The Back Porch

IRS vs. Rape

2011-03-28T09:23:00.001-08:00

It seems that the hot new trend for politics in Spring 2011 is to break unions, undermine human and Constitutional rights, and institute the American version of Sharia law on private citizens in order to control every aspect of their lives including the expression and management of their own sexuality. First, it was a law in Michican criminalizing adulterey, second, it was Alaska Judiciary Council nominee Don Haase voicing support for the criminalization of premarital sex, and now it's an attempt to put through a bill that would require rape and incest survivors to prove to the IRS that they were assaulted.

Excuse me?

The bill comes on the back of attempts to defund Planned Parenthood, Title X, and is being put forth by anti-choice proponents within Congress. According to the language of the document, it would impose penalties on small businesses and private citizens who buy abortion coverage with their own money, but it does allow for exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother's life is in danger. There's just one catch, to avoid the penalties, the survivors need to provide proof to the IRS that they were actually assaulted. First of all, according to every Republican I've ever heard campaign over the years, their number one priority is getting big government out of the way of small businesses, and out of the lives of private citizens.

This legislation doesn't exactly line up with that philosophy.

Two, if we are supposed to be keeping the government out of the lives of private citizens, then why is it that we are creating and passing laws that are minority-based (anti-choice laws specifically target women), and involve some lawmaker telling said private citizens what medical choices they can and cannot make with their provider. If that is the business of the private citizen, then how come factions within the United States government want to make it their business? This seems to be a direct affront towards everything Republicans and the U.S. Constutition stands for. I don't see any laws stating that I need to turn in proof to the IRS to support the removal of my gallbladder, or face fiscal penalties and sanctions. In fact, the IRS could care less about my gallbladder, and I can go to my physician of choice without fear of penalty to have it out. So, if that is a private medical choice between myself and my physician, then why is it that if I want an abortion after being brutally raped and beaten, I need permission from the "nanny government", which is the current catch-phrase being used by Republicans to describe the growing dependence of private citizens on the government, to do so?

You can't have it both ways.

That said, let's look at the language of this law, shall we? Best known by its official title, H.R. 3, it's goal is to further extend the Republican "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" which supports the Hyde Amendment prohibiting the use of federal funding for abortions unless it involves rape, incest, or endangerment of the mother's life. This new law would require IRS agents to audit individuals who have used federal funding such as Medicare or Medicaid to pay for an abortion? Why? To make sure the monies haven't been used inappropriately, leaving the burden of proof on the taxpayer who will have to provide documentation proving that her abortion was covered by the rape, incest, or life endangerment clauses; or that her personal insurance did not provide abortion coverage.

Wow.

According to a statement made by Marcus Owens, an accountant and former IRS official inteviewed by Mother Jones, the process would look something like this:

"Under standard audit procedure, a woman would have to provide evidence to corroborate facts about abortions, rapes, and cases of incest. If a taxpayer received a deduction or tax credit for abortion costs related to a case of rape or incest, or because her life was endangered, then on audit [she] would have to demonstrate or prove, ideally by contemporaneous written documentation, that it was incest, or rape, or [her] life was in danger. It would be fairly intrusive for the woman."

If that's not bad enough, H.R. 3 contains absolutely no instruction on how the IRS is supposed to enforce it, and the language is so vague that the Joint Tax Committee who specializes in vauge tax language was unable to come up with an accurate interpretation of H.R. 3! If anything, this bill is an attack on the most fundamental of human and Constitutional rights since it interferes with a private citizen's ability to make important health care decisions free of government sanction and regulation.

Again I ask, why is a personal medical decision the government's business? A government who claims it want no part of any law or regulation that interferes in the lives of private citizens, and limits the freedom of small businesses owners to adequately contribute to the local, state, and federal economies?

Think about it.

***

Michigan Criminalizes Adulterey
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/adultery_could_carry_life_sentence_in_michigan/

Don Haase Believes Premarital Sex Should Be Against The Law
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/25/alaska-governors-pick-for-key-post-wants-to-criminalize-adultery-premarital-sex/

GOP Wants IRS To Audit Rape Victims
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/gop-bill-irs-abortion-audits

The American Taliban

2011-03-25T19:11:00.005-08:00

On Wednesday, March 23, 2011, Gov. Sean Parnell nominated one Don Haase for inclusion on the panel that appoints state judges. Normally, this wouldn't be such a big deal except for the fact that during his nomination hearing Mr. Haase testified that he would like to see Alaskans prosecuted for having sex outside the confines of marriage.

What?

Yes, you heard correctly. Mr. Don Haase (pronounced "Hays") would like to see Alaskans prosecuted for having extramarital sex. A known activist for ultra-conservative values and agendas, he is a member of the Eagle Forum Alaska which advocates for the implementation of laws designed to govern the most intimate aspects of American's lives.

I am not kidding.

Mr. Haase then went on to explain the logic behind his extreme position, and stated that the reason why he believes that extramarital sex should be criminalized is because, and I quote:

"I think that would be up to the voters certainly. If it came before (the state) as a vote, I probably would vote for it ... I can see where it would be a matter for the state to be involved with because of the spread of disease and the likelihood that it would cause violence. I can see legitimate reasons to push that as a crime."

Really?

First of all, I'd like to find out how on Earth they're even going to enforce this, not to mention the fact that such a law completely undermines everything our Constitution stands for. Plus, it just happens to violate the separation of church and state, and is akin to throwing money down a rat hole since vital resources needed to deal with actual crimes being committed by actual criminals would be diverted towards a police force of Peeping Toms roaming the streets looking for fornicators. Also, I'd like to point out to Mr. Haase that this is a Democracy, not a Theocracy, not a Dictatorship, and certainly not a place where any sane individual is going to tolerate being thrown in jail for having sex. What next, outlawing condoms as illegal contraband?

This is the same theocratic logic used to justify anti-sodomy laws which were still in place in this country until June 26, 2003 when the Supreme Court of the United States ruled 6-3 that laws governing the practice were unconstitutional. I say "theocratic logic" because the basis of these laws stemmed from the literal interpretation of the Story of Lot in Genesis of the Bible where the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for their sexual immorality. One problem, the word "sodomy" wasn't associated with anal sex until the 6th century A.D. when the Roman Emperor Justinian I decided that Sodom's sin was specifically "same-sex activities and the desire for them". Justinian I also went on to blame homosexuality for famines, earthquakes, and pestilences. Keep in mind, at this period in history people used to think all diseases were caused by sin, curses, devils, and relied on a variety of questionable cures which included making an incision in the side of a person's head and inserting a piece of garlic inside the wound in order to treat migraines.

However, let's take a step back, and look at that Eagle Forum Alaska group that Mr. Haase belongs to. On their blog they praised the Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder for signing into law a bill that criminalizes adultery. At first glance, it doesn't seem like a big deal until you read further, and find out that it counts as first-degree criminal sexual misconduct. What does that mean? It means in the State of Michigan, adultery is a felony punishable by life in prison.

Again, I am not kidding.

First of all, this is America, and as an American I have protection under the law from the government through the Constitution. According to that document upon which this great nation is founded upon, I have the inalienable right to privacy, the inalienable right to protection from unlawful searches and seizures, and most of all as an American citizen I have the ability through the Democratic process to hire my elected officials and fire my elected officials at the polls. Not to mention, recalling or impeaching an elected official who has failed to uphold the ideologies and Democratic philosophies that have made us the strongest and greatest country on Earth. That said, a message needs to be sent to the Governor of Michigan that the people of that state will not tolerate the government's infringement and invasion of their personal lives, less and only their sex lives.

What right does the government have to regulate or legislate a sexual situation between two consenting adults that is more the business of the couple and a marriage counselor, and less that of the police department and the local prosecutor?

Seriously, this is America, not some country where the mere mention of individual rights and sovereignty can get you disappeared, executed, and tossed in some nameless ditch in the middle of the night for committing a perceived act of treason against the current regime. Yet, is that where we are headed as a nation since Americans are allowing the passage of laws that are clear violations of personal privacy and individual rights? Is that where we are headed since Americans are no longer policing their elected officials, and allowing them to basically take a jar of white out to their Constitutional rights?

Think about it.
I encourage each and every one of you who read "The Back Porch" to call Gov. Sean Parnell's office at (907) 465.3500, and tell him that in the State of Alaska we will not stand for the appointment of a candidate who would undermine out Constitutional rights in the name of perpetuating the agendas and beliefs of a minority group who would supersede those rights in the name of religious tyranny and oppression. The Salem Witch Trials ended hundreds of years ago, marking a dark period in our history where religiosity led to the deaths of thousands of innocents. We're supposed to learn from our mistakes in order to avoid repeating them, and with that in mind do we really need to waste money and resources on a modern day witch hunt for people having sex outside of marriage?

Seriously.

***

Don Haase Wants To Appoint Judges and Make Extramarital Sex Illegal
http://www.adn.com/2011/03/23/1772266/senate-panel-questions-judicial.html

In Michigan Cheating On Your Spouse Can Put You In Jail for LIFE
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/adultery_could_carry_life_sentence_in_michigan/

Eagle Forum Alaska Blog
http://eagleforumalaska.blogspot.com/

Sodomy Laws Repealed and Overturned in the United States
http://www.glapn.org/sodomylaws/usa/usa.htm

An Open Letter To Victoria Jackson

2011-03-24T12:36:00.001-08:00

Dear Miss. Jackson,

Earlier today, I managed to catch your interview concerning the remarks you made on your blog about the homosexual kiss on the television show "Glee", and your opinion that the airing of the kiss is part of a liberal agenda to lure children away from Jesus Christ into lives of debauchery and sin. You claimed that the airing of the exchange was "sickening", and spent the remainder of the interview quoting scripture, and denying that the broadcast of such programs is of any benefit to adolescents who are discovering their own homosexual identities. Having been a Conservative at one point in my life, I understand your position, since it is popular amongst modern Republicans who self-identify as members of the Religious Right or Moral Majority. Yet as a Christian who, because of their convictions and faith in Christ Jesus and our Heavenly Father, stepped away from that political, cultural, social, and spiritual movement; I have to respectfully disagree.

First of all, like many Conservative Christians, you believe homosexuality to be a choice, and while there are cases where a person has chosen to engage in a same-sex relationship later in life that isn't the norm. Many homosexuals will tell you that they have felt their particular attraction their entire lives, and their orientation is not the result of some conscious or unconscious decision, paganism, deviltry, deception, or whatever else you'd like to use to explain their preference. It's there, it's always there, and because of how our society is set up they face a lifetime of ridicule, harassment, and rejection. Throughout the latter part of last year as well as the beginning of this one, the news was inundated with reports of homosexual teenagers committing suicide due to harassment from other youth and adults for their orientation. Harassment that was so severe, they decided to take their own lives rather then endure the taunting, the rejection, the isolation, the fear, the derision, and other forms of abuse heaped upon them for being gay.

I'm sorry, but to agitate a person to the point of suicide is neither humane nor Christian. I realize you would then suggest Bible camps that are designed to help homosexual youth, the famous "pray the gay away" programs, yet in reality they simply don't work. In some cases, there is a "conversion" to heterosexuality, in the majority of them? No. You cannot pray the gay away Miss. Jackson, you cannot cure it, it's not a disease, it's not a psychological disorder, or a sign of a failing spiritual condition. The majority of gays who do "convert" usually do so to end rejection, to gain acceptance and love from their friends and families, and obtain the same treatment and respect afforded to those who are "normal". It's called acting Miss. Jackson, I'm sure you're familiar with this concept.

Therefore, let's go to the scripture itself, shall we? I'm sure you can throw Romans 8:12 out there with the best of them, as well as Paul's writings on the subject, or any of the writings included in Leviticus when Moses gave the law concerning human sexuality. Keep in mind, that's the same law that calls for the stoning or poisoning of women suspected of committing adultery, eye-for-an-eye settlements of disputes, and other penalties that Jesus later denounced for their oppressive and abusive nature. However, when you research the context of any of those writings they were concerned with the presence of temple prostitutes who would have sex with anything with a pulse out of service to whatever pagan god they were worshiping, and the main criticism of homosexuality stems from its associations with pagan cultures. Also, while the Bible is inspired by God, some of what is written in the text is cultural, and applies to ancient Middle Eastern life at that time. For example, Paul criticizes men with long hair, Paul was a Roman citizen, and thus had short hair because to have it long was a sign of barbarianism. Remember, Romans looked down on the peoples they conquered, and tried to forcibly assimilate then into Roman culture and society. Plus, this may have been a dig at his rival Peter whom history describes as having long hair, possibly dreadlocks down his back. Either way, having short hair is not a top priority when it comes to getting right with God.

I'd also direct you to Matthew 19:10-12 where Jesus heals the servant of a Roman Centurion. Doesn't sound like much, right? Just another miracle, right? Wrong-o. The man in question was, according to the ancient Greek, a pais which depending on context could mean a son or boy, a servant, or a male lover. In Rome, if a man who was gay wanted to have the equivalent of a spouse, he would usually purchase one, usually a teenager to serve that purpose. Therefore, looking at the history and culture of that era, the nature of the Centurion's plea for the healing of his pais, and the way he reacted when Jesus intended to come to his house it's likely that his man was his homosexual lover. Given his familiarity with Judaic traditions and law, it is understandable that he wouldn't want a herd of Jews coming into his home, and learning the true nature of his relationship with his pais. However Jesus, being the Son of God, already knew, and healed the man anyway. Therefore, if God is so down on homosexuality, and because of his nature cannot condone nor commit a sin then why did he show mercy and heal the gay lover of a pagan Roman soldier? A sworn enemy of the Jews, and someone living a lifestyle contrary to their traditions, laws, and fundamental beliefs?

I realize, you could argue against this translation, but it doesn't change the very real evidence located in the Bible we both read and follow.

This brings me to my final point which is your claim that due to the Liberal agendas of homosexuality and the like being put forth in our culture and media, God is unable to bless our great nation, and therefore we are falling into physical and spiritual ruin. I'd beg to differ on that point given the fact that those who are claiming to be our spiritual and bureaucratic leaders are engaging in acts that are the epitome of sin. Miss. Jackson, God isn't having a hard time blessing our country due to gays running rampant, He has a problem blessing it due to the hatred, hypocrisy, human rights violations, oppression, manipulation, witchery using the word of God to twist the minds of others, and other socially accepted institutions of sin that are racking our government and society.

Keep in mind, you're a member of the Tea Party, the same organization who's members have been caught multiple times shouting racist invectives at ethnics and homosexuals, and even going so far as to blatantly lie in order to further their own agendas. Remember James O'Keefe and ACORN, or is that okay so long as he does "God's work" by undermining the evil Leftist subversives within this country? Before you criticize others for having a splinter in their eye, take the tree out of yours, and look around at what is really going on.

Keep in mind, I used to be you. I used to be a member of the Republican Party, I used to be a Conservative, and then I made the "mistake" of asking God to cleanse me of all prejudice, sin, and deception. I asked Him to show me the truth, the REAL truth of the world, and to grant me the ability to see things for what they really are.

One month later, I left all of that behind in favor of God, and following Him in all ways while living by His truths.

In retrospect, Miss. Jackson, that was the best "mistake" I've ever made, and I pray that someday you too will allow God to show you the truth, and speak into your heart the love and compassion that is missing from the majority of the Christian faith. If I, a woman who once sinned against others out of ignorance can come to the truth and forgiveness of God, so can you. I'll leave you with that thought.

Sincerely,

Ryan Jaimz Knight
A Liberal and A Christian

***

Tyler Clementi Commits Suicide After Roommate Outs Him On The Internet
http://abcnews.go.com/US/gay-teen-suicide-sparks-debate/story?id=11788128

Thirteen-Year-Old Asher Brown Commits Suicide After Being Harassed for Being Gay
http://www.autostraddle.com/13-year-old-gay-suicide-60960/

Praying The Gay Away Does Not Work
http://www.thegaymanifesto.com/2010/11/27/ex-gay-no-way-conversion-therapy-does-not-work/

Jesus Heals A Gay Man
http://www.wouldjesusdiscriminate.org/biblical_evidence/gay_couple.html

Victoria Jackson vs. Glee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N07o-ZSBQA

Leftists, Communists, and Liars

2011-03-19T13:51:00.001-08:00

It's no secret that right now our country is embroiled in a series of legislative acts that have less to do with the appropriate management of America's fiscal resources, and everything in common with forcing others to comply with extreme interpretations of religious rhetoric as part of a none-to-subtle attempt to turn this nation into a theocracy. Naturally, activist organizations have sprung up right and left to mobilize the common man into a cohesive unit designed to take advantage of the remaining vestiges of Democracy, and oppose the purposeful oppression and sanction of those who are non-compliant with right wing agendas. Popular examples of these groups include MoveOn.org, FreePress.net, and Care2.com to name a few. They have been instrumental in providing information that would otherwise go unreported by the mainstream media, and while they do have a bias based on their political leanings their data has been accurate when cross-referenced and investigated by everyone from journalists to independent bloggers like myself.

Unfortunately, many doubt the veracity of their information, and believe it to be little more than a pack of leftist lies put forth by subversive elements who want to turn this country into a communist regime as part of their evil atheist and socialist agendas. While there is no evidence of this, it's what they're being told courtesy of the conservative news outlets across this great nation. If you think I'm kidding, read the following e-mail, but first let me put it into context. As an independent blogger, I'm able to remain politically active without the same constraints placed upon journalists who must avoid bias through actual or perceived lobbying on behalf of a politician or cause.

Remind me to e-mail that sentence to the powers that be at Fox News.

Subsequently, when I receive e-mail alerts from one of the organizations I just mentioned, I typically send them out in order to gain support from others in order to support the grassroots movements designed to tell our elected officials that we the people will now allow them to run roughshod over us. Our government is by the people and for the people, which means that we hire our elected officials through the voting process, and fire them through impeachment or recall proceedings. With that in mind, when a cause comes along that targets those who would abuse their positions I support it. Earlier this week, I received the following action alert:

Dear Ryan,

What kind of country cuts food aid to hungry pregnant women and children in the middle of an economic crisis—while giving a giant tax break to billionaires?

Seriously. WTF?!

The Republicans are winning the battle over the budget, hands down, even though what they're fighting for is, put simply, immoral. A cut of at least $400 million from a crucial program that puts food on the table for pregnant women and small children. Crippling the EPA. Completely eliminating funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, AmeriCorps, and high-speed rail.¹

Instead of creating jobs, the Republican budget would destroy 700,000 of them. Our only hope is a public outcry strong enough to stiffen Democrats' spines and cause Republicans to back down.

Sign our petition to Congress and the president, asking them to say "no" to these brutal cuts.

The petition says: "Cutting food aid to hungry women and children in the middle of an economic crisis is wrong. Please oppose the devastating cuts in the Republican budget."

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Joan, Adam Q., Milan, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "House GOP Proposes Cuts to Scores of Sacred Cows," National Journal, February 9, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=206023&id=26549-18544361-wqlQWIx&t=4

This message was sent by MoveOn.org, and I forwarded it to the majority of my e-mail list. Roughly thirty minutes later, I was given this response from one of the recipients:

Ryan,

Please take me off your email list, especially this leftist, commie blog/PAC, MOVE ON .ORG, Please do not ever insult my religious beliefs and think that Christians worldwide do not support and defend the poor and helpless. Remember, the adage, give a man a fish he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish he will eat for life. You have been very misinformed, the federal government is not your teacher nor your fisherman!!

That's strange, I don't recall claiming that my government is my teacher and fisherman. I also don't recall seeing that in the alert I sent out. Yet, that was the assumption of the individual in question, and their statement that the information is part of some leftist and communist agenda is a sign that they're the ones who are misinformed courtesy of the popular conservative rhetoric bouncing around the airwaves.

Progressives are demonized as liars and commies, yet Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Sarah Palin, and others are the golden standard of truth and ethics in news reporting? Last I checked not only do these individuals engage in actions that are in direct opposition to their purported adherence to the Christian faith, with the exception of Beck who is Mormon, but routinely put forth information that when reviewed by independent researchers turns out to be heavily skewed and rife with false data. Examples? I direct your attention to Exhibit A where Bill O'Reilly went on national television, and claimed that kidnapping and molestation victim Shawn Hornbeck enjoyed his four years of captivity with abductor Michael Devlin. Even though authorities found evidence that Hornbeck and co-prisoner Ben Ownby were routinely beaten and sodomized, O'Reilly claimed that Hornbeck stayed because he didn't have to "obey any rules", and didn't have to "go to school".

Interesting. A child is going to choose a life of humiliation, rape, verbal and physical abuse, and psychological terror over school and a structured environment.

I could go on and on about all of the different examples of poor judgment, behavior, and reporting connected just to the individuals I have named. Yet, the point of the matter is that millions of people rely on the information broadcast on their respective networks, web sites, blogs, and so forth in order to make informed and educated decision about the political future of their state and country. Unfortunately,there are those in power who would use that access to engage in psychological warfare, and manipulate the masses in order to gather support for their own agendas. One would ask why people aren't hip to this trick, yet how could they when they've been raised since birth to believe that these people are right, and anyone who doesn't 100% agree with or behave as they do are evil and wrong? Add in character defamation, purposeful editing (James O'Keefe), disinformation, blatant lies, and skewing of scientific and statistical data and you have people just like the ones contained in that e-mail I posted.

