RedEye Around the Web

Your laugh out loud for the day courtesy of Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (r. Tuscaloosa).

“I would have voted against this agreement because I believe we need a more balanced approach that would include significant spending cuts and making the federal government more efficient, like we’re doing here in Alabama,” Bentley said.

Uh,  do you mean the efficient government like were doing here in Alabama where voters just voted to raid the Trust Fund to avoid budget cuts? Or, do you mean the efficient Alabama government who takes $1.7 dollars of federal funds for every $1.00 it sends in?  Or, do the you mean the efficient Alabama government with the largest number of people relying on  food stamps?

Things that make you go Hmmmm....

 Leave it to a congressman from the ex-Confederacy, where the white rape of black women has a long and sordid history, to hold up the Violence Against Women Act in order to protect white men from prosecution by tribal courts if they rape a Native American woman.

 So let me get this straight, the same men who want to arm teachers ( most of whom are females), voted against the violence against women act,  but passed laws requiring women to have a vaginal ultrasound before they can obtain a safe, legal, abortion?  They trust women with a child and and a gun, but they don't trust them with a choice. Hmmm....

Meanwhile under the radar, did you know President Obama signed an executive order giving Congress a pay raise?  Yep, the same Congress that is talking about cutting food stamps, Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid.   This is one of those rare times I agree with the republicans.

Fortunately, the Republicans agree that the idea of this lot getting a raise is obscene. Obama must be the most out-of-touch politician Inside-the-Beltway. These bums make $174,000, although the Speaker makes $223,500 and the 4 party leaders make $193,400 each-- have gigantically rich benefits packages and cushy retirement plans that no one else in America gets. On touch of that, most of them are corrupt and spend most of their energy feathering their own nests in countless schemes and scams.

Filibuster reform coming to the Senate? I HOPE so, and not a minute too soon.  I'm tired of being held hostage by the right wing Bully's.   Make them talk so the whole world can see/hear them.

Liberals say the Levin-McCain proposal is inadequate because it would not implement their highest-priority reform, the so-called talking filibuster.
Udall and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore), the leading advocates for filibuster reform, say lawmakers who filibuster legislation should be required to actively hold the floor and debate. This would make it more arduous for senators who want to hold up business — they would have to organize teams to hold the floor for days or even weeks on end.
Udall said he would have to be convinced to support the Levin-McCain plan because it would not implement a talking filibuster rule, which he said is “the heart of the matter”

GOP=Gerrymandering Over People.  Nobody can turn the losers into the winners, and the winners into the losers,  like the GOP. Although a  majority of voters voted for democrats, republicans won,  thanks to republican gerrymandering enabled by  the conservative majority on the United States Supreme Court.

 Worse, top Republicans are already threatening to use the looming debt ceiling fight to torpedo the entire U.S. economy unless Congress agrees to slash Social Security or Medicare benefits for seniors. They will have the leverage to attempt this because the incoming House bears no resemblance to the one America actually voted for. And individual Republican House members will be able to engage in this political dangerous game of chicken comfortable in the knowledge that partisan gerrymandering makes many of them untouchable in a general election.

Para quoting the late Senator Paul Wellstone (D. MN) I dare imagine a country where every child has equal access to a quality public education, regardless of the color of their skin, regardless of their gender, regardless of their address, regardless of their parents income,  where every child will have the chance to reach their full potential. What we have here is a  Race to the top for the fortunate few, the rest, not so much.  Blame public school teachers.  Snark

"There's a stark wealth gap in New York between black and brown families versus white families. This is reflected in the school system, where property taxes are used to fund schools, which translates to higher salaries for teachers who can instruct advanced courses and facilitate expanded college-counseling services,"

Congratulations to Wayne Bennett, organizer, publisher and founder of the award winning The Field Negro blog, for being named Politics 365 Game Changer of the the day.

 While his blog is known for covering national affairs that affect Black Americans in an unconventional tone, The Field Negro is also known for letting its commenter's voice their opinions on what is published on the blog without being censored.

 Real liberal quotes from real liberals.

