sign for a rumpish conservative movement – perhaps an inevitable part of the process of political defeat, which only in time will see moderates returning to the fold when the Dems inevitably overstretch themselves? – it’s not produced a wave of enthusiasm for Mr. Specter himself. Freedom Writing voices the widely-held concern of many moderates. He says, ‘I have to wonder if Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele wasn't on to something when he said, "Sen. Specter didn't leave the GOP based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left–wing voting record."’

BuckNaked Politics shares similar feelings, noting the ‘muted cheers and tepid jeers’ accompanying the switch. “Obviously this is good news for the Democratic Party, though progressives like me aren't going to be dancing in the streets or anything over the party's acquisition of yet another conservative Democrat if not an actual DINO.” And, from the perspective of damage to divided government, Bipartisan Rules goes even further, firmly concluding that “While Specter will undoubtedly be venerated by the likes of Paul Krugman and Rachel Maddow, this move is clearly nothing more than a last-ditch attempt to save his political career ... At this site, of course, we think that an entirely Republican - or Democratic-controlled government is a recipe for disaster (see: 1992 to 1994 and 2004 to 2006), so we are disappointed by Specter's move.”

Bark Bark Woof Woof valiantly answers for the defence, here. “Mr. Specter's decision is based not only on the fact that Pennsylvania is trending to the Democrats and that he faced a daunting challenger in the Republican primary from former Rep. Pat Toomey who is a hard-right-winger, but that the Republican Party, both in Pennsylvania and nationally, is pushing the moderates out.”

My question is this: does this actually change the way votes will turn out in the Senate? Will the switch actually put a notoriously free-wheeling senator under Democratic party discipline? Would the stimulus package, where Specter helped remove hundreds of millions from the original proposal, have gone through differently if this switch had already happened? And what measures in the future will Specter vote for that, as a Republican, he’d have opposed? As Undiplomatic points out, “Predicting how this guy will shift is about as reliable than predicting next week’s weather.”

Alex Goodall
Papamoka’s European Contributor
From A Swift Blow to the Head

Is Michele Bachmann Nuts

How idiotic do you have to be to blame the swine flue and its potential ability to become a pandemic that could kill one third or more of all human beings on the Earth on President Obama? All you have to do is ask Michele Bachmann of Minnesota who is not suggesting it is a Democrat President’s fault but the insinuation is right there on her lips. Her looney tunes logic is that the last time swine flue broke out was during the Carter Presidency.

Umm, it was during the Ford administration honey buns sweet lips. And I now no longer wonder why Arlen Specter is leaving the Republican Party for the Democrat Party. My personal thanks to City Pages for this video and Duh is Michelle Bachmann clip…

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I wish I could make this stuff up but I honestly do not have to! I could write a couple of posts a day on the lunacy coming out of this far right political Republican that is now the voice of the party. She must be, nobody else is getting any face time on the radio or television. Is she what the Republican Party is today? For all my Republican friends, I hope not. But then again come on over to the political party of common sense. We live in the real world.

Welcome to the party Arlen. We already have a table setting for you. I’m pretty sure you know everyone here. Group hug everyone for Arlen!

Papamoka

Addicted to Facebook

I’m not one to email or call family and friends often. Some people would call me a bit of a recluse. I’m not a germ-a-phobe like Howard Hughes, I’m just someone that doesn’t reach out via phone, letters, or any other kind of contact. When I was a kid, my family was very well connected and bonded on my mothers side. Mom’s sisters and brothers would drop in unannounced and spend the day with us. Many times my many cousins would come along with their moms or dads too and that just meant more kids to play with for me. Our home on Manor road always had an open door policy and visitors were never discouraged.

As I get older I miss the family very much. Most of my brothers and sisters moved from New England to Florida and have established their roots. They are raising their families as best they can and of course call when the blizzards strike us in the middle of the cold dark winter to boast of sun bathing on the deck.

Email is nice and I try to keep close contact with my family but email is sometimes a pain and you really do not get a good perspective of what is happening in the person you email and their real life. You exchange funny jokes, many of which I post on my Friday Email Laughs. Otherwise it is just one topic and that ends it.

Facebook! I freakin’ love it! I found my nephew Timmy who I am proud to say is a good man and not that blonde haired baby boy that I became a God Father too decades ago. I love that kid to no end, he is like a son to me. His sister Tara who I’ve always had a special place in my heart for, my brother Dan, my nephew Justin and his new wife Laura, my sister Mary, my brother Patrick and this list keeps on growing. I can check in on them, drop a comment, see where their lives are today based on what they are talking about, who they are talking with, what is really happening in their lives!

We all live in a bigger than life world today and the times for joining together as a family should not only be at funerals. You can keep in touch far more easily on Facebook and I highly recommend it to anyone that loves their larger than life and yet distant family. It is an experience much like a fourth of July family barbecue when all of the family comes together but Facebook happens all year long. And Facebook will email you whenever one of your friends comments on your wall. Check it out and sign yourself and all your family and friends up to join you in life as it happens.

Official FaceBook sign up page link.

Papamoka

Bea Arthur Tribute

Maude has left the building. Few actors have ever played such a huge part as Bea Arthur did in bringing to bare controversial issues that molded an entire generation of Liberals. Things in life happened back in the early seventies and the only people on television really talking up the issues was Archie Bunker, the self righteous bigot and his wife’s friend Maude Finley that was at the front of the woman’s equality movement. Bea Arthur played the straight line comedian in many of her television shows and her personality always reminded me of that lovable sassy Aunt or friend that we all have.

Beatrice Arthur passed away at the age of 86 and I have to thank her for playing a part that was near and dear to her heart as Maude. I remember very clearly watching this one episode as a kid and laughing my skinny little but off. Rest in peace Bea, God bless you and keep you near and dear.

This is a two part You Tube of an original Maude episode. Please feel free to visit the Amazon links below if you feel the need to see more of the hit shows that Beatrice Arthur starred in. Maude was classic television comedy from Norman Lear and that began her rise to fame on the old TV. She was an amazing actress and her comedic skills only improved in the hit series Golden Girls. - Papamoka

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Just Mike

I’ve been writing this little blog for a couple of years now and over that time I have gathered many an online friend or simpatico reader. Somehow we managed to contact one another by email and the correspondence over time has morphed into what I would like to think as a personal friendship. If any single one of them needed my help, then I would be there for them in a heartbeat. Even though I have never met many of them.

