Hobby Lobby, religous freedom or force fed religion.

      The Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision was a big in a few ways. First it proved that Supreme Court Justices should not be a lifetime appointment. Second it showed how far our country has strayed from what we are. Third it showed a complete disdain for the protections the United States Constitution afforded us. It all showed the Conservative wing celebrating a “victory” over the common folks.

The First Amendment of the Constitution states; Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free excersize thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peacably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. What does this mean? Do we the people still have said protections?

Making no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free excersize thereof. That would mean that no religion shall be protected over the other by states or federal government. Basic, simplistic view. Everyone is free to practice any religion they would like. Republicans like to say that we are a Christian nation, which as stated violates the First Amendment of the Constitution. They say prayer should be allowed in school and creationism taught, not all but many. But the only prayer they want in school are Christian prayers, all others be damned. Christian right wingers believe abortion is a sin and contraceptives are abortion. That statement has been lambasted by anyone who is a doctor but a degree means nothing in that discussion.

Republicans claim they are the protectors of our Constitution and that liberal Democrats want to rip it to shreds. Anyone with half a brain can see the obvious, Republicans do not care about the Constitution. I realize i have gone off topic but this will come together, I hope. In Republican lead states across the nation our right to peacably assemble is being stomped upon. People arrested and disgraced by the GOP while a criminal like Cliven Bundy and his group of hooligans walj away scot free. Armed people stopping a government agency from enforcing the law, supported by Republicans. Freedom of Speech is stomped upon dailly and being able to redress Government is a joke. Republicans are trying to take away our government voice, the right to vote.

Now not only is a corporation regarded as a person, they also can force their religious beliefs on their employees. Before the ACA was put into effect, Hobby Lobby offered health insurance plans that had access to birth control. Not only that, but much of their inventory is bought from China. China is notorious for its abortion rate. I think with those two sentences I established Hobby Lobby’s hypocracy. Why did Hobby Lobby’s stance change? I dont have the answer but anyone who isnt blind realizes how much the Republican base hates President Obama. Is that the reason? Who knows? But why now? Why did the Supreme Court rule directly on party lines?

How does my employers religion effect my health care decisions? Is that religious freedom? For the employer, yes but where is ours. How does my employers religion outweigh mine? If this ruling is correct; then if i worked for a Muslim company I have to adhere to Shariha Law. Or a Satanist for instance. Or would my choices be mine then? I am paying for a portion of my health care, as well as visits, meds or anything else Dr. related. How can my employer come between myself and my doctor? These questions arent answered yet but I have a feeling this ruling will have unintended consequences. I do not think these justices had the foresight to see what would be around the corner.

Whatever your opinion of religion is, you are entitled to it except when it comes to your employer. This is a idiotic interpretation of our Constitution. Ee have seen some awful rulings coming from this Supreme Court. Please remember you are free to practice your religion but your employers is more important.

Fox News wins right to lie in appeals court, 11 years ago.

         In 1996 Fox News sent 2 reporters out to do a story. When the reporters returned with their story, Fox News wanted them to report blatant lies which the reporters refused to do. The reporters won a 6 figure sum in court for being unlawfully terminated.  Fox News then filed an appeal. In February 2003 a Florida Court of Appeals overturned the original decision and unanimously agreed with Fox News that there was not an existing rule in the United States that required them to report the news TRUTHFULLY.

Bill O’Reilly paid lawyers to argue that it is Fox News right under the First Amendment to distort or falsify the news. So over the last 11 years the most watched news network has been feeding their viewers egregious lies. Why would a news outlet want to report untruths? Do you think they are trying to push their agenda on their viewers by distorting the news? Sadly those who watch Fox News swear by it. They take what is said on there as gospel. How much is actually true?

How many times over the years have Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Ann Coulter, Glenn Beck or Shepherd Smith shaped opinion with lies? Despite GDP growing rather than contracting Hannity continued to say that President Obama’s policy were hurting the economy. That despite overwhelming evidence that disputes his assertions. Why did Hannity further the biryher movement despite the President showing his birth certificate. Even after multiple fact checkers proved Hannity smear as false. But Fox News is Fair and Balanced. Right?

