May 18, 2015

FINALLY LIBERAL RADIO HAS ITS PUNDIT

Watch out because Bernie Sanders, who for years has graced the airways of the liberal left, has now become a stronger voice due to throwing his hat in the ring for the Democratic nomination for President. It is time someone did battle with the conservative right blowhards, most of which are suffering significant declines in ratings. As an example, Rush Limbaugh has fallen to a dismal 22nd place in New York, 37th in Los Angeles. Sanders says his core audience is, of course, the Democratic Party and he is very consistent in making his point. According to Michael Harrison, editor and publisher of Talkers Magazine, there are some 20 million listeners to Progressive radio and experts say conditions are perfect for Bernie Sanders to get his message out since he is considered Mr. Progressive. Harrison says radio speaks to the grassroots audience and is now "trending back towards 'independent and populist talk.'" Boston-based radio host Jeff Santos said, “It has been 99% a love affair between Bernie Sanders and my audience.” With those numbers, how can you lose?

http://nastyjackbuzz.blogspot.com/

May 17, 2015

DEMS WANT ONLINE VOTING BUT REPUBLICANS DON'T

At first there was an agreement that online voting was a good thing for both parties until...Republicans did their research. Now they're getting cold feet; Florida is backing out due to "outlandish claims opposing an online registration measure." Texas GOP lawmakers are afraid of fraud; this coming from the party of fraud. But Pew Research found "that 22 states plus the District of Columbia, representing more than half of all eligible voters, will offer the chance to register online for the 2016 election." The hard facts are that blacks and Hispanics, traditionally voting democrat, have more computers and smart phones than they have in the past. Today, 80% of blacks are internet users compared to 83% of Hispanics. It has become clear that Republicans will fight any form of voting that does not favor their party and that illustrates the desperation of the GOP for votes.

http://nastyjackbuzz.blogspot.com/

May 16, 2015

POLICE ON THE STREETS WITH ALMOST NO TRAINING

The only training Nancy Cummings received in the Alexander, Arkansas police dept. to become a cop was whether or not she could hit a target 25 yards away 80% of the time. Hell, in the rural areas of that state most anyone can do that. And it's all legal, state law, as a convenience for small police departments that desperately need officers. In Nancy Cummings case her lack of training resulted in her shooting a black man in the back, killing him, during an arrest for which she was later charged with manslaughter. But Arkansas isn't the only state; in Indiana the cop can be on the job a year before requiring any training, except for firearms. This is not only a case of stupid law but is also a slap in the face to well-trained police officers across the country. At a time when cops are under such close scrutiny in alleged racial situations, the good ones don't need this crap.

http://nastyjackbuzz.blogspot.com/

May 16, 2015

COULD THIS POPE HELP SOLVE MIDDLE EAST CRISIS?

The Vatican has recognized the Palestinian state and the Jewish community is up in arms. What has really happened is that it has switched its diplomatic recognition from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to the state of Palestine. The key here, according to the Israeli government..."is there a state of Palestine?" I have read the history of this conflict and for the life of me I cannot see how Israel can deny that Palestinians have some right to live in a land where their ancestors came from. Somewhere. The idea of who was there first has been described childish by some historians and the stories abound about the early settling tribes from both sides.

According to one story, the name Palestine was given to the region spreading from eastern Mediterranean coast to the Jordan Valley to the area covering Galilee Lake in the north and southern Negev Desert. "Plesheth" is the origin of the word Palestine, appearing often in the Bible, and popularized as “Philistine” in English. The story goes on to say, "These people were mostly originates of Asia Minor and Greece and gradually became a part of the Arab world."

A major concern of the Pope is the plight of the Christians affected in the territories that are clashing. Along with this is his contention that those involved no longer place any value on human life. It would not surprise me if Pope Francis were able to bring these two countries together with a realization of what they are doing to each other and help them to decide that peace is the better way.

http://nastyjackbuzz.blogspot.com/

May 16, 2015

NRA ADMITS ILLICIT FUNDRAISING

The "Mouth," AKA Wayne LaPierre, head of the National Rifle Assn., was caught with his hand in the black powder. I first blogged on this the end of April. Josh Horwitz, Executive Director, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, reports that the NRA admits doing it but blames it on the fact that it was "Convenient, unexplained 'coding and clerical errors.'" Only Wacky Wayne would think he could get away with this and it's possible that he will unless a gutless Congress finds some balls. Now this is the man who weaseled out of going to the Vietnam War by getting his family physician to claim he had a nervous disorder. That could account for some of the incredibly imbecilic things he has done in the last few years.

Here are the charges:

For a period of four months in 2014, online donations made to the NRA's Institute for Legislative Affairs (NRA-ILA) were deposited in violation of federal law into the account of the group's PAC, the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF). The NRA claims this was because of a “coding error.”
The lobby failed to report its political expenditures (such as fundraising on behalf of the PVF) to the IRS for the years 2008 to 2013, as required by law. The NRA describes this omission as “a clerical error.

