You Know, I'm, Like A Smart Person!

By Jeff Simpson 

"Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber." Plato

 

The guy that we just elected to be the 45th President of the United States, has decided that he is way to intelligent to have to sit through intelligence briefings.   

The guy who let us know "You know, I'm, like, a smart person."  also has had some intelligent things to say in the past like:

"You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p**sy. You can do anything." –Donald Trump in a 2005 interview with Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush

 "Why can’t we use nuclear weapons?" –Donald Trump, reportedly asking a foreign policy adviser three times during a meeting why the U.S. couldn’t use its nuclear weapons stockpile, according to MSNBC's Joe Scarborough

"I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier." –Donald Trump, on receiving a Purple Heart as a gift from a retired lieutenant colonel and supporter (August 2, 2016)

"Who knows?" –Donald Trump, when asked if he would start a war with China as president, New York Times interview, March 25, 2016

 "We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated." –Donald Trump on his performance with poorly educated voters who helped him win the Nevada Caucus, Feb. 23, 2016

I think you get the idea.  In case you do not, please do not forget what happened the last time a President blew off Intelligence briefings!

Scott Walker's Katrina Moment

On Tuesday, terror struck Wisconsin.

A white supremacist skinhead, Steven Timothy Snyder, robbed a bank in Wausaukee, Wisconsin. He also stole a car from one of the bank tellers.

After fleeing the scene of the crime, Snyder decided to switch cars. In his search of a new car to steal, he shot and killed Tom Christ, a 59-year-old, hard working, family man.

Snyder's crime spree ended in a shootout with police, in which he killed Wisconsin State Trooper Trevor Casper. Snyder was shot and killed by police.

Casper was a 21 year old trooper who graduated from the academy just three months ago and was on his first day of doing solo patrol:

Wisconsin State Patrol command staff members say Trooper Trevor Casper followed procedure to a tee as he approached what became a deadly situation near Fond du Lac.

Authorities say Casper, 21, was following Steven Snyder of Michigan, a bank robbery suspect who was also possibly a murder suspect, along Highway 41 to a Pick 'n Save parking lot in Fond du Lac. Casper had been contacting other officers who were arriving to the scene before a shootout took place between him and Snyder.

Lieutenant Colonel Brian Rahn referred to Casper's actions before the exchange of gunfire as "textbook" law enforcement practice.

"I can tell you no other law enforcement officers were injured," said Rahn. "As far as the gunfire to other vehicles, I can tell you I'm not sure what other vehicles would have been struck by gunfire."

"I did see Trooper Casper fall to the ground," Captain Anthony Burrell says, fighting back emotion.

Authorities say officers on the scene administered life-saving procedures to Casper after he was shot, but he eventually died at an area hospital.

Governor Scott Walker had his staff issue a terse and impersonal statement the next day and on Thursday, he ordered flags at half staff for Trooper Casper and a soldier from Wisconsin that had also died.

One thing Walker couldn't or wouldn't do was tear himself away from the campaign trail to honor Casper or comfort his family. Instead, Walker continued pandering to the rich and ultra-conservatives, making stops for a private meeting with the Arizona Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday and taking in a photo op in Texas on Friday.

It reminds one of George Walker Bush, who felt that it was more important to party it up with John McCain than to worry about the folks in New Orleans who died or were left homeless from Hurricane Katrina, although obviously not on the same scale.

The fact that Walker would put his political aspirations before honoring the ultimate sacrifice made by a public servant in the line of duty should tell you all you need to know about what kind of person he is.

American Exceptionalism

By Jeff Simpson

Interesting report coming out for our friends on the right who keep defending torture.