Bill O’Reilly insists that Attorney General Eric Holder is involved in the dismissal of criminal charges against the New Black Panther Party for voter intimidation. Despite it being a different administration that did so. He also denies telling viewers that President Obama hid news about Benghazi motives because he was running for reelection. Another outright lie. Then he said that no one on Fox News ever said you would go to jail if you didnt buy health insurance. Another blatant lie. This list goes on and on. I wanted to list examples, not have them overrun the point of this story. But it easily could have been overrun by examples.

As far as I know Fox News is the only news outlet that fought for the right to lie to their viewers. MSNBC has held several of their talking heads responsible for their actions recently. Requiring on air apologies, as well as the talking heads stepping down. Republicans run to Fox to spout their lies. They are never called out on them despite calling Democrats liars during interviews. I watch Fox News for a few minutes here and there just to see how and what they thinking. It is very disturbing to know that a news channel can fudge the news to further an agenda.

If we allow news outlets to shape the news to fit their agenda, how can we hold our elected officials accountable? How many Fox News viewers hate the President because of lies Fox News told about him? This is why we are in an era of such hyper-polarization. Instead of reporting news they feed the hate. How does that help America?

Does the Republican party really mean what they do?

             Many of the things the Republican party are currently doing are inherently unAmerican. The Constitution seems only to matter when it helps their corporate masters. The lobbyist, Koch Brothers, ALEC and the NRA are some very prominent puppet masters. The will of the majority has been pushed to the side. Do Republicans even realize what they are doing?

Take Gun Violence. Instead of pursuing a possible solution they spout out the rhetoric they are fed by their puppet masters. All the numbers shown by independent researchers directly contradict the numbers put forth by the NRA. The areas with the highest amount of guns tend to have a very high crime rate. About 5,000 people have been killed by gun violence since Sandy Hook, yet Republicans refuse to do anything about gun violence. The public wants action, yet Republicans stall and protect the money.

For 2 years Republicans complained about President Obama and Democrats not creating enough jobs, despite Republican efforts to thwart any type of job creation. They have held the House for 3 years, yet have not created any jobs. They denied the Obama Jobs Bill and the Veterans Jobs Bill, yet have passed 44 anti-abortion measures and another 90 religious bills. They say they want the corporate tax lowered, yet when President Obama offered it, they refused. They refuse to help the average American.

Republicans seem to enjoy holding Americans hostage with the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling enables us to pay the bills we have already incurred. They raised it 7 times for Bush 43 and another 7 or so for Reagan. This is the first time a President had to fight to raise the debt ceiling. The last time Republicans did this it resulted in a credit downgrade for the U.S. Are they truly willing to default on America’s bills to further their agenda?

Then we have the way Republicans talk about race. Anne Coulter referred to President Obama as ‘Putin’s Monkey” several times in an interview. Another Republican Senator called Latinos “wetbacks”. A Republican leader in Pennsylvania said the Voter I.D. laws were put in place to prevent minorities from voting. This is not what are forefathers had in mind when they drafted the Constitution. It is not for our representatives to pick and choose from.

Do Republicans really expect to be taken seriously? They keep pushing the will of the people to the side for corporate interests and then try to tell us all the good they are doing. They are slimming their voting pool. Democrats already outnumber them, their actions are pushing more people away. They talk about a broken system, they broke it. They are also prospering because of it.

Bloomsburg Fair in northeastern Pennsylvania bans guns, then changes rule because gun owners threaten to boycott the fair.

               The Bloomsburg Fair banned guns at its 157 inception.  Gun owners took to Facebook to threaten to boycott a tradition in Pennsylvania. Why do these people need their guns at a fair? What about the normal people who do not carry guns? The fear a person having a gun causes for others, it is absurd to have a gun in a public place. Why does the Second Amendment trump all other parts of the Constitution?

What if someone gets killed by a nut job with a gun? If the fair gets sued, does the lawsuit now fall on this group? What if it is another group of kids that get shot? These people have no compassion for anyone else. Having people walk around with guns in a place with as many as 20,000 a day. What if the gun gets stolen and the theif shoots someone? I know it is a lot if what ifs, but the job of the fair is to mitigate risks.

