Anonymous: American Politics

Mon, 06 Dec 2004 06:26:20 GMT

Last Post (I think)

This is the last post on this site. My new blog is here. If you want to keep up with the haps of Shane then go to my new blog. If you link to me then please, please take a moment and update your links with my new address.

Fri, 29 Oct 2004 03:07:39 GMT

5 years ago...

...was around the exact time that I began traveling internationally for business. I traveled to Africa, Europe and Asia and I saw that my country, while not loved, was at least respected. The government of the United States was seen as all-powerful, but mainly benevolent and President Clinton was loved as much for his faults as for his talents.

During that time this nation was rich, it seemed like everyone who wanted a job had one and the possibilities of the future seemed endless.

Now I go overseas and see my nation not respected nor loved but instead feared. I see nation after nation looking at the United States as a country to be avoided and not emulated. I see President Bush loathed, hated, not respected and most of all, feared. Feared as a reckless, messianic man who claims kinship with God but instead knows only God's opposite: war and death. Who claimed when running for office he wanted to lead a "humble America" but instead has led the nation as if he's an emperor. He and his cohorts pretend they know the way and don't question them.

A terrifying thing, little noticed by the media, happened this August. For the first time in living memory the Treasury Department held an auction of US Treasury bills and no one bought. For the first time in history foreigners are refusing to invest in what was previously the safest investment around, US T-bills.

Now you make think this matters little. I can hear the Republicans now: "Who cares if foreigners buy our T-bills, we can do without them!" Wrong. The US depends on the largess of foreign governments to subsidize the massive budget deficit created by Bush's reckless fiscal policies and if they don't... well, the consequences are too terrible to ponder.I'd guess the likeliest is a deflationary spiral leading to the collapse of the stock market and a new depression.

Where I'm going with all this is that one again tonight I leave for Asia on business and I'll be gone until November 20. I leave behind a country heading towards ruin if it continues to be led by George W. Bush. Every person I know has said if the election is stolen again they'll take to the streets and use the last method available to us to enforce the will of the people, violence. As American citizens we're taught very early that violence to change the government is the last option, but a viable one if other methods have been exhausted. When your vote counts for little and the courts back up the thieves then what choice do the people have left?

I don't know what's going to happen but my gut says Kerry will win. If he doesn't and the election is again tainted by fraud and thievery used by the Republicans then we're in for some rough, rough times. I leave here an American who still has faith in the system I believe is the best in the world. I hope to God I return feeling the same way.

Tue, 26 Oct 2004 01:48:14 GMT

More of God's punishment for the Republicans

"Isn't it ironic,don't ya think?"

Isn't it ironic? Three months ago the insane Pat Robertson was asking members of the 700 Club to pray for God to remove members of the Supreme Court who were "opposing his laws." Well, it looks like God has answered their prayers but they probably weren't thinking the Chief Justice was one that God was going to remove.

He certainly works in mysterious ways, now doesn't he?

Mon, 18 Oct 2004 19:19:12 GMT

Dr. Milton "Rennie" O'Brien - Liar and Fraud

Last week I received a call from the campaign of Dr. Milton O'Brien, who is running for City Supervisor in District 7, my city district. I asked "Dr" O'Brien's campaign worker just what kind of "Dr." O'Brien was, because he lists himself as a "physician" in the voter's guide. In addition he claims he's a "physician" on his campaign website.

Shyster and a Fraud

It turns out he's a chiropractor. And while I'm not insulting the chiropractic field, unless one holds a valid California Medical License stating they're a physician then they're not. And after a quick check of "Dr" O'Brien's license (available on-line) I saw that he is listed as a chiropractor, not a physician and not a surgeon.

This isn't a small point. A physician is entirely different that a chiropractor and anyone in the medical field knows this. It's like going to see an "attorney" who's actually a para-legal. Just like they can't call themselves an attorney until they've passed the Bar a doctor can't call himself a "physician" until he's passed the boards and earned a license to practice medicine from his state medical board. My boyfriend has a California Medical License and it lists him as a Physician and a Surgeon, which goes to show you that SOME people follow the rules.

