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Thom, I have been thinking about all the VITROL being spewed by the entire republican mob, fox so called news and selective hate corporate radio, TV and new papers; this is more than likely what is causing all the madness in our country (by madness, I mean the killings and Bundy Boys Crap). What triggered this thought was a visit yesterday by an acquaintance and so called friend and on the subject of Obama and guns he tacitly alluded to how important his guns are to him. He is a typical Bible Belt fringe area yahoo who I (retired military) told that these militias wouldn;t last 3 seconds agains an armed military assault. Keith
You know what Wonderland I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong. A question for you Wonderland. What are you going to do if Bernie isn't elected?
Awkword-o, the way out of this is to get rid of the two-party system, which is a result of the single-member-district (SMD) system of elections. I have a couple blog posts about how we could change away from SMD. Some state may be capable of doing it, and once one does, it can be shown how well it works for democracy, and not having to worry about wasting your vote on a third party. Once it's accepted, it can go national.
Ms. Carpernter makes a great point in suggesting that ALL law enforcement should adopt and always consider the de-escalation of violence as a first-line of action, whenever possible without dire consequence to the public. Waiting things out isn't automatically bad.
Since you think Michigan is in such great shape, OU812, how about moving there and drinking that water yourself?
I signed Michael Moore’s petition already, by the way, a few hours ago. While I am generally against the death penalty, no other case has tested that conviction more acutely than this one.
Here are the comments I left on the blog accompanying that petition:
What gets me is how a society this morally and spiritually bankrupt could be so into religion. We've more of that here than any other developed country. A heap of good all that religion has done us, to be living in a society where public officials could poison the children of an entire city, knowingly and deliberately... to balance a budget? Pad their bottom line?! Beam me up, Scotty...
Not only is Michigan sorely in need of a new governor; we need Bernie Sanders for president so bad it hurts. The cruelty of such a rotten, evil stunt of this and its consequences is only compounded by our “uniquely American” for-profit, pay-or-die healthcare extortion nightmare, undoubtedly condemning these families in Flint to additional suffering and pain. I can hardly wrap my head around it. Gives "Bernie or die" a whole new meaning, doesn't it!
Michigan rated number 1 US state. https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/ranking-the-united-states-of-america-from-best-to-worst
If you would have taken the cultural understandings from the Indigenous peoples of your country this could never have happened . Respecting the Air and Water the things that give you life and connect you to the Earth like the trees ! But your Dominator culture claims Superiority over all things .So its about erasing anything that goes against material progress .But look what happens when you ignore the Spiritual path .
You have taken the path of materialism , greed and off no responsibility .Why not combine the best cultural myths and experiences of your Older wiser Indiginous peoples and combine them with your technology .
Before the Europeans got to America you could drink out of every stream ,look at what you have done? This is progress towards your demise as has been foretold by our brothers .
ThE COMMONS ARE NOT YOURS TO DO WITH WHAT YOU WANT THEY BELONG TO LIFE AS DO WE ,AND LIFE ASKS US TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF OUR HOME AND PASS THESE ON TO THE 7th GENERATION .
The civiilzation or what you call civilization is so uncivilized and brutal that it beggers belief,and as Ghandi has said would be a good idea .
We are all one
Scott Walker in Wisconsin did his rendition of mass poisoning of children when he ordered the air next to a grade school to be so polluted the children had to be sent home.
Republicans are the party of no tomorrows. Their focus is all on the now at every expense. No concern for the future whatsoever. Not the future environment or our future citizens.
And Obama lies, and lies and lies.
Environs Ransacked
{… 1.60 limericks …}
Our environs are being sacked
by industries which extract.
We’re being fracked
and by methane attacked.
Plus, we’re further ransacked
by factories’ pollutions
and the earth’s retributions.
Mother Nature won’t continue intact.
============================
So what about the other residents along flint river who have been poisoned for the last 80 years? where has the epa been? big corp. wins again. the people get the sludge again.
In my small town in New Mexico we report to the citizens a full disclosure of water test results compared to the EPA requirements. Most municipalities are required by EPA to report to the people what the hell is in their water. The EPA needs to charge Snyder, remove him from office and send him to prison for life.
