Tag Archives: White House

~ my 2cents ...

Monday mashup &some News …


did you know …it’s Black History Month

Campaign 2011…

Today, President Obama will meet with the Chamber of Commerce …whom in my opinion helped the Republican Tea Party hold the middle class hostage until they gave the bush bonus giveaway to the rich.

I do not know about anyone else but debates are just a fraction of what i use to make my choice of who to vote for elections. I have been following what the Republicans have been saying and or doing over the months let alone the last few years, gone to YouTube to check out comments, questions and the behavior on the part of these candidates. What stands out for me is that they continue to backtrack, lie and or ignore legitimate questions. They often choose to be interviewed only on one station, usually with the same party line -that is troubling and should give pause to anyone who doesn’t know who they will vote for-words matter, anyone practicing exclusion, targeting minorities and willing to throw fellow Americans under the bus to take back their America-(what does that even mean)? In addition, politicians that are so extreme are not worthy to hold Public office or seat in Congress. These positions of power call for working for “We the People” not some or a select few -they say they want the Government out of our lives yet when it comes to “social issues”; they want to control All Americans by way of privatizing most if not all social programs. If you want less government, why among other things tell women what they can do with their own bodies. The stance on less government is definitely a joke when they pull out that whole family values platform. Republicans are for Profits before the People on steroids. They are into privatizing everything, which will put our democracy at risk from the bottom up -the real world understands that the government works for the people -Cops, Teachers, EMT, and Firefighters! In addition, shame on States that make people pay for such services. It makes you wonder about what these States did with the stimulus money targeted toward government programs. I wonder is there “a dirty little secret” in States that would choose to let your house burn down if you have not paid up your privatized service and let’s be honest if the Republican Tea Party gets back in control that is what will happen. If Republicans repeal replace or eliminate –Social Security and other governmental programs, which is more likely to happen because as of late -they, the Republican Tea Party have not announced an alternative plan. When will Republican Tea Party constituents ask themselves how will going back to the failed spending of 2007 be a good thing, telling people how to live or love and practice discriminatory behavior to folks considered under protected status.

Politicians say, do and offer up resolution or promises that are over the top and because the fight is on to win a seat in Congress or keep your seat, it is obvious it does not mean candidates will give great politics or ideology, but how much money you have to look good and out PR your opponent. I have to say it was nice to see that even with all the money thrown out there by Whitman, Fiorina, angle, O’Donnell and others running for midterm elections. The people were listening, watching and made a decision that these embarrassing women were unqualified to hold public office let alone be described as possible public servants of all the people not just some or a select few. In the en People with or without money can be offensive.

We live in a time when money is speaking excessively loud in the world of Politics, protected by activist judges like some in the Supreme Court. I absolutely believe it is time for all of us to complain and or call them out when one side decides to push the envelope too far right of center instead of the so-called “fair and balanced” news of old. The wonders and need to tweet, FB and or blog about how Republicans have all the cable, major newspapers, magazines and whatnot that dominate the airwaves are offensive. If you listen folks or companies like the Chamber of Commerce, who seems to not only represent right of center Corporate America but pushes business to outsourcing jobs. A guy like Murdoch gives to both sides of an issue and when one side becomes more of a commodity and gets more airtime he feeds it. The NRA supports 58 democrats as well as a whole lot of Republicans because they can make money on both sides of the issue, which is hypocritical and offensive.

Americans cannot do a thing about all the money given up by these corporate giants yet. We can object to the lies coming from Fox, fear mongering and race baiting this station engages in what seems like on a daily basis…even CNN has moved right of center and though that rhetoric has 1st amendment on its side it is still offensive. As a person of colour and as a mom hearing Glenn beck send subliminal nonsense out into the airwaves with actual people choosing to do the wrong thing instead of right -and people get hurt and now worse …that is my prob.

My sense of democracy means total cooperation from both sides of an economic collapse yet the Republican Tea Party has decided they will take all the money you’re handing out but vote no or scale down most if not all legislation as well as throw their own constituents under the bus in order to regain power -that is not democracy.

Other News …

**Packers defeat the Steelers -Superbowl

**Palestinians watch Egypt with a sense of hope

**Huff Post/ AOL deal -for $315million

**Missing Google exec released by authorities after sev days

**Thailand/Camboida still trading military fire…charges over ancient temple

**Cuomo’s budget moving through NY has hit NYC schools

**merger deals causing stocks to climb

**Groupon – epic failure –Superbowl commercial -tasteful comments on the back of what seems like Tibetans

**Justice Thomas‘s wife has decided to try her hand at being a lobbyist …

**Factories are doing well but no new hiring being done

CSPAN …

Senate Ethics Committee appoints special counsel in John Ensign case

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/feb/01/senate-ethics-committee-appoints-special-counsel-j/

House Republicans move to slash domestic programs

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110203/ap_on_re_us/us_congress_budget_3

Obama signs nuclear treaty documents Wednesday

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110202/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_russia_nuclear

