Category Archives: Politics

Keli Goff: Harry Reid’s “Negro” Problem

What troubles me about the Reid comments is that as someone who does not know the man personally I can’t help but assume that he does not have a single black American in his life that he is genuinely close to and spends any real time of consequence with on a personal level. Because if he did, I find it hard to believe that such a gaffe would be possible. (Note: black people who are paid to spend time with Reid or anyone else, as employees, whether as nannies or office staff, do not count as close, personal, friends.)

I heard Keli Goff discuss her article on Harry Reid’s comments on NPR today. Here is that segment as well as another view on the issue.

In short, Harry is basically the same kid from rural, white bread Searchlight, Nevada. He probably has never been around a lot of black people. In truth, his work to get more minorities working in the halls of Congress is a testament to his trying to go the right thing.

Let’s face it, the guy works in an almost exclusive white man’s club. The Senate has one African-American, one Latino, three Asian/Pacific Islanders and that’s only if you count White Poster Child John Ensign. And seventeen women. In a body of 100 people. That’s not exactly a microcosm of America. Hell, that’s not even a microcosm of upstate idaho.

So, yeah, his words are unsavory. Mind-numblingly stupid in a sense. Not that anything he said was incorrect. The first black president of America was always going to have to alleviate the fears of rural Democrats. Obama managed to do that.

But to have these racist “Kill the Kenyan socialist” asshats calling for Reid’s resignation is too much.

I say Reid should take each of them to task for their overblown charges of racism. When THEY quit, he will too. We lose the majority leader and the whole damn GOP has to resign and get replaced by uneducated Palinite teabaggers. Serves them right.

Why conservatives are fear-driven idjuts

Great commentary on conservative idiots on this story from a couple weeks ago on the White House calling out it’s critics as fools.

Posted by commenter Ironcomr. DECEMBER 30, 2009 4:47 PM:

Birthers, teabaggers, radical right wing “christians”, secessionist, healthcare anti-reformist,etc., are all the same core group of poor, uninformed ultra-conservative pawns tricked by the corporate masters and cheerleadered by AM conservative talk radio to get these people to believe and vote against their own self interest.

It isn’t any wonder that the main weapon to keep the rank and file conservatives in check is fear. Conservatives fear that their guns are going to be taken away, they fear that U.S. will become socialist, they fear that health care reform will kill off the elderly, they fear that the president is a muslim, they fear that when minorities are in power that reverse racisms will run rampant, they fear that every nation under the sun wants to destroy the U.S. and on and on. This is the main message of Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, et al. to be afraid. After 8 hours a day at least 5 days a week conservatives literally become brainwashed through the radio and then some on Fox news to be afraid and angry.

Conservatives don’t even know what exactly they are trying to conserve. They speak of fair play and freedom but when a group other than their circumscribed group speaks about and want such things (i.e. gay rights, immigrants, minorities, the poor)these ideas suddenly become liberal pandering.

Conservatives don’t realize that what they fear most is change. The changing of American society and of the world. Thus their behavior is not much different from other conservative movements around the world, i.e. Taliban, Al Qaida, Likud, Abadgaran. These groups want to maintain the status quo and use fear and sometimes violence to achieve their means. These groups target the same type of people to believe in their ideology. These are usually the poor, rural denizens who feel that the rest of society is moving too fast and that they are being excluded because the city centers are thriving and they are not.

It is this simple mind trick that has allowed the military-industrial complex to roll along unabated for so long. The very thing president Dwight Eisenhower,a Republican, warned against. However, it was only recently that Republicans were up in arms against the slashing of the military budget and discontinuance of the F-22. This is just another example of how twisted and convoluted conservatism/republicanism is. It contradicts one of their venerated leaders and ideals.

Unfortunately, contradiction and hypocrisy have become the norm for conservatives, so much so that entire shows are based on it and have become very popular (The Colbert Report, Countdown, The Daily show etc.). When conservatives are confronted with this, the usual retort is that it’s the “main stream media” distortion, wholly ignoring that “main stream” = normal or average, non-fringe. Again this is just fear working on these people, fear that their ideology is being pushed to the fringe creating the us vs them mentality.

“No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.” Edmund Burke.

