Rebane's Ruminations
January 2014
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George Rebane

Another one of my errors in judgment has been exposed.  According to former SecDef Gates in his forthcoming Duty, I am remiss in having been overly kind to Obama in assessing his dedication to his job and the duty of his office.  Gates knows better, and his views are being well publicized in outlets such as the Fiscal Times (here).  Nevertheless, I think the man has delivered a most measured and gentlemanly criticism of this administration and Congress.  From the excerpts I have read, the media is over-crediting the extent of his criticisms.   Gates’ book comes out on 14 January.

Speaking of Obama and the legacy he will leave in 2016, what if the Republicans again gave Americans the chance to vote for Romney and Ryan.  Will we as an electorate have learned from our devastating mistake in 2012?  Then we re-elected a man who was demonstrably ignorant in economics, foreign affairs, and constitutional law – a man with no executive experience or legislative accomplishment, in addition to a “sealed” past and an extraordinary ability to lie that is only exceeded by his propensity to do so.  And we have reaped what we sowed.

Against the Romney/Ryan ticket the Dems will run Hillary, who despite her past titles, comes with no discernible accomplishment, equally absent executive experience, and baggage that demonstrates her ability to make critical decisions and handle the ‘3pm phone call’ – forget about her handling the ‘3am phone call’.  The alternative to Hillary may be the buffoon from Central Casting – Wrong Way Joe.  Anyway, it’s worth a thought.

And speaking of the constant crapola coming out of the White House, Obama’s shills are hyping Obamacare’s early performance, “crediting it with spending miracles.”  The problem is that according to federal actuaries none of it is true – “the new law had a minimal impact on overall national health spending growth through 2012.”  Nevertheless, its paid “boosters are taking credit for trends that began long before the law passed.”  And some wags observe that “maybe Obamacare should also get retroactive political credit for the germ theory of disease.”  (more here)

[9jan14 update]  Everybody hear the latest about that filthy capitalist enterprise Walmart?  Well, it seems that the bastards have an employee health plan that beats the pants off of Obamacare.  It is much cheaper and provides more than three times the services than are available under the new limited access nationalized healthcare.  It’s just like the greedy corporatists to always show up well-intentioned government programs, just because these are poorly thought out, designed, and implemented.  Is there no shame left in the world?  (more here)

Posted in ,

127 responses to “Ruminations – 8jan2014 (updated 9jan14)”

  1. fish Avatar
    fish

    “The only difference between the Republican and Democratic parties is the velocities with which their knees hit the floor when corporations knock on their door. That’s the only difference.”
    Ralph Nader

    Indeed!

    Like

  2. Ben Emery Avatar

    Here is educational program from Tony Benn on Democracy. It only touches on each subject and it is up to us to dig deeper. Very much worth the 40 minutes to watch. A democratic socialist from the traditional Labour Party in UK not this spineless weak kneed third way bs Blair ushered in UK and Clinton brought to the US.
    Big Ideas That Changed The World – Democracy-Tony Benn
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rokTiJfL4WY

    Like

  3. fish Avatar
    fish

    So we, suffering under the “flawed democracy” that you rail against currently enjoy the blessings of pretty much everything that Mr. Benn say that our ancestors both in the US and abroad suffered to achieve…..so what’s your beef Ben?

    Like

  4. fish Avatar
    fish

    Hey Ben……more “wisdom” of the American voter on display…….
    http://www.infowars.com/californians-sign-petition-allowing-u-s-troops-to-commandeer-their-homes/

    Like

  5. George Rebane Avatar

    BenE 811pm – Thank you for that link to the big teaching moment from retired British MP Tony Benn on ‘democracy’. I urge every non-collectivist RR reader to view this half-hour program. It is a first caliber leftwing propaganda piece that instructs on their view of ideal governance. Collectivist thought reigns in his arguments – “all things should be held in common” – and globalization should be led by national trade unions becoming international trade unions. Socialist bankruptcies never existed. All things of the welfare state represented progress that was finally stifled by the anti-democrats Reagan and Thatcher. In sum, I found nothing in Benn’s thought that would differentiate him from the Marxist ideals.

