Sunday, December 28, 2014

My Top 10 Democratic New Year’s Resolutions for 2015!





I resolve to do my part to win in 2016 beginning in 2015 ~ to stay focused on the Democratic Platform because we are all members of one Party with the same values and the same principles with tactics being the primary difference between us. 




I resolve to never call the GOP “The Tea Party” because they are not The Tea Party. They are the GOP. The real Tea Party was made up of Patriots who stood up against taxation without representation. They did not stand up for not paying one’s fair share.




I resolve to work harder to wake Democrats up because the GOP is winning. They are cheating and lying and suppressing but ~ they are winning. They are proverbially drowning government in the proverbial bath tub and they are turning the United Sates into 50 nation states.





I resolve to repeat and repeat and repeat ~ GO TO THE SOURCE for information in support of the Democratic Administration in the White House. We are running out of time, but informed voters who do their own research and draw their own conclusions still have time to banish the GOP and win in 2016.




I resolve to expand my work critiquing main stream media and calling on them to re-commit to historical roles as government watchdogs and informers of the electorate ~ key to preserving a U.S. that can continue to work toward a more perfect union.




I resolve to commit to being more disciplined in using hash tag messaging across the social media platforms I am a part of in an effort to capture the interest of Democrats who really need to be tempted to follow up on posts and expand their knowledge base.



I resolve to never, ever waste more than 20 minutes of my precious time and energy, maximum, on GOP-ERS whose only goal is to distract Democrats from their goals of banishing them from power and winning in 2016. 





I resolve to stand by the General Welfare of the Nation as codified in the U.S. Constitution by our Founding Fathers and non-believers of The Common Good as so codified are anti-U.S. Government to my way of thinking. (Section 8 of Article 1) 




I also resolve to walk away from my lap top screen more often.




And, I further resolve to walk away from my lap top screen more often II.





#END



G.


( I inadvertently left my photo meme credit list off of the original blog and of course I had promptly deleted it so, here is all but one of them ... I have been unable to find the glorious eyeball staring at the computer screen to get the link. I always want to give appropriate credit and I will keep looking but if anyone knows please leave me a message in the comments section. I am making a note of it and if I don't find it within a reasonable amount of time I will take it down and replace it. TY! http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/278237/10-things-in-2015-that-could-affect-2016-campaign.html ;

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Full Disclosure: I Am a Long Time Democratic Warrior



Having declared myself a Democratic Warrior, having put this commentary in it's proper partisan perspective, let me give you 10 of my favorite long term 2014 highlights of our President’s work ~

But, first, let me put all he does in the context of the GOP Nullification of him and of our votes over the course of the past two presidential elections.





(Please note: This ^^^ is not news, nor is the article I am attaching here ~ but we need to remember that the nullification of President Obama was/is a GOP political strategy implemented at the expense of us.)

Also, please note, every accomplishment I've highlighted is labeled "A Foundation of and/or for ..." and that is because that is exactly what this President has been doing, primarily under the radar of those who do not follow him. 

The GOP came a whisper away from completely destroying our economy AND our institutions AND our forward movement, leaving this President to, in his words, "Rescue, Rebuild and Reinvest." As a result much of his long term work has been in those three R's AND in positioning us for the 21st Century.


Let's do it...





One, A Foundation of Affordable Care re the Affordable Care Act 




Two, A Foundation of Finance Reform re the Dodd-Frank Act




Three, A Foundation for the end of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell




Four, A Foundation for reforming the Student Loan System





Five, A Foundation for Comprehensive Immigration Reform





Six, A Foundation for Saving the Planet




Seven, A Foundation for reforming 20th Century thinking re policing






Eight, A Foundation for a pro-U.S. Government court system re federal judges confirmed




Nine, A small cog in the wheel of the Obama Doctrine foundation, which sees more peace and prosperity in strong national economies than in war: Ex-Im Bank




Ten, A small cog in the wheel of the Obama Doctrine foundation, which sees more peace and prosperity in strong national economies than in war II: U.S. Cuba Relationship


Of course, that only touches on the domestic work of this President and, frankly, it barely touches on the Obama Doctrine ~ being ably implemented by former SOS Hillary Clinton in the President's first term and current SOS John Kerry in his second term. More on that later…



Happy Holidays!





G.