Loyal, faithful, and incapable of forming an independent thought. Not to mention lacking the will or ability to question those who are in power, or checking up on the people providing them with the information they're basing their decisions and very lives upon. Last I checked, Christ had a name for people who manipulate and use others in the fashions I've described, and a warning to boot according to Luke 12:1:

"...Beware the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy."

Think he was onto something?

***

Bill O'Reilly Claims Kidnapping and Molestation Victim Enjoyed Capture (1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKI5S4wShqo

Bill O'Reilly Defends Statement That Kidnapping and Molestation Victim Enjoyed Caputre (2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGKM44SY_Ug&feature=related

MoveOn.Org
http://front.moveon.org/

Care2.Com
http://www.care2.com/

FreePress.Net
http://www.freepress.net/

Tea Baggers vs. Tolerance

2011-02-24T14:13:00.002-09:00

Right now, tolerance isn't looking so good given the beating it's receiving at the hands of the Tea Party. After the fiasco surrounding Joe Miller with his paranoia, personal goon squad, and war on the public's right to know the organization has been keeping a low profile. Understandable, since most of the candidates they've backed have turned out to be religious extremists who want to turn America into a theocracy, and take this country clear back to the Stone Age "in the name of Jesus".

However, bizarre interpretations of scripture, to the point of undermining basic human and constitutional rights aren't the only hallmark of this group, racism is as well. Early last year, the Huffington Post reported on the antics of Tea Party protesters who yelled derogatory expletives at House Democrats during a political function. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver was spat on, Rep John Lewis, a hero of the Civil Rights Movement, was called a "n___er", and openly gay Rep. Barney Frank was called a "faggot" by members of the crowd. Naturally, the Tea Party was quick to respond claiming that its organization wasn't racist, and even went so far as to claim that the Congressmen were making the whole thing up. A position they stuck to, until this little gem popped up courtesy of Tea Partier Mark Williams:

Dear Mr. Lincoln,

We Coloreds have taken a vote and decided that we don't cotton to that whole emancipation thing. Freedom means having to work for real, think for ourselves, and take consequences along with the rewards. That is just far too much to ask of us Colored People, and we demand that it stop!

In fact, we held a big meeting and took a vote in Kansas City this week. We voted to condemn a political revival of that old abolitionist spirit called the "tea party movement".

The Tea Party position to "end the bailouts" for example, is just silly. Bailouts are just big money welfare, and isn't that what we want all Coloreds to strive for? What kind of racist would want to end big money welfare? What they need to do is start handing the bail outs directly to us Coloreds! Of course, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the only responsible party that should be granted the right to disperse the funds.

And the ridiculous idea of "reduce[ing] the size and intrusiveness of government". What kind of massa would ever not want to control my life? As Coloreds we must have somebody care for us otherwise we would be on our own, have to think for ourselves, and make decisions!

The racist Tea Parties also demand that the government "stop the out of control spending." Again, they directly target Coloreds. That means we Coloreds would have to complete for jobs like everybody else, and that is just not right.

Perhaps the most racist point of all in the tea parties is their demand that government "stop raising our taxes". That is outrageous! How will we Coloreds ever get a wide screen TV in every room if non-Coloreds get to keep what they earn? Totally racist! The Tea Party expects Coloreds to be productive members of society?

Mr. Lincoln, you were the greatest racist ever. We had a great gig. Three squares, room and board, all our decisions made by the massa in the house. Please repeal the 13th and 14th Amendments, and let us get back to where we belong.

Sincerely,

Precious Ben Jealous, Tom's Nephew NAACP Head Colored Person

Wow.

The National Tea Party Federation eventually kicked Williams out, even though the Tea Party Express leader had previously gone on the air on his California radio show, and labeled the Manhattan boro president tied up in the infamous Ground Zero Mosque a "Jewish Uncle Tom" and President Obama an "Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug." Yet, he was only ousted after his blog containing similar bigoted sentiments gained national attention, thus requiring the Federation to save face by giving him the boot.

Indeed.

Yet, the extremists are back again, this time their rhetoric is firmly aimed at President Obama. What most Americans don't realize is that the ranks of the Tea Party and its various satellite organizations, are filled with ultra-conservative Christian fundamentalists who want to see this country become a theocracy, and taken back to a time where oppression of others based on ethnicity or gender was accepted as "correct" under strict [mis]interpretations of biblical text. This is evidenced by a recent poll showing that one in three conservatives think Barack Obama is the Anti-Christ. Admittedly, this sampling comes solely from New Jersey, but if that same poll was conducted on a national scale how many people would click "yes" signifying their belief that our Executive in Chief is the Devil incarnate?

This comes on the heels of the other recent religiously motivated protest where evangelicals are being encouraged to pray Psalm 109:9 against President Obama. Why is this such a big deal? Well, read the scripture for yourself:

"May his days be few, may another take his place of leadership. May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow."

Nice. Nothing like calling for the Judeo-Christian equivalent of a jihad against your President. Yet these are the same people who are calling members of the Democratic Party traitors inciting sedition, and holding up signs demanding they be tried for treason. Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, this is pot. I'm just curious to see how crazy things have to get before the religious leaders within this country quit sitting on their hands, and speak out against the madness sweeping across America. Although, as a student of history something tells me that their protests will come too little too late, and therefore those of us who are true members of the Christian faith must pray.

For what exactly?

The safety of our President and the future of this great nation, for I fear that someone within these extreme elements might follow in the footsteps of Jared Lee Loughner, and make an attempt on Barack Obama's life. I am not the only one who is afraid that someone might try to or succeed in assassinating Obama, and given the antics of these madmen who bastardize the name of God in favor of their tyranny and hatred - it's a legitimate concern.

***

Mark William's Racist Letter
http://www.hillbillyreport.org/showDiary.do?diaryId=1754&view=print

Congressmen Harassed By Tea Party Enthusiasts
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/20/tea-party-protests-nier-f_n_507116.html

Mark Willaims Ousted by National Tea Party Federation
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-07-18/news/27070288_1_mark-williams-mosque-ground-zero

Obama Identified As The Anti-Christ
http://washingtonindependent.com/59514/poll-one-in-three-new-jersey-conservatives-think-obama-might-be-the-anti-christ

Obama Targeted by Psalm 109:9
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/18/rachel-maddow-frank-schae_n_362415.html

Missing Breasts? No Worries, TSA Will Still Feel You Up For "National Security"

2011-02-21T22:53:00.000-09:00

Earlier this week, Rep. Sharon Cissna (D-Anchorage) had to employ alternative means to return to Juneau to participate in the Legislature, after refusing to engage in what she called an "invasive pat-down search" at the Seattle airport. On Sunday, Cissna underwent a full-body scan at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport revealing scars from surgery she underwent as part of her battle against breast cancer, apparently this was enough of a red flag that agents for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) decided to subject her to an intensive physical search.

Yes, according to the TSA mastectomy scars are an indicator that a woman is possibly transporting terrorist devices. However, after the last grope-fest Cissna refused to comply, and instead opted to return by ferry to Alaska's capitol. This form of invasion, permissible under the Homeland Security Act, has led to multiple incidents of TSA agents abusing their positions, and using their authority to inappropriately search passengers and harass innocent Americans.

Keep in mind the case of Mandi Hamlin, 37, who on February 24, 2008 was forced by TSA officials in Lubbock, Texas to remove her nipple rings using a pair of pliers behind a flimsy security screen. You heard me, TSA agents had a passenger remove her nipple rings with a pair of pliers even though they weren't a security risk. Hamlin had already passed through the large walk-through metal detectors without incident, however after an agent ran a handheld detector over her chest, her piercings were discovered. Hamlin informed the female agent she was wearing nipple rings, whereupon the TSA employee called over her male colleagues who informed Hamlin she would have to remove her jewelry in order to board the plane, and insisted upon it even after she offered to display her pierced breasts for inspection to a female agent. Several male officers then told her if she wanted to fly, the jewelry would have to go, and escorted her to a screened area where she had to remove her rings using the pliers. According to Hamlin, she overheard the male officers snickering on the other side of the screen while she took out her piercings. TSA agents then allowed her to board the flight, even though she was still wearing a belly button ring.

So, nipple rings bad, belly rings good. Interesting.

Toddlers aren't safe from the long arm of TSA either, since on November 16, 2010, three-year old Mandy Simon was subjected to a search in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Why was she searched? Because, like any young child, she started crying after her security object, a teddy bear, was put through the X-Ray machine. This caused her to act like any stressed child therefore because she couldn't walk calmly through through the upright metal scanner she was subject to a hand search. How was this accomplished? By holding her down on the floor, and forcibly conducting the pat-down. Unfortunately for TSA and fortunately for Mandy, her father was a TV reporter, and caught seventeen seconds of the ordeal on his cell phone.

Wow.

Finally, Stacy Armato, 30, was kept from making her flight to return to her family in Los Angeles, California after asking TSA agents to adhere to their own policies and procedures regarding alternative screening methods for medically necessary liquids. What was the liquid? Her own breast milk which she had pumped earlier before arriving at the Phoenix International Airport, and even had a copy of the TSA's own guidelines in hand when she went through the checkpoints to back up her request that the milk not be subjected to the X-Ray machine because of possible radiation. Yet, TSA agents refused to follow their own federal guidelines, detained Armato for over an hour, forcing her to miss her flight, and eventually discard the milk intended for her seven-month old son waiting for her back in Los Angeles. If that's not bad enough, after filing a complaint and engaging in legal action, the Transportation Security Administration eventually turned over tapes displaying Armato's ordeal, minus thirty minutes of footage, and the portion where the TSA manager demanded her personal information on a piece of paper which he kept.

All of this in the name of safety, yet after reviewing dozens of incidents like these, it's obvious that these antics have less to do with safety, and everything to do with the institution of fascism. The majority of these searches are rife with incidents of blatant sexual assault, and violation of American's constitutional rights even when they come armed with copies of TSA's own federal guidelines!

The fact that Sharon Cissna had to be patted down even after submitting to a body scan which leaves very, very little to the imagination is absolutely absurd. This sort of treatment is unnecessary, and hasn't done jack for making us safer since all one has to do is look at the incident in 2010 with the underwear bomber to figure that out. Freedom, true freedom, requires risk, and I'm sorry in the words of Benjamin Franklin -

"Those who give up safety in the name of freedom deserve neither."

This will not stop until the men and men of this great nation stand up against this breech of our constitutional rights, which state that as citizens of this country we are exempt from UNLAWFUL SEARCHES AND SEIZURES, and tell these people no more.

***

Cissna Refuses To Be Felt-Up In The Name of National Security
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/21/rep-sharon-cissna-tsa-patdown_n_825851.html?ref=fb&src=sp

Mandi Hamlin Forced To Remove Her Nipple Rings Using A Pair Of Pliers
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/682189/mandi_hamlin_our_privacy_the_tsa_and.html

Mandy Simon Searched For Crying Over Her Teddy Bear At An Airport
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/detail?entry_id=77140

Stacy Armato Denied Flight For Asking For Alternative Screening Methods for Her Breastmilk
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1334228/Breast-feeding-passenger-claims-harassed-TSA-wanting-pumped-milk-passed-X-ray-machine.html

What The Airport Scans REALLY Show
http://www.livescience.com/5387-airport-body-scans-reveal.html

UPDATE: GOP Redoubles Efforts To Oppress American Women

2011-02-20T00:37:00.000-09:00

Earlier this week, I reported in the article The War On Woman on GOP efforts to redefine rape, cut all funding for Planned Parenthood, and even deny medically necessary abortions to women who's lives are in danger due to complications from their pregnancy. However, since posting that article I've come across new information about legislation Republicans are attempting to pass that would not only destroy a woman's quality of life, but her access to medical care, childcare, and undermine her ability to prosecute stalkers, rapists, and perpetrators of domestic violence.

According to MoveOn.org, an online website dedicated to civic action and raising awareness of elected officials attempting to restrict or oppress American citizens, there are ten legislative processes currently before Congress who's sole purpose is to take a pick-axe to women's health and rights. Three of them were covered in The War On Woman, but the remaining seven are indicative of the direction the self-proclaimed religious right and moral majority wish to take this country over the next five to ten years. An opportunity they will undoubtedly seize upon should one of the top Republican presidential candidates (Romney, Palin, etc...) ascend to the White House.

Consider Rep. Bobby Franklin of Georgia who is trying to pass legislation requiring police in his state to investigate all miscarriages, whether they occur at home or in a hospital, in order to certify they were natural and spontaneous. If the cause of death cannot be verified, or the woman can't tell how it happened then the police have the right to interrogate family, friends, and even take legal action against the woman to the tune of infanticide. Under his new bill, HB 1, abortions even in cases of rape, incest, or when it's a choice between the life of the fetus and the mother would be illegal even if there is overwhelming medical evidence to support the necessity of the procedure.

So much for the Hippocratic oath to "do no harm".

This comes on the heels of Franklin's last legislative endeavor, reported earlier this month on The Huffington Post, to introduce a bill mandating that state criminal codes identify women who are victims of rape, domestic violence, and stalking as "accusers" instead of "victims" until the perpetrator is convicted. An interesting step since Georgia is 11th in the nation for incidences of forcible rape, and the change in the language would undermine the credibility of the plaintiff by calling into play old myths that accusations of rape and domestic violence are little more than fabrications. This would also place an additional barrier between the victim and the justice system since according to RAINN (Rape and Incest National Network), 60% of rapes/sexual assaults are not reported, and only 6% of rapists ever serve a day in jail.

Yet, Franklin wants to create language that would further reduce a victim's ability to prosecute her attacker/abuser/stalker even though he is the representative of a state that is currently 11th in the nation for sex crimes.

Interesting.

If that's not crazy enough for you, Rep. Phil Jensen of South Dakota issued a bill, HB 1171, that would make it legal for the relatives of a woman seeking an abortion to kill the provider performing the procedure under the pretense of justifiable homicide. According to the language of the document, the act would be "permissible if committed by a person while resisting the attempt to harm that person's unborn child or the unborn child of that person's spouse, partner, parent, or child". Proponents of HB 1171 says the language has nothing to do with abortion, but Jensen supporters like Iowa anti-abortion activist David Leach have praised the bill stating -

"There may be something I'm overlooking, but from all appearances, this bill would certainly justify an individual taking the life of an abortionist in order to save human lives."

As of February 19, state lawmakers have shelved the measure, but given the climate of the political arena regarding women's reproductive rights it's likely to return. What's interesting is that the people putting forth these bills are members of the so-called moral majority, and base a great deal of their campaign platforms on their ability to embody and live up to the edicts of Christian theology. Yet, they're calling for the murder of physicians, the deaths of women from complications during pregnancy, the forced pregnancy of victims of incest and rape, and the denial of justice to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. All of this from individuals following the teachings of a Jewish holy man whom history identifies as being a "defender of women", and commanded those who followed Him to show mercy and provide aid to the poor.

About that last part, the House Appropriations Committee has proposed to cut $758 million dollars from programs providing food assistance to low-income women, children, and infants. This doesn't come as much of a surprise since according to individuals like Commissioner C. Paul Smith and Robin Delauter, Republican officials who voted to slash funding to their county's Head Start Program an organization that provides preschool services to children of low-income families (not just single mothers), their decision is "right" because women should really be married and at home with their children which would make the program unnecessary.

I see, so the higher cost of living, the fact that the majority of families cannot survive on a single income necessitating both parents participation in the work force, and everything else that makes childcare a necessity is just utter bunk?

Then again, if GOP party members truly wanted to prevent the incidence of unplanned pregnancies requiring the use of public funds to support these non-traditional families, then they should reconsider their efforts to defund programs like Planned Parenthood and Title X which provides family planning for low-income Americans. The proper use of condoms and oral contraceptives goes a long way for preventing pregnancies and STDs, yet Congress wants to completely eliminate funding for family planning programs.

Of course these anti-choice proponents are simply looking out for the human condition, the sanctity and value of human life, which is why they're opting to defund these programs, and instead follow in the footsteps of Rep. Dan Burton of Indiana who is working to introduce an amendment to the spending bill to promote contraception for wild horses.

It's nice to know that today in American, much like in the days of Ancient Greece, a horse has more value than the health and well-being of a human woman.

***

Top GOP's Top Ten Attacks On Women's Health and Rights
http://pol.moveon.org/waronwomen/?rc=fb

Georgia Representative Wants Police To Investigate All Miscarriages for Criminal Activity
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/02/17/946257/--GALegislator-Wants-to-Create-The-Uterus-Police-to-Investigate-Miscarriages

Rep. Bobby Franklin's Anti-Abortion/Miscarriage Bill In Its Entirety
http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display.aspx?Legislation=31965

Georgia Representative Wants To Change "Victim" to "Accuser" for Crimes of Rape, Domestic Violence, and Stalking
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/04/georgia-lawmaker-redefine-rape-victims-accusers_n_818718.html

Reporting Rate Statistics From RAINN
http://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/reporting-rates

Rep. Phil Jensen of South Dakota's "Justifiable Homicide" I
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2011/02/15/south_dakota_abortion_killing_bill

Rep. Phil Jensen of South Dakota's "Justifiable Homicide" II
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/south-dakota-hb-1171-legalize-killing-abortion-providers

South Dakota Lawmakers Shelve Jensen's Bill
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/17/south-dakota-shelves-homicide-bill_n_824566.html

House GOP Cuts Funding to "Sacred Cows"
http://nationaljournal.com/house-gop-proposes-cuts-to-scores-of-sacred-cows-20110209

Women Should Be Married and At Home with Their Children Instead of Working
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/16/gop-women-kids/

Smith and Delauter's Remarks Regarding Women In The Workplace
http://www.gazette.net/stories/02092011/frednew175041_32611.php

GOP Targets Family Planning Funds for Title X
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/02/09/gop-spending-plan-x-ing-out-title-x-family-planning-funds/

Contraceptives for Horses Instead of Humans
http://www.blogforchoice.com/archives/2011/02/birth-control-f.html

MoveOn.Org
http://www.moveon.org/

The War On Woman

2011-02-17T21:24:00.002-09:00

James O'Keefe, the mastermind behind the fake videotape used as "evidence" in the Congressional destruction of ACORN, is back with a brand new piece of "incriminating footage". You would think, given the fraudulent nature of his last work, this charlatan would have lost any and all credibility, but he hasn't, and his latest "sting operation" involving employees at Planned Parenthood has inspired Congress to take action to strip the organization of any and all federal funding.

First reported by Bob Cesca, courtesy of The Huffington Post, O'Keefe and his associates once again donned the fake pimp and prostitute personas, and went to a Planned Parenthood clinic where he asked employees if he could acquire STD treatment, birth control, and possible abortion services for "underage prostitutes". Again, you would think that given O'Keefe's background, including his very public admission to purposefully deceiving the media in order to destroy his former foe ACORN, that no one would give this individual the time of day, but his antics have whipped the Republicans into enough of a frenzy that they are now trying to strip Planned Parenthood of all its funding.

I kid you not.

If that's not bad enough, this would prevent Planned Parenthood from providing other services in the communities where they operate. Abortions is not the only thing physicians employed by the organization perform. They also provide cancer screenings, PAP smears, birth control, STD treatment, and other medical procedures to impoverished women who would otherwise go untreated. Alaska's own Shannyn Moore, host of Moore Up North and talk radio personality, had her breast cancer diagnosed by Planned Parenthood, and credits the organization with saving her life.

Yet, according to those in Washington D.C., if a woman can't afford medical services without the aid of Planned Parenthood then, basically, she doesn't need them to begin with even if going without any form of treatment would cost her life. If that's not bad enough, Congress, under pressure from the political arm of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is also trying to pass legislation that would require religious hospitals to deny abortions to women even if their life is in danger. That's right, if you are dying from pre-eclampsia, a rare and life-threatening condition for pregnant women, and you go to a religious hospital they will let you and your child die right there in the emergency room. Why? Because abortion is against their religious beliefs. So is murder, but I suppose they would rather justify their non-intervention as "the will of God" even though said God has some very specific and unpleasant things to say about people who stand idly by, and allow the death of another rather than interfere.

About that parable of the Samaritan and the guy in the ditch.

Then again, what do you expect from a religious organization that has spent innumerable decades covering up instances of child rape by clergymen, and even going so far as to pay off victim's families in order to prevent a "scandal". God-fearing, indeed. However, Congress wants to take this bit of legislation one step further, and make it illegal for all hospitals to provide abortions in cases where it is a choice between the mother's life and the fetus'. Up until this point, abortion for cases of rape, incest, and prevention of maternal loss of life have been permitted, but thanks to O'Keefe and the Catholic church they're wanting to do away with any legislation whatsoever that grants a woman the right to chose this option as part of her medical program.