Shortly after announcing an overhaul of the nation’s homeland security measures, Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), joins C‑SPAN’s Newsmakers to expound on the new approach to prevent terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. http://c-span.com/Events/DHS-Secretary-Janet-Napolitano/10737419403/

**

Egypt will not back to the way it was before protests disrupted the country, President Obama said tonight in a pre-Super Bowl interview. Speaking to Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly, the President would not say when Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak would step down http://c-span.com/Events/President-Obama-Egypt-Not-Going-Back/10737419356/ 

Professor Elizabeth Varon teaches a class on fugitive slave laws in the run up to the Civil War at the University of Virginia. Passed in 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act indirectly resulted in the expansion of the Underground Railroad by which slaves could escape from Southern slave-holding states. http://c-span.com/Events/Lectures-in-History-Fugitive-Slave-Laws/10737419325/

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tell President Obama to -Save the Whales


At the next International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting this June, President Obama must decide to push for reform or to allow business as usual. His decision will determine the fate of the planet’s whales.

IWC reform would close loopholes and save whales. But business as usual would send Japanese whalers back Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to slaughter more whales year after year — just like they are right now.

These types of important decisions aren’t made the day before the meeting — they’re made months in advance. That’s why on Friday, we strung up over 1,000 origami whales in front of the White House as a message to the President that we are not going to let this issue slip out of the public spotlight and allow him to get away with business as usual.

Each of the origami whales represents one whale from the Japanese kill quota and also contains the name of a Greenpeace donor who helped make this campaign possible. While the act was symbolic, the outpouring of support for this campaign and the effect it is having is very real.

You can help us keep this issue front and center for the President during the lead-up to the IWC by adding your name to our “virtual” vigil to save the whales.

 http://us.greenpeace.org/site/R?i=fJorSCIjIFrVWOBX3DVNNQ..

The American public overwhelmingly supports action to save the whales. In fact, a recent Greenpeace poll showed that 83% of Americans want the President to stand by his campaign pledge to strengthen the international ban on commercial whaling. More than four out of five Americans want this to happen!

And it shows. Last week, over 40,000 Greenpeace supporters took the time to write the President and 2,000 people submitted letters to the editor calling on him to be a leader and end the senseless slaughter of whales. And your efforts aren’t going unnoticed. Right now, the US is for the first time considering trade sanctions against any country (in this case, Iceland) for violating international conservation laws. While in Japan officials were forced to apologize last month for the illegal whale meat scandal that was uncovered by two Greenpeace activists. That’s a really big deal in Japan.

The President has more to lose back home than he has to gain by protecting the interests of whaling nations like Japan. It’s why he told Greenpeace that “Allowing Japan to continue commercial whaling is unacceptable.” It’s why we have to continue urging him to keep his word and do the right thing before June.

Make sure the President knows that you are paying attention and expect leadership at the IWC this June by adding your name to our “virtual” vigil to save the whales.   http://us.greenpeace.org/site/R?i=fJorSCIjIFrVWOBX3DVNNQ..

For the whales,

John Hocevar

Ocean Campaigns Director

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Change.org + YouTube = your questions for President Obama


Tonight, President Obama will address Congress and the nation when he gives his State of the Union address. His speech will lay out his vision for the next year, but he may not address the issues most important to you.

Good news: This year, Change.org members have an opportunity to ask President Obama our own questions, courtesy of YouTube.

On Thursday, President Obama will give a national interview on YouTube, and instead of letting the White House press corps have all the fun, you can ask your own questions. Concerned about health care? Focused on the environment? How about education, the economy, or foreign policy? This is your chance to spotlight the issue closest to your heart.

Upload a video with your question today at:

http://www.youtube.com/askobama

Community voting will help determine which questions get asked. Here are a few tips to increase the chances that your question will be chosen:

Your video should be no longer than twenty seconds, and you should ask your question as directly as possible.

Speak clearly and try to film in a place with minimal background noise. Try to keep the camera as still as possible.

Feel free to be creative (use props, charts, etc.) to help your question stand out.

An interesting backdrop may help reinforce your message –– for example, if you’re asking a question about education, you could be inside a classroom, or if you want to talk about the environment, find your favorite place outdoors.

The deadline to submit your question is Wednesday night at midnight Eastern Time. So get cracking, and we hope to see your question on President Obama’s national webcast!

Click here to submit your question via YouTube today:

http://www.youtube.com/askobama

Thanks for asking the questions that matter,

Patrick and the Change.org Team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Call President Obama: Stop Monsanto’s GMO alfalfa

2 Comments

Call President Obama: Stop Monsanto‘s GMO alfalfa …

We’ve just learned that the USDA is on the cusp of approving Monsanto’s genetically modified (GMO) Roundup Ready alfalfa for planting in the U.S. Should the approval go through, it would present a real danger of contamination to organic and other non-GMO alfalfa. And since alfalfa is a staple food for cattle, organic certifications of dairy, beef, and other foods would also be in jeopardy, as would be the livelihoods of organic farmers who produce them.

There’s still time to stop the approval, but we have to act fast and go straight to the top. Can you call President Obama today and ask him to reject the approval of GMO alfalfa?