Under California state law it's illegal to claim one is a physician when one is not. In addition it's illegal to publish lies in the city voting guide. Tomorrow I'll be filing a complaint with the city ethics commission.

Dr. O'Brien may be a great chiropractor but one thing he's not is a physician and he should stop telling people he is. To do so it dishonest and unethical and speaks volumes about the kind of supervisor he'd be if he slipped into office without people knowing his real profession.

Mon, 18 Oct 2004 17:55:25 GMT

Mary Cheney - Professional Dyke

One of my major pet peeves about the gay community has been its love of gay kids with celebrity/politician parents. Because so many homos are so in thrall to celebs themselves they naturally feel that the gay child of someone famous will be able to catch the attention of straights: "CHER'S daughter is a lesbian? Wow... maybe the gays aren't so bad afterall!" and so this thinking goes.

Lesbian for sale to highest bidder!

Famous parents and connections in high places included!

If you're non-talented and gay and happen to have a famous parent then the least you're assured of is a job at one of the constantly-infighting and ineffective homo organizations like NGLTF or HRC.

Witness Candice Gingrich, the dykey half-sister of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. For awhile after ol' Candace burst out of the Wal-Mart closet she'd been hiding in, she was everywhere HRC wanted her to be. Always smiling and always wearing the same sad K-Mart styled suit (dark blue with white piping) she showed that... it's possible for Repubs to have dykey sisters with bad taste as well!

My point being that the recent flap over Mary Cheney's lezzie orientation is ridiculous because Mary Cheney has been a professional dyke for as long as I can remember. She worked for Coors as their "Liason to the Gay and Lesbian community" for years and if that doesn't make one a professional homo then I don't know what does. Mary hasn't been in the closet for ages and has milked both her lesbianism and her connections to the Bush White House for all they're worth.

Which is why the flap over her "outting" by John Kerry is all the more ridiculous. Mary was never "in" and both her father and mother have mentioned her sapphic tendencies whenever it benefits them or their campaigns. In addition it's unbelievable to see the Repubs painting themselves as being uber-sensitive when the Texas Republican party called for gays to be fired from their jobs!

The country is going to hell-in-a-handbasket under Bush and this flap is all the more ridiculous with the terrible problems we have facing us. Mary Cheney has been a professional dyke for as long as anyone can remember and to insinuate she was somehow "taken advantage of" by Kerry is outlandish. Especially considering the sad fact that Mary Cheney has been "taking advantage" of herself long before John Kerry got around it, and she's now allowing the Republicans, a party that hates gays and does everything it can to make their lives miserable, to take advantage and use her as well.

Who's the real victim here? I can tell you for sure its not Mary Cheney.

Mon, 04 Oct 2004 07:15:46 GMT

Observations

I know it's probably old news but I watched half of the first presidential debate in the Philippines (I missed the other half because the satellite connection dropped). I thought Kerry did an amazing job. He was focused, articulate and believable. Bush was the exact opposite in every way. He stammered, looked pissed-off and was full of his usual lies, except this time he wasn't surrounded by his fawning bunch of sycophants to echo him on every issue. I think that's part of the reason he came off so badly. Bush isn't used to people disagreeing with him, and it shows.

Both my co-worker and I agreed, Kerry won this debate and won it clearly, without a doubt.

Traveling as an American has become vastly more difficult because of this presidency. I personally didn't experience any hostility (other than some bitchy stares and comments from a boat full of nasty, fat South Koreans while I was snorkeling) but everywhere people did want to talk to me about Iraq and Bush. I made clear, as did my co-worker, that we hated Bush and wished for a regime change and were doing everything we could to make this happen.

It becomes tiresome to constantly have to defend your country while overseas. And while I'm an experienced traveler and know this is part of being an American abroad, it bothers me more than ever because this is an administration with which I have nothing in common, yet while overseas I'm seen as the embodiment of its policies and of its lies. I don't want to nor while I defend this administration's complete ineptitude when it comes to Iraq and that's what everyone wants to talk about.

This is the crux of the issue, of why I oppose this administration with the fervor that I do. My country is becoming unrecognizable. America used to be a place of hope and of new beginnings and I still believe this is what we are, a great nation full of amazing, wonderful people who are capable of such tremendous good. Yet we're now seen in much of the world as murdering imperialists who forge ahead with our destructive policies regardless of what our friends and allies say, and regardless of the costs to the planet and to ourselves. This is antithetical to what I believe my country is, and I'll do everything I can to make sure this changes on November 2.

