Trying to gather a manageable list of their latest blunders which purport their claim they are “trying to rebrand the party,” is quite a Herculean endeavor. John Brabender, Rick Santorum’s campaign manager believes their problem is merely in the context of perception, not actual platform. “The perception of our party is, number one, we fight for the rich more than we fight for anybody else. Number two, we fight for the big corporations. And number three, we`re obstructionists to everything.” We’ve got news for you John, this is reality.

The platform and policies the GOP favors have been deviating from the mainstream. The current reality is a dystopian nightmare where the fringe social, political and theocratic factions of the party have literally taken over the asylum. Stupid is actually a very nice way to describe the continued insanity that plagues Republicans nationwide. Bobby Jindal, Louisiana Governor (R) tried to sum it up.

One barely has to search for striking examples which make the word “stupid” seem like the understatement of the year. Psychotic, sociopathic and mendacious are far more apt characterizations of the party that is slowly becoming an embarrassment. The downward spiral began just after President Obama finished one of the most memorable State of the Union addresses and the GOP chose “rising star” Marco Rubio to give his rebuttal. The man they selected, a denier of man-made climate change science, a signer of the Norquist Pledge and a real “patriot” who voted against raising the debt ceiling , clearly represented a party uncomfortable with changing ethnic and social demographics. Most recently, on a trip to Israel, he wrongly identified Jerusalem as the capital merely to pander to extreme right-wing hard liners in both countries.

Former First Lady, Laura Bush came out in support of gay marriage in 2010. However, just this last week, she asked to have her name removed from a gay marriage ad. Once again, a prominent Republican drops the ball and abandons support of an issue which is only increasing in acceptance from the American people.

A GOP Missouri lawmaker shoots at a bill which would make it a felony to possess certain types of assault weapons. Their perversion of the second amendment continues. Watch the video below.

In Iowa (as well as The Dakotas and most Southern States), they are hell bent on criminalizing abortion in the most Draconian ways imaginable. By enacting personhood statutes, Iowa Republicans have introduced a bill that redefines murder to include knowingly “killing” a fertilized egg. This law would lead to the imprisonment of women who have abortions (currently, approximately one-third of women in the U.S. will have an abortion in their lifetime) as well as women who use certain types of birth control that prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg.

Not to be outdone by their ineptitude on women’s and social issues, the GOP has a healthy degree of xenophobia, especially against any possible affiliation with the “great Satan,” Iran. Just linking Hezbollah or Hamas with an Obama nominee would make any Teabagger salivate, so it’s no wonder the intuitive folks at Breitbart.com fell for a joke by NY Daily News reporter Dan Friedman. He used a preposterous name like “Friends of Hamas” to sarcastically link Former Nebraska GOP Senator and DoD nominee Chuck Hagel with terrorist groups. Not only did these conservative “journalists” not fact check, they spread this fabrication around the right wing blogosphere. The absurdity went unnoticed and traveled all the way up through the highest ranks, even so far as duping Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Mr. Friedman wrongly assumed everyone could see the obvious satire in his writing. Unfortunately it is a common practice to assign deductive reasoning skills to the fear-mongering, anti-education, anti-science and highly xenophobic members of the American Right.

Teabagging star Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx), the darling of fundamentalists in the Lone Star State, went so far as to link Hagel to Iran directly simply because the nation spoke favorably about a reasonable, non-hawkish defense department leader after so many years of preemptive American wars. This man not only looks like Eugene “Joe” McCarthy, he is already on a witch hunt only two months into his dreaded six year reign of terror. This extremist lunatic will prove to be a hot mess of problems for both America and his party. Naturally, that makes him a star.

Because McCarthyism worked so well the first time. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tx)

I focus on Cruz because he is the quintessential obstructionist who embodies every abhorrent quality which will hasten the demise of the once powerful GOP. A recent Salon piece by Steve Kornacki says it best: …conservatives’ appetite for Cruz shows that the GOP base’s animating spirit still hasn’t changed: Loud, aggressive and reflexive hostility to President Obama, the Democratic Party and any Republican who would dare contemplate compromise is still how “conservatism” is defined.

Fast forward to March 29, when the home run of all racial epithets was uttered by former GOP representative Don Young (Alaska). When asked about growing up on a Central California farm, he said, “My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes, it takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It’s all done by machine.” True, he was not trying to be overtly offensive, it simply eluded him he even said something that is incredibly bigoted because he grew up around that sort of offensive vernacular. He issued an apology stating that there is no place for that type of racial slur in this century. What’s most telling is his time frame of when racist comments are permissible. Was 1999 a time when you could insult an entire group of people without consequence? It appears even the 1950′s is too avant-garde for Republicans and hiding their obvious disdain for minorities is a daunting task.

