Inflammatory Rhetoric Begets Inflammatory Rhetoric~ Update

State Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery

Newsflash!!  Alabama House Republicans pass the keep poor/black WOMEN from having access to a safe legal abortion bill while the Alabama Senate passes bill allowing free, lifetime permit to carry pistols in vehicles.

Fresh after giving conservatives/ republicans a Wedgie because he dared call  out United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas,  Alabama State Rep. Alvin Holmes strikes again!

A debate Tuesday over a bill to ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected turned to race after Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin, R-Indian Springs, compared her bill to Brown vs. the Board of Education.

But during the debate, Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, said that his Republican colleagues would support abortion if their daughters were impregnated by black men.

Media enabled weapon of mass distraction from the real issue here we come! Yee Haw!
It's easier to talk about what Alvin Holmes said instead of what Alvin Holmes was talking about which is Alabama State Rep. Mary (Fetus are Organs) McClurkin's bill to end access to safe legal abortions for poor women in Alabama.

On Tuesday, a panel of Alabama lawmakers advanced four stringent anti-abortion bills that would prevent women in the state from exercising their reproductive rights. The proposed legislation would ban abortions after just six weeks; force women to wait 48 hours before getting an abortion; make it more difficult for minors to end an unwanted pregnancy; and impose more emotional trauma on women who choose to have an abortion after discovering lethal fetal abnormalities.

Note I said the bill to end access to safe, legal  abortions for poor women in Alabama.  Women like Mary Sue, not so much.

If Alabama chooses to expand Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act, the state could gain about $1 billion in new tax revenue, according to a pair of University of Alabama at Birmingham health care economists in a study released today.
In the most likely scenario, some 300,000 more state residents would be covered under an expansion, according to David Becker and Michael Morrisey at the UAB School of Public Health.
UAB, which has the largest hospital in the state and one of the largest public hospitals in the country, released the report this morning saying the research was a "win-win" for the state and Medicaid-eligible patients.
"Across the first seven years of Medicaid expansion, the net budgetary effect is positive throughout," Becker said in a UAB press release. "In a very real sense, the state makes money while expanding coverage to nearly 300,000 Alabamians."

So here's the deal, a bunch of people, who if they choose, have access to a safe legal abortion are trying to keep black/ poor WOMEN from having access to a safe legal abortion.  These same people are anti access to affordable health care because Obama,  anti access to quality public schools because Obama,  and anti welfare just because.

But let's talk about what Alvin Holmes said out of context so we won't have to talk about the substance of what Alvin Holmes said.

Mission Accomplished.

RedEye's Week in Review

In an effort to sucker, I mean convince African Americans the GOP is not Full of "Cranks, Haters and Bigots"  the chair of the Republican National Committee is going to pow wow with black leaders in Atlanta.  I guess they think they can put the Genie back in bottle.  I wonder if they are going to serve watermelon and fried chicken? 

One high-profile Republican strategist, who refused to be named in order to avoid inflaming the very segments of the party he wants to silence, said there is a deliberate effort by party leaders to “marginalize the cranks, haters and bigots — there’s a lot of underbrush that has to be cleaned out."

Good luck with that. It's not about locking the crazy uncle/aunt in the attic, or putting a black face on the racism,  it's about changing the mentality of the GOP.

Contrary to popular GOP opinion African Americans are not stupid.  We know who has our best interest at heart, and who doesn't.

There’s a reason why the Postal Service was targeted folks, it was a source of tens of thousands of middle-class jobs, especially for minorities. Since We Can’t Have Nice Things, the PAEA was passed and BLAMMO, a recession coupled with structural failure in the Postal Service all but guaranteed a massive loss of jobs. And the USPS still has another 4 years to go to pay off the $22 billion or so it has left to pay off, thanks to Dubya. On top of all this, there are plenty of folks who keep saying the only way to save the USPS is to privatize the mail system completely.

This Week in the GOP dominated Alabama State Legislature

Pro embryo republicans introduced 13 gun bills out of fear the scary black man in the White House is plotting to take their money, TeeVees, and their daughters (not necessarily in that order) away.

Senate republicans approved a right to work bill  (NOT), and Rep. Kurt Wallace (r. HD 42)  basically told Alabama women to stop having sex with men if they didn't want to get pregnant. 

