A New American Dream: A post in the memory of Seth Walsh and Tyler Clementi

I have posted several times since I’ve started this blog that I am pro-LGBT.  I believe that everyone should be able to be who they are.  No one else should be able to tell you who you are.  That is up to you and what you identify as.  That is your business and anyone who disagrees can mind their own business.  However, our society it is enforcing this idea that these brave people who are willing to stand up for who they are…are less than the rest of us.  They can’t fight for our country openly, they can’t get married and they are seen as ‘immoral’ and ‘abominations’ by the religious right and a lot of politicians.  Sometimes, these people who are just trying to be who they are end up losing their lives due to the pressure they are under to be what society wants them to be.

This month…we have two people have made the news due to suicides because of this kind of mindset.  Two people who were just trying to live like everyone else bullied and treated poorly for who they are and now they are no longer with us.  Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old boy from California and 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, a freshmen at Rutgers.

Seth Walsh was just a boy who happened to be gay.  Seth being gay should have been regarded as anything else about a person like having brown hair or blue eyes or a birth mark.  It should have been just another descriptive thing about a person with no bearing on how that person should be treated.  However, the taunting reached a point where on September 19^th this 13-year-old took a rope and hung himself.  He was in a coma until Tuesday when he died.  A person of the age of 13 who has sorted out a part of who they are and was willing to be open about it should have been something that was supported and appreciated.  How many people live most of their lives trying to sort that out?  And yet now he is no longer with us.

Tyler Clementi was a victim of two people’s intolerance that directly lead to his suicide.  A freshman living with Dharun Ravi, he asked his roommate if he could have the bedroom to himself so that he could have some privacy.  Dharun agreed like any good roommate would, but instead of giving him his privacy he and Molly Wei first recorded him having sex and posted about it on Twitter as if it was a joke.  He then tweeted two days later “Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12.  Yes it’s happening again.”  This breach of privacy and public outing of his roommate led to his suicide and I very much hope he gets the highest penalty the court can give him.

And now a school chimes in on this act.  A transgender teen, Oakleigh "Oak" Reed, has been stripped of his homecoming king title even though he was legitimately voted it by his classmates.  Comparatively, it is not as big a deal as two people dying, but the issue is still the same.  A school deciding that because he was registered a girl, he is still a girl.  HE is whatever HE wishes to be.

When the idea to post about this came about, a good friend of mine brought up that the movie The Virginity Hit has come out and since then a girl was secretly taped having sex (I could not find that article) and now this Rutger student has been killed because he could not handle being outed in a world that does not welcome who he is.  The fact that a movie that by a lot of accounts was not good has brought about these happenings shows how people don’t think about what they are doing to one another.  These people who do these things don’t care about consent, privacy or another person’s right to have sex without an audience.  However, what hurts me the most is that someone lost their life because of this.

When I read about this, my mind automatically went to a zine a friend of mine posted on facebook yesterday.  I read it and it resonated with me because it’s true.  Our society that is hostile towards LGBT is the gear that starts this turning.  It is the reason why these two people are dead and it’s sickening.

You only need to go to queersecrets and read about people who are trapped in a society that does not accept them.  There are positive messages there and on the inside I cheer for them.  Not because I am queer, but because I want everyone to be happy with who they are damn it.  That should be the American dream.  Not this man/wife/1.2 kids/white picket fence bullshit.  It should be being happy with who you are regardless of what that means as long as you are not getting in the way of someone else who should be busy trying to do the same thing.

Rumors of our Demise are Greatly Exaggerated

"Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy."  Sun Tzu

It’s funny that the thing that catches the headlines today about the democrats is that we are all disillusioned, hopeless and losing this battle for the senate.  I tend to disagree.  Am I a little disillusioned with the Obama Administration?  I am to a degree, but it does not have anything to do with what you would think it would.

      My issue revolves around a few key points: 

       1.   There are still people in prisons in other countries that are run by the military.  

       2.       There is still such a thing as the Patriot Act. 

       3.       Net Neutrality has not been focused on.

       4.       Mercs still serving in the Middle East. 

The rest of my issues lie firmly in the hands of the Congress.  Gay marriage, don’t ask don’t tell, the bush tax cuts, healthcare for 9/11 workers, better health care provisions and all those other promises are things I blame on Congress.  Why?  Because the strategy of the Democrats has been let’s ask for what we want and see what we get…while the Republicans have straight up said no to everything the administration has said they want to do.

