" Well said......by trying to please everyone and thinking that we can fix it
if you have more money than me ..I don't need to work harder or train in another field, you owe me some of yours.
It's instant gratifacation and no moral standards. That's called theivery. "

" Becky it would be nice if you would specify what you think the "core fundamentals of our nation" are. "

" It would be nice if Becky could provide a few concrete examples to clarify her points. She says "people demand quality for everything." Is she referring to the 1964 Civil Rights Act? Gay rights? Rights for alien lifeforms? Rights for Fuji apples? It's tough to understand the context behind her thoughts without something concrete to illustrate her opinions. "

" Becky,
You write, "the majority of the people demand equality" and that we should go
back to the "principles we were based
on".
I think you would be happy only if we could turn the clock back to say 1855.
Most Black People were in slavery -- it was one of the "basics and core fundamentals of our nation" that you want to go back to. And one didn't find them looking for "instant gratification" for they knew all they would get was lashes across the back.
Yes, in your view we do live in a "watered-down version of the principles we were based on" because now slavery is abandoned and blacks can -- WOW -- even eat in our restaurants, even swim in our public pools and go to our public schools.
I was appalled to learn recently that even within our lifetime, there was a school somewhere in central Illinois where there was a black boy on the team, and when they went out-of-town
he had to stay in the bus and the team brought him stuff to eat in the bus. It seems this is the world to which you want to return.
I DO NOT. I'm not black, but I am human -- and humans, be they black, white, yellow or chartreuse, should have the same rights as "we" do.
I think your "umbrella" is a bit too big when it demands that society return to "it's 'original' state".

Incidentally, the past participle of "sink" is "sunk" "

" How about honesty, integrity, personal responsibility and respect for some core values that need to be restored. "

" Jim1969 wrote on Oct 30, 2009 1:38 PM:
" How about honesty, integrity, personal responsibility and respect for some core values that need to be restored. """""



exactly what our president is doing... "

" Becky: I, too, would like you to clarify the following: (1)"the majority of the people demand equality for everything". What do you mean by majority and everything? What do you mean by the majority? (2) Practical logic--please define. (3) What do you mean by the "original" state? (4) What is the "entire value system as a whole"? (5) What do you mean by "protecting the rights of everyone"? (6) What do you mean by the "fundamentals our nation was founded on"? (7) What are the "creatively contrived loopholes" to which you are referring? (8) What do you mean when you say "we have turned our Constitution into a tool of manipulation and abuse"? (9) What is the "watered down version of the principles we were based on"? (10) To whom are you referring when you say "so many people who think instant gratification is a right, that every hurt feeling needs legal advice and that they are more important than the next guy"? Thank you for your response. I look forward to reading it. "

" Specify what those "core values" are Jim1969. As Cognitus pointed out one of those values was the right to hold slaves. "

" This letter is idiotic, vapid babble. Who wrote it, Palin? "

" shumphreys wrote on Oct 30, 2009 3:16 PM:
" Specify what those "core values" are Jim1969. As Cognitus pointed out one of those values was the right to hold slaves. """""




now Susan..... the BIBLE says it's ok to own slaves as long as you buy them from neighboring countries. so... do you want mexicans or canadians???? "

" Give Becky a break: she wrote a opinion and thats what it is if you don't like her opinion don't read it and quite trying to belittle her for that. I for one think the USA should go back to some of these core values (and no I'm not going to tell you which ones I want the USA to return too I'll leave that up to your limited imaginations) "

" Don't sugar coat it Becky, tell us what you really think....actually I agree 100%.

So you're basically saying, we have become a nation of me, and mine, and if you don't like it I'll take my ball and go home, and you can't play.

Yeah that sums it up pretty much. "

" If we are to save ourselves from ourselves we must get back to the basics.

And just what are the basics? Apparently your fellow loony Loki813 doesn't know either.

Sounds like you want to send 'em to the back of the bus and back into the closet. What a pathetic piece of drivel.

I agree with you TQ, it sounds like it was written by Sarah Palin.

And of course it's not surprising that people like Loki813 would drool over it. Those that see the world in black and white have a tendency to do that. "

" Thank you Becky! We think this is a great letter. If you other folks would stop trying to look at it with a microscope, you would see the the forest through the trees instead of trying to regrow it. "

" HP: You seem to know me so well by saying I see the world in Blak and White does this mean you think I'm racist and if so how would you know this fact in life and how did you come to this conclusion please tell me I really want to know? For being a (Loony) I'm just a product of Mattons school system talk to them about it, and I don't drool you might over your supposed great Obama but I don't drool. "

" " HP: You seem to know me so well by saying I see the world in Blak and White does this mean you think I'm racist and if so how would you know this fact in life and how did you come to this conclusion please tell me I really want to know?...

In no way did I infer that you were a racist. Unless I see you post something that infers that you are, I will assume that you aren't. Sorry if you got that impression.

The black and white comment had nothing to do with racism. You need to do a little research on what black and white thinking means. It's not my job to tutor you. Try Google. If you can't find an explanation, let me know and I'll explain. Fair enough?

