Glenn Beck

The Conservative Attack On Michelle Obama’s Anti Obesity And Breast Feeding Campaign: The Accusation Of A “Nanny State”! :(

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Fifty years ago, President John F. Kennedy promoted Physical Fitness as a national goal, and no one complained that it was inappropriate intervention in the life of American families to do so.

Now, however, the Tea Party Movement and conservative “family” groups are condemning First Lady Michelle Obama for promoting good eating habits and encouraging breast feeding for new mothers as ways to promote good health in children. She is being accused of promoting a “nanny” state, having the government tell citizens what to do with their bodies, and what to ingest. To suggest vegetables, and to avoid sugar and fatty food, is seen as interfering with the rights of parents to bring up their children in the way they see fit.

Interesting, the word “fit” being used here, when one considers that a large percentage of American children are likely to have diabetes and other diseases, and are right now overweight in larger percentages than ever before. If children are not encouraged to eat well, and exercise, the health care bill in the future will be astronomical because of poor parenting, as it is parents who should be held responsible for insuring that their children are fed well and get exercise.

What it comes down to is whatever the President or the First Lady advocate, they will be attacked, and a lot of it has to do, sadly, with the refusal of many to accept that we have an intelligent, educated, attractive First Couple, who happen to be African American! 🙁

It is hilarious to think that a pill drug addict and overweight (tremendously) talk show host, Rush Limbaugh, and an alcoholic and drug addicted talk show host, Glenn Beck, are the leading critics of the First Lady promoting good health habits! 🙁

But even Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, both of whom are mothers, would rather ridicule and criticize on this matter, than join in promoting good eating and exercise habits! 🙁

What a sad commentary on the political scene in 2011! 🙁

Indications That Right Wing Hate Talk Is Losing Its Following: John Avlon

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It could be that the age of Right Wing Hate Talk Radio is starting to decline, as younger people are not drawn to that as much as older white people, who are drawn to it by their fear of Barack Obama and change.

Glenn Beck is losing listeners in key markets as he continues to spread hate and paranoia, making sane people realize how he is unconcerned about promoting hysteria and fear as long as he can make millions of dollars. There are some indications that Fox News Channel is starting to lose its enthusiasm for Beck, as well.

Rush Limbaugh is also losing support, as his maniacal behavior and ridiculous accusations, along with his pure disrespect of public figures, is beginning to turn people off.

Sean Hannity and Mark Levin are also finding less receptive radio audiences, and Hannity is seen as more hypocritical than ever, as he goes to Republican events and ties himself to the GOP propaganda line.

Rather than the propaganda coming from these and other right wing talk show hosts, more than ever those who listen or watch political shows want independent, intelligent analysis and political humor, which helps Jon Stewart gain a great following on Comedy Channel, as he shows the craziness and hypocrisy of these talk show hosts. Stephen Colbert is also very effective in demonstrating the shortcomings and narrow mindedness of Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity, Levin and others.

John Avlon, who first came up with the term “wingnuts” to refer to these talk show hosts and many of the Tea Party political candidates, is to be thanked for having uncovered the reality that the right wing propaganda is, seemingly, on a decline and will be far less significant over the next five years!

Conservative And Republican Civil War Emerging: Mainstream Versus Nutty, Loony Glenn Beck And Sarah Palin!

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It is obvious that a split is emerging in the conservative movement and the Republican party over the crazy rantings of talk show host Glenn Beck and the indecipherable criticisms of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin!

Beck has asserted recently that the Bush family was out to promote the Muslim faith by its weak actions against the enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that it was all part of a joint plot by radical Muslims and Communists out to promote a one world order!

Sarah Palin has been critical of the Obama policy toward the revolution against the Mubarak government of Egypt, without showing any understanding of the issue or offering any positive ideas.

The result of these two extremists making crazy statements has been that Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard and Rich Lowry of the National Review have attacked Glenn Beck, and made it clear that they believe that his ideas are totally off the wall.

At the same time, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has complimented Obama on Egypt policy and has criticized Palin for her empty statements attacking Obama on this matter, demonstrating she has no understanding of the issue.

