For What Its Worth

There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
I think it's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down


"...Much of the culture and thinking of the American right - the mainstream as well as the fringe - has descended into paranoid suppositions about the government, the Democrats and the president. This is not to say that the left wing doesn't have a paranoid fringe, too. But by every available measure, it's the right where conspiracy theories have exploded.

A fabricated specter of impending governmental totalitarianism haunts the right's dreams. One month after Barack Obama was inaugurated as president, Beck hosted a show that gamed out how militias in Southern and Western states might rise up against an oppressive government. The number of self-proclaimed right-wing militias tripled - from 42 to 127, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center - in 2009 (and that doesn't count those that are entirely underground).

As much of the right sees it, the government is planning to incarcerate its enemies (see Beck and Erickson, above), socialize the economy and take away everyone's guns. At the fringe, we have figures like Larry Pratt, executive director of the Gun Owners of America, who told a rally in Washington last April that, "We're in a war. The other side knows they are at war, because they started it. They are coming for our freedom, for our money, for our kids, for our property. They are coming for everything because they are a bunch of socialists."

But the imputation of lurking totalitarianism, alien ideologies, and subversion of liberties to liberals and moderates has become the default rhetoric of the right. Never mind that Obama is a Marxist, a Kenyan and an advocate of sharia law. Consider the plight of poor Fred Upton, the Republican congressman just installed as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, over considerable right-wing opposition. According to Beck, Upton is "all socialist," while Rush Limbaugh calls him the personification of "nannyism" and "statism." Upton's crime is that he supports more energy-efficient light bulbs. How that puts him in a league with Marx, Engels and Nanny McPhee, I will leave to subtler minds..."

Harold Meyerson
Washington Post

Sunny Badger Prepares For Saturday Big Game

NEW FLASH!!!

On New Years Eve, thousands of black birds mysteriously fell from the sky in Hobofornication, Arkansas.

The mysterious bird deaths continue and this time they don't think it was a fluke. 50+ eagles went down in South Philly last Sunday.

Scientists found the cause and put Atlanta on alert. They are pretty certain that the mysterious bird deaths will soon take down the Falcons.

They expect this to happen on Saturday night!



Sunny's Prediction:

Atlanta 17
Packers 24

Governoring Talk Radio

In the debate following the shooting last week of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others in Tucson, Arizona, politicians and the media have suggested that harsh political discourse may have played a role in the tragedy, which left six people dead.

In Rhode Island, however, the state's new governor is taking the controversy a step further. Lincoln Chafee has banned all state employees under his control from appearing on talk radio during work hours, and on Thursday (January 13) he said advertisers should help neutralize divisive political discourse by pulling funding from stations that carry it.

“Those that pay — the advertisers — should shut them down,” Chafee, an independent, told reporters, according to The Providence Journal. “My view is that these people don’t even believe what they are saying, but they are making money off it. They’re selling this divisive and highly emotional [content] … because it sells. So the advertisers have to shut them down. That’s my view.”

Chafee's tough stance itself has drawn national attention and criticism. As the Journal noted in an earlier story, an article announcing the governor's order for state employees was among the most highly placed on The Drudge Report, an influential conservative news site, on Wednesday, and Chafee's critics have suggested that the governor is lashing out at talk radio to divert attention from Rhode Island's problems.

Chafee, however, says the exact opposite is true. “We just want to focus on the job at hand, getting the economy rolling again,” he said earlier this week, “and we can’t be diverted with all the nonsense on talk radio.”

Right Wing Magniloquence Responsible For This

Youngest Ariz. shooting victim laid to rest

By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press 35 mins ago

TUCSON, Ariz. – Some 2,000 mourners packed a Catholic church to honor Christina Taylor Green, the bubbly 9-year-old who was the youngest victim of the Arizona shootings, while hundreds more lined streets outside in a show of unity and support.

Christina's was the first of half-a-dozen funerals in the coming days, and was to be followed Friday with a service for U.S. District Judge John Roll at the same church, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Security was expected to be tight at the ceremony, with many federal judges among the mourners.

Roll and Christina were among six people killed Saturday when a gunman opened fire on a meet-and-greet for Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in a Tucson supermarket parking lot. Thirteen others were wounded, including Giffords, who was shot in the head and gravely injured.

Roll, who served nearly 40 years, had stopped by the event after attending Mass to say hello to the congresswoman.

On Thursday, though, the focus was on Christina as the mourners said goodbye to the joyful, patriotic and athletic girl whose life began on Sept. 11, 2001, and ended on what has become another day of national tragedy.

Eight-year-old Dante Williams had only one thing on his mind: he wanted to leave a giant teddy bear, Brownie, for his slain friend.

The third-grader who attended school with the dark-haired girl recalled chasing her at recess and having dance contests with her in the schoolyard — mostly break-dancing, he said. He bought the stuffed animal, a toy nearly as tall as himself, to leave by Christina's casket because she loved animals, but there was no room.

Instead, his mother said he would take it to school and leave it at a growing memorial there.