And if you think the loony name was bad, stick around and see some of the names I get called for my ideas. Name calling is par for the course on this site, so if you're going to post on a regular basis, you better get used to it, my friend.

Again, sorry for any misunderstanding over the black and white remark. "

" Nice letter Becky. I got the impression the "values" she was refering to meant: "life liberty and the pursuit of happiness" if you want something go out and earn it, don't expect to have it handed to you on a silver platter. No one is more important than anyone else, as Bill Cosby says: "the world owes you nothing, in fact it was here first." The pasted statement below is what stuck out to me and what I based my thoughts on.. but these are my thoughts so I could be wrong..

"We have so many people who think instant gratification is a right, that every hurt feeling needs legal advice, and that they are more important than the next guy" "

" Cognitus : I had not heard of this incident:
I was appalled to learn recently that even within our lifetime, there was a school somewhere in central Illinois where there was a black boy on the team, and when they went out-of-town
he had to stay in the bus and the team brought him stuff to eat in the bus. It seems this is the world to which you want to return.
I DO NOT. I'm not black, but I am human -- and humans, be they black, white, yellow or chartreuse, should have the same rights as "we" do.

I agree with you that the incident is appalling, and disgusts me. I DO NOT want to ever return to a world like that!!! I think everyone should have the same basic equal rights regardless of race, gender, age, nationality, religious status or sexual orientation. I have relatives that are black and I am always disgusted when people ask me "how are you related to them" If I'm in a smart alekcy mood I'll laugh and say "I'm adopted." some people just laugh and other people stare at me like they don't understand a word I am saying ( sighs) when the second thing happens I always tell them how Im related and I go into detail they grow bored quickly and usually just wander away..
( I know I can be annyoing but hey they asked lol)

Loki "thinking in black and white" has nothing to do with race, it just means that somone who thinks that way sees things one way or one other way there seems to be "no middle or shades of gray" hope that helps. "

" The comments that require a definition for core values and principles are exactly what this letter describes. In essence, when a thing of beauty such as our Constitution is allowed to be picked apart by people who don't even know what the values our country is founded on are, loopholes are introduced and abuses are created and capitalized on. One needs only to see who posted what to understand why the nit-picking is required by them. When did common sense become a bad thing? Since when do we need to define "rights" so tediously that it eventually "covers" everything? These comments explain exactly what is wrong with our country....nit-pickers. "

" Harry, the racist part of your comment to Loki has to do with your comment about sending em to the back of the bus. "

" Don't give me such tough choices FatherBob. Canadians (or at least most) speak my language. But those Mexicans sure are hard and industrious workers. Speaking of slavery in the NT Paul says that it isn't okay to hold fellow Christians as slaves only those who aren't Christians. "

" I find it interesting that some immediately try to label the letter writer as a racist because she says we should get back to our core values and respect the Constitution. Some of you are so reliable. shumphreys, I'm quite sure your core values are not the same as mine or Becky's. Your privilege and right but guess what? Mine too. And geez, people, you do realize letters can only be 400 words but your comments can be however long. You seem eager to ask Becky to further explain but don't offer ideas of your own or even write your own letters but you're quite willing to belittle hers. Thank you Becky. It's a great letter. "

" Loki since you said to use my imagination I will. Those core values are an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, cut off the hand that offends you, stone adulterers to death, kill every man, woman, child and livestock of the the people whose land you covet..... Great values for a great nation and a great people. "

" Or Loki if you aren't one that insists the US was founded on Biblical values but on the values of the enlightenment those core values are:all humans are endowed with certain inalienable rights among these are the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness; equal rights under the law for every man, woman and child, (that includes homosexuals, people of different races, ethnicities, gender, social status, religious affiliation or non-affiliation). Yes I would agree I think we should go back to these core values they have been lost and trampeled on. "

" Yes, Father Bob - I'll take some Canadians please! LOL "

" Harry, the racist part of your comment to Loki has to do with your comment about sending em to the back of the bus. "

Reading Loki's mind now are we? "

" Nineteen States Move to Defend Individual Health Care Choice

Regardless of what the U.S. Congress decides about health care reform, a growing number of states are standing up for individuals freedom of choice when it comes to purchasing or not purchasing health insurance.

Several Kansas Republicans have introduced a state constitutional amendment that would protect the right of Kansas residents to make their own health care choices. That makes Kansas the 19th state where legislators have introduced, or will introduce, such legislation.

The proposed Kansas amendment preserves the right of individuals to pay directly for medical care -- something that is not allowed in single-payer countries such as Canada. It also prohibits any individual from being penalized for not purchasing government-defined insurance.



