Monday, August 24, 2009

What is Socialism?


Socialism! It's a word that is being thrown around a lot lately to describe the president and in some extreme cases the people who voted for the president. According to a lot of people, and everyone right wing pundit on TV and radio, Obama is a Socialist and all of his plans are socialistic from his health care reform to his views on the war.

To quote the movie the Princess Bride,
"You keep on using this word. I do not think it means what you think it means." And it's true, they don't know what it means and they don't see how Obama is not Socialist. But since they have no concept of the word they can never make a coherent argument about it.

So lets take a quick look at the word Socialism and what it means...


so⋅cial⋅ism

–noun
1. a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
2. procedure or practice in accordance with this theory.


so⋅cialist

–noun
1. an advocate or supporter of socialism.
2. (initial capital letter) a member of the U.S. Socialist party.


So how is Obama a Socialist? What makes the right think that he is a communist? Well take a look here. An article I found is claiming that Obama is a Socialist simply because he made statements about some bitter people who go to church. They say it's reminiscent of Karl Marx's quote, "religion is the opiate of the people".

Is Obama a Socialist? Not if you ask one. That's the title of an article I found where a REAL American Socialist speaks out about Obama and Socialism.

FROM THE ARTICLE:


Greg Pason, National Secretary of the Socialist Party USA: “Barack Obama's programs are not socialist. The vast majority of his proposals are anti-worker (or he might say ‘pro-business’). His health care proposals are more to save the for-profit insurance industry and do not have the goal of ending for-profit insurance. He has refused to support a Senate version of HR676, which would create a single-payer program (not socialist but much better than we have, and [which has] the support of labor and community organizations across the US). Many of his other economic proposals are pro-corporate.

A socialist program (even a reformist one) would not be a program that props up capitalism when it fails, but one that transforms the economy. None of Senator Obama's proposals do that. Senator Obama’s tax plan is regressive and even less ‘progressive’ than programs put forward under such conservative administrations like the one of Richard Nixon.”

F.N. Brill, National Secretary of the World Socialist Party (US): “Obama is as much a socialist as the Pope is an atheist. Income redistribution isn't a socialist act. It might aid in ameliorating income disparities within a capitalist economy for a limited time. But the logic of capitalism demands the rich grow richer (more capitalization is needed) and the poor grow poorer (their work creates the needed capital used by the rich).”


WOW! That guy is comparing Obama to Nixon! Wow...if Obama is a Socialist he sure is pissing off his party pretty well. Come on now, how could a guy like this be elected as Socialist?

That's the sad thing about all of this. Most people don't know what Socialism even is, and they just throw the word out there. As Hitler once said, "the more times you tell a lie the more people will believe it." That's just the case here with calling Obama a Socialist. None of his programs are Socialistic programs, and no one can prove that they are.

The tag still doesn't apply if you're relatives were Socialist, or wrote about Socialism. Obama's father wrote an essay about Socialism, so that MUST mean that Obama is a big Socialist! My grandfather and father are big Republicans, so I guess by that logic I must be a big conservative!

A Socialist is the working people's leader. A Socialist wants everything to be public domain, regulate pay so that no one person has more than the other person, and is most certainly not a fan of big business.

Obama's plans don't so much help the working people as much as it helps the big businesses. No one gets their pay regulated, competition is great for America, and he wants big businesses to thrive which is why there are more business stimulus packages in the works.

The idea that Obama is a Socialist stems mainly from his health care reform plan. The idea to give the people a public option that is affordable, decent quality health care is not socialism. No one gets their current benefits taken away, no one is forced by the government to see certain doctors, and current insurance companies would still be in place.

Socialist? Sounds more like a liberal Democrat who wants to make health care afford able if you ask me.

ARTICLES:

OBAMA THE SOCIALIST


IS OBAMA A SOCIALIST? NOT IF YOU ASK ONE



Sunday, August 23, 2009

Reno's Sunday: A Two Week Report


Oh man, I can't believe it's Sunday already. All week I have done nothing but work late into the night. I got 3 or 4 hours of sleep each time I went to sleep, before I had to wake up and start working again. Got very little time to rest.

We've been taking apart my father's office and moving it to the garage so that we can set up my grandpa's new room. But before that we had to clear out the garage of all the boxes that were piling up to the ceiling.

But the room was finally put together by Friday morning, and the office is together in the garage as of today. Now all we have to do here at home is go through the rest of the boxes, and organize around the house.

