Rachel Maddow Goes After Slavery & Child Labor Supporters

"...you child labor endorsing, pro-slavery freaks!!"
Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse. Companies wanting to relax laws against products made with slave or child labor from importing to this country.



And the sad part is, most of the assholes who would allow these products in, will wrap themselves in the flag and bible to do it.

Don't Ask, Don't Give

"It is not enough to look back in wonder at how far we have come; those who came before us did not strike a blow against injustice only so that we would allow injustice to fester in our time. That means removing the barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding that still exist in America." - Democratic Party Platform, 2008

John Aravosis and Joe Sudbay over at AmericaBlog have started a campaign to stop sending the DNC any money, nor any money to the President's re-election campaign.

What Pam Spaulding calls shutting off the gAyTM.

If you're like me, you have to be sick and tired of all the pandering for our votes and money, but when it comes down to the wire, zero support for our agenda.

John and Joe have a petition to sign pledging not to give any money to the national organizations until DOMA, DADT, are repealed and ENDA is passed.

Take the Pledge:
Don't Ask, Don't Give

President Obama promised to be a "fierce advocate" for LGBT Americans. But while making modest progress on a scant few issues, on the major campaign promises made to our community, the President and the Democratic party have failed to keep their commitments.

There has been little, if any, pressure from the White House for votes on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). The administration continues to send mixed signals on the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT). And we've been told not to expect the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to even be considered until President Obama's second term. In the last two weeks alone, we were angered that the Obama administration continued to defend DOMA in the courts -- last June, the administration's lawyers even compared loving gay relationships to incest and pedophilia -- and we were saddened that the White House and the Democratic party refused to help us defeat anti-gay ballot initiatives in Maine and Washington state. LGBT Americans, our families, and our friends kept our promise at the ballot box, we now expect President Obama to keep his in the White House.

So please join me along with Daily Kos, FireDogLake, Dan Savage, Michelangelo Signorile, Andy Towle, Pam Spaulding, Paul Sousa, and many others in pledging no donations to the national party until our agenda gets a fair hearing and vote.

It's time to stop being taken for granted when it comes to money, and no support to ending our status as second class citizens for being LGBT.

Please sign the petition.

Dan Savaged On The Impact Of Religion On His Upbringing

Vicious And Ugly

Republican Congressman Steve Buyer(IN-4) is calling the media "vicious and ugly" for questioning his "non-profit" Frontier Foundation. Seems the congressman's foundation has received over $880,000 in six years from lobbyists with business before the congressman's various committees, but has only paid out about $10,500 in grants including $4,500 to a charity run by a DC lobbyist, and $1,450 to the NRA. All this from a foundation allegedly set up to provide scholarships. Rachel Maddow has more...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I guess golf outings are no fun when you have to pay for them out of your own foundation!

In addition to ably serving on the Committee on Veterans Affairs, Congressman Buyer serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee in the Subcommittee on Health, and the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Let's see, health and big telco, wonder where the money came from? Now if he'll only get caught with his zipper down letting me add him to the Hall of Shame.

Glenn Beck Exposed

The truth comes out. Beck's heart tugging crying jags have been exposed as Vick's Vapor Rub induced BULLSHIT!



I did see a bumper sticker today I loved. "Raise America's IQ, Turn Off Fox".

Guess that says everything about Beck and Fox.

More Foreclosure Revolts

As the foreclosure freight train continues on its path, more and more homeowners are discovering they have options.

For way too long, banks have had the upper hand in calling the shots, but now savvy homeowners are calling them out and in more and more cases, are winning.

Rolling Stone writer Matt Taibbi recently wrote in his blog about one company, Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, that holds over half the mortgages in the country. They lost an important decision in front of the Kansas Supreme Court that ruled MERS had no legal standing to foreclose on properties in that state. The ruling came down because MERS could not provide certified documentation of their right to have anything to do with individual mortgages. No documentation, no right to foreclose.

A landmark ruling in a recent Kansas Supreme Court case may have given millions of distressed homeowners the legal wedge they need to avoid foreclosure. In Landmark National Bank v. Kesler, 2009 Kan. LEXIS 834, the Kansas Supreme Court held that a nominee company called MERS has no right or standing to bring an action for foreclosure. MERS is an acronym for Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, a private company that registers mortgages electronically and tracks changes in ownership. The significance of the holding is that if MERS has no standing to foreclose, then nobody has standing to foreclose – on 60 million mortgages. That is the number of American mortgages currently reported to be held by MERS. Over half of all new U.S. residential mortgage loans are registered with MERS and recorded in its name. Holdings of the Kansas Supreme Court are not binding on the rest of the country, but they are dicta of which other courts take note; and the reasoning behind the decision is sound.

via Landmark Decision: Massive Relief for Homeowners and Trouble for the Banks.