So once again gun rights trump common sense. It seems to be the only Constitional Amendment that matters to people. The First Amendment was stomped all over constantly by the Republican party, but the gun nuts don’t care. Don’t touch my guns, but force religious beliefs on me, take away my voting rights and my freedom of speech. This is what our great nation has come too. The hilarity of it is that most of these gun nuts dont even know the full Second Amendment. If you are offended by this, tell me the complete Second Amendment.

The gun nut comments may bother some, but why does your right to haveca gun trump my right to feel safe. The numbers the NRA gives about gun owners stopping break ins are seriously skewed. The numbers are much lower than they give. Sadly the NRA is a lobbyist for the gun industry, not a group with no financial interests. So if course anything they give is skewed. Democrats and President Obama tried new gun control laws but were stopped by a Republican filubuster funded by the NRA. So once again big money triumphs over the will of the people.

You need to register your car and get insurance for it, but not for a gun, which is built to kill. You need homeowners insurance as well. Sadly a portion of the American public outweighs the rest because of money. Money has led to Americas fall from the top and it will topple our political system. It will soon be a Fuedal Society governed by corporations and protected by gun owners. The rest will be indentured servants.

Tea Party threatens to abandon Republican party members that they see as to moderate.

            The extremist group known as the Tea Party is threatening their own party, instead of just the nation as a whole. Compromise is apparently a dirty word to the Tea Party. Even though our Democracy has been built on compromise, Tea Party members refuse to do it. Any Republican party member who will work for all the people is too moderate and needs to go.

The Tea Party likes to portray themselves as a grassroots organization. That could not be further from the truth. A grassroots movement is not funded by billionaires, the Koch Brothers in this case. The Tea Party are just an extension of the Koch lobbying arm. They seem to walk lockstep with the Kochs on just about every issue.

The Tea Party and other Republicans say government spending needed to be cut. The odd part is that Red States, Republican run states take more government money than Blue states, Democrat run. Red states get more government money back than they pay and Blue states pay the government more money than they recieve in return. So the Tea Party realistically want to cut their own people off. Corporate Welfare, supported by the Tea Party, outspends Social Welfare and Foodstamps $200 billion to $80 billion. Not to mention their support for Military spending, which s higher than the next 10 countries combined. The Tea Party doesn’t want cuts to these programs.

The sad part here is that the Tea Party hates President Obama. The more you talk or debate Tea Party members their hate seems to be based on his color. The Tea Party tends to support the Constitution in ways that benefit them. They seem to have a very nonsensical view of the Constitution. Most don’t know the full 1st and 2nd Amendments. They only know the parts that they have been told. Sadly our country has been held hostage by an extremist group and their religious fervor. What really seperates the Tea Party from Al Qaida or the Taliban?

The North Carolina Senate makes guns easier to get without background checks.

                      The North Carolina Senate amended sweeping pro-gun legislation making it easier to buy a handgun without a background check. It allows for the private purchase of guns in the state without a permit. Background checks and a permit would be needed only when buying from licensed dealers, but not from private purchases, including sales at gun shows.

This is just part of a larger gun package making its way through the Republican controlled legislature. This amendment would become part of the package that the Senate is taking up after the House passed it. The bill includes provisions to allow guns in locked cars at all public colleges and schools in the state. As well as at parks, bike paths and restaurants that serve alcohol. Attendees at a funeral will be allowed to carry a gun, along with people participating in parades. Judges, registers of deeds and court clerks would be permitted to carry guns during a work day.

Conservative legislation has dominated the current North Carolina Session. Current proposals include overhauling the states tax system and creating an official religion. Yes you read that right, an official religion. That is a complete violation of the First Amendment. Republicans talk of protecting the Second Amendment at the cost of every other Freedom we have.

This is the first year in more than 100 years that Republicans have controlled both houses of the legislature and the Governorship of North Carolina. Hopefully for the state this will be the last time for the next 100 years.

State Democrats question the logic of the Gun Bill. The State Democratic Spokesman told the Huffington Post ” Republicans in the General Assembly have no concept of consequences. They have shown that time and time again. Guns and Alcohol don’t mix. Guns at town parades or at playgrounds with our children are unacceptable. Guns on campus makes our college students less safe. To add insult to injury this legislation undermines our local Sherriffs ability to make their towns and cities safe.”

