Benghazi Brief

The conspiracy theories and obsession with Benghazi and the Boston Bombing are so ridiculous.  Should we get a hearing on the WMD's that we still haven't found in Iraq, ten years later?  That  debacle cost the country 2 Trillion dollars and catapulted us into the greatest recession since the "Great Depression."

Flip the Script:  ...here's a theory. The Republicans are so scared of Hillary Clinton running and winning the next Presidential Race they set in motion an attack on an American Embassy known to have decreased security in order to show that she, Hillary, and President Obama are not as apt at handling our national security--stirring up fear.

Secondly, get the conspiracy cranked up to a level that points out some inadequacy of the President that could be "impeachable."  Think they've pretty much given up on getting him on "moral" issues like infidelity because the whole nation can see how in love he is with his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama.

So you stage an attack on an American Embassy, then you stage a small attack on American soil that hints of  "terrorism" and slowly but surely you began to erode the confidence in our homeland security measures and began to stir up fears of terrorism plots potentially popping up everywhere and the next thing you know they'll be dragging us off to the next war they feel might potential benefit the profits and security of place in American Society of the elite and privileged 1%.  They, the GOP is itching to get us involved in the Syrian civil war.  Question, why are they never banging the drums of war to go into the African Congo?

Lest you think my conspiracy theory is too far-fetched just remember that Richard Nixon stopped the peace negotiations for Vietnam because he was running for President.  George W. Bush, got this country into the worst war and longest war we've ever known by using false intelligence to say Sadam Hussein had WMD's.  He, President George Bush, won a second term.  And don't get me started on how he won his first term, now there's a conspiracy waiting to be revealed and I'm sure history will  unless of course it's written by "revisionist" partial to the Bush Dynasty and or GOP.

When I was growing up there was this standard come back to any slam, "takes one to know one."  Those who see conspiracy everywhere have probably perpetrated; been involved in or aware of an actually conspiracy.  I feeling very Julia Robert's like, remember the movie Pelican Brief.  We all know real life is stranger than fiction.

Toxic Dispersant used in oil spills

So Why Is the Toxic Dispersant Used in BP's Gulf Disaster Three Years Ago Still the Clean-up Agent of Choice in the US?

learn more about...

corexit-health-and-environment-risk 

guns & background checks

Assault weapons ban bill fails in US Senate sns.mx/NmvTy9
— U.S. Senate Update (@USSenateUpdate) April 18, 2013

Shame on the US Senators who decided it was more important to get an A plus from the #NRA than a passing grade from their constituents.
— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) April 18, 2013

Giffords: 'I'm furious' with Senate gun vote bit.ly/13jPeoI by @jtsthehill
— The Hill (@thehill) April 18, 2013

America, meet the 45 senators who blocked background checks (did your lawmaker make the list?) motherjones.com/politics/2013/…
— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) April 18, 2013

If you are mad as hell .... write your senators and let them know how you feel. Just so you know here's how they voted:

Republicans Who Voted for the Proposal 

• Susan Collins (R-ME) 
•  Mark Kirk (R-IL) 
• John McCain (R-AZ) 
• Pat Toomey (R-PA) 

 Democrats Who Voted Against the Proposal

• Max Baucus (D-MT) 
•  Mark Begich (D-AK) 
• Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) 
• Mark Pryor (D-AR) 
•  Harry Reid (D-NV) (Voted "no" as a procedural move to preserve option to reintroduce the bill.) 