While all that was going on I found moments in the day to do other things. I've been blogging and I made it to Drinking Liberally in Santa Ana twice. I've been racking my mind trying to think of ways to present my idea of a free reading program in Fountain Valley. When I went to Drinking Liberally this past Thursday I was able to get even more ideas, and I found some contacts that I I need to pursue.

I found a lot of children's book in the boxes in my dad's garage. They used to be mine, and now that I have them again I can start to build my library of age appropriate books to use for the free reading program. Got to keep these ideas flowing!

I've been listening to Jim Ladd on 95.5FM KLOS for the past two weeks as well. I met the Jim Ladd Tribe members last month and they kid of turned me on. It's been pretty damn fun. I went to one of the Tribe member's birthday yesterday and had one hell of a day.

So in short, the past two weeks have been crazy. Full of work, strategical planning, talking to people to get advise, blogging, listening to Jim Ladd, and making new GREAT friends.

And now the big news.

Grandpa got out of ManorCare in Fountain Valley, and is now living with us in my father's house. Since my Aunt stole his house and sold it he has no place to go but come live with us. So he is here now, doing very well. He's still pretty much all there, but a little more reserved as he hasn't got as much energy.

My forecast for the week ahead of me. Pretty much the same, but I'll have a lot of computer work and writing to do. That too and I have to get my room settled finally. I've been living back at my father's house for more than two months now and I haven't finalized the room set up yet. I got some of my posters up, but there are still boxes up here to go through.

Welp, I can only wait to see what crazy things will happen during the week. Hopefully something good happens that I can blog about. Tired of the news about health care myth spreading, and American socialism myths, and Obama Nazi/racist/Communist myths.

But, keep reading for more news of all the above mentioned!

Friday, August 21, 2009

14 Myths/Misconceptions/LIES About Health Care Reform

The article I have been hoping to see for quite a while now! I have been talking about Limbaugh's lies about health care for a while now, and I'm sick and tired of it. How people can believe the stuff he says is beyond me.

Let me being by saying this: the right is trying to get you to believe that Obama's health care plan is going to mandate abortions, demand euthanasia, allow illegal immigrants access to care for free, take away your existing health care, and of course lets not forget the establishment of the infamous 'death panels'.

All of these statements above are completely fiction.

The truth is that Obama's health care bill isn't even in it's completion. Yup, you read correctly. The bill isn't finished, nor has it ever been presented to Congress for a vote. I mean, how can you vote on a bill that isn't even finished, that hasn't even been presently in it's full entirety? So yes, the above falsities are in fact...false.

I'm so glad this article came out because I can spread the truth and extinguish the lies. These are all directly from the article by the way.


Read the full article from Media Matters for America here:


Myth # 1

There is no health care crisis

CLAIM: The health care system currently works fine, and only a purportedly small number of uninsured people would benefit from reform.



RUSH LIMBAUGH: "There really isn't a crisis in health care in this country. The crisis in health care that -- if you wanna say, that does exist -- is the fear that a major illness or catastrophe could wipe you out, which isn't gonna change. In fact, the odds of you being wiped out by a catastrophe or accident once the government gets started running this stuff is greater than if the private sector -- but day-to-day, there's no health care crisis in this country. You can get it.

ME: No I can't get it Rush. I cannot afford health care, as well as many other in America. Don't you know the unemployment is still going up? People are losing not just their jobs, but their benefits as well.

STEVE DOOCY: "Currently, 90 percent of all Americans have got some sort of health care coverage, which means they are effectively blowing up the system for 5 percent.

OK, now here's the facts:

REALITY: Roughly 25 million Americans were underinsured in 2007. According to Cathy Schoen, senior vice president of The Commonwealth Fund, "From 2003 to 2007, the number of adults who were insured all year but were underinsured increased by 60 percent. Based on those who incur high out-of-pocket costs relative to their income not counting premiums despite having coverage all year, an estimated 25 million adults under age 65 were underinsured in 2007." [Testimony from Schoen before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, 2/24/09]


The underinsured do not receive adequate care and face financial hardship.
[Schoen testimony, 2/24/09]

Insurance companies currently rescind policies when their insured customers need treatment.

Currently, insurance companies deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions.


Myth # 2

Health care reform will impose rationing

CLAIM: Progressive health care reform proposals will introduce a system of "rationing" into American medicine.


SEAN HANNITY: "We're gonna have a government rationing body that tells women with breast cancer, 'You're dead.' It's a death sentence." [Fox News' Hannity, 6/19/09]


MICHELLE MALKIN: "Big Nanny Democrats want to ration health care for everyone in America -- except those who break our immigration laws." [Malkin column, 7/22/09]


REALITY: Insurance companies already ration care. Insurance companies acknowledge that they ration care, restricting coverage of procedures and tests like MRIs and CAT scans and denying coverage for pre-existing medical conditions.

