Understanding politics

Isn't it strange how the Republicans claim to want less government - except when it comes to telling women what they can and can't do with their own bodies and minds?

Can we use the ballot boxes to overthrow the thieves running our country? It's going to take a new charismatic leader to do it - someone who can educate the masses and acquire enough followers to get new leadership throughout. Someone like a Ralph Nader - but with a personality.

One can only marvel at the stupidity of Republican nonsense.

The rationale used by Republicans to argue for their proposals isn't rational.

You don't have to look far to realize how many people want to abuse women - and I don't just mean physical abuse.

For many with a belief in a 2000 year old book written by people with far less knowledge than our average 5th grader of today, ignorance seems to be bliss.

In many municipalities, as much as 50% of the property is not taxable - and the burden falls on the rest of us. It is time to undo this horrible injustice.

This is what happens when the corporations control your country. Neither Romney or Obama can break us loose from the bonds that corporations now hold over the government - it is going to take a voting revolution by the average citizen to throw out all of the bums and to elect a whole new crowd of reformers.

I am not an economist - still, I have studied it a little and I do read about it a lot. My personal belief about the current state of our economy is that, more than any other factor, the redistribution of wealth into the hands of a few oligarchs is our biggest problem - it draws income from the poor and middle class and destroys the demand side of the economic market.

Romney seems to have contributed nothing really positive to the nation since he began his political run.

I suspect Romney really isn't a bad person, his vision is just seriously distorted by his wealth and the wealthy people he surrounds himself with.

Maybe it's my age and I didn't see the stupidity that runs rampant among our national leaders when I was younger, or maybe the country is really losing all semblance of rationality.

Back to the absurdity of religion

Religion plays much too large of a role in American (make that world-wide) politics. It distorts our views and many of those who believe deeply are actually the most cruel and warlike. Here are some more images from the Internet ridiculing and discussing the topic of religion.

More acerbic political points.

George Carlin iterates a position I have taken in the past - the main reason for the conservative position of the wealthy is that they want you poor, poorly educated and working for cheap.

Mitt Romney's position on education is regressive.

Which party has been doing better for America?

Just another take on the Republican positions on women's rights.

The war on social programs in the U.S. is a war on children.

We need a strong public education system in the U.S if we are going to excel in the world - tkae a look at the countries with the worst education systems and compare that to their economic success (Afghanistan anyone?)

A chart displaying religion's fall from grace.

A metaphor for the Christian Right's call for a ban on contraceptives and abortions.

A play on words and Clint Eastwood.

Paul Ryan, Ayn Rand and the Church of Satan all have commonalities.

 When they are at their most candid, we see the seemy underside of the Republican party.

 The American government is for all of us.

You just can't make this shit up.

From the "Fear and Loathing" department of the Christian mind comes this little gem...

Breaking: Billy Graham Endorses Romney Then Scrubs Site Calling Mormonism A ‘Cult’

TSA

Yeah - that TSA thing is working out so well for us.

TSA Agent Gets Caught Stealing iPad, Blames Wife

Simple minded

Just in case you've forgotten, or want another reminder of, how poorly educated the Republicans are, watch Chris Matthews confront (politely) a woman who calls Obama a communist.

Video link

Political images and comments

Bill Maher takes a funny dig at the GOP.

If they are rights that Romney does not believe in, then you are not entitled to them.

If the Republicans take control in 2013, there is little likelihood that they will implement most of their publicly stated proposals - they would bankrupt the country.

The nation's loss of a middle class is directly attributable to the loss of labor unions.

Republicans - not much on the "thinking" thing.

They've had more than their fair share of building that debt, though they want you to believe that it's all Obama's fault.

Yep - there's that God thing.

Uh, yeah - I'm better off now than I was 4 years ago when my TSAs were in the freaking tank.

The Republican version of Obama.

Romney wants your grandma, and your great-grandma, to keep on working at low wages for his companies so that he can get even richer.

I support Obama, but there's a lot of stuff he's done that doesn't leave me happy. Closing down our space program and leaving our future up to the private sector seems pretty backwards to me. He could take a lesson from JFK.

So far Obama is 1 for 2.

Maybe it's just me...

Maybe it's just me, but isn't it time for a discussion on gun control laws in the U.S.?

Not counting drive-bys, gang ambushes, and domestic homicides (and countless cases in which gunfire at parks, bars, and shopping malls pierced flesh but did not take lives), there were more than 125 fatal mass shootings in the United States during the years between the Columbine killings and the massacre at the Century 16 theater in Aurora, Colorado. Here, drawn from online archives and a list maintained by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a random Inventory of horror.

4/20/99 Columbine High School, Littleton, Colo. 15 killed, 24 injured.

7/29/99 Investment offices, Atlanta, Ga. 13 killed, 12 injured.

9/15/99 Church, Fort Worth, Tex. 8 killed, 7 injured.

11/2/99 Office building, Honolulu. 7 killed.

12/30/99 Hotel, Tampa, Fla. 5 killed, 3 injured.

5/24/00 Fast-food restaurant, Queens. 5 killed, 2 injured.