Republicans nationwide seem to want to poke President Obama in the eye. After Sandy Hook, President Obama and Democrats pushed for Gun Reform. The Gun Reform legislation was stopped by a Filibuster, supported by Republicans, who were funded by NRA Lobbyists. Since Sandy Hook about 5,000 more people have been killed by gun violence. Republicans seem to support chaos, both economically and socially. They seem deadset on a Fuedal Society controlled by wealthy corporations.

Why can Chevron have access to email data but Republicans don’t want NSA have access?

            While Americans and ignorant Conservatives complain about the NSA seizing email data, something more disturbing happened. A Federal Court granted Chevron, yes the corporation, access to 9 years of email meta data. This data includes names, time stamps, detailed location data and login info, but not context.

This data will be taken from activists, lawyers and journalists who criticized the company for drilling in Ecuador, while leaving behind toxic sludge and leaky pipelines. Since 1993 Chevron has lost numerous appeals and has payed about $19 billion to cover the cost of environmental damage. Chevron alledges that it is a victim of extortion, which is why it asked Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, the owner of Hotmail, to give them email data.

Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan of New York granted the Microsoft subpoena last month. He ruled it didnt violate the 1st Amendment because Americans weren’t among the people targeted. But evidently Americans are included. This brings questions to the validity of the subpoena. The First Amendment allows Americans to speak anonymously. A different Federal Judge stopped Chevron’s attempts to seize documents from Amazon Watch, one of Chevrons most vocal critics. That judge said the subpeona was a violation of the groups First Amendment rights.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) represents 40 of the targeted users. Some are members of legal teams and at least one of the targeted Hotmail users is American. Nate Cardoza, attorney for the EFF, says that many of the Yahoo and Gmail users are American.

This seems a desperation move by Chevron. They cannot seem to win any of these legal battles, because they are of course guilty. In 2011 alone Chevron payed $9 billion in damages and was forced to make a public apology. Chevron refused, therefore the damages were doubled. They were more comfortable paying $18 billion than saying “We are sorry”. The U.S.Supreme Court has declined to hear Chevron’s appeal.

I find it odd that Republicans attack President Obama about the NSA collecting email, despite the fact they knew about it, but say nothing about a corporation collecting email data. Most Republicans have recieved a portion of the millions of dollars spent lobbying D.C. each year. The Oil Industry alone spends about $100 million a year on lobbying. Democrats again have to protect our Constitution. Republicans only protect the parts they get paid to protect, 2nd Amendment, sponsored by the NRA. So apparently Republicans are fine with corporations having your information. But not the President they hate because he is a Marxist and Socialist.

The Republican party’s all out attack on Women, minorities, the poor and the U S. Constitution.

                 This is a very difficult time in in American politics. One party calls the other Marxist, socialist and unAmerican. Yet while saying these things they attack Americans fundamental rights, voting and the First Amendment. The Constitution seems not to be the sacred document we thought, it is being treated like a 7 graders essay.

The party in question is of course the Republican party. They believe in and support the Second Amendment, but stomp all over people’s religious freedom by forcing their religious beliefs on others. They are attacking people’s right to vote because they can’t win a presidential election. Several Republican lawmakers have said the new Voter I.D. laws will cause less people to vote. Which of course works in their favor.

They are essentially telling the citizens of America that their opinion doesn’t matter. They do this although they hold a publicly elected office. Since we the Constitution was written Americans have had the right to vote, white men did. It took many, many years and the hard work of the Civil Rights movement to get African Americans the right to vote. Women couldn’t vote until the 1920s. That proves that our Constitution is a fluid document, open to change. Republicans like to think otherwise.

President Obama and Democrats alike are fighting new Voter Laws nationwide. They are defending our all of our Constitutional rights, not just the ones lobbyist pay them to protect. While fighting these laws and trying to improve the economy, Republicans have an all out assault on Womens Reproductive Rights. The hell with Roe v. Wade and the U.S. Constitution that protects these rights. Women, minorities and the poor have been the targets of the new Republican party. Their attempts to protect the 1% hopefully will prove their undoing in the 2014 election and others there after.

