Hooray For The 99% You Did It Again!

I never thought I would say this but h00ray FOR wALmART too...

Of course, I realize that Walmart pulled out of the advocacy group ALEC because of consumer pressure (99%-ers you did it again!) yet, our job is far from done. There are many more businesses out there taking our hard earned $$$ and still are connected with an organization whose sole purpose is to rake the 99% over the coals. (Well not their sole purpose, making sure that Republicans win at all cost is probably #1 and figuring out ways to undermine the middleclass, a close 2nd.) Please read the article below and SAVOR THE MOMENT (even if it's only for a little while).
thinkingblue

Wal-Mart latest to leave conservative ALEC advocacy group

ROGERS, Arkansas (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer and biggest seller of firearms in the United States, is dropping out of a conservative advocacy group in the United States that has been criticized for promoting "Stand Your Ground" gun laws.

Wal-Mart was suspending its membership in the American Legislative Council (ALEC), which the retailer joined in 1993, the company said late on Wednesday.

Other groups that have backed away from supporting ALEC, include Coca-Cola Co, Kraft Foods Inc, McDonald's Corp, Procter & Gamble Co and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The move by Wal-Mart comes more than a month after ALEC abandoned its committee that worked on "public safety and elections" to focus on the economy.

ALEC had come under criticism for its support of "Stand Your Ground" gun laws, such as the "self defense" law under scrutiny in the Florida shooting that killed unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February.

ALEC, a pro-business, free-market organization whose members include corporations and mostly Republican lawmakers and lobbyists, also drew scrutiny for promoting laws that require photo identification to vote. ColorOfChange, a liberal advocacy group for black Americans, had said such voting laws disadvantage the poor and minorities.

"Previously, we expressed our concerns about ALEC's decision to weigh in on issues that stray from its core mission 'to advance the Jeffersonian principles of free markets,'" Maggie Sans, Wal-Mart's vice president of public affairs and government relations, said in a May 30 letter to ALEC's national chairman and executive director.

"We feel that the divide between these activities and our purpose as a business has become too wide. To that end, we are suspending our membership in ALEC."

Sans is also giving up her role as secretary of ALEC's private enterprise board. MORE HERE
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/31/us-walmart-alec-idUSBRE84U05N20120531

Click Here For ALEC Exposed
Join the 'BECAUSE I CAN' blog

3 Thinking Comedians No Longer With Us

We need this type of comedian to direct us along the path of Reality. They made us THINK and that is something in short supply in these modern times of Corporate Personhood Greed. Where The Personhood brainwashes the proletariat to believe they too can someday achieve wealth, but only if they keep voting for them (GOP/TP) against their own best interest. Yeah right, just keep buying those lottery tickets and you will be rewarded with wealth beyond your dreams. thinkingblue

Mitch Hedberg
(February 24, 1968 – March 29, 2005)

This guy is really FUNNY! He's the second comedian that I found posthumously. The other ingenious comic was Bill Hicks... Why must these comics die so young? Thank all that is good, George Carlin lived to see his 70's and left so much of his genius behind for us to ponder and enjoy.

~~~

Bill Hicks
(December 16, 1961 – February 26, 1994)

In his short lifetime Bill Hicks, made people laugh, cry and THINK. He was missed when he died in '94 and is still missed today. But it is so splendid that we can still get to enjoy him via his tapes. He was one of a kind and died too young.
Bill Hicks, FOREVER YOUNG...
~~~

George Denis Patrick Carlin
(May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008)
*****************

Next George Carlin on Advertising and Marketing
***Adult Humor and Language***

George Carlin will remain my favorite comedian. The first time I saw him in the 60's I could not believe how I wasn't using my full thinking capacities. I don't know how many times I would say to myself, "Wow, he's so right!" He awakened us to actuality on so many subjects that we were accepting as a false reality, whether it was on language, capitalism, government, war or religion. Old George brought into the light of day the truth and had no fear in doing so. I will always miss him. 

Memorial Day 2012 - Was The Iraq War a War of Choice?

Memorial Day 2012 - Was The Iraq War a War of Choice?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A645NZZGZXw
A video I made during the Iraq war. So much sadness, so much pain, was it really necessary? We need to reexamine our reasons to go to war, so a war of choice can never happen again. thinkingblue

Was the Iraq War Necessary?
By Editorial Office On February 23rd, 2011

Given the present economic conditions facing the world, rising unemployment and public dissatisfaction with dictators and oppressive regimes, was the U.S. led Iraq war really necessary? Might Saddam Hussein have been toppled from power by his own people at some point, particularly in this spreading democratic movement through the region?
Saddam Hussein
It will remain a question that will haunt the legacy of former President George W. Bush for many years. However, our view is that the war was not necessary, though of all the Mid-East potentates, Hussein was likely the last to fall.

Some may speculate whether the Americanization of the Iraqi government sowed the seeds of democratic thought in the region. Perhaps there is a scintilla of truth in that, but the more likely cause of the revolutions is a growing dissatisfaction with poverty and unemployment. Coupled with a number of leaders who’ve stolen vast sums, live like kings while their people starve, social media provided the communication tool to network those dissatisfied citizens where America’s previous communications with rebel groups has failed for decades.

More than likely, the people of the Muslim world became and remain anti-American following the invasion of Iraq. While none complained that Hussein was toppled from power, many do fear American imperialism so this “Facebook Revolution” is more likely the result of the economic conditions people face than American democratic ideology.

The governments that follow the age of Middle Eastern dictators may be more democratic, but may not necessarily align themselves with Western thought. Islamic fundamentalists will likely be equally rejected. New governments will however, probably adopt many Islamic philosophies and principles, and look much more to regional, not international commerce.

They will likely distrust America, Russian, Chinese and European governments, though over time, commerce and mutual adaptation to each others’ ways will create a concorde d’etat. Peaceful, non-threatening co-existence is the critical message that America and Western powers must send to those new governments. We must express a desire for fair commercial interaction, without any threat of invasion or military presence unless called upon for assistance.

This may be a huge boost to our national economy. We could potentially shut down many military installations in the region if Syria and Iran fell to a more democratic form of government. This would save our defense budget billions of dollars annually.

A more stable, relaxed world would help alleviate many of the global economic problems facing us all today. Increased trade would eventually replace animosity with camaraderie; trust would develop and peace would exist for a long period. However, to achieve this, the United States must stay far away from the temptation to meddle in the formation of these new governments.