"This was kind of a closure for him. He was in the car coming here saying he was feeling sad about it," said Leshan Mitchell, as she and her son left the service. "He said, 'Mom, I'm feeling really sad now' and I said, 'People who didn't know her are feeling sad, too, and it's OK to cry and it's OK to be angry."

Outside the church, mourners lined both sides of the street outside for more than a quarter-mile to show their support. Hundreds of motorcycle riders from all over stood guard. More than a dozen residents were dressed as angels and some mourners dressed in white placed candles alongside the road leading to the church.

As Christina's family grieved, new developments emerged in the case when a man walking his dog found a black bag containing ammunition that authorities believe was discarded by the suspected gunman, 22-year-old Jared Loughner.

Before the service, Christina's family and closest friends gathered under the enormous the American flag recovered from Ground Zero and paused for a moment of silence, holding hands and crying. White-gloved state troopers escorted family and dignitaries into the church as a choir sang hymns.

"She would want to say to us today, 'Enjoy life,'" said Bishop Gerald Kicanas, who presided over the funeral. "She would want to say to us today, 'God has loved me so much. He has put his hand on me and prepared a place for me.'"

"Her time to be born was Sept. 11, 2001," he said. "Her time to die was the tragic day, Jan. 8, 2011, just nine years old she was. But she has found her dwelling place in God's mansion. She went home."

Kicanas shared memories of the little girl who was an avid swimmer and dancer, a budding politician and the only female on her Little League team. Mounds of flowers — pink roses and wreaths — surrounded the closed casket and a large photo of Christina and her older brother, 11-year-old Dallas, stood at the entrance to the church.

Her father, John Green, recalled in an emotional eulogy how his daughter used to pick blueberries, loved snorkeling and played for hours with her cousins and brother behind the house, directing the activities.

He recalled how once, upon returning from a two-week trip, he found his daughter and his wife dancing in the hallway, full of life and happiness.

"Christina Taylor Green, I can't tell you how much we all miss you," her father said. "I think you have affected the whole country."

Angie Yrigoyen, who knew Christina through her 11-year-old grandson Dominic, was still emotional as she left the church and said the funeral captured the little girl's spirit in a way that moved her profoundly.

"She was like a grown-up in a child's body," said Yrigoyen, 77, as she broke into tears. "I saw her as a very happy child. I hope the one thing that she brings to our city, our state and country is peace."

Get A Job You Bunch Of Whiners...

"...In the news this week, Reuters published the results of a poll, in which a whopping 61 percent of Americans sampled said we should increase taxes on the wealthy as the first step toward reducing the deficit.

Following that number, only 20% said to cut defense spending, 4% wanted cuts in Medicare, and 3% said to cut Social Security.

I'm going on record to oppose these results today, and to tell you why, in my opinion, taxing the rich more is not the answer to our out of control deficit.

First, increasing taxes to reduce the deficit is like people thinking they can eliminate their excessive credit card debt if they just earn more money.

The real problem is in the excessive spending, not the amount of income one earns.

Give the U.S. Congress more money from the tax base, and they will just continue to spend more. They have proven this time and time again in the past few decades.

As you can see from the chart below, both political parties are responsible for running up the national deficit. Both Democrats and Republicans alike have conspired together to run up almost 14 trillion dollars in debt."

Ethan Roberts
Bashing the Rcih Will Only Hurt The Poor!

"...I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Jesus
The Son Of God

It's A Sticks & Stones Kind Of Thing...

"At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized, at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do," he said, "it's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds."

President Obama
Tucson Memonrial Rally
(1/12/11)


"...In that, he is not so different from a broad range of voices on the Internet and talk radio. Over the last two years, all manner of paranoid ideas have found life in the right wing media: Barack Obama is a Muslim; Barack Obama is not an American; Barack Obama is the Antichrist. The Democrats want to set up death panels to kill off old people. The government is forming secret military units that will cart patriots off to internment camps. Progressives want to destroy America, kill capitalism, turn the USA into a Socialist police state and give the Southwest back to Mexico..."

Read more @ Seattle PI.

Dayton Brownshirts Set Up Tax "Sting" at Border

Don't Leave Wisconsin without your wallet.

Dayton to demand $58M payment from Wisconsin

by Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio

January 12, 2011

St. Paul, Minn. — Gov. Mark Dayton is drafting a letter to Wisconsin's governor demanding payment of $58 million.

Wisconsin owes Minnesota the money because Minnesota ended its tax reciprocity arrangement with the Badger state.

Acting Minnesota Revenue Commissioner Dan Salomone said Wisconsin officials informed him late last year that Wisconsin's budget problems would force them to miss a December 1, 2010 deadline for payment.

"They were intending to make the payment by July 1. Whether they actually do, we'll wait and see I guess," Salomone said. "Hopefully, that will happen, but they were very clear that they would not be able to make the December 1 payment."

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty ended the tax deal in 2009 and relied on the money from Wisconsin to help balance the state's budget.

Salomone said the 40-year agreement requires Wisconsin to pay interest for any delayed payments. That would be $975,000 if they don't make the payment until July 1.

"The interest is going to be running on a daily basis at $4,600, so I assume we will not settle for anything less than the payment that is owed plus all of that accumulated interest," Salomone said.