Am I a bit frustrated with the Obama Administration for not playing intelligent politics?  Yes I am.  I’m very frustrated with it and yet I don’t give up hope.  I don’t give up hope because the administration still advocates for a lot of my beliefs.  They speak for me more than the Tea Party does…more than the republicans do as a whole.  I won’t give up hope because in the end hope is all we have.  Without hope, how can we believe things will get better?  Even if we are wrong and our hope is false…what else do we have in days where people can’t even find jobs?  

I stand by hope because in this system that’s all we have.  And I hope that others will stand by that as well.  Because if we give up hope they will take over.  And I swear if my significant other was raped and became pregnant…tea party or not…I will not force her to take it to term.

Banned Books Week

I considered posting about one of the thousands of news articles today that got under my skin, however I figured I would post about banned books.

I fell in love with banned books when a certain high school teacher of mine taught a college level class where the only thing we read were banned books.  This ended up being my favorite class of my high school career.  My teacher is still to this day one of my favorites.  Passionate, articulate and ever probing deeper into our minds so that we could truly appreciate the literature in front of us while peppering each class with tidbits of her love for Mel Gibson (before he went crazy) and quoting things such as Martha Stewart ‘it’s a good thing’ before she went bad.  She is one of the people that when I go back to visit my high school I make it a point to go see her.  

I learned that people fear books.  Not the books themselves because it is foolish to be afraid of a book.  There are only 2 reasons to fear a book.  1.  You fear the wisdom or knowledge that book spreads or 2. You fear that the person wielding it is going to beat the utter hell out of you with it.

This was the beginning of my love affair with books.  As a kid I never really liked reading…but it was the idea that these books had something in them that people feared that drew me deeper into it.  Since then I have had a bit of a love affair with literature.  Remembering the first book I fell in love with, the first book that made me truly cry, the first book that scared the living SHIT out of me, and the first book that I truly felt enlightened after I finished it.  Each of these journeys I cherish deep in my heart and never want to let go.  It is reasons like this that not only should books not be banned but people should be encouraged to read things that will take them out of their everyday lives and thrust them into something different.  They should read things that interest them and even push themselves to read something they normally wouldn’t.  

And I’m not sure if you’re reading this right now and I certainly hope you are.  But you are an amazing educator and I wish you the best!

So, while you are off witch hunting I will be tending to the rabbits.  Make sure to pay attention when you drive and never forget your first raft ride down river with you good friend Jim.

That's our Ann! *Insert canned sitcom laughter here*

Sadly, this is not a joking matter.  This past weekend was Homocon in NYC, a summit for Conservative Gays run by GOProud.  On the guest list was none other than Ann Coulter!

Because that can only end well.

Instead of discussing economics and other politics she rallied right in on gay marriage!  Railing against the idea of two people of the same gender starting a family and...here is the kicker...they are not protected to this right because they are not black!

That's right folks!  She ACTUALLY used the argument that because gays were not all black they were not protected by the 14th amendment because that amendment is..."for the blacks"!  In the real world where the rest of us live, the 14th amendment has been used to defend people of other ethnic groups and even class as well [Hernandez v. Texas] already.  But leave it to an ultraconservative to rewrite history to fit their view of it.  If they repeat it enough people will assume it is the truth!  It's not.  It's a lie and it should not stand!

I am sick of people re-writing history because they think that it makes them right.  I hate it when people think they can just say whatever they want about what happened in our history and they think because they said it, it is INSTANTLY true and then will CONTINUE to lie about it.

On a lighter note!  It seems Florida has overturned its law regarding a ban on gay adoption!  Last Wednesday the Florida appeals court ruled, "There is no rational reason to prohibit all homosexuals from adopting children."  And I couldn't be happier.  This is just another step in a long battle for everyone to be equal...at least until the majority finds something else to hate.

Lightning Round!

Yes folks!  It's about that time once again!  It's about time for some SERIOUS Friday RAGE!

Can you do this kind of thing at work?  I know I can't!

It seems that recently a local news outlet found out that Detroit Chrysler workers were drinking and smoking weed on their lunch breaks before going back to make more cars!  We saved their jobs and these local guys caught 15 or so workers for 10 days total!

No sex for anyone.  Ever.

Ah, this person.  Christine O'Donnell in a clip from 2003 this time saying she is going to stop the entire country from having sex.  The statement itself is just stupid, however the fact that she is going to be trying to write laws that have an effect on my every day life bothers me.  The whole no abortion for rape victims or incest victims thing as well.