OK, somebody tell me the federal government can't negate these state laws and force government run healthcare on us, as they intend to do, no matter what the states do. "

" As a German-Polish-Irish-Spanish-French-Canadian-Cree-African American with children who are German-Polish-Italian-Welsh-Spanish-French-Canadian-Cree-Cheyenne-African Americans I am really offended by all this talk of slavery and prejudice. Especially for Hispanics and Canadians. I am so offended that we do not have a national holiday for each of our ancestoral lineages. Wait! I was mistaken; it's called The 4th of July. My Bad. It would however be nice for change to see people who are citizens of this country identify themselves as Americans instead of the adding the prefix-qualifier. If we would spend more time identifying with the nation we are NATIVE to and not where our Ancestors came from, we might be fully vested in the idea that we have a nation of our own, and should tend to it. Instead we have taken Diversity to such obsurd levels that we have all but lost our national identity. After the tragic attacks on New York City, there was a glimmer of hope that this nation may at last walk out of the fog of diversity and into the legacy of our national identity. Unfortunately for so many Americans, 911 has become but a footnote and something that comes on the History channel once a year, as it is passed by on the channel switch. One thing we need to realize and it is this. Until we find the common denominator that draws us as a people together as a nation, we will never have an identity crisis. The one thing that has made us unique as a nation has been our Constitution. Maybe that could be our common ground. Equal protection under the law is all any of us as citizens are entitled to. "

" If you'd like to know the recent, documented and vicious racist history of local towns in Illinois like Effingham and Arcola, just Google "Sundown towns in Illinois." We've just blinded ourselves to racism and called it being "color blind." "

" You are right RED WHITE and Blue our core values aren't the same. I respect the rights of ALL people (homosexuals, people of different races and ethnicities, people of different religious faiths and of no faith, women who choose to have an abortion and those who don't...) and I believe that society (the collective) shouldn't put obstacles in their way to hold them back (keep them from competing in the world and from reaching their full potential as individuals), I believe in free and fair discussion of differing viewpoints in free and open public forums, and I think that people should not spread lies or misinformation about their opponents, or in an attempt to prove their points. "

" Watching the ongoing meltdown of the new GOP is getting more entertaining by the day. We have Newt all but calling the values challenged Palin a carpetbagger, and the birther queen Orly Taitz planning to picket Fox news. And don't forget the secession advocate governor being challenged by another Republican for the top job in Texas. Watching the new GOP is far more entertaining than Comedy Central. "

" Agreed. I do not think we will be able to get back until severe hardship forces us to realign our priorities with reality. That's because the reality we have been in is a different reality from the one to which you allude. The reality we have known, since about WW2, is one allowing the rotten to prosper, the spoiled to be pampered, the lazy to survive and decent folks to pay everyone else's bills. The reality we will eventually (probably sooner than later) find ourselves in is quite different and based on a different set of rules, which by the way are the same set of rules our Founders wrote Our Constitution in and for.

To help the gentle reader prepare for the coming, more demanding reality, I offer some bits of the Code Of The West.

1. Be able to take care of yourself, people have little use for a freeloader.
2. Mind your own business. That means keep your nose out of other people's affairs and do not gossip.
3. When there's trouble or help is needed, be a person who can be counted on. Step up, do what's needed.
4. If you agree to do something, you darned well better do it.
5. Go the extra mile. If something needs to be done, do it. If it's hard, find a way.
5. Clean up after yourself. Do not be a burden to others.

And of course the most important rule anywhere: Whatever is harmful to you, do not do to others.

And if I might make a suggestion, read the Constitution. You The People are its enforcement clause. It's only about 4,500 words, much shorter than the 2,000 page health scam bill. "

" The Question wrote on Nov 1, 2009 5:19 AM:
" If you'd like to know the recent, documented and vicious racist history of local towns in Illinois like Effingham and Arcola, just Google "Sundown towns in Illinois." We've just blinded ourselves to racism and called it being "color blind." """""



in 1990 i drove onto a dealer's lot in effingham to look at a new trans am, and i was told to get my "black @ss off their car lot"....just one incident of many i could tell.

the "sundown towns" mentality exist to some extent even today. thankfully it's on a much more isolated and individual level. "

" The liberals are made up of a large percent of uninformed cowards. They are sneaky and are skilled liars. "

" WASHINGTON Federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald famously declared in the Valerie Plame affair that "there is a cloud over the vice president." Last week's release of an FBI interview summary of Dick Cheney's answers in the criminal investigation underscores why Fitzgerald felt that way.

On 72 occasions, according to the 28-page FBI summary, Cheney equivocated to the FBI during his lengthy May 2004 interview, saying he could not be certain in his answers to questions about matters large and small in the Plame controversy.
AP-

Sounds like Dick must haave prepped for that meeting by reading all he could about the mafia. 72 two times he answered that he couldn't recall, sound like John Gotti to me. "

" A Conservative's Prayer

by Larry S. Rolirad



Now I lay me down to sleep,

I bless Rush Limbaugh my soul to keep,

If I should die before I wake,

I'll rejoice in what a CEO will make.



Amen, and amen... "

" sammy wrote on Nov 2, 2009 11:45 AM:
" The liberals are made up of a large percent of uninformed cowards. They are sneaky and are skilled liars. """""


wow....glad you're not referring to anyone posting here! "

" Larry S. Rolirad

A HEALTH CARE PLEDGE FOR CONSERVATIVES

As a Conservative who DOES NOT have Health Insurance:

I, ___________, as a conservative who DOES NOT have health care insurance, do hereby refuse all health care paid for by the government. I pledge if I become sick, or a member of my family becomes sick, that I will refuse to be treated by any doctor, hospital or emergency personnel if the cost for these services will in any way be subsidized by a state or federal government.

