Reunited

I admit it. I'm happy that my divorce from the Clintons is over.

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Not All Racism

Remember the 90's? It's not that different today, and THAT is what Hillary warned us about.

Steve Benen agrees, and provides some derangement-nostalgia

Let's not forget what conservative activists were saying throughout the '90s:

* As governor, Bill Clinton murdered many rivals. Hillary Clinton was involved.
* As first lady, Hillary Clinton was involved in Vince Foster's death.
* As governor, Bill Clinton trafficked drugs through Mena, Arkansas.
* Bill Clinton was himself a major coke user. It's why his nose is so red.
* As a graduate student, Bill Clinton visited Moscow because he was a Soviet agent (or something).
* The Clintons decorated the White House Christmas tree with condoms and drug paraphernalia.

... In this sense, all the talk about "Obama Derangement Syndrome" and "Clinton Derangement Syndrome" is probably mistaken. It has far less to do with the presidents themselves and far more to do with the pathological tendencies of those who seek to destroy Democratic administrations.

In Brazil They Know Waste When They See It

Endorsing a old-fashioned-water saving technique

We Are All Kenyans Now

You Are Important

People, America needs you:

For one month, the fight for health insurance reform leaves the backrooms of Washington, D.C., and returns to communities across America. Throughout August, members of Congress are back home, where the hands they shake and the voices they hear will not belong to lobbyists, but to people like you.

August is a crucial time to show Congress where the people stand. That's why Organizing for America is putting together thousands of events this month where you can reach out to neighbors, show your support, and make certain your members of Congress know that you're counting on them to act.

Can you commit to attend at least one event in your community this month?

Click Here

The Beauty Of The Blues

Swimming Freestyle:

Gallup poll on the new GOP

Conventional wisdom is the Republican Party, at least from a majority standpoint, is now dominant in the Southeast. The new Gallup poll of party affiliation by state blows that theory to bits. The data suggests that Democrats have lost a bit of ground since the 2008 general election, but Republicans appear to have lost more. Most of the lost Republicans now identify themselves as Independents and the new party affiliations have had an striking effect on the electoral map.

The Gallup summary:

Since Obama was inaugurated, not much has changed in the political party landscape at the state level -- the Democratic Party continues to hold a solid advantage in party identification in most states and in the nation as a whole. While the size of the Democratic advantage at the national level shrunk in recent months, this has been due to an increase in independent identification rather than an increase in Republican support. That finding is echoed here given that the total number of solid and leaning Republican states remains unchanged from last year. While the Republican Party is still able to compete in elections if they enjoy greater turnout from their supporters or greater support for its candidates from independent voters, the deck is clearly stacked in the Democratic Party's favor for now.

The one thing the four Republican aligned states have in common? Small populations. Not exactly a great position heading into an election.

Keep The Heat Up

The Advocate:

After eight years of George W. Bush, we were sick of being excluded, sick of being hated. [...] [Obama] talked to us -- and about us -- more, and more explicitly, than any nominee before him. And not just when he had to. Not just at Human Rights Campaign dinners. At black churches, in his stump speech, on the night he was elected: He said the word that every major candidate before him had found every excuse not to say. He named us. He said gay.

[...] And during his first months in office, while he worked with Congress on the economic stimulus package and the wars, and laid groundwork for legislation to protect the environment and reform health care, we were on our best behavior, waiting for him to reveal his plans to keep his promises to us.

Momentum for gay equality kept building -- in the courts, in legislatures, and in culture. Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine legalized gay marriage -- which was, significantly, also endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Dick Cheney too announced his support for marriage equality, as did top Republican strategist Steve Schmidt, who managed John McCain’s presidential campaign. Polls showed clear majorities supporting repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” even among conservatives and churchgoers -- constituencies that had long been in favor of the antigay military policy. Still, through all of this, one word was conspicuously absent from the president’s vocabulary.

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Write 'em. For Me and for you.

The IRS Saves The World ... Again

Remember, Al Capone was convicted of Tax Evasion.

Years from now thousands of as yet unborn American Scientists will look upon this and shake their heads in awe and relief.

Dinosaur Creationism Theme Park Seized By The Government

You'd think that dinosaur-loving creationists would be law-abiding citizens. Not so. Last week a South Carolina judge ordered the government to seize control of Dinosaur Adventure Land creationist theme park after its owners were convicted of tax fraud.

A ruling by U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers states that the nine properties that make up Dinosaur Adventure Land as well as two bank accounts associated with the park will be used to satisfy $430,400 owed to the federal government.

Kent Hovind, who founded the park and a ministry, Creation Science Evangelism, is serving 10 years in federal prison for failing to pay the Internal Revenue Service more than $470,000 in employee taxes.

He was found guilty in November 2006 on 58 counts, including failure to pay employee taxes and making threats against investigators.

The conviction culminated 17 years of Hovind sparring with the IRS. Saying he was employed by God and his ministers were not subject to payroll taxes, he claimed no income or property.

Hovind is incarcerated at the Edgefield Federal Correction Institution in South Carolina.

His wife, Jo, also was sentenced to a year in federal prison for her role in the tax fraud. She's currently jailed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Marianna.