12/26/00 Technology company, Wakefield, Mass. 7 killed.

3/5/01 High school, Santee, Calif. 2 killed, 13 injured.

12/6/01 Factory, Goshen, Ind. 2 killed, 6 injured.

11/21/04 Hunting grounds near Meteor, Wis. 6 killed, 2 injured.

2/25/05 Courthouse, Tyler, Tex. 2 killed, 4 injured.

3/11/05 Courthouse, Atlanta. 4 killed.

3/14/O5 Church, Brookfield, Wis. 7 killed, 4 injured.

3/21/05 High school, Red Lake Indian Reservation, Minn. 10 killed, 7 injured.

1/30/06 Mail-processing plant, Goleta, Calif. 8 killed.

7/28/06 Nonprofit office, Seattle. 1 killed, 5 injured.

8/24/06 Various locations, Essex, Vt. 2 killed, 3 injured.

10/2/06 School, Nickel Mines, Pa. 5 killed, 6 injured.

12/9/06 Law office, Chicago. 4 killed.

12/12/06 Strip club, New Bedford, Mass. 4 killed, 2 injured.

2/12/07 Shopping mall, Salt Lake City. 6 killed.

4/16/07 College campus, Blacksburg, Va. 33 killed, 17 injured.

5/20/07 Courthouse and private residence, Moscow, Idaho. 4 killed, 3 injured.

7/22/07 Bar, Philadelphia. 3 killed.

8/4/07 Elementary school, Newark, NJ. 3 killed, 1 injured.

8/12/07 Coffee shop, Dallas. 1 killed, 5 injured.

10/10/07 High school, Cleveland. 1 killed, 4 injured.

11/4/07 Nightclub, Denver. I killed, 6 injured.

12/5/07 Department store, Omaha. 9 killed, 5 injured.

12/9/07 Missionary training center and church, Arvada and Colorado Springs, Colo. 5 killed, 5 injured.

2/2/08 Clothing store, Tinley Park, III. 5 killed, 1 injured.

2/7/08 City Council meeting, Kirkwood, Mo. 7 killed, 2 injured.

2/14/08 College campus, DeKalb, II. 6 killed, 16 injured.

3/4/O8 Fast-food restaurant, West Palm Beach, Fla. 2 killed, 5 injured.

3/30/08 Church event, Richmond, Calif. 1 killed, 4 injured.

5/25/08 Bar, Winnemucca, Nev. 2 killed, 2 injured.

5/26/08 Memorial Day BBQ, Jackson, Miss. 1 killed, 4 injured.

6/1/08 Bar, North Versailles, Pa. 5 killed.

6/22/08 Nightclub, St. Paul, Minn. 1 killed, 3 injured.

6/24/08 Plastics plant, Henderson, Ky. 6 killed, 1 injured.

7/4/08 Street party, Milwaukee. 4 killed, 2 injured.

7/6/08 Street party, Pompano Beach, Fla. 1 killed, 3 injured.

7/27/08 Church, Knoxville, Tenn. 2 killed, 7 injured.

7/31/08 Swimming hole, Niagara, Wis. 3 killed, 1 injured.

9/2/08 Various locations, Alger, Wash. 6 killed, 2 injured.

9/11/08 Youth basketball ceremony, Philadelphia. 2 killed, 3 injured.

9/23/08 Bus station, Compton, Calif. 2 killed, 3 injured.

10/24/08 Various locations, Newark, NJ. 2 killed, 4 injured.

11/2/O8 Fast-food parking lot, Orlando, Fla. 1 killed, 3 injured.

11/9/08 Bar, Columbus, Ind. 1 killed, 3 injured.

11/16/08 Nightclub, Dallas. 1 killed, 4 injured.

11/16/O8 Mall parking lot, Odenton, Md. 2 killed, 2 injured.

11/21/O8 Elementary school, Stockton, Calif. 1 killed, 4 injured.

11/22/08 Restaurant parking lot, Skyway, Wash. 1 killed, 3 injured.

11/23/08 Turfgrass business and private home, Murfreesboro, N.C. 3 killed, 1 injured.

12/7/08 Nightclub, Atlanta. 1 killed, 5 injured.

12/12/O8 Bar, Trotwood, Ohio. 1 killed, 5 injured.

12/26/08 Bar, Lynchburg, South Carolina. 1 killed, 3 injured.

12/30/08 Smoke shop, Dallas. 1 killed, 3 injured.

1/24/09 Under-21 nightclub, Portland, Ore. 3 killed, 7 injured.

2/14/09 Hospital parking lot and private residence, Brockport, N.Y. 4 killed, 1 injured.

3/1/09 Bar, Largo, Md. 1 killed, 6 injured.

3/10/09 Various locations, Kinston & Samson, Ala. 11 killed.

3/20/09 Block party, Jacksonville, Fla. 1 killed, 4 injured.

3/21/09 Various locations, Oakland. 4 killed, 1 injured.

3/30/09 Nursing home, Carthage, N.C. 8 killed, 3 injured.

