Congressional Reform Act of 2011

(email I received... I think these are some good ideas!)

Subject: Congressional Reform Act of 2011

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified!

Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.

I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. Term Limits.

12 years only, one of the possible options below..

A. Two Six-year Senate terms

B. Six Two-year House terms

C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms:

2. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

4 Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

THIS WOULD BE A GOOD START!

For those who thought they knew everything...

********************************* ********************************************
The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for
Blood plasma.
********************************* ******************************************
No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven (7) times.

Oh go ahead...I'll wait.....
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Donkeys kill more people annually
than plane crashes or shark attacks. (So, watch your Ass!)
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You burn more calories sleeping
than you do watching television.
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Oak trees do not produce acorns
until they are fifty (50) years of age or older.
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The first product to have a bar code
was Wrigley's gum.
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The King of Hearts is the only king
WITHOUT A MOUSTACHE
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American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one (1) olive

from each salad served in first-class.
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Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

(Since Venus is normally associated with women, what does this tell you!)
(That women are going the 'right' direction...?)

*********************************************************************
Apples, not caffeine,
are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
************************************ ***********************************
Most dust particles in your house are made from

DEAD SKIN!
************************************************************************ ****
The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer.
So did the first 'Marlboro Man'.
***************************************************************************
Walt Disney was afraid OF MICE!
*******************************************************************************************************************************
PEARLS MELT IN VINEGAR!
*********************************************************************
The three most valuable brand names on earth:
Marlboro, Coca Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.
**********************************************************************
It is possible to lead a cow upstairs...
but, not downstairs.

************************************************************************
A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
************************************************************************
Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from
a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.

(I keep my toothbrush in the living room now!)
****************************************************************************

And the best for last.... Turtles can breathe through their butts.
(I know some people like that, don't YOU?)

So......................




Remember, knowledge is everything, so pass it on...

and go move your toothbrush!

Cleaning for a Reason- assisted service for women undergoing chemotherapy

Subject: FW: Cleaning for a Reason

If you know any woman currently undergoing chemotherapy, please pass the word to her that there is a cleaning service that provides FREE housecleaning - once per month for 4 months while she is in treatment. All she has to do is sign up and have her doctor fax a note confirming the treatment. Cleaning for a Reason will have a participating maid service in her zip code area arrange for the service. This organization serves the entire USA and currently has 547 partners to help these women. It's our job to pass the word and let them know that there are people out there that care. Be a blessing to someone and pass this information along.

http://www.cleaningforareason.org/ < http://www.cleaningforareason.org/ >
You may not know someone going through chemo, but someone on your email list might. Please pass this information on to your family & friends.

Social Security does not and never has added a single dime to the federal deficit.

(Email I received. Man! They are just salivating over that Social Security money. Dubya even said that his biggest regret during his presidency was that he wasn't able to privatize it. They just can't sleep knowing that pot of money is being used for folks' retirement without them being able to gamble with it.)

Either House Majority Leader Eric Cantor doesn't understand how Social Security works or he doesn't care.

Just hours after President Obama said that Social Security cuts and privatization are off the table, Cantor said that Social Security had to be cut to balance the budget. But here's the thing: Social Security does not and never has added a single dime to the federal deficit.

Let me try to explain this to Mr. Cantor. Social Security is paid for through the payroll tax. Currently, the payroll tax raises way more money than Social Security pays out and things are projected to keep going this way for another couple of decades.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? They add to the deficit. Tax breaks for billionaires? They add to the deficit. Subsidies for big oil? They add to the deficit. Bailing out Mr. Cantor's friends on Wall Street when they make a bunch of shady deals, cause a financial crisis and almost ruin the world economy? That adds a lot to the deficit.

Simply put, Social Security will run a surplus for decades. The rest of the budget runs a deficit. So, why are we even talking about Social Security?

Here's why: Eric Cantor and his right-wing friends want to destroy the program. That's the only reason we're having this conversation. Join me now and let's send Eric Cantor and other members of Congress a message -- Keep Social Security safe, stable and secure.

Please sign the petition now.

Eric Cantor's comments aren't anything new. Right-wing Republicans have been trying to tear down Social Security for generations. It's the holy grail of the right-wing.

Now Republicans are playing with fire -- they're threatening to shut down the government. They're holding the debt ceiling hostage. They'll do whatever it takes to put cutting Social Security on the table.

But America is a community. We stand up for one another -- including our seniors. That's why DFA has launched it's biggest campaign ever to push back against the right-wing lies and spin and to push a real solution to keep Social Security safe, stable and secure forever.

See, right now people like Mitch McConnell and Sarah Palin don't pay the same percentage of their income into Social Security that most Americans do -- and big surprise -- neither does Eric Cantor. That's because the tax is capped at $106,800, but most Americans don't know it. All we need to do is scrap the cap and make the payroll tax fair and equal for everyone to keep Social Security safe, stable and secure.

