Politics in General (Frmly Election Thread)

[AJ Garcia]

Yeah I had this kind of an argument with a few emailers not to long ago. The USPS was giving a stamp in honor a Muslim holiday and holy bejeezus if these geniuses didn't just toss in every terrorist and crazo ever given airtime as their reason for not allowing this stamp to go through. AHHH!!!! Makes me so frustrated when people say things simply for the reason that they know, at the moment, there is a popular consensus that will back them up, also without really delving into the issue at hand. When I pointed out that Muhamed Ali, a man who is respected as a God in the ring and who also ran the torch for a previous Olympic event is a Muslim I was all but crucified for not ebing American. Sveral vulgar remarks later (on my part) and the conversation was lost and I was removed from a forwarding list I didn't even realize I was on.

Loneeagle, bad hat. Very bad hat.

[Moviediva]

Originally Posted by leastcmplicated

no actually that was part of the TALIBAN tradition, was the KKK part of the Christian tradition? How about the Nazi's, wanna group all Christians into those categories? try not to be so ignorant.

I have family members who happen to be black who are Muslims living in Chicago. They practice Orthodox Islam. In North Carolina there is a Muslim mosque with hundreds of members both Middle Eastern, black Americans, etc. who practice Orthodox Islam. My ex in-laws visited there occasionally. They had a service for my late father-in-law who was a revered Muslim and secular leader in the state of North Carolina. He was an artist, a prison chaplain, an educator, host of a public radio show that dealt with secular issues, and a Muslim Imam. They had to cut his official memorial short because so many people, both Christian and Muslim, etc. wanted to speak about him. True Islam is a peaceful, progressive religion and way of life that encourages self-reliance and social engagement. It is also the fastest growing religion in the world. A year maybe after 9/11, my nieces, who were in their late teens at the time, were detained at an airport because of their Muslim names. They were very frightened. Not all Muslims are terrorists. Let's not group all Muslims into that category.

Originally Posted by loneeagle

President Obama, in an attempt to win friends in the islamic world, praised Islam for its contribution to American history. I wonder what history he must be perusing. As I recall both Washington adn Jefferson strugled to pay ransoms to Islamic Barbary coast pirates who were attacking American ships and kidnapping American sailors. Not much difference off the Somalia coast today. I recently saw two pictures of the statue of liberty. The first one had a background of the twin towers and the second one showed the NY skyline with the towers missing. Was that part of the Islamic contribution?

This is a warning to the whole thread & Politics forum on the boards. Here at Shakefire we already feel that this thread is an issue moderating and creates more problems than it is worth. Seeing as politics tends to bring out tempers & emotions in everyone we are constantly having to come in and make sure that nothing is happening in here. Truthfully it has nothing to do with our site as a whole anyway. So with all that said if we see another comment such as the one above or anything else in this direction or any disagreements that are getting out of hand this thread & forum will be removed. And any threads created there after about these topics will also be removed. This is the one and only warning we will give. It is not up for debate as none of you have to handle the complaints, emails, private messages, and more we receive from many many members about this on a weekly basis. We have other things that are required from us to run Shakefire besides insuring that this thread is not out of control. So please keep things in check or you may be the one responsible for everyone losing this thread.

[madcowjm]

Wow, a lot has happened in here over the past few months. Lets try to stick to politics eh? I know congress is on holiday, but there's so much else going on ...

We have the card check bill, cap and trade and the new healthcare reform.

Not to mention the cash for clunkers has just gone bust ... (ok .. some say that it's been successful and others say that it hasn't been) ... let's debate that! I'll go see what info can be found ...

Information is good!

[madcowjm]

I know I've been away a bit, but I thought in here would be abuzz with talk about the new Health Bill that may or may not pass. I hear good and bad on both sides. Although we know my take pretty much starts with a generic distrust that govt can run anything at all well OR under budget so regardless of which side gets their dream bill in I think I'll be skeptical anyway ...

but any thoughts on what's been put out so far? I can dig up info for those that need it.

[madcowjm]

OK, So, I found this in the NY Post this morning. As far as I know it is a pretty middle of the road news outlet (I associate the times and CNN with leaning left and foxnews as bearing right). So I thought this might be interesting to share:

http://www.nypostonline.com/p/news/o...cJA9hKmHRPxJ8H

It discusses the new healthcare reform. As it stands, 90% of Americans are insured. This includes the medicaid and medicare set. Leaving 10% uninsured. Some of which can afford insurance right now, but chose not to get it.

Read it, lemme know what you think.

[madcowjm]

Ok ... so I started this rant in the MPP this morning and figured it belonged in here ...

November 3rd, 2009 are elections that are dealing with many local issues. Yes people ... LOCAL .. meaning these decisions directly affect you. I understand that everyone was all hyped up about the presidential election and went in with almost no knowledge of anything else on the ballot. But sadly as the people in New Orleans have seen (but probably haven't learned) the president cannot solve your problems. Even the new president they rushed to vote for overwhelmingly only visited them 9months later and even then stayed only 4hrs before heading to a fundraiser where he stayed even longer ....

Use this as your wake up call, democrat, republican, conservative, liberal, green party, libertarian, GDI ... your local issues affect you. And you can't get upset when you allow 13% of the electorate to decide for 100% of the population.