( *** A shout out to the media outlets linked to my list: The Huffington Post, VOX, The New York Times and, of course to my primary source of information: The White House! )


Sunday, December 14, 2014

Warning! Impolite Language ~ The Moral of this story is: Screw You Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA)




Attorney General Eric Holder (AG) handed in his resignation so I thought I’d take a quick look to see what I could find to read about his tenure under President Obama. I have a great deal of respect for our public servants and, where it is necessary, I like to be an informed respondent when the haters bring their hate.
You will not believe what I found! 

The object of Congressman Darrell Issa’s (R-CA) well documented effort to destroy this man has actually been a very, very successful AG ~ even more successful than I thought, but you will have to wait for that.


First, the generic bio of the man:


Born in NYC in 1951 * Attended Columbia Law School * Was an associate judge of the D.C. Superior Court under President Reagan * U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. * deputy attorney general under Clinton * senior legal advisor to Obama’s presidential campaign * first African-American Attorney General in history * Announced his forthcoming resignation in September of 2014…
Mother was a telephone operator * Father was a real estate broker * Both parents held strong ties to Barbados * Father emigrated from Saint Joseph * Mother's family emigrated from Saint Philip * Eldest of two brothers * Grew up in East Elmhurst, Queen Attended public school in neighborhood until the fourth grade, when he was selected to participate in a program for intellectually gifted children * Attended Stuyvesant High School * Captain of the basketball team *  Earned his high school diploma and Regents Scholarship…
Attended Columbia University * Received his bachelor's degree in American * Attended Columbia Law School while clerking for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Department of Justice's Criminal Division * Graduated and the Department of Justice gave him a job as part of the attorney general's honors program, assigned to the newly formed Public Integrity Section, which investigated and prosecuted official corruption on the local, state and federal levels…
Associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia,  presided over hundreds of civil and criminal trials * U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. under President Clinton, where he created a domestic violence unit, a community prosecution project and a program for restricting gun laws * Deputy attorney general, also under Bill Clinton, where he developed and issued the "Holder Memorandum," which spelled out the guidelines for the criminal prosecution of corporations, developed rules for the regulation of health care, and assembled a task force that determined how to investigate criminal investigations of high-ranking federal employee * Afterwards, he  joined the private sector to work at the law firm Covington and Burling * Joined Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign as a senior legal advisor, and later served as one of three members on Obama's vice-presidential selection committee * He was appointed and confirmed as the 82nd U.S. attorney general in 2009, making him the first African-American attorney general in history.
He is married to obstetrician Sharon Malone. The couple has three children: Maya, Brooke and Eric. They reside in Washington, D.C.
As an aside, his wife’s sister, his sister-in-law is Vivian Malone  

who “ … sought to enter the campus on 11 June 1963, Governor George Wallace, in a highly publicized confrontation, met them and attempted to prohibit their entrance. His stand in the doorway to Foster Auditorium was an attempt to enforce the proclamation that he gave in his inaugural gubernatorial address, "Segregation now! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever!" He had said during the address that, if necessary, he would physically place himself between the state's all-white public schools and any black person who sought to enter them.
Wallace's confrontation came in front of the national media and with state troopers surrounding the auditorium. President John F. Kennedy's White House and Wallace's office had discussed the impending confrontation as Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy hoped to avoid bloodshed and negotiated what would occur when the students sought to enter. At first Wallace refused to abide by the federal court order, citing what he called the constitutional rights of states to operate public academic institutions. After Alabama's National Guard was federalized, however, Wallace finally relented and Malone and Hood entered Foster Auditorium, registered, and had no further encounters that day. Both students also entered the next day without incident. … “





As an aside II, the fact that the word “lynching” is still in the news makes me wish the AG was staying for the next two years, as I am a believer in having qualified public servants who know where it’s at in positions that can really affect change.




Edited (by me) some ACCOMPLISHMENTS UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER per the United States Justice Department, all accomplished while, as with President Obama, his very existence in his position was/is resisted by the GOP.  More details can be found here :

On his first day as Attorney General, Eric Holder promised the Department's top priority — and its chief responsibility — would be protecting the security, rights and interests of the American people. Five years later, together with the extraordinary men and women who serve at the Department of Justice, that promise has been fulfilled and under Attorney General Holder the Department will continue its important work on behalf of all.

PROTECTING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AGAINST TERRORISM AND OTHER THREATS TO NATIONAL SECURITY

The Department of Justice has thwarted multiple terrorist plots against the United States. Since the beginning of 2009, the Justice Department has thwarted multiple terrorist plots against the United States; convicted and incarcerated scores of individuals on terrorism-related charges; and gleaned critical intelligence from and about terrorists through the criminal justice system.