CALL PRESIDENT OBAMA 202 456 1111

The USDA has acknowledged the risk of contamination from GMO strains of the crop, but has presented an entirely unworkable plan that does little to control actual spread of modified genes. Under the USDA’s current proposal, engineered genes from Monsanto’s alfalfa would very likely still make their way into non-GMO crops. Since GMO pollen is carried by the wind, there’s nothing farmers can do about it.1

Many consumers trust and depend on the organic label to make decisions about what they eat. GMO alfalfa would undermine the integrity of the label and be a disaster for the organic dairy industry. Until thorough research has been completed to evaluate the potential impacts, the only acceptable solution is to keep Monsanto’s seeds off the market entirely.

Also at hand is the environmental impact of Monsanto’s other Roundup Ready crops, which have promoted the spread of herbicide-resistant superweeds on millions of acres. To fight these weeds, farmers end up using even more toxic chemicals that pollute our soil and water.2

The Obama Administration needs to stand up to Monsanto and Big Agriculture and protect organic products and producers.

You can help change the outcome of the USDA’s decision by making a call today.

Adam Klaus, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action

1 www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=2010/12/0667.xml
2 www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htm

~ my 2cents ...

TGIF & some News


featured pic is a campaign poster –

President Obama will be in the NYC today speaking from a General Electric Plant about JOBs and our economy he will then go to Maryland for a retreat with others from the Democratic Party.

Changes are happening …they are in the air and i like it.

If you listen to the tone of the Republican Tea Party since the midterm elections… the talk seems filled with a little more fear. The promises made to create JOBs have yet to happen or be attempted and while the public is beginning to finally hear, see and reject the carpetbaggers for who they really are I wonder if it will take all of the next two years for the Republican Tea Party to stop saying the midterm elections signaled a change and they heard the American people and are doing what they want. It is a fact that contrary to what Republicans keep saying …”talking points” or lies the polls by CBS say 48% want to keep President Obama’s new health care law and just 40% want to repeal it. In addition, pundits, reporters and talking heads suggest that politicians on both sides of the aisle are beginning to not only understand the new law better but are starting to like the new HCR law because it will help older folks, women, folks with pre-existing condition and children under 26 years old. It would be tragic if legislation done in a good faith effort for the people were struck down by Republican Tea Party. Still, I cannot begin to express how offensive the right was by campaigning with the promise to work on Jobs, Jobs, Jobs only to have decided to denounce and malign President Obama like Michele Bachmann who stated she and her comrades want to repeal not just legislation but this President instead of working for We the People to create Jobs.

The negative, nasty, ugly diatribe coming from the very people we placed in positions of power who get paid by American tax payers seem to be abusing it because the latest comments definitely give this voter the idea that they do not represent all the people of their States but those from Corporate America.

In an article this morning, the USA today reported that conservatives would end the federal government support of Amtrak, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Agency for International Development. I believe that this is just a start because rumors before the midterm elections were that the Departments of Educational and Agriculture would be cut if they had their way. The group promises to eliminate about $200 million a year for the District of Columbia. The article quotes Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen, calling the GOP proposal “radical” and Van Hollen’s spokesman, Doug Thornell told ABC news “Putting forward a plan that puts more people out of work and endangers our economic recovery calls into question how serious the GOP is about tackling our nation’s most difficult challenges.” This plan along with some other conflicts in what needs to be cut from the federal budget is developing a GOP rift. In contrast,  an interview today among other things, President Obama stated,”Republicans will need to explain to taxpayers how tax cuts for the wealthy squares with their desire to start reducing deficits and debt.”

While Folks like palin, cheney, boehner, limbaugh and other Republicans Conservatives continue to attack Obama for any move toward collaboration with other countries calling him a Socialist, twisting his words and the meaning, practicing fear mongering and otherwise being obstacles of change… which, is what we need … a way forward, an implementation of the changes “We the People” (53%) put President Obama into office that will move Americans toward the 21st Century contrary to what the right seems to want to do.

What was the past has to be accepted, exorcised and released for room to provide change we can believe in.

my take

Other News …

 **Vets and Doctors reports say that unless you don’t care it is better to stop letting you pets share your bed, lick you or kiss  …. for fear of detrimental diseases -cats are far more likely to infect you …open cuts sores etc.

**Gov.Brewer continues to make it harder for people to get the help they need for transplants -at least 2 patients have died -now she wants to drop folks from Medicaid …specifically those with mental issues

**Congresswoman Giffords will be moved to Houston for great care and so her husband will be able to work and be close to him as well

**WSJ reports 50% approve of what our President is doing …across the board  

**Iran and 6 World Powers begin nuke talks

**Obama picks GE Chief for Board —focus on jobs

**House GOP wants to cut $2.5trillion in the fed budget  by – go to USAtoday.com for article

  **Obama states “Republicans will need to explain to taxpayers how tax cuts for the wealthy squares with their desire to start reducing deficits and debt.”

**Manson denied parole

**FBI nabs numorous mafia

**rep. Cantwell is reported as looking for ways to put Boeing back on top

 

**Gov.Brown says Education is a civil rights issue