Thursday, October 20, 2011

Occupy Wall Street's Message May Not Be Visible- But It's There.

 "Sorry we don't have a focused message, we all suffer from A.D.D.; 
American Dream Denial Syndrome"

Protesters Occupying Times Square







Tyrone Garcia, Me (John Amaruso) & The Protester who scorned Fox News
         Occupy Wall Street's momentum has come to a fevor pitch, with over 1,400 cities nationwide participating. Labor organizations, civil rights groups and the alike have joined the protests in hopes of bringing attention to what protesters say is a lack of economic justice in our political system. The Slogan 'We are the 99%' encompasses the belief that while the 1% of the wealthy in the world are bailed out to ensure financial stability of the world's economic system, the 'other 99%' of the world are still fiscally unsound.
         On Oct 15th the movement went global, when 'Occupy the Planet' was initiated and countries from Europe, Asia and South America all joined in solidarity to voice their opinions. The movement that started with a few dozen protesters camped out in Zuccotti park has transformed into thousands and has reached the ears of millions around the world.
         "This is very much a crystallizing moment" said Denise Mitchell, American Federation of Labor Organizations and Congress of Industrial Organization's communications director. She believes that this is "an opportunity to talk about what's wrong with the system and how to make it better".
         The statistics don't lie. While the average worker's wage has seen a 15% decrease over the past 30 years, the top 1% in fiscal terms have increased their wealth by over 250 times. Meanwhile the Supreme Court's recent decision that corporations have the same rights as individuals has led the way for the legalizing of corruption, with unlimited and undisclosed contributions from both domestic and foreign corporations to political campaigns.
         This all comes at a time when unemployment has remained at a stubborn 9.1%, and foreclosure rates on homes have hardly slowed down. While there are many that call for the complete dismantling of capitalism, there are those in the middle ground that seek not to destroy, but to fix.
         We went down to Occupy Wall Street to see what the movement was about and what people on the ground thought and felt. The general consensus was that the 1% in this country receive the financial and political advantages while the average person's access to these legal loopholes and benefits are limited or non-existant. The '99%' are now out to seek the justice they claim has been a long time coming.
          "Why are the banks bailed out and I'm not?" said one protester we spoke to at Zuccotti park who wanted to remain anonymous. "If I screw up at my job, I'd get fired. If I lose my home, I am left homeless. If I commit a crime, I am imprisoned. These bankers, financiers and politicians all partake in embezzlement, money laundering, and through corruption have destroyed our economy and have left millions homeless. That's injustice if I ever saw it".
           When we were at Occupy Wall Street on Oct. 15th, the protesters moved to occupy Times Square, and thousands of people showed up to voice their anger. Live music, chants, dances, and signs filled the air. People from all walks of life were there; the young, the old, the unemployed, the student, the retired were all present to show their growing discontent with the system.
           While this movement is supported by wide margins, there are those who denounce the park dwellers as 'liberal hippies' who are 'disaffected' and 'disillusioned'. Critics call it a 'fad' that has not articulated a real concise message of how to fix the situation.
           Although the message may not be concise, and the leaders may not be visible, there is a leader of this movement. It is not a person, nor is it an organization. It's an idea. The idea that the majority of people around the world are disenfranchised, and while the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. The idea that personal responsibility is applied to the average person, but not the average banker.
           This protest has become more of a movement than an angry outlash. It's a movement to fix a system that has not helped most people, but only a few people. It will be interesting to see see how this movement plays out in regards to the upcoming election in America or elections around the world.
          This movement does not need a leader- it needs an answer. It needs to find a way to balance capitalism in a way that does not just benefit a portion of the population, but a majority of the population. Until that happens, the '99%' don't seem to be going anywhere.