  republicans Who Voted Against the Proposal

•   Lamar Alexander (R-TN) 
•  Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) 
•  John Barrasso (R-WY) 
• Roy Blunt (R-MO) 
• John Boozman (R-AR) 
• Richard Burr (R-NC) 
•  Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
•  Dan Coats (R-IN) 
• Tom Coburn (R-OK) 
• Thad Cochran (R-MS) 
• Bob Corker (R-TN) 
•  John Cornyn (R-TX) 
•  Mike Crapo (R-ID) 
• Ted Cruz (R-TX) 
• Michael Enzi (R-WY)
•  Deb Fischer (R-NE) 
•  Jeff Flake (R-AZ) 
•  Lindsey Graham (R-SC) 
•  Chuck Grassley (R-IA) 
• Orrin Hatch (R-UT) 
• Dean Heller (R-NV) 
• John Hoeven (R-ND) 
•  Jim Inhofe (R-OK) 
• Johnny Isakson (R-GA) 
• Mike Johanns (R-NE) 
• Ron Johnson (R-WI)
•  Mike Lee (R-UT)
•  Mitch McConnell (R-KY) 
• Jerry Moran (R-KS) 
• Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) 
• Rand Paul (R-KY) 
• Rob Portman (R-OH)
•  James Risch (R-ID) 
•  Pat Roberts (R-KS) 
•  Marco Rubio (R-FL) 
•  Timothy Scott (R-SC) 
• Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
•  Richard Shelby (R-AL)
•  John Thune (R-SD) 
•  David Vitter (R-LA) 
•  Roger Wicker (R-MS) 

 democrats Who Voted for the Proposal

• Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) 
• Michael Bennet (D-CO) 
• Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) 
•  Barbara Boxer (D-CA) 
• Sherrod Brown (D-OH) 
• Maria Cantwell (D-WA) 
• Ben Cardin (D-MD) 
• Thomas Carper (D-DE) 
•  Bob Casey (D-PA) 
•  Christopher Coons (D-DE) 
• William "Mo" Cowan (D-MA) 
• Joe Donnelly (D-IN) 
•  Richard Durbin (D-IL) 
• Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) 
•  Al Franken (D-MN) 
• Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) 
• Kay Hagan (D-NC) 
• Tom Harkin (D-IA) 
• Martin Heinrich (D-NM) 
• Mazie Hirono (D-HI) 
•  Tim Johnson (D-SD) 
• Timothy Kaine (D-VA) 
•  Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) 
• Mary Landrieu (D-LA) 
•  Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
•  Patrick Leahy (D-VT) 
•  Carl Levin (D-MI) 
• Joe Manchin (D-WV) 
•  Claire McCaskill (D-MO) 
•  Robert Menendez (D-NJ) 
• Jeff Merkley (D-OR) 
• Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) 
• Christopher Murphy (D-CT) 
• Patty Murray (D-WA) 
•  Bill Nelson (D-FL) 
• John Reed (D-RI) 
• Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) 
• Brian Schatz (D-HI) 
• Charles Schumer (D-NY) 
• Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) 
• Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) 
• Jon Tester (D-MT)
•  Mark Udall (D-CO) 
• Tom Udall (D-NM) 
• Mark Warner (D-VA) 
•  Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) 
• Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) 
• Ron Wyden (D-OR) 

 independents
 Angus King (I-ME): Yea Bernie Sanders (I-VT): Yea

list courtesy of  Mother Jones article:  Meet the 45 Senators Who Blocked Background Checks

by Dana Liebelson, a reporter in Mother Jones' Washington bureau. Her work has also appeared in The Week, TIME's Battleland, Truthout, OtherWords and Yahoo! News  

A Tale for the Elections

A B 'Banjo' Paterson 

(1864-1941)

The Sausage Candidate-A Tale for the Elections

Our fathers, brave men were and strong,
And whisky was their daily liquor;
They used to move the world along
In better style than now — and quicker.
Elections then were sport, you bet!
A trifle rough, there's no denying
When two opposing factions met
The skin and hair were always flying.
When "cabbage-trees" could still be worn
Without the question, "Who's your hatter?"
There dawned a bright election morn
Upon the town of Parramatta.
A man called Jones was all the go —
The people's friend, the poor's protector;
A long, gaunt, six-foot slab of woe,
He sought to charm the green elector.

How Jones had one time been trustee
For his small niece, and he — the villain! —
Betrayed his trust most shamefully,
And robbed the child of every shillin'.
He used to keep accounts, they say,
To save himself in case of trouble;
Whatever cash he paid away
He always used to charge it double.