Yet, this doesn't surprise me.

If anything, the government of this country and those abroad seem reluctant to pass any form of legislation that gives women any form of legitimate and equal control over their sexuality, and ability to reproduce. Why? Quite simply because we are a resource, specifically one that can incubate and birth new human beings, and therefore because we are a classified as a resource those in charge are disinclined to legalize any act that could potentially damage that resource (i.e. abortion or sterilization).

At this time, any man can go to Planned Parenthood, so long as they are the age of majority (18), and for $500 receive a vasectomy. However, women under the age of 30 are typically denied a tubal ligation (tube tying) by physicians out of fear that the patient may change her mind. A belief based upon the stereotype that women are emotional and indecisive, thus incapable of making a long-term decision about her reproductive health. Yet, this concern is invalid because new advances in microsurgery can reverse 70% of tubal ligations, regardless of how it was performed, and thus reverse this form of medically-induced infertility. Although, how many women are aware of this information, and how many of their physicians have provided it in lieu of trying to convince them that this surgery isn't what they really want?

I mean, after all it's common knowledge that all women want to have babies, right?

However, this attack on women's right to chose their sexual destiny isn't just part of a patriarchal agenda. There are women who support these restrictions as well, regardless of the circumstances of conception. Sharron Angle, a member of the religious right and former Republican Senatorial candidate for Nevada, drew criticism early last year for her statement encouraging victims of incest as young as 13 to "make lemons out of lemonade" if impregnated by a male family member - including their own father.

I'm sorry, but as a Christian, I happen to read the Bible, and last I checked in both the Old and New Testament God called incest and adultery a "sin" and an "abomination". What I would like to ask Mrs. Angle is the following -

When that mother of that raped young daughter reaches Heaven, do you actually believe that Jesus is going to tell her, "Congratulation on not prosecuting your husband who committed incest and adultery with your daughter, and allowing him to continue raping and molesting your daughter without consequence to the point of fathering children with her."?

If her answer is yes, then she needs to take remedial Bible 101, and also consider just how "Christian" it is to tell a victim that under the law she must endure a forced pregnancy rather than be able to make a medical decision, a private medical decision with her physician, and choose to discontinue a pregnancy resulting from two acts that are both identified as a sin in Mrs. Angle's religion.

Although, I'm sure she would cite that while the act is sinful, the child is an innocent, and therefore a victim of murder. However, let's see what the Bible says about that, hm?

The Book of Exodus (Chapter 21:22-23) NIV:

"...If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman, and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows... "

So, if a pregnant woman is caused to miscarry an unborn child through external forces, the most that's supposed to happen is the payment of a fee. No eternal damnation, no cries of murder, nothing. I'm sure critics could argue the circumstances that, unlike abortion, this is a case where the miscarriage is not induced for the sole purpose of ending a pregnancy, but the point remains that according to the Bible this isn't viewed as an act of capital murder. Also, I will agree, to an extent, with Pro-Life proponents that abortion should not be a means of birth control. There are millions of infertile couples in this nation who would love to adopt a child, and do so in cases where the mother does not wish to retain custody of the child.

If anything, in those cases there should be programs in place to support the mother, encourage her to retain the pregnancy, and aid her in finding a suitable surrogate family to care for her offspring. However, to prohibit abortion in cases of rape, incest, or where the mother's life is in danger is a direct contradiction of Christian edicts which calls for justice for those who have been victimized, and undermines the value of human life. A woman has been raped! While my insight may be considered subjective by some, I have had the opportunity to speak with women who were severely discouraged from having an abortion following sexual assault, and felt as though they had been raped a second time from being forced to continue the pregnancy. The idea that their violator's child was growing inside of them severely retarding their recovery from the initial trauma, and for two of the women led them to spend years in self-destructive behaviors before finally reaching a point where they could begin to heal from their ordeal. Now, imagine how much more traumatic it would be for a young girl who has been impregnated by her father, and must continue the pregnancy because the law tells her she doesn't have any more control over her body than what she had in her parent's home.

How very Christian, indeed.

Then again, Angle is part of that same Republican religious right and moral majority to the tune of 173 Congressmen who just tried to redefine rape in order to prevent the use of federal funds to pay for abortions. Yes, you heard me correctly, they tried to redefine rape in order to further eliminate a woman's access to abortion in case of incest or rape.

H.R.3 would have altered the longstanding exemptions for abortions for victims of rape to only apply to cases of "forcible rape", and what exactly is "forcible rape"? Well, if a woman were a victim of date rape, where the perpetrator would drug her into submission, that wouldn't have counted under H.R.3. Nope. Raped by a close male friend? Nope. Rape of a mentally-challenged woman? Nope. Raped by Dad or Uncle Bob? Maybe, so long as they're under the age of 18, and even then it's questionable. In fact, given the vague nature of the language, pretty much no act of rape would have counted! Thankfully, pressure from women's groups were able to keep H.R.3 from being passed, but after doing some research out of the 7.4 million women covered by Medicaid in 2006 only 85 of them received abortions that were paid for with federal funding.

85.

Yet, Congress feels that they need to eliminate this procedure to prevent the millions and millions of babies being killed annually through abortion. Somewhere, there's a Carl Sagan joke in all of this, but the absolute insanity of our elected officials has destroyed my sense of humor. Then again, I have to point out the fact that maybe NCLB (No Child Left behind) is a good thing, since we have politicians who think that somehow out of 85 women we managed to have millions and millions of abortions in the span of one fiscal year.

With figures like that, maybe we do need to hold schools accountable for turning out morons who can't read statistics, and then try to pass laws legislating what women can and can't do with their uteruses, and give men a free pass to rape anything with a pulse.

Just a thought.

***

Tubal Ligations Denied To Women Under Thirty
http://nsrc.sfsu.edu/article/tubal_ligation_denied

Reversal Success Rates for Women With Tubal Ligations
http://www.advancedfertility.com/tubalreversal.htm

Quote from Exodus
http://bigchurch.com/p/bible/read.cgi?cv=21&version=niv&book=Exodus

Sharon Angle Says, "Turn Lemons Into Lemonade"
http://news.change.org/stories/raped-by-dad-just-turn-lemons-into-lemonade

Congress Tries To Redefine Rape
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/asher-smith/how-173-congressmen-are-t_b_815977.html

Congress Attempting To De-Fund Planned Parenthood Based On Phony Tape
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/the-republican-war-agains_b_821720.html

Shannyn Moore Tweets About Planned Parenthood Saving Her Life
http://twitter.com/shannynmoore/status/35448093247938560

Congress Wants To Prohibit Hospitals From Providing Abortions Even If The Mother's Life Is In Danger
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-northup/new-bill-would-allow-reli_b_822168.html

Sex and Vaticans

2011-01-14T21:11:00.000-09:00

I am Christian, but ascribe to no traditions or antiquated dogmas. I believe in the God instrumental in the creation of man, but believe nothing of the "God" created by man as an instrument of tyranny and oppression. I am a spiritual being following Jesus of Nazareth, but an outspoken mortal creature unimpressed by organized religion. I say this in light of a series of events that have been unfolding, culminating in the most public self-imposed exile from corporate Christianity since the Protestant Reformation. I am referring, of course, to gothic writer Anne Rice's decision to leave Christianity, specifically Catholicism, in early 2010 after twelve years as a devout member of the Church. Rice based her decision on the same reasons most people jump ship in the first place -

"Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always, but not to being “Christian”, or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to “belong” to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else. As I said below, I quit being a Christian. I’m out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen."

~ Anne Rice on Facebook (2010)

Rice isn't the only one to notice that the majority of the positions taken by the Catholic and even Protestant Churches have no scriptural basis, and are the result of man-made secular treatises propped up on supposed "divine inspiration" or "enlightened interpretation" of religious texts. The most recent example being the much-ballyhooed Rapture which wasn't even an accepted doctrine until after 1837 when a 15-year old Catholic girl named Margaret MacDonald had a prophetic end-time vision depicting said rapture and gained popularity amongst various churches that eventually accepted it as - pun intended - gospel truth. Never mind the fact that the girl was reputedly involved in occult practices, and observed levitating above the ground by one Robert Norton.

Sorry Mr. LaHaye, but you've been had.

If spreading false doctrine wasn't bad enough, the Catholic and Protestant Churches as organized religions have extensive bloody histories on multiple continents where God was cited as their inspiration for some of the lewdest crimes against humanity. One need only look at American history for the actions of the Puritans, missionaries, and other secular groups against their own community members and the Native Americans. The Catholic Church, during the Dark Ages, murdered what is believed to be more people than the Third Reich during its height through inquests, trials, inquisitions, and prosecution of those accused of everything from heresy and witchcraft to mere speculation and innovation. To add insult to injury on October 31st, 2000 (Halloween, excuse me All Saints Day), Pope John Paul named Thomas Moore, who put people on the rack in England for owning a Bible in their own language, as the patron saint of politicians.

Indeed, canonizing a man who brutally murdered and tortured people for owning a Bible in their own language, but then again what do you expect from an organization that is the epitome of corruption and decadence? If anything, the canonization fits since Moore is an example of what Catholicism has become.

Earlier this year, at an Intelligence Squared Debate, Anne Widdecombe, a member of the British Conservative Christian Fellowship and convert to Roman Catholicism, put forth the position that the Catholic Church is a force of good in the world. The event featured Archbishop John Onaiyekan who supported Widdecombe's position, and Christopher Hutchens and Stephen Fry who were understandably opposed. During the course of the debate it was revealed, by Fry, that not only has the Catholic Church been aware of the sexual abuse perpetrated by clergy on young children, but has been so for decades. However, rather than do the moral or righteous thing which is the excommunication and prosecution of members responsible for these reprehensible crimes, the current Pope, one John Ratzinger issued a letter stating that under the threat of excommunication all members of the priesthood were forbidden to speak with authorities or turn in known sex offenders operating within their ranks.

To further exemplify the level of corruption and blatant disobedience to local and religious law, when the late Fr. Marcial Maciel was found to be a serial pedophile taking advantage of his position within the Catholic organization, Legion for Christ which has massive influence in his native country of Mexico, the church stepped in, and in essence took over handling of the case from local authorities. The result? Maciel was sentenced to a life of penitence and prayer since, according to the information presented by Fry at the debate, and I am paraphrasing here -

"...it is too cruel to prosecute someone so dear a close and personal friend to the Pope..."

Ah, so prosecuting a man who raped and sodomized children of all ages and sexes, even going as far as fathering several children with his victims, is an act of cruelty? An interesting position to take when your entire organization is supposed to be a source of truth, justice, and protection for the weak and innocent. To top it off, in a memo sent out by the current Pope before his ascent to the papacy, he blamed the decades-worth of pederasty not on the immoral conduct of the clergy themselves, but on the presence of homosexuals who had “infiltrated” the church. In effect, Pope Benedict XVI placed the entire blame on gays and lesbians, claiming that only "immoral" and "disordered" individuals who prefer same-sex liaisons would molest children even though the evidence shows that the majority of sex offenders are in fact heterosexual.

Then again, the Catholic Church's entire position on human sexuality is immoral and disordered. For example, any sexual act that does not produce children is seen as a violation of God’s intentions for copulation. Masturbation, anal sex, birth control pills, condoms, and anything else of an intimate nature that does not produce offspring is strictly prohibited. Even though millions of Catholics violate this rule across the world, save those who are devout, the church maintains the position, and has done so at the cost of valuable aid and intervention for those living in countries where HIV/AIDS is pandemic.

In 1987, Uganda issued the ABC program which stands for Abstinence, Be Faithful, and Use Condoms. Rather than simply state that contraceptives are against their religious beliefs, and place the welfare of those suffering as priority the Catholic Church went so far as to deny aid to those dying of and left orphaned by HIV/AIDS unless condoms were removed as an option for preventing the spread and transmission of the disease. Yes, you read that correctly, and the pontiff (at the time of this writing I am unsure if it was John Paul or Benedict) even went so far as to claim that condoms were responsible for the pandemic status of the virus in Africa.

When you read, watch, or hear things like this it's no wonder that people are jumping ship on one of the most stringent and power-hungry religious organizations to come along since the invention of the cult. Sorry Widdecombe, but the Catholic Church is not a force of good in the world. If raping children, oppressing women, vilifying homosexuals, torturing innocents, murdering and pillaging foreign cultures, exploiting the poor, denying care to the sick and drying, and working to inveigle, obscure, and obfuscate the truth is an example of good...

Well then, I no longer know the literal or metaphysical definition of evil, but I know I can find it in Catholicism.

***

Anne Rice Leaves Christianity (Reproduction of Original Statement)

http://www.godlessgirl.com/2010/07/anne-rice-leaves-christianity-not-jesus/

Thomas Moore Canonized by Pope John Paul

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa102800a.htm

Mexican Priest Marcial Maciel Exposed

http://www.vaticancrimes.us/2010/05/mexican-priest-scorned-but-religius.html

ABC In Uganda

http://www.avert.org/aids-uganda.htm

Stephen Fry vs. The Catholic Church Part One
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEhtOhwL8xk&feature=related

Stephen Fry vs. The Catholic Church Part Two

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH0safHyhPo&feature=related

Intelligence Squared

http://www.intelligencesquared.com/

Facts About Homosexuality and Child Molestation

http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_molestation.html

Scripture vs. The Rapture

http://www.scholarscorner.com/eschaton/lasttrump.html

Margaret MacDonald Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_McDonald_%28visionary%29

The Rapture Plot by Dave MacPherson (Info about Margaret levitating)

http://www.amazon.com/Rapture-Plot-David-MacPherson/dp/0962522058

Free Willie!

2011-01-13T21:47:00.000-09:00

Note: This post is dedicated to the memory of Roger "Bones" Ranch a personal friend, and inspiration who passed away earlier this month. We'll miss you old timer, this one is for you.

On November 24, 2010, 77-year-old country music icon Willie Nelson was arrested at a border patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, TX after agents found six ounces of marijuana on his tour bus. This occurred only eleven months after Nelson and his band members were issued citations in the state of North Carolina for possessing moonshine and marijuana, and four years after an incident in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana where authorities seized 1.5 pounds of cannabis, and three ounces of hallucinogenic mushrooms.

For anyone who's chanced across a country music station or any other venue featuring classic Americana music, Willie Nelson is a living legend, and national hero to individuals lobbying for the legalization of marijuana. A lifelong user of cannabis, when arrested in 2006 Nelson's take on the situation puts the mess regarding the prohibited status of marijuana into perspective -

"Both bus drivers were over 50 years old. The other guys were 60 years old, my sister is 75, I'm 73, so it's like they busted an old folks home."

Louisiana police services, paid for with taxpayer monies, expended precious emergency services and resources to accost a bus full of pot-smoking senior citizens, and prosecute them rather than focus those energies on more dangerous offenders. Currently, Nelson is facing up to 180 days in Hudspeth County Jail, if convicted of possession. Yet, should prosecutors actually take the time to convict an old man who has been an unapologetic advocate of the legalization of marijuana for forty years, and someone who is unlikely to cease using the substance? Even better, should we even bother to prosecute anyone who grows, sells, or uses cannabis for recreational or medicinal purposes?

For the past 74 years, the legislative branches of government have embarked on a mission to prosecute and incarcerate people who have committed no crime other than the sale or personal use of a plant. Not to mention the expenditures necessary to enforce said incarceration and prosecution when there are individuals on the street selling far more detrimental substances, and engaging in activities that are a significant threat to the safety of those living in the communities in which they operate. I am especially opposed when, during election season, I have to listen to politicians and political pundits alike decry excess government spending, and champion conservative financial habits while doing slash and burn budgeting to vital community services.

Dan Sullivan, anyone?

Individuals opposed to the legalization of marijuana argue that it is a "gateway drug" to "harder" substances like crystal methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and others. However, to make this argument is to ignore the dangerous and addictive qualities of tobacco and alcohol, or any other legalized substance that has the ability to induce narcotic effects. One needs only to look at the effects of Oxycontin on human physiology to come to this realization. Although, I've yet to see a lobbyist call for the prohibition of an FDA-approved pain medication earning manufacturers billions through the international sale and distribution. Current drug laws prohibiting the sale and distribution of substances that have a profound detrimental effect on users such as crystal methamphetamine, cocaine, LSD, PCP, heroin, and countless others are necessary and good. It's not hard to see that the use of these chemicals can and will cause addiction and death.

This is true for alcohol and tobacco. The difference is that they're more profitable in regards to sales, management, licensing, and revenue than their more volatile counterparts found on the streets. Marijuana has the same potential as its legalized brethren, especially given its ability to be used in a variety of industrial applications, but it remains illegal because of the myths propagated in the early 1930s before being outlawed in 1937.

When cannabis was classified as a federally prohibited substance, the decision was not based on scientific research, or any other method of standard testing or experimentation. There were no hearings, no government studies, or any other process used to define or identify contraband chemicals. Instead racism, fear, and pseudoscience were the factors used to engender its current status. For example, in 1934 newspapers were publishing headlines stating -

"Marijuana influences Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white men's shadows, and look at a white woman twice."

This, during the height of Jim Crow and miscegenation laws, and when segregation was an accepted social norm. Other myths included black men and women using cannabis to "snare" or "steal" white children, that it was given to assassins prior to completing a hit, and in 1930 Dr. A.E. Fossier claimed in a journal article that marijuana was responsible for violent behavior. A claim put forth at a time when physicians believed menstruation in women was cause for mental infirmity, children's thyroids - which are naturally large - were destroyed with radiation because the size was deemed to be part of a disease process, and lobotomies were used to treat homosexuality and mental illness.

Indeed.

In truth pot is no more dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. Overuse can lead to injury from impairment, and respiratory diseases. Like Prohibition, outlawing marijuana has been 100% ineffective in decreasing or eliminating its use, and has become a monetary black hole. According to CaliforniaMarijuanaCard.com, if the government would replace the prohibition system with a regulatory one it would save roughly $7.7 billion in government expenditures geared towards enforcing its illegality, $2.4 billion at the federal level, and $5.3 billion at the state and local levels. Imagine how many programs and services could benefit from those extra monies, and just how much of it could go towards paying off our trillion dollar national debt.

I'm amazed our fiscal conservative counterparts who spend countless hours decrying fiduciary waste, haven't latched onto this egregious waste of taxpayer dollars to incarcerate and prosecute citizens for sale, growth, or usage of pot. Not to mention countless man hours and resources wasted, instead of being used to target more dangerous deviants. Marijuana is legal in certain Canadian provines, and parts of Western Europe. As far as I can tell they haven't experienced an international underground market trading in Caucasian children stolen by individuals of African descent, violent mobs of crazed stoners, or any of the nonsense claimed by supposed "experts" in the 1930s.

That said, given the expense of prosecuting people for using weed, I'm more inclined to have the police spend their time reducing the gang activity here in Anchorage, than busting some hippie in his or her pad for smoking a bong, and contributing to the annual profits of the Hostess company. Pot-smoking-twinkie-eating-pothead vs. homicidal-cap-busting-violent-criminal. Which would you prefer to have in jail?

***

Marijuana Fact and Fiction
http://www.lycaeum.org/paranoia/marijuana/facts/mj-health-mythology.html

Willie Nelson Arrested for Pot Possession
http://culturemap.com/newsdetail/11-27-10-what-a-shocker-willie-nelson-arrested-for-marijuana-possession/

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/willie-nelson-arrested-for-pot-possession-20101127

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/willie-nelson-arrested-marijuana-posession/story?id=12255712

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
http://norml.org/

California Marijuana Card
http://californiamarijuanacard.com/2010/08/legal-cannabis-price-drop-propagandaor-fact-2/

A History of the Vilification of Marijuana
http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/why-is-marijuana-illegal/

U.S. Government Sanctioned Torture of Homosexuals In Mental Institutions (Blog)
http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/07/lgbt-history-the-decade-of-lobotomies-castration-and-institutions.html

Hiatus Until 2011

2010-10-05T19:36:00.001-08:00

Dear Readers,

For those of you who follow this blog, I bet you've been wondering where I've gone? Well, I went back to school to finish my degrees in Early Childhood Education and English. As a result, I have no life, and thus no time to shake my fist at the injustices of conservative and leftist extremism. This liberal is temporarily throwing in the towel. I'm stepping away from the keyboard until this semester is over, and I have time to write for reasons other than academic. I'll be back in 2011, don't give up on me yet. In the meantime, read the other progressive blogs, continue to educate and think for yourself, and most of all keep fighting the good fight against those who would strip our freedoms in the name of fear and ignorance.

To quote Gov. Schwarzenegger's character from Terminator 2 -

"I'll be back."

Ryan K.

It's Not The Victim's Fault

2010-09-11T20:29:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about that statement a lot recently after hearing on the news that after more than a decade, Alaska is no longer number one in the nation for suicide, but still holds the top spot for domestic violence and sexual assault. Having lived through both, I started wondering what it is exactly that encourages those rates to be so damn high. Is it our isolation? Our low populations, and rural communities? Limited law enforcement, and related services? All of those are excellent factors that contribute to the problem, but they aren't the whole answer. Instead, it's much more insidious.

