Sunday, October 31, 2010

Violent TeaParty Leader Charged with 4th Degree Assault for Head Stomping Waifish Liberal

Tea Party Candidate Rand Paul's Top Campaigner in Kentucky, Tim Proffitt, is being charged with fourth degree assault after his violent "Kick In the Head" --- "Foot Stomping" attack against a waifish woman.

May Justice be Served!

The TRUE Reconquistas - The Tea Partiers and the Militias

Several new commenters have resurrected the term "Reconquista" again. If one were to define the term, Reconquista = Reconquest. Reconquest = Conquer (again) = Conquer the Goverment. Who is threatening to Conquer or Overthrow the Government? Who is stockpiling weapons? Who talks negatively about our President? Besides the terrorists and alqaeda, the people in the USA doing this are the Teapartiers and Militia members.
Here are pictures of the Teapartiers and the Militias -- the TRUE Reconquistas -- in Action.







Friday, October 29, 2010

Latinos: What Will Happen If Sharron Angle gets Elected -- RACIAL PROFILING, Operation Wet-Back! VOTE FOR HARRY REID!

Latinos in Vegas / Nevada: VOTE FOR HARRY REID
Otherwise -- Expect Operation Wet-Back ALL OVER AGAIN!
Is that what you Want?
Be Very Afraid!
Here she addresses The Latino Student Union (with LIES & Distortions)

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Guest Voz- Porter Corn: Another smack down for racist Az Senator Russell Pearce – 9th Circuit kills racist provision of Prop 200

Guest Voz: Porter Corn from Immigration Clearinghouse:
Another smack down for racist Az Senator Russell Pearce – 9th Circuit kills racist provision of Prop 200
Sitting here reading the latest but of trite propaganda from Willy Gheen and ALIPAC, I see irony in what Stephen Lemmons of Phoenix New Times wrote about the decision of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals striking down a decidedly racist provision of Prop 200, that sought to make proving one’s citizenship a prerequisite for voter registration.

The unelected governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer made the normal statement of outrage, which we expect every time their attempts to usurp Federal law fails.

“The decision is an outrage,” Governor Jan Brewer and Secretary of State Ken Bennett announced in a joint statement, “and a slap in the face to all Arizonans who care about the integrity of their elections.”

The statement continues, “Arizona voters have made their will crystal clear — non-citizens do not have the right to vote.”

PNT clarified:
Which is a classic straw man argument, because non-citizens didn’t have the right to vote in federal elections before Prop 200, any more than they do after this ruling. As the decision itself points out, the National Voter Registration Act, which supersedes Prop 200, requires registrants to sign and attest under penalty of perjury that they are citizens.
The NVRA details federal penalties for voter fraud and voter registration fraud, making such activities punishable by up to five years in prison. Moreover, voting by an illegal alien is expressly forbidden by 18 USC 611, and punishable by up to a year in prison.
You see, Prop 200 had nothing to do with preventing non-citizens from voting. In fact, in the year or so before it was passed, it was widely reported that instances of voter fraud involving non-citizens were practically non-existent.
At the time, Maricopa County elections director Karen Osborne told the Arizona Republic that, “If we have one case a year, it’s an amazement.”

Why I bring up the whacked out President of ALIPAC is he constantly tries to convince the know nothings in American society that that the world is ending because millions of illegals will be voting in the mid terms.

Even Steven Camorata, director of research for the nativist Center for Immigration Studies, admitted to the Republic that very few illegal immigrants actually attempt to vote for the obvious reason: They don’t want to tip off authorities to the fact that they are here and undocumented.

Prop 200 also required proof of citizenship when applying for non-federally mandated programs. But the impact of that provision was minimal. Illegal immigrants were already prohibited from receiving most public assistance by the 1996 welfare reform signed into law by President Bill Clinton.

Indeed, the nativist Federation for American Immigration Reform itself notes the following on its Web site:

“llegal immigrants are barred from the following federal public benefits: grants, contracts, loans, licenses, retirement, welfare, health, disability, public or assisted housing, post secondary education, food assistance, and unemployment benefits. States are barred from providing state or locally funded benefits to illegal immigrants unless a state law is enacted granting such authority.”

ALIPAC proudly associates itself with another section of the nativist Tanton network, NUMBERSUSA.

Lemmons goes on to explain the expected outrage by the right wing loons, and no doubt with ALIPAC in mind.

Only the part of Prop 200 pertaining to showing “documentary proof of citizenship” was struck down. Folks are still required to show ID at the polls. The suggestion by some right-wing blogs that the court has opened the gate to massive voter fraud is complete hooey.

Right-wingers don’t want eligible Latinos to register to vote. That’s because they’ve spent so much of their time of late alienating Latinos by spewing nativist rhetoric. They want this state to continue to be dominated by a white, reactionary elite.

Racist laws such Prop 200 and SB 1070 help them maintain their political hegemony by keeping the brown folk at bay. For the moment, that is. For the moment.

And that is exactly what is happening now as the ALICRAPPERS are calling for charges of treason against former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner who was part of this righteous decision.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Tea Party VIOLENCE!! Rand Paul's Kick in the Head Foot Stomper Campaign Coordinator ADMITS VIOLENT ACT!

Tea Party Champion - Rand Paul's Head Campaign Coordinator in Kentucky, Tim Profitt, admitted he stomped on victim Lauren Valle's head after his thugs threw her to the ground. Profitt, a 280 pound oaf of a teapartier, stomped on Lauren's head as she lay helpless after being thrown to the ground by another of Teaparty Paul's campaign supporters.

The violence happened in Lexington before Paul debated his Democratic rival, Jack Conway, Monday night.

Lexington police said this afternoon that Profitt was indeed their man. "Detectives identified the suspect involved in the assault as Tim Profitt. Profitt is currently being served with a criminal summons ordering him to appear before a Fayette County District Court judge," police said in a statement.

Coward Rand Paul has so far refused to acknowledge Profitt's connection to his campaign nor has he condemned the vicious act of violence by these 200+ pound teaparty THUGS against a waifish woman. Police reports indicate that though the victim is a liberal and a member of "Move-On.org", she was merely attempting to pose with Paul carrying her poster.

Lexington Police Lt. Edward Hart said there were about 300 protesters outside the debate and only a few officers because they were not "anticipating any issues. She had been attending multiple rallies with the same purpose," Hart said. "She stated that she was wearing a wig and as she was running up to Rand Paul she was either "tripped on purpose" or "pushed to the ground." Hart said Valle filed a fourth-degree assault report with the Police Department.

The man who threw Valle to the ground is Mike Pezzano, says blogger Lisa Graas. An anonymous "tea party" activist alleges that Pezzano was the brute in the checkered shirt assaulting the wigged woman.
References:
Rand Paul coordinator Tim Profitt admits to stepping on woman from MoveOn.org before Kentucky debate
Rand Paul supporter who stomped MoveOn activist's head is not just volunteer but a campaign donor

Tea Party Favorite Rand Paul's Thugs Maliciously Beat Down and Kick a Woman In the Head! Despicable!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Latino AZ Congressman Raul Grijalva Under Racist Attacks by Republicans and unknown ANTI-Immigrant Forces!

Latino Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva has been under attack by Republicans and unknown ANTI-Immigrant forces. Grijalva's Tucson, Ariz., office was evacuated Thursday when a staffer opened an envelope containing a plastic bag of white powder and two pieces of paper with swastikas written on them.

In June, a Phoenix man was indicted for threatening to assault, kidnap and murder Grijalva and his aides. In July, a bullet was fired into Grijalva's Yuma office shortly after he reversed his call for groups to boycott Arizona because of its new immigration law.