CSGV is pressing for a full investigation by the FEC and IRS and need your help with their efforts.

http://nastyjackbuzz.blogspot.com/

May 16, 2015

I'M NOT READY TO DIE YET

I haven't even learned how to fully use my smartphone yet, so although I am 82-years old, I can't pass away until I have at least mastered this modern technology. And there's much more in the making so I don't know when I'll be ready to go. Just today I found there is a semi-truck that drives itself; self-driving cars have already been around for a while. Although I don't have diabetes, I might try Google's contact lens that monitor your blood sugar level, just in case. And skateboards came along way after I quit being a kid but I'm willing to take my chances on the new hoverboards that never touch the ground. I've played around with artificial intelligence already in a computer modeling program with outcomes that were downright scary. I want to see at least one drone come to my house from Amazon.com delivering my order before I check out. Genome editing has been done in China and I'm hoping to see that performed here on radical conservatives turning them into progressives. There's more and this just shows what a great age we live in today, something apparently even the U.S. Congress can't fuck up.

http://nastyjackbuzz.blogspot.com/

May 16, 2015

IS THE INTERNET REPLACING GOING TO CHURCH?

Although churches aren't empty, the congregations are dwindling and a new Pew Research study says "...the Christian percentage of the population [is] dropping precipitously." It's down to 70.6% from 78.4% in 2007. Millennials, or Generation Y, those with birth years from the 1980s to 2000s, are bailing out of Christianity with some one-third now claiming to be unaffiliated. And here's the kicker, some researchers blame it on the Internet, where the public can now get the facts on their faith and bond with those who think as they do. And in my view, if the person is knowledgeable enough, they can use the Internet to confirm or refute the dogmas of a religious group. My gut tells me the latter has a lot to do with the escape from Protestantism and religion in general. The only time I've been in a church in the last fifty years is for a wedding and when our granddaughter took my wife and me to a special service. Oh yes, a couple of Catholic Christmas Eve midnight masses. I am not proud but either am I apologetic. It's a matter of choice and apparently the current generation has chosen to veer away from all the pomp and circumstance.

http://nastyjackbuzz.blogspot.com/

May 16, 2015

BERNIE SANDERS SMACKS KOCH BROS. ON SOCIAL SECURITY

Bernie Sanders has issued a three-prong assault on the Koch Bros., who he calls the poster boys for the 1% wealthy, re. their ongoing assault against Social security. First, they want to increase the retirement age to 70. Now, let's see, would their efforts be in behalf of the SS program to help it survive? Hell no, it's to save Koch Industries billions from the 60,000 people they employ in the U.S. Put it off as long as possible and maybe some of these nice employees will die before reaching age 70. Second and third, they scream that SS is going broke and that it needs to be privatized. Again, are they coming to the aid of one of America's institutional benefits? Hell no once more. The savings and potential revenue for something like this would be enormous for Koch Industries. What is interesting about the video with this article is that it exposes many of the secret lobbying groups supported by, who else, the Koch Bros. Watch it!

http://nastyjackbuzz.blogspot.com/

May 15, 2015

NRA MEMBERS WANT TRAINING FOR CONCEALED CARRY GUN OWNERS

Requiring firearms training for concealed carry gun owners would be a step in the right direct except the concealed carry law itself should be banned in the U.S. My point is based on one simple fact. In Arizona if you are not a felon and have a warm body you can buy a gun and take it almost anywhere. No training. Yes, these cowboys can walk into the gun shop, purchase a handgun, and then walk around the streets with it brandished in a holster or hidden in a pocket. They claim it is for their safety but what these gun nuts really want to do is play vigilante. There are studies saying concealed carry saves lives but they are years old and even with the decrease in gun violence over the years there are still over 11,000 firearms related gun deaths each year. The sheer number of guns in this country--300 million--makes the idea of letting someone roam the streets with a hidden weapon plain dumb. But as an example of the lack of training that is prevalent, at least in the state of Arizona, two CC greenhorns at the attack of former Rep. Gabby Giffords in Tucson in 2011 attempted to come to the rescue to stop Jared Lee Laughner and almost shot each other. Laughner was stopped by one of the bystanders.

May 15, 2015

MY DAILY LUNACY FROM TEA PARTY EMAILS

I can hardly wait to get to my computer in the morning to open the hair-brained emails from the Tea Party. It is downright comical how these people talk down down to their denizens of warped ideology who haven't the slightest idea they are being hornswoggled. They are constantly asking for money, which should tip off even the dimmest of wits. But it doesn't. Here are some of their hilarious headlines:

I’m about to reveal something shocking to you.
We are in the gravest of situations.
URGENT ALERT FOR TEA PARTY PATRIOTS...
IT HAS BEGUN. Tea Party Uprising Is Spreading!
Something serious has happened and I need your help. I really thought long and hard but I have to share it with you.
I feel as if a jagged knife just ripped through my body and pierced my heart. This was like a punch to the gut that knocked the wind right out of me.
That last one sounds like it came right out of an Abbott and Costello comedy routine. and then they come up with the admonishments of armageddon:

Our military is crumbling.
Obama has your guns and ammo in his crosshairs.
They feature the clueless Donald Trump.
They feature Ted Cruz the insurrectionist.

I used to comment on their website and the reactions I got were the greatest collection of illiteracy I have ever experienced. But the highlight of Tea Party accomplishment recently is the election of Joni Ernst to the Senate in Iowa. You have to wonder if we are at the end.