Will Republicans make the right choice on the Voting Rights Act?

          Last week the U.S. Supreme Court effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act. States that had previous violations or racially based problems needed to ask the Federal Government to move or change anything about where when and how people voted. The Court bascally said the law was not necessary because there are not as many racial issues as when the law was made. Not giving any recognition that it was because the law that these problems were reduced.

Republicans, who already seem to have moral issues, were handed a huge moral question by the Supreme Court. The GOP has been attempting an outreach in order to attract minority voters to stay competitive in Presidential Elections. The decision put Republicans directly between state autonomy, which is a newfound wish of Republicans, and the law’s popularity with minority voters. Of those voters are the focus of the Republican outreach.

National Republican party Chairman Reince Priebus began the effort well before the court’s decision. He promised to hire minorities to engage with minorities to bring their vote to the Republican side. State and national Republicans reacted to the decision by showing the party’s true feelings toward minorities. At State level Republicans are putting tighter voter restrictions in place. Democrats blast these actions because of their unDemocratic nature and how they violate the Constitution.

North Carolina and Virginia are perfect examples of possible problems for Republicans because of their policies. Minorities helped turn these Republican strongholds into battleground states, won by President Obama in the last 2 elections. President Obama beat challenger Mitt Romney by about 85% among African Americans and by about 44% among Latinos. It seems as if Republicans are only interested in winning the Presidency through cheating, because they most certainly haven’t changed any policies or how they speak if minorities.

Leaving the fate of the Civil Rights Act in the hands of Republicans makes me very uncomfortable. The old Republican party may have supported Civil Rights, the new Republican party does not. They have been on the wrong side of almost every Civil Rights the last 20 years. Most especially the last 10. Several Republican lawmakers across the nation said the Voter I.D. Laws would ensure them a victory by preventing minority votes. They also tried shortening voting hours and early voting. These issues alone show the direction the GOP will take. Our nation; Bill of Rights and Civil Rights will all suffer.

Happy 4th of July, Independence earned through blood.

               HAPPY 4th of JULY!! The day our fledgling country declared its Independence from a colonial power. The day our founding fathers said enough was enough. The day we said no more to an oppressive regime. The day the American experiment began. Of course all of the rights we have today were earned with the blood of brave Americans and over our many years as a country more blood has veen shed to spread these freedoms worldwide.

Our Freedom to scream at our leaders, protest, although that seems challenged at times, to write what we want, religious freedom, freedom from tyranny among many other freedoms started that day. Our right to elect our leaders and elect different ones when they don’t do the job all started that day. All these freedoms that other countries would put you in jail for, we have. No other country has anything like our 2nd Amendment, however misinterpreted it is. Our Bill of Rights guarentees our Freedoms as an addition to our Constitution.

Republicans show blatant disregard for our Constitution. Stomping on 1st Amendment rights, our voting rights, workers rights and women’s rights. The Voter I.D. Law, which was model legislation from ALEC which is in cohoots with the NRA, as well as these Anti-Abortion Laws Republicans are attempting to pass nationwide. The Republicans show disdain for the office of the President, because they don’t agree with President Obama. Democrats are not perfect, the Monsanto Protection Act, is a complete joke, but they do more for the people than the Republican party.

Gettysburg is celebrating yhe 150th anniversary of what is probably the most pivotal battle of the Civil War. 50,000 Americans were killed or injured during this battle. This was the beginning of freedom for African Americans. African Americans were only considered 3/5s of a person in the Constitution. Our Country is not and never will be perfect. But our syste m of government has worked for a long time. To let it be hijacked by lobbyist working for corporate interest makes everything these men and women sacraficed for a joke.

So today while celebrating our independence remember the blood that has been shed. Thank your neighbors son who serves in the Navy. Thank your good friend who serves in the Air Force. Thank the man in the wheel chair for his Army service in Iraq. Thank the Marine you know or see for putting their life between you and those who despise the freedoms we have. The Marines are special to me because I was there, so I personally thank all of you service members for what you do. We are celebrating our county’s independence, but it was won with the blood of soldiers like these. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!!!! HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!! Have a great day and don’t drink and drive. Be careful with those fireworks as well.