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  6. Walt Avatar

    Since Ben is on the “fairness” kick again,, he can put his money where his mouth is.
    I’m pretty sure he’s financially better off than me. According to him and his friends, that’s just not right. That’s not fair!
    I’ve been busy taking care of my elder parent to work.( This is a full time job in itself) I burned through my own hard earned life savings at the task.( at least the gov. didn’t get it first)
    Since Ben has more, he can make up my difference. Better yet, how bout he get his friends to kick in the same percentage of their horded wealth my way? My plan just cuts out the “middle man”. ( bloated government,, “programs”)
    Come on dude(s),,, I ran out of unemployment a LONG time ago. ( but no extension for the likes of ME,, but LIBS want it for others,, and damn the cost, just add it to our bill) So fork it over! I have needs too.
    Let me know when the checks are ready for pick-up.

    Like

  7. Scott Obermuller Avatar

    Ben – just as folks have different ideas about governance (yes, they do!) – so do corps have different ideas about governance. The vast majority of corps don’t spend any money in Washington DC or in the state houses. You’ll have to drop your cartoon ideas about corps. Most don’t like croney capitalism as it hurts the small businesses. It’s only the large corps like GM and the politically driven criminal corps like Solyndra that play the ‘buy a pol’ game. Most corps are not against me. They, like me, want low stable taxes and reasonable regulations. A lot of large, wealthy corps love all the left wing trash you spout. They are on your side. Welcome to the real world.

    Like

  8. Bill Tozer Avatar
    Bill Tozer

    Concerning Obama’s shills hyping BarackObamacare’s early results:
    The figures are in. Interesting. California signed up about 250,000 souls, of which 182,000 went to Medicare or kiddie medicare. Remember, if you are deemed eligible for Medicaid, you cannot purchase a plan on the exchanges, no way no how. The States’ breakdown is interesting. In sum, of the 2.2 million folks across the fruited plain who have signed up, about a quarter of them are placed on Medicaid. Here is the brief:
    http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/MarketPlaceEnrollment/Dec2013/ib_2013dec_enrollment.pdf
    The longer draft shows about 54% are women and less than 25% of all participants are in the coveted 18-34 age bracket. We need that number of the Young Invincibles to be 40% for BarackObamacare to work. Of course the Administration (Obama’s shills) ARE calling this good news, claiming that the percentage of the 18-34 year olds (22-24%) who have signed up is higher than their percentage of the general population.
    Whippy-do. We need the Young Invincibles to be 40% of all enrollees for BarackObamacare to avoid the death spiral and those numb-nuts are claiming 22-24% is great news. Libs are not known for basic math proficiencies.

    Like

  9. Bill Tozer Avatar
    Bill Tozer

    Opps, I goofed. Of the 2.2 million who have signed up, 800,000 are heading to Medicaid or kiddie medicaid. That is way more than the 25% figure I wrote. My apologies to all. 25% of all folks going on Medicaid is much too low. Again, my mistake.

