Trickle Down BS

WHAT THE BIBLE DOES NOT SAY

2012-02-03T05:30:00.000-08:00

And put this in your pipe andsmoke it you ignorant Evangelicals

Thisbrilliant post by Stan talks about how we have to pick ourselves up and get outof our depression and apathy and actually fight for what is right. It isimperative that we get out and vote and it is even more important that we do soto let those Christianists know that they can’t have what they want: atheocratic America.

I know wherehe is coming from because I experience the same feelings of helplessnessagainst so much ignorance and superstition, so much hatred and division comingironically from those who claim to be Christians and love Jesus.

I for one haveacute Evangelical-Mormon fatigue.

“Here are mypoints, (says Stan) which you can feel free to copy, make pretty, and nail onthe door of any Evangelical Church, or Churches, you want. They claim tolove and obey Jesus, and devote their life to him, yet, they would sadden himwith their actions. I offer one example from the Bible for eachpoint. There are others to be found as well. But I am not here toBible thump. I just want to make a few points, using their own bylaws andinspirational text. The words of God, if you will, should speak more to themthan anyone or anything else, yet the consistently ignore those words. Sohere are my points. I stopped at 5 to give you a break, but you get thepicture.

1. Neither God, nor the Bible, tells anyone to be un-thinking sheep whodo whatever bidding they are told.
Proverbs 14:6 “The hater of authority, searching for wisdom,does not get it; but knowledge comes readily to the open-minded man. “
Jesus didn't command anyone to follow him. He did speak, and those who listenedand agreed with him, followed him. Those that did not, he did notcondemn. He never asked anyone to hate anyone else for any reason. He loved everyone, equally, whatever their perceived flaws.

2. Neither God, nor the Bible, tells anyone to reject government andtaxes.
Matthew 22:21 "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's,and unto God the things that are God's"
Jesus did not speak out against the government, but asked that we leavegovernmental laws and rules here on Earth, and obey them. At the sametime, we should consider spiritual things to be sacred and give God what hewants from us.

3. Neither God, nor the Bible, tells anyone that God wants anything fromus but love.
John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love oneanother, just like I have loved you; that you also love one another.”
Jesus was dismayed by all the squabbling and arguing over the commandments andwhich was more important and what they should do to get into Heaven. Hetold them, pure and simple. Just love one another.

4. Neither God, nor the Bible, tells anyone to be narrow minded or tocause harm.
1 Peter 2:15 “For this is the will of God, that by doing goodyou should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.” Jesus wasasked many times to lead his people in revolt against the Romans. Hisresponse was always the same. You have to lead by example and do well. Violence is not the answer.

5. Neither God, nor the Bible, tells anyone to pass judgment onanyone else, for any reason.
Romans 14:10 “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or youagain, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all standbefore the judgment seat of God. “
Jesus never asked anyone to judge anyone for any reason. It was not ourbusiness to be judgmental, or to pass a judgment on anyone. That wasGod's prerogative, not for man.

I take the time to proselytize using Bible quotes because I want to point outto the Evangelicals, and more importantly, those who might believe they aretruly righteous and just, that the Bible says many things. But peoplehave the free will (which apparently was given to them by God) to chose whichversus to hold dear and which verses to take literally. And there is moregood in the book than evil.

So why the hell to they go out of their way to find the worst possible thingsin that entire book and use it to pass judgment on everyone and anyone who doesnot adhere to their narrow minded beliefs?”

ORIGINALLYPOSTED BY

UNDERSTANDINGSTAN

http://understandingstan.blogspot.com/

PHOTO SOURCES: http://irregulartimes.com/teapartyfundamentalism.html

http://shop.wallbuilders.com/Is-America-a-Christian-Nation-CD

http://thelimingview.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-america-may-be-failing-to-please.html

SUMMARY OF THE GOP’S STRATEGY TO WIN BACK THE PRESIDENCY AND BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS

2012-02-03T03:00:00.000-08:00

Let me see if I get this right…at least the most importantpoints

When the Republicans were able to “shellac” the Democrats inthe elections of 2008 they thought they were on their way to regaining totalcontrol of our government. The one and most important goal was to make Obama aone term President.

The creation of an astro-turf protest movement in the likesof the Tea Party swayed a lot of Americans to vote their frustrations againstany one running under the Democratic Party banner. The Republicans were able toaccomplish what was thought to be impossible…they captured state houses andgovernorships and the majority of the House of Representatives.

But something funny happened right after that victory; itwas the implementation of right-wing, insane legislation that caused a lot ofpeople to have buyer’s remorse.

The Republicans are not stupid; they know that labor unionsare the biggest source of funds for political campaigns going mostly todemocratic candidates. They also know that with minority voters they don’tstand a chance. So the most logical solution is to decimate labor unions and todisenfranchise minority voters.

I think that the original intent on the part of Republicanswas to make the 2012 election a referendum on social and moral issues. It was ano brainer, after all that they would intensify their opposition to abortion,gay rights, anti-minority hysteria. It was expected and as they had donebefore, the GOP would have a number of these social issues on the ballots ofthe majority of states so they can energize their Evangelical base.

But this whole strategy has been blown out of the water forseveral reasons. The first one is that regardless of the opposition, delays,sabotage against the President from fixing the economy, the economy is gettingbetter albeit at a much slower rate than would have been possible if theRepublicans had cooperated to fix the mess they got us into.

Second,the Republicans never counted on changing their dominance of the narrative.Enter the Occupy Wall Street movement and the whole thing has changed to wherenow we are no longer talking about deficit reduction (to starve the government)and instead we as Americans have come face to face with a problem most of ushad already sensed…that there exists an unfair distribution of wealth and powerand the 1% owns most of the wealth. TheOccupy Wall Street protests have accomplished what was thought to be impossible:to change the narrative to point out the inequality in the distribution ofwealth…and the suppression they have endured by the establishment with brutal,excessive force has only created the opposite effect.

The only point in the Republican strategy that remains andis working is that of unlimited, anonymous contributions made possible by theCitizen’s United Supreme Court decision.

But it gets better; the Republicans are tearing each otherapart in the process of nominating the candidate who will run against PresidentObama. If you add to that the most likely nominee will be Mitt Romney who isthe perfect poster boy for that 1% and who has no clue how the rest of the 99%live and struggles you can predict that the Republicans will run into troublecome next November.

I have also predicted that DEMOGRAPHICS alone would beenough of a factor to defeat the Republicans since they have thrown under thebus the Blacks and the Hispanics. And if you add to those two groups the laborunions, the seniors who are scared shitless about losing their Social Securityand their Medicare, the gays, those who lost their homes to foreclosure, thosewho lost their jobs…who do you have left?