Does Religion Oppress Women? – Nicholas D. Kristof Blog – NYTimes.com

One of the things (and there are many) that bugs me about religion is how sexist the whole thing is. Women are put up on a pedestal, particularly in Chrisitanity…and then left there to rot.

No female priests. Women forced to cover up in Islam. And so on. Hell, a woman tries to gain any personal achievement and historically she is killed as a witch.

Nice to know I’m in good company for questioning this.

Remarks by the President on Strengthening Intelligence and Aviation Security | The White House

To advance that progress, we’ve sought new beginnings with Muslim communities around the world, one in which we engage on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect, and work together to fulfill the aspirations that all people share — to get an education, to work with dignity, to live in peace and security. That’s what America believes in. That’s the vision that is far more powerful than the hatred of these violent extremists.

Here at home, we will strengthen our defenses, but we will not succumb to a siege mentality that sacrifices the open society and liberties and values that we cherish as Americans, because great and proud nations don’t hunker down and hide behind walls of suspicion and mistrust. That is exactly what our adversaries want, and so long as I am President, we will never hand them that victory. We will define the character of our country, not some band of small men intent on killing innocent men, women and children.

And in this cause, every one of us — every American, every elected official — can do our part. Instead of giving into cynicism and division, let’s move forward with the confidence and optimism and unity that defines us as a people. For now is not a time for partisanship, it’s a time for citizenship — a time to come together and work together with the seriousness of purpose that our national security demands.

That’s what it means to be strong in the face of violent extremism. That’s how we will prevail in this fight. And that’s how we will protect our country and pass it — safer and stronger — to the next generation.

– President Obama on improving American security

You know, because I voted for a President who takes responsibility and fixes problems instead of one who points fingers and runs away every time something dangerous happens.

Keep it up Prez!

Think Progress » Beck: ‘African-American is a bogus, PC, made-up term. I mean, that’s not a race.’

I mean, seriously, do Republicans just forget other people are listening or do they just plan to be this racist for the hell of it?

I mean, this comes from a guy who swears he doesn’t think of himself as a white person and that all citizens should just think of themselves as only Americans, and then says shit like, “this president has exposed himself, I think, as a guy, over and over and over again, who has a deep-seated hatred for white people, or white culture.”

The irony here is this asshat can’t help himself from demanding that folks who don’t look like him refrain from declaring any type of cultural identity…in the interests of “freedom” supposedly.

My horrid racist, bigoted neighbors

A selection of comments concerning the shooting at the Federal Courthouse on Monday. There are a couple I missed because they were deleted, one of which was truly heinous. The Review-Journal story predictably has the worst of it as it is the local conservative rag. But the Sun has some filthy bastards of their own commenting.

Mad American wrote on January 04, 2010 09:40 AM:
Its starting to happen. Citizens against the oppressive government.


HELEN WEILS wrote on January 04, 2010 10:18 AM:
Whew! Glad to hear the shooting victims were government union workers and not actual people.


James the Lawyer wrote on January 04, 2010 10:43 AM:
This sad story just noiw being reported, by the media, but I predict…

Many, many, many Metro Police Officers, CCFD and LVFD firefighters were be declared as “Heroes” and we see them over and over and over again on TV, internet, radio and in the print media receiving citations, ribbons, pay raises, Hero blankets, flyovers, salutes, plaques, keys to the city, medals, etc. etc. etc. for their work as Brave Heroes!

Question: Isn’t this the job coppers and firefighters get paid so handsomely for, especially the firefighters???

P.S. Give a medal to Union Representative Ryan Beaman also. With the unions, everyone gets something right?

Too_many_laws wrote on January 04, 2010 10:39 AM: .. create demand for more US CourtHouses, Courtrooms, Judges and Attorneys. Bad news for Nevada and individual liberty. Government by the lawyers, for the lawyers.


These animals really hate the local firefighters, as evidenced here:

Las Vegas Firefighters wrote on January 04, 2010 11:12 AM: Notice To Costco:

Hold all the Lobster for us when the truck comes in today. We will as always, buy all the lobster you have.

We have to be gone to some silly little problem down at the Federal Building. Oh well, we’ll get plenty of overtime to sit around and shoot the breeze with the union brother cops.

See you soon,

LVFD

And this guy really has an axe to grind since his home invasion didn’t override crime still in progress.