I'll have pictures of the trip soon, I promise.

Sat, 18 Sep 2004 21:43:14 GMT

Congressman David Dreier - Closeted gay, living a lie

Yes, it's time for another homo Republican congressman to be outed. In this case it's David Dreier, who represents the 26th district here in California.

Here is just some of Dreier's pathetic record on gay and lesbian rights, courtesy of blogactive.com:

Voted FOR the Defense of Marriage Act (1996)
Voted FOR the Marriage Protection Act (2004)
Opposed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, ENDA (1996, 1997, 1999)
Opposed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act (1997)
Supported allowing federally funded charities to discriminate against gays and lesbians, despite local laws. (2001)
Voted to prohibit lesbians and gays in DC from adopting children - 3,000 miles from his district! (1998)
Opposed the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program. (1996)
Opposed increases in State AIDS Drug Assistance Program (1997)
Opposed the restoration of funding to HOPWA (1998)

David thinks he can continue to oppose gay marriage, gay and lesbian workplace rights and gay and lesbian adoption and still run around in DC's Dupont Circle district and pick up guys for a quick fuck. Well, those days are over. Congressman David Dreier is a closeted homosexual who publicly opposes gay rights. By making that choice he's lost his right to privacy and I'm happy to trumpet the news here: David Dreier is GAY!!

Sat, 18 Sep 2004 04:04:10 GMT

God Punishes the South for Voting Republican

...not once or twice but THREE times!

Boy those hillbillies down South must have really pissed of God because so far this season he's sent THREE hurricanes their way, each more powerful than the other.

Don't vote Republican!

It's rich really. The South, long in the forefront of trying to destroy social safety net programs like AFDC and Medicare, is the first in line with their begging bowl extended asking for federal assistance to recover from natural disasters. It seems the Feds really aren't so bad and the government really shouldn't be "nuked." Which is what Mississippi Senator Trent Lott said back in 1995.

Let's see, today I woke up and went to work and just like millions of other citizens of California, New York, Ohio and Washington I worked to subsidize the South. I love waking up every day and knowing that as a resident of California I basically exist to pour money down the rat hole that is the Midwest and the South because the West and East coasts get back FAR less in revenue from the Federal government than we pay.

The real "Welfare Queens" in this Republic are the former states of the Confederacy and their friends and allies in the Midwest.

Fri, 27 Aug 2004 05:23:37 GMT

Here They Go Again...

And by that I mean the Republicans. It's amazing the Bush campaign has managed to turn the debate away from the sorry state this country is in and towards the ridiculous and untrue charges against John Kerry.

If the charges had any merit and were proposed by more than a group of disgruntled Republican operatives I'd have more sympathy for the media. But they're not. The press clucks its tongue and shakes its collective head but it covers these lies like they're the truth, and it gives them credibility.

3 years ago I said that in three years this country would be reaping the rewards of Republican rule: a higher crime rate, higher unemployment, more people in poverty and a poorer image of the US abroad. And I was right. Today the US Dept. of Labor announced that the number of Americans living in poverty has risen in the past year and it doesn't take a genius to figure out who is to blame for this.

I hope to God this isn't a repeat of 1988. Because the stakes are much, MUCH higher than they were then. I'm tired of the retro, welfare-sucking states deciding who rules this nation and even though secession was decided back in 1860 I think maybe it's time we re-thought it now.

Thu, 26 Aug 2004 04:41:46 GMT

Retro vs. Metro

I pre-ordered this book from Amazon last week and received it today. I'd urge everyone to go to this website and download the chapters, or if you can afford it buy the book from Amazon, it's an absolutely amazing book that lays out very clearly what the consequences will be for our country if George Bush wins another term in office.

It's a telling statistic that the "metro" states in the book, and those consist mainly (but not all) of states that voted for Gore in 2000, have a ratio of 10-1 Nobel laureates to the retro states. And that's not all. The metro states have a lead of nearly 3-1 in top ranked public high schools and 4-1 in research universities. We're talking about a major clash of the educated vs. the uneducated and if Bush wins another term in office it's going to get worse.

