MERGED: The Politics Thread

[3deroticer]

BTW, wasn't the black Panther at the polls turn out to be musician singing for the event?

[Q_BE]

BTW, wasn't the black Panther at the polls turn out to be musician singing for the event?

Not unless nightsticks are instruments...

Q-"Philadelphia ringing any bells?"-BE

[3deroticer]

That story is so old and already debunk and it came from Glenn Beck. I wish you could follow up on the story to see if what they say hold any truth. It's pretty embarrassing to explain once again they were part of a musical show, but believe what you want. But I suppose that all black people look like a militant enforcer group to you.

[MrsPacman1]

The vote to pass the bill through the assembly last night was indicative of the terrible things we have in store for us, here in WI. I wonder how many state troopers will be called upon to go and "check up" on the homes of the WI 14?

On a lighter note... sort of, here is a commercial that's been running on our local fox station. Hilarious! How low will they go?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adX6C01X9TU

Mrs*Obama was driving the bus himself, I tell ya... *Pacman

[pedonbio]

The vote to pass the bill through the assembly last night was indicative of the terrible things we have in store for us, here in WI. I wonder how many state troopers will be called upon to go and "check up" on the homes of the WI 14?

On a lighter note... sort of, here is a commercial that's been running on our local fox station. Hilarious! How low will they go?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adX6C01X9TU

Mrs*Obama was driving the bus himself, I tell ya... *Pacman

That particular YouTube channel is owned by Americans for Prosperity, a Koch Brothers front group.

[TheZookie007]

Fuck 'em. I hope one of their sisters marries a fellow named Kuntz

[TheZookie007]

This could have as well gone into the Egypt thread but:

The New York Times: "Gates Warns Against Any More Wars Like Iraq or Afghanistan"

"Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates bluntly told an audience of West Point cadets on Friday that it would be unwise for the United States to ever fight another war like Iraq or Afghanistan, and that the chances of carrying out a change of government in that fashion again were slim.

"In my opinion, any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should 'have his head examined,' as General MacArthur so delicately put it," Mr. Gates told an assembly of Army cadets here...

"The odds of repeating another Afghanistan or Iraq — invading, pacifying, and administering a large third-world country — may be low," Mr. Gates said, but the Army and the rest of the government must focus on capabilities that can "prevent festering problems from growing into full-blown crises which require costly — and controversial — large-scale American military intervention."

Mr. Gates was brought into the Bush cabinet in late 2006 to repair the war effort in Iraq that was begun under his predecessor, Donald H. Rumsfeld, and then was kept in office by President Obama. He did not directly criticize the Bush administration’s decisions to go to war. Even so, his never-again formulation was unusually pointed, especially at a time of upheaval across the Arab world and beyond. Mr. Gates has said that he would leave office this year, and the speech at West Point could be heard as his farewell to the Army...."


Take that, Mr. "Known Unknowns".

[3deroticer]

So Teachers are now Govt Union deep in corruption?

Seems to me we had a history of rulers trying to put down the power of the people by stripping their education. I know that this isn't just about education, but ultimately about another way of stealing the votes by breaking the union that supported the Democratic Party. Teachers don't have much of a life, everyday they teach students and then take work home and grade the paper. Then they are out with students as volunteering duties supporting after school activities. The 3 month of summer is back to school to renew teaching certification and planning 9 month of teaching material, and they have to pay for their own certification and classes for the exam.

How many of you here ever dated a teacher, and can say that they are corrupted group of govt union freeloader? I've dated a teacher and frankly they don't have enough time to play. It's very hard life to date teacher.

Fact: Irish people favorite color is green because of School Hedges, which were made illegal by the Protestant to put down the Irish Catholics, so they wore all green clothing and blend in with the green hedges in order to have school lesson without getting caught by the Protestant.

[TheZookie007]

In a former life, I was a teacher. I've taught elementary school, high school and in colleges and universities. I know through first-hand experience that the best way to pull the rug out from underneath a country is to fuck up their educational system. This union-busting attempt in Wisconsin is the first salvo in an all-out war against us all. Sounds inflammatory and over-dramatic, but I believe it to be so. I hope the negative tide can be turned in time.