I, ___________, as a conservative who DOES NOT have insurance, do hereby pledge to wait one year from the time of my first symptoms until I go to the emergency room of a government funded county hospital because I believe the 45,000 people who die every year because of access to health care deserve to die, because they are really deadbeats who could afford health insurance if they wanted it.

I, ___________, as a conservative who DOES NOT have insurance, do hereby pledge to never accept any medical technologies, innovations, treatments or medications that were paid for, subsidized or developed using government funds because I believe them to be 'socialistic' and therefor evil. I know capitalistic 'for profit' companies will always act in the best interests of human beings, and never attempt to profit off of a person who is sick or dying.

I, ___________, as a conservative who DOES NOT have insurance, do hereby pledge that if I am too sick to go to the hospital I will not call a government sponsored '911' program, because I believe such emergency services to be 'socialistic' and therefore 'evil. I furthermore pledge to just sit in my house and die along with the other 45,000 people who die each year due to lack of access to health care if I cannot afford life-saving medical treatment.



As a Conservative who DOES HAVE have Health Insurance:

I, ___________, a conservative who HAS health care insurance, do hereby pledge to never disagree if my insurance company refuses to pay a valid claim, for I know they would never do anything to hurt another human being for money.

I, ___________, a conservative who HAS health care insurance, do hereby pledge to remain subservient to my insurance company and will never disagree if they refuse to pay for a valid claim by stating that it is related to a 'pre-existing condition', even if the condition has nothing to do with my current illness.

I, ___________, a conservative who HAS health care insurance, do hereby pledge to always agree with my insurance company even if they use some obscure loophole intentionally inserted into my policy to deceive me and to prevent me from getting the health care I need to remain alive.

I, ___________, a conservative who HAS health care insurance, do hereby pledge that I will not accept medical treatment until such treatment is first approved by an insurance representative, even if I know that the representative is rewarded financially for denying valid services to me or my family. I will readily and eagerly accept the decisions of the thousands of current 'death panels' used by insurance companies so they can make even bigger profits off of those they victimize.

I, ___________, a conservative who HAS health care insurance and believes in tort reform, hereby pledges to never hold an insurance company liable or to seek justice in a court of law, even if their acts are criminal, deceptive or if their dishonest acts lead to the death of one of my family members.

I, ___________, a conservative who HAS health care insurance, do hereby pledge to not accept medical treatment even if I need life saving emergency treatment if those treatments are not first approved by an insurance bureaucrat. I refuse to admit that insurance companies are already using 'death panels' to kill people for profit.



FINALLY, as a CONSERVATIVE:

I, ___________, as a conservative who believes everyone should be independent and that no one ever falls on hard times in their lives, do hereby pledge that if I break any of the pledges above and receive any medical care for me or my family that I will agree to sell my house, use my retirement, sell my automobiles, cash in my children's college funds and use all of my assets to pay every dime of what I owe, even if my family and I are left destitute and homeless. I further pledge to repay every dime I make working at a burger joint or as a greeter at Walmart to first repay my medical bills before buying food or housing for my family. I further pledge to pay any interest rate on any balances due, because I believe corporations and banks should be allowed to charge anything they want, even interest rates of 30, 40 and 50%, rates even the Mafia never charged. I believe in unbridled capitalism and that companies should be allowed to do whatever they want, for I consider capitalism to be my 'god' and CEOs its disciples. I hereby further pledge to praise CEO salaries and bonuses even though I know that for every dollar they make is a dollar that doesn't go to help the sick or dying. And because I was against all minimum wage increases in the past 40 years I further pledge to accept only $1.45 an hour for working at McDonalds or as a Walmart greeter, since it was the minimum wage in February 1970.

I, ___________, as a conservative, hereby pledge to have my parents, or other loved ones, refuse all health care they are currently receiving from any government program, such as Medicare or Medicaid, and I further pledge to pay for all my parent's health bills. And I will further pledge to have my parents move in with me and give them 24 hour care instead of using any government subsidized nursing care or hospice care services, since I know such services are evil since they are 'socialistic' and therefore evil.

I, ___________, as a conservative do hereby pledge I will continue my condemnations of the poor in the Charles Dickens story, "A Christmas Carol", because I know Bob Cratchit's family were lazy deadbeats who could pay for their own health care and gotten help for their son, Tiny Tim, if they wanted to. I believe Tiny Tim should be prevented from getting health care and die, because he is poor.

I, _________, as a conservative believe in individual rights for CEOs and business owners like Ebenezer Scrooge, but not for individual rights to life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness for those who are poor, downtrodden or oppressed. Also, because I believe the poor in the Bible were deadbeats, I will continue to condemn Jesus because he was an evil socialist because he healed the sick for free, he fed the hungry for free and he lifted the spirits of the downtrodden for free. I also condemn the Good Samaritan for not charging to help that poor, beaten man who was left for dead on the side of a lonely road. I believe that the priest and the temple assistant who first found the beaten man and left him for dead without helping him did the right thing and that the Good Samaritan was an evil socialist, because not only did the Good Samaritan help the beaten man, he even gave him money so he could feed and cloth himself.