Stephen gives immigration the Colbert Bump!

In a speech that is as funny as it is serious, Stephen Colbert lends his voice to supporting acts that give immigrants the opportunity to become citizens through working at farms.  If you have not watched it yet it is absolutely worth your time!

Salt in the wound much?

So this police officer drives his car at 162 mph while texting, jumps a curb and kills 2 sisters and nearly kills 2 others.  He gets suspension WITH PAY for 2 years and now wants to get paid for getting hurt on the job...when HE IS THE ONE WHO DID IT!  It's insane he got 2 years of suspension of any kind instead of MANSLAUGHTER for killing 2 people like anyone else would have.

They are coming to take me away!  Haha!!

A Democratic Congresswoman said recently that the Vietnamese and Republicans are trying to take he seat in congress.  This is positively insane and offensive to her republican opponent who is Vietnamese.  Her campaign says that she meant the Vietnamese community that is backing her opponent but if that is true it was a great way for her to put her foot in her mouth!

FOR THE LAST TIME IT IS NOT A MOSQUE!

Ok, here is yet another bullshit islamaphobic statement...this time by Renee Ellmers!  A republican congressional candidate.  They are saying that the 'Terrorists' are building a victory mosque over there.  This kind of thinking is only going to make things worse abroad for us.  It seems as one president tries to better international politics his people are hell bent on fucking it up for him!

A farce by any other name would still be as rediculous.

Small business.  I don't know about you, but when I think about small business a few particular places come to mind.  Down the hill from my high school there is a small family owned deli that after school I would walk down there with friends and have a sandwich before walking back for play practice or whatever FFA practice I was there for that day.  I think about The Zombean, a zombie themed coffee house in Liberty, NY that is owned and operated by two very good friends of mine.  I think about the little corner stores that littered my main street in the small town I grew up in.  However, today I found out that when politicians talk of small businesses, they are not talking about what would be commonly considered 'small'.  Filing as a small business, as far as taxes go, is based on how many OWNERS you have for a company.  This flies in the face of what I think when I hear small business.  It isn't based on the number of locations, employees or net profit.  It's as painful as it is hilarious to me because...I feel for it.

How could I have guessed that 'small' didn't mean SMALL?!  I feel as insulted as I do foolish for believing what it means.  I know small business owners and even though I could smell the bullshit and I still think the bush tax cuts should go I honestly thought that certain family owned businesses could benefit from the low taxes.  Not businesses that are making  millions of dollars, but money to make The Zombean a financially strong shop.  That that little deli would be able to keep a little money to maybe pave a small parking lot even.  They could use another local small business to do that and everyone would be better off.  But this play on words is damaging to the average American because there is no way we could know something like this and that is what they are counting on!

Money talks and bullshit...continues to make an effort.

Ya know...it's funny how the RNC insists they are focused on fiscal responsibility.  They always say how the government is busy spending all of our money on things we don't need and that they are the only way to get on the right track.  This when the RNC itself is broke as hell.  They say that they can get the economy on the right track when they can't even keep hold of their own funds!  Undoubtedly caused by expenditures such as the bondage club scandal that made them look like utter fools, especially in front of their anti-gay supporters.  It is these sorts of things that leads me to believe that the things will only get worse if the republicans take over the senate.

SPEAKING of the senate race, we have one Tea Party candidate in some trouble over her expenditure of campaign funds.  Wow, a right wing female misusing funds.  There is no precedent for that at all, right?  Yeah, the party that says they are the saving grace for this country as far as money is concerned is broke and bleeding money due to the political scandal of someone running for Vice President.

In a somewhat predictable move, it seems that Christine O'Donnell won't even do national interviews anymore and will stick to local town halls and interviews.  Will that make her safe from the likes of Bill Maher who is holding her hostage with the years of her being on Politically Incorrect?  I really don't think so.  However, now that she has refused to do national interviews I am finding myself excited to see what he will do next.

Before any of you say it, I know I'm beating a dead horse with this O'Donnell thing but its like I say on a fairly regular basis.

I'll stop laughing when it stops being funny.

Don’t ask, don’t tell and gay marrage: How are civil rights still losing in the modern era?

In the year 2000, all household chores will do themselves due to modern convenience, we will all have flying cars, you can wash out your living room with a garden hose and robots will cut everyone’s hair.  Everyone will be equal and everyone will be employed!