(A few that were highlighted by the Justice Department: The Department of Justice has successfully executed ground-breaking counter intelligence operations. The Department of Justice has prevented U.S. military and strategic technologies from falling into the wrong hands. The Department of Justice has continued to identify and disrupt Narco-terrorist networks. )

 PROTECTING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FROM VIOLENT AND OTHER CRIMES

Violent crime rates have steadily declined in the last five years as the Department has successfully prosecuted national, international gangs and traditional organized crime groups.  The Department has aggressively pursued fighting traditional organized crime groups like La Cosa Nostra (LCN) while addressing evolving and emerging threats – from street gangs to transnational organized crime groups – which continue to pose significant threats to the safety and security of our communities.

(A few that were highlighted by the Justice Department: The Department has successfully arrested and prosecuted large numbers of dangerous fugitives. The Department is working to hold accountable those responsible for the Deepwater Horizon Disaster. The Department is using innovative law enforcement strategies to prosecute cyber and intellectual property crime. The Department has provided unprecedented support for state and local law enforcement partners. The Department has made an unprecedented commitment to ensuring officer safety. The Department is supporting effective prisoner reentry and reinvestment programs.)

PROTECTING TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND CONSUMERS AGAINST FINANCIAL FRAUD WHILE ENSURING COMPETITIVE MARKETS

The Department has investigated and held accountable those responsible for financial fraud.  In 2009, President Obama created the Financial Fraud Task Force to hold accountable those who helped bring about the last financial crisis. Since its formation (see link provided above for that list!)

(A few that were highlighted by the Justice Department: The Department has secured justice for victims of lending discrimination or fraud. The Department has vigorously enforced the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). The Department launched innovative programs to stop fraud in the residential mortgage-backed securities market. The Department has successfully prosecuted international cartels and domestic collusion conspiracies. The Department has prevented anticompetitive mergers and preserved market competition. The Department has established the most effective strike force in history to protect Medicare money. The Department has returned historic amounts of taxpayer dollars through the False Claims Act. The Department has expanded efforts to combat corruption at home and abroad. The Department has made historic progress in combating the diversion of controlled pharmaceuticals. The Department has made historic efforts to investigate and prosecute offshore tax evasion. The Department has protected billions of dollars claimed in abusive tax claims.)

PROTECTING AGAINST THREATS TO THE MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS

With no opening paragraph accompanying this section, I will just to (A few that were highlighted by the Justice Department: The Department has aggressively prosecuted child exploitation and pornography. The Department has charged a record number of human trafficking cases. The Department has enforced the Religious Land Use of Institutionalized Persons Act. The Department has effectively used the landmark Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.  Hate Crimes Prevention Act to enhance hate crime prosecutions. The Department launched the Defending Childhood Initiative. The Department has made significant investments to keep young people and communities safe. The Department has modernized the definition of rape in the Uniform Crime Reporting Program. The Department has made an unprecedented commitment to reducing violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women. The Department continues to vigorously enforce the right of equal access to the ballot box. Expanding Equal Employment Opportunity in the Workplace. The Department launched the first-ever Access to Justice Initiative. The Department has spearheaded unprecedented efforts to reform police departments throughout the country to ensure constitutional police practices. The Department has protected tribal sovereignty, tribal lands and resources and tribal treaty rights. 

And, just two more …

REQUIRING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESSIBILITY

The Department has demonstrated its historic commitment to transparency.  Upon taking office, President Obama issued a memorandum on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) which directed agencies to administer the Act "with a clear presumption: In the face of doubt, openness prevails." On March 19, 2009, Attorney General Holder issued new FOIA guidelines that embrace the call for greater transparency and "a new era of open Government." Under these guidelines, the Department has made significant strides in improving access and transparency.

PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

The Department has renewed its commitment to Environmental Justice.  In this 20th anniversary year of the signing of Executive Order 12898, which directed each Federal agency to make achieving environmental justice part of its mission, the Department remains steadfast in its commitment to pursue environmental justice for all Americans.  Over the past four years, the Department renewed its commitment to environmental justice, which is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.  This was done in many ways, including by working closely with other federal agencies to coordinate environmental justice efforts, by engaging communities to an unprecedented degree, and by achieving meaningful results for vulnerable communities in its cases.

To summarize, the moral of my story is:

One: Respect our public servants enough to do homework!

Two: Speak up on their behalf!

Three: Vote!

And, last but not least:

To return to my thesis statement (or, in this case, my headline) ~

Screw You Issa !!!


G.