NO PUBLIC ANYTHING – NOT EVEN NATIONAL PARKS

2012-02-02T02:00:00.000-08:00

Environmentally sensitive areas, waterfront public land,riverfront and all lands above low water mark

The Republicans are not just attacking the middle class…theyare also at war with the nation in their quest to privatize everything. Turningover government lands to developers, mining and oil conglomerates give away istheir goal.

It is clear that they will not stop until they see a highrise condo at the edge of the Grand Canyon and a theme park inside Yosemite…andthe speculation is endless…heavy oil exploration and drilling off California,Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Everglades will finally be completely drained to makeroom for big sugar and all the lakes and rivers that have any valuablewaterfront would be parceled out to developers.

This obsession of theirs has no limits and makes no sense.They hate public ownership so much and government parks and lands that they arewilling to destroy the very environment that makes life possible in this greatland of ours.

And I am not just blowing hot air out of my ass – here isthe new initiative by Florida right wing legislators:

SomeFlorida legislators want to privatize up to 500,000 acres of publiclands along our cherished lakes and rivers. We need to stop them.
Write your state legislatorstoday and urge them to reject HB 1103/SB 1362, the Florida Land Grab Act of2012.
Thislatest scheme by the Florida Legislature to give away our greatest naturaltreasures to private entities is a sneaky maneuver which changes somethingcalled the “ordinary high water line.” Everything below this line belongs toFloridians. The Florida Land Grab Act would change this line from a lake orriver’s high water mark to its low mark¹. This may seem like aninsignificant change, but it could give away as much as a half million acres ofpublic land along our streams, lakes, and rivers.
The biggest reason to opposethe Florida Land Grab Act of 2012 is that it attacks one of our core Floridavalues: protecting and preserving our land and water. This land has alwaysbelonged to the people of Florida: not big developers, timber companies, orcorporate farms. Hunters, hikers, boaters, fishermen, and Floridians from allwalks of life use these lands for recreation. And these lands are important forwildlife and for protecting water quality.
Protect our lakes and riversfrom the Florida Land Grab Act of 2012 and write your state representativestoday. Tell them to stop HB 1103/SB 1362.
Thereare some things that we Floridians own together, and that aren’t for sale: ournatural treasures, our public schools, our roads and infrastructure, and more. Let'skeep it that way.
Thanksfor your help in protecting our state’s lakes and rivers.
Forprogress,
Mark, Ray, and the rest of the Progress Florida team

SAME SEX MARRIAGE IN WASHINGTON STATE ALMOST A REALITY

2012-02-02T01:30:00.000-08:00

The Christianist Evangelicals are having a collective cow

Today, the Senate of the State of Washington went ahead andvoted to approve SB 6239 by a vote of 28-21 which positions the state to be justa few days away from becoming the eighth State to extend Marriage Equality forsame sex Americans. A companion bill in the State House of Representatives (HB2516) is also expected to pass by a comfortable margin and the best part isthat the Governor of that state chris Gregoire has indicated that she will indeedsign the bill once it arrives on her desk

Kudos to you Washington, thank you Washington Statelegislators and thank you Governor Gregoire

ILLUSTRATION SOURCE: http://www.ehow.com/how_6395646_form-corporation-washington-state.html

GUILT ABOUT SEX AND YOUR SOVEREIGNTY OF YOUR BODILY FUNCTIONS

2012-02-01T03:00:00.000-08:00

It has been going on for thousands of years but humanity shouldbe just about fed up with these taboos and the guilt they impart on humans.

Theymutilate their male offspring and in some of the more extreme radical religionsthey impart very painful mutilations to the females as well. This worn outconcept that religion has to rule over our bodies, our bodily functions andeven go against nature is preposterous to me.

I have never bought into religious ideology even though Ihave tried…I can see as an outsider how ridiculously impractical all thesetaboos are. By forcing their followers to adhere to absurd concepts of sex andreproduction most religions become a pain in the ass.

The insistence in abstinence and denial of one’s naturaldesires to fulfill the sexual need is as common and as odious as it sounds.Imagine if the church prohibited you from taking a shit or to hold your urineuntil you burst…that would sound outrageous but basically this is what religionis asking of us.

Then there are those pesky erroneous interpretations of theScriptures…Writings that are not even historically accurate but that are deemed“holy or sacred” just because they say so when they were written by men…men wholived in another era, another time when humanity needed reproduction in orderto survive. When one takes into consideration that any simple disease or plaguecould wipe out the entire human population and then there was the mortalityrate that came very early to most living humans…it was necessary to reproduceand do it fast, no ifs or buts.

We now live in an overcrowded world, one that is incapableof feeding its inhabitants and one that by all reasonable accounts should curbpopulation growth. Yet these religions insist in opposing even the most basicof contraception. Their sick ideology will impart guilt and in some cases wherereligion is influential enough, they will punish those that exert control oftheir own bodies and their bodily functions.

Religion has done far too much damage to society; it hascaused so much grief and guilt to the point that those less adjusted and weakerhave even seen it necessary to take their own lives. We have had to put up withreligion opposing science and anything that is contrary to their ideology butthat would bring progress and comfort to humans…we lived through the dark ages,fought religious wars, survived the Inquisition and now we are facing a verydangerous threat of establishing theocracies all over the world.

I can’t help but speculate how much more progress andevolving would have taken place if we hadn’t had organized religion opposingit. It boggles the mind that people fall for these con artists that tell themtheir religion is the only right one, the one anointed by God himself. Why isthis so important to them? What difference does it make if you worship yourGREEN UNICORN FROM TASMANIA while hanging from a chandelier? Of would it make adifference if you wore a little cap on your head or a tablecloth?

What is it that makes all these people ignore and evenridicule science when the facts about the age of the world are there infossils, paleontology, geology and more importantly – common sense?

When we see that throughout the ages religions have causedmore wars, more deaths and imparted more misery than any other single idea; andyet, we still see wars being fought today recently in Ireland and presently inthe Middle East.

It is imperative that we debunk all these traditions thatonly serve the ambition for power and greed on the part of organized religion.We have to oppose and call them every time they come up with pronouncementssuch as the Pope does on abortion, contraception, divorce or gay issues.

WELFARE FOR THE RED, RIGHT WING STATES – WHAT THEY PUT IN – WHAT THEY TAKE

2012-01-31T02:30:00.000-08:00

It is clear that these states are milking the cow of theFederal Government dry.

These states are sucking the teats dry all the whilepretending that the government is evil, inefficient and too big, some of these states like Texas even think that cessation is a viable option because they don't like the big, liberal Federal Government with all the civil rights and all the safety nets. But if one is to consider what their contributionis to the commonwealth as compared to what they actually are getting, theyshould just shut the fuck up and stop the bitching.