- #P4D

Sunday, September 18, 2011

This is a Public Service Announcement

This is a public service announcement; there is no longer any public service to be spoken of. 
You are on your own and those institutions designed to protect you now work to imprison you. 
To keep those that are down in a vicious cycle of desperation, and to keep those at the top in power.
A decision was made somewhere along the lines that those nets that kept you safe are no longer worthy of their pennies.
They are useless to them so they are no longer useful for you.
There is no right and wrong, only bottom lines and profit margins.
There is no community only solidarity.
Selfishness and greed trump philanthropy and kindness.
There is no ladder to climb, for the rungs have been greased with the carelessness of their ethics and lack of moral hindsight.
Disregarding the masses while bloating the few is not only a staple in this society, but a religion.
A dogma of distrust for those who ask for help, a propaganda campaign against the weak, and a public relations stunt for the oligarchs.
To be passive is to be inactive, and to be inactive is to surrender, and to surrender is to forget everything you were raised to believe.
That good was to always defeat the bad, that light would always dispel the darkness, and that the lies would be exposed with the truth.
It's all a facade for the hopes that you will keep your hope, that you won't lose faith that tomorrow will be better, and that the righteous always prevail.
This is not the case, and that is why it isn't a case.
It is not mentioned by those who know because they seek to hide it.
They profit from your ignorance, your dreams, and your fears of losing the little that you have for voicing your thoughts.
Don't lay down, don't give in, and don't believe them.
Search for the truth in the whirlwind of chaos and deception.

This message has been brought to you by those who bring you nothing.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Join the Page to Support Rep. Yarmuth's 'Money in Politics' Amendment to Remove Special Interest's donations to Political Campaigns!




Billions of dollars are poured into political campaigns every year. Unlimited and often undisclosed funds are funneled into political candidates coffers in an attempt to silence our voice, and strengthen theirs. Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-03) called on his colleagues in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to pass an amendment which would effectually end the money cycle that corrupts our politicians. Our goal is to get at least 100 million facebook users to support this amendment that would bring power back in our hands, and not the special interest's hands. Please spread this as far as you can, as we will use this page to create a petition to end political corruption. Just a simple 'like' will do to show that you see the corruption, and you want it to end.





http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amendment-to-Remove-Special-Interests-from-Politics/252791341409798

-Protest for Democracy

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

What the Founding Fathers really thought

Follow on Twitter to Support the Protest- @March4Democracy


"If they really loved this country, they would understand that they are not the only ones in it. Their incessant cries for liberty at the expense of the government's strength actually contradicts itself, leading to a weak national government that has no way to defend itself against external manipulative forces"



"...It will equally be forgotten, that the vigour of government is essential to the security of liberty; that, in the contemplation of sound and well informed judgment, their interests can never be separated; and that a dangerous ambition more often lurks behind the specious mask of zeal for the rights of the people, than under the forbidding appearances of zeal for the firmness and efficiency of government." - Alexander Hamilton



The quote above is taken from a series of essays written by our founding fathers, which have been compiled into what is now known as the "Federalist Papers". The reason for these essays was to convince the states in the forming of our union to adopt the newly written constitution. They were filled with philosophical, legal, political, and historical arguments, along with examples and predictions as to the consequences of a nation united under separate confederacies like it was under the Articles of Confederation. The goal was to dispel the myths of an intrusive centralized government, to expose the false claims of tranquility as a result of separate states with no central authority, and the opposition which sought to enrich themselves at the expense of the public good. 

This, Alexander Hamilton argued, would be done by weakening the government. By blocking the efficiency of government, by limiting the government's power to enforce justice and secure liberty, other dubious and ill intentioned forces would be able to fill in that power void as has happened throughout all great republics before hand.

The founding fathers who anonymously posted these essays in newspapers across the country under the mysterious but historically relevant name of "Publius", did so to pose their argument for why the states should not be their own independently governed sovereignties, but rather unified under a strong, centralized government. 

By strong Hamilton did not mean intrusive, overbearing or 'socialist' as Tea parties and Republicans want to claim it; he meant a government that was strong enough to secure liberty, fight corruption, quell internal disputes, and regulate commerce. The complexities of a confederacy of two or more states under a weak federal government would have been chaotic, with different sets of trade laws, various standing armies, contrasting civil rights issues, and the inevitable jealousy of the rise of one state at the expense of another.

I'm not going to give you an entire review of the book, I just wanted to present this one quote that is found in the first pages of the first essay in this collective series written by our founding fathers. The quote is extremely relevant today as to the opposition forces we see seeking to weaken government under the veil of expanding liberty for all. The entirety of the quote is below, which afterwards I will seek to decode for the sake of time and reading effort.