Insurance companies ration care by rescinding coverage. As former senior executive at CIGNA health insurance company Wendell Potter explained in June 24 Senate testimony, insurance companies restrict or deny coverage by rescinding health insurance policies on the grounds that people had undisclosed pre-existing conditions. President Obama recently cited one such example, noting that "[a] woman from Texas was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, was scheduled for a double mastectomy. Three days before surgery ... the insurance company canceled the policy, in part because she forgot to declare a case of acne. ... By the time she had her insurance reinstated, the cancer had more than doubled in size."

Myth # 3

Health Care Reform provides for Euthanasia, 'death panels'


CLAIM: House health care reform bill mandates end-of-life counseling that will pressure seniors to end their lives.


BETSY McCAUGHEY: "And one of the most shocking things I found in this bill, and there were many, is on Page 425, where the Congress would make it mandatory -- absolutely require -- that every five years, people in Medicare have a required counseling session that will tell them how to end their life sooner, how to decline nutrition, how to decline being hydrated, how to go in to hospice care. And by the way, the bill expressly says that if you get sick somewhere in that five-year period -- if you get a cancer diagnosis, for example -- you have to go through that session again. All to do what's in society's best interest or your family's best interest and cut your life short. These are such sacred issues of life and death. Government should have nothing to do with this." [FredThompsonShow.com, interview archives, 7/16/09]


HANNITY: "Now, she [McCaughey] actually uncovered in this bill a particularly outrageous provision -- and by the way, there will be more to come in the Obamacare plan. According to McCaughey, she's saying under the House provision and the House version, perfectly healthy senior citizens are going to be forced to undergo, quote, 'end of life counseling,' apparently to encourage them to check out before their time is up." [ABC Radio Networks and Premiere Radio Networks' The Sean Hannity Show, 7/17/09]


REALITY: Advance care planning is not mandatory in the House health care bill. Section 1233 of America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 -- which includes "Page 425" -- amends the Social Security Act to ensure that advance care planning will be covered if a patient requests it from a qualified care provider [America's Affordable Health Choices Act, Sec. 1233]. According to an analysis of the bill produced by the three relevant House committees, the section "[p]rovides coverage for consultation between enrollees and practitioners to discuss orders for life-sustaining treatment. Instructs CMS to modify 'Medicare & You' handbook to incorporate information on end-of-life planning resources and to incorporate measures on advance care planning into the physician's quality reporting initiative." [waysandmeans.house.gov, accessed 7/29/09]

PolitiFact: McCaughey's claim that seniors would be encouraged to end their lives "is an outright distortion." "McCaughey incorrectly states that the bill would require Medicare patients to have these counseling sessions and she is suggesting that the government is somehow trying to interfere with a very personal decision. And her claim that the sessions would 'tell [seniors] how to end their life sooner' is an outright distortion. Rather, the sessions are an option for elderly patients who want to learn more about living wills, health care proxies and other forms of end-of-life planning. McCaughey isn't just wrong, she's spreading a ridiculous falsehood." [PolitiFact.com, 7/23/09]


CLAIM: Health care reform would establish a "death panel."


GLENN BECK: "So, why is there no more discussion than there is on Sarah Palin and what she said over the weekend that there would be ... [a] death panel for her son Trig? That's quite a statement. I believe it to be true, but that's quite a statement." [Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program, 8/10/09]


REALITY: "Death panel" claims have been conclusively discredited. In one of more than 40 media reports debunking claims of euthanasia and "death panels," PolitiFact wrote: "We've looked at the inflammatory claims that the health care bill encourages euthanasia. It doesn't. There's certainly no 'death board' that determines the worthiness of individuals to receive care. ... [Palin] said that the Democratic plan will ration care and 'my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's "death panel" so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their "level of productivity in society," whether they are worthy of health care.' Palin's statement sounds more like a science fiction movie (Soylent Green, anyone?) than part of an actual bill before Congress. We rate her statement Pants on Fire!" [PolitiFact.com, 8/10/09]


Myth # 4

Health care reform legislation will cover undocumented immigrants


CLAIM: Under health care reform, you will be denied care, and it will be given to undocumented immigrants instead.