This legitimacy and relevancy problem only seems to worsen over time. In fact, a Pew Research Poll has concluded only 22% of Americans would label themselves Republican, most hiding behind the guise of the Independent label, for obvious reasons. I doubt the party will go the way of the Whigs, but the infighting between Teaparty hard-liners and so-called moderates violates Reagan’s “11th Commandment,” thou shalt never speak ill of a fellow Republican. I sure enjoy watching the mayhem and it may just expedite their ultimate defeat. I anticipate the 2014 midterms will exacerbate the Republican irrelevancy problems with massive defeats. These anti-government government workers have surely outworn their welcome and their incompetence is finally obvious to the majority of Americans.

No, not the villain from the Matrix. This is Australian Head of the Center Right Liberal Party Tony Abbott

We’ve heard this garbage before, but we’re used to hearing it from right wing crazy people here in America. But when a prominent politician and possible PM hopeful in Australia echoes Freedomworks‘ anti-Science stance on global climate change, it is cause for alarm. Tony Abbott pictured here, has gone on the record saying: ‘‘I don’t think we can say that the science is settled here’’ He went on to question whether ‘‘emissions are quite the problem that some people say they are’’, and argued, ‘‘whether carbon dioxide is quite the environmental villain that some people make it out to be is not yet proven.” This is contrary to the findings of roughly 97% of climate scientists who study the effects of man-made pollutants on our global ecosphere. Unfortunately, Australian politics is not laden with stars in the Labor party (which is akin to our Democratic Party in the U.S.) and no one candidate is poised to take the reins of government like Tony Abbott in the September 14 elections later this year.

There are code words the conservatives in the U.S. often use to indicate they are anti-science and pro-big business, with little regard for the environment and health of their people and wildlife. Mr. Abbott takes a page out of the GOP playbook and uses the catchphrase, “the climate change-science is far from settled” here:

Not only is this man, who likely will win in a divided political climate, a danger to those who will be impacted by the rising tides and weather catastrophes in store for all of us if we don’t lower emissions, but Mr. Abbott is a highly religious “family” man, reminiscent of the U.S. pro-life crowd. A poll of 100 voters across Sydney found that Labor and Green voters despise the way Abbott injects religion into his political campaign and policy. On the other hand, Liberal voters respect Abbott as a ‘conviction politician’ who is firm on his beliefs. Liberals, mind you, are like the GOP in America, except a bit more logical. You’d actually be hard pressed to find a party like the Teaparty-laden GOP in a Western Democracy. Abbott has been called “Mad Monk” and “Captain Catholic” by some who believe, as many of us do here in the USA, that religion has no place in politics.

In order to appear as equally sexist, misogynistic and bigoted as his American Teaparty counterparts, Tony Abbott has a rich history of chauvinistic bullying in his C.V. His attempt at mirroring candidates like “legitimate rape” failed Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin are evident in this quote: “When it comes from Julia (Gillard, the unmarried, current PM) , ‘No’ doesn’t mean ‘No’,” his choice of that charged term was completely intentional, and part of a nasty, subterranean agenda. He often refers to the current PM, Ms. Gillard, as unqualified on matters of family as she has no children. He appeals to the farthest right wing elements of his country and to think a man of Abbott’s transparent motives has a such great odds at winning in September is quite disturbing to many Australians.

The last thing a world in turmoil from unchecked corporate hegemony needs is another puppet leader like George W. Bush in a hemisphere that has been wrought with climate change disasters as of late. In a world where the most educated and civilized are moving away from religious dogma dictating social policy, it is anachronistic to have a man like Abbott as head of any state. Generally, Australians are only given one month’s notice of an upcoming election. Hopefully PM Gillard, with this unusual time frame, has given the Labor Party enough notice to try to best a dreadful candidate who will only depress a fairly strong world economy who has averted a recession. The Progressives of America are with you Australia. I hope we can help keep another Mitt Romney from a “Down Under” victory.

To Representative Heck:

Is there any chance you can help with these topics?
- Filibuster limitations/restrictions or, Congress has to physically stand there and filibuster, not just threaten it countless times.
- Campaign finance reform/disclosure – A foreign company can literally infiltrate/buy our election and we wouldn’t know it.
- Agree to let the Bush tax cuts expire and then introduce a middle class tax cut that everyone would certainly vote for.
- A uniform national voting standard: Everyone should run their elections like Nevada. Our polling stations were efficient and hassle-free and the early voting couldn’t have been easier. Why would we not link up our DMV with voter registration, that way, if you move you still are registered and it’s automatically in the system, instead of having to remind people to re-register. The current system is archaic! Voting rights should be the same, no matter what state you live in.
- Please also tell me that you are not for defending “traditional” marriage. We need to be about equal rights and be accepting of who people are, instead of pushing a religious belief onto others. We are a nation founded on secular principles and no one’s freedoms should be limited by a state-sanctioned, religiously motivated laws.
- A very radical but a more ethical system would be for insurance companies in every area including health, to be non-profit industries. They should not have the incentive of profit to make decisions that would negatively affect someone’s life. Also, if a religious workplace doesn’t want to allow birth control to be covered due to their beliefs, then as an employer, can I state I don’t believe in immunizations, therefore everyone who works for me cannot get immunizations covered? Both matters are important to people of different religions, so can we cherry pick which services are covered by insurance? When we put it in these terms, it kind of sounds preposterous, doesn’t it?

