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|  | | | | Dueling Rallies | | | | | found on Google News
written by novy, edited by Humberto (Plastic) [ read unedited ]
posted Mon 30 Aug 2:15pm | | | | |
 | Two score and seven years ago, on 28 August 1963, Reverend Martin Luther King gave his famous "I Have A Dream" speech before 200,000 people at Washington's Lincoln Memorial calling for racial equality. 28 August seemed "auspicious" to Glenn Beck, who arranged for his own rally at Washington's Lincoln Memorial calling for "Restoring Honour" to America. With Sarah Palin among his guest speakers, he managed to attract tens of thousands of his supporters to D.C. and he also managed to attract hundreds of counter-demonstrators, led by Al Sharpton. Beck insisted his rally was "non-political" and his speech struck many in attendance as religious in nature:
"Something beyond imagination is happening. America today begins to turn back to God. For too long, this country has wandered in darkness, [but now it is time to] concentrate on the good things in America, the things we have accomplished and the things we can do tomorrow."
Palin's speech was aimed more at "patriots" than at Republicans:
"It is so humbling to get to be here with you today, patriots. You who are motivated and engaged ... and knowing never to retreat.... We must restore America and restore her honor." She also said she "wasn't speaking as a politician": "No, something more, something much more. I've been asked to speak as the mother of a soldier and I am proud of that distinction. Say what you want to say about me, but I raised a combat vet and you can't take that away from me."
Beck even got one of King's nieces to show up, apparently based on her opposition to abortion. However, Al Sharpton, who was upset that Beck decided to hold his rally on this particular date, commented:
"The structural breakdown of a strong national government, which is what they're calling for, is something that does not serve the interests of the nation and it's something that Dr. King and others fought against..."
Certainly, Beck and Sharpton have competing visions of America, but they also seem to have competing visions of Martin Luther King and what he stood for. What was Beck hoping to accomplish by invoking King's memory? Why couldn't he have held his rally on Labour Day weekend instead? "
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| | | | Brain Officially Broken | | | | | found on The New York Times
written by Thalia, edited by Humberto (Plastic) [ read unedited ]
posted Fri 27 Aug 5:34pm | | | | |
 | Ken Mehlman, one of the authors of Bush 42's reelection has come out of the closet as gay and now supports gay marriage. You might remember him from his tenure as RNC chairman during the years when the RNC's platform included advocating for a Constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Some commentators are calling the reaction to the announcement "surprisingly muted"...is this a sign of a growing acceptance of different lifestyles across the political spectrum, or of partisans turning a blind eye to prior tactical hypocrisy?
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| | | | Wear Your Religion On Your Sleeve, Damn It! | | | | | found on Christian Science Monitor
written by novy and Thalia, edited by Humberto (Plastic) [ read unedited ]
posted Fri 27 Aug 5:29pm | | | | |
 | Pew Research Center polls often invite comments, and its latest poll was no different. It seems 18% of Americans think of President Obama as Muslim, up from 11% last year. 31% of Republicans and 36% of conservative Republicans share that conviction. Obama calls himself "Christian".
All of which leads sensible political analysts to wonder why Obama doesn't wear his religion on his sleeve. You know, start teaching Sunday School classes, putting "My Boss Is A Jewish Carpenter" bumper stickers on Air Force One, claiming Jesus as his favourite philosopher, or at least joining some local Washington, D.C., church. Reverend Franklin Graham, son of famed preacher Billy Graham, has prayed with Obama, but notes
"I think the president's problem is that he was born a Muslim, his father was a Muslim. The seed of Islam is passed through the father like the seed of Judaism is passed through the mother. He was born a Muslim, his father gave him an Islamic name."
And there you have it. How much more proof do you need? Barack Obama: Socialist? Anti-Christ? Muslim, or Muslim Apostate?
Meanwhile, after the media did its best to fan the flames of hate against Muslims, the predictable results have occurred. A cab driver in New York City was stabbed, a mosque in Modesto was vandalized, and so on.
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| Politics: Shots Were Fired Today
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| (Mon 30 Aug 6:45am) | -----=----o |
The little mosque in Murfreesboro, TN, featured last week on the Daily Show (in a segment starring Aasif Mandvi, and one of the nastiest cunts ever shown on TV) became a target of arson over the weekend. - n29_w95 |
| Politics: Remember Bayard Rustin
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| (Mon 30 Aug 6:15am) | -----=---o- |
Maybe next year, instead of lavishing attention on idiotic gasbags, we could use the anniversary of MLK's march to DC to celebrate an actual hero. - natophonic |
Politics:
The Gremlins In The System
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| (Tue 31 Aug 6:08am) | -----=--o-- |
Do you ever feel like something is really, REALLY, wrong - but you can't figure out exactly what it is, much less how it ever got so wrong so quickly? - n29_w95 |
Politics:
Ground 0 Mosque Eats Children!
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| (Tue 31 Aug 12:01pm) | -----=-o--- |
...and it's over a mile tall, shoots death rays, and will be capped with human bones! Or maybe it's not that big a deal. - rexdart |
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