“KILL MORE PEOPLE FASTER WITH THE FANTASTIC BUSHMASTER AR-15!”

Wouldn't that would make a great advertising slogan for Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC.   Adam Lanza managed to pump up to 11 rounds into each of the 20 grade school kids he killed in Newtown, Conn.  Bushmaster must be really proud of that.  If you research the rifle you will find it is the most popular gun in America, that comes in various colors and with numerous accessories like different capacity clips.  They even raffled off a pink one for breast cancer research.  You can’t be more public spirited than that.  It is so popular it has been the weapon of choice in recent mass killings in movies, shopping malls and the intentional ambush that killed two firefighters in Webster, NY on Christmas Eve.   Malcolm Brady, a retired assistant director with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms told NPR in an interview:  “The weapon has a, shall we say, a Rambo effect, just cool to carry.  It may be for protection. It may be for the coolness. And it may be for the fact that people will be in fear that the weapon will be put back on a banned level, and they want to obtain it before it is banned again. But I think you will see the popularity of it and the purchase of them increase drastically, in between now and the holidays, near Christmas.”  Obviously, Bushmaster’s AR-15 sales will get a terrific boost from all its recent publicity.  I suppose the NRA’s Wayne La Pierre can now claim that the AR-15 is good for the economy.

Big Wayne La Pierre swaggered into town, hitched up his gun belt, squared his jaw and declared, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”  Those of you who read my December 20th blog, will immediately recognize the John Wayne Fantasy Syndrome:  The delusion that if you pack a gun you will someday save dozens of people by wasting a bad guy with an assault rifle and you will become a national hero.  LaPierre then proposed that armed guards be stationed at every school in America.  In other words, the NRA believes the way to stop gun violence is with more guns.  He also maintained that mass killings in America are the media’s fault—movies and video games--and gun availability has nothing to do with it. For a long time you have heard the NRA mantra:  Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.  No, Wayne, people with guns kill people.  You and I and every sane person in America have got to tell our rotten politicians to stop groveling to the NRA and pass meaningful gun control.   Or would you rather wait for the next Sandy Hook?

In radio interviews, facebook postings and internet chatter some men have been declaring the government better not take away their right to pack a rod for their own defense. These guys (they are all guys) are suffering from what I would call JWFS or “John Wayne Fantasy Syndrome.”  They fantasize that one day they will be in a shopping mall when a wild-eyed young man, dressed all in black, wearing a bullet-proof vest, will pull out an AK-47 and point it at the innocent, helpless crowd.  As the people shriek, cry hysterically and run, he will whip out his trusty Glock 9mm pistol and with consummate skill, he will drill the madman between the eyes with one shot.  The crowd will cheer and he will be a national hero.  Ironically, these are the same guys who want everyone else to be able to obtain guns.  I guess that’s so they will have somebody to defend themselves against.  I have lived in six major cities in the United States and done considerable travelling and never once in 75 years have I known anybody (including myself) who has required a gun for self-defense.  These guys either need reality checks or testosterone suppressants.  Probably these John Wayne wannabes would all like to live in Florida where they could shoot un-armed teenagers and claim self defense under the “stand your ground” law.  Hey Congress, wake up!  We do not live in the early 1800s anymore.  Maybe our laws should reflect that.

Inevitably, someone stated on Facebook that if the school teachers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School had been armed and trained the tragedy would have been avoided.   This is indicative of the depths of stupidity we have to deal with in America when it comes to guns.  I suppose these morons believe we could eliminate mass killings by arming everybody in places where such shootings have taken place:  fast food restaurants, post offices, universities, parking lots, churches, mosques, etc. Would you feel safer if you knew the kid serving you a Big Mac had a Glock 9mm 25-shot pistol under the counter?   Last  August  7, after  a lunatic killed six people in a Wisconsin Sikh church I wrote it was “thoughts and prayers” time again. Whenever one of these senseless mass killings takes place, our politicians wring their hands and declare their “thoughts and prayers” are with the victims and their families.  You know what?  Those “thoughts and prayers” don’t do those poor dead children and their families one God-damn bit of good.  What might help is if our spineless politicians stood up to the NRA and passed some laws that would ban the assault weapons, ammunition and high capacity clips that are the mass killers instruments of choice.

Let’s do some math.  Suppose I had an earned income of $10,000.000.  (Disclaimer:  I do not make $10,000,000 a year.)  At the present tax rate of 35 per cent I would pay $3,500,000 leaving me with $6,500,000 to live on.  Now if the proposed tax rate of 39.6 went into effect I would pay $3,960,000 meaning I would have to get by on a measly $6,040,000.  But some tax rate hike proposals exempt the first $500,000 meaning I would pay 39.6 per cent of $9,500,000 or $3,762,000 now leaving me with $6,238,000.  Now if, hypothetically, all my income was unearned (you know capital gains and dividends) I would pay only 15 per cent in taxes, so I’d pay $1,500,000 and have to scrape by with $8,500,000. The whole point of this mathematical exercise is that people like me who do not earn $10,000,000 a year and who dutifully pay their taxes have no conception of why enormously rich people are so adamant about not wanting to pay more in taxes.  Now the philosophical question is, do really rich people hate taxes all that much or is it because 1) Republican politicians are doing the bidding of the exceedingly rich donors who are greedy and do hate taxes or 2) Republican politicians are really dumb and have no other ideas to campaign on.  Those of us in the 98 per cent simply can’t understand why the one per cent does not want to contribute a little more for the good of our country. Warren Buffet excluded.

A Thanksgiving Story (or Stories)

Thanksgiving is often called the most American of holidays but there is something universal about it.  My daughter-in-law is Romanian.  Yesterday we spent Thanksgiving with her, son and granddaughter and 15 other people, a mix of Romanians and Americans.  The ages ranged from nine months to 75 years.  A soccer game from Eastern Europe streamed on a computer in one room and the Lions battled Houston on the TV in another.  The table held plates of turkey, beef brisket, ham, stuffing, baba ganoush, a lentil dish, stuffed cabbages and sever plates I could not identify but tasted wonderful.  It reminded me of a Thanksgiving many years ago when I took a new job in Chicago.  I had no one to spend Thanksgiving with so a co-worker of Italian descent invited me (I had lived in Italy for 12 years).  Her family, including grandparents who had come from Italy, served a huge traditional American Thanksgiving dinner--Turkey with all the trimmings--with the addition of a half-dozen bottles of Italian wines on the table and everybody was speaking Italian.  A friend who is actually in Italy right now decided to show her family there our tradition.  Her husband, she emailed, ordered the turkey from a local poultry store but made a little mistake in the weight conversion. Thinking in pounds he ordered a 13 kilo bird which is actually 28.6 pounds.  She managed to change the order to seven kilos which is a more manageable 15.4 pounds and she said she roasted her best turkey ever.  I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving.

