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A bit off topic, a good friend just shared something he wrote that I had to share with you guys.
"In Sweden, the minimum wage is $19 per hour and workers enjoy a minimum of five weeks paid vacation every year. In the U.S. the minimum wage is a tick above $7 per hour and workers can expect no more than 12 days of annual vacation. So guess what? IKEA has set up a factory in Virginia. Volkswagen has set up in Tennessee, and the likes of Hyundai, KIA, BMW, Honda, and Toyota have all set up in the South to take advantage of the world’s latest cheap labor source. Moreover, the profits of these foreign companies goes toward stimulating their economies instead of ours. So, it’s amusing when Republicans blame Detroit’s bankruptcy on liberal policies because nothing could be further from the truth. Detroit is bankrupt thanks to the Republican business model that has turned the entire South into a third-world banana republic. A business model that the rest of the country is forced to compete with i.e. lower wages, low corporate tax rates, low property taxes, and low environmental and labor protection, which results in a migration of industry and jobs from the northern states, which means a shrinking of the tax revenue base in cities like Detroit. Since 2000, the population of Detroit has fallen 20% and property tax revenue has plummeted 26%. Take this as an illustration of how we are in a never-ending death spiral race to the bottom. Obama’s speech clearly depicted an America losing touch with its ideals. Not only is the middle-class fast becoming the working poor, but upward mobility is becoming almost impossible to attain. At a time when America should be investing in its own future, it is dealing with a sequestration that was never meant to have happened. It happened because the GOP congress would rather destroy the economy than see a black president succeed. Also, raising revenues runs against the GOP’s fundamental pro-corporate strategy of “starving the beast” i.e. starving the federal government of the revenues it needs so it can use deficits as an excuse to cut programs like Social Security and Medicare and replace them with for-profit alternatives."
Here are two historical references that draw our hard working Americans together against this austerity budget to a conclusion based on accepted religious findings that the Righteous and the Republicans are mutually exclusive!
A paraphrased version of psalms 15 by Thomas Jefferson:
“The portrait of a good man by the most sublime of poets, for your imitation”
Lord, who ’s the happy man that may to thy blest courts repair;
Not stranger-like to visit them but to inhabit there?
’T is he whose every thought and deed by rules of virtue moves;
Whose generous tongue disdains to speak the thing his heart disproves.
Who never did a slander forge, his neighbor’s fame to wound;
Nor hearken to a false report, by malice whispered round.
Who vice in all its pomp and power, can treat with just neglect;
And piety, though clothed in rags, religiously respect.
Who to his plighted vows and trust has ever firmly stood;
And though he promise to his loss, he makes his promise good.
Whose soul in usury disdains his treasure to employ;
Whom no rewards can ever bribe the guiltless to destroy.
The man, who, by this steady course, has happiness insur’d,
When earth’s foundations shake, shall stand, by Providence secur’d.
Matthew 25:40
King James Version (KJV)
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
And yet they call earned benefits "ENTITLEMENT"!!!
Were I to spend as much time accomplishing nothing as are the Republicans, I would be fired pretty quickly. These obstructionists should be impeached - instead they are catered to - incredible.
Lets be sure about what's driving what before performing any irreversible surgery.
My calendar reminds me that Bradley's Birthday is coming up (Tuesday, the 17th).
I was totally occupied with other things last August when this announcement was made, but heard about it a little later.
What I don't see here, and maybe it was covered by Thom on the show that day, is that when the POTUS allows you to be tortured and sexually humiliated for months on end there are going to be psychological consequences like believing your gender is wrong for you.
It's one thing for soldiers (and others) to have PTSD from events on the battlefield. It's quite another for Leadership to intentionally inflict it on someone in their custody like Pfc. Manning.
So this result should come as no surprise, but I think that genuine psychological treatment to address the damage caused by those long months at Quantico would be the appropriate starting point. It will need to be extensive, and so, expensive.
I suggest deducting the cost from Whorebama's paycheck.
If after the psychological damage done by Quantico, etc. has been appropriately addressed fully and the surgery is still desired, resume this debate then.
They're throwing fits 'cause they're going crazy from not doing anything for so long.