In the back of my mind I build up a picture in my head of what these online email buddies look like and I have to admit, I have a very horrible imagination or dare I say ability to picture what they actually look like. I’ve been wrong every single time. Being an idiot or simpleton, I build up a picture in my mind based on what they write on their respective blogs or in our email chats. Trust me, the FBI would never want to ask me to be their profiler.

Anywho, one of my longest blogging and email buddies has been Mike Finnigan who does Mike’s Blog Round Up over at Crooks and Liars, I email him tips on posts, he emails me back one or two sentences. Short and to the point. That’s just Mike being Mike. My poor old imagination pictured this kid in his early twenties, probably wearing a Greatful Dead shirt for a week at a time sitting at his computer for 23 out of 24 hours a day just surfing the net. Maybe a little bit overweight from too many bags of potato chips and slices of delivered pizza. Empty Diet Coke's scattered on his bedroom floor like dead soldiers. His mother yelling up the stairs that the trash needs to be taken out and his father just shaking his head wondering where he went wrong.

Yup, I was wrong. Never in my wildest imagination could I have pictured he was a talented and well known musician. Here is Mike in what I would like to say is one of the best inspirational music videos I have seen in a very long time…

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Here I sit in my little world and all this time I’ve been exchanging emails with a guy named Mike Finnigan that has worked with Cher, Eddie Money, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bonnie Rait, Jimmy Hendrix, and the list of talent he has worked with in the music industry over the years goes on. Needless to say, I’m an idiot. I’m in the presence of greatness and to me it was always just Mike.

My thanks go out to William K. Wolfrum Chronicles for pointing out what a gift Mike Finnigan is to the world. I have to now go write an apology email to my friend Mike for being just Mike. Then I have to wash this Greatful Dead shirt. It’s a wee bit ripe if you know what I mean. Maybe I’ll jump in the washing machine with it and kill two birds with one stone.

Papamoka

Time to Step Up

Times are tough all around for everyone and if you ask the folks that own a small business then they see it every single day. And yet the tide of gouging the people in the middle and lower class is at the beginning of the end. No more is America held ransom by the whims of Exxon and other oil conglomerates that had a free ride under Dubya. Hundreds of millions in tax cuts for big oil and billions of profit every single quarter screamed across all of the media while you and I wondered how to pay the bills to just survive. No more is America at the mercy of banks that think they owned democracy and could do as they damn well pleased. No more is America under the threat from hostile nations because we choose the big stick first with every conversation over diplomacy for every interaction with nations of the world that don’t think like we do on every issue. Times they are a changing and we have a hero in our midst and that hero is you the people. It is the change of political thought that is breaking the backs of those that would keep all of us little people down.

President Obama is on the fast track to fix as much of the past mistakes of his predecessor and the amount of CHANGE is evident with every passing day. Isn’t it nice to see that you don’t have to take out a loan to fill your gas tank anymore? Isn’t it nice to see that the Robber Barons of Wall Street are finally being called to task for corruption in the manipulative scams they ran for the past eight plus years? Isn’t it nice to see millionaire bankers balk at taking taxpayer bailout money but having stock holders screaming for their heads to be cut off. Is it not nice to see that corporate America needs to follow the same rules and laws that those of us that work for them or with them have to follow? Those laws would be the law of decency and fairness.

Change is here and you can thank the hero within America for it. President Obama gets some credit for the change in the future of America but he is just the messenger. And he continues on the positive message and that is what he was elected to do. Our government now answers to all of the people and not just the folks with the big bucks that can or try to influence policy. We have a long way to go, but change is happening and it happens one day at a time.

To the hero’s within that fought for what is right in America I give you the ultimate tribute from the best of America in our music industry…

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Now more than ever we need to all step up to the plate and back what we voted for. Change was what we wanted, we have to support the best our people can offer now more than ever before.

Papamoka

Carbon Dioxide is Good for You

According to Michele Bachmann, Republican of MN, CO2 is not a problem in the world and she literally makes up her argument about the main contributing factor to global warming. Carbon Dioxide, according to the distinguished shock jock Republican member of the House, is a naturally occurring gas from the Earth. That isn’t a complete lie onto itself but her thought process is a gross and negligent tweaking of scientific facts. I couldn’t make this stuff up if I wanted to…

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Republican’s like Michele Bachmann are why we on the left have nothing to worry about for a couple of elections to come. Give her a microphone and she will literally convert moderates by the millions every single time she opens her mouth to the Democrat side of the aisle vote. All in favor of putting a coal or oil fired electric generating plant on Michele Bachmann’s front lawn raise your hands! Then we can ask her if it is okay to pump all that harmless CO2 into her living room from the smokestacks.

Yes Michele, CO2 is a natural product but nature can not absorb the excessive amounts produced by the activity of mankind burning and releasing billions if not trillions of tons of this cute and cuddly gas (her thoughts and not mine) into the atmosphere.

Unbelievable!

Papamoka

Thanks to Think Progress for their report on this topic…

Friday Email Laughs

Here we ego again with just some laughs to end the week. I really think we need it after this weeks news reports. We start off with a car that you had better not use any aggressive driving techniques or even think about leaning on the horn if this car cuts you off in traffic.

Author Unknown

Then we have this one. If you know any true Italians they love their gardens and fresh tomato's...

Italian Tomato Garden:
An old Italian lived alone in New Jersey. He wanted to plant his annual
tomato garden, but it was very difficult work, as the ground was hard.

His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man
wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament:

Dear Vincent,
I am feeling pretty sad, because it looks like I won't be able to plant my
tomato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden
plot. I know if you were here my troubles would be over.. I know you would
be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days.
Love, Papa

A few days later he received a letter from his son.

Dear Pop,
Don't dig up that garden. That's where the bodies are buried.
Love,
Vinnie

At 4 a.m .. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up
the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man
and left.

That same day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Pop,

Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That's the best I could do under the
circumstances.

Love you,
Vinnie

Author Unknown

Then we have this one regarding idiots that we all have to deal with from time to time...

IDIOT SIGHTING:
We had to have the garage door repaired. The Sears repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a 'large' enough motor on the opener. I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one Sears made at that time, a 1/2 horsepower. He shook his head and said, 'Lady, you need a 1/4 horsepower.' I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4. He said, 'NO, it's not.' Four is larger than two..'

We haven't used Sears repair since.