We are tired of their threats tosecede, to push down the throats of the other states their perverseChristianist ideology and their misguided economic and governing theories. Ifthey want to secede…LET ‘EM SECEDE*

http://www.billinexile.com/

The University of Texas at Austin, my Alma Mater

·I went to college in Texas and Ilove the place; but what I despise is a lot of the Texan hicks, rednecks, shitkicker Klansmen and Evangelical Christianists…Texas seems to have more than itsshare of these idiots. Hypothetically, what would happen to Texas if they wereto secede from the Union? Of course we would give instant refuge to all theliberal, progressives and even moderates in the remaining 49 states. The guessis that they would become a third world country in less than six months and would have a theocracy for sure.

PHOTO SOURCE:http://www.alleghenyfront.org/story.html?storyid=200708151712170.0197289

http://visitacollege.wikispaces.com/University+of+Texas

THE WEALTHY 1% ARE NOT ALL SELFISH BASTARDS – SOME GIVE UNTIL IT HURTS

2012-01-30T02:00:00.000-08:00

But mind you, among those great philanthropists you find thelikes of progressives like Buffet, Soros and the Gates.

George Soros

From the Bill & Melinda GatesFoundation.

The Bill & Melinda GatesFoundation today renewed its commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,Tuberculosis and Malaria. Announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos,Switzerland, the Gates Foundation is giving $750 million through apromissory note—a new and innovative funding mechanism. "These are tougheconomic times, but that is no excuse for cutting aid to the world'spoorest," said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. "TheGlobal Fund is one of the most effective ways we invest our money everyyear." Providing funding through a promissory note gives the Global Fundthe flexibility and authority to distribute funds efficiently based onimmediate needs, leading to greater impact. "By supporting the GlobalFund, we can help to change the fortunes of the poorest countries in theworld," said Gates. "I can't think of more important work."

Say what youwill about the evil Microsoft empire, but Bill Gates is about to unseat WarrenBuffet as the greatest philanthropist in the history of the human race.

Warren Buffet and Bill Gates

SOURCES: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_philanthropists#Greatest_philanthropists_by_amount_of_USD

http://manualofideas.com/blog/2009/10/

http://www.thelocal.de/money/20120126-40354.html

ALERT -DID YOU THINK THAT THE OWS REPRESSION HAD STOPPED?

2012-01-29T22:05:00.000-08:00

Not just pepper spray, batonsand rubber bullets, the Park Service police are now using TASER guns!

Watch the video and protest yourself

To sign the petition goto:

http://act.boldprogressives.org/survey/survey_occupy_dc_park/?akid=6464.1131843.v1BO8J&rd=1&source=e1-mid-logo&t=2

HEY MR. 1%, WOULD IT BE TOO MUCH TO ASK THAT INSTEAD OF MAKING 32 MILLION YOU COULD MAKE 22 AND KEEP 1,000 PEOPLE WORKING?

2012-01-29T03:00:00.000-08:00

And would you be willing to pay your share of taxes to pay forthe unemployment you caused?

Is it too much to ask of the Wall Street speculator, the bigbank CEO or those who inherit their money to forgo that third mansion in theHamptons so that a factory they own is not closed and shipped abroad?

I know, it is so easy to surrender togreed…it is addictive, it is a drug and this is what drives the engine of theRepublican Party.

No, it is not envy. We are very joyous that you are wealthy,we celebrate your good fortune and are gladdened by the fact that at leastthere are some who actually make it. But to forgive you for obtaining thewealth on the back of the rest of us is a bit of a stretch.

We are doubly insulted when you refuse to see that youshould pay at the very least the same rates we working stiffs pay. But to useevery loophole, every trick in the book to get out from under your taxobligation is absolutely immoral.

NO MATTER WHAT PATH YOU TAKE

2012-01-28T13:30:00.000-08:00

Always hold your head up high and hope that the sun will caressyour face and the wind will be behind.

I don’t know the origin of these photos but I think they areoutstanding. It came to me in an e-mail and I wanted to share them with you. Iwanted to credit the photographer but I had no clue. In any case, enjoy.

Newt Gingrich Republicans? You’ve got to be joking.

2012-01-28T02:30:00.000-08:00

What have you done to yourselves Republicans?”

The dismantling and erosion of the Republican Party has beenthree decades in the making. One of the worst Presidents we ever had startedthis whole downward spiral by leading us into religious division and byvilifying the poor and working Americans.

The ideology took hold and it embraced among all things anaskew economic theory that is disastrous at best: that of Ayn Rand. Somehow,DEAR LEADER REAGAN got a whole bunch of people convinced that “GOVERNMENT ISTHE PROBLEM” and he was right…government is the problem when it is in the handsof Republicans like Reagan and the Bushes as well as being a problem for thevery wealthy and the corporations with those pesky, inconvenient regulations.

If we are going to look into the contributions our pastPresidents have made, George W. has very few that are laudable and far too manythat are just horrific. I think that one of the most egregious ones was theconcept he put in practice right after the 9-11 attacks that if you disagree ordeviate one smidgeon from the Republican Party line then you are a traitor toAmerica and an enemy…remember French fries?. Thank you George.

AndrewSullivan has a good analysis in his post:

“This is the current GOP. It purgesdissidents, it vaunts total loyalty, it polices discourse for any deviation. Ifyou really have a cogent argument, you find yourself fired - like BruceBartlett or David Frum - or subject toblacklists, like me and Fox.

This now is the party of Palin and Gingrich, animated primarily byhatred of elites, angry at the new shape and color of America, befuddled by asuddenly more complicated world, and dedicated primarily to emotion rather thanreason.”

This is the party of NO, this is the GOP, the home ofcrass racists and vicious homophobes and the enemy of the 99%, this is a party owned by manywealthy folks and corporations and this is the party that is now diametricallyopposed to everything we once knew to be good in America.

And now you are about to nominate a man like Gingrich to run for the office of President when you know full well that he was caught in unethical dealings, fined and sent packing relinquishing his leadership in the House of Representatives, and we are not even going to talk about his adulterous affairs.

I wish I could say “I wish them luck” because I despiseeverything Republicans stand for today and because I do believe that they arethe architects of their own demise.

There is hope for America, the voters will reject in unisoneverything the present day Republican Party stands for.

SOURCES: http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/01/red-rage.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+andrewsullivan%2FrApM+%28The+Daily+Dish%29

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THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU,

Thank you dear followers

NEWT SAYS HE’LL GET RID OF CASTRO AND AMERICA IS HAVING A COLLECTIVE COW OVER MITT’S TAX RATE OF 13%.

2012-01-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Buthaven’t we seen this movie before?

Little Havana, USA

Asa Cuban I can tell you going back fifty years that all the Republicancandidates for President came downto Calle Ocho, Little Havana, USA andshouted out “VIVA CUBA LIBRE” and the Cuban exiles bought it. That is why thereis a disproportionate number of Cubans with a Republican Party affiliation;unlike other Hispanics, the Cubans are gullible and not well informed. Thetypical recalcitrant Cuban will tell you that only a Republican will overthrowCastro and I have seen from Eisenhower to Obama eleven Presidents have come andgone and Castro is still there.

