gopiscrap
gopiscrap's JournalI weep for America
When I came to the US in the late 60's it didn't matter whether you were a Democratic or Republican elected president, you were respected.
Lyndon Johnson's Great Society was just a few years in the making
The Civil Rights Bill had been passed about 4 years prior
Unions were in their prime
Teachers, Government, Firefighters were respected and valued
fast forward to today....
Government is vilified
Teachers and and unionists are made to be targets of jealously
Government is made to be the problem
and then it all translates into our daily discourse and interaction with others:
The President is called a liar during his State of the Union Speech
The President's citizenship is called into question
there is a meaness to our cultural interaction and then today:
two incidents at the RNC sum up what we have let the Republicans do to the nation:
a Puerto Rican speaker is shouted down and her citizenship is questioned,
an African American media employee has peanuts thrown at her and is told "This is how we feed the animals"
BY NOT BEING VIGILANT IN OUR NATIONAL DISCOURSE WE HAVE LET OUR NATION SLIP TO A SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.
We have come full circle from JFK's stirring "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" inaugural address to Reagans axiom: I've got mine so tough shit.
When we forget the poor the downtrodden, the middle class, when we are not vigilant to the ignorant screamers and shouters around us, these incidents will become more frequent, we will become more base and belligerant and we will all suffer as a nation and a people! I am truly disgusted with the Republican Party as it is constituted today!
On the Rachel Maddow Show tonight:
She talks about a funded group called "True the Vote" that stares down people of color or other likely Democratic voters at the polls on election day...they also challenge every suspected Democratic voter. They are planning on having a million poll watchers at the polls this election day. We need to do the same!
Let's see if we can get a grassroots movement going to counteract this sort shit!
Holy Cow Just got out of the hospital: I had a stroke!!!
They did a shit load of very expensive tests..it will run me 300.00 for deductibles but I am so very lucky...it could have bankrupted me...the annoying part was that we were discussing stuff that we would never discuss had we had a single payer system...I have always been for Universal Health Care and am even more so now!!!
Why is it that in Germany there were 194 gun murders last year and in the US...
there were 9,400+ being that Germany has 82,500,000 and the US has about 340,000,000 shouldn't we be at about 776 gun murders for the past year...what could be making the difference?
BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE NRA
Massacre at Univerity of Texas-Austin late 60's
Cafeteria shooting in Texas
Kilings at McDonald's in San Ysidro
Subway shooting in NY
Columbine
DC mall and highway Sniper shootings
Virginia Tech
Nickel Mine shooting
Police officer massacre in Tacoma, Washington
Coffee House killings in Seattle, Washington
Aurora Movie Theater shooting
So I see us becoming guarded in the same way as Isreal, everytime you cross the street you're gonna have to go through a metal detector.
Thanks a shitload fuckers at the NRA for allowing us to have relatively zero gun laws, creating a culture of killing and turning this nation into a paranoid armed camp that chases after death rather than life.
So once again to the NRA: FUCK YOU!!!!!
I blame the shooter and Reagan!
Obviously the shooter is the one who pulled the trigger, but besides personal responsibility, what got him there?
In many ways, I blame Reagan! In 1980 Ronald Reagan campaigned for the Presidency of the US mainly (IMHO) on two major themes: belligerence and selfishness.
Belligerence in the form of, we're bigger and stronger than anybody else, lets go looking for a fight. Beef up the defense industry and make my rich friends richer and keep this nation on a war footing. When a nation is constantly looking for a fight, that seeps down to the personal culture of it's citizens. Let's blame somebody and punish them so that we can feel better about ourselves.
The bigger and much more serious issue was his campaigning on the theme of selfishness. Reagan demonized those who are the least among us, the poor, the dispossessed and those who have mental illness. During his time in office he worked dilligently to cut aid to welfare recipients (the welfare queen, when only 1/10 of one % ever comitted fraud) and was successful in cutting funding for mental health by about 70%. Those folks who would have been institutionalized or housed in group home settings were left to wander the streets. By perpetuating our greed for a health care system, these folks also were not able to afford the meds they so desperately needed. When they acted out, they were jailed and many times once again, either demonized or abused.