"...And yet, just as these sentiments must appear to candid men, we have already sufficient indications, that it will happen in this, as in all former cases of great national discussion. A torrent of angry and malignant passions will be let loose. To judge from the conduct of the opposing parties, we shall be led to conclude, that they will mutually hope to evince the justness of their opinions, to increase the number of their converts, by the loudness of their declamations, and by the bitterness of their invectives. An enlightened zeal for the energy and efficiency of government, will be stigmatized as the offspring of a temper fond of power, and hostile to the principles of liberty. An over scrupulous jealousy of the rights of the people, which is more commonly the fault of the head than of the heart, will be represented as pretence and artifice... the stale bait for popularity at the expense of the public good. It will be forgotten, on the other hand, that jealousy is the concomitant of violent love, and that the noble enthusiasm of liberty is too apt to be infected with a spirit of narrow and illiberal distrust. On the other hand, it will equally be forgotten, that the vigour of government is essential to the security of liberty; that, in the contemplation of sound and well informed judgment, their interests can never be separated; and that a dangerous ambition more often lurks behind the specious mask of zeal for the rights of the people, than under the forbidding appearances of zeal for the firmness and efficiency of government. History will teach us, that the former has been found a much more certain road to the introduction of despotism, than the latter, and that of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career, by paying an obsequious court to the people... commencing demagogues, and ending tyranny."


Now, time for decoding to pose the correlation between what Hamilton said, and what is happening today in regards to the insurgency movement of the Tea Party.

"A torrent of angry and malignant passions will be let loose"
                      The Tea Party has no reservations about their anger over this president; Every rally includes some line that sounds like this- "We are angry and we are not going to take it anymore!" or "We can't be passive, we must be aggressive and demand our rights be met!". Now the let loose part, well they have certainly taken on a life of their own.

"To judge from the conduct of the opposing parties, we shall be led to conclude, that they will mutually hope to evince the justness of their opinions, to increase the number of their converts, by the loudness of their declamations, and by the bitterness of their invectives."
                           They've been doing this since day one. They wait to hear what the Democrats have to say, then immediately cherry pick what they want to hear and say "This is what we're talking about! Aren't you mad too?". They use the current economic climate and societal problems to enrage and enlist people in their extremely loosely organized and passionate rants that have no real quest to inquire about what's really going on, but instead scapegoat it on the President and anything else that's convenient for their ideological conquest. The loudness of their declamations? Is this loud enough for you?
  
And as for their invectives which defined means: vituperation: abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will...
Well, they have conveniently written them on giant poster boards for all of us to see, and for us to cite.

"An enlightened zeal for the energy and efficiency of government, will be stigmatized as the offspring of a temper fond of power, and hostile to the principles of liberty. An over scrupulous jealousy of the rights of the people, which is more commonly the fault of the head than of the heart, will be represented as pretence and artifice... the stale bait for popularity at the expense of the public good."
                       Hamilton talks as if he is watching the Tea Party movement before his eyes. This party's incessant demonizing of what Hamilton calls 'energy' and 'efficiency' of government is meant to portray the government as an institution that is directly in contradiction with the principles of liberty. By 'energy' and 'efficiency', Hamilton is speaking of the ways in which checks and balances, judicial review, public accountability and responsiveness from the government would serve as the most effective and plausible way of ensuring liberty and justice for the public good. By pretence and artifice, Hamilton is speaking of how pretentiously clever the Tea Partiers, or in his era, opponents to the unification of America, will sound in their denunciation of the government as hostile and intrusive oppressors of liberty, when in fact, that is what government's role actually is. These dissenters of a strong centralized government which can fend off against manipulative, powerful foreign and domestic factions have reinvented themselves many a time through American history- Confederates during the Civil war, anti-suffrage movements to exclude women, African-Americans and the like from the political process, and more recently the Tea Party, which cries for less federal regulation and more state directed regulation to govern their daily lives. Hamilton denounced this as a messy and often 'unscrupulous nuisance' which has brought down many republics before his time and surely will after.

"the stale bait for popularity at the expense of the public good." This was meant to imply that the techniques used to appeal to a popular base of people are at the expense of the public good, which government at the federal level is sworn to uphold. Their constant support of devastating economic policies, encroachment on civil liberties for women, minorities, and the poor, and attempts to weaken the government to nothing more than national defense are the goals of this group which in turn is directly opposed to the collective majority's well being.