The Republican quest for the presidency was like a fairy tale.  Romney was the handsome prince who would ride his white horse into Washington and save the country.  So the Republican Party kissed his ass and he turned into a frog.  It is almost painful to watch the agonizing gyrations the Republicans are going through to justify or explain away what happened on Election Day.  The far right wing maintains that their anti-gay, anti-women, anti-Hispanic, anti-health care, anti-taxes, anti-regulations, anti-anything-Obama proposes, is absolutely the right way to go and they lost because the party chose the wrong candidate.  The prince-now-frog himself blames his humiliation on Obama’s giving gifts to all the voting groups he not only distained but insulted.   The Republican Imbecile-in-Chief Rush Limbaugh (among others) claims the loss was because Romney’s main constituency, angry white middle- aged and elderly males (the “white horse” the prince would ride to victory) did not turn out to vote.  Then some prominent Republicans like Bobby (Maybe I could run for President) Jindal maintains the only problem was that Romney did not explain Republican policies clearly enough.  Like if you carefully explain shit it turns into chocolate ice cream.  While many Republican apologists and pundits are claiming this is not the beginning of the end for the Republican Party, it can also be seen as just that.  More and more young Americans are realizing that Republican policies are not good for our country.  And old white Republicans are dying.  Unfortunately, they probably won’t take the party with them.

Would Mitt Romney please shut up!  You lost, Mitt, get over it.  Go to one of your houses and pout in private.  Our world-class liar, political opportunist, flip-flopper and former presidential candidate held a conference call with his top donors whining that his loss was due to "gifts" Obama made to specific groups of voters.  As the Associated Press reported, Romney told his money pit Obama won “because of the ‘gifts’ he had already provided to blacks, Hispanics and young voters and because of the president's effort to paint him as anti-immigrant.”  The AP also reported, “Among the "gifts" Romney cited were free health care "in perpetuity," which he said was highly motivational to black and Hispanic voters as well as for voters making $25,000 to $35,000 a year.” Doesn’t this sound like the same groups Romney denigrated during the campaign?  You know, the 47 percent of Americans who are moochers, misfits and bums who don’t take responsibilities for their own lives.  That’s Republican code for “blacks” and “illegal Hispanic immigrants.” This is but one more example of the underlying racism and bigotry which have become mainstays of Republican “values.”  Of course, if Romney had won, that same phone call to his donor fat cats would have confirmed that they voted for him because of his promised “gifts” of lower taxes on the rich, repealing  Obamacare and eliminating regulations so corporations can reap bigger profits by screwing middle class Americans.

On this Veterans Day, it’s appropriate to discuss how Americans feel about our men and women who wear or have worn the uniform of the United States.  Following 9/11, Bush’s immediate invasion of Afghanistan, which has now dragged on to be the longest war in our history, his unjustifiable invasion of Iraq which cost us too many American lives and enormous amounts of borrowed money, our military has been elevated to some kind of Godlike status.  We gush all over our men and women in uniform who have all become automatic “heroes” and we all feel smug and full of ourselves because we are “honoring” them.  Let’s rewind back to Vietnam.  I have a dear friend who fought in that war earning several medals including two purple hearts.   He tells of returning to the U.S. where his fellow Americans spat on him and called him obscene names as he walked through the airport.   Americans have short memory spans so now returning soldiers are thanked when they walk through airports and I’m sure a lot of those who hated our soldiers then are waving flags at Veterans Day parades now.   Of course we had the draft in the Vietnam era so a lot more Americans had some stake in the war because a loved one or friend fought or died there.  Now Americans are like a lot of beer-bloated, face-painted football fans cheering on their military team but God forbid one of their kids should be down on the mud-soaked field.   It eases our collective conscious to say how much we love our military.  But let’s remember ALL of them on this Veterans Day not only World War 2 veterans who  clearly fought to preserve our liberty, but also all our fine young people have been used to do our politicians’ dirty work ever since.  They have done so with honor and commitment and deserve all the praise they get.  And for the record, I am a veteran and very proud of it.

Whatever happened to Mitt Romney?  I know, I know, you are asking which Mitt Romney:  The one who passed a law as Governor of Massachusetts requiring people to purchase health insurance and when it morphed into Obamacare he denounced it?  Or the one who was a devout, severe conservative who transformed himself into a center-rightist a couple weeks before election day?  Or maybe the world class liar who, among other whoppers, told his cheering crowds in Ohio that Jeep was moving all it’s production to China which, of course, was a big “liar-liar pants on fire?”  Whichever Romney du jour you preferred, the American public has relegated him, as they say, to the dustbin of history.  If Romney has any legacy at all, it is as an ambitious, sleazy opportunist who wanted to realize his American dream of becoming President of the United States. Some future playwright my use him as a tragic figure in theatre, a kind of Willie Loman of politics.   The every-politician who is willing to do anything, believe anything  or say anything to reach his prize and failed.  As Aristotle might put it, his misfortune was not brought about by vice or depravity, “but some error or frailty.”  Romney will join George W. Bush as a pariah for the now and future Republican far right to completely ignore.  Romney can’t go back into congress like Paul Ryan and begin a 2016 Presidential campaign.  Of course, Romney doesn’t have to worry.  He is 65 and can collect Social Security and Medicare because he and the Republicans didn’t destroy it.

We have reached the final day of reckoning.  Today Americans vote not for a man to become President but to determine if our country will continue its dangerous slide to the right.  Since Regan, who declared war on government, Republicans have been shifting America to the political right culminating in the disastrous George W. Bush presidency which brought the nation to the brink of ruin.  Let’s look at just a few of the Republican policies that have nearly destroyed us:  Bush’s far right neo-cons--Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz--pushed him into an unnecessary war that the Washington Post estimates has cost us $3 trillion.  Note that Bush borrowed most of this money which contributed immensely to the deficit.  Trickle-down economics—giving enormous tax breaks to the rich which supposedly would “trickle down” and produce investment to spur the economy and create jobs—does not work as has been discredited by nearly all economists.   Eliminate regulations and the market will resolve all problems itself.  This Republican article of faith allowed the banks to run wild, rake in enormous profits for themselves and came close to destroying the world’s economic system.   There are more examples, such as dismantling Social Security and Medicare, but these will do.  Romney has clearly indicated he will continue these policies.  Unfortunately, many Americans are either hopelessly naïve or incredibly stupid and will vote Republican because they oppose gay marriage or hate black people.