I don't want to give it all away but this book is enormously important and will open the eyes of anyone who reads it as to what the real agenda of the Republicans means for this country. Take my advice and please download the chapters if you can't afford to buy the book.

Sat, 21 Aug 2004 06:12:49 GMT

George W. Bush - Too many lies, for too long

This controversy about Kerry's service record in Vietnam is astounding and disgusting, all at the same time.

Kerry is a decorated war veteran - George Bush is not.
Kerry served his country during a time of war - George Bush did not.
Kerry's record of service is verifiable - George Bush’s is not.

I could go on and on but I won't. The fact that the press is actually playing up the absurd and insane accusations by a group of veterans who previously spoke highly of Kerry and recommended him for a Bronze Star is nauseating. Instead of asking about Kerry's record in Vietnam they should instead be asking about Bush's non-record of service supposedly defending Texas from Oklahoma.

Wed, 18 Aug 2004 05:34:27 GMT

I work and work...

'till I'm half dead. No seriously, I've been neglecting my writings as I've been so busy with work with week. We have a new product out for which I'm writing the training and that's taken up all of today and yesterday.

I blogged earlier about a possible tie in the Electoral College and today I heard about something new that could make a difference. There is an initiative on the ballot in Colorado that would distribute that state's nine electoral votes in a proportional manner based on each dandidates total share of the vote. The initiative will take effect immediately upon passage and so would change the way Colorado distributes its electoral votes. Bush is barely ahead in Colorado and if he's behind in the total electoral vote count and this initiative passes that adds a whole new equation to an already complex issue. Bush won Colorado 51% in 2000 and if he loses its electoral votes because this initiative passes he'll have a hard time winning office.

Sat, 14 Aug 2004 20:21:18 GMT

A Dead Heat in the Electoral College?

The more I play around with the cool, electoral vote tracker at the LA Times the more I begin to believe there will be a deadlock in the electoral college after this year's presidential election, which will throw the vote to the House.

If Kerry keeps all the states Gore won in 2000 and adds West Virginia and New Hampshire he wins 269. That leaves Bush with 269 if he keeps every state he won in 2000 and loses the two that are trending more heavily Kerry right now. If the election goes to the House then each state's delegation is allowed 1 vote. The majority of state delegations are controlled by Republicans so it seems very likely that we may again end up with a Republican president who couldn't win the popular vote yet managed to gain office through other means.

So for Kerry to win he's going to have to win all of Gore's states in 2000 and add the following: New Hampshire, West Virginia and one more like Nevada, Ohio, Florida, Arizona or Missouri. I name those states because those are where the race is closest right now. Kerry is ahead in the most recent polls in Florida, Ohio and Missouri and slightly behind in Arizona and Nevada. I think he's got more of a chance in Nevada than Arizona because ACT has been making a major effort to sign-up Democratic voters in Nevada.

So we'll see what will happen. I thought Gore was going to win in 2000 and was shocked at the lengths Republicans would go to regain the presidency that year. I'm more seasoned and realistic now and I expect they'll do anything to maintain their rotten grip on power. If Bush wins again by a constitutional anachronism while once again losing the popular vote then we're going to be in for rough times ahead and it's not going to be pleasant.

Sat, 14 Aug 2004 08:28:08 GMT

No Love Without the Guv

Anyone remember what is a katsa? To jog your memory think of William Safire and then maybe it'll come to you. Still not there? A katsa is a sleeper agent for the Mossad and I have no doubt that's what Golan Cipel is. Please, I mean, he was in the IDF and then was "introduced" to the governor at a party in Israel??? Does anyone really think the Israelis don't pay close attention to up-and-coming politicans like McGreevey?

His best years are behind him

Watching James McGreevey's announcement that he was not only a homo but had also cheated on his wife with another man I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Here's a guy who is obviously extremely intelligent, driven, attractive and successful and he's spent his entire life living a lie. At least he wasn't one of those closeted anti-gay Republicans who ended up dying of AIDS like Roy Cohn, but still, it's bad enough.