DICK MORRIS: "The point about these death panels is that if you restrict the amount -- the lifesaving surgeries, and you tell someone, no, you can't have that bypass surgery -- but I'm going to die if I don't have it. Well, here's the grief counselor. That will happen. And whether they fund the grief counselor or the end-of-life counselor or not, the rationing will take place when they tell you, no, you can't have the surgery because we have to give it to a 40-year-old illegal immigrant instead." [Hannity, 8/17/09]

REALITY: House bill stipulates that those "not lawfully present" may not receive subsidies to purchase insurance. Under the "Individual Affordability Credits" section of the America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009:


SEC. 242. AFFORDABLE CREDIT ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.

(a) DEFINITION. --

(1) IN GENERAL. -- For purposes of this division, the term ''affordable credit eligible individual'' means, subject to subsection (b), an individual who is lawfully present in a State in the United States (other than as a nonimmigrant described in a subparagraph (excluding subparagraphs (K), (T), (U), and (V)) of section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration and Nationality Act) --

[...]

SEC. 246. NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS.

Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.


Senate HELP bill excludes those "not lawfully present" from federal funding. Under the "Making Coverage Affordable" section of the Affordable Health Choices Act:

(h) NO FEDERAL FUNDING. -- Nothing in this Act shall allow Federal payments for individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.



OK...these are only FOUR of the health care myths that the right wing is trying to spread. Another myth was that Obama never read his own health care reform bill. That's also a total lie. Obama was talking about the myths stated above, and how he never read them in the bill...because they don't exist!


You have to remember where these myths came from. They were invented by people who pretty much put together a cut and paste document calling it a "line by line analysis" of health care reform, which basically saves people from actually reading the real proposed health care bill. The document seems to be created by the Liberty Council, which is an offshoot of Jerry Falwell's Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virgina which he is Chancellor of.

There is fact, and then there is opinion...and then there are some crazy lies that get spread and take the place of facts for some people. Someone I was debating with this past week liked to say, "listen to the information, and then put the pieces together." Well yes, that's exactly what people should do, but make sure you're getting your facts correct before you try to put together pieces that are twisted and don't fit.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Barney Frank Says It Like It Is!

Yesterday at Dartmouth in Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank hosted a Health Care Town Hall Meeting in which at least 300 people showed up for. Of course the event had many Democrats who were in favor of a public health care system, and of course the opposition was there as well.

The people who opposed the health care plan were all right of center, and had pictures of President Obama which were defaced to make the President look like Hitler. But as usual, none of these folks had any real facts concerning health care, they just showed up because they don't like Obama...at least it seems that way.

One woman stood up to talk to Congressman Frank, only to ask him why he supports a "Nazi policy". The woman obviously had no real facts to back up her statements, and Congressman Frank wasn't going to answer. Rather he answered by asking another question. He asked her, "what planet do you spend most of your time on?"

What a great response! Don't even give her the benefit of trying to explain what she doesn't want to accept in the first place. There are no death panels, illegal immigrants aren't getting free health care, abortions are not mandatory, and euthanasia is CERTAINLY not demanded.

Why is it that people want to shoot the President down for an idea that hasn't even made full circle in the house yet? Oh wait I know! Jerry Falwell's little cut and paste document he spread to Republicans! Which by the way, was never an official health care reform plan.

What makes people think that the USA would seriously adopt such a health care system? And to compare Obama to a man who killed so many people...this is where the spin begins.

In an effort to bash the left, Obama, and public options for health care the right winged pundits have been spreading these lies about Obama's plan. The spin they are using is rather simple. Use Jerry Falwell's cut and paste document and act like it's absolutely true. Then call Obama a Nazi, because of his false 'death panels', and his plan to demand euthanasia. Thus you paint a picture of a man that is trying to implement Nazi policies.

That's where all of this spin gets funny. How can someone equate an effort to increase health care coverage to the Nazis? How is that even possible?

OK let's be frank while talking about Frank shall we? Barney did pretty much insult her, especially when he said, "trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dinning room table".

But come on people. You can't have a debate if the other person really doesn't know what they are talking about. Get your facts straight, and don't just assume that because some right winged pundit says its true that it must be factual.

Keep saying it how it is Barney. There is no point in debating with someone who doesn't have their facts straight.





Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Glenn Beck Loses Sponserships


Media Matters for America is reporting today that Glenn Beck has had more than twenty ads pulled from his show in the last two weeks. Companies like Wal-Mart, Ally Bank, Best Buy, CVS, and others have pulled their ads from the controversial show which is aired on the Fox News Network.

All of this hit the fan for Beck when he said on the show Fox & Friends, that Obama was actually a racist who has a deep seeded hated for white people. Beck is losing more and more of his sponsors because of this radical (yes I yes 'radical'), hate mongering rhetoric.

