Fox News Channel

Tax Cuts For the Wealthy: David Stockman Vs. Mike Pence!

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This past weekend, former Reagan Budget Director David Stockman debated the Republican party demand for a continuation of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy with Indiana Congressman Mike Pence, who has been one of the most hard line conservatives insisting on that issue, despite the fact it would add $700 billion to the national debt over ten years, at a time when it is clear that there is dire need to avoid adding to the national debt, which is already over $13 trillion! 🙁

Stockman gave an excellent presentation, and called such a demand for the wealthy to continue to have tax cuts as totally irresponsible and unrealistic in the present economic climate! He made it clear that the Reagan Administration was wrong to allow a tripling of the national debt during the 1980s, and it was recalled that he had resigned early in the administration over the reckless defense spending which caused most of that overwhelming addition to the debt!

Stockman made it clear that the Bush tax cuts in the past decade had been a mistake as well, as it caused a doubling of the national debt, with much of it because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also starting the Medicare prescription plan for senior citizens without taxing to pay for it!

Stockman’s appearance on the interview showed how far the GOP has gone since the 1980s–willingness to be totally reckless in the name of the wealthy, despite the fact that the stratification of American society with the wealthy having such a large portion of the total national wealth, as compared to the middle and lower classes, is the greatest it has ever been!

Pence showed total irresponsibility over the issue of the long range effect of GOP tax policy, and also demonstrated that he has no concern over the effect of budget cuts on domestic needs in the midst of the greatest economic downturn in 80 years!

It again must be recalled that MOST of the national debt increase has been due to Republican Congresses and Republican Presidents, with Jimmy Carter only adding a comparatively small amount to the debt, and Bill Clinton actually balancing the budget in his last years in the White House, and leaving a surplus for George W. Bush, who proceeded to double the national debt, on top of Ronald Reagan tripling the national debt in his time! Reagan added $2 trillion, and George W. Bush $5 trillion to the national debt, meaning seven of the nine trillion added to the debt since Jimmy Carter left office was due to these two Presidents and their administrations alone! 🙁

And the first President Bush added a good portion of the remaining two trillion, leading up to the $10 trillion plus debt when Barack Obama came into office in 2009! This is not what one hears on conservative talk radio and Fox News Channel, however! 🙁 But it is the truth!

So the GOP has a record of total recklessness in the name of the wealthy, while the country flounders economically, and David Stockman was effective in delivering a warning as to the danger of following GOP economic doctrine! 🙁

Glenn Beck: Clear And Present Danger! He Must Be Repudiated For His Rhetoric!

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Glenn Beck, the Fox News Channel talk show host, has become ever more extreme in his rhetoric, promoting conspiracy theories, talking about revolution coming, and stirring loony “true believers” to plan assassination of “enemies”, and promoting hate of “progressives”, who are made out to be unAmerican and dangerous to the nation’s security and safety! 🙁

Beck invites lunatics such as Congresswomen Michele Bachmann and Senator Jim DeMint to speak on his program, and they are also inciting dangerous reactions by unstable people, creating the possibility of violence and assassination of “enemies” that these people see in anyone who opposes their crazy, narrow minded ideas about the future of the nation! 🙁

The organization Media Matters has called on Sarah Palin to repudiate Glenn Beck’s rhetoric and tactics, but it seems unlikely that any such action is in the offing!

Fox News Channel should recognize the dangerous nature of Glenn Beck and remove him from the air, but the problem is that Fox is itself involved in creating a confrontational attitude in its quest to promote the agenda of Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch!

What is needed is for advertisers to withdraw from the Glenn Beck show and from Fox News Channel altogether, as the only way to make this irresponsible excuse of a news channel to change its behavior and report the news in a responsible manner! 🙁

National Public Radio Wrong To Fire Juan Williams Over Fears Of Muslim Garb On Airplanes! :(

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Political commentator Juan Williams, who has long been involved in the civil rights community with his writings and work on African American history, has just been fired by National Public Radio for expressing his views about Islamic clothing.

Williams said on the Bill O’Reilly show on Fox News Channel that he is not prejudiced against the Islamic faith, but that it strikes fear in his heart when he sees people in full Islamic clothing on airplanes, as it brings back memories of September 11, 2001.

Such a statement is purely freedom of speech; it is not expressing anti Islamic hatred, as many others have done.

It is a common thought of many Americans because of the events of September 11, as it makes many Americans uncomfortable.

It is not stating that Muslims should not be free to wear such garb. It is just an opinion and expression of a fear which is quite common.

Juan Williams is a quality journalist, and firing him is unjustified! It does not make NPR look very good, as it is stifling freedom of speech!

