Month: July 2012

Mitt Romney And Foreign Policy: What Foreign Policy?

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Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the Republican Presidential nominee, spoke before the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention today, and attacked President Barack Obama on his foreign policy.

Romney said that Obama has apologized for America overseas, and has said that Obama does not believe in American exceptionalism, both assertions totally fabricated.

Romney said that Obama has not stood fully behind Israel, when despite some differences personally between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , Obama has fully backed Israel’s security.

Romney failed to mention Obama’s role in fighting terrorism and eliminating Osama Bin Laden, and his role in helping to push Moammar Gaddafi out of power in Libya, for obvious reasons.

Romney in reality has NO foreign policy, except to threaten an immediate war on Iran, allowing the neoconservatives who took us into unnecessary war in Iraq, to have growing influence.

Romney is a man without “cajones”, as he allows right wing evangelical Christians and Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform to push him into support, even though his previous record would show he has taken a different stand in the past.

This is a man without conviction or principles, and has ZERO foreign policy experience!

Some might say that Barack Obama had the same situation, but actually, as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for four years, he dealt with foreign policy more than Romney has ever done!

Romney’s total foreign policy background is serving as a Mormon missionary trying to convert people in France to avoid military service; taking vacations overseas with his family; and doing business dealings with Israeli Prime Minister Behjamin Netanyahu back in the 1970s.

Mitt Romney has no clue on foreign policy, and would allow himself to be manipulated by the warmonger neoconservatives.

Foreign policy is Barack Obama’s strongest stand, and this is not the time to experiment on such a crucial area as foreign policy!

Time For All Good People To React To Religious Extremists, NRA Fanatics, And Grover Norquist Blackmail!

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America has many problems, but has allowed itself to be taken hostage by extremist, fanatical groups that have no purpose but the promotion of hate, greed, and selfishness, and it is time for all good Americans to speak up and make it clear that they will not allow the hostage situation to continue to exist!

Who are the villains?

Christian extremists who keep on promoting that only a theocracy with their brand of religion will send a person to Heaven, and in the process promote narrow mindedness and hate, need to be confronted without fear.

National Rifle Association leadership, including Wayne LaPierre, who enrich themselves and promote extremism in defense of the Second Amendment., and against reasonable gun regulations, particularly assault weapons, are a threat to public safety.

And Grover Norquist, the anti tax radical, and head of Americans For Tax Reform, has gained so much power and influence that Republicans are afraid to challenge him, and have allowed themselves to be blackmailed into refusing to consider ANY tax increases, no matter what, and willingness, therefore, to create financial chaos and the destruction of government’s ability to do its job of being in charge of the federal budget.

Until these three extremist groups are under control, America has little chance to move forward and deal with the promotion of tolerance, of public safety, and of responsible budgetary reform!

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg Throws Down The Gauntlet To Barack Obama And Mitt Romney: Come Up With A Plan For Responsible Gun Regulation After The Aurora, Colorado Massacre!

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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has thrown down the gauntlet to President Barack Obama and Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney to take responsibility for coming up with a plan for gun regulation, in the aftermath of the Aurora, Colorado Massacre last Friday. The fact that a Presidential campaign is on is a perfect time to force the issue to be addressed NOW, not later!

Both candidates and many political leaders of both parties have avoided the subject, as it is seen as toxic, with the tremendous power and impact of the National Rifle Association, arguably the most powerful pressure group in American politics.

But as Bloomberg said, on the average, 12,000 people are murdered every year by gun violence, which adds up to 48,000 in a four year Presidential term.

We lost 58,000 in Vietnam over a period of nine years, it should be pointed out, and here, we would have close to that amount in just four years!

This is inexcusable and unacceptable, and the American people, at least those who are rational and reasonable, demand something be done about this carnage NOW!

Public opinion polls are making it clear that action must be taken soon to attempt to cut down this tragedy in the future, in the most dangerous society on the face of the earth, because of the power of the gun industry, which has no concern other than profits!

If Only: The 68th Birthday of Senator Paul Wellstone, If He Had Not Been Killed In Plane Crash In 2002!

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Minnesota blessed the nation when they elected progressive Paul Wellstone to the US Senate in 1990, as he became one of the very best US Senators in American history, speaking for the average American in his nearly twelve years serving his constituents and the country at large. He demonstrated courage, as when he voted against giving authority to President George W. Bush to intervene in Iraq.

Tragically, he was killed in a small plane crash in October 2002, while campaigning for re-election, and his death shocked the nation and this author, who burst into tears upon hearing the tragic news! He was one of my all time favorite political leaders!

Wellstone might have been a Presidential candidate in the future, had he not had his life tragically cut short.