Much of this has been magnified by hateful talk radio and the tea party assholes who are trying to high jack the common decency which once was the norm in this country! Just IMHO
MONTHLY ELECTORAL COLLEGE GUESTIMATE
Hi folks I've said that just for shits and giggles I would do an EC estimate once a month this will be my third one. I am only doing the EC and not the popular because I don't give a shit about the popular vote that's not gonna reelect Obama. Theoretically Obama could win by one vote in the most populated states and lose every other vote elsewhere and still win...so here goes my picks for the EC (Please argue with me if you diagree)
Obama Absolute WA 12 OR 7 CA 55 NM 5 HI 4 ME 4 VT 3 MA 11 RI 4 CT 7 NY 29 PA 21 NJ 13
MY 10 DC 3 MN 10 IL 20 MI 17 WI 10 IA 6 NV 6 VA 13 NH 4 Total 274 EV
Toss AZ 11 OH 20 FL 29 possibly MT 3 total 63 EV
Romney States (I'll lump them together because I don't like to name them: 201 EV)
Vigil for Justice for Trayvon Martin
In cooperation with other vigils being held all over the nation on Monday March 26, 2012, The Micah Project and The Bridge United Methodist Church will be holding a vigil for justice for Trayvon at First United Mwethodist Church 621 Tacoma South at 7pm
Please wear a hoodie and bring a candle if possible.
Scheduled to to speak are:
City Council Member Marty Campbell
Dennis Occupy Lucas (a young man from Tacoma's Hilltop)
Shalisa Hays (mother of shooting victim Bily Ray Shirley)
for info email Mike Collier at pgtsndr@yahoo.com and please check facebook event.
Voter Supression Laws (Photo ID)
I know we need to litigate in the courts and fight with our state legislators to oppose ID laws that are punitive and whose goal is to suppress the poor and minority vote. Yes let's do that...but also what we need is a coordinated liberal/progressive NATIONAL FUND DRIVE with all progressive, group, agencies and blogs taking part. Use this mony to pay for the proper ID and the transpo to get there, By the time we could get all these overturned the election might be over. Just IMHO
So Little Ricky doesn't like my theology thinks my denomination is in the grip of Satan?
An open letter to Rick Santorum:
I take exception to two points of yours. You had said that my denomination (mainline Protestant) of which the United Methodist Church is a part of is "in the grip of Satan". Also you suspect the theology of President Obama. President Obama's home church was a U.C. C. located in the Chicago area. The U.C.C. denomination's theology is close to the UMC in fact they have an altar and pulpit fellowship exchange agreement.
Mr. Santorum:
I was educated in liberal Roman Catholic Schools in Germany and the United States. While there, I was taught by Fransiscan Sisters (OSF) who taught a social gospel of tolerance and embracing all of God's children. Yes, abortion and pro-creation were mentioned but only as a minor component of an all inclusive right to life plank. (Of which I differ as to the RCC reporoductive stance, but agree with the rest of the other nine points)
In my teens, I had already lost my father due to the Vietnam War and my mother had a stroke and I became the foster child of a Lutheran Minister and his wife. It was part of their theology to house the orphan.
On becoming a US Citizen and learning English proficiency, I became interested in the civic discourse of my community and nation.
As an adult, I became the member of a Reconciling Ministry Network United Methodist Congregation which means it is open and affirming of the LGBTQ community.
It has always my understanding that my faith and theology would never disparage another's faith practice, that it would be affirming and help each other in helping.
My theology houses the homeless, provides for the orphan...
My theology affirms the sacred worth of all people...
My theology feeds the hungry
My theology recognizes the agonizing choices one may have to make regarding reproduction
My theology would ask for full funding for education of the masses
My theology would never privatize the healing of the sick, the incarcaration of the captive....
Most of all, my theology and denomination has a social creed that provides for the uplifting of all,
the recognition of those who may be outcast and the Christ's preferential option for the poor.
My theology also taught me to forgive...well Mr. Santorum, I forgive you, but it also makes so that I would NEVER vote for you.
I ask you to search your heart and return to the Gospel you were originally taught.
Sincerely,
Michael S. Collier
Certified Lay Minister
United Methodst Church-Tacoma, Washington
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Frankfurt am Main
Home country: Germany
Current location: Tacoma, Washington
Member since: Sat Jul 18, 2009, 11:55 AM
Number of posts: 23,756
