Chrom
Chrom's JournalWho props up the pure propaganda Rush Limbaugh show in your neck of the woods?
I don't know why this propaganda is licensed on the public airwaves, much less played on Armed Forces Radio...
but in my area, where most advertisers have yanked their ads, every commercial break there is an ad for HAMP.
HAMP, the mortgage program that purposely withheld help from people.
Why Did HAMP Fail? Banks falsified documents to steal more homes and they did it on purpose!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024193694
There are just so many posters that don't understand where the crazy is coming from and might be shocked to find out that Rush Limbaugh is leading the morons to be hateful mean and nasty bigots, tearing apart the fabric of our society, and he is doing it with government money that was meant to help people with their underwater mortgages.
I keep reading about progressive radio stations being switch to limbaugh....now who the hell would pay for that when the Republicans are crashing and burning.
Don't worry, they are just using the HAMP slush fund to prop up Limbaugh, and who knows what else government money they are using.
TAKERS!
The Pope Hits a Roadblock- Now What?
The reason I love this pope so much, is that I was raised catholic but left the church because of lack of good examples of people actually following the teachings.
Even before Obama, my family behaved like today's Republicans, attacking me and my husband in much the same manner as they go after all liberals, because we are different, because we are more inclusive, open minded and educated, and because we care about people more than money.
When my grandmother died, my parents decided to keep my inheritance because...well I don't know why, but I think it was because I am different and a liberal. My brothers were give their inheritance, but they don't rock the boat. They somehow justify this in their mind, they called me greedy for asking for my fair share, and when this was discussed, I was met with total denial, self important reassurance of their rightness.
For years I have struggled with what to do with this roadblock.
Now flash forward to the Pope, now in your face to Republicans, calling them out on their greed and unwillingness to follow the teachings of the Bible...
and he is met with " But we're nice rich people "
"Rich people in one country don’t act the same as rich people in another country.’”
These people are in complete and utter denial.
Delusional!
But if there is one thing I have learned, it is that they will not change.
They are so stuck in their self delusion, they will never look in the mirror, the will never get it!
So what does a person do?
Even when publicly shamed, they continue to act like fools.
How do we stop their narcissistic bullshit from ruining so many lives?
Billions are suffering and dying because these assholes can't face reality, but we can't just allow them to continue.
So what do you do when faced with this denial that will not allow people to move forward?
Pope Francis is neither liberal nor conservative. He's kind
But asking whether Francis is '"liberal" or "conservative" is about as useful as asking "is the Pope a Catholic"? Francis, displaying a fine Jesuitical mind, can sound like a liberal to liberals and a conservative to conservatives. This is not the secret of his immense appeal. People love Pope Francis because he is kind. A thousand anecdotes proving his humanity have built his public image – everything from his sneaking out at night to feed the poor to his personally telephoning a father mourning his son's premature death. To capture the public's imagination, good deeds trump any amount of words.
Most people really don't care about theological nuances and political subtleties. They care about kindness. My 20-year-old stepson, who hasn't set foot in a church (willingly) in years, quotes Francis at me on an almost daily basis. He's getting his information from Twitter and Pulse, and is the one to tell me that Francis had said an atheist could be a good person, and who told me the Pope had made sandwiches for his Swiss guard when he was hungry.
Sadly, acts of kindness are so rare among public figures, that Francis strikes us as extraordinary. We have come to expect high-profile to mean high-maintenance. To learn that someone in a supreme position can do so much good is positively subversive.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/cristinaodone/100252230/pope-francis-is-neither-liberal-nor-conservative-hes-kind/
State Sen. Sylvia R. Garcia "Pope Francis should inspire us all"
Recently, I have been inspired by Pope Francis' strong stance against economic inequality and his urging to further support the poor among us. Having read about Pope Francis' "One Human Family, Food For All" campaign, I am moved to pray and act to end hunger, especially during this holiday season.
The pope's message resonates closely with the values I learned growing up poor in South Texas and having been a recipient of the old commodity food program. Despite our family's economic hardships, my parents instilled the value of generosity in me and my nine siblings. I give thanks to my parents for teaching us that everyone has something to give, regardless of their circumstances, and that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect.
During this holiday season, as we gather with our families and friends to exchange gifts, express gratitude, and celebrate another year, let us reflect on the pope's message of compassion and generosity for those who are unnecessarily hungry in this season of giving. Consider adding generosity for those in need to your list of 2014 New Year's resolutions.
In Harris County, there are 706,000 residents (18 percent) who are food insecure. This means that there was a time in the previous year when they had difficulty meeting their food needs. Some of these Harris County residents are eligible for federal and state food programs like SNAP (food stamps), WIC (Women, Infants & Children's program), and free school lunches, but estimates show that only about 55 percent of those who are eligible actually access these programs. Additionally, many with food insecurity simply do not meet the low income qualifications of these programs.
So what can we do to help our neighbors in Harris County? Here are some ideas:
1 Encourage your faith-based and non-faith-based organizations to engage in the fight against hunger by offering meals at their location, especially during the summer and after school when many children cannot access free school meals.
1 Help our food banks. Food banks are a critical component to filling the gap in food insecurity among our neighbors. Your time, your voice and your money are invaluable resources in helping food banks further their mission. Also, volunteer at your local food bank and pantry. Make it part of your New Year's resolution to volunteer in 2014.