We're told not to tell.

Yes, I said "we", because I am a survivor of both domestic violence and sexual assault. The latter in the form of predation by a male neighbor in 2007. For many years, I've been relatively quiet about my experiences, but after three years I finally have the courage to speak out about what happened to me in order to raise awareness of an issue that is extremely prevalent in this state. An issue where everyone is told to sit down, shut up, and act as if it never happened. I know this firsthand, and from research conducted on the subject. Negative social reactions and judgments towards rape victims are more common than positive ones regardless of situation and circumstance, and it doesn't just come from friends, it also comes from family.

To this day, my mother believes that my assault was my own fault. A sexual assault survivor herself, she claims that if I had moved "when she told me to", and if I had done "everything I was told to" then none of it would have ever happened. It doesn't matter that financially at that time moving was impossible, it doesn't matter that I did nothing to provoke or invite the attentions of my neighbor, it doesn't matter that he used power and intimidation to coerce my silence, and placed so much emotional strain on me that I suffered a life-altering nervous breakdown in 2008. All that matters, is that somehow I did something wrong, and therefore bought this all on myself.

Unfortunately, that perspective is not uncommon, and it is part of the reason why so many victims refuse to come forward. The problem with that is not only unresolved physical and emotional damage, but social because it allows the perpetrator to continue in society unchecked especially if the woman doesn't have a support network that can also provide protection. My attacker is still at large, why? Because he threatened to end the lives of my then-employer and my younger sister, going into detail of what he would do to them if I continued to try to bring him to justice. If that wasn't bad enough, he then continued to stalk me for months, randomly popping up, and asking me to describe to him the look that would be on my boss' face when he shot him in the back through the window of his office.

Yeah.

The only real support I've had during during my recovery has come from my pastor, one of my close friends, and my sister since both women are survivors of sexual assault. They also know what it is like to be blamed for your own attack, or be ostracized for coming forward which is why, for the most part, they haven't. Since going public, not only have I faced ridicule and accusations from friends and family, but from colleagues, and social acquaintances. Also, I've effectively removed myself from the dating "pool", because men are disinclined to date or associate with women who claim to have been sexually assaulted, and do so often.

Basically, more reasons not to tell.

Yet, this has to change. If Alaska wants to stop being number one in the nation for sexual assault, then we need to make our communities a place where a victim can come forward, and do so without fear of sanction or blame. We need to learn to withhold our judgments, and instead offer compassion and support. If we will not tolerate a child being silent about an encounter with a pedophile, less and only allow that person to remain anonymous and at large within our towns and cities then why isn't our reaction in kind when the victim is an adult?

Think about it.

***

Society vs. Rape Survivors
http://www.ria.buffalo.edu/pdf/RIB08-4.pdf

Rape and Incest National Network (RAINN)
http://www.rainn.org/

Weidner's Article on the Stigmatization of Rape Victims (subscription needed)
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1983.tb00859.x/abstract

Northern Kentucky Law Review (Stigmatization/Rape)
http://chaselaw.nku.edu/documents/law_review/v35/nklr_v35n4_pp347-369.pdf

Bad Girls Club?

2010-08-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

I admit, vacation isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially when you're from an arctic climate, and the mean temperatures of the state you're visiting are in the high nineties. Naturally, I've been spending quality time with the free cable and air conditioner. While flipping through the channels, I ended up on Oxygen, and my jaw hit the floor. Apparently, there's this show called "Bad Girls Club", and it features these model-esque women who's beauty really is only skin deep. Fights, name-calling, drama, and personalities as fake as the noses on their faces. After the turn of the century, reality television has become a fixture of primetime entertainment, but I have to wonder what we've become as a society when we promote shows such as this? There's no content, no substance, nothing. Just women acting like spoiled whores, and doing so with the whole world watching.

Harsh opinion, I know, but think about it. What kind of message are we sending young women and girls by promoting a show featuring shallow, manipulative, socially inept, and surgically/chemically altered women who spend most of their time fighting and drinking? Sorry but these women are not role models, unless you want your daughter to grow up, and become the middle-class version of Nichole Richie or Paris Hilton.

I realize some of my more hard-core feminist sisters would argue that these are women who are in control of their sexuality, but exploitation is exploitation regardless of who's in charge of it. Instead, they should be working on their natural, God-given talents that requires more of what's between their ears than what's between their legs in order to get ahead in this world. Looks don't last, but skills do.

If anything, we should be airing shows featuring women in roles typically reserved for men such as law enforcement, medicine, science, armed services, and the like. Yes, I know, there is that one show about female police officers, but that is ONE program out of dozens that are based on the objectification of women. Why? Because, of that old adage that sex sells, and for some reason we like watching self-destructive nymphomaniacs in HD.

***

It's All Fun and Games, Until Someone Loses Their Mind

2010-07-21T22:11:00.000-08:00

Earlier tonight, while recovering from the remnants of the virus that's kept me down for the majority of the summer, I found myself on The Learning Channel (TLC). Not a big deal, if you can ignore the worst reality show to grace the small screen since Fox's Temptation Island. Toddlers and Tiaras is an hour-long program featuring families involved in the world of children's beauty pageants. For forty-five minutes I watched parents recieve social mileage, and compensation for their own emotional needs and insecurities through the objectification of their children. Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and so on were paraded around on stage like rare breeds at a dog show.

Spray-on tans, partials called "flippers" designed to hide gaps and missing teeth, dresses worth thousands of dollars, foundation, blush, eye-liner, pageant coaches, and more are part of the world these children live in. Instead of forming real relationships with peers their own age, they are competing against them for asinine prizes. Plus, these girls, (yes the majority of them are girls although there are some boys), are being encouraged to wear skimpy outfits, and do dance moves that look like something out of a 50 Cent video. After almost seven years working as an Early Childhood professional, I know from experience that pageantry is inappropriate for youth experiencing their most critical stages of growth and development.

I mean, seriously, what are these parents thinking? Children will do just about anything to please the adults in their lives, they seek praise and approval, and so if Mommy wants them to strut around on stage like a peacock they'll do it. Naturally, all of these parents claim that their children are healthy and well-adjusted, but I beg to differ based on what the actual contestants said. A little girl didn't like her father on stage with her, because he didn't "sparkle", and his choreography for a "Daddy and Me" segment at a competition was "off". Another stated that her moods depend on whether or not she wins or loses a competition, which shows her entire sense of self-worth is tied up in crowns, ribbons, and the accolades of strangers.

Excuse me?

I'm sorry, but it's a bad sign when children start viewing others as a means to an end, rather than human beings with their own unique abilities and worth. It's also a bad sign when a child is wearing more makeup than a professional model, and has moves rival that of a seasoned stripper. If these parents want something to show off, then they need to get a purebred dog or cat, instead of turning their children into pint-sized call girls.

***

Celebrity Deathmatch: Sarah Palin vs. The World

2010-07-05T23:10:00.002-08:00

For the past several weeks, I've been out of the loop. My writing taking a back seat while I focused on my health, and recovering from a severe viral infection. Thank you everyone for the well-wishes, but tonight I am back in the saddle, and taking a stab at the latest Palin debacle. Halfway through my recovery, I caught wind of her "speech" at Stanislaus, the same college who's foundation focused on encouraging philanthropy tried to cook the books, and destroy financial records to avoid conforming with California state law. What law is that? The California Public Records Act which requires all organizations, both non and for profit to report all donations and expenditures conducted during their fiscal years.

When this all began, CSU Stanislaus, when asked to provide records of the monies spent for Palin's contract to speak at a fundraiser, claimed that the information had been lost, and therefore could not comply with state law. Okay, except they didn't, and 26 year-old student Alicia Lewis recieved a tip that the very records the university claimed as missing were being destroyed by personnel. When did they allegedly do this? On a day when the entire campus was supposed to be closed, including Stanislaus' administrative offices. Working with other students, Lewis retrieved the shredded documents from a nearby dumpster, and found the missing Palin contract which also contained the monies spent on her speaking fee.

It seems that even though the university foundation claims it's strapped for cash, which is why they're laying off professors left and right, they were able to scrape together the $100,000 fee for Palin's speech. No, the irony is not lost me. Aside from that, this mess attracted the attention of Sen. Leland Yee who spearheaded an official investigation into the financial conduct and/or misconduct of CSU Stanislaus.

You would think that people would be proud of Sen. Leland Yee holding the university fiscally accountable. Wrong. Instead, Yee recieved everything from racist and homophobic epithets, to death threats from Palin supporters. I don't know about you, but if my alma mater UAA was caught trying to cook the books, I would want Sen. Mark Begich holding them responsible for their misconduct, and would applaud his determination to shake wanna-be white collar criminals out of the administration offices. Apparently, obeying the law, thwarting embezzlement attempts, and exposing conspiracies to inveigle, obscure, and obfuscate the truth takes a back seat when Mrs. Palin is involved.

Turning our focus to the infamous ex-Governor of this state, I am shocked and appalled at her behavior during the fundraiser. Apparently, the Stanislaus debacle wasn't the result of dilligent students trying to hold their alma mater accountable, instead it was part of a leftist conspiracy to undermine her credibility. I'm sorry, but someone needs to stand up, and tell Mrs. Palin that not every single thing that happens is about her. She is not the center of the universe, political, or otherwise.

I read her speech, it was pretty hard to follow, and honestly if I ever gave a speech like that in one of my communications classes I would have been given a C- at best. A grade that would depend on whether or not the professor was feeling merciful. Her stabs at progressives were just as cutting, and ignorant of the fact that the founding fathers of this great nation were, by definition, liberals who came up with the radical idea of a country composed of a republic united under a democratic constitution.

For this, I love my country. I loved it from the moment I took American history in high school, and again in college with professors who were just as patriotic and passionate about this nation as the most seasoned vet or serviceman. Despite Palin's belief, libs and progressives don't hate America, we don't want to undermine it, and we too want to see the sweet wine of freedom and liberty tasted the world over. Especially in nations where even the mere mention of such a thing can cost a person their life. She wasn't wrong about that, but she was wrong in her subtle assertion that only the late Ronald Reagan and the GOP feel that way.

She was also wrong with her statement that liberals are fine with the practice of female genital mutilation because practitioners claim it's "part of their culture", and so on. No, we're not. Just about every progressive I've ever crossed paths with, especially feminists of both sexes (yes, men can be feminists too) are diametrically opposed to the practice, view it as barbaric, and are working with international human rights groups to stop the so-called "surgery" in its tracks. Next time, she should check her facts. She was right about Napier putting an end to the practice of Suttee in India where widows were burned alive with their husbands. I know that from one of my anthropology classes at my liberal arts college, but again there was that spin and twist at the end to make us look like a pack of accomodating cowards.

The long short of it is that the students weren't out after Palin, she was just a side note. It wasn't a conspiracy against her whatsoever, instead it was an attempt to hold a university fiscally accountable. Palin likes to claim that she is an instrument of God, well maybe He was using her to expose embezzlement, and CSU Stanislaus' attempt to conceal the truth. God did use a talking donkey to speak to Balaam ;-)

***

Stanislaus Claims Contract Stolen
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/14/stanislaus-university-pal_n_538287.html

Palin Supporters Threaten Sen. Yee
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/20/leland-yee-california-sta_n_544923.html

Palin Claims Conspiracy
http://cbs5.com/local/palin.CSU.stanislaus.2.1773160.html

Palin Unplugged
http://palingates.blogspot.com/2010/06/sarah-palin-full-speech-at-csu.html

Temporarily Not Writing

2010-06-13T10:25:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, I figured I should offer an update. I've been wretchedly ill as of late, and only recently started recovering. As a result, TBP has been low on my priority list while I take care of my health. I'll be updating it soon, but after I'm 100% back in the saddle. Thanks for reading, and your patience while I get back on my feet.

Ryan K.

Huge Victory For Homosexual Patriots, and Major Defeat for Gay-Bashing Evangelicals

2010-06-01T10:59:00.001-08:00

Obama has kept yet another campaign promise.

On May 26, 2010, the House voted to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) Act which prevents openly gay men and women from serving in the armed forces. This landmark decision will finally allow citizens the honor of protecting this great nation, regardless of their sexual orientation. It is a major step towards equality for homosexual Americans, and undermines idiotic myths that homosexuals can't handle combat situations, or even worse - rape fellow soldiers in foxholes while trapped under enemy fire. The latter is not only the most offensive, but the most popular scenario alluded to by the religious arm of the conservative right.

Apparently, these gay bashers haven't taken the time to speak with soldiers who just returned from Iraq. According to them, when you're in a country where any minute you could die at the hands of antipersonnel weapons, suicide bombers, and snipers the last thing on your mind is getting your freak on in the foxhole. However, anti-gay proponents don't want people to know that. Instead, they want Americans to believe that homosexuals are sexually depraved animals with no sense of right or wrong. This sentiment was echoed by Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association, who claimed during a radio interview that Hitler used homosexual soldiers because they had "no limits" to "the savagery and brutality they were willing to inflict". Fischer also went on to state that Hitler himself was gay, despite the fact that he and his mistress Eva Braun died together in the bunker, and that "God is looking for more Phinehases in our day".

What the f***?

Okay, for those of you who don't know who that is, in the Old Testament Phinehase killed two people after catching them involved in sexual immorality. On top of that, the two people Phinehase or Phinehas killed were heterosexuals, and did so because at the time there was a prohibition against intermarriage between Jews and non-Jewish peoples. An incident used for decades by religious leaders to promote the belief that God and the bible was against miscegenation, and cited regularly until 1967 when laws banning interracial marriage were overturned in the Supreme Court.

That digression aside, this statement is offensive to Christians, homosexuals, and the remaining survivors of the Holocaust. It is nothing more than a revision of history in favor of religious rhetoric (Texas textbook fiasco anyone?). For one, Hitler persecuted homosexuals, and had them both imprisoned and executed because they couldn't be used as part of his breeding program for creating a perfect Aryan race. That, and he had this whole genocide thing where he systematically murdered anyone who was considered to be physically or genetically inferior. Which means gays, children with special needs, the insane or mentally infirm, homeless, and others were all put to death as part of Hitler's quest to create the master race. Yes, Hitler didn't just wipe out six million Jews, he also wiped out millions of others who were a "threat" to Aryan purity.

So, if that was the case then where does Fischer get the idea that Hitler was gay, and had gay soldiers? Probably from the same place where the magician gets the rabbit. Keep in mind, this is the same man who stated that the U.S. government should repatriate all of the Muslims living in this country back to the Middle East where they would be "more comfortable" unless they renounced their culture and religion, and adopted the Christian faith instead.

I'm not kidding.

Long story short, men like Fischer are not who they profess to be. If anything, they are the modern version of the Pharisees that Christ warned people about, and condemned because by their actions people would know they were not men or women of God. Hatred, bigotry, discrimination, oppression, and harassment are not of God but of the Devil. If Bryan truly believes that he's going to get a big pat on the back from The Man Upstairs for inciting fear and hatred towards others, he's got another thing coming, and it isn't going to be everlasting life in the Kingdom.

***

DADT Repealed
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/dont-ask-dont-tell-dont-pull-your-punches/

Fischer's Claim That Hitler And His Men Were Homosexuals
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/top_social_conservative.php?ref=fpa

Fischer vs. The Muslims
http://omnipotentpoobah.com/2010/04/13/bryan-fischer-backward-christian-soldier/

Texas Textbook Massacre

2010-05-22T13:48:00.004-08:00

I am a teacher, I have been for seven years now as of 12.31.10, and for me it is the greatest role a person could ever have. Every day I spend in my classroom, I am aiding in the growth and development of my community's youngest and most vulnerable citizens. For that, I am humbled because I have been entrusted by my community to instruct their children. Since joining the education field, I have come to believe that being a teacher is a special privilege, and an honor that is seriously underappreciated in our society. Yet, as of Friday I am deeply ashamed of my colleagues in Texas who were party to the greatest assault on academic freedom in human history. On May 21, 2010, the Texas State Board of Education adopted a new social studies curriculum that will water down the teaching of religious freedoms, and hundreds of other items including -

Removal of prominent Latino figures from curriculum
Deletion of Thomas Jefferson as a prominent figure of the 18th and 19th centuries
Renaming America as a "constitutional" republic instead of "democratic"
Disallowing students to learn that the Constitution prevents the U.S. from promotion one religion over the other
Require students learn about the conservative resurgence in the 80s and 90s, while denying them the opportunity to learn about liberal or minority rights groups
Removal of information about the KKK, Texas Rangers, and other historical events surrounding the oppression or genocide of minorities and aboriginal peoples
Limited study of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, desegregation, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965

- and that is just the tip of the iceberg. This whole debacle is the result of ultra-conservative Republicans who believe history has been skewed to the Left, and is part of a vast conspiracy by Progressives to undermine and destroy their beliefs by brainwashing their children. Standards and academic integrity have been thrown out the window in favor of political posturing, and gaining leverage over perceived enemies. The problem is that in this game of ideological chess, our nation's children are being used as pawns.

Then again, what do you expect from a people who use fear, lies, bullying, and intimidation to achieve their goals? Less and only embrace a culture of ignorance so long as it doesn't threaten their narrow view of the world? If you want to get a look inside the mind of your typical fundamentalist, bible-thumping, ultra-conservative, just look at some of the religion-based curriculum they have on the market, specifically the SonLight program. Rather than provide children with the skills and information that will help them become critical thinkers, it wraps their minds in bubble wrap, and by the time they graduate they're a new crop of bigoted and ignorant bubble heads akin to the ones on the Texas State Board of Education.

It can only be offered as a home-school program because no teacher in their right mind would use it. Why? Because educators have an ethical and professional obligation to provide children with the skills and knowledge they will need to make critical decisions for the future of their communities, and the continued growth of this great nation. Teaching children that Jesus invented the Smith and Wesson to kill the dinosaurs, Martin Luther King Jr. was a troublesome Negro, and that if God wanted man on the moon He would have put him there is a direct violation of that obligation. Teachers need to take a stand against this action, because the Texas State Board of Education does not have the right to dictate what the children of this nation can and cannot learn!

Despite the ultra-conservatives' popular belief, they are not God, and they are nothing more than tyrannical fascists akin to the propaganda machines of Benito Mussolini or the Third Reich. Remember, to incite loyalty amongst his people Hitler took over the schools, destroyed curriculum and materials that would question his authority, and instituted the movement known as Hitler Youth. Because of his philosophy of anti-intellectualism children were indoctrinated with the messages of the state, and easily led into a genocidal war machine.

Machiavelli said it himself, that the best way to lead or control a people, is to control what they learn. Yet, because governments once inveigled, obscured, and obfuscated the truth to keep themselves in power they laid the groundwork for a powerful revolution that would lead to the inception of this nation. A nation based on freedom, on democracy, and the inalienable rights to self-determination. Although, the next generation of American students probably won't know this. Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of this great nation and author of the Declaration of Independence is being completely removed from future textbooks. Why? Because he espouses "liberal ideas", and therefore his contributions to the formation of this country are moot.

Last I checked, the purposeful dissemination of disinformation and propaganda in order to control the perceptions and therefore minds of a population is typically used by communists, fascists, depots, and other tyrannical entities who wish to eliminate any crumb of information that could threaten their positions of power. The Texas State Board of Education fits this description, because they are rewriting all of American history in order to fit their political agendas. Their actions have transcended the bitter struggle between Progressive and Conservative, and have become a threat to the heritage of this country and the sanctity of the U.S. Constitution. If anything, they should be tried as traitors for attempting to commit treason by undermining the ideals and philosophies of this country.

We fought wars to preserve the intellectual freedom and academic honesty both in this country and overseas. America is supposed to be a place where one can study history, and use it as a means to question everything from modern society to political leaders which is the inherent right of all citizens. Yet, there are some people who want to cut out important historical figures because they espouse "liberal" and "socialist" philosophies, and delete anything that might be an affront to their religious orientation. Excuse me, but I thought we learned our lesson about allowing religious organizations to dictate academics from the Dark Ages.

Then again, if you don't know about history, you are doomed to repeat it.

***

Hitler Youth
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/hitleryouth.html

Texans Rewrite History
http://www.adn.com/2010/05/21/1289056/texas-board-adopts-new-social.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/13/texas-textbook-massacre-u_n_498003.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/14/backstory-how-the-texas-t_n_496831.html

SonLight Program
http://www.sonlight.com/

Guns, Gags, and Gouging - The New Face of The University of Alaska Anchorage

2010-05-20T21:37:00.001-08:00

Enough is enough.

Tonight, I am taking a stand against the tyranny and oppression being perpetuated against students and faculty by the administration of my alma mater, the University of Alaska Anchorage. Despite potential retaliation, retaliation that could end my academic career, I am exercising my First Amendment right to free speech, and my right to criticize institutions and organizations violating the constitutional privileges and civil liberties of others. I say this because University of Alaska president Mark Hamilton recently issued a virtual gag order against Professors Susan B. Andrews and John Creed, one that restricts them from engaging in political freedom while on campus. According to their article on The Mudflats, Hamilton informed them that they are forbidden to write about Sarah Palin, and any commentary about any current or potential political candidate must be approved by the University's statewide ethics attorney and state attorney general before they share it with anyone including colleagues.