    Like

  10. Ben Emery Avatar

    Fish 13 January 2014 at 10:41 AM- I guess you’ve been missing all the back and forth on voter ID laws.
    George 13 January 2014 at 12:13 PM – Never does Benn mention the elimination of private property and the government controlling all of the means of production. Benn nor I have ever advocated we want the government making our shoes, air conditioners, or computers. What we advocate are rules in place that human being natural rights are not violated in pursuit of private profits. Without this there can be no communism. On the other hand the key to fascism/ corporatism is having industry control the rules/ regulations. What you refuse to admit is either through our current government or in in the mythological “free market” industry will control the rules of production thus the rules that surround human being natural rights.
    Scott 13 January 2014 at 05:16 PM – I guess you’ve been to busy telling me I don’t know what I am talking about to actually read what what has been typed. It has been made perfectly clear hundreds of times by myself we are talking about large corporations and industry. I am not worried about Humpty Dumpty of Grass Valley influence over our federal or state governments. What you are saying is eliminating corporate/ industry, political action committees, soft and dark money contributions to political parties and candidates would only negatively touch a small few. I would agree with you. There are probably between 50 – 200 that invest into our government enough to have large influence. That means 99% plus of corporations and wealthy individuals would not be affected by the elimination of their ability to contribute large sums of money/ in kind to political parties and candidates. So the question becomes- Why do you support the interests of a very small few that have every privilege money brings them over the 308 million other Americans?
    For the record as I have typed here many times before what I support includes the elimination of contributions trial lawyers, environmental, and labor unions. Let our political parties be elected as OUR representatives on their ability to govern and on ideas.

    Like

  11. fish Avatar
    fish

    Fish 13 January 2014 at 10:41 AM- I guess you’ve been missing all the back and forth on voter ID laws.
    Not at all Ben….I’ve been dismissing much of it because it’s fairly easy to make the case that expanding the franchise to include every slack jawed idiot who manages to stumble into a polling station is no way to run a functional democratic republic.

    Like

  12. Ben Emery Avatar

    Fish,
    Are you in favor of some kind of literacy/ comprehension test?
    Do you believe that slack jawed idiots shouldn’t have a say in the rules/ laws they have to live by?

    Like

  13. George Rebane Avatar

    BenE 938am – In a country with a growing fraction of ‘slack-jawed idiots’ who are also encouraged to vote, the result is a slack-jawed idiot government run by a small number of self-serving elites.

    Like

  14. Ryan Mount Avatar

    Ben-
    There is a influentional group of people (largely Technorati who think they can fix everything with a smartphone app, but others as well) who believe that democracy and “freedom” (however one wants to define freedom) are incompatible.
    So enter stage Right: neoreactionary/neocameralism
    From the affirmative:
    http://darkecologies.com/tag/neocameralism/
    http://unqualified-reservations.blogspot.com/2007/08/against-political-freedom.html
    From the dissent:
    http://theweek.com/article/index/254690/why-are-us-conservatives-so-obsessed-with-monarchies
    – (and this stupefyingly long FAQ): http://slatestarcodex.com/2013/10/20/the-anti-reactionary-faq/
    It would be interesting to hear feedback from this blog because I smell wiffs occasionally of neocameralism. Just wiffs.

    Like

  15. fish Avatar
    fish

    Fish,
    Are you in favor of some kind of literacy/ comprehension test?

    Actually yes!
    Do you believe that slack jawed idiots shouldn’t have a say in the rules/ laws they have to live by?
    In most cases no. Obamaphone woman springs to mind…..even kindly Ben Emery has to acknowledge that there is a fraction (growing ever larger) of the population that would like nothing more than to treat the franchise as little more than a grand and glorious shopping spree. Your concept of democracy dies when a large enough fraction of the population learns that it can vote itself largesse from the public treasury.

    Like

  16. Scott Obermuller Avatar

    Ben – you still espouse a cartoon view of corps. They don’t all have one singular view. A lot of what some corps want is exactly what you want. A lot of them back what I want. Your ideas of what our ‘rights’ are include, I would suspect, things that I don’t want as a ‘right’. I want a right to pursue profits. And I want that for everyone, including businesses. That right does not interfere with my other rights. And don’t start jabbering about “no regulations”. No one here is for that. If we had this wonderful govt in which only the individual citizens would be allowed to be involved in electing, you would run smack into the problem of the fact that some have the individual means to be involved full time and travel at will without having to work for a living. Some would have more influence than others. There is also the problem of the govt being in charge of the money (public financing that you want). The folks in power would quickly corrupt the system to favor their own and slow walk, or deny the funds to those not in power. If you want less corruption, then you need to have a less powerful govt. In a free market, bad businesses are controlled by folks not buying stuff from them. You don’t like Walmart, but most folks do. That’s full on free market democracy. The folks vote with their money and their feet. The fact is, you really don’t want democracy, you want to keep tinkering and messing with the ‘system’ until everyone votes just like you. Right now, the most democratic group involved in politics are the Tea Party folks. Yet you are dead set against them. And in being against them, you join hands with the large corps and the power brokers in the R/D party. Are you enjoying the company of your fellow travelers?