  "It will be forgotten, on the other hand, that jealousy is the concomitant of violent love, and that the noble enthusiasm of liberty is too apt to be infected with a spirit of narrow and illiberal distrust."
                                The metaphor of jealousy being concomitant (naturally accompanying, companion, sidekick if you will) of 'violent love' was meant to portray that this irrational obsession with liberty and love for freedom will lead to a chaotic or even brutal oppression of those liberties. The vacuum that comes with dismantling the strength of the central government will suck up all the other forces that seek to manipulate, oppress and control, from a much more and often cynical standpoint; The corporations, the wealthy elite, the special interests, foreign influence, glory-hungry politicians, and the like. The second part "and that the noble enthusiasm of liberty is too apt to be infected with a spirit of narrow and illiberal distrust." is meant to say that people will forget that it is possible for the noble enthusiasm, which I have no doubt that the Tea party truthfully believes it is fighting for, can be infected with not so free principles and oppressive forces. Any idea can be tainted. This one surely will, for where there is no government there will be no governance, and therefore, no security against repression by outside entities that seek not to protect but to control.

"On the other hand, it will equally be forgotten, that the vigour of government is essential to the security of liberty; that, in the contemplation of sound and well informed judgment, their interests can never be separated; and that a dangerous ambition more often lurks behind the specious mask of zeal for the rights of the people, than under the forbidding appearances of zeal for the firmness and efficiency of government."
                                Ah this is a big one. This is the one that Tea partiers pretend they didn't hear. "it will equally be forgotten, that the vigour of government is essential to the security of liberty; that, in the contemplation of sound and well informed judgment, their interests can never be separated;". It is a priority of our government to protect our civil liberties, not to take them away. They haven't taken away any civil liberties, in fact, they have actually extended them. To who though? Not me or you, to corporations, special interests, politicians and the elite that hope not to serve but to own. They have taken attempts by the Obama administration to tighten up the lose ends of the bills that allowed for the corporate corruption of politicians, of the treasury, of the workers, and of the collective good as an attack on their own liberties. The only liberties government is trying to intrude on is the corruption of Wall Street, predatory loan lending companies, corporation's evasion of taxes. Essentially the liberty to accumulate massive amounts of wealth at the expense of the rest, the liberty of corruption, the liberty of embezzlement, the liberty of outsourcing, the liberty of pension stripping, the liberty of dismantling labor laws, all at the expense of the American public. Now, our government may not be in such contemplation of sound and well informed judgment, but that usually stems from those who espouse this type of anti-people rhetoric.

"...and that a dangerous ambition more often lurks behind the specious mask of zeal for the rights of the people, than under the forbidding appearances of zeal for the firmness and efficiency of government."
                       The dangerous ambition that hides behind each cry for more individual freedoms behind the facade of 'the people' is in essence a contradiction. By weakening the firmness of government, by dismantling it, by tearing apart social safety nets, by limiting the government's reach in preventing unethical business practices all work together in hindering your liberty to an economic livelihood that can support you and your family. Your liberties are in turn squashed, for if there is no standard of living, what is the sense in being free? How free are you really when you can't feed your kids, or give your kids a quality education, or if you even want to get sick but can't afford to get sick? What type of liberty is that? Hamilton here is trying to show the connection between what is appealing about this movement for the people, and how easily it is to paint an ugly picture for those who enthuse about the government's firmness and efficiency- essentially, it is much easier to demonize those who support the government than those who oppose it. Those who support it support it because they know it is supposed to be the protector of injustice, the defender of liberty, and the barricade between corruption in the business world. When Tea partiers get what they want and they water down legislation to do little but nothing to restrain these seemingly huge and manipulative business entities, the people who then supported the government now oppose it, because it is no longer doing what it was intended to do; to protect you. It's the recruiting method terrorists use; dismantle the government, weaken the government, make it impossible to operate, and therefore it not only legitimizes your former point, it now lends credibility to your movement as the viable alternative. The only difference between terrorists in other countries is that they use bombs to expose this manufactured truth, these insurgents use words and invectives to cement theirs.
  
"...History will teach us, that the former has been found a much more certain road to the introduction of despotism, than the latter, and that of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career, by paying an obsequious court to the people... commencing demagogues, and ending tyranny."
                          This is why our founding fathers were so smart; they studied history. They understood what preceded them and what the consequences were to their actions. They understood that a weak and de-centralized government in fact created chaos, facilitated factions, invited foreign influence, and dispersed animosity domestically. The repression of liberties were most often conducted by those who courted or appealed to the people. They commenced demagogues and proposed ending tyranny. Rather, they wanted only to further themselves, their movement, and their glory. This is what these forces seek to do, either consciously or unconsciously.