Whether you like President Obama or not, you know where he stands and he won’t do anything crazy.  With Romney it’s a crap shoot.  And it is scary. When campaigning in the primaries the Mittster was severely conservative because he needed the support of his party’s extreme right to get the nomination.  In the third debate he swerved so far so fast to the center he certainly surprised me as well as many in his own party and we saw yet another of the many faces of Mitt.  We have heard the question, “Who is the real Mitt Romney?” since the beginning of this campaign and on the eve of the election, we still don’t have an answer.  What is truly frightening is that he is such a liar and so opportunistic now, do you really think he will suddenly change if he gets elected?  A lot of people will be calling in their markers.  The Tea Partisti and the neo-cons have not gone away and if Romney wins they’ll push him to the far right and you can bet the neo-cons will pull out the same old policies they foisted on George W. Bush.  That’s why a President Romney is dangerous.  Romney has a track record of going whichever way the wind is blowing.  When the neo-cons start manipulating him as they did Bush, we could be headed for big trouble.  Do your remember the scenario of a middle east country with a ruler we didn’t like who was developing “weapons of mass destruction” but claiming the nuclear program was peaceful.  Mix that with a President who wants a bigger defense budget and believes we are supposed to lead the world and you have a very frightening mixture.  I think America would be better off going with Shakespeare on this one and “rather bear those ills we have, than fly to others that we know not of?"

If you really need a reason why Mitt Romney should not be President of the United States, try this one:  He is a despicable, opportunist, two-faced liar.  How can you trust a man with the most important job in the world who is a shameless liar and has changed his position on issues so many times nobody can be sure where he stands on anything? When it comes to the Mittster’s flip-flopping, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg made that clear:  “In the past he has taken sensible positions on immigration, illegal guns, abortion rights and health care — but he has reversed course on all of them, and is even running against the very health care model he signed into law in Massachusetts,” Bloomberg said. When it comes to lying, yes Obama and Biden have had their share, but let’s look at Politifact’s finding. (By the way Politifact is generally considered right-leaning.) Obama/Biden’s statements were found True and Mostly True 45 percent of the time.  Romney/Ryan were found to be honest only 29.1 percent.  When it comes to the lying categories of False, Mostly False and Pants on Fire (really bad), Romney/Ryan were lying 43.9 percent of the time compared with Obama/Biden 28.8 percent.  Now get this: Romney/Ryan had four times as many Pants on Fire lies than Obama/Biden and the Mittster alone has well over half of all Pants on Fire, more than all the other candidates combined!  You wouldn’t even buy a used car from a shyster like Romney, why the hell would you elect him President?

Well, at least the Republicans haven’t blamed Hurricane Sandy on Obama.  I’m sure they will come up with something hurricane-related to blame on him in the next few days.  They say everything that has happened since his election—recession, unemployment, gas prices, house foreclosures—are all his fault.  Does anyone remember George W. Bush?  Of course Republicans are in denial that he ever existed, got us into two disastrous wars, turned a budget surplus into a humongous deficit, let the financial industry run rampant and nearly destroy the American and global economy. But Republicans have their own kind of logic.  It involves ignoring their own history, pretending their failed trickle-down policies actually work (which they don’t), never acknowledge they caused a lot of problems though obstructionism, and truth has no relevance in the pursuit of power.  You’ve heard the latest Romney lie that Jeep is moving all its production to China.  Even after the lie was exposed the Republicans kept running the TV ad.  It’s unfortunate that Sandy arrived at election time.  Hopefully we can avoid another disaster.  Sandy’s mess can probably be cleaned up in a couple months.  If Romney is elected the mess he will create will take a generation to fix.  Remember what P.J. O’Rourke said, “The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then get elected and prove it.”

We all know that life is not fair. But one of history’s greatest inequities would be Mitt Romney becoming President of the United States.  Whether Republicans will admit it or not, Obama’s policies have begun to take effect and the economy is turning for the better—slowly, indeed, but turning. Most economists agree that whoever becomes President, things will improve.  So if Romney becomes President, Americans will see a brighter picture and he will claim credit for fixing the economy although no credit will be due.  An example of this is Romney’s spurious statement that he will create 12 million jobs in the next four years.  Economic forecasters have long predicted that 12 million jobs will be created over the next four years no matter who is President.  Romney knows this, but he is already claiming that his plan (whatever that is) will be the reason for those 12 million new jobs, which it won’t be.  Romney has already made the outrageous claim that his election alone will produce a wave of optimism because of what he will do, although no one is really sure what that is.  I would venture that Obama’s reelection would also greatly bolster the American spirit if for no other reason than this dreadful election campaign will be over and we can get on with our collective lives.  The Republicans caused the mess and then obstructed every attempt Obama made to correct their mistakes.  Rewarding them with a Romney victory would be a horrible mistake.

Dear God,

The Republicans are at it again.  In addition to blaming their bigotry on You, now they’re saying You’re the one causing women to get raped. "I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen," according to Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock. I really find that hard to believe. I realize that Your Bible isn’t precisely clear on rape like in Deuteronomy where if a woman was raped in the city both the raper and rapee were stoned to death but if it happened in the country they just wasted the guy. Another prominent Republican, Paul Ryan said his position is that “the method of conception doesn’t change the definition of life.”  You see he wouldn’t allow a women to get an abortion even in the case of rape or incest (which I know you are against, Leviticus 18:6). So, according to Mourdock, if a woman gets raped You wanted it to happen and then, according to Ryan You are adamantly against abortion no matter how conception took place.  Oh I forgot to mention Missouri Senate candidate Republican Rep. Todd Akin who said women subjected to "legitimate rape" (presumably sanctioned by You) get pregnant only because their anti-rape conception system failed.  Kind of like getting pregnant by rape is their fault. It seems the Republicans’ attitude towards women in just about everything is, oh just screw ‘em.  Excuse the pun. I do hope You get through this Presidential Election with Your reputation intact.