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  17. Ben Emery Avatar

    Scott,
    You really don’t get it. I am dead set against the Tea Party? You really haven’t read a thing I have posted here and everywhere else. I disagree with Tea Party solutions but love the fact they are challenging the establishment within the Republican Party. I am doing the same in the Democratic Party. I could handle living in a conservative governed nation if that is what the majority of people wanted. I cannot handle living in a conservative governed nation when it works against what the majority of the people want. If we go issue by issue you would find our nation has progressive ideals yet we have one of the most “conservative” governments in the developed world over the last 3 decades. What we have found over that same time period we have be in a perpetual downward slide.
    What you are doing is projecting the fears of “conservatives” or Republicans onto me. If “conservative” Republican ideas are superior then why all the disenfranchising of voters. If the ideas are that great you would think “conservative” Republicans would want more voters voting not less.
    One of the founders of contemporary conservatism in America talking about voting.
    Paul Weyrich
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GBAsFwPglw

    Like

  18. fish Avatar
    fish

    One of the founders of contemporary conservatism in America talking about voting.
    So what? Weyrich wants to win elections…..Hillary Clinton wants to win elections…..Barack Obama wants to win elections….Ben Emery wants to win elections….everybody wants to win elections.
    If we go issue by issue you would find our nation has progressive ideals yet we have one of the most “conservative” governments in the developed world over the last 3 decades. What we have found over that same time period we have be in a perpetual downward slide.
    “Progressive Ideals”….? Yep…everybody wants their pony!

    Like

  19. Ben Emery Avatar

    “What we have found over that same time period we have be in a perpetual downward slide.”
    Inequality, debt, militarization, nationalism, corporatism, corruption, size/ scope of federal government, and political divisiveness have all increased during that time frame.
    The plus sides are women are gaining ground on equality as are homosexuals. To some of you those might not be pluses and part of the reasons the other categories are moving downward.

    Like

  20. fish Avatar
    fish

    Inequality, debt, militarization, nationalism, corporatism, corruption, size/ scope of federal government, and political divisiveness have all increased during that time frame.
    All of which seem to be reaching a zenith during a period where if you can fog a mirror you can vote. Not sure I follow your “logic” here Ben.

    Like

  21. Ben Emery Avatar

    Fish,
    So how do “conservatives” Republicans win elections? Decrease the numbers of people who vote and increase those who can contribute large sums of money to political parties/ candidates to manipulate those who do vote. Why? Because their ideas are not what the majority of people want.
    2010 the big year for tea party we had 43% voter turnout, which technically means 22% of the electorate voted them into office. In 2008 the biggest voter turnout in recent history we had a landslide Democratic Party election. What happened between 2008 and 2010 is Obama showed he was a third way corporate Democrat and progressives didn’t join the campaign with their dollars or feet like they did in 2008. The biggest opportunity for a real political revolution since the Reagan Revolution was wasted by Obama and the third way corporate Democrats and the pendulum is hovering far right instead of coming back down for the next swing back to the left.

