Who will fight for the 19 in AZ?

Nineteen brave firefighter died on June 30th fighting a raging wild fire outside of Yarnell, Arizona.  They left family and loved ones behind but they stayed till they could do no more and paid the ultimate price for it.  Many of them had young children and their mothers waiting at home for Daddy to return.  Daddy never came home from work. 

The local government of Prescott, Arizona is denying thirteen of these brave firefighter's families death benefits because they claim that they were "Seasonal Workers".  Seasonal workers that died defending the homes and property of citizens in the state.  Seasonal workers that worked full time forty hours a week or more on the payroll for the city of Prescott.   

This is wrong on so many levels of common decency that it is not even remotely funny.  Where would the people of Arizona be if the wild fires did not have brave men and woman that fight these fires?  Where would many more homes be after the late June fire if not for the many people that happen to be firefighters that are labeled Seasonal Worker?  Burned out and a pile of ash to sift through to recover any memories is where they would be.

Ashcraft’s mother, Deborah Pfingston, has planned a news conference Wednesday in Prescott. It was originally scheduled for Tuesday.

Pfingston said city officials promised they would retroactively reclassify the seasonal, temporary employees as permanent so the families could receive additional survivor benefits.

City officials have countered that they cannot legally and posthumously reclassify the men as full-time employees so their families can receive additional benefits, including health insurance.

City spokesman Pete Wertheim told The Associated Press that six of the firefighters were permanent employees. Thirteen, including Ashcraft, were seasonal. - FOX NEWS

Getting out of responsibility for caring for these thirteen labeled seasonal workers families is not going to fly in anyone's eyes and heart.  We are a nation that is supposed to stand up and do the right thing.  That isn't happening in Arizona.  The city of Prescott, Arizona just labeled all of the thirteen seasonal worker firefighters lives as worthless.  That is not the American way.

God has no greater love than that for someone willing to give up their life for another. All 19 did just that.  No shame on the 19 Hot Shot's that gave their lives.  People of Prescott might want to raise your voices high and loud.

Papamoka

Obama and Brewer Debate

I keep finding interesting translations of the Obama Brewer finger pointing event at the airport in Arizona. This one I borrowed from Facebook...

Papamoka

Arizona to Tax Fat People

In an announcement today from Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona, she plans on taxing fat people and smokers for being unhealthy. Arizona like many other states is running a budget deficit and the Governor has to be creative with her ideas to balance the budget. Late reports and rumor is that McDonald’s Corporation is pissed and is refusing to install scales at every register and drive through in Arizona. I honestly don’t think she is wrong. She is right on track. Being a far right wing nut job myself, I would like to propose a national masturbation tax that would balance the federal budget in less than three months and pay off our nation’s entire debt in less than two years. But I digress to this report from ABC News...

As part of a plan to revamp the state's Medicaid program, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced on Thursday that she is proposing fees for adults who lead unhealthy lives.

Childless adults who are obese or suffer from a chronic condition and who fail to work with their doctor to meet specific goals would be charged $50 annually. The $50 annual fee also would apply to all childless adult smokers. – ABC News

My plan starts with any subscribers to pornographic magazines will be forced to pay a non-tax deductible premium for any issues with pictures in it. We all know you don’t buy that kind of magazine for its articles. My plan would also include placing key IRS agents at every municipal water treatment facility to test the waters so to speak. This data would then be collated and appropriate tax bills would be sent out by neighborhood. Police thy self is the theory behind this creative revenue generating theory. I’ve emailed several high tech water treatment companies and asked them for their guidance on who should be monitored more closely and they all came up with the same reply. Any household with teenage boys will work.

The second stage of my plan involves the honor system that will be secretly taped by the Department of Homeland Security in all Catholic Church confessionals. Pay your penance, pay your tax. To speed up the payment process, debit card machines will be installed in all confessional booths. We of course will have to grandfather in all right wing perverts under the provision of “They have been doing it since childhood and didn’t know it was taxable income (or should it be outcome) in some diluted clause in the bill.

Please feel free to add your thoughts to the plan I’ve set forth. Together we can make America safe from fat people, smokers, and masturbators. Balancing the budget and paying off our debt is just a bonus on the backs of those hot dog eating, nicotine smoking, and self pleasuring idiots from the left side of the aisle. Governor Brewer should be running for President! NOT!!!!! She is just nuts.

My thanks to Memeorandum for the heads up and the opportunity report on this very important issue.

Not the Papamoka

Rep Trent Franks wants Slavery BACK

Again, I can’t make this stuff up but here we go with yet another Republican making an idiotic comment. Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ) actually thinks that African Americans were better off without the 13th amendment to the United States Constitution. President Abraham Lincoln was wrong, and slavery was a good thing for African Americans if you listen to this bone head! And Franks is probably thinking that this is all President Obama’s (African American) fault because abortion is legal in the United States. But all of the Republican Presidents since the Roe v. Wade decision by SCOTUS in 1973 get a free pass?