Excuse me?

So, before they say anything, Andrews and Creed have to seek approval for everything from a blog, to a letter, to an article, to a conversation? Good one. Apparently, in Hamilton's mind you can work for the University of Alaska as a professor, you just can't exercise your right to freedom of speech as an American citizen while doing so. I'm sorry, but that is neither patriotic, since Hamilton is a former member of the armed forces; nor appropriate for an institution of higher learning where the freedom to question leaders and social regimes is necessary for developing the skills needed to make informed decisions about the future of everything from a city to a civilization. This gag is an affront to those ideologies, and it is a clear message to anyone daring enough to criticize those who are in control of our university. Hamilton and the administration was party to the forced resignation of Professor Rick Steiner who, as an oil spill expert, emphasized conservation, and decried University of Alaska's bias in regards to their relationship with the various oil companies who have offices in our state.

I can see his point since Conoco-Phillips, BP, and others are regular donors to the university with grants ranging anywhere from the six to seven digits at a time. Therefore, it makes sense that they would sit on their hands, and allow a tenured faculty member to be drummed out for speaking against the hand that so generously feeds them. This isn't the first time U of A has censured or fired staff for refusing to go along with the status quo since in the 1960s, then-president William R. Wood discharged two professors who opposed Project Chariot, the asinine idea of using nuclear weapons to build a harbor off the coast of Alaska.

Needless to say, after researching these antics, I am not a fan of Mr. Hamilton, and I do not support him any longer since his actions are an affront to both academic and constitutional freedom. Although, having said that I admit, I am afraid of retaliation by the administration of U of A for the content of this blog. I have a George W. Bush GPA, a few unpaid parking tickets, and more than a few angry professors under my belt due to my tendency to speak out against practices that are an affront to the human or civil rights of others.

Simply put, this blog could cost me everything.

I could lose my financial aid, I could be expelled should the administration decide to trump up issues from past grievances, I could be suspended, placed on academic probation, or face official censure even though I am a student. I want to get my MA in English from UAA, and eventually work for my alma mater. Yet, I could be denied admission into the graduate program, or blackballed from hire. Even worse, I could lose my degrees in English and Early Childhood Education for my decision to dissent. If this sounds ludicrous, keep in mind a case from 2007 where Stacey Snyder, then twenty-five, was denied her degree in Education from Millersville University because of an image on her MySpace account featuring her drinking beer from a red plastic cup, and sporting the caption "Drunken Pirate". Snyder was of legal age to drink, but the administration felt that this single image was enough to destroy her academic career, so I feel I am more than justified in my concerns about the potential backlash from this post.

It is unfortunate that I need to worry about my academic future simply because of my decision to exercise my right to free speech.

On the subject of academics, with the support of the Board of Regents, Hamilton has begun a process that will raise tuition 22% between 2012 and 2013. It has already increased over 30% since 2005, which means it will take longer for students to graduate, and reduce opportunity for higher education for graduating seniors. If that's not bad enough, raising tuition ensures the creation of an elitist class of individuals who have the money to purchase a college education, and this sentiment was echoed in the 2007 graduation commencement speech given by Chancellor Fran Ulmer. According to her, college graduates are an elite class unto themselves that are responsible for making decisions for the rest of society. A nice passive-aggressive statement that anyone who is not in that class cannot contribute, nor make decisions that concerns the well-being of themselves or their community.

Good one.

This elitist minority can be found in the administration of UAA, and is little more than a modern aristocracy who believes itself to be better than everyone else because of its member's education and socio-economic status. These are the people who proclaim to be Liberals, but are of the extremist variety that views anyone who does not think, act, or believe as they do to be ignorant and unenlightened. For that, they are willing to increase tuition to ridiculous levels, and therefore deny children of low income families and certain ethnic groups the opportunity to attend college, and acquire information and skills they could use to better themselves and their communities. What are they supposed to do? Follow in the footsteps of those in the early histories of Europe and this country, and beg some wealthy person to be their financial sponsor to they can afford tuition? Even better, join some powerful church entity in order to have a glimpse of higher academics? Do we really want to turn our society into one where only the wealthy and elite are college educated, and the working class has just enough of an education to perform the grunt work? Our ancestors tried that, and failed.

Last, but not least, in this criticism of administrative misconduct, we come to the issue of guns on campus. Recently, a group of pro-carry activists gathered on campus, resulting in the emergence of large signs on every entrance reminding students that it is against the law to carry guns on UAA property. Quite a few people think this is a good idea, especially in the wake of Virginia Tech, but those of us who have survived traumatic events have a different perspective.

Regulations are not going to stop someone from getting a firearm, coming to UAA, and unloading a hot lead shower of death on the locals. No-carry policies are ineffective, and unconstitutional since UAA does not have the same classification as a federal building which prohibits personal weapons. Anti-gun proponents state this wouldn't even be an issue if citizens weren't allowed to carry firearms under the false belief that disarming the masses will create a Utopian world free of violence. Although, if that were the case, then explain how throughout human history we have proven the innovative capabilities of our species by devising ways to kill one another without the advantage of modern weaponry. People have killed others using everything from spears and swords, to big rocks and pointy sticks. Taking away guns isn't going to stop people from killing one another, it's just going to inspire them to find alternative means to doing so. That, and I would like to see these individuals tell subsistence hunters in Alaska's villages that they need to surrender their means for killing the game they and their families rely on, and return to using spears, bows, and arrows to catch their caribou. Trust me, it wouldn't be pretty, and the ACLU would have a field day with all of the lawsuits.

Also, Hamilton's statement that firearms should only be used by qualified individuals is an insult and a joke. For one, we live in a state where a gun can mean the difference between life and death given the prevalence of bears, and other animals who view humans as a meal on two legs. For two, if a person has a gun, it usually means they know how to use it, and have taken the time to learn how to do so in a way that is appropriate and safe.

Because of the prohibition of firearms on campus, I wonder how many of those deaths by moose-stomping could have been prevented by a student who was armed, and could have shot the animal before it had a chance to kill the person it was trampling? How many of the rapes that take place on campus each year could be stopped, and the perpetrator caught by a woman holding them at gunpoint until UPD arrived? How many lives could be saved when an armed perpetrator charges into a classroom, only to be stopped by a student who was carrying their firearm that day?

It's nice to know that our administration not only wants us to be at the mercy of violent criminals, but sit down, shut up, and pay them almost $5K a year to be censored and victimized all in the name of higher education.

***

Drunken Pirate Fiasco
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0426072pirate1.html

Andrews and Creed's Article on The Mudflats about Hamilton's Gag Order
http://www.themudflats.net/2010/05/15/voices-from-the-flats-academic-freedom-under-assault-at-the-university-of-alaska/

ADN Covers Proposed 22% Tuition Hike
http://www.adn.com/2010/04/15/v-printer/1227673/uaa-students-protest-proposed.html

Hamilton's Letter About Guns
http://alaskadispatch.com/images/media/files/news/alaska/feb-2010-letter-hamilton-to-hines-04-28-10.pdf

She's Got The Look...

2010-05-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

...or not depending on whom you ask. On May 9, 2010, President Barack Obama announced his decision to nominate Elena Kagan as the successor to Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who announced on April 9, 2010 that he would be retiring from his position in June or July of this year. Kagan, who has had a long and distinguished career as the Dean of Harvard Law School, and later Solicitor General has recently come under fire for her physical appearance. Yes, Elena Kagan is being criticized not for her positions or potential decisions as a Supreme Court Justice, but for her lacking ability to inspire lust and libido in her male counterparts.

Seriously.

Despite the fact that she was the first female Solicitor General for the United States, despite the fact that she has been in charge of the law school for one of the most prestigious colleges in this nation, despite the fact that she served as President Bill Clinton's Assoc. White House Counsel, despite the fact that she served as Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy; and despite the fact that her service under Clinton included a role as the Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council her critics have decided to tear her down because they don't think she's attractive. I see, so it doesn't matter if a woman is just as smart and capable as a man, or able to hold powerful positions with as much competence as savvy as her male counterparts, it only matters if she looks great in a pair of heels while doing it.

Like most intelligent women, who don't resemble a pinup model like certain former Alaskan Governors, Kagan has been compared to Shrek the cartoon ogre, linebackers, and finally accused of being an ugly lesbian. As if that last one even matters, but it's nice to see that the world still thinks that if you're a smart, short, plus-sized woman capable of holding a powerful position usually reserved for men you must be a radical ball-breaking feminist, and mannish uber-dyke.

Then again, look at the messages we send our young women in this country. If you are a woman who stands up for her rights, demands equality, and refuses to be oppressed or subjugated because you have breasts and a vagina then you're a man-hating lesbian. If you're a woman who flashes her cooter at eager paparazzi, wears band-aids for clothes, and otherwise appears to have the brains of a tomato then suddenly you are the male ideal. You can find this message in everything from Hannah Montana to iCarly where the female protagonists obtain friends, fortune, and fame by objectifying themselves. Female singers, the mainstream ones, spend more time gyrating and wriggling on screen in scanty outfits than actually lip synching to the lyrics written for them by another female artist who isn't "marketable". That is, she is the Elena Kagan of the music industry.

If anything, I hope Kagan wins the nomination, and her critics find something better to do with their time. Why? Because I believe she can do the job, and uphold the expectations and responsibilities as a member of the highest court in this country because she is a woman. Plus, it's like my mother always said, "It's what's between your ears, not between your legs that's going to get you ahead in this world, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

***

Lesbian Rumors Circling Kagan

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2010/05/14/DI2010051402176.html

Kagan Compared to Shrek the Ogre

http://www.examiner.com/x-2398-Boston-Top-News-Examiner~y2010m5d12-Elena-Kagan-smeared-by-gaybaiting-right-wing-media

Kagan Told To "Get A Broom and Do Something Useful"

http://theothermccain.com/2010/05/10/rant-alert-elena-kagan-should-be-given-a-broom-and-instructed-to-do-something-useful/

Reality Check for Glen, Rush, and Sarah - Terrorism Is Un-American

2010-05-02T18:07:00.000-08:00

I've waited a long time to write this one.

For the past several months, the media has been inundated with examples of politicians and political activists behaving badly, and most recently the revelation that the organization ACORN was undermined and slandered through false reporting on part of the young journalistic duo who conducted the undercover "sting operation". However, the continued practice of disinformation, disparagement, and depravity isn't occurring just at the federal level of government. Instead, it has spread through all levels of society, and I fear that Abraham Lincoln's great observation of the volatile nature of a divided nation will come true once more:

"...a house divided against itself cannot stand...I do not expect the house to fall-but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other."

We are at that point in our history once more, civil war is not out of the question since our nation has separated itself into two camps - Progressive and Conservative. However, the two groups fighting over the farm are rife with overzealous extremists who use fear, ignorance, and intimidation to manipulate the emotions of the masses in order to whip them into a frenzy of hostility and aggression.

A good example of this, is the drama surrounding controversial Republican spokeswoman Sarah Palin, and her decision to pick and choose which inflammatory public statements she will comment on. For example, I and others blogged months ago about her reaction to a character on the cartoon "Family Guy" who had Down's Syndrome, and was dating the son of the main protagonists. Normally, I try to avoid the drama surrounding Palin, but trust me I'm going somewhere with this. Palin unloaded a ton of vitriol towards Seth MacFarlane, creator of "Family Guy", and raised such a stink that even the actress who voiced the character spoke out against Palin's antics accusing the former Governor of having no sense of humor.

Just when you thought it was safe, Rahm Emmanuel's use of the word "retard" in a meeting six months before Palin learned about it came to light, and she unloaded once more calling for his resignation. Yet, Rush Limbaugh used the word an excess of twenty times on his radio show, and Palin granted him a pardon saying his use of the word was "satire". Okay, hypocrisy isn't uncommon these days when politics is involved, but it became even more apparent when Palin was dead silent after the slurs "faggot" and "nigger" were shouted by Tea Baggers at Rep. John Lewis, a hero of the Civil Rights movement, and Rep. Barney Frank who is openly gay.

Palin, the same person who once claimed that she resigned from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission due to ethics violations, was absolutely silent when this hit the news. This isn't surprising since the Tea Party paid her $100,000 to speak at one of their functions several months ago, so now who has a conflict of interest? These extremist behaviors have been on the rise in lieu of Obama's ascension to office, of course someone out there is going to accuse me of trying to play the race card, but isn't that what has been happening from the start?

It's no longer socially acceptable to be a raging racist in today's society, you can't stand up in front of Congress, and say you don't support or agree with your leader because he is a Negro or some other N-word. It is, on the other hand, perfectly reasonable to spread disinformation calling the President an illegal alien, socialist, Muslim sympathizer, and tyrannical fascist. Except now, things have gotten so out-of-hand, that we have people making armed marches on Washington D.C., children chanting "assassinate" and "kill Obama" on school buses, and harassment of progressives all across the nation including here in Alaska.

Back in March, the Alaska Democratic Party Headquarters here in Anchorage was vandalized by someone who had a personal problem with their front window. This action was pooh-poohed by conservative radio host Rick Rydell, along with others who claimed that it wasn't the result of extremist Tea Baggers, or inflammatory remarks made by Sarah Palin or Glenn Beck. Yet to make that claim, is to ignore actual statements made by Palin at a rally! The woman actually told people to do the following:

"That bumper sticker that maybe you'll see on the next Subaru driving by -- an Obama bumper sticker -- you should stop the driver and say, 'So how's that hopey, changey thing workin' out for ya?'"

No sooner than this asinine suggestion hit the masses, then a man in Nashville, Tennessee and his ten-year-old daughter were victims of road rage by an anti-Obama driver. Mark Duren had just picked up his daughter from school when another driver, Harry Weisiger, pointed at the Obama bumper sticker on the back of his car, and then flipped him off. The encounter continued to escalate with Weisiger following Duren, honking his horn at him, until Duren came to a stop at a sign. It was then Weisiger hit Duren's car with his SUV, and continued to push the vehicle up onto the sidewalk. Notice this all happened the same month that the Alaska Democratic Headquarters was vandalized, but supposedly there's no relation between the two incidents and that speech.

Sure.

Apparently, everyone is forgetting the fact that there are people in this world who are open to suggestion, especially from those who are in power, and are willing to engage in acts of violence against those who aren't in agreement with them. Palin and others who have openly called for opposition are culpable if their words leads to a violent insurrection in this country. If anything, while the Constitution uniting our Republic protects our rights to protest and dissent, it only does so if the reason for those actions are just, and not the result of skilled manipulation of our minds and emotions. This is what is taking place in our country right at this moment, people who are being used a pawns to do the dirty work of those who would rather avoid the same level of scrutiny and justice as those they govern. As my father used to say, the old "do as I say not as I do" schtick.

I believe it is time we remove ourselves as pawns in this game of political chess, and instead begin questioning the sources of our information. Thanks to the inception of the world wide web, we no longer have to rely solely on what we are spoon-fed by the newspapers and the media for our information. Thanks to the foresight of our Founding Fathers, we are able to study the history of our nations and leaders through public libraries. Why? Because they believed that an educated people were more capable of ensuring the checks and balances of their government, than one who was not, and therefore I believe it is no coincidence that our elected officials want to further dumb down our schools in order to give ignorance a better hold over our nation's youth. The Texas textbook fiasco easily comes to mind.

Therefore, do the things that those who are in charge do not want you to do: ask questions, research the facts, look into the history of our elected officials, and read the fine print of any laws or bills they try to pass. Most importantly, hold them accountable, and do so in a civilized and controlled manner instead of presenting yourself as part of a rabble filled with fear, ignorance, and hate.

***

The Family Guy Incident

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/15/family-guy-trig-palin-vid_n_462522.html

Palin's Response to The Family Guy Incident

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/16/sarah-palin-bristol-respo_n_463604.html

Andrea Fay Friedman, The Voice of The Family Guy Character's Response

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/18/family-guy-actress-respon_n_468331.html

The N-Word and F-Word Incidents

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/20/tea-party-protests-nier-f_n_507116.html

Vandalism of Alaska Democratic Offices

http://www.adn.com/2010/03/29/1204028/vandals-break-window-at-democratc.html

Children Chanting "Assassinate Obama" On Bus

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/idaho_students_chant_obama_thr.html

Hopey-Changey Quote

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/3/30/852426/-So-hows-that-hopey,-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya

Man Victim of Road Rage by Anti-Obama Driver

http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=12208009

The Power of Suggestion Courtesy of Columbia Law Review

http://www.lexisnexis.com.proxy.consortiumlibrary.org/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T9243380249&format=GNBFI&sort=DATE,A,H&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T9243379116&cisb=22_T9243379115&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=7332&docNo=21

The Human Card Game

2010-05-02T12:09:00.001-08:00

Earlier this week, in between finals, food poisoning, and phenergan an ongoing human right's issue came to my attention - Anchorage's homeless. This situation has been to focus of a number of articles and interviews in the local paper and news outlets, especially after the proposed construction of the Red Rose Inn, a housing structure that would provide shelter for chronic inebriates, and allow them to continue to imbibe alcohol while present. At first, I thought the controversy over that project, and the condition of those on the street had died down. I was wrong. Now, local conservatives are suggesting that we forcibly remove and/or incarcerate the homeless in order to pressure them into becoming sober, and return to being productive members of society.

Yet, I've seen this situation play out before during Ronald Regan's administration (1981-1989). Yes, the same Ronald Regan who was an active supporter of Sen. Joe McCarthy and his witch-hunt for supposed Communist sympathizers in America, and the same Ronald Regan who decided to balance the budget of California by closing the mental hospitals sending thousands of mentally ill patients onto the streets.

Indeed.

That same situation, is now playing out here in the State of Alaska, specifically the Municipality of Anchorage. This week, I listened to one of the local conservative radio pundits claim that the only way to encourage the homeless to "hit rock bottom", is to first remove all of the social service programs geared towards helping those who are on the streets return to safe and productive lifestyles. Once those are gone, authorities need to forcibly commit them to mental health care facilities as a deterrent to "choosing their current lifestyle". Except, as it was with Bush and Regan, if that were to happen, within a year of passing and implementing this asinine plan, those same conservative pundits would take to the airwaves, and call for those same people to be returned to the streets because if they faced the reality of homelessness it would force them to make the choice to change their lives.

I see, so people who are schizophrenic, manic-depressive, drug-addicted (which is mental and physical), or what-have-you are going to suddenly develop the mental capacity to make important decisions for their health and well-being? Ignoring the fact that the reason why they were homeless or committed in the first place is because they are incapable of functioning in that capacity. I don't know which is more disturbing, the complete lack of understanding of the unique circumstances that leads to homelessness in the first place, or the willingness to shuffle these people around like a deck of cards, and use them to to raise political stakes and win hands of power and public prestige.

I'm sorry, but sitting on your backside calling for social reforms that have no chance of success is easy, it's hard to actually get up, get involved, and work towards making an actual difference in this community. Wait, I forgot, according to these pundits such action is merely "enabling" people to remain homeless, and therefore they can't support said action because it's "against their beliefs". Really, because from where I'm standing it sounds like a convenient excuse for continuing to be a part of the problem, rather than be a part of a viable solution.

***

Eddie Burke Goes To Washington

2010-04-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

On April 1st, 2010, former talk radio personality Eddie Burke announced his decision to run for Lt. Governor against Jay Ramras on the Republican ticket. Unfortunately, this isn't a joke, and already there is controversy given the inflammatory character Burke possesses. In theory, I don't particularly care who is in office so long as they do their job, don't violate the ethical codices and procedural guidelines governing their position, and strive to uphold the trust of those who have elected them into office. Obviously, given the political drama that has ensued over the past several years, I've yet to entertain that lackadaisical perspective towards the workings of government, and I cannot sit idly by while Burke attempts to ascend to a position that calls for abilities he does not possess.

I've met Eddie, I've seen him in action at the Assembly Meetings, his antics during the Ordinance 64 hearings, and who can forget the infamous "maggot-eating-baby-killers" remark towards the women who were protesting former Gov. Sarah Palin's Vice Presidential nomination? In fact, that "baby killer" statement has been launched multiple times during his tenure in radio against Democratic Lt. Gubernatorial candidate Diane Benson, once against revealing his character in more ways than one.

Defenders of Burke state that while he is far right, his antics on the radio were more for entertainment since inflammatory statements are the hallmark of a professional shock jock. However, in order to even hold such a position a person needs to be comfortable with the use of hate speech towards those he or she does not agree with. When you spend years cultivating a reputation for being an antagonist and proponent of verbal abuse towards groups or individuals differing from yourself, people aren't inclined to expect anything different. In their minds, that's who you are, and wearing an asinine shirt proclaiming yourself as a, "...homophobic, red shirt, bible-thumping nazi, gay bashing, tea bagging racist, white guy, bigot..." isn't going to challenge that assumption. This is the consequence Eddie Burke faces, and he has no one to blame but himself.