[MrsPacman1]

That particular YouTube channel is owned by Americans for Prosperity, a Koch Brothers front group.

Yup, sure is. 

According to Forbes - Madison, WI ranks #2 in the nation for the best place to educate your offspring. One of the benefits, IMO, of raising my boys in WI was the public school system.


Mrs*well, that and the dairy-air*Pacman

[pedonbio]

Yup, sure is. 

According to Forbes - Madison, WI ranks #2 in the nation for the best place to educate your offspring. One of the benefits, IMO, of raising my boys in WI was the public school system.


Mrs*well, that and the dairy-air*Pacman

There are all kinds of tests used to compare the quality of school systems. The one I rely on is the S.A.T., which has been used uniformly for more than 60 years across the country.

There are five states which prohibit teachers from collective bargaining. Of those 5 states, the highest ranking in S.A.T. scores is Virginia, No. 44. The other four states rank #47, #48, #49, and #50.

[TheZookie007]

There are five states which prohibit teachers from collective bargaining. Of those 5 states, the highest ranking in S.A.T. scores is Virginia, No. 44. The other four states rank #47, #48, #49, and #50.

Damn!

[MrsPacman1]

There are all kinds of tests used to compare the quality of school systems. The one I rely on is the S.A.T., which has been used uniformly for more than 60 years across the country.

There are five states which prohibit teachers from collective bargaining. Of those 5 states, the highest ranking in S.A.T. scores is Virginia, No. 44. The other four states rank #47, #48, #49, and #50.

Well...ain't that some shit 

Mrs*WOW*Pacman

[MrsPacman1]

The police have now joined the protesters in Madison. Apparently they were ordered to kick everyone out of the Capitol today at 4:30, but have declared, "We will be sleeping with you here tonight".

There is an unsubstantiated rumor that Bill Clinton will be making an appearance today. I hope this proves to be true.


http://www.boingboing.net/2011/02/26/wisconsin-cops-for-t.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Mrs*it just keeps getting better and better *Pacman

[SamV]

Gov. Walker better not call out the WI state militia or national guard then.

If he losses them too he WILL need that reservation at Pres. Murbarak's safe house.     

[MrsPacman1]

Pac thinks this will end with tear gas and rioting. Since it's been peaceful thus far, we will know who to point the finger at.


Mrs*especially my middle finger*Pacman

[pedonbio]

Pac thinks this will end with tear gas and rioting. Since it's been peaceful thus far, we will know who to point the finger at.


Mrs*especially my middle finger*Pacman

I don't know, but I will give Scott Walker credit for this: He has unified the Left better than anybody since Franklin Roosevelt. This is Olympia, Washington, this afternoon:

[MrsPacman1]

I guess he deserves the credit for that. I'll take it, wherever it comes from 

Mrs*about damn time, too*Pacman

[pedonbio]

I don't know, but I will give Scott Walker credit for this: He has unified the Left better than anybody since Franklin Roosevelt. This is Olympia, Washington, this afternoon:

You almost need a score card to identify all the various conflicts the various groups represented in this picture have had--Hint: Radical Women and the Firefighters Union-- but they're together now.

[Q_BE]

Thank goodness I don't see any young people in these pictures…the old farts need to realize they are the last of a dying breed of union workers…

Q-"AFSCME? Association for Senile, Crazy, and Mad Employees"-BE

[3deroticer]

Actually from what I am hearing on the radio from union leaders that there is an upsurge of new union member. Maybe the airline pilot can get there union back? I'm wondering if Scott considering resigning? If he stays, longer than a year, it will be in time to use him to remember to not vote for Republican.

BTW there are 6 year old in the march, so how young do the protester need to be?

[pedonbio]

Thank goodness I don't see any young people in these pictures…the old farts need to realize they are the last of a dying breed of union workers…

Q-"AFSCME? Association for Senile, Crazy, and Mad Employees"-BE

Your idea of "old" is remarkable, and as foolish as the other crap you write.