Other companies that are giving Beck the boot are, "ConAgra, GEICO, Lawyers.com, Men’s Wearhouse, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, RadioShack, Roche, SC Johnson, Sanofi-Aventis, Sargento, and State Farm Insurance."

I've been following this for a while, but I've been too caught up Rush "Limbo" to write anything about it.

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE:


“We are heartened to see so many corporate citizens step up in support of our campaign against Glenn Beck,” said James Rucker, executive director of ColorOfChange.org. “Their action sends a clear a message to Glenn Beck: Broadcasters shouldn’t abuse the privilege they enjoy by spewing dangerous and racially charged hate language over the air. No matter their political affiliation, hate language doesn’t belong in our national dialogue.”

This is perfect. It's nonpartisan, and it shows the right wingers that the lefty libs can play the same game. Back when Bush was in office and people called him a warmonger and etc, many pundits like Sean Hannity stepped up and said, "how dare you say those things about our President? That is anti-American!"

Well guys, saying things about Obama like, "he's a racist" is the same thing...but worse. White men in America know NOTHING about racism, except how to proliferate it. And when you come out and just start hatefully smearing someone like that with no proof you should accept the consequences and keep your mouths shut.

Ya know, this has been going on for a while. A lot of people called Bush a racist after Katrina. Kayne West said something to the affect of, "Bush doesn't give a fuck about black people." Then guess what happened at the end of '08? A black man was elected president. Now it's the same game, only slightly reversed. The old white man from Texas isn't the racist. It's the almost old black man for Chicago that's the racist.

Except here's the problem. When Bush was in office you heard a very few people talk about Bush being a racist. Many of the right winged news outlets shot that rhetoric down, and many liberal news outlets wouldn't touch it unless they were super brazen. The truth is, the whole thought that Bush was racist was shot down because no one wants to view their president as some racist who doesn't have the public's interest at mind.

Look everyone, it's called spin. I have been talking about spin for a long time now (even on my older blogs) and all I can say is BEWARE. Know your politicians, know your issues, and know your SPIN. But just keep this in mind; when the left was spinning Bush they never lost a whole bunch of their sponsors. Take into account spin on both sides and you see a kind of middle ground (if you are like me that is). Look at Glenn Becks spin and it takes spin to a whole new level (kind of like Bill O'Reilly, but he is way more articulate then Beck), especially when he hatefully bashes our President and calls him a racist who hates white people. He never gave any kind of scale (lol), so as far as I know Beck is saying, "Obama is one of the biggest racists in the world. He hates every white man with a passion and he wants them all to fall into poverty."

Mr. Beck, with all due respect your hateful rants about the president are wrong and libelous. You shouldn't just lose your sponsors, you should lose your show.


Monday, August 17, 2009

Limbaugh and Public Option

Public Options. What are they? How do they work? Will they kill my grandpa? These are the questions that have been raised by the right wing about Obama's health care reform plan. But the funny thing is, public options are exactly what right wingers say they want...at least now that Obama seems to be canning his plan, Limbaugh is harping about a public options that are not run by the government.

"LIMBAUGH: [A]nd there is going to be a public option. There is no reason to have this kind of liberal reform without a public option. All this talk about a public option -- dropping it or maybe putting it back in, whatever they're going to call it -- if -- there's no reason to do this kind of reform from this standpoint -- from Obama, from the liberals in Congress -- without the government running it. If that's not on the table, there's no reason for them to reform it."

These "death panels" and silly rumors about illegal immigrants getting care, and mandatory abortions, and demanded euthanasia is all a hoax people. The public option was always there. This imaginary health care system that the right wing has made up, where you have a death panel and decides whether you get to live or die based on your contribution to society, is completely false. There was always going to be a public option, but the idea is being slayed before it even has the chance to show itself to the American public.

Rush went on to say that if it was called a public option or a co-op that the democrats would get it one day. But he also said that it's a "game designed to react to the opposition and get you to cool down."

How is it that Rush gets to say these things? He makes it seem like there was no public option plan EVER. When in fact, back in March President Obama said, "‘The thinking on the public option has been that it gives consumers more choices and it helps keep the private sector honest, because there’s some competition out there.’

In fact Nancy Pelosi has also been standing firmly for the public option...

“We agree with the President that a public option will keep insurance companies honest and increase competition.

“There is strong support in the House for a public option. In the House, all three of our bills contain a public option as does the bill from the Senate HELP Committee.

“A public option is the best option to lower costs, improve the quality of health care, ensure choice and expand coverage.

“The public option brings real reform to lower costs over the 10 year period of the bill.”

