Secession petitions filed in 20 states - how pathetic. I see Florida is one of the states filing. Ironic since they missed the entire election. Except for the internal politics no one missed Florida in the big election to pick a president - the presidential election 2012. My family and I live temporarily in Florida. I've never lived in a state where I felt my vote did not count. I voted early only to have the vote counted days after the election was decided. I felt like I missed the party, because I showed up on the wrong day. Regardless for whom one votes, they want to be part of the process. Florida will forever be gray in the 2012 election.
Freedom of speech - the political right to communicate one's opinions and ideas. Here's mine. No one asked me if I agree with the secession, and I'm not willing to follow like a mindless sheep. America is so fortunate to have this freedom. Those people who petition to secede from the United States of America are thankless for those who gave their life to hold the Union together. Instead of working to perfect the wrong, the cowards are running for the hills.
Golden Gate National Cemetery
Lincoln wrote, " "Four score and seven years ago," referring to the Declaration of Independence during the American Revolution in 1776. The Declaration clarified the justifications for separation from the British crown. The Declaration of Independence is considered to be the founding document of the United States of America. Lincoln scrutinized the founding philosophies of the United States in the context of the Civil War, and memorialized the martyrs who gave their lives at Gettysburg. Lincoln's goal was to ensure the survival of America's representative democracy, that the "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
Well to all the people - white, black, brown, and anything in between - who fought, defended, and gave their lives in all the wars, I salute you. I hope those who wish to secede are willing to lay down their lives for their convictions. Secession is not a flippant action. I agree with your right to protest, but I don't agree with the protest.
Gettysburg National Cemetery.
Gettysburg Address (Lincoln Memorial)
FOUR SCORE AND SEVEN YEARS AGO OUR FATHERS BROUGHT FORTH ON THIS CONTINENT A NEW NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY AND DEDICATED TO THE PROPOSITION THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL •
NOW WE ARE ENGAGED IN A GREAT CIVIL WAR TESTING WHETHER THAT NATION OR ANY NATION SO CONCEIVED AND SO DEDICATED CAN LONG ENDURE • WE ARE MET ON A GREAT BATTLEFIELD OF THAT WAR • WE HAVE COME TO DEDICATE A PORTION OF THAT FIELD AS A FINAL RESTING PLACE FOR THOSE WHO HERE GAVE THEIR LIVES THAT THAT NATION MIGHT LIVE • IT IS ALTOGETHER FITTING AND PROPER THAT WE SHOULD DO THIS • BUT IN A LARGER SENSE WE CAN NOT DEDICATE~WE CAN NOT CONSECRATE~WE CAN NOT HALLOW~THIS GROUND • THE BRAVE MEN LIVING AND DEAD WHO STRUGGLED HERE HAVE CONSECRATED IT FAR ABOVE OUR POOR POWER TO ADD OR DETRACT • THE WORLD WILL LITTLE NOTE NOR LONG REMEMBER WHAT WE SAY HERE BUT IT CAN NEVER FORGET WHAT THEY DID HERE • IT IS FOR US THE LIVING RATHER TO BE DEDICATED HERE TO THE UNFINISHED WORK WHICH THEY WHO FOUGHT HERE HAVE THUS FAR SO NOBLY ADVANCED • IT IS RATHER FOR US TO BE HERE DEDICATED TO THE GREAT TASK REMAINING BEFORE US~THAT FROM THESE HONORED DEAD WE TAKE INCREASED DEVOTION TO THAT CAUSE FOR WHICH THEY GAVE THE LAST FULL MEASURE OF DEVOTION~THAT WE HERE HIGHLY RESOLVE THAT THESE DEAD SHALL NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN~THAT THIS NATION UNDER GOD SHALL HAVE A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM~AND THAT GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE SHALL NOT PERISH FROM THE EARTH •
Thank you for agreeing to speak with us. We have refreshments.
Romney: "I'm not
sure about these cookies. They don't look like you made them. No, no. They came
from the local 7/11 bakery, or whatever." —Mitt Romney, visiting a local
bakery while campaigning in Pittsburgh, PA, April 17, 2012 (The owner of the
baker later told MSNBC he was offended by Romney's remarks.)
