Witch Hunt

It's almost Halloween, and FOX News is on a witch hunt.

The talking heads at the GOP's propaganda mill have lambasted the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) as if it posed a greater threat to America than would turning over our nuclear stockpile to Al Qaeda.

What is the rationale for this relentless attack? Here is how conservative activist, Paul Weyrich, explains the danger.

They want everybody to vote. I don't want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of people. They never have been from the beginning of our country, and they are not now. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections, quite candidly, goes up as the voting populace goes down.

To get truly fair and balanced information about ACORN and the FOX campaign against it, watch this video.

If you don't like political witch hunts and want to do something to counter the FOX smear campaign, click HERE to go to a website where you can send a message to Congress, post the video on FaceBook and Twitter account, or email it to your friends and family.

Recipe for Disaster

Choosing ideological purity over intellectual honesty is a recipe for disaster. The ingredients are hate and fear-mongering. It is always half-baked, and it always produces a toxic brew unfit for human consumption.

Nevertheless, this is the recipe which the leaders of Republican party appear to have dog-eared in their political cookbook.

Rather than work with Democrats to craft meaningful legislation which would help Americans and strengthen America, Boehner, McConnell, and the rest have cast their lot with the 20% of Americans who appear to be intellectually incapable of self-critical evaluation.

Manipulated by the words of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sarah Palin they claim absolute knowledge and ownership of scientific, religious, and political truth. They would prefer see the country torn asunder rather than to have Barack Obama and the Democratic party succeed in their attempts to change the status quo.

That 20% tail is currently wagging the elephant, and the Republican leadership has embraced its hate-mongering rhetoric in the cynical hope that American failure will lead to electoral success in 2010.

Well, the joke is on them. It is the GOP and not America which is coming apart at the seams.

There's a Rep for That

Republicans in Congress iPhone App spoof hits the nail on the head.

Boo!

This my infamous, spooky, scary, evil, bat-mouth pumpkin.

I first carved the design in 1967, and I have replicated it just about every year since then. 2009, however, will probably be the last year I carve it, thanks to a new pumpkin variety which grows exclusively in the perpetual, polyurethane, pumpkin patch somewhere in China.

You can download a larger copy of the video at this link:
http://files.me.com/gadenino/4z5jx0.mov

Happy Halloween!

Blessed Are The Peacemakers

Links:

CNN

BBC

The Norwegian Nobel Committee

Tooting My Own Horn

When I'm not fixing computers or writing articles for this blog, I sing with The Alliance of Greater Central Ohio, one of the best men's barbershop choruses in the world (currently 6th out of over 800).

The Alliance is an a cappella chorus, of course, so any horn tooting in this post is strictly metaphorical.

But I digress.

The chorus recently released a new CD in time for the 2009 holiday season. It's called Harmonies for the Holidays, and it is the raison d'être behind this brassy message.

City of Bread, Track 10 on the CD, is a song which I wrote and arranged.

Click here to listen to the sound clip for City of Bread and all the other selections on the CD. If you like what you hear, you can order securely online.

The Alliance is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and a member chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society.

Sunday Sermon

A friend just sent this to me. I think it's worth reading and sharing.

I am well aware that some folks will dismiss this article outright because of what they've been told to believe about Michael Moore by FOX Noise. But then, that's the crux of the problem, isn't it?

How does one communicate with those who have embraced a closed belief system which claims absolute knowledge of God's will and use it to wall themselves off from the discomfort inherent in honest inquiry and rational thought?

How does one counter the blessing bestowed upon rigid adherence to closed-mindedness when it is broadcast 24/7 by Rupert Murdoch's minions?

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For Those of You on Your Way to Church This Morning ...a note from Michael Moore | MichaelMoore.com

Sunday, October 4th, 2009

Friends,

I'd like to have a word with those of you who call yourselves Christians (Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Bill Maherists, etc. can read along, too, as much of what I have to say, I'm sure, can be applied to your own spiritual/ethical values).

In my new film I speak for the first time in one of my movies about my own spiritual beliefs. I have always believed that one's religious leanings are deeply personal and should be kept private. After all, we've heard enough yammerin' in the past three decades about how one should "behave," and I have to say I'm pretty burned out on pieties and platitudes considering we are a violent nation who invades other countries and punishes our own for having the audacity to fall on hard times.

I'm also against any proselytizing; I certainly don't want you to join anything I belong to. Also, as a Catholic, I have much to say about the Church as an institution, but I'll leave that for another day (or movie).

Amidst all the Wall Street bad guys and corrupt members of Congress exposed in "Capitalism: A Love Story," I pose a simple question in the movie: "Is capitalism a sin?" I go on to ask, "Would Jesus be a capitalist?" Would he belong to a hedge fund? Would he sell short? Would he approve of a system that has allowed the richest 1% to have more financial wealth than the 95% under them combined?