So wait a second here Rush. Obama's plan won't work without a public option? I think I have heard "public option" for a long time. And now you guys on the right think you can spin this and make people believe that "Obamacare" spells out death to the young and elderly.

I'm not down for this kind of thinking. I have heard about Obama's public option health care plan for a few months now, and I think it's absolutely stupid that the right is able to get away with spinning this one. For shame man...

Rush also went on to say that nobody ever called Obama Hitler. I mean, anyone who has been paying attention to the news lately has heard this over and over again. Right winged pundits are comparing the President of the United States to Adolf Hitler.

LIMBAUGH: "...he is failing, and I'm happy. And you're happy. Fifty-seven percent of the American people think no health care change is better than his plan -- or 52 percent, 54 percent, I'm sorry -- 57 percent say the stimulus isn't working and it might be making things worse. I'm winning. He's failing. The American people don't want Obama to succeed."

LIMBAUGH: I never said Obama hates white people. He's got a chip on his shoulder about the unjust and immoral past of this country. I never called him Hitler. And let's not forget -- you dopes at CNN and everywhere else, could you please for 21 years behind this microphone, I have listened to people like you try to equate conservatives with Nazism and with Adolf Hitler, and I'm fed up with it. Hitler was a man of the left. Adolf Hitler was much closer to you guys than he is to me or any of my friends. And Nancy Pelosi started this, she called the people turning up at town hall meetings Nazis -- they were wearing swastikas. And you're purposely leaving that out of this so you can run with your template.

FULL ARTICLE <<<<<<<<<<

Saturday, August 15, 2009

OC Gay Pride and EQCA

Today was the Orange County Gay Pride...festival? It was held in Irvine and was more of a festival than a parade, but I still had a load of fun. I was volunteering at the EQCA booth, trying to get people to sign up to volunteer their time as well. I met a lot of awesome people and got a bunch to sign up with EQCA. They're looking for people to do calls, canvas neighborhoods, etc.

When I first got there I was like, "Wow, this is small." But a good amount of people showed up and kept on showing up the whole day.

Beth Krom was there. She was the mayor of Irvine and now she is running for Congress in the 48th district. I don't live in the 48th, but I do support Beth Krom for Congress. She is one tough woman. I never heard it speak until today and it was pretty amazing.

I signed up for more volunteer work because I do want to get involved with equal rights work with EQCA, but I also have to work on this free reading program this year. It needs to get started.

On the way home Faris and I saw something weird. We parked by a CVS to get some drinks, and the car next to us had two stickers:

1. Liberalism is not a majority

2. Abortion kills

The owner of the car was inside, talking away on his cell phone. When we, he followed us out. We saw him next to us about a street or so away from the freeway. Then we saw him again when we got back into Fountain Valley, right next to us the whole time. Not that I'm paranoid or anything, I just thought it was pretty weird. :)

Friday, August 14, 2009

Found My Issue!

Well it took me long enough but I found my issue.

As many of you know I have been involved with county politics, and I've also been hanging out with a few good guys in Fountain Valley politics as well. I always knew I wanted to make a difference, especially in the younger community. My first attempt failed because a lot of the people I know that are my age in Fountain Valley just don't care about anything. Time to change that...

City Council was on my mind. But honestly...this is Fountain Valley "A Nice Place To Live", so there really isn't too much fixing up to be done. Then School Board came to mind and I said, "Hey! That's perfect! But what will I do? What's my platform? My issue?"

Someone told me the biggest issue with the school system is the budget. OK, that's one.

Then I thought, "Hey! The budget sucks, so why not volunteer at places like the Boys and Girls club or local elementary schools and start up a free reading program?"

And now I have my issue, and my plan.

Step 1.

I need to introduce myself at either the schools or the Boys and Girls club. Tell them my plan to start a free reading program, where once a week, or month, me and volunteers from the High Schools in the area will go and help younger kids learn how to read.

Step 2.

Go to the High Schools and talk to some of my old teachers who have Senior and even Junior students. Seniors now have to complete a certain amount of community service to graduate from HS. So this would be the perfect opportunity for them to get that written off.

Step 3. I have to gain the attention of the City Council. Ask a Council members to join us and watch us read with these kids and ask him/her if they would honor our group.

If honored, the support base I will need will be right there. I'll know more of the teachers, the students, the city council members, maybe even the police or Fire Fighters.

So then, in the future like say...a few years from now I'll be well known in the community and can start working toward a campaign.