So now who to believe? Is McGreevey a serial same-sex sexual harasser or is Golan a gold-digging wannabe kept boy? I'd put my funds on McGreevey. As a Jew I can't believe anyone would move to the US for a $32,000 a year job. For my people that's a drop in the bucket barely covering our monthly payments on the condo in Boca. Golan is either a katsa or he was in love with the guv and my money's on the love.

Thu, 05 Aug 2004 06:43:43 GMT

Republican Desperation in Illinois

Hey! Maybe they'll be interested in running!

One can tell very easily that the Republicans are becoming desperate for anyone, ANYONE to run for the Senate on the Republican ticket in Illinois when their top two choices consist of:

Andrea Grubb Barthwell, a black Chicago-area physician and former deputy drug czar in the Bush administration who has little campaign experience and has allegations in her past that had she made "lewd and abusive" comments about a colleague's sexual orientation while in Washington. Barthwell also has a history of contributing to Democratic candidates.
Alan Keyes, a black, 4-time loser in federal elections who isn't even from Illinois, he's from friggin' MARYLAND! But he's black and since the Republican party has around three black members they'll have no one left if either of these two winners decline (the other black Republican is busy serving food and cleaning toilets at various Republican fundraisers, and he's a former member of Congress.)

The funniest thing about Alan Keyes is how rabidly anti-affirmative action he is. Yet the only reason he's even being considered for this race is because of his race and he knows it. I guess losing the Republican presidential nomination in 1996 and 2000 wasn't enough for old Alan. Nor was losing two Senate races in Maryland by 42% and 23.6%. With that kind of track record in politics it'll be amazing if he even gives it a try.

Tue, 20 Jul 2004 23:51:31 GMT

Samuel Berger

In the age of the Bush administration, as in Republican administrations before it, the FBI and CIA have become so politicized as to be rendered virtually ineffective. That's why the news that Samuel Berger is "under federal criminal investigation for allegedly removing handwritten notes and secret documents from a National Archives screening room while preparing to give testimony to the 9/11 commission" doesn't bother me in the least.

Does anyone remember that former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill also came under investigation for allegedly removing "secret documents" while in his post as Secretary of the Treasury? Is it any coincidence that this investigation also occurred after O'Neill wrote a scathing book highly critical of the Bush administration? And does anyone remember the results of the O'Neill investigation? He was cleared as I'm sure Berger will be when the truth comes out. Or IF the truth is allowed to come out.

All we're seeing here is the misuse of federal law enforcement and investigative agencies to further the nefarious ends of the Bush administration. When they don't like someone that person is always magically "investigated" for one alleged offense or another. When they don't like the data from the CIA about Iraq's WMD they install a new team who gives them what they want. Their hypocrisy and desperation reek to high heaven and only show how frightened they are of losing power in November.

Mon, 19 Jul 2004 08:51:48 GMT

That fundraiser

Yeah, it was a PC lovefest. After all it was in Berkeley right?

It started out with a little song singing by some white wanna-be folk singer and a fierce black lesbian who actually had a great voice. They wanted us to sing "This little light of mine" but I declined and instead headed to the bar for another glass of their mediocre chardonnay (what does one expect for $250.00 a head anyway).

Then the US Rep. from Berkeley was introduced as a "champion for peace and social justice" and when you know anyone is introduced as being in favor of "social justice" they're gonna be a big ol' tired leftist. And Barbara Lee (Babs) from Berkeley certainly fits that bill. In addition to being a tired old leftist she's also one of the most anti-Israel members of congress. I ground my teeth through the whole sordid speech and refused to stand and applaud for her at the end.

After Babs we were introduced to more tired leftists lawmakers like the mayor of Berkeley and all these other boring politicians. My memory is a bit clouded because I made repeated trips to the bar to drink wine, it was the only way I could keep my strength up and prevent myself from erupting in a huge burst of laughter through out the sad spectacle.

But it was cool to see Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, the founders of one of the oldest gay rights organizations introduced. They're both really cool women. And the former Secretary of Defense, William Perry, spoke as well.