4/3/09 Immigrant community center, Binghamton, N.Y. 13 killed, 4 injured.

4/10/09 Hotel, Rosemead, Calif. 2 killed, 3 injured.

4/17/O9 Car repair shop, Detroit. 1 killed, 4 injured.

4/25/09 Block party, Jacksonville, Fla. 1 killed, 9 injured.

4/29/09 Taco truck, Lennox, Calif. 1 killed, 5 injured.

5/6/09 Gas station, Detroit. 1 killed, 2 injured.

5/6/09 Grocery store, Chicago. 1 killed, 3 injured.

5/27/09 Bar, Canton, Ohio. 3 killed.

5/28/09 Methadone clinic, Birmingham, Ala. 2 killed, 2 injured.

5/30/09 Strip club, Springfield, Mass. 1 killed, 5 injured.

5/31/09 Convenience-store parking lot, Phoenix. 2 killed, 2 injured.

6/13/09 Convenience store, Lexington, Ky. 1 killed, 3 injured.

6/21/09 Bar, Philadelphia. 1 killed, 6 injured.

7/1/09 Dental office, Simi Valley, Calif. 1 killed, 3 injured.

7/6/09 Block party, Overtown, Fla. 2 killed, 10 injured.

7/11/09 Street party, Concord, N.C. 1 killed, 3 injured.

7/25/09 Motorcycle club, Aurora, Colo. 1 killed, 3 injured.

8/4/09 Fitness center, Collier, Pa. 3 killed, 9 injured.

8/4/09 Fast-food-restaurant parking lot, Atlantic City, NJ. 1 killed, 3 injured.

8/30/09 Bar, Moss Point, Miss. 1 killed, 6 injured.

11/1/09 Television store, Mount Airy, N.C. 4 killed.

11/4/09 Nightclub, Denver. 1 killed, 6 injured.

11/5/09 Army base, Fort Hood, Tex. 13 killed, 30 injured.

11/6/09 Engineering firm, Orlando, Fla. 1 killed, 5 injured.

11/7/09 Bar, Vail, Colo. 1 killed, 3 injured.

11/8/09 Bar, Reading, Penn. 1 killed, 6 injured.

11/10/09 Drug-testing lab, Tualatin, Ore. 1 killed, 2 injured.

11/28/09 Gas station, Brockton, Mass. 1 killed, 3 injured.

11/29/09 Coffee shop, Lakewood, Wash. 4 killed.

1/7/10 Power plant, St. Louis. 4 killed, 5 injured.

1/12/10 Truck-leasing company, Kennesaw, Ga. 2 killed, 3 injured.

1/16/10 Nightclub, Oklahoma City. 1 killed, 4 injured.

2/12/10 College campus, Huntsville, Alabama. 3 killed, 3 injured.

2/21/10 Bar, Philadelphia. 1 killed, 3 injured.

4/3/10 Restaurant, North Hollywood. 4 killed, 2 injured.

6/6/10 Restaurant, Hialeah, Florida. 5 killed, 3 injured.

6/19/10 Restaurant, San Bernardino, Calif. 3 killed, 2 injured.

8/3/10 Beer distribution factory, Hartford, Conn. 9 killed, 2 injured.

11/30/10 Funeral home, St. Louis. 2 killed, 2 injured.

12/14/10 Shopping center, Sacramento, Calif. 1 killed, 5 injured.

1/8/11 Shopping center, Tucson, Ariz. 6 killed, 13 injured.

3/25/11 Nightclub, Irvington, NJ. 1 killed, 4 injured.

6/20/11 Pharmacy, Medford, N.Y. 4 killed.

6/30/11 Nightclub, Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. 2 killed, 10 injured.

7/23/11 Roller-skating rink, Grand Prairie, Tex. 6 killed.

9/6/11 Pancake restaurant, Carson City, Nev. 5 killed, 7 injured.

10/5/11 Cement plant, Cupertino, Calif. 3 killed, 7 injured.

10/8/11 Nightclub, Dallas. 8 killed.

10/10/11 Bar, Anchorage, Alaska. 2 killed, 2 injured.

10/12/11 Hair salon, Orange County, Calif. 8 killed, 1 injured.

12/16/11 Office, Irwindale, Calif. 3 killed, 2 injured.

2/21/12 Spa, Norcross, Ga. 5 killed.

2/26/12 Nightclub, Jackson, Tenn. 1 killed, 20 injured.

2/27/12 High school, Chardon, Ohio. 3 killed, 2 injured.

3/8/12 Psychiatric hospital, Pittsburgh. 1 killed, 7 injured.

3/30/12 Funeral home, North Miami, Fla. 2 killed, 12 injured.

4/2/12 Vocational school, Oakland. 7 killed, 3 injured.

5/30/12 Cafe, Seattle. 6 killed.

6/20/12 Nightclub, Houston. 3 killed, 2 injured.

7/9/12 Park, Dover, Del. 3 killed, 2 injured.

7/20/12 Movie theater, Aurora, Colo. 12 killed, 59 injured.

Source: Nate Hopper and Jen Ortiz; Time Magazine, 6/30/2012