Now, Republican (I'm a Maverick/I'm NOT a Maverick) McCain's Senate campaign funded an ad against Grijalva that is running around the clock in the seventh district, an unusual move that drew complaints from Democrats that McCain was violating his own campaign finance reform rules. And McCain is now sharing office space with Grijalva's opponent, subletting a chunk of his Tucson headquarters to the cash-strapped campaign of novice candidate Ruth McClung.

McCain may have general personal and ideological differences with Grijalva, but he also has a quite specific local objection to the congressman. McCain backers have long sought to mine for uranium near the Grand Canyon. Grijalva has stood in the way. He is on the short list to be Interior Secretary and is chair of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands. His opposition to the mining included holding a field hearing in Arizona to explore its environmental consequences. Grijalva successfully lobbied the White House to temporarily block the mining. At Grijalva's field hearing, Utah Rep. Rob Bishop, the ranking Republican on the subcommittee, called the Obama move "tyranny."

Shortly after Grijalva's hearing, McCain and Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, the number two Republican in the Senate, sent a letter to Grijalva defending the right to mine in the area. Sam Stone, a McClung spokesman, said that the campaigns are not working in coordination. "We're not working together," he said. "We're simply sharing space that was available on very short notice. Obviously we didn't have a lot of resources or funds until really within the last month." Stone said the campaign had no office until roughly four weeks ago and is paying half the rent.

The McClung campaign, in its first money bomb, used a RACIST doctored image of Grijalva that plays on racial stereotypes, depicting him with a long mustache. (Stone said that no offense is meant by the image and that it was a play on the exaggerated mustache Grijalva uses in his own campaign literature.)
References:
Powder mailed to Grijalva's office wasn't toxic
McCain Waging Grudge Match Against Raul Grijalva; Challenger's Offensive Poster Mocks Dem's Mustache

NAACP speakers say communities should stand up to bullying, discrimination

CG online reports: NAACP speakers say communities should stand up to bullying, discrimination CHILLICOTHE --The Rev. Michael Alston called upon local residents to help carry forward Martin Luther King Jr.'s message that all men are created equal. Alston called out to those who wonder what happened to King's dream, and instead asked "What happened to us?" at the NAACP Freedom Fund banquet Saturday night. Alston, who serves as the pastor of Chillicothe's First Baptist Church, was asked to serve as the keynote speaker for the NAACP annual banquet. This year's theme was "One Nation, One Dream."

Alston went on to say a dream is impregnable, imperishable and indestructible. In short, you cannot destroy King's dream, but fail to continue to strive to make it reality. "Many things are tragically worse tonight than when King walked in our midst," he told those at the dinner. He called out the Nation's immigration policies, saying the U.S. holds different standards for Mexicans and Haitians than they did for Soviets and Jewish immigrants. He called on people to be mindful of discrimination in their communities and to stand up against it.

Master of ceremonies, the Rev. Robert Hitchens, said the current push to end bullying in schools could be applied to adults everywhere who participate in discrimination. "It's not just our young people who bully," Hitchens said. "We have groups that bully each other, races that bully each other and churches that bully other churches. We need to stand up as a nation and say, we are not that way."

Mayor Joe Sulzer also remarked on the prejudice in America many black Americans face each day. "I certainly think we as a nation have come a long way," Sulzer said. "But there's still injustices to be addressed."

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Check Them Out: Meemaw's Journal posted Two More Amazing Articles!

Meemaw's Medicare Journal posted two more amazing articles:

Discovering the Facts about Medicare. What a Revelation! No Wonder Its Going Broke!

Understanding Medicare Plans: One Easy Picture

Republican and Beck Fan - "Dannie Baker" Set to go to Trial in April for the Chilean Student Murders

Dannie Baker, the former Republican National Committee Volunteer, Glenn Beck enthusiast and the man charged with killing two Chilean students and wounding three others in February 2009 is scheduled to go to trial April 11. Walton County Circuit Judge on Thursday set the trial date. A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 27. “We’re going to push for the trial to be in April,” Assistant State Attorney Bobby Elmore said after Wells set the date. “Nothing’s certain because we can’t predict the future. But it’s looking good.”

Baker, 61, is being held at the Walton County Jail. He was arrested Feb. 26, 2009, just hours after he murdered 22-year-old Racine Argandona and 23-year-old Nicholas Corp-Torres at Summer Lake town home complex on Scenic Gulf Drive in Miramar Beach. At the time, he told neighbors he was going to kill Mexican illegal immigrants. The Chilean students -- here in the country legally -- were visiting a friend when lawmen say Baker fired a rifle through one of the unit’s windows about 1:45 a.m.

Three other students, Sebastian Arizaga-Suarez, David Bilboa-Meza and Francisco Cofre-Fernandez were wounded in the shooting. After the shooting, Baker barricaded himself in his town home at the same complex until he surrendered shortly after 6 a.m., according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.

Baker is charged with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, three counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm and shooting into an occupied building. Baker was committed to Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee for mental evaluation and treatment for over a year, attempting to play the "crazy card." However, much to Baker's disappointment, he was determined competent in August 2010 to stand trial.

The three students who were wounded returned to Chile. Elmore said they likely will be called to testify at Baker’s trial. Elmore said the state will seek the death penalty.

Roberto Rivera of Destin spoke with Elmore after the date was set. “From what I’ve been told it looks good for April,” said Rivera, who has kept in touch with two of the students who were wounded. “He can still possibly relapse and the trial won’t begin. For the family, this is going to be a very significant event.

We all thought he would be playing the crazy card for five years.” Rivera looked around the courtroom and shook his head. He said media attention has declined since the shootings occurred, but the case should resonate with people throughout the community. “This was a national disaster,” he said. “Those kids have had medical issues, psychological issues, and I’m the only one here (for this case). It’s disgraceful. “He (Baker) has to pay for what he’s done, and everyone should care about that.”

Note to Readers: "Immigration Talk with a Mexican American" will continue to follow this trial until the Court Decision and Penalty Phase are announced.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

My Friend Starts Her New Blog! "Meemaw's Medicare Journal!"

My friend, relative and fellow sexagenarian (get your mind out of the gutter, this means someone in their 60s) started her own blog this week. It is titled "MeeMaw's Medicare Journal." I've been encouraging her to start her own blog and now, she's finally launched it.

Her Blog is about being a Baby Boomer and becoming Social Security and Medicare Eligible. She works in the HealthCare Industry and will be sharing her thoughts about "coming of age."

Please visit her Blog, Follow Her and Welcome her into the Blogosphere!

PS: She's been a "follower" of my blog since the beginning and she says "You taught me everything I know about becoming a Blogger!"

JLO and Twin Babies Support A Worthy Cause! God Bless JLO and Babies!

Gucci is donating $1 million dollars to UNICEF's "Schools for Africa" intiative and $50,000 to Jennifer Lopez's charity, the "Maribel Initiative", which promotes greater access to Health Care for Women and Children Worldwide. Why? For a Gucci Picture shoot with JLO and her beautiful twin children.

Humanitarian Jennifer Lopez and her children posed for Gucci because of the $$ going to the worthy causes. Jennifer Lopez's 2 1/2-year-old twins, Max and Emme, make their modeling debut as the faces of Gucci's new children's line — and Us Magazine.com has the first peek.

Jennifer, so proud of her beautiful children, beemed, "It's the first time I have worked with my kids in that way. It was a totally special experience. It's exactly why I'm excited to be a part of this," says Jennier, who admits she and husband Marc Anthony were hesitant to have their kids participate until they learned of the charity connection. "Now there are two Gucci spokesbabies for a beautiful cause!"

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

AZ Latinos Beware: Russell Pearce and Kris Kobach are working together again, this time to remove Citizenship from Citizen Latino Children in Arizona!