Your friend,

Bill

Oh poor Mitty Boo Boo.  That bad old Mr. Obama was attacking him and he didn’t like it.  “Attacking me is not an agenda,” Mitty Boo Boo complained more than once during the last performance of the Presidential Debate Show.  Of course, Mitty Boo Boo would never think of being so nasty as to attack Mr. Obama.  Oh no.  As you can see I am sparing you a rehash of all the lies Romney told which have been factchecked to death.   At several points in the “debate” I heard Romney repeating the same things the President had just said, essentially agreeing with him.  Romney’s pattern seemed to be he would do the same things the President is actually doing only he would somehow do them more, tougher and better.  Like he would have started sanctions against Iran sooner and would make them tougher.  Of course, since he was not the President, he did not actually have to deal with the problem so he can say “would have,” “could have” all he wants. Romney agreed with Obama that America has to work with China economically and politically except that Romney would declare China a “currency manipulator” on day one which hardly seems like a good start for working with another country.  If you look back at all the debates what came out of them?  Nothing substantial.  They were the same old stump speeches woven into so-called debates but all anybody remembers is that Romney came on strong in the first debate and Obama looked like he was suffering from constipation. At least the third Presidential Debate gave us one thing to be thankful for.  It was the last one.

Sideblog:  Romney won the lapel pin issue.  His American flag pin was bigger than Obama’s.

There is a very specific reason why Mitt Romney keeps changing his position on just about every issue. He’s a career businessman.  Businessmen exist for one reason: to make money.  You can’t make money by never modifying your product or updating your service.  Right now the Mittster is adamant that he wants to create jobs in America, but when it was advantageous to him to send American jobs overseas that’s what he did.  For anyone who has spent years in business (and I have) particularly in sales, you learn very quickly that you have to offer a product the clients want to buy.  You may have a product that would be better for the clients but if they don’t want to buy it, they won’t.  For example, when the Mittster was running in the primaries, his main client was the extreme right wing Tea Party so he bragged about being “severely conservative.” It worked. With their backing he got the nomination. Now that he has it, and 75 per cent of the American public think the Tea Partisti are nuts, he has new clients—the entire voting public—so he has to modify his product to appeal to them.  Remember the guy who hated Obamacare so much that he would repeal it his first day in office?  Well, he now says some aspects of it are great and he would keep them.  Could it be that those aspects are products his new clients would like to buy?  Oh, remember the Romney that hated regulations because they cripple business?  He has been replaced by the Romney who thinks some regulations are necessary.  And oh, remember the Romney who slimed 47 per cent of the American public and declared he did not care about them.  At that moment his customers were fat cat supporters.  Now the new, improved Romney says, "My campaign is about the 100 percent of America, and I'm concerned about them.”  Of course, the customers now include the scruffy 47 per cent.  The question for Americans now is:  Would you buy something from this man when you are not sure exactly what he’s selling?

Right after the second Presidential debate women became the demographic target du jour for both parties.  Just think, if you were a black, Hispanic, evangelical lesbian you would be constantly bombarded with solicitations aimed at the category vote every day.  I found it somewhat ridiculous that Romney’s idea of proof that he supports women’s issues is that he appointed women to his cabinet in Massachusetts. Wow!  Millions of women are paid less than men for the same job, they’re worried about their health care, their right to choose, right to obtain contraceptives, victims of abuse and Mitt Romney appoints women to his cabinet.  Did you need more proof that he cares for women than that? He claimed he intentionally solicited names of qualified women which produced the now famous “binders.”  Chalk up another lie to Romney.  Prominent women’s groups in Massachusetts had already compiled the binders to give to whoever became governor.  He did not solicit them they were given to him.  He put women in his cabinet because he already knew he was going to run for President and it would look good.   His popularity in Massachusetts plummeted in his last year because voters felt he was spending too much time out of state preparing his Presidential run.   In case you forgot, here is the actual debate question:  “In what new ways do you intend to rectify the inequalities in the workplace, specifically regarding females making only 72 percent of what their male counterparts earn?” Romney replied he appointed women to his cabinet in Massachusetts.  Obama replied that the first bill he signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Play Act which extended the statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit regarding pay discrimination. You figure it out.

If Mitt Romney had gone to high school with me, he would have been called a “snot.”  Snots were the kids who always considered themselves better than everyone else. We also had our ”nerds” but we called them “brains” because, although they might be a bit awkward socially, they were really smart and we admired them because at that time getting good grades in high school was very important to us and our parents.  But the snots, sometimes referred to a “stuck ups,” were universally disliked.  That’s the Mittster’s problem.  He is just not a likable guy.  He really does think he is better than everybody else and that’s the way he comes across. You have heard him defending his offshore bank accounts and bragging about how successful he was in business.  But does he really have to ram it down our throats?  “I’m not going to apologize for being successful,” he says, but does he have to consider everyone who has not attained his millions a failure?  When he labeled the famous 47 percent of Americans moochers who don’t take responsibility for their lives, does anyone doubt that he really meant that?  Of course he did.  The spin artists blow it off and say well he was talking in private so that doesn’t count.  Of course it does.  When speaking to your snotty club members in private that’s when you say exactly what you mean.  Once a snot, always a snot.

Welcome to the Second Presidential Debate pre-game show with Harry and Clyde:

Harry:  Well, excitement has been mounting for the second meeting of the series between Romney and Obama.

Clyde:  Right, Harry.  The Obama fans are hoping their guy can make up for his lack-luster performance in their first outing.

Harry: And the Romney side hopes he can keep up his continuous talking stream regardless of what he says just as long as he keeps talking.

Clyde:  But you know, Harry, it really doesn’t matter what anybody says during these debates because most of it isn’t even true.  What really matters is the performance.  You know, how did he conduct himself, was he too aggressive or not aggressive enough.

Harry; Yeah we saw that in the one game series between Biden and Ryan.

Clyde:  Ryan won that one on number of lies and how many swallows of water he took while Biden clearly led in smirks, laughs, interruptions and eye rolls. You know, the AP scored 92 smiles for Biden which could be a debate record.

Harry: Well, the scoring could go any way tonight since the playing field layout has been changed.

Clyde: Right, it’s town hall rules tonight. And we’ll be right there to explain it to you after it’s over since you probably will miss a lot by concentrating on how the players look and behave rather that what they say.

Harry:  Right they’ve said it all before anyway but you still need pundits to explain it to you in case you didn't get it the first 300 times. 