Join the movement to beat back the right-wing and keep Social Security safe, stable and secure.

When we stand up for our values of community, security and liberty, America wins.

-Arshad

Arshad Hasan, Executive Director
Democracy for America

Democracy for America relies on you and the people-power of more than one million members to fund the grassroots organizing and training that delivers progressive change on the issues that matter. Please Contribute Today and support our mission.

Life is tough. It's even tougher if you're stupid!!!!

(Email I received this morning.... LOL! Now I know why those plastic dividers at the checkout are missing so much... The cashier probably sat it aside when they couldn't find the barcode. LOL!)

ONE

Recently, when I went to McDonald's I saw on the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets. I asked for a half dozen nuggets.
'We don't have half dozen nuggets,' said the teenager at the counter.
'You don't?' I replied.
'We only have six, nine, or twelve,' was the reply.
'So I can't order a half dozen nuggets, but I can order six?'
'That's right.'
So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets
(Unbelievable but sadly true...)

TWO

I was checking out at the local Wal-Mart with just a few items and the lady behind me put her things on the belt close to mine. I picked up one of those 'dividers' that they keep by the cash register and placed it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed.
After the girl had scanned all of my items, she picked up the 'divider', looking it all over for the bar code so she could scan it. Not finding the bar code, she said to me, 'Do you know how much this is?'

I said to her 'I've changed my mind; I don't think I'll buy that today.'

She said 'OK,' and I paid her for the things and left. She had no clue to what had just happened.

THREE

A woman at work was seen putting a credit card into her floppy drive and pulling it out very quickly. When I inquired as to what she was doing, she said she was shopping on the Internet and they kept asking for a credit card number, so she was using the ATM 'thingy.'

(keep shuddering!!)

FOUR

I recently saw a distraught young lady weeping beside her car. 'Do you need some help?' I asked. She replied, 'I knew I should have replaced the battery to this remote door unlocker. Now I can't get into my car. Do you think they (pointing to a distant convenience store) would have a battery to fit this?'

'Hmmm, I don't know. Do you have an alarm, too?' I asked.

No, just this remote thingy,' she answered, handing it and the car keys to me. As I took the key and manually unlocked the door, I replied, 'Why don't you drive over there and check about the batteries. It's a long walk....'


PLEASE just lay down before you hurt yourself !!!


FIVE

Several years ago, we had an Intern who was none too swift. One day she was typing and turned to a secretary and said, 'I'm almost out of typing paper. What do I do?' 'Just use paper from the photocopier', the secretary told her. With that, the intern took her last remaining blank piece of paper, put it on the photocopier and proceeded to make five 'blank' copies.

Brunette, by the way!!

SIX

A mother calls 911 very worried asking the dispatcher if she needs to take her kid to the emergency room, the kid had eaten ants. The dispatcher tells her to give the kid some Benadryl and he should be fine, the mother says, 'I just gave him some ant killer......'

Dispatcher: 'Rush him in to emergency!'

Life is tough. It's even tougher if you're stupid!!!!

Adult Truths

(LOL! Email I received today. Yep... those are some adult truths alright....)

*** Adult Truths ***

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18.. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

24. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

Slow, steady, stir...

And we wonder continuously, how... how it is, that we are still battling demons from our collective past, where among Black people, in all of our various shades of cream, tan, coffee, chocolate, brown, black... that it is still an issue among some of us.

I just finished reading a story in the book, Tales of Conjure by Charles W. Chesnutt called 'A Matter Of Principle'. It was sad and funny in it's irony, at the same time. The story takes place a few years after the Civil War, among a family of 'well-to-do' very light-skinned, black folks who believed in the principle of keeping their blood line as white as possible. It was amazing, yet not surprising, how they so freely discussed dark, black folks in the same regard and vernacular that you'd expect from racist white folks. I had to laugh at how based on their steadfastness in making sure that their daughter did not ever become involved with a man who was darker than 'olive-skinned' tone with 'good, straight/curly hair', caused such an ironic missed opportunity. But in the end, it's such a sad legacy of confusion we continue to deal with, and on the surface seems that it should be such a trivial matter.... but it's not.

The fracture runs so deep among us, and although I believe we've come a long way to get over these psychological wounds, the toxicity of that sad legacy is as pervasive as a virus and it continues to seep into our realities here and there. I have to admit, it's shocking to meet folks who still live by the principle, but then it is how they were raised, I suppose, as well as how our society still responds in some instances in their perception, where it's worth holding on to that principle.

I was at a car dealer one morning a few years ago, waiting for scheduled maintenance to be done on my car, and a woman came in. We began to chat and somehow got on the subject of dating. She told me that she had met a real nice man while walking in the park and how they began to date, and how she ended up marrying that man. She went on to tell me how she almost missed out on marrying this nice man who is very good to her, because she said initially, she felt that he was too black.