Thisis also the reason why someone like Ileana Ross-Letinnen and Marco Rubio havebeen able to get elected and continue to pander to the recalcitrant element ofthe Cuban exiles.

When it comes to Mitten the Kitten we suspected that he wasnot paying his fair share. No, he is not doing anything illegal nor is hestupid. Romney is simply protecting his interests, his immense wealth is themotivator to make him say things like “Corporations are people, my friend” sothat it is the fact that he has such low tax rates points to the unfairness ofthe way we tax our people. It is not a fair system, it is rigged by years andyears of tax reductions for the wealthy and the placing of loopholes that allowthem to amass all this wealth. And amass they have to the point that we areliving under a terribly unfair and askew distribution of the wealth.

SOURCES: http://www.chron.com/news/article/Gingrich-criticizes-outside-group-supporting-him-2513639.php

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23233481/ns/us_news-life/t/miami-muted-reaction-castro-resignation/#.Tx9VyfkfhEA

http://community.usatourist.com/blogs/uslife/archive/2008/04/09/miami-scene.aspx

REPUBLICANS VERY GENEROUS REWARDING PERSONHOOD

2012-01-27T02:30:00.000-08:00

Corporations are people my friend…and so are fetuses that arenot viable outside of the womb.

But that is not where it stops…they go even further todeclare that a fertilized egg is a HUMAN BEING. That is the most preposterousconcept that any politician could come up with…not just because it is contraryto scientific evidence but because it is also an attack on women’s reproductiverights.

However, we should not make the mistake in assuming thatabortion rights and gay rights are the most important issues in the upcoming2012 elections because they are not. The Republicans are throwing these out therein the hopes that they will confuse and mislead Americans and distract themenough to take their minds away from the fact that we are fighting to get outof a recession that they got us into and also to the narrative that they havedone nothing to help create jobs.

That coupled with the obstructionist tactics, theirdownright sabotage of anything that the President has tried to do to help theAmerican people, translates into a blatant attack on the middle class and thepoor. The Republicans may want to mask it and apply distraction but that iswhat it amounts to: the solidification of a plutocracy with the obligatoryperks in the form of tax breaks and subsidies going to the very wealthy.

I am placing my hopes in the astuteness and intelligence ofthe American people who seem to see right through all this. There is hope forAmerica.

SOURCE: http://www.webmd.com/baby/ss/slideshow-conception

LIBERAL IS NOT A DIRTY WORD

2012-01-26T03:00:00.000-08:00

No, not any more…theRepublican’s tired old narrative is showing that being a LIBERAL is somethingto be proud of.

Here is a pronouncement on the subject by Lawrence O’DonnellJr:

I’M A PROUD LIBERAL

{Posted in America,My Life, Things I Just Don't Get, What So and So Said on January 23rd, 2012 by Scott }

SOURCE: http://www.billinexile.com/

PRESIDENT OBAMA’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

2012-01-25T09:27:00.000-08:00

Incase you missed it, here is the video:

Last night, President Obama gave his 3rd State of the UnionAddress to Congress. The President laid out his blueprint for an economy that’sbuilt to last -- an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy,skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.

Look at the picture at the top and see the expression offrustration and contempt Speaker of the House is showing. Not once did the manshow any kind of facial expression that was not hostile…I know, I paid specialattention to him whenever the camera was including him. I thought he mightbreak into hysterical crying at any given moment during the President’s speech.

If you did miss it, you can still watch the enhanced address at WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU,with graphics and slides that illustrate why the President’s blueprint is soimportant for America’s middle class. And if you have questions about thePresident’s address, check out our lineup of Office Hours on Twitter with 30White House Officials. In addition President Obama will answer your questionsin a special Google+ Hangout on Monday, January 30th, and Vice President Bidenwill participate in his first-ever Twitter interview on Thursday, January 26th.

SOURCE: http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/photogallery/2012-state-union-address?utm_source=012512&utm_medium=topper&utm_campaign=daily

THIS IS A PRONOUNCEMENT FROM THE 99% AND LIBERAL PROGRESSIVES:

2012-01-25T03:12:00.000-08:00

No, it is not a paid politicalannouncement it is just a warning

The message is simple and to the point:

The 99% can’t exploit therest of us and get richer on the backs of the middle class and the poor.

America will never become a theocracy;this is a secular country and not a Christian nation.

LGBT Americans will be givenfull citizenship rights just like the blacks got in the 60’s.

Corporations are not peopleand if they were then they should pay their taxes like the rest of us and bringhome their bank accounts from the Cayman Islands. They then should have theright to only one vote per corporation.

If you are an adulterer youare living in a glass house and you don’t throw stones. Don’t act like you areappalled or indignant if somebody points out your hypocrisy.

Disenfranchising voters isunconstitutional, we want more people to participate in the democratic processand make it easier to vote, not more difficult.

If you are elected to political officeyou are obligated to represent the people who elected you, not the specialinterests that funded your campaign and provided you with a lofty lifestyle.

Global warming is a threatand real, oil companies have to be taken out of the equation and we have to, wemust develop alternative sources of energy.

Healthcare is an American right, nobodyshould have to go without it and die because the insurance companies have tomake an obscene profit. Those insurance companies are parasites since theydon’t produce anything or even offer a useful service. None should be able tomake an obscene profit out of someone’s misery.

Wall Street speculation andshady banking practices will not be tolerated under a straight forward, ethicalfree enterprise system and there will be regulations and stiff penalties if thepublic trust is violated.

Social Security is a crucial safety netthat is working and is solvent for decades to come; it will never be privatizedor done away with.

If you are a politician or ajournalist and you engage in malicious slander, spread lies and dishonestmisrepresentation you will be subjected to libel prosecution. A man’s word ishis most valuable possession.

Freedom of speech and of thepress is sacred and never should peaceful protest be subjected to suppressionnor does the government, whether local, state or federal have the right todictate how, where and when protests will take place. Law enforcement personnel,who use excessive force will be prosecuted, not get a slap in the hand and paidleave.

Wars should only be fought when ourcountry is attacked; it is ugly and deadly and should not be treated as anexciting sport. The military industrial complex has to be controlled where theydon’t have the capability to lead us into an unnecessary and senseless war.

Water-boarding and other“enhanced interrogation techniques” are torture and immoral and violate theGeneva Conventions.

Education has to improve andteachers should earn higher salaries in order to attract the best in theirfield to teach our children. They should also be allowed to belong to a laborunion as well as firefighters, police, sanitation worker and janitors.

The 28^thAmendment of the Constitution doesn’t just need to be passed, it is imperativethat we pass it.

