I need people of California to explain to me why they voted to allow candidates to lie about their Party affiliation (Yes on 14) and to insure that BIG MONEY corporate interest can buy our elections (No on 15) . . . There are more of then SO they need to man-up and tell me why they voted their vote away.

The issue is we, the voters of California, have just removed a mechanism to choose the best person . . . and consciously chosen to codify lying to the electorate. The issue is now fourteen gazillion Republicans can run and one Green or a DEM and because we voted them the right to lie about it, statistically we will have to choose from two Republicans in the Fall . . . And we won't even know it. The State of Washington took a swing to the right just after they did this exact same thing. We are never going to learn. Welcome to California, the State of endless Liebermans . . .

Party used to provide the mechanism for a person to communicate their platform. Now, we are just left with big corporate $$$$. A corporation or a winger-interest group can bank-roll their top two or three acceptable choices and we, the voters, will never even hear from or about the best person . . .

Yes, Party is not perfect. Party has been co-opted by big moneyed interests. BUT Party is (small ‘d’) democratic and what we now have excludes that democracy in our democracy.

Yes, we need to take back our Parties and, heck, add a dozen or so.

A better solution would have been instant run-off elections . . . It woulda actually focused on actually choosing the best person. But the taxpayer union and the Club for Growth and the Republican Party and the Chamber of Commerce felt otherwise and Folk voted to support them screwing us.

A better solution woulda been public paid elections . . . We pay on average one plus thousand tax dollars for every dollar donated by a corporation to buy a election. BUT folk voted to squelch that . . . probably because they love corporate welfare.

Sigh.

Criminey, here in California we took a beating on our progressive Prop 15, and anti progressive Props 14, 16 & 17.

If the progressives in California can't even prevent an open primary prop from passing, we may as well prepare for Gov. Whitman.... I think I'm going to be sick.

N

Speaking of burying the dead and let's begin with President Lincoln, who would have avoided the issue of slavery, but could not to save the Union received a bullet to the back of his head. President Kennedy, Senator Kennedy, and Dr. M. L. King received death by bullet. John Brown was hanged by rope. Others have received death by character assassination, speaking the truth, writing the truth, and by becoming a Whistle Blower. Most recently those seeking National Health Care were attacked by Republican Types. Strange how those seeking a kinder America are beaten and murdered, while those spewing chaos are given approval without harm. Those men knew the Closure Fairy was watching over them. They would rather risk their lives than to speak the truth, write the truth, and become a Whistle Blower. All of us live by choices and consequences. Those who follow the good path vs. some other path expect the death sentence by being shunned, financially ruined, and other. Those knowingly gambling with their lives while engaged in shady activities for their employer have more of a 50 / 50 chance of an accidental death. Shots have not been fired at the BP Management, Tea Baggers are silent... I haven't heard the cry, 'Somebody, get a rope'. Whistle Blowing in this country is a dangerous business, when it falls on deaf ears, or the listener is part of the problem. This problem is systemic from the small businessman to state government to .... Few people would rather live on less than to lose their honesty and integrity for a new SUV.

We are trying to take action.

Here in the Northern Illinois area, a group that I am involved with will release a 16 point resolution to hold British Petroleum accountable for their actions. Tonight, the MoveOn.org group is holding nationwide candlelight vigils, including one at the BP America headquarters which is right here in Warrenville, Illinois, a mere hour drive from our headquarters in Rockford. We are hoping to have a representative read our resolution draft at the vigil.

This resolution will be released publicly, hopefully, later this week, and will be presented nation wide by the individual chapters to their local Congress-people. We plan to follow the release by our own demonstration at the BP headquarters at a date yet to be scheduled.

If you are interested in viewing the current draft of the resolution, see the following web page.

http://rockfordcoffeeparty.org/OILSPILLRESOLUTIONDRAFTFORCOMMENT6-8.docx

If he doesn't know by now, then he should not be president.

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/scarce/president-obama-i-want-know-whose-ass-kick

American dollars are funding the killing of Americans. Stupidity reigns in the United States of Hell!!!

http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0608/kucinich-war-critics-rebuke-usfunded-bribes-afghan-militants/

What is there not to love about our stupid country?

re: Dewey, Cheatem & Howe - I think I first heard this in a Marx Bros. movie.

Censorship-------My, my,my

What are we teaching America's Children?

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100607/SPORTS31...

The link above is to an article from my local paper about a guy who's worked an umpire in scholastic and little league baseball for the past 20 years, and was a past president of the county umpire's association. He retired last week, after being chased off the field following a close call by irate parents.

Does this model "sportsmanship" for our children? Of course not! In fact (and quite surprisingly, IMHO), last week's botched Perfect Game by Detroit Tiger's pitcher Armando Gallaraga (ruined by umpire Jim Joyce's CLEARLY mistaken call) presented a FAR better model. I'd never have believed that Major League ballplayers, who are paid obscenely high salaries, simply because they are very good at playing a child's game, could provide a better life-model for America's children than their own parents do, if I hadn't seen it myself.

Sportsmanship is among several important things that today's American parents fail to model for their children. I would also include responsibility, neighborliness, and citizenship as other ideals that we fail to teach or model.

The parents I see today seem to believe that their children are somehow ENTITLED to a life of material wealth and comfort, of never experiencing a challenge to their self-esteem, a life better that that of their parents. Our parents did their best to ensure such a life for us - they sweat and they bled for it. Somehow, we seem to think that it "just happened", that it's somehow guaranteed that the next generation will be better off than the last.

Wake up, folks - if you teach your child that he's entitled, don't be surprised when he grows up to be an angry, bitter adult, who grows to feel that he or she has somehow been cheated. Unless you're descended from a bankster, you get nothing that you don't earn in this world.

I thought it was his job to be a toady. I'm quite sure if you looked at his resume, under the heading US Attorney General, you'll see his details for it is toady for the Administration.

Of course I could be wrong, perhaps he used another term, like boot-lick or enabler.

N

@rladlof, So Gonzo is having problems getting publishers interested in his book. I'm sure they expect nothing but poorly written fiction from him, so I guess he's S.O.L. Too Bad, So Sad.

N