This is not the same as Rick Sanchez being fired by CNN for his anti Semitic comments about Jews in the media, and perceived discrimination against Hispanics in the media, including himself!

If one is a journalist, and cannot express his thoughts in a non hateful way on a cable or television or radio channel without fear of losing his job, then we have really become a nation where civil liberties itself is under attack!

And since NPR has a reputation as a “liberal” or “progressive” channel, it is especially reprehensible to be seen as intolerant, and lacking an open mind to allow a diversity of opinion!

NPR has done the wrong thing, and it should reverse itself and rehire Juan Williams, and recognize what he is: a quality journalist who deserves respect for his non hateful opinions!

Sarah Palin’s Advice To Christine O’Donnell: NOT Acceptable For A Presidential Campaign! :(

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Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who backed Christine O’Donnell’s campaign for the GOP Senate nomination in Delaware, yesterday advised O’Donnell on how to campaign for the Senate against Chris Coons!

On Fox News Channel, Palin stated that O’Donnell should only be willing to be interviewed by Fox, and refuse to answer questions or be interviewed by the mainstream media! Palin made it clear that she had come to that conclusion based on how she perceives herself treated by the mainstream media during the Presidential campaign of 2008!

This is a very interesting development in many ways!

First, Palin blames the mainstream media for making her a victim, when it is her own fault, being poorly prepared to run for Vice President, being evidently poorly informed and lacking in knowledge on very basic information and issues! Is it the fault of the media that she could not name a Supreme Court case or some of the sources of media that she claims to read? Is her inability to articulate anything clearly the fault of others, or her own fault? The answer is obvious! 🙁

Secondly, telling O’Donnell to refuse to answer questions and only agree to be interviewed by “friendly” media is an example, becoming more common among Republicans, conservatives and Tea Party Movement people! It is a level of arrogance that should NOT be rewarded! If someone wishes to be competing to be elected by the people, they have a a responsibility to answer challenging questions, show their level of knowledge and expertise, and agree to public debates! Just because they are made to feel uncomfortable or insecure does not give them the right to refuse to communicate with news media and the American public! 🙁

And thirdly if Sarah Palin, as rumored, intends to run for President, is she going to be able to refuse to debate her rivals, and later President Obama? Is she going to be able to refuse to answer questions from CNN, MSNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, and numerous other media sources that she may not particularly admire? 🙁

The answer is NO, as if she wants to be our President, she CANNOT boycott questions and challenges! She NEEDS TO PROVE her competence, talents, and abilities to be our Commander in Chief!

So if she does not wish to do so, then stay at Fox News Channel, and be praised and glorified by Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and Glenn Beck! Do more television series, deliver more speeches before admiring audiences, and publish more books, and make loads of money! But don’t expect us to elect you President without a full vetting of you, by friends AND by enemies! 🙁

Interesting Coincidence: Rush Limbaugh And Pastor Terry Jones Were Missouri High School Classmates And Graduates Of Class Of 1969!

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What an amazing occurrence to discover that talk show host Rush Limbaugh and Pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida, who has created a stir with his threat to burn Korans on September 11, are classmates and graduates of the same high school in Missouri in the year 1969!

Both are a menace to America, and in many ways, Limbaugh has, by his rhetoric, encouraged wing nuts like Pastor Jones, who has managed by his behavior to hold American foreign policy and its war effort as hostages in his insane need to draw attention to himself! 🙁

Anyone who is sane can see that Jones is a hateful, sick charlatan, the worst image possible of a Christian pastor! This man was involved in scandal and financial irregularity in a church in Germany that he headed in the 1980s!

Is it really a surprise that he is an obvious crook and certainly went into a career of being a pastor to avoid taxes, a favorite tactic of so called “religious” people who peddle hate and division by becoming pastors without any, or limited, religious training, gain ignorant followers, and meanwhile manage to gain a tax advantage because of their creation of churches, which are often just storefront businesses to raise money! 🙁

This man not only has no concern for the damage he is doing to America, but also peddles hate of gays, another favored method of some so called “pastors” who claim to be following Jesus Christ, but totally distort his message of peace and tolerance and harmony!

The right wing talk show hosts and Fox News Channel helped to create this monster by their hateful rhetoric against Muslims, and they have made our national security much more a problem for the President, because they preach a war against Islam, instead of against the Taliban and Al Qaeda, who are the enemy, not one billion Muslims around the world!