“Debating about it, ummm … Some of the worst things that happened you don’t know about, okay? Videos, um, there are women there. Some of you may have read that they were passing letters out, communications out to their men. This is at Abu Ghraib … The women were passing messages out saying ‘Please come and kill me, because of what’s happened’ and basically what happened is that those women who were arrested with young boys, children in cases that have been recorded. The boys were sodomized with the cameras rolling. And the worst above all of that is the soundtrack of the boys shrieking that your government has. They are in total terror. It’s going to come out.”
“It’s impossible to say to yourself how did we get there? Who are we? Who are these people that sent us there? When I did My Lai I was very troubled like anybody in his right mind would be about what happened. I ended up in something I wrote saying in the end I said that the people who did the killing were as much victims as the people they killed because of the scars they had, I can tell you some of the personal stories by some of the people who were in these units witnessed this. I can also tell you written complaints were made to the highest officers and so we’re dealing with a enormous massive amount of criminal wrongdoing that was covered up at the highest command out there and higher, and we have to get to it and we will. We will. You know there’s enough out there, they can’t (Applause). …. So it’s going to be an interesting election year.”

It really shows you what a sick twisted person Dick Cheney(and the rest of the Bush Administration that condoned this) is.    Remember this when your Republican uncle tells you how necessary torture was, right after explaining that Jesus is the reason for the Season.

Compassionate Conservatism Version 2016

George Bush not only made the term "compassionate conservatism" a common phrase but also showed what a joke it is.

Last year, Scott Walker picked up where Bush left off when he tried to defend his indefensible decision to reject federal money for Medicaid expansion:

Speaking to an audience of hundreds at a meeting here of business lobby Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, Walker said his plan would cover somewhat fewer people than a full expansion of Medicaid as provided under the federal health care law, which he said would cover 252,700 people, or 28,100 more than his own approach. But the Republican governor said that his proposal, which shrinks state health programs by a few thousand patients, would reduce the role of government in people's lives and make them more independent.

"Some people will portray this as not caring about people. I think it's just the opposite. I care too much about the people of this state not to empower them to control their own destiny," Walker told the audience.

Now that Walker is officially unofficially running for president, he is kicking his compassionate conservatism up a notch by adding a little patriotism:

“Beyond that, I just ask the basic question: Why is more people on Medicaid a good thing?” he said. “I’d rather find a way, particularly for able-bodied adults without children, I’d like to find a way to get them into the workforce. I think ideologically, that’s a better approach, not just as a conservative, but as an American. Have more people live the American dream if they’re not dependent on the American government.”

Don't you just get the feeling that he is going to just love all the poor people to death?

Cross posted at Crooks and Liars

Just Sayin!

Thiesfeldt V Ryan

 

By Jeff Simpson

Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-ALEC) has taken time away from reading Alec emails that are sent to his personal email to write a blistering criticism of the George Bush written and Paul Ryan(R-Ayn Rand) supported No Child Left Behind republican education policy!

The near-unanimous adoption of CCS came from recession cash-strapped states eager for bothfederal stimulus funds, and a waiver from the heavy hand of No Child Left Behind.

Of Course Paul Ryan (R-Standardized tests) was a big supporter of No Child Left Behind and the heavy hand of the Federal Government!    Apparently the "tea party" that keeps having Paul Ryan speak at their events are not that opposed to the heavy hand of the government if its done by republicans! 

In the interest of limited government and freedom, Jeremy Thiesfeldt supports Rob Zerban and you should too!  








   

Paul Ryan on Education
Rep. Ryan went along with the Bush Administration in supporting more federal involvement in education. This is contrary to the traditional Republican position, which included support for abolition of the Department of Education and decreasing federal involvement in education.
-Voted YES on No Child Left Behind Act (2001)
- See more at: http://www.thomhartmann.com/forum/2012/08/paul-ryan-not-opponent-big-government-left-and-right-make-him-out-be#sthash.ycclu7wo.dpuf

Paul Ryan on Education
Rep. Ryan went along with the Bush Administration in supporting more federal involvement in education. This is contrary to the traditional Republican position, which included support for abolition of the Department of Education and decreasing federal involvement in education.
-Voted YES on No Child Left Behind Act (2001)
- See more at: http://www.thomhartmann.com/forum/2012/08/paul-ryan-not-opponent-big-government-left-and-right-make-him-out-be#sthash.ycclu7wo.dpuf

