This should help to keep things straight.

A little simplistic, but accurate overall.

Samantha Bee's take on the 2nd presidential debate is a "must see."

Courtesy of Raw Story:

Just hours before the debate, Bee describes Trump attempting to grab the media narrative by enlisting the help of four women who say that they’ve been victimized by the husband of his political opponent. Using the women as some sort of “rape victim human shield” was never going to work, however, and the answer for why can easily be found looking at Jennifer Aniston. 

“Rubbing a woman’s face in her husband’s infidelities is not the way to America’s heart,” Bee explained. “We love wronged wives. This is the same America that is still obsessed with Jennifer Aniston. Her ex-husband has split up with the woman he cheated on her with and we still want to know if she’s alright.” 

In the end, “none of it is Hillary’s fault and none if it erases what Donald did,” Bee said. 

I swear this show is getting better all of the time.

Now I would like to take a moment to delve into Trump mocking Hillary over her answer to the Wikileaks kerfuffle in which she referenced Spielberg's movie "Abraham Lincoln."

Trump went after her and essentially accused her of hiding behind Honest Abe and somehow smearing him at the same time.

However the thing is, she was not lying. And it was those hacked e-mails from Wikileaks which prove it.

Courtesy of Quartz:

Hillary Clinton invoked American luminaries Steven Spielberg and Abraham Lincoln to get out of a tight spot in tonight’s presidential debate. 

The moment came when she was asked about comments in paid speeches that have dogged her presidential campaign. 

Specifically, she was asked about an excerpt of a hacked e-mail containing potentially controversial excerpts from a $225,000 paid speech she delivered to the National Multi-Housing Council in 2013, after she left public office. 

In her speech to the nonprofit, she argued that politicians “need both a public and a private position” in order to accomplish anything. The debate moderators asked Clinton on behalf of a voter, “Is it ok for politicians to be two-faced?”

As you see in the video above Hillary responded to that question by saying that she was actually talking about the Spielberg movie and how brilliantly Lincoln held his cards to his chest while working to get the 13th Amendment approved.

Trump then made his derisive comments, and Hillary simply let them stand. And the fact that she let them stand should have been Trump's first clue.

Here is the entire excerpt from that e-mail in question:

*CLINTON SAYS YOU NEED TO HAVE A PRIVATE AND PUBLIC POSITION ON POLICY* *Clinton: “But If Everybody’s Watching, You Know, All Of The Back Room Discussions And The Deals, You Know, Then People Get A Little Nervous, To Say The Least. So, You Need Both A Public And A Private Position.”* CLINTON: You just have to sort of figure out how to — getting back to that word, “balance” — how to balance the public and the private efforts that are necessary to be successful, politically, and that’s not just a comment about today. That, I think, has probably been true for all of our history, and if you saw the Spielberg movie, Lincoln, and how he was maneuvering and working to get the 13th Amendment passed, and he called one of my favorite predecessors, Secretary Seward, who had been the governor and senator from New York, ran against Lincoln for president, and he told Seward, I need your help to get this done. And Seward called some of his lobbyist friends who knew how to make a deal, and they just kept going at it. I mean, politics is like sausage being made. It is unsavory, and it always has been that way, but we usually end up where we need to be. But if everybody’s watching, you know, all of the back room discussions and the deals, you know, then people get a little nervous, to say the least. So, you need both a public and a private position. And finally, I think — I believe in evidence-based decision making. I want to know what the facts are. I mean, it’s like when you guys go into some kind of a deal, you know, are you going to do that development or not, are you going to do that renovation or not, you know, you look at the numbers. You try to figure out what’s going to work and what’s not going to work. [Clinton Speech For National Multi-Housing Council, 4/24/13]

As you can see in context is says something completely different than what was reported by the media, and  certainly different from how Trump tried to characterize it.

Here is a helpful hint for Donald Trump to keep in mind for his next debate with Hillary.

If she says something definitive like this, with the full knowledge that fact checkers are going to scrutinize every word, you should know right up front that it is highly unlikely that she is telling a lie.

Donald Trump visited a black church today and taught them about President Lincoln. Good thing he didn't talk down to them.

.@realDonaldTrump: "A lot of people don't realize" Abraham Lincoln was a Republican https://t.co/q9Gu8G8cMw https://t.co/i4kQQ7cPF2

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 3, 2016

Did you notice how Trump said that like he just learned it this morning?

