LIBERAL THOUGHTS

The 2008 election was the culmination of frustration. We seemed to have this idea that once we expressed ourselves politically, the wrongs of the past would be righted and we could breathe a sigh of relief and get over the nightmare of the Bush years.

We were wrong. 

2008 was just the beginning and we need to continue to keep a vigilant eye when anyone applies for a civil servant job in our neck of the woods.  Wisconsin has been leading the way and teaching us lessons on democracy, civility, respect, justice and fairness that apply to every one of our neighbors across the country.  

We must heed these lessons and take them to heart in our own states and districts because the fringe elements of the political spectrum have grown violent, racists, homophobic and a breeding cesspool for everything we hope our children will not grow up to be.  

The fringe hates you for your freedom. They are the enemy within.  While they spout the words 'freedom' and 'patriotic', they work relentlessly to rob every one else of their rights while aiming to control private lives and private parts.

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

This political third-rail was not addressed during the eight miserable years Bush was in office.  It was not needed as a political tool and it was a non-issue.  Now, it is the political tool of choice.  Why is it that important? Why do they hate women? 

Controlling reproductive rights creates a sub-group of people that are forced to forgo any thoughts, dreams or aspirations of self on behalf of maintaining the health and sustenance of a vulnerable population: Children.


While it may seem contradictory that equal efforts are applied to deny health care and food services to children while advocating bringing them into the world at the same time, it actually goes hand-in-hand to divide and conquer. 

Forcing men and women to become parents and make the sustenance of their children a perennial struggle will keep them away from engaging in civic knowledge and comprehension.  This population does not generally vote because their daily struggles keeps them from engaging in anything more than daily survival and desperation.   

There is an old saying: “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world”.  It has changed to “Control the Womb: Control the World.”

It is not a coincidence that once birth control became available, women became doctors, nurses, dentist, lawyers and Supreme Court Justices.  Women demanded to be part of the political process in representing their states and counties.  Women are a force that the Republican Party would like to see subjugated to second class citizens with no right to vote.  Educated and free-thinking women are threatening to a political regime that requires compliance in order to succeed.  

Heavens forbid they should raise children that will respect other people's rights and accept diversity in thinking, culture and religious preferences!.

EDUCATION

Eliminating education goes hand-in-hand with forcing pregnancies and eliminating sustenance and support.  People who struggle daily to make ends meet have no time or energies to go beyond their daily struggles.  An uneducated population does not vote because they don’t have the time or energies to become informed or know where to find the information.  They hear slogans and think that's news and information.

Critical thinking has been replaced with 'Teaching to the test' and unfunded mandates, that leave every child behind.

There is no media outlet that is not controlled by corporations, including public radio and television.  The struggle to control the inter-webs will continue because it is too free and too accessible. While misinformation abounds, for some, it is preferable to the carefully choreographed corporate media tidbits of disjointed news.

MEDIA

By design, the media outlets have consumed the news departments of every station.  It is no accident that conglomerates own the networks, nor is it by accident that the radio stations spew political partisan rhetoric in unison by a well orchestrated and choreographed series of talking points.  

By now, everyone is familiar with the political machine that brought us Carl Rove, The Koch brothers, the Tea Party, The Heritage Foundation and all others who have a piece of our legislative branches.  Their stranglehold on our government must be stopped.

UNIONS

The first and last line of defense for the average working person is the right to collective bargaining. Those mentioned above have endeavored to destroy the only group left in the country that looks out for our collective right to decent wages and benefits.  Pitting unemployed Americans against those who still have a job has become the tactical approach to disorganize and destroy unions and our society.

WHY?

It all boils down to three things: Control, Power and Trillions of Dollars.

It is up to us. It really is. We all have local elections that people chose to sit out because they are not as sexy as National elections; however, those local elections have consequences and ramifications that will haunt our communities for years to come.  Civil service requires humbleness and gratitude for the opportunity to serve the community.  Choosing someone like Scott Walker in Wisconsin and Rick Scott in Florida puts in place an arrogant machine that is hell-bent in turning the working class into voiceless, easily-replaced drones. 

The assaults on Acorn, Planned Parenthood, Dr. Tiller, Representative Kathy Giffords, brown skinned people, Gays, Muslims, Social Security, Medicare, Health Care Reform, President Obama, and any program that adds quality of life to the disabled, elderly and disadvantaged have been relentless.  

People who are filled with hatred of 'others' have climbed to positions in our government where in decades past it would have been unconscionable for these individuals to be put in charge of a box of crayons, let alone allowed to pursue controlling the personal lives of average citizens.  

We can blame the Heritage Foundation, Fox Corporation, Koch Brothers and all others all we want, but we need to accept the fact that we, as citizens have allowed lethargy and exhaustion to keep us away from governing our selves.  This must stop. 

When President Obama said: “I can’t do it alone”, he meant for us to elect people in other branches of government that were adults, not ideologues.  We failed.

Fortunately, everything man-made can be changed and we have another opportunity coming our way. Let’s use it wisely.

FINAL WORDS

‘United we stand, divided we fall’. If we don’t fight for our Unions and our collective rights, ‘America the Beautiful’ will cease to exist and ‘America, the Corporation’ will be a cesspool of dirty water, filthy air, and toxic waste.  We will have the highest cancer rates and death of any industrialized country because we are already heading that way.  It is within our power to stop it and turn things around.

Every vote must be counted so every vote counts. In order to achieve this, we must vote on every election, sexy or not, because it is not just our collective right, but our collective obligation.

This is your country, not the corporations, what do you want for yourself? 

I want PEACE for us all.