Also, there's the infamous picture of his son in black face with two African-American co-horts, and the caption "me and my niggaz". Poor taste doesn't even begin to cover this one, but during an interview on KTVA the image was bought up by the reporter as a means to question Burke's parenting. I admit, it was a cheap shot since my parents raised me with the philosophy that once I hit adulthood they were no longer responsible for my stupidity, and I would have to deal with the fallout of my own poor conduct. In essence, Burke's son is a grown man, and needs to take responsibility for his own actions. That is what Eddie should have said to the reporter, demonstrating a clear disapproval for his son's behavior without taking the blame for it, but he didn't, and the interview went downhill right along with public opinion.

Basically, Burke doesn't show the emotional maturity or personal integrity one expects from a public servant, and doesn't seem to understand that before he even thinks of running for office he needs to do some serious damage control after years of abuse from behind the microphone. Yet, Burke aside, I feel this entire situation is a perfect example of what is wrong with modern politics and the campaign trail. It seems that instead of debating the issues, making a strong argument, and demonstrating good judgment and character the accepted M.O. is slandering and abusing your opponent in every way conceivable. I am no more fond of Burke's antics than those of the Tea Baggers, Glenn Beck, or members of the Progressive movement who like tossing around the "Flippy McQuitter" moniker.

Enough!

If you wish to appear better than your opponent in both integrity and character, then you don't stoop to their level. Both sides need to condemn the extremist elements within their ranks, expose their adolescent behaviors for what they are, and distance themselves from the proponents of those factions. We need to inspire trust and confidence in our constituents, not rely on Machiavellian philosophies of divide and conquer through the manipulation of public opinion and personal beliefs.

***

Recall Mark Begich!

2010-04-04T13:50:00.001-08:00

April Fool's!

Admittedly, my heading is in jest, but the Alaska Tea Party Patriots are dead serious. Last night I came across a post advertising a site advocating for the recall of Sen. Mark Begich. I clicked on it, and guess what? It was legit, and features statements that are the epitome of character assassination. I am a firm supporter of First Amendment rights, but there is a fine line between free speech, and open defamation which is the nature of this site. I am an open supporter of Mark, which means I have a bias, and I am impressed with his accomplishments as Mayor of Anchorage. However, my support isn't the result of blind idolization, instead it comes from an awareness of his character, integrity, and track record for voting in favor of programs and events that supported first the people of Anchorage, and now America as a whole.

Unlike our current mayor, Dan Sullivan, Mark didn't spend the first few months in office besmirching the former administration of George Wuerch, or allocate $50,000 in taxpayer monies to hire a forensic auditor to find nonexistent fiscal misconduct. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves, and got to work lowering the city's debt from $33 million dollars to $20 million by the time he stepped down to assume his role as senator. Now that he's in that position, he has consistently voted for bills that support economic growth, health care, jobs, and other necessities this country needs in order to recover from our latest economic recession. You can see this for yourself on Project Vote Smart, and Begich's website which lists his legislative actions since advancing to the Senate.

His actions speak louder than the vitriol being launched against his character, and if there was any malversation in the Begich administration I'd be the first to report it here on The Back Porch regardless of his being a Progressive. Why? Because it is time that both Americans and Alaskans realize that name-calling, threats, defamation, and adolescent behavior is not going to make a single bit of difference in the long run. Instead, the focus should be on the issues, on whether or not a person is conducting themselves within the confines of their political job description, and whether or not that person has committed acts that are a violation of the ethics and regulations governing that position. That is what matters, not calling them a "socialist" or a "bozo" which is the M.O. of individuals such as Lt. Gubernatorial candidate Eddie Burke of the "maggot-eating baby killers" fame.

If Begich has misappropriate funds, abused his political position, or violated ethical codices and regulations, fine, recall him. However, if petitions for his impeachment are merely a knee-jerk reaction spawned by malevolent individuals preying on the fear and ignorance of others then no, and let the man do his job.

***

The Recall Site For Mark
http://www.recallbegich.org/

Mark's Voting Record
http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=79426

Mark's Senatorial Website Also Featuring His Voting Record
http://begich.senate.gov/public/

The Alaska Tea Part Patriots Website With Link To Recall Site
http://akteaparty.ning.com/

A Change of Guard

2010-04-02T14:59:00.001-08:00

It's time for a change.

I've been thinking about this after the nomination and subsequent election of President Barack Obama, and his call for revolution within the legislative branches of our government. For the past year, the media has been inundated with Tea Baggers, Sarah Palin's publicity stunts, Michael Steele's prejudice, and various reports featuring elected officials caught in compromising positions. Add in abuses of power, including Mayor Dan Sullivan's role as trustee of an illegal fund set up in his father's name, and the legislature's decision to overturn the bill forcing lobbyists to report amounts greater than $15, and once can see why the majority of Americans have lost their passion for politics. I believe this apathy began in the days following the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Malcom X, Martin Luther King Jr., and other prominent leaders who spearheaded some of the greatest movements and government reforms in American history since the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The Baby Boomer generation saw the end of some of the oldest institutions of this country, including segregation, and the oppression of women. It was almost a golden age, imperfect as man tends to be, but pretty close since it was also a time when the youth of this nation was actively involved in determining the future of the United States.

Nowadays, my own generation is more concerned with materialistic gains, sexual exploits, and social behaviors that are systematically undermining everything our parents worked for. The Golden Age of America has thoroughly come to an end, but in times of great need and darkness, movements begin, and in time become unstoppable forces for overturning powers and principalities that work to suppress rather than elevate. I feel that time is coming again, especially with the tensions that are growing between the Progressives and Conservatives of our country. As Abraham Lincoln, one of the last true Republicans once said, "a house divided cannot stand", and we are most certainly divided. I fear for the future of this nation because of the threats, actions, and behaviors that have been launched against our government by those who are prisoners of fear and ignorance, and feel the only way they can do anything of merit is through the harm and intimidation of others.

This is a two-fold issue, one where the people have ceased to work towards their own education and self-improvement, indulging in false senses of entitlement, and embracing ideologies that perpetuate the delusion of victimization. A good example of this is the situation in Fairview, where the citizens have become complacent in the criminal activities of their neighbors, the presence of the gangs, the vandalism, and comfort themselves with the belief that they do not have a choice in the conduct of those who live in their zip code. They also comfort themselves with the false notion that their situation is the result of "the man", or members of their ethnicity who are "acting white", rather than making the effort to first question why their environment is so depressed, and begin realizing that they do have a choice. That their situation can only be rectified through their own efforts, so long as they cease believing their condition is the result of the actions of others. My family fought against segregation in this country, the use of substandard educational materials for teaching ethnic children, and the Jim Crow laws that made intermarrying between blacks and whites a punishable offense. Both sides were in the fight, and some of them lost their lives, but in the end their determination and perseverance ended a dark chapter in this nation's history. There is no reason why the people in areas like Muldoon, Fairview, Mt. View, and Spenard cannot do the same. There is no reason why others in similar circumstances in this country cannot engage in the same manner as their predecessors.

The other part of this situation comes from our leadership. Some of the people who are in office have been in power since our parents were twenty-somethings, and have become accustomed to their positions. To the point that they are unwilling to relinquish them, unless filled by someone who will continue the same outmoded ideas and philosophies that they themselves possess. This is not in the best interest of the United States, and it is why the tensions we are seeing on the news exist. That which refuses to change, dies, and our country is dying at the hands of those who would rather continue the status quo than allow their heirs to ascend to their rightful place as the next generation of leaders for this nation. Unfortunately, their greed for power is denying us, our children, and their children the bright and sustainable future that we desire.

Looking around Alaska, especially Anchorage, there are constant reminders of the old families who once settled, and then governed this state starting when it was still a territory. Eagan, Sullivan, O'Malley, Begich, Stevens, Rasmussen - the list goes on. Typically, this is a good thing, some of the descendants of the families I have mentioned have taken this state a lot further than their forefathers, but there are others who are merely a continuation of their parent's outmoded ideals and beliefs. They are the ones who need to step down, and step aside. Our futures as Americans and Alaskans is at stake. Therefore, it is time we the children return, and take back what is rightfully ours.

It is time mine and the younger generations step up so these ancient bastions of the Good Ol' Boys Clubs, the Status Quo, and so forth have no choice but to step aside. It is time for the youth to become involved again, this time beyond the level our parents entertained in the late fifties and sixties. It is time we no longer think, act, or speak as children. It is time we put away our childish things, and assume our inalienable right as the next generation to lead and govern our communities. Apathy did not work for our parents or grandparents, generations who saw this country through it's darkest chapters, and it will damn us if we do not oppose those who would covet power in the name of personal gain.

Therefore, go and become a part of your local community council, take an active role in programs sponsoring social justice, educate yourself about the political issues impacting your state or country, run for office, but most of all -

GET INVOLVED.

***

The Gospel of Mudslinging

2010-04-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

Next week, citizens will have the opportunity to vote in new members of the Anchorage Assembly, and thus alter the course of our city's future for the next three years. After the events of the Ordinance 64 hearings, and related controversies it's anyone's guess who will be re-elected and who will be given the boot in favor of a new representative. However, when the stakes are as high as they are in this election, including a possible investigation into whether or not Mayor Sullivan committed fiscal and ethical misconduct, it's important we elect individuals who possess a sense of honor and personal integrity. We don't need someone who is going to turn a blind eye to illegal conduct in favor of advancing their own political careers or social standing within this community. That said, I have been scrutinizing the behavior of Andy Clary who is running for Seat F on the Assembly, and whether or not he is qualified to make decisions for the 200,000+ souls living in our little city by the sea.

Andy, son of Anchorage Baptist Temple minister Glenn Clary, has built his campaign on the premise that he is not a spokesman for the politically-connected church, and is independent of the misconduct that has made it's leader Pastor Jerry Prevo famous or infamous depending on whom you ask. Normally, I'm not inclined to blame the son for the sins of the father, but Glenn was the same person who praised for Prevo for gaining victory over the "homosexual disease", and made a number of disparaging remarks towards the LGBTQ community. Last I checked, I can't call in gay, you can't catch it like the flu, and as for their sex practices I'm pretty sure there are some heterosexual members of their church who have engaged in fellatio, cunnilingus, and anal sex with their significant others. If Prevo and Clary think otherwise they are choosing to accept that reality out of faith, and not statistical evidence to the contrary.

Still, I decided to give Andy the benefit of the doubt, until learning that he has started to undermine his opponent Dick Traini using caricatures depicting him as a false king. Then, I discovered he believes alcoholism is a sin, just like homosexuality, and it went downhill from there. Many of you might get the impression from this post that I don't like Andy, that I too am undermining him, but rather I feel empathy for him because I too used to be very much like him. Believe it or not, I was a flaming ultra-conservative until an encounter I had with God revealed my attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs were not Christ-like.

I think Andy needs to have a similar experience.

Right now, his behaviors really are not indicative of good character, or a strong moral compass. Currently, he is supporting Dan Sullivan who has committed a series of grievous acts, including ones that might be illegal, and could put his political career in jeopardy. However, he is unwilling to even consider whether or not Sullivan is capable of the acts he's been accused of, and chooses to ignore indications to the contrary. One cannot simply follow a person blindly, without determining whether or not they are worthy of your loyalty and devotion. Also, when campaigning for political office the point is to demonstrate your qualifications for the position based on your education, and life experiences. This shows constituents whether or not you can deal with the issues they have bought before you, and deal with them in an impartial and democratic fashion. You need to earn their trust, because only then will they follow you, and only then will they defend you to those who would tear you down.

Throwing mud at your opponent, mocking them in pedestrian cartoons, and attempting to aggrandize yourself at their expense indicates immaturity and poor character integrity. You don't win by bullying, and the actions Andy has engaged in towards Traini are not Christian. God is not going to give him a high-five for mockery, manipulation, and Machiavellian plots. If he thinks so, he needs to read the bible again, and spend some serious time getting up close and personal to God. If anything I pray, and as those of you who read this blog to do the same. For what? That God will touch Andy's heart, and open his eyes to the dark path he is traveling. In the meantime, until that happens, I cannot support his ascension to Anchorage Assembly, and ask that you vote for his opponent who possesses the character integrity and maturity that Clary needs to develop before entering into a leadership position.

***

ADN's Article On Traini and Clary
http://www.adn.com/2010/03/30/1205926/experience-vs-new-ideas-marks.html?pageNum=2&mi_pluck_action=page_nav#Comments_Container

Churches In The Back Porch's Links Section

2010-04-02T12:19:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are wondering, the churches and congregations I have listed in the Link's section of my blog are ones who welcome gays and lesbians into their services and community. I wanted to provide my GLBTQ brothers and sisters in Christ access to spiritual services that will welcome them with the love and gospel of Jesus Christ not beat them over the head with it.

***

Kids, Dogs, and Conservative Politics

2010-04-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, three children attending Polaris K-12, submitted an article to the Anchorage Daily News to bring awareness to a project they, and their fellow students have been working on since 2007. Emily Evans, Atticus Madland, and Ryan Terry outlined their quest to have the malamute become Alaska's state dog given it's long history in the state, it's hardiness, and role in opening up Alaska for settlement and development. The bill, HB14, has passed the House of Representatives, Senate State Affairs Committee, and the Senate Resources Committee. Unfortunately, it's stalled out in Senate Rules, and has until April 18th, 2010 to be heard before it dies. Having read this article, I am impressed by the level of organization, clarity, and passion expressed by the three students who penned the piece in ADN. In a country where the majority of youth are unconcerned about the future of their communities and nation, it is refreshing to see Alaska's next generation not only engaged in politics, but working towards improving their state, and learning about the legislative process at the same time.

I'm proud of them, as an educator, they are an example of what it means to have access to a quality academic environment, and access to teachers who genuinely encourage and support their students.

Unfortunately, not everyone sees it this way. This morning, while nursing the effects of the flu, I ended up listening to the radio show hosted by a local pundit on 650 AM. The individual spent two hours of disparaging the children, supporting negative remarks towards three youth who have actually done something other than play video games and hooky. The same people who make derogatory comments about apathetic youth, are...making derogatory remarks towards engaged youth. What was the main crux of this person's argument? That it typically costs $400,000 to pass a bill into law.

I see, so we need to discourage our youth from learning about, and taking an active role in their state's government because passing their bill is too expensive? I'm sorry, but you can't have it both ways. Either you want our future generations involved, or you don't. Either you want proof that they are receiving a quality education, or you don't. You can't have it both ways, and the fact that the pundit said they didn't want to "encourage the children in any way" regarding their legislative pursuits speaks volumes about their character. I bet if the children were trying to pass legislation allowing hunters to use rocket launchers to kill game, the pundit would back their efforts 100%, and would cry foul if those pesky liberals didn't make it legal to hunt game with the launchers. There would be a great outcry on how the liberals are suppressing their abilities to interact with and learn about the workings of government, and so on. I have little to no tolerance for hypocrisy.

Therefore, I implore you, the readers of The Back Porch, to call your local representative, and bring HB14 to their attention so that Ryan, Emily, and Atticus can see the democratic process in action. Show them that determination, perseverance, and courage can help make a profound change for the better.

***

The Original Article
http://www.adn.com/2010/04/01/1209062/bill-proposing-state-dog-deserves.html

Queer Eye On NAMBLA...WTF?

2010-03-21T12:03:00.001-08:00

Since 2009, I have focused on advocating for GLBTQ issues here in the community of Anchorage, starting with my participation in the Ordinance 64 protests as a member of the blue side. My presence at those hearings continues to stand out in my memory because of the level of prejudice and vitriol visited upon our friends and neighbors who merely wished to have legal protection against eviction or firing based on their sexual orientation. I listened to Jerry Prevo and his cronies call gays "diseased", "abominations", and quote Sodom and Gomorrah more times than there are stars in the sky. Realizing, thanks to sociology classes taken for my undergrad, that every stereotype or prejudice is based on some group or individual emulating those behaviors, I started investigating popular myths and misconceptions about homosexuality.

My research focused on the universal belief that gays and lesbians are automatically predisposed to pedophilia, a belief I've heard echoed by conservative family and community members, and one that I still find hard to swallow. Unfortunately, my digging turned up an organization that not only perpetuates this stereotype, but is simultaneously undoing every effort made by GLBTQ groups to attain equality and acceptance for their way of life. This organization, the North American Man/Boy Love Association or NAMBLA, is a consortium of public pedophiles advocating for the decriminalization of sexual relationships between adult men and underage boys, and giving copious amounts of ammo to individuals like Jerry Prevo and Glenn Clary*.

What, the f**k?

I realize that free speech is one of the greatest privileges entertained by American citizens, but when an organization espouses ideologies or beliefs against the popularly held laws of the land, and leads to the oppression and harassment of others it needs to be stopped. The age of consent in this nation is eighteen, unless parents grant permission for there to be a relationship between the minor, and the individual in question. On top of that, having a background in education, I have training in the lifespan development of youth, and children do not possess the emotional capacity to handle adult sexual relationships until later stages of development. There are reasons why people who have been sexually assaulted, molested, or what-have-you at younger ages end up with severe psychological trauma from the initial event. NAMBLA is a danger to GLBTQ peoples, children, and society at large. Which is why they need to be stopped. Therefore, I am bringing this organization to the public's attention using any means necessary.

First of all, NAMBLA is undermining GLBTQs, and single-handedly making it difficult if not impossible for same-sex couples to adopt children in order to start a family. Why? Because of the false belief they perpetuate that gays are pedophiles. So, to clear things up once and for all NAMBLA is NOT representative of the thoughts, beliefs or ideals of the homosexual community. Any gay or lesbian person worth their salt will tell you that NAMBLA's actions and attitudes regarding young children are vile and disgusting, on top of being highly illegal. On that note, it is the role of every member of a society, be they gay or straight, to protect our youth from those who would exploit or harm them, and therefore I call the GLBTQ and heterosexual communities to stand together against NAMBLA in order to send a very clear message - the rape and sexual abuse of young children will NOT be tolerated. Period.

A pedophile is a pedophile is a pedophile, and sexual orientation has very little to do with perversion, and the desire to prey upon our society's youngest and most helpless members. I have worked with gays within the education field, and feel their presence is wonderful because of the way it challenges prejudice and stereotypes towards homosexuals. Yet, I understand intimately the pressures they must endure from parents and faculty for being openly gay, the misconceptions lobbied against them, and the false accusations to boot. At the same time, they have been some of the best people I have ever worked with, and would trust them to watch or teach my own children any day of the week. Therefore, we need to send this message to cease and desist to NAMBLA, and take a very public stand against anyone who would perpetuate the lie that gays are pedophiles, and therefore a threat to our children. I know who I'm going to be writing letters against to GLAD and the ACLU, what about you?

***

NAMBLA - So You Can See It For Yourself
http://www.nambla.org

ACLU
http://www.aclu.org/

GLAD
http://www.glad.org/

*Glenn Clary just happens to be the father of East Side Assembly candidate Andy Clary, and is one of the pastors at the Anchorage Baptist Temple.

Dirty Harry vs. The Chihuahua

2010-03-19T18:55:00.000-08:00

It doesn't get any better than this. On Sunday, March 14th, 74-year-old Lowell Mueller of Anchorage pointed a shotgun out of his window, and fired at a loose chihuahua killing the animal in the process. The dog, Faux Pas, was trespassing in Mueller's yard after previous complaints to the owner, John Glasgow, about the dog roaming loose. However, Faux Pas, being Faux Pas, was attracted to Mueller's dog Zippy, who was in a run at the time, and firmly in heat. Mueller claimed the dog had been a thorn in his side for the past five years, and on Sunday decided to "send a message". He succeeded because this morning a popular radio commentator on 650 AM spent the better part of forty-five minutes defending Mueller's decision to shoot the eight-pound dog with a shotgun, claiming property and constitutional rights as grounds for his outrageous behavior.

Seriously?

I could see that if the dog was attacking his dog, or threatening him in some manner, but Faux Pas was simply roaming the streets trying desperately to get laid. Unfortunately, his libido became his undoing. Long story short, there are two people at fault here, Glasgow and Mueller.

Glasgow, like it or not, caused the death of his dog. This is the real world, there are a lot of people in it like Mueller who have no problem killing another living thing, be it a dog, or a mosquito out of some faulty sense of victimization. Where there is common sense and basic human decency, there are screwballs and cowboys who want to dish out their own version of justice. Glasgow should have kept his dog up, where it was safe, and out of harm's way. Period. I say this as someone who has owned dogs most of their life, and if your dog is in your yard where it should be the less chance of some gun-happy geezer taking potshots at your pet.

