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Mitten’s Mexican father wouldn’t have fared well under his son’s vision of America

Adios Dad, there's the door!

Mitt Romney’s father, George Wilcken Romney, was born in Colonia Dublán, Galeana, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, on 8 July 1907, but his family fled the violence of the Mexican Revolution and moved to Texas sometime around 1912-1913, where they lived off of government assistance until eventually moving to Idaho.

This brings up two questions; first, did Mitt’s father apply for a visa before entering the United States as an illegal alien fleeing violence in his native Mexico? And second, how is Mittens so vehemently opposed to government assistance for the poor and needy when his own father’s family wouldn’t have survived without it?

Fortunately for Mitt’s father President Woodrow Wilson’s immigration policies weren’t the same as Mittens’ who’s said, “My plan is this, which is for those that have come here illegally and are here illegally today, no amnesty. Now, how do people return home? Under the ideal setting, at least in my view, you say to those who have just come in recently, we’re going to send you back home immediately; we’re not going to let you stay here. You just go back home. For those that have been here, let’s say, five years, and have kids in school, you allow kids to complete the school year, you allow people to make their arrangements, and allow them to return back home. Those that have been here a long time, with kids that have responsibilities here and so forth, you let stay enough time to organize their affairs and go home.”

Equally fortunate for his father is that Americans felt differently about government programs for the poor in 1912 than the conservatives of today do, including his dear son.

“The threat to our culture comes from within,” Mittens says about the poor and needy. “The 1960’s welfare programs created a culture of poverty. Some think we won that battle when we reformed welfare, but the liberals haven’t given up. At every turn, they try to substitute government largesse for individual responsibility. Dependency is death to initiative, risk-taking and opportunity. Dependency is a culture-killing drug. We have got to fight it like the poison it is.”

Under Mitt’s proposed presidential policies, his own father, who wasn’t an American, would’ve been sent packing back to Colonia Dublán, Galeana, told to go, vamoose, and get out, no amnesty for you! And if by some chance his son’s jack booted immigration thugs hadn’t found him he’d probably starved to death while being told to pull himself up by his boots straps.

An additional question would be how did a Mexican national run for the presidency in 1968? The Constitution is quite clear on who can and who cannot run for the presidency with respects to nationality; Article II, Section I states, “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”

The only way George Romney could’ve been considered a “natural born citizen” is if he’d been born on a United States Military base or in a U.S. Embassy – both being considered United States’ soil. John McCain although born in Panama was born on a U.S. Naval Base, hence he was eligible to run in 2008, George Romney was not born on a base nor in an embassy and was not eligible.

Good thing birthers weren’t as rabid back then, or is that Romney was running as a Republican?

 
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Posted by on November 14, 2011 in 2012 Election

 

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Waterboarding is torture

Republican Tea Party (GOTP) presidential candidates, with the notable exceptions of Jon Huntsman and Ron Paul announced during Saturday night’s GOP debate that they’d reinstitute waterboarding if elected president, arguing it’s an “enhanced interrogation technique” and therefore doesn’t violate the Geneva Convention’s ban against acts of torture.

President Barack Obama chastised the candidates for that stance, noting the damage waterboarding has done for America’s reputation and its standing in the world.

“It’s contrary to America’s traditions,” he said. “It’s contrary to our ideals. That’s not who we are. That’s not how we operate. We don’t need it in order to prosecute the war on terrorism. And we did the right thing by ending that practice.”

But the President isn’t alone in his condemnation of the GOTP wannabes, the man the President beat in 2008, and the Senator best known for criticizing the practice, spoke out against the practice on Monday morning as well.

“Very disappointed by statements at SC GOP debate supporting waterboarding,” Sen. John McCain tweeted. “Waterboarding is torture.”

There is no one serving in the United States Senate better qualified to debunk conservative ignorance on this subject, and since the President has already outlawed the practice, the only way it will return is if one of the current GOTP troglodytes somehow wins the White House; thankfully, at present that’s not looking too promising.

 
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Posted by on November 14, 2011 in 2012 Election

 

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Prepare for war with Iran?

Agence France Presse (AFP) is reporting that Republican Tea Party (GOTP) presidential bridesmaid Mittens Romney is accusing President Barack Obama of naivete on Iran and is promising that if elected president he would “prepare for war” with the Islamic republic.

In a commentary published in the Wall Street Journal, Romney said he would back up US diplomacy “with a very real and very credible military option,” deploying carrier battle groups to the Gulf and boosting military aid to Israel.

“These actions will send an unequivocal signal to Iran that the United States, acting in concert with allies, will never permit Iran to obtain nuclear weapons,” he wrote.