Other than that it was a PC lovefest that drove me crazy, in particular Mark Leno, the way too-tan gay Rep. from San Francisco, complaining about California Gov. Arnold calling the Dems in the Assembly "girly men." If this is how little the gay community has advanced, that Arnold calling them Girly Men in homage to a certain SNL skit, is so terrible then I'm ashamed to call myself gay. Girly men or not I don't give a rat's ass. Get over it.

Sun, 18 Jul 2004 21:02:00 GMT

The over use of OUT amongst the gays

Today the Good Doc and I are off to this gay and lesbian fundraiser for the Kerry-Edwards ticket in the People's Republic of Berkeley. Now this fundraiser is cheaper at $250.00 a ticket than that last one we went to, but I have an unpleasant feeling that it's going to turn into one of those PC love fests that I hate so much. Tom Ammiano is going to get on stage, with his nasal, queeny voice and prance around screeching about some strange, marginal issue like calling pets "animal companions" or supporting the rights of native American transgendered, two-spirited people to open their own casinos. Sometimes I wonder why a person must go to these things.

The event is called "Out Front for Kerry" and that got me thinking. Why is the word "out" used so frequently amongst homos? Out Magazine, Out and Proud, Out of the Closet... and the list goes on. I came "out" when I was 18 and most of the homos that I know who are younger than me came out even younger. It seems my generation (and I'm 33) was the last to "play it straight" and the ones to follow are increasingly comfortable with being "out." That being said, will "coming out" lose its power amongst the gays?

I can think of a lot more words that are more powerful to me than "out." I'll leave them to your imagination but this continual use of "out" to signify gayness is grating on my nerves a bit these days. Take this fundraiser for example. "Out Front for Kerry" seems to indicate that homos are "out" for Kerry but that's a bit redundant because if myself and my boyfriend are attending a $250.00 a person fundraiser for John Kerry along with several thousand other sodomites and lezzies, and shitloads of gay politicians as well as the media isn't it a given that we're "out" for Kerry? Would someone "in" contribute money for a gay and lesbian fundraiser?

Most of the people in charge of these sorts of events are the old guard of the gay movement, they're in their 40's and 50's and they've been around for it all, so coming out is still a big deal to them. But if you're younger, and have never been "in" whom do you have to come out to? It's sorta like the whole "top and bottom" argument that seemed in vogue in the 70's. Are you a top or a bottom? Well, I thought the whole point was that you could be both!

The tendency toward catergorizing homos and celebrating "outness" is an outgrowth of the PC, leftist culture that has dominated gay thinking since the early 70's. It classifies gay people as "separate" and then further catergorizes them as "Leather-identified", "Transsexual", "Dyke", "Queer" and on and on. It's an old style of thinking that seems to indicate that everyone's feelings need to be validated, because if you're not making everyone happy then something is wrong with the picture. It leads to endless, pointless debates on issues like whether male-to-female transsexuals should be allowed into all "wimmin" music festivals. Who gives a shit? Aren't there other, more important issues to be concerned about, like the rapid increase in HIV and other STD infections amongst gay men and the glamorization of HIV amongst younger gay men?

Wed, 14 Jul 2004 18:36:36 GMT

Those that live in glass houses....

Shouldn't throw stones. Isn't that how the saying goes? Well Matt Drudge, who's a closeted fag himself, should be careful about who he calls gay. His latest target is the Kerry-Edwards tickets whom he demonizes here. Unfortunately for Drudge both Kerry and Edwards are happily married, whereas he's suspiciously single and well known to be a closet rope smoker.

Homo

It's the same old song but I'll never get tired of singing it. Matt Drudge is a fag, a closeted homosexual and that fact is backed up by evidence. Any questions? Ask David Brock, who Drudge asked out on a date and who documented the hilarious debacle that was Drudge's clumsy attempt at homosexual seduction in his book, Blinded by the Right.

Update: It seems I'm not the only one to notice the inherent contradiction in Drudge's fascination with homoeroticism in politics. Data Lounge noticed it as well!

Wed, 14 Jul 2004 18:25:22 GMT

Republican Evil - 75 years and counting

I thought today about what it feels like to be in the crosshairs of Republican political strategists. The gays know what it's like today and further back in history it was the blacks, before that (and still today) it was the poor. The Republican party, at least since the 30's, has had a history of demonizing marginalized groups in American society for electoral benefit and sadly in most cases it seems to have worked.

