"The country is so given up to the spirit of party, that not to follow blindfold the one or the other is an inexpiable offence." So wrote John Quincey Adams about 1803. The country was in the throes of extreme partisanship between the Federalists, led by Hamilton and the Republicans, led by Jefferson. The partisanship was about to come to an end, however.
Jefferson, the strict constructionist, was about to step away from his long held constitutional views to make a move that would bring down the Federalist Party. A typical Virginia planter, he was always on the lookout for more land, and the lands west of the Mississippi beckoned. His scientific and geographical interests also came into play as he wondered what those mysterious lands held. Like others of his day, he felt that there might be mammoths still roams the western lands. Then there was, of course, the desire to find a water route to the Pacific.
Jefferson engaged his younger friend and neighbor, Meriwether Lewis to begin planning an exploratory trip though the west. In the midst of planning an unexpected wind blew Jefferson's way in the form of an offer to sell what became known as the Louisiana Purchase to the United States. Jefferson was ecstatic. The Federalists were not. Like the modern day Republicans, they immediately opposed something that was ultimately for the good of the country and its people. Unfortunately for the Federalists, the American people did not agree with them.
A couple of weeks ago the president signed into law a comprehensive health care reform plan. The Republicans, as we all know, vehemently opposed the plan along with those least likely to benefit from it, the health care and insurance industries. Although, as we know, the reform bill included the Republican idea to have mandatory health care. Mitt Romney proposed it in MA and Scott Brown voted for it. It may very well be that the Republicans have ultimately sounded their own death knell. It may also be that they have suddenly realized that. In the last few days Republicans seem to have begun to distance themselves from Sarah Palin and her anti-health reform Teabaggers, the openly racist and extreme wing of the Republican Party.
The Republicans vehemently opposed Medicare at its inception. Now of course, everyone looks forward to the day when their medicare kicks in, especially those with expensive and poor health insurance coverage. There are millions in this country today without health care. Do the Republicans really think that these people are going to vote them into office, if there is a chance that they may have affordable health insurance soon? Of course not. My guess is that the Republicans may have a surprise awaiting them in a few months. They may very well find themselves fighting for their political lives in many states around the country.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Another of Those Silly Anti-Obama Emails
A couple of days ago I received the following email in my Inbox:
Of course as most of these go, it was immediately suspect. In the first place colleges rarely replace their coaches in the middle of the season. After checking out Oregon State's basketball program I found that this season was Craig Robinson's second one at OSU. He inherited the program after an 0 - 18 season. It then became very clear that he had no where to go but up and would not have been fired after but one season. After all, he won 18 games his first season.
In the second place it is highly doubtful that 17 million dollars would have been quietly given to a college to save a basketball coach's job. I am sure there are enough Republicans in the state college system in Oregon to find out about such a move. It would have hit the news outlets big time. I further doubt that 17 million dollars could have saved a coach's job, if the alumni wanted him out. Finally, stimulus money would very doubtfully have gone straight to a school without a middle man somewhere along the way.
After this bit of research and thought, which took a couple of minutes at best, I went over to truthorfiction.com to see what that site had to say about the situation. As I suspected, it put the email in the "fiction" category. No surprise. It is scary to see how these silly emails get passed along by people who want to believe this nonsense. The friend who sent it to me responded to me that he was glad that he sent it on because it was so "heart warming." In other words he wanted to believe it and he wanted others to believe it.
Just another example of the lack of thought and consideration about the plethora of misleading information on the internet and on the airwaves. If it is written, they believe it. If it is spoken, it is the truth. After all it is passed on by such trusted sources as FOX Noise, the Washington Post, unfortunately now, the Wall St. Journal, Rush, Sean, BillO, and their ilk.
Some have said that the stimulus hasn't saved any jobs, but here is a case where at least one job was saved.Oregon State University Athletic Director Bob DeCarolis was considering firing their basketball coach, Craig Robinson, after an 8-11 start (2-5 in the Pac 10 conference). When word of this reached Washington, Undersecretary of Education Martha Kanter was dispatched to Corvallis with $17 million in stimulus money for the university. Craig Robinson's job is safe for this year. For those of you unfamiliar with Coach Robinson, he just so happens to be Michelle Obama's brother. Just a coincidence I'm sure!
Of course as most of these go, it was immediately suspect. In the first place colleges rarely replace their coaches in the middle of the season. After checking out Oregon State's basketball program I found that this season was Craig Robinson's second one at OSU. He inherited the program after an 0 - 18 season. It then became very clear that he had no where to go but up and would not have been fired after but one season. After all, he won 18 games his first season.