***Credits and a bit more information can be found linked below. As always, any corrections should be sent to me via the comments section and I will change immediately if that is required. TY

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Dana Milbank Dec. 5th Washington Post Column ~ Appalling, Arrogant, Insulting, Shocking, Disturbing, Ludicrous, Ignorant, Non-credible, Shameful, BS




Personally, I will give the Washington Post credit for labeling Dana Milbank's column as it helps the average reader distinguish between opinion and news.

What I will not do is give Milbank credit for taking his readers into some fantasy world where Conservatives are honest brokers. I can see the next Milbank headline now:

OBAMA Fails to Grasp Unifying Moment & Botches Cure for Racism in America

(If he'd only worked with those Conservatives when he could have, sigh...)

Let’s look closer at the BS Milbank is slinging (My comments will be in all caps.):








"The words, spoken about the Eric Garner travesty in New York, were righteous and powerful.
“When you look at what they did to this guy and putting him in a chokehold like that, it’s inexcusable — absolutely inexcusable and brutal.”
“How this cop did not go to jail, was not held responsible, is beyond me.”
“This is ridiculous. . . . It’s obscene. It’s grotesque.”
“Here’s a guy who was not resisting arrest, was not being a jerk.”
“This is the New York police completely out of control . . . [M]anslaughter absolutely should have been considered. Why that wasn’t considered is beyond me.”
And who uttered such phrases? The Rev. Al Sharpton? Lawyers for the Garner family?
Actually, these sentiments were voiced Thursday by Glenn Beck, one of the fiercest

warriors of the right. ... "
^^^ FRANKLY, I FIND IT APPALLING THAT MILBANK WOULD GIVE GLENN BECK A STARRING ROLE. JOURNALISM 101 TEACHES THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE STORY GOES AS HIGH IN A PIECE AS POSSIBLE SO IT IS READ BEFORE THE READER GETS BORED AND STOPS READING.
  MILBANK WANTED TO MAKE SURE I KNEW WHAT BECK HAD TO SAY, LEAVING ME WONDERING WHAT IN THE HELL HIS MOTIVATION COULD BE FOR THAT?

BUT WAIT, IT GETS WORSE...

"Conservatives, with a few exceptions, have responded with admirable outrage over a grand jury’s failure to indict white police officer Daniel Pantaleo, who was caught on video killing Garner, an unarmed African American. Pantaleo put Garner in a chokehold and ignored Garner’s cries that he couldn’t breathe — even though the victim’s only alleged offense had been selling untaxed cigarettes. ... "
^^^ WHAT ??? “ADMIRABLE OUTRAGE” ??? IF I JUST LOOK AT THE PAST SIX YEARS, CONSERVATIVES HAVE TOLD SO MANY "BIG LIES" I CAN’T KEEP UP WITH THEM.
 MILBANK REALLY NEEDED TO GIVE ME SOME EVIDENCE OF THAT ALLEGED ABILITY TO BE “ADMIRABLE." IT’S ARROGANT TO ASSUME I WOULD JUST TAKE HIS WORD FOR IT. 
"Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly said he was “extremely troubled” by the video and Garner “did not deserve what happened to him.” His Fox colleague Andrew Napolitano said the "grand jury made a grievous error" because it seemed police “used grossly excessive force on a nonviolent, non-threatening person,” while Charles Krauthammer called the decision “totally incomprehensible. ... ”
^^^ OH, I SEE ~ O’REILLY SAID AND NAPOLITANO SAID AND KRAUTHAMMER SAID, TOO! I AM INSULTED.
"Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.), head of the House Republican Conference, called for the House to hold hearings on the case. “We need to be taking action,” she told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” House Speaker John Boehner later referred to McMorris Rodgers’s remarks in a news conference, agreeing that “the American people deserve more answers about what really happened here. ... ”
^^^ IT IS SHOCKING TO ME THAT MILBANK  WOULD EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE A SINGLE WORD COMING OUT OF A GOP-ER’S MOUTH WITH NO EVIDENCE TO REMOTELY BACK UP WHAT JOHN BOEHNER’S TAG-A-LONG COLLEAGUE HAS TO SAY. I'M NOT BUYING It.
If it is possible to say that anything good has come from such an obvious miscarriage of justice, it is that the Garner decision has rekindled, if briefly, what Franklin Roosevelt called the “warm courage of national unity.”