Ways to drastically reduce the deficit without cutting “entitlements”

-Lastly, as a “job creator,” I NEVER make hiring decisions based on taxes, the decision is ALWAYS based on demand. Increased demand only comes from a strong middle class. PERIOD. TRICKLE DOWN DOES NOT WORK… NEVER HAS NEVER WILL.

This next point was added by Cassandra after the letter was sent, so I thought I’d include it.
-Instead of talking about the deficit we should be talking about the fairness deficit and we should be pass a financial speculation tax- 3 trillion over 10 years, repeal capital gains tax break, limit deductions for high earners- people say it can’t all be done on the revenue side?? As Joe Biden would say, MALARKY! The attached graphic from “Up” with Chris Hayes illustrates ways to accomplish deficit reduction without punishing the poorest citizens among us.

These issues are very important to me as a small business owner, mother of four and a community organizer.

Thank you for working with others to accomplish legislation that will help regular people, not just the very rich and the big corporations.

Signed,

Cassandra Rice

Henderson, Nevada

Here is the response sent from his office:

November 16, 2012 Dear Ms. Rice, Thank you for contacting me with your comments regarding the partisan attitude in Washington. I strongly share your concerns and appreciate the opportunity to respond to you on this important issue. I understand the American people are frustrated with the direction of our country and angry about Washington’s out-of-touch responses to the challenges families and businesses are facing. I ran for the House of Representatives so that I could work to change business-as-usual in Washington. Representatives are elected to be accountable to the people and must understand the impacts that their decisions will have upon our country. I’d like to share a few examples of my bipartisan work in Congress. You may be interested to know that I have introduced a number of bills that have received bipartisan support to help create jobs and restore certainty to our economy. In an effort to reduce the cost of energy and promote the use of clean and renewable energy, I introduced H.R. 470, the Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2011, which passed both houses of Congress with strong bipartisan support and has been signed into law (P.L. 112-72). H.R. 470 authorizes the continued allocation of clean, renewable electricity to southern Nevada from the Hoover Dam until 2067. This legislation is essential to the millions of consumers who invested in this renewable source of energy over the past 75 years because it will continue providing them with Hoover power and allow new customers to benefit from this low-cost, clean energy. I am a strong supporter of clean renewable energy, and have supported a number of measures from members on both sides of the aisle to promote renewable energy in Nevada. In order to help create jobs in Nevada, I have introduced H.R. 3039, the Welcoming Business Travelers and Tourists to America Act. My bill has received strong support from members of both parties and will allow for a more efficient tourist and business traveler visa process and address the systemic backlog of applications, all without reducing security protocols. As you know, Nevada’s economy greatly depends on the continuance and expansion of tourism and international travel, and improving the efficiency of America’s visa application process will stimulate job growth in Nevada and generate billions in revenue for our state. We also need to address the housing sector of the economy and help homeowners. In Nevada, almost 400,000 homeowners are currently underwater on their mortgages. Because of this, I believe that homeowners should have both options and resources available to keep them in their homes and avoid foreclosure. That is why I was the only member of my party who voted against H.R. 830, the FHA Refinance Program Termination Act. This bill would eliminate a program that allows for those who are current on their mortgages, but underwater, the ability to refinance. I was also one of only two Republicans who voted against H.R. 839, the HAMP Termination Act, which would have eliminated a program used by many Nevadans affected by the downturn in the housing market. Taking away programs that help homeowners who are trying to do the right thing is not the answer. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to give Nevadans the country they deserve. It is my honor to represent Nevadans in the House of Representatives and I will continue to do so with honor and integrity. My responsibility is, and always has been, to the constituents of the 3rd District of Nevada. For additional information, please visit my website, http://www.heck.house.gov. From this site you can access statements about current events or pending legislation, and receive detailed information about the many services that I am privileged to provide for Nevadans. Again, I appreciate your thoughts and it is an honor to serve you in Congress. Your suggestions are always welcome, and if ever I may be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,DR. JOE HECK Member of Congress

He presented nothing new or nothing of any practical application, which is unfortunately consistent with the platform of his party’s Presidential candidate (Willard Romney). There is nothing mentioned about eliminating the Bush tax cuts on the wealthy, repairing our health care system or equal rights. These matters don’t seem to concern the Republican party. Maybe if everyone sent their Representative something like this, we would make progress. Feel free to use any part of this post if you wish! Follow Cassandra @CassLibinVegas on Twitter.

VegasJessie

This couldn’t be further from the truth. The stock market drop on Wednesday was the byproduct of two events. 1. The election behind us, the Fiscal Cliff looms as fear of GOP non-cooperation will force another downgrading of the United State’s credit rating and 2. The European markets fell 2% when the European Central Bank President (Mario Draghi) expressed concerns for continuing weakness in the European economy for the foreseeable future. Regardless of who won the US election, this was inevitable. I’d like to ask those people, relatives included, who blame the one day plummet on the election outcome, to please explain the previous day’s 1% gain when most polls showed Obama was going to win reelection? I hear the crickets already.