AZ Latinos Beware!
If you thought AZ's STATE senate bill1070 was bad, wait until you hear this. Nativist AZ senator and friend of White Supremists - Russell Pearce is partnering again with extremist (Hate Group FAIR Member) Kris Kobach with a new STATE bill...this time to deny Citizenship to the CITIZEN CHILDREN of Latino Undocumented Immigrants in the STATE of Arizona.

Kobach this week confirmed that he is working with Pearce to write a STATE bill that would develop a STATE law to change the way children born in ARIZONA to illegal immigrants are granted citizenship. Kobach helped Pearce write STATE senate bill 1070. Pearce has said he will propose the STATE bill when the legislative session starts in January. Kobach would not say what that STATE bill might look like but we can only expect the worst.

Pearce and Kobach, both Teaparty members, who SAY they are supporters of the Constitution, SHOULD try to remember the first bullet from the 14th ammendment of the Constitution:
"No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States"


Citizen Latinos, these zealots are relentless! They will NOT stop these INSANE, RACIST bills. The only way to STOP them is to VOTE THEM and ALL REPUBLICANS OUT OF OFFICE, ONCE AND FOR ALL!!


Register to VOTE and then VOTE!!!!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

To All My Latino Friends in Nevada: Do NOT Listen to Robert De Posada! PLEASE VOTE!

My Dad was the most Honest Man I Ever Knew!
I remember, as a little girl, Dad used to say, "There are so many politicians, even among the Latino people, that are corrupt. Don't Listen to Them. Do NOT Listen to the Corrupt Politicians. You can always, ALWAYS tell who they are. How? They do NOT care about the poor. They do NOT care about the workers. They do NOT care about the Church!" My Dad was adamant. "They just care about the Money!"

What was Dad saying? He was talking about people like Robert de Posada. This guy is a member of the Republican Racist group "Latinos for Reform." WHAT A LIAR!!! This guy is despicable, a racist and hates his own skin!


Group urges Nevada Hispanics not to vote
Posted by Steve Tetreault
Monday, Oct. 18, 2010 at 06:11 PM
Latinos for Reform, a group with Republican links, is paying for a Spanish-language commercial to air in Nevada urging people not to vote. "Don't vote this November. This is the only way to send them a clear message," a narrator says. "You can no longer take us for granted." "Them" refers to President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats whose images are flashed during the 60-second spot, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada. The commercial is generating a quick response in Nevada, where Reid is counting on a heavy Hispanic turnout to help him when. Democrats have scheduled a press conference at the Latin Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas at 7 p.m. tonight to talk about it. The chamber is at 300 N. 13th Street

Latinos for Reform is headed by Robert Deposada, a political consultant and former director of Hispanic affairs for the Republican National Committee (one of those CORRUPT EVIL MEN with DEEP Pockets that my Dad talked about). The group posted an English-language version of the commercial on its website. Deposada told Politico the ad was born from frustration with the Democrats' failure to deliver immigration reform. The ad will air in targeted states that Deposada said includes Nevada.

Deposada told Politico he could not ask Hispanics to vote for Republican Sharron Angle, either. He said her position on immigration is "completely irresponsible." The "don't vote" ad would not be the first provocative message delivered by Latinos for Reform. In 2008 it aired ads charging that Obama would put African Americans before Latinos (Deposada IS AN IDIOT!! and one of THOSE GUYS My Dad Talked About! LATINO CITIZENS OF NEVADA, PLEASE VOTE AND DON'T VOTE FOR THE HORRIBLE ANGLE!! PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN!! PROTECT ALL LATINOS!!! VOTE FOR HARRY REED!!!!)

LIAR RACIST Sharron Angle Ticks Off Canada! (Nevada Latino Voters, Please VOTE AGAINST Sharron Angle! She is Insane and Racist!)

Politico.com reports: Sharron Angle annoys Canada
Canada's ambassador to the U.S. has called on (Crackpot) Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle to take back her claim that terrorists have come into the country over the Northern border. "Our Northern border is where the terrorists came through," Angle told a group of Hispanic students last week. "That's the most porous border that we have." (My question is, IF Republicans don't believe this, then WHY are they supporting Crackpot Racist Sharron Angle??)

The Ambassador continued, "None of the 9/11 hijackers entered the United States from or through Canada."
Other U.S. politicians, including Newt Gingrich, former Sen. Conrad Burns and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, have repeated the Canada terrorism canard. Early media reports in the days after 9/11 that a Canadian border crossing was being investigated were soon disproved, but nearly a decade later, the idea apparently persists.

Angle brought up Canada in an attempt to fend off charges that her tough ads attacking illegal immigration were a race-based attack on Hispanics. In trying to make a case that illegal immigration is a problem no matter who the migrants are or which border they cross, she told the Hispanic Student Union at Las Vegas's Rancho High School that appearances aren't everything: "I don't know that all of you are Latino. Some of you look a little more Asian to me."

The dust-up with Canada isn't the first time Angle has repeated a debunked urban myth and angered faraway local officials. In September, she claimed Islamic law had been imposed in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn. Dearborn's mayor wrote to Angle to set her straight. Asked where she had gotten that idea, Angle later told conservative radio host Lars Larson, "That's what I had read."

Monday, October 18, 2010

CrackPot Sharron Angle says Latinos are Asian and So Is She!! (LIAR!) LATINOS -- VOTE AGAINST ANGLE!!


TV9 Reports: Angle Tells Hispanic Students They Look Asian
Comments made by Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle to a group of Hispanic high school students is gaining national attention. Sharron Angle spoke to the Hispanic Student Union at Rancho High School Friday afternoon after students expressed anger with her campaign's anti-illegal immigrant message.

"I don't know that all of you are Latino. Some of you look a little more Asian to me." She also added, "I've been called the first Asian legislator in our Nevada State Assembly." The response caused some students to gasp. The news media was not allowed to the question and answer event. Angle's exchange with students was secretly recorded on a cell phone by a student at the meeting.

The Angle campaign responded the candidate was referring to a time when a reporter mistakenly identified her Asian in the early 1990's. She maintains she was telling the students not to judge on stereotypes. The students had asked Angle pointed questions about her political ads that show a stock photo of three Hispanics labeled as illegal's crossing the border. Angle defended the ads.

"I think that you're misinterpreting the commercial. I'm not sure that those are Latinos in that commercial. What it is - is a fence and there are people coming across that fence. What we know is our northern border is where the terrorists came through," Angle told the students.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Murder in Arizona: Maricopa Cop Kills Unarmed Latino

Latino mom Elvira Fernandez (60) said she called police because she trusted them. She wanted to teach her son a lesson. Her son Danny was throwing some things at the wall of her south Phoenix home. She was concerned he might take some of his anger out on her. She went to a neighbor's house and dialed 911 so the police would calm him down. Now, as her son lays dead, Elvira said, "I feel like I made the wrong choice calling the police. I regret it with everything in my heart."

Officer Sergio Virgillo, a 14-year-veteran, describes in court documents the events that led to the death of Elvira's son Danny Frank Rodriquez:

Officers Sergio Virgillo and Richard Chrisman, patrolling in separate vehicles, both responded to the Elvira's call at 12:20 p.m. (Tuesday, 10/5/10 afternoon). Virgillo said Elvira Fernandez asked both of them to go inside the trailer and talk to her son.

When came Danny came to the door and didn't immediately let the officers in, Virgillo said, Chrisman responded by holding his service weapon to Danny's temple and Chrisman stated, "I don't need a warrant." Chrisman entered. Virgillo said Chrisman re-holstered his weapon. Inside, the officers shot Danny with a Taser and sprayed him with pepper spray. Chrisman, irritated by Danny's dog barking, shot his dog that was barking inside the trailer. Danny tried to leave the trailer on a bicycle and reached for the bike's handlebars. As Danny stood near his bike, Virgillo said, Chrisman raised his gun and shot him three times. Elvira's son lay dead. Paramedics declared Danny dead at the scene.