I looked at her when she said that with some confusion... what could she have meant by that was my initial thought... and she went on to explain as she recognized the confused expression on my face, that he was too dark.

I was so shocked... I believe my mouth fell open. I mean, it wasn't like she was all that light-skinned. I'm glad she got past her initial reservations about the man based on his hue, and it ended with them both being happy together.

And now when I think about it, I guess she has a right to her preference, just like anyone else. So after reading that story... I was inspired to write about the 'slow, steady, stir'... the blending of our blood, our spirit, our souls... where over the centuries and after being so sorely segmented in such tragic and devastating ways, that we might continue to grow together with love and respect in the spirit of a loving God. We have to recognize where some of these principles come from, and have some compassion, and then work toward relieving ourselves of this kind of mental bondage.

'Happiness is a choice'

TWO WOLVES

TWO WOLVES                                 
                                                                            
  One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on 
                               inside people.                               
     He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all".     
                                                                            
     "One is Evil -  It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed,    
  arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride,  
                           superiority, and ego".                           
                                                                            
   "The other is Good -  It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility,
  kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith". 
                                                                            
        The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his       
                       grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"                      
                                                                            
            The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."            

Haters By Maya Angelou

Haters By Maya Angelou

A hater is someone who is jealous and envious and spends all their
Time trying to make you look small so they can look tall.
They are very negative people to say the least. Nothing is ever
Good enough!

When you make your mark, you will always attract some haters...

That's why you have to be careful with whom you share your
Blessings and your dreams, because some folk can't handle seeing
You blessed...

It's dangerous to be like somebody else... If God wanted you to be
Like somebody else, He would have given you what He gave them! Right?

You never know what people have gone through to get what they
Have...

The problem I have with haters is that they see my glory, but they
Don't know my story....

If the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, you
Can rest assured that the water bill is higher there too!

We've all got some haters among us!

Some people envy you because you can:
a) Have a relationship with God
b) Light up a room when you walk in
c) Start your own business
d) Tell a man/woman to hit the curb
(if he/she isn't about the right thing)
e) you are a strong person and don't let people run you over
f) you have a strong and loving marriage and they can't get in-between spouses
to spoil it

Haters can't stand to see you happy.
Haters will never want to see you succeed.
Most of our haters are people who are supposed to be
On our side (like some family and friends).

How do you handle your undercover haters?
You can handle these haters by:

1. Knowing who you are & who your true friends are
*(VERY IMPORTANT!!)

2. Having a purpose to your life: Purpose does not
Mean having a job. You can have a job and still be
Unfulfilled.

A purpose is having a clear sense of what God has called you to be.
Your purpose is not defined by what others think about you

3. By remembering that what you have is by divine
Prerogative and not human manipulation.

Fulfill your dreams! You only have one life to live...when its your
Time to leave this earth, you want to be able to say, 'I've lived my
Life and fulfilled my dreams, Now I'm ready to go HOME!

When God gives you favor, you can tell your haters, 'Don't look at
Me...Look at who is in charge of me...'

Watch out for Haters...BUT most of all don't become
A HATER!


Maya Angelou

This is a Woman 's Brain

This is a Woman 's Brain

One night President Obama and his wife Michelle decided to do something out of routine and go for a casual dinner at a restaurant that wasn't too luxurious. When they were seated, the owner of the restaurant asked the president's secret service if he could please speak to the First Lady in private. They obliged and Michelle had a conversation with the owner.
Following this conversation President Obama asked Michelle, why was he so interested in talking to you. She mentioned that in her teenage years, he had been madly in love with her. President Obama then said, "so if you had married him, you would now be the owner of this lovely restaurant" , to which Michelle responded, "no, if I had married him, he would now be the President".

Greens!

So for the past few days, I've been having a taste for some Mustard Greens. I searched last week in ShopRite for the Glory Greens (already cleaned and cut in a bag) kind, but found none, and ended up cooking some collards and kale.... and it was good! :)

So today.... I broke down and decided to grab the bundles that were sitting there looking so fresh and green... all the while thinking about how much work it was going to be to clean and cut them up. It was as if I was on 'auto-pilot' that I grabbed them, weighed them and put them all in my cart. I didn't leave one bundle there... took all of them... LOL! I took them all because I could hear my mother's voice in my head saying... 'they cook down to nothing'.

And so here I sit smelling the aroma... YUM... I started off with some EVOO and cut up a red onion, fresh garlic, celery, red pepper and jalepeno. I cooked all that in the EVOO with the lid on the pot, tight so that the juices would marry together in the pot. Ohhhh it smells so delicious as I lifted the lid to stir it around.