We must not, for example, prevent the creation of constitutional monarchies in places like Bahrain or Afghanistan, nor should we fear constitutional governments that lean more towards socialism. Rather, it is incumbent upon us to offer our advice, if asked, and forever avoid paying dictators for their “friendship”, which over the past 40 years, has proven only to be disloyal, at best.

Augustus Caesar fought many a battle, but in his wake the Roman Empire experienced the “Pax Romana” a generally peaceful period that lasted over 200 years. We may have that golden opportunity to achieve the “Pax Americana”, and build a great future for our people.

GOP Tea Party Knows They Are Gonna Lose In 2012.

So they cheat, plunder and steal, every chance they get.

Again, on Facebook, someone had posted this blog from Daily Kos: BREAKING: Leaked Rove email singles out Daily Kos it was dated August 27, 2011, so it isn't so BREAKING but that didn't diminish it's informative content. Internet bloggers (especially from the right-wing) are adamant on being the first to report something that they often get it entirely wrong, so date isn't important. The email starts out with an...

CONFIDENTIAL -- EYES ONLY - Hello Gang,
innocent enough but wait until you read more...
I have to admit I do not like the Republican Party and I can't understand why anyone who isn't either wealthy or religiously indoctrinated could ever believe in such a deceitful organization, but my opinion doesn't matter. What does matter is that the corrupt people who are at the top of this whitecolor ruffian syndicate must be exposed. The below video was my small contribution of yanking off yet another scab to reveal the despicable innards of the GOP/TP. When I say small it's an understatement. I posted this video October 2011 and to date it's gotten 93 views. Please help me out on this and pass it around, our freedom may depend upon it. thinkingblue

Have you ever noticed how the GOP TEA PARTY'S nasty comments (against liberals and democrats) are EVERYWHERE on the Internet? They spread their hate like they butter their bread. Well, Thom Hartmann has discovered what it's all about, GUERILLA WARFARE. Unfortunately, Hartmann's video had been deleted from youtube (most likely due to Tea Party requests) but I found this film that is the real McCoy, about what the GOP and its TEA PARTY are up to, and it ain't nice. What else can you expect from these dishonorable, corrupt people who want to win at any cost?

It's NOT millions of individual Tea Partiers commenting on Liberal Links, it's only a handful spreading their GOP/TP hatred via comments upon millions of Liberal websites. Honesty and integrity is not in their vocabulary, try to imagine an honest Karl Rove.  They don't possess scruples, so they try to cheat their way into the winning circle. They are an abominable lot and if they manage to win we are all in for another BIG FALL. Probably worse than the one we took in the 8 years of George W Bush. 

Some of the rhetoric posted on, anything they (GOP/TP) deem as liberal, is so childlike it's amazing that anyone could hoodwinked by it. I put a video on thethinkingblue youtube channel, highlighting these unscrupulous maneuvers... The GOP has no integrity; they are unbelievably unprincipled. The strangest thing about all this is, they seem to be very proud of it. The nastier the better is their motto.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xkZbWGvpvA

Homosexuality, Reality and Facebook

Today on facebook, someone posted this picture

that sure created a commosion among those who rather accept (scripture) than think. A few examples of Facebook non-thinkers:
FIRST FACEBOOK MEMBER: Hogwash! There is no such thing as a "gay gene" It's a choice. Just like Adam and Eve CHOSE to disobey God and bring sin into the world, these people CHOOSE to be gay. God is pretty clear in His Word as to how He views homosexuality, greed, lust, etc, etc, etc.
SECOND FACEBOOK MEMBER: I don't think I have ever seen any real evidence that shows people are born gay. As far as I know it is a choice but there can well be conditions in their environment that helped them reach that place. E.g. a mother dressing her son in girls clothes even when he goes to school because she wanted a girl. E.g. A father making fun of his son for playing with GI Joes telling him over and over again that he is playing with dolls. I believe a person can be treated in such a way that he or she becomes gay but I have never seen any evidence to prove it is a gene or something that makes them gay.
FIRST FACEBOOK MEMBER: I think you have mistaken me for a hater. Nothing could be further from the truth. I just don't agree with the caption in the picture and if you read what God says in His Word, He doesn't either. You don't know me so don't "pre-judge" me either. You don't know who my friends are. The Bible is pretty clear what God calls sin and this is one which He clearly calls out. HE did not make someone gay, it's a choice. Just like someone chooses to lie, or steal, or hate--it's a sin and God does not MAKE someone gay. Problem with our society is we have become complacent to sin and our morality is going south at an ever increasing rate.
THIRD FACEBOOK MEMBER: sexuality is a spiritual choice....that is a human decision,...being born as a human being, made in the image of God is a God made act....to murder a fetus is a sin against God...to choose to be homosexual is a choice made under the influence of the evil one called Satan....I have homosexual friends that I pray for and love them as a person....I hate the sin that they have chosen....not the person....temptation is in all decisions of right or wrong...The BIBLE is a Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth....I call it God's Word....Love the Sinner....Hate the Sin.

AND

THINKINGBLUE FACEBOOK MEMBER: You know, the pathetic ones, who hide behind scripture, KNOW NOT OF WHAT THEY DO (or say)... Where have I heard THAT before? The delusional "principles" (better known as dogma) in religion has delayed science for many hundreds of years if not thousands (A KNOWN FACT) and the brains of those who soak it up, STILL TO THIS DAY, wish they could stop it (SCIENCE) in its tracks and take us back to a time when Human Beings were mainly in the dark and because they did not or could not THINK, they were unmercifully cruel. (Like the days when the holy ones --scared of their own shadow-- use to burn old ladies at the stake because someone had seen a mole or wort growing upon their poor wrinkled up faces and finked on them.) Come on, get real... THINKING is FUN! Here’s a video for those who are not afraid to think or have no fear of being tuned into a pillar of salt if they do...