Rove in panic mode on Election Night

Without going into all the complex details of financial markets, let me get to the heart of the matter. The GOP is in a temporary state of disarray. They know they have to move to the moderate center but continue to pander to their evangelical, racist base and of course grovel to all the billionaires who shelled out millions to get their puppet, Romney, elected. The GOP mastermind Karl Rove realized he was taking a shellacking on election night and was in rare form on Fox News. Megyn Kelly, when listening to Rove’s desperate plea to reconfigure Ohio numbers, even said, “Is this just math that you do as a Republican to make yourself feel better, or is this real?” Perhaps it was, by far, the funniest thing said on election night mainly because it came from a Murdoch broadcaster challenging the de facto strategic leader of the Conservative movement. He mentioned the money the big GOP donors dumped but naturally failed to mention his take off the top on all monies invested; he got his cut. His assumption America was snowed by Obama and would never come back out to support him in sufficient numbers was an unforgivable mistake and he knew it.

Conservatives got distracted by perceived ‘momentum,’ SuperPACS, and ignored real polling data and forgot the function of a political campaign: convincing voters you have their best interests at heart. You can’t ask some Latinos to self-deport and expect them to vote for you. Underestimating the resolve of Latinos, given their growing percentage of the population, was political suicide.

The DNA of these right wingers may be their Waterloo, as Jim DeMint so aptly phrased it. If you believe you lost the election because you weren’t “tough enough on abortion” or too moderate, as some truly believe, you are certainly facing peril as a party. The real sane voice in the GOP would tell you exactly what a coach of a championship team would say: you have to lose a few games to win the championship. The losses should tell these guys something, America is not terribly excited by a misogynist, bigoted agenda that threatens to reward the rich at the expense of the poor. Job creators and tax cuts create jobs is pure garbage propaganda that America has rejected. It is time to regroup and take a few hits before their credibility is restored.

The fiscal cliff will have to be avoided by Republicans abandoning their insane Tea Party base and coming to the table and acting like responsible legislators. Period. The Democrats have compromised as far as possible, numerous times, during President Obama’s first term and the time to tax the super rich at a fair level is at hand. A reasonable Republican may be a distant memory from Barry Goldwater’s era. He said, I think every good Christian ought to kick Falwell right in the ass, referencing the rise of the religious right hijacking the Republican Party, which it still does today. If they continue this doomsday strategy, it will be their “Rapture.” America is ready for Harry Reid’s suggestion of a compromise which will prevent our credit rating from taking an avoidable beating.

In a speech in Iowa yesterday, rising “star” and newly minted Creationist Marco Rubio, one of the GOP’s 2016 hopefuls, pretended to understand the challenges ahead. He said to a crowd in Iowa, “Now comes the hard part. America faces monumental challenges in putting people back to work, reducing our crushing debt and advancing our interests around the world.” Does anyone see a problem with this? He’s spouting the exact same party line: debt is our biggest concern and we need to embroil ourselves in more foreign entanglements. Naturally, he was alluding to Democratic policies as the cause of our woes even though he and his party know damned well they caused this crisis. They will be cut from the line-up and left off the playing field soon if they don’t openly change their losing strategy. If the past is any indicator, they will continue to be obstinate hardliners who will ultimately suffer the fate they so richly deserve: extinction.

a guest post by Derek Wood of Sydney, NSW, Australia

A PLEA TO AMERICA

In a few days time Americans will go to the polls to elect the 45th President of the United States. The choice really could not be clearer. The progressive, socialistic policies of the present incumbent, or the more right wing, aggressive ones of the challenger. In essence, the two candidates are like chalk and cheese.

So the choice is clear – Another 4 years for President Obama to continue turning America’s fortunes around, whilst still trying to fix the disastrous mess left by his predecessor, George W Bush. On the other hand, a Willard Romney government that threatens to dismantle a lot of the social policies implemented like ‘Obama Care’ as well as instigating tax cuts that will generally benefit the rich more than the poor.
The United States of America is a democratic country and at the end of the day, the humble voter will decide who gets to sit in the Oval Office. It is the right of every registered voter and, overall, a decision will be made as is the democratic way. I certainly have no issues or complaints with this process. It is a tried and trusted, and generally fair way of selecting a leader.

However, voters must understand the importance of their vote. They are not only voting for a President that will govern domestically, they are electing a President that will have a huge influence in virtually every worldwide event and global crisis. This is important for a number of reasons as is evidenced below.

The global reputation of the United States suffered greatly when Iraq was invaded. True, Saddam Hussein was captured, but it was plain to see that the so called ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ did not appear to exist. As such the US gained a reputation of being an aggressor, and not understanding, or wanting to, local issues and cultures. To be blunt, the hatred of the US and its citizens grew to a new unprecedented level.
When Barack Obama was initially elected as President, he went out of his way to proactively ensure the Middle East and the Arabic World that there was a new America. One who would negotiate and talk to other countries, understand and appreciate other cultures and religions and one who would not act on a whim, as George W Bush had.