I, _________, as a conservative further condemn Jesus for always attacking the rich and praising the poor, because I know CEOs and the wealthy are the true sons of god because, after all, look at how much god has rewarded them. I believe those on Wall Street deserve to make as much money as possible by using schemes and scams, like the guy who made 3 billion in 2008 alone. As a conservative I believe it is right that a person who makes 3 billion behind a computer producing nothing for his fellow man or society. I believe that Wall Street should be paid 86,000 times more than hard working teachers, firefighters, police officers and nurses, all of whom actually contribute to society and help their fellow man.

I, _________, as a conservative who always trusts the government to start wars, trusts government to bomb people, trusts government to spy on people, trusts government to incarcerate people without charges, trusts government to torture people, trusts government to arrest people without warrants and trusts government to use secret wiretaps on people, do hereby pledge to continue to distrust government to help heal sick and dying Americans.

I fear government intrusion into my life, but I cheer on corporate intrusions on my privacy, my livelihood, and my life. I fear any government attempt to heal people, yet trust government to kill, maim, torture, arrest, incarcerate and execute people.

I, ________, as a conservative, make these pledges in the name of the 'god of unbridled, unregulated capitalism' and in the names of its disciples, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck. Amen and amen. "

" I, _________, as a conservative who always trusts the government to start wars, trusts government to bomb people, trusts government to spy on people, trusts government to incarcerate people without charges, trusts government to torture people, trusts government to arrest people without warrants and trusts government to use secret wiretaps on people, do hereby pledge to continue to distrust government to help heal sick and dying Americans.

I fear government intrusion into my life, but I cheer on corporate intrusions on my privacy, my livelihood, and my life. I fear any government attempt to heal people, yet trust government to kill, maim, torture, arrest, incarcerate and execute people.
---
Good stuff. Thanks, FB. "

" Harry Potter wrote on Nov 2, 2009 1:07 PM:
"Sounds like Dick must haave prepped for that meeting by reading all he could about the mafia. 72 two times he answered that he couldn't recall, sound like John Gotti to me. """""



watch it HP!!.....you're giving John Gotti a bad rap!! he had much better memory and he wasn't responsible for as many deaths. "

" The Question wrote on Nov 2, 2009 5:12 PM:
"I fear government intrusion into my life, but I cheer on corporate intrusions on my privacy, my livelihood, and my life. I fear any government attempt to heal people, yet trust government to kill, maim, torture, arrest, incarcerate and execute people.
---
Good stuff. Thanks, FB. """"""



thanks TQ, the guy just lost his brother who died needlessly because he had no health coverage:


~Dear fellow human being,

My brother was a veteran of the US Air Force. He worked hard 12 hours a day to support his little 8 year old son. But my brother could not afford health insurance. And for the 'crime' of being poor, my brother was sentenced to death because he could not get the care he needed when he needed it the most. ~ "

" shumphreys; re core fundamentals, how about those rights (which are just a few of our rights) spelled out in the Bill of Rights, first 10 amendments?

Liberals (Progressives)trumpeted the "marketplace of ideas" until they got in power, and now want to shut down any opposition voices. (1st amendment)

They think the Roe vs Wade Right to Privacy is wonderful until I want to keep the government from confiscating our medical records and otherwise prying into every aspect of our lives including "persons, papers, houses & effects" (4th amendment).

Every time I mention Property Rights (5th amendment, etc) they bring up slavery. Let's forget slavery and talk about the money in my pocket, my land, my old car (only gets 18mpg, therefore a threat to the world), my 401k which gov is now talking about Socializing and my pistol (see below). Gov wants jurisdiction over all my property, to decide what I will be allowed to have, how I might use it, whether I can sell it, rent it, give it away, or keep for myself to the exclusion of all others.

(2nd amendment) Do you value my 2nd amendment as much as you value your 1st amendment? Fortunately the Supreme Court struck a mighty blow for freedom recently in the Heller case and next summer I predict another victory for Freedom in the Chicago case. Will Liberals celebrate the Victory of Constitution over those who would enslave us? Uh, no, because it is the Libs who are the enslavers.

When States cite the 10th amendment in defense against a rapacious Federal government, you again talk about the slavery of yesterday. I'm concerned about the slavery of tomorrow. By the way, have you noticed how the 10th is worded?

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Gosh, it seems that The Founders and 3/4 of States seemed to think that the Federal government had only those Powers which were defined, enumerated, and limited by The Constitution. That seems a very different view than that held by modern Presidents and Legislators, who seem to think they can do whatever they want.

How about our right to Contract? It includes the Right to refuse to contract (example: for insurance). How about our right to lawful money? (Article 1 Section 10) Hasn't been any of that since 1964 when that Progressive Nixon closed the silver window.

Bottom line is, if the current Administration, and I might add, several recent previous Administrations, think they can railroad us like sheep using unlimited government Power, they've got 200 years of Constitutional Law and Supreme Court rulings which they will have to somehow make disappear.

