American Idol

"A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming." --Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Another Day In Asheville

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing click to enlarge Asheville is the closest North Carolina comes to San Francisco - the mountains, the culture, but that is where the similarities end. There is a very belligerent and ultra sanctimonious right wing in Asheville. Years ago, there was a rally to pray to boot out "paganism." Last year my wife and I happened visited town while a horrific anti-gay protest was in progress sponsored by local area "churches." This past week, Asheville saw one of it's own arrested for holding a protest sign. On Wednesday August 15, I was standing alone with my sign for about 10 minutes, when I was approached by Police Officer Russell Crisp. He asked me how long I was planning to stay there and I told him just a few more minutes because I had to go to work at 8:00. He asked for my ID and I obliged. I asked him if I was doing something wrong, and he said that his Sergeant was on the way and he was going to wait for him. SO, I went back to my sign holding over the interstate. A few minutes later Sergeant Randy Riddle showed up with a paper in his hand. He spoke briefly to Crisp, then walked over to me and told me to put down my sign, put my hands behind my back, and that I was under arrest! I was shocked and almost thought he was joking until he told me again to put down the sign and put my hands behind me and I was under arrest. So I peacefully agreed and he cuffed me. I asked him why I was being arrested, he told me I was in violation County Ordinance 16-2, (the print out in his hand that he didn't bother to read to me or show me.) He told me I was obstructing the sidewalk. I told him I was not and that officer Crisp had witnessed a guy walk by me moments before. Riddle yelled at me, "You were obstructing the sidewalk!" and "I'm sick of this shit!" then he said, "Here's your 15 minutes of fame buddy!" I looked back to see his name plate and he said in a mean condescending tone, "Yea, that's 'Sergeant Riddle' get it right!" He then put me in Officer Crisp's police car. Riddle took my sign with him and I was taken downtown and booked by Crisp. I was never read my Miranda rights. Someone needs to call Mayor Bellamy and ask her when Civil Rights will be reestablished in Asheville? Or does she intend to allow the gestapo to operate freely in his city? The below is PUBLIC information: Mayor Terry M. Bellamy Contact Information Office of the Mayor Mayor Terry M. Bellamy Mailing address: P.O. Box 7148, Asheville, NC, 28802 Location: Asheville City Hall, Second Floor, 70 Court Plaza Phone: (828) 259-5600 Fax: (828) 259-5649 E-mail: mayorbellamy@ashevillenc.gov mayorbellamy@ashevillenc.gov mayor whogan@ashevillenc.gov police chief jrichardson@ashevillenc.gov assistant city manager gjackson@ashevillenc.gov city manager And fell free to send them a copy of this cartoon!

Who isn’t selling us down river?

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane & My Left Wing click to enlarge Where is what Wikipedia has to say on fascism: Fascism is associated by many scholars with one or more of the following characteristics: a very high degree of nationalism, economic corporatism, a powerful, dictatorial leader who portrays the nation, state or collective as superior to the individuals or groups composing it. First off, our government has sold us off to the highest corporate bidder. No longer are the needs of We The People met, but the needs of the Corporation are set higher than the individual. Big Oil has attacked democracy by price gouging, the insistence of gross over consumption and lobbying to prevent alternative fuels from coming to market. Why bring about a hydrogen economy - a renewable resource, when over $90 trillion in fossil fuel is still in the ground? Profit Over People should be the official tag line for the healthcare industry. Most drugs today are either wholly funded or partially funded by the US taxpayers, yet these medical discoveries and patents are not considered owned by We The People, nor does the US Treasury see any windfall from these outrageous profits from medical and pharmaceutical research. If the taxpayers finance the development, the drugs should be generic - right off the bat. The military industrial complex is one of the worst. HALF of our non-discretionary budget goes to funding war and the preparation of war. Instead of using that money to buy off a dictator a week or bring peace via diplomatic channels, we build new nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction that we block other countries from NOT developing. If we used half of our defense budget to buy off dictators, would could wipe out war on this planet in just a few months. That is how Bill Clinton controlled North Korea - the good old fashion bribe. God love him.

GOP and a lack of reason and logic.

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane & My Left Wing click to enlarge The Republicans seem to be going back in time. There is one instance after another of just how out of touch they are. Not just out of touch with We The People but out of touch with reality. They claimed Terry Schiavo was alive and well, when she was clearly brain dead to REAL doctors and scientists. They ignore global warming and claim it is just doctored evidence from commie-pinko liberals. They outlaw medical procedures for reasons that have no real medical basis. They outlaw research for reasons that have no scientific basis. The GOP believes shipping jobs overseas is good for the American economy. Republicans believe the middle-class should be destroyed. They even think preemptive war is a good idea. How did they get to this space? What led them to this path of idiocy? Christian Fundamentalists. The GOP and Fundamentalists share the same talent for ignoring logic, reason and science that allows them to support theo-fascist government. These are the same people who try to ban Harry Potter books, the same people who built the Creation Museum and who still have a bone stuck in their throat over interracial relationships. They put their trust in slogans instead of explanations. They put their faith in millionaire preachers instead of what their own eyes shows them about poverty. Face it, Christian Fundamentalists are the easiest people in America to lie to. Site Note: Don't forget to grab your official Howl Qaeda wallpaper. Just click HERE!