SOURCES: http://www.ssa.gov/history/reports/ssnreportex.html

Bravo Mr. President, thank you

2012-01-24T19:55:00.001-08:00

Bravo Mr.President,

Thank you Mr.President

Your State of the Union Speech wasinspirational and right on target on so many issues. We, the American people,the 99% thank you.

BRAVO MR. PRESIDENT – OBAMA’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

2012-01-24T19:37:00.000-08:00

What he said is important buthow he said it I think is more significant

I must admit that I washanging on every word, every pause. I paid close attention to the emphasis oncertain words, the modulation of the President’s voice and the overalldelivery. I sort of had an idea what he was going to say. After all, there havebeen plenty of people speculating and predicting the things President Obama wasgoing to touch upon.

I was particularly impressedby the tenor of the speech. I do think that the President is setting a newyardstick, a challenge to Congress which he said in no uncertain terms isbroken.

Not only was his speechpopulist in many ways but he touched upon every problem facing America andoffered solutions. No doubt that the Republicans will go after him now andaccusing of growing the government, of promoting more spending than we canafford and the criticism is going to be swift and brutal. But the Americanpeople know better.

The President sent out thise-mail:

“Friend--

I'm heading to Capitol Hill soon to deliver my third State of the Unionaddress.

Before I go, I want to say thanks for everything you're doing.

Tonight, we set the tone for the year ahead. I'm going to lay out in concreteterms the path we need to take as a country if we want an economy that worksfor everyone and rewards hard work and responsibility.

I'm glad to know you'll be standing with me up there.

Barack”

There are several outlinesout on the blogs and of course, plenty of others that are crying disasteroriginating from the right wing blogs. Following is one that I picked up and itoutlines some of the issues the President will deal with:

“SpeechTalking Points: An America Built to Last

-- In his State of the Union Address, the President will lay out a blueprintfor an economy that's built to last -- an economy built on Americanmanufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal ofAmerican values.

-- The President believes this is a make or break moment for the middle classand those trying to reach it. What's at stake is the very survival of the basicAmerican promise that if you work hard, you can do well enough to raise afamily, own a home, and put a little away for retirement.

-- The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. Nochallenge is more urgent; no debate is more important. We can either settle fora country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while more Americansbarely get by. Or we can build a nation where everyone gets a fair shot,everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules.

-- The fact is, the economic security of the middle class has eroded fordecades. Long before the recession, good jobs and manufacturing began leavingour shores. Hard work stopped paying off for too many Americans. Those at thetop saw their incomes rise like never before, but the vast majority ofAmericans struggled with costs that were growing and paychecks that weren't.

-- In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. Mortgages were sold to people whocouldn't afford or understand them. Banks made huge bets and bonuses made withother people's money. It was a crisis that cost us more than eight million jobsand plunged our economy and the world into a crisis from which we are stillfighting to recover.

-- The President has been clear that we need to do more to create jobs and helpeconomic growth. But under his leadership and thanks to action taken by thisPresident, the economy is growing again. The economy has added a total of 3.2million private sector jobs over the last 22 months.

-- American manufacturing is creating jobs for the first time since the late1990s. The American auto industry is coming back. Today, American oilproduction is the highest that it's been in eight years. Together, we've agreedto cut the deficit by more than 2 trillion. And the President signed into lawnew rules to hold Wall Street accountable. He stands on a solid record andtonight will lay out a blueprint that will ensure an economy built to last overthe long term.

-- For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq.We've decimated al Qaeda's leadership, delivered justice to Osama bin Laden,and put that terrorist network on the path to defeat. We've made importantprogress in Afghanistan, and begun a transition so Afghans can assume moreresponsibility. We joined with allies and partners to protect the Libyan peopleas they ended the regime of Muammar Qaddafi.

-- We cannot go back to an economy based on outsourcing, bad debt, and phonyfinancial profits. The President intends to keep moving forward and rebuild aneconomy where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded -- an economybuilt to last.(source)”

Here are somevideos that gave us some clues:

SOURCE: http://kylerklnh.blogspot.com/

51(almost 52) years ago I arrived in America

2012-01-24T14:00:00.000-08:00

On April 3^rd 1960 I arrived in thiscountry

I wish that I could tell you that Iwant to celebrate the event, but I don’t. First of all, I came as an unwillingminor with my parents who had to resort to an unwanted exile. Second, it wasour expectations as were those of thousands of other Cubans who came about thistime that our exile would be short.

Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona whose music I just love

But coming to a strange andunwelcoming land, where I could not speak the language and where the customsand traditions didn’t even make sense. I found that these people celebratedsomething very strange called Halloween while they also frequented houses ofworship. I found that they were allergic to the eñes and the accents of mymother tongue. This was so devastating to me because I prided myself inspeaking correct Castilian Spanish unlike most of my fellow Cubans. Spanish wasof no use to me for the next decades.

Then I found myself in theprecarious position of having to divorce myself from my culture because I wastold that I could never realize the American Dream unless I became totallyAmericanized. Out the window went my music along with my language; my foods andmy music because they were considered undesirable. Even my chivalry and mypoliteness were looked down upon as too submissive and too effeminate.

I had a lot to learn. I had tostruggle and make adjustments. I used to sit in front of a tape recorder andread out loud the newspaper for hours. I would play it back to hear themistakes and mispronounced words. Once I thought I had reached a point where myusage of English was acceptable it was expedient to do away with the taperecorder after about a year and I did so gladly only because my vocabulary wasby then far more extensive than the average American’s and because I wasgetting so much criticism for my accent that I thought I would never speakwithout it, so fuck those who found it offensive, they didn’t even have as gooda command of their own language as I did.

Me, your blogger Raulito then.

I came to a crossroads, a dilemma if you will: I had toreject my Spanish which was much more poetic and romantic than the stoic, blandEnglish; I had to divorce myself from my favorite foods, which were tastier andnot frozen or dispensed out of a machine or some fast food joint. I also had todo away with my music which was prettier, more meaningful and even moreprolific. So at one point I said to myself: “I’ll get rid of some of the thingsbut not all of them, I will cling to what I like and enjoy them and the hell tothose who disapprove, for they will never accept me for what I am anyhow nor dothey pay my rent”

I met a lot of discrimination alongthe way. I am not going to rehash a post I did on an earlier entry (February 20^th,2010) but I will tell you that it is avery disheartening thing to be the object of rejection and discrimination.

Not everyone has been that wayhowever; I have forged very lasting relationships and friendships along the waybut they have usually been with souls that have a large heart and who don’tmind that I wasn’t born here. Hell, they are so used to me they tell me I don’thave an accent. I suppose this is part of their acceptance…there is so muchlove on their part that they don’t even notice the differences.

A GLANCE INTO CUBAN FUNERALS

2012-01-24T03:30:00.000-08:00

What are the criteria for disposing of human remains?

