Mitt Romney – Half Truths or Lies

Willard Romney, you are so eighties!

Let’s get something out of the way before I even start writing about Mitt Romney. I do not like this man…end of thought…..period. My main reason for this intense dislike is his lies.

Yes, I said it, lies. Not exaggerations or half-truths or forgetting of the facts. This man tells outright, bald-faced, get out your shovel cause its getting neck deep lies. 

Let me put it this way. if you or I  were asked questions about our actions at our job, we would be expected to answer with the truth, or at least be smart enough to give the same answer every time the question was asked. Mitt Romney gets out of being held to that same standard.

If you or I had an interview for a high powered, important job and we were asked about details of our past financial dealings, we would be expected to give answers clearly and accurately. If we could not or did not do that, we would be out of the running for our ‘dream’ job.

Mitt Romney changes what he says about subjects from one sentence to the next. He is for health care like the Obama  Plan and against it in the same breath. He is pro choice because it should be between a woman and her doctor what she does with her body. But he is pro life and thinks a zygote is a person at conception.

Listening to Romney is like watching a tennis match with only one participant. The player spends so much time running back and forth between ends of the court that all enjoyment or understanding of what they are doing is lost. They trample themselves in the coming and going so badly, nothing is gained and a lot of energy just goes to waste.

In my view, Mitt Romney has the same problem as other big banker, Wall Street, very rich person types. They have been kowtowed to so much and have gotten their way so easily that they think you are being foolish to ask them anything because they are right and they have spoken so that should be enough. No clarification beyond their spoken word is needed, even if they contradict themselves from one sentence to the next.

I also feel that Mitt Romney has a hard time dealing with the fact he is wealthy. Well, not really wealthy, he is probably better described as filthy rich. He deals with the wealth alright. It is just he wants everyone else to  overlook all the money and believe he is just a common unemployed guy.

Watch Jon Stewart take Mitt Romney to task over his wealth and how he made it.

I find this man’s attitude condescending, rude and insulting. He made his money by what many would look upon as nefarious ways off the backs of those he now so wants votes from. Will the common working men and women of this country overlook his vampire squid form of capitalism and elect Mitt Romney as their president?

I would think not, but he is what the Republicans seem to look up to.  He is rich, prideful, spoiled, says what they want to hear, he can’t take criticism or correction, and he made a lot of money without doing manual labor or producing a product for it.

Yep, the idle rich. Just what every right wing nut and tea bagger aspires to.

 
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More Fracking News

FILE - In this Jan. 23, 2012 file photo, Gillie Waddington of Enfield, N.Y., raises a fist during rally against hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells at the Legislative Office Building in Albany, N.Y. President Barack Obama the f- word during his recent State of the Union speech nor did he mention the technology used to get it, known commonly as fracking. That's because the word has become a lightning rod. (AP Photo/Mike Groll, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 23, 2012 file photo, Gillie Waddington of Enfield, N.Y., raises a fist during rally against hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells at the Legislative Office Building in Albany, N.Y. President Barack Obama the f- word during his recent State of the Union speech nor did he mention the technology used to get it, known commonly as fracking. That's because the word has become a lightning rod. (AP Photo/Mike Groll, File)

In the short time that has passed since President Obama’s State of The Union Address the issue of fracking is starting to get more and public attention. I am forced to wonder now if the Obama is really in favor of this dangerous way of powering our nation. He could have actually outwitted the Republican party yet again, a goal not hard to achieve these days.

So how did he do it? First by giving it a mention in the SOTU speech he appeased the whole “drill baby drill” crowd and their big energy backers. Second by giving that mention he drew public attention to the process and started many people asking what this cheap energy source will mean to them.

The spotlight of attention is not a thing that any company seeks and given the recent problems in the oil and gas industry they should want to hide in the shadows. That however, is not where they are any longer. People are looking at the fracking process and they are not at all pleased with what they are finding out about it. As a result more protest groups are forming and growing stronger against this form of energy retrieval.

What is there to like about the fracking process? I have been studying it for some time now and though I am neither a Phd nor an expert on the subject, the more I learn the more I oppose it.

