I was hibernating, snoozing peacefully and not hurting anybody, but this story is really weird. You may have heard that Republican Presidential front-runner Newt Gingrich wants to arrest federal judges.

Never one to be accused of timidity, Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich is turning up the volume of his ongoing assault on “activist judges” so high that even conservatives say he is going too far.

In a half-hour phone call with reporters Saturday, Gingrich said that, as president, he would abolish whole courts to be rid of judges whose decisions he feels are out of step with the country.

Conspiracy? Yes, so it seems.

Rod Dreher is back and one of his blog posts today requires your immediate attention. The extensive reporting and commentary is based on a Bloomberg report that is nothing short of stunning.

Reaction?

Nice to see the Obama administration is sticking up for the little guy. Bush was President, so we can blame him. Oh happy day!

More and more, America becomes, from top to bottom, a society that is completely devoid of respect for law. Put into ordinary English, the powerful crush the weak without moral restraint (fear of God’s just punishment) or civil consequences.

Here’s the deal. He didn’t mention God.

I must part company with some of my liberal friends who suggest that this is a secular holiday. It is a really big strain, or so it seems to me, to be just thankful to each other for the good things of life. Now, ingratitude is a widespread ill and a day of good-natured back slapping will not do much to soften our hard materialistic American hearts. If one is to be thankful, really sincerely so, it is a good idea to consider the Lord and creator of the universe. Thanksgiving is meant to recognize our human dependence on Almighty God.

Don’t get me wrong. God uses human beings to do his work on earth so we should be grateful when somebody helps their fellow man.  We should praise every good deed and every generous person. Still, human nature is evil. We will always rely on divine assistance.

Of course, President Obama is not the kind to make a show of his religion, and that is just fine with me. Obama has the exact vague belief system that is so typical among Evangelicals and so-called conservatives. All of the above appear to subscribe a similar Universalist doctrine of salvation, so when President Obama passes up an opportunity to spread that erroneous thinking, I am glad.

The President has passed up the crude and politically motivated “prayer breakfasts” where political opportunism is enshrined. You better come pray at our pagan shrine, or you are not really a good American or a true Christian. I appreciate that President Obama has opted for silence on religion and I can only hope that future presidents will follow his good example (fat chance).

Now, before somebody hauls me up on heresy charges, I am not to be included among those who supposedly chase religious opinion out of the “public square.” Catholic bishops have had a bit to say on that and, while I sympathize with their concern, I think they might try a little mirror time if they want to see the real problem. Besides the Catholic loss of credibility, another aspect of the devaluation of religious thought is the over abundance of extreme views. The loudest voices dominate the conversation and do not represent the much more moderate politics that I believe many Evangelicals embrace. Memo to journalists: all practicing Christians are not nuts and you ought to talk to some regular people sometimes instead of the Pat Robertson crowd.

And what if President Obama had mentioned God? I somehow feel pretty darned sure that the vast network of right wing opponents have a set of alternate talking points ready to go for any eventuality. After all, beating Obama is THE most important thing. There is not a shred of concern for the 14 million unemployed Americans or the suffering families.

Hmmmm….. now what exactly did James call “pure and perfect religion?”

Dan Cassino, a political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson, explained in a statement, “Because of the controls for partisanship, we know these results are not just driven by Republicans or other groups being more likely to watch Fox News. Rather, the results show us that there is something about watching Fox News that leads people to do worse on these questions than those who don’t watch any news at all.”

This isn’t the first study that has found that Fox News viewers more misinformed in comparison to others. Last year, a study from the University of Maryland found that Fox News viewers were more likely to believe false information about politics.

The truth may set you free, but it won’t always make you happy. There’s the rub. The current minority of political extremists have the ultimate “out” for any argument that is about to end badly (against their side). Any fact with which we do not agree is being reported by communists, socialists, atheists, homosexuals, pacifists, anarchists, liberals, feminists, intellectuals, one-world internationalists, secularists, or … whatever makes us uncomfortable.

These people do not merely live in an alternate universe, they live in a Magical Kingdom. It is magically controlled by all right thinking people. That is, everybody who thinks just like I think. That simply must be everybody. All the people I know agree with me (none would ever dare give voice to a contrary opinion!).

The viewpoint is both individualistic and delusional. It is probably not a mental disease. American culture caters to the personal whims of consumerism and materialism. This elevates personal judgment above every other influence. Yes, many Americans think they are bible-believing Christians, but they hold a set of selective and convenient doctrines that is expressed by lots of sentimentality and emotion and very little cross carrying. When carried to the extreme, one loses contact with any realistic views.

Lots of us have friends who spend too much time watching news, especially FOX news. In the case of the latter, large doses result in a toxic mix of paranoia and rage. Of course, there is plenty of raw material laying around for anybody who wants to build a structure out of anger. The Occupy movement has pinpointed a number of things that deserve rebuke. The Tea Party operates on a kernel of truth about the disconnectedness of elected officials.

FOX, and the score of even loonier internet sites of a kindred spirit, never get past the “them versus us” aspect of every story. This is deliberate, although it may not necessarily represent a conspiracy. All of the right wing extremists want to silence any voice but their own. There are plenty of voices I would cheerfully snuff out, but the final outcome of that would be that only the most powerful voices would be winners. When it is over, all that is left is FOX, the Koch brothers, the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, and a select group of radicals. Every goofy professor, economist, godless communist, liberal and Tea Party member will all be buried in a massive common grave of the permanently silenced voices of descent.