You want a list of core fundamentals? Try this.
Thus Sayest The Court:

"The individual stands upon his constitutional rights as a citizen. He is entitled to carry on his private business in his own way. His power to contract is unlimited. He owes no duty to the state or to his neighbors to divulge his business or to open his doors to investigation, so far as it may tend to incriminate him. He owes no duty to the state since he receives nothing therefrom beyond the protection of his property and life. His rights are such as exist by the law of the land that is long antecedent to the organization of the state, and can only be taken from him by due process of the law in accordance with the Constitution. He owes nothing to the public so long as he does not trespass upon their rights." --- United States Supreme Court, Hale vs. Hinkle 201 U.S. 43 at 74. "

" CHICAGO Nearly half of all U.S. children and 90 percent of black youngsters will be on food stamps at some point during childhood, and fallout from the current recession could push those numbers even higher, researchers say.

The estimate comes from an analysis of 30 years of national data, and it bolsters other recent evidence on the pervasiveness of youngsters at economic risk. It suggests that almost everyone knows a family who has received food stamps, or will in the future, said lead author Mark Rank, a sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis.
Huffington post-


Sure sounds like we need another one of those Ronald Reagan/Bush jr style tax cuts for the millionaires of this country. The trickle down theory turned into a trickle on reality. And as Reagan would say, those kids need to learn to pull themself up by their bootstraps. "

" Tempwayfarer if you have the right to contract as in not get health insurance you have the right not to expect care when you get ill or get hurt or if you discover you have a "prexisting condition" or if your wife has major complications with pregnancy or if your child is born with severe birth or learning defects or if you get hit with a new and unknown virus (I certainly hope you don't expect the government to come up with financing to find a cure or develop a vaccine) or......... The old saying "no man is an island" is so true today, there is no going back, for better and worse we live in a complex world where as I said before disease, poverty, hate, religious wars, and ALL the problems they spawn don't respect man made boundaries or human rights, whether natural, God given or granted by a Constitution. "

" Oh and Tempwayfarer some of us think that we as human beings who have been luckier, blessed, more fortunate than others have an obligation to help those who have less. That doesn't mean we support "free passes and get out of jail free cards", for me it means eliminating barriers erected by those with less than honorable intentions. It means seeing to it that the Constitution you think applies only to you applies to everyone. "

" Health doesn't interest many of these right wingers. What gets them hot is quite the other thing - torture and murder and executions and war. That's why they spend so much time on their knees, praying to their guns. "

" Tempwayfarer, yours is an excellent post. It is concise and factual ... not just a blur of racial attacks or some other such nonsense like contradictory statements and lies to make themselves feel good about themselves as several other posters provide for us as entertainment. Thanks. "

" The disgruntled types must be getting desperate to find something to complain about our president. I read this morning that they're now complaining about his being too skinny. This is almost as hilarious as one of their chief spokesman complaining about the Obama's kids dog taking a poop on Air Force one. "

" bite the bullet,

i couldn't agree with you more, i blame the whole problem on liberalism, which i think started getting a real foothold during the jfk/lbj years and has steadly gotten worse every year since except for the reagan years.

for those that voted for this sorry excuse of a president obama, which is serving in a job above his pay grade, i hope are weeping the most in the end.

a vietnam vet and proud of it!
ben "

" A Colorado company said it created 4,231 jobs with the help of Obama's economic recovery plan. The real number: fewer than 1,000.

A child care center in Florida said it saved 129 jobs with the help of stimulus money. Instead, it gave pay raises to its existing employees. "

" Hey TQ, I googled Sundown towns and was flabbergasted to see how many towns in Illinois were Sundown towns compared to the list for Texas. I could not believe it. I expected to find many more in Texas than up north. I had never experienced true racial hatred until I moved to Texas and accidentally got between a black and white showdown in the parking lot of the local Whataburger in Liberty, TX. I had gone into the restaurant when no one was there but when I left the parking lot was full of black and white teenagers on the opposite sides of the parking lot yelling and cursing each other, and of course me being as white as a ghost had parked on the side where the black kids were. I tried to smile and say hi to this one black boy who was about 16 or 17 and he looked at me like he would rather hit me than say hi to me. I jumped in the car and got the heck out of there toot sweet. First time I had ever experienced anything like that and it was not something I would care to ever experience again. I had seen stuff on TV but never in real life. It was horrible. I have actually avoided Liberty TX as much as possible since then. "

" Half the personal bankruptcies in this country are caused by staggering health care bills, and 80 percent of those people ALREADY HAVE "health insurance" with America's greed-bag insurance corporations.
So when you Republicans are driven bankrupt by medical costs - and you will be - you can bless St. Reagan that you don't live in awful socialist places like Germany or France or Switzerland, where the annual number of health care bankruptcies is none at all.
But do be sure and let me know the name of the convenience store where you set up your can to beg for "free market" change to pay for your medical treatment and food. I'll make it a point to toss a dime in for you, if only to remind you what a blind, arrogant fool you were. "

" sammy wrote on Nov 3, 2009 3:10 PM:
"A child care center in Florida said it saved 129 jobs with the help of stimulus money. Instead, it gave pay raises to its existing employees. """""



just how ridiculous can you get sammy? you need to stop embarrassing yourself. "

" http://tinyurl.com/ylfazwj "

" watch it HP!!.....you're giving John Gotti a bad rap!! he had much better memory and he wasn't responsible for as many deaths. "

Cheney's answers to the FBI made him look more like a criminal defendant than a VP.