 Your purpose, then, plainly stated, is that you will destroy the Government, unless you be allowed to construe and enforce the Constitution as you please, on all points in dispute between you and us. You will rule or ruin in all events.~ President Abraham Lincoln

We do not own many media outlets, but what we can be is more responsive. We must counter the hate radio movement with programs that provide useful and helpful information.~ Bernie Hayes The St. Louis American  

RedEye Over and Out...for now.

Faking the Funk when the Narrative doesn't fit the FACTS

Huntsville superintendent is Big Brother to Teachers (Crowblog) al.com

According to the Huntsville City School superintendent, the school board, the Mayor, the City Council and some of the richest people in the world, via the news media, birds are singing, flowers are blooming and everyone is singing Kumbaya in perfect harmony in regard to the present state of the public school district. district.

Just "tune out"  the shrieking harpies sounding the five-alarm fire alarm.

Don't listen to concerned, frustrated, parents.

Don't listen to angry, longtime, certified,  educators.

Don't listen to concerned, committed, Bloggers.

The board and the political elite are going to be highly resistant to dumping a superintendent they just hired because in all honesty it would put Huntsville in a difficult position PR-wise.

So now we know it's all about Public Relations, projecting the false narrative the  Huntsville City Schools are on their way to back to the status they once enjoyed as the best in the state.

It's not about providing students with equal access to a quality education.

And that's a crying shame.


"I dare to imagine a country where every child I hold in my hands, are all God's children, regardless of the color of their skin, regardless of whether they're boy or girl, regardless of religion, regardless of rich or poor, that every child I hold in my hands, will have the same chance to reach her full potential or his full potential. That is the goodness of our country. That is the essence of the American dream." ~Senator Paul Wellstone

Real liberal quotes, by real liberals, for real liberals

"Well, there's a certain mean spiritless that's out there, not only in Alabama but it's in America. And that makes this election extremely important."~Alabama State Senator Hank Sanders

Scott Beason is the south end of a northbound mule
He meant it as a slur on African-Americans. He wasn't just "being wrong." He is an Alabama pol in the Sessions/Shelby mold, only with less intelligence. ~LynnK

It bothers me that those statements are allowed to stand as if there is no dispute that Black people are ignorant and illiterate and that our vote can be purchased with free food and a trip to the casino. ~CaliSister

The day we get a million signatures on a petition not just to save an innocent man's life, but to roll back the prison state ---- that will be the day we know we have a movement that can free the next wave of Troy Davises, the day we are close to welcoming them back to help heal and rebuild their own lives, our broken families and our devastated communities. ~Bruce Dixon

“African Americans are very proud that there is an African American man who is the most powerful man in the world, and they hold on to that with everything they possibly can,But it’s starting to slip because of the pain of the African American community.” ~Representative Maxine Waters

Every time the black community attempts to verbalize their experiences and air grievances, they're told they're just "whining." Or being "hyper-sensitize." Or "ungrateful." What some of these folks want is for blacks to finally shut the f#*k up about themselves and their troubles, so whites will no longer have to feel uncomfortable about interacting with blacks or feel guilty about NOT interacting with blacks, and so they won't have to hear or see stories of how their parents, grandparents and great-great grandparents treated blacks, or have to deal with the whole "sins of the father" issue. And yes, these are white liberals thinking these things, but they'll never let on to it, even outside of polite company.~Mack Lyons

I'll never understand that the party that pretends to care so much for the fetus, cares so little for it once its born. ~ms_teacher

Voters can't be shamed or intimidated into supporting this president or any other. They can only be persuaded.~Gene Lyons

I end tonight where it all began for me: I still believe in a place called Hope.~President Bill Clinton

"I dare to imagine a country where every child I hold in my hands, are all God's children, regardless of the color of their skin, regardless of whether they're boy or girl, regardless of religion, regardless of rich or poor, that every child I hold in my hands, will have the same chance to reach her full potential or his full potential. That is the goodness of our country. That is the essence of the American dream." ~Senator Paul Wellstone

Real Liberal Quotes from Real Liberals, for the Real Liberal Mind to Chew On

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"~President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt had campaigned against Herbert Hoover in the 1932 presidential election by saying as little as possible about what he might do if elected. Through even the closest working relationships, none of the president-elect’s most intimate associates felt they knew him well, with the exception perhaps of his wife, Eleanor. The affable, witty Roosevelt used his great personal charm to keep most people at a distance. In campaign speeches, he favored a buoyant, optimistic, gently paternal tone spiced with humor. But his first inaugural address took on an unusually solemn, religious quality. And for good reason—by 1933 the depression had reached its depth. Roosevelt’s first inaugural address outlined in broad terms how he hoped to govern and reminded Americans that the nation’s “common difficulties” concerned “only material things.”