Clyde: We’ll see you tonight at the event.

 

Harry:  Wait a minute, aren’t the Yankees and Tigers playing tonight

Well, it looks like the miserable people in America are going to decide the Presidential Election.  All we have heard during this campaign is how miserable Americans are.  The news media and politicians, left and right, have gone on endlessly about people who lost their jobs, can’t find a job, have an upside down mortgage, got evicted, have a mountain of debt, have no health insurance… Both parties have been courting these miserable people.  According to the Republicans, everybody in America is miserable and it is all Obama’s fault so if you elect them they will fix all Obama’s mistakes and put you out of your misery.  According to the Democrats a lot of people in the United States are, in fact, miserable but Obama’s policies are turning the situation around so re-elect them and you will no longer be miserable.  This presents a somewhat unique problem for Romney because most of les miserables are in the 47 percent he doesn’t give a shit about but now he says he really does care and wants to make them less miserables.  But to counter this, the non-miserables who have tons of money want to elect Romney so they can continue to be non-miserable with even more money and screw the miserables.  I feel kind of lost because I am not miserable and I don’t have tons of money so nobody cares about me.  I used to think I was middle class, but I can’t be.  The politicians keep telling us the middle class is miserable, but since I’m not miserable, I can’t be middle class. I wonder just how many forgotten people like me there are out there? 

Good news and bad news.  My PET/CT scan and yesterday’s endoscopic ultrasound confirmed the cancer is gone.  Obviously, that makes me very happy.  But the bad news is, now that I will be around hopefully for several more years I will contribute to the increase in health care costs, worsen the deficit and become a burden on society.  I now have to live with the Republican guilt trip they have laid on us seniors for years and have really ratcheted it up during this election cycle.  You know the pitch, we seniors suck up too much government money with our expectations that we collect the Social Security we paid for, we like Medicare but we cost the government too much and we are screwing up our grandchildren’s future.  Since I have been personally and totally immersed in the health care system for most of this year I think I can speak with some authority.  First, Medicare is good and it works.  I know the Republicans will go ballistic on this point, but we would be far better off with a single-payer government-run health insurance system.  Before the right wing dings start screaming, universal health care does not equate to socialism.  Every democracy but ours has it.  Second, there are drastic flaws in Medicare which I have seen firsthand but they can all be fixed without turning it over the insurance industry.  I have lived in countries that have universal health care and the insurance companies still make tons of money. The Republicans say the richest country in the world can’t afford to provide health care for its citizens.  The truth is they don’t want to provide health care for all Americans (Mitt can tell you how many freeloaders we have).  I suppose it would make Paul Ryan happy if people like me just died and stopped wasting taxpayers’ money.

There is a scene in the 2006 Broadway play "The Lieutenant of Inishmore" where two characters are hacking up corpses to render them unrecognizable.  The stage is strewn with dismembered body parts and totally spattered with blood.  One of the characters screams in desperation and despair, "Will this never end!?" This strikes me as an appropriate metaphor for our current presidential election campaign.  Not only does it seem like it will never end, we have also hacked decency, honesty and civility in political discourse beyond recognition. Outright lying has become the norm for both parties with Romney-Ryan holding a significant edge in that department (see last week’s Time cover story).  We all know that candidates’ promises are basically meaningless since they serve only to get elected not as a basis for actual policy making.  This is where I have my biggest problem with Romney.  He keeps saying “I know how to…”  He makes all these assertions that he can fix everything then offers the same “solutions” Republicans have been spouting for years: lower taxes, less regulation, cut spending, all of which will suddenly create jobs and lower the deficit.  They haven’t and they won’t.   Regarding Obama, the Republicans will never admit that they have been a big part of the problem for the last four years.  Yes, Bush and company actually did create the mess, but they won’t admit it. The day Obama took office they swore they would not cooperate with his Administration which has been the major reason our government doesn’t get anything done.  These are facts.  But Republicans have a way of dealing with real facts. Take a drop in unemployment, they just pull a Jack Welch and say Obama’s government falsified them.  Even some prominent Republicans balked at that, so maybe there is hope.  But I doubt it.

This election does present a really difficult choice.  If you are a radical religious rightist you have to decide between a candidate who is pro-choice on abortion and believes women should have the right to control their own health decisions and one who was pro-choice but has decided he is now pro-life and if women become pregnant through rape or incest, well, that’s really no different than any other insemination so it’s just too bad. Let’s not even get into gay marriage. Then if you also happen to be a bigot, you are faced with the additional dilemma of choosing between a Mormon and a black man.  Which do you hate the most?  Politics really does get difficult doesn’t it? What if you are an independent who is totally fed up with the crap being flung around by both parties?  Do you trust Romney who keeps saying “I know how to… (fill in the blank)” He’s claiming that he knows how to do just about anything to correct everything but since he has not done anything on the national or international scene (Massachusetts is not the United States--it does not have a foreign policy) how can you believe that he can do all he says, especially when his position changes according to what day it is and his audience.  Obama claims that his policies are working and will bring us salvation given enough time and that our wealthy elite exists solely for the purpose of shitting all over the middle class while being coddled by the Republicans with huge tax cuts.  You will notice I have spared you more commentary on last night’s debate.  Romney came across as more energetic, articulate and well prepared.  Obama looked like he would have rather been any place but where he was.  Both of them said nothing we have not heard before.  As one commentator said today, last night’s debate probably ensured that there will be fewer viewers for the next one.

Some of you may remember I am also running for president.  I was unanimously nominated by all six delegates to my convention at the Palace Saloon. We have all heard Romney declare that he knows how to create jobs, get Republicans and Democrats to work together (fat chance), and do anything to get us on the right track.  And Obama claims he will be the hero of the middle class and just needs more time to fix the economy and keep the Republicans from cancelling grandma’s Social Security and Medicare.  Now here’s my platform.  It is guaranteed to fix our country no matter what your party affiliation.  First, I will establish term limits for all congressmen so they will not spend their entire lives pandering to private interests for money so they can keep getting reelected.  Second, I will get rid of the Electoral College so everybody’s votes will really count not just those in the “battleground states” (those with a lot of electoral votes).  Third, I will require all states to establish an independent commission to draw honest congressional district lines so state legislatures cannot blatantly stack the deck in their party’s favor.  Fourth, all Congressmen will participate in Social Security and Medicare just like every other American.  While in office, their Social Security and Medicare deductions will count toward their eligibility for benefits at age 67 which makes sense because after their term limit they will have to go get another job.  While in office they will participate in a 401k which they can also take with them to their next job.  This platform will, undoubtedly, fix many of the flaws in our system and hopefully get our politicians to think more about what’s right for our country rather than how they can keep themselves and their party in power and line their own pockets.  The Republicans and Democrats will never adopt this platform of course because it’s not in their own selfish interests.  You notice I was not invited to participate in the debates.