Republican GOP Tea Party's War On Women (continued)

Excerpt From This Link: The more Republican candidates pitch for social conservative votes, the more we see the misogyny of America's religious right

Rick Santorum... has cast America as fighting a spiritual struggle against secularism and Satan.
Republicans and their Tea Party shock troops say they want to "take America back". Progressives think they mean back to the 1950s, back to when men were men, women were ladies, and black folks only got into the White House by the back door. But Republicans are thinking big: they actually want to take us back to the Middle Ages, back to the "good old days" of sexual repression, regulation (ON SOCIAL ISSUES) and punishment.
Forget the economy: this election is becoming a referendum on women's bodies, since it's women (according to the Republicans' Book of Holy Misogyny) who like to have sex without wanting to get pregnant, and, if they do get pregnant, might want to have an abortion; women who demand, as former Senator Rick Santorum says, a "license to do things in the sexual realm that is [sic] counter to how things are supposed to be."
You know, "sluts".
Republicans in Congress have launched a dubious investigation of Planned Parenthood, the century-old women's health organization, and tried to take away its funding. The Senate narrowly defeated an amendment that would have allowed employers to deny insurance coverage for anything the employer found morally or religiously objectionable: contraception, certainly, but perhaps also lung cancer treatment ("you should have stopped smoking"), HIV/Aids testing ("homosexuality is an abomination"), and pre-natal care for single women ("nice girls get themselves a husband before they get themselves a baby").
When I stumbled across this article I thought GOOD SUPERNATURAL GUY, this is a remarkable dissertation of what the GOP Tea Party is all about in plain English AND it came from the objectivity of another country, The United Kingdom, (Leave it to the Brits to call it like it is). This WAR ON WOMEN (and it's not SO CALLED it IS) made me think... (Which I do quite frequently... I don't know why, maybe because I have a few BRAIN CELLS hanging around with nothing to do) what about all the unwanted little babies that the GOP Tea Party supposedly are trying to SAVE... (All the unwanted pregnancies that the male-chowder-heads inside the GOP Tea Party wish to force to term, so they can become a bunch of impoverished lazy bums – as the same GOP Tea Party would ascribe to them, once born) ...what about those tiny little guys who were FORCED into existence even though no one wanted them. With a few KEY words typed in to Google, the on-line search machine gave me back ‘VOILA’ this link:
http://users.resist.ca/~kirstena/machallinstitutionhistory.html
Here is a heart wrenching EXCERPT: American Child Institution History

The history of child welfare for neglected and dependent children in the United States traces its roots to Elizabethan Poor Laws from the 1600's and British common law that came to America via the colonists. Up until the 1800's, abandoned and neglected children were placed in workhouses, and sold into indentured servitude or industrial labor, alongside destitute adults. Poor children often also ended up in poorhouses/almshouses alongside adults. In Robert L. Geiser's book, The Illusion of Caring, (1973: Beacon Press, Boston), he says in 1795, there were 622 paupers in the New York City Almshouse and 259 of them, over 40 percent, were children under the age of nine. He goes on to write, "In 1821, in the Boston Almshouse were 78 sick persons, 77 children, 9 maniacs and idiots, and 155 unclassified inmates, mostly old and decrepit…In 1834, the Boston Almshouse (originally intended to be a workhouse for the able-bodied poor) now contained 134 sick persons, 132 children (104 of school age and 28 at nurse), and a distressing 61 persons insane or idiotic…" (p. 152). Eventually public outrage over conditions for poor children in adult work and poverty institutions removed children into specialized child institutions, which eventually gave way to a foster care revolution, ushered in by Charles Loring Brace, in the mid-1840's. The 1800's saw an economic depression, and the U.S. government began getting involved in child welfare, in addition to existing religious and private organizations devoted to the cause for differing reasons. By the mid-1900's, foster care had begun to replace institutional care for dependent children. Yet even in 2008, we are experiencing what some call a "broken foster care system," with children dying in foster care regularly, without proper state supervision. Hundreds of thousands of children have gone through American child institutions and foster care placements. The problem of what to do with abandoned, impoverished children is one as old as America herself. http://users.resist.ca/~kirstena/machallinstitutionhistory.html

HEY FOLKS, that's the America the Republican GOP Tea Party wishes to take us back to... I just can't help but wonder, (another past-time for those pesky BRAIN CELLS with not much to do) WHO ARE OUR LEADERS? Are they the educated folk that we elect OR are THEY the unenlightened, scared to death, small minded ignorants who complain and throw hissy-fits because we have come a long way from the puritanical pathetic people of yesteryear (YOU KNOW THE ONES WHO USE TO BURN OLD LADIES AT THE STAKE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_by_burning )? thinkingblue

GOP War On Women - continued

War On Women? Poppycock!

Billionaire has spilled the beans
on the 1%'s dirty little secret.

Why The Rightwing Have No Compassion

 Please forgive me but I must re-blog this video, it shows the GOP Tea Party misogyny and their lack of Public Morality so thoroughly with honesty. Thank you Robert Reich.

A War On Women? Poppycock!

A War On Women? Poppycock!
Hypocrisy To The Highest Degree.

Despite the persistent gender gap in opinion polls and mounting criticism of their hostility to women’s rights, Republicans are not backing off their assault on women’s equality and well-being.

The GOP is still trying to deny that they are waging a WAR ON WOMEN even though everything they do, every word that comes from their lips, every bill they try to push, affirms otherwise. A few examples in my own words below but don't take my arrogant opinion of anger towards the SOB... Oops I mean GOP, just read the article The Campaign Against Women for REAL HARD EVIDENCE that proves, indeed the GOP/TP Republicans are waging a political war on all us W-O-M-E-N. (only those of us who are either low income or middle income because wealthy women will be able to override the GOP's unfair laws against females, with M-O-N-E-Y.)

ABORTION - GOP is whittling away at Roe v. Wade until it no longer exists.

ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE - GOP wishes to defund Planned Parenthood, denying low income women life saving medical treatment.

EQUAL PAY- GOP does not believe women deserve the same wages as men for the same jobs.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE - The GOP wishes to omit new protections for gay, Indian, student and immigrant abuse victims ... GOP also wish to roll back protections for immigrant women whose status is dependent on a spouse, making it more likely that they will stay with their abusers, at real personal risk... AND THE GOP IS STILL INSISTING THAT 'THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A WAR ON WOMEN...

Say What?

NOW TURN ON YOUR TV AND TUNE IN TO FOX NEWS TO HEAR, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, and Neil Cavuto et.al. clamor,

“Par-don My French, Folks… ‘A WAR ON WOMEN’ Poppycock and Fiddlesticks!!  IT’S JUST A LIBERAL PLOT PERPETRATED BY DEMOCRATS”.  

You Decide? thinkingblue

The Campaign Against Women
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/opinion/sunday/the-attack-on-women-is-real.html

Despite the persistent gender gap in opinion polls and mounting criticism of their hostility to women’s rights, Republicans are not backing off their assault on women’s equality and well-being. New laws in some states could mean a death sentence for a pregnant woman who suffers a life-threatening condition. But the attack goes well beyond abortion, into birth control, access to health care, equal pay and domestic violence.

