Evangelical Extremists - Bad for Nation, Bad for Christianity

A former insider's view of the Evangelical sub-culture:

Rachel Maddow speaks with Frank Schaeffer

OpenSecrets | Supreme Court Poised to Overhaul Parts of Campaign Finance System - Capital Eye

Can it be true that these justices deem corporations as worthy of election influence as PEOPLE? Oh, please! If their expert advice is needed on an issue they can be heard by Congress AFTER the election.

OpenSecrets | Supreme Court Poised to Overhaul Parts of Campaign Finance System - Capital Eye

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Another Bob Adams' Fake Grassroots League of American Voters missive

This from Bob Adams, League of American Voters:
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Dear Friend:

Late last week I was simply shocked by a letter I received. I was sitting in my Washington, D.C. office when an office assistant said an urgent letter had been delivered to our office. I opened the letter – from the League of Women Voters – demanding that the organization I run – the League of American Voters – cease to exist!

Incredibly, the letter was signed by Mary Wilson, the president of the League of Women Voters. Wilson makes no bones about it – she wants me and the League of American Voters to shut down because she doesn’t like our views opposing Barack Obama’s radical health care plan.

Dick Cheney Started Out Scary and Got Worse

Talk about a movement toward fascism? Bush/Cheney tried really hard.

Click here for the full story.

Superb economic theories article

Paul Krugman does a superb job of economic theory summation in this article:

Click here for full article.

Health Revolution Website and Petition

An alternative health care system proposal:
http://www.healthrevolutionpetition.org/CitizensInCharge.html

and their petition page:
Sign the Health Revolution Petition now!

Cola Industry Using Fake Grassroots Tactics

The front operation for the cola, sweet drink, convenience store and fast food industries is called Americans Against Food Taxes.  Tactics similar to those of the tobacco industry are employed by them.

Click below for the full article
http://www.prwatch.org/node/8524

A website by and for those industries is here:
http://nofoodtaxes.com/join/

Tell your congresspeople you support tax on unhealthy food choices.

More Fact Checking on League of American Voters' Fear-Mongering TV Ad

The title of one blog post about the LAV's ad is:  Get Seniors Opposing Obamacare and it’s Toast
http://axisofright.com/2009/08/05/get-seniors-opposing-obamacare-and-its-toast/


Click below for the ad and more fact-checking on the ad:
http://mediamattersaction.org/factcheck/200908120008

Dick Morris At It Again

League of American Voters, brought to you by the Swiftboat folks (think Dick Morris), recently sent an email plea for contributions.

Private Health Insurance's Influence In Health Care Reform Debate

Private health care insurance companies are fighting to weaken reform.

Click here for Chris Hedges' article on the topic.

League of American Voters - Fake "Grassroots" Group

Anti-Health Care Reform group League of American Voters is at the same address as other pro-business, conservative "grassroots citizen groups", such as Americans for Tax Reform, the American Family Business Institute and the Property Rights Alliance.



Click here for the full article.

and click here for known League of American Voters information. Searching the web, very little is published about them.

Bush Cabinet Pressured Ridge for Political Terror Alert Elevation

Fear-mongering Bush cabinet pressed Tom Ridge to raise the terror alert pre-election.

Click here for the AP video

Follow the Money - Elections and Industry Influence

This is a GREAT tool for learning about the influence of special interests on our elections and politicians.

Click here for the tool

Privatization of the Military and Contractor Waste

Troops outnumbered by Contractors and military is unable to vet contractors' operations successfully.

For full Wall Street Journal article click here.

Economic Royalists

The American government -- which we once called our government -- has been taken over by Wall Street, the mega-corporations and the super-rich. They are the ones who decide our fate. It is this group of powerful elites, the people President Franklin D. Roosevelt called "economic royalists," who choose our elected officials -- indeed, our very form of government. Both Democrats and Republicans dance to the tune of their corporate masters. In America, corporations do not control the government. In America, corporations are the government. Larry Flynt.

Larry has a clear view of our current politics.

For the full story click here

Astroturf built on Corporate, Political Parties, and Industry Trade Association Funding

Astroturf describes fake grassroots groups that are created and funded by corporations, political parties or industry trade associations to advance a political agenda.

Astroturf groups fighting media reform manufacture the impression of public opposition to issues like Net
Neutrality to sway policy makers and the media. What these groups won't tell you is that they're bought and paid for by the phone and cable industry. FreePress.net

Who Owns Water?

The latest fight between activists and companies such as Coke and Nestle is about who really owns water -- corporations or communities. Peter Asmus, Alternet.


Click here for the full article.

Bush Courted the Religious Right Only To Betray

A growing legion of disenchanted grassroots believers does not blame liberal opponents for the decline in faith or the failures of the religious Right. Rather, they hold responsible Republicans - particularly Mr Bush - and groups like Focus on the Family that have worked with the party, for courting Christian voters only to betray promises of pursuing the conservative agenda once in office.

“Evangelicals have identified their movement with the culture war and political conservatism. This will prove to be a very costly mistake,” he (Michael Spencer) wrote.