In 2001my little town was also threatened by EPA that our sewer system did not meet EPA standards and was polluting the ground water which we use for drinking. They threatened us with a $25,000 a day fine if we didn't comply immediately. The State EPA did however provide the millions needed to clean up our sewer system. They also did it for most small towns in the State. After the crash in 2008 however, federal money dried up and we have only done about 75% of the improvements required.
When will the people of this country realize that the Neo-cons within the Republican party are flat out criminals? They are anything from war criminals to this kind of terrible thing that has occurred in California. Neo-cons are the equivelent of Nazis in my book. They all need to all be kicked out of our government, state by state.
The Republican Party is the Party of no solutions.
"Malcontents like the Bundys would be slashing their wrists if they had to survive in a post modern feudal economy under the full control of Fascists like the Kochs. If you believe you'd be better of with guys like this in charge of our environment and economy then you're a god damn fool who doesn't deserve to be a United States citizen."
Absolutely agree. People like the Bundys wave their guns and demand what they want when they want it -- claim they'll be willing to fight to the death for it -- and blame the "liberals" or "big government" when they don't get it.
The thing is, they really don't know enough about the way government works to know what they want. The right-wing corporate control machine wants its followers to be belligerent, outraged and uneducated, and will do everything they can to keep them that way. It's the best way to ensure that they will continue to vote against their own self-interest.
"The whole story starts back in 2011, when a new financial emergency management law in the state took effect"
So who passed this law and why?
This tragic chain of events needs more scrutiny before 2011.
ct
It's time to admit that both the Democratic and the Republican parties have been bought and paid for by Corporations and Defense Contractors. They are both guilty of making terrorism a much worse problem than it would've been. Thom, I wish you would stop defending Democrats; this is doing us no good. We need to stop promoting these two terrible ideas: "Vote Democrat, as it's the lesser of the two evils," and "if you vote independent/green, you're just giving your vote away to the Republicans." I for one, am done with Ds and Rs. At this point we're fighting for the survival of the human race and all other life on earth, and neither Democrats nor Republicans are going to make that happen. Thom, I beg you, please only promote green/independent candidates and politicians from now on. As we know all too well: The lesser evil only leads to the greater evil.
So now we are electing home grown terrorists to public office. Well played, Snyder.
Privatization is theft and the sole purpose of Republicans, both locally and nationally, is to pocket the people's resources for themselves and their cronies.
The strategy of bankrupting government is to force that outcome. When a municipality, state or the federal government has no money it has no other choice.
This from Oil Change International:
As I write this email, an uncontrolled, dangerous, and climate destabilizing gusher of methane is spewing directly into the atmosphere at the Aliso Canyon storage facility in Porter Ranch, California.
Please join me in demanding that President Obama and EPA Administrator McCarthy do everything in their power to stop this disaster as soon as possible, and to ensure nothing like this ever happens again. http://click.actionnetwork.org/mpss/c/5AA/ni0YAA/t.1tm/MePytAE7Tse9q2HXwZIkVA/h5/wfdUyjZJt0wz8XiF8J7CoEHxkL8b92azM5YXhprBY1-2B1rCiera1zCa1veVQWoI7saouRi6Wr9k5lXy8kCrj4JsqB3t6A8eZjmHLZJHTEVO9N-2FKkaZMVL6BVG78azXuL5lmeITsuXXUO98-2BiNSR0444NiQhsqHMUKLAFIiQFqs5eBjw5ba-2FK0JInYlI6xqLRqpI4d6uQXjmJ2-2Bm2c-2B5870A38kYjeFw6QHM8sW4tlRBVCTDvWPF5XN8d6bdR7ZEXrAMiH8aU1Mcu363u1oEGAV7WNWfIx-2BMhfWurZoy82btu2idhWaIRT7OCczbcc3twYHztBQJ-2BpgniERqotRYIPIFTdpA22u3IW93PqWZcWcy4-3D
Amazingly, the response to this situation seems to be a collective shrug, as we are told that this disaster will continue for at least several more months. Up to 62 million cubic feet of methane are estimated to be leaking from the site every single day. That’s the same climate impact as driving 7 million cars each day.
Here’s the thing – this isn’t simply a ‘bad mistake’ or ‘unforeseeable complication’, this leak is the result of decades of oil & gas industry influence over Congress and agencies like the EPA. To give you a sense of how preventable this sort of disaster was, the safety valve on the leaking well was removed in 1979 and it was last inspected in 1976.