(While he was there perhaps he could have also taught the congregation about the Southern Strategy, of which I am sure they are also quite aware.)

And don't think Trump was done spreading his "wisdom" with that history lesson either.

Thank you Great Faith Ministries International, Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, and Detroit!https://t.co/4Ucx678ZCC

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2016

Yes I absolutely believe that he wrote that the other day and is not haltingly reading it for the first time.

Fortunately there were probably only a handful of African Americans offended as the place was very close to empty.

Nowhere near a full crowd as Trump enters (far left) pic.twitter.com/kL1AlVukG4

— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) September 3, 2016

It appears that most of the neighborhood was outside protesting.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the church before Trump arrived, some of whom chanted, "Whose city? Our city!" 

At one point, several tried to rush toward a gate near the church's entryway. Four police officers on horseback blocked them. Some of the protesters urged others to remain peaceful. 

Lawrence Glass, the president of the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity, addressed reporters and demonstrators at a news conference earlier in the morning, declaring that black voters "will not be trumpets to get his message of fear and hate out." 

"He is speaking at a black church, which is not equivalent to speaking to a black church," Glass added. 

Don't worry I am sure that the Trump team is already spinning this into a rollicking success.

Great visit to Detroit church, fantastic reception, and all @CNN talks about is a small protest outside. Inside a large and wonderful crowd!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2016

See?

After all facts are just a matter of inconvenience for this campaign. 

Who said it?

“Well, I think Lincoln succeeded for numerous reasons. He was a man who was of great intelligence, which most presidents would be. But he was a man of great intelligence, but he was also a man that did something that was a very vital thing to do at that time. Ten years before or 20 years before, what he was doing would never have even been thought possible. So he did something that was a very important thing to do, and especially at that time.”

You would be excused for thinking that the above nonsense was the meandering response of a sixth or seventh grade student trying desperately to answer a question about one of our most famous presidents after failing to do the reading.

But you would be mistaken.

It looks like Sarah Palin is finally going Hollywood. Well sorta.

Courtesy of LA Weekly:  

Sarah Palin is scheduled to speak to Hollywood conservative group Friends of Abe Friday, a source with knowledge of the situation says. 

The location is Brentwood's Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel, the same venue that hosted Donald Trump in July, the source, who did not want to be identified, said. 

The occasion is the FOA's holiday party, the source said, and it'll be the first time a speaker will be featured at the annual event. 

The onetime governor and vice presidential candidate is expected to deliver remarks about the "war on Christmas," the recurring controversy that reemerged this month when Starbucks unveiled red, holiday-neutral cups for the season.

You know I think if Abraham Lincoln were to actually meet these "Friends of Abe" he would probably vomit right into his beard.

Well IF Palin is actually going to this event, then she might also make the last book signing on her schedule at the Oak Tree Gun Club in California.

However considering the fact that her recent appearances have attracted smaller crowds than a garage sale in the Sahara, she just might quit on this as well.

After all, that is what she is most famous for doing.

Sarah Palin accuses Liberals of rewriting history. Seriously?

I have actually already dealt with the above graphic last month using actual comments from Palin's own Facebook page.

Let's see what else she has.

Courtesy of Revisionist history poster girl Sarah Palin's Facebook page: 

Liberals are famous for conveniently rewriting their history. Just take a look at some of the photos below for a few of their most blatant examples, including the lie that they were always for gay marriage and against racism. 

Here Palin offers the graphic up above, as well as a purposeful misrepresentation of a Margaret Sanger quote, and one each showing that President Obama and Hillary Clinton's opinion on gay marriage has evolved.  Oooh, shocking!

The false history teaching that liberals opposed slavery, wanted women to vote, exclusively led the civil rights movements is all Orwellian talk (Orwellian talk?), for the truth is the opposite. It's been the party of Lincoln and Reagan on the side of justice in each of those issues. (Actually the Republican party of Lincoln, was vastly different than the Republican party of Ronald Reagan.) We led the fight against slavery and for women's suffrage, and with Martin Luther King, Jr. we fought against racism and for peace. (Well it looks like somebody needs a history lesson, and it sure as hell isn't the liberals.) Meanwhile the Left still celebrates their strange icons including KKK leader Sen. Robert Byrd, the anti-American terrorist bomber Bill Ayers, and the violently racist eugenicist Margaret Sanger, plus others on the opposite side of righteous justice. 