Alex Spillius

Full Spillius article here.

The Raw Story

The Raw Story The Raw Story is an alternative news nexus. We draw upon a panoply of news sources and select those stories we think most intriguing to an audience seeking news underplayed by the mainstream media.

At the core, our goal is to unearth and spotlight stories underplayed by the popular press, in particular those which highlight betterment and open people’s eyes to injustice throughout the world. The Raw Story

Click on their logo below to see their site:

Is This Why Eric Holder Isn't Going After Bush Officials?

"The tip I got was that the firm had a very important client. His name was George W Bush. And they represented a very important organization . . . called the Republican National Committee. I was in shock when I checked it--and it was true."

 Legal Schnauser.


Click here for the full article.

Sometimes it's hard to disagree

"American morons are suckers for any scam as long as they are manipulated with proper flag waving, Jesus praising and fear mongering. Other effective strategies include declaring any government assistance program "socialism" and calling for more tax cuts despite national insolvency and the obscene tax breaks already scammed by corporations and the wealthy. Perhaps we should cease funding Social Security, Medicare, public school education and other such "socialist" abominations." David Diderot

Click the following for the full article:The Commonwealth of the Morons.

Big Pharma - Rein them in, PLEASE

Read this:

White House's Deal with Big Pharma

My church taught me to heal the sick.....

“Christianity has gotten it wrong for 2,000 years—all this talk about the poor, the suffering, the down and out. I want you to focus on the up and out. I want you to be a missionary to and for the powerful." Doug Coe

'The Family, at other times, has called it “the totalitarianism for Christ.” What they mean is that they believe that the New Testament is primarily about power, and he (Doug Coe) illustrates this by giving Congressman Tiahrt a list of historical figures he can look to for modeling power—this is a direct quote—“Hitler, Pol Pot, Osama bin Laden and Lenin.”

This is scary beyond words.

Click here to see more.

Corporate Dominance of our Lives

I'm not totally on board with this guy, but I do know he is correct about corporations controlling much of our lives and his premise that corporations are a modern extension of dynasties rings true for me.

Click here for his article.

Health Care Reform - Real Canadian Stories

To my cousin from a friend:
We keep hearing about how Canadians hate their public health system. Megan's family has land in Canada and have been going up there for years. The have many friends in Canada who they still keep in touch with and they all love it. They especially love that when their kids are sick, they're covered. It may not be the greatest, has it's problems and the answer for us may be to rework our current system to make it more productive, affordable and sensible. But, how do you know when most news sources are bascially preaching to the choir or sensationalizing a story? I think we are flooded with so much convoluted information from so many sources, it's impossible to know the answers. I'm especially sick of all the politcal e-mails I get and those sending them with the blind faith that their source is always truthful. Fact is, the lie machine is much more prevalent than the truth machine. And, it comes from all viewpoints, left, right and moderate

Health Care Reform - Scare Tactics Are Real

In August an older gentleman struck up a chat at the grocerty store checkout counter. He'd been told Healthcare Reform would cut Medicare. I thought that can't be. Then I got an email message describing exactly that kind of scare tactic later the same afternoon.

My cousin had this to say on Facebook: Definitely not gonna let the newstations brain wash me like they obviously have others. Just repaired an elderly couples pc. They were watching Fox news and they were telling me that the new Health care bill included that they were going to be sent a pill to be put to sleep, WTF? Somebody is preying on the weak minded and I know who it is... Dirty

Obama as a force for removal of freedom & choice? Taxing the wealthy.

This from a friend in re Obama:
I find it very ironic that the first black president is trying to make us all a slave of the goverment, take away our right to choose,make all of our decisions from cradle to grave, I will never vote for him,did not vote for him and will do all I can to defeat any policy that takes away my freedom.

ME:
The way I see it, we're slaves to the wealthy, who, in the end, sway most decisions made for us and REALLY don't have our best interests in mind। Fight for them to pay a MUCH greater portion of taxes from the wealth they're building off OUR backs।

Health Care Reform - Real Choice with the Status Quo?

Who has real choice in health care insurance now?

Employers choose for employees.

Folks with pre-existing conditions have no good choices and can be restricted from moving to better positions for fear of no coverage.

Folks with severe conditions go broke with the deductibles and co-pays, then tap out on their policies to find no other options.

Employees whose employers don't provide coverage are often low-wage earners who can't afford their own coverage.

Folks who have insurance are dictated to by the insurer as to when they can see specialists.

Folks whose deductible is well out of their means have no choice.

Folks without insurance mainly have only the emergency room, unless, of course, they're wealthy.

Health Care Reform - Who should pay the bill?

I'm just a progressive not happy with the status quo.

Much of this can apply to issues other than health care. Roads, utilities, military, disaster relief, etc. - all for the common good in the long run.

Income tax - MUCH less for those just making it month-to-month. MUCH more for those making out like bandits - especially on unearned income. Give actual PEOPLE the same tax breaks businesses have.