Month: June 2010

The California Gay Marriage Case: A Civil Rights Cause!

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An important case is about to be decided in California, regarding the issue of gay marriage.

For two brief periods, gay marriage was allowed in California, until Proposition 8 negated the idea in the 2008 election. About 18,000 couples were married before the passage of Proposition 8.

The plaintiffs are a lesbian couple with four children who are represented by a unique duo: the opposing lawyers in the Gore V. Bush case in the Supreme Court in 2000, which decided the Presidential election that year.

Ted Olsen, who represented George W. Bush, and David Boies, who represented Al Gore, have teamed together to fight Proposition 8, as discriminatory against two lesbians or gays having the right to the institution of marriage.

To many Republicans and conservatives, the fact that Ted Olsen, who was Solicitor General under President Bush, would agree to take on the case jointly with David Boies was a surprise, but Olsen argues that giving the right to marry to two people of the same gender does no harm to anyone, but provides due process and equal protection under the 14th Amendment!

No matter what the result in the California courts, it will have to be sent on to the federal appellate courts, and ultimately, to the US Supreme Court.

But Olsen’s comparison of the issue of sexual orientation in marriage to earlier 20th century civil rights struggles was an inspiring closing argument in the case!

The US And Turkish Relations In Reference To Israel And Iran

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The United States has worked to promote close relations with Turkey as a modern, moderate Islamic nation in the years since World War II.

But the Turkish government has made this difficult by its recent actions in reference to Israel and Iran!

Already condemned historically for the Armenian genocide between 1915 and 1923, and unwilling to take responsibility for that horrific mass murder, Turkey has not been understanding of how it is now harming its present public image by its actions!

So therefore, there is now action by both Democrats and Republicans to bring up the resolution about the Armenian genocide in Congress; and to condemn Turkey’s involvement in the flotilla of ships that were stopped by the Israelis from reaching the Gaza Strip recently, and reinforcing the Hamas terrorist government that controls the government and has called for the total destruction of Israel; and the Turkish backing of Iran attempting to develop nuclear weapons!

Action to back Turkey becoming part of the European Union may also be delayed or scrapped in Congress, at least if Nevada Congresswoman Shelley Berkley has her way!

It is essential for the US to take a strong stand against Turkey and for backing of Israel, as a result of these recent controversies that Turkey has engaged in!

Barack Obama And The BP Oil Spill Crisis: A Major Triumph And Accomplishment! :)

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President Obama scored a great victory over a multinational corporation, British Petroleum, today, when he got them to apologize for the tragedy of the oil spill; to agree to $100 million to cover lost wages; and a minimum of $20 billion to cover economic and environmental damages in the Gulf of Mexico, to be administered by a third party, and with no cap on the ultimate amount that might be paid out!

This is a massive victory that the President can be proud of, and will stand out as one of the most outstanding triumphs in American history against big business corporations!

It came about after the President was unable to gain an increase in corporate liability from Congress, from the present $75 million to $10 billion, due to the opposition of Republicans, who don’t as a party want to hold big business accountable for its transgressions!

Think about it: If John McCain had been in the White House, or George W. Bush, or Ronald Reagan, would we see such strong action and results on a crisis such as this? The answer is NO, and once the understanding of what has happened becomes evident, it will help improve the public opinion ratings for President Obama and his party, as it will be further proof of the difference between the two major political parties!

As horrible as this Oil Spill Crisis is, and as sad a situation as it presents to the country over a long period of time, it is also a reaffirmation of how fortunate we are to have Barack Obama in the White House!

While the “chattering class”, the news media, on both the Left and the Right, has been critical of last night’s speech as not doing enough, I think it is time for reassessment, at least on the Left, of their hasty judgment!

The Right will not change its view no matter what, but any fair minded assessment of what has happened should lead to a positive impact by the American people relating to the President’s handling of this crisis!

Debtors’ Prisons For The Poor: Is That Our Future In America? :(

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There are some conservatives and Republicans who are advocating the concept of “debtors’ prisons” for those who renege on their debt, in the midst of the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression! 🙁

It is a fact that six states already allow jail time for those who have not paid debts as low as under $100!

These states are Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Washington! This is beyond belief! 🙁

People who bring down the Wall Street economy get a slap on the wrist, but are bailed out, and there is no plan to imprison those who have caused massive suffering for millions of Americans! 🙁

But if one fails to pay a small bill as low as under $100, they can be jailed, and the idea is spreading as a way to promote “responsibility” and “accountability!”