Republicans seem immune to criticism. In an angry speech last month, John Boehner, the House speaker, said claims that his party was damaging the welfare of women were “entirely created” by Democrats. Earlier, the Republican National Committee chairman, Reince Priebus, sneered that any suggestion of a G.O.P. “war on women” was as big a fiction as a “war on caterpillars.”

But just last Wednesday, Mr. Boehner refuted his own argument by ramming through the House a bill that seriously weakens the Violence Against Women Act. That followed the Republican push in Virginia and elsewhere to require medically unnecessary and physically invasive sonograms before an abortion, and Senate Republicans’ persistent blocking of a measure to better address the entrenched problem of sex-based wage discrimination.

On Capitol Hill and in state legislatures, Republicans are attacking women’s rights in four broad areas.
---------

Billionaire has spilled the beans on the 1%'s dirty little secret.

Billionaire has spilled the beans on the 1%'s dirty little secret.
The rich are not job creators,

I AM A JOB CREATOR!

I once wrote a brief summary on how my family helped create jobs, for an on-line petition. I can't remember the petition but I've located the word doc that I created with my 2 cents worth:

---

“Congress keeps mum on how jobs can be created; they seem to be telling us with their silence that, THEY HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO CREATE JOBS. How strange is that, when my family has created jobs by repairing our infrastructure… i.e. NEW ROOF (the old one was shot and leaked) NEW SEPTIC TANK (the old one cracked and became a health hazard) NEW WATER PUMP (the old one quit working and we were without water) not to mention, washing machine, air-conditioner, hot water tank, and ALL AROUND HANDYMAN repairs. Congress can’t create jobs, but my "low income" household can, WHAT GIVES?”

---

It goes without saying how we, the 99 % buy gasoline that keep BIG OIL filthy rich with profits; Purchasing food and umpteen other needs that make those who payout dues to ALEC, wealthy beyond their dreams. {{{American Legislative Exchange Council}}} (www.justice.org/alec)

And, I can't begin to express how much of our hard earned LOW WAGES goes out to Big Pharma, Big Medicine and Big Insurance... Oh, and let us not forget the $$$, we shell over to Big Education making DEBT the real lifelong college career.)

Yes indeed, we are the JOB CREATORS and each and every one of us should thank one another for keeping this country running. (Yet The Corporate Personhood will step on our face every chance they get, TELLING US, IT'S OUR OWN DAMN FAULT BECAUSE WE ARE THE CAUSE OF THE PAIN WE FEEL.)

It's enough to make us SCREAM a collective “UNCLE”!

UPDATE: The above statements are all true and we the 99% have been clamoring the inequities from THE TOP OF MOUNTAINS and until now, our Uproars have fallen on deaf ears.

The 1% corporate personhood have made this country's income inequities a business where only the VERY WEALTHY reap any rewards. Not only that, they have convinced many of the populous, that only they, know what's best for we hoi polloi.

They call themselves JOB CREATORES and it doesn't matter who proves them wrong because Fox Fake News comes to the rescue and convinces their loyal viewers it's all a LIBERAL PLOT to take down our country.

Please sit back and listen to ONE OF THEM, one of the ONE PERCENTERS TELL IT LIKE IT REALLY IS.

Mr. Nick Hanauer, please tell me sweetheart, WHY DID IT TAKE YOU SO LONG???

thinkingblue

The liberal ideal is that everyone should have fair access and fair opportunity. This is not equality of result. It's equality of opportunity. There's a fundamental difference. ~~Robert Reich~~
Equality of outcome, equality of condition, or equality of results is a controversial political concept. Although it is not always clearly defined, it is usually taken to describe a state in which people have approximately the same material wealth or, more generally, in which the general conditions of their lives are similar. Achieving this requires reducing or eliminating material
inequalities between individuals or households in a society. This could involve a transfer of income and/or wealth from wealthier to poorer individuals, or adopting other institutions designed to promote equality of condition from the start. The concept is central to some political ideologies and is used regularly in political discourse, often in contrast to the term equality of opportunity. A related way of defining equality of outcome is to think of it as "equality in the
central and valuable things in life."
Equal Opportunity, sometimes known as Equality of opportunity, is a term which has differing definitions and there is no consensus as to the precise meaning. In the classical sense, equality of opportunity is closely aligned with the concept of equality before the law, and ideas of meritocracy.
Equality of opportunity is in philosophical contrast against the concept of equality of outcome.
Examples:
Some use it as a descriptive term for an approach intended to provide a certain social environment in which people are not excluded from the activities of society, such as education, employment, or health care, on the basis of immutable traits. Unfair opportunity practices include measures taken by an organization to ensure fairness in the employment process. A basic definition of equality is the idea of equal treatment and respect.
In job advertisements and descriptions, the fact that the employer is an equal opportunity employer is sometimes indicated by the abbreviations EOE or MFDV which stands for Minority, Female, Disabled, Veteran.
------------------
Equal opportunity 1) n. a right supposedly guaranteed by both federal and many state laws against any discrimination in employment, education, housing or credit rights due to a person's race, color, sex (or sometimes sexual orientation), religion, national origin, age or handicap. A person who believes he/she has not been granted equal opportunity or has been outright sexually harassed or discriminated against may bring a lawsuit under federal and most state laws, or file a complaint with the federal Equal Opportunity Employment Commission or a state equal opportunity agency.
2) adj. a term applied to employers, lenders and landlords, who advertise that they are "equal opportunity employers," subtly suggesting all others are not, even though they are required by law to be so. (See: affirmative action)

Billionaire has spilled the beans on the 1%'s dirty little secret. Why The Rightwing Have No Compassion What's So Strange About Mormonism? Robert Reich - Shout It From the Rooftops Mitt Romney - A Meanness At His Core Right-WingNut Blog Called 'The American Thinker' Are You A Cyber Bully? GOP WAR ON COMMUNISM. SAY WHAT? ALEC - A Really Scary Movie I Am A Job Creator 'ALEC' Has Been Forced To REAR ITS UGLY HEAD "Stand Your Ground" Law, OVERKILL? Where Does America's Bigotry Come From?

It's A Fact - Right-Wingers Have No Compassion!

We always knew this but now we know why.