Mueller, on the other hand, is a man in his seventies who should know better than to allow his emotions to control his actions. His decision to shoot at the dog was reckless, selfish, and endangered the safety and well-being of his neighbors. According to the article, children were playing nearby, and could have been struck by ricocheting buckshot. Plus, that's a great message to send to Anchorage's youth - if you don't like someone's pet gun it down from the comfort of your living room. Mueller claims he only wanted to "tickle" the dog, not kill it, but I've had access to shotguns thanks to my parents off and on during my adolescence, and if you shoot something with a shotgun you're going to do a helluva lot more to it than give it a "tickle". Basically, Faux Pas was killed with the firearm equivalent of a bazooka, and was probably reduced to a pile of burger with fur by the time Mueller was done.

Mueller's had several decades to learn that vigilante behavior is intolerable and dangerous. We have rules, boundaries, and codices governing social conduct in order to maintain peace and order within our society. Without them, we'd have anarchy and chaos, which is what Mueller created on Sunday with his decision to shoot an eight pound dog who's only crime was being out of his yard and horny. I admit, after reading this, I am feeling a little bit nervous about living in an urban environment. What if one of my neighbors doesn't like the sound of the custom exhaust on my pickup truck? Are they going to shoot me while I'm standing in my parking lot? Vandalize my truck? What will happen to this community if more people begin acting like Mueller? Are we going to have to start wearing Kevlar while mowing the lawn? If Mr. Mueller wanted to send a message, he succeeded, by planting seeds of paranoia in those who share their streets with those living next door.

***

The Original Story
http://www.adn.com/2010/03/18/1190035/anchorage-man-kills-neighbors.html

Glenn Beck Gets Pwnd!

2010-03-10T19:58:00.001-09:00

This was the funniest thing I've seen since Pineapple Express. Finally, Glenn Beck bit off more than he could chew when he invited former Democratic Congressman Eric Massa onto his show, despite numerous warnings from other conservatives. Beck, hoping for ammo to attack those pesky common-sense carrying Americans, put Massa on the air, and instead encountered a beast far worse than he could have ever imagined -

The Anti-Beck.

Massa spent the next sixty minutes admitting to sexually harassing his male employees, sending inappropriate text messages, and other unprofessional behaviors. He played the sympathy card harder than Beck, and then claimed that all of his woes were part a vast conspiracy started by the Dems to force him out because he didn't support health care reform.

I kid you not.

At that point, Beck had lost complete control of his program, and spent the remainder of the hour listening to the biggest pity party since Paris quit Nichole.

Frankly, I don't feel sorry for Beck. The man is a bully, and has successfully pushed people out of their positions either through viral ad campaigns, or outright slander and libel. For crying out loud, he's even sexually harassed a guest on his show asking if he could take nude pictures of her! He knows no bounds, for him to encounter another being as amoral as himself just goes to show there is a God, and He has a great sense of humor.

***

The Beck-Massa Debacle Begins

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100310/us_time/08599197098200

Beck Solicits Nude Pics From Guest

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17407586/

Footage of Beck Soliciting Guest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxG2yiuQEZ0

The Fine Art of Character Assassination

2010-03-09T23:02:00.000-09:00

For the past several weeks, the news has been inundated with public outcries of rage and vexation from Sarah Palin. Why? Well, for once Levi is off the hook. She's been ranting about a comment Rahm Emmanuel made in August of 2009 in a closed door meeting where he described a plan formulated by Democrats as "%&^#!@$ retarded". Yes, Sarah Palin is freaking out over something that was said almost six months ago. If that isn't bad enough, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane aired an episode where one of the main characters went on a date with a girl who had Down's Syndrome - the same genetic disorder affecting Palin's youngest son Trig - and commented that her father was an accountant and her mother was the former governor of Alaska.

Palin then went apoplectic, and roped in her daughter Bristol to write a comeback to the comment on her blog. However, in the middle of this media soap opera, Rush Limbaugh jumped in, and used the word "retard/retarded" over forty times during his broadcast. Forty times! Yet, Palin gave him a free pass calling his antics satire, but continued to cry foul against Emmanuel and MacFarlane.

Hold on, she gave the most racist and antagonistic radio personality a free pass to use the word as satire, but continued to rail against an actual satirist for doing the exact same thing?

Oh, it gets better.

The actress who voiced the character, Andrea Fay Friedman who has Down's Syndrome, e-mailed a response to the fiasco citing Palin's tendency to use Trig as a political prop in order to gain political advantage. One would think that a statement from an actress who has Down's Syndrome, and voiced a character with her condition would lessen the frenzy, and maybe even restore some common sense to the situation. However, that wasn't the case, and her decision to come forward with her position revealed an ugly side of the people who are some of Palin's biggest supporters. Check out the comment made by a member of the Conservatives4Palin website:

"...I don't think this 40 year old Down's Syndrome woman wrote this or formulated these political opinions. My guess is that she is being used as a political pawn, to accuse Governor Palin of using her infant son as a political pawn."

Excuse me? I went to the website, personally, and read through a myriad of comments attacking and undermining Andrea Fay Friedman. According to Palin's loyal followers, a person with Down's Syndrome is incapable of any level of self-determination or success, which just goes to show the level of ignorance these people possess. For one, there are different levels of severity for DS. Some people are completely dependent on outside support through families or caregivers for the rest of their lives, others are able to live independently, and have normal and productive lives. For example, I have had the privilege to interact with an individual who has mild DS, and she has led a successful life accomplishing numerous goals despite her challenges. Yet, according to the people on Conservatives4Palin people like her aren't capable of thinking for or expressing themselves.

Good one.

If that's the sort of company Palin keeps, then I definitely don't want her in office in 2012. So far, she has paired up with a variety of political characters, including the Tea Party which is a cadre of political extremists who are capable of anything when it comes to achieving their goals, remember these are the same people who showed up to public events armed during hearings for health care reform. Then again, what do you expect from a group of individuals calling themselves "tea-baggers" without understanding the context or meaning of the term? I am highly reluctant to associate with someone who names theselves after a sexual act involving a man inserting his testicles into the open mouth of his love in the same manner a person dips a tea bag into a cup of hot water hence the name "tea-bagger".

I kid you not.

Seriously, at this point I am quite disappointed in the current candidates for office. If we're not rolling our eyes at the latest scandal involving Dan Sullivan, then we're banging our heads against the wall over the newest train wreck started by Palin. If that's not bad enough, she's now an analyst for Fox News, and is the only person to ever make Bill O'Reilly do a double-take after she contradicted herself in an interview with him twice! At this point, all I can say is that I am glad that she is no longer the governor of Alaska, and hopefully she'll spend the rest of her life as a writer or news anchor. Why? Because, I sincerely hope that she isn't the reason why the Mayan calendar identifies 2012 as the end of the world.

***

The Palin "R"-word debacle in a nutshell
http://palingates.blogspot.com/2010/02/actress-from-family-guy-sets-record.html

http://americanhatriots.wordpress.com/2010/02/21/sarah-palin-andrea-friedman-satire-and-down-syndrome/

Night of The Zamboni!

2010-03-09T22:14:00.000-09:00

Before I launch into the latest act of political legerdemain courtesy of Dan Sullivan, let's review his track record, shall we?

Vetoed Ordinance 64 claiming there is no proof of discrimination against homosexuals in the Anchorage community.
Endorsed Andy Clary, son of Pastor Glenn Clary from the Anchorage Baptist Temple for Anchorage Assembly, (and the reason for the veto becomes clear...)
Cut funding to the People Mover bus system, libraries, fire and police departments citing the city's deficit.
Spent $50,000 on a forensic auditor to prove once again there has been no fiscal misconduct during the Begich administration.
Changed the Diversity Awards Dinner to the Unity Awards Dinner because he only wants to celebrate "the ways in which we are all the same".

Accepted a $193,000 payout from city coffers for an insurance policy for his father that didn't exist as of 2002, and put it in a trust fund that refuses to disclose its beneficiaries.

And now we have the latest bit of skulduggery involving the dispersement of $150,000 dollars in order to purchase two new Zamboni machines for the Ben Boke Ice Arena. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal except that boon of monies came from his decision to disband the Anchorage Fire Department's wilderness rescue team, scale back HAZMAT, water and ice rescue, and put the city's only boat capable of performing water rescues in the Cook Inlet in dry dock. At the time, Sullivan said he was doing this to save that precious $150,000 dollars in order to balance our budget, and save us from financial doom. About that, to date Sullivan has shelled out $393,000 that I know of for frivolous purchases, while claiming we are on bankruptcy's door, and cutting funding to vital city services.

Thanks to Danny Boy if someone wanders out onto the ice, is stranded up a mountain, mauled in Chugach by an angry bear, trapped on the Glenn because of a flaming tanker truck ready to explode, drives their vehicle into a creek, or gets stuck dangling like a Christmas ornament on the side of a cliff they're 100% screwed because the mayor felt it was important to spend the money for fire and rescue on a pair of @*$#!&% Zamboni machines!

At this point, it's not even about party affiliations. Dan Sullivan is proving time and time again that he doesn't care one iota about the welfare of this city, or his constituents. If that were the case, we'd still have vital public safety programs, and not a pair of freakin' Zambonis. Keep in mind that Sullivan did this even before he got into office. Remember, he owns 30% of McGinley's Pub in downtown Anchorage where he served one of his waitresses alcohol, himself consumed alcohol, and then allowed her to drive home. On the way, the waitress turned onto L Street, headed the WRONG WAY, and while turning a corner crashed into another vehicle. Last I checked whether a business or homeowner, if you serve alcohol, and then allow the person to leave the premises under the influence you are legally liable since you served the sauce. On top of that, Dan had been drinking himself, so there was no way he could say for certain that she was capable of driving since his own judgment was impaired.

Was he fined? No. Was he tried? No. Was he the recipient of any legal backlash whatsoever? No. I guess being the son of a former mayor has it's perks, including the ability to dodge the long arm of the law, and now treat the city like your own personal playground and bank account. All of the statements I have made tonight can be backed up with facts, and the truth of the matter is that Dan Sullivan is not qualified to lead this city. How much longer do we the people need to suffer at the hands of a leader who cares more about his personal indulgences, than the welfare of those who have elected him to protect their freedoms and well-being?

How long?

***

Dan cuts funding for rescue services
http://www.adn.com/2010/02/23/1154005/fire-department-reduces-services.html

Shannyn Moore - Anchorage Assembly Memo for Zamboni
http://shannynmoore.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/zamboni2.jpg

Dan and The Waitress with additional documents from the Court
http://alaskareport.com/news39/x71222_dan_sullivan.htm

Go Bob Go!

2010-03-07T22:17:00.000-09:00

It's no secret I'm a supporter of gubernatorial candidate Bob Poe. After the Palin fiasco, we need strong leadership that can do the job, protect the interests and welfare of Alaska's people, and develop this state's economy into a thriving force both locally and globally. I've attended a number of Bob's fundraisers, and he describes our state's economy as a three-legged stool where oil is one leg, tourism the other, and the smallest is international trade. I like this metaphor because it's 100% accurate, and balancing a state's financial future on two sources of income is poor planning at its best. Bob's idea is to develop that third leg, and it's a strategy that will work.

Alaska sits in a crucial position in relation to the Pacific nations. We are an unrecognized international hub with access to China, Japan, Laos, Cambodia, Australia, S. Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Russia, and more. Currently, to travel to some of these locations, people have to fly in the opposite direction, crossing the Atlantic rather than departing straight from Alaska's Ted Steven's International Airport. It's counterproductive, and an archaic route of travel that would bring millions to our economy if people were allowed to fly direct from our state.

On top of that, Alaska has multiple ports, including Pt. McKenzie which is currently underused, and could become a major site for importing and exporting goods right along with Anchorage. We also have other resources, besides oil, that we could export such as the millions of gallons of fish oil discarded each year by the canneries. Huge deposits of glacial mud that could be refined, and then sold for cosmetic purposes. Women buy face masks made containing volcanic mud, why not glacial? Fresh waters, hot springs, a growing market specializing in game meats, the list goes on.

Basically, Alaska has a lot more to offer the international marketplace than oil, lumber, salmon, ferries, and crabs. Bob Poe gets into office, our state will develop into a strong contender within the international marketplace, and have an economy that takes full advantage of the resources we have available.

***

Red Roof Rodeo!

2010-03-07T21:37:00.000-09:00

Earlier this month, the Anchorage Assembly approved a series of resolutions granting the RuralCap organization permission to construct a housing-first facility for the municipality's 200+ homeless inebriates. For those of you who aren't familiar with this concept, basically it's a structure that gives street drunks a place to live, and allows them to continue drinking. I know, the idea sounds completely counterproductive. Yet, housing-first establishments not only gets them off the streets, but in the long run it gives them the ability to access programs supporting sobriety and rehabilitation into the community. This novel approach is even being supported by conservative Assemblyman Dan Coffey who is in favor of RuralCap's plan to transform Fairview's decaying Red Roof Inn into a housing-first unit, and sparking off the start of a social program that will help address the problem of Anchorage's homeless chronic inebriates.

Great idea, right?

Not according to local critics who feel housing-first intervention is unnecessary, and dangerous since it will keep the homeless from taking the steps necessary to "fix their own problems". Apparently, society needs to just step back, and let chronic inebriates hit "rock bottom". I see, so eating out of trash cans, walking around covered in your own urine and excrement, and suffering physical complications from exposure and poor hygiene isn't rock bottom? Unfortunately, when a person reaches that point the only place left to go is death, especially after years of chronic drug and alcohol abuse. Also, the majority of these people don't possess the mental faculties to make such a decision since heavy drinking causes the frontal cortex to shrink, let me repeat that:

Heavy drinking causes physical brain damage best demonstrated by the shrinking of the frontal cortex.

Add in cirrhosis of the liver, dementia, mental illness, exposure, plus other complications arising from prolonged alcohol abuse, and you have an individual who is quite literally a dead man/woman walking. I have personally encountered chronic inebriates, including a man sitting at the bus stop in Muldoon who was drinking a bottle of Listerine in order to get to the alcohol in it. Both his eyes were crossed, he was drooling heavily, and while sitting on the bench urinated on himself without notice. Given the smell, there was a good chance he had defecated on himself as well. Another was a man covered in sores, drinking Jack, and one of his hands was black and swollen inside of the tattered glove he wore. I could see two of his fingers had literally rotted away, probably from frostbite, and yet he didn't even feel that part of his own flesh had gone because of how intoxicated he was. This is common amongst homeless alcoholics, I've come across men and women missing limbs claimed by the winter, hobbling on crutches, and lucid enough to tell gory tales of how other homeless helped remove the dead limb after it had withered.

Again, tell me how that isn't rock bottom?

The reality of the situation is that the majority of these people will die, but for those who have access to a housing first facility they have a chance at receiving care in an environment that is safe and welcoming. Critics like Eddie Burke have advocated jail or forced rehab, but as Dan Coffey pointed out it would cost the city $4 million a year to incarcerate them. Basically, housing-first is cheaper than the pen. However, what really stands out to me in all of this is the hypocrisy from those who frequent the hundred or so churches within Anchorage. The big claim from the conservative right is that we are a Christian nation, out to protect our traditions, morals, and philosophies that formed our country. Every election season we have some pundit shaking out a few key scriptures to rally locals in the pulpit. If that's the case, if Jesus himself said "the poor will always be among you", the how come every time people are presented the opportunity to help those who are in need the first thing we hear is -

"My money! My money! My money! My money!"

or-

"Not my problem."

I guess Jesus only cares about social issues when election season hits which means Barack Obama was onto something when he said we are not a Christian nation, but a secular one.

***

http://www.alcohol-drug.com/neuropsych.htm

http://www.google.com/search?q=obama+we%27re+not+a+christian+nation&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.endhomelessness.org/section/tools/housingfirst

http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/6555735/article-Anchorage-Assembly-approves-alcoholic-housing-plan--?instance=home_news_window_left_bullets

Facism Glenn Beck Style

2010-03-07T11:20:00.001-09:00

Today, while getting ready to attend two different spiritual services in the Anchorage municipality*, I happened to catch part of Glenn Beck's radio show, and am convinced this man is the real-life version of Southpark's Eric Cartman. According to Mr. Beck it's the duty of Christians to educate their pastors about the hidden agenda of social justice which is to undermine the Constitution, usher in a totalitarian regime, and turn us into a nation of anarchists and atheists. I see, so standing up for the rights of the poor, homeless, oppressed, etc... is merely a plot to destroy God and America! Heaven forbid we actually live by and practice the teachings of Jesus Christ which, if you read the gospels, is pretty much a play-by-play book on being a man or woman of conscience, and opposing systems that undermine or oppress the rights and freedoms of others. FYI, the Pharisees considered Jesus to be the first century equivalent of a far-left-liberal extremist, yet he inspired a movement that continues to this day.

Cool.

Although, according to Mr. Beck the only purpose Jesus serves is providing a get-out-of-hell free card, and a means to pick on anyone who doesn't uphold the same extreme RWNJ** views as himself. Seriously, whenever I see this man I expect a short kid in a green flap cap to walk onto the stage, and tell him to shut up.

Next, in his tirade against the left, Beck likened Progressives to Nazis, Facists, and claimed they are a cancer that has spread to both the Democrats and the Republicans. Their only goal is to undermine the Constitution, and create a socialist regime. Excuse me, but it was President George W. Bush who passed the Homeland Security Act which nullifies the Constitutional rights guaranteed to a citizen of this nation. It allows for arrest and detainment without Miranda, phone call, or even informing the person of why they are being arrested in the first place. The HSA makes it legal to detain a person indefinitely if they are suspected of being involved in terrorist activity, and that definition is pretty gray since it makes anyone who dissents or disagrees with the U.S. government into an enemy of the state.

Great.

Also, social justice and the Progressive movement has been around for centuries, and it's philosophies are the same ones that this nation was founded upon. All sentient beings of this world are guaranteed the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. All sentient beings of this world are guaranteed their own inherent worth and dignity as individuals, and have the right to be treated as such. All sentient beings of this world have the right to self-determination, religious expression, and the list goes on and on. These are the universal rights I speak of from time to time in my writings, and they are quite progressive in a world where slavery, oppression, murder, and other crimes against humanity are commonplace.

Mr. Beck needs to take his own advice, and read through history because it was the Progressives' adherence to social justice that led to the end of slavery, the overturning of Jim Crow, miscegenation, and segregation laws in this country. Also, 90% of the people who spearheaded these great schisms in American history were Christians, and they did so because the same teachings Beck claims Progressives are undermining were their guiding force for confronting these oppressive institutions. Plus, the teachings of Jesus are still the guiding force for modern opposition to issues affecting First, Second, and Third World countries whether or not the proponents are members of the Christian faith.

Although, it seems the only god that Beck and his followers want to serve is one who covets money, ignores the needs their fellow man, and is just as mean, spiteful, vindictive, hypocritical, power-hungry, and dishonest as they have become. If that's the case, then perhaps when praying they should look down instead of up, because that is where their true father resides.

***

* I am a Progressive Christian ;-)
**RWNJ = Right-Wing Nut-Job

Houston, We Have A Problem

2010-03-06T18:14:00.000-09:00

Last month, City Clerk Steve Cunningham of Houston denied a petition to recall Mayor Roger Purcell after a series of allegations involving everything from the illegal use of a patrol car, to the impersonation of a police officer were lodged against him. At first I thought this was too good to be true, until I started digging around, and found out that Purcell has a proven track record of gross misconduct stemming all the way back to his career as a law enforcement officer. Although, according to Purcell the claims are false.

I see. So, individuals from eleven different Alaskan communities have banded together in order to tear down Roger Purcell? This is all a vast conspiracy, so we should just ignore the piles of official documents outlining a lifetime of abuse, harassment, perjury, and embezzlement? The people should pay no mind to the resignation letters of four police officers from the Houston PD, each citing gross misconduct by Purcell. One letter outlines an incident where the Mayor illegally used city services to clear his property of two junk refrigerators, and then went to a Trooper station in full uniform complete with firearm, and presented himself as a member of law enforcement.

I kid you not.

Purcell is the same man who ordered Sgt. Charlie Seidl of the Houston PD to shoot eight animals at the town shelter. He then claimed he never gave the order when the public learned about the slaughter. Purcell also took a police car on a joyride to Fairbanks, and argued later that Seidl altered the footage on the dashboard cam showing Purcell using the patrol car's lights to pass traffic. Yes Mayor Purcell, Sgt. Seidl is clearly out to get you, and I suppose the woman you pulled over while joyriding in said vehicle was an actress planted by Seidl to frame you.

What a load of malarkey.

It is individuals like Purcell who cause the general public to fear, distrust, and hate cops. A police officer is a servant of the people, not the other way around. We pay their salaries with our tax dollars, and they are employed to keep the peace, protect civilians, and enforce the laws we've drafted to prevent chaos and anarchy. They are not judge, jury, and executioner. They are not above the law, rather they are more subject to it because we have entrusted them to uphold it. That said it is the duty of the people to remove any public official who attempts to abuse their position for personal gain. Corruption is like a cancer, it needs to be cut out, and I encourage the citizens of Houston to continue in their effort to have the Mayor impeached. We are a democracy, not a dictatorship.