I have come to believe that there is no getting around the fact that capitalism is opposite everything that Jesus (and Moses and Mohammed and Buddha) taught. All the great religions are clear about one thing: It is evil to take the majority of the pie and leave what's left for everyone to fight over. Jesus said that the rich man would have a very hard time getting into heaven. He told us that we had to be our brother's and sister's keepers and that the riches that did exist were to be divided fairly. He said that if you failed to house the homeless and feed the hungry, you'd have a hard time finding the pin code to the pearly gates.

I guess that's bad news for us Americans. Here's how we define "Blessed Are the Poor": We now have the highest unemployment rate since 1983. There's a foreclosure filing once every 7.5 seconds. 14,000 people every day lose their health insurance.

At the same time, Wall Street bankers ("Blessed Are the Wealthy"?) are amassing more and more loot -- and they do their best to pay little or no income tax (last year Goldman Sachs' tax rate was a mere 1%!). Would Jesus approve of this? If not, why do we let such an evil system continue? It doesn't seem you can call yourself a Capitalist AND a Christian -- because you cannot love your money AND love your neighbor when you are denying your neighbor the ability to see a doctor just so you can have a better bottom line. That's called "immoral" -- and you are committing a sin when you benefit at the expense of others.

When you are in church this morning, please think about this. I am asking you to allow your "better angels" to come forward. And if you are among the millions of Americans who are struggling to make it from week to week, please know that I promise to do what I can to stop this evil -- and I hope you'll join me in not giving up until everyone has a seat at the table.

Thanks for listening. I'm off to Mass in a few hours. I'll be sure to ask the priest if he thinks J.C. deals in derivatives or credit default swaps. I mean, after all, he must've been good at math. How else did he divide up two loaves of bread and five pieces of fish equally amongst 5,000 people? Either he was the first socialist or his disciples were really bad at packing lunch. Or both.

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

Link to source: http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mikes-letter/those-you-your-way-church-morning-note-michael-moore

Disabusing Rep. Boehner of Ignorance

October 01, 2009
Categories: Health Care

Boehner hasn't met "anyone" who backs public option

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) has just more or less dared proponents of a public option to bombard his office with their expressions of support of the plan.
Boehner claimed, with a semi-straight face, that he has yet to meet a regular "American" who favors the option -- despite polls showing that a majority of voters support to the idea of having the choice of a government plan.

"I'm still trying to find the first American to talk to who's in favor of the public option, other than a member of Congress or the administration" said Boehner, whose sole recent foray into a public discussion of health care reform was a tea-party-style event in Ohio a few weeks back.

"I've not talked to one and I get to a lot of places," he told reporters at his weekly press availability. "I've not had anyone come up to me -- I know I'm inviting them -- and lobby for the public option .
"This is about as unpopular as a garlic milkshake."

I then asked him: "Isn't a garlic milkshake healthy?" to which he replied, "I don't know I haven't tried it."

The polls are actually pretty divided on the issue, with a SurveyUSA poll showing three-quarters of Americans backing a public option choice. But that number dropped to 43 percent when the option was portrayed as a mandatory component of the plan in an NBC/WSJ survey.

By Glenn Thrush 12:12 PM

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/1009/Boehner_searching_for_first_public_option_backer.html

Upon reading Glenn Thrush's article, I sent this message to Rep. Boehner:

Mr. Boehner,

It is obvious to me that you take your role as House Minority Leader very seriously. Unfortunately, it appears that to you that means listening only to the minority of Ohioans who oppose a public health care option rather than the majority which favors it.

How else is one to understand your recent comment to the effect that you have not spoken to anyone who wants a public option?

Although I do not live in your congressional district, I am an Ohioan, and I am in that majority which favors a public option.

Since we have not actually "spoken," however, I'm fairly confident that you will repeat your disingenuous comment as you advocate for ideological purity at the expense of the health and well-being of the people of Ohio and the nation

George A. Denino

If you wish to respond to Mr. Boehner's challenge, you may send your personal message at this link:

http://republicanleader.house.gov/Contact/

Note: I included my full address and phone number in my message, but I omitted that information here for what should be obvious reasons.

Finally, here's the reply I received, and which you will get, from Rep. Boehner's office:

Thank you for contacting the Office of the House Republican Leader. Your thoughts are important to me and are appreciated. Due to the volume of E-mail I receive, it may not be possible to personally respond to your comments. However, please be assured that your comments are important to me and my colleagues.

Sincerely,

John A. Boehner

Republican Leader