With all this said we can draw the differences between what the Tea Party claims to be, and what the Tea Party is. They love to cite the founding fathers as their inspiration for their grassroots movement. Instead, the founding fathers predicted the rise of a movement like this, and firmly opposed it's principles. It's ironic the patriotism, the love of liberty and freedom has the adverse effect of repressing said liberties. Hamilton and the founding fathers knew the key to a functional republic that can ensure security and liberty for it's citizens was through a strong central government, that was held accountable by the people, and was put to the test through checks and balances and judicial review. Instead, the opposition want to simplify it to 'more liberty!' and 'no taxes!' to court the people into their seemingly noble love for this country. If they really loved this country, they would understand that they are not the only ones in it. Their incessant cries for liberty at the expense of the government's strength actually contradicts itself, leading to a weak national government that has no way to defend itself against external manipulative forces. For strict constitutionalists and country-loving Americans, they should really do their homework, instead of in naive gestures claim liberty for all; that's what the government is for, to claim liberty for all. Hamilton knew this, the founding fathers knew this, and it's apparent that they don't know this.


-Protest for Democracy

Soon to come; What the founding fathers said about Corporate regulation, and Corporate dominance in our political process. 

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Republicans Propose Every Bill Possible to Socially Engineer American Society... But Not One Jobs Bill.

When the 2010 midterm elections came around, there was tension was in the air. Democrats, Republicans, Tea Partiers, Progressives and Independents were all disappointed and extremely frightened by America's future prospect. Unemployment wouldn't budge from a stubborn 9.8%, the stimulus passed by President Obama seemed lackluster and diluted to a point where it had little to no effect except to keep us stagnant, and the Democrats in congress seemed to have no real direction or vision with the exception of Health Care Reform and Wall ST. regulation. 

This lack of leadership led to a huge victory for the minority that is right wing conservatives who capitalized on the country's fears, anger, and resentment. By appealing to angry voters that wanted some sort of change to the less than effective policies passed by Democrats in the house, Tea Party members and Republicans were able to gain control of the house, picking up a total of 63 seats. This was the largest loss of seats by any political party in the house since 1938. 

The cause for this? The voters wanted change. They wanted a party in the house that would propose a jobs bill, make government smaller, lower taxes, and free up business give it the leeway needed to hire and expand. The expectations of the incoming Tea Party members was nothing less than high from their supporters who saw them as a staunch opponent to the progressive president who to them was nothing more than a 'socialist' looking to control and regulate business.

All sounds good and happy. If you were to fill in the blanks without knowing what happens next, you would imagine President Obama would have backpedaled a bit, gave some concessions, allowed more conservative ideas into his policies, and eventually a jobs bill which both sides would have supported would have been proposed, passed, signed, and executed.

Wait, this didn't happen? Oh yeah, what happened next was by far the most dysfunctional, incoherent, and downright destructive thing to ever happen to Congress. Tea Partiers wouldn't budge an inch, wouldn't allow themselves to agree on a single thing Obama proposed, and even signed a pledge to Norquist's American's for Tax Reform that said that they wouldn't under any circumstance raise taxes by even a penny.

Wiggle room non-existent? We know. This led to the most chaotic year and a half in our Congress this country has ever seen. This led to the horrible and ineffective debt 'deal' (deal, if that's what you want to call it) where there was a puny $2 trillion in spending cuts and absolutely no new tax revenues, not even from the top 1% of this country. 

And where are these spending cuts coming from? The average American's pocket for education, health care, and infrastructure. Where isn't it coming from? Corporations, the wealthy, hedge fund managers, financiers, the banks, you name it. They actually have been defended by House Republicans through their vetoing of legislation which would ensure the closing of tax loopholes. They even forced Obama to extend the Bush tax cuts which any economist will tell you has had no effect on the economy what so ever except to deplete the government's treasury and enrich the rich even further.

So what have Republican house leaders been doing? There certainly hasn't been 1 jobs bill proposed. They have been busy doing other things, like right-wing social engineering. They have taken the time out of their days not to fight for your economic livelihood like you elected them to do; they've been looking to control your social lives through government interference and regulation. Ironic? The party of 'smaller government' loves smaller government; unless it's in the metaphoric bedroom. They have been working on repealing gun safety legislation, enforcing and enhancing strict regulations on abortion, fighting against unions (you know, the groups that fight for your job), limiting a woman's reproductive rights and even nonsense birther legislation.

None of this has anything to do with the unemployment rate in this country. Not one of these bills will help any of us what so ever. The only thing these bills do is to further an ideological and morally righteous standpoint in which they want to impose on all of us. So let's take a look at the bills house Republicans have been working on over the past year and a half, and let's see how many of them actually help you get a job in today's tough economy...