It is ashame that the Billions of dollars that the GOP have caused the American people can not be billed to the GOP. They flaunt their salaries while cutting SNAP and allowing the unemployent extention to expire. These acts are direct attacks on American citizens. This all from the party that claims to be so worried about Christmas. It is interesting that they seem to care so little about following the teachings of Jesus Christ. One thing is for sure they reap now what they have sown for their rewards are what they gain here on earth and earth alone.
regardless of who you elect, the system is fixed (it's not broken, it works exactly as intended). even the "Good Guys" will be either worn-down, influenced or replaced if corporations (including multinational!!) are allowed to unduely influence politicians.
TPP needs to fail. One way to get closer to that goal is to amend the constitution. Tell the SCOTUS in plain, simple language that corporations are not people and than money is not speech.
the influence of money is the obsticle preventing social progress on almost very front.
congress doesn't have a 6% approval rating by accident. our federal legislators are forced to serve their donors, not their constituents.
sorry. i could endlessly wax poetic about this point.
best regards
Aliceinwonderland:
I think that before, or even after, anyone views videos or reads books about Edgar Cayce, or any of those other people who have made extraordinary claims, should read a couple of James Randi's books.
Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions by James Randi and Isaac Asimov (Jan 1, 1982)
The Mask of Nostradamus: The Prophecies of the World's Most Famous Seer by James Randi (Mar 1, 1993)
Alice, you have my sympathies. I've been going through the same stress and absolute hatred for what's going on in our government these days. I too have made phone calls and sent emails over and over again, and as for the emails, the responses are repulsive. Especially from the likes of Marco Rubio, the fascist pig in his $3,000 suits. And the Rep. I can't email (Tom Rooney) unless I'm willing to include my home phone number - which I'm not - I have to resort to calling his office and bitching at his minimum-wage staff that have to sit there and listen to me call his boss a horses ass. So don't feel like you're alone. Far from it. But I'm afraid that the air heads we have in congress at this time don't operate from the same hormones that we do.
And I still have one question that no one has ever been able to answer. Indeed, no one has ever even responded to. That question is: If corporations are people, and people who kill other people ad infinitum get arrested, are tried and undoubtedly convicted, why are Charles and David Koch not doing life sentences? These two murderers who are pushing for the TPP, have killed thousands when you consider all the polluting they do. Just one of their industries alone, GEORGIA PACIFIC, has killed off almost entire towns, yet they keep on keepin' on.
And who is the brain child that decided that only students could NOT file for bankruptcy? Banks can, big corps. can, the auto industry has filed numerous times, and even cities can, so why can't students?
It all hinges on who we elect, and this time the people have elected some real humdingers. All we can hope for is to wait it out til next election and hope folks don't fall for all their lines of crap.
I doubt they are just delaying for the sake of punishing anyone. They are delaying because they don't want to pass any budget before the end of the year, and they want the Democrats to use the new nuclear option as little as possible before the next election. They want to retain the political football of the "debt ceiling" charade and use the nuclear option themselves after the next election. Their strategy is as transparent as their lies. Of course this strategy assumes that they have the next election in the bag. I highly doubt that.
Why do people try to use the Bible as history or a time line. The Bible is a manual of faith. Anyone that has to prove God has no faith and they are missing the mark of what Jesus told us.
I feel sorry for them that they can't believe their Creator gave them a mind to learn, and grow in knowledge, He also said to we have to love mankind and when you don't you are in real trouble.
Creationism taught as a part of a comparative religion course would be, I think, desirable. I like the Navajo creation myth myself but would like an evidence-based approach to establish which myth has the best 'facts'.
Loren and Palindromedary ~ Thank you both for those responses about that movie. I know it had a lot of far fetched ideas. That is why I found it so intriguing. I had two very busy days this week that has kept me from responding up to now. I apologize for the wait.
Loren ~ Anti semitism is an interesting take. That clearly never occurred to me. I assumed when they clearly labelled Hitler and Nazis as evil incarnate they couldn't possibly be anti semitic. I will have to consider that more deeply. I doubt the Arc was intended as a jewish curse. The film seemed very clear about who and what was the problem--the world elite. Nevertheless, It is a suggestion I will keep in mind next time I watch it.
