Angry Americans

President Obama breaks a move. A policy change on Friday will allow "dreamers" to legally remain in the country for two years while the battle on immigration continues. The President had to deal with the usual lack of civility from the right that he has encountered since taking office.

Neil Munro from The Daily Caller, a hack job news service run by Tucker Carlson, decided to interrupt the president's speech because of his false self-image of importance. The President kindly scolded the child and continued with his prepared remarks.

As Mr. Munro makes it apparent; it is very easy to be a clown.

Starting off with Representative Wilson's "you lie!" statement during the President's State of the Union address, and continuing with that bastion of conservatism, the Supreme Court's Alito's "not true" comment; the lack of respect continues.

Elizabeth Warren is the center of a manufactured controversy. As the polls show her climbing in the Massachusetts senate race, the opposition gets frantic. If you were to watch FOX - and I do not recommend anyone ever watching FOX - the "Cherokee" statement would be the only piece of information you would need to make up your mind on who gets your vote. 

Unfortunately, Warren stated that she had Cherokee blood in her family line, and conservatives want her to prove it. This is the big news of course, anything that actually has to do with running the country is off limits to right wing media. 

Massachusetts voters do not care, but conservatives will keep drilling her on the topic until it becomes the central issue regarding her electability.

Can you blame them though? Warren is a liberal rock star right now. A populist message that voters embrace; she is a strong democrat that we should all support right now. This senate race will be one of the most expensive this year; big money has a need to stop her.

These lines say it all:

“The Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, said, ‘Corporations are people.’ No, Mitt, corporations are not people,” she said to cheers. “People have hearts. They have kids. They get jobs. They get sick, they laugh, they cry, they dance, they live and they die. Learn the difference.”

Democrats need her strength, support this woman.

State Scum

My home state of Michigan with it's Tea Party Governor and state legislature have decided to bring the war on women home. At one time I stopped calling this a war, because in wars people die. I'm back to calling it a war, because women will die.

Michigan has been taken over by conservatives. The Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, House, Senate, Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. Not good days for the state at all. Besides the implementation of non-democratic Emergency Financial Managers, the taxing of the poorest to pay for the tax cuts of the richest, the union busting and civil rights destroying tactics; we now must stop abortion at all costs.

State Representative Mike Shirkey has made this perfectly clear with his statement regarding the legislation; "Until we completely eliminate abortions in Michigan and completely defund Planned Parenthood, we have work to do."

Any questions?

Once again woman to the rescue. The opposition started off with Representative Rashida Tlaib telling the GOP controlled House that the men there should stop having sex with women, they should find someone else to have it with. She also asked all women in Michigan to stop having sex. Representatives Lisa Brown and Barb Byrum were both banned from speaking on the House floor after the use of the words "vagina" and "vasectomy."

Planned Parenthood supporters descended on the capital in force. Yelling, "this is our house" and "we'll remember in November," they will not stop fighting.

House Speaker Jase Bolger stated that it is his job to maintain the decorum of the house. I guess vagina and vasectomy are new four letter words for conservatives. If you have the time and inclination, tweet "vagina" to @mihousegop; they are getting bombed.

Right to Life of Michigan helped write the current crop of bills that will basically make it illegal to have an abortion in the state.

This is democracy in action:

Silent Suicide

Global Warming, or what conservative strategist Frank Lutz managed to change to "Climate Change" so it didn't sound so bad, is to the best of our knowledge slowly destroying our planet. The Rio+20, the United Nation's Conference on Sustainable Development is under way.

It appears that the global demand for resources is fifty percent higher than the rate that nature can regenerate them. Does this not compute? We are reaching the point of no return. Politics and greed are more important than life. Our oceans are polluted, the planet is warming and species are disappearing; and the world does nothing. Drill for more oil, blow off mountaintops for coal, fracking for natural gas; hastening our demise appears to be the only goal.

Why we will not confront the problem is simple, there are forces keeping the discussion at bay. The Heartland Institute last May made it clear that those who worry about the science of climate change are left wing extremists. Santorum says climate change is not real, because plants like CO2. As far back as 2009, congress was told that global warming is not real. The biblical world view looks at the earth as being well designed, no reason to do anything. Then we have several climatologists who are not associated with big oil that deny there is a problem. There work has been discredited, but that isn't stopping them from creating confusion.

As a freethinking group, should atheists in general support the theories that have been accepted by the scientific community, or are we like much of the rest of the planet's population, apathetic?

