Saturday, April 20, 2013


IDEAS can be dangerous


Although it's too soon to leap to any conclusions about motives in Boston bombing, one thing we've heard via the boys' mother, was the conspiracy theory that the U.S. planned the 9.11 attacks in order to turn the world against Islam. 

Whether it's 'Obamacare will kill grandma', 'my God is the one true God', 'your sex is weaker', 'my race is superior to others', or 'those people are evil'; ideas can kill...big time. Battles for hearts and minds too quickly turn into clashes on battlefields.

When we hear ideas like this, we can't ignore them. We need to argue against them, point out how irrational the idea is (while striking a balance of sympathy for the individuals espousing them). 

The notion that a government that some people don't trust, particularly a government that can't pass common sense legislation, or can't hide some of it's most embarrassing secrets, could be capable of pulling off some of the massive conspiracies people attribute to it is ridiculous and should be exposed as such at every opportunity. 

Sensible people must put themselves on the line to try to nip things in the bud, expose those who hate and spread lies on the internet, demonstrate against those who picket funerals, and vote out those representatives who encourage ignorance and misinformation to achieve their personal ambitions.  

We can spread ideas of our own, those based on fact and logic and good will. 
In the clash of ideas those should win out, because most sensible people want a world where people get along with each other, and advance civilization, not set it back. It's a war we have to win, and we should all consider ourselves in the battle.

If you hear something, say something.

Thursday, April 18, 2013


BACKLASH please

This is a list of the so called 'senators' who voted no to (even considering) expanded background checks on guns:

Alexander (R-TN)
Ayotte (R-NH)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
Begich (D-AK)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coats (R-IN)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Enzi (R-WY)
Fischer (R-NE)
Flake (R-AZ)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Heitkamp (D-ND)
Heller (R-NV)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (R-WI)
Lee (R-UT)
McConnell (R-KY)
Moran (R-KS)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Paul (R-KY)
Portman (R-OH)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rubio (R-FL)
Scott (R-SC)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS)

These 'representatives' of the people that pay them to serve their communities, chose NRA money over their duty to keep those people safe. No matter how much they try to delude themselves and their constituents with arguments to justify their behavior, there is simply no excuse for their cowardice. They are selfish and greedy, putting their careers ahead of doing what is clearly right. 
I hope all that NRA money they will continue to get goes directly toward purchasing Ambien so they can try to sleep at night. To those NRA members who, like the 90% of us, do support these measures, please stop sending them checks and swelling their membership numbers. Enough is enough.

I urge the voters in these states to send them back to jobs that will do no harm to our nation in the future:

Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Thanks to all you sensible Senators who did support this bill, especially Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey for your hard work. Please don't give up on us.