In the meantime.... I washed all those greens, cut them and put them in my salad spinner to get the excess water off. UGH... it was a job because I had to do that 5 times. Each time I spun some, I put them in the pot and as they wilted, I spun another batch. Oh... and I had dissolved a Vegetable Bouillon in 2 cups of water and added it to the pot. I used to use some pork neck bones years ago... then I started using turkey bacon after getting a recipe from Oprah's magazine. But lately, I've ditched the meat altogether.... and they taste so good that way!

So now I've turned the heat way down to simmer and letting those greens cook for a while... after 30 minutes, I'll start adding some seasoning.... butter, Lawry's Seasoned Salt or Sea Salt... (shhhhhhh.... I add a little sugar too.... got that from Oprah! LOL!) and then I let them cook for 30 or so minutes more.... and then WALA....... they're done!

YUM!

(Thanks for keeping me company while I cook my greens :)

Beware! A. O. Smith Hot Water Heaters.... hundreds of complaints!

(I'm passing this message on that I received from a friend, after we spoke on the phone. The water heater company actually lied to her. They said they've never heard of any problems like hers... but when she googled it, there were hundreds of complaints. Beware of A.O. Smith Promax Hot Water Heaters!)

I purchased an A. O. Smith Promax hot water heater 6 years 3 months ago. I started having problems with the pilot going out for no reason. I called Advantage Plumbing (they installed the unit) to investigate. Each time the plumber came to light the pilot he said that he couldn't explain why the pilot kept going out. Advantage owner told me that they hadn't received any other complaints on the unit. One week before Christmas the pilot starting going out every 20 minutes. Now they've determined that we need to replace the unit. The warranty was up 3 months ago. A hot water heater should last longer than six years. I decided to check the internet to see if there was a recall or something on that heater. I found out that there have been hundreds of complaints over the past couple of years. Please beware of the A.O. Smith Promax water heater!!!!!

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/ao_smith.html

Have a blessed day,

Cheryl

HB for Nook and Kindle...

Did you know that you can download a sample of HB to your Nook or Kindle?

And... you can get the Nook or Kindle app for your iPhone or iPad too!!!

Download a free sample..... get up to 58 pages on Nook... :)

Oh... and check out Voki the Snow woman... She has a message about HB...

Voki the Snow woman has a message for you about HB :)

Voki

www.cydwebster.com

Available for Nook and Kindle too!

http://www.cydwebster.com/HB.html

NATIONAL STUDY ON HAZING/PLEDGING/MIP: PLEASE PARTICIPATE Monday, December 20, 2010 12:15 PM

For more than a year now, my colleagues and I have been conducting dozens of empirical studies on Black Greek-letter organizations. One study, the largest of them all, is the study on hazing/pledging/MIP (Membership Intake Process). My close friend from graduate school and colleague -- Dr. Shayne Jones -- is heading up this project. Among other things, the findings from this study should help us better ascertain why hazing persists within BGLOs, what types of members remain active within BGLOs, how brotherhood/sisterhood is cultivated within BGLOs, what BGLO members desire in a "process," etc. All participation is confidential; the study takes about an hour and is quite probing. The full details of the study and the link to the study are at:

https://academictrial.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3rz3o1bnuSYvZIg&SVID=Prod

Please participate, and pass this message along to any and every BGLO member you know.

Brotherly,

Gre

_____________________________
Gregory S. Parks, J.D., Ph.D.

Visiting Fellow, Cornell Law School

www.gregoryparks.net

---

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

I feel like we're living in a whirlwind of fools in Wash DC as they carry out their orders as they have been paid by Corporations to do. How can we live in what was considered the greatest country on earth, and allow people to perish due to the inability to pay for health care? How great can we be, when folks face bankruptcy or homelessness if they get sick and need help?

With this mentality... how did anyone decide that Dr. Jack Kevorkian should go to jail? It's wrong for folks to personally decide they have no more fight left and tired of suffering, but insurance companies can tell folks that you can't afford help, so die. Wow!

And now we have our controlled media, so quiet about the fact that GOP/Teabags got what they wanted. Deficit be damned!!! We can all see the fraud in all that protesting up to November. Seems that as Dick Cheyney said... 'deficits don't matter'... as long as it's benefiting the wealthy.

I saw the quote by MLK this morning in an email I received from BLACKNJ and these things popped into my mind. I will continue to pray for increased wisdom and learning so that we can live civilly together... and not perish as fools!

http://blacknj.org/

Cheyney said 'deficits don't matter'... remember?

Ok so where were the Teabags when Dick Cheyney said this? And now, they stand firm with no compromise ever considered, on their platform that deficits don't matter... as long as wealthy folks benefit. Its incredible that they get so much support, from some folks who have nothing, and worse, on government assistance. We are living in a time of insanity.

[[[

Cheney to Treasury: "Deficits don't matter"

Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill was told "deficits don't matter" when he warned of a looming fiscal crisis.