Please add your own examples of leftwing hypocrisy in the comment section below and never hesitate holding the intolerant, judgmental types accountable for their hypocrisy. (Well we should all look forward to reading those poorly researched gems from her followers. However if the pattern holds from the last time there will actually be more comments that refute her point of view rather than add to it.) When you let them get away with ignoring facts and stomping out your voice you become nothing more than lemmings cowardly led over the cliff. America is better than that. Stiffen your spine, call them out, do not retreat. 

- Sarah Palin

Take that liberals!!!

Yes stiffen your spine and learn actual history, not the stuff that certain people, say in Texas for example, are trying to teach you in order to hide the truth.

I could not agree more.

As I mention above this is a retread of an older post, that Palin seems to have repurposed in order to have some content for her Facebook page.

Which of course has become much more important since it is now her sole method of getting attention from her supporters and the media.

Unfortunately for her this is an extraordinary weak attempt to attack liberals, and even a school child could poke holes in it without even breaking a sweat.

Ever wonder why people in the deep South seem to have a different perspective on history than those in other parts of the country? Well this textbook might help to explain that.

Courtesy of AL.com: 

The men and women of Alabama – from the Greatest Generation to Baby Boomers like me – learned Alabama history from the famous old textbook "Know Alabama." 

It should be called "No Wonder, Alabama." 

It explains a lot. Fourth graders until the '70s learned how living on a plantation was "one of the happiest ways of life." Just imagine yourself, the 1957 edition says, on your family plantation: 

"How's it coming Sam," your father asks one of the old Negroes. 

"'Fine, Marse Tom, 'jes fine. We got 'most more cotton than we can pick.' Then Sam chuckles to himself and goes back to picking as fast as he can. 

"One of the little Negro boys is called 'Jig' He got that name because he dances so well when the Negroes play their banjos.

The book goes on to describe "Jig" volunteering to be an Indian so he can play with the little white boys and allowing himself to be captured.

After which I imagine the other boys took his land and infected him with smallpox.

And yes, THAT is in an actual textbook.

Here is how the textbook deals with the Civil War, which they call the "War Between the States": 

"The Southerners had a right under the law to own slaves, and the Southern states had a right under the law to leave the United States. Many Southerners did not want to leave the Union. But when Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860, the South felt that they had to leave the Union to keep their rights."

Those poor patriotic, hard working, southern plantation owners.  Imagine being forced to declare war on your fellow countrymen just so that you could continue keeping human beings as property, like your daddy's daddy did.

And what about the Klu Klux Klan?  

"The loyal white men of Alabama saw they could not depend on the laws or the state government to protect their families. (Does this sounds suspiciously like the Tea Party of today to anybody else?)

They knew they had to do something to bring back law and order, to get the government back in the hands of honest men who knew how to run it. "They (the Klan) held their courts in the dark forests at night; they passed sentence on the criminals and they carried out the sentence. Sometimes the sentence would be to leave the state. 

"After a while the Klan struck fear in the hearts of the "carpetbaggers" and other lawless men who had taken control of the state.... The Negroes who had been fooled by the false promises of the "carpetbaggers" decided to get themselves jobs and settle down to make an honest living. 

"Many of the Negroes in the South remained loyal to the white Southerners. Even though they had lately been freed from slavery, even though they had no education, they knew who their friends were."

Well clearly the folks in those white robes were the friends of the Negroes. That's why they kept inviting them to bonfires and allowed them to "hang around" during cross burnings.

The reporter goes on to say that in the version of this book published in 1970, Martin Luther King Jr. only received one mention and that was to inform the child that he was dead.

Damn I have to say that I found this article pretty enlightening, and not just a little disturbing.

And the real problem is that those politicians who were educated by textbooks like this and others, are working hard to make sure that the children of today leave school just as ignorant  as they were when THEY graduated.

Or as reporter John Archibald puts it:

Education is not a priority in Alabama, and it never has been. The No. 1 priority is and always has been indoctrination.

And you know that if this is what was used to teach Alabama children, that similar "educational" materials were also used to teach impressionable children in every other public school below the Dixie Line. 

Certainly explains a lot. Yes it does.

Did Senate Republicans celebrate the assassination of President Lincoln?

