Consider this an open thread
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/marta-yellow-line-to-294162.html
And a collective sigh was issued…
From HuffPo:
Scott Lee Cohen officially dropped out as the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor on Sunday, slipping out of the race during the Super Bowl…
The embattled nominee has come under increasingly intense scrutiny since winning the party’s nomination Tuesday, as allegations of domestic violence, forcible sex, and steroid abuse have surfaced in the intervening days.
I will again take the opportunity to speak for all Democrats once again with these two points:
1) Thank the dear sweet Lord.
2) Why in hell was this discovered after the election?
My Take on the R-Word
In light of the recent controversy surrounding Rahm Emanuel, Sarah Palin, and Rush Limbaugh, I thought that I would post an editorial that I wrote about a year ago. FYI “Spread the Word to End the Word” Day will be coming around this year again, and I will post more information about it soon.
Let me begin with a short story: The other day, I was walking to class, and I was listening to a group of friends conversing with each other. One of the people in the group called someone walking on the Quad a dirty Mexican. Another girl referred to a black man as a Negro. A third then pointed out how all Asians look alike.
In all likelihood, if you were in my shoes and heard these comments, you would feel offended by them. But right now you’re probably also feeling some shock and doubt that something like this actually happened on our campus. After all, people in modern society do not angrily make fun of other people, if for no other reason than that they can and will rebut such baseless attacks. So yes, I invented that story — kind of. What actually happened is that I overheard a student referring to a person with autism as a ‘retard.’
We as a community tend to get offended quickly when those type of slurs are used to stereotype African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. Any respectable, well-educated student would never think to use such loathsome phrases and words, and in any context.
But I have heard many Emory students not think twice about misapplying the word “retard” in a pejorative sense. And even if you do not use the word in such context personally, through your silence, you tacitly permit others to abuse the word around you — at lunch, while playing video games, or even in the classroom while teaching. Most would speak up if someone used the N-word. They would tell that person how insulted and bigoted their words are, and yet many of those, regardless of race, offended by the N-word still feel free to use the word “retard” as a slight in their daily life.
Allow me another story, but this time, one that actually happened. This past summer, I was in Pittsburgh visiting some folks at United Cerebral Palsy, a health charity that works for rights for people with disabilities. In the conversations I held at UCP, I met a gentleman named Steve who was afflicted with cerebral palsy. Steve was in a wheelchair and could not communicate verbally. He often needed his caregiver to assist him by cleaning the saliva from his chin so that his handsomely-groomed goatee did not get wet.
But Steve and I had a long conversation about how the Pittsburgh Steelers rock and the Cleveland Browns suck. Though he could not speak, Steve expressed himself using sheets of paper with pictures and words such as “yes,” “no,” and “hungry.” But, even more importantly, he would smile when he heard something he liked and even made a soft noise as if to laugh when I made a corny joke. When you open yourself up to someone, you can communicate nonverbally. Leaving UCP that day, I felt that I knew this guy like a friend (and, yes, he does support all Pittsburgh sports teams).
I think back on this experience knowing full well that, of no fault of his own, Steve is a victim of constant and hurtful discrimination. I know that he, along with the young lady with a cognitive disability who bags my groceries at Kroger (and always offers, with a smile, to help me carry them to my car), and countless others are constantly being called retards. They are the victims every time you use that wretched word.
This past Tuesday was Spread the Word to End the Word Day. Think back upon every time that you have used the word “retard” in an incorrect and disrespectful way, and think about all the people you have hurt by using it. Next time you want to express how you think that someone is acting a little stupid, crazy, or deserving of criticism, choose to use a term that does not insult an uninvolved group of individuals. Because it really is time to End the Word.
Cartoon, 2/8
Porter goes after Delinquent Tax Paying Businesses
As was mentioned by many candidates at the debate last week, Georgia is losing tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars each year by unpaid sales taxes. However, one candidate continues to put actions behind rhetroic. Porter is cosponsoring HB356, which is summarized as follows:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to revenue and taxation, so as to revise substantially the manner and method of collecting local sales and use taxes; to change certain provisions regarding collection of certain local taxes by the state revenue commissioner; to provide for certain procedures and limitations with respect to private collecting firms; to provide for a definition; to change certain provisions regarding administration and collection of the joint county and municipal sales and use tax; to change certain provisions regarding required information on sales tax returns; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
Porter blogs:
Imagine how much of your government he could clean up and make efficient if he were your governor.
DuBose is still advocating for the “point of sale” bill. The coming inevitability that some version of HB356, the “point of sale” bill, will make it through this year, is the perfect example of what true leadership, combined with the people’s voices can do.
“It has shown that about 25% of the businesses that have business licenses do not have sales tax certificates,” Rep. Porter says, “That’s how much cheating is happening.” *
Rep. John Murtha dead at age 77
Rep. John Murtha has died at the age of 77 according to his Office.
Murtha was in intensive care following complications from Gallbladder surgery.
John Murtha was a champion of the left and one of the first members of the U.S. House to openly criticize the War in Iraq.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi supported Murtha to be minority leader when Democrats took over in 2006, but he lost to Rep. Hoyer.
