What do Texas and Florida have in common? (not just that they each had a dumbass governor named Bush)

They each have laws allowing private citizens to choose to go into a situation armed, act in a threatening manner, create a conflict, claim fear and then kill without any legal responsibility.

In a trial underway in Houston, defendant Paul Rodriguez claims that it was within his rights to go to his neighbor's house carrying a gun because he did not like the volume of music at the neighbors party. Rodriquez then spent 22 minutes videotaping his confrontation and calling 911. Twenty two minutes, the length of an entire episode of the Simpsons. Twenty two minutes, the length of time it takes an out of shape senior citizen to walk over a mile. Twenty two minutes is a hell of a long time and not once in that time did Rodriguez turn around and go home. He escalated the matter and shot 3, killing one man. Now his defense team is using the Texas equivalent of "Stand Your Ground".

This is where the right seems to want to take the country  -  jump all over the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution and claim the right to shoot one another rather than just walking away.

http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2012/06/texas_trial_evokes_trayvon_mar.html

nuf said and just plain enough

I am going to China this month and I am amazed at the number of people who feel the need to point out to me their views of the Chinese government. Lets make it simple, I have absolutely no delusions about the Human Rights abuses of the Chinese Government, I have no delusions about the environmental destruction going on in China, I have no delusions about the propaganda of the Chinese Government nor about their control of the media. Basically, I think I have a very realistic view of what is going on. That does not mean I cannot love the people and the country.

Why are the same people here who are so concerned about the Chinese, not as concerned about what the US Government would look like if the Republicans controlled the White House, Senate and House of Representatives? Consider how GWB's Supreme Court has devastated Human Rights, environmental protections, allowed Super Pac propaganda to go unchecked, slashed the Constitutional protections against search and government intrusion. (Sound like their complaints about the Chinese Government?) Where would Romney and a Tea Party Congress take us?

nuf said

Interestingly, the Republican party today addressed my earlier post about raising taxes and cutting spending. (damn, I did not know my rants were so well followed). In reply to the administration's proposed budget, the Republican version of raising taxes on the very, very, top tier of earners was that it would be "class warfare."

I would have though the ever growing gap between the wealthy and everyone else was the real "class warfare."

nuf said

All too human irrationality.

I wish the current Greek financial crisis were not a small scale proxy for the current United States fiscal mess. Unfortunately it is just that. Too much government spending and too little revenue from the tax structure. In both cases the solution is cuts in spending combined with higher taxes. In the US this has been the recommendation of bi-partisan commissions and apolitical economic experts.

Following significant austerity measures, required of Greece in exchange for European loans, the population of Greece tossed out the politicians supporting austerity. But in a classic "not in my back yard"  move, the Greek populace then immediately took over $900 million out of Greek banks. Clearly, this implies that the public knows that killing the austerity package will harm the Greek economy and devalue its currency (while still part of the Euro zone, the implication of the cash withdrawals is that Greeks believe that Greece will extricate itself from the zone and return to the Drachma. Following this logic, they believe that the Drachma will then decrease in value with a commensurate increase in the value of the Euros being held.) Basically, individual Greeks will serve their own wallets ahead of long term solutions to their countries financial problems.

Hopefully the politicians in Washington will take measures to help the US economy and the population will not just continue to elect politicians willing to say anything to get elected (think "tea party").

nuf said

And one more thing.

In May of 2009, 3 years ago, former Vice-President Cheney came out (just wait a second, he did not really come out, he just came out in favor of gay marriage.) Funny how having a lesbian daughter will make even the most reactionary right wing wacko look at things from a different perspective.

I bet if one of Cheney's daughters needed an abortion he would suddenly rethink that issue too. If one of his family members were shot in an absurd case of "stand your ground" he might rethink gun laws. If one of his family were killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, he might not have been so quick to escalate multiple misguided wars.  If Cheney could not afford all of the amazing health care he has received, he might think nationalized care was not such a bad idea. With a net worth of just under $100 million, yup $100 million, Cheney could care less about the rest of the population, his family will never go hungry so I can't imagine what might help him see the light there, but who knows.

Sorry to be going back into the vaults of the Bush era, but it is interesting that one of the most rabid zealots of the radical right wing is liberal on an issue when it came into his home. Maybe that is what the religious right needs, just a tiny reality check and dose of personal experience outside of their cloistered parochial lives.

nuf said

Now Romney takes a stand.

Following President Obama endorsement of same sex marriage, Mitt Romney, on Tuesday in Denver, made his feelings clear " I do not favor marriage between people of the same gender, and I don't favor civil unions if they are identical to marriage other than by name." Further, Romney supports a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. 


Obama - equality for all
Romney -bigotry, bias and second class (oh wait, no civil unions either so make it third class) citizenship for some


The choice is clear.


nuf said

Now Obama takes a stand?

First, lets be clear, President Obama's new acceptance of the rights of all Americans to marry is the correct course.

BUT for a President who has spent almost 4 years practicing his own version of diplomacy, never quite taking a hard or difficult line, is this the right time to risk his re-election for a cause that is clearly destined to succeed in the near future? The risk of alienating the middle (he ain't getting the votes from the right anyway) is really of concern.

Wouldn't it be a Pyrrhic victory if Obama takes this stance now and looses the election only to have a rabid anti-marriage equality president get 4 years to destroy the progress that has been made in the past several years? Lets not kid ourselves, if nothing else, the presumptive Republican candidate Mitt Romney had been consistent about his opposition to GLBT marriage.

Bottom line, tell your friends, get out the vote, donate to the DNC, make sure to do everything you can to support the re-election of President Obama.

nuf said