Over the past four years, the tarnished reputation of the United States has improved. However, there are fears that an Obama loss will lead to far greater world tensions and possibly even worse things. Romney has already proven himself to be incompetent as a diplomat on the world stage. In his short tenure as the prime challenger to Obama, Romney has upset Great Britain (America’s greatest ally), Australia (another staunch ally), Most of Europe and the Arabic World. This alone should invalidate voting for Romney. (Except his base is so utterly xenophobic, they’re utterly unaware of his international faux pas.)

Romney has also made no secret of his friendship with his old Israeli mate, Netanyahu. Israel has its own agenda as it looks to ensure the safety of the Israeli state at any cost. If this means attacking Iran, Syria or any other deemed ‘aggressor’ then so be it. With a Romney administration offering support, the chances of Israel making the first strike will increase.
Imagine what this would do to the stability of the Middle-East. Imagine the potential aggression from Muslim countries against Israel and its allies, including America. Imagine how the rest of the world would feel about America’s actions and principles if this was to happen. In short, it could lead to irreversible damage to the United States. Even friends of the US could turn their back on America.
So when you go to vote on Tuesday, please take into account the potential effect a Romney Administration would have on the world stage. Is it a risk worth taking? I, for one, think not.

Last week’s Trump pronouncement offering a reward in exchange for President Obama’s passport application and college transcripts received undue media attention, as if anything this bloviating egomaniac says is relevant or pertinent to any facts. Distraction is the name of the game, and the GOP wants anything to distract us from Willard Romney’s inability to stick to a real position, his Mormon Cult or his reluctance to release his Olympic records, Massachusetts governance records or his much coveted tax returns.

With the looming storm, FEMA is front and center for providing disaster relief and has worked reasonably well when not mismanaged by an unconcerned GOP administration as it was during Katrina. Romney’s position on FEMA is pretty clear: privatize it for profit. During a 2011 GOP primary debate he (Romney) said it was “immoral” for the federal government to be spending money on disaster relief when it should be focused on deficit reduction: “Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that’s the right direction. And if you can go even further, and send it back to the private sector, that’s even better. Instead of thinking, in the federal budget, what we should cut, we should ask the opposite question, what should we keep?” Essentially, Romney would do to disaster zones what Enron did to the power grid in California in 2002. If history is any indicator, Willard will most likely flip flop on his FEMA position, but make no mistake, if he wins, hurricane victims will be considered the 47% of Americans who do not concern him.

Naturally, the bible-thumping fundamentalists don’t want to be left out of this opportunity to preach their hateful agenda. This hurricane is caused, naturally, by God’s displeasure with the support for gay marriage by those liberals in the White House. Seriously, this is exactly what Defend and Proclaim the Faith ministries founder John McTernan is asserting. Hurricane Sandy is proof that “God is systematically destroying America.” He continues, “If you add the area of the drought and now the hurricane together, it would be about 80 percent of the country!” … “As I said, the Holy God of Israel is systematically destroying America right before our eyes.” Doesn’t it make you wonder why God has singled out the entire East Coast for this storm when there are so many God-fearing Christians there? Is God really this vindictive?

I remember how the November 2,2010 Teaparty victories were so heralded as a “grassroots” victory for frustrated Americans tired of the business-as-usual Washington D.C. politics. These victories brought us the 112th Congress, you know, the Congress that has given America record filibusters and anti-abortion legislation. It was exactly what Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com predicted. He is a numbers guy, a master of prediction based on precise mathematics, formulated by a reliable dissection of myriad polling data. Since he has predicted a higher likelihood that President Obama will be victorious over Romney this election day, the right-wing media has naturally tried to discredit Mr. Silver by labeling him effeminate and gay. If you hate the facts, attack the messenger. That’s not a childish way to handle the truth at all!

Race baiting: Sununu and Romney

Naturally any Obama supporter who is a Republican feels a certain way for all the wrong reasons. Just ask John Sununu. The former New Hampshire GOP Governor said in an interview the only reason former Secretary of State Colin Powell would endorse President Obama is because he too is African-American, which is absolutely insulting to a man who has achieved what General Powell has accomplished in his life.

Willard, as per usual, is employing dubious “facts” in his most recent ads, which he’ll claim to have no knowledge of. For example, his new ad claims Chrysler is moving Jeep jobs to China. One reporter said the mendaciousness of Romney’s new auto ad is breathtaking even for him. Apparently, he’s utilizing his lying for the lord doctrine of his Mormon cult as his principle campaign strategy. For some reason unbeknownst to me, the American people seem to be perfectly okay with his mendacity and lack of resolve to maintain a position.