Palidromedary ~ You doubt the power of sound waves? Even a small unamplified voice can trigger an avalanche. Haven't you heard about the latest array of weaponry the government has designed that uses sound to control and even kill people? Haven't you heard of HAARP? A multi billion dollar array of antennas designed to study the atmosphere. Many conspiracy theories say that the array uses microwaves to excite molecules in the upper atmosphere and is actually being used to control the weather. By heating the upper atmosphere all manor of storms can be created; or, so the theory goes. The notion that sound waves can nullify gravity by destructive interference is a notion that I neither believe or disbelieve. It is intriguing enough that I will have to see it tested to determine what I believe either way.
The most fascinating items mentioned in the movie are about the engineering marvels of the MYT engine, the PAPP engine, and the Methernitha motor. I know that the internet is full of free energy BS. Yet whenever an idea looks plausible I investigate. As you saw yourself Palindromedary, the MYT engine exists. Oddly, so does the PAPP engine.
The Methernitha Testatika also resembles Tesla technology from almost a century ago. I have my doubts about this motor simply because I've once participated in the building of a real Tesla coil when I was younger and I know how easy it is to make something that looks like this; and, that looks like it really works. The very idea that the only working model is kept in secret also sends up several red flags. Nevertheless it is a topic worth bringing up in this forum to see if anyone knows anything else about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPm31Zv9Ujk
The PAPP engine is probably the most facinating device I've ever heard of. The idea that you could take a regular piston cylinder, seal it with a combination of noble gases and then apply heat to cause those gases to expand and contract indefinitely--without combustion--seems like an answer to all our climate, energy, financial, and even political problems. If such an engine can be developed--or has been developed--such a device could radically alter our way of life. The first and foremost contribution would be to end our dependence on the current world dictators that are making our lives so miserable. Just thought I would throw that idea out there. Thanks for your considerations!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxp-zwowLE4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4li_z4Jpso
Of course, as the say, be careful about things that sound too good to be true. They usually are.
The public must be made aware of this or the Repugnants, with their superior P.R. machine, will successfully play the victim.
The "no" response is sad. It sounds as though the People have been reduced to being happy by simply not being made worse off! Come on! Whose government is it?! The Democrats and Republicans are a cancer on the 99% and it is way past time they be all voted out of office in favor of a representative government.
Here is the picture:
Your standing in a building that happens to be on fire.The fire department has a ladder in the window.You are the first person in line, however you cant leave.The window is being held for someone else, who just bought your place in line.
"producer1"- I concur with Loren's assessment. I also concur with your judgment of that bill as a sell-out rather than a compromise. As always, We The Peons get the short end of the stick. Far as any chance of Obomba vetoing that piece of crap, I wouldn't hold my breath. If he's pushing for the TPP, we're nothing but fertilizer to him.
I hate to say this my friends, but I think we'd better tighten our belts and brace ourselves for real hard times ahead, with no end in sight. If anyone decent ever gets elected president after Obomba, that person better cover his/herself with head-to-toe, bulletproof body armor, worn around the clock, 24-7!
Happy holidays! Tra-lah-lah! - Aliceinwonderland
DAnneMarc: Yes, I've heard the proposition that the Walls of Jerico came tumbling down from the blowing of a horn..it is speculated, perhaps: many horns. We know, of course, that certain sound waves of a certain pitch and amplitude can break a glass. Is it "live" or is it "Memorex"? I think it would take a great number of "horns" blowing at the same frequency in order to bring down a wall...especially if it wasn't made of glass. The crystalline structure of glass makes it susceptible to this kind of breakage. Problem with rocks is that they are not all crystalline, like glass is, and would not be as susceptible to breakage. I suspect that for a wall made of rocks it would take some very, very intense ELF (Extremely Low Frequencies). Yes, the video talked about ELF...again mixing fact with fantasy. I don't think the human lips could vibrate at such low frequencies and I imagine the horns would have to be pretty darn enormous. Maybe, Joshua was doing a little Fracking for gas and caused an earthquake? Or maybe, the whole story was just a fabrication made up by people on Shrooms. I hear you can get quite creative using Shrooms. Think of all the wild and fantastical stories a writer would conjure up especially when he is competing with a lot of other crazy religions vying for power over the people.
What planet is Ullman from?