So, basically Mittens would continue the Obama Administration policies? Mittens is either ignorant to current foreign policy in the region or he’s being deliberately misleading; facts are we’ve had carrier battle groups in the region since Desert Storm and President Obama has increased aid to Israel as well as given the Israelis the 5,000 pound Bunker Buster bomb, which Bush refused to provide.

Romney reportedly keyed his column to a International Atomic Energy Agency report this week citing “credible evidence” that Iran had worked on a nuclear explosive device.

Iran of course, as most militant regimes do, denies it’s developing nuclear weapons and insists its nuclear program is for generating electricity, but the report has prompted calls in the West for tougher UN sanctions and demands by Israel for world to act to prevent Tehran for getting nuclear weapons.

Romney said the United States “needs a very different policy.”

“‘Si vis pacem, para bellum.’ That is a Latin phrase, but the ayatollahs will have no trouble understanding its meaning from a Romney administration: If you want peace, prepare for war,” he said.

Mittens further criticized the administration for failing to get Moscow’s support for tougher action against Tehran as the price for a “reset” in US-Russian relations, and Obama’s refusal to meddle during Iran’s Green Revolution of 2009.

“A proper American policy might or might not have altered the outcome; we will never know,” he wrote. “But thanks to this shameful abdication of moral authority, any hope of toppling a vicious regime was lost, perhaps for generations.”

Why does Mittens think he’s running for President in 1980? To listen to his statements and his debating you’d think the Soviet Bear was still preparing to devour Europe, that we had double digit inflation, hostages in Iran and long lines at gas stations.

Facts are Israel will never allow a nuclear Iran, and Romney is posturing for the uber-conservative base, beating his sword against his shield and spouting Latin as though he were a Caesar instead of an American politician running for president. Americans don’t want more war right now Mittens and we’re a little weary of the constant fear mongering and hand ringing of the conservative right.

 
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Posted by on November 14, 2011 in 2012 Election

 

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Waterboarding is torture

USA Today is reporting that President Obama is challenging the views of his Republican Tea Party (GOTP) opponents on Iran and support of waterboarding as an interrogation technique.

Asked about Mittens Romney’s criticism he isn’t stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, the President told reporters anyone who claims this is an easy issue “is either politicking or doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”

I’d personally say with respects to this crop of candidates, it’s both Mr. President, they’re all politicking and they definitely don’t have a clue on foreign policy, but less much of anything else.

“You take a look at what we’ve been able to accomplish in mobilizing the world community against Iran over the last three years and it shows steady, determined, firm progress in isolating the Iranian regime, and sending a clear message that the world believes it would be dangerous for them to have a nuclear weapon,” the President said.

The President also reportedly said, of Iran: “Not only the world, but the Iranian regime understands very clearly how determined we are to prevent not only a nuclear Iran but also a nuclear arms race in the region, and a violation of nonproliferation norms that would have implications around the world, including in the Asia Pacific region where we have similar problems with North Korea.”

During another recent so-called GOTP “debate”, Mittens described Iran as the President’s “greatest failure” in foreign policy, and, “if we re-elect Barack Obama, Iran will have a nuclear weapon.”

Of course he has no facts to back up his statement, he’s just throwing it out there; Mittens might as well have said, “If we re-elect Barack Obama, we’ll discover the moon is made of green cheese.”

During the same “debate”, Herman “Pizza Man” Cain and Michele “Krazy” Bachmann said they’d bring back waterboarding as an interrogation technique on terrorism suspects; Cain said, “I don’t see that as torture,” while Bachmann called the technique “very effective” in learning about terrorism plans.

“They’re wrong,” the President responded. “Waterboarding is torture.”

“It’s contrary to America’s traditions,” he added. “It’s contrary to our ideals. That’s not who we are. That’s not how we operate. We don’t need it in order to prosecute the war on terrorism. And we did the right thing by ending that practice.”

“If we want to lead around the world, part of our leadership is setting a good example. And anybody who has actually read about and understands the practice of waterboarding would say that that is torture. And that’s not something we do, period.”

 
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Posted by on November 14, 2011 in 2012 Election

 

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God told him to run?

I'm sorry about all that sex stuff Lord, oh wait, what? You want me to run for President? Oh, never mind then about that other stuff, OK?

According to the Associated Press (AP) Republican Tea Party (GOTP) presidential hopeful Herman “Pizza Man” Cain said God told him to run for president, comparing himself to Moses; problem is Herman Cain would’ve divided the 12 tribes in sections of 9-9-9 and that just wouldn’t have worked at all.