My father died at home after a long and debilitating fightwith diabetes; there wasn’t one single day when he woke that he didn’t wish hehad not died overnight. My father was a son of a bitch but there was a lot ofwisdom in that mean-spirited, selfish man and one of his wishes was that heshould be cremated.

A lady co-worker of my mom arrived shortly after the funeralhome had removed the body and she asked “where is going to be the “velorio”(wake) tonight?” My mother said that there wasn’t going to be any and thiswoman went into a rage: “you mean you’re not giving him a Christian burial?” Mymom told her that he was going to be cremated. Her reaction was one ofindignation, as if she was cheated or deprived of the opportunity to attend afuneral. That is when I had to chew her a new asshole: “In the first place, mydad was not a Christian, in the second place, I don’t know what advantagesthere are in holding some kind of a ceremony which includes a priest leadingsome prayer or an elaborate high mass at a church. I can’t justify spendingthousands of dollars on a casket and a cemetery plot when his wishes were tohave his remains cremated.” She left my house in a huff and never spoke to mymom again.

Rather than going into details, I can tell you that forolder Cubans cremation is rather unusual. Most Cubans will have a very lavishfuneral and the spectacle is truly an event to behold. The norm is to have anall night vigil…a wake of sorts if you will and everyone stays up all night,tell jokes, talk about politics and drink 100 small demi-tasse cups of Cubancoffee.

Salsa queenCelia Cruz had a fancy New York funeral

In Cuba most wakes were held in the home of the departed andrented chairs would be set up outside the home in the street and the wholeportion of that block would be closed off to traffic. For the more affluentfamilies it was common to hire “lloronas” which are women who come to thefuneral and get paid to wail, sob and cry for the event.

Parroquia deSan Felipe y Santiago de Bejucal

Then there is the inevitable display of affluence…thewealthier the departed the better the casket, the abundance of “coronas”(flower sprays) and if they are a very wealthy family then you could count thenumber of automobiles in a funeral cortege as to how influential and wealthythis family was. With the exception of the famous who usually had theirfunerals without cars and a crowd of people would accompany the funeral to thecemetery on foot and these oftentimes included a horse-drawn carriage, elaborateand encased in etched glass.

Since my grandfather’s estate was located on the road to thecemetery in my hometown, we would see all the processions for the dead in mytown. Oftentimes you could hear the church bells in their agonizing toll. Thosewere the more influential ones, the church exacted a hefty fee to toll thosebronze and melted gold bells. For the more prominent dead, the church wouldhave a high mass for them.

Cuban State-manufactured floralofferings, popularly known as “crowns,” accumulate for days after burials, inHavana’s Colón Cemetery.

One of the staples of the Miami Cuban exile funeral almostalways includes a flower spray in the form of a Cuban flag. The more numerousthe flower sprays the more important and loved the dead person was. A false andsuperficial criteria if you ask me because I have known families who despisedthe person while alive and went on to spend a fortune in the funeral and theyordered a couple of dozen flower sprays to “acompañar al difunto y mostrarlenuestro amor” (to accompany the deceased and show our love) In other words,guilt has to be playing a role in this case as the family was probably vey meanto the person while alive and they are trying to make it up by showing off atthe funeral.

SOURCES: http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/5098374/image/47273094-discarded-funeral-wreaths-colon-cemetery-havana-cuba

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/14/1730846/miami-mourns-singer-olga-guillot.html

http://www2.ljworld.com/photos/2003/jul/23/

http://www.terraflowersmiami.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=101_105

THIS BULLYING HAS TO STOP

2012-01-23T08:07:00.001-08:00

PhillipParker

And it has to end now, not tomorrow, not whenthe Evangelicals say so.

I wonder howthey would feel if the gay kids started to bully their supposedly Christianstraight children; how would it feel to wear the shoe on the other foot? Their religiousfanaticism prevents them from seeing this as a problem. Instead, they areclaiming that it is them who are being harassed and discriminated.

Not one bit,it is the Christianists playing victim, it is their askew view of the world andtheir erroneous interpretation of the Scriptures. They are out of step withsociety and no matter what your religious beliefs are, discrimination andbullying should not be part of them.

Look, I’vesaid this a hundred times; I don’t care if you believe in little green unicornsfrom Tasmania and you hang from the chandelier to practice your faith, but themoment you get together with others with the same mind set and begin to makelaws that affect me and others negatively that is when I put my foot down.

You seem tothink that bullying is a normal thing, it is part of your “religious freedom”and “freedom of speech” but it is not…it is despicable and odious and we arenot going to stand for one more teen suicide.

“Phillip and Gena Parker didn't knowtheir son Phillip was being bullied at school until, it seems, Saturday orSunday. Probably Saturday night. On Friday, they didn't know. That was the daythey found their 14-year-old son's dead body in their house. Phillip Parker wasin 8th grade at Gordonsville High School in Gordonsville, Tennessee and he hadkilled himself.”

SOURCE: http://richardporterwritechatmessage.blogspot.com/

ARE WE TO TRADE THE COW FOR THE GOAT? – VAMOS A CAMBIAR LA VACA POR LA CHIVA?

2012-01-22T03:00:00.000-08:00

That is the dilemma that we are facing when it comes to thefree enterprise system.

At what point are we going to put a stop to all the insaneexcesses of the wealthy and the corporations? What is the great advantage, whatare the benefits exacted from protecting and promoting a plutocracy?

Certainly it is not consumerism or the hunger that the 99%has for cheaply made goods in some forsaken land sold at a Wal-Mart that albeitbeing the largest employer is also the worst of them, not offering benefits andtotally treating employees as second class that are just part of the equationto make a profit.

Thequestion for us Americans still remains on the table: Are we willing to give upour freedoms, our dear democratic process, hand over our hard earned dollars tothe very wealthy and the corporations in exchange for the privilege ofpurchasing cheap trinkets made to break down once you got them home?

Nodoubt, I have said this before a dozen times; the free enterprise system is thebest of economic systems there is but it has to have regulations or greed willoverwhelm everything. Nothing can exemplify this better than the oilmonopolies; they are influencing politicians and buying their way intoperpetuating a deadly game of carbon-base energy consumption even when they seethey are not just destroying the environment but may very well be destroyingthe planet by making it unfit for human habitation.

So, are we going to give up the cow (in this case our gasguzzler) for the goat (a polluted environment) and is this a wise exchange?

WHAT DO NORTH KOREA, CUBA, CHINA, IRAN, AND SOON THE UNITED STATES HAVE IN COMMON?

2012-01-21T03:00:00.000-08:00

They don’t allow their citizens free access to the internet.

Simple as that, there is no mincing of words on this issue.Totalitarian regimes have found out that the worst opposition they couldpossibly have is a well informed, well educated population. It functions much inthe same way religions work…keeping their adherents immersed so deeply in theirreligion that they can’t access any other idea or information outside of theirhermetically sealed environment. It works.