Source:

30 Pieces Of Legislation That Republicans Are Using To Destroy America

http://www.politicususa.com/en/30-republican-legislation


Women’s Reproductive Rights vdf

 

o    Rep. George Lavender, R-Texarkana, has proposed a bill (House Bill 2988) that would prevent any abortion except in cases of rape, incest or the life of the mother.
o    In Georgia, a bill (SB 209) sponsored by Sen. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, would close all abortion clinics in the state and require abortions to be performed in hospitals
o    South Dakota wants to require “spiritual” counseling (House Bill 1217) at religious centers before allowing an abortion to take place
o    The Texas State House of Representatives has passed the Sonogram Bill (HB 15), a measure requiring women to get a sonogram before ending a pregnancy, forcing even victims of rape to have an ultrasound probe inserted into their uteruses at least 24 hours before the procedure.
o    Georgia State Representative Bobby Franklin has introduced a bill that would not only make abortion illegal but would make miscarriages illegal.
o    South Dakota flirted with a law to make the murder of an abortion doctor legal as self-defense
o    When South Dakota was forced to drop the idea of murdering abortion doctors, Nebraska and Iowa picked up the idea
o    Indiana (House Bill 1210) wants to force doctors to lie to women about abortion causing breast cancer despite medical evidence to the contrary in order to discourage women from having abortions
o    Arguing that it is “morally wrong to take the tax dollars of millions of pro-life Americans and use them to fund organizations that provide and promote abortions,” Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind, introduced a bill (HR 217) in the U.S. House of Representatives to strip Planned Parenthood of federal funding, despite the many other services Planned Parenthood provides to both men and women, including contraception and STD testing
o    Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” (HR 3) that would limit the rape exemption for abortion to “forcible rape” which would have defined many rapes, for example, statutory rape of a minor, as non-forcible and therefore not covered by federal assistance
o    Representative Joe Pitts (R-PA) introduced a bill (HR 358) would allow states to deny insurance coverage for birth control meaning hospitals could deny abortion procedures and transport to a facility that would provide a woman with an abortion even if failure to provide an abortion would mean the death of the woman 

Marriage Equality/Anti-Gay Agenda

To demonstrate how serious the GOP is about depriving a segment of Americans of their constitutional rights, conservative activist Alan Caruba called Obama’s DOMA decision an act of “societal suicide” in a column titled, “America’s Gay White House.” So the equality guaranteed by the Constitution is societal suicide?
o    The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives wants to defend DOMA (the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act) in court despite the unconstitutionality of the law according to the DOJ’s own review. As Nancy Pelosi has asked John Boehner, how much will that cost?

Birthers/Anti-Obama Legislation

o    In Tennessee, state Sen. Mae Beavers has introduced SB 1091, a bill that would require presidential candidates to present a “long-form” birth certificate in order to be on the ballot in that state. Nearly a dozen states have had similar anti-Obama legislation aimed at making President Obama a one-term president, including – unsurprisingly – Arizona – as well as Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Connecticut, Indiana, Nebraska, Tennessee, Montana, and Maine. Mae Beavers admits she has no idea what a “long-form” birth certificate even is. She “hasn’t looked into it yet.” Keep in mind, all these proposals will cost the taxpayers money at a time when the GOP claims we’re too poor to even educate our children.

Unions and Collective Bargaining/War on Middle Class

This is more than an attack on unions, teachers, the public sector and collective bargaining and it is far from being the budget/deficit issue Republicans claim.It is, as Noam Chomsky writes, an attack on democracy itself.
o    In Georgia a new bill (HB 385) would raise taxes on things like Girl Scout Cookies, groceries and gasoline but would lower tax rates on corporate income, from 6 percent this year to just 4 percent in 2014
o    Republicans voted to end a program “that helped low-income families weatherize their homes and permanently reduce their energy bills”
o    A Tea Party-led movement is afoot to attack collective bargaining and public sector pay as responsible for our nation’s economic woes even though the problem is clearly Wall Street. Fights are going on in several Republican-controlled states:
§  Ohio
§ Iowa
§  Indiana
§  Florida
§  Pennsylvania

Immigration

o    Texas Department of Agriculture sets up border vigilante website to promote and support (sometimes violent) vigilantism
o    In Texas, more than 60 anti-immigration bills have been filed this legislative session including  requiring birth certificates to enroll in public schools and allowing police officers to act as immigration agents 