As it is, Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah, is trying to prevent further extension of unemployment benefits to people unless they prove by a urine sample that they are not on drugs! 🙁 This has been reported by Daily Kos, and is an idea to be condemned!

Are there any limits to our mistreatment of those less fortunate in our society? Apparently to Senator Hatch and six states that have created “debtors’ prisons”, there is no limit! 🙁

Michele Bachmann And The BP Oil Crisis: Supporting BP, Not The Victims! :(

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Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann can be counted upon to speak up as a whacky, loony embarrassment to the Republican Party and the nation on a regular basis, and she has done it again! 🙁

At a time when British Petroleum Corporation, the company responsible for the horrific oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, which has destroyed the economy and environment of the area for a very long time, is ready to take action in a responsible way, Michele Bachmann is suddenly advising them to be uncooperative! 🙁

BP has agreed to a $20 billion escrow fund to pay for damages done and lost income that so many people have suffered, and they have also agreed to suspend dividend payments of more than $10 billion to shareholders of the company for the rest of the year. President Obama was able to gain this agreement, and despite the criticism of talk show hosts ranging from Fox News Channel to MSNBC to radio shows, he is to be commended for obtaining the concessions by BP!

But Bachmann instead has condemned the escrow fund as a way for government to gain more control over people’s lives, as a way to promote redistribution of wealth, and said BP should not be “fleeced” and become “chumps” to pay for “perpetual unemployment”!

Bachmann spoke to the Heritage Foundation, not famous for having any understanding of the lives of ordinary Americans or having sympathy for those less fortunate! 🙁

Bachmann and the Heritage Foundation, and assuredly, the many other conservatives and Republicans who will back what she says, needs to be condemned by all fair minded people! 🙁

This is the greatest man made disaster we have seen, and it is essential that the national government be involved in the resolution of this matter!

After a slow start, President Obama is finally taking a strong position which, hopefully, will lead to the beginning of resolving this horrible situation! But of course, the capping of this massive oil leak is of even higher priority to stop the hemorrhaging that we observe on television and the internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week! 🙁

Democrats Shifting Toward Charlie Crist Due To Kendrick Meek-Jeff Greene Primary Battle!

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It is amazing how Charlie Crist seems to be a “cat with nine lives!” 🙂

Two years ago, Crist was seen as being on the short list for Vice Presidential running mate for Senator John McCain!

His ratings as Florida Governor were very high, and he was hailed as one of the best governors in the nation!

Then, Crist decided not to run for a second term as Governor, and instead to cast his future in running to replace retiring Senator Mel Martinez. But meanwhile, he appointed a close friend and supporter, George LeMieux, to finish up the 16 months of the unexpired term.

But then, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio challenged Crist for the GOP nomination, and gained the backing of the Tea Party Movement, and suddenly surged ahead of Crist in public opinion polls in an unprecedented way!

So Crist was faced with the humiliation that he was likely to lose the Senate Republican nomination, and many Republicans endorsed Rubio, including John McCain and Crist’s appointee, LeMieux!

As a result, Crist bolted the Republican party at the end of April, declaring an Independent race. Since then, he has vetoed two bills that have gained him major kudos from Independents and Democrats, one on teacher tenure and the other on abortion restrictions!

Meanwhile, the supposed Democratic nominee for the Senate, Congressman Kendrick Meek, suddenly had a major challenge from a billionaire named Jeff Greene, who came out of “nowhere” and has become a real threat to Meek and the party, which has no interest in backing a man who benefited big time from the housing collapse, and has been associated with controversial people, including Heidi Fleiss and Mike Tyson! 🙁

The thought that an extremely wealthy person with no political experience, but with an image of being a manipulator on Wall Street, being the Democratic nominee, has turned off many Democrats who are ready to jump to support of Crist, some openly, some behind the scenes!

In recent polls, Crist leads Rubio, with Meek way behind, and with Jeff Greene the “menace” in the background. Crist is looking more and more appealing, and it seems clear that IF Crist were to win the Senate seat, he would fit a role similar to Joe Lieberman, as an Independent who would ally with the Democrats.

Crist’s moderate views are becoming more liberal, and he is a very appealing candidate to many Democrats, so to read him out as having a chance to be the next Senator from Florida is NOT a wise gamble!

It seems more and more likely that Charlie Crist may be the only way to prevent Marco Rubio and his Tea Party Movement, and right wing conservative views from representing Florida in the US Senate!