I'm going to go way out on a limb and call Franks an IDIOT! Did I also mention that Franks is an IDIOT. Just to be clear, Franks picture is right there in the dictionary when you look up IDIOT! And to sum up just briefly, Trent Franks (R-AZ) is an IDIOT!

FRANKS: In this country, we had slavery for God knows how long. And now we look back on it and we say “How brave were they? What was the matter with them? You know, I can’t believe, you know, four million slaves. This is incredible.” And we’re right, we’re right. We should look back on that with criticism. It is a crushing mark on America’s soul. And yet today, half of all black children are aborted. Half of all black children are aborted. Far more of the African-American community is being devastated by the policies of today than were being devastated by policies of slavery. And I think, What does it take to get us to wake up? – Think Progress

Think Progress has the video of the Congressman discussing his opinion on what he believes is best for African Americans. I’ve taken the liberty (Hope they don’t mind) of posting some of the comments from this article over at Think Progress:

“May I recommend a month in shackles, crossing the Atlantic in the hold of a wooden cargo ship, with no latrines. Drink your own urine, congressman, and enjoy.”

“If you have to delineate the merits of slavery to bash a woman’s choice, then you don’t have an argument anymore.”

“In most societies, “crazy” people are kept on the fringes. In America, they get elected as Republican politicians. The fact that this man “represents” a group of people who put him in office is shameful.”

“. . . waiting for the non-apology “my comments were taken out of context” apology in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .”

”After twenty-five years, it’s clear that conservatism only works for the benefit of the rich and powerful. Conservatism has damaged our economy and shoved America down the road to plutocracy. The racist anti-science stances that modern conservatives take doesn’t help with their image either.”

“When barbarians want to discuss the economic success of slavery, it’s time to bar the gates and boil the oil.”

Just adding my own two cents to the topic I’m wondering what Michael Steele (African American) the current Chairman of the GOP, thinks about Representative Trent Franks thoughts on slavery? For the record I would like to be very clear that I do not think that Trent Franks opinion is that of the majority of opinion of the Republican Party. Franks is just an IDIOT and all political parties have plenty of those.

Somebody over at the GOP needs to have a talk with Mr. Franks or just whack him upside the head for being an IDIOT.

Papamoka

*** Post Tribune has picked up this post... Thanks!

McCain has a Nader

While the Obama campaign has John McBush on the run on what to do about Iraq and Afghanistan the Arizona Senators back yard has been infested with Obamacans. Bob Barr running on the Independent ticket for President is eating into the McCain base and the poll numbers have driven him into the cheap seats of the election process in his own home state. Al Gore would be proud, but then again he lost his own home state to Bush so he isn’t talking to the press on this poll.

Over at the Huffington Post they have this little ditty on the poll results…

In a sign of continued weakness in his home state, an online poll shows Sen. John McCain trailing Sen. Barack Obama by 3-percentage points in Arizona. The poll also shows the candidacy of Libertarian Bob Barr is having a significant impact on McCain's campaign by siphoning off conservative voters nationwide.

The Arizona poll was part of nationwide Zogby International poll that put Obama ahead in total electoral votes with 273 to 160 for McCain. The poll found 11 states with 105 electoral votes too close to call -- including Arizona. McCain's campaign in June included Arizona among its list of swing states. – Huffington Post

I can’t argue with the poll. Nope, I can see where the great people of Arizona see a puppet doll and not a President. While all the main stream media sees this as a Democrat wet dream I have to look at the reality of polls and they don’t mean diddly at this point in the election. Should Obama go to Arizona a couple of dozen times? Hell ya! Should McBush go to Arizona rather than Columbia South America… Depends, how much is dinner going to cost for the guests?

One of the things that piss most politically active people off is where the money comes from to elect a Congressman, a Senator, and a President. Some people criticize Barack Obama for waiving the federal funding match and rightfully so. In the same respect, when you see that many of your contributions which are $5 and $10 are coming from ordinary people in America begging for change then a candidate must consider their voices in everything he is doing on their behalf. Hillary Clinton would have done the same thing if she won the primary process. And Bill would have been the one to tell her not to be stupid because he knows politics better than anyone at the federal level. Who knows, maybe he told Barack the same advice?

Nobody will ever know what kind of promises John McBush made down in Columbia South America or how much money followed him home in contributions sooner or later. One thing is certain, McCain voted against his own bill to change the immigration policy of America after he had a chat with his mentor in the White House. His own damn bill, he wrote it, gave it life in the Senate, fought for it and yet he voted against it? What logical response could ever explain that fact and be actually believable?

I’m going to be looking into the Bob Barr guy and see who he is. If he is able to steal 7% of the vote from McBush in Arizona then he might be able to carry a couple of other key states for Obama and that my friends might be worthy of a donation from yours truly to his political campaign. Politics, it’s like chess, you move pieces, you sacrifice pawns, rooks and even a queen, but the end result is getting your opponents King.

Papamoka

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