Murtha was the chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.
R.I.P. Rep. Murtha, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
In 1974 Murtha, then an officer in the Marine Reserves, became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress. One of Congress’ most hawkish Democrats, he wielded considerable clout for two decades as the ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee that oversees Pentagon spending.
Palin won’t rule out 2012 run
Palin says that she would run in 2012 if she thinks it would be “the right thing for the country”:
“I would, I would if I believe that is the right thing to do for our country and the Palin family. Certainly I would do so . . . I think that it would be absurd to not consider what it is that I could potentially do to help our country … . I won’t close a door that perhaps could be open for me in the future.”
There is perhaps no better prospect for the Democratic Party in 2012 than Sarah Palin on top of the GOP ticket.
Run, Sarah, run!
Study shows you can be bored to death!
OK, maybe not so much in the literal sense, but a new study has linked increased likelihood of dying young with people who describe their lives as being boring.
The idea is that people who report boredom are more likely to turn to drugs, alcohol, and other unhealthy activities to solve their lack of enthusiasm and happiness. This goes in line with other studies that link boredom with obesity.
So the take-away from this is simply this: if you’re bored, you’re likely to do things that are unhealthy for you. If you’re more active and happy, then you’re more likely to engage in other activities that are positive. So stop sitting around watching Becker re-runs on TBS and do something that will actually cure your boredom and you might also cure your future heart disease!
Palin and the word “Retarded”
Let’s quickly what has happened.
- Rham Emanuel, Obama’s COS, called the liberal segment of the Democrats in Congress “F—ing Retarded“
- Palin calls on Emanuel to be fired.
- Emanuel apologizes
- Rush Limbaugh uses the word “retarded.”
- Palin defends Rush Limbaugh, calling it Satire.
So, what we have here is Palin being hypocritical. Here is her explanation:
But the former governor went to great and sometimes awkward lengths to insist that when conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh used the same exact term to describe the same exact group, it was simply in the role of political humorist.
“They are kooks, so I agree with Rush Limbaugh,” she said, when read a quote of Limbaugh calling liberal groups “retards.” “Rush Limbaugh was using satire … . I didn’t hear Rush Limbaugh calling a group of people whom he did not agree with ‘f-ing retards,’ and we did know that Rahm Emanuel, as has been reported, did say that. There is a big difference there.”
Her defense is that he is being a humorist. Is it ever appropriate to make “retard” jokes? Would it be appropriate it make a black-person joke?
Even so, was he actually even being a humorist?
I think the big news is the crackup going on. Our politically correct society is acting like some giant insult has taken place by calling a bunch of people who are retards, retards.
I mean, these liberal activists are kooks. They are loony tunes. And I’m not going to apologize for it, I’m just quoting Emanuel. It’s in the news. I think the news is that he’s out there calling Obama’s number one supporters effing retards. So now there’s going to be a meeting. There’s going to be a retard summit at the White House, much like the beer summit between Obama and Gates and that cop in Cambridge.
So, you can decide for yourself. As far as I am concerned, this whole situation is offensive. Rahm should not have said what he said, Rush should not have said what he said, and Palin should not try to distinguish between the two.
Of Republics, Democracies, and Representation
This latest scheme laid out by Sonny Perdue is nothing more than a political hatchet job to an accountability and responsibility. JMac tried to argue to the counter saying:
If your position is that having a governor appoint constitutional officers is limiting democracy, then your argument must logically extend to the federal level one as well where similar positions are appointed. If this is your position, why aren’t we clamoring to get rid of the 2/3 rule that requires a supermajority to put anything up for a statewide referendum? And, for that matter, ff this is your position, then why aren’t you questioning why Georgia has elected representatives when we could just vote on everything in a referendum?
And he does makes 3 arguments. In a perfect world, we would be able to vote on every person that represents us. However, as I am told by the Walgreen’s commercial, “we do not live anywhere near Perfect.” The reason we have the system set up the way we do is because we are not, in fact, a direct democracy, but instead a Republican Democracy. And yes, there is a difference.
In a Democracy, the Majority has unlimited power over the Minority. This system of government does not provide a legal safeguard of the rights of the Individual and the Minority. It has been referred to as “Majority over Man”. In a Republic, the Majority is Limited and constrained by a written Constitution which protects the rights of the Individual and the Minority. The purpose of a Republic form of government is to control the Majority and to protect the God-given, inalienable rights and liberty of the Individual. The United States of America is a Republic.
So, to answer each argument, the Federal Government is constrained by the US Constitution. Also, as we all know, the farther away we get from the local level, the less representative we get. The idea is to have as much representation as is legitimately possible and plausible. Since the federal government exerts control over the states and also represents our government to foreign entities, it would be impractical to have every cabinet member elected. Everyone is not informed enough on the issues (and how could they be) to vote for Sec of Education, Sec of Defense, Sec of State, Sec of Energy, etc, etc. So, we vote for the President and allow him to make decisions on our behalf. It does take away from Democracy, but it is the better system.
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