Politics aside, Russell Brand’s essay about Margaret Thatcher in The Guardian is a wonderful, thoughtful and imminently readable piece of writing. After encountering the late former British P.M. watering flowers in a public garden, he reflects back on growing up under Thatcher’s government. I have had no particular feelings one way or the other about Russell Brand before reading this. Now, however, Russell Brand: count me a new fan. One among likely many, many new fans.

Perhaps my early apathy and indifference are a result of what Thatcher deliberately engendered, the idea that “there is no such thing as society”, that we are alone on our journey through life, solitary atoms of consciousness. Or perhaps it was just because I was a little kid and more interested in them Weetabix skinheads, Roland Rat and Knight Rider. Either way, I’m an adult now and none of those things are on telly any more so there’s no excuse for apathy.

Here is a 2009 FA interview with him which I am going to go listen to later.

this just confounds me…

motherjones:

MAP: In these 22 states, every House Republican voted against Sandy aid.

Mitt Romney is a candidate with the vision and the determination to cut through business as usual politics…and finally put this country back on the path to the zombie apocalypse !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TiXUF9xbTo

(i spewed mountain dew through my nose laughing when i watched this…i am not proud of that)

*graphics/type/copy augmentation “nevbav”

they actually sell these…
;)
now for the truth about politics …
there are times when both sides are full of poop !!!

ROFL for “Repoopblicans” and “Democraps”…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass

It doesn’t matter who you support politically, this website sifts through the muck and gives it to you straight!

Admittedly I am now a convinced pro-Obama supporter for the upcoming election, but this page takes the shine off ALL the candidates/parties !!!

FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

They are a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for votersthat aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge a

nd understanding.

FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The APPC was established by publisher and philanthropist Walter Annenberg to create a community of scholars within the University of Pennsylvania that would address public policy issues at the local, state and federal levels.

website

http://www.factcheck.org/

Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/factcheck

http://map.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=6366

Action Alert: Take Action: Tell Gov. Snyder to Veto the Sand Dunes Development Bill!

The Michigan Legislature just voted to undo sand dune protections; the bill now sits on the Governor’s desk. Tell him to preserve Michigan’s iconic sand dunes and veto SB 1130!

SB 1130 makes it harder for the DEQ to protect sand dunes from irresponsible development, undoing decades of responsible development.

It actually limits local zoning control of sand dune development, requires the DEQ to approve driveways even when they’ll cause erosion, and shifts the burden of proof from developers to the state about whether or not a development will cause ecological harm to the dunes.

All this means that it will be much harder for the DEQ and local citizens to adequately protect sand dunes from irresponsible development. Strong opposition to this bill delayed it once; Your voice is needed to convince the Governor not to erode sand dune protections in Michigan!

To tell Gov.Snyder to VETO the bill go to >
http://map.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=6366

photo credit : jianming li
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyerisimaging/957157573/

My TGIF rant for the week !!!

***I know this rant seems unevolved and inelegant…but I am spent by all of it !

Homeland Security Bill 2012: House Passes $46 Billion Measure Containing Anti-Abortion Rider

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/07/homeland-security-bill-passes-house_n_1579710.html?ref=daily-brief?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=060812&utm_medium=email&utm_content=NewsEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief

Let the rant begin…

HMMMM … here are the contemporary Republican brainiacs at work.

Let’s write a rider to a bill that states Homeland Security will not provide abortion services to illegal immigrants, except for in cases of rape and incest.

Wait, wait,wait…that is already their policy.

So why would republicans make a rider for the Homeland Security bill that is already an established policy?

Maybe they are trying to look tough on abortion and seem pro-life by creating/pretending there is an issue that fires up their pro-life base. *rolls eyes

Between this, the creative gerrymandering of Republicans in Ohio, Gov.Scott’s “jim crow” style politics in Florida, and the obvious Republican strategy to disenfranchise voters across the country who may not vote along the lines of their tea party extreme and/or financial affluent bases…

I can honestly say I have decided to remove my status as an avid Independent and side with the Democrats !!!

And I supported/admired Republicans : Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, Jon Huntsman ( FYI, I would have “considered” voting for him if he wasn’t trapped by the Republican platform ), and General Colin Powell.

The Republican party has officially made my “BITCH SLAP LIST”…

They are in good company with Kwame Kilpatrick, Michael Vick, Dick Cheney, Albert Speer, Hermann Göring, Rudolf Hess… and about a dozen other gigantic social/political/ignorant/selfish/egomaniacal tools !!!