The below article is the BEST explanation I have come upon so far that explains why the GOP/TP seems to exhibit such hate toward everything and everybody that does not share their warped opinion of reality. It is a must read if you seek help for the anquish that has built up in the brains of those of us who think. thinkingblue
PS: Notice the date is February 17, 2012, I never did get to blog this for some reason but it's too good to let stand idle in my blogging folder.

Right-wingers have occasioned much recent comment. Their behavior in the Republican debates has caused even jaded observers to react like an Oxford don stumbling upon a tribe of headhunting cannibals. In those debates where the moderators did not enforce decorum, these right-wingers, the Republican base, behaved with a single lack of dignity. For a group that displays its supposed pro-life credentials like a neon sign, the biggest applause lines resulted from their hearing about executions or the prospect of someone dying without health insurance. Who are these people and what motivates them? To answer, one must leave the field of conventional political theory and enter the realm of psychopathology. Three books may serve as field guides to the farther shores of American politics and the netherworld of the true believer. Most estimates calculate the percentage of Republican voters who are religious fundamentalists at around 40 percent; in some key political contests, such as the Iowa caucuses, the percentage is closer to 60. Because of their social cohesion, ease of political mobilization and high election turnout, fundamentalists have political weight even beyond their raw numbers. An understanding of their leaders, infrastructure and political goals is warranted. Max Blumenthal has done the work in his book "Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party." Blumenthal investigates politicized fundamentalism and provides capsule bios of such movement luminaries as James Dobson, Tony Perkins, John Hagee and Ted Haggard. The reader will conclude that these authority figures and the flocks they command are driven by a binary, Manichean vision of life and a hunger for conflict. Their minds appear to have no more give and take than that of a terrier staring down a rat hole. Blumenthal examines the childhoods of these religious-right celebrities and reveals a significant quotient of physical and mental abuse suffered at the hands of parents. His analysis of the obvious sadomasochistic element in Mel Gibson's films - so lionized by the right wing - is enough to give one the creeps. But the book is by no means a uniformly depressing slog: the chapter titled "Satan in a Porsche," about fundamentalist attempts to ban pornography, approaches slapstick. According to the author, the inner life of fundamentalist true believers is the farthest thing from that of a stuffily proper Goody Two Shoes. They seem tormented by demons that those in the reality-based community scarcely experience. That may explain their extraordinary latitude in absolving their political and ecclesiastical heroes of their sins: while most of us might regard George W. Bush as a dry drunk resentful of his father, Newt Gingrich as a sociopathic serial adulterer and Ted Haggard as a pathetic specimen in terminal denial, their followers on the right apparently believe that the greater the sin, the more impressive the salvation - so long as the magic words are uttered and the penitent sinner is washed in the Blood of the Lamb. This explains why people like Gingrich can attend "values voter" forums and both he and the audience manage to keep straight faces. Far from being a purpose-driven life, the existence of many true believers is a crisis-driven life that seeks release, as Blumenthal asserts, in an "escape from freedom." An observer of the right-wing phenomenon must explain the paradox of followers who would escape from freedom even as they incessantly invoke the word freedom as if it were a mantra. But freedom so defined does not mean ordinary civil liberties like the prohibition of illegal government search and seizure, the right of due process, or the right not to be tortured. The hard right has never protested the de facto abrogation of much of the Bill of Rights during the last decade. In the right-wing id, freedom is the emotional release that a hostile and psychologically repressed person feels when he is finally able to lash out at the objects of his resentment. Freedom is his prerogative to rid himself of people who are different, or who unsettle him. Freedom is merging into a like-minded herd. Right-wing alchemy transforms freedom into authoritarianism. MORE HERE

I did this video when Pastor Dennis Terry told his flock he is sick and tired of being told this is not a Christian Nation. He then resorted to schoolyard bullying tactics and told all who are non-christain and or liberal to...

 GET OUT!

What's So Strange About Mormonism?

A Religion By Any Other Name Is Still Silly.

{{Heads were superimposed on original image.}}

Today, I came across the above image on facebook and thought at first, HOW SILLY that people who believe in this Mormon faith would actually wear magic underwear to protect them from danger. Then I thought, IT'S NO CRAZIER THAN SOME OF THE OTHER suppositions that religions teach their flocks to assert as true; thus, today's blog.

The magic underwear (or undergarment) is just another fairytale belief from a supernatural and superstitious world that religions EVERYWHERE project. Mormonism, in my ‘book’ is not any stranger than the other belief systems that rely on some enchanted faith. They all tell their followers to TRUST ME AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED IN AN AFTERLIFE. Now who in the HELL can disprove that???  The sycophants of MOST religions are led to believe that they will win the lottery once their earthly existence has expired. Why and how can they possibly believe in such a ridiculous delusion?

Because it was written down on parchment or paper by some other delusional (but educated enough to know how to write) human being and these antiquated essays were gathered together through the years, put in a binder and labeled SCRIPTURE.

Well, for me, I’d rather view a sunset and feel gloriously part of the greatest mystery mankind can experience; the unfathomable, unknowable truth of existence.

So please, don't subject to ridicule another person's belief system when you, yourself believe in the same ridiculous notions of the supernatural in your own orthodoxy. thinkingblue

PS: I once knew a very religious (Catholic) person who would make endless fun of those who believed in UFO's and aliens from another planet...
 

Excerpt below from this article: http://davewhittle.net/2012/04/05/truth/what-mormons-really-believe-get-ready-for-the-anti-mormon-bigotry-parade

EXCERPT: “Do Mormons REALLY believe all that?”

The answer is usually no – but I’ll admit: we Mormons believe some rather strange things. For example, we believe God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to a 14-year old boy in upstate New York in 1820. We believe that same boy, with the utterly unremarkable name of Joseph Smith, received engraved plates of gold from an angel and, through revelation, translated those plates, published the translation that is now The Book of Mormon, and established a church with hundreds of adherents – all before he reached the age of 25. We believe in modern prophets and in personal revelation. The practice of our religion makes us objects of ridicule as well. No coffee, tea, tobacco or alcohol? No pre-marital or extramarital sex? Mormons in good standing pay a full tithe? Once polygamy was OK but now it’s not? A previous policy preventing the blacks from receiving the Priesthood that was rescinded by revelation as recently as 1978? Proxy baptisms for our deceased ancestors and other secret (we say sacred) ceremonies inside temples? Ceremonial undergarments as a remembrance of our temple covenants? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.