Elvira was outside when the murder occurred. On Thursday, Elvira said, “I heard the shots, I heard the banging on the door when they broke it down, I heard my son screaming."

Chrisman, 36, was taken into custody at 7:30 p.m. that Tuesday evening.

The next day, Police Chief Jack Harris said he was unclear as to why Chrisman ended up firing shots inside the trailer. The chief and other police officers described the dog that was shot dead as a pit bull, though relatives and neighbors said the dog was a several-month-old boxer puppy. Officer Virgillo had told investigators the dog was barking but never threatened the officers. Chrisman made his initial appearance Wednesday (10/6). His bond was set at $150,000.

The Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, which will represent Chrisman through the internal-affairs investigation, issued a statement of support for the officer, saying the union would help Chrisman's family raise money for bail.


Officer Chrisman's Internal inquiries:
Since 2007, Officer Chrisman has faced FOUR internal inquiries handled by the Phoenix Police Professional Standards Bureau - the department's internal-affairs unit. The cases include an excessive-force allegation in 2009, in addition to complaints about personal conduct and inattention to duty, police records show. Police leaders declined to comment on the nature of the complaints or if Chrisman faced any discipline.

Police in the city's South Mountain Precinct have come under public scrutiny this year by Councilman Johnson and members of the south Phoenix community in the wake of a March incident in which Johnson accused a patrol officer of violating his civil rights during a predawn handcuffing incident outside his home. Johnson commended Virgillo for "coming forward" and "telling the truth" about the shooting. Other community leaders also praised Virgillo's actions.

"He needs to be protected from peer scrutiny and publicly commended for his integrity to the sacred oath he lives by," said Adolfo Maldonado, a south Phoenix community activist who sits on the city's police-review task force. Harris on Wednesday met with nearly 40 south Phoenix community leaders and members of a city-appointed task force designed to come up with recommendations on how the department should better address citizen complaints about police misconduct.

He urged them to remind neighbors and residents to remain calm - to judge the case based on facts, rather than rumors. "I wanted to assure them . . . that we will investigate this thoroughly, that we have the facts, and that we take the appropriate action based on the facts," Harris said.
A Maricopa County grand jury has indicted a Phoenix police officer on a second-degree murder charge in the shooting of an unarmed man. Elvira said she is grateful that Chrisman is facing the murder charge and charges of aggravated assault and cruelty to animals for shooting Rodriguez' dog. However, she said she still struggles with what she calls a senseless death. Fernandez said her son was not a threat that day, and that she really did not need the help of police. She just thought they would help calm him down.
References:
Phoenix police officer in fatal shooting arrested
Phoenix police officer indicted in fatal shooting
Family, Friend of Victim say goodbye
Phoenix PD's Killer Cop Indicted

Brisenia Flores' Murderer, Minuteman Leader Shawna Forde, Attempts to Exclude Key Evidence

AZ Daily Star reports: Murder suspect Shawna Forde's attorneys have filed more motions to keep evidence away from the jury. Just a quick recap first. Forde, Jason Bush and Albert Gaxiola are charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Raul Flores and Brisenia Flores, who died during a home invasion in Arivaca in June 2009. Raul's wife, Gina, suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound herself, but prosecutors say she managed to shoot Bush before he fled.

One of the state's key witnesses is Oin Oakstar, who is expected to testify the trio wanted to steal Flores' drugs, money and guns and Gaxiola wanted to eliminate him as a competitor in the drug trade. All three defendants have entered pleas of "not guilty" and Forde and Gaxiola's attorneys say they weren't even at the scene that night.

One of Forde's defense attorneys, Jill Thorpe, filed a motion recently asking Judge John Leonardo to prevent prosecutors from telling jurors:

. that Oakstar claims he saw Bush after the home invasion and...
1) Bush told him that the plan "went to (expletive)"
2) Gina Flores had shot him.
3) Gaxiola and Forde both asked him to bring painkillers for Bush because of the gunshot wound.

Thorpe argues all of the comments are inadmissable hearsay.

Forde's other attorney, Eric Larsen, filed a separate motion asking Judge Leonardo to keep out a bunch of stuff Forde's family members have told investigators. For example, Larsen doesn't want jurors to know Forde's mom has described Forde as a "sociopath" or that Forde's mom and brother think she's behind the December 2008 shooting of her former husband. In addition, Larsen doesn't think jurors should be privvy to the fact Forde's brother claims he saw her taking his painkillers once.

Lastly, Larsen doesn't want Forde's brother, mother or sister to be allowed to discuss Forde's views on minorities. According to Larsen, mom doesn't think Forde is a racist, her brother thinks she is and her sister "says Forde is racist in her comments but would socialize with minorities."

All of this stuff would unfairly prejudice the jury against Forde, Larsen wrote. Prosecutors haven't responded to either motion yet. Forde and Gaxiola are currently scheduled to go to trial in January, although the defense attorneys hope to convince Judge Leonardo to split the cases into two separate trials. Bush is scheduled to go to trial in March. If convicted, the trio could get the death penalty.

Deputy Louie Puroll's (staged?) Shooting EXPOSED in National Media! (More to Come from Investigative Reporter Paul Rubens)


(Note: Note Sheriff Babeu's excessive blinking. Excessive Blinking is body language for LYING.)

Friday, October 15, 2010

GUILTY! Piekarsky and Donchak found Guilty of Hate Crime Murder of Luis Ramirez! Justice Finally Shines Through!

CNN Reports: Two men on trial in a Pennsylvania federal court in connection with the HATE CRIME beating death of Luis Ramirez have been found guilty on all counts, including hate crimes. Derrick M. Donchak, 20, of Shenandoah, and Brandon J. Piekarsky, 18, of Shenandoah Heights, had previously been acquitted of murder charges in state court and convicted of simple assault.

But Donchak and Piekarsky were charged in federal court with hate crimes and depriving Luis Ramirez of his civil rights. Donchak also was accused of trying to cover up the July 12, 2008, crime. "Four people attacked one person because of his race and because they didn't want people like him living in their town," prosecutor Myesha K. Braden said during her closing argument.

Witnesses testified that racist language was used before and during the attack and that Ramirez was kicked in the head repeatedly after falling down. The defendants, they said, didn't want immigrants in their neighborhood and repeatedly ordered Ramirez to leave. Regarding the cover up, Braden said, "They hatched a plan to leave out the kick, to leave out the race and even to leave out the drinking."

Lawyers for the defendants said that the encounter had been no more than a fight fueled by testosterone and alcohol. William Fetterhoff, a lawyer for Donchak, said Ramirez chased one of the men. The all-white jury deliberated on the case for approximately six and a half hours before reaching a verdict.

Both men face up to life in prison. Sentencing was set for January 24, and the judge denied a motion for bail, calling their crime "a crime of violence." Donchak's head dropped as the verdict was read. His parents wept. "We're going to be OK," said Piekarsky's mother, Tammy. "We will appeal." Shenandoah police officer Jason Hayes, who was identified as Tammy Piekarsky's boyfriend at the trial, faces federal obstructing justice charges in the investigation, as do former Shenandoah Police Chief Matthew R. Nestor and police Lt. William Moyer.

Nestor, Moyer and Hayes are scheduled to go to trial in January. Nestor, who faces charges in an unrelated extortion case, has resigned. U.S. District Judge Richard Caputo, who presided over the Donchak/Piekarsky trial in Scranton, is slated to preside over the officers' trials in Wilkes-Barre.

Crystal Dillman, the mother of Ramirez' two children, said she was "ecstatic" with the verdict. "It's nice to know that there is some justice for Luis," she said. "I won't completely move on until the federal trial of the police officers is done," she said, "until it is proven that there was a conspiracy to stop justice." Ramirez' mother, in Mexico, is "in shock but relieved and happy," Dillman said, but the couple's two children "are not past this." "They are coming to grips with the fact that their father is dead," she said. "They don't understand where their father went and why he'll never come home. They will never comprehend this."