It’s sad how the picture for our modern era is nothing like the modern era we find ourselves in.  No flying cars, the economy trying to fight back through unemployment and underemployment and I don’t even have a robot best friend.  However, that is not what frustrates me the most.  What frustrates me is that after all of this time we are still playing the game of us VS them.  People continue to think that their religion gives them the right to subjugate someone else.  There was the religious argument that slavery was OK because Africans were animals and thus could be put to work.  There was the religious argument that interracial relations in the United States were unnatural for pretty much the same reason.  The religious argument that women should GTF back to the kitchen and be unable to vote because they have to SERVE men instead of getting involved in the business of men.  However, even though all of these things have been passed and made law and are common now, we forget how those lessons mean today.  And due to this, the bill trying to remove the horrible policy of don’t ask, don’t tell is under threat of being filibustered.

People believe that due to Leviticus 18:22 in the Old Testament it gives them the right to say being homosexual or bisexual is an abomination.  However, they ignore that shellfish is an abomination in the same book of the old testament, that if your child curses you they should be put to death or have their eyes gouged out by ravens or both.  However, the argument they use is that some parts of the bible are ‘out of date’ and since homosexuality is something they are uncomfortable with then CLEARLY the bible still means that part.

The bible can be used as a tool to help people and to assist them to find God.  I think any religion that helps people find love and joy is a beautiful thing as long as they don’t harm anyone else in the process.  However, people in congress are rallying behind this idea that they can pick and chose what parts of their religion they want to worship is and ignore the parts that they don’t’ care about.  They have no right to say that being a homosexual is wrong.  They have no right to pass judgment on someone else based on a book they read and believe in.

While I’m on the topic: Christine O’Donnell actually said that you can, in fact, legislate morality(VIDEO).  For those of you just tuning in, Christine O'Donnell is running for Senate out of Delaware and I some choice things to say about her in a former post.  This is another religious fallacy that I cannot stand.  Your morality is not the same as the rest of the worlds so you can’t impose what YOU think is moral on anyone else.  There are people who are in open relationships, open marriages, polygamists (outside of religion as well as within), and there are people who are transgendered and even those who consider themselves asexual and there is nothing wrong with any of it because who are you to tell them they are wrong?  Isn’t the American dream…in reality…being happy just as you are?

It's over? We'll tell you when it's over.

Over?  We’ll tell you when it’s over.

Hey everyone!  I had a fantastic weekend and I hope all my readers had the same!  Especially when we all can wake up to such refreshing news!  In case you missed it the mission is accomplished!  Finally, the longest recession since World War II, lasting 18 months, is finally OVER!  That’s right.  It’s over.  Over.  You know, as in the economy is beginning to bounce back and everything is going to be OK.

I call bullshit.

With unemployment so high and so many people homeless, in debt or jobless I refused to believe that the recession is over.  There are a few things that will make me accept this to be the truth:

1.        Job creation goes up.  We need unemployment to go down so that people can make a living wage.  We also need to get skilled workers to the jobs they are trained to do instead of working retail or flipping burgers for income. (It’s great they can get jobs at all, but we need to do better)

2.       The foreclosure rate drops drastically.  We need to get people the funds they need in order to take care of their family.

3.       The stock market maintains an upward trend.

And these are just the basic things we need in order for us to have faith in our economy again.  I want to believe that everything is just going to be ok.  I want to believe that this is the start of a better economy…but we need to wait and see what happens.  Saying that everything is going to just be OK is premature and to be honest….   Bullshit.

Do I think the things the Obama Administration has done good to create a climate for a better economy?  Yes I do.  Do I think there is a possibility we will get better in the coming months?  Yes I do.  Do I think saying it's over makes the effects of it cease?  Not at all.

LIGHTNING ROUND FRIDAY!

Since it is Friday and I will most likely not post  until Monday, I’m going to highlight a few things that really are frustrating me today so I can spend a weekend getting frustrated so I have something new to post on Monday!

Round 1:  Islamaphobia in our classrooms:

It looks like the people who write our text books are at it again!  After some insane changes to textbooks early in the year including removing enlightened thinking, the separation of church and state, remove information on McCarthyism and refusing to teach kids about being transgendered they now believe that history has a slant that is anti-Christian and specifically pro Muslim and should be reviewed.  It's fantastic to know that even our children will learn how it is ok to be unfair to people of a religion as long as they aren't Christians!