IDIOT SIGHTING:
My daughter and I went through the McDonald's take-out window and I gave the clerk a $5 bill. Our total was $4.25, so I also handed her a quarter. She said, 'you gave me too much money.' I said, 'Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a dollar bill back.' She sighed and went to get the manager who asked me to repeat my request. I did so, and he handed me back the quarter, and said 'We're sorry but they could not do that kind of thing.' The clerk then proceeded to give me back $1 and 75 cents in change..

Do not confuse the clerks at McD's.

IDIOT SIGHTING:
I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the DEER CROSSING sign on our road. The reason: 'Too many deer are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore.'

From Kingman , KS .

IDIOT SIGHTING IN FOOD SERVICE :
My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for 'minimal lettuce.' He said he was sorry, but they only had ice burg lettuce.
From Kansas City

IDIOT SIGHTING:
I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, 'Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?' To which I replied, 'If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?' He smiled knowingly and nodded,
'That's why we ask.'
Happened in Birmingham , Ala.

IDIOT SIGHTING :
The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it's safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, 'What on earth are blind people doing driving?!'

She was a probation officer in Wichita , KS

IDIOT SIGHTING :
At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker. She was leaving the company due to 'downsizing.' Our manager commented cheerfully, 'This is fun. We should do this more often.' Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare.

This was a lunch at Texas Instruments.

IDIOT SIGHTING :
I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the sake of her life, couldn't understand why her system would not turn on.

A deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office, no less.

IDIOT SIGHTING:
When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked.. 'Hey,' I announced to the technician, 'its open!' His reply, 'I know. I already got that side.'
This was at the Ford dealership in Canton, MS

STAY ALERT!
They walk among us... And the scary part is that they VOTE and they REPRODUCE

Author Unknown

Hope you laughed... Papamoka :)

America's Split Political Personality

Good Morning Papamoka Readers! With all the talk about Texas wanting to secede, revolution, and the Republican "Tea Parties" of late, I got to thinking about how angry both political parties are at the moment. Then I read an Op-Ed in the LA Times this morning that really made me laugh. It compared the GOP to a jilted husband. I think it's hilarious!

So, I thought it might be interesting to discuss our two very different national political perspectives this morning, using two very interesting articles from two very different newspapers. Both are fascinating in their differences.

The first - the one about the jilted husband - is called The GOP, Divorced from Reality, from the far more interesting LA Times. It was written by Bill Maher and it's very funny.

The second is called Presidential Poison, His invitation to indict Bush officials will haunt Obama's Presidency. This Wall Street Journal piece is less about the GOP and more about how President Obama is making a serious mistake pursuing Bush officials, but it's still interesting.

The article ends by saying, "Mr. Obama is more popular than his policies, due in part to his personal charm and his seeming goodwill. By indulging his party's desire to criminalize policy advice, he has unleashed furies that will haunt his Presidency." I just love the Right's ability to reduce the President's high approval ratings to "charm" and "goodwill." What a bunch of BS!

Let's see, they also describe what most of us call breaking the law as "policy advice." What a bunch of filthy lying CRAP! It appears the Journal is using "FOX-speak" all the time now. In the end, they predict the future as something that will "haunt" the President. That is downright hilarious! They've been so good at predicting the future so far, wouldn't you say? Idiots!

What a joke conservatives - and the WSJ - have become these days! Wow, the mighty have fallen so far they may never get up. Finally, I love the way the piece mirrors some of the paranoia discussed by Bill Maher. They are going CRAZY right now! It's quite funny to watch.

I think both pieces are wonderful in the way they describe two very different political perspectives. It's fascinating - and depressing - the way our nation is confused politically. The only good news, or light at the end of the tunnel, is how Republicans are leaving the GOP daily. I know, it's not talked about in the news much, but it's true.

National data shows the GOP is bleeding. Some say it's hemorrhaging, or maybe in severe shock. Who cares! The good news is the liars aren't getting away with corrupting the majority of American people using propaganda and BS!

Now don't get me wrong, I don't hate the GOP as a party, just it's regressive policies and corrupt leadership. I also hate the way the GOP has evolved since the Reagan years. Today's corrupt GOP helped destroy the middle-class, promoted irresponsible deregulation, bubble economies, war profiteering, illegal wiretapping, torture, privatizing the profit while publicizing the losses, and overall multi-national corporate greed at the expense of our overall national health and integrity.

I hope THAT GOP is on its way out. I do want a two party system, BUT I want BOTH PARTIES to have the well-being of ALL Americans and the nation at heart. The GOP has failed as a party in that respect. It deserves to die. A two party or multi-party system needs to be concerned about EVERY American, not just the rich. So, with that being said, I'll go on record hoping the GOP dies a slow and painful death. They deserve it!

Anyway, I thought it might be interesting to read two very different viewpoints. Of course, I think Bill Maher's assessment is the more accurate. Enjoy!

Michael Boh

Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor

from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Torturer Tortured by Torture News

When you have a retired FBI agent that was involved with the torture that the Bush administration authorized come forth and tell the world it was wrong, then it was wrong. Techniques used or as the right wing now calls them “Enhanced Interrogation Methods” did not offer up any more information than traditional criminal investigation techniques that are used legally even against US citizens. (Look for the word Torture morph into something more acceptable and easier on the ears in days to come) More or less it was a disgusting release for jerks acting like wild little boys that just wanted to put a firecracker up a frogs ass and light the fuse. Just to see what it would do to the frog. Isn’t that pretty much the same thing that the monsters of the Holocaust like Mengala did to the Jews and other undesirables of the Third Reich during World War II?

It is truly a sad day in America when we have people arguing over what the definition of torture is. I dare say to anyone thinking that they have a clever thought to this argument that defends torture, what if it was or is your brother or sister enduring these so called harmless torture methods? Can the local police now use these methods to gain information too? Where do you draw the line in the sand in the acceptance of these practices endorsed and defended by the right wing operatives and the former members of the Bush administration?

My point is this, if a precedent is established and set in stone, and it ignores the law of the land and the will of the people then who is to stop the next monster that thinks he or she is omnipotent and above all laws? Ali Soufan, a former FBI agent involved with the torture events has this to say over at the New York Times… (I highly recommend reading the whole piece)

My Tortured Decision
By ALI SOUFAN
Published: April 22, 2009

It is inaccurate, however, to say that Abu Zubaydah had been uncooperative. Along with another F.B.I. agent, and with several C.I.A. officers present, I questioned him from March to June 2002, before the harsh techniques were introduced later in August. Under traditional interrogation methods, he provided us with important actionable intelligence.