^^^ IT IS DISTURBING TO ME THAT MILBANK WOULD PUT FORMER PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT’S NAME IN THE SAME PIECE WITH THESE PEOPLE.
 AND PLEASE NOTE, HE DOES NOT EVEN GIVE HIM THE COURTESY OF HIS TITLE. THAT'S PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT!
"The Ferguson, Mo., decision last month, in which a grand jury declined to charge another white police officer who killed another unarmed black man, split the nation along racial and political lines, but this is one of the rare moments since the 9/11 attacks that has united left and right, black and white. It surely won’t last long. The question is whether a reluctant president will seize the moment. ..."
^^^ OH. I SEE. THIS LUDICROUSNESS IS ALL LEADING UP TO ~ “THE QUESTION IS WHETHER A RELUCTANT PRESIDENT WILL SEIZE THE MOMENT.” AND WHAT? CURE AMERICA OF RACISM?
"The early signs indicate more of the same reticence. Though President Obama has spoken twice about the Garner case since the decision, White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Thursday, asked about a “broader national effort” by the president, suggested people wait to see what Obama’s new task force on policing comes up with — in 90 days. ... "
^^^ CLEARLY MILBANK DOES NOT FOLLOW POTUS OR HE WOULD KNOW: ONE, POTUS HAS A MEASURED WORK STYLE THAT HAS BEEN CONSISTENT SINCE DAY ONE AND HE WILL NOT ALTER IT FOR ANYONE (NOT COUNTING NATIONAL SECURITY, OF COURSE) AND; TWO, HE IS PRESIDENT OF ALL OF THE PEOPLE AND ALL HE DOES ON BEHALF OF OUR COUNTRY IS TO BENEFIT ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE, COLOR ASIDE.
"But Obama doesn’t have 90 days. If he waits, he will violate Rahm Emanuel’s famous rule, expressed after Obama won the presidency in 2008: “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” because it is “an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.” The Birmingham church bombing in 1963 helped to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Garner case should produce more than mumbles about a task force and some modest funds for police training and body cameras — items Obama proposed after the Ferguson grand jury decision. ... "
^^^ REALLY? WHO SAYS PRESIDENT OBAMA DOESN’T HAVE 90 DAYS? WHO SAYS THE PRESIDENT SUBSCRIBES TO EMANUAL’S WORK STYLE? WHO SAYS THE PRESIDENT’S RESPONSE TO THIS CRISIS HAS BEEN “MUMBLES”? A COLUMNIST WHO LEADS WITH GLENN BECK??? NOT CREDIBLE.
"There are any number of bigger things Obama could do, including alternatives to grand juries. This year, Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker — no liberal — signed first-in-the-nation legislation requiring an outside investigation whenever anybody dies in police custody and a public report if charges are not filed. The president could use his pulpit to push for similar laws in the other states. He could at least demand a national count of police killings, which, scandalously, we still don’t have. Or he could take a broader approach to racial matters and revive a rewrite of elements of the Voting Rights Act struck down by the Supreme Court; there is already bipartisan support for such action. ... "
^^^ POTUS DELEGATES AND HE TYPICALLY DELEGATES ALONG HISTORICAL LINES OF JOB DESCRIPTIONS, SOMETHING MILBANK SEEMS TO BE IGNORANT OF. ONE, HIS ATTORNEY GENERAL IS WORKS THE LEGAL ASPECTS RELEVANT TO THE CURRENT CRISIS AND; TWO, THE LEGISLATIVE BODY IS WORKS THE LEGISLATION RELEVANT TO THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT. CIVICALLY ILLITERATE?
"In a sense, it matters less what Obama does than that he does something with this moment — particularly because the rest of his agenda, and with it much of his legacy, is moribund on Capitol Hill. A top White House official suggested to me Thursday that Obama may be coming around. “We agree there is a moment here to have this conversation and make something of this,” the official told me. ... "
It would be more than a shame for Obama to squander this moment of national unity. He may never get another one.
^^^ ACTUALLY, WHAT WOULD BE A SHAME WOULD BE FOR A NOTED COLUMNIST TO SET UP A UNITED STATES SITTING PRESIDENT WHO IS BEING NULLIFIED BY THE GOP TO TAKE THE FALL FOR ANY BINDING ACTIONS THAT WILL BE IMMEDIATELY NULLIFIED BY THE NULLIFYERS, MANY OF WHOSE CHEERLEADERS SAID COLUMNIST HAS USED TO MAKE HIS CASE. SHAMEFUL.

G.
Milbank's column can be found here
More information on Milbank can be found here .
Further reading on points made can be found below:










(*** I couldn’t find a Politifact file on Charles Krauthammer so you all will have to Google him!)