The national elections offer an excellent opportunity for state legislatures for pull a fast one on the public.  The Florida state legislature has proposed 11 amendments to the Florida constitution to be voted on November 6.  Several of them deal with homestead tax exemptions and one concerns the appointment of a student body president to the state university system's board of governors.  But look closely you will find "Prohibition on Public Funding of Abortions; Construction of Abortion Rights."  As you can imagine, it prohibits the use of public money for abortions "or for health-benefit coverage that includes coverage of abortion."   Fortunately, it still allows coverage for federally mandated cases like rape and incest (which Romney-Ryan want to eliminate).  Now take a look at Amendment Proposal 8 which is ludicrously called "Religious Freedom." But what it does is allow the state to give public money to religious organizations like churches, church schools and just about anything church affiliated.  After a bunch of drivel about how much Floridians value tolerance, liberty and the right of  people to practice their own religion, it specifies that one quarter of the state's current population is Roman Catholic and this amendment is intended to correct an 1885 amendment that "exists as a result of anti-Catholic bigotry and animus."  Now get this.  The lines they are cancelling from the old amendment make no mention of the Catholic Church, they just prohibit public money being given to any church.  The new amendment wording also does not mention the Catholic Church but allows public money to be given to any church-associated organization.  The Florida legislature is controlled by Republicans.  I will not insult your intelligence; you can draw your own conclusions.  Separation of church and state?

Anyone following the news over the past ten days might conclude we are about to elect the President of the State of Ohio.  Now I have nothing personal against the people of Ohio but I do object to the idea that they are the ones, in then final analysis, who could select our President for the next four years.  Then you hear how the Ohio coal lobby and coal unions are endorsing one of the candidates so, in theory, you and I could be governed by the person chosen by Ohio coal miners.  Over and over again we hear about the "swing states" that will decide the outcome of the election. Although I happen to live in one, Florida, I think our election system stinks.  We choose our President and Vice President by "indirect election."  We are actually voting to tell our state electors who we want for President and Vice President but the electors are not obligated to cast their "electoral ballots" for the citizens' choice.  Each state determines how electors are chosen so you and I have no idea who those electors are.  Our Founding Fathers established "Electoral Colleges," supposedly, to even out the electoral clout among big and small states.  That's the same argument Congressmen have been using to shoot down constitutional amendments eliminating the "College" over the past several decades.  I fail to see how electoral votes even the playing field between Vermont's three electoral votes and California's 55.  The problem is compounded by the political parties' Holy Grail, voter turnout.  Theoretically a small number of voters in states with lots of electoral votes could decide for the entire country.  But look on the bright side.  If we have a very tight race and it comes down to the electoral votes in one "swing state," we can just have the Supreme Court decide who will be President.  Think that could ever happen? 

Dear Mitt,

I hope you don’t mind my calling you Mitt but since you’re trying to sell yourself as a regular guy I figured you won’t mind.  I’m writing to give you a great idea for reducing the run-away costs of those dreaded government entitlement programs.  It’s easy.  If you get elected, on inauguration day just declare that registered Republicans are immediately not eligible for government handouts like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Disability Insurance and anything else that blood-sucking 47 per cent is getting at the expense of hard working Republicans who take responsibility for their own lives.  That will really show the liberals that Republicans put their money where your mouth is.  Now the beauty of this plan is that Republicans will demonstrate their conservative purity and you can shame the Democrat deadbeats into believing that they are causing our enormous deficits so they will quit applying for benefits.  Bingo!   You now have more money to spend on the military in case you let Netanyahu get you into a war with Iran. Of course there just might be some Republicans who actually benefit from government programs but screw them.  You’re used to dumping people so that shouldn’t bother you. Oh,  one last word of advice:  Try not to make any more goofs that make you look really out of touch with just about everything.

Sincerely,

Bill (You can call me by my first name too.)

The hunt for the real Mitt Romney has been going on since he started his run for the presidency six years ago.  How many articles, books or TV commentators have you seen speculating on who is the "real" Mitt Romney?  Now I can reveal the answer:  there is no real Mitt Romney. His brain has been taken over by extra-terrestrial aliens.  He is now an avatar under interplanetary control known as the Mitt-bot or M2R2.  No rational human being running for president would ever say half of the American people are a bunch of deadbeats and he’s not going to bother with them.  And can you imagine a real person believing "I can change Washington, I will change Washington, we'll get the job done from the inside. Republicans and Democrats will come together!” as M2R2 yelled at a crowd in Sarasota? Any human presidential candidate would have seen what a partisan mess the “uniter” George W. Bush created and that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, upon Obama’s inauguration, declared that the Republicans’ goal was to make Obama a “one term president?  Has his memory erased the three years the Republicans have refused to cooperate or compromise on anything the Obama Administration has proposed?  Now my theory could be wrong and the Mittster is just suffering from attention deficit disorder or merely hallucinating.  It’s just more comforting to believe his brain is now controlled by aliens and there is no real Mitt Romney so we don't have to try to find him anymore.

Republicans can't come right out and say they hate Barack Obama because he's black, so they have to invent reasons to hate him.  Donald Trump's favorite reason is because he's not a natural-born American. Hawaii is in the U.S. Donald. Then we have those who hate him because he's a Muslim.  Of course he's not, but you will never convince them since it justifies their hatred.   How about the Tea Partisti who have called him both a "socialist" and a "fascist" which shows how dumb they are since you can't be both simultaneously.  OMG!  Not only does he want to turn America into Europe, he is "anti-capitalism."  Never mind he saved the auto industry, corporate profits are up and the Dow is up over 4,000 points since he became president.  Then there's the he's-not-really-an- America contingent led by the Republican Imbecile in Chief, Rush Limbaugh who said "this president hates America" and John Sununu who maintains that Obama "should learn how to be an American."  To make matters worse, the Republicans insist he is not patriotic!  Remember the flap over his not wearing the flag lapel pin.  Wow, proof positive he's not patriotic.  And then, according to Mike Huckabee, Obama denied American "exceptionalism." If you needed a reason to despise Obama there you go!  And do you remember Sarah Palin declaring "he was palling around with terrorists"?  So according to the Republicans, Obama is an alien, Muslim, socialist/fascist, anti-capitalism, not really an American who hates America, unpatriotic, denier of American exceptionalism, and pal of terrorists.  Oh, did I mention he is black?