Donchak and Piekarsky were tried on state charges in May 2009 and convicted of simple assault and alcohol-related offenses. County Presiding Judge William E. Baldwin sentenced Donchak to six months and one week and Piekarsky to 23 months. Both are currently on parole.

"This jury's verdict demonstrates that violence aimed at preventing people from living in America because of their race, national origin, or ethnicity is intolerable," said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Department of Justice. "As this case illustrates, the Civil Rights Division will vigorously enforce the rights of every person who lives in this country to do so free of racially based violence and intimidation."

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

What Happened to David Hartley on the Mexican Border? Was his wife Involved in his Disappearance?

Wow! This is one of the most disturbing disappearance stories I have ever heard. A man goes missing. The wife says they went jet skying on a lake on the Mexican Border in Texas. She "says" they went jet skying on this particular lake on the border. Yet, for the past several months, the local sheriff has been warning tourists to stay far away from this lake, due to possible violence against tourists by the drug cartels. No one went there. Why would they go?

The wife, a 95 pound blonde waif, is seen coming on shore on her jet ski. No sign of her husband around. She said she was chased by THREE BOATS loaded with Mexican Pirates. (Aaayyy Laddie!) She said the Pirates, in three boats, started chasing her and her husband on jet skis. No one saw any conflict, but Tiffany says she and her husand were attacked by pirates, out of the blue. She is unhurt. Yet she says her husband was shot, point blank, in the back of the head. No. Wait. She later says, the front of the head. She says she tried to rescue her husband, but he was too heavy to lift. She says she was that close, yet she cannot provide a description of any of the so-called attackers.

Her husband is missing. No Body. No Clues. Nothing. Nada. Just Tiffany's word.

Now we have Anderson Cooper's interview with her. Listen very closely to the end of this tape. Cooper asks, "We've been told by your father in law that they didn't think they will find his son's body. If that is the case, what happens?"
Tiffany responds: "If this is the case, then we will start fighting for this border to get this border secure; that's kind of been on the back of our minds; after things get settled down with David. After we get him home."

The interview ends.

Wait. She can't remember what the "pirates" looked like. She claims her husband was shot in the back of the head; wait, no, the front of the head, at point blank range; she claims she tried to lift her husband out of the water but he was too heavy; the so called assailants were THAT CLOSE, yet, she can't describe them; AND they NEVER touched her. She walked away unharmed against fully armed pirates who were so close they shot her husband front/no back at point blank range. And now, she plans on leading a MinuteMan Border crusade to Wall Up the Border?!?!

What is WRONG with this picture? Shades of OJ and Scott Peterson! What is this woman up to? Is her husband really missing or is he hiding? There is much more of this story to come!

"Libre!": 101 Woman becomes U.S. citizen with help of 69-year-old document

A very LONG Path to Citizenship!!
CNN reports:
Brownsville, Texas (CNN) -- Eulalia Garcia Maturey has outlived two husbands, her two children and decades of bygone immigration laws. At 101, Maturey will become a U.S. citizen on the 101st anniversary of her crossing into the United States from Mexico. The naturalization ceremony will take place Tuesday afternoon in a federal courtroom in Brownsville, Texas, according to the Department of Homeland Security's Citizenship and Immigration Services. Maturey described the feeling of becoming a citizen with one word: "Libre," Spanish for "free."

And then in a feisty Spanish voice that makes it hard to believe she's only 4-foot-7, she explained why becoming a citizen at this late stage of her life is so important. "I want to spend the rest of my days in this life living legally in the United States," Maturey told CNN this week. "I was raised here, and I want to die here."

Maturey also said she feels American in every way but knows that technically she's not an American, at least not yet. Eulalia Maturey's path to citizenship is a tale that captures the unusual way of life on the Texas-Mexico border.

On October 12, 1909, Maturey was just a baby in her mother's arms crossing the Rio Grande on a ferry boat from Matamoros, Mexico, into Brownsville, Texas. In those days, crossing the border was a simple routine. There were no border patrol agents, and checkpoints focused on customs and trade issues, according to Anthony Knopp, a history professor at the University of Texas at Brownsville specializing in U.S.-Mexico border relations.

"We were on the fringe back in those days," said Knopp. "It wasn't hard to cross the border. There was nobody looking to round people up and send them back to Mexico." Maturey and her single mother settled into a quiet life in Brownsville. Her mother earned money washing clothes, but she never met her father. Maturey dropped out of school after third grade.

"I didn't want to go anymore," Maturey said. So then she started helping her mother sift through the growing piles of laundry that needed to be washed and folded. Maturey married her first husband at 16; he died five years later. Shortly after, she married her second husband and had two children.

In 1940, Congress passed the World War II Alien Registration Act, which made it a federal crime to advocate overthrowing the government. But the law also required noncitizens already in the country to register with the government. Maturey did so along with millions of others in the United States. Just before the start of World War II, Maturey received a "Certificate of Lawful Entry" card from the U.S. government issued to her on April 4, 1941. She never imagined that little document would make it possible for her to become a U.S. citizen. She figured it came with an expiration date.

For decades, Maturey didn't really know what her legal status was in the United States. She feared asking too many questions might get her deported. She crossed the border routinely to visit family in Mexico. Border agents rarely asked for any documentation and when they did, she simply called herself a U.S. citizen. Then in 2008, the United States started requiring everyone to show a passport when crossing the border. Maturey knew she couldn't take anymore chances; it was time to find out once and for all where she stood.

Maturey's niece, Yolanda Ovalle, took her to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Brownsville, and that's where they met Sheila Lucio, a 29-year veteran of the government agency. "I fell in love with her. She's real feisty," Lucio told CNN. When Lucio tried finding Eulalia Maturey's name in the computer system, she couldn't find it.

"If you came to us before we entered the computer age, we didn't have your records," said Lucio. So Maturey pulled out that 69-year-old "Lawful Entry" card. Her niece says she took care of that little piece of paper for decades. "The permit is perfectly cared for," said Yolanda Ovalle. "She's a perfect lady."

With that document, government officials were able to find her Legal Permanent Resident documents in the archives in Washington. "We would never have been able to establish her registration status without that document," said Maria Elena Garcia-Upson, a public affairs officer with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. "It would have been hard to prove."

The paperwork is all squared away. Maturey passed the citizenship exam and now 101 years after that short ferry ride across the Rio Grande with her mother, Eulalia Maturey is set to become a citizen of the United States. It will be an emotional day for Maturey's family, but they've never seen her cry and they wonder if this will be the day they'll see a tear.

"Quien sabe?" said Maturey. "Who knows?"

Monday, October 11, 2010

The TRUTH Finally Comes Out Re: Kick In the Head Murder of Luis Ramirez!

The racial anger and hate which motivated the skull cracking violence that killed murder victim Luis Ramirez is revealed in the testimony at the Federal Hate Crime Trial of Brandon Piekarsky and Derrick Donchak. What is also revealed is the Racist Cover Up by Local Law Enforcement.
This is what I've been reporting since the crime occurred! Ramirez was MURDERED in a vicious HATE CRIME against Latinos! And the CORRUPT Local Police COVERED IT UP!
One only wonders how often these types of crimes are repeated, day after day across America. It is good that the TRUTH has finally come out! Perhaps Luis Ramirez and his children will FINALLY RECEIVE JUSTICE!
The Scranton Times Tribune reports: ...Colin Walsh (one of Piekarsky & Donchak's accompanying football players) said after the (Luis Ramirez) beating Brandon Piekarsky told him that "he kicked the guy (Luis) so hard his shoes flew off." Ariell Garcia, another witness at the scene who saw Luis Ramirez lying on the ground, began to cry when she was asked about the kick to the head. "It was like a muffled crack," she said. Her husband, Victor Garcia, said Mr. Ramirez had called him on a cell phone that night, saying "I'm getting beat up. Come back."