Round 2: If you can’t take the heat, don’t worry about it!

Sarah Palin had some advice for Christine O’Donnell l regarding what to do about getting her word out!  Just go to fox news where they will most likely give her fluff pieces that she can easily talk through without actually having to answer any real questions.  Oh, and to not listen to their handlers.  Don't forget that.  Because that worked out SO well for Sarah.  I will give Bill O’ some credit though, he had some really good back and forth with her about the Tea Party movement and these elections.

Round 3: Stop!  Pope time!

So it seems a number of people did not take kindly to the Pope showing up to the UK, especially after all that child abuse!  6 people were arrested on suspicion of terrorism linked to some sort of attempt on the Popes life, no doubt.

Round 4: This one’s for the Atheists!

It seems a group of Hindus have come up to bat for those who do not believe!  The Pope denounced atheists in a speech and in general and Hindus have come up to bat saying no one has the right to pass judgment of another human being based on their beliefs.   Way to go!

Round 5:  We caught one!  Oh…we lost it again….

It appears a rare Asian animal has been captured…right up until it died in captivity.  The good news is that they now know the area where these Saola live so they can work to try and preserve its habitat.

FINAL ROUND: Racist gets what he deserves...oh...and he's a GP strategist.

Former Senator Al D'Amato (R-NY) lets GOP strategist Jack Burkman have it after saying that people working for the United States Postal Service.  He opens by saying "most of these guys working in the Post Office should be driving cabs, and I think we should stop importing labor from Nigeria and Ethiopia. That's the skill level"!  D'Amato comes around and lets him have it!  It's beautiful!

How the democrats could screw this up: A Complete F****** Disasterscape

Just in case you missed it, Jon Stewart had a few choice words about a certain Tea Party candidates who SHOULD have no chance of winning their respective races in New York and Delaware.  The candidate running for NY is self explanatory...it's bestiality and racism.  I'm not sure who HE is spending time with, but I don't usually get emails containing bestiality and porn..  Not only do the candidates seem like complete train wrecks, especially considering the masturbation situation is not the only issue Christine O'Donnell has.  She starts saying there are weekly school shootings and the 60's started the transfer of aids at 7:10, uses sexist language by stating that someone running against her was using tactics she deems 'unmanly' and tells him it is not a 'bake off',  states that God heals people but the outstanding medical bills are not Gods problem, and not to mention that we are a socialist economy because 50% of our economy is run by our government and the health care bill makes it a 100% done deal!

Now, will the democrats fuck up what should be an easy deal to seal?  I sincerely hope not, however it is possible.  And if it is going to happen, I know exactly how they are going to do it.

The republican party has been focusing on just the economy.  Why?  Because people are pissed off about the economy!  It would be foolish for the republican party to argue about how the democrats plans are 'not working'.  I believe since this is going to happen, the democratic party is going to sit down and argue about how the economy is ACTUALLY working!  How they have done a lot to stop the hemorrhaging of jobs our country has been through while transfusing money into it to try to keep it alive.  However, that is not the best way to go about it because the people who actually will vote for the Tea Party won't actually buy that.

The democrats will then compound that by saying "oh lawl, you don't believe in whacking it" and will not focus on the social issues their views will heavily influence.  Thing like: Abortion, health care, unemployment benefits, LGBT rights and...(wait for it)...the rise of islamaphobia in this country.  They will completely ignore these things...things they should 100% POUND ON until moderate republicans and democrats will realize "Wow...those views are extreme.  I can't get behind that candidate."  It is about driving home how they would change our country socially that would avoid them screwing up a sure thing.

So, for those of you who want a recap:

1.  Democrats will focus on the losing argument of the economy
2.  Will not get past the childish name calling when they should delve deeper into social issues.

For now, we play the waiting game and see just how bad this will get.

Let them drink tea.

It would be foolish to discredit the tea party movement as a major force in politics today.  The movement to try and mold our government so it sticks strictly to the constitution and follows closely to what our founding fathers would have wanted is something I can even find myself appreciating.  However, there seems to be a number of serious disconnects in the group:

1.  The birther movement has joined together with the tea party movement as a way to find a political safe haven they could not find anywhere else.  Instead of being ignored, these extremist ideas are being thrust to the forefront of conversation.