Interviewer: Do you
recall getting your name wrong during introductions? "I'm Wolf Blitzer and yes, that's my real
name." —CNN's Wolf Blitzer at the beginning of a November 2011 Republican
presidential debate "I'm Mitt
Romney—and yes Wolf, that's also my first name." —Mitt Romney, getting his
own name wrong. (Full name: Willard Mitt
Romney, Mitt is his middle name.)
Romney: "I'm not
familiar precisely with what I said, but I'll stand by what I said, whatever it
was." (May 17, 2012)
Interviewer: It’s days after election.
Romney: “I could have
possibly beaten Senator McCain in the primary. Then I could have been the
candidate who lost to Barack Obama.” – Mitt Romney
Interviewer: How do
you feel about President Obama?
Romney: "We have
a president, who I think is a nice guy, but he spent too much time at Harvard,
perhaps." —Mitt Romney, who has two Harvard degrees (April 5, 2012)
"My dad used to say, 'Being right early is not good in politics.' And in a setting like this, a highly intellectual subject, discussion on a whole series of important topics typically doesn't win elections. And there are, there are, there are, for instance, this president won because of "hope and change."
"He [Obama] says we need more firemen, more policemen, and
more teachers. Did he not get the message of Wisconsin? The American people
did. It's time for us to cut back on government and help the American
people." —Mitt Romney at a campaign event in Council Bluffs, Iowa, June 8,
2012
Interviewer: What
would you have done?
Romney: "As
president, I will create 12 million new jobs." —Mitt Romney, during the
second presidential debate. "Government does not create jobs. Government
does not create jobs." —Mitt Romney, 45 minutes later (Oct. 16, 2012)
Interviewer: Isn't the president part of government? Forward!
Romney: "I want to taste this by the way. Let me show you how it's done: You take this (holds up a forkful of food) with your fork (puts food in mouth) and you put it in (laughter). That's good."
Interviewer: Why aren't you president?
Romney: "And because they voted for him (Obama), they don't want to be told that they were wrong, that he's a bad guy, that he did bad things, that he's corrupt. Those people that we have to get, they want to believe they did the right thing, but he just wasn't up to the task.
"They love the phrase that he's "over his head." But if we're -- but we, but you see, you and I, we spend our day with Republicans. We spend our days with people who agree with us. And these people are people who voted for him and don't agree with us. And so the things that animate us are not the things that animate them."
Interviewer: While
you were running for office were illegals working for you?
Romney: "I'm running for office for Pete's sake,
we can't have illegals" –Mitt Romney, recalling his reaction when he
learned that there were illegal aliens working the ground on his property,
employed by a firm that he subsequently fired (October 2011)
"I like being able to fire people who provide services
to me." –Mitt Romney
"I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a
safety net there." —Mitt Romney (January 2012)
"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for
the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him,
who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who
believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that
they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. ... My
job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should
take personal responsibility and care for their lives." -Mitt Romney, in
leaked comments from a fundraiser in May 2012
Interviewer: Would
you say that now with all the people homeless from Hurricane Sandy?
Romney: "I
believe in an America where millions of Americans believe in an America that's
the America millions of Americans believe in. That's the America I love."
–Mitt Romney (January 2012)
Interviewer: What are
you thinking?
Romney: "Tomorrow
we begin a new tomorrow." –Mitt Romney on his final day of campaigning,
Nov. 5, 2012
Interviewer: What comment do you regret?
Romney: “I’m sorry Jim, I’m gonna stop the subsidy to PBS,” I told debate moderator Jim Lehrer, who is executive editor for PBS NewsHour. “I like PBS. I love Big Bird. I actually like you, too."
Interviewer: OK, what
are your plans for the future?
Romney: "I
should tell my story. I'm also unemployed." —Mitt Romney, speaking in 2011
to unemployed people in Florida. Romney's net worth is over $200 million.
"There were a couple of times I wondered whether I was
going to get a pink slip" –Mitt Romney, attempting to identify with the
problems of average folk (January 2012)
"I get speaker's fees from time to time, but not very
much." —Mitt Romney, who earned $374,000 in speaking fees in one year
according to his personal financial disclosure (January 2012)
Interviewer: George
Stephanopoulos asked you, "Is $100,000 middle income?" – Mr. Romney
you replied, “No, middle income is $200,000 to $250,000 and less." -Mitt
Romney, ABC's "Good Morning America," Sept. 14, 2012 So you earn more in speaking engagements than
what you consider a middle class individual.