 

Sideblog:  This is circulating on facebook and the internet, a bumper sticker which reads "Don't Re-Nig in 2012."  Need I say more about Republican bigotry?

Well, the Mittster is having a bad week.  The Mother Jones videos that came out Monday showed just how much disdain he has for nearly half the American public.  He spouted the straight rich-guy party line (he was actually addressing rich guys) about those no-good, lazy, free-loading, give-me-a-government-handout misfits who just won’t work hard like good Republicans do to earn their millions of dollars. He seemed to be totally astonished that any American citizen in need should have the temerity to expect any help from the government. Now if the videos weren't bad enough, the staunch conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks commented in his column today on the videos by stating: "he really doesn't know much about the country he inhabits,"  "Romney doesn't know much about the culture of America," he "doesn't know much about the political culture," and "he has lost any sense of the social compact."  That's just a sampling.  If you want more reasons why Romney should not be President of the United States read the whole column.  It's all over the internet. What it boils down to is one of the slogans the Democrats chanted at their convention: “Romney just doesn't get it!” I can give you one more reason why Romney should not be elected:  He's a jerk.

Here’s one for all you gay-bashing bigots out there.  It is a facebook post written by a 15-year old girl.  Some students at her high school formed a club called “Alliance for Equality.”  It generated a lot of hateful, vicious facebook posts among the students.  This young lady decided enough was enough and struck back at the school’s bigots and bullies.  Here’s what she wrote:

 People are missing the point of the Alliance for Equality. Everyone is focusing on the "gay" thing, they are not focusing on the big picture. It's made for equality for EVERYBODY. For the people who are considered a minority in our school simply because they're not "popular" because they choose to be themselves and they don’t focus on the name brands they're wearing, or how much skin they're showing, or how many people they're dating. The club was made for more than just "gays." There are plenty of straight people who are in the club, including myself, who support this. The club is pretty much against bullying. To stop the stupid judgments made simply because you're different or yourself. The club is made for the people who are sick of being called names or seeing others being judged because they don't want to be in the "in" crowd. Who gives you the right to judge anyone because you don't like what they do? So stop with the annoying fighting and name calling when you're only focusing on one part when the big picture of equality for everybody is being overlooked.

The young lady is my grand daughter and I am very proud of her.  She wants to be a journalist and I know she will be a very good one. 

The prospect of Mitt Romney becoming President of the United States is truly frightening.  That's all America needs, another shoot-from-the-hip, tough guy, swaggering Republican to get us into yet another war.   Radical Islamists stormed the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, the Ambassador and three of his staff were murdered, all kinds of shit is hitting the fan in the Middle East and Mitt delivers a flagrant, political cheap-shot, accusing Obama of "apologizing" to our enemies.  Obama did not apologize. What he did was reaffirm a core principle of American character, respect for all religions then added, that does not justify this senseless violence and he vowed to bring the killers to justice.  I suppose Mitt would have called them a bunch of Muslim religious thugs and pissed off the Middle Easterners even more.  Remember Mitt stated he would not mind if Israel attacked Iran without telling him?  Obama has had the balls to tell Netanyahu he won't buy the red line in the sand crap.   Mitt may be really good at making money by dumping failing companies but he has a lot to learn about foreign policy and diplomacy.  He tells us how good he was as a businessman.  He should go back to being one.  Then he can make a lot more money but at least he won't get us into another war.

It appears that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is trying to get the United States into another war.  He is now playing the Israeli Dick Cheney and clearly meddling in American politics.  You know, we have to attack Iran right away because the bad guys might possibly, someday get an atomic weapon. But, of course, Netanyahu is putting the squeeze on the United States to take responsibility for any hostile act against Iran.  He is griping about the “red line” America must draw and if Iran crosses it we will be obligated to join in the attack.  Fortunately, Obama and Hillary are not buying that crap no matter how much huffing and puffing Mitt Romney is doing to imply he would be Mr. Tough Guy and agree to comply with Netanyahu’s demands in a not-so-subtle grovel to the Jewish lobby. That, as we all know, is presidential campaign bombast.  Some people think Netanyahu is intentionally trying to get Romney elected.   One can dream so here’s mine:  Obama is re-elected, he tells Netanyahu where to shove his “red line,” Israel attacks Iran and Obama informs Netanyahu, “You’re on your own, Benjy, and, by the way, we’re not giving you three and a half billion dollars a year any more. Have a good day.”

Back in the 50s, lyrics to a popular song went like this: "First you say you do, and then you don't, then you say you will, and then you won't."  Doesn't this remind you of Mitt Romney?  In his Sunday Meet the Press interview he said he thought prohibiting insurance companies from denying care due to pre-existing conditions and keeping kids on their parents' plans were good ideas.  Of course he vowed to repeal the entire Obama plan his first day in office.  And we all know he established a health care plan in Massachusetts that was a model for Obamacare but now he acts as if that never happened.  And back in his Massachusetts days he was not strictly anti-abortion but now he says he is adamantly pro-life and told Dick Gregory that as president he would appoint Supreme Court judges that he hoped would overthrow Roe v. Wade.  That is a scary admission of advance planning and indicates how our Supreme Court is politically manipulated.  He also said he could work with the Democrats to get America "on the right track" and that "compromise" is not a bad word.  I'd like to see how that plays in Tea Partyville.  One thing I must say Romney did very well in the interview.  Every time he said he had a “plan” (which he says often), and Gregory asked him for specifics, he managed to answer at great length and very articulately without giving any.