It is no secret that both government tyrannies and religiousabsolutists will repress with cruel brutality any kind of dissent…that is what makes these tyranniesso ruthless. They know that the only way they can survive is by keeping thepublic ignorant and disengaged.

We see how the Republicans embrace both the concept ofreligiosity as a virtue because the more extreme brand of religious fanaticismkeeps women ignorant, barefoot and pregnant and the men unable to think for themselves.The Republicans are more than elated to have America watching “Dancing With theStars” or “American Idol” or even entertaining them with a circus likeatmosphere as the Republican Presidential primaries have been.

You see, while people are watching these shows theirattention is not on how voters are being disenfranchised, how the horribleinequality in the distribution of wealth and power, how corporations candictate who gets elected and are elevated to the status of personhood.

We are not just endangering the democratic process by thisCitizen’s United Supreme Court abominable decision but now we are beingthreatened with the possibility of internet censorship. That is what it comesdown to and it is not going to work because most Americans are too aware of theRepublican tactics and how they resemble those of countries like North Korea,Cuba and Iran.

FORMER SPEAKER GINGRICH PUT ON AN ACT INDICATING HE WAS INDIGNANT ABOUT A QUESTION ABOUT HIS ADULTEROUS AFFAIR.

2012-01-20T17:11:00.000-08:00

How dare you a journalist ofyour stature ask such a question from me?

How could youpossible ask such an outrageous question from me, “I’m appalled that you wouldbegin a Presidential debate with a question like that” “vicious, negative” theformer Speaker of the House answer to the journalist, the defender of familyvalues, condemnation of homosexuality and the role model for all American men?I am beyond reproach, well above the scrutiny you low life reporters arehurling at me? It is an insult, an outrage…after all; he was part of thecondemnation of President Clinton’s impeachment attempt for his adulterous blowjob.

We shouldbring it to the attention that Speaker Gingrich was forced out of the House ofRepresentatives Speakership for his unethical dealings and it culminated in anofficial House vote to reprimand Gingrich and a $300,000 bill to reimburse thecommittee's investigation, are a matter of public record.

"One of the issues that wasraised last night by Rick Santorum was the fact that he was pushed out of theHouse by his fellow members. I think over 80 percent of Republican congressmenvoted to reprimand the speaker of the House -- first time in history,"Romney said in Gilbert, S.C. "Nancy Pelosi has the full record of thatethics investigation. You know it’s going to get out before the generalelection."

Somebody ought to remind Newtthat it is the American people who are indignant to see such hypocrisy comingfrom a Presidential contender.

SOURCE: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/20/10201597-gingrich-foes-fight-to-remind-gop-of-ex-speakers-ethics-woes

DID WE ACTUALLY HAVE AN INCOMPETENT PRESIDENT NAMED GEORGE W. BUSH OR IS THIS PART OF A COLLECTIVE MIRAGE?

2012-01-20T02:00:00.000-08:00

Although thatname rings a bell, it has not been uttered by members of the GOP for almostthree years now.

However,there are some of us that remember; some of us who are never going to let themforget all the harm and misery the GOP and that now elusive, inarticulate,incompetent, insensitive and arrogant ignoramus named GEORGE W. BUSH occupiedthe office of President in this great land of ours…notice I say OCCUPIED andnot elected because in reality, he wasn’t had it not been for the help of hisbrother Jeb and one Supreme Court Justice named Thomas.

I ran into this writing and the chart above at Michael inNorfolk http://michael-in-norfolk.blogspot.com/ and itmotivated me to do this post:

“The chart set out above speaks volumes and underscores the fact thatthe GOP attacks on Barack Obama are severely misplaced. The real big spenderwas Chimperator George W. Bush not tomention his GOP sycophants in the U. S. Congress. Lest we forget, the bigexplosions in the nation's debt levels were fueled the most by the Chimperator's fool's errands in Iraq andAfghanistan and the tax breaks given to the wealthiest Americans. One can onlyhope that this chart is shown over and over again between now and November.Otherwise the GOP will try once again to play the public for fools.”

SOURCE: http://michael-in-norfolk.blogspot.com/

LET’S DO SOME MATH - WHO WILL VOTE FOR OBAMA IN 2012?

2012-01-19T02:20:00.000-08:00

Try to figure out who willvote for Republicans and who won’t by the estimates it becomes obvious if youdo the math.

There are207,643,594 eligible voters in the U.S. The census bureau estimates as of July oflast year we have the US total population at 303,824,640. As of the 2006general election the Voting Age Population (all adults) was 225,964,346 whereasthe Voter Eligible Population (adults - ineligible people like felons ornon-citizens) was 207,643,594; out of these approximately 150 million will casttheir votes. 131 million who voted in 2008. But the number might increasesignificantly in the 2012 elections due to the state of the economy and theRepublican agenda to destroy the middle class.

We only haveto look at how some groups voted in 2008 to form some kind of an educatedopinion as to what will happen in the 2012 elections.

Black Americans: 95% of black voters went to the ballot for Obama

Whites: 55% of white votes went to McCain including thenotoriously hard-to-win white working class vote, but Obama stunned many bytaking an impressive 43% of total white votes

Hispanics: 66% of Hispanic voters turned out for Obama

Women: 56%of the female vote went to Obama

Men: Themale vote was essentially tied with 49% voting for Obama,

Asians: 63%of Asian voters went to the ballot for Obama

Jews: 78%of the Jewish vote went to Obama

Senior Citizens: 51% of over- 65's voted for McCain

Gays: 1.51% of the total U.S. populationidentifies themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual, or 4.3 total millionAmericans. These numbers are based on figures provided by a broad-basedcoalition of gay rights organizations and homosexual advocacy groups*. The primarysource cited was the The National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS),published in the book The Social Organization of Sex: Sexual Practices inthe United States (1994), by Laumann, Gagnon, Michael and Michaels.

Muslims: 1,424,000– voting data not available.

Unionmembers: The numberof American workers in unions declined sharply last year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday, with thepercentage slipping to 11.9 percent, the lowest rate in more than 70 years.

Thereport found that thenumber of workers in unions fell by 612,000 last year to 14.7 million, an evenlarger decrease than the overall 417,000 decline in the total number ofAmericans working.