MORE HERE: http://davewhittle.net/2012/04/05/truth/what-mormons-really-believe-get-ready-for-the-anti-mormon-bigotry-parade

SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS - Robert Reich

Everyone and I mean EVERYONE, every last American alive today should watch this video. Robert Reich hits the proverbial nail on its EVER LOVING HEAD. Please watch, it's very important, this may save America from the wealthy corporate personhoods (banksters) who wish to turn our democracy into a plutocracy - oligarchy. Thinkingblue

Robert Reich: Public vs. Private Morality

PLUTOCRACY

1. The rule or power of wealth or of the wealthy.

2. A government or state in which the wealthy class rules.

3. A class or group ruling, or exercising power or influence, by virtue of its wealth.

Please Tell The DNC To Help With The Scott Walker Wisconsin Recount

 

Please Tell The DNC To Help With The Scott Walker Wisconsin Recount

Democratic National Committee: Invest In The Scott Walker Recall Now!

By Mary Magnuson (Contact)

To be delivered to: Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Chairperson, Democratic National Committee

Democratic National Committee & Debbie Wasserman Schultz, invest now in the crucial fight to remove Scott Walker from office in Wisconsin--the people have worked hard and it's time to help.

As a Wisconsin progressive working day and night to recall Scott Walker, I'm shocked: The DNC still isn't giving financial support to the recall fight in Wisconsin. After more than a year of grassroots efforts, Wisconsin citizens have accomplished more than anyone thought possible. We now have a Democratic challenger to Scott Walker who is neck and neck in the polls, even though Tom Barrett is being outspent by Walker's millions from out-of-state donations. There is no more time for the Democratic National Committee to wait--if Walker wins, it would be a huge setback to Democrats in races across the country this year. We need the DNC's support immediately!
---

I don't understand at all what is happening here. The DNC holding back money that would help Right a grievous Wrong committed against the people? Maybe the DNC has begotten two more initials ... DNC/TP

 I dearly hope not, we are all screwed if this is the case. thinkingblue

PLEASE SIGN: http://signon.org/sign/democratic-national-committe?source=s

There are currently 90,920 signatures

First Family Album

Mitt Romney - A Meanness At His Core

Mitt Romney - A Meanness At His Core

Barney Frank, who knows Mitt Romney better than any of us, detected something very mean in Mitt Romney. The latest news on a hazing incident back in Mitt Romney's high school years may prove Mr. Frank right. thinkingblue.
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With Mitt Romney set to give the commencement address at Liberty University on Saturday, here are 10 things you might not know about the private evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia.
1. Founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell, the fundamentalist Baptist preacher who died in 2007.

2. Costs about $25,834 per year, including tuition, fees and housing.

3. “Handholding is the only appropriate form of personal contact,” according to the school handbook, “The Liberty Way.”

4. Is the largest Christian university in the world, with some 12,500 on-campus students and 70,000 online.

5. Students may go to the movie theater — but R-rated films are strictly prohibited.

6. Dress code for women prohibits “anything tight, scant, backless, see-through, low in the neckline or revealing the midriff (in any position) is immodest and unacceptable.”

7. Canned the campus Democratic club in 2009 because of the national party’s stance on abortion and gay rights.

8. Banned at commencement: silly string, noisemakers, firearms, balloons, alcohol, needles, and wrapped presents.

9. The school mascot’s name: Sparky, an eagle.

10. And its athletic clubs: The Flames.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76230.html#ixzz1ueoIivlI
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Jerry Falwell Quotes
The 10 Craziest Things Rev. Jerry Falwell Ever Said
10. "The idea that religion and politics don't mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country."

9. "The ACLU is to Christians what the American Nazi party is to Jews."

8. "I hope I live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won't have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again and Christians will be running them. What a happy day that will be!"

7. "AIDS is the wrath of a just God against homosexuals. To oppose it would be like an Israelite jumping in the Red Sea to save one of Pharaoh's charioteers ... AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals; it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals."

6. "Nothing will motivate conservative evangelical Christians to vote Republican in the 2008 presidential election more than a Democratic nominee named Hillary Rodham Clinton - not even a run by the devil himself ... I certainly hope that Hillary is the candidate. She has $300 million so far. But I hope she's the candidate. Because nothing will energize my [constituency] like Hillary Clinton. If Lucifer ran, he wouldn't." --at a "Values Voter Summit"

5. "Grown men should not be having sex with prostitutes unless they are married to them."

4. "Billy Graham is the chief servant of Satan in America."

3. "He is purple — the gay-pride color, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle — the gay pride symbol." –from a "Parents Alert" issued in Jerry Falwell's National Liberty Journal, warning that "Tinky Winky," a character on the popular PBS children's show, "Teletubbies," may be gay

2. "You've got to kill the terrorists before the killing stops. And I'm for the president to chase them all over the world. If it takes 10 years, blow them all away in the name of the Lord."

1. "The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'" --on the 9/11 attackshttp://politicalhumor.about.com/od/stupidquotes/a/falwellquotes.htm

Right-WingNut Blog Called 'The American Thinker' Are You A Cyber Bully? GOP WAR ON COMMUNISM. SAY WHAT? ALEC - A Really Scary Movie I Am A Job Creator 'ALEC' Has Been Forced To REAR ITS UGLY HEAD "Stand Your Ground" Law, OVERKILL? Where Does America's Bigotry Come From? Welcome To The Cockroach Tea Party. Who Does The 'Stand Your Ground' Protect? Not A Christian, then GET OUT! Why hasn't George Zimmermann Been Arrested? Rightwing Looking For Trash on Trayvon VOTING IN FLOIRDA IS NOW ILLEGAL SNOPES UNDER FIRE BY THE GOP/TP Youtube Peace Plea War On Fairness & Update: Shoot First/Stand Your Ground Florida Law Potpourri of GOP/TP Madness Maybe We Shouldn't Hush The Rush 140 French Fries Have Fallen Out Of Limbaugh's Order Rush Limbaugh, The Pied Piper of Dittoland Help SUMOFUS Get Limbaugh Off Our Airwaves THE MANY VENOMS OF RUSH LIMBAUGH The Unabashed Ignorance of Rush Limbaugh Andrew Breitbart Gone and With Him Goes His Hate Once Upon A Time, Not So Long Ago, The USA Was A Republic