I owe most of this idea to a guy I met last night. He has been involved in LA politics, and he gave me a lot of good insight. THANKS TOM!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Limbaugh: Palin was Dead Right

Yay! I swear Rush gives me some of the best (and worst) material. What was it...Monday or Tuesday...when Keith Olbermann called Palin out on his show Count Down.

Some people I have talked with think I'm crazy for listening to Limbaugh or Hannity. But my whole thing is, the more you listen the more you will know what crazy ideas the right wingers are throwing out there to scare people. Call me a spin expert (actually don't, because I don't think I am haha) but I love reading and listening to these jokers so I can reverse their spin.

The Limbaugh Wire is just a great resource for this stuff. And what are they saying today about Rush and Health Care?

From the article:

"He knows why Obama is not specifying a plan or talking about the House plan: because Obama doesn't care about anybody but himself, and he's out of touch and detached from reality -- Obama just wants control of health care and doesn't care about the details. Rush added that he was "proud" of the people going to the town halls, calling it civic activism at its best, not malcontents or leftist rent-a-mobs."

Obama is a hater, plain and simple. What? You didn't know that?

Chris Prevatt from TheLiberalOC.com showed me some pictures he took a while back during the "Tea Bagging Party's". He got a real good shot of some guy holding a sign that had the lone man standing in front of a tank an Tienanmen Square, with a caption saying soemthing like, "America's Future."

So yeah, didn't you know? We are Soviet Russia now!

OK enough of that. In all seriousness this is just silly....ok maybe a little more...

LIMBAUGH: I can deliver what Obama is promising with one sentence. Very simple. You're sick? Here's a train ticket to Canada. If you love the -- if you like socialized medicine, we can send you to Canada to get treated, and we can do it for much less than converting our system to Canada's. All we gotta do is put you on a train, put you on an airplane. The transportation costs -- let the Canadians handle the care, if you like that kind of system. Or if you wanna go to the UK, we'll put you on a plane and send you there.

Limbaugh: "Oh, and Sarah Palin has rocked 'em with that one because she's dead right, they are death panels."

OK...so I guess Rush is saying lets take all of our sick, huddled masses...and send them away. You truly are a "passionate conservative" Rush.

OK...more of Rush

LIMBAUGH: These death panels that -- and Sarah Palin has doubled down on it, according to the Politico. She's now defended her claim that the Democrat health care proposal would create death panels in a statement Wednesday night, slamming Obama. And if you go to her Facebook page and you look at the notes and you look at the things she wrote about death panels, it would seem to me that all of the inside-the-Beltway elites, from Peggy Noonan to Mort Kondracke, to Charles Krauthammer, to whoever the hell else said she needs to educate herself on the issues. She needs to become more sophisticated. She needs to do some homework. Seems to me if you go to her Facebook, she's done some homework on this health care bill. She has become an expert on section 1233. [...] But I would suggest that anybody who doubts her intellectual heft or her ability to learn and study, go to her Facebook page and look at the notes she's taken, and it's right there, the study that she has done and engaged in in order to learn about section 1233.

Didn't Keith talk about this in that video clip I posted yesterday? I can't remember exactly, but he was talking about a plan that actually did involve "death panels" and taking health care away from senior citizens, but provides FREE health care to illegal immigrants, mandates abortions, and demands euthanasia.

Keith: "If you read it without knowing the truth at the time you would have shoved the right wingers out of the way at the town halls and start screaming yourself. It seems to have been created by the Liberty Council, an offshoot of Jerry Falwell's(Spelling?) Liberty University. A council who's other big policy concern as been...the attack on Christmas."

Keith is my favorite TV Journalist next to Rachel Maddow. And let me tell you, both of them kick the right wingers right where they deserve it.

As for Rush...oh you poor little man. Sometimes I wonder if you were better or worse when you were on the drugs...but nobody that matters really cares I guess.

Here is a clip from Limbaugh's show today. Spin...I must be one of the most simplest (and most of the time effective) tool the right winged radio pundits use all day.



RIP Les Paul



Yes it's sad but true. The guitar man himself, Les Paul, has died.

His real name was Lester William Polsfuss, he was born June 9th 1915 and died today August 13th 2009 in White Plains New York of complications from pneumonia.


He was an innovator, and created the solid body guitar we know today as the Gibson Les Paul. He was also the pioneer behind such recording innovations as overdubbing, phasing, and multitrack recording.