I'll use Atlanta as an example. Currently at the bottom of the pack when it comes to education. Next tuesday's ballot has board of education officials on it. Do you have kids? Is this not an important issue for you?

The are SIX people on the ballot running for the position mayor for the city.

You can find the sample ballot here:
http://web.atlantaga.gov/eelections/pdf/atlall.pdf

And yes, wherever you are you can look up before hand what's on your ballot ... get out to vote. The president doesn't make decisions ... he just signs off on bills. Make sure your issues get to his table ... get informed.

[sweetfo1]

I agree 100%, everyone should have knowledge of every election and exercise their right to VOTE. If you choose not to DON"T COMPLAIN about the outcome!!

Originally Posted by madcowjm

Ok ... so I started this rant in the MPP this morning and figured it belonged in here ...

November 3rd, 2009 are elections that are dealing with many local issues. Yes people ... LOCAL .. meaning these decisions directly affect you. I understand that everyone was all hyped up about the presidential election and went in with almost no knowledge of anything else on the ballot. But sadly as the people in New Orleans have seen (but probably haven't learned) the president cannot solve your problems. Even the new president they rushed to vote for overwhelmingly only visited them 9months later and even then stayed only 4hrs before heading to a fundraiser where he stayed even longer ....

Use this as your wake up call, democrat, republican, conservative, liberal, green party, libertarian, GDI ... your local issues affect you. And you can't get upset when you allow 13% of the electorate to decide for 100% of the population.

I'll use Atlanta as an example. Currently at the bottom of the pack when it comes to education. Next tuesday's ballot has board of education officials on it. Do you have kids? Is this not an important issue for you?

The are SIX people on the ballot running for the position mayor for the city.

You can find the sample ballot here:
http://web.atlantaga.gov/eelections/pdf/atlall.pdf

And yes, wherever you are you can look up before hand what's on your ballot ... get out to vote. The president doesn't make decisions ... he just signs off on bills. Make sure your issues get to his table ... get informed.

[madcowjm]

So, just in case you missed the results. The bigger races that people were in were:
NJ - Democratic State ... voted for a republican Governer
VA - Last years "swing state" ... hadn't voted democratic for years .. voted republican Gov
NY - Republican Seat, been republican since the civil war - Democrat wins.

Pundits on both sides have their explanations of course:
Dems say that these gov elections are a result of the incumbents running poor campaigns and not employing Obama to campaign for them (nevermind that he was in both NJ and VA and NY is the only place he didn't show up) ... and saying that the NY seat winning was a MAJOR victory and what everyone should be focused on.

Reps are saying that this is a referendum on the Obama agenda and ignoring the fact that in party fighting led many in NY to vote for "the other guy" ...

I'm more likely to go with some who have said that everyone should take note that voters are NOT pleased with what is going on in general and just voting out the incumbents regardless of party affiliation. Although I do wish there was a viable third option that would really have gotten things going.

In Atlanta there will be a runoff. And unfortunately here I'll have to agree with allll pundits. At the end of the day this will be a vote divided by race and not by ideology. Blacks for Reid, Whites for Norwood. (yes, before you yell at me, some will cross race lines) ... But I'll go along with the pundits here ... Is it sad? I'm not so sure. I know very little about either candidate, and from what I've seen so far ... they're not very different, so maybe the only thing that does differentiate them is race and gender!

[madcowjm]

So, this may not be "political per say" ... although some call it the "beginning of rationing" ... Whichever way you look at it, the new Health guidelines bother me.

They spend time in the Congress and the Senate debating whether or not insurance plans should cover abortions. Whatever your stance (I'm religiously opposed, but believe in a persons choice ... there's free will afterall), why are all these men deciding what a woman can do with her body? Why is it that they can ban insurance coverage on abortions and birth control? Why are two national agencies reducing the guidelines for screenings for Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer?

But no one's touching Prostate cancer? Viagra is still covered?

Rationing or no, these health care decisions are affecting women way more than men and I'm upset.

But still women will sit on their asses, not vote, or vote along with their husbands .... talk against viable (yes, there are quacks out there so look at the viable ones) female candidates because they should be "at home in the kitchen" or they're "not feminist enough" (whatever that means). These issues affect, wives, mothers, daughters, nieces .... pay more attention people ...

As someone who knows personally 4 women affected with breast cancer UNDER the age of *40* (never mind they've increased the mammogram age to 50), and one that had to go thru treatment for cervical cancer, we cannot say the *cost* of screenings are too great ... too great to save a LIFE? I cannot bring my friend back after her doctors repeatedly told her she did not have cancer ... but now you can't even check in the first place?

Not acceptable.

[Roxie]

whoa, women are NOT sitting on their asses!
http://www.stopstupak.org/
also, check out www.femnisting.com

[madcowjm]

For one ... we'll need to publicize those sites more .. so thank you for that ...

On the other hand ... I can't go with it ... since I'm not sure I'm for tax dollars being used to pay for abortions ... but an individual insurance plan that you buy yourself you can do that ... I believe Stupak is against tax money for abortions ... (but that's a side issue)

thanks for the sites!