So, if we take these figuresand do a bit of speculation we can come up with this:

Blacks: 34,000,000 22,440,000 eligible voters 90% willvote for Obama = 20,196,000

Whites: 211,460,626 137,410,000 eligible voters 50% willvote for Obama – 68,000,000

Hispanics: 35,305,818 19,417,000 eligible voters 66% will vote for Obama= 12,815,000

Women: 145,532,800 96,051,000eligible voters 56% will vote for Obama = 53,788,000

Men: 139,267,200 60,523,000 eligible voters 48% will vote for Obama= 43,451,000

Asians: 10,242,998 6,657,000 eligible voters 63% will vote forObama = 26.422,800

Muslim: 1,424,000 939,840 eligible voters 90% will vote forObama = 845,000

Gays: 4,300,000 2,838,000 eligible voters 90% will vote forObama = 2,554,200

Jewish: 3,702,400 2,443,584 eligible voters 78% will vote forObama = 1,905,955

UnionMembers: 14,700,000 9,702,000 eligible voters 82% will vote forObama = 6523,000

TOTAL: 135,489,955

Assumingthat the turn out is 66% and not taking into consideration the senior votewhich it is likely to go this time overwhelmingly for Obama due to theirSocial Security and Medicare-Medicaid having been targeted by Republicans; we would have approximately 89,423,000possible votes for Obama. Even if theturnout is light and there is massive election rigging and disenfranchising ofvoters in the hands of Republicans there should be at the very least a numbersimilar to the votes cast in 2008 = 131,000,000

Gov. ScottWalker of Wisconsin, above left, signed a law in May requiring voters to showphoto identification.

Other factors that could alter theelection one way or another are yet to be determined, like the economy gettingworse or better; the Occupy Wall Street resurgence in the Spring; thepossibility of an unforeseen conflict in the Middle East or even a terroristattack on our soil.

This table lists some majordemographic groupings in the United States. Race, gender, ethnicity, religion,and other factors are factors in personal and group identity. This table isunusual in that it presents a merged list of these factors. This more accuratelyreflects actual American society, in which most people belong to more than onegroup. All individuals can be classified into multiple groupings below. Thislist is not comprehensive.

Group	Number	Percent of U.S. population
Total ¹	284,800,000	100.0 %
English-at-home speakers ⁶	245,497,600	86.2 %
Christian ²	217,872,000	76.5 %
White ¹	211,460,626	75.1 %
Protestant ¹⁸	150,944,000	53 %
Female ¹	145,532,800	51.1 %
Male ¹	139,267,200	48.9 %
"born-again" or "evangelical" ⁹	125,312,000	44 %
Republican ⁸	90,950,000	33 %
Democrat ⁸	85,440,000	31 %
Catholic ²	69,776,000	24.5 %
Non-English speakers ⁶	38,087,127	13.8 %
Nonreligious ²	37,593,600	13.2 %
Hispanic/Latino ¹	35,305,818	12.5 %
Black ¹	34,658,190	12.3 %
Baptist ¹⁸	34,176,000	12 %
Evangelical (theologically) ¹⁶	22,049,360	8.0 %
Methodist ²	19,366,400	6.8 %
Spanish speakers ⁶	20,744,986	7.5 %
Southern Baptist ³	15,800,000	5.6 %
Lutheran ²	13,100,800	4.6 %
vegetarian ¹⁹	12,000,000	4.2 %
Asian ¹	10,242,998	3.6 %
United Methodist Church ²⁰	8,251,042	2.9 %
Presbyterian ²	7,689,600	2.7 %
Multiracial ¹	6,826,228	2.4 %
Pentecostal ²	5,980,800	2.1 %
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) ¹⁵	5,503,192	1.93 %
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ^{3, 20}	5,038,066	1.8 %
Episcopalian ²	4,841,600	1.7 %
GLBT (gay, lesbian or bisexual)⁵	4,300,000	1.51 %
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ^{3, 20}	3,595,259	1.3 %
Judaism ^{2, 21}	3,702,400	1.3 %
Eastern Orthodox ⁹	2,756,170	1 %
Assemblies of God ¹¹	2,575,000	0.93 %
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod ^{3, 20}	2,512,714	0.9 %
Native American ¹	2,475,956	0.9 %
Buddhist ¹³	2,400,000	0.87 %
Episcopal Church ²⁰	2,333,628	0.82 %
French speakers ⁶	2,308,795	0.8 %
gay men⁵	2,000,000	0.70 %
Non-denominational ¹¹	2,000,000	0.7 %
prison population	2,000,000	0.7 %
German speakers ⁶	1,851,418	0.7 %
Megachurch attendance ¹⁴	1,800,000	0.64 %
Jehovah's Witnesses ²	1,708,800	0.6 %
Chinese speakers ⁶	1,578,099	0.6 %
Italian speakers ⁶	1,565,165	0.6 %
Churches of Christ (non-instrumental / Corsicana, TX) ²⁰	1,500,000	0.53 %
American Baptist Church in the U.S.A. ²⁰	1,484,291	0.52 %
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church ²⁰	1,430,795	0.50 %
Muslim ²	1,424,000	0.5 %
agnostic ²	1,424,000	0.5 %
bisexual⁵	1,400,000	0.49 %
United Church of Christ ²⁰	1,330,985	0.47 %
Baptist Bible Fellowship International ²⁰	1,200,000	0.42 %
atheists ^{2, 10}	1,139,200	0.4 %
Tagolog speakers ⁶	1,008,542	0.4 %
Independent Christian Church, Churches of Christ (instrumental / Joplin, MO) ²⁰	1,071,616	0.39 %
Hindu ¹³	1,000,000	0.36 %
Church of God (Cleveland, TN) ²⁰	944,857	0.33 %
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) ¹¹	910,000	0.33 %
lesbians⁵	900,000	0.32 %
Polish speakers ⁶	865,298	0.3 %
Unitarian Universalist ²	854,400	0.3 %
Seventh-day Adventists ¹¹	809,000	0.29 %
Neo-pagan (incl. Wiccans) ¹²	768,400	0.28 %
Korean speakers ⁶	749,278	0.3 %
Church of the Nazarene ¹¹	608,000	0.2 %
Vietnamese speakers ⁶	606,463	0.2 %
vegans ²²	591,468	0.2 %
Portuguese speakers ⁶	515,017	0.2 %
Japanese speakers ⁶	511,485	0.2 %
Pacific Islander ¹	398,835	0.1 %
Reformed Church in America (RCA) ¹¹	304,000	0.11 %
Libertarian party members ⁷	200,000	0.07 %
Baha'i ¹¹	142,000	0.05 %
Native American Religionist ²	120,735	0.04 %
Mennonite Church USA ²³	110,000	.036 %

It should be very difficult tovisualize a scenario where those that have been thrown under the bus by theRepublican Party will vote Republican. I have said this before: “Who the fuckdo they have left other than the Evangelicals, racists, homophobes, and thevery wealthy?

I think that the most important thing to keepin mind is that we have to be vigilant and challenge any and all attempts byRepublicans to disenfranchise voters and destroy our democratic process.

SOURCES: http://wiki.answers.com

http://www.adherents.com/adh_dem.html

U.S. Census Bureau.Year 2000 Census. URL: http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-1.pdf
* The primary source cited was the The National Health and Social Life Survey(NHSLS), published in the book The Social Organization of Sex: SexualPractices in the United States (1994), by Laumann, Gagnon, Michael andMichaels.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/22/business/22union.html