    Like

  22. fish Avatar
    fish

    So how do “conservatives” Republicans win elections?
    Same playbook is in effect for both of the electable factions.
    Decrease the numbers of people who vote and increase those who can contribute large sums of money to political parties/candidates to manipulate those who do vote.
    And this is a bad thing…..as opposed to dragging members of the “Free Shit Army” to the polls and electing the “Ward Heeler in Chief” as Chief Executive? Color me skeptical that your goal that every member of the lumpen proletariat walks home with a purple finger tip is a good one. Regarding your “Big Money Donor” point….. employing TEAM BLUE bundlers to money launder contributions submitted on sequentially numbered checks and claiming that “we’ve had an excellent turnout from the “grass roots” this election cycle is equally disingenuous…..TEAM DEMOCRAT has their hands in the corporate pockets just as deeply as TEAM STUPID does!
    Why? Because their ideas are not what the majority of people want.
    Who are you to speak for the majority?
    The biggest opportunity for a real political revolution since the Reagan Revolution was wasted by Obama and the third way corporate Democrats and the pendulum is hovering far right instead of coming back down for the next swing back to the left.
    Whatever Ben….they claim to be progressive….you claim to be progressive…..maybe getting the definitions straight will mean less disappointment next time.

    Like

  23. Ben Emery Avatar

    Sorry Fish, if you look at voter turnout per election 40’s – 1960’s were the largest voter turnouts. When the Southern Strategy became part of the Republican Party voter turnouts began to decline and with Watergate it was actually a great long term bonus for “conservative” Republicans due to the distrust of our government from that point forward. The Bush/ Cheney years scared enough of the electorate to come out in huge numbers in 2008. The D’s could have run anybody and they were going to win majorities and the Presidency. When Obama proved he was another Clintonite more people became disillusioned. Obama and the 2008 huge majority Democrats did was either advance the speed of the inevitable demise of our current system or assured low voter turnouts for the next generation because people don’t believe either party represents their interests, and they are correct in believing so but all of those who fought and died to give us the vote cannot die in vain.

    Like

  24. fish Avatar
    fish

    Sorry Fish, if you look at voter turnout per election 40’s – 1960’s were the largest voter turnouts. When the Southern Strategy became part of the Republican Party voter turnouts began to decline and with Watergate it was actually a great long term bonus for “conservative” Republicans due to the distrust of our government from that point forward. The Bush/ Cheney years scared enough of the electorate to come out in huge numbers in 2008. The D’s could have run anybody and they were going to win majorities and the Presidency. When Obama proved he was another Clintonite more people became disillusioned. Obama and the 2008 huge majority Democrats did was either advance the speed of the inevitable demise of our current system or assured low voter turnouts for the next generation because people don’t believe either party represents their interests, and they are correct in believing so but all of those who fought and died to give us the vote cannot die in vain.
    ?????

    Like

  25. Todd Juvinall Avatar

    I guess BenE was too young to remember Reagan beating Mondale in 1984 and taking 49 states. Yep, those wascally Republicans probably demanded the voters to show an ID.
    Also, it seems to me BenE that all the attempts by your ilk to bring in the last voters they can find (even mental institutionalized democrats), meaning democrats, has not worked. Voter ID remains a “concept” over most of the USA, but you do remember “same day registration.voting”? Or motor-voter? How about provisional ballots where anyone can declare they are registered, not prove it at the polls and then the rest of us wait for those millions of votes to be verified? Or, how about all those dead democrats that rose from the grave and traipsed down to the polls to elect Kennedy and then Obama?
    It seems the democrats want to have the living and the dead and now the liberal zombies all voting out those wascally R’s. My goodness BenE, you must not see how silly you are here.

    Like

  26. Todd Juvinall Avatar

    On the update today George. Walmart also sells to all, even the poor, a $4.00 prescription on many drugs. They came out with this to help but I do not recall one scumbag democrat or indie say thanks.