James the Lawyer wrote on January 04, 2010 04:28 PM: To “CCFD Family”,
To answer your comment, I had a break-in at my expensive house recently. I immediately called Metro and was told by a Metro Officer they WOULD NOT COME OUT TO MY HOUSE. They will always run or sprint to the funeral parlor at the drop of hat for a union brother though.

Metro said they were too short handed and for me to call Commissioner Rory Reid and tell him to increase officer pay and staffing. The loss was over $40,000. I was told to file a written report at one of the Police Stations. Metro was probably at the funeral home forming a parade line for a fellow Hero officer…complete with balloons, candles and flowers.

I did file the break-in report and called a month later to followup and Metro had lost my 4 page report. They had no record of my report…morons.

So “CCFD Family”, see why I have ABSOLUTELY NO RESPECT for you overpaid and under-worked firefighters, coppers, a/k/a by the general public the Las Vegas Morons?!!!

James The Lawyer.

P.S. Was your posted “attorney comment” a physical threat against me and/or my family? If yes, inform me of your real name.

And then there’s just generic cretins who apparently hate everyone. Mormons, Democrats, African-Americans, Firefighters, Policemen, Muslims. If you’ve got a group, they’ll hate it and want it dead:

djones wrote on January 04, 2010 03:38 PM:
Glad Wicks was shot and killed. Saved us taxpayers some money and Social Security too.


Callia wrote on January 04, 2010 02:22 PM:
Yes it is true this man murdered on his job. God Be with him and his whole family.

It was abuse to victims in the story when Senator Harry Reid who lives day by second thinking how much money and power he can have over Americans, and our Country.

These politicians who are destroying our Country have no feeling for America, let alone a hard working man who is now dead to.


Idgarad wrote on January 05, 2010 05:55 AM:
Translation: Man brought up thinking he’s entitled to free money finds out he’s going to have to go out and get a job since there is less free money.

Just think an entire generation in their 30s are going to find out there isn’t any social security money for them at all. FRom the article is sounds that he snapped after hearing he’s getting less (rather then none). If just .05% of the people snap like this you’ll have more combatants then some wars.

I hope there is more to this then just money but worse has been done in the name of a few dollars at a liquor store.


Victor Misek wrote on January 05, 2010 01:01 AM:
Another act of Muslim revenge???


typical black person wrote on January 05, 2010 12:33 AM:
I read his Complaint. He is a typical Black person.


Nathan the Las Vegas Firefighter wrote on January 04, 2010 07:13 PM:
We are worn out from sitting in our firetrucks at the Federal Building for hours and hours and hour and earning thousands and thousands of dollars in firefighter overtime pay. The coffee and donuts from COSTCO was appreciated. Next time we need more glazed donuts and fewer sprinkles.

Just think $118 in overtime per hour pay, hell I’ll sleep in my firetruck for that amount of money any time.

Harry and Rory are my Heroes and they are Mormans like me and half my union brothers and sisters. I am black so I am double protected and will be the absolute last person to be fired. Affirmative action got me the job in the first place…and now I am a black, Morman, firefighter Hero and rich!


YAY! wrote on January 04, 2010 01:44 PM:
i love when they print happy new! Great way to start the new year. My heart does the dance of joy ever time a pig died. I hope they all burn in hell.

I mean, I’m not the hugest fan of the police, particularly the Vegas version, but never have I been thrilled at the death of a law enforcement officer of any department dying doing his job. That said, I do reserve the right to chuckle if Joe Arpaio strokes out.

There is some push back against these trolls, but it is drowned out by the hate:

By mred 1/4/10 at 11:49 a.m.
Did the murderer drive up in a vehicle with a “Rush is Right” bumper sticker


sad hateful people wrote on January 04, 2010 11:20 AM:
“We have to be gone to some silly little problem down at the Federal Building. Oh well, we’ll get plenty of overtime to sit around and shoot the breeze with the union brother cops.”

A law officer is killed today and another in serious condition but hey, there’s still some pathetic union-haters finding time to contiue their holy jihad against city workers.

The poster is ONE PERSON — union-hater Helen Weils, who has a hundred aliases.

And a warning that the Rethugs have been stocking up on weapons solely because we have a black president:

Mark wrote on January 04, 2010 04:13 PM:
More black on white crime. We need to clean house. How much more do we have to take?