O'Neill, fired in a shakeup of Bush's economic team in December 2002, raised objections to a new round of tax cuts and said the president balked at his more aggressive plan to combat corporate crime after a string of accounting scandals because of opposition from "the corporate crowd," a key constituency.

O'Neill said he tried to warn Vice President Dick Cheney that growing budget deficits-expected to top $500 billion this fiscal year alone-posed a threat to the economy. Cheney cut him off. "You know, Paul, Reagan proved deficits don't matter," he said, according to excerpts. Cheney continued: "We won the midterms (congressional elections). This is our due." A month later, Cheney told the Treasury secretary he was fired.]]]

http://www.ontheissues.org/2004/Dick_Cheney_Budget_+_Economy.htm

Last Thoughts Before the Turkey Comes Calling ...a letter from Michael Moore

Last Thoughts Before the Turkey Comes Calling ...a letter from Michael Moore

Thursday, November 25th, 2010

Friends,

As I head off for Thanksgiving, I wanted to share a final thought with you about this past week's news regarding the health care executives who sat around that table in Philadelphia four years ago and decided on a course of action to, if need be, "push Michael Moore off a cliff."

Having spent the week reading all their secret documents (and the book "Deadly Spin"), it's clear that there was something far more scary to these companies than me.

They were, in fact, scared of you. They were afraid YOU would end up pushing them over their own greedy cliff.

Yes, they spied on me and my family in the hopes of finding something with which to smear me and my film, "Sicko." Finding nothing (sorry, guys, I live a pretty boring life), they then resorted to the old chestnuts that have been hurled at me by General Motors, the Bush White House, the National Rifle Association and others since my first film 20 years ago, and they essentially boil down to this:

"Don't listen to him! He hates America! He hates our way of life! He's not telling you the truth! He plays fast and loose with it! Patriots, don't waste your good money to see his movie!"

And it's that last message that's at the epicenter of their biggest fear. Back in 2007, these health insurance companies believed that if you strolled inside a theater showing "Sicko", their golden goose would be cooked.

They knew, according to former health care exec and whistleblower Wendell Potter, that the truth was up there on that screen -- and the LAST thing they wanted was for millions of Americans to be exposed to it.

Why? Well, we need look no further than the document containing their own secret directive on how they should deal with the movie:

"[We Must] Prepare for the Worst Case...SiCKO evolves into a sustained populist movement."

There it is. Their biggest fear. Their "worst case" scenario. That YOU, the American public, would rise up against them. I wasn't their worst nightmare -- you were. Their own research and private polling showed that you were getting fed up with how they were screwing you, gouging you, ripping you off, denying you coverage and flat out just kicking you off the insurance. They knew, according to Potter, that they were killing 45,000 of you every year simply by denying you coverage.

We Americans don't like people who kill us. We're the kind of people who will throw billions of dollars and the mightiest military on earth at just one guy because he killed just 2,977 people. What would we do if we discovered who's killing 45,000 of us every year? How fast would we act to sever the head of that beast?

You don't need to answer that question because the executives of the country's health insurance conglomerates already know it -- it's their big "What If", followed by an even bigger "Holy Shit." "What If the millions of average Joes and Janes ever got it together enough to bring us all down, to end our profiting off the misery of others? What If the citizenry one day begin electing representatives who couldn't be bought and who would end our for-profit health insurance racket?" Holy shit, indeed.

Yes, they feared that day more than anything else, and a movie coming out before a big election year with two popular Democrats pushing for some vague version of universal heath care was all that was needed to get Big Insurance to spend millions of dollars to attack me. These corporate kingpins knew they had pushed their luck too far and now they were worried that a movie -- a movie! -- could ignite a "populist movement."

All that money spent smearing me because they thought you would get up from your theater seat and start a revolution.

It's a great compliment to you. They fear the power you have. But that's 'cause they're good at math. They know there will always be more of us than there are of them. And unless they can repeal "one person, one vote," they know they are doomed. In the meantime they will try to maintain the power they have by buying off politicians, dumbing us down, distracting us with Dancing/Ice Skating/Drinking with the Stars and getting us so scared we'll acquiesce to having naked pictures taken of us at airports this Thanksgiving weekend. Over the river and through the body scan, to grandmother's house we go...

So let us give thanks today that the richest 1% begrudgingly know that we are still, on paper at least, in charge. It is, I believe, a glimmer of hope of what we could possibly accomplish in the coming new year.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

MADEA'S 10 RULES FOR THANKSGIVING DINNER GUESTS

(This has been circulating for a few years around the holidays... but it's still funny!)

Now that Thanksgiving is approaching, it is time to review, copy and send to your guests . . . .

