Happy 4th of July!

The words of the President are so true from our founding fathers that all men are created equal and it is imperative that we all keep that in mind.  The color of a person's skin, their religious beliefs, their background of where they or their family came from should not matter -- what matters is that we are all Americans and time for racism to be sent packing once and for all from our political campaigns and government.  If someone wants to be a racist,  get out of politics and quit trying to tell the rest of us what to believe or what to do.  
From the Thomas Jefferson Memorial:

On the panel of the northwest interior wall is an excerpt from "A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, 1777", except for the last sentence, which is taken from a letter of August 28, 1789, to James Madison:

Almighty God hath created the mind free...All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens...are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion...No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion. I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singly or collectively.

Just maybe the SCOTUS needs a refresher course in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution since five of them seem to think that a business is a person and are taking the Court hard right into the land of religious right who have the common sense of a gnat.  With ruling that a Corporation is a person it opens up all kinds of scenarios and a for-profit can be a religious organization opens up even more.

Does that now mean that there will be no more corporate tax breaks since they are people just like us? If businesses are people then we can start sueing them as they are no longer protected as they are now just an individual person -- no more limited liability companies?  If a for-profit business is now a religious entity, then time to quit making religious organizations tax exempt.  This SCOTUS is opening up Pandora's Box like no other to pay back the benefactors and forgot  that SCOTUS is to rule on the law not overturn years of precedence and make new law in order to make the Court hard right.  

On this 4th of July we all need to pledge to return common sense to Congress and the Supreme Court and reject this nonsense we are seeing out of SCOTUS to protect the wealthy just like the House Republicans.  Hobby Lobby is not a Church or a religious organization -- it is a for profit company which the hard right on the SCOTUS cannot get through their heads.  Monsanto and Koch Industries are not people no matter how many times SCOTUS says a corporation is a person -- it is not!  People run corporations with board of directors but the corporation itself is not a living, breathing person. Koch's have gotten their money's worth with this SCOTUS since Scalia and Thomas attend their events and with Monsanto, Thomas used to be their attorney but none of them recuse themselves?  Why not?

Now we are discovering that Justice Alito lied during this hearings but so did Chief Justice Roberts. Worst part is that Jonathan Turley nailed the current Chief Justice for hiding (lying about) his hard right agenda but the Democrats led by Harry Reid wouldn't listen to the person most of us believe is the most honest commentator we have when it comes to the law.  Majority Leader Reid refused to call people who would have stated how far hard right Roberts was preferring to keep his head buried in the sand. What a mess Bush 41 and 43 made of their Supreme Court picks to make the Court despised instead of respected.  Like everything else Bush 43 touched, it is a mess.

We need to choose our candidates carefully because they hold the future of our Nation in their hands and right now we have a hard right SCOTUS making it up as they go and a hard right House GOP who are nothing but obstructions with a Speaker who now wants to sue the President for doing his job. You cannot make this stuff up.

If Democrats keep the Senate which I would bet they will, then Harry Reid needs replaced for a host of reasons starting with confirming Supreme Court Justices of Bush 43 without having real hearings and that beyond ridiculous filibuster that requires 60 votes to pass almost anything.  Reid let the American people down and time for him to step aside and let someone who has a backbone run the Senate because he seems to have a hard time finding his.  Wrong person for Democrats to have in charge of the Senate.  My question is does Harry Reid listen to the Mormon Church or fellow Democrats and American people because if he listed to us, he wouldn't have cut a deal with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on the filibuster where McConnell won.

It is the 4th of July and if you do only one thing this year for the Country, vote out the hard right who are supported by the Koch Brothers.  The Koch Bros "My Way or No Way" people in charge of the GOP across the Country want a Christian Nation where we have to worship at their churches and other religions are not recognized not to mention only white males should vote or be elected to office.  They have said it enough times I believe them.

Many Americans fail to realize that true believers, particularly religious true believers, are convinced it is their mandate from god to transform America into a religious state with forced compliance to biblical edicts. There is a strongly-held belief among evangelicals, and Republicans perpetuate the idea, that there is a war on Christianity because the religious right is prohibited by the Constitution from imposing their beliefs on the people. Americans must understand that until there is rigorous response to the religious right’s war on the Constitution, their relentless attacks will continue including passing legislation teaching creationism as science, legalizing discrimination against gays, and mandating public school teachers force Christian prayers on our children.

