When the Republican children of perdition come calling this year, it won’t be Trick or Treat. It will be Tyranny or Teabuggery. If you are foolish enough to choose one, you’ll get both, and America loses.
Vote!
Oct 312010
Sep 062010
Every labor day, I post an article on the importance of the labor movement, and this year is no different. I think mine is an excellent article. But One Fly has posted a piece so remarkable, that I have moved my own article to the number two position for the day.
…In this country there are not many who know why we celebrate this holiday but the story told below explains and we should all take pause now and then and remember those who came before us whether it’s this or any number of other stories of people who sacrificed so our country could be a better place to live in.
Remembering the Haymarket Martyrs…
Inserted from <Oak Creek Forum>
Please click through and read this most excellent piece. It will open in a new window, so when you you’re done, I hope you will scroll down and read mine too.
Jul 042010
Over the years, I have written an article on the Declaration of Independence every July 4. Today I’m going to break with that tradition. The basis of our system of government is our Constitution. It is under threat like never before since the Civil War, not from without but from within. The threat comes from people who carry little paper Constitutions and display they claiming to defend it, while their policies demonstrate beyond doubt that, if they have the slightest idea what it says, they have chosen to ignore it.
Starting today, we are going to go over the Constitution and its Amendments line by line. When Republicans wave their paper props and parrot their vile machinations, we will be prepared to expose the lies. The text comes from The US Constitution. It will be displayed in black, while mi comments will be indented in blue.
Preamble – Article I, Section 5
(Preamble)
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Note that when Republicans say that the such programs as health care reform exceed the government’s authority, that promoting for the general (not for the rich only) welfare is right on top.
Article I
Section 1
All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.
The Constitution did not give Bush the legislative powers to rewrite laws as he did in his infamous signing statements.
Section 2
1: The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.
2: No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.
3: Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.
Note that a black slave, referred to as “other persons” counted as only 3/5 of a person. When a winger parrots that the Constitution must be interpreted according to the founders’ original intent, ask them if an African American is still 3/5 of a person.
4: When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies.
5: The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.
Articles of impeachment must begin in the House, a responsibility they overlooked for eight years. The House has impeached only two Presidents: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Richard Nixon resigned before the House voted.
Section 3
1: The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.
Some elements of the far right want to return to having state legislatures, not voters, elect Senators.
2: Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies.
3: No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.
4: The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.
5: The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States.
6: The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.
Achieving a two-thirds majority is most difficult. The Senate has never removed a President, finding both Johnson and Clinton not guilty.
7: Judgment in Cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.
Section 4
1: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.
Congress did set the date as the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
2: The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day.
They changed the date to January 3, but change it from year to year.
Section 5
1: Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.
2: Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.
Note that the filibuster is not the right Republicans claim it is. It is a Senate rule and is subject to change according to the rules of the senate.
3: Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal.
4: Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.
I shall try to put up a new article in this series almost every day. It will take some time to cover it all, but when we’re done, we shall be immune to the lies with which Republicans seek to undermine our freedoms.
May 312010
Let me begin by wishing you all a happy Memorial Day and I hope you are all enjoying the long weekend. The holiday has a long and interesting history.
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke University’s Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860’s tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.
Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 – 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis’ birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee…
Inserted from <US Memorial Day>
What saddens me is that the South has still not gotten over the civil war.
I have opposed our nation’s wars fought in my lifetime almost without exception, so why am I taking part in honoring our war dead? Even while still in my teens, I learned to separate the war from the warrior. With rare exceptions people who join the military do so to serve, not to kill. And those who were drafted had little choice in the matter. All who have served in wars have made major sacrifices, and those lost their lives, the biggest sacrifice of all. They were not responsible for the decisions that sent them to war. If my memory serves, it was John Macarthur who said that nobody hates war more that the soldier. All to often, they have been the cannon fodder for others’ greed for war profits. So I think it most appropriate that we hate war, and scorn politicians who start wars of greed and conquest, but love the warriors.