Jehovah Jackasses

Apparently mormons have an extra chromosome when it comes to American exceptionalism according to Senator Mike Lee of Utah. One can take comfort in the thought that if they do have that extra chromosome, it makes up for the lack of grey matter.

A religious discrimination suit against Taco Bell was recently settled for $27,000. A man who refused to cut his hair because of his religious beliefs was the center of the controversy. Apparently religious beliefs are more important than hair in your food.

The sacred hair battle continues in New York City where a man was cut by the police department. The gentleman, a Hasidic Jew, is the man behind the law suit. It worked for him in the army, he's giving it a shot now with the police department. The NYPD says that the gentleman was aware of the restrictions while in the Academy, so this appears to be a setup.  

A Muslim in Washington D.C. is suing over religious discrimination as well this month. He needs Fridays off to attend prayer services. 

All of these stories are examples of an increasingly popular theme; religious people are being allowed to subvert society by imposing their personal religion on us all. This is how to gain a foothold in America that will be hard for secularists to regain. If we keep rolling over to the nonsense that theists are being picked on, we have lost the battle.

Entertain no doubts, this is a perversion of everything the U.S. once stood for.

Supreme Stupidity

A fairly new poll is out showing that the Supreme Court favorability is down to 44%. Only one in eight Americans think the justices decide cases on their merits and 75% of the respondents said that cases were decided on personal and political views. 

I'll keep this short with just one thought. Why would Arizona remain so adamant about their immigration laws, or Florida fighting for the right to remove legal voters from the polls unless they know they have friends in the highest court of the land?

Conservatives are thumbing their noses at Obama's administration because they have a bought and paid for court. 

Citizen's United, the soon to be heard ruling of the Affordable Care Act; this court could prove that citizens have no rights and only the powerful are allowed to participate in democracy.

Final Fixations

First off, happy made up holiday to all the fathers out there. This edition of The Sunday Planet is being published early so I can keep my father-in-law company.

Here for your enjoyment, selected holidays in March:

March 3rd - If Pets Had Thumbs Day

March 5th - Multiple Personalities Day

March 9th - Panic Day

March 15th - Everything You Think Is Wrong Day

March 20th - Extraterrestrial Abductions Day

And a personal favorite:

March 26th - Make Up Your Own Holiday Day

From 31 Wacky Holidays in March.

Planet Politics

Mitt's past is right in step with the republican party.
 Bullying is what it's all about; a new target every week. I think everyone should keep in mind that when Mitt was asked about the incident, he actually chuckled as he talked about his prankster days.

Strike one; you don't laugh about bullying. Secondly, though the incident left horrifying memories for the witnesses, Mitt doesn't even remember. Either he committed so many of these, "pranks," that he can't remember all the faces, or he never felt that bullying and attacking another person is anything bad. Strike two; takes a cold man to ignore another's pain. Then there's the so-called apology. “If anybody was hurt by that or offended; obviously I apologize.” Strike three; apparently he doesn't have any remorse

Just who we need to lead the country.
Governor Walker of Wisconsin is leading Barrett by six points in the
latest poll, and two thirds of his war chest is from
out of state big donors. Thank the Supreme Court's ruling on Citizen's United. Money rules.

Vice-President Biden has started to
campaign. His, "these guys don't get us," is a message that may resonate with blue collar workers. Biden is a weapon that needs to be used more often.

In Arizona, where they can now claim to be the, "most lame state in the union," the birther issue is again at the forefront of conservative politics. The state's second in command, Secretary of State Ken Bennet, is now not sure that the President is a U.S. citizen and
wants to keep him off the ballot. He says he had to take the stance because of 1,200 emails he received after crazed Sheriff Joe Arpaio's nonsensical investigation. Senator McCain says Obama will remain on the ballot and I would think he is right.

The House passed a
defense budget that contradicts last years agreement with the President on the deficit. No surprise there, why would anyone believe a conservative would honor his word?

Greece may be heading in a totally different direction than the rest of Western Europe.
Alexis Tsipras is looking to get the most votes on the June 17 election. "It's a war between people and capitalism," is his mantra.

Michigan is watching the Wisconsin governor's recall election closely. With a similar attempt being made to oust their own tea party governor. Governor Rick Snyder has actively worked against having a democracy in Michigan by using Emergency Financial Managers to take over local governments. His eminence decided to take a walk in Benton Harbor's Blossomtime Parade.
 


Wicked Women


Arizona:

The Friday before last the state
rolled back access to contraceptives for women. This one is a Separation of Church and State issue; it allows religious employers to restrict access.