MADEA'S 10 RULES FOR THANKSGIVING DINNER GUESTS

1. Don't get in line asking questions about the food. 'Who made the potato salad? Is it egg in there? Are the greens fresh? Is the meat in the greens turkey or pork? Who made the macaroni and cheese? What kind of pie is that; who made it? Ask one more question and I will punch you in your mouth, knocking out all your fronts so you won't be able to eat anything.

2. If you can't walk, or are missing any limbs, sit your ass down until someone makes your plate for you. Dinner time is not the time for you to be independent. Nibble on them damn peanuts and walnuts to hold you over until someone makes you a plate.

3. If you have kids under the age of twelve, I will escort their little asses down to the basement and bring their food down to them. They are not going to tear up my damn house this year. Tell them that they are not allowed upstairs until it's time for Uncle Butchie to start telling family stories about their mommas and papas. If they come upstairs for any reason except that they are bleeding to death, I will break a foot off in their asses.

4. There is going to be one prayer for Thanksgiving dinner! JUST ONE! We do not care that you are thankful that your thirteen year old daughter gave birth to a healthy baby or your nephew just got out of jail. Save the talk for someone that gives a damn. The time limit for the prayer is one minute. If you are still talking after that one minute is up, you will feel something hard come across your lips and they will be swollen for approximately 20 minutes.

5. Finish everything on your plate before you go for seconds! If you don't, you will be cursed out and asked to stay your greedy ass home next year.

6. BRING YOUR OWN TUPPERWARE!! Don't let me catch you fixing yourself a plate in my good tupperware knowing damn well that I will never see it again! Furthermore, if you didn't bring anything over, don't let me catch you making a plate, period, or it will be a misunderstanding.

7. What you came with is what you should leave with! Do not leave my house with anything that doesn't belong to you. EVERYBODY WILL BE SUBJECTED TO A BODY SEARCH COMING AND GOING OUT OF MY DOMAIN!!!

8. Do not leave your kids so you can go hopping from house to house. This is not a DAYCARE CENTER . There will be a kid parent roll call every ten minutes. Any parent that is not present at the time of roll call, your child will be put outside until you come and get him or her. After 2 hours, I will call ACS on you ignorant ass!!

9. BOOK YOUR HOTEL ROOM BEFORE YOU COME INTO TOWN!! There will be no sleeping over at my house! You are to come and eat your dinner then take your ass home or to your hotel room. EVERYBODY GETS KICKED OUT AT 11:00 pm. You will get a 15 minute warning bell ring.

10. Last but not least; ONE PLATE PER PERSON!! This is not a soup kitchen. I an not trying to feed your family until Christmas dinner. You will be supervised when you fix your plate. Anything over the appropriate amount will be charged to you before you leave. There will be a cash register at the door. Thanks to Cousin Alfred and his greedy ass family, we now have a credit card machine. So Visa and Mastercard are now being accepted.

HAD to Share This (Being an Open Letter from Us Lefties to the Goobers)

Link

A return to failed policies. This is funny!

Election Day today... disappointed already!

So what does it say about us as a nation, when we wake up in the morning to hear instructions about what to do if your polling place has problems with their voting machines? I mean... it's not like they're used every day, every week, every month... even. How is it, that they have so many problems with these machines?

I was the first person again, to enter the polling place in my district this morning... only to find that the voting machine wasn't working. I was instructed to use the Emergency Ballot and I filled the first one out wrong and had to tear it up because it isn't aligned like the ballot that we receive in the mail. So... you really have to pay attention. Folks who speak/read English as a second language may have problems too... but that's what the polling place judge is for.

It was a quirky process where I had to walk to one side of the room to get the paper ballot, then go to the other side of the room to sit behind a cardboard shield to fill it out. Then they forgot to give me the envelop to put it in.... so the woman got up and searched for the envelopes.... meanwhile, 3 people walked in and when they were told that they have to fill out an Emergency Ballot, 2 of them walked out.

And this is a huge problem, because a lot of folks will not make it back after work to vote. What a shame.

Here's some NJ voting info..... Hope it works out better for the rest of you folks! :)

http://www.866ourvote.org/tools/documents/files/NJ-FAQ.pdf

http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Voting.shtml

Now you get mad????

After 8 Years Of The Bush/Cheney Disaster, Now You Get Mad?

You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.

You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed energy company officials to dictate energy policy and push us to invade Iraq.

You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.

You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.

You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.

You didn't get mad when we spent over $800 billion (and counting) on said illegal war.

You didn't get mad when Bush borrowed more money from foreign sources than the previous 42 Presidents combined.

You didn't get mad when over $10 billion in cash just disappeared in Iraq.

You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.

You didn't get mad when Bush embraced trade and outsourcing policies that shipped 6 million American jobs out of the country.

You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.

You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.

You didn't get mad when Bush rang up $10 trillion in combined budget and current account deficits.

You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.

You didn't get mad when we let a major U.S. city, New Orleans, drown.