About 20 minutes earlier, Mr. Garcia said he had dropped Mr. Ramirez and his girlfriend off at a nearby park. In the background, Mr. Garcia said he heard voices yelling, "Mexican, spic." Mr. Garcia said he tried to break up the fight when he got back to the park until someone threw a punch at him. "People were still trying to kick him, stomp him," Mr. Garcia said. He said he saw Mr. Ramirez get kicked in the head and watched the group of young men run away. He tried to "wake up" Mr. Ramirez, who had foam coming out of his mouth.

When police began arriving on the scene, Mr. Garcia said he told them which way the teens had run. He said the police told him to take everything out of his pockets. "But they never went after the kids," Mr. Garcia said.

CORRUPT POLICE COVER-UP:
There was other testimony about (cover-up) steps the police took in the days after the fatal beating. Julia Mickalowski, the mother of Brian Scully, one of the young men at the scene that night, said she received a phone call from Lt. William Moyer, telling her that if her son had gray blue sneakers to "get rid of them."

The small-town nature of Shenandoah has surfaced in other testimony involving Mr. Piekarsky's mother, who was a friend of then-Police Chief Matthew Nestor and was dating one of the officers, Patrolman Jason Hayes. Mr. Hayes, who is no longer a police officer, stopped Mr. Donchak and Mr. Piekarsky while they were running from the scene that night. Mr. Nestor, Mr. Hayes and former Lt. William Moyer are scheduled to stand trial in January in federal court for their roles in the alleged cover-up.

After the beating (murder), Mr. Walsh said Mr. Piekarsky joked with his friends about getting a Hispanic name tattooed on their bodies, and they hatched a story they would tell police, one that would exclude any references to racial slurs being uttered that night or kicking him. Mr. Walsh recalled a visit he had received from then Lt. Moyer at his house. He said Mr. Moyer "asked if I talked with my friends." "You know what I mean?" the officer said before leaving, adding, "Good luck, buddy," Mr. Walsh testified.



Defense attorney James A. Swetz, representing Mr. Piekarsky, quizzed Mr. Walsh on the plea agreement he signed in the federal case against him. Mr. Walsh said he had been told he could receive a nine-year prison sentence but hopes to receive only four years. Prosecutors have offered to seek a reduced sentence in exchange for his cooperation against Mr. Donchak and Mr. Piekarsky. Though he has pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime, Mr. Walsh said he does not believe what he did that night was motivated by racial hate on his part. He said he believes racial hate was behind the beating inflicted on Mr. Ramirez by Mr. Donchak and Mr. Piekarsky

The trial resumes Tuesday morning. The courthouse is closed Monday for the Columbus Day Holiday.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Guest Voz: Dana Milbank - Glenn Beck Motivates Far Right Extremists to Violence

Guest Voz: Dana Milbank
Glenn Beck has a friend in California.
"I would've never started watching Fox News if it wasn't for the fact that Beck was on there," says this friend, Byron Williams. "And it was the things he did, it was the things he exposed, that blew my mind." "I do enjoy Glenn Beck," Williams also says, "and the reason why I enjoy that is because... no other channel will speak about the same things that he's talking about, and if you go and investigate those things you'll find out that they're true."

Unfortunately for Beck, this satisfied viewer currently resides at the Santa Rita Jail near Oakland and stands accused of a freeway shootout with police. Williams pleaded not guilty to four counts of attempted murder of a police officer. But according to court documents, he said he had been on a mission to kill people at the liberal Tides Foundation, which happens to be a favorite Beck target.

In August, I wrote that while it's not fair to blame Beck for violence committted by his fans, he would do well to stop encouraging extremists. Now, Williams has granted a pair of jailhouse interviews, one with the conservative Examiner.com and one to be published soon by the liberal group Media Matters. These recorded exchanges, which I have reviewed, show precisely why Beck is dangerous: because his is the one voice in the mass media that validates conspiracy theories held by the unstable. The Examiner, in an article published this week, exonerated Beck by pointing to Williams's statement that "I know Beck continuously talks about peaceful resolution but I have constantly disagreed. This, however, misses the point. It's not that Beck is directly advocating violence (he might be in Santa Rita himself if he did that) but he's giving voice and legitimacy to the violent fringe.

"Beck is going to deny everything about violent approach, deny everything about conspiracies," Williams told the freelance journalist John Hamilton, who did the interview to be published by Media Matters. "But he'll give you every reason to believe it. He's protecting himself, and you can't blame him for that. So, but I understand what he's doing." Listening to Beck, Williams explained, "you can pick up ideas and you can get on your Internet and just verify it."

One of the ideas from Beck that Williams "verified" involved the liberal billionaire George Soros. Williams said he was inspired by Beck's shows about Soros (described by Beck as a currency manip-ulator of Jewish ancestry who has "disturbing hair in his nose"). Beck accused President Obama of lending $2 billion to Brazil's oil company Petrobras just after Soros upped his stake in the company.

This turned out to be a false Internet rumor that Beck had amplified, but Williams did more research and concluded that Soros and Obama had sabotaged the BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico to cause the oil spill and thereby help Petrobras. This, Williams said, was his main source of anger before the alleged shoot-out. "With the exception of Beck, not once did even Fox report on things like Soros investing a billion dollars in Petrobras, or not once did they mention the fact that Obama sent them $2 billion," he noted. "Beck will not say it was a contracted hit" on the BP well by Obama and Soros, Williams said, "but he'll give you every ounce of evidence you can possibly need to make that assumption yourself."

Williams, as you'd expect, is not an entirely reliable witness. At one point, he complains that Beck "criticizes all the conspiracy theories," but at other points he hails Beck for embracing them. Still, this part rings true: The prisoner told the Examiner that he already knew about Tides before he heard Beck speak about it in June; rather, "to me it was more of a confirmation of what I already knew," he said.

Exactly. Beck, who has encouraged his followers to hear what he is saying "between the sentences" he actually utters, gave legitimacy to Williams's conspiracy theories. "So now they've got Beck labeled as this guy that is trying to incite violence, and what I say is that if the truth incites violence, it means that we've been living too long in the lies," Williams told Hamilton. "You know, when you become unemployed, desperate, you can no longer pay your bills... what do you think is gonna happen? You know, for crying out loud. It's gonna get worse, and more and more people are gonna get desperate."

Particularly if they have an enabler in the mass media.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Ramirez Murder - Kick in the Head Federal Hate Crime Trial Update

Finally, the truth is coming out about the KICK IN THE HEAD MURDER of Luis Ramirez in Shenandoah, PA. The Federal Hate Crime Trial IS ON!!! Eileen Burke, the eye witness of the murder who WAS NOT allowed to testify at the extremely BIASED Shenandoah Trial previously, was FINALLY allowed to testify! Her testimony is REVEALING! Finally, Finally the TRUTH is coming out!!
SCRANTON - The trial of two Shenandoah men charged with federal hate crimes in the beating death of an illegal Mexican immigrant continues today. Donchak, 20, of Shenandoah, and Piekarsky, 18, of Shenandoah Heights, are charged with a federal hate crime, and face possible life sentences, in connection with the July 12, 2008, beating of Ramirez on West Lloyd Street in Shenandoah. Donchak also is charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

Crystal Dillman, the mother of Ramirez's children, left the courtroom crying after the playing of the tape of the 911 call made by Elaine Burke, Shenandoah, a retired Philadelphia police officer. "It doesn't look like he is conscious," Burke said on the tape. "It was a fight." Previously, Burke testified that Piekarsky had made a threat to Ariel Garcia, a friend of Ramirez who was crouching next to his motionless form. '"You tell your Mexican friends to get ... out of Shenandoah or you're going to be ... lying next to him'," was what Piekarsky said, Burke testified.