The ruling states in part...

“By statute, assignment of the mortgage carries with it the assignment of the debt. . . . Indeed, in the event that a mortgage loan somehow separates interests of the note and the deed of trust, with the deed of trust lying with some independent entity, the mortgage may become unenforceable. The practical effect of splitting the deed of trust from the promissory note is to make it impossible for the holder of the note to foreclose, unless the holder of the deed of trust is the agent of the holder of the note. Without the agency relationship, the person holding only the note lacks the power to foreclose in the event of default. The person holding only the deed of trust will never experience default because only the holder of the note is entitled to payment of the underlying obligation. The mortgage loan becomes ineffectual when the note holder did not also hold the deed of trust.” [Citations omitted; emphasis added.]

Matt Taibbi is currently working on this story for his next Rolling Stone article. While the court decision applies strictly to Kansas, it sets precedence for other courts in other states grappling with the same problems.

If you or any one you know is facing foreclosure, all is not lost. Many Americans have been able to stop foreclosure of their property, and some have walked away with clear title.

What If You Had A Fire And Nobody Came?

What if your homes fire insurance was handled like your health insurance. Instead of today's socialist system where local government provides fire protection as a public service, suppose you had to subscribe to a fire insurance plan with a for-profit company. How would that company treat you to maximize its profits?

XYZ Fire Service Customer Support: (recorded message) "Thank you for calling XYZ Fire Service. If this is a fire emergency, please press one, if this is a medical emergency, please press two."

Caller/Subscriber: (presses one)

XYZ: "Thank you, please wait why we connect you."

Caller: (listening to bad elevator music while call gets re-routed to call center in Mumbai, India.)

XYZ: (recorded message) "We're sorry, due to the unexpected high volume of calls, please stand by for the next available operator."

Caller: (listens to more bad elevator music while watching flames spread. 30 seconds later....)

XYZ: "XYZ Insurance, how can I help you?"

Caller: "My house is on fire and I need help now."

XYZ: "Yes sir, can I have your account number please?"

Caller: "My account number, my house is burning to the ground."

XYZ: "I understand sir, but I need to confirm you're a valid XYZ subscriber."

Caller: "Very well, it's 123-XXX-XXXXX-XXXX."

XYZ: "Thank you sir, now where did the fire start?"

Caller: "In my kitchen, are you sending fire trucks yet?"

XYZ: "One moment sir. Did you say it started in the kitchen? Was this a stove fire?"

Caller: "Yes, my wife was cooking dinner when it started. It spread into the exhaust duct and into the attic."

XYZ: "Sir, XYZ Insurance considers stove fires to be consumer negligence. We also consider the fire in the duct work to be caused by a pre-existing condition, namely grease, and as a result we must rescind your policy at this time."

Caller: "What do you mean rescind? I've been paying you for over 15 years without a claim."

XYZ: "I do apologize sir, but if you check the fine print in your subscription contract, it's all spelled out there. If you feel you are being treated badly, here's our 800 number to register a complaint. 1-800-XXX-XXXX."

The house is now completely engulfed in flames.

Caller: "I can't believe you're cancelling my insurance just when I need it."

XYZ: XYZ deeply regrets your loss, but that is our policy. If there is nothing else, thank you for being a loyal XYZ Fire Insurance customer for all these years."

Caller: "Bastards!" (as he watches his home turn into ash.)

The next time someone you know has been brain-washed by FOX (Faux News Channel) into railing against socialism, ask them how they would like to be the caller in our little story. Sound far fetched? This is exactly how the health insurance companies treat their customers.

If all else fails, suggest they visit the one country with no taxes, no government regulation, no government paid for infrastructure, and no limits on what a person can do. Welcome to the Libertarian paradise of Somalia. Armed street gangs, Warlords, Pirates, and no central government. The Cato Institute must be so proud.

Personally, I believe in socialism for the common good. I want our children schooled. I want fire and police protection. Government regulation is good when it cleans the air and water, let's you eat safe food. Goes after charlatans and rip-off artists. All government services are inherently socialism. Consider the alternative.