Romney: "I think
the best answer is as little as possible." –Mitt Romney interview with ABC's "LIVE! with Kelly
and Michael," Sept. 14, 2012
Interviewer: Have you ever forgotten to mention important
people in your speeches?
Romney: "When you give a speech you don't go
through a laundry list, you talk about the things that you think are
important." –Mitt Romney, when asked about failing to mention the troops
in his nomination speech at the Republican National Convention, Fox News
interview (Sept. 7, 2012)
Interviewer: Did you write, “a New York Times op-ed in
2008 titled "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt," in which he said if GM, Ford
and Chrysler got a government bailout "you can kiss the American
automotive industry goodbye"?
Romney: "I love this state. The trees are the
right height." —Mitt Romney, campaigning in Michigan (February 2012)
"My dad, as you probably
know, was the governor of Michigan and was the head of a car company. (Mitt Romney, in leaked comments from a
Florida fundraiser, May 17 2012")
[My wife] drives a couple of
Cadillacs." –Mitt Romney, campaigning for president in Michigan (February
2012)
Interviewer: Really? How many can she drive at the same time? Where is your wife? Will she be speaking with
us?
Romney: "We use Ann sparingly right now so that
people don't get tired of her." –Mitt Romney, referring to his wife while
speaking to a room of wealthy donors in Florida, May 17, 2012
Interviewer: Don't you feel any connection to foreign born individuals?
Romney: "My dad, as you probably know, was the governor of Michigan and was the head of a car company. But he was born in Mexico. And had he been born of Mexican parents, I'd have a better shot of winning this (laughter).
"But he was unfortunately born to Americans living in Mexico. He lived there a number of years, and I mean I say that jokingly, but it would be helpful to be Latino."
Interviewer: Are you thinking about 2016?
Romney: "Join me in welcoming the next president
of the United States, Paul Ryan." –Mitt Romney, committing a gaffe while
introducing his running mate, Norfolk, Va., Aug. 11, 2012
Never Saw the End Coming
Kindly enjoy this pre-election video of Team Romney talking about how awesome “ORCA” is. "Gitcho says ORCA would ensure that the campaign had more info than the exit polls, and yet there Mitt was at 11 p.m. ET, “shellshocked” to find that he’d lost a race that most recent state polls had suggested he’d surely lose."
The left-leaning news site Mother Jones posted footage of most of Romney's speech at a $50,000-a-plate fundraising dinner in Boca Raton, Fla., in May 2012. See the full videos HERE and read the complete transcript HERE.
RT @chrisrockoz: Mitt Romney: I've lived through hard times. I met a poor person once & I looked over at Ann and we decided to call the police. #debate2012
RT @utbrp: RT @ericwolfson: #BigBird on #MittRomney: "I haven't been this angry, upset, & confused since Mr. Hooper died!" #ForwardNotBack #Obama2012
RT @jonward11: Obama: "When I got on to the stage, I met this very spirited fellow who claimed to be Mitt Romney."
RT @JBucknoff: ROMNEY CUTTING PBS!! Time for Big Bird and the Muppets to get real | #ForwardNotBack http://t.co/80bhttp://twitter.com/JBucknoff/status/253933125648936960/photo/1
RT@StevenErtelt Obama trying to get tough after debate: RT @jonward11 Obama: "Thank goodness someone is finally getting tough on big bird."
RT @MsParkerCOMEDY: #VoteObama #ForwardNotBack Don't be fooled my friends by believing that Mitt Romney is the Best Debater..He's the BEST MANIPULATOR!
RT @El_Nene_Chinito: Since Mitt Romney listened so well to Jim Lehrer, I believe he's going to listen just as well to the American people. #ForwardNotBack
@StevenErtelt Al Gore blaming Obama's loss on the altitude? As if Boston is mountainous? And Romney is 15 years Obama's senior. (Except debate was in Denver not Boston. Duh n_n! Rocky Mountain high!)
RT@MikeGrunwald @DSegalNYC Now Romney camp tells me he misspoke, only meant to single out loan program. 3 of about 30 recipients failed, <2% in $ terms.