Just wait folks. It is only going to get worse. The election is only eight days away and the GOP will break any law, commit fraud, lie, cheat and steal their way to victory. This time, we are far more prepared than we were in 2000 and 2004 when we never suspected the fraud the GOP will engage in to rig an election. Hopefully, America has acquired a sufficient distaste for outright lies and deceit.

Thanks to MarioPiperni.com

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is composed of the faithful who truly believe they are the “God’s Chosen People“. There’s an inherent sense of entitlement that comes with “god” choosing you before you were even born. God has also decided all of his chosen people are direct descendants of Israel, even those of Northern European stock. Members of the Mormon cult are convinced this, among other principles, is absolutely true, despite the irrefutable evidence to the contrary. For instance, “despite the fact that in 1966 the original Egyptian papyri that Smith used to “translate” the Book of Abraham were discovered in the New York Museum of Art, and that they definitively prove that his translation is a complete and utter fraud, Mormons still revere it as authentic scripture, written by none other than Abraham himself.” Mitt Romney has undoubtedly fallen hook line and sinker for this fantastical mythology originated by a convicted charlatan, and lives his life believing he was chosen.

Willard walked away from the October 3rd debate feeling victorious with his “performance.” He was quite the thespian and made so many antithetical claims to actual reality, one must infer he was convinced he believed his convoluted logic wholeheartedly. However, he was using secret Mormon code to round up the LDS army to get involved now. Park Romney explains:

Mitt Romney’s reference to deficits as a “moral issue” is a very significant coded signal to Mormons and the Mormon Church. Anything identified as a “moral issue” by the Church is deemed to constitute a matter that the Church should take a public position on, even where political action is involved. This is the basis of the Church’s justification of their involvement in the Proposition 8 campaign; it was the basis of the Church’s involvement, in the 80′s in opposition to the Equal Rights amendment; and this was an outspoken appeal from Mitt Romney to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for their support of his election on moral grounds. This was monumentally significant to those of us who understand the code.

He was calling on his fellow chosen ones to focus on the issue of deficits as if it’s a moral failing of the Obama Administration. It was a call for fellow Mormons to ignore the reality that Mitt himself has saddled more companies with debt while “harvesting” them for profit, resulting in massive job loss and ultimately, bankruptcy. Willard Romney, of all people, has the gall to demand action against the deficits his policies would only greatly exacerbate, which this President inherited.

Mormons view their anointed one’s performance as a sign from god he is destined to be their fearless leader. Glenn Beck, Mormon supporter of Romney, said in this video “God is trying to make this so clear for us, if this happens it is his finger.” He spoke of the debate fondly. “It was amazing… it was remarkable, I thought. I ‘tweeted’ last night after it was all said and done to remember to fall down on your knees in thanksgiving. I mean, I prayed yesterday like never before that the scales would fall from people’s eyes.“

Obvious proclamations of moral obligations should alert us to Mitt’s true agenda: furthering the ambitions of the Mormon Church. After all, they consider themselves an elect breed apart and above all others, holier-than-thou in every sense of the word, the best-of-the-best spirits that god selected to be born into this world as his rulers in the last days before the second coming.
If you were not chosen, too bad. Your concerns, like those of parents who encourage their children to watch Sesame Street and other PBS programs, are insignificant to Willard Romney and he will smile to your face while stabbing you in the back, as he’s done to so many Americans already.

{a guest blog from Derek Wood of Sydney, Australia}

It seems the global opinion regarding our impending elections is fairly univerally consistent. Most of the world is terrified of a Romney victory and, quite anomalous to the norm, many are preemptively weighing in with their opinions. For instance, they have learned in the U.K. that Mormon supporters of Mitt Romney are promoting a day of mass fasting and prayer to seek divine help for the Republican candidate in the upcoming Presidential debates. This is viewed as an act of desperation and the iminent implosion of the G.O.P. is quite likely. To get a better view, I implored my Australian friend, Mr. Derek Wood to provide enlightenment on the matter.

As the US Presidential election draws near, the world is collectively holding its breath to see who will come out on top. The choice couldn’t be more diverse. On the one hand we have the President, Barack Obama, with his semi-socialistic policies and still assigned with the task of trying to clean up the debacle the GOP left after the tenure of George W Bush. At the other end of the spectrum we have his challenger, Willard (Mitt) Romney, the (reluctant) darling of the far right. An elder political statesman who, along with his Mormon beliefs, has a set agenda that is not too hard to work out if you look closely.

As has been proven by Obama, being President of the United States is about governing for all citizens of the US. Regardless of their political or religious persuasion, regardless of their ethnicity, regardless of their sexuality and regardless of their status within society. This is coupled with ensuring that the relationships with your Allies (think most of the western world) are maintained harmoniously. Most previous Presidents have managed to cope quite well with ‘talking to our friends’ overseas. Obama has done an excellent job on the world stage and is very much respected by most leaders worldwide.