But you trust fund babies need to get out more often.

[Q_BE]

Your idea of "old" is remarkable, and as foolish as the other crap you write.

Eh, go put your teeth in and say that to me.

Anyway, if you Democrats say you consider us conservatives' mental health so crucial to our ability to perform our jobs, then I suggest you call for this Oregon guy to resign so you can avoid the blatant hypocrisy…

Oregon congressman says his mental health condition doesn't prevent him from doing his job

=========================

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- An Oregon congressman facing calls for his resignation from some of the state's largest newspapers said the mental health condition from which he suffers doesn't prevent him from doing his job.

U.S. Rep. David Wu told KGW-TV in an interview aired Saturday that he won't specify his mental health issue.

"There are personal things, even for a congressman," the Democrat told the television station. "I think it is appropriate to have some sphere of privacy about the specific diagnosis because I'm not the president of the United States with my finger on the nuclear trigger."

"Even for a congressman, there are some things which I think appropriately may remain private, and I think Oregonians can respect that," he added.

Wu was responding to questions about his fitness to continue in office after bizarre behavior concerned his team at the end of the 2010 campaign and led to the resignations of seven staff members after the campaign.

He blamed the stress of the campaign and the responsibility of caring for his two children as reasons for his behavior, which included sending pictures of himself wearing a tiger costume to staff members, a decision he now calls "unprofessional and inappropriate."

He said Saturday that he does not have a substance abuse problem, and that he should not have publicly disclosed his decision to stop drinking alcohol last summer because it gave a false impression that he suffered from alcoholism.

"If you do stop drinking, don't brag about it, because people think that you have a problem," Wu said. "And if you ever go back to drinking, people think you really have a problem. Moderation is very good."

Wu also repeated his vow to remain in office, and said he had plans to run again in 2012.

He said that during the campaign, he suffered a "severe episode" of an unspecified painful condition while at the home of a campaign contributor. He has said the contributor gave him two painkiller tablets.

"He offered me an alternative painkiller, I'm not sure exactly what that was, and I took two tablets," Wu said. "That was a very, very foolish thing to do. That's what pain and some bad judgment will do. I shouldn't have done it, and I recommend no one ever do that."

Wu said he did not know what was in the pills, adding that "if anyone says they know what it is, then they know more than I do." He has not identified the contributor who gave him the pills.

The Eugene Register Guard, Oregon's second-largest newspaper by circulation, published an editorial Wednesday calling for Wu's resignation "for lack of candor, not because of treatment."

"Wu should have been forthcoming about his medical treatment when it began," said the paper, which publishes outside Wu's district.

Another paper, the Daily Astorian from Clatsop County in Wu's district, planned to publish an editorial Thursday also suggesting that Wu should step down, saying the congressman has served the region well but "is becoming an embarrassment."

Wu's district is a Democratic stronghold that includes the west side of Portland and the city's technology-heavy eastern suburbs, including the global headquarters for Nike and a major factory for chipmaker Intel. It stretches northwest to the coast and south into Oregon's wine country.

He was a political newcomer when he was elected to Congress in 1998 as the first Chinese-American to serve in the U.S. House. He has maintained a centrist voting record but been a leading voice on human rights abuses in China. He angered the high-tech firms in his district when he voted against normalizing trade relations with China.

Wu said he did not have a responsibility to inform the voters of his mental health issues before Election Day.

"It was a very, very challenging campaign," Wu said. "Every family, every campaign, has things that they put out in front of the house and things that stay indoors."

========================

He talks big about privacy concerning his personal matters, but I don't see any Republicans (hello Mark Foley) getting the same respect. Of course, this is coming from the political party that brought us Gary Condit and Ted Kennedy, so I suppose it's okay to kill interns, but not to act gay with them.

Q-"Have a nice day"-BE

[DruulEmpire]

Condit didn't kill anyone.  Check it out.  "South Park" isn't exactly journalism.

Also, a police force isn't allowed to be "decrepit," and they've just joined in solidarity.