2.  The idea that Obama is a socialist, or a nazi or a communist.  First of all, I know a number of socialists and they are frankly insulted by the insinuation that Obama is close to a socialist at all.  Nor is he a Nazi or a Communist.  The government does not run any private industry at all.*

3.  The idea that Obama wants to take all of the money out of your pocket and give it to the poor.  Seriously middle class?  Obama and the administration is trying to put more money into your pocket so that you can spend more to better the economy while taxing those who have more money than they will every truly need.  Yes, those are the people who 'make jobs' but they are not doing a good job of it considering how high our unemployment is.  You want the government to fix the deficit?  They need to tax someone.

4. This idea that our founding fathers wanted us to live in a religious nation.  Are you kidding me?  the documents written by founding fathers clearly state that they are against a purely christian nation considering that the people who sailed across the sea to get here came over here so they can worship whatever they want.  You could worship Ronald McDonald for all I care and you know what?  Good for you.  As long as you are not hurting anyone I couldn't care less.  I really couldn't.  Even if I tried.  Because of this, they are trying to force Christian fundamentalism into our laws, which is nonsense.

5.  There is a lot of racism that is feeding into the rallies.  It is said that it is just a fringe part of the group, but it is clearly not.  There are enough of racist and xenophobic people at these rallies and in the conversation that it is damaging the overall message.

6.  The misconception that Christians are being persecuted.  There has been 0 complaints about churches being built, Christian billboards or places selling only Christian products.  However, if Athiests decide they want to make a billboard it is deemd provocation and a 'finger in the eye?'  No, this is not the way things work in America.  There is a lot of talk about what you can do but shouldn't.  There has even been comparisons between building the community center (because it is not ACTUALLY A MOSQUE!) and burning the Quran and that they are equal.  Because doing something good for a community to try and bring peace between a nation and a religion is the same as burning a holy book of a religion. I  can bet you dollars to doughnuts that the moment a pile of bibles are burned at a Mosque shots will be fired.

7.  This focus on anyone who is not one of them is not a true American.  We are all Americans, we are all in the same boat and we are all trying to swim instead of sink in this current economic state.  This us or them mentality is the reason why congress is not getting anything done.  Instead of looking after us, they are looking out for themselves and that is selfish.  They don't care if we suffer.  They get PAID regardless if you do better or not.  I won't pretend I agree with the tea party.

It seems like the fringe is becoming main stream as well.  With a number of Tea Party members winning the recent primaries in a few states, it could cause a tide of Tea Party members reaching Congress or the House.  Now it is interesting to see how the Republicans in those states react to someone associated with this party running for office.

*part of this was removed due to a very good point made by a commenter.  Removed section: ( own any major industries and ))

Just the beginning

It's funny how one sentence can resonate so strongly within someone.  One idea can take someones passion and give it a voice.  I would just like to start out by thanking a good friend of mine for giving me the idea to put my rantings on a page.

We live in an incredibly heated and ineffective political climate.  It has been pointed out to me before that our government has always been this way and it is painful for me to watch politicians try to drown one another in failure for their own gain.  And what is even more painful is the toll it takes on my generation.  No jobs, no health care, no hope for recovery, no hope for a better life...it seems like we are walking forward into a darker world then the one we left and that is frightening.  There was once a time where parents could sit back and say 'At least my kids will be better off than I am' however that simply is not the case today!

And all of this stems from a political system where the people who know what they are doing are trying to grab power from those who seem to be squandering the gift that history has given them.  Politics today is about trying to force the country to believe the other guy is responsible for everything that has gone wrong instead of trying to step forward and fix it.  The Obama Administration is doing their best to change things however they seem to forget how haggling works.  You ask for everything you want and more, the other guy demands everything they want and more and you argue down to somewhere in the middle.  Instead, the Administration argues for exactly what they want or a little less and they end up losing footing and compromising on thing that their constituents refuse to agree is acceptable.

It's a sad state of affairs and I intend on doing my best to speak out about what is going on that is making things worse, what is being done to make things better and to highlight those who deserve praise or deserve to lose their jobs.

As citizens we are charged by our founding fathers to learn the truth and hold those in power to their word.  As patriots we are charged to eject politicians who go back on their word and find people who will do what they promised.  As human beings we are charged to do what we can for our fellow man.  This is a fatwa, a mandate that we can ignore or a banner we can wave in the hopes of a new day.

And most importantly, this is a war against those who would distort the truth and instead give light to deceptions.