A second person, who was with the Shenandoah-area men testified Thursday that one of the defendants delivered a fatal kick. Brian Scully, of Shenandoah, said he had kicked Ramirez in the shoulder, but that Piekarsky was more accurate. "I regained my balance and I saw Brandon kick him. (Ramirez) started shaking," he testified. Scully, who was tried as a juvenile in Schuylkill County Court, said he has no deal with federal authorities concerning possible charges from the incident.

A youth who was with two Shenandoah-area men testified that one of the pair delivered a fatal kick. "Brandon Piekarsky" kicked Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala, Ben Lawson, Shenandoah, told jurors and Senior U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo as part of his testimony on the fourth day of the trial of Piekarksy and Derrick M. Donchak. He also testified that Donchak later showed him a piece of metal that he said he had been glad to have when fighting with Ramirez. On cross-examination, however, Lawson said he had drunk two 40-ounce beers that evening, was intoxicated and did not remember some parts of that evening.

Donchak, 20, of Shenandoah, and Piekarsky, 18, of Shenandoah Heights, are charged with a federal hate crime, and face possible life sentences, in connection with the July 12, 2008, beating of Ramirez on West Lloyd Street in Shenandoah. Donchak also is charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice. A Mahanoy City police officer testified this morning in federal court that an illegal Mexican immigrant two Shenandoah-area men are charged with beating looked like he would die - which he did two days later. "His head was misshapen, swollen out on his left side," Lt. John Kaczmarczyk, the first witness in the trial of Derrick M. Donchak and Brandon J. Piekarsky, testified of Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala. Kaczmarcyzk also testified he took a photograph of a shoe print on Ramirez's chest.


Also testifying were Ann Marie Kovalewski, a Shenandoah Ambulance paramedic, and Elizabeth Schlack, Shenandoah, who call 911 to report the incident. "His whole head was soft. Your fingers would push in," is how Kovalewski described Ramirez's condition as she treated him. As Schlack testified, prosecutors played her 911 call for the jury. "Teenagers fighting and beating each other," is how she described the scene. "There were girls screaming and guys beating each other."

(The Trial Continues and I will continue to provide updates to the results/outcome of the Federal Hate Crime Trial).

Guest Voz - Economist Robert Reich: The Secret Big-Money Takeover of America

As I've long time reported, the Koch brothers funded the creation of the Tea Parties and Glenn Beck's 912 rallies and now, the campaigns of several Republican candidates. They hate President Obama and the Democrats because they are spoiling their plans to DESTROY THE MIDDLE CLASS!!! The Teabaggers may have been fooled by them, but these FAT CAT BIG BUSINESS BULLIES are finally being outed!
Guest Voz - Economist Robert Reich:
Not only is income and wealth in America more concentrated in fewer hands than it's been in 80 years, but those hands are buying our democracy as never before -- and they're doing it behind closed doors. Hundreds of millions of secret dollars are pouring into congressional and state races in this election cycle. The Koch brothers (whose personal fortunes grew by $5 billion last year) appear to be behind some of it, Karl Rove has rounded up other multimillionaires to fund right-wing candidates, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is funneling corporate dollars from around the world into congressional races, and Rupert Murdoch is evidently spending heavily.


No one knows for sure where this flood of money is coming from because it's all secret. But you can safely assume its purpose is not to help America's stranded middle class, working class, and poor. It's to pad the nests of the rich, stop all reform, and deregulate big corporations and Wall Street -- already more powerful than since the late 19th century when the lackeys of robber barons literally deposited sacks of cash on the desks of friendly legislators. Credit the Supreme Court's grotesque decision in Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission, which opened the floodgates. (Even though 8 of 9 members of the Court also held disclosure laws constitutional, the decision invited the creation of shadowy "nonprofits" that don't have to reveal anything.) According to FEC data, only 32 percent of groups paying for election ads are disclosing the names of their donors. By comparison, in the 2006 midterm, 97 percent disclosed; in 2008, almost half disclosed.

Last week, when the Senate considered a bill to force such disclosure, every single Republican voted against it -- thereby revealing the GOP's true colors, and presumed benefactors. (To understand how far the GOP has come, nearly ten years ago campaign disclosure was supported by 48 of 54 Republican senators.)
Maybe the Disclose Bill can get passed in lame-duck session. Maybe the IRS will make sure Karl Rove's and other supposed nonprofits aren't sham political units. Maybe pigs will learn to fly. In the meantime we face an election that marks an even sharper turn toward plutocratic capitalism than before -- a government by and for the rich and big corporations -- and away from democratic capitalism.

As income and wealth has moved to the top, so has political power. That's why, for example, it's been impossible to close the absurd tax loophole that allows hedge-fund and private-equity managers to treat much of their income as capital gains, subject to a 15 percent tax (even though they're earning tens or hundreds of millions a year, and the top 15 hedge-fund managers earned an average of $1 billion last year). Why it proved impossible to fund expanded health care by limiting the tax deductions of the very rich. Why it's so difficult even to extend George Bush's tax cuts for the bottom 98 percent of Americans without also extending them for the top 2 percent - even though the top won't spend the money and create jobs, but will blow a $36 billion hole in the federal budget next year. The good news is average Americans are beginning to understand that when the rich secretly flood our democracy with money, the rest of us drown. Wall Street executives and top CEOs get bailed out while under-water homeowners and jobless workers sink.

A Quinnipiac poll earlier this year found overwhelming support for a millionaire tax. But what the public wants means nothing if our democracy is secretly corrupted by big money. Right now we're headed for a perfect storm: An unprecedented concentration of income and wealth at the top, a record amount of secret money flooding our democracy, and a public in the aftershock of the Great Recession becoming increasingly angry and cynical about government. The three are obviously related.

We must act. We need a movement to take back our democracy. (If tea partiers were true to their principles, they'd join it.) As Martin Luther King once said, the greatest tragedy is "not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people."

What can you do?
1. Read Justice Steven's dissent in the Citizens United case, so you're fully informed about the majority's pernicious illogic.
2. Use every opportunity to speak out against this decision, and embarrass and condemn the right-wing Justices who supported it.
3. In this and subsequent elections, back candidates for congress and president who vow to put Justices on the Court who will reverse it.
4. Demand that the IRS enforce the law and pull the plug on Karl Rove and other sham nonprofits.
5. If you have a Republican senator, insist that he or she support the Disclose Act. If they won't, campaign against them.
6. Support public financing of elections.
7. Join an organization like Common Cause, that's committed to doing all this and getting big money out of politics. (Personal note: I'm so outraged at what's happening that I just became chairman of Common Cause.)
8. Send this post to your friends (including any tea partiers you may know).

Robert Reich is the author of Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future, now in bookstores. This post originally appeared at RobertReich.org.

Republicans Refuse to Name their Billionaire Foreign Backers! SHAME!


TP reports: Pressure has been mounting on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce since a ThinkProgress investigation published Tuesday revealed that the right-wing business group may be using donations from foreign corporations to bankroll its general account — the same account that is being used to launch an unprecedented $75 million attack ad campaign against progressive candidates. Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) and others have called for an FEC investigation into the Chamber, and numerous media outlets have pressed the group for answers. Meanwhile, the Chamber continues to stonewall. Today, while stumping for Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), President Obama referenced the investigation, warning that “groups that receive foreign money” are a “threat to our democracy”:

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Just this week, we learned that one of the largest groups paying for these ad regularly takes in money from foreign corporations. So groups that receive foreign money are spending huge sums to influence American elections. And they won’t tell you where the money for the ads come from.