The loudest voices (like FOX) are dangerous because they spread a deadly virus of suspicion that, once firmly implanted, makes the viewer unable to accept any “truth” except his own “personal experience.” That becomes the only filter for processing new information, and all unpleasant data must be discarded and those who report it must be destroyed.

This is why police mace college students who offer no resistance, and torture is accepted as the norm.

In view of the obvious loyalty of Republican powers to an alien power (Grover Norquist) most of us figured that honoring a pledge to sink the ship would trump any sincere attempts to get it past the icebergs. Blame Democrats for refusing to put all the pain and suffering associated with the out-of-control spending on the Iraq war coupled with unaffordable and irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthy on those least able to bear it. Norquist and his creme brulee crowd control and operate everything on the political right to the devastating dismembering of the middle class. And make no mistake about it, Tim Griffin, Rick Crawford, Steve Womack and John Boozman are cheerleaders for the national job wrecking team

Yes, we have a deficit problem, but there is an even larger difficulty which should be addressed by every elected official. What will we do about 14 million unemployed Americans? This is the largest social and fiscal problem facing this country. The loss of income to so many families is a tragedy far beyond a major hurricane, earthquake, or even an act of terrorism.

World markets are dismayed and investors nervous because congress cannot do its duty. It is worth remembering that, back in July, Pres. Obama put $4 TRILLION on the table and the Republican House leadership walked away from it rather than get crosswise with King Grover I.

The across-the-board cuts are certainly going to provoke great difficulties, but maybe – just maybe – they will get somebody’s attention. This is a serious situation that demands bi-partisan action.

On the other hand, some believe that Republicans are willing to wreck the economy and the lives of millions rather than allow Pres. Obama claim any credit for a good outcome. Of course, anybody who believes such a thing would have to be paranoid. Right?

Washington County Tea Party, Pulaski County Tea Party, The River Valley Tea Party, Boone County Tea Party, Little River Patriots, Americans for Constitutional Government, Northeast Arkansas Tea Party and the Miller County Patriots. By the time you read this, we may have added more.

Not every group that calls itself “Tea Party” or a “Patriot Group” is serious about limited government and preserving the freedoms of our fellow citizens. As a group that definitely is serious, Secure Arkansas values the cooperation of other groups who are also serious about these issues.

OK, I am a definite “yes,” but I will be on the lookout for those backsliding, closet liberal, Tea Partying wannabes.

There is a link for a pdf file that has a state-by-state analysis. Arkansas has two items. We are highly supportive. CATA got $1 million for “maintenance building conversion to compressed natural gas,” and NWA gets $200k for “north-south corridor transportation alternative analysis.”

Monday, October 17, 2011

Federal funds will create jobs nationwide by strengthening transit choices while improving safety and reliability

DETROIT – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that transit providers across the nation will receive a share of $928.5 million in federal funds for more than 300 public transportation projects in urban, suburban, and rural areas.  The money will put people to work renovating and building much needed transit facilities, manufacturing new clean-fuel buses, and helping communities plan responsibly for their future transit needs. He was joined in making the announcement by Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff.

“Investing in America’s transit systems, rails, roads, ports, and airports will generate tens of thousands of construction-related jobs and put more money in the pockets of working Americans,” said Secretary Ray LaHood. “But we must do more. Congress needs to pass the American Jobs Act so we can continue to invest in critically needed projects like these, to repair and rebuild our nation’s transportation system.”

The grants announced today, made available through the Federal Transit Administration’s fiscal year 2011 Alternatives Analysis, Bus Livability, and State of Good Repair Programs, will go toward replacing or refurbishing aging buses, building or improving bus terminals, garages, and other transit facilities, installing bus-related equipment, and conducting studies to help communities select the best transit options to meet future transportation needs.

“These grant funds will make sure that bus service in our communities remains reliable and desirable while putting thousands of Americans to work at the same time,” said Administrator Rogoff.  “By passing the American Jobs Act, Congress can accelerate these efforts and give the American people the opportunity to keep more of their paycheck in their wallet rather than hand it over at the gas pump.”

The grant selection process was highly competitive, and FTA reviewed 839 project applications representing $4.9 billion in funding requests from transit providers across the country for the Fiscal Year 2011 discretionary grants.    Examples of major projects receiving federal funds include:

• The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments will receive $2 million to study a possible second phase of the planned Woodward Avenue corridor transit project in Detroit and the best mode of transit to pursue. The first phase, a light rail line still in the early planning stages, would end just south of Eight Mile Road. The second phase may one day provide additional transit solutions another 7.5 miles to Maple Road (Fifteen Mile Road). 

 

• Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) will receive $5.4 million to replace buses in its Seattle-area fleet that are beyond their useful lives with hybrid-diesel buses.

• The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority will receive $5 million to restore Philadelphia’s historic 33rd Street and Dauphin Street bus facility, a 110-year-old facility that is in a state of disrepair.

 

The full list of selected projects can be found at http://fta.dot.gov/grants/13094.html
.

 

Just in case some of you guys and gals need further background on why there is an Occupy Wall Street, read the above linked story. You will learn, in part:

Morgan Keegan & Co. is a subsidiary of Regions Financial Corp. of Birmingham, Ala. The bond funds in question were peddled to investors in 2007, and investors were not informed that the funds were invested in riskier “tranches” of mortgage-backed securities.

In fact, according to the consent order with the ASD, some brokers with Morgan Keegan and its Morgan Asset Management division characterized the funds declining prices as “a buying opportunity” and actively discouraged investors from selling.

It was the rampant LYING that caused the housing market to collapse. The sellers of the worthless securities got rich doing it. The investors were DELIBERATELY MISLED.