We discovered, for example, that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. Abu Zubaydah also told us about Jose Padilla, the so-called dirty bomber. This experience fit what I had found throughout my counterterrorism career: traditional interrogation techniques are successful in identifying operatives, uncovering plots and saving lives.

There was no actionable intelligence gained from using enhanced interrogation techniques on Abu Zubaydah that wasn’t, or couldn’t have been, gained from regular tactics. In addition, I saw that using these alternative methods on other terrorists backfired on more than a few occasions — all of which are still classified. The short sightedness behind the use of these techniques ignored the unreliability of the methods, the nature of the threat, the mentality and modus operandi of the terrorists, and due process. - New York Times

This whole debate over defining what is justified torture is just nuts. One is an Almond, the other is a Walnut, and the other is a Peanut? They are all nuts and a nut is a freakin’ nut no matter how hard or soft the torturing shell is!

My Uncle Eddy fought through all of World War II in the US Navy and lived to see the victory over Japan. He went through hell fighting for what was right and managed to live through the entire Pacific campaign against an enemy that at the time had no value for human life what so ever. He died on his way home for good in an accident getting off a transport ship in the San Francisco bay. He slipped and hit his head, drowning in the bay. His body wasn’t recovered for three weeks. My Uncle Dick piloted a bomber plane over Nazi Germany on so many missions that he finally came home a total wreck but he never regretted a single flight. My own Dad served in the US Navy in the Pacific as a medic attached to the 3rd Marines and never regretted the horror he saw so many young men die from to protect America and what she stood for. One thing they all had in common was defending the way of the American people. Truth, Liberty, and Justice. Not one of these men would have defended torture in any form of captured enemy prisoners. It just isn’t the American way.

The more this topic on torture evolves, the more I understand how much the rule of our laws is important.

My thanks to Memeorandum once more for the news tip!

Papamoka

America's Iraq is Torturing and Killing Gays

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers! I don't have anything polite to add to a story I read this morning on The Raw Story about how gays are being tortured and killed in Iraq by both religious terrorists and the government. It even describes how the torturers are coming up with new, creative ways to kill their poor victims.

I feel horrible for those poor people. Most important, as an American, it makes me extremely angry that we are over there risking our soldier's lives, spending billions each month to protect those horrible people, and standing by and doing NOTHING!

The reports suggest there's a witch hunt in progress, with gays being rounded-up, tortured and killed. Reports say that some are killed by having their anuses glued shut, causing a painful, grotesque death. I don't know what to say about that, except that my heart breaks to think we freed those horrible people allowing them to do their nightmarish deeds.

More Americans should know about this nightmare, because we are partly responsible. Please join me and tell our representatives how angry we are that innocent people are being persecuted by a regime we protect and support. We need to stop them or GET THE HELL OUT! Think about it, if we do nothing, than we are no better. We're simply the guards protecting the lynch mobs murdering innocent people. It's wrong! We shouldn't allow it to happen!

It appears our young men and women died to replace a brutal, inhumane regime with brutal, inhumane, intolerant people. They seem the same to me. It all seems like such a waste of lives, money and effort.

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

PS - If you decide to take action, here are a few links that may help you. Email President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, and/or your national elected officials. If you wish to call, simply call the Whitehouse at 202-456-1414, or the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. I also suggest you contact your local newspaper. Please let them all know how angry we are to see our leaders and military standing idly by while lynch mobs persecute and murder innocent gay people in Iraq.

Personal Work Crap

I’m working for myself here and trying my best to support all of my five baby girls. It isn’t easy but it isn’t always bad. I work in the wire and cable industry supplying manufacturers and distributors with all kinds of wire and cable products and I need my readers help. If you know of someone or anyone in your circle of friends that uses wire and cable product please point them in my direction.

I’m putting the call out to anyone that works in the industry to contact Papamoka for wire and cable products. I have access to many suppliers and many factories that you would not believe possible and I honestly believe that I can save you or them tons of money. Especially, if it is something you or they buy over and over again. I don’t make a living on blogging but I do try to make a living earning a pay from selling wire and cable products.

That is my plea to the readers of this site, can you help out a friend that you read often enough that just happens to work in the wire and cable industry? Email me at Papamoka (at) hot mail dot com. Cole Wire is supporting me in this effort and I can not thank them enough for putting up with me. I need to mention that Cole Wire is the largest supporter of the Children’s Heart Foundation which is a big plus for my association with them. Cole Wire freely gives office space to this charitable organization that is raising funds for heart disease in kids. Cole Wire also gives a percentage of all sales to the Children’s Heart Foundation. I’m not just selling wire and cable, I’m selling a pay it forward mentality and I love working with them in this adventure. Help me out, help the kids out.

It is extemely nice to work with someone that puts their money where their mouth is and actually supports research into helping our kids and the children to come.

Papamoka

Obama Changes Position On Torture Prosecution

I should start off this post that I am a firm believer that those that endorsed torture during the Bush AKA I’m really the President Cheney administration deserve no respect or gratitude from any American citizen. We live in a land of laws, and in those laws are protections of not only our citizens but our enemies. Believing in our nation comes with a price and that price is full respect of the law that we not only pass in this nation but laws we agree to as a nation with the rest of the world. That can get complicated but Prisoners Of War, POW’s, deserve fair treatment from every nation in the world. That may first sound ridiculous but how many Vietnam POW’s do you know that faced horrible torture? Just ask John McCain while he isn’t on the campaign trail on his true feelings and thoughts on torture.

President Obama today stated that he is now open to the justice department looking into prosecuting the people that authorized torture under the guise of US Government protection of America. With limitations? Over at MSNBC they have this video with President Obama explaining his change in position when it comes to prosecuting anyone involved with torture…

Video Link

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

Freedom comes with a price, and that price is an understanding of what is right and what is wrong. It’s called the law of the land. In respect to President Bush and what part he and his co-horts played in this torture debate, I have to honestly think they deserve a full Presidential pardon from President Obama. President Bush swore to respect and defend America as best he could and that is what he did. He dropped the ball on respecting America but he did in fact defend America to the best of his sometimes incompetent abilities. How Bush defended America after 9/11 is up to historians to decide and not for lawyers, prosecutors, and courts to decide. An American President swears to defend America first above all else, how he or eventually she does that is for them to decide. I'm pretty sure that this Liberal is extemely controversial on this issue in asking for a pardon for President Bush. Screw Cheney though!