The Republican party stood united against FDR's New Deal program to provide jobs to millions of Americans during the Great Depression, they called his actions "Socialism" and did everything they could, in league with conservative justices on the Supreme Court, to put a halt to Roosevelt's programs. They fought tooth and nail against National Unemployment Insurance, Social Security, the WPA and Roosevelt taking the US off the Gold Standard. Later, before WWII and with Britain and Russia on the verge of being overrun by fascism the Republican party opposed the Lend-Lease program which saved Britain and Russia.

When Truman was in power the Republicans opposed his executive order de-segregating the US armed forces, they led and cheered on the anti-Communist withhunts of the 50's and were in the vanguard of opposition to the establishment of the United Nations.

When Kennedy was in power the Republicans opposed his efforts to bring to the fore the National Civil Rights Act. They opposed that bill during both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, they opposed every Great Society initiative proposed by Johnson, including Medicare, Medicaid and Food Stamps. They fought against any social program designed to help the less fortunate and for tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy.

Nixon engineered the "southern strategy" of the Republican party, which was as repulsive as it was successful. The goal was to split poor Southerners from the Democratic party by using racial code words to paint the Democratic party, previously seen by Southerners as their champion, as the party of the "counter-culture", from hereon to be lumped in with the uppity negroes, the feminists and the homosexuals.

This strategy proved so successful that it was exported from the South to the Reagan Democrats, who despite the Republican war against their unions and their retirement benefits, proved susceptible to Republican propaganda. From Nixon on you had poor and middle class Americans increasingly voting Republican despite Republicans giving them the economic shaft everytime.

During the 70's Nixon politicized the CIA, FBI and State Departments in much the same way Bush has done now. American's civil rights were trampled as the FBI ran counter-intelligence operations against opponents of the Vietnam Way, Black, Gay and Indian Activists and those working on behalf of prisoners. During this time the Republicans attempted to undermine the Democratic party and the democratic process by engineering smear operations against Democratic senators and representatives and even burglaring the office of the Democratic National Committee.

When Reagan took power the Republicans all but declared open war on the poor, women, blacks and gays. Using Reagan's conservative appointments to both the judiciary and federal agencies they subverted laws designed to protect women, calling laws like Title IX "the lesbian bill of rights." They refused to investigate claims of employment discrimination using their minion Clarence Thomas, who at that time was head of the Equal Opportunity Commission. They politicized funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) so it was unable to respond effectively to the AIDS crisis and then refused repeated requests from NIH staffers for additional funding to stop AIDS. They repeatedly tried to overturn Roe vs. Wade and eliminated population control funding to the UN, dooming millions of women to lives ruled by endless childbearing. Republicans, led by Reagan, attempted to eliminate or de-fund massive amounts of programs, including Food Stamps, AFDC, Student Financial Aid, Medicaid and Medicare.

When Clinton took power the Republicans spent his entire eight years in office trying to undermine both his administration and him personally. They funded ridiculous investigations accusing Clinton and his wife of everything under the sun, including murder. In the end they dragged the nation through the impeachment process but failed to remove the President or even to get a majority vote in the US Senate on any of the articles of impeachment. They claimed Clinton's economic program, which resulted in budget surpluses and years of economic growth, would lead to another Great Depression and not a SINGLE Republican in the House or Senate voted for it.

In addition Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America" should have been re-labeled "The Contract Allowing Corporate America to Steal." As a direct result of Republican-led reforms which enabled less oversite of the energy and securities industry by the federal government we were given Enron, Adelphia and the scandals on Wall Street. Remember that Republicans always resented and opposed FDR's regulation of the banking system and spent more than 50 years trying to overturn those laws. They succeeded and as a result we experienced corporate fraud on a scale not seen since the days of Republican President Herbert Hoover and the Crash of '29.

Now since Bush II took office we're all seeing the consequences. War on all fronts overseas, war against gays and women at home (again), cuts in programs for the least fortunate (again), massive tax breaks for the rich and corporations (again), demonizing of minorities (again) and the list goes on and on.

