Friday, September 9, 2011

GOP & TEA Party: Party Before Country

I watched President Obama's speech last evening. I like it a lot because it gives more tax cuts to those who need it most: The middle class. The proposal would also pay for itself by closing tax loopholes that large corporations and billionaires currently enjoy on the backs of the middle and lower and middle classes. Some of those mega-corporations enjoy tax breaks for creating jobs. Too bad those jobs were created in China!!

Even though President Obama didn't name Grover Norquist by name, I'm glad that Obama brought up the stupid pledge some members of Congress made of not raising taxes. Too bad those same members(read GOP and TEA party) seem willing to increase the tax burden of the middle class. They bulk at raising taxes on the wealthy by 3% but seem to have no problem with raising taxes on the middle class and working poor.

Analysis has shown that President Obama's job plan would add over a million jobs in 2012.

But I doubt if the Republican and TEA Party members of Congress will pass the job bill. They put their party before country. They don't to care that the middle class and the working poor are suffering. In short, they care more about their buddies like the Koch brothers, Grover Norquist, and others, than they do about our country.


GOP and TEA Party prove that you care more about our country than the party you belong to and help pass President Obama's sensible job plan.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Impressions of The Help

I saw The Help yesterday. The overwhelming I've had is anger followed by disbelieve and horror. The reviews of this movie seem to imply that it is a feel good movie. To me, it just showed the hateful and willful ignorance of bigots. It also showed how a group mentality can very easily take hold. When some dared to to speak out against the horrible laws, they were murdered. Mississippi has a long, bloody history against those who try to uphold justice. No, this wasn't a feel good movie at all. It brought home to me in a way that reading of the murder of Edgar Mevers and the murders of Civil Rights workers Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwermer, and James Chaney never could.

It is the insidious and relentless message hammered home that you don't speak out against the injustice of the Jim Crow laws and the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission.

One scene that made me so damn angry was Minnie, one of the help, had to use the bathroom . It was very stormy. The old white woman was okay with her using the toilet inside but her daughter, Hilly, totally freaked out and wanted the maid to go outside and use the toilet built especially for the help. But her mother told Minnie it was okay to use the inside toilet. When Hilly realized Minnie has used the inside toilet, she fired her.

I don't know why this one shred of lack of human decency made me so angry. Perhaps it was the buildup to the scene. Hilly, the one who said no to Minnie, was trying to get new legislation passed that special toilets would have to be built for the help. It is the piecemeal by piecemeal taking away of a person's dignity that is so troublesome.

It is also the hive mind that such actions possible that gets to me. It is the inability to see someone as person and keep heaping on degradation after degradation.


Governor Barbour may think that the White Citizens Council was benign but it wasn't. The whole purpose of these laws were to further degrade blacks and to punish whites who seemed to be too friendly.

This cartoon was published by the Mississippi Citizens' Council. Click on the link and see if the cartoon doesn't remind you of some of the arguments we are hearing today. Let me know what you think.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Tropical Storm Lee

Tropical Storm Lee is sitting off the coast of Louisiana dumping huge amounts of rainfall along the Louisiana and Mississippi coast. The rain is much needed as both states have been suffering through a drought. The rain has been light with periods of intense rain which is expected to last for three days or more. The winds have begun to pick up a little.

Winn Dixie alert in D'Iberville!!!! The store is out Lay's sour cream and onion chips.

Update: Declares state of emergency. State officials must do this in order to receive help from FEMA.

The expected rainfall totals will close heavy flooding.

Td Thirteen : Radar : Weather Underground

Time to get the umbrellas, boats, etc out. Three days of expected 10-12 inches of rain.


Td Thirteen : Radar : Weather Underground