My one misgiving about this holiday is that it does not go far enough. Honoring the dead doesn’t help them. If anything, it preserves the myth that war is an honorable pursuit, which it is not. So let’s extend our thanks to Veterans. Should you come across one today, please thank him (or her) for serving.
May 092010
1. If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do well matters very much.
Inspirational Quotes on Mothers Day by: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
2. Never marry a man who hates his mother, because he’ll end up hating you.
Inspirational Quotes on Mothers Day by: Jill Bennett
3. A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.
Inspirational Quotes on Mothers Day by: Dorothy Canfield Fisher
4. At work, you think of the children you have left at home.
At home, you think of the work you’ve left unfinished. Such a struggle is unleashed within yourself. Your heart is rent.
Inspirational Quotes on Mothers Day by: Golda Meir
5. Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.
Inspirational Quotes on Mothers Day by: Unknown
6. As is the mother, so is her daughter.
Inspirational Quotes on Mothers Day by: Ezekiel 16:4
7. Men are what their mothers made them.
Inspirational Quotes on Mothers Day by: Ralph Waldo Emerson
8. Most mothers are instinctive philosophers.
Inspirational Quotes on Mothers Day by: Harriet Beecher Stowe
9. We never know the love of the parent until we become parents ourselves.
Inspirational Quotes on Mothers Day by: Henry Ward Beecher
10. The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.
Inspirational Quotes on Mothers Day by: Honore de Balzac, author
Inserted from <Mothers Day Celebration>
Happy Mothers Day to all. Give mom a hug!
Don’t stop reading here! There are some good articles today! 😀
May 052010
Here’s some background.
Cinco de Mayo is a date of great importance for the Mexican and Chicano communities. It marks the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla. Althought the Mexican army was eventually defeated, the "Batalla de Puebla" came to represent a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism. With this victory, Mexico demonstrated to the world that Mexico and all of Latin America were willing to defend themselves of any foreign intervention. Especially those from imperialist states bent on world conquest.
Cinco de Mayo’s history has its roots in the French Occupation of Mexico. The French occupation took shape in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. With this war, Mexico entered a period of national crisis during the 1850’s. Years of not only fighting the Americans but also a Civil War, had left Mexico devastated and bankrupt. On July 17, 1861, President Benito Juarez issued a moratorium in which all foreign debt payments would be suspended for a brief period of two years, with the promise that after this period, payments would resume.
The English, Spanish and French refused to allow president Juarez to do this, and instead decided to invade Mexico and get payments by whatever means necessary. The Spanish and English eventually withdrew, but the French refused to leave. Their intention was to create an Empire in Mexico under Napoleon III. Some have argued that the true French occupation was a response to growing American power and to the Monroe Doctrine (America for the Americans). Napoleon III believed that if the United States was allowed to prosper indescriminantly, it would eventually become a power in and of itself.
In 1862, the French army began its advance. Under General Ignacio Zaragoza, 5,000 ill-equipped Mestizo and Zapotec Indians defeated the French army in what came to be known as the "Batalla de Puebla" on the fifth of May.
In the United States, the "Batalla de Puebla" came to be known as simply "5 de Mayo" and unfortunately, many people wrongly equate it with Mexican Independence which was on September 16, 1810, nearly a fifty year difference. Over, the years Cinco de Mayo has become very commercialized and many people see this holiday as a time for fun and dance. Oddly enough, Cinco de Mayo has become more of Chicano holiday than a Mexican one. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on a much larger scale here in the United States than it is in Mexico. People of Mexican descent in the United States celebrate this significant day by having parades, mariachi music, folklorico dancing and other types of festive activities.
Inserted from <UCLA>
Congrats and welcome to our Chicano friends! We won’t ask for your papers here. 😀
Apr 012010
Gotcha!! Come on now. Teabaggers would NEVER assassinate Traitor Joe. He was committing Teabuggery before the Teabagger movement was first brewed. 😈
Mar 172010
May the good Lord meet ye in heaven a half an hour
before the Divil knows you’re dead.