Arizona And “Anchor Babies”: New Challenge To The Constitution!

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Arizona, already rapidly gaining the image of being the new “Mississippi of the 1960s” is now considering another step in the direction of discrimination! 🙁

Against the United States Constitution’s guarantee that anyone born in the country is a citizen at birth, the state plans to disallow citizenship to children born of “illegal” immigrants, those often called “anchor babies”!

This would be a method to enable, in a more easy fashion, to deport “illegal” immigrants, as the argument that their children are American citizens would be ended!

But it would be in violation of the Constitution that these anti immigrant nativists claim to honor and worship! It would be the height of hypocrisy, but what else is new? 🙁

Rand Paul As An Ophthalmologist: Can You Trust His Expertise?

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Rand Paul, the Tea Party Movement advocate and Republican candidate for the US Senate in Kentucky, is an ophthalmologist who has not been certified by the national organization, the American Board of Ophthalmology!

Instead, Paul formed an organization in 1997, called the National Board of Ophthalmology, as a rival group and is certified, therefore, by the group he created!

This rings an alarm bell, as one has to wonder if Rand Paul is really meeting the standards of his profession, if he refuses to work within the established group of eye specialists!

Does anyone want to have a person being responsible for his vision who is a rebel and is not accepted by the establishment organization in his field?

Rand Paul claims that his ability to make a living is being compromised by the revelation of what he did back in 1997, and continues to do, which is to defy the national organization in his specialty!

But more important than how it affects Rand Paul’s livelihood is how his activities affect the health and safety of his patients!

At the least, it should be troubling and cause doubt in any intelligent person’s mind!

This is true not only of Rand Paul as a ophthalmologist, but also continues to make one wonder about his qualifications to be a United States Senator from Kentucky!

What Sharron Angle And Rick Barber Share: Belief In Armed Insurrection! :(

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Sharron Angle is the GOP nominee for Senator in Nevada, but who is Rick Barber?

It turns out that he is in a runoff for the Republican nomination for a Congressional seat in the Second District of Alabama.

So you might say, why is his name being brought up alongside Senate nominee Sharron Angle?

It turns out both of them have advocated armed insurrection, using the Second Amendment, with Angle stating such in January, and Rick Barber stating it this week in a commercial, appealing to the voters of his congressional district, using actors dressed up as the Founding Fathers to make his point! 🙁

Is this acceptable speech and advocacy, to promote an armed insurrection against our government? 🙁

Is our government a threat such as that under Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao, or Fidel Castro? 🙁

If one thinks that, then that person should be committed to a mental institution as a dangerous lunatic, as that is certainly NOT the case! 🙁

Unfortunately, there may be a small percentage of our nation which actually believes this drivel! 🙁

One thing is clear: It is necessary for the media to report this nutty and dangerous advocacy, and for the people who are sane and rational to make certain such characters as Sharron Angle and Rick Barber are defeated in their quest to become part of our government! 🙁

“The Buck Stops Here!” Barack Obama And The BP Crisis!

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President Obama is visiting the Gulf States for the fourth time today and tomorrow, and will be delivering his first Oval Office address tomorrow night on the Oil Spill crisis. Then on Wednesday, he will have an Oval Office meeting with the top leadership of the British Petroleum Corporation, the topic being what is now easily the greatest environmental disaster in US history finishing eight weeks without resolution!

Obama has a reputation of being unemotional and wanting to remain a “nice guy” and always rational. But in this crisis, now to be considered the greatest crisis he has faced, bar none, he needs to show a tough side and to be demanding and condemning of BP, in order to get quicker resolution of the crisis, while holding the corporation completely responsible financially and legally for the loss of jobs and the killing of wildlife and the destruction of the tourism of the Gulf States!

Obama needs to be like Harry Truman at the time of labor strikes when he threatened to draft strikers into the US Army! He needs to be like John F. Kennedy when he confronted an inflationary price increase in the steel industry by throwing down the gauntlet to the steel companies and having concessions made by them under public condemnation!

There is no room for doubt or hesitancy for Barack Obama. His entire legacy may be based on the way he handles this crisis, and he must not worry what the critics say! This is one time when the federal government must assert its supremacy, no matter what states rights fanatics might declare to be unacceptable!

America must be run by its national government, not the corporations which have been running amuck in the past thirty years, and need tight discipline and regulation for the benefit of the American people!