I can picture Cain working in his kitchen rolling out some pizza dough, and then suddenly, “Ding” – “HERMAN RUN FOR PRESIDENT!”

Evidently the Pizza Man has decided he needs to play up his faith a little more while in the midst of battling multiple sexual harassment allegations, trying to shift the conversation to religion, and good old fashioned “family values” and away from groping.

In a speech to a national meeting of young Republicans, Cain said the Lord persuaded him after much prayer.

“That’s when I prayed and prayed and prayed. I’m a man of faith – I had to do a lot of praying for this one, more praying than I’ve ever done before in my life,” Cain said. “And when I finally realized that it was God saying that this is what I needed to do, I was like Moses. ‘You’ve got the wrong man, Lord. Are you sure?'”

And the second time in his life he’s prayed as hard was when all these women came forward to say he’d touched them and made unwanted sexual advances – I don’t remember that being a problem for Moses?

Cain isn’t the first to say God prodded him toward a campaign. The Reverend Rick Perry’s wife, Anita, has said she felt God was speaking to her about the race, adding that her husband needed to see a “burning bush,” a Biblical reference to God’s first appearance to Moses.

OK, now just wait a minute, God moves in mysterious ways not dumb ways; of all the people God could convince to run for President he chooses Cain and Perry, really? If nothing else the current crop of GOTP contenders definitely shows God has a sense of humor.

 
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Posted by on November 13, 2011 in 2012 Election

 

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Arab Spring has gotten out of hand?

Republican Tea Party (GOTP) incredible shrinking presidential candidate Herman “Pizza Man” Cain said during the most recent “debate” that President Barack Obama’s reaction to the Arab Spring, has allowed the movement to go in the wrong direction.

“You have to look at Libya, Egypt, Yemen and all of the revolutions that are going on and how the administration has mishandled them,” he said. “As a result, this has gotten totally out of hand.”

You can hear his brain captain screaming, “How dare these people decide their own destiny, don’t they know that the right way is to have America invade your country and force feed democracy to them?!”

Pizza Man claims the revolution in Egypt, where citizens ousted long-time President Hosni Mubarak, could strain relations between the United States and Egypt, and he warned against the increased power of opposition group the Muslim Brotherhood, which formed a political party earlier this year.

“Our relationship with Egypt may not survive,” he said. “It turned out that the opposition was more of the Muslim Brotherhood, which could end up with a majority of control of this new government.”

Here’s the FOX PAC conservative line, look out for the Muslim Brotherhood to take control in the vacuum in Egypt!

So, Cain would have supported a policy of pouring billions of dollars into a regime notorious for torturing and murdering its own people?

Cain also criticized the president for his support for protests in Yemen, where the Yemeni government has responded with violence to peaceful protests.

“This president has already said that the president of Yemen should go,” Cain said. “He is our friend. He has been helping us fight Al Qaeda. This president has been on the wrong side in nearly every situation in the Arab world.”

Now we know that Herman Cain subscribes to the uber-conservative Machiavellian theory that the “enemy of my enemy is my friend”. Earth to Herman, America can’t proclaim itself as the “bright shining city on the hill” while simultaneously supporting corrupt and murderous governments just because sometimes they’re our friend.

The old cold war policy of throwing billions of dollars at nations in bribes is out dated and has never served us well; problem with buying friendship is eventually some new kid comes along who pays more. Of course when your answer has always been to pay people off what more can we expect from the Pizza Man?

 
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Posted by on November 13, 2011 in 2012 Election

 

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Four more reasons neither to be nor to vote Republican

During last night’s current episode of “Crazy Eights” Republican Tea Party (GOTP) presidential hopefuls talked about (because let’s be serious these are not debates) water boarding, Iran and the never-ending war in Afghanistan.

Herman “Pizza Man” Cain and Michele “Krazy” Bachmann both said they’d reinstate water boarding; testimony, if there ever needed to be, that only crazy people torture prisoners.

Cain said while he opposes torture (except where female employees are involved) he said he’d leave it up to military leaders, not their civilian superiors, to decide what forms of interrogation amount to torture, proofing yet again that he has mozzarella for brains.

He’d leave it up to military leaders to decide America’s torture policies; this is just one more very good reason why I’m not a Republican and why it will be a cold day before I’d vote Republican again. There’re very good reasons why the Founding Fathers made the civilian government in charge of the military, and determining what constitutes torture is just one of them. Military leaders – unfortunately – often tend to worry more about the ends justifying the means instead of what might be right or wrong; the nation’s policies were never meant to be made by generals, if they were Patton would have plunged the country into World War III against the Soviets, and MacArthur would have nuked the Chinese.