Friday before that they
defunded Planned Parenthood. In spite of the fact that public funds for abortion are already restricted.

The month before they decide when you may have an abortion, (if you could find anyone that would give you one). Pregnancy starts before a
child has been conceived.
Utah:

Here you need to
wait three days before you can have an abortion. There are many comments on this one, mostly mocking the legislation. The reasoning behind the law is that women can contemplate the ramifications of their decision. You know, because they didn't think about it at all before wanting the procedure.
Alabama:

The House has given final passage to a bill that would
ban insurance coverage for an abortion. They are also moving on a bill to restrict abortions by mandating physicians have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and more.
Oklahoma:

Doctors can lie to women about their babies health and not be sued. If your baby has birth defects,
they can omit that information so you will not have an abortion, and you can't even take them to court for doing so. At the same time, doctors
can be sued for performing an abortion. If he didn't do an ultrasound, didn't give pamphlets concerning abortions to patients and more.
Kansas:
A 69 page anti-abortion bill passes the legislature and Governor Sam Brownback says he will sign, even though he hasn't read it. A sales tax on abortion, establishing when personhood begins, and even mandates that doctors spread the lie that abortions cause breast cancer.
Georgia:

Passes abortion bill that criminalizes the act after 20 weeks, no exemptions for rape or incest. Called the "Women as Livestock," bill, it is a disaster.
Washington, D.C.:

The face of evil pictured is Arizona's Congressman Trent Franks. He is trying to impose anti-abortion laws on the
District of Columbia. Why is someone from Arizona trying to impose their beliefs on the District of Columbia is the question.


Education Enemies

The enemy is capitalism. It allows public schools to be shut down as private enterprise takes over.
In Philadelphia forty public schools are set to close this year and sixty-four in all by 2017. This is an informative article on public school closings in major cities and elsewhere that, for the most part, are targeting poor and ethnic students.
For-profit schools are scamming the military now. Swindles and hoodwinks rampant. When the President has to step in, you know there's something wrong.

Tennessee's
anti-science law is old news, but shows how religious ideology is making inroads into public education. The good news is that the legislation is failing in other states.
In Oklahoma two
anti-science bills failed. Apparently the Oklahomans for Excellence in Science Education won this round.

In New Hampshire, the,"
Evolution is a a Theory," bill was shot down. This one included a provision that included informing the students on the theorist's political and ideological viewpoints and their thoughts on atheism.

A recent
attack on education in Alabama has recently failed as well. Representative Blaine Galliher sponsored a measure that would allow public schools to establish creationism courses that students could take off campus and earn credits for those courses.

There is another way that the education system in this country is being sabotaged, and that is by attacking teachers. I think this is where my attention will be for awhile. If you get rid of well payed educators, you get rid of well educated students. As I've stated, the privatization of the public education system is about profits only. The way to increase profits is to destroy unions and benefits that protect the pool of educators. Less pay and benefits equals less qualified teachers.

No matter what you hear, you get what you pay for.

If you have inaccessible higher education because of cost, you have a developing nation of ignorance.


Ecosystem Earth

Fracking is still being investigated.
A
recent study hows how fracking could impact our water supply. Hint; it has to do with abandoned wells and the well itself.

Another new study shows that the more fracking we do, the better a job we do at it and the less of an impact the process will have on the environment. This study is from the University at
Buffalo's Shale Resources and Society Institute. Go ahead and read the nonsense if you want, but I suggest scanning the article and clicking on the bios of those who did the study. If you do, you will find that everyone of these fools is working for an Energy company or the CATO Institute. No truth to be found here.

I bring this up because it's starting to feel like climate science. Bring in the industry and lobbying, "experts," to defend profits from science. Why is it that we allow those who have a conflict of interest publish anything?

France banned fracking last year, Vermont is the first state to
ban fracking in the U.S., though that procedure hadn't been used in the state as of yet. A complete source of perceived problems with the procedure can be found at
nofracking.com.

Something new for doone's, "The Beer Facts," discussion. Brooklynites against fracking. The
Brooklyn Brewery brewmeister warns against the toxins that could be in a beer near you soon.


Occupy Oasis


In education,
Quebec students still upset. How do you deal with the protests? End classes early and hope that the protests stop. 122 students have been arrested so far. The emergency laws and masks ban have been ineffectual in stopping the protests. Yesterday, 69 protestors were arrested.

In the United States, college tuition has increased 500 percent since Reagan; did your income keep up?