As for Dick Cheney, former Vice President, all of his talk on the networks is turning the tide of many moderates that used to be in the Republican Party against the Republican Party. People that have sons and daughters in the military want to know that if our government endorses torture, which Cheney denied originally, will not have their sons and daughters tortured. Parents want to know for sure that our sons and daughters will not face the same forms of torture today or in the future if their children serve proudly in America’s military. Any argument Cheney gives defending torture is an argument that has no weight to it. Go back to your hidey hole in Wyoming Dick and shut the hell up! America has grown up since the days of we must live in fear forever after 9/11. It just isn’t in our blood to do so.

The world is a much smaller place than it used to be and we need to work with our friends in the world to make it a better place to live, if not just for today but for decades to come.

Papamoka

Wake Up People! Climate Change Is Real, and It's Deadly!

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers! I had a very interesting chat over the weekend with a friend who is deeply involved in climate science here in Southern California. Unfortunately, the conversation was striking in how much it unnerved me. I often consider myself a futurist in that I enjoy contemplating what's ahead, but the news isn't very good from what I hear.

I know we've all been exposed to the occasional History Channel docu-drama spelling out the 50 ways to the end of days, but if my friend is right, our odds have gotten much worse over the past few years. Climatologists are extremely worried today, and despite having collected a massive amount of evidence worldwide, are STILL having a very tough time getting America's corporate media to pay attention to their forecasts.

It appears that a LOT has changed over the past eight - dark - years. There has been a measurable sea rise (over 3 feet), as well as increased glacial meltdown leading to the disappearance of critical continental ice sheets - to name just a few. Have you heard about the Antarctic ice sheet slightly smaller than Scotland due to break off and melt soon? It seems a lot has happened since An Inconvenient Truth hit theaters, and yet few still talk about it. Yes, in other words, it's all happening faster than expected.

Many scientists are trying to talk about the potential for disaster, yet my friend tells me they are still fighting on-air battles with a small group of bought-and-paid-for fossil fuel industry scientists hired to confuse the facts - and the public. Sadly, the mainstream media refuses to spend time presenting the real, deadly facts pointing to disaster. If they did, the public would see that debate has ended. The public would also be more concerned about the future.

My friend compares it to the way Americans took so long to give up smoking. They knew it was killing them for decades, but nobody wanted to talk about it in polite company. The tobacco companies got away with clouding the facts for years. It appears the same thing is happening now.

Unfortunately, we're talking about a similar death toll. I know we've all heard it before, but hearing it from a scientist - over drinks - is even scarier. What are the scariest points? How about the fact that a third of the planet's population is expected to be displaced over the next 50 to 100 years, that over two-thirds of all species will probably die in a mass extinction, that many of the world's most impressive cities will be underwater, and that drought and famine will probably kill billions worldwide. Is that enough for you?

Yes, it will effect you too! Its a fact that dead oceans and dust bowls will prevent you from living the good life you've grown accustomed to. I suggest pulling your head out of the sand to see if there's anything you can do to help!

The really upsetting part is how that is expected to be just the beginning. That describes the "global warming," early phase of what is really planetary "climate change." The real damage will occur over a few centuries and is expected to be much more violent. It will effect ocean currents, global weather systems, and the planet's overall ability to cool and/or heat itself.

In other words, we should expect a massive greenhouse effect followed by more violent changes, such as a destructive ice age, or volcanic activity that could lead to our extinction. The long-term picture makes that movie The Day After Tomorrow look downright harmless.

It's obvious that once again WE THE PEOPLE are not getting all the information we need to make an informed decision. There is overwhelming agreement in the scientific community that climate change is a reality, and that it's COMING FASTER than expected. Despite that agreement, the American corporate media gets away with putting on a few rogue scientists that give the illusion there is still a debate. It's not that different from giving holocaust deniers a platform. It gives the impression of offering both sides, but it's clear that one side is BS!

It's obviously another media cover-up about a critical issue. Again, like smoking, it affects millions of Americans. The debate is over, the evidence is out there, yet very little is happening. Well people, it's up to us. WE need to act if they don't. Coastal cities like New Orleans should be considering options, not just rebuilding. Large percentages of Florida are at risk, yet few seem to care. We need to talk about it all more, and stop acting like nothing's happening.

Stop listening to the evil con artists of FOX "News" and the like. They are the worst of the worst. They have created the illusion that climate change isn't a reality. Large portions of America and the world are at risk over the next few years/decades, especially the American South, East Coast coastal cities, Northern Europe, Southern India and China, and vulnerable third world island nations worldwide. Those areas are do for massive flooding very soon.

Each of us can act to make a difference. I try to. Turn off your lights and appliances. Drive only when it's critical. Walk and bike more. Try to do whatever you can to help. It's important for all of us to try.

The EPA decision to classify CO2 as a pollutant is a great first step, but that is only the beginning. President Obama and his Administration need to do everything they can to change the way Americans - as well as China, India and the third world - treat the planet. It's also past time for most Republicans to stop fighting what is a scientific reality. It's time for them to make lifestyle changes too. We're all in this together.

You think I'm just an alarmist? Then ask yourself if you're willing to gamble away mankind's future? I suggest trusting in science. I also agree with the boyscouts. Be prepared!

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

Republican Secession Confederate States of America

In the last few weeks Governors and legislators across America are passing legislation with no meat to it that is threatening secession from the Union that is the United States of America. It makes no sense to me as a moderate liberal but they are doing it in many right leaning political states.

President Andrew Jackson had a way to deal with Governors, Congressmen, and Senators talking about secession from the Union during his Presidency that demanded or threatened secession from the United States. Jackson, true to his take no prisoners mentality, sent a letter to the parties involved. It simply stated that he would hang anyone involved with treason against the United States government and the sovereignty of its Union.

Republican outbursts and calls for secession from the Union is more or less a tantrum from a political party that simply can not get its own act together. If you have better ideas on how to fix the economy then lets hear them! Tax cuts for the mega rich corporations hasn’t worked for eight years so what’s your next guess? Can tax cuts for one hundred plus million working people be good for the economy or is that just against everything the Republican party stands for? Wait a second, isn’t the Republican Party the ones that have no problem with any form of tax cut? Up is down and down is up and now nothing makes sense. Lefties in the political aisle are making right hand turns and the Righties in the opposing party are upset? I need a couple of Tylenol just trying to figure this out.

Over at Rasmussen they have this poll on the actual numbers of Texans that even want to leave the Union of the United States of America…

In Texas, 31% Say State Has Right to Secede From U.S., But 75% Opt To Stay
Friday, April 17, 2009

Thirty-one percent (31%) of Texas voters say that their state has the right to secede from the United States and form an independent country.

