To Jonathan, Flint MI:

We are human first, and citizens second.

I am sorry if treating other people as human, even if they are in the wrong place at the wrong time makes you feel uncomfortable.

But it is the right thing to do - no it is the only thing to do.

If you want to increase measures to prevent illegal immigration, great.

But once someone is here and sick, they must be cared for.

That's not debatable.

What was the level of pork in the last bill to pay for the wars, something like 30%. Bush had clean bills come though for war funding. Obama, not so much.
Ear Marks (Sent Friday, June 26, 2009 10:46 AM)

You are entitiled to your own opinion just not your own facts...bush and republicans repeatedly rammed through non war spending goodies from 2002-2008 in their patriotic war bills...

That is what using our brave, proud military troops as pawns in a political game is and they should be ashamed.

Jody, Iowa
.......................................................
Yep, the dems should be ashamed for loading the military bill with pork for the IMF.

Please enlighten me on all the other tax increases you've been hit with by "us people." Chris - IL (Sent Friday, June 26, 2009 10:20 AM)
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Well Chris in Illinois, it is obvious you live outside of Chicago and Crook County where we have some of the highest sales taxes and fees in the country!

Who raised taxes lately? Try King Richard II (Daley) and Todd "I inhereted my job from dad" Stroger for starters!

You and Redhead from Roselle enjoy your non-Crook county taxes now but don't worry, Gov Quinn will clip you shortly.

Why a convicted felon (for a race based crime) gets to speak out about race and admonish white people on a daily basis is a mystery to most people.

P.S. You have this same right...exercise it and stop complaining...Rush Limbaugh doe ist on a daily basis and his his inflammatory and causes hate crimes..Sharpton's doesn't.

"Republicans who voted against the legislation say they supported the troops, but opposed it because it contained unnecessary spending, like money for the International Monetary Fund."

That reason wasn't good enough for Democrats during the GWB years.  Why should Republicans get to use it now?  Hypocrites.

Dave in Baltimore and all others "shocked" by how the GOP demagogues on this topic:  the Democrats have only themselves to blame.   They could have come out and said that "it's unfortunate the GOP is using our troops as pawns, etc, etc." during the past 5 years.  But nobody in the party is either (1) smart enough to come up with the line or (2) disciplined enough to hammer it home.   As an Independent voter, I'm constantly amazed at how INEPT the Democratic Party is at sticking to a message and hammering it until it's lodged in the American consciousness.  

The hypocrisy of the GOP has reached overload. When Dems vote against troop funding, they are un-American and un-patriotic. When the GOP does it, they are standing for their principles. It's the same way with spending - the GOP took us from a $250 billion surplus to a trillion dollar deficit. However, when the Dems have to spend money to get us out of the mess the GOP put the country in, the GOP is all of a sudden concerned about spending.

As far as supporting the troops is concerned, what is it when an administration and a GOP controlled Congress full of chickenhawks wages an unnecessary war and doesn't adequately supply our troops or wage a competent war plan? The fact that these hypocrites can even look themselves in the mirror is a testament to how far this country has fallen in the past decade.  
Dave, Baltimore (Sent Friday, June 26, 2009 11:45 AM)

Further...you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in the chickenhwak party who actually serves or pays enough in taxes to buy a box of bullets for the troops they claim to support

For Bad Moon Rising....

Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
Ooh, theyre red, white and blue.
And when the band plays hail to the chief,
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, lord,

Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, dont they help themselves, oh.
But when the taxman comes to the door,
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,

Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
Ooh, they send you down to war, lord,
And when you ask them, how much should we give?
Ooh, they only answer more! more! more! yoh,

It aint me, it aint me, I aint no military son, son.
It aint me, it aint me; I aint no fortunate one, one.

Glad your paycheck is bigger. When do you find the time to spend the extra $8 you're getting every week? And of course Obama has paid for your little Rockefeller Trust Fund by loading up on he national credit card. So all the children who will be adults tomorrow will be paying for the extra Happy Meal your buying today.
R McDonald (Sent Friday, June 26, 2009 10:53 AM)
___________

I have to wonder.  Where you one of the ones crying about Obama taking all our guns away.  Whatever happened to that?  Oh, wait, I remember, it **didn't** happen, did it?  Yet people went on and on and on and on about how it was going to be happening any day now, and we all better be scared.

You people never tire of running around crying "the sky is falling" do you?

But signing off as Ronald McDonald was very appropriate, seeing what an assclown you are.

"Bush had clean bills come though for war funding. Obama, not so much.
Ear Marks (Sent Friday, June 26, 2009 10:46 AM)"

SDI, the V22 Osprey, and the F22 Raptor constitute "clean"?  Only in a world where "clean" is synonymous with "waste".