In the second place it is highly doubtful that 17 million dollars would have been quietly given to a college to save a basketball coach's job. I am sure there are enough Republicans in the state college system in Oregon to find out about such a move. It would have hit the news outlets big time. I further doubt that 17 million dollars could have saved a coach's job, if the alumni wanted him out. Finally, stimulus money would very doubtfully have gone straight to a school without a middle man somewhere along the way.
After this bit of research and thought, which took a couple of minutes at best, I went over to truthorfiction.com to see what that site had to say about the situation. As I suspected, it put the email in the "fiction" category. No surprise. It is scary to see how these silly emails get passed along by people who want to believe this nonsense. The friend who sent it to me responded to me that he was glad that he sent it on because it was so "heart warming." In other words he wanted to believe it and he wanted others to believe it.
Just another example of the lack of thought and consideration about the plethora of misleading information on the internet and on the airwaves. If it is written, they believe it. If it is spoken, it is the truth. After all it is passed on by such trusted sources as FOX Noise, the Washington Post, unfortunately now, the Wall St. Journal, Rush, Sean, BillO, and their ilk.
Friday, March 26, 2010
The Teabagger Who Made his Bed
The young man, Chris Reichert, who harassed an elderly man who suffers from Parkinson's says he is sorry for what he did. I am so glad that this fellow's actions were filmed and then spread far and wide through the Internet and the news networks. It showed these imbecilic teabaggers for what they really are. It also showed what mob actions do to people who are easily swayed by misinformation.
Mr. Reichert says that he snapped and that what he did was shameful. He says he has not slept since. This is good. I hope there are others out there who are having restless nights as well. They have been whipped into a frenzy by the propaganda of the likes of FOX Noise, Limbaugh, and the rest of the extremist rabble rousers. In Reichert's case he says he had never been to such a "political rally." He also says he will never go to another.
The organizers of the mob condemned the actions of Reichert and the others who harrassed the man. One has to wonder if the organizers are really sorry. They got the publicity that they sought. Nothing is better than seeing counter protesters being put in their place by the mob. I would guess that there were many who saw Reichert's actions as justified.
History shows that most revolutionary activities are carried out by mobs created by the fomenters of the revolts. It is pretty easy to set mobs in motion. Usually the are made up of the ignorant and the violent elements of society which are easily manipulated. We are seeing this sort of activity among the teabaggers. They are being set in motion by the extremist elements of the Republican Party and their media hacks. The white supremacists and other racist elements, the extremist anti-tax/anti-government groups have moved to the teabagger groups to garner acceptance by more of the masses. I fear that we are very close to assassinations of government officials from politicians to bureaucrats.
Now is the time for saner heads to prevail. Unfortunately there are no statesmen among the Republicans today who might take a stand and bring sanity back to their party. There have been some half heated attempts at condemning the violence, but most of the Republicans fear for their seats. They are too spineless to take a stand. Instead they simply fall further victim to the extremist rhetoric and move themselves further to the right in an attempt to maintain their power and status. They are certainly not "patriots." It is a sad time in which we live.
Mr. Reichert says that he snapped and that what he did was shameful. He says he has not slept since. This is good. I hope there are others out there who are having restless nights as well. They have been whipped into a frenzy by the propaganda of the likes of FOX Noise, Limbaugh, and the rest of the extremist rabble rousers. In Reichert's case he says he had never been to such a "political rally." He also says he will never go to another.
The organizers of the mob condemned the actions of Reichert and the others who harrassed the man. One has to wonder if the organizers are really sorry. They got the publicity that they sought. Nothing is better than seeing counter protesters being put in their place by the mob. I would guess that there were many who saw Reichert's actions as justified.
History shows that most revolutionary activities are carried out by mobs created by the fomenters of the revolts. It is pretty easy to set mobs in motion. Usually the are made up of the ignorant and the violent elements of society which are easily manipulated. We are seeing this sort of activity among the teabaggers. They are being set in motion by the extremist elements of the Republican Party and their media hacks. The white supremacists and other racist elements, the extremist anti-tax/anti-government groups have moved to the teabagger groups to garner acceptance by more of the masses. I fear that we are very close to assassinations of government officials from politicians to bureaucrats.
Now is the time for saner heads to prevail. Unfortunately there are no statesmen among the Republicans today who might take a stand and bring sanity back to their party. There have been some half heated attempts at condemning the violence, but most of the Republicans fear for their seats. They are too spineless to take a stand. Instead they simply fall further victim to the extremist rhetoric and move themselves further to the right in an attempt to maintain their power and status. They are certainly not "patriots." It is a sad time in which we live.
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