During his January State of the Union address, Obama warned that the Supreme Court’s recent Citizens United decision “will open the floodgates for special interests — including foreign corporations — to spend without limit in our election.” And in his weekly address in September, Obama warned again, “Foreign-controlled corporations seeking to influence our democracy are able to spend freely in order to swing an election toward a candidate they prefer.” His prediction, widely mocked by conservatives, has unfortunately proven prescient.

So this isn’t just a threat to Democrats. All Republicans should be concerned. Independents should be concerned. This is a threat to our democracy. The American people deserve to know who’s trying to influence their elections. And if we just stand by and allow the special interests to silence anybody who’s got the guts to stand up to them, our country’s going to be a very different place.

Monday, October 4, 2010

It Came to Me Today! Remembering the American Dream!

I have been very contemplative today. I have a routine, you know.

Generally, I have a host of family/work activities that begin my day. Then, at the end of my usual day, I visit my wonderful, lovely blog...my blog that keeps me involved, studious, knowledgable and a humanitarian. My blog that consumes me as I read the days events, think about my posts, and wonder about my viewers' responses. Then I review the comments, compare the comments vs the spam; decide where I will or will not respond, then decide if I will comment - what when and how.


Today is different. I've been very contemplative. I started my day out the same. But then, after family/work, I started thinking about me. Where am I in life right now? How do my blog, my viewer comments and I fit in to the big picture.

Why is today different? This weekend, I spent time with grandchildren. One of my grandson's birthday was yesterday. He is so handsome, nice, and has such a wonderful future ahead of him. He is a talented football player at 9. He is captain of his team. His mom and his Dad (my handsome and wonderful son) are so caring and supportive of both their sons.

I also had a long talk with my youngest son. He is a delight. He is 25 years old. He is in the prime of his life, yet he often takes time to sit and talk with his mom. Today, we talked about life in general. We talked about discipline vs non discipline. We talked about being a teenager. We talked about the temptations of life. We talked about people we know, who did not have discipline in their young lives. Now today, some in their 30's, others in their 40's, others in their 50's, are struggling, struggling so much in life right now.

I am so amazed by both of my sons and my grandsons. They have so much life ahead of them to experience, yet their eyes are so wide open, so young, so naive, so open to a myraid of possibilities. And I am sitting back, listening to the news shows, the internet, the wearies and woes of the outside world, wondering what "sign" will take our country, our world, to the next stage of all of our lives.


I look into the eyes of my handsome, muscle bound, brilliant sons and grandsons and I see the world ahead of them, captured in their palms, awaiting their presence to decide where our world will turn next.

And I look into my own eyes, bifocals in place, looking, wondering, investigating the medicare plans of the future. Hoping I have enough time to set in place a stable and reliable life for my future generations. Then I realize, they will not need my pittance nor advice. They have the world in their palms, the rainbows ahead and the possibilities of the unimaginary at their doorsteps. The world is waiting them..their hard work and future thoughts and dreams, just as happened when my Dad passed the baton on to me and my brothers and sisters.

We live in such a beautiful country. The American Dream for all. Sometimes we forget the reality of it all. I remembered it today!
God Bless America!
God Bless Our President Obama!
God Bless Us All!!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

200,000 True Patriots Marched Peacefully In Support of an Improved Economy and in Support of Our President!

A Peaceful Crowd of people estimated at 200,000 rallied near the Lincoln Memorial in the U.S. capital today. These peaceful marchers energized their Loyal American base a month before pivotal congressional elections. This crowd was over twice as large as the Hate-Filled Anti President Obama rally last month led by far right zealot Glenn Beck and funded by the Big Business Tea Party supporters, the Koch Brothers.

The rally, held under sunny skies, was titled "One Nation Working Together." Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO labor organization, urged the crowd to "promise that you'll make your voices heard, for good jobs and justice and education today and on Election Day." Republicans are trying to regain control of Congress from President Barack Obama's Democrats in the November 2 congressional elections.

Unlike the Koch Brothers funded rally, this True Patriot rally was sponsored by every day Americans, including union workers, civil rights groups and liberal Humanitarians who have been struggling to get their messages heard during an election campaign in which media coverage has focused on Tea Party anger against our President and his policies.

Denise Gray-Felder, a spokeswoman for the organizers of the rally, estimated that 175,000 to 200,000 people attended. Roxanne Bunnell, a 29-year-old student from Washington, D.C. who attended the rally, said she hoped it would get progressive voters riled up. Some right wing opinion polls have indicated an election
"enthusiasm gap," with Republican voters expressing hate and anger in casting their votes versus the more peaceful and Presidential supporting Democratic voters.

Many of those at the rally were derisive toward the Koch Brothers sponsored conservative Tea Party movement that has helped energize Republicans ahead of the mid-term elections.

One sign in the crowd read, "Axis of Ignorance = Tea Party, Republicans, and Fox News," referring to the cable TV news channel that showcases many prominent conservatives. "I feel the liberal progressive voice of America has not been heard," said Michelle Ridley. Ridley said she came out to show support for healthcare reform and President Obama. Rally participants said they support the Democrats and the Obama administration.

Friday, October 1, 2010

American InHumanity! U.S Infected Guatemalans with STDs During the Same Period They Infected African Americans in Tuskegee Alabama

American InHumanity!! Did "majority" Americans, in the last century, believe their lives were more valuable than the lives of minorities or those in other countries?

It recently came to light that a U.S. research study conducted from 1946-1948 intentionally infected thousands of people from Guatemala with sexually transmitted diseases. Wellesley College researcher Susan Reverby found the archived but unpublished notes from the project. The scientific research study, called the U.S. Public Health Service Sexually Transmitted Disease Inoculation Study of 1946-1948, aimed to gauge the effectiveness of penicillin to treat syphilis, gonorrhea and chancres. Penicillin was a relatively new drug at the time.

The tests were carried out on female commercial sex workers, prisoners in the national penitentiary, patients in the national mental hospital and SOLDIERS. According to the study, more than 1,600 people were infected: 696 with syphilis, 772 with gonorrhea and 142 with chancres.

A similar study was conducted between 1932 and 1972 in Tuskegee, Alabama, on nearly 400 poor African-American men with syphilis whose disease was allowed to progress without treatment. The subjects were not told they were ill with the disease.

The Guatemala study was done under the direction of U.S. Public Health Service physician John C. Cutler, who later ran the Tuskegee experiment, said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the U.S. National Institutes for Health. Collins told reporters that the Guatemala study represented "a dark chapter in the history of medicine."

U.S. officials said Friday that ethical safeguards would prevent such abuses from occurring today. "The study is a sad reminder that adequate human subject safeguards did not exist a half-century ago," the U.S. statement said. "Today, the regulations that govern U.S.-funded human medical research prohibit these kinds of appalling violations."

A statement by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called the action "reprehensible." "We deeply regret that it happened, and we apologize to all the individuals who were affected by such abhorrent research practices," the joint statement said. "The conduct exhibited during the study does not represent the values of the United States, or our commitment to human dignity and great respect for the people of Guatemala."

President Barack Obama called his Guatemalan counterpart Friday "offering profound apologies and asking pardon for the deeds of the 1940s," President Alvaro Colom told CNN en Espanol in a telephone interview from Guatemala City. Clinton and Sebelius said the United States is launching an investigation and also convening a group of international experts to review and report on the most effective methods to make sure all human medical research worldwide meets rigorous ethical standards.

"As we move forward to better understand this appalling event, we reaffirm the importance of our relationship with Guatemala, and our respect for the Guatemalan people, as well as our commitment to the highest standards of ethics in medical research," the U.S. statement said.

Reference:
CNN: US apologizes for infecting Guatemalans with STDs in the 1940s

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