He'd buy the child a cotton gown
Too coarse and rough to dress a cat in,
And then he'd go and put it down
And charge the price of silk or satin!
He gave her once a little treat,
An outing down the harbour sunny,
And Lord! the bill for bread and meat,
You'd think they all had eaten money!

But Jones exposed the course he took
By carelessness — such men are ninnies.
He went and entered in his book,
"Two pounds of sausages — two guineas."
Now this leaked out, and folk got riled,
And said that Jones, "he didn't oughter".
But what cared Jones? he only smiled —
Abuse ran off his back like water.

And so he faced the world content:
His little niece — he never paid her:
And then he stood for Parliament,
Of course he was a rank free trader.
His wealth was great, success appeared
To smile propitious on his banner,
But Providence it interfered
In this most unexpected manner.

A person — call him Brown for short —
Who knew the story of this stealer,
Went calmly down the town and bought
Two pounds of sausage from a dealer,
And then he got a long bamboo
And tightly tied the sausage to it;
Says he, "This is the thing to do,
And I am just the man to do it.

"When Jones comes out to make his speech
I won't a clapper be, or hisser,
But with this long bamboo I'll reach
And poke the sausage in his 'kisser'.
I'll bring the wretch to scorn and shame,
Unless those darned police are nigh:
As sure as Brown's my glorious name,
I'll knock that candidate sky-high."

The speech comes on — beneath the stand
The people push and surge and eddy
But Brown waits calmly close at hand
With all his apparatus ready;
And while the speaker loudly cries,
"Of ages all, this is the boss age!"
Brown hits him square between the eyes,
Exclaiming, "What's the price of sausage?"

He aimed the victuals in his face,
As though he thought poor Jones a glutton.
And Jones was covered with disgrace —
Disgrace and shame, and beef and mutton.
His cause was lost — a hopeless wreck
He crept off from the hooting throng;
Protection proudly ruled the deck,
Here ends the sausage and the song.
__
Notes

The Bulletin, 9 February 1889

Published during the 1889 election campaign for the New South Wales General Parliament

courtesy of: hello poetry

Petition - Shared Sacrifice: Bernie Sanders - U.S. Senator for Vermont

excerpt...

Dear Mr. President, This is a pivotal moment in the history of our country. Decisions are being made about the national budget that will impact the lives of virtually every American for decades to come. As we address the issue of deficit reduction we must not ignore the painful economic reality of today - which is that the wealthiest people in our country and the largest corporations are doing phenomenally well while the middle class is collapsing and poverty is increasing. In fact, the United States today has, by far, the most unequal distribution of wealth and income of any major country on earth.

...go to his page to read more and sign the petition, use the link below

 Petition - Shared Sacrifice: Bernie Sanders - U.S. Senator for Vermont

live every moment

Gun Violence

My Gun Control Rant

I grew up in the sixties road in trucks with my dad and others with their rifle racks and have never been aftraid of guns.  I served in the military and know how to use an M16 very well. I do believe that people should have the right to own guns; however, I have never seen the benefit of average citizens being able to purchase and carry automatic assault like weapons.  Those are weapons of "war" and should be left in the hands of military personnel and law enforcement.   Where do you stand on the issue?

Here's some other info I recently found on the web on this "hot-botton" issue:

guncrisis.org -

The Gun Crisis Reporting Project: Seeking solutions to the epidemic of homicide by gunfire in Philadelphia

 

FACT: 6.6 million guns were transferred in the U.S. last year without a background check. #WeDemandAVote, twitter.com/BarackObama/st…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 11, 2013

In my backyard:

BREAKING: Henry County Man is accused of shooting his wife and daughter then shooting himself. Details at 4.
— NewsChannel 5 (@NC5) March 11, 2013

One Million Moms and Dads Against Gun Violence

Enough is enough. We cannot stand by and let our children be killed by senseless violence. We are committed to offering a voice to those who have been silent while so many of our children have been harmed by gun violence. No more.