My favorite
Occupy story this week has to do with Occupy the Farm at University of California's Gill Tract. As an educational tool and as an example for other communities, it seems to be well intentioned. What if there was no land for you to farm? What if all land that could be used for agriculture is owned by corporations? Though most of us are at ease with our food sources and have no intention of farming, what if you didn't have that choice? An interesting story on many fronts.

In New York,
Occupy legal battles seem to be helping the protestors. Apparently arrests are being made that are being overturned by videos of the arrest.


Final Fixations

The Martin/Zimmerman case is still grabbing headlines. They found trace amounts of THC in Martin's blood.
Some spin that information by simply saying Tayvon Martin had marijuana in his system the night he was shot. If it was trace elements it would mean he hadn't smoke an a while, or seldom smokes. If he was high that night he wouldn't be aggressive. Useless data. What makes it even more nonsensical is that Zimmerman was
not tested for drugs the night of the shooting.

The National Review's Andrew McCarthy seems to think this fully
exonerates Zimmerman. Adam Serwer has an interesting take on the thought, comparing rape with the incident. Martin deserved to be shot because he was high, much like the
woman rape victim, "had it coming," debates of the past. Interesting analogy.

Some people are excited about the news that more, "minority," babies were
born than white in the U.S. for the first time. Am I the only one that realizes that some non-white babies are being born to white mothers or fathers? So many mixed relationships out there effect this statistic. Some may look at this as a threat, (like those supporting keep them women pregnant contraceptive laws), while others realize it's a normal progression. We will not be a white or black country in the future, but we will be a mixed heritage populace of browns.

Maybe some day the little ones will grow up to rule the world.

Could happen.

Planet Politics

I don't think you can overstate the importance of Wisconsin's recall election that will occur in June. This will be a pivotal point for the election year. If he's gone, conservatives should start sweating. If he stays we know that big money now controls the country. Seven wealthy donors have recently bestowed a million dollars on Walker's campaign. What is at least as intriguing as the money, is that the donors for the most part come from out of state. For some reason Nevada, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Illinois and Michigan want to decide the fate of the state. It is interesting as well that Walker is putting money aside for his legal defense if federally prosecuted.

At the GOP convention in Tampa, concealed handguns will be allowed, waters guns not. Apparently shooting to kill is fine, shooting to embarrass; not so much. 

Europe has had a rise in conservative thinking as well. The austerity measures that have been imposed are bringing people onto the streets, and is causing a, "brain drain," for the southern European countries hit hard by those measures. Since austerity has in no way helped the populace, perhaps Europe will make a huge swing to the left. 

In France, President Sarkozy has been swinging hard to the right with anti-immigration and nationalism stands, hoping to grab die hard conservatives. His rival, Francois Hollande, leads in France's opinion polls. Sarkozy is using American conservative tactics, he ignores the big issues of unemployment, the financial crisis and standards of living. No substance to his campaign. 

In Greece, elections will not change the country. Next week there will be a new government, but what that will look like is hard to say. A very divisive election that is sending greeks who are tired of austerity measures to fringe parties. Really? A neo-Nazi party?

In Britain's local elections, the Labour party has made a comeback. They gained 823 seats in the election. Another rebuke to austerity measures in England. This might be a preview to the 2015 national elections.

In Egypt tens of thousands of protestors were greeted with tear gas, water cannons and makeshift rock missiles. The Arab spring ignited many protests around the world, but apparently is not having the desired effect. Islamist hard right leaders have been elected, the currency is failing and the general populace is still being killed. The problem there is the military involvement. 

The world is on fire.

One of our closest neighbors, Mexico, is still talking about the drug wars. In this case, war is definitely the correct term; people are dying. Ex-President Vincente Fox calls the war, "useless," and, "an absolute failure." Reality strikes home. Supplies are stable, violence is escalating and it's all because of the U.S. criminalizing use. 50,000 deaths have occurred during the last 5 1/2 years due to the current president's crackdown. 

Americans know the war on drugs has failed, though the government still seems to think it's accomplishing something. The accomplishments of the war? Jail teenagers and non-violent offenders, increase the number of judges, police, attorneys, prison guards and privatized prisons in this country. I think I've already mentioned what controls this country.

Interesting fact of the day, California spends more money on imprisoning citizens than educating them.

Wicked Women

They're everywhere these days. In the U.S the conservative campaign against equal rights continues. Recently Representative Boehner railed against the thought that there is a, "war," against women being waged while new bills hit the floor introduced by the GOP that seek to cut cervical and breast cancer screenings. Apparently denial is the plan.