Attention GOP/TP Thinking Outside The GOP "Good Book" GOP TEA PARTY Now Targeting (demonizing) The Girl Scouts of America POOR 101 Rational Intelligence Is On Our Side GOP's Insane War On Women A philosophical moment: Without Christopher Hitchens, We (mankind) Are Less. C-PAC Your White Robes and Pointy Hats Are Showing RICK SCOTT DRUG TEST POOR PEOPLE UPDATE The Greatest Generation - Stories Breast Cancer Stories Republican Knuckle Draggers Tea Party Hitler Adam West FOOTBALL The Ugly American GOP RESPONSE (Ignorance Is Not Bliss) ADDENDUM GOP RESPONSE THE UGLY GOP WHY DOES THE GOP HATE? STOP SOPA PIPA ARE THE REPUBLICAN VOTERS WAKING UP? A CRUSH ON NOAA AND OBAMA OCCUPY WALL STREET - AMERICAN AWAKENING OCCUPY WALL STREET 4TH WEEK UPDATE OCCUPY WALL STREET WEEK SIX - We Shall Overcome OWS - POLICE RAID OVER HEALTH CONCERNS OWS - STUCK IN GOP'S CRAW VETERAN'S DAY - A PICTURE THAT SAYS A 1000 WORDS OWS NEW YEAR 2012

Right-WingNut Blog Called 'The American Thinker'

Right-WingNut Blog Called 'The American Thinker'

This is so sad... The right-wing blogs are out to defend George Zimmermann while painting Trayvon Martin as a non-victim. For the life of me, I cannot understand their supposed logic. They will write, blog and publish propaganda to prove they are the smart ones. It's not only sad, it's PATHETIC! Read this one that I just came across...
 http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/05/

Such hypocrits calling themselves THE AMERICAN THINKER and how strange when they do ANYTHING but THINK!
They should be called
THE AMERICAN THINKLESS!

Trayvon and Zimmerman: The Structure and Elements of a Disinformation Campaign By Scott Swett "Trayvon," of course, is Trayvon Martin, the black 17-year-old who was killed two months ago in Florida. "Zimmerman" is George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who shot him. Referring to Martin by his first name and Zimmerman by his last is just one small tactic in the national media campaign to make Martin's death an enduring symbol of white racism. The Trayvon campaign is accurately described as "disinformation" because deception is a fundamental part of its planning, strategy, and implementation. Leftist disinformation campaigns are common but not widely understood. This article is intended to make them easier to recognize, and to provide a framework for additional research and investigation. Whether or not George Zimmerman was justified in pulling the trigger is outside the scope of this analysis. Narrative The Trayvon narrative can be summarized as follows: a black child was walking innocently through a gated community after buying some candy at a store, when a white racist stalked and murdered him for no reason but his color. The police, who are also racists, let the white man go free. This narrative is similar to those used in previous racial disinformation campaigns: 1987 - White racists have raped a young black girl and left her in a trash bag. 1996 - White racists are burning down black churches across the South. 2005 - White racists at Duke University have raped a black woman. Like the Trayvon narrative, the earlier narratives were untrue. However, they remain widely believed as a result of the massive media coverage used to bring them to national attention. Theme All the racial narratives have the same underlying theme: black people are constantly oppressed and endangered by white racism, which is a central feature of American life. This claim is constantly repeated by political agitators, making use of any event that becomes available. (Actual statistics on violent crime tell a different story: blacks in America assault and murder whites at a far higher rate than the reverse, and the overwhelming majority of violent acts against blacks -- 93% -- are committed by other blacks. These facts are rarely mentioned by the media.) Strategy Social science research offers some useful insights into how people typically make decisions: Reasoning is only a small part of forming opinions or judgments Judgments are often based on inadequate information Early and negative information has a disproportionally heavy impact Anecdotal, easy-to-remember information is also overly weighted Therefore, disinformation campaigns use simple, powerful, negative, emotional arguments that tell a story. Since people resist changing their minds about emotionally loaded topics, the media campaign has to ramp up quickly, before the facts have a chance to catch up to the narrative. (AND THEY SHOULD KNOW BECAUSE THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THE RIGHT-WINGERS DO! Case in point FOX FAKE NEWS! NUFF SAID? ) Read more, if you can without... http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/05/trayvon_and_ zimmerman_the_structure_and_elements_ of_a_disinformation_campaign.html

Here's a quote from one of the writers on this blog:

Steven Plaut - americnthinker.com
It is impossible to understand politics in the world today without grasping the fundamental fact that there exist two different lefts. I propose that the two be referred to by everyone as the Stupid Left and the Satanic Left. The two are very different, although they work together. People who are part of the first are simply stupid people. People who are part of the second may in fact be quite shrewd, but are evil and nefarious. There is no third type of leftist.

I will not call these people stupid (even though they are) because stupid isn't strong enough. These people are delusional, they live in a world of hate and will twist the truth to fit into this place of loathing (from whence they came)... I just wished I had a clue as to WHY ordinary people agree with them, against their own best interests? Maybe, just maybe the contributors (say, Koch Brothers, Karl Rover et al) of these right-wingnut blogs are masterminds at INDOCTRINATION. -- YA THINK? thinkingblue!

Are You A Cyberbully?

I just received the below email, stating that I have now become a CYBERBULLY.

Carolyn,
The best way to know that we're having an impact?  When our opponents lash out at us.  And boy did they ever.
Politico wrote an article that highlights some of the work we've done in opposition to CISPA -- including our campaign to call Mark Zuckerberg out on lining up Facebook in support of the bill:

Facebook, IBM and other firms — along with lawmakers — have been targeted this week in attacks on Twitter and Facebook, via email and online petitions.

What do the powers-that-be think of our grassroots activism?

“Cyberbullying,” one tech company insider dubbed it.

Right on.  We want to be free to 'bully' mega corporations and politicians whenever they deserve it.  And your donations keep us independent and make it possible for us to do so.

We haven't won yet, but they're calling us cyberbullies because we're having a tangible impact on the workings on Capitol Hill.  
We're making it harder for big businesses to push a pro-corporate, anti-Internet, anti-consumer agenda.
Over the last month alone we've generated more than 300,000 emails to Congress, nearly 200,000 signatures on our open letter to Facebook, and more than 15,000 phone calls to lawmakers.
And we've seen tangible results:

• Amendments were adopted that made CISPA (marginally) better.

• Earlier this month CISPA was supposed to sail through, but we helped foment real opposition, and the House vote was far closer than anybody could have imagined even a couple of weeks ago.

• Most Democrats held firm in opposition, and more than two dozen libertarian-leaning Republicans defied their leadership and vote no.

• Most importantly, President Obama has threatened to veto CISPA.