On today, what would have been his 68th birthday, we should honor his memory, and dedicate ourselves to the fulfillment of his dreams to make the nation a better place, fighting the good fight against those who wish to take America backward to the Gilded Age of the late 19th century!

Those Against “Reasonable” Gun Control Laws Are Promoting Anarchy And Lawlessness, Undermining Police And Law Enforcement Agencies!

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With the horrific events in Aurora, Colorado, on Friday, the Movie Multiplex Massacre conducted by James Holmes, we are seeing conservatives, Republicans, and the National Rifle Association ready to fight to prevent even “reasonable” gun control laws.

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, elected with the help of the Tea Party in 2010 over the great progressive Russ Feingold, came out swinging against any gun control legislation, using the same crazy viewpoint of Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert that if others in the audience had possessed guns, they could have stopped the gunman, fully misunderstanding that several people using guns would have likely led to far greater casualties, as no one would know who was the perpetrator, and who was trying to stop him!

Johnson, on Fox News Channel, saying this ridiculous comment, was contradicted by Senator Diane Feinstein of California, who knows the horrors of guns, witnessing the assassination of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978.

As Feinstein asserted, there is ABSOLUTELY no reason for ANYONE other than the military and police forces to have access to assault rifles, and magazines of large numbers of ammunition. Handguns and hunting rifles for specific purposes, after a total background check are reasonable, but not AK 47s or other types of rapidly firing machine guns that can kill large numbers of people, as this massacre was conducted two days ago.

This is a struggle that needs to be fought against the unreasonableness of the National Rifle Association, and those Republicans, and even Democrats, who seem to have the belief that we are fighting the Indians on the frontier, or are fighting the Crusades in the Middle East in the medieval period.

A civilized society MUST put controls on guns that are unnecessary, and that only crazy people would wish to possess, as what is the purpose of having assault weapons, except to kill large numbers of people? It is not like a handgun to protect oneself, or a hunting rifle to go hunting for deer, or whatever!

Sanity must be demonstrated, and requires courage by Barack Obama and Mitt Romney and those who understand that if nothing is done, the massacre in Colorado will be repeated with much higher numbers of casualties, far surpassing the all time record of 70 victims which occurred two days ago!

Also ask law enforcement agencies, and one will find that the police see themselves as the front line of possible victims, as even with their own defenses, the widespread ownership of assault weapons endangers their lives, even more than the average civilian!

Eric Cantor: Promoting His Own Wealth Through Loophole In “Insider Trading” Legislation: A True Mark Of Corruption!

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House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is a true disgrace to the chamber he leads, and is a constant threat to the survival of Speaker John Boehner, should Boehner ever attempt in any way to “go off the reservation”!

Cantor, an extremely ambitious and ruthless politician, has been implicated in a scandal, although his party may not think that it is that, by inserting a loophole in the House version of the STOCK (Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge) Act, which is designed to prevent any advantage for members of Congress in stock market transactions because of “insider’ information available to that institution, and was passed in April, with the purpose of restoring faith in the Congress on the part of the American people.

The manipulation by Cantor was not made evident to its Senate sponsors, Republican Scott Brown of Massachusetts and Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who were shocked to discover that Cantor had inserted an exception for spouses and children of Congressional members.

Now under fire, Cantor claims he is willing to make changes in the legislation, but had slipped in these corrupt exceptions with the clear hope of having no one notice it!

For this obvious transgression, Eric Cantor should face investigation and possible censure, but of course, it will not happen.

Still, John Boehner had better have “eagle eyes”, as there is nothing that Eric Cantor will NOT do to advance his own ambitions, and enrich his own pockets and fortune, at the expense of the American people!

The Republican “War On Women” Continues: The Blunt Amendment Revived, And The War On Planned Parenthood!

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Missouri Republican Senator Roy Blunt has become infamous for promoting an amendment to the health care law, which would allow employers to decide what kinds of health care their employees should be denied, based on their own completely arbitrary definition of what is “immoral”! The Blunt Amendment was defeated in the Senate, but has now been revived in the House Appropriations Committee. It is, without question, part of a “War On Women”, as well as a war on health care for all employees, both female and male!

The war on Planned Parenthood, which utilizes only three percent of its funding for abortion services, continues, as the desire to redefine rape, and to fight to prevent contraception, continues, The fact is that contraception helps to avoid pregnancies for women who do not want more children, and will be impoverished by such pregnancies, and could prevent abortions altogether if contraception was not being utilized as a political “football” by the Republicans, including the Republican women in Congress, who as stated in earlier entries on this blog, seem to be an alien force from outer space!