However, the latest Rasmussen Reports poll in the state finds that if the matter was put to a vote, it wouldn’t even be close. Three-fourths (75%) of Lone Star State voters would opt to remain in the United States. Only 18% would vote to secede, and seven percent (7%) are not sure what they'd choose. - Rasmussen

I’m not the President but I would think that Obama would want to keep the fifty states we currently have intact. President Obama needs to send a clear message to the Governors and legislators in the states declaring the need or desire to secede from the Union a clear message of intent. Treason will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

What this all comes down to is that the Republican Party is pissed that they do not have the gravy train to feed off of anymore. Military contracts that were no bid are drying up, defense spending is shifting into plow share spending, money is being diverted away from supporting big oil for green energy. If I were in their place then I would try to defend my fatted calf too. And yet the lack of common sense lives on in states thinking that secession is remotely even a good idea.

Don’t be confused with someone that is conservative in thought with someone trying to defend millions if not billions in business deals with the United States government. One is a legitimate political thought process and the other is just a rapist of the treasury. The regular man or woman on the street in the states that have passed no muscle or bone secession legislation really don’t know what secession means. When you get right down to it, its isolation and the majority of states passing it like Texas and Georgia and Oklahoma have the weakest taxation policy to hold their own if their dream came true of becoming and independent nation. Has anyone actually put into thought how many U.S. Government facilities are in these states alone? They would have to be moved. Does NASA being in Houston ring a bell for the people of Texas? Everyone in Texas pack up the house if you work for NASA and get ready to move to New Jersey or California.

Papamoka

A Sad Day for Intelligent Republicanism

Hello Papamoka Readers! Did you happen to notice the crowd sizes at most of yesterday's "Tea Parties?" The largest crowd was supposedly in Denver, and it was under 5,000 people. They got smaller and smaller, with most having only a few dozen people. It was pretty embarrassing for the organizers.

Did you also happen to notice how FOX "News" seemed to forget their wide angle lenses yesterday? They kept shooting close-ups giving the illusion the crowds were massive. They had their mics turned way up giving the illusion the crowd noise was much louder too. It was media manipulation at its best.

To think, some people actually consider them a news network. Where were they when tens of thousands were protesting the war? Let's face it, they're a media joke.

There were technical glitches too. Neil Cavuto and Sean Hannity were caught estimating their crowds to be low, and later multiplying them on camera. It was very embarrassing for the "news" network that really can't afford to look any less fair and balanced. Every FOX correspondent was caught overstating their crowd sizes. Their estimates were overturned by local police at day's end.

Did you also happen to notice the composition of the crowds? It was incredible! The majority of the "Tea Baggers" were over 50 and all seemed to be very white. Yes, our senior citizens - the Medicare and Medicaid crowd - were out there holding signs calling President Obama and the Democrats socialists. It was all too much. Some of the events looked like senior citizen Klan rallies - quite anachronistic in the 21st century.

The whole day was embarrassing and outrageous for most of us who watched from the side lines. It showed us just how many Americans (thousands nationally) will actually respond to a call by extreme right-wing groups and media, no matter how wrong the message. It showed the thin edge of the Republican wedge - of people who like to vote against their own best interest. Yesterday was a sad day for American political intellect. It was a sad day in America for intelligent political protest and discourse.

Anyway, in the end the "Tea Parties" were the disaster, the spectacle of stupidity we all thought they would be. The ridiculous concept was ridiculous in the end. The idiots who organized them will hopefully slink away into the shadows where they came from. The weirdos and the wackos who attended will do the same.

The Republican party was the big loser. They now appear more marginalized, more radical, and more out-of-touch than ever. Joining the loser fest are the right-wing media die-hards: Cavuto, Hannity, Limbaugh, Beck and O'Reilly. They now look even more crazy. Do you think they regret it? I doubt it, since I'm sure they got their ratings. They're also all too insane to care.

Michael Boh

Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor

from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Republican Oxymoron Revolt

We all know that military intelligence is an oxymoron. Now we can also apply the oxymoron to the Republican “Tea Baggers” who are now against tax cuts for 95% of Americans. Somehow, under the Bush Presidency tax cuts are true blood American values but under the Obama Presidency it is Fascism? Somebody clue me in? A tax cut is a tax cut. How the hell is that Fascism?

CNN reporters attended the tea parties on tax day and they were accosted for not towing the political line…



I can’t comprehend what it means to be a die hard Republican. I just can’t. If you love our nation so much, would be willing to send your sons or daughters into harms way in our military, would promote tax cuts for the last decade for everyone in big business, then why do you honestly back a political party that treats wounded veterans like crap, and now you have a problem with a tax cut for 95% of Americans?

Make no doubt about it, the Republican Party has been hijacked by the extreme right wing factions. Just as the left wing of the Democrat Party tried to hijack our political party but failed. Make no doubt about it, I don’t feel bad at all for the extreme right or left but I have comfort in knowing that the middle of the aisle will come to bare.

As for the extreme right and left of politics, screw you both! I live in the real world and so does the rest of America. We don’t need your bull anymore than we need to set fire to our homes in protest of any issue just because you can scream louder than anyone else.

What kills me is the fact that if you ask a Republican how President Obama is Fascist or Socialist, they don’t have a clear answer? So that works out to that I’m pissed because he isn’t a Repubican?

If Republican’s want a political culture war then lets do it. Let’s
talk and lets do it. Bring your best ideas to the table, oh wait, your
people in the congress already did that and your own Republican
party voted against it. They have lived up to the party of “No”
that has become the consensus for any vote in the Congress.

The point to be made is this, there is no political consensus in the
Republican Party and that is not a bad thing for America right now.

Papamoka

Is It Politics or Monty Python? What a Bunch of Moroons!

Attention Readers! If you don't like name-calling, perhaps you should skip this article and retire to your morning paper. Have a good day! Michael

Good Morning Papamoka Readers! I'm sorry, but this has to be one of the most hilarious, and saddest, "serious" protests in American history. I keep thinking they're going to scream "gotcha" and admit the joke, but it hasn't happened yet.

It's incredible to think that intelligent, serious people are out there protesting for lower taxes when President Obama just passed one of the largest tax cuts in American history. Okay, not for the richest, but still one of the largest. I can understand if they're out-of-work and being paid by the rich to protest, which would be sad but understandable, but to do it because you're too stupid to look up the facts - people, that's just plain feebleminded!

95% percent of Americans will see their tax burden reduced because of the Democrats and President Obama!