150 years ago today, the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. America is forever indebted. pic.twitter.com/vhIE1k20e7

— Senate Republicans (@Senate_GOPs) April 15, 2015

So are they indebted because Lincoln was shot?

Does that mean they are indebted to John Wilkes Booth?

So confusing.

Sarah Palin congratulates Georgia Republican Senate primary candidate Karen Handel, for losing.

Courtesy of the Facebook page for She who Wields the Palin Curse:  

We need a united front to combat the egregious agenda under which our economy, security, and freedoms now suffer. It's only by banding together to push conservatives across the finish line that America can recover. How to do it? Focus. Keep your eye on the ball. Remember the real threat to our country's solvency and sovereignty is the liberal pro-Obama candidates we'll face this fall. 

A special thanks tonight to Georgia senate candidate Karen Handel for having the courage to jump into the ring and fight for what is right. Our nation becomes a better nation when good candidates like Karen come forward and offer to serve for the right reasons. The party of Lincoln and Reagan needs more strong, confident conservative women like her. Teddy Roosevelt's quote about the man – or woman – “in the arena” is applicable here: God bless the candidate “who strives valiantly,” and “if [she] fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that [her] place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” 

Many more primary races are underway. Constitutional conservatives will be the ones to adhere to the blueprint our Founders created for us to follow towards a more perfect union. Please support them. United we’ll stand for the exceptional nation America is destined to be again. Divided we’ll fall under continued failed liberal policies.

Palin also links to her Whoring to November video, which seems interesting because yesterday one of her Mama Grizzlies died of mange.

Yes there are more primary fights coming and many of them feature more Palin endorsees, including the pig mutilator and the gator rassler, so you know her losing streak is really only picking up steam.

I love that Teddy Roosevelt quote, which her ghostwriter had to alter in order to make it grrrl friendly.

Though I am not sure how a woman who left her previous job in disgrace, and has run two losing campaigns in the last five years could be accused of striving "valiantly."

Palin also managed to jump from Roosevelt to Lincoln today posting this quote:

And then accusing President Obama, of destroying the country from the inside. You know, because he is "the other."

"Government health care will not reduce the cost; it will simply refuse to pay the cost." Friends, that’s rationed care. That’s the VA today. That's what's got to change. That's why Congress has got to change because until we elect leaders who'll buck the march to socialized medicine known as Obamacare, America’s health care system will go the way of the VA. That's why Obama’s Democrat party must be defeated in the ballot box in November. America is still the strongest nation on earth; outside forces won't ruin us – we will only destroy ourselves if the status quo doesn't go.

Boy she is really focused on the idea that the VA scandal exculpates her from the death panels nonsense.

Interesting to me that she quotes Lincoln, the man who did away with slavery, and moved the country to a place where a man named Barack Obama could one day be President, despite his skin color. And then condemns the first black man to enter the White House as an enemy of the country, bent on its destruction.

I wonder if she recognizes the irony?

Sarah Palin wishes Abraham Lincoln a Happy Birthday and suggests that we need more politicians like him. Oh the irony, it burns. Update!

On Facebook somebody that Palin hired to make her ignorance sound almost reasonable wrote a little tribute to Abraham Lincoln for her: 

God Bless the legacy of our 16th President. He served with honesty and integrity, held our nation together in the worst of times, understood and assured the blessings of liberty for all Americans, and didn’t succumb to the special interests that would destroy our Union for personal gain.

"Special interests?" Does she mean the Confederate Army?

Of course since this is Palin we are talking about there has to be a special reason why she likes Lincoln. 

With foresight towards developing our natural resources, the man Lincoln appointed as his Secretary of State wisely purchased the territory of Alaska. This President truly understood the heart of the United States.

And there you have it. Never mind that he defeated an army, and freed the slaves, the man gave us Alaska!

But wait, there's more:

To quote his immortal words, it is for us the living to be dedicated to the task remaining before us. The United States deserves leaders that ascribe to the simple principles that guided this great man. From a log cabin in Kentucky to the White House, he espoused the American ideal of truth and honesty. He didn’t shy from controversy, and the fire of freedom burned bright within him and guided him throughout his life. 

May all our elected officials take a long look at what made Lincoln a great leader. Our elected officials have from our history the perfect example of selfless leadership. 

 Yeah, selfless leadership. Do you know who should read this? Sarah Palin, and every politician she supports, that's who!