Hole up at Chappaquiddick and hop around to any state that's not Wisconsin all you please, because personally I'm loving this story.

[3deroticer]

I think Scott Walker behavior far outweighs any of Wu, and it's too early to tell. But I do think he is more of a centrist than a liberal.

[3deroticer]

http://www.alternet.org/news/150054/confirmed:_union-bashing_right-wing_media_stars_hannity,_limbaugh_and_o%27reilly_are_afl-cio_union-affiliated_members/

Why am I not surprise?

[pedonbio]

  (c) Pedonbio

[TheZookie007]

http://www.alternet.org/news/150054/confirmed:_union-bashing_right-wing_media_stars_hannity,_limbaugh_and_o%27reilly_are_afl-cio_union-affiliated_members/

Why am I not surprise?

I love this quote from AFTRA:

"As a matter of policy, AFTRA does not reveal whether or not an individual is a member of AFTRA unless specifically authorized to do so by that individual. We take very seriously our members' right to privacy in this and in other regards. As the unfortunate situation in Wisconsin makes clear, all too often union members are the target of vicious attacks either from their employer (or prospective employer) or the public, and it is the union's responsibility to protect our members to the greatest extent possible...."

In other words, even though these bums are bad-mouthing us, they are still our members, although we won't tell you that they are unless and until they themselves authorize it, in case their employers should retaliate against them.

[rtpoe]

I dreamt I saw Joe Hill leading the crowd in a rousing rendition of "Solidarity Forever"....

Do you think they know any of the good union/labor/protest songs?

[pedonbio]

Anyone who believes government regulation is not necessary needs to see the "Triangle Fire" episode of PBS's American Experience.

The fire was one hundred years ago this year. The only worse workplace disaster in New York was 9-11-2001.

[SamV]

Well since it is on PBS I'm almost a 100% certain that's one program Q won't ever see.   

After all anything on PBS has to be elitist, left-wing, liberal, funded by tax dollars that bloats the US deficit, and can't be true or even worth watching.

------
On a different topic, anyone else see the latest opinion poll commissioned by CBS New/New York Times?

It certainly seems to put a big crimp in the position of Gov. Walker, and other Republican leaders with their narrative about how Americans put them in to office to cut taxes, cut government, curb public workers union rights, etc, etc. 

What's telling most of all about how deeply ingrained these beliefs and ideas have become in the Republican ranks that even NJ Gov. Christie, who isn't as extreme in his views as some of the others, when asked to comment on the poll results seems to dismiss it by pooh-poohing the whole thing.    

For story go here: CBS News: Poll shows support for organized labor

For full poll results go here: CBS News/NYT Poll: 2/28/11

[TheZookie007]

Thanks for that link, since I really wanted to see how they phrased the questions in the poll. Gov. Christie's pooh-poohing of the results is rather unfortunate ("Maybe Katie Couric can run for Governor of New Jersey").

Interesting that after all these years, 20% of those polled "haven't heard enough about labor unions yet to form an opinion".

[pedonbio]

Interesting that after all these years, 20% of those polled "haven't heard enough about labor unions yet to form an opinion".

I do kinda wonder what planet they've been on.

BTW, when Fox News got the poll, they reversed the "favorable-unfavorable" numbers and lied about it.

[DruulEmpire]

Just barely political, but I like it.  The Jeopardy-winning supercomputer Watson was just beat by New Jersey Democratic Congressman Rush Holt.  (Interestingly enough, one of his credits is nuclear scientist.)  This means that if ever I get stuck in some conversation about what a genius Rush is, I'll be able to say "We may not be talking about the same person."

Bio: that switched numbers business was already noted over on the "Fox News reliable?" thread.

[3deroticer]

Is it being aired? Sunday they had a story on CNN and the satellite feed went down, then on Monday morning on NBC the story on the protest started up and then the satellite feed went down again in Portland, Oregon. I am just wondering if any of you guys manage to at least get the video of the protest on cable? I kind of knew the report on NBC wasn't going good when they said that Scott Walker had a change of heart and decided against evacuating the capital by use of police force.