Time to end this nonsense in November with voting out the hard right all across America.  Our Nation and its people deserve better representation than what they are getting as more than 2% of the Nation do matter -- every citizen matters but the wealthy donors should not be allowed to try to buy elections. Time to show the Koch's and others they may have over $200M to spend, but we have the voters!

Happy 4th of July - pledge to turn this Nation back to We the People -- all the People not just white males!

 

Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on the Ropes After SCOTUS Hearing Today

With DOMA on the ropes after arguments were heard by the US Supreme Court, hard right is in meltdown mode

Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) pertinent provisions:

The main provisions of the act are as follows: 

Section 2. Powers reserved to the states
No State, territory, or possession of the United States, or Indian tribe, shall be required to give effect to any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other State, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a relationship between persons of the same sex that is treated as a marriage under the laws of such other State, territory, possession, or tribe, or a right or claim arising from such relationship. 

Section 3. Definition of marriage
In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word 'marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word 'spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.

Americans are finally waking up to the fact they are sick and tired of being told how to live their lives by the evangelical hard right as they are trying to do once again this time on DOMA.  Used to ask on websites who made them the judge and jury of anyone which would infuriate the hard right to no end.  You cannot imagine how disgusted I am at the 'my way or no way' crowd who wants to govern how you live your life every day based on their agenda.  'Narrow minded' are two words that come to mind today to describe the hard right evangelicals who are now opposing the right of two gays to marry.  Would someone please tell me what difference it makes to the hard right evangelicals because frankly it is none of their business.

Still have not recovered from the fact that the US House of Representative Republicans in this time of austerity has spent $3M of our tax dollars to defend  the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which I never understood.  What right did the House Republicans have to spend out money on a social issue?

Huffington Post reports: 

House Republican leaders took over the legal defense of DOMA in the spring of 2011, when Attorney General Eric Holder announced the Obama administration would no longer defend it on the grounds that they found it unconstitutional. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other GOP leaders hired attorneys at the law firm Bancroft LLC to represent the House in court cases involving the federal ban on gay marriage — all with taxpayer dollars. 

On Jan. 4, Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.), who chairs the House Administration Committee, signed a revised contract with Bancroft LLC that increases the spending cap to $3 million to allow Bancroft attorneys to keep defending DOMA in court. The revised contract also bears the signatures of Bancroft partner Paul Clement and Kerry Kircher, general counsel for the House of Representatives.

Personally think the House should take $3M out of their budget and return it to the US Treasury.  IMHO they had no right to spend our tax dollars on DOMA.  House Republicans by all accounts are about to lose the war not just the battle when it comes to overturning DOMA at the Federal level:

A majority of the Supreme Court justices delivered a beating to the Defense of Marriage Act during oral arguments Wednesday, signaling a positive outcome for marriage equality.

The four liberal-leaning justices and Justice Anthony Kennedy appeared deeply skeptical that the federal government has legal justification for treating gay and straight couples unequally. They seemed inclined to overturn Section 3 of the 1996 law, which prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriage and thereby denies benefits to gay and lesbian couples even if they are legally wed in their states. 

In his line of questioning, Kennedy, who has a track record in favor of gay rights, repeatedly contended that the federal government had exceeded its constitutional authority.

“You are at real risk of going in conflict … with federal police powers,” he told Paul Clement, the lawyer arguing in favor of upholding DOMA. When Clement tried to argue that it was a valid exercise of federal power and does not infringe on states’ rights, Kennedy responded, “I see illogic in your argument.” He wondered why Congress could deny marriage benefits in states “where the voters have decided” that same sex marriage ought to be legal.

Some of the reaction on the right to the possibility that DOMA may be overturned has made me laugh as they see one of main issues going down in flames.  Never has made sense to oppose gay marriage when it is an individual matter.  No one is telling churches they have to marry gays or anyone else so I don't see a problem.  There are a lot of gays in a relationship that is more enduring then heterosexuals IMHO.