Glenn Beck Becomes The Leading Demagogue In America! :(

Ronald 2 Comments

Glenn Beck has been on a rampage lately, condemning Christianity that promotes social and economic justice, rewriting American history to such an extent that it is unrecognizable, and critical of movements that promoted advancement of equal rights for racial and ethnic minorities, women, and gays! 🙁

When ignorant people think they are being educated about American history and religion from Glenn Beck, including on his web based university (a great money maker), we are in a sad state, as Beck totally distorts reality, and has the ability to manipulate and sway people who have no clue as to what is the truth about everything Beck enunciates!

Beck distorts the Founding Fathers, and condemns any President who promotes reform, and hails conservatives such as Calvin Coolidge, Warren G. Harding, and Ronald Reagan who set back progress in so many ways!

When Beck tried to claim, on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s I have a dream speech, that he was reviving what King did, it was a total fabrication, as King denounced states rights, which had led to discrimination, nullification and interposition claims, and Jim Crow segregation in the South! But now Beck and his Tea Party and Fox News followers glorify exactly what King denounced! 🙁

Beck is a very dangerous man, as he stirs up mostly older white people to hate everyone else, and to try to “take back” America! If those who believe in progressive reform and change, and advancement of civil rights and civil liberties remain silent, then lunatics such as Beck will succeed in distorting our freedom of religion, our education system, and our civil harmony! 🙁

Beck is exploiting for his own financial benefit and his own sick ego, and he must be answered and challenged, rather than ignoring him and giving him slack!

Beck is coming close to the Supreme Court definition in Schenck V. US (1919) of speech becoming a “clear and present danger”–that is, speech which provokes and endangers, as in the concept of shouting fire in a crowded theater! He could very well incite loony followers to engage in violence, with him having no motivation except his own aggrandizement! 🙁

The Truth About Glenn Beck: Be Skeptical Of His “Transformation”! :(

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If one attended, or watched Glenn Beck yesterday on C Span , at the “Restoring Honor” rally in Washington, DC, he seemed very committed to unity and spoke more like a religious evangelist than a political firebrand!

It would be hard to find fault with his message, but it contradicted everything he has said on Fox News Channel and his radio shows, where he has called President Obama a racist, talked about the President as a Muslim, a Fascist, a Nazi, a Communist, a Socialist, a Marxist, a totalitarian, etc!

His rhetoric on television and radio encourages alarm, fear, trepidation, hysteria, and undermines the ability of this country to resolve its economic, social, and foreign policy problems! He has made millions promoting hate, poison, divisiveness, anger and despair, and he has aimed at splitting the American people based on race, religion, and ethnicity! 🙁

How can it be explained that Glenn Beck seemed so different yesterday on the Washington Mall? It is the fact, as the columnist John Avlon has declared, that there is a split personality, a good Glenn Beck struggling with a bad Glenn Beck!

It is clear that Glenn Beck is an opportunist, who is ultimately out to make as much fortune as he can, without considering the effect he has on the rest of us in this country! He realized that this rally yesterday could not be portrayed in the same light as his talk shows, because that would undermine the profit motive always in the forefront of his mind! Better to confuse the American public, some of which is clueless on Glenn Beck’s real motives!

Better for Beck to look reasonable and rational, but watch as he goes back to his emotional ranting and raving on his cable and radio shows!

To believe that Glenn Beck has reformed is to believe in the tooth fairy! Everything he has done is a ploy for his own advancement, and his willingness to besmirch the anniversary of the Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have a dream” speech, and claim he was not aware of the historical date is impossible to believe, as he is not an ignorant man, just a man willing to exploit for his own benefit!

Again, as expressed yesterday, we shall see whether Glenn Beck has reformed, but one can be certain that he is not going to do so, as that would upset many of his followers who prefer the Beck of cable and radio to the Beck of conciliation that we witnessed in wonderment yesterday!

The Glenn Beck “Restoring Honor” Rally In Washington, DC: A “New” Glenn Beck?

Ronald 1 Comment

Fox News Channel and radio talk show host Glenn Beck, who has been on a rampage to divide America through his right wing extremist rhetoric, including his accusations of racism against President Obama, his stirring up of emotions over “illegal immigration” and the Muslim faith, and his distortion of American history and American leadership, held a rally today at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on the 47th anniversary of the Civil Rights March and the “I Have A Dream” speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The rally was organized to “restore honor”, to promote respect and honor for America’s military, and to promote the importance of God in everyone’s life! It included a niece of Dr. King, and St. Louis Cardinal star Albert Pujols and his manager, Tony LaRussa, as well as former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin!

The rally lasted a little more than three hours, and on the surface, seemed to do no harm, and had no obvious political intention, and the crowd, estimated at maybe up to a few hundred thousand, was orderly and avoided political signs or ugly manifestations as at less organized and attended “Tea Party” rallies in the past! It also included speakers and an audience of all races and nationalities, a refreshing sight!