It is beyond normal behavior to understand why the Republican Party has chosen to continue the “War On Women”, when it can only further alienate the female population, already a majority Democratic. And the fact that the men, and even the women in the party apparatus, both in Congress and the state legislatures, are willing to attack the rights of their mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters is beyond comprehension!

The”Old” John McCain Is Back: A Man Of “Decency” And “Principle”: Fighting Revival Of McCarthyism!

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Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, the 2008 GOP Presidential nominee, has waxed hot and cold in recent years, causing mourning among his legions of fans across the political aisle.

But now there are signs of the “old” John McCain, the man who thrilled many back in 2000 when he lost the GOP Presidential nomination to George W. Bush, as he has come out against a revival of “McCarthyism”, a use of political rhetoric to promote fear, anxiety and hate against innocent victims.

Just as the infamous Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin labeled a lot of innocent people as “Communists” six decades ago, now we have a group of Republican House members led by Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who have accused an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of being linked to Islamic terrorism.

The victim of this attack is Huma Abedin, who has been a top aide to Clinton for many years, and also happens to be the wife of disgraced former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner. She is accused by Bachmann and four others of having relatives, including her deceased father, being linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.

McCain, in a Senate speech, denounced Bachmann and the other Republican House members of “guilt by association” and said the accusations have “no logic, no basis, no merit”, and unfairly besmirch a dedicated public servant. The speech reminds many of Republican Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine, who denounced Senator McCarthy’s tactics in 1950, a true “profile in courage”!

Bachmann needs to be drummed out of Congress as a menace to normal political discourse, and is certainly on the short list of Republicans targeted to be defeated this November. Her leaving Congress would be a contribution to American unity!

It should also be pointed out that even Speaker of the House John Boehner has criticized the attacks on Abedin as unjustifiable, but that has not stopped Bachmann from now expanding the attack by accusing fellow Minnesota Democratic Congressman Keith Ellison of being leagued with the Muslim Brotherhood himself, as he is the first Muslim member of Congress.

If this reckless behavior continues, a move to censure Bachmann should be considered, just as it was conducted on McCarthy in 1954, leading to his ultimate downfall as a respectable political leader!

What Should Happen: A Joint Appearance In Aurora, Colorado Today By Barack Obama And Mitt Romney To Mourn The Victims!

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President Barack Obama is going to Aurora, Colorado this afternoon to attend a service to mourn the dead in the Multiplex Movie Theater Massacre, a very appropriate action on his part.

But this is also a moment when his opponent, Mitt Romney, should forgo partisanship and unite with Obama on the podium, shaking hands, and both of them speaking on the dangers of gun violence, and the need for the federal government to do SOMETHING, overcoming partisanship and standing for joint action, based on what is right, not what is political, for once in a long while! And if the National Rifle Association gets angry, so be it, as it is highly unlikely that they will abandon Romney and endorse Obama for President!

Could Obama reject such a bold gesture by Romney, to share the podium with him? Hardly, but it would require real courage, guts, and principle by the former Massachusetts Governor, a profile in real leadership, where neither would gain politically, but both would gain in respect and common decency to unite on what is right to do, not what is politically popular.

But notice that Romney has remained silent, other than an appropriate statement on Friday, but he should surprise everyone and announce he will be there, and will wish to make the mourning for the victims of the gun violence totally non-political!

But don’t hold your breath on this one!

Political Failures: Gun Control And Climate Change

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Our country is hungering for real political leadership, and instead, we go from one crisis to another,without any cooperation to bring about solutions.

Someday in the distant future, or maybe not so distant, we will have Americans look back and wonder why the country went into such rapid decline, with such a poor reaction by our political leaders.

We are a nation being torn apart by gun violence, with about 10,000 murders per year by gun, plus thousands more victims of guns by other methods than murder.

When we get a massacre such as the one in Aurora, Colorado, two days ago, we focus on it for a few days or weeks, and then seem to just go back to our old ways of neglecting the issue, and doing nothing about it.

We have corporations, and the political leaders who benefit from favoring them, who do whatever they can to maximize profits, and have no concern about climate change, even when we now see an emerging drought that threatens food supplies and is causing a spike in prices that will harm the middle class and the poor. Sure, the wealthy might have to pay more also, but they have unlimited supplies of money to meet any emergency, just as they had during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Both gun violence in Aurora, Colorado, and the drought now emerging, on top of floods, tornadoes, forest fires, and hurricanes, threaten our very existence as a nation, and somehow, we must demand from our leaders that they stop promoting themselves, and start dealing with the reality of life in America in the 21st century, or face the danger of chaos and anarchy!