And do you know who is a selfless leader who has not shied from controversy. and who has let simple principles guide him? That's right, President Obama.  

Oh yeah, I said it!


On this, Abraham Lincoln’s 205th birthday, please take a moment to reflect on what it means to be a God-fearing leader, a great president, and a true American. Ask yourself if our politicians and influential celebrities who shape society live up to Lincoln’s shining example, and if not, hold them accountable instead of rewarding them with continued privilege. It’s our nation, and Lincoln gave his life to assure that it remained the “last best hope on earth.”

I like how she included "influential celebrities" since that is really the only label that almost fits who she is these days. Well except for the influential part.

However I would like to point out that the current crop of politicians that Palin is touting are the progeny of the same secession threatening, minority hating, saboteurs that Lincoln fought so hard to defeat.

They may call themselves the Tea Party, or 2nd Amendment advocates, or the Religious Right, or Sovereign Citizens, but they are essentially made up of children of the South who have never really stopped fighting the Civil War and who believe that this brief ceasefire has allowed them the opportunity to strategically position their forces in preparation for the next stage of the conflict.

If Palin really wanted to honor the memory of Abraham Lincoln she would be urging politicians to reach compromise and speaking out against those whose sole purpose in going to Washington was to obstruct and undermine any progress made by the sitting President.

A President, by the way, whose entire career is a testament to the historic legacy of President Lincoln.

Update: As others have already pointed out, the purchase of Alaska from the Russians happened in 1867 the same year the negotiations started, and Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.  The President Palin wanted to thank was Andrew Johnson, not Abraham Lincoln.

Don't these ghostwriters bother to do research?

I almost missed it, but yesterday Sarah Palin celebrated the birthday of her hero Ronald Reagan by reminding us of how she defrauded her followers by pretending to want to one day have his job.

Courtesy of the Reagan necrophiliac's Facebook page:

Happy Birthday, Ronald Reagan! February is a month for great presidents. This month we celebrate the birthdays of three greats -- Washington, Lincoln, and Reagan. Please enjoy this video of the One Nation Tour stop at President Reagan's hometown in Dixon, Illinois. And please take the time to visit our nation's historical sites. Take your family with you and teach your children to cherish our nation's beautiful historical heritage. You won't regret it! 

Washington, Lincoln, and Reagan, three famous men would never have given Sarah Palin the time of day.  And in the case of Lincoln and Reagan, men who would have despised her for what she helped do to their political party.

You know I watch that video and I am reminded of two things.

One that her voice could sterilize frogs at fifty paces.

And two that she proved just how long you can fool the most ignorant and uneducated portion of the country into believing that you will ever try to get a job that you are too unqualified and unwilling to ever get.

And the truly humorous part is that in the time since that video was made her number of supporters have dropped off to virtually zero, and that it was that "tour" that convinced many of them that she was just fucking with them.

Update: While we are on the subject of Ronald Reagan here are seven things about the Gipper that should drive conservatives crazy.

Sarah Palin weighs in on the Gettysb..the Gettysburg add...you know, that famous speech Lincoln gave. Update!

Don't just stand there, let's get to it. Strike a pose, there's nothing to it, Vogue!

Courtesy of the Great Emulsifier's ghostwritten Facebook page:

Today marks the beginning of the week-long ceremonies commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. There will be a full re-enactment of the battle, discussions with panels of historians, and of course a re-reading of the Gettysburg Address. (An event that I know NOTHING about but it seems presidential if I make a big deal about it.)

But as Lincoln affirmed when he dedicated that hallowed ground, nothing we say or do can “add or detract” from the great sacrifice made there. Gettysburg was a defining moment in the history of our nation; and consequently, one of the most important battles in the history of mankind. (Yes it is the battle that helped to turn the tide of the Civil War and ensure that the Southern racists and religious fundamentalists would not be able to determine the fate of this great country. Are you SURE you, Sarah Palin, want to celebrate this?)

 I’ve had the honor of visiting Gettysburg twice, most recently during the One Nation Bus Tour in 2011. (Hey yeah, remember that tour? That was the one where I was able to get my bus rented and decorated for free, and have the entire trip paid for by SarahPAC under the pretense that I was seriously considering a run for President. Ahh, good times!) I brought my family with me and we met other families—even meeting up with friends traveling from Wasilla—as we paid our respects to the monuments and patriot graves. It was important for me to bring the younger generation there in order to instill in them a sense of the duty we owe to the ordinary men who did extraordinary things to make us one nation. (Can you say family vaycay?)