Wouldn't it be nice to hear a presidential candidate say:  "On my first day in office I will eliminate party conventions."  These ludicrous bacchanals are a total waste of viewer’s time, campaign money and prime time television slots. Did you have any doubts about who would be nominated?  Was anyone surprised by what the endless line of speakers had to say? I bet the script writers were given these instructions:  See if you can get the word “jobs” in every sentence.  Use one of these phrases at least every ten seconds:  "the greatest country in the history of the world." "this is who we are," "middle class," "American Dream."  Predictably here’s how the Conventions went:  Republicans demonized Obama and said they would lead Americans to a better life without saying exactly how. Democrats demonized Romney, stated what they did and that they will lead us to a better place without saying exactly how.  Regarding performances, Michelle trounced Ann, Clint Eastwood and his chair provided comic relief, Ryan established himself as his party’s ranking liar, Biden got through his speech without any of his trademark gaffs, and Clinton, once again, proved to be the consummate, skillful politician.  The candidates themselves?  Disregarding content, watching Mitt was painful:  His darting eyes from left to right, his soppy sincere look when he did face the camera and his attempts at humor were pitiful.  Stand up comedy is not your calling, Mitt.  Remember the one about the Episcopal priests making lots of money by investing in his start up company?  Heh, heh, heh.  Obama creamed Mitt. The next time we have party conventions maybe I'll look for re-runs of Happy Days which represented the halcyon days when American life was a middle class, Norman Rockwell dream, the illusion both parties claim they will restore.

Oh for shame, for shame!  Can you imagine? the Democrats did not mention God in their platform! And Paul Ryan, Republican VP nominee and his party's Alter Boy in Chief is demanding an explanation.  He told Fox News "I think it’s rather peculiar. It’s not in keeping with our founding documents, our founding vision. I’d guess you’d have to ask the Obama administration why they purged all this language from their platform. There sure is a lot of mention of government. I guess I would just put the onus and the burden on them to explain why they did all this, these purges of God." Have you ever heard such ludicrous bullshit?  Ryan laments there was "a lot of mention of government."  What did you expect, Paul, the Rosary and a couple Hail Marys?  Party platforms are about government not theology and erroneous references to "founding documents" and "founding vision."  To my knowledge in the entire history of the United States there has never been any moral or judicial requirement to mention God in a party platform much less a requirement to explain "these purges of God" if you don't mention him. I suppose Ryan's "onus and burden" to explain adds to Republican self-righteousness because they mention God ten times in their platform.  Why is it the Republicans consider God their exclusive property?  I can imagine God watching this sanctimonious absurdity and laughing his ass off.

Okay by now everybody knows Paul Ryan is a liar.  You’ve heard it all: the under three-hour marathon, the Janesville GM plant that closed before Obama took office but it was still his fault, etc.  I Googled “Paul Ryan’s lies” and got 215,000,000 results (no lie).  But there’s something even worse going on here.  A sleaze-ball like Ryan knows very well he’s lying and he also knows he can get away with it.  There are no consequences.  As conservative columnist David Brooks said in Sunday’s NY Times, “I know from conversations I’ve had that both campaigns do rigorous fact-checking.  When the candidates say something partially or wholly false, they know exactly what they’re doing.” Ryan knew full well he was flat out lying to the American public. And Ryan’s the guy who proudly proclaims he was an alter boy and that his political and economic thought is based on Catholic Social Teaching.  I guess Catholic teaching has nothing against lying.  You can be sure Ryan and Romney will keep on lying (“Romney’s lies” got 33,300,000 Google results.  (Yes, I did Obama too and he got 7,830,000 results so the Republicans win on the Lie-o-Meter.)  Now if you really want to know how cavalier the Republicans are about lying, get this.  Republican pollster Neil Newhouse said, “We are not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact-checkers.”  Makes you feel warm all over, doesn’t it?

Political Convention broadcasts should have credits at the end:  starring... written by... produced by... directed by... cast in order of appearance... After all, political conventions have nothing to do with politics, it's all show business.  We live in the entertainment age.  Professional sports have been considered entertainment (as opposed to sports) for a long time and television news is now rated according to its entertainment value not for its news content. But I digress.  The Republican National Convention was another mindless display of how we approach politics in this country (the Democrats will be just as mindless).   It's a dog-and-pony-phony show with people wearing red-white-and-blue shirts and stuffed elephant hats (coming soon, stuffed donkey hats) screaming and yelling at whatever the scripted performers say on stage. Everybody knows what the politics are (including who the nominee is), so it's really just theatrical bluster! We all know it’s totally scripted (except for perhaps “mystery guests”.) The Republican Convention predictably went like this: The keynoter told the screaming crowd how great the future will be under their candidate, how wonderful the candidate and party line are (when the keynoter was not blowing his own horn); the wife delivered the required, soppy speech about her loving, caring, extraordinarily gifted husband and their wonderful children and grandchildren and their church and how much the party loves women; the vice presidential candidate slimed Obama and claimed his party can fix everything.  Then an aging actor told a few jokes (some in questionable taste) to an empty chair and the fawning crowd went wild.  And then the finale, Mitt, the man himself, the candidate, appears and the crowd becomes nearly hysterical on cue.  He says the same things he has been saying for the last 10 months only trying to sound really passionate about it and the crowd appears to go into ecstasy (a considerable feat considering it's Mitt Romney). The curtain comes down and everybody says “Wow, what a great show!”  It's all phony and a big waste of time and money but that's the American political way.   Coming soon to Charlotte, another meaningless example of your political parties in action, the Democratic National Convention. Stay tuned. 

Sideblog:  Judging from newscasts and internet buzz you hear more about Clint Eastwood and what he said than that guy, what’s his name, Romney?, who is running for president. 

Dear God,

As you probably know, our great country, America, is in a real mess and a lot of people are blaming some of it on You.  These people are stirring up hatred against Your homosexual children and claiming You're the one who wants them to do that.  They carry signs saying "God hates fags" and even some of our most powerful people in political office don't want to allow people who love each other to marry if they are the same sex.  That denies them the rights other Americans have but they say You're the one who wants it that way.  They also say You really, really hate abortion which You never said anything about as far as I know.  They've decided they know when life begins although I thought that was Your prerogative. And if a woman gets pregnant by rape or incest, they just figure it is her tough luck.  These people hate contraception too, which I find a little strange because contraception would probably stop some of those hateful abortions.  They believe they have a right to tell women what to do with their own bodies and health and claim You give them that authority.  God, I wish these people would keep You out of it and just admit they are responsible for their own hatred and bigotry.  Didn't Jesus, who these people claim to follow, give a commandment to "love one another"?  They must have missed that.  Anyway, God, I'm sorry to take up so much of Your time but I thought You should know what a bad rap some people are putting on You.  I don't believe You have anything to do with these things because You're a lot better than that.

Your friend,

Bill