These are signs of a civil war developing as mainstream conservatives are becoming more and more embarrassed by the outrageous and moronic statements of both Beck and Palin, who if they continue to maintain a powerful influence in the Republican party, will result in the total destruction of a party with a history of important leaders who were in the mainstream of American politics, while Beck and Palin are not in that mainstream!

The Gun Holocaust Going On In America: Some Sort Of Control Of Assault Weapons Essential!

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America is in the midst of a holocaust, caused by gun violence!

Not only have we witnessed the horrors of the attempted assassination of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the wounding of 13 people, and the murder of six victims, including a nine year old girl.

We have also seen the growing violence against police officers, with just about a dozen attacked and a few killed across the country just in the past 24 hours!

We have seen the heated rhetoric, particularly of talk show host Glenn Beck, who is ratcheting up the talk of gun violence, promoting images of shooting people in the head constantly in recent days, as he condemns those who he sees as trying to threaten Americans’ rights to the Second Amendment! 🙁

Also, the statistic that on the average, 34 Americans are killed by gun violence in each 24 hour period, makes it clear that we are in the midst of a gun holocaust!

Cannot something be done to crack down on assault weapons, magazines that allow multiple bullets in the dozens in a short time, the ability to prevent mentally ill people from gaining the ability to purchase weapons, and other tactics to lower the gun violence without taking away a person’s right to hunt or to protect oneself with a hand gun?

If we cannot do something to control and limit gun violence, then everyone of us is in constant danger, and why would anyone wish to be a police officer when the threats are so great against their longevity?

It is essential that President Obama call for some reasonable controls on guns, while not taking away the rights of law abiding Americans. If he does not do so in some form tomorrow night, then we face more tragedies like Tucson, and more police victims, and all of us are in a growing dangerous position as we go about living our lives! 🙁

Celebration Of Two Years Of Barack Obama: Public Opinion Ratings Soar! :)

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Today marks two years of the Obama Presidency, and an NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll shows his rating with the public has soared from 45 to 53 percent in the past month, the highest it has been since July 2009! 🙂

Why has this happened? Apparently, his handling of the Lame Duck Session, demonstrating willingness to work with the opposition Republicans, is a major factor.

Also, his handling of the Tucson tragedy was overwhelmingly popular, as he showed empathy and ability to speak to the country in a soothing manner in the midst of a major crisis and depressing moment for the nation.

Also, there is growing optimism long term and short term about the economy, and Obama comes across as a reasonable person, rather than as an extremist, as so many Republicans present themselves.

The pressure is not on the President, as many thought after the midterm losses in Congress, but rather with the Republicans to show reasonableness and desire to work with the President for the good of the country.

But don’t hold your breath on such cooperation, as every evidence is just the opposite.

Speaker John Boehner failed to attend the State Dinner for the Chinese President, something totally inappropriate, considering that Boehner is second in line for the Presidency, and yet has no interest in interacting with the leader of the second largest economy.

Almost no Republicans attended the State Dinner, with the major exception of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who seemed somewhat embarrassed, when asked about it, that he was the rare Republican to be at the banquet.

The Republican party, with the battle beginning among probably more than a dozen individuals to be the GOP nominee for President in 2012, and with their ties to the Right Wing talk show hosts, including Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity, among others, gives the advantage clearly to the camp of Barack Obama! 🙂

Congratulations, President Obama, on an outstanding first two years of your administration, and the growing likelihood that you will have the great advantage for a second term as President, because of your accomplishments and principles, and the growing image of the GOP as out of step with the American people, as evidenced by the Health Care repeal vote yesterday in the House of Representatives!

The Sick Psychology Of Sarah Palin: Always The Victim In Her Own Mind! :(

Ronald 3 Comments

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is proving day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, that she is totally lacking in the necessary credentials to be the President of the United States and the leader of the free world.

We are coming to realize more than ever that Sarah Palin has the wrong psychological makeup to be given power and authority, and to have to deal with the pressures of high public office!