On a sunny summer day there, despite the distance of a hundred and fifty years, you can somehow feel the “mystic cords of memory” binding us to that generation whose “hearts were touched with fire.” (Actually it's "mystic chords of memory" but since you never read it how could you know that? Dammit RAM you were supposed to do research!)

Just in case she has it changed and accuses me of lying.

I felt it myself when I visited that day a few years ago.I felt it when I prayed at Little Round Top in gratitude to the unflinching courage of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and his men from Maine who held the line when the fate of the battle, and hence the nation, was at stake.  I felt it when I looked out across the field where Pickett’s Charge took place and contemplated the doomed valor of those men of Old Virginia. I felt it when I stood at the High Water Mark, where Alonzo Cushing gave his life to repel the furthest advance of the Confederate cause and thus end the three-day battle. (Glorifying the Northern oppressors over the Southern rebels? Well there goes your Tea party support moron.)

Gettysburg is where we truly became one nation. It was the decisive battle of a war in which we righted the unfinished business of our founding by freeing those whose enslavement was our greatest shame. 

Yes the battle helped to free the African slaves, who in 1870 were given the right to vote, and they used that right in 2008 to turn out en masse and help to elect one Barack Hussein Obama and kick your skinny ass to the curb. How you liking the Battle of Gettysburg now?

Somehow I don't think that Palin really thought this Facebook post through.

Not only did she misquote Lincoln, but she is essentially celebrating a battle that the South is till very defensive about. They do not exactly share the positive view of its outcome with those of us in the North.

In fact it was only last month that new NRA President Jim Porter referred to it in a speech as the "War of Northern Aggression."

And perhaps Palin did not get the memo, but MOST of her support comes from those who hate having a black man in the White House, don't trust Washington D.C., and like their religion misogynist and oppressive. You know, Southerners.

I swear if there were nothing stupid to say, this woman would have NO reason to open her mouth.

Update: Well apparently SOMEBODY has paid us a visit today.

"Shh, act natural. Probably nobody else besides those assholes at IM even noticed anything. After all, OUR people aren't very bright."

Sarah Palin's Facebook ghostwriter tries to get her some attention.

"No fair that all the black people are getting attention today! Somebody write something for me!"

Courtesy of the Creature from Lake Lucille's Facebook page:  

Today Americans honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It's been 30 years since President Reagan signed this holiday into law in 1983, followed by its celebration three years later. We continue to look to Dr. King’s teachings which show us that our efforts—though seemingly futile at times—really do matter, that one person’s faith in something greater than self can lift all mankind, and that character alone should be the means whereby a person is measured, rather than the external things on which our society fixates. 

This year marks 50 years since Martin Luther King stood before the Lincoln Memorial to proclaim his dream and remind the world that 100 years had passed since President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Now, 150 years after that historic signing, Americans still stand with both these men, ever committed to the freedoms that they worked to secure. They dedicated their lives for freedom, including freedom from stifling, overbearing governments. We will not squander what their efforts have wrought, we will not take for granted the blood that has been shed, and we will not fail to do our part to help preserve the freedoms that are uniquely American. In Dr. King’s own words, “Let freedom ring!” So, to these freedoms we cling so that future generations may know and love the America that those before us so sacrificially gave. 

I encourage you to take time to reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King’s efforts to secure freedom and true equality and what those efforts have added to our lives today.

A couple of things.

First, no mention of President Obama's inauguration?

How predictably classless.

Second, does she not realize that all of America knows that if the civil rights movement were just starting today that Palin and her ilk would be the ones sitting in their living rooms screaming "Ni**er!" at their television screens? (And I'm sure Todd and his pals would fantasize about taking MLK into the woods and beating him up for not knowing his place.)

And thirdly, she didn't write it. Not a bit of it.

In fact there is a good chance that she doesn't even know what it says.

I know this because it sounds fairly reasonable.

No playing the victim.

No unnecessarily irrelevant mentions of family members.

No weird nonsense phrases like "living vibrantly."

Nothing to indicate in ANY way that Palin had any hand in creating this post.

But if THAT doesn't convince you, then just remember how she looked the LAST time we saw her in public.

Does this look like somebody who stayed up all night writing the coherent, even handed, relatively non-partisan Facebook post above?