    Like

  27. Ben Emery Avatar

    Aren’t we talking about democracy? You guys are talking about winning elections and I am talking about democracy. As it became apparent that the more progressive Democrats became with the election of FDR, Truman, JFK, and LBJ the Republicans “conservatives” have been actively suppressing the vote, which is the antithesis of democracy.
    An example of prominent Republican then Supreme Court Chief Justice suppressing the vote.
    Jim Crow, From the Polling Place to the Courtroom: You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby!
    https://files.nyu.edu/dpa218/public/rehnquist.html

    Like

  28. Walt Avatar

    Have LIBS been taking notes where Chris Christy is concerned?
    Maybe LIBS need to see what “taking responsibility” really means.
    Yes, it looks bad for the “big guy”, but at the same time, he looks three times as “presidential” than the fool we have today. He even FIRED his life long friends for what they pulled. ( “O” hasn’t fired anyone. He did give some promotions,,,)
    LIBS are going to have to overcome their own Nixon style tricks and their domestic spying.( that’s a big one) Obummercare is the last nail in their
    proverbial coffin.
    Good luck getting Hillary past Benghazigate.
    She tucked her tail and ran when the heat was on. ( and a bump on the head for sympathy….. ” I can’t testify”..)
    And now her own “enemies list” has come to light.
    11 months folks,, Nov. will be here before LIBS know it.

    Like

  29. fish Avatar
    fish

    You guys are talking about winning elections and I am talking about democracy.
    ????? Are you pinned under the tractor again?

    Like

  30. George Rebane Avatar

    Ben 107pm – Is there any evidence that requiring a voter to establish his bona fides has suppressed the vote anywhere? The only thing it has prevented is voting from the grave, and voting by those who don’t have the legal franchise.

    Like

  31. Ben Emery Avatar

    It is obvious you guys have not followed this issue at all. There are so many moving parts to this lets start this with voter caging? I am assuming we all know what Jim Crow Laws are and why the Voting and Civil Rights Acts were very much needed.
    Voter Caging
    http://projectvote.org/voter-caging.html
    Bill to Outlaw ‘Voter Caging’ Introduced in U.S. Senate
    http://www.gregpalast.com/bill-to-oulaw-voter-caging-introduced-in-us-senate/

    Like

  32. fish Avatar
    fish

    As it became apparent that the more progressive Democrats became with the election of FDR, Truman, JFK, and LBJ the Republicans “conservatives” have been actively suppressing the vote, which is the antithesis of democracy.
    1) FDR: the Great Helmsman of the Free Shit Army….who could forget the immortal words….tax and tax, spend and spend, elect and elect.
    2) Truman: Presidential placeholder
    3) JFK: Kind of surprised you lumped him in here Ben….got us neck deep in Viet Nam…thought you were antiwar Ben? Some chat among the conspiratorial about his taking the bullet over wanting to go back to silver backed currency….that certainly couldn’t be good for endless social spending under the direction of noble and kind progressives.
    4) LBJ: Progressive in that he took the Free Shjit Army to the next level.
    Always seems to get back to spending tax dollars for Ben Emery guilt alleviation.

    Like

  33. fish Avatar
    fish

    Voter caging is a practice of sending mass direct mailings to registered voters by non-forwardable mail, then compiling lists of voters, called “caging lists,” from the returned mail in order to formally challenge their right to vote on that basis alone. Other methods, such as database matching, have been used more recently to compile voter caging lists. The practice is used almost exclusively by officials or members of the Republican Party, local and national.
    So verifying that a voter lives where he claims to live for the purpose of voting is somehow brutal oppression? Really Ben when I saw the term I expected so much more.

    Like

  34. Ben Emery Avatar

    Fish,
    It was during the Eisenhower administration the US began its venture into Vietnam not JFK. Actually JFK wanted to leave Vietnam alone, it was LBJ that lied us into a full scale military action and Nixon that sabotaged peace talks to get elected in 1968.
    You know what, forget it, once again it continues the point of authoritarian fascist/ corporatist blog. http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.html
    What’s Wrong with Caging and Voter Challenges?
    “Many of the state challenge laws have their roots in the post-Reconstruction Era and are descendants of the Jim Crow laws intended to deprive African Americans of their franchise. In the1890s, former Confederate states reacted to robust political participation by African American voters and candidates during Reconstruction by instituting what was known as the “Southern system.” The Southern system employed restrictive residency requirements, periodic registration, poll taxes, and literacy or “understanding” requirements, to suppress the African-American vote. Challenge laws were passed during this period to enable private poll watchers to issue challenges. The obvious flaw in permitting private citizens to challenge voters is that it opens the door to partisan interference in elections. “