The Black Helicopters

Why do rightwing nutjobs fear the blackhelicopters? Because that's what they use.

Blackwater Founder Implicated in Murder

A former Blackwater employee and an ex-US Marine who has worked as a security operative for the company have made a series of explosive allegations in sworn statements filed on August 3 in federal court in Virginia. The two men claim that the company's owner, Erik Prince, may have murdered or facilitated the murder of individuals who were cooperating with federal authorities investigating the company. The former employee also alleges that Prince "views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe," and that Prince's companies "encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life."

In their testimony, both men also allege that Blackwater was smuggling weapons into Iraq. One of the men alleges that Prince turned a profit by transporting "illegal" or "unlawful" weapons into the country on Prince's private planes. They also charge that Prince and other Blackwater executives destroyed incriminating videos, emails and other documents and have intentionally deceived the US State Department and other federal agencies. The identities of the two individuals were sealed out of concerns for their safety.

These allegations, and a series of other charges, are contained in sworn affidavits, given under penalty of perjury, filed late at night on August 3 in the Eastern District of Virginia as part of a seventy-page motion by lawyers for Iraqi civilians suing Blackwater for alleged war crimes and other misconduct.

Andrew highlights the charges

Both men requested anonymity to avoid mortal threats. “It appears that Mr. Prince or his employees murdered, or had murdered, one or more persons who have provided information, or who were planning to provide information, to the federal authorities,” said John Doe #1. John Doe #2 says he received personal threats after leaving Blackwater.

Prince “views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe.” He “intentionally deployed to Iraq certain men who shared his vision of Christian supremacy, knowing and wanting these men to take every available opportunity to murder Iraqis.”

Blackwater “employees openly and consistently used racist and derogatory terms of Iraqis and other Arabs, such as 'ragheads’ or ‘hajis.’”

Blackwater deployed to Iraq individuals who (a) made “statements about wanting to… ‘kill ragheads’ or achieve ‘kills’ or ‘body counts,’” (b) drank excessively, (c) used steroids, and (d) failed to follow safety and other instructions governing the use of lethal weapons. Mental-health professionals who raised concerns about deployment of such individuals were fired.

Prince obtained “illegal ammunition… designed to explode after penetrating within the human body” and smuggled it into Iraq for use.

Prince distributed other illegal weapons for use in Iraq.

Prince was aware of the use of prostitutes, “including child prostitutes,” at Blackwater’s “Man Camp” in Iraq, which he visited.

Praise Jesus.

Do This NOW!

Go to this website, CHANGE THE SUBJECT LINE AND ERASE THE PROVIDED TEXT.

FWIW, this is the text I used.

Public support for Health Insurance Reform has been strong for decades. And remains strong despite attacks on imagined legislation

Congressman, this is your chance to make a lasting improvement in the lives of all Americans. Don't let it pass you by.

Then send the damn thing.

Let's use the Insurance Industry's technology against itself.

Just Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore

Our Responsibility

Chris Hayes:

I come from a family of organizers (my dad and my brother), so I'm intimately familiar with just how much work good organizing is. I also have a lot of guilt about the fact I'm not one.

But with that disclaimed out of the way, I have to echo what Josh Marshall says here.
If you want health care, then do something about it. We are now in the middle of a fight. Fights are good. Democracy is fundamentally about the non-violent resolution of conflict, and we've got conflict. There is a small but very mobilized constituency of people and interests that want to kill health care reform. They have the advantage of being on the attack, or tearing down and criticizing and expressing their outrage. The job of advocates of reform is trickier, but unless there is a mobilization and concerted organized attempt to push elected representatives in a progressive direction they will succumb to the braying and bullying of tea-baggers. Find out if your congressman is having a town hall, and go. Find others to go with you. Let them know you will punish them if they don't support real reform. Call their offices. Show up at their offices.

It's on.

Q.E.D.

Had Enough?

Politicians scare easily. Contact your representatives and tell them that abominations like this make YOU more committed than ever to fight back this latest assault upon America.

Fact here

The work did not end on November 4.

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Who's Your Enemy?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Success Is Failure.

and Glenn Beck is sanity.

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Or. Is It?

Happy Birthday

Still with you ...

Destroy Them

Bottom Line? Health Insurers are evil and out to kill any chance that they might have to be accountable or even honest.

Trust me on this. I'm a HC vet.

Doing My Part

Here's The White House Blog's Response to the Rightwing HCR craziness

Facts Are Stubborn Things
Posted by Macon Phillips

Opponents of health insurance reform may find the truth a little inconvenient, but as our second president famously said, "facts are stubborn things."

Scary chain emails and videos are starting to percolate on the internet, breathlessly claiming, for example, to "uncover" the truth about the President’s health insurance reform positions.

In this video, Linda Douglass, the communications director for the White House’s Health Reform Office, addresses one example that makes it look like the President intends to "eliminate" private coverage, when the reality couldn’t be further from the truth.

For the record, the President has consistently said that if you like your insurance plan, your doctor, or both, you will be able to keep them. He has even proposed eight consumer protections relating specifically to the health insurance industry.

There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.

Here are the complete videos that Linda refers to. First from the AARP:

As I Suspected, The South Is Being Led By The Russkies