1 Use your voice to educate and encourage your neighbors, friends and family members to contribute to a food bank, but also encourage federal legislators to preserve and strengthen the SNAP program and other federal nutrition programs, which are currently under consideration in the Farm Bill to be passed after the New Year. I will certainly use my voice to encourage my fellow state legislators to expand state food programs.
1 Food banks can also use your dollars to buy food at wholesale prices. This should not discourage you from donating nonperishable food items, but dollars can be leveraged to feed more families.
I applaud Mayor Annise Parker and the Houston Inaugural Organizing Committee for organizing an event at the Houston Food Bank on Jan. 2, where 100 percent of donations will go to the food bank.
Like the pope says, let's "place ourselves at the service of the poor." Think of creative ways to truly make a difference next year.
'The Pope can talk, but what is he actually doing?!'
That is what I keep hearing from folks that defend Obama's every stance.
Obama can actually affect the lives of millions, billions really...by raising taxes on the wealthy to pay for their wars and bailouts,
Prosecuting in the crimes of wall street, the people who stole millions of homes, crashed the economy, and now expect us to rent back the homes they stole...
Stop wall street from speculating on commodities like the regulations that use to be in place before the Koch brothers started speculating on oil and Goldman Sachs started speculating on all other commodities (meanwhile hoarding the commodities in warehouses)
But NO, the Pope talks a good game but he's not actually doing anything.
Pope's Personal Assistant to Oversee Bank Reform
Since taking office in March, Pope Francis has embarked on a number of changes to clean up the Vatican and root out corruption.
This has included making the bank - which has 114 employees and $7.1bn of assets - more transparent.
In August he issued a decree designed to combat money-laundering and prevent any financing of terrorism within the bank, formally known as the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR).He also set up a commission to investigate the bank and report back to him personally.
It followed the arrest in June of a senior cleric, Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, on suspicion of money laundering.
He and two others were arrested by Italian police on suspicion of trying to move 20m euros ($26m; £17m) illegally.
Pope Francis has also raised the prospect that the bank could be handed over to commercial banks or closed down unless it can reform itself.
In October the bank published its first annual report in its 125-year history.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25142123
A threat to the 1%? Are the attacks on the Pope Coordinated?
As I read through many topics about the pope not standing up to purity tests, one has to wonder...
what kind of progressive democrat would not be happy to embrace any progress in the direction of income equality around the world....
in particular a slap in the face to the very hypocrites who have devastated the finances of the country with their wars and horrible tax policies
who claim to be Christian, but have done nothing but prop up the rich.
What the Pope has been discussing is THE most important topic affecting billions of people, people who are starving and homeless and living a miserable existence because of the greed of a very few....WHAT could be more important than that?
Most progressive Democrats that I know focus on the positive and would be so happy to know the Pope is fighting for the 99%, and here the Republicans and their sadistic policies are being exposed and the emperor has no clothes....
but instead of seeing the positive, a vocal minority appears to just HATE the Pope, they can't seem to say enough bad stuff about him...it's weird.
With healthcare covered, I don't think we should have mandatory car insurance
Most of what we pay in car insurance is for health care coverage in the event of an accident.
Now that everyone should have health care, we should at the very least have MUCH LOWER auto insurance costs...right?
Federal government overspends $300 billion a year on private contractors & then they cheat on taxes!
In theory, these contractors are supposed to save taxpayer money, as efficient, bottom-line-oriented corporate behemoths. In reality, they end up costing twice as much as civil servants
About 27,000 Pentagon contractors, one in nine, evaded taxes and yet continued to get Defense Department contracts, according to a 2004 GAO study requested by then-senator Norm Coleman, a Minnesota Republican. The Pentagon says federal law prevents it from identifying any of the firms by name.
It’s not as if this can’t be fixed. Congress could ban the owners and executives of any firm that does this from any government contracts for 10 years, the same penalty it applies to the working poor who cheat on the Earned Income Tax Credit. It could also make public the names of contractors, and their major owners, caught cheating on their taxes.
Last year, contractors were allowed to charge the government as much as $763,029 per worker.
http://www.newsweek.com/us-government-paying-through-nose-private-contractors-224370
LGBT Magazine "The Advocate" names Pope Francis Person of the Year
Pope Francis is leader of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics all over the world. There are three times as many Catholics in the world than there are citizens in the United States. Like it or not, what he says makes a difference. Sure, we all know Catholics who fudge on the religion's rules about morality. There's a lot of disagreement, about the role of women, about contraception, and more. But none of that should lead us to underestimate any pope's capacity for persuading hearts and minds in opening to LGBT people, and not only in the U.S. but globally.
The remaining holdouts for LGBT acceptance in religion, the ones who block progress in the work left to do, will more likely be persuaded by a figure they know. In the same way that President Obama transformed politics with his evolution on LGBT civil rights, a change from the pope could have a lasting effect on religion....
As pope, he has not yet said the Catholic Church supports civil unions. But what Francis does say about LGBT people has already caused reflection and consternation within his church. The moment that grabbed headlines was during a flight from Brazil to Rome. When asked about gay priests, Pope Francis told reporters, according to a translation from Italian, "If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?"
The brevity of that statement and the outsized attention it got immediately are evidence of the pope's sway. His posing a simple question with very Christian roots, when uttered in this context by this man, "Who am I to judge?" became a signal to Catholics and the world that the new pope is not like the old pope.
http://www.advocate.com/year-review/2013/12/16/advocates-person-year-pope-francis
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Member since: Sat Oct 19, 2013, 04:45 PMNumber of posts: 191