You've got to give it to Republicans for their consistency, they've always been willing to use minorities as scapegoats to gain rural and bigoted votes. In the 60's it was the blacks and now it's the gays. They've ALWAYS opposed programs designed to help those most vulnerable and unable to help themselves and they've always opposed involving the US in any sort of internationally-mandated diplomacy. Their hallmark is their consistency in opposing programs which benefit the most in favor of support for programs targeting the wealthiest and the least-deserving in American society.

Sat, 10 Jul 2004 22:06:33 GMT

Non-Citizens Should NOT be Able to Vote

If the San Francisco Board of Supervisors has its way there will be a measure on this November's ballot which will allow non-citizens, illegal or not, the right to vote in school board elections.

I'm opposed to this measure for the simple reason that if you want to vote you can become a citizen. It's also unconstitutional because the California State Constitution says "a United States citizen 18 years of age and resident in this State may vote." Sounds pretty clear to me, to vote you must be a citizen and I see no reason to change that to allow illegal and legal non-citizens to participate in the democratic process. I'll definitely vote against this in November.

Fri, 09 Jul 2004 18:09:24 GMT

Outing Season in DC

Several organizations and activists in DC have taken it upon themselves to begin "outing" closeted gay staff members of Representatives and Senators that support the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would ban gay marriage.

Senator Barbara Mikulski - Closeted Lesbian

I agree 100%. If you're a closeted homo working for a senator or representative who says flat out that they would fire any openly gay people working on their staff then you have no right to expect the gay community to support your pathetic attempt to hide who you are. Your subterfuge is your own cross to bear and we don't have to make it any easier for you.

Oh yeah, and thank Barbara Mikulski, you big-ass lesbian, for FINALLY coming out against the FMA just days before the Senate begins debate on the issue. Everyone who knows anything figured out a long time ago that you were a dyke and you've been re-elected numerous times since. Get over it already, we got over it years ago.

Mark Foley - Closeted Republican

Fri, 09 Jul 2004 17:30:09 GMT

The "Stupid Dirty Girl" Flap in CA

California's Secretary of Education called a 6-year old girl a "stupid, dirty girl" at a gathering this week and now we have the PC lynch gang calling for his resignation.

The conversation, videotaped by KEYT-TV, took place at a promotional event for summer reading at Santa Barbara's central library. The girl, 6-year-old Isis D'Luciano, asked Riordan if he knew that her name meant "Egyptian goddess."
Riordan replied, "It means stupid dirty girl."
After nervous laughter in the room, the girl again told Riordan the meaning of her name.
"Hey, that's nifty," he said.
A day later, Riordan issued a statement that said he "teased" the girl. "I immediately apologized to her and I want to do so again for the misunderstanding," Riordan said.

Why should he resign? Her mother and the girl herself are over it, as evidenced by these comments:

The girl's mother, Trinity Lila of Goleta, said she was startled by the uproar and that her daughter was fine.
"Obviously it hurt her feelings but she didn't take it personally. She knew he was wrong and she let it go," Lila said. "I'm not going to sue them for therapy bills."
"He's already apologized repeatedly," Lila added. Although Riordan's office has tried to contact her, "I don't see what else is to be done."

But the fascinating thing about this whole ridiculous issue is how the NAACP, always looking for racism in the unlikeliest places, decided to hold a protest defending the poor little black girl who was so maliciously maligned by Richard Riordan. They scheduled a protest yesterday saying: "the child was "a little African-American girl. Would he (Riordan) have done that to a white girl?"

There's only one problem. The girl is white, with BLOND HAIR! So they cancelled the protest and aren't taking calls.

Fri, 09 Jul 2004 17:09:26 GMT

Bush and Kenneth Lay - Bosom Buddies

I'd like for Congress to investigate the Bush administration's ties with Enron, especially considering how deeply now-arrested former Enron head Kenneth Lay was involved in Cheney's energy discussions.

Fat chance I know, this Congress is far more interested in sucking the dick of the Bush administration than in getting answers and finding the truth. Still it's hilarious to see Bush and Cheney "playing down" the ties they formerly profited so enormously from.

Tue, 06 Jul 2004 18:17:36 GMT

Dumbasses!

As if we needed further confirmation that the NY Post is the newspaper of idiots everywhere...