Michael Grunwald @MikeGrunwald ICYMI: Romney camp told me (after my tweet-rants) Mitt didn't mean to say half the #stimulus-funded green firms failed. Probably <1% so far.
RT @Lopeezie: Is it me or does Romney smile, turn red and blink like a crackhead when he lies?? #ForwardNotBack
Tweet by @FiredBigBird responding to Mitt Romney’s fire Large Bird comment. (Screen grab from thenewcivilrightsmovement.com)
@simonpegg I wake up and the first tweet I read says Mitt Romney wants to kill Big Bird. What's happening to the world?!!
@MrGeorgeWallace Any man in his right mind that would say..."I'm sorry but Big Bird has to go" has got to go.
The Republicans unveiled their plan to balance the budget and reduce health care cost – change women into Stepford Wives. To ensure that women have fewer rights than men, the Republicans propose to add the amendment to the US Constitution. The ultimate plan of the 2012 Republican Platform is to reduce the rights of women to have control over their body. It decreases the “fundamental individual right to life” to women “which cannot be infringed.” The Republicans have no interest in increasing the lifespan of women in the United States. By decreasing the female population in the United States the Republican plans to decrease spending – men would be in the majority. After all - Clement of Alexandria (150-215): "Every woman should be filled with shame by the thought that she is a woman."
http://bit.ly/TMGmB8
Claire Wellington: I asked myself, "Where would people never notice a town full of robots?" (Memorable quotes for The Stepford Wives (2004)
“We’ve also reaffirmed that we’re a party of life, traditional values, a strong national defense, and a reverence for the rights and liberties granted by our creator and laid out by our Founders in the Constitution,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.
Joanna Eberhart: Bobbie! Bobbie... this isn't you...
Bobbie Markowitz: That's right, Joanna! This isn't me, it's a whole new me. I'm happy, and I'm healthy, because I understand what's important in life. (Memorable quotes for The Stepford Wives (2004)
Sandra Fluke
In a recent statement that was both factually inaccurate and horribly offensive, Republican Missouri Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin said that victims of "legitimate rape" don't get pregnant because "the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." Republican Party voted to include the "Human Life Amendment" in their platform, calling for a constitutional ban on abortions nationwide, even for rape victims. This controversy is not an accident, or a mistake, or an isolated incident. It's a reflection of a Republican Party whose policies are dangerous for women. Without knowing me or my story, Rush Limbaugh called me a "slut" and a "prostitute" on his radio show. The Republicans are frighteningly clear on these issues. Just last year, Paul Ryan joined Todd Akin and more than 200 other Republicans in co-sponsoring legislation that would have narrowed the definition of rape, limiting which victims of rape were "legitimate" enough to receive financial assistance for access to abortion care. Mitt Romney famously says he would "get rid of" Planned Parenthood if he had the chance. . Thanks, Sandra Fluke
Maternal Health
Ovarian Cancer is one of the most deadly of women's cancers. Each year, approximately 22,880 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In 2012, approximately 15,550 women will die in the United States from ovarian cancer. Many women don't seek help until the disease has begun to spread, but if detected at its earliest stage, the five-year survival rate is more than 93% Please help support Ovarian Cancer Awareness , add a #Twibbon now! http://twb.ly/PAWZRj
Martin Luther (1483-1546) "Woman is a stupid vessel over whom man must always hold power, for the man is higher and better than she; for the regiment and dominion belong to man as the head and master of the house."
What the 2012 Republican platform draft says: Republicans oppose abortion in all cases with no exceptions for rape or incest.
In 2005 the maternal death ratio was 15.1 deaths per 100,000 births. For African American women, the ratio was an disgraceful 36.5 deaths per 100,000 births (Kung, Hoyert, Xu, & Murphy, 2008). In other words, for all U.S. women, the maternal death ratio is almost 5 times as high as it should be, and for African American women, it is more than 10 times what it should be. In the United States, nearly half of all pregnancies are unplanned, (Finer L, Henshaw S. Disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy in the United States, 2994 and 2001. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2008;38:90–96. MEDLINE), and women with inadvertent pregnancies are more likely to develop complications and face worse outcomes for themselves and their babies.( D'Angelo D, et al. Preconception and interconception health status of women who recently gave birth to live-born infant–pregnancy risk assessment monitoring system (PRAMS), United States, 26 reporting areas, 2004. MMWR surveillance summaries, December 14, 2007:4 and 17. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5610a1.htm).