You didn't get mad when we gave people who had more money than they could spend, the filthy rich, over a trillion dollars in tax breaks.

You didn't get mad with the worst 8 years of job creations in several decades.

You didn't get mad when over 200,000 US Citizens lost their lives because they had no health insurance.

You didn't get mad when lack of oversight and regulations from the Bush Administration caused US Citizens to lose 12 trillion dollars in investments, retirement, and home values.

You finally got mad when a black man was elected President and decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, job losses by the millions, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, and the worst economic disaster since 1929 are all okay with you, but helping fellow Americans who are sick...Oh, Hell No!

VOTE on November 2nd!!!!!

Quality has been flushed down the 'low flow' toilet!

I wrote a blog about this years ago... and unfortunately, things have not gotten better. It is just sad that we live in a world where no longer is quality a priority... it's all about how cheap can a product be made, and how much money can be reaped in a short amount of time for it. It's not about long term sales anymore... just sell the junk until no one buys it anymore, make as much as you can and then move on to something else.

How do we stop rewarding this bad behavior? And the reason I am so pissed this morning is because my printer broke last night.... and I wanted to print fliers (with that expensive ink that I bought), to pass out in NYC today at the Circle of Sisters Expo. UGH!

I have 3 HP printers... 1 is an old clunker from the early '90s that still works fine. It's an old black and white, high volume printer that uses one of those huge toner cartridges. I also have another old HP color printer... it's at least 8 years old now.... it still works fine but it's 'pre' photo card capable and the print quality isn't all that great, but it still works.

And then I have this stupid HP printer i bought a little over a year ago. First, the wireless part stopped working a few months in. I gave up on trying to figure that out, and now, it just stopped working altogether. It keeps saying that my ink cartridges are incompatible.

I went online last night and found a lot of the same complaint about other HP printers too. They give all kinds of steps to take, try this, try that.... get service. Please! The damn printer cost $80. How much will it cost to take it somewhere to get serviced? I don't even remember if I paid for a warranty package... I suppose I'll take a look in my file now that I've calmed down a bit... LOL! I was ready to take the damn printer to the dumpster last night.

What printers are the best to have these days?

We should share more about quality products. Have a great day everyone!

A Boot to the Head ...from Michael Moore

A Boot to the Head ...from Michael Moore

Tuesday, October 28th, 2010

Friends,

There she was, thrown to the pavement by a Republican in a checkered shirt. Another Republican thrusts his foot in between her legs and presses down with all his weight to pin her to the curb. Then a Republican leader comes over and viciously stomps on her head with his foot. You hear her glasses crunch under the pressure. Holding her head down with his foot, he applies more force so she can't move. Her skull and brain are now suffering a concussion.

The young woman's name is Lauren Valle, but she is really all of us. For come this Tuesday, the right wing -- and the wealthy who back them -- plan to take their collective boot and bring it down hard on not just the head of Barack Obama but on the heads of everyone they simply don't like.

Teachers union? The boot!

Muslim-looking people? The boot!

Thinking of retiring soon? The boot!

Living in a house you can no longer afford? The boot!

Doing a bit better with your minimum wage? The boot!

Stem cell research, the bullet train, reversing global warming? Ha! The boot for all of you!

What? You like your kids being covered by your health plan 'til they're 26? The boot for them and the boot for you!

In love with someone of your own gender? A double boot up the ass for every single one of you sick SOBs!

Hoping there's a few jobs left here in the U.S. when you graduate? How 'bout just a nice boot to your head instead?

And most importantly, the last boot is saved for the black man who probably wasn't born here, definitely isn't a Christian and possibly might be the Antichrist sent here to oversee the destruction of our very way of life. A boot to your head, Obama-devil!

Yes, one big boot is poised to stomp out whatever hopey-changey thing we might have had two years ago and secure this country in the hands of the oligarchs and the culture police.

And if they win on Tuesday, they plan to show no mercy. They will not speak of bipartisanship or olive branches or tolerate any filibuster threats. They will come in and do the job with a mandate they'll perceive the electorate will have given them. They will not fart around for two years like the Democrats did. They will not "search for compromise" or "find middle ground." They will not meet you halfway on the playing field. They know that touchdowns aren't scored at the 50-yard line. Unlike our guys, they're not stupid or spineless.

Make no mistake about it, my friends. A perfect storm has gathered of racists, homophobes, corporatists and born agains and they are on fire. Two years of a black man who secretly holds socialist beliefs being the boss of them is more than they can stomach. They've been sick to death since the night of 11/04/08 and they are ready to purge. They won't need a rope and tree this time to effect the change they seek (why bother when a nice shoe on another's skull will do just fine, thank you).