Not hardly. But hey, nice try RAM/Nancy French.

Happy MLK day!

This is a big day my friends.

Not only is it a day off of work for most of us, it is also the day that our President will have his second swearing in. This one in front of a huge crowd in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C..

And in fact the two celebrations will be combined.

This from All Hip Hop News:  

When President Obama is ceremonially sworn into office tomorrow (January 21) in Washington D.C., he will use two bibles. 

One bible is the bible that Martin Luther King Jr. owned and traveled with, and the other bible will be a bible owned by 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, which was used during his first inaugural ceremony. 

Dr. King’s Bible is the same Bible used when Dr. King gave his first sermon at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in 1950. 

It is also the same traveling Bible that Dr. King actually used just before he was assassinated in 1968. 

When he is sworn into office, Obama will face the Lincoln Memorial where Dr. King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech 50 years ago. 

“We know our father would be deeply moved to see President Obama take the oath of office using his Bible,” King’s children said in a statement provided by the inaugural committee. “His traveling Bible inspired him as he fought for freedom, justice and equality, and we hope it can be a source of strength for the president as he begins his second term.” 

The theme of this year’s inauguration is “Our People, Our Future,” and it is believed that as many as 800,000 people will be on hand for the celebration that will ceremoniously swear Obama into office.

It is going to be QUITE the shindig and I have every expectation that it will be one for the history books. Which considering this IS the first black president, being sworn in for his second term, kind of goes without saying.

Just an early morning reminder for the Republicans.

Ain't THAT the truth?

After a reprieve of 150 years it looks like the Civil War is heating back up.

Courtesy of Salon:  

You can’t boil one of the most tumultuous periods of American history down to one paragraph, but here goes: Lincoln was assassinated by a domestic terrorist and replaced by Andrew Johnson, who was an incompetent hothead and an unapologetic racist. Within a few years the ambitious project of Reconstruction fell victim to a sustained insurgency led by the Ku Klux Klan and similar white militia groups. By the late 1870s white supremacist “Redeemers” controlled most local and state governments in the South, and by the 1890s Southern blacks had been disenfranchised and thrust into subservience positions by Jim Crow laws that were only slightly preferable to slavery. 

So even though it’s a truism of American public discourse that the Civil War never ended, it’s also literally true. We’re still reaping the whirlwind from that long-ago conflict, and now we face a new Civil War, one focused on divisive political issues of the 21st century – most notably the rights and liberties of women and LGBT people – but rooted in toxic rhetoric and ideas inherited from the 19th century. 

We’ve just emerged from a presidential campaign that exposed how hardened our political and cultural divide has become, and how poorly the two sides understand each other. Part of the Republican problem, in an election that party thought it would win easily, was that those who felt a visceral disgust toward both the idea and the reality of President Barack Obama simply could not believe that they didn’t represent a majority. As many Republicans are now aware, the party now faces an existential crisis. It’s all very well to go on TV and talk about attracting Latinos and downplaying cultural wedge issues. But the activist core of the Republican Party is neo-Confederate, whether it thinks of itself that way or not. It isn’t interested in common cause with Mexicans or turning down the moral thermostat. Just ask Rick Santorum: What it wants is war.

You know when we first started talking about this, in the run up to the election, I think a lot of people were fairly skeptical that things could deteriorate badly enough that we might actually have concerns of another civil war erupting.  I would imagine that a number of those skeptics have had second thoughts as they have watched how entrenched the Southern Republicans have become in Congress, the reaction of some conservatives to the shooting in Newtown, and the emotional meltdown that we observed after President Obama was reelected.

It is interesting that this article talks a great deal about the movie "Lincoln," because when I was watching the movie all I could think about is that if I were sitting in a theater in Mississippi or Alabama, I am pretty sure the mood inside the theater would have been significantly different. And I somehow doubt that on THOSE movie houses the audience rose from their seats at then end, as they did in Anchorage, and clapped their hands as the credits rolled.

No somehow I believe THEIR reaction was something else entirely.

At this point I am not convinced that there will be an actual exchange of gunfire between the two ideological sides, however I will point out that the rather startling increase in gun sales is certainly NOT so that these yahoos cans shoot more tin cans off of fence posts.

And with President Obama discussing placing limitations on access to those guns, you can almost smell the fuse being lit on this powder keg right now.

Extremely satisfying cartoon of the day.