A simple Internet search will yield many pages of information. I tend to ignore most of the self serving propaganda that the firms involved release. After all according to BP the Deep Water Horizon was in perfect working order and Massey energy would tell you that the Upper Big Branch Mine was a safe working environment. These energy companies would have told you that right up to the very second before they exploded. Sadly, we have seen time and again how big business will lie to make one more dollar and I do not see why they should change now. Considering that this process could produce over a century of profits most of these people are drooling over the potential profits.

On the other hand you can find reports from the EPA, Doctors at leading medical universities, geologists and even the United States Army Corps of Engineers reporting on the dangers of fracking. Polluted water and soil, health problems and even earthquakes are among some the issues related to this drilling process.

The statement President Obama made on the subject was:

 “We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years, and my administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy.”

The catch phrase is “safely develop”. What if it turns out that given the long and growing list of dangers to the process there is no way it can be safely developed?

What happens if enough people look more at the issue now because of the President’s statement and oppose fracking all together? What if they tell their friends and this opposition grows into a movement? What would the big energy companies do if the American people refused to allow them to destroy our nation?

You can read more about the growing protest against fracking at RT.

 
Posted in economy, environment, National Happenings, Obama, Protests, World Happenings | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Leaner Military Pt.4

The Pentagon has released their plan for meeting President Obama’s budget cuts for the military. These supposed cuts do not actually reduce the armed forces budget they just cut back the growth of that budget.

Needless to say, Republicans and major corporations spoke out quickly on this issue. They squeak about their profit margin and how they fear our nation will appear weak to potential foes. If by spending more on our national defense than most of the rest of the world combined then I guess we are weak. After all that is what we spend now and will continue to spend after these budget cuts go into effect.

The Secretary Of Defense, Leon Panetta along with Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff, Army General Martin Dempsey announced some of the details of these cuts which will total $487 Billion dollars over the next decade.

Some of the older ships in the Navy will be retired along with a reduction of naval personnel to man these vessels. I am sure though, the Pentagon will make some money on these older ships they way they have done in the past. Our older and outdated ships will be auctioned off and sold to our allies becoming top ships of the line in small navies around the world. I am confident that others will be recommissioned as United States Coast Guard vessels.

The number of troops in the United States Army will be reduced to just under a half a million men by 2017 and the United States Marine Corps would shrink to 182 thousand devil dogs. Meanwhile our military would field more special ops units like Navy Seals, Army Rangers and Green Berets. Our computer security would be enhanced by an expanded and enhanced cyberspace division.

Some programs will be slowed down like the next generation of stealth fighter planes and the new line of nuclear missile submarines.

Seeing that our combined military air power is not only far larger than but also decades beyond any potential enemies I personally have no problem with slowing the next generation of fighter craft. Especially considering the last plane they tried to push on the American armed forces the F-22. A plane that required over 100 hours of maintenance for every hour in the air. A fighter plane that spare engines were part of the purchase price because of the almost immediate need to replace those engines. Advanced weaponry is not always cost effective.

As far as slowing down the next generation of offensive missile subs, I have no problem with that. Over the years we have spent billions of dollars on this class of submarine and they have never been called upon to fire one of the missiles they carry, and I thank The Powers That Be they never have. I hope they never will. Our current fleet consists of fourteen missile submarines each armed with twenty four Trident missiles. and each missile carries multiple warheads. Do the math folks, that is a whole bunch of nuclear deterring. So why do we need more?

Retire a few ships and some cargo planes. Reduce our standing military by a small fraction and slow down weapon upgrades for a global nuclear war. The Office Of The President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff are on board with the plan. So is Admiral Bill McRaven the head of military special operations.

Trying to scare our people into a false sense of panic are the same old list of Republicans. Cornyn, McCain, DeMint as well as Romney, Gingrich and ass froth Santorum. They actually have scored a victory on this issue but winning is never enough for the Republicans and their party anymore. They seek domination in ideology, shifting the wealth of our nation and keeping our people in fear.

The actions you do not see called for in this new Pentagon budget include the following.

There is no call whatsoever to return of the manufacture of sensitive military components to American shores and workers. Computer boards, micro chips and navigational systems while still produced under contract to U.S. companies are actually made in countries like China so those same companies can squeeze out just a bit more profit.