Oh also in response to...

P.S. Why are people in other countries far away who need help glorified, but our neighbors to the south villified?
Nashville_fan (Sent Friday, June 26, 2009 10:51 AM)
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Most of the time they are glorified by private NPO's trying to help.  This is a good thing too.  Charitable organizations are constantly dwarfing the US foreign Aid programs in the amounts of money raised to help people.  

US Foreign Aid should be cut though.  It's not helping anyone as much as its holding people back from rising above.  Most of the time we send aid to foreign countries that are under hostile regimes this aid (usually food and medical supplies) gets stolen by those regimes and used for their purposes which in turn frees up funds for these groups to spend on other things like guns.  

With Sharpton, everything is about race. Why a convicted felon (for a race based crime) gets to speak out about race and admonish white people on a daily basis is a mystery to most people.
Jim Wheaton, Florida

What the hell is he suspose to do? Not exercise his right? People like you really slay me. How can you find fault in what Sharpton does (for some "very" valid reasons) when you overlook Rush Limbaugh?

Anita, Birmingham AL

=================

Sharpton can exercise all the rights he wants. He's still a convicted felon and a racist.

You want to talk about Limbaugh, go ahead. The subject was Sharpton. Do try to stay focused.

It isn't a huge surprise because this would hurt the GOP image of being the ones that support the military if the Democrat controlled Congress passed it.  I am sure that there are a few amendments that they object to as well that ordinarily they might approve of if it were on something else.

200% of GDP.

Two Hundred Per Cent.

no joe, no bo, nj (Sent Friday, June 26, 2009 10:55 AM)
----------------------------------------------------

Post the source link

What I find most interesting is this transparency thing.  Bush funded most of what is happening in the middle east with emergency war funds that didn't go into the budget and no one said anything except a small few and they are not the GOP.  Now the funding for the US's activities in the middle east is in the Budget for everyone to see, they are screaming fiscal responsibility, baton down the hatches!  

It's very odd watching this in Politics.

"no joe, no bo, nj (Sent Friday, June 26, 2009 10:55 AM)"

Linky please?  If your comments are factual there must be a link to it out there somewhere.

Just to flip the script;

With all of my heart I believe that Gov. Sanford's wife gave him over to the press. Just read an article and she made a few statements. That woman is mad as hell with his sorry ass.

She has every right to be. But just from her brief statements/comments, they indicate that she gave his behind up. Hell hath no fury.....

Big Al in Chicago, Vote early and vote often! (Sent Friday, June 26, 2009 11:41 AM)
Beverly, start by saying NO to Daley, Stroger, Burris and Quinn and break the Democrats near monopoly on the State of Corruption: a.k.a Illinois.
**********************************************
Hey Big Al

If the Dopes of Nope would (Republicans and you included) didn’t stagnate government you wouldn’t have that problem. Simple

By the way was Capone a grand father or  uncle of yours?

What was the level of pork in the last bill to pay for the wars, something like 30%. Bush had clean bills come though for war funding. Obama, not so much

You see Ear Marks, this is why Republicans are on the downward spiral and will be for years to come. Bush NEVER included funding for the wars, Iraq or Afghanistan in his budgets. The whole country knows this, why don't you? And you wonder why Republicans are on a downward spiral!!

Treating illiegal immigrants with tax payer funds isn't right.  I guess if an illegal immigrant was sick and was taken into the hospital it would be up to the staff whether or not to treat him/her, but to simply take some moral high ground without taking into consideration the social consequences is akin to religious right groups screaming and yelling about abortion being murder without looking at the whole picture.  

If it becomes known that illegals can't expect any benefits without providing legitimate proof of citizenship it might not make it so tempting to jump the border without doing the work to become a citizen.
Jonathan Flint, MI (Sent Friday, June 26, 2009 11:36 AM)

Some christian you are.....just let the person die in the street because he/she is illegal.  That's what Jesus would do, right?

FEDERAL SYNAGRO PROBE
Monica Conyers pleads guilty to conspiracy.

• Free Press Staff Writers • June 26, 2009

Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers pleaded guilty this morning to conspiring to commit bribery and is free on personal bond.

U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn said, "The defendant now stands convicted."

The one count of conspiring to commit bribery is punishable by up to five years in prison.

No sentencing date has been set.

Conyers, the wife of powerful Democratic congressman U.S. Rep. John Conyers, appeared before Cohn to answer charges in connection with the wide-ranging probe of wrongdoing at Detroit city hall.

Good move hoist the republicans on their on petard!!

I'll bet they won't like the taste of their own medicine.  They can thank KKKarl Rove.