Paul Ryan on Education
Rep. Ryan went along with the Bush Administration in supporting more federal involvement in education. This is contrary to the traditional Republican position, which included support for abolition of the Department of Education and decreasing federal involvement in education.
-Voted YES on No Child Left Behind Act (2001)
- See more at: http://www.thomhartmann.com/forum/2012/08/paul-ryan-not-opponent-big-government-left-and-right-make-him-out-be#sthash.ycclu7wo.dpuf

Paul Ryan on Education
Rep. Ryan went along with the Bush Administration in supporting more federal involvement in education. This is contrary to the traditional Republican position, which included support for abolition of the Department of Education and decreasing federal involvement in education.
-Voted YES on No Child Left Behind Act (2001)
- See more at: http://www.thomhartmann.com/forum/2012/08/paul-ryan-not-opponent-big-government-left-and-right-make-him-out-be#sthash.ycclu7wo.dpuf

Politifact Forgot The Rating

By Jeff Simpson

Politifact looked at Scott Walker's ridiculous claims that he created 17,000 job - producing  new businesses. However, they forget to give his statement a rating.  Let me help.  





 

The facts are, the deeper we get into Scott Walker and the republican's policies, the worse we are off. 

Seriously though, if you are the Governor of a State, where your slogan is "Open for Business" and you have delusions of grandeur of think you are qualified and popular enough to be President of the United States, would you really think you were successful because Wauwatosa started a new little league team and girl scout troop?   

I am sure his peers at the G8 summit would be very interested in hearing about his success of forming the Montello little league.   They would be longing for the good ole days of dubya.

Hindsight is 20/20!

By Jeff Simpson

And we can now see that the Dixie Chicks were 100% correct! 

"Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all. We do not want this war, this violence. And we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."

 

It didn't matter that the evidence to invade Iraq was questionable or that Maines later apologized. The damage was done, and one of the most popular acts in the country became its most hated. Its music was banned from radio, CDs were trashed by bulldozers, and one band member's home was vandalized. Maines introduced "Soldier" with a call for peace, but she would soon find that the group needed metal detectors installed at entrances to shows on its stateside tour because of death threats.

Thank Goodness the hate group Free Republic(that was behind these attacks) was  down for awhile!   How they acted was shameful! 

A little bit of trivia - writing about the Dixie Chick fiasco was one of  my first blog posts, long before I had ever heard of bloggingblue or CogDis.  

Benghazi!!

'Nuff Said:

Politics Matter!

By Jeff Simpson

Just ask New York Fire Fighter Lieutenant Martin Fullam, except for one of the heroes of 911 passed away recently!  No I am not talking about the massive incompetence of the Bush administration that led to 9/11 happening to begin with:

That has been already well documented.  I am talking about something that has not gotten the publicity it needs to get.  

What has happened since!  

Let's look at Lt. Fullam:

H/T Reuters : First responders: Lt Fullam, far left, was one of the rescue workers carrying fatally-injured FDNY Chaplain, Father Mychal Judge, from one of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001

 Let's look at the cause of death for Lt. Fullam:

A hero firefighter who bravely served on September 11th alongside hundreds of other first responders has died of a rare lung condition, and was laid to rest yesterday.
FDNY Lt Martin Fullam contracted polymyositis in 2005, and had also suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, which left him breathless and exhausted after the simplest of tasks.
The late firefighter, 56, was one of the men carrying fatally wounded FDNY Chaplain Mychal Judge through the still-smoking rubble on 9/11. 
The image of Lt Fullam and four others carrying the chaplain has remained one of the most poignant and haunting pictures from that horrific day.

 A true American hero was forced to die a slow painful death from a rare disease and it did not have to be that way.   The Bush administration knowingly lied to the heroes of that time.  