The GOP War on Voting

“In a campaign supported by the Koch brothers, Republicans are working to prevent millions of Democrats from voting next year…”

Florida GOP Takes Voter Suppression to a Brazen New Extreme

“Imagine this: a Republican governor in a crucial battleground state instructs his secretary of state to purge the voting rolls of hundreds of thousands of allegedly ineligible voters. The move disenfranchises thousands of legally registered voters, who happen to be overwhelmingly black and Hispanic Democrats. The number of voters prevented from casting a ballot exceeds the margin of victory in the razor-thin election, which ends up determining the next President of the United States…”

“The vast majority of Americans fulfill their legal and civic obligations to pay the taxes they owe, and rightly expect others to do the same. But too often, corporations and wealthy individuals use overseas tax havens to dodge their duty, passing their tax burden off onto others and increasing the federal budget deficit.”

http://levin.senate.gov/newsroom/in_the_news/article/want-to-cut-the-deficit_end-offshore-tax-abuses/

“I am ashamed that this could be Michigan’s bill on anti-bullying when in fact it is a ‘bullying is OK in Michigan law,’” -Kevin Eppling,

Matt’s Safe School Law”/Senate Bill 0137, passed 26-11 with all Democrats present voting against it!

“The law includes a section noting it doesn’t abridge First Amendment free speech rights or prohibit expression of religious or moral viewpoints — a provision Democrats fear could be used to justify harassment of gay, lesbian or transgendered students.”

http://detnews.com/article/20111102/SCHOOLS/111020427/Dad-‘ashamed’-of-anti-bullying-bill-named-after-son-as-it-passes-Senate

*** PERSONAL NOTE ***

The provison regarding free speech is so ethically twisted….it legalizes hate crimes … proposing that if they are “firm beliefs” they are protected under free speech. - nevbav

While Americans are clearly occupied with the flagging economy, and not whether the Marine Corps should get its own version of the Joint Strike Fighter, defense spending remains an important political club that Republicans can wield over Democrats. The two issues are intertwined because cutting hardware and research and development spending, as defense industry proponents keep pointing out, means losing jobs that are very hard or impossible to replace. Most major weapons programs count suppliers in all, or almost all, 50 states for a reason.

“

—	August Cole of the American Security Project saying smart things about defense spending cuts. (via thepoliticalnotebook)

It is a time for being thoughtful and deliberate…

Everyone is talking about Osama Bin Laden’s death, and rightfully so. He was a hatemonger, a sociopath, a mass murderer, and a true terrorist. The actions taken against him were justified and I am relieved that he no longer has a place in our world. But the rhetoric following his death is just as disturbing as the actions taken by Osama Bin Laden and his followers.

I would ask that we don’t lower ourselves socially or spiritually to their level. Our behavior following his death is even more important than the efforts it has taken to bring him to justice. Be relieved,be thankful,be thoughtful. Don’t emulate the destructive, hateful behavior that fueled the egos of sociopaths like Osama Bin Laden and his followers.

-Felicia Genevieve Bawolek

ELECTION RESULTS:I need a tall, smart drink RIGHT NOW!!!

I need a tall smart beverage RIGHT NOW! RANT! RANT! RANT!

WOW! In general,the lack of INFORMED voter turnout at this election was monumental.These voters are the thread that keeps getting snagged upon ignorant,fear based propaganda… and unravels my sensibilties.

But specifically…I can’t believe that the small minded, uninformed masses of Wisconsin (who project outrage at the increased involvement of government in their lives) did not re-elect Senator Russ Feingold.

By the by…he was the only senator to vote against the Patriotic Act in 2001,voted against H.J. Resolution 114 which authorized President George W. Bush to use force against Iraq in 2002, and introduced a resolution to censure President Bush regarding the illegal wire tapping of American citizens.

But oh no…he was for the legalization of same sex marriage…i guess that makes him a frickin’ communist.

To the ignorant sheep who think the Republic Party is for small government and respectful enforcement of the United States Constitution…GET EDUCATED! Take a civics or economics class. Maybe, read a publication or watch a broadcast that isn’t controlled by Rupert Murdoch. After all, he is the “Godfather of the RNC”. He will make you an offer that you are “afraid” to refuse. Oh,Oh! Maybe you can actually get online and look through documents at the United States Library of Congress, instead of listening radio/tv bobble heads whose cult of personality is SELLING your freedom to the highest bidder.