Child Labor Laws

o    Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah said that Congressional laws banning child labor are forbidden by the US Constitution despite the fact that the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court in 1941 (United States v. Darby Lumber). (A similar movement is underway in Missouri where State Sen. Jane Cunningham (R) has introduced a bill [S.B. 222] to minimize child labor laws)

Islamophobia

o    Islamophobia has become institutionalized in the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives as Rep. Peter King (R – N.Y.), is begins his McCarthy-esque “investigation of radical Islam” 

Environment/Health

o    Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives kills climate committee, the Select Committee on Global Warming
o    Oppose energy saving light bulbs citing the evils of government interference. In a case of Republican cannibalism, Republican lawmakers want to repeal a 2007 U.S. law (signed by President George W. Bush) which phases out the old incandescent light bulbs in favor of alternative energy-saving bulbs (that use 25%-30% less energy than standard incandescent). With typical ignorance of the facts, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) blames the Obama Administration
o    Senator Rand Paul blames the administration and the Department of Energy for the fact that his toilet doesn’t work, telling Energy Department official Kathleen Hogan that it’s her fault (the EPA says if we replaced our old toilets we “could save nearly 2 billion gallons per day across the country—that’s nearly 11 gallons per toilet in your home every day”
o    Republicans in the House (House CR or continuing resolution) voted to cut $1.6 billion from the National Institutes of Health or NIH (5% below the president’s 2011 request and $638 million, or 2%, below current levels), which would do untold damage to cancer research and probably result in cuts to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s research, and cause job losses.
o    The Republicans launch a stealth attack on endangered species, showing they love animals at least as much as the middle class.
o    The House Judiciary Committee is looking at the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act (H.R. 10), a bill that would undermine the public protections most crucial to our health, safety, environment and economy

Education

o    In Frederick County, Maryland, the Board of County Commissioners voted to end the county’s contribution to Head Start, cutting funding for the program by more than 50 percent. Two of the Republican officials justified their decision by arguing that women should be married and staying at home with their kids, which would make the program unnecessary.
o    House Republicans voted to cut Pell Grants, that help middle class kids go to college, by 25%
o    Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has proposed to cut teacher pay by 12 percent to 20 percent
o    Saying that the country is broke and we need to tighten our belts, Senate Republicans vote to cut the Head Start budget by $2 billion, or nearly a quarter of President Obama’s $8.2 billion 2011 budget request (the program’s current funding is $7.2 billion) but voted to continue $4 billion worth of subsidies to Big Oil (Exxon, etc). Exxon’s profits went up 53% in the last quarter of 2010. The Head Start funding cut will have the following effects:
§  218,000 children from low income families will lose Head Start/Early Head Start services;
§  16,000 Head Start/Early Head Start classrooms will close;
§  55,000 Head Start/Early Head Start teachers and staff will lose their jobs;
§  150,000 low-income families and their children will lose assistance in paying for child care.


 Can you spy with your little eye how many of these bills had anything to do with jobs except their own jobs next election cycle in their hardline conservative districts? 0. Zero. 0. and Zero. We want jobs, and we want it now. We can't weaken unions, they not only help ensure the economic stability of their own members, but those around them. It's a proven fact that in states that have unions, private workers and union members are on average paid a much better wage than in states that ban unions and collective bargaining.



So there you have it. The assault on democracy begins with your individual freedom to get an abortion, get a good education, collective bargaining at your job, be an American Muslim, be an American immigrant, be gay, be a non-white president, or even the right to breathe clean air. But hey, you can still keep your guns, maybe even bring them to a bar!




-Protest for Democracy

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Protest for Democracy Flyers are Ready to be Distributed!

We are distributing flyers anywhere and everywhere we can. We hope that you'll do the same to help support this protest. Hang them wherever you find fit- high traffic areas, telephone poles, light poles, street signs, a store, anywhere and everywhere somebody may see it. We made three different flyers all fit for different types of areas. Below are the flyers and the suitable areas to hang them up. To print them out, just right click the image and save, it should be large enough for your printer to print.  Thanks for the support, and let's move to bring democracy to our political process.




This flyer is suitable for most areas. Telephone poles, light poles, high traffic areas. The font is large enough to see from a car and detailed enough that somebody from afar can see the message.



This flyer is good for areas that only people from afar will see it. Busy roads, highways, intersections, places people don't walk. It's bold, clear, and to the point.




This flyer is good only for areas where people can stop and read it. Street corners, storefronts, any area where there is a high amount of pedestrian traffic.