Many famous rockers have used the Les Paul guitar including Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck from the Yardbirds, John Entwistle from The Who, John Fogerty from Creedence Clearwater Revival, Peter Frampton from Humble Pie, Ace Frehley from Kiss, David Gilmour from Pink Floyd, Arlo Guthrie, Jimi Hendrix from The Jimi Hendrix Experience, B.B. King, Lenny Kravitz, John Lennon from The Beatles, Paul McCartney from The Beatles, Bob Marley, Ted Nugent, Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue , Slash from Guns N Roses, Paul Stanley from Kiss, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Walsh from the Eagles, Neal Young, and last but not least Frank Zappa.

Although, the list goes on and on.

I bought my Les Paul back in late '07 and stil have it to this day...I mean why would I ever get rid of it? Of course it's on it's way to becoming a collectors item now.

If any of you listen to 95.5 KLOS I would tune in now and catch the all day tribute to Les Paul. It is a very sad day in the rock community and many of you may not care, but think of it this way: without Les Paul you wouldn't have that rock and roll sound. EVERY muscian who uses Paul's techniques owe him gratititude.

Les Paul you will be missed.

RIP LES PAUL- 6/9/1915 - 8/13/2009



Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The Death Care Scare!

So what's in the news lately? Health Care reform! But lately the right wing pundits are all up in arms about what they call "Obamacare". They have been going after Obama relentlessly, saying that Obama's health care plan is nothing more than a scam to kill your grandparents and younger children who are not doing as much as they can for society.

You know, if the issue were that serious and Obama is going to start killing us off, why don't the right wingers call it "Death Care"? Well simple, the word "Obamacare" as Obama's name in it. And it's his health care plan they are trying to scare people into believing will take away all of their insurance and their right to be treated. So yeah, "Obamacare" scares people and makes them say, "It's that damn Obama! He's trying to kill me!"

Ex-Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin was brought into this when she said she doesn't want Obama's "Death Panel" to decide whether or not old or young people should go on living. And insinuated that her poor son with autism would be put to death by Obama because he cannot contribute much to society.

Keith Olberman did a GREAT show about this, where he totally calls out Palin and her evil lies. To say that an American president wants to kill you...isn't that criticism in some form? If it were Bush and people said things about it you can bet your entire wallet the right wingers would be up in arms saying it's unpatriotic to call your president a murderer.

Truthfully, these tactics can't go on forever. Obama has no "Death Panel" nor is he going to be telling you that yes you can have health care, but no this person can't because he doesn't do enough. It's a universal health care program, PUBLIC health care! Do these people even know what that means?

It basically means that I can be down and out on my luck, have hardly any money to live, but can still be treated by a doctor of my choice and it doesn't come out of my wallet.

Imagine how many lives that will save. Imagine how many people in the US can't afford health care or doctors bills. With this public health care system everyone can be treated. It's not taking away anyone's right to health care, it gives EVERYONE the same opportunity to be treated.

WATCH OLBERMAN:


Gavin Newsom in Santa Ana College! Newsom for Governor


Gavin and I after the Town Hall Meeting

First blog in a while! I’ve been busy with moving and remodeling and all kinds of other fun stuff.


So last night San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was at Santa Ana College for his first Town Hall meeting here in Orange County. It was awesome to say the least. I saw Gavin Newsom give a speech at last year’s ECCO Awards Dinner but I never got to meet him until last night.


For those who read my blog and don’t know who Gavin is, he is the Mayor of San Fran and is running for California Governor in 2010. His big issue last year was making sure Prop 8 (or as I like to call it “Prob 8”) failed. You may remember him in the right winged commercial ads urging people to vote YES on Prop 8. They showed a video clip of him saying, “Whether you like it or not”, in regards to gay marriage.


There is something about a man who is willing to stand up for the gay community and have the courage to say, “This is wrong.” Unfortunately, Prop 8 was passed. But this man won’t stop there. He is going to go all the way to the Capital to make sure California gets on the right track.


Gavin’s platform is sterling. Gay marriage rights, California school reform, health care reform, and the issue of poverty are some of his biggest talking points. Gavin’s ideas for school make the most sense to me, as I want to run for Fountain Valley School District. So how do we fix the school problem? Better pre-school programs that everyone can get in on! A pre K-6 grade plan sounds the most interesting. He said it himself that to give our kids a good education we have to give them a good head start.


The other idea I thought was awesome was the Arts Education Program. I remember Art Ed in school, once a month someone would come to our class for about a week or so and teach us about a famous artist. After we learned about the artist our assignment was to create a piece of art in the style of that artist. Not only was it education and mind expanding, it was a lot of fun and kept our attention. But that program no longer exists in some places. I’m pretty damn sure Fountain Valley is one of those places that no longer have that program.


I actually got to meet the man and shake his hand. I also got a picture with him. He is one hell of a guy and I support his run for Governor.