Interesting article that looks at battles that are perhaps overlooked when discussing women's rights. Lack of paid parental leave, shackling of pregnant women, abstinence-only education and more. Whatever part of life you examine concerning women, there seems to be coordinated cultural attacks.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott rants about Planned Parenthood being a terrorist organization to no avail, planned parenthood funding is resumed.

In the U.S., the battle is slightly more subdued than in other countries. As we've discussed on this site, Mona Eltahawy's article on Islamist misogyny is raising new concerns over the treatment of women in the Middle East. Very interesting reading.

In Mississippi, the only black member of the state's board of health was fired. This in the state that has the worst infant mortality rate. According to stats, black females have close to a 15 percent child mortality rate. The gentlemen who was fired is Dr. Carl Reddix. Dr. Reddix was trained at Harvard and John Hopkins and is well suited for the position. With MS's high infant mortality rate, he should have been an easy selection; the man's an OB/GYN. Apparently he had a very loose relationship with the only facility that provides women's health care, and we know how disgusted conservatives are when it comes to women.

Wicked women are having a little fun in Russia, and may possibly pay the price. Trying to bring awareness of separation of church and state ideals, and railing against Putin, the feminist punk band Pussy Riot gave a fun performance at the Christ the Savior Cathedral. Three members have been arrested, two have young children; all are incarcerated. 

Preference Politics

We've been enjoying Dan Savage's rant against the bible for a few days on this site. The video was posted in the comment section of the USA & WORLD News group, (which I always follow to get ideas for this blog). The bible is at the center of the politics surrounding gay marriage. 

North Carolina will likely pass a ban against gay marriage soon. Considering that Billy Graham supports the bill, we know it's religious bigotry and intolerance. In many states, you can still legally marry your first cousin, but marrying your same sex cousin is not going to happen. I know there are many who will not see the humor in this, but marrying your same sex cousin is less likely to encourage genetic problems than marrying one of the opposite gender.

America can't seem to climb out of the religious sewage that's stinking up the place. Every action by the religious is an act of cowardice. For those interested in how religious bullying effects our citizens, check out the, "It Gets Better," group. My knowledge of the problem is not as well formed as those who are the brunt of the attacks.

Education Enemies

Right wing think tank, "The Heartland Institute," decided to attack the upcoming, "7th International Conference on Climate Change." A billboard campaign featuring terrorists and killers ended quickly. The sick and idiotic message states, "I Still Believe In Global Warming, Do you?" Supposedly this was to counter, "climate alarmists," by playing the same game. They are proud to counter science with falsehoods.

Here's a great quote from the money worshippers:

"The people who still believe in man-made global warming are mostly on the radical fringe of society. This is why the most prominent advocates of global warming aren't scientists. They are murderers, tyrants, and madmen."

People's Protest

The Occupy movement is still in full swing, though you wouldn't know it from the media. Some pundits claims there were a few hundred protestors, while actually there were tens of thousands.

A troubling thought has surfaced. There are accusations that NY police are now sexually assaulting female protestors. If true, we've found a new low in police tactics. 

Our north of the border friends are discussing the student uprising in Quebec, another important facet of the world wide uprising. 

Since the beginning of the OWS protests, over 7,000 arrests have been made. The media, the government and everyone else is doing their best to ignore or downplay the movement. It must scare the powers to be to no end. 

The best coverage seems to be coming from outside the U.S. for some unknown reason. Well, unknown only if you don't think about it.

Polluted Planet

Keely started a discussion on coral reefs that is fascinating and horrifying at the same time. Thousands of pieces of coral are being ripped out of their watery homes and being sold. Climate change effects coral as well.

I do not understand our preoccupation with killing that which our survival depends on. Destroying one part of the ecosystem will destroy the rest. 

I have read several article on coral reefs and their possible extinction as man continues to pollute. I have read an article that states coral reefs will naturally protect themselves from a warming planet. Another recent article seems to disagree. Okay science people, help me out here. 

Final Fixations

Is there ever a reason that seniors should ever be hungry? In the last decade there has been a 78 percent rise of seniors who may go hungry. If we are a christian nation, christians must suck.

One in seven people worldwide thinks the world will end in their lifetime. Apparently millions will be disappointed.

Nugent watch! Old, washed up, has been, misogynist rocker calls liberals brain dead and cusses out news team. Please Ted, take a break. 

Happy Cinco de Mayo, mas tequila!