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  35. Ben Emery Avatar

    I posted a comment that didn’t take and it is fine George, maybe that is a sign I should continue this issue instead of giving up because I think it won’t do any good.
    Yes voter caging, as I said there are a lot of moving parts on this issue.
    Here is a video about it.
    http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/330/video.html

    Like

  36. Ben Emery Avatar

    The next part of the voter suppression. As you will find or maybe not, mostly these tactics take place in “battleground” states where 1-3% of the vote could swing elections.
    1) intimidation
    2) voter caging (replacing jim crow laws)
    #3 voter purging
    Voter Purges
    http://www.brennancenter.org/publication/voter-purges

    Like

  37. fish Avatar
    fish

    Yeah it’s kinda greasy Ben….but Palast himself admits that, “…in and of itself caging is not a crime”. Other than the black military voters I guess you have no issue with the democrats when they do this to overseas and ship deployed service members?

    Like

  38. George Rebane Avatar

    BenE 251pm – I had never heard of ‘caging’, but given the extensive reports of how Democrats signed up like-minded voters, it doesn’t surprise me that Republicans attempted to discover the legitimacy of such voters before election day. Now that PBS hit piece you linked to tried to intimate that something illegal was done of a magnitude that should have caused a national scandal. Given that the lamestream is all leftwing, what happened to all the court cases about caging? We didn’t hear a peep, nor was there anything said of it during the subsequent elections. If caging was illegal and suppressed votes (the big example was 31 college students got ‘caging letters’ in Jacksonville), why didn’t this make national headlines and why aren’t people in jail because of it?

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  39. Ben Emery Avatar

    George,
    That is the thing everybody here needs to understand we have corporate friendly media not mainstream media. 80% of campaign spending is on advertising dollars and 50% of those campaign dollars are either Republicans or Democrats so virtually no hard hitting investigative piece is ever ever done against the parties just individuals within the parties.
    The act of caging itself isn’t illegal, it should be because it is an essential link in the chain of voter suppression.
    Here is where I really break off from the Democratic voters. I believe the Democratic Party leadership is fine with the practice or will be until enough members of their caucus can muster up enough voters to make it an issue they can campaign on. Then the leadership will allow it to become a platform issue. Until then you will hear individual Democrats talk about it and generally not a word from the leadership of the party.
    I also believe this is why voters are not showing up for the Democrats either because they have no backbone and don’t stand for anything.
    I will post more later about this issue.
    Fish,
    No, I oppose anybody being prohibited from voting or not having their votes counted. At some point you are going to figure out I am not a Democrat and have grown to really dislike the party.

    Like

  40. Todd Juvinall Avatar

    Let me get this straight. BenE says there are little if any issues in voting that would cause the need for and ID and is calling anyone who desires them a fascist. Yet when we mention voter fraus and people like ACORN registering Mickey and Daffy a bunch times, the same BenE pooh poohs it by claiming it hardly ever happens. OK, got it.

    Like

  41. fish Avatar
    fish

    At some point you are going to figure out I am not a Democrat and have grown to really dislike the party.
    Right around the same time you stop thinking I’m an authoritarian.

    Like

  42. Ben Emery Avatar

    Fish,
    I guess it isn’t going to happen anytime soon.