Psst Alabama GOP!  You are doing a great job of being a voice for the unborn, but what about the born?  What are they....Moochers?

• Child poverty rate: 28%
• Senior poverty rate: 14%
• Women in poverty: 21%
• Percent of single-parent families with related children that are below poverty: 45%

"I solemnly swear to keep women barefoot and pregnant"

 
Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words. 

From our department of WTF???   Although non of the men pictured above has a vagina, this is the panel convened by Rep. Darrell Issa (r.CA) basically telling women to take an aspirin, stick it between your legs and call me in the morning, because you ain't getting no stinking birth control, and you're not going to have access to a safe, legal abortion either. Women are not relevant.   Republican Men Rule! Snark

Any woman voting for a republican is like a Turkey voting for Thanksgiving, or, a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders. 

Psst! Rep. Issa and Company!  If you are against birth control don't use it, and. if you are against abortions don't have one.   You have a choice.  So do women. It's called the Equal Rights Amendment.  Remember?

That is all you really need to know.

Rep. Terri Sewell is the only pro-life member of the Alabama Congressional Delegation

I must give credit when credit is due. Representative Terri Sewell (D. CD7) was the only member of the Alabama Congressional Delegation who voted against repealing the Affordable Health Care Act because of the harm it will do to children.

Maybe it's because she's a democratic woman she realizes the correlation between health and the quality of life.

Maybe it's because she's a democrat she wants her fellow Americans to have access to the same health care she and our other Congress Critters have.

Maybe it's because she cares more about children then she cares about the insurance companies.

According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, health reform will not only reduce the budget deficit in the next ten years by more than $100 billion, it also will ensure that an estimated 32 million Americans who are uninsured or under insured can get high quality, affordable health coverage they can rely on. Investing in our children's health is investing in America's future. When we help children grow and succeed, we are paving the way for our country's next generation of workers and leaders to fulfill the American Dream.

Just to be clear, this is what all of the Alabama Congressional Congress Critters except DEMOCRAT Terri Sewell voted to repeal, and for those of you who were mis-educated in the Alabama public school system repeal means TAKE AWAY.

Republicans voted to repeal the new law’s guarantee that children with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage, and to do away with new rules limiting insurance company premium hikes and requirements that they spend money on health care not CEO perks.

Republicans voted against children with terminal illnesses having access to compassionate end-of-life hospice care unless they agreed to forgo looking for a cure for their illness.

Republicans voted to allow insurers to resume the practice of charging co-payments for preventive health services, including essential well-baby and well-child visits, and vaccinations, creating financial disincentives for parents to get care for their children that keeps them healthy.

Republicans voted against children who are in foster care qualifying for Medicaid beyond age 18.

Republicans voted to repeal eliminating bureaucratic red tape and streamlining the enrollment processes for children who are already eligible but not enrolled in public health coverage.

Republicans are pro life my Donkey.

Representative Terri Sewell is pro life and pro health care, unlike the republicans who are pro life as long as it's in the womb, after that they don't give a rats donkey about a baby's quality of life.

Way to put the R in Represent, Representative Sewell.

Republicans are pro life but anti health care, go figure

In stunning public disregard for the separation of church and state, Area pastors and local government officials, will be participating in a Pro Life Rally on the steps of the County Courthouse. Don't get me wrong, my problem is not with the joining of politics and religion, but the shear hypocrisy of republicans holding a *cough* pro life rally, especially when two of the elected officials scheduled to attend are fresh off a vote to repeal The Affordable Health Care Act because it's President Obama's idea.

Congressman Robert Aderholt will be the keynote speaker at the Pro Life Rally in Huntsville on Saturday, Jan 22, at Noon.

Who isn't pro life? I mean, really. Do you know of anyone who says they are anti life? What gets me is the righty's don't get the correlation between access to quality affordable health care and life. They are pro life as long as it's in the womb after that all bets are off and Baby you are on your own.

If a bunch of men want to stand outside on a cold winter day and protest a woman's right to choose to have a legal abortion that's their right (no pun). At the end of the rally they will go home and Roe v Wade will still be the law of the land. So it's not about being pro life, it's about being pro choice.

Do they only care about the unborn? Do they not realize the mother and the child need access to quality affordable health care in order to like live?