Personally have thought it was a state's rights issue for years up to a point.  If a gay couple has been married in a state recognizing gay marriage, then I think their marriage should be recognized wherever they move.  Think it is shortsighted for states to oppose gay marriage but it should be up to voters.  In Oklahoma I would have bet a lottery never would have been passed but it did.  Once you get in the voting booth, no one can see your vote and from reaction I have seen locally not sure DOMA would be upheld here today. Thought I would include some comments from the hard right to show some examples of how out of touch today's Republican Party has become:

Former Governor Mike Huckabee:

Huckabee:  Evangelicals Will Walk if GOP Backs Gay Marriage

Mike Huckabee warns that Republicans risk losing the vote from evangelical Christians if they back away from their opposition to gay marriage. 

Last week, Ohio Sen. Bob Portman announced he has reversed his position and now supports gay marriage. 

In an exclusive interview with Newsmax TV, former Arkansas Gov. Huckabee — and ordained Southern Baptist minister — was asked if he sees the GOP ever pivoting and backing gay marriage.  

“They might. And if they do, they’re going to lose a large part of their base because evangelicals will take a walk,” he responds.

Governor Rick Perry (R-TX):

Rick Perry Warns Of 'Unsettling Time In Our Nation's History,' Says Gay Rights Activists Lack 'Tolerance' 

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) stood before conservatives gathered at a Faith and Family Rally in Austin on Tuesday and spoke about what he perceives as a sustained attack on their values by gay rights activists. 

“This is a very unsettling time in our nation’s history,” Perry said, according to the Associated Press. “These are the days when a person is vilified when they state that they believe fundamentally that marriage is between one man and one woman.” 

Perry spoke just hours after the Supreme Court heard arguments on Proposition 8, California's gay marriage ban. On Wednesday, the justices will consider a case challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act. 

Perry went on to suggest that the decision by LGBT rights advocates to fight for equal treatment was proof that they were themselves intolerant. 

“The underlying problem is that there is this very vocal, very litigious minority of Americans willing to legally attack anybody who dares utter a phrase or even a name that they don’t agree with,” he said. “In a twisting of logic, they insist on silencing the religious in the cause of tolerance. Now I ask you, where is the tolerance in that?”

Guess Perry doesn't see himself as being intolerant which shows how far his head is buried in the sand.  His comments are the height of intolerance.

Red State's Erick Erickson:

Erick Erickson Pretty Certain Gay Marriage Is Step One Of Leftist Holocaust Against Christians

What [libertarians] ignore is that the left will never take marriage out of the hands of the government. The left cannot. But it goes beyond that. The left cannot take marriage out of government because for so long it has been government through which marriages were legitimized to the public and the left must also use government to silence those, particularly the religious, who refuse to play along.

We would be remiss if we didn't include Rush Limbaugh's comments since he seems to speak for the hard right GOP today:

Limbaugh: High Court’s ‘Exalted’ Lawyers Should Not Decide Gay Marriage

Conservative radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh said on Tuesday that the Supreme Court’s “nine exalted lawyers” should not validate gay marriage because it is against the will of the American people. 

“The court could issue a narrow ruling that would create a right to gay marriage in California only, maybe a few other states, or it could announce a constitutional right to gay marriage everywhere,” Limbaugh said on his afternoon radio show. “Do you realize what the problem is with all of this? The problem is that, once again, nine exalted lawyers are determining something that has been a tradition since beginning of time. Nine exalted lawyers.

For more comments from the right, please visit Media Matters.  The hard right with their comments is in a total meltdown that DOMA will be overturned.  From Pat Robertson, to Focus on the Family James Dobson, to Pat Buchanan, Michael Savage, Mark Levin, Mark Davis on Rush, and others, the meltdown mode is picking up steam - waiting now for the usual it is the end of the world comments.  Just think the conservatives have several more months before a SCOTUS ruling comes down.  They may totally implode by then.

From all reports it looks like that DOMA passed by Congress and signed into law by President Clinton on Sep 21, 1996, may be history in June.  Today Bill Clinton opposes DOMA and has come out in favor of gay marriage saying it was a mistake to sign the original bill and now wants DOMA overturned.

Stay tuned as the meltdown on the right continues!