Thanks so much for your support!
-Demand Progress
~~~~~~~~~~~~

THEY'RE STILL AT IT... The wanton desire, by the greedy few, to sabotage Internet creativity is still going and going like the Energizer Bunny. I hope we, who use the Internet for creating and viewing and learning and interaction with other Internet entities will have a voice in President Obama to stop this new threat upon our civil liberties in the guise of protecting us. Hmmm, again, where have I heard that before?

Please tell President Obama to stand strong against the new SOPA bill called CISPA... http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/obama_cispa/

CISPA by any other name would smell as SOPA

CISPA has garnered favor from corporations and lobbying groups such as Microsoft, Facebook and the United States Chamber of Commerce, which look on it as a simple and effective means of sharing important cyber threat information with the government. CISPA has been criticized by advocates of internet privacy and civil liberties, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Avaaz.org. Those groups argue CISPA contains too few limits on how and when the government may monitor private individual’s internet browsing information. Additionally, they fear that such new powers could be used to surveil the general public rather than to pursue malicious hackers.

Some critics saw CISPA as a second attempt at strengthing digital piracy laws after the anti-piracy Stop Online Piracy Act became deeply unpopular. Intellectual property theft was initially listed in the bill as a possible cause for sharing web traffic information with the government, though it was removed in subsequent drafts.

The legislation was introduced on November 30, 2011 by U.S. Representative Michael Rogers (R-MI) and 111 co-sponsors. It was passed in the House of Representatives on April 26, 2012.[9] President Obama has argued that the bill lacks confidentiality and civil liberties safeguards and has threatened to veto it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_Intelligence_Sharing_and_Protection_Act

Who supports and opposes CISPA, and why? The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), which recently passed the US House of Representatives, will soon see its counterpart bills debated in the Senate. The vote on CISPA comes only months after the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was withdrawn after widespread protest, and many are wondering whether CISPA will garner the same high-profile opposition. By allowing companies to share user data with each other or the government to combat vaguely defined "cyber threats," CISPA has raised major questions about online privacy. Unlike SOPA, however, the provisions of CISPA largely absolve companies from responsibility if something goes wrong. This means that Google, Facebook, and others stand much less to lose (and in many cases, a good deal to gain) if it passes. We've taken a look at where several of the major tech companies and websites stand on this proposal.The Opposition: CISPA has generated its share of controversy, with the Cato Institute, American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Democracy and Technology, and many others speaking out against it. Few major tech companies, however, have followed suit. Two notable exceptions so far are Mozilla and Cheezburger Inc., both of which have strongly opposed the bill.""This is SOPA's cousin who works for the CIA." " Mozilla came out against the measure yesterday, telling Forbes that "CISPA has a broad and alarming reach that goes far beyond Internet security. The bill infringes on our privacy, includes vague definitions of cybersecurity, and grants immunities to companies and government that are too broad around information misuse." Cheezburger was more succinct: in an interview with ProPublica, CEO Ben Huh said CISPA was "SOPA's cousin who works for the CIA." The Support: The parties above, however, are far outnumbered by companies in favor of CISPA. Major technology interest groups and businesses like Intel, IBM, and Symantec have sent letters of support, and some have further announced their positions more publicly. In February, for example, Facebook policy VP Joel Kaplan commended the bill to the House of Representatives, saying that it would remove "burdensome rules that currently can inhibit protection of the cyber ecosystem" and "provide a more established structure for sharing within the cyber community while still respecting the privacy rights and expectations of users." More recently, the company posted about CISPA on its blog and told Time that "when one company detects an attack, sharing information about that attack promptly with other companies can help protect those other companies and their users from being victimized by the same attack."""A more established structure for sharing within the cyber community while still respecting the privacy rights and expectations of users."" Likewise, major carriers have expressed support for CISPA. AT&T called the bill "an important and positive step in strengthening cybersecurity collaboration," and Verizon said it "enables private sector entities to defend their and their customers’ networks, allows them to share cyber-threat data with others in the private sector and the US Government, and improves our nation’s ability to identify and mitigate cyber threats before they can do damage." In rare cases, companies have backed away at least marginally from their initial commendation. Microsoft supported the bill when it was introduced, calling it a way to "eliminate barriers and disincentives that currently prevent effective information sharing to guard against cyber-attacks." Since then, it has qualified that statement to CNET, stating that its position is "unchanged" but that any bill must allow "us to honor the privacy and security promises we make to our customers." A spokesperson said that Microsoft will "ensure the final legislation helps to tackle the real threat of cybercrime while protecting consumer privacy." The Undecided: At this point, the biggest question is not who has come out in favor of CISPA, but whether it should expect significant opposition from major technology groups. Several of the biggest potential critics are still debating the bill internally or watching for major developments, including Wikipedia, one of the biggest participants in the influential SOPA blackout. Wikimedia spokesperson Joe Walsh has told ProPublica that the organization is still undecided on CISPA: "It's still early days. We don't want to rush to conclusions." The Wikimedia Foundation is apparently still monitoring the bill. Reddit also established itself as a major player during the SOPA controversy, but the site's administrators are taking a more measured stance so far on CISPA. As mentioned in a recent site post, Reddit wants to help sort out the issues surrounding the bill: it's lining up a group of experts involved with the bill, starting with a Center for Democracy and Technology panel today. "We want to make sure we're familiar with all of [the different House and Senate bills] and the different details before we release an official position," Reddit general manager Erik Martin told us today. Martin said, however, that this doesn't mean Reddit is "in support or even neutral" on CISPA.""We want to make sure we're familiar with all of the different details before we release an official position."" The last undecided name is one of the biggest. Search juggernaut Google has hardly shied away from supporting or opposing legislation in the past, but the company has yet to take a stance on CISPA. The closest it's gotten is a recent statement to Forbes, where a spokesperson said that "we think this is an important issue and we’re watching the process closely but we haven’t taken a formal position on any specific legislation." The President: CISPA does, of course, have one fervent detractor: President Barack Obama. In a recent statement (PDF), the Executive Office of the President said the Obama Administration was "strongly opposed" to the bill in its present form, and that the President's advisers would recommend he veto it if lawmakers did not limit the amount of personal information that could be disclosed and remove companies' "inappropriate" blanket protection from legal liability. This protection, the Administration says, "not only removes a strong incentive to improving cybersecurity, it also potentially undermines our Nation's economic, national security, and public safety interests... The American people expect their Government to enhance security without undermining their privacy and civil liberties."

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