The same cannot be said about Romney. In the past few months he has upset the UK government, the Australian government, virtually the whole of the Middle East (outside of Israel) and some of Europe. If there is an Oscar for ‘putting your foot in your mouth’ then Mitt Romney would win hands down! Two things struck me about this. Firstly, he is being very badly advised by his close confidants. If you are trying to win the top job you don’t go around shooting from the hip. Secondly, he just doesn’t have the acumen to represent America on the world stage. To be blunt, you either have it, or you don’t. Romney is sadly lacking in this regard.

Another ‘foot in mouth’ moment was the recently released video of Romney telling an audience of fellow one percenters, that 47% of voters are on various welfare benefits and therefore were lost to him and the Republicans. In effect, it could be inferred that they would be ignored by a Romney administration. As I mentioned earlier, the job of government, in part, is to help those on welfare, educate them, train them etc and above all, show them that they are not a ‘lost cause’. Governments have to provide opportunities for these citizens. It seems that Romney and GOP are of a different view.

This brings me nicely to the Australian view of the forthcoming Presidential election. For the uninitiated, Australia has a coalition centre-left government led by Julia Gillard. Australia has a long history as being one of America’s staunchest Allies. It is also the only western country in the world that did not suffer a recession after the Global Financial Crisis. Currently the unemployment rate is a shade over 5% – close to full employment. Its debt levels are the lowest of the G20. So it is safe to assume that something has gone well for Australia over the past decade or so, whether by luck or good planning.

Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan

The word twisting that Romney espoused after the Australian Foreign Minister paid him a visit a few months ago, didn’t go down at all well in Canberra. This was probably one of the lesser reasons why the Australian Treasurer, Wayne Swan, politically attacked Romney and the Republicans. What Swan said was amazing to us Australians. He is seen as a dull, boring type of politician. Also, he broke the unwritten rule of siding with an American political party in an election year. For the record, Wayne Swan said:

“Let’s be blunt, the biggest threat to the world’s biggest economy are the cranks and crazies that have taken over parts of the Republican Party,”.

“Despite (US president Barack) Obama’s goodwill … the national interest was held hostage by the rise of the extreme right Tea-Party wing of the Republicans.

“There can be few things more alarming in public policy than a political group which was genuinely prepared to see the government of the United States default on its obligations in order to score a political point.”

His words were deliberate and were meant for the world audience as well as for the US. To Australia, the Romney led Republicans would be bad for the world. It is a given that Romney would introduce a number of right wing policies both domestically and internationally. There is no doubt that America would be siding with Israel in a pre-emptive strike against Iran. This is something the West cannot afford to happen. Then there is a bigger threat, the Tea Party influence is such that in January the US could default on its payment obligations, unless a finance package is agreed upon.

Whilst this might be a good move from the Tea Party point of view, and would help justify dramatic cuts in government spending, it would send earthquake type tremors through the money markets of the world, and especially Europe. This could be the beginning of another Global Financial Crisis. This, in turn, would affect the US economy and lead to higher unemployment and a stagnating local economy.

That is why the Australian government went public with its attack on the GOP. They know that a win for Romney will only spell disaster for the US and the world in general. Whether the voters of the US take note is to be seen. Outside of the GOP, it is imperative that Obama wins another term of office. The world wants Obama to defeat his radical, and aging opponent, and use his second term to revive the US economy and ensure that harmony is maintained with the west, and that the Middle East tensions do not get out of control.

Follow Derek on Twitter at @Main_Man

Players and Fans Missing NFL Referees

I’m sure, if you are a football fan, or simply follow sports, you are aware there is currently a lockout affecting the very integrity of our beloved national gridiron past time, the NFL. The complaints are legitimate and anyone who has watched a game in the preseason or in weeks one or two of this season, has noticed the difference between the usual officials and these replacement scabs. There have been a multitude of blown calls and numerous examples of these refs clearly not understanding the rules. This is more than just a sports issue. This is, once again, a labor issue where big business owners are flexing their muscle in favor of profit over quality. To sacrifice quality in this case actually impacts the livelihood of the officials, the integrity of the game and most importantly, the safety of the players. Time will tell if this plot to save such a minuscule amount at the expense of the players, officials and fans will pay off, but the evidence is strongly against this irresponsible conduct by the owners and the commissioner’s office. It almost seems like a plot designed by the Koch Brothers and Governor Walker.

This isn’t a strike. It’s a lockout. The owners are trying to teach the officials a lesson. For a league with revenues far north of $8 billion a year, the petty cash in dispute is laughable. Especially when you consider there are only 119 NFL officials. And that they’re employed part time. For a sum of $50 million a year – less than 1 percent of total revenue – the league could hire 200 well-trained full-time officials at $250,000 each.