While Cain and Bachmann may be giddy about water boarding, Huntsman said its use diminishes U.S. standing in the world and Paul said it is illegal.

When the subject of Iran was introduced, Newter Gingrich gave one of his classic, flim-flam style answers; appearing to be uber-intelligent, but never really answering the question.

“There are a number of ways to be smart about Iran, and a few ways to be stupid. The administration skipped all the ways to be smart,” the Newt declared.

Another good reason I’m not a Republican and why I won’t vote GOTP, came when the “candidates” were asked if they’d support a “pre-emptive” strike (ala the Bush Doctrine) to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Newt ploughed right ahead declaring if other means failed, “you have to take whatever steps are necessary” to prevent the Islamic regime from gaining a nuclear weapon.

Mittens said he’d take military action “if all else fails.”

Ricky “the Rick” Santorum dutifully agreed. Noting that a mysterious computer virus had caused disruption inside Iran’s nuclear labs, and that Iranian scientists have been assassinated in recent months, “I hope that the U.S. has been involved” in those and other covert actions.

Let me get this straight, a man running for President said he hoped America has been involved in the assassination of scientists in a country we’re not at war with? Yes folks it’s yet another extremely good reason not to be, nor to vote Republican.

Ronny Paul – who on occasion does sound like all the brain gears are meshing together – wanted no part of a military strike. “It’s not worthwhile to go to war,” he said. He added if America’s security is threatened the president must ask Congress for a formal declaration of war before taking military action.

The Reverend Perry responded by saying America can handle the situation differently; “This country can sanction the Iranian central bank right now and shut down that country’s economy, and that’s what the president needs to do,” he said.

The war in Afghanistan produced the same range of responses as the question relating to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Jon “I can’t believe it’s not butter” Huntsman and Paul both said it’s time for U.S. troops to come home.

“I say it’s time to come home. I say this nation has achieved its key objectives,” Huntsman said.

Romney and Perry said they’d side with military commanders about when to withdraw troops introducing a fourth reason for not being or voting Republican.

The President – as a civilian – is the Commander-in-Chief not the military commanders; they take their orders from him, not the other way around. The President may ask for the advice of his military commanders, but he doesn’t leave foreign policy up to those in uniform, including when to start or stop wars. While there are many leaders in the military who abhor war and fight only when necessary, there are too many who love the “smell of napalm in the morning”.

After this latest round of the GOTP circus what additional reasons have we learned not to vote Republican in November?

We’ve learned not to vote Republican in November because GOTP wannabes:

Support torturing prisoners, and said they’d leave it up to military commanders to decide policy.

Support starting a pre-emptive war with Iran.

Support assassinating scientists in countries we’re not at war with.

Support allowing military commanders the power to decide when America ends wars.

 
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Posted by on November 13, 2011 in 2012 Election

 

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Occupy Wall Street crowd disrupts Bachmann speech

The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that Occupy Wall Street protesters disrupted a foreign policy speech by Republican Tea Party (GOTP) presidential has been Michele “Krazy” Bachmann.

During her address Krazy said she’d make Iraq pay back billions of dollars the U.S. spent to liberate the country and never let Iran get its hands on a nuclear weapon.

She’d make Iraq pay back the billions of dollars the United States spent invading it, destroying it, abusing its citizens and killing hundreds of thousands more while liberating it? Did Iraq ask to be liberated Krazy? Were the Iraqi people rising up in an Arab Spring type revolution in which we helped them? No, they didn’t and no they weren’t; Bush/Cheney decided we – the United States – would give them western-style democracy whether they liked it or not. And just how would she make Iraq pay us back? And just how would you stop Iran from getting its hands on a nuclear weapon? Oh wait, I know, INVADE!

Bachmann was about five minutes into her spell binding litany aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown in Charleston Harbor when about 30 protesters rose from the audience of about 100 people and began shouting “Mike Check!” They then chanted a variety of complaints as police escorted the Minnesota congresswoman from the podium. She later said she never felt threatened by the mostly college-age protesters.

“You cater to the 1 percent!” they shouted. “You oppose paying hardworking Americans a living wage and refuse to promote realistic solutions to economic problems.” After several minutes, the group walked together off the aircraft carrier shouting, “We are the 99 percent!”

Bachmann was later escorted back to the podium and finished the speech. “Don’t you love the First Amendment?” she asked the crowd.