HERE WE GO AGAIN --- DEMOCRATS USING OUR TROOPS FOR THEIR OWN POLITICAL GAIN --- LIKE PAWNS.

THERE IS "NO LOW" LIMIT WITH DEMOCRATS!
DEMOCRATS USING TROOPS FOR POLITICAL GAIN ! (Sent Friday, June 26, 2009 10:44 AM)

___

You're right, here we go again.  This is exactly what the republicans did during the bush admin.  I thought so.

Anita still thinks she's a reporter. Get her a toy mike and let her go crazy.

Anna Molly ~ Like the Toby song "you're not as good as you once were," getting a little rad in your posts. That's okay, you fit it with the rest.

Feisty ~ What can I say that hasn't been said, or at least thought. You are crass but I think we all would miss your harrassment of us GOP bloggers.

Eric in Salinas:

We don't know how you manage to get a post in on EVERY thread.

Clara - you also have been a little rad. Not the person you started out to be but clearly you have a good heart. Just spread some of it OUR way, just to be fair.

Jody, I think Bad Moon is being fair. Remember that there is always gonna be war from now on. Don't blame Bush or Obama. Blame those screwball dictators who want to kill us all. You've GOT to fight back.

I still think that Obie is hell bent on ruining this country. I could be wrong but the last time I was wrong was back in 2005, and then I was only mistaken.

Headin' out. Good luck to all.

Folks - so many can't see the forest for the tree's.  Yes Bush was a liar.  Now, so too is Obama.  They are both greatly responsible for the horrific state of affairs, so let us not forget, they are both politicians and politicans as a breed lack courage, honesty, decency, humility, morals, and honour - yet we allow them to do what they do best - which is to squabble with one another and thus while we are distracted, they impose their self-serving will on us all.

This situation will only improve when we clean the slate, beginning at the top and all the way down through the ranks.

It doesn't matter the job - whether POTUS, or senator, or governor - they are all public service and going forward should be treated as such - a very modest paycheck, complete transparency, a short term, and we should only allow with a track record of honesty and humility to occupy these positions.

We the people should rise up and fire every last one of them - from Obama on down - eliminating billions in debt in the process.  We no longer need congress and a senate.  Every town, city, and community should have an electronic voting building where all the decisions that need to be made can be viewed and researched by everyone and they can vote themselves and represent themselves.  Think off all the big DC salaries we can do away with.....there some real patriotism for you - in order to really serve this country the DC fat cats should step down.

This way, the only way, true majority will rule.  No lobbying, no under the table payoffs, etc.  This should have been implemented years ago.  No more electoral college vs. popular vote, no more rigged elections, etc.

The Democrat Wilson sent Americans to die for ungrateful Europe in WWI.
The Democrat FDR sent Americans to die for ungrateful Europe(again)and Asia in WWII.
The Democrat Truman sent Americans to die for ungrateful Korea and we are still vexed by Korea today.
The Democrats JFK and LBJ sent Americans to die for ungrateful Southeast Asia.

Tell me again what war mongers the Republicans are!
Pete Roleum, Detroit, MI USA

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Pete, you dont honestly think any of those wars are comparable to Bush setting his sights on invading a country that didnt do anything to us, frabricating evidence to justify his war and lying for years about everything associated with the war?  

What is all this nonsense about mouning MJ?  Any time a child molester (or murderer, or rapist) dies and no more children will be viloated, that is a good thing in my book.  It does not matter how great he was as an entertainer.

Oh......and before anyyone tells me that he was found innocent, please tell me why he payed one of the boy's family $20 million to go away.

Sorry to say but Obama does not support the troops iether.He wants them to use there own insurance instead of going to the VA for medical treatment.Obama wants to cut medicare and medicaid so he can have a national medical insurance.The worst part of it all Obama is not a natural born citizen of the United States.Obama was born in Mogadesh Kenya.His mother died and his father took him to Indoneshia and left him to be adopted.Thats the reason Obqma wrote the book Dreams Of my Father.Obama should be made by the people and the government to produce the birth certificate he mentioned he carried around in the book.It will tell the truth.Obamo showed his white grandmother but not his black grandmother over in Kenya.In a vedeo it showed her and she had said that she attended Obamas birth in kenya.Obama can not be president of these the United States of America.

How many Republicans wear their flag pin? Does Rush? Does Karl? How many of those Republicans we voted for voted against supporting our troops? How many Republicans are voting against health care that will support many of us who have no jobs as a result of 8 years of financial mismanagement? How many Republicans will continue to avoid accepting responsability for all they do not do to get the country moving again? How many Republicans will say "no" to immigration reform? How many Republicans in Republican run Texas will continue to stand for corrupt boarder guards who accept bribes to ignore illegal crossings of the boarders? Why are there still huge leaks in the boarders? Their retoric is one thing, their behavors are far different. Does Republican Gov Perry want to form his own country in Texas? Not really. He just wants to squeeze more money out of the federal tit to feed Texas' needs to support big business. It sure doesn't go to help the people.