We are two moms who refuse to do nothing in the face of the massacres that have taken too many of our country's children. No matter what you believe is the issue that has lead to these events--get involved to change the problem. This page is to provide a platform to the voices that have been silent against gun violence for too long. We have done it their way--if more guns meant safety, we'd be the safest country in the world.

We are committed to communication, awareness, support and action. Something has to change to make this country safer for our kids.

 (on the other side...)

One Million Moms Against Gun Control

 another  Facebook Community

We urge you to contact your elected representatives and demand they honor their oath to protect the Second Amendment and the Constitution of these United States of America. Make your voices heard today!

 

@CissyCrutcher

Cissy Crutcher:

RT You must listen to this truly breathtaking seamless melting of traditional#Gospel&#classical#Mozart featuring @cissycrutcher
— Desia (@DesiaDesigns) March 9, 2013

Cissy is the baby sister of one of my childhood friends and daugther of my Jr High music teacher. She brings to the table her own tastes which include some smooth, some classical, and some cool, the herbs and spices tossed into the stew of her very unique smooth blend. You will be spellbound as you marinate on her melodious lyrics.

CISSY CRUTCHER was a Semi-Finalist in the Avon Voices Global Singing Talent Search! She appeared in the Mario Van Peebles film, Redemption Road starring Michael Clarke Duncan and Tom Skerritt. Cissy also won Best Supporting Actress from the 2010 Thanet International Film Festival for her role in The New, True, Charlie Wu. Performing since the age of four, CISSY fronts her own band, and shares her vocal talents with the Pat Patrick Showband at venues around the United States. She has performed with Music City Hall of Fame songwriter, Pat Alger, and also has vocal credits on projects for other artists, jingles, and corporate soundtracks.

In 2010, Cissy earned honors from the Tennessee Arts Commission with an Individual Artist Fellowship for vocal performance. She has been a featured vocalist in Nashville’s BB King’s Blues Club All Star Band and continues to perform at the club as a headlining act. Cissy has appeared with jazz saxophonists, Marion Meadows, opened for musical groups such as Cameo and Con Funk Shun, and entertained audiences in England, Australia, and New Zealand. Other notable performances during her career include the Franklin Jazz Festival, the Watertown Music & Arts Fest, Nashville’s Jefferson Street Jazz & Blues Festival, the Montreaux/Atlanta Music Festival, the Sydney Opera House, the World’s Fair 1988, and BET’s Video Gospel, and the Vision Awards. CISSY is a singer/songwriter who has combined her passion of writing poetry, singing, and songwriting to develop a unique musical style. Two of her own compositions are on her debut CD, That Kinda Love, (available through iTunes, her website, and CD Baby) which blends elements inspired by some of her influences: Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder. When not on stage, you can find her teaching middle school students, which she has done since earning a Master’s Degree from Vanderbilt University in 1994. CISSY also holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

 For Management & Booking Information Contact: Artez Crutcher • 615-509-4763 acrutcher1@gmail.com • info@cissycrutcher.com Keep updated by logging on to www.cissycrutcher.com facebook.com/cissy.crutcher • twitter.com/CissyCrutcher myspace.com/cissycrutcher and see videos at YouTube.com/cissycrutcher • AvonVoices.com

NRA Ad targeting minorities

Dear @nra, we don't trust you. Sincerely, Black America... bit.ly/Z3kqGp PLEASE RETWEET

— Russell Simmons (@UncleRUSH) March 8, 2013

No golf trips for Obama

Republican Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert introduced an amendment to the Continuing Resolution that would not provide the White House with any taxpayer funds to transport President Barack Obama to and from any golf course until they resume White House public tours. In a House floor speech, Gohmert said he filed the amendment with the House Rules Committee. “None of the funds made available by a division of this act may be used to transport the president to or from a golf course until public tours of the White House resume,” the amendment reads. Read more:

read more..

Civil Rights ...remembering the struggle

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