***

http://www.adn.com/2010/03/04/1168686/in-brief-mat-su.html

http://houstonrecall.com/

http://houstonrecall.com/houston/parkerresignation.pdf

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=11975134

http://www.adn.com/2009/02/16/692554/valley-driver-cries-foul-when.html

Sullivan's Insurance Folly

2010-03-04T21:18:00.001-09:00

I'm beginning to think Sullivan's quest to undermine the Begich administration stems from his inability to believe that a person can be a successful politician without engaging in the same amount of legerdemain as himself. Earlier this week, the Anchorage Press reported on the George M. Sullivan Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust, and revealed yet another budget hypocrisy from an administration claiming our city is hovering at the edge of financial ruin. Apparently, George Sullivan (Dan's father) was added to the city's group life insurance plan after finishing his term in office by the Anchorage Assembly because he had recently undergone triple bypass surgery, and faced the possibility of being denied coverage by a private insurer.

This was in 1982, the policy amount was for $193,000, and Sullivan made the payments until 2002. Aetna, the company providing the plan, canceled his coverage since he was no longer a municipal employee. They were no longer carrying a policy for him, the elder Sullivan didn't qualify because of his age, and yet he still continued to pay the premiums until his death in 2009. Let me repeat that:

George Sullivan continued to pay the premiums for an additional seven years even though he was no longer under a plan, or receiving coverage from Aetna.

I'm not an insurance agent, but common sense says if you aren't receiving service from a provider, then you no longer need to send them any money, especially not to the tune of $19,662.84. Yet, that is what Sullivan did, and as soon as he was dead the city decided to donate the amount of the original policy, $193,000 to the George M. Sullivan Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust.

Wait, what?

This is a classic example of what happens when someone abuses the power entrusted to them by the people who elected them into office. Since his first day on the job, Dan Sullivan has claimed that our city is so far in debt we need to cut important public amenities including fire and police services, and recently axed the funding for the only boat capable of performing water rescue in the Cook Inlet. He also spent $50,000+ on a forensic auditor to prove Mark Begich was "cooking the books" while in office, over $30,000 on the Unity Awards farce, and the list goes on. Since turnabout is fair play, let's break down the situation, shall we?

First of all, the Anchorage Assembly should not have voted to have George Sullivan continue to receive coverage in the first place. Aetna's policies are for current municipal employees, and at the time the resolution passed Sullivan was no longer the Mayor of Anchorage.

Second, if his coverage ended in 2002, why did Sullivan continue to pay his premiums, and what happened to the $19,662.84 he sent to the city until 2009? Where did it go? What were the funds being appropriated for if Aetna was no longer accepting payments for a canceled premium?

Third, why would the Department of Law find it necessary to donate the same amount of the policy, $193,000 to the George M. Sullivan Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust? Why not the amount paid by the former mayor for the seven years following cancellation?

Fourth, who are the beneficiaries? The Anchorage Press contacted Suzanne McVicker, the attorney in charge of the trust, and was informed that information is "confidential".

Excuse me? Almost $20,000 is unaccounted for, $20,000 spent on a premium that didn't exist after 2002, and $193,000 of taxpayer monies rolled over into a trust that refuses to disclose its beneficiaries to the public. If that isn't a prime example of a conspiracy to inveigle, obscure, and obfuscate the truth then I don't know what is. If Sullivan was the upstanding guy he claims to be, then he should have requested that the Department of Law not donate the monies, disclose the fate of the $19,662.84, and make the Trust's operations transparent. We have 3.5 years to go until Sullivan's term in office is up, and when that time comes the ;progressives need to have their act together in order to run Dan right out of office.

Time to go blue.

***

http://www.anchoragepress.com/articles/2010/03/03/news/doc4b8eec08eff81865973914.txt

Dan Sullivan Is By The People and For The People...Who Can Get Him Elected

2010-02-28T13:48:00.000-09:00

The longer Dan Sullivan remains in office, the more the working class suffers. On March 1, 2010 Route 77 will cease to run to Eagle River, the northernmost community of the Anchorage municipality, and one where commuters relying on public transportation will be unable to reach their jobs 15 miles away in our great city. Rt. 102 will continue, but on a limited schedule all in the name of cutting costs to preserve a budget that is not as tenuous as the Sullivan administration would like us to believe. Once again we see the positive effect Mark Begich had on this community, and the legacy he has left behind.

During Begich's administration public transportation was supported, viewed as a necessity for supporting those who are financially unable to purchase private transportation, and properly funded to ensure it's continuation. Yet, according to individuals like Sullivan the working poor are merely mooching off of the government, and demanding access to programs they don't really need. Their socio-economic status is a "choice", and public services merely allows them to shirk their personal responsibilities to their families and themselves. The mentally challenged or physically disabled don't need public transportation, they need to pull themselves up by their boostraps and contribute! Even better, their families need to take responsibility and care for them instead of pawning them off on their government.

Really?

My personal favorite is an assertion made by one of the local political pundits on their morning radio show about homeless inebriates. Apparently, they don't need support through social services, instead they need to be allowed to hit rock bottom in order to reach the point where they "choose" to make a change, instead of continue living as they are since their being homeless is a "lifestyle". I guess in the eyes of Mr. Pundit living on the street covered in your own filth, urine, and excrement eating out of trash cans, and comitting degrading acts to support your drug or alcohol habit isn't "rock bottom". I also suppose that in the eyes of Mr. Pundit these people aren't mentally ill to the tune of 90%, they just have weak characters, and are behaving this way to avoid taking care of themselves.

Yeah. Right. Sure.

It's hacks like this, who only give a damn about themselves, that elect people like Dan Sullivan to office. Why? Because in their minds, caring about the wellbeing of your fellow man, and working to improve the human condition isn't nearly as important as making sure you can continue to live your selfish lifestyle. What's even worse is these people are purported adherents to the Christian religion which espouses caring for the poor and downtrodden, but I guess that adage is so liberal it just bounces right off their conservative little minds. Why? Because in their eyes Jesus is a right-wing radical like themselves who doesn't give two slips about anyone else since it might cause them to have to part with some of their precious money. Yes, I just love that battle cry of the conservative right -

"My money! My money! My money! My money!"

Which is why we have to deal with the likes of Dan Sullivan for the next three years until we can vote him the hell out of office, and get someone in there who can actually do the job without wasting tasxpayer monies trying to besmirch the former administration. All our mayor cares about is money, specificially his money, and they ways he can use it to elevate himself to a higher political office. Do we really want him as our mayor for another term, less and only representing our state in the Senate? Think about it.

***

Go-Go Fairview Go!

2010-02-28T12:53:00.001-09:00

Earlier this week, my favorite columnist Julia O'Malley wrote a piece about her recent visit of Fairview at the behest of some concerned citizens. While there, she was introduced to an alleged drug house, participated in a police ride-along, and gathered first-hand observation of the criminal elements in this part of Anchorage. Her work was thought-provoking, insightful, but merely scratched the surface of the deeper issues affecting what should be a prominent multi-ethnic community in North Anchorage.

I used to live in Fairview, right off of Medfra two blocks down from some friends of mine renting a house from a former employer of mine. Across the street, in an amazing geometric structure, lived an artist couple, a few blocks down young professionals were taking advantage of the low prices on housing. Despite improvements, the artistic layout and design of the streets, flowering lavendar trees, and rich diversity the message was clear - this is the ghetto. Low riding cars would drive down the alleys all hours of the night, music blaring, and occupants with shady faces pulling into the lots of various complexes to conduct deals even shadier than themselves. Gunshots were not uncommon, the local parks were heavily fenced-in, run down, virtually abandoned by the municipality. Hookers hung out under the lights of "crack Carrs" as dubbed by the locals, pimps would ask if I wanted a job whenever I darted in to grab some groceries, and security guards were heavy on the entrances keeping sharp eyes out for wrongdoers.

Back then, before I bought my Dakota, I rode a bike, and stored it outside chained to the fence separating the parking lot of my apartment from the lawn of the one next door. In the almost two years I lived there, Krazy Glue was squirted into my bike chains, my tires popped, and blood wiped on the frame housing the security door for the entryway of my home. Two near break-ins and a would-be stalker later, I moved out in January of 2009, and headed west for the suburbs of Spenard where I currently live. The difference is profound, but that doesn't change the fact that I loved Fairview, and want better for a community that has so much potential.

Young concerned professionals are great, don't get me wrong, but rather than just complain about the going-ons of the neighborhood why not get involved? In the Lower 48 it has been proven time and time again that local, grassroots movements where the locals united to overturn the criminal elements in their towns or cities are the most successful in regards to urban renewal. O'Malley's police escort was correct, the people in Fairview are jaded, they accept the illegal workings of the pimps and dealers as a societal and cultural norm. If the new arrivals want the crooks gone, then they need to work with their neighbors, and inspire them to take action and control of their surroundings. Crime happens only in places where it can, where it is enabled, and in Fairview that is a fact.

My position on the Spenard Community Council as a member isn't just for show, it's for a reason, and it comes from the love I have for my community. Spenard can do more for itself than be the westside ghetto, and if Mt. View can clean itself up in an attempt to once again become a fantastic place to live and raise a family like it used to be in 1989, then the same is true for Fairview, Muldoon, Spenard, and other "problem areas" in our little city by the sea. Therefore, my suggestion to the young professionals and artists who have moved into Fairview is to take a proactive stance towards the criminal elements in their new surroundings. Build a neighborhood watch program, network, talk to other neighbors, invite them to take action and control of their streets, and work to make a change rather than hope for one to happen.

***

Julia O'Malley: In Fairview Police and Dealers Play Cat and Mouse

Fifteen Minutes of Fame for Fifteen Dollars of Food...Or Not...

2010-02-26T12:40:00.001-09:00

Once again, Alaskan politicians prove that legislation is welcome only until it threatens their bread and butter - literally. Last year, during the corrumption investigations that led to ethics reforms within Alaskan government, a law was passed stating that lobbyists now have to report any and all expenditures above a limit of fifteen dollars. Simple right? Let me explain that again, this time using a direct quote:

"...lobbyists can pick up the tab for more than fifteen dollars, they just need to report it to the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC), and publicly name the legislator or legislative staff member they treated."

You're right, it is simple, and very black and white. Unfortunately, legislators are complaining saying you can't get a decent meal in Juneau without spending more than fifteen dollars. Okay, but how does that affect you the politician? It doesn't. All it means is the person buying you dinner needs to report your name along with how much they spent because it's obviously going to cost more than fifteen dollars to buy a nice dinner for two. However, legislators are wanting to up the limit to fifty dollars. Why? Because a fifteen dollar limit makes sure that unreported monies aren't making their way into the pockets of Alaskan politicians.

Wait, isn't that supposed to be a good thing which is why we had the ethics reforms in the first place? I guess in Juneau it's easier to accept bribes by circumventing the rules, than it is to report spending more than fifteen dollars on a meal at a nice restaurant to APOC.

***

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/02/23/1148299/alaska-lawmakers-want-to-raise.html

Glen Beck Is A "Wise Elder"?

2010-02-23T09:33:00.001-09:00

Seriously, what is Sarah Palin smoking? I read this statement today on her Twitter account, and nearly fainted on the spot. Since when has the real-life version of Eric Cartman been a source of wisdom, common sense, intelligence, or at the very least coherent ranting? For crying out loud, when she hinted at a Palin/Beck ticket in 2012, the man spent ten minutes decrying the idea, and making misogynistic remarks about being subordinate to a woman. Reason #482 why I say Palin does not have the right to call herself a feminist. Then again, this is the same woman who has sidled up next to the right wing extremists, aptly dubbed the Tea Party to the tune of $100,000 for her to stroke the egoes of the fringe elements of the Republican Party.

If ever there was a candidate exemplifying the dangers of corporate personhood, Palin is it

On top of that, I notice she is dead quiet about the R-word debacle. I'd like to know just how is it that Rush Limbaugh is a satirist and Seth McFarlane isn't? Excuse me, but I've listened to Rush. The man is a racist, and the only thing he is an expert in is the metabolic life of illicit substances. Yes, remember Rush used to be a drug addict, just like Obama, but according to him he overcame a "dark chapter" of his life, while Obama...well we're just not going to go there with the statements he made about the President's past usage. Then again, this doesn't surprise me since Bush is praised for being a recovered alcoholic (like Beck), but with Obama it is a means to commit character assasination.

Hypocrisy much?

***

Bob Marshall Said WHAT?

2010-02-22T17:50:00.000-09:00

Just when you thought the media was safe from crazy right wing nutjobs and Sarah Palin, Manassas delegate Bob Marshall opened his mouth, and put a giant black eye on the battered Republican party, the Christian religion, human race, and anyone ignorant enough to vote for the man in the first place. According to Bob-O physical handicaps and other developmental delays are God's way of punishing women who have aborted their first pregnancy because in his, repeat his interpretation of the Christian religion, the first born are sacred to God, and aborting them has bought down the wrath of the almighty in the form of birth defects. Subsequently, to avoid further punishment from a mighty and vengeful God, Bob-O has decided to oppose any funding to Planned Parenthood because they provide abortions for their clients.

Excuse me?

Birth defects are God's judgment on women who have had abortions? Have the Christian, less and only American people lost the ability to think? Come on! Last I checked we were past the philosophies of the Dark and Middle Ages which espoused the belief that handicapped people were demonically possessed, and vessels of Satan sent as judgment against the parents who had tried to conceal their sin. Apparently, genetics, pollution, environmental factors, and a whole host of extenuating circumstances are just beads and rattles according to Mr. Marshall. If the resulting firestorm from the press conference wasn't bad enough, Marshall then issued a statement claiming his remarks were "misconstrued" (Washington Post, 2010).

Are you kidding me? Misconstrued is anytime someone mistakes me for being a guy based on my name (Ryan), and asks to see my ID when running my check through the scanner. Bob-O made himself abundantly clear, and is backpedaling because his mouth showed him to be a bigot, charlatan, and complete ignoramus. Last I checked, challenged children happen to women of all ages, regardless of whether or not they have had an abortion, and is the result of multiple factors. They are not the result of an angry God, abortion, Planned Parenthood, or any of the other crap Marshall came up with to explain his position in his speech. On top of that Planned Parenthood also offers the morning-after pill which is NOT the abortion pill, and cannot terminate an established pregnancy. The use of the morning-after pill would be a safer and less controversial alternative to an abortion if taken within the time period the medication is most effective (Planned Parenthood, 2010).

I don't know where Bob-O got his information from, but he is sadly misinformed. Although, I am wondering why abortions are performed so late in the trimester when the fetus is beginning to resemble a human being, since witnesses to abortions performed later in the gestational period have observed the fetus attempting to avoid the probe or chemicals introduced into the utero environment revealing a level of sentience.

Why not just make it illegal to abort after the first trimester, unless medically necessary, and call it even? Either way folks, however you choose to look at this, the fracas observed during the conference is a prime example of a governing body attempting to overstep its bounds, and interfere in the private affairs of its citizens. I do not want the government telling me what medical procedures I can and cannot access, or what I can and cannot do with my own body, or what choices I can or cannot make in order to preserve my physical and mental health. In my opinion, this is right up there with miscegenation laws which made it illegal for people of two different ethnic backgrounds to have children.

I thought we learned something from that, I guess not.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/22/AR2010022204512.html

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/emergency-contraception-morning-after-pill-4363.htm

http://shannynmoore.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/will-palins-satire-clause-cover-delegate-bob-marshall/

Why Do I Defend Gay People? Because I'm A Christian.

2010-02-22T13:42:00.000-09:00

It's no secret that I am a strong supporter of the GLBT community here in Alaska. I attended the Ordinance 64 hearings on the blue side, I have friends who are gay and lesbian, I have no problem with homosexuals willing to lay down their lives to support and defend American interests by serving in the armed forces, and I have no problem with them being open and honest about who they are either in the community or the workplace. Human rights are human rights no matter what, but after the debacle with 64 I feel that I need to stand up, and tell the evangelists, fundamentalists, and right wing to do one thing and one thing only -

Sit down, and shut up.

I am a Christian, specifically a liberal Christian with a background in the Charismatic movement, and an upbringing that has left me with a strong understanding of scripture as it relates to my chosen religion. I have also spent thirteen years studying world religions, ancient civilizations, and cultures in order to understand how they relate to the evolution of modern Judeo-Christian theologies. This background is why I understand far more about the bible than most, and the history surrounding the various doctrines which are mentioned the least because of how they would challenge popularly-held interpretations of scripture. I am also highly spiritual, I don't do anything that is in opposition to my personal beliefs, or what I feel my God of choice would have me do. Which brings us to the obvious question -

"How come you defend gay people then? Huh? Huh?"

Because it is the right thing to do.

Firing a person because of their sexual orientation, dishonorably discharging them because of it, or even worse evicting them from their home simply because of whom they choose to share their bed with is unethical, immoral, and frankly as un-Christian as you can get. I would love for someone to truly sit down, and explain to me how purposefully impoverishing a person is righteous or just. Less and only the fact that there have been cases over the years both in Alaska and the Lower 48 where gays have been victims of physical assaults, harassment, and other human rights violations that are abysmal yet go virtually unpunished because gay-bashing is still acceptable within our society. Yet, according to the local conservative pundits from the pulpits, the gays have bought it on themselves, and it is the right of the heterosexual community to stop them from "spreading their disease." That last line was made by Pastor Jerry Prevo in an e-mail during the 64 hearings when he was busing in people from the Valley to testify against the ordinance.

I hate to break this to Mr. Prevo, but I highly doubt it that God is going to pat him on the back, and go -

"Ah my good and faithful child, great job on making it so those gays couldn't put food in their stomachs, or roofs over their heads by firing and evicting them every chance you got, and damning them to the streets."

If that's what he thinks God is going to say to him, perhaps he needs to re-read that bible of his he's always waving in the air during his sermons on KIMO our local ABC affiliate. Either way, human beings are human beings, God loves us no matter what, and we are called to do the same. That's a good adage to live by whether a person is a Christian, Jew, Buddhist, Muslim, Theist, Deist, Atheist, or Agnostic. Treat others they way we want to be treated, otherwise we have done a great disservice to our ancestors who lost their own lives through tyranny and oppression in effort to provide their children an example of what can happen when hatred prevails instead of love.

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What Is "The Back Porch"?

2010-02-21T12:29:00.000-09:00

A blog, at the least, a source of progressive thought, and common sense in a world of political legerdemain at most. I started this blog because I am a human rights activist, a person deeply concerned about their state and local government, and a woman who is tired of turning on the news only to see the latest installation of the soap opera that has become Washington D.C. Somewhere along the way, extremists in the conservative right gained voice and power, and it has been a mess since (Palin and the Tea Baggers anyone?). Common sense has left the building, but it can be found here. I don't promise to be politically correct, I'm not always going to take the positions others would like me to, and I am not going to mince words or compromise the truth in the name of popularity. I'm going to write what is really going on, focus on the issues that Alaskans care about, and have fun while doing it.

I might even write a blog or two along the way.

Ryan K.

Dan Sullivan Strikes...Again...

2010-02-19T10:08:00.000-09:00

Earlier this week, the Anchorage Assembly approved a $50,000 expenditure for the hire of a forensic auditor with the intent of figuring out whether or not there was fiscal misconduct during the Begich administration. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal except it's little more than a political ploy by Dan Sullivan to further undermine the accomplishments of our former Mayor, and continue the soap opera that has become Alaskan politics. Since taking office, Sullivan has made some serious blunders including the veto of Ordinance 64, under the guise there is "no evidence of prejudice" against homosexuals in the Anchorage community despite 30 hours of testimony to the contrary. The renaming of the Diversity Awards Dinner to the Unity Awards Dinner because Dan only wants to celebrate "the ways in which we are all the same", and then there was the budget debaucle where he literally told citizens that they needed to choose between police and fire protection or access to public services such as the library, and so on.

About that budget, when Begich came into office our city was $33 million dollars in the hole, and rather than spend time complaining about former mayor George Wuerch who incurred that debt in the first place, he rolled up his sleeves, and got to work cutting the bill down to $20 million by the time he left office to assume his responsibilities as a U.S. Sentator. Instead of doing the same thing, Sullivan has continued to rail against Begich first in the Wheeler Report, and now through the use of a forensic auditor in what is obviously a desperate attempt to besmirch someone who was able to do the job they were elected for.

Let me repeat that: able to do the job they were elected for.

Dan Sullivan's job, as an elected offical, is to run the city, and continue working towards bringing us citizens into a position of financial stability. That is his job, not complaining about Mark Begich, and spending precious taxpayer monies trying to prove misconduct that isn't there. Especially if, according to previous statements made during the budget hearings at the Assembly, we're in such dire financial straits, and facing economic ruin if we don't pay of the bill NOW rather than nibble away at it like Begich did during his administration. If we're so poor, then how come the $50,000 bill?

It's time the members of the community remind political figures that they are elected into their positions at the behest of their constituents, under the premise that they are able to perform in that particular job setting, and do so in a way that protects and is of benefit to the interests of the people. In essence we are their employers, and through the voting process we are able to hire and fire. Maybe we need to start reading the resumes of the next crop of mayoral candidates.

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