After asking about loving the First Amendment however, she did what most uber-conservatives do; complain about Americans exercising their right to free speech as guaranteed by it

“It was really ironic that you had a group of young people in what was really a very disrespectful and ignorant move, to take that kind of action in the midst of veterans who have fought to give them the right to do that,” Bachmann said.

“Disrespectful and ignorant move” taking that “kind of action in the midst of veterans who have fought to give them that right”? The disrespect and ignorance is all Krazy’s. Veterans serve to guarantee the rights of those protestors to do just what they did, she’s the one showing disrespect and ignorance. Bachmann needs to read and study the documents she claims to revere a little more.

 
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Posted by on November 10, 2011 in 2012 Election

 

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Mitt Romney Supported State-Funded Abortions in 2002?

Huffington Post is reporting that while Republican Tea Party (GOTP) presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s past support for abortion rights and state-funded family planning, especially during his Senate run in 1994 against Ted Kennedy, is well known his support has lasted longer, and goes deeper, than many may assume.

Reportedly, during Mittens’ 2002 gubernatorial campaign, he sought the endorsement of Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts by filling out a questionnaire making his continued and unwavering support clear. The document was first circulated in 2007, but is now taking on new relevance as Romney tries to pull a bait and switch on his opposition to abortion rights and government-funded family planning.

Kind of stinks when you’re sucking up to the uber-conservative Tea Party claiming to be one thing, but your record clearly disagrees doesn’t it?

Mittens previously pledged his support for Roe v. Wade, for laws protecting the safety of abortion clinics, for increased access to the morning-after pill and for late-term abortions when the mother’s health is at risk, as well as supporting the “state funding of abortion services through Medicaid for low-income women.”

Romney’s openly expressed support for Medicaid-funded abortions in 2002, seeking Planned Parenthood’s endorsement, attending a Planned Parenthood fundraising event and now pledging to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood and the Title X federal family planning program represents a fairly dramatic change of positions.

“Governor Romney simply does not believe that federal taxpayer dollars should be used to fund groups that provide abortions or abortion-related services,” the Romney campaign said on Wednesday. “This is particularly so during a time of massive budget deficits and out-of-control spending.”

No, Governor Romney is a charlatan; he wants to change his stripes to fit his audience, and currently is audience believes in zero tolerance for abortions, and magically, now so does Mittens.

Mitten’s flip-flopping on almost each and every issue he addressed in the 2002 questionnaire is now common place for the former governor; but it’s not surprising, it began in 2005, when he broke his promise to increase access to emergency contraception by vetoing a bill in Massachusetts that would have done that. He said in 2002 he’d support “partial-birth” abortions in cases where the mother’s health was at risk, and then he recently told Fox News he’d “absolutely” support a constitutional amendment defining life as beginning at conception.

Romney spokeswoman Gail Gitcho told Politico that Mittens supports “a Human Life Amendment overturning Roe vs. Wade and sending the issue back to the states”.

Romney is not a man of integrity, he’s the classic politician doing whatever, and saying whatever it takes to win nominations and then trying to win elections. He’s a flip-flopper at best and an untrustworthy liar at worse – I think he’s the latter.

 
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Posted by on November 10, 2011 in 2012 Election

 

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Mittens mews at the President over U.S.-Israel relationship?

President Barack Obama’s hot-mic moment with French President Nicolas Sarkozy was more embarrassing for the latter than the former, with the French president calling Benjamin Netanyahu a “liar” and Obama only complaining about his daily dealings with the man but that hasn’t stopped Mittens Romney from getting his back up and hissing.

Sarkozy of course didn’t realize his microphone was hot (in today’s world that’s being very naive) during a down moment at the G-20 summit in Cannes, France. “I cannot stand him,” Sarkozy was reported as saying about Netanyahu. “He is a liar.” President Obama responded, “You’re fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day!”

Mittens Romney automatically attacked, accusing the president of being “disdainful of [the] U.S.-Israel Relationship.”

“President Obama’s derisive remarks about Israel’s Prime Minister confirm what any observer would have gleaned from his public statements and actions toward our longstanding ally, Israel,” Romney said.

“At a moment when the Jewish state is isolated and under threat, we cannot have an American president who is disdainful of our special relationship with Israel. We have here yet another reason why we need new leadership in the White House.”

Well Mittens, first, when has Israel not been “isolated and under threat” you wind bag; second, because the President doesn’t like Netanyahu doesn’t mean he doesn’t like Israel – plenty of people can’t stand the sight of you but love the Mormon Church, Massachusetts and Michigan. This is a whole lot of much ado about nothing and you need to worry more about Herman Cain right now than about President Obama.

 
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Posted by on November 9, 2011 in 2012 Election

 

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