The Obama Administration will shortly issue long-awaited rules to control methane emissions. But there’s a catch – the rules will not cover existing facilities like Aliso Canyon. Click here to demand these rules cover all existing gas facilities, not just future ones. http://click.actionnetwork.org/mpss/c/5AA/ni0YAA/t.1tm/MePytAE7Tse9q2HXwZIkVA/h5/wfdUyjZJt0wz8XiF8J7CoEHxkL8b92azM5YXhprBY1-2B1rCiera1zCa1veVQWoI7saouRi6Wr9k5lXy8kCrj4JsqB3t6A8eZjmHLZJHTEVO9N-2FKkaZMVL6BVG78azXuL5lmeITsuXXUO98-2BiNSR0444NiQhsqHMUKLAFIiQFqs5eBjw5ba-2FK0JInYlI6xqLRqpI4d6uQXjmJ2-2Bm2c-2B5870A38kYjeFw6QHM8sW4tlRBVCTDvWPF5XN8d6bdR7ZEXrAMiH8aU1Mcu363u1oEGAV7WNWfIx-2BMhfWurZoy82btu2idhWaIRT7OCczbcc3twYHztBQJ-2BpgniERqotRYIPIFTdpA22u3IW93PqWZcWcy4-3D
The holidays are supposed to be filled with family, friends, good food, and laughter, but for many in Porter Ranch, they were filled with uncertainty and danger. Thousands have had to flee their homes and many are still at risk.
This is the worst environmental disaster since the BP oil spill in the Gulf and it requires a massive response. Help us shine a light on this important issue by sending your message to President Obama and EPA Administrator McCarthy.
And thank you - for all your efforts and support. Together, we are all making a big difference!
Thanks,
Steve Kretzmann
Executive Director
http://click.actionnetwork.org/mpss/c/5AA/ni0YAA/t.1tm/MePytAE7Tse9q2HXwZIkVA/h5/wfdUyjZJt0wz8XiF8J7CoEHxkL8b92azM5YXhprBY1-2B1rCiera1zCa1veVQWoI7saouRi6Wr9k5lXy8kCrj4JsqB3t6A8eZjmHLZJHTEVO9N-2FKkaZMVL6BVG78azXuL5lmeITsuXXUO98-2BiNSR0444NiQhsqHMUKLAFIiQFqs5eBjw5ba-2FK0JInYlI6xqLRqpI4d6uQXjmJ2-2Bm2c-2B5870A38kYjeFw6QHM8sW4tlRBVCTDvWPF5XN8d6bdR7ZEXrAMiH8aU1Mcu363u1oEGAV7WNWfIx-2BMhfWurZoy82btu2idhWaIRT7OCczbcc3twYHztBQJ-2BpgniERqotRYIPIFTdpA22u3IW93PqWZcWcy4-3D
A battle instigated by Bureaucrats in the Bureau of Land Management and Environmentalist fighting a challenge to their assumed unquestionable and irrefutable power. If these people had been members of a large voting block, the federal government would have backed off immediately ! After over two hundred years we are still trying to get the Constitution to a point where the rights of minorities are given equal weight ! The reason why Black Americans are still rioting in the streets fifty years after the passage of so-called solid Equal Rights legislation by a Democrat Administration !
I'm just asking, aren't the so-called patriots out there in Oregon just trying to create their own caliphate by taking property from the United States of America for their own personal group use????
This is a real simple deal. A bunch of local Republicans want to acquire the public property that belongs to you and me simply because they live closer to it than we do. States at one time were offered federal lands but the responsibility of care went with it and they did not want that expense. Now these radical locals think they can get our property from us if they put up a show of force and have other uninformed radicals rally to their cause. Ain't gonna happen. Slam them in the slammer or we will just have to put up with this anarchy again.
Plutocrats and their Minions
{… a rhyme …}
My rhymings have inadequately expressed
the degree to which America has been wrest
from sound governance. America is distressed
by troubles which are brought at the behest
of plutocrats and their nitwit minions
who press devastingly destructive opinions.
====================================
Sink the Privatization Pirate Ship!
Reply to #3: Bravo, 10K. Especially that last paragraph.