Since the harsh sanctions were brought down upon the coaching staff of the New Orleans Saints for the bounty program, some may think Roger Goodell is a man of integrity. He appeared to be a commissioner who has gone to great lengths to punish those participants and hand out fines en masse, all in the name of “player safety.” On August 31, Goodell issued this statement: Part of our responsibility in helping teams and players prepare for each NFL season is to make sure they understand and respect league policies and rules. As always, we hold everyone, including ourselves, strictly accountable for protecting the integrity of the game [...] We will aggressively protect the health, safety and long-term livelihood of our players, both on the field and off. However, the NFL grows more dangerous by the week thanks to his decision to play hardball over one percent of league revenue and lock out the officials in favor of scab refs. Deadspin, for one, assembled a compilation earlier this week of what it deemed “the 21 worst replacement referee mistakes from Sunday,” filed under the tag “Scabwatch.” However, Goodell and many of the sportscasters have been trying to gloss over this issue by simply not mentioning the performance of these far less experienced officials.

So why are we in this predicament? As always, because of money. The league has offered what it says amounts to a 5 to 11 percent increase in salaries while the National Football League Referees Association says that increase would effectively be only 2.8%. It is true that NFL officials are paid much less than their counterparts in other sports. After five years, an NFL official makes $42,000. Meanwhile, a fifth-year MLB official makes $141,000 and a fifth-year NBA official makes $128,000. The choice of using anything less than the most competent referees is prudent at a time when the league is being sued by more than 3,000 former players. These players contend that the league was, at best, negligent in educating them about the long-term health effects of playing football and, at worst, concealed evidence of these effects. By putting less competent officials out there now, is the NFL adding to the case against itself? It sure doesn’t seem like the owners are too concerned with player safety.

This obstinate behavior demonstrates how labor must bow down to the owners’ whims, at whatever cost. It seems this is a pattern all too familiar ever since the PATCO strike in 1981. Unfortunately, this is the gamble that Goodell took when he decided to start the season with truly low-level replacements. He could have ended this lockout weeks ago for roughly the amount of money that NFL executives spend on dry cleaning every year. Goodell played to win. The real refs gambled, too. They bet on their own ability. They gambled that we would notice the difference. We certainly have. We want them back and we think unions are a good thing for this country, even on the football field. This strike, like the teachers’ strike in Chicago, is the last bastion of hope for organized labor in America. If these folks fail in their quest to insure quality working conditions, pensions and other basic workers’ rights, we will become a nation like China where human labor is treated like a commodity. I suppose that will suit the owners just fine. After all, most NFL owners favor the Republican Party. We all know where the GOP stands when it comes to workers’ rights.

The irony continues with the Romney campaign. His latest barrage of false attacks on President Obama are touting the recent mass exodus of jobs to China. Interestingly enough, Romney has been quite instrumental in that shameful profit-driven action. In order to protest the outsourcing of their American jobs, workers at the Freeport, Illinois Sensata Technologies Factory (a Bain subsidiary), began to camp outside the factory in protest of the venture capital firm’s decision to ship their jobs to China. They’ve labeled the tent city Bainport, in the hopes of attracting the attention of the GOP presidential candidate and current benefactor of Sensata profits, Willard Mitt Romney. Originally the company was owned by Honeywell but sold to Sensata in 2010. The employees, pleading for the very same jobs some have held for over four decades drafted a letter:

“We work at Sensata Technologies in Freeport, Illinois — a company owned by Bain Capital, which you started, ran, and still profit from.

Our jobs are about to be outsourced to China. More than 150 of us will lose our jobs — and some of us have worked here for over 40 years. The worst indignity is that many of us are being asked to train the Chinese workers who are taking our jobs.

It’s not right that our good American jobs are being sent to China. It’s not right that you stand to get even richer off of our loss and pain.
We are not going down without a fight. We join together today to call on you to save our jobs.”

Workers outside “Bainport” in Freeport, Ill.

Willard and Bain worship the profit more than Mitt’s prophet and cult founder, Joseph Smith. Not only does this man have brass ones, but a heart which must have been assembled at the very factories he closes to outsource the livelihood of countless Americans. The human casualties at the hands of Bain Capital are stacking up and this is just another example.

The Sensata workers reported that management took down the American flags from the flag poles in front of the building before the Chinese delegation took a tour of the facility, and returned the flags after the Chinese left. Ironically, the protesting workers being are being labeled “communists” by Mitt Romney supporters while the factory and the job are planned for relocation in Communist China!

Tom Gaulrapp and Cheryl Randecker, employees of Sensata Technologies for 33 years went to Tampa and called upon Mitt Romney to help save their jobs. Obviously these efforts were ignored by most of the media, except for the good folks at Democracy Now!

It sure seems like Mitt is following the Karl Rove playbook to a “T”. One of his plans is this: To play the race card and appeal to the far right wing fringe of voters who are leery of an African American in the White House. Make Obama appear as if he’s the one who’s the foreigner, he’s the outsider, he’s the one who’s actually in favor of shipping jobs to China. However, Americans are no longer ignoring the harsh realities; no one is more guilty of this egregious practice than Willard Romney. It is a diabolical plan, but pesky folks like these workers in Freeport, Illinois may just put a damper on this evil strategy. I sure hope they succeed. Mitt Romney has no business being anywhere near the White House. Support the workers and visit the Bainport Site. These folks deserve a fair shot at the American Dream. Sign the petition on behalf of the workers HERE.