WOW Palin... what a letdown! Back in the '80s or early '90s, I recall watching one or two talk shows featuring multiple guests, all of whom claiming to have been abducted by aliens. I remember how disgusted I was with the hosts of those shows for giving these crackpots the microphone and as it appeared, accepting these outrageous claims at face value. Had I known Dr. Fiore was into that nonsense, I would never have given her so much as a second glance, let alone read her book.
As for Dr. Weiss... it wasn't his father's heart attack or the death of his infant son that grabbed my attention; what had me intrigued was all the other stuff. Oh well... so much for that! Being intrigued does not translate to becoming a convert. Just so you know, I have never had any special affinity for mysticism. Now that you've enlightened me to these con games, I'll be more skeptical from now on. I like being open-minded, but form no attachment to any theory or belief. I can let go quickly and painlessly, once someone's cover is blown.
I agree completely about who is close-minded and rigid, in this particular context. Atheists are no more rigid than anyone else. I've always been acutely aware of an emotional need many (if not most) humans have for assurance, regarding mortality, that would bring some sort of relief from the uncertainty of it. This would definitely compel one to latch onto a religion, or some form of mysticism, as many have. It feeds into my skepticism to perceive a vested interest, or emotional need, behind such beliefs. I'm not totally dismissing the idea of reincarnation, if only because I don't have the answers either. And I'm okay with that.
Anyway Palin, before I go, I'd just like to ask, what is your take on Edgar Casey? Just curious... - AIW
Marc...that link you posted is an eye-opener indeed: ultimately, with its savage anti-Semitism, it's a high-tech remake of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the original pseudo-bible of anti-Jewish propaganda. Especially clever -- the term "diabolical" comes to mind -- in its portrayal of Hitler as a secret agent of the Ark People, thereby clearing the way for Holocaust denial in much the same way it already serves the One Percent by denying Terminal Climate Change aka "global warming." And beyond that, there's its Borg-like message: "resistance is futile." To which I say maybe so -- but some of us, even in old age, would rather die on our feet than live on our knees.
deleted because of garbled post numbers
DAnneMarc: Ok, so I finally watched that video. Got to say a lot of it was pretty far-fetched. I had to laugh at the idea of moving (levitating) 1 ton rocks to build the pyramids using the collective voices of thousands of singers singing at certain key pitches. I know that they can levitate little frogs using a very intense magnetic field concentrated in a few cubic inches of coil. But that just cannot equate to moving a 1 ton rock using sound waves of thousands of people...or millions of people.
And their story about the Ark of the Covenant having such power I think is way overblown. I might accept that, perhaps, they had rudimentary form of batteries which they discovered sparked when shorted by a conductor..like a sword or something. That would have sent those ancient's superstitious minds a whirling thinking they had the powers of God. But even that may not have been what the Ark was...maybe it was just scrolls..maybe just an fancy empty box that they merely used to trick people into believing it had mythical, magical powers...or something. Remember the movie...The Gods Must Be Crazy...where a Coke bottle was tossed out of an airplane and the backward African natives below thought it was a gift from the gods? Remember how the Cargo Cult tribes of Melanesia worshiped John Frum as a god and developed rituals whereby they would imitate what they saw the soldiers doing thinking that would please the gods and illicit more gifts from the gods...ie: cargo dropping out of the sky (originally meant to supply the soldiers, of course).
I also had a lot of laughs every time they mentioned "lucifer" and "lucifer's eye" in the pyramid of the Great Seal. Then they say that there is nothing to "Global Warming"...that it is all just a normal cyclical thing.
There are just too many things in this video that are pretty ridiculous. Sorry! But that's my opinion. I don't totally discredit the idea that the earth has been visited, or even populated by subterranean colonies of greys, but I am not completely convinced of it. I don't dismiss it out of hand. A lot of people have witnessed a lot of things and I don't think I can just dismiss it all. But many of the things in this video just seems to be preying on the propensities of, or predilections of, very gullible people. But hey, it's fun to think about...like a nice science fiction story...as long as you can separate fact from fiction.
This is the kind of purposeful co-mingling of ideas that may be "more likely to be true" with "ideas that are so ridiculous" that it tends to make people laugh at even those ideas that are "more likely to be true". Guilty by association. It is a great propaganda ploy that they've used effectively for many years.