She could not stand “the heat in the kitchen” as Alaska Governor and quit!

Well, she now needs to announce that she is NOT going to run for President, in order to save the country from the spectacle of a woman who has a SICK psychology, believing in her heart that she is a VICTIM!

You have to understand that Sarah Palin in her own mind is ALWAYS the victim!

The fact that she does not know how to answer a question as to her reading materials, or Supreme Court cases, is blamed on Katie Couric.

The fact that campaign personnel in the John McCain campaign criticized her ignorance and stupidity and prima donna nature leads to her attacks on them in her first book.

She cannot handle criticism at all, and has refused to communicate with the press, except through Fox News Channel, where she has people, including right wing extremists Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, fawning all over her, although on the sidelines we have learned that a lot of people at Fox News have made fun of her.

Now when a crisis arises, she refuses to come out and admit her errors and shortcomings, and instead has the gall to make herself a victim, instead of Gabrielle Giffords, and nineteen other victims, with six of them murdered in Tucson! 🙁

Sarah Palin is demonstrating that in many ways she is like Richard Nixon–not brilliant and intelligent like he was, but also seeing enemies, rather than opponents and portraying oneself as a “victim”; shutting herself off from the public when times get tough, as Nixon often did; and refusing to take responsibility for mistakes, similar to Nixon, and also George W. Bush!

It seems quite clear that were she to become President, she would engage in illegal and unethical actions, similar to some of the issues in Alaska which led her to resign the Governorship; and would be a real danger to this nation in international affairs, as she is totally ignorant about the world and would not understand how to deal with diplomacy!

But the good thing about this Tucson tragedy is that it is giving the nation the opportunity to see just what Sarah Palin is all about, and to learn from it that this is not a woman to give high public office to, as it would endanger the nation and the world!

The conclusion is that Sarah Palin, the “victim”, has major psychological problems and is too sick to consider for national leadership!

Rush Limbaugh And Glenn Beck Keep On Escalating The Rhetoric: What Can Be Done To Shut Them Up? :(

Ronald 1 Comment

THe two greatest hatemongers on talk radio, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, are further escalating the rhetoric after the tragic events in Tucson, Arizona! 🙁

They are totally abusing the First Amendment, and proving just how despicable and uncaring they are about this great national tragedy! 🙁

The nerve of Limbaugh to say today on his radio program that the Tucson shooter is smiling in his mugshot because he knows that the Democratic Party is supporting him! 🙁

The gall of Glenn Beck to excuse Sarah Palin for her provocative words and deeds, and to use vitriolic language, upping the ante of confrontation and hate speech! 🙁

These talk show hosts are becoming a threat to domestic security and tranquility and national unity in a time of tragedy, and must not be allowed to continue their rampage of hate and division! 🙁

It is essential for all political leaders of the Republican Party to break their ties with these jerks and denounce them, or else the GOP will have lost all credibility that they care at all about what happened in Tucson! 🙁

These two men have stirred such animosity and gained the backing of enough loonies in this society that they are a menace to public safety and must be prevented from continuing to spew their poison, and destroy all civility in this society! 🙁

The Ultimate Fatal Flaw In Sarah Palin’s Potential Candidacy For President!

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Sarah Palin is being blamed by many for having incited violence that led to the tragic events in Tucson, Arizona, last weekend, particularly by posting a graphic last year with cross hairs on 20 Congressional districts, including Gabrielle Giffords’s, of Democrats who supported the Health Care Reform legislation.

Of course, no one is literally saying that Sarah Palin directly advocated violence, so her protests that she is against violence ring true without any question.

But Sarah Palin fails to realize that she has, along with others, including Michele Bachmann, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck, created a toxic environment which can incite loonies to take action because of political conflict that they engender by their rhetoric.

Enough has been said about Sarah Palin’s inferior qualifications to be President of the United States. She has proven to be lazy, lacking in curiosity, ignorant of basic information, and unwilling to answer tough questions with news media that might challenge her.