Unless the boneheaded buffoons with the signs are all making over $250,000 a year, which is highly unlikely, they're protesting against something that was just passed in their favor! What a bunch of ignorant simpletons! Protesting against people trying to help them. You have to admit, they've invented a whole new category of political ignorance - TAX TWITS!

It gets even funnier, or sadder. Many are out there protesting GOVERNMENT SPENDING! They're like outdated broken political caricatures talking about Democrats as "tax and spend" liberals - sorry, socialists. Why don't you economic-policy-ignorant-imbeciles READ why the government is forced to spend right now? Any economist worth his degree is in favor of government spending at this time, especially spending designed to encourage lending, create jobs and spur the economy. They're trying to help EVERYBODY, not just the poor, you FREAKING FOOLS!

If you political pinheads with the signs were so principled and against wasteful government spending, then you should have been protesting during the Reagan, Bush and Bush Jr. Administrations. Yes, they're the ones who spent all your freakin money! They ran up the debt! It's true, over 30-years of Republican tax cuts (while maintaining popular federal programs to win votes and retain power) ran up over 90% of today's $11 trillion in federal debt.

George "the idiot" Bush - alone - ran up over a trillion in less than a year before leaving office for God's sake. Why don't you political nincompoops protest THEM?!

The only thing President Obama and the Democrats are guilty of is trying to keep the deepest recession since the great depression from officially becoming another great depression - and it's already close. That's it, plain and simple. The only way to do that is to prop up economic spending, regulate broken economic sectors, and reduce costs in industries like health care and energy. That's the only way to ultimately save money, invest in the future, and perhaps - over time - reduce taxes.

President Obama did a great job explaining it yesterday. He truly is the Professor-in-Chief of the nation. He helps the majority of us - sane, well-read Americans - understand exactly what must be done to fix the problems. It's the only way to achieve the goals being screamed out by the protesters - lower taxes and less spending.

Anyway, the whole Tea Bagging phenomena has to be one of the most absurd, crazy, insane, and outrageous acts of political naivety - or stupidity - ever witnessed on American soil. I must admit, it makes for a good laugh. Unfortunately, they may seem harmless, but they're not. It's morons like the "Tea Baggers" that keep voting for idiots like Bush, McCain and Palin.

They are the regressive, ignorant part of our political society. They are the ones who hinder progress through sheer laziness (that leads to ignorance), hardheadedness (their inability to learn from past mistakes), and desire for an ideology whether right or wrong (close-mindedness) - among other things. Yes, they're the dumb, slow kid who constantly cracks jokes in the back of class. They're only funny as long as they don't prevent the rest of us from progressing. Unfortunately, they've been far too disruptive for far too long.

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

PS - Btw, they're also a bunch of DUMBASSES! I forgot to use that one. :) Even funnier, they remind me of a bad Monty Python sketch. You know, the idiots with the scarves on their heads screaming at each other. LOL!!!

Simply Amazing Voice and Singer

I don't normally follow American Idol or any of the talent shows. The girls here at home all do and they love the show and absolutely hate Simon Cowell. Personally, I don't have an opinion on Simon but I do know that he isn't a bigshot in the music industry because he doesn't know his job. I've seen him be pretty damn cruel to some of the people trying out for American Idol but in most of the cases I had to agree with him.

Simon does American Idol and Britain Got Talent and jets back and forth four or five times a week. That is a schedule that would kill me. Anywho, over on Britain Got Talent Simon was graced to have one Susan Boyle perform for the panel of judges and everyone laughed at her appearance, her age, and her antics before she performed. Nobody was laughing afterwards. Susan Boyle has the most amazing singing voice that I have ever heard and you absoulutely have to check this video out. Anyone that can sing I Dream the Dream from Les Miserabes and nail it better than the original is a gift to the world. Trust me, she is amazing!

Video Link

Susan Boyle on Britain Got Talent
by dwarthy

Congrats to you Ms. Susan Boyle, you my friend will go far in the music industry if you so choose to follow your dream of becoming the next Elaine Page. Your voice is angelic and Simon just might want to sign you regardless of the competition results. Otherwise, hello Disney Animation productions! Susan Boyle needs a job and Disney always needs great, no amazingly talented singers.

Papamoka

By Not Conceding, Norm Coleman is a Sad, Sore Loser!

Good Morning Papamoka Readers! So, it's official, a Minnesota court unanimously ruled in Al Franken's favor late yesterday. He should now be Senator Al Franken! He is now the official victor in the November election.

Of course, that means that Norm Coleman should concede, right? Well, of course, it seems they don't plan to. They have decided to continue down their path of being the worst SORE LOSERS in modern history!

Every one on my side of the aisle knows that if the shoe were on the other foot so to speak, the Republicans - and the corporate media - would be screaming SORE LOSER from every media orifice. Everyone knows they would have been doing it pretty steadily since last November.

BUT, the shoe isn't on their foot, it's on ours. So, what do we have? How about DEAD SILENCE! The media hardly even covered the official state victory announcement yesterday. All they reported is how Norm Coleman's expects to appeal. They didn't say anything about the fact that HE LOST and is dragging the Minnesota Senate race out in such a way that seriously harms the Democrats and the citizens of Minnesota. The whole thing is disgusting!

How many more months will the Republicans be allowed to delay the inevitable before the corporate media begin to apply some pressure on Coleman? The man is getting away with murder. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the three judge panel claims Senator Franken "soundly defeated" the crybaby incumbent Coleman.

The panel completely discarded Coleman's claims that "the election and its aftermath were fraught with systemic errors that made the results invalid." They saw it as a close, but fair election. "The overwhelming weight of the evidence indicates that the Nov. 4, 2008, election was conducted fairly, impartially and accurately," the panel wrote in its unanimous decision, which can be read here.

So, COLEMAN, shut the hell up and get the FREAK out of the race. Be a man, an honorable man, and call up Senator Franken to congratulate him on his win. Stop acting like the most pathetic political figure to ever run for the Senate. You are looking like a SAD JOKE!

Senator Franken has emerged from the statewide recount, which Coleman asked for, ahead by a greater number of votes (312) than before the recount. He is the winner. I say again, if you Republicans were enduring the same thing you would be screaming BLOODY MURDER over the idea that we would hold your senate seat hostage to a set of absurd and outrageous legal claims.