What happens if we have a conflict with one of these nations? Our military would quickly run out of spare computer and electronic components . There is also no guarantee that there is no “back door” or kill switch in the components we have in place. That problem aside, it is not the people in our nation making our defense equipment and paying taxes to our government, it is workers in other nations.

Many Democrats have called for bringing these manufacturing jobs back into our nation as a matter of defense but they have been opposed time and again by the Republican corporate pact.

Another glaring omission from this new military budget is the fact that private armies are mentioned in no way, shape or form. We will continue to hand billions of dollars over to them in the future. Looking back on the last decade of conflict that money would have been better spent in other ways. Better health care and pay raises for our troops. Body armor that functioned properly, ample free water and a supply of bullets that we did not have to beg from other nations all jump to mind.

Trust me, we are not beating our swords into plowshares just yet. I fail to see how any nation with the ability to wipe most life off the face of the planet several times over could have the gall to call itself under defended. I lack the wisdom of the Republicans due to the fact I can understand what it means to live by a budget. Our nations people are losing their homes, their jobs, their education and their future for the sake of corporate greed.

I am sure the military will function just fine in the future and that there will be some way the corporations and their minions will profit from it. Meanwhile it is the common American citizen and solider that will pay the price.

You can read more about Leon Panetta’s press release at The Washington Post.

 
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SCOTUS Bldg in Dollar Signs

The infamous Citizens United ruling which made corporations into people happened January 21, 2010 which means it is now in its terrible twos. To celebrate the birthday, how about dressing the building that houses the Supreme Court in dollar signs and written messages saying corporations are not people?

That idea occurred to a group of people who decided to do just that. They had quite a time getting the projection to appear on the building, but when it does…Viola!-two story high truth spelled out for all to see. Too bad the authorities decided protest wasn’t allowed in front of the Supreme Court of The United States. I guess SCOTUS is sacrosanct.

Watch and enjoy the video the birthday surprise.

Maybe the Supreme Court Justices have enough trouble with all the non-reporting of income and the times they should have recused themselves but did not. Top that off by palling around with the Koch Brothers and having relatives directly receiving contributions from plaintiffs or working for the attorneys arguing a case and these guys don’t look so moral or upstanding at all.

When I say guys that look bad of course I mean Thomas, Alito and Scalia.

Yep..,.Yep...Yep...Yep. True, Dat!

 
Posted in courts, Hypocrisy, National Happenings, Protests, Right Wing Nuttery, Video | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Senator McCain “Stop The Debates”

By my count, there have been 485,373 Republican Presidential Candidate Debates and there are still more coming down the road.

Please, for the sake of all our sanity, make them stop! Even the 2008 Republican Presidential Nominee, Senator John McCain agrees.

From Meet The Press via Raw Story;

“We’ve got to stop the debates,” McCain told Meet The Press‘ David Gregory. “Enough with the debates, because they are driving up our candidates’, all of them, unfavorability. We have enough of that. They’ve turned into mud wrestling instead of an exposition of all our candidates views. And it’s time to recognize who the real adversary is, and it’s not each other.”

Actually Senator McCain, I don’t have a problem with the mud used for either wrestling or slinging. You Republicans can go ahead and sling or wrestle in all the mud you want at and with each other. However, all the prevarication, stupidity and outright lies bother me a lot. I guess I just expect at least some honesty from men who want us to think they have the integrity, vision and stamina to be President of this country. The Republican contenders this time aren’t even convincing as dog catchers(particularly in Mitt Romney’s case because of the dog on top of car thing).

I also think you are wrong Senator McCain. The real adversary for these clowns is each other and they vividly spotlight the bitter divisions fomenting in the GOP. The more they appear and open their mouths, the bigger the divide looks and gets.

So I guess you Republicans who would be President should just go on having your debates. Me? I’ll rely on the remote control, good music and good books for entertainment.

I’ll come through unscathed except for my mind’s eye which might forever see a poor Irish Setter named Seamus strapped in a carrier to the top of the car for a twelve hour drive on a family weekend. That and Mitt Romney stopping at a gas station then hosing the runny brown liquid off the back window of the car. Dog lovers know dogs don’t have that type of happening unless they are scared terrified.

Animal cruelty is not so easily erased from my mind. Clown acts like these Republican Presidential Candidate Debates are.

Look below, you will see the car arriving to drop off a Republican Debater plus their security detail.

 
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