An official with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue said her office is trying to determine whether a payment is due and the amount.

Rush To Judgement

"What Mr. Loughner knows is that he has the full support of a major political party in this country. He's sitting there in jail. He knows what's going on, he knows that...the Democrat party is attempting to find anybody but him to blame. He knows if he plays his cards right, he's just a victim. He's the latest in a never-ending parade of victims brought about by the unfairness of America...this guy clearly understands he's getting all the attention and he understands he's got a political party doing everything it can, plus a local sheriff doing everything that they can to make sure he's not convicted of murder - but something lesser."

Rush Limbaugh
1/11/2011

Actually...You're A Criminal

"I am not a federal employee. I am a constitutional officer. My job is the Constitution of the United States, I am not a government employee. I am in the Constitution."

Tom DeLay
1995 CNN interview

"Free" v. "Cheap"

"...As evidence that the right has gone too far, left-wingers point to a campaign website run by Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate in 2008, which at the past election had marked congressional seats she hoped the Republicans could wrest from the Democrats with cross-hair symbols, as if in the sights of a gun. They also cite one of Mrs Palin’s gung-ho slogans: “Don’t retreat, reload”. Mrs Giffords herself said of Mrs Palin’s map last year, “When people do that, they’ve got to realise there’s consequences to that.” Mrs Giffords’s father, when asked if her daughter had had any enemies, replied “the whole Tea Party”, referring to the right-wing activists who helped to deliver the Republicans their resounding victory in November’s election, and only narrowly failed to unseat Mrs Giffords herself.

Needless to say, both tea-party activists and their inspiration, Mrs Palin, reject the idea that they somehow contributed to the shooting. Mr Loughner, tea-partiers in Tucson say, has no known ties to any local group. What is more, points out the leader of one national network of tea-party outfits, it is not really clear he agreed with their politics. Mrs Palin, meanwhile, issued a statement of sympathy to the victims; a spokeswoman condemned any attempt to tie her to the massacre as “repulsive”. In other words, the debate about whether partisan rancour had anything to do with the shooting is itself becoming rancourous. Left-wing bloggers talk of the atrocity as a wish come true for the tea-party; right-wing bloggers retort that the left is exploiting the death and injury of innocents for political gain.

It is hard to see any resolute action emerging from this shouting match. America’s protections for free speech—which Mrs Giffords herself helped remind the world of last week when she read out the first amendment to the constitution during the ceremonies surrounding the seating of the new Congress—preclude any legal limits on violent talk. It is testimony to the strength of America’s gun lobby (and another constitutional safeguard) that there has been little talk of any measures to curb gun ownership as a result of the incident. Mrs Palin and a few others may find themselves on the back foot for a few weeks, and may indeed tone down their rhetoric for a spell. But after a spate of hand-wringing, Congress is likely to do little more than strengthen its security arrangements. That will come a little late for Mrs Giffords, who was shot in the head at close range, and remains in critical condition."

The Economist (10/11/2011)

"I don't see the connection," he drooled...

"...During his campaign effort to unseat Giffords in November, Republican challenger Jesse Kelly held fundraisers where he urged supporters to help remove Giffords from office by joining him to shoot a fully loaded M-16 rifle. Kelly is a former Marine who served in Iraq and was pictured on his website in military gear holding his automatic weapon and promoting the event..."


"Arizona is a state where people are firearms owners — this was just a deranged individual. I don't see the connection between the fundraisers featuring weapons and today's shooting. I don't know this person, we cannot find any records that he was associated with the campaign in any way. I just don't see the connection."

John Ellinwood
Jesse Kelly's spokesman

"When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous and unfortunately, Arizona, I think, has become the capital. We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry."

Clarence Dupnik
Pima County Sheriff

Jared Lee Loughner's One Favorite Video on YouTube

This Anti-Government Shit has gone too far!

Gee Where Does This Come From?

"The tenor of American political rhetoric became a centerpiece in the national debate over Saturday's attack by a gunman in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people and left local Democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords with a bullet wound to the brain.

Public leaders and others expressed sorrow about "a tragedy for the entire country," as President Obama put it -- a total of 18 people allegedly shot by 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner.

But officials also voiced dismay Saturday over the possibility that highly polarized rhetoric in the conservative hotbed of Arizona may have played a role in the assassination attempt of the Democratic congresswoman, who was targeted during a meet-and-greet with constituents in a shopping center. A federal judge, a girl age 9, and four other people died in the mass killing..."

Michael Martinez
CNN

"I think it’s important for all leaders … to say look, we can’t stand for this … They really need to realize that the rhetoric, and firing people up … for example, we’re on Sarah Palin’s ‘Targeted’ list, but the thing is that the way she has it depicted, we’re in the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they’ve got to realize that there are consequences to that action."

Gabrielle Giffords
U.S. Representative Arizona



..."I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax, because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us, having a revolution every now and then is a good thing. And the people - we the people - are going to have to fight back hard if we're not going to lose our country."

Michelle Bachmann
Minnesota Congresswoman

"My only regret with (bombing terrorist) Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building."

Ann Clouter
Media Whore

A "Hand Up" Not A "Hand Out"