 


Saturday, August 13, 2011

Americans For Prosperity Accused Of Voter Suppression In Wisconsin Recall Elections



Americans For Prosperity Accused Of Voter Suppression In Wisconsin Recall Elections

Source: Huffington Post





First Posted: 8/3/11 12:10 PM ET Updated: 8/3/11 12:48 PM ET 



             Americans for Prosperity, the conservative advocacy group backed by billionaires Charles and David Koch, has been accused of attempting to suppress Democratic voter turnout in the Wisconsin Senate recall elections.
             Patch.com reported that Charles Shultz, a Democrat who lives in the 10th Senate District, received an absentee ballot application form last week from AFP that contained incorrect information on it. The form instructed him to mail it back to the wrong location by Aug. 11 -- two days after the recall election in his district between Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R) and Shelly Moore (D) is set to take place, on Aug. 9.
             Politico obtained a copy of the AFP mailer, which was also distributed to voters in the 2nd District. The Wisconsin Democratic Party filed a formal complaint Tuesday with the state's Government Accountability Board over the issue, accusing AFP of "falsely representing the time frame" for the upcoming August 9 recall election. Shultz filed his own complaint with the GAB on Saturday.
             AFP may also be getting involved in the increasingly heated ad wars that have been leading up to the recall elections. According to One Wisconsin Now, AFP has reportedly purchased over $150,000 in television ad time in the Green Bay, Madison and Milwaukee areas.
A spokesperson for Americans for Prosperity did not respond when asked for comment on the purchase, but One Wisconsin Now, a non-profit statewide progressive communications network, says the ad buy appears to be an effort to help the six Republican state Senators who were challenged by recall elections after supporting Governor Scott Walker's anti-collective bargaining legislation in early 2011.
            Scot Ross, the Executive Director of One Wisconsin Now, said at least one of the AFP-backed ads will air in support of two Republicans, Sen. Luther Olsen (District 14) and Sen. Robert Cowles (District 2). The group has also confirmed a $90,000 AFP ad buy in District 12, currently represented by Sen. Jim Holperin, a Democrat who is being recalled.
Walker's legislation -- which eliminated collective bargaining and other rights for public employees and forced state workers to start paying more for their pensions and health care benefits -- prompted voters to stage mass protests and led to nine total recall elections.
             Six Republicans and two Democrats are still trying to keep their seats. One Democrat, Sen. Dave Hansen, fended off a challenge from Republican David VanderLeest in July. If Democrats pick up a total of three new seats in the recall elections, their party will retake control of the Senate and gain an increased amount of influence over Walker's budget legislation.
             Spending on the recall elections, much of which is coming from outside groups, is expected to top $20 million. Sen. Alberta Darling, a Republican facing a challenge from Assemblymember Sandy Pasch, is on track to set the record for the most money spent by a state Senate candidate in Wisconsin, having already put more than $600,000 toward her recall effort.
             Americans for Prosperity has a history of backing Wisconsin Republicans. The organization previously paid for an ad entitled "Stand With Scott Walker," showing its support for the governor's budget-cutting plan and blaming President Barack Obama for the February protests in the state.
            The group also sponsored "Wisconsin Freedom Phonebanks" at the RightOnline Conference in June, in which conservative activists called voters to "get the pulse of the community."
Gov. Walker's ties to the Kochs -- billionaire brothers who are behind the second-largest privately owned company in the United States -- have caused controversy in the past, particularly after an incident where a man believed to be Walker made controversial statements to Ian Murphy, editor of the news site the Buffalo Beast, as Murphy pretended to be David Koch.
             In light of the continual protests and recall elections, Walker admitted to making mistakes during his rocky first term but still defended his policy choices. He acknowledged that his controversial budget-cutting decisions could make it hard for Republicans to prevail in the August recall elections.
            "If the Republican candidates are outspent two to one, it's pretty difficult," Walker told Reuters about the recall effort, adding that the party will have a better chance of prevailing "if things end up being relatively even and the message gets out."
            This article has been updated to include additional information about advertising purchased by Americans for Prosperity.




Protest for Democracy's assessment?

                This is EXACTLY what is working to destroy our democracy. Republicans want to claim 'voter fraud' when it comes to minorities and students voting, but will work with subversive groups and the Koch brothers to suppress the vote? We can not let this keep happening. We can not turn a blind eye, we can not sit idly and let them silence our votes in favor of theirs. Spread the word; Protest for Democracy is here.