Do they honestly believe only those who can afford it are the only ones who should have access to quality, affordable health care?Do they honestly believe people don't have health insurance because they don't want to purchase it, but wait for someone to hand it to them?

Do they honestly believe Hospital emergency room treats the uninsured?
And if they believe this who do they think pays for it? Hint the answer starts with the letter T and ends with the letter R.

I don't understand how you can call yourself pro life and be against health care reform at the same time.

These anti-choice politicians are out of touch with Americans’ values and priorities,” said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL. “These same lawmakers voted to repeal a health-care law that provides prenatal care and the promise of no-cost birth control to women. Now, they want to make it even harder for women to purchase private health insurance that includes abortion coverage with their own money. Their hypocrisy is astounding. It seems that they’re fine with government intrusion, as long as it involves interfering in women’s personal, private decisions.”

Un Huh.

Redeye's Rants and Raves~Update

Are you ready for the Super Bowl , I mean some Super Bowl advertising? No one is talking about the big game because of the controversy over Tim Tebow's mother decision to share her personal, private CHOICE with millions of people.

The White Guy says this whole bru ha ha proves how out of touch the MSM is with the American people, and why.

Some people in the industry blame the decline of "traditional" media on the Internet. That's wrong. The decline of "traditional" media is because of their "tradition" of keeping their club predominantly white and male. Most of major media is pathetic now, flailing around; the major magazine publishers just recently got together to declare a digital standard for magazines. The problem is nobody cares anymore. And this folderol over the Super Bowl? Please. It's a LEADING INDICATOR, not an anomaly.

Planned Parenthood comes out swinging with their own ad posted on the Inter tubes, And The Women's' Media Center says Game On! You can sign their petition against the ad at not under the bus.com

"Game time is 6:30 on Sunday and the NFL is facing increased pressure to step in," says Spicuglia. "The last thing we need is CBS, the NFL, or their advertisers telling us when and how to have a family. It's not too late to send a letter in protest."

Rut Rho! ACORN fights back and prepare to sting the stinger. What's that saying about as you reap... And did you know that wanna be pimp James O'Keefe was playing dress up for the camera but not while inside the ACORN offices? Uh Huh.

But just imagine the years of outrage and endless repetition of the charges from the Right wing media and their acolytes --- folks like Crazy Andy --- that would accompany four operatives allied with the Democratic Party, perpetrating a scheme to dress up as phony telephone company employees in order to access and manipulate the phone system in the office of a sitting Republican U.S. Senator.

You know how the republicans love polls and the polling pollsters who poll them? Well, Daily Kos has polled the republican nation and it ain't pretty.

Ultimately, these results explain why it is impossible for elected Republicans to work with Democrats to improve our country. Their base are conspiracy mongers who don't believe Obama was born in the United States, that he is the second coming of Lenin, and that he is racist against white people. They already want to impeach him despite the glaringly obvious lack of high crimes or misdemeanors. If any Republican strays and decides to do the right thing and try to work in a bipartisan fashion, they suffer primaries and attacks. Even the Maine twins have quit cooperating out of fear of their homegrown teabaggers.

Chris Kromm of Facing South says the Kos poll illustrates the power of the red, republican, Confederate slave states. You think?

In short: The poll doesn't reflect a general shift to the right in the South. But it does show the growing hold of a certain form of far-right politics in Southern Republican circles, and a high level of receptivity among Republican Southerners to some of the conservative movement's most extreme views.

It's Black History Month so let's talk about Jim Crow Policing in New York City.

The New York City Police Department needs to be restrained. The nonstop humiliation of young black and Hispanic New Yorkers, including children, by police officers who feel no obligation to treat them fairly or with any respect at all is an abomination. That many of the officers engaged in the mistreatment are black or Latino themselves is shameful.

Say, have you seen my Democracy? I mean, really I want my Democracy back. Lawarence Lessig says if we want change we must change congress.

We should remember what it felt like one year ago, as the ability to recall it emotionally will pass and it is an emotional memory as much as anything else. It was a moment rare in a democracy's history. The feeling was palpable--to supporters and opponents alike--that something important had happened. America had elected, the young candidate promised, a transformational president. And wrapped in a campaign that had produced the biggest influx of new voters and small-dollar contributions in a generation, the claim seemed credible, almost intoxicating, and just in time.

Politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and for the same reason. ~Author Unknown