If it becomes known that illegals can't expect any benefits without providing legitimate proof of citizenship it might not make it so tempting to jump the border without doing the work to become a citizen. Jonathan Flint, MI (Sent Friday, June 26, 2009 11:36 AM)

Uh Jon, there are such things as Green Cards.  That means that even if you don't have "legitimate proof of citizenship" you are in this country legally.  But to many people, they're all "illegal" especially if they are of latin descent.  Additionally, there are illegals who are not of latin descent, who even have light skin and blue eyes.  But fear and hate just seem to come so easy when you lump so many different people into the term "illegal alien."

And as far as health care is concered.  What we are saying is that it is a "human right."  If you were in a foreign country and fell ill, wouldn't you want their empathy and treatment??  Wouldn't you feel better about that nation that provided you with much needed care?  And aren't there plenty of US citizens who go outside of this country (Farrah's Story docmented this) for care for various reasons (i.e. newer, better, cheaper treatments or drugs/therapies that are not available in this country.) And they receive care without question.  I'm not saying it's free, but it is available.  

Becareful about your fear of losing our precious tax dollars to an "illegal alien"  and remember the quote on the Statue of Liberty, "Give us your tired, your sick..."  Would you want that changed?

Oh the sweet, sweet Irony.

Oh the hypocrisy of the right-wingers.

I'd laugh, but the situation is too serious.  

What was the level of pork in the last bill to pay for the wars, something like 30%. Bush had clean bills come though for war funding. Obama, not so much.

Ear Marks (Sent Friday, June 26, 2009 10:46 AM)

Back the ship up Ear Marks. their you neo-cons go again lying about Bushes war funding bills, Bush never had a clean bill go through congress, they all had ear marks for the neo-cons. Do you nuts even know what telling the truth is? It's not repeating fox and Limbaugh they've never done any thing but lie.

I vividly remember the phrase "you're either with us or against us". Republicans falling in lockstep behind fearless leader not daring to question the wisdom of the great one. Anyone even thinking about disagreeing with fearless leader was some sort of traitor or unAmerican at best. Now the same folks who said this stuff are voting against support for our troops. Hypocrisy, hypocrisy, hypocrisy.

I read this blog everyday and enjoy.  I have tried many, many times to comment, however, my messages never appear.  I can spell, I think I have rational thought, I think my comments are appropriate to the statements of FR.  Yet, I never get posted.

Is this a private blog?  No newcomers allowed?  

I post on Newsvine, but don't like that blog.  Most of the posters are way over the line.
I would just like to know how to share in the dialogue here.

Pete - Detroit,
Not sure how your history reads, but my college history professor at David Lipscomb University in Nashville taught us the whole story about VietNam.  Eisenhour upon the advice of his vp Richard Nixon sent a few thousand military "advisors" to train the South Vietnamise army to fight against the North.  Unfortunately by the time President Kennedy was elected this situation had already escelated, kind of like Iraq today, and he had to try to win the war.  He actually was for stopping the war, and Bobby most certainly was.  Richard Nixon managed to stop the ending of this war in a very underhanded way just before the election of 1968, allowing himself to appear to run on a "bring them boys home with a victory" slogan that was not possible.  And we all remember how his presidency turned out, now don't we? Yes he brought an end to that conflict, but he damn sure should have since it was upon his greedy and bad advice that Eisenhour got us into it in the first place.
Read a little history now and again - you might be surprised at what you will learn.  Like maybe that today is:  CUSTER HAD IT COMING DAY!  Why this is not a national holiday is something I'll never understand.

Tim - I agree with you, Janis, Jimi, Jim, & Stevie Ray Vaughan, all taken too soon, and still remembered by those of us who still love the great music.  pass that love on to your children and these great artists will never die, my daughters love them, and now we have our 5 year old grandson singing Janis songs with us almost every weekend.  His favorite is "Cry Baby", mine is Kozmic Blues - the words are a little harder to learn and so is the music on that one, but he will get it, I'm sure of that.
Peace be with you.  Celebrate Custer had it coming day, listen to Geronimo's cadillac by Michael Martin Murphy.

Ah, when the Repukes were in control and a dem did the very same thing the Repukes painted the dem as UNPATRIOTIC!  I wonder does the same shoe fit now?  The Repukes are the Anti to American!!!!!!!!!

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