But her ultimate fatal flaw has now been revealed: that she is unwilling to admit responsibility, that she has made errors, and allows herself to be defended by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. She is now shown to be outside the mainstream of American politics, a person who creates conflict, rather than bring us together.

We do not need another President like George W. Bush who was unwilling to admit shortcomings, and who is less informed than the former President!

We need a President who is willing to admit errors and shortcomings, and is in the moderate center of our political system. The fact that Obama is called every possible name, including Marxist, Communist, Socialist, Nazi, etc., as Franklin D. Roosevelt was, shows us that despite the loonies and their assertions, he is in the center, while Sarah Palin is not!

If the Republicans hope to compete in 2012, they must make it clear that Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck are NOT representative of what they offer, or they will end up in the dustbin of history! 🙁

Can The Ideological Divide In America Be Overcome To Avoid Incitement Of More Violence? Highly Doubtful! :(

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The attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and the murder and wounding of twenty other victims in Tucson, Arizona, should be a wake up call for the country at large, and the political leaders and media personalities in particular, but don’t bet on it! 🙁

The right wing is trying to deflect blame for the use of incendiary language, and trying to compare it to left wing criticisms that may ridicule and mock the opposition.

But it is the specific use of language of the right that is at issue, not the concept of criticism itself!

There can be a healthy, vigorous debate over ideas without promoting rhetoric that calls for revolution, asking citizens to be armed and dangerous, calling for direct action against a tyrannical government, and putting online a map with cross hairs targeting particular congressional district representatives.

There is absolutely no excuse for the rhetoric employed by Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and others on the right.

To compare it to the rhetoric of Ed Schultz, Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, and Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC requires a mentality that makes one wonder about the moral virtues of the listeners. These talk show hosts have never called for any of the above concepts that the right wing is infamous for.

The sad truth is that any possibility of change is remote, and tragically, we are on the road to greater bloodshed and violence on others, including the horrible thought of danger to our national leaders in the executive branch! 🙁

How can we tolerate this, and how can we even think of anyone backing any of these characters in public office, or supporting the continuation of talk show hosts who are only concerned about enriching themselves, and don’t give any concern about public safety or what is good for the national interest? 🙁

The answer is if violence escalates, lawsuits will have to be instituted against right wing talk radio hosts as having contributed to and incited the bloodshed, forcing them off the air and impoverishing them, to shut them up!

Again, speech matters, and if one shouts “fire in a crowded theater”, they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, whether they are ordinary citizens, political leaders, or media personalities!

Rhetoric DOES Affect Public Attitudes, And Incites Unstable People: Time For Responsible And Civil Dialogue Before We Have Greater Tragedy Emerge!

Ronald 3 Comments

The tragic events of yesterday, leading to the shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords; and the slaughter of three senior citizens; a nine year girl born on September 11, 2001; a congressional aide of Giffords; and a federal judge, is a warning sign to everyone that the tone and content of rhetoric DOES have a real effect on all of us, and tends to incite unstable people to violent action!

Therefore, it is essential for everyone to tone down their language and promote responsible and civil dialogue, and it is time to DEMAND that Sarah Palin behave in a civil way when she utters her never ending statements on Facebook and Twitter; that candidates such as Sharron Angle who talk about “Second Amendment remedies” be, like she was, repudiated by the voters as reckless and irresponsible; that a local talk show host (Joyce Kaufman in South Florida) who talks about the use of “bullets, not ballots” be denied the right to use the airwaves to promote her hate and paranoid behavior; that national talk show hosts, including Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, who care not a whit about building up hatred and resentment as long as they enrich themselves, be denied the right to spew their poison over the airwaves; and that politicians of all persuasions be called to account if they spread hysteria, fear, and division through their rhetoric!

Does anyone have the right to “shout fire in a crowded theater” and claim it is freedom of speech? The Supreme Court, in Schenck V. US in 1919, said NO, and that should apply to people in public office, media people, and all of us, who need to understand that responsible and civil dialogue is essential, or one day, we will have a tragedy of greater magnitude emerge, on the level of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, or a renewed concept of civil war, where everyone suffers because of irresponsible, reckless rhetoric!