Why don't they do the honorable, dignified thing, which Norm Coleman himself said just after the November election, and accept defeat? As usual, it appears that the Republicans have no intention of doing the honorable thing. They love to see themselves as the party of honor, dignity, and character. It's amazing how their actions never seem to meet the dignity of their words. In truth, they are the party of dishonor, lack of dignity, and very small character.

To me, Norm Coleman has no honor. If he did, he would have lived by his own words and left the race long ago. Like so many Republicans, he has nothing left but disgrace. Perhaps that's why he doesn't seem to care what he looks like?

The rest of us have grown accustomed to the pathetic behavior of many Republicans. We pretty much listen to them talk about honor and laugh these days. It's evident by the fact that we rarely see their behavior as surprising. To most of us, they go beyond bad sportsman-like conduct. They just seem pathetic. They're like the old drunk who won't leave the bar - nobody wants to confront the sad, messy, aweful scene.

I'm convinced they don't see their own bad behavior at all. They seem to live in a strange, ostrich-in-the-sand kind of world. Oh well, perhaps they'll figure it all out over time. It's unfortunate, because in the meantime we have to put up with their CRAP! Their very ugly, sad, pathetic CRAP!

Michael Boh

Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor

from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Obama Take Steps to Free Cuba

Thank you President Obama for having the audacity to fulfill a campaign promise once more. Isn’t it a bit refreshing to have a politician actually do what they promised for your vote? It’s almost as if he kept a record of everything he said, promised, would look into, or might consider during the brutal campaign for President. Who’d of thought he actually might act on them?

One thing that I follow is the promises President Obama made to the Cuban descent people in America, he was going to end the madness of the embargo on Cuba that should have ended twenty or more years ago. Today he made the first step towards freeing the Cuban people and I’m as happy as a pig in $H!?. Over at the White House they have this to say on the loosening of trade and relations with Cubans here in America and rebuilding relationships of people in America with Cubans and commerce back in their homeland…

Today, the Obama administration announced a series of changes in U.S. policy to reach out to the Cuban people in support of their desire to freely determine their country’s future. In taking these steps to help bridge the gap among divided Cuban families and promote the freer flow of information and humanitarian items to the Cuban people, President Obama is working to fulfill the goals he identified both during his presidential campaign and since taking office.

All who embrace core democratic values long for a Cuba that respects basic human, political and economic rights of all its citizens. President Obama believes these measures will help make that goal a reality.

Lift all restrictions on transactions related to the travel of family members to Cuba.
Remove restrictions on remittances to family members in Cuba.
Authorize U.S. telecommunications network providers to enter into agreements to establish fiber-optic cable and satellite telecommunications facilities linking the United States and Cuba.
License U.S. telecommunications service providers to enter into roaming service agreements with Cuba’s telecommunications service providers.
License U.S. satellite radio and satellite television service providers to engage in transactions necessary to provide services to customers in Cuba.
License persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction to activate and pay U.S. and third-country service providers for telecommunications, satellite radio and satellite television services provided to individuals in Cuba.
Authorize the donation of certain consumer telecommunication devices without a license.
Add certain humanitarian items to the list of items eligible for export through licensing exceptions.

- The White House

I’m Irish American but I still have contact with family back in Southern Ireland and I can not imagine a blackout of contact or even a denial by my country to visit them if I so choose for forty plus years. If I work, and work hard to earn a paycheck, then I have the right to spend my hard earned money any damn way I please. Who’s business is it if I mail a check to my daughter here in my home state to help her out with my grandchild or if I mail it to Ireland? Same goes for Cuban Americans. Its called taking care of your own. If that is wrong then I’m going to hell in a hand basket pronto! Wrap me up, I’m good to go.

Republicans are on a kick ass gripe over this issue because Communism might just be paid for by citizens in the United States just 90 miles from our shores off of Florida. Fact check for them, the Soviet Union collapsed under Communism. The Soviet Union cut Cuba off financially during the Gorbachev administration or is that fact to clear for them? The government of Cuba is collapsing now. The Castro regime can not sell the collective power to the people anymore as gospel simply because the people are not stupid. Piracy of the internet for lack of a better term is rampant in the island nation and the people can see that they have been sold a bag of goods that was rotten, mold filled, and just not worth keeping.

We won the cold war and it has been a long time since the walls in Berlin have been taken down. Thank you President Reagan for that great speech. Cuba too can be free but they can’t do it alone. It takes commerce, it takes cooperation, it takes a helping hand up out of the ditch of the 1950’s. The cold war is over, the up and coming generation of Cubans are fed up with living like paupers and they deserve better.

Besides all the gloom and doom over an Americanized Cuba, classic car collectors will spend a fortune to buy all those old Chevy and Fords still in mint working order. How the Cuban people kept them running for fifty years is something Detroit could take a lesson from.

Mark my words, Cuba will be the 51st state in the Union simply because her people desire and want the American dream. Ten years maybe fifteen but the stepping stones have just been placed in the water off of Florida and President Obama is the one that placed the first stone.

Papamoka

Amazon is Too Large, Too Important to Discriminate

Hello Papamoka Readers! It boggles the mind, but for some reason Amazon.com decided to discriminate against gays over the weekend. How? It's subtle, but it's still discriminatory. They decided to "de-rank" hundreds of book titles with gay subject matter on the grounds that they were too "adult." It appears they may be ready to reverse the new policy, but it's still unclear this morning what will happen.

It seems they just decided to equate MILLIONS OF AMERICANS with pornography. Why should stories/books featuring average Americans, who happen to be gays and lesbians, be considered "adult" material? Adult material is adult material! It's different for God's sake.

The Los Angeles Times found that great books like Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs, Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown, and Becoming a Man by Paul Monette, have been categorized as "adult" material and struck from their rankings. Interestingly, books with the same types of stories, yet written from heterosexual perspectives, didn't get bumped from the rankings.

They need to reverse the policy, and soon. It's closed-minded and discriminatory. It's bad enough that gays and lesbians are treated like second class citizens when it comes to politics and marriage, but to be called pornographic? Amazon may be a private company, but discrimination is still wrong. They need to remain neutral, or we need to find an alternative.

Besides, good literature is never really pornographic. It's challenging, thought-provoking, and difficult. Amazon should know the difference. There is a clear difference between good literature and smut. In the end, love and emotion are not "adult" themes, but human themes. The sooner the idiots of Amazon.com get that message the better.

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

PS - Amazon is trying to claim that it was a computer "glitch," but there is a lot of evidence to suggest otherwise. For example, there were statements from company executives defending the changes over the weekend. Until we know the truth, please let Amazon know how you feel by clicking here.