John Gotti probably didn't make as money off of his crimes as Cheney made off the Iraq war either, fb. Every dime that piece of human crud made off the war should go to the families of those who lost their lives as the result of his despicable actions.

Cheney made Spiro Agnew look like a choir boy, and he deserves the same fate as Gotti, prison time. "

" I read about the Sundown Laws, too. That was a long, long time ago. Anything suggesting that the mentality still exists today is pure speculation. Arcola, which is on the list, is one of the most welcoming cities I've ever visited. The city had a festival dedicated to Raggedy Ann, for heaven's sake. Nearby is Arthur, which raises money to provide aid to Haiti. Sure, there are still some individuals who are racist. But it's not as predominant as one might think.

If you want racism, visit the south, where some cities still have a "black cemetery" and a "white cemetery". "

" Heinickenman you will also find that there are Jewish cemeteries and Catholic cemeteries and what was once considered a "Boot Hill" for all the rest. Racism and religious hatreds persist, even into death. Imagine how segregated heaven will be if the Christian fundamentalists get their way! "

" The elections today should send a simple message to the Obama administration and congressional Democrats: You lost the middle class, and you wont get them back until you fundamentally change your legislative agenda.

During last years campaign, President Barack Obama consistently stressed how his policies were going to help the middle class. He talked about his middle-class tax cut. He promised that any new spending would be paid by the rich. He attacked his opponent, John McCain, continuously for his plan to raise taxes on the middle class. He promised change the middle class could believe in. He was Mr. Middle Class. Put this in your pipe and smoke it!!!! Bring on 2010 and then 2012 to finish the sweep!! "

" Last time I checked, Seedy, the Democrats had picked up two seats in Congress. "

" cedric66 wrote on Nov 4, 2009 2:37 PM:

" The elections today should send a simple message to the Obama administration and congressional Democrats: You lost the middle class, and you wont get them back until you fundamentally change your legislative agenda.

Sorry seedy, but as usual you're all wet. The polls in both of the gubernatorial elections show that Obama was not an issue. The results were based on state issues. Why no mention of New York's special election? Fox has been sort of quiet on that one too.

I know that your beloved Fox (opinion only) news is been spinning that idea all day long, but the polls of voters in both states don't support their claim either.

Really seedy, don't you get tired of being wrong? Sometimes I'm actually embarrassed for you. lol! "

" "I'm Tired" by Robert A. Hall

I'll be 63 soon. Except for one semester in college when jobs were
scarce, and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting
every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18 Despite some health
challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in
seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or
my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no
retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.

I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth around" to people
who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will
take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too
lazy or stupid to earn it.

I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in
their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to
help But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our
paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing
Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community
Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money.

I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like
Michael Moore, George Soros, and Hollywood entertainers who live in luxury
because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get
their way, the United States will have the economy of Zimbabwe , the freedom
of the press of China , the crime and violence of Mexico , the tolerance for Christian
people of Iran , and the freedom of speech of Venezuela . Won't multiculturalism be beautiful?

I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day
I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and
daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight
offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't
"believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning
teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the
genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and
Shari'a law tells them to.

I believe "a man should be judged by the content of his character, not by
the color of his skin." I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter"
in the post-racial world of Obama, when it's all that matters in
affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards
for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides,
tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that
hurts minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of US Senators
from Illinois .

I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black child
is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the emancipation
proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone
who believes more in freedom and the individual and less arrogantly of an
all-knowing government.

I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural
expenses were obscene, but that think Obama's, at triple the cost, were
wonderful. That thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential
time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control
weight and stress, that picked over every line of Bush's military
records, but never demanded that Kerry release his, that slammed Palin, with
two years as governor, for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama
with three years as senator as potentially the best president ever. Wonder
why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a
clue. I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to
his camp in 2004.

I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must
let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic
schools to preach hate in America , while no American group is allowed to
fund a church, synagogue, or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love
and tolerance.

I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global
warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a
two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also
own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our
carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore,
you're green enough.

I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help
support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ
rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses
while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay people choose to be
Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I'm tired of
harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I
never tried marijuana.

I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers,"
especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or
crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, Undocumented Pharmacists"? And,
no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a
few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I'm
willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak
English, doesn't have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without
family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our
military... Those are the citizens we need.

I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the
uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped
kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military. They and their kids
can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and
death circumstances, and bad mouth better people than themselves. Do bad
things happen in war? You bet. Do our troops sometimes
misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy
of our enemies for the last fifty years-and still are? Not even close. So
here's the deal.