Given the option, many women will opt to save their infant over their life. They don’t need to be told by a doctor, “Sorry, the US Constitution says I have to let you die, and you have nothing to say about the matter.” A mother who’s 11 year old is pregnant from a rape, will not have the ability to save her own child if the pregnancy threatens her daughter’s life. 10-year-old gives birth to baby boy The young mother is from the nearby San Francisco, and suffered a seizure.
Infant Health
Grief
The U.S. infant mortality rate is one of the highest among all developed countries. The disparity in rates within the United States is upsetting as well, with Black babies dying at more than twice the rate of white babies.
The most recent statistics from 2007 show that the U.S. rate of almost seven deaths per 1,000 live births ranked the U.S. behind the majority of other advanced countries. Thirty industrialized countries have lower infant mortality rates, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, all of them spending much less money than United States does on health care.
Of the almost 18 million women in the United States estimated to be in need of publicly funded family planning services and supplies, Medicaid and government-funded clinics (Title X clinics) cover a little more than half of this need, leaving more than 8 million women without affordable family planning information and services. (Guttmacher Institute . Contraceptive needs and services, 2006.http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/win/allstates2006.pdf)
Health Care for Women
Let’s move on from the hot topic of maternal and child health. In all years, males had significantly higher rates of admission for diabetes, about twice the rate of females. (Healthcare Quality and Disparities in Women Selected Findings From the 2010 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports)
Heart disease is the leading cause of death. In 2007, females had higher rates of inpatient heart attack mortality than males. Several benchmarks are presented with implications for women's health.
Quote The 2010 National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report are available online at http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/qrdr10.htm.
The 2007 top 4 State achievable benchmark for inpatient heart attack mortality was 54.6 per 1,000 admissions. At the current rate, males could attain the benchmark in less than 1 year; however, females could not attain the benchmark for almost 3 years.
In 2008, the top 5 State fibrinolytic medication achievable benchmark was 60.7%. At the current rate of improvement, males should reach the achievable benchmark in a little over 2 years, but females would not reach the benchmark for more than 4 years.
From 2005 to 2008, the percentage of hospitalized adult patients with heart failure who were given complete written discharge instructions improved from 57.5% to 82.0%. Improvements were observed among both males and females. The 2008 top 5 State achievable benchmark was 88%. At the current 12% annual rate of increase, this benchmark could be attained overall and for both males and females in less than a year.
Almost immediately after the passage of President Obama's signature Affordable Care Act in March 2010, Senate Minority Mitch McConnell declared, "I think [our] slogan will be 'repeal and replace', 'repeal and replace.'"
According to news release 2012 Health care law gives women control over their care, offers free preventive services to 47 million women (forty-seven million) women are getting greater control over their health care and access to eight new prevention-related health care services without paying more out of their own pocket.
Decreasing the Female Population in US
There is a secret conspiracy to repeal the 19th amendment which guarantees all American women the right to vote. Less than 100 years ago, the amendment passed by Congress June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920. It’s a logical progression that if the Republicans add an amendment to restrict women rights (2012 Republican Platform), they would repeal an amendment that gave women rights. If women can’t vote, men can pass any laws and /or restrictions they want. Deny all health care to women, food, housing, life, liberty, happiness – no telling how far it could go.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: "Woman was made to yield to man and put up with his injustice."
Claire Wellington: I asked myself, "Where would people never notice a town full of robots?" (Stepford Wives)
There are men who will stand up for right – (Stepford Wives)
Walter Kresby: She's not a robot. She never was. I couldn't do it.
Mike Wellington: Why not?
Walter Kresby: Because she's not a science project. Because I didn't marry something from RadioShack.
Mike Wellington: That's a shame. (Memorable quotes for The Stepford Wives (2004)
The FDR Library makes available thousands of online, copyright free photographs from its Audio/Visual Collections.
Freedom of speech - the political right to communicate one's opinions and ideas. Here's mine. No one asked me if I agree with the secession, and I'm not willing to follow like a mindless sheep. America is so fortunate to have this freedom. Those people who petition to secede from the United States of America are thankless for those who gave their life to hold the Union together. Instead of working to perfect the wrong, the cowards are running for the hills.