Perfect!

Lincoln: A rare IM movie review.

When my daughter was young our VERY best times together were watching movies on the weekends. It was time that was sacrosanct in our family, and NOTHING was allowed to interfere because I often worked long hours and did not have much time during the week to spend with my little girl.

As she grew older she, of course, developed her own tastes and it became perhaps the MOST easily recognized difference between the two of us. Simply put, she dislikes most of the movies that I love, and that sentiment is essentially shared on my side as well.

And to be honest, of the two of us, SHE really has the more highly developed cinematic palate. She likes art films, quirky independent films, and offbeat romantic movies.

In a nutshell, I like to watch things blow up.

In other words I usually go for the big blockbusters, or horror films, like for instance "The Avengers," the new James Bond movie "Skyfall," the "Total Recall" remake,  the Wachowski brother's "Cloud Atlas," or the horror film "Sinister."You get the idea.

Now don't get me wrong, I ALSO enjoy other less visually stimulating movies as well, However I usually choose them for my Netflix queue,  and watch them while exercising instead of in the movie theater while stuffing my face with movie theater popcorn.

However this last weekend I decided I wanted to see a more mature movie (You know one that my kid would have actually gone to with me if she were still in town), and chose the movie "Lincoln," which is based on the book by my favorite historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin.

I won't go too deeply into the movie (Spoiler alert, the Yankees win the war. You might want to break it to your southern family members gently.), however I will say that it was extremely good and extremely convoluted.  I actually learned quite a bit and found myself very caught up by, and entertained with, the process of passing an amendment, which essentially is the focus of the movie.

However there was one moment that almost completely took me out of the movie.

As the Republicans (Who believe it or not were the GOOD guys in this film!) were making political deals in order to get the votes needed to pass the 13th Amendment, I suddenly noticed that the movie audience, made up entirely of middle aged or elderly patrons, were quite literally holding their breath in anticipation of the outcome.

It made me wonder if they perhaps were unaware that the slavery had indeed been abolished and that there was really NO question as to the outcome of this vote. Or did the almost exclusively Caucasian crowd hope that perhaps THIS time the outcome would be more to their liking?

I'm not sure, but it was sort of comical to watch the suspense overwhelm them. I suppose that could be attributed simply to excellent film making of course.

Oh and it was indeed an EXCELLENT movie. The cinematography was gorgeous, the sets stunningly realistic, and the acting was just this side of incredible. Part of me wants to say that Daniel Day Lewis was "unbelievable" but that is actually the incorrect term to use, in that he was actually "believable" instead, and that was what made his performance so remarkable. The man was not simply playing Abraham Lincoln, he BECAME Abraham Lincoln.

All in all it was quite the movie going experience, and I recommend it for anybody who really enjoys historical dramas, good acting, or engaging writing.

I'm not saying that it couldn't have been improved by at least one costumed superhero fighting on the side of the Union soldiers, or a zombie or two livening up the Chamber of Congress, but you know nothing's perfect.

Now if you will excuse me I have an Adam Sandler movie to watch while I work off some of this movie popcorn.

Okay does ANYBODY else see what I see?

Abraham Lincoln WTF?

To see larger image click here.

If this portion of the quote alone is not enough to upset your preconceived notions of President Lincoln, wait until you get a load of the rest of that quote:

 "I will say, then, that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races -- that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races from living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior and I as much as any other man, am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race." (Source the Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln.)

You know this is an example of WHY I get so upset by people discussing the idea of bringing this country back to its Constitutional roots, and that we all need to deify the Founding Fathers and appreciate their work in building this nation as unassailable.

Here is an example of a man who came along many decades later, is justifiably considered an incredibly important figure in bringing equal rights to ALL people in this country, but who was clearly still a product of the prejudice and racism of his time.

The facts are that our society has greatly evolved since the time of Lincoln, and especially since the time of Washington, Madison, and Jefferson. The world as it is today would be virtually unrecognizable to these men.  And the rights enjoyed by Americans would literally cause their jaws to unhinge with amazement.

Literally the only people who should desire a return to a country that embraced ONLY those privileges laid out in the original Constitution and Bill of Rights, are wealthy white MEN. Anybody else who believes they would benefit from a return to those days, or enjoy this country as it once was, are either ignorant of history or a self loathing member of a majority of Americans who are NOT rich, white, and male.