In the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center, the White House instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to give the public misleading information, telling New Yorkers it was safe to breathe when reliable information on air quality was not available.
That finding is included in a report released Friday by the Office of the Inspector General of the EPA. It noted that some of the agency's news releases in the weeks after the attack were softened before being released to the public: Reassuring information was added, while cautionary information was deleted.
"When the EPA made a September 18 announcement that the air was 'safe' to breathe, it did not have sufficient data and analyses to make such a blanket statement," the report says. "Furthermore, the White House Council on Environmental Quality influenced . . . the information that EPA communicated to the public through its early press releases when it convinced EPA to add reassuring statements and delete cautionary ones."

BUSH ADMINISTRATION: NYC AIR 'SAFE TO BREATHE' The Statue of Liberty stands in the foreground as New York is shrouded in smoke and pollution in New York image made from television, Tuesday Sept. 11, 2001. (ABC via APTN)

On the morning of Sept. 12, according to the report, the office of then-EPA Administrator Christie Whitman issued a memo: "All statements to the media should be cleared through the NSC (National Security Council in the White House) before they are released."

 

So the Bush Administration lied to the heroes of 9/11, who instead of taking simple steps to protect themselves, went about their business helping others, while unknowingly to them, sealing their own fate.    At the very least, we will at least help these people be comfortable and extend their life as much as possible right?

Not with Paul Ryan on the job!  Paul Ryan actually voted against the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, THREE TIMES, which luckily President Obama signed into law in 2010.   

 Let's let Paul Ryan(R- Ayn Rand) himself explain why he voted to leave Lt Fullam stranded: 

 Paul Ryan's Floor statement "A deeply Flawed Bill"
Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin.
      Madam Speaker, I was absent for legislative business and missed rollcall vote 663 on December 21, 2010, and rollcall vote 664 on December 22, 2010. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on H.R. 6547, the Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act, and ``no'' on rollcall vote 664 (H.R. 847).
   The vote I wish to discuss is the bill H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. Without a doubt, Republicans and Democrats can agree that both the victims of the attacks on September 11, 2001, and the first responders who bravely served following the attacks deserve to be fairly treated and compensated. However, this bill would create a new health care entitlement, the World Trade Center Health Program, while also extending eligibility for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. As a result, had I been present, I would have voted against passage of the bill.
   Since the terrorist attacks occurred nearly nine years ago, I have supported legislation to ensure that these individuals are cared for and receive access to the services they deserve. However, rather than working with Republicans to craft a bill which truly addressed the shortcomings in care provided to those directly impacted by the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Majority instead rushed this bill to the floor in the waning hours of the 111th Congress, refusing to allow an open debate or consider amendments.
   The result is a deeply flawed bill. H.R. 847 creates yet another mandatory spending program--increasing spending by $4.2 billion dollars over 10 years--and paying for it by an Excise Tax on Foreign Manufacturers, an extension of Travel Promotion Act fees, and the extension of HI-B visa fees.
   There is no doubt that we owe a debt of gratitude to those who came to the rescue of countless individuals following the attacks on September 11, 2001, but these provisions distort that noble goal. At a time when our budget deficit is $1.3 trillion and our national debt stands at $13.8 trillion, we must accurately account for those programs that take priority. I remain hopeful that as the 112th Congress convenes, my colleagues and I can work together to reform some of my concerns with this proposal and truly provide the services these first responders deserve.

So Paul Ryan played politics, tried to stop our heroes from getting the healthcare they so rightly deserved and needed and offered up ZERO alternatives to this "flawed bill".  

I wish they had made all of the republicans who played silly partisan games, show up at Lt. Fullams funeral. 

They could have then explained to his family and friends, why Lt Fullan, after a life of public service, had to fight his own government for help!  

 Hero's welcome: Lt. Martin Fullam is cheered by firefighters from across the city while leaving New York Presbyterian Hospital after receiving a lung transplant