The problem of power is how to achieve its responsible use rather than its irresponsible and indulgent use — of how to get men of power to live for the public rather than off the public.~Senator Robert F. Kennedy

First is the danger of futility; the belief there is nothing one man or one woman can do against the enormous array of the world's ills — against misery and ignorance, injustice and violence. Yet many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man. A young monk began the Protestant reformation, a young general extended an empire from Macedonia to the borders of the earth, and a young woman reclaimed the territory of France. It was a young Italian explorer who discovered the New World, and 32-year-old Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed that all men are created equal. "Give me a place to stand," said Archimedes, "and I will move the world." These men moved the world, and so can we all.

"Politics is about the improvement of people’s lives, lessening human suffering, advancing the causes of peace and justice in our country and the world… Politics is what we create out of what we do, what we hope for, what we dare to imagine."~
Senator Paul Wellstone 1944-2002

I remember how he stood his ground in an era during which the needs of average Americans were largely ignored while power and money became even more concentrated in already wealthy, powerful hands; how he fought for economic justice, for universal health care, for a higher minimum wage and prescription drug benefits under Medicare; how he always had time to listen; how he challenged us, asking in The Conscience of a Liberal, ”How can we live in the richest, most privileged country in the world and still hear from Republicans, and too many Democrats, that we cannot afford to provide a good education for every child, that we cannot afford to provide health security for all our citizens?”; how he expressed concern for the safety of Muslim Americans after the 9-11 attacks; how he set aside an hour a week to talk with his interns to stay in touch with their lives; how he relied on and frequently sought the advice of his # 1 campaigner, his wife Sheila, who died with him; how he chose to run again despite the onset of multiple sclerosis, relying on his bubbling spirit to pick up the slack while the money poured in from out of state conservatives who were determined to bring him down; and how he was winning despite the efforts of corporations like the big pharmaceuticals that blessed his opponent with $200,000 while giving Wellstone $900 and change. Paul Wellstone was outspent time and again, but he was a winner because he played no favorites and was never outworked. Senator Tom Harken, Paul’s best friend and comrade through many Senate battles, fought back tears to say it best: “Paul was hampered by a bad back, but he had a backbone made of steel!”

A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death. Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? 1967.

I believe it will end with a ruling of the 11th Circuit Court of
Appeals or a ruling of the U. S, Supreme Court. If this can happen to me, it can happen to mayors, congressman or presidents who appoint or take some action favorable to a contributor.

My conviction is anti-American in the sense politics must be funded and presidents who are elected appoint contributors as ambassadors, members of Congress vote in favor of issues that benefit contributors and governors appoint contributors to all kinds of positions. This is done every day in America, in every state and in Washington, DC.~Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman

"I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired"~Fannie Lou Hammer

Fannie Lou Hamer, a Mississippi sharecropper, changed a nation's perspective on democracy.

Hamer became involved in the civil rights movement when she volunteered to attempt to register to vote in 1962. By then 45 years old and a mother, Hamer lost her job and continually risked her life because of her civil rights activism. Despite this and a brutal beating, Hamer spoke frequently to raise money for the movement, and helped organize the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, to challenge white domination of the Democratic Party. In 1964, the MDFP challenged the all-white Mississippi delegation to the Democratic Convention, and in l968, the Convention seated an integrated challenge delegation from Mississippi.

Deeply committed to improving life for poor minorities in her state, Hamer, working with the National Council of Negro Women and others, helped organize food cooperatives and other services. She continued political activities as well, helping to convene the National Women's Political Caucus in the 1970s. She is buried in her home town of Ruleville, Mississippi, where her tombstone reads, "I am sick and tired of being sick and tired."

"If you think Halloween is scary, don't vote on November 2nd and see how scary it will be"~Redeye