    Like

  43. Ben Emery Avatar

    Todd,
    I guess you missed the ending to the ACORN story.
    James O’Keefe was found guilty and ACORN was acquitted. Yet the organization and its 400 thousand employees are now finished. ACORN actually promoted democracy and helped low income people with housing and other necessities. O’Keefe and Giles are fu@#ing a$$holes.
    James O’Keefe Pays $100,000 To ACORN Employee He Smeared-Conservative Media Yawns
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2013/03/08/james-okeefe-pays-100000-to-acorn-employee-he-smeared-conservative-media-yawns/

    Like

  44. Todd Juvinall Avatar

    Ah yes, ACORN won, yeah sure. O’Keefe got them destroyed and rightly so. They were a pox on the country and front for voter fraud. Yep, that O’keefe, he is my hero BenE, you can have ACORN.

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  45. Todd Juvinall Avatar

    Here is what Rick Unger, the author of the article listed by BenE says about himself
    “I write from the left on politics and policy”
    Golly BenE, thanks for the heads yp on another leftwing “journalist” . Too finny.

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  46. Ben Emery Avatar

    My heroes are those who break unjust laws to create positive change your hero’s are those who hurt the poor. He also got nailed for breaking into a Congressional office and attempting to bug it in Louisiana.
    How is your hero benefiting society and our nation?
    ACORN filmmaker James O’Keefe sentenced in Sen. Mary Landrieu break-in
    Read more: http://thehill.com/capital-living/in-the-know/100105-filmmaker-okeefe-sentenced-in-sen-mary-landrieu-break-in#ixzz2qRLnCTIX

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  47. Todd Juvinall Avatar

    I seem to recall you were idolizing the OWS thugs Benny. They are your heroes. No one got killed or raped by O”keefe did they? Your buddies in OWS did that and more. You are too funny.

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  48. fish Avatar
    fish

    My heroes are those who break unjust laws to create positive change your hero’s are those who hurt the poor.
    “In 2009, Rathke resurrected the crusades of NWRO by pursuing a so-called “Maximum Eligible Participation Solution” (MEPS) which exhorted all Americans eligible for welfare payments to make “full utilization of existing programs” and thereby advance Rathke’s dream of a massive welfare state. The MEPS is essentially an updated incarnation of the old Cloward-Piven Strategy, aiming to orchestrate a crisis that will overwhelm the financial system and cause it to collapse. Rathke writes in his book, “it is hard to believe that we cannot assemble the troops to mount a campaign for maximum eligible participation that harvests the opportunities and dollars already available if we could achieve full utilization of existing programs.” Rathke has also said that technology should be utilized to make it as easy as possible for people to claim welfare benefits.
    of course there are others who argue that this may have a down side!
    In his 2006 book Winning the Race, political commentator John McWhorter attributed the rise in the welfare state after the 1960s to the Cloward–Piven strategy, but wrote about it negatively, stating that the strategy “created generations of black people for whom working for a living is an abstraction.”
    Remember Todd, Bens heros (Rathke, Drummond Pike, et al) are the sons of comfort who enjoy “slumming” while retaining the ability to keep black people on inner city plantations forever.
    “….the Street Epistemologist actively avoids everything that will question his faith. He will say anything, and adopt any position, in order to attack yours.”

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  49. Todd Juvinall Avatar

    fish, excellent. I also sem to recall BenE’s love of the only self avowed socialist in the Senate, Bernie Sanders. I seem to recall he has voted consistently against school vouchers for inner city kidlets. Now would it not be the kindest act of his hero to pursue “choice” for those kidlets locked into a life of terror and poverty? These are the things that make me laugh at BenE for his “forgetfulness” about his past statements and his namecalling of all of us. He is a non-serious person.

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  50. Ben Emery Avatar

    George,
    The next level of voter suppression. Always keep in mind a vast majority of the time these things happen in Democratic leaning districts/ precincts.
    1) intimidation
    2) voter caging (replacing jim crow laws)
    3) voter purging
    #4 forced provisional ballots
    http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/11/12/thousands-of-local-voters-forced-to-use-provisional-ballots-in-last-weeks-elections/
    http://projectvote.org/provisional-voting.html
    http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/provisional-ballot-law-prevented-little-fraud-but-forced-extra-work/1266470

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