They simply need to get their base to the polls (done), convince enough people Obama is responsible for the fact they don't have a job or a secure home (done), and then hope enough of us Obama-voters are so frustrated, disappointed and downright mad at the Dems (done) that we'll either stay home Tuesday or, if we vote, we won't be carpooling with 10 others to the polls.

Done? Or not?

These Republicans mean business. Their boots are all shined and ready. But they've got one huge problem:

The majority of Americans don't agree with them.

The majority want the troops home. The majority want true universal health coverage. The majority want the thievery on Wall Street to be stopped. The majority believe that global warming is happening, that social security shouldn't be privatized and that unions are a good thing.

Too bad the majority party has done precious little to bring about the change for which the majority voted. Yes, change takes time. But try telling that to someone who hasn't worked in two years. Or who hears the knock of the foreclosure sheriff at the door. The booted-up minority knows how to make hay in a situation like this. All they need is us, the disappointed, dismayed, disgusted us.

What say you? Stay home and punish the weak-kneed, sell-out Democrats? Or spend every free moment you have between now and Tuesday trying to protect what little progress has been made so we can live to fight another day (even if it is with "allies" like a Democratic Party that will more than likely still not get the message of what they need to do -- and has, in fact, spent much of the past two years giving progressives the boot)? Perhaps our job, post-election, is to provide a gentle but swift boot in the bee-hind of the party whose mascot is an ass.

Right now, we've got 112 hours. Seems like enough.

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

P.S. I'll be on The Rachel Maddow Show tonight! Be sure to tune in to MSNBC at 9:00pm ET/PT.

The top one-tenth of one percent of Americans now earn as much as the bottom 120 million of us.

(email I received today)

This article sums up the true Republican strategy as well as any I've seen
for while. All the rest of what is touted as Republican is window dressing
to attract fools and racists...which it does. They are pushing the middle
class into poverty and the poor into abject poverty.

Yet the poor and middle class let it happen by not participating for a host
of ignorant reasons. The sadness is overwhelming.

If the high earners paid in proportion to the benefits the society has
afforded them, all the US debt would be paid and all employed doing the
things necessary to meet our needs--like keeping bridges from falling down
in Minnesota and educating our children... By the way, they'd have just one
less Bentley.



-------------------------------------
The Perfect Storm That Threatens American Democracy
http://www.alternet.org/news/148558

The top one-tenth of one percent of Americans now earn as much as the bottom
120 million of us.
-------------------------------------

George W. Bush Reveals His Biggest Failure Was Not Privatizing Social Security

George W. Bush Reveals His Biggest Failure Was Not Privatizing Social Security

Former President George W. Bush signaled on Thursday that he sees not privatizing Social Security as his greatest failure from the eight years he served in the White House, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The unpopular Republican leader made the suggestion while speaking at a trade conference in the Windy City, where he discussed his legacy and also offered a glimpse into what readers can expect from his forthcoming memoir, Decision Points.

"I would like to be remembered as a guy who had a set of priorities, and was willing to live by those priorities," explained Bush. "In terms of accomplishments, my biggest accomplishment is that I kept the country safe amidst a real danger."

Bush poked fun at himself in addressing how his thoughts will be delivered in his memoir.

"I have written a book," he said. "This will come as quite a shock to some. They didn't think I could read, much less write."

With the 2010 midterm election just weeks away, it's possible that the comments from the former president may leave some members of the GOP community a bit uneasy. Over the summer, it was reported that the release date for Bush's memoir -- November 9 -- had Republicans concerned that the timing could hurt the party's chances at the polls.

Matt Latimer, a former Bush appointee, wrote about the matter at the Daily Beast at the time:

[Some] Republicans, particularly those most closely tied to the Bush regime, actually argue the book could help the party by reminding some voters of what they liked about Bush. Still, that has not stopped some Republicans, traumatized over the last two election cycles, from fearing the worst. "Monumentally bad timing" was the reaction of one former Bush aide who learned of the book release date. Another prominent conservative compared the Bushies' public-relations savvy to LeBron James. "Selfish and stupid" was another noted right-wing columnist's reaction

As the criticism relates to Bush's regret that he couldn't achieve privatizing social security, it seems that his remarks couldn't have come at a worse time.

Time magazine reported earlier this week on Democratic efforts to score points with voters ahead of the midterms on the social security issue. In some cases, Democrats are even tying the matter to the former president.

"Instead of helping seniors," explained House Speaker Pelosi's office to the publication, "Republicans, backed by their allies on Wall Street, are threatening to privatize and cut Social Security, just as they tried to do under President Bush."

It shouldn't come as a surprise that following the former White House leader's remarks on Thursday, Democrats were quick to once again pounce on the issue.

"Republicans' agenda is what it always was -- turn the Social Security seniors worked hard to earn over to Wall Street," said Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Press Secretary Ryan Rudominer. "If Republicans has their way, seniors could have lost 40 percent of their retirement investments when the market crashed. America's seniors deserve better."