I'll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was
heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let
themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims who tortured and beheaded
Daniel Pearl in Pakistan , or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine
Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon , or the Muslims who ran the
blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq , or the
Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia , because the girls
were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British and American soldiers are
the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts,
instead of hiding from in fear.

I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and
the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers-bums are
bipartisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship. I
live in Illinois , where the "Illinois Combine" of Democrats has worked to
lootthe public for years. Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet as well.

I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers, and politicians of both
parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful
mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting
caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.

Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes,
color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have
that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to
keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing.

I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and
actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination,
or big-whatever for their problems.

Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not
going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for
my granddaughter.

Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate." "

" Robert A. Hall, another worthless, big-mouth right-wing bozo, defends the U.S. use of torture.
Clive Stafford Smith, a British attorney who represented prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, described cigarette burns and other scars that covered the body of a teenage American prisoner. This boy had been taken into custody when he was only 14 years old.
That's what America has done. Tortured children. Cheer for the it, fascists. Wave your flag for torture, scum. "

" M I am glad the author you quote is tired because I think it is time he puts himself out to pasture to bask in the glory of how he helped the world get to where it is today.Talk about not taking responsibility for ones actions! "

" It came as no surprise when we learned that U.S. military trainers at Guantnamo Bay based their interrogation techniques on a 1957 USAF study of Chinese Communist torture.
"Routine" treatment of prisoners witnessed by the FBI included "bending the detainee's thumbs back and grabbing his genitals," chaining the torture victims' hands and feet together for as long as a full day and leaving them to defecate on themselves, terrorizing them with dogs, stripping them, dressing them in women's underwear and subjecting them to blaring music, freezing cold and burning heat and to water-boarding, the drowning torture. And that's only what has been officially confirmed by the U.S. government.
U.S. officials did make one change to the communist torture techniques they adopted. They renamed them "harsh interrogation."
Cases of U.S. torture have been extensively documented by the International Committee of the Red Cross and by journalists at numerous locations in Iraq, including Abu Ghraib. U.S. prisoners have also been "disappeared" or "rendered" to countries where torture is routine. A CIA assessment warned the Bush administration in 2002 that up to a third of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay may have been imprisoned by mistake, but White House officials ignored the finding and subjected them to imprisonment and torture anyway.
That's what the tired and tiresome Mr. Hall is defending: the torture and secret, permanent imprisonment of innocent people by the U.S. government. But I guess it's all okay, if somebody else somewhere decapitated somebody sometime, eh?
People who endorse the U.S. use of torture smear bloody filth on the flag they pretend to respect. "

" By the way, yesterday an Italian court convicted 23 Americans for the "extraordinary rendition" of a Muslim cleric who was kidnapped in Milan in 2003. The case is the first of its kind to hold Americans accountable for the kidnapping of terrorism suspects overseas. "

" TQ, shumphries, both of you are prime examples of what is wrong with America. You have no idea and yet you continue to bash people who do. As long as your mouths are open you are happy, forget that what is flying out of your mouths is distorted and warped. You rail for the little guy who can't get ahead but you are the reason they can't ... you want to make everyone dependent upon others which only increases the problem(s). You accuse conservatives of thinking that the Constitution is only for them when that is not the case at all and I think that surely you are not so narrow minded and ignorant that you actually believe it and then you open your mouths and I realize you actually are ignorant. You would rather crucify our military for having to adapt in an environment that unless you have been there you know nothing of while at the same time you make excuses for those that hate our country and will slaughter and torture any of us that they can get their hands on. You both are sad, pathetic excuses for Americans. You are the bad example. You are the disgrace to all our veterans not to mention all who support them. "

" M you are what is wrong with this country, you wear blinders, you look out only for yourself, you can't put off immediate pleasure in order to do what is in our long term best interests, you think that rights only apply to those of your kind not to ALL human beings, you live in an imaginary past when "men were men and women knew their place", ... I could go on but I won't. You are what is wrong with this country because you think that those that disagree with you are wrong rather than admitting they have higher standards and a better long term vision than you. "

" What Susan said. "

" haha shumphries, I didn't realize you had a sense of humor. That was funny. "

" Harry Potter wrote on Nov 4, 2009 6:47 AM:
"Cheney made Spiro Agnew look like a choir boy, and he deserves the same fate as Gotti, prison time. """""



nah....a good old public hanging would be much better. "

" nah....a good old public hanging would be much better. "

Well OK, as long as they water boarded him first. lol! "

" We've been chuckling at your naivete for quite some time M. "

" And I at your ignorance, Susan, TQ. "

" Oh M we aren't ignorant we are far superior in intelligence than your average Joe (you). Aren't these little slaps kind of silly? We can go on and on and we accomplish what? Instead of trying to insult me or put me down why don't you just stick to the topic at hand. "

" George W. Bush will be the last great American President.

Say what you want about him but he had principles and he did not waiver from them in order to appease anybody. He was Presidential. I don't think anybody could say that about Obama, at least not with a straight face. "

" cedric66 wrote on Nov 13, 2009 3:00 PM:
" George W. Bush will be the last great American President.




yep, and you're a soviet cosmonaut "