Author: Dick

 “You don’t criticize the Commander-in-Chief in the middle of a firefight. That could be construed as putting U.S. forces in jeopardy and undermining morale.” — Bill O’Reilly, April 2004

What changed O’Really? Is the fact Iraq — which your neocon pals got the nation into while pissing away a chance to smash al-Qaida — is out of the picture? But U.S. and friendly forces are still dying from IEDs and Taliban dressed as police in Afghanistan. Does that not count, Billy Boy?

 “He’s the Commander-in-Chief. And what I find frankly repugnant about you and some of your fellow Democrats – you have undermined our president…” — Sean Hannity, March 2006

Well, let me see. Barack Obama is now the Commander-in-Chief and you, Mr. Hannity, and your ilk spent your entire lives for the last 3 1/2 years dedicated to undermining our president. The only basic difference I see is that a black man is now president and that has gotten millions of Republicans’ panties in a wad. Yes, sure there are the same old philosophical differences over taxes and now the Republican candidate for president appears to loathe people who are not like him, rich. You know, that whole 47 percent thing Gov. Romney despises.

 “And furthermore, one of the fundamental principles we have in America is that the president is the commander in chief of the armed forces and attempts to undermine the commander in chief during time of war amounts to treason.” — Pat Robertson, December 2005

Pat Robertson has said so many crazy things that this quote, by itself isn’t quite as insane as saying 9/11 happened because of pagans, gays and lesbians and Hurricane Katrina was God’s way of punishing us for allowing abortion. It still isn’t illegal to say anything that smacks of free speech though. And now Robertson, Hannity and O’Reilly can’t find enough hours in the day to criticize President Obama and call him names. Meanwhile, we are still, technically, at war. This fact was brought home on the most recent 9/11 (2012) when a terrorist attack killed U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens, two ex-SEALS who were his body guards and a computer supervisor.

I don’t have to remind you how the country group the Dixie Chicks found themselves blacklisted and boycotted after lead singer Natalie Maines told a London audience that she was ashamed to be from the same state — Texas — as President George W. Bush. Hell, I was ashamed to reside in the same state as Dubya did as far back as when he was Texas governor.

It would be silly — as in the juvenile manner Republican operatives feed to their crowds — for anyone to criticize the Republicans for disparaging Barack during a time of war and constant crisis. The best that can be done is to remind the GOP how often its members and leaders engage in hypocrisy to where it is a modus operandi.

I don’t pretend to be religious, although I find it interesting now and for a long time what others find in matters of faith. So I searched for and found an outline of a sermon from Matthew on learning from hypocrites. It really doesn’t surprise me that hypocrisy bent Jesus out of shape at times. I can identify although it seems the sermon focuses on the spiritual damage that can befall hypocrites whereas in my case it just mainly pisses me off.

 ^“23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

 ^“24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.” — Matthew 23, King James Version

The fact that many of those same hypocrites who accused war dissenters of treason claim to be Holy men or holier-than-thou is also no big shocker. Hypocrisy is an affliction that infects the human race no matter the color, religion or station in life. I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t admit to some hypocrisy from time-to-time.

Still, I find those who walk about on a larger stage and in fact tell others how to think presents a much bigger moral ambiguity. Those like the Fox commentators and other talking heads speak as if only they are right and are righteous. There is nothing anyone can do about this except to start thinking for oneself. I warn you though. It isn’t easy.

Oh, I lifted some of these quotes from a magnificent piece by Bob Cesca.com. Imitation is the sincerest (and easiest) form of flattery. Hey, I said thinking for oneself wasn’t easy.

 

Mittens has kind of pissed me off.

The more that is uncovered and talked about the secret video of Romney’s mega gaffe, the madder I get. It should make a lot of other folks angry as well and not just the “47 percent … 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. ”

You know who Mittens is talking about don’t you? He’s talking about you, the working class dog, the tired, the poor, the elderly, the huddled masses. You name it.

I have heard this notion for a couple of years now from the right wing that one doesn’t pay income taxes if they pay payroll taxes. That is just a big, fat lie. In the true sense, the payroll taxes that you and your employer pay are based on a percentage of income. Am I right? Well even if my logic is faulty, just listen to what I am saying for once.

For many of the years I have worked I have paid income taxes. True, my payroll taxes were deducted when I have had steady work. But guess what happened when I have had to fill in that line on the 1040 form that says: “Business Income (or loss?” ) Most years I have had to write a figure down — though often it was a small number — noting: “Rental real estate, royalties, partnerships, S corporations, trusts, etc. Attach Schedule E” For the past two years the “Pensions and annuities” blank on my form hasn’t stayed blank for long. Yes, I get a pension, a whopping, whole $1,400 a year. Don’t laugh, it keeps me in my weekly hamburger. It has been several years but I do have to pay income tax, actually pay income tax — in the Rush Limbaugh spirit — even though I have mostly paid payroll taxes most of my life. So am I in that list that doesn’t pay income tax, even when I actually have to pay income tax in addition to my payroll taxes? You see that isn’t in the sound bite Rush, or Hannity or even Romney gives.

It just irritates me to no end that the man who wants to be president of all the people, not just the rich Republican ones, raises money by going on a verbal jihad against anyone who receives any and all types of government benefits. As I’ve said before, I don’t recall ever seeing Romney’s ass in uniform serving his country. No offense to the VA, but if I could afford insurance and could afford to see doctors who did not work in one way or the other for the Department of Veterans Affairs (or go to real doctors for that matter, my primary care giver at the VA is a physician’s assistant,) I would not have to fight for treatment at the VA. Like right now, I misplaced a box of glucose test strips and the VA is insistent that I can’t have any more until December.

If Mittens thinks the 47 percent who have written him off are all slackers looking for a handout, then I think he should just take himself out of the race right now. He is totally delusional. Here is something else. If you receive government benefits — Social Security, a military or government pension or both, and/or health assistance from the government — Romney is talking about you. You might be the biggest Romney fan on your block or in your fair city. But Romney could care less about you. You are being duped by Mittens and the Republican propaganda machine.

I would say that if you blindly follow Mitt Romney that you get what you deserve. The problem is I don’t feel as if I should get what you deserve.