What stood out though was the fact that no political leaders of Congress, no talk show hosts, no people of any prominence, other than the few mentioned above, showed up and were evident in the crowd!

It also stood out that Beck himself, while loving all the attention he was gaining, the praise that was visited on him by other speakers, and the reality that he is likely to gain financially from this through sale of more books and more listeners and viewers of his talk shows, actually sounded and seemed quite different than what we have heard in the past couple of years from him!

Beck seemed to be going out of his way to reconstitute himself as a changed man, a man who wants to promote unity and patriotism, a total change from what he has been doing, creating division and hate in his wake!

The wonderment is whether this is a true conversion, and an admission of his sins, or just a facade, and skeptics will await how he conducts himself in the weeks and months to follow to see if he is genuine, or the phony many people think he is!

We will keep track and see whether the “leopard” can change its spots! Don’t bet on it! 🙁

The Danger Of The Right Wing Attack On Hispanics, Muslims, And African Americans! :(

Ronald 1 Comment

The United States is facing an alarming scenario! The country is being split wide open by right wing assaults on Hispanics, Muslims, and African Americans, and this is a great danger for the future security and safety of the nation! 🙁

The Arizona immigration law, which antagonizes Hispanics; the emotional attacks on the issue of the so called “Ground Zero Mosque” and mosques being built anywhere in the nation, which enrages moderate Muslims; and the Tea Party paranoia about African Americans as expressed in their rallies, and in their guide to Tea Party people attending the Glenn Beck-Sarah Palin rally at the Washington Mall on the anniversary of the Civil Rights March of August 28, 1963, to avoid African American areas of the District of Columbia; –these are all alarm bells ringing in the night! 🙁

These right wing forces in the Republican party and the Tea Party Movement fail to understand that this is not a nation of just white upper class and upper middle class Christians! We are a diverse nation, and rapidly becoming less white and less Christian, whether one likes it or not!

To antagonize, victimize, and scapegoat Hispanics, Muslims, and African Americans is an exercise in futility, and can turn law abiding, moderate citizens of these backgrounds into radicals and extremists to our detriment!

These right wingers are spewing hatred and poison, and if they do not watch their rhetoric and action, could provoke a race war, a civil war in this country–an absolutely terrifying concept! All this does is help promote an image in Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, that the United States is a nation of bigotry, racism, discrimination, and prejudice!

It actually helps fuel the terrorism we are trying to prevent and neutralize! If young men and women in this country, of these various backgrounds, feel threatened, they could become the enemy from within and undermine the future of this country!

The American people must not allow themselves to be exploited and divided in this fashion by the right wing propagandists on talk radio, Fox News, and in government, as all this does is embolden these whackos to further incite hate and paranoia! 🙁

The way to overcome this is to have the people in November repudiate the right wing hate mongers in government; and boycott these propagandists on radio and cable, by demanding that corporations stop advertising on these hate shows, or begin a boycott by consumers, as has started with Target Corporation over the promotion of a right wing politician in Minnesota, Tom Emmer, who is spewing hate and division in his race for Governor! 🙁

This is a country for ALL Americans, not just white, upper class Christians who fail to understand that the future is not in their hands! Reality requires that we all learn to live together in peace, and with tolerance for each other, if we are to keep this nation stable, secure and safe for the long term future!

Time For George W. Bush And Other Principled Republicans To Speak Out On Mosque Controversy!

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The Washington Post today has come out with an editorial calling upon former President George W. Bush to speak out against the demagoguery going on within his party, with many Republicans remaining silent as Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, and others make the “Ground Zero Mosque” a political football, and in the process, are promoting anti Islamic hatred, a tremendous danger to the nation and its future!

One can criticize and find fault with Bush on a multitude of issues during his eight years as President, but one cannot fault him for always trying to make clear that our war was against Al Qaeda, not the Islamic world, a belief that President Barack Obama has continued to promote!

Bush should condemn those who use the mosque issue as a way to divide America, and promote fear and hate! If he was to do so, it would improve his image, and maybe get timid Republicans such as Scott Brown, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Richard Lugar, and others to come out in support of his stand!

So far, only New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and commentator Pat Buchanan, indeed a strange duo, have had the courage to speak out against the hysterical tide!

We have so many important issues to deal with, and we should not be fighting and splitting over the building of a house of worship! American ideals and principles require the end of this outrageous fear mongering being promoted by its original creator, the loony blogger Pamela Geller, in league with talk radio hosts and Fox News Channel, and endorsed by potential Presidential candidates Gingrich and Palin, who should be roundly condemned for their divisive tactics! 🙁