Clipmarks | merrie's 'democrats' clips

The way it's going to be on clipmarks.com

Sat, 12 May 2007 21:44:42 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: I've done a lot of talking and writing lately about the type of environment we're trying to create here on clipmarks. I hope/think that i've been very clear. I know i've given it a great deal of thought. Please click through to the source and read the entire blog post to know where i stand.

I want to be 100% clear. I am going to begin disabling accounts of users who i feel consistently violate the spirit of what this is all about.

Clip Source: clipmarks.wordpress.com

Clipmarks.com will be a place where people can share information, ideas and opinions in a civilized, respectful way. It will be a place where people who are sick and tired of the typical hostility, name calling and bitter divisiveness that is so common in most of our media can come to get away from that without losing the variety or substance of the content. Clipmarks is not a place for liberals or conservatives, democrats or republicans. It is a place for liberals and conservatives, democrats and republicans, and everyone in between or on either side of those all-to-often conveniently used labels.

Tags: clipmarks

Protesting Clippers could face Prison or Fines.

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:19:15 GMT

clipped by: thisnamecantbetaken
clipper's remarks: Well it's too late for me I reckon, so I might as well just keep on keepin' on peacefully protesting. Now more than ever, it seems so necessary. This is another "I dare you" clip. Are they trying to scare, intimidate or threaten people to the point, that they just don't dare comment or clip or pop or blog or speak out anymore? Should I just cave in and "turn myself in" quarterly and bow down to oppression? I think not. I will not be silenced. If I ever stop clipping about all this, you'll know why. See ya in Guantanamo!

- The White House's own recently de-classified strategy for "winning the war on terror" targets Internet conspiracy theories as a recruiting ground for terrorists and threatens to "diminish" their influence.

- Chertoff pledged to dispatch Homeland Security agents to local police departments in order to aid in the apprehension of domestic terrorists who use the Internet as a political tool.

Clip Source: infowars.net

Bloggers Who Criticize Government May Face Prison

Bill would allow rounding up and imprisoning of non-registered political writers

You'd be forgiven for thinking that it was some new restriction on free speech in Communist China. But it isn't. The U.S. Government wants to force bloggers and online grassroots activists to register and regularly report their activities to Congress in the latest astounding attack on the internet and the First Amendment.

Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman of GrassrootsFreedom.com, a website dedicated to fighting efforts to silence grassroots movements, states:

"Section 220 of S. 1, the lobbying reform bill currently before the Senate, would require grassroots causes, even bloggers, who communicate to 500 or more members of the public on policy matters, to register and report quarterly to Congress the same as the big K Street lobbyists. Section 220 would amend existing lobbying reporting law by creating the most expansive intrusion on First Amendment rights ever. For the first time in history, critics of Congress will need to register and report with Congress itself."

In other words Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats may redefine the meaning of lobbying in order that political communications to and even between citizens falls under the same legislation.

Under current law any 'lobbyist" who 'knowingly and willingly fails to file or report." quarterly to the government faces criminal charges including a possible jail term of up to one year.

The amendment is currently on hold.

This latest attack on bloggers comes hot on the heels of Republican Senator John McCain's proposal to introduce legislation that would fine blogs up to $300,000 for offensive statements, photos and videos posted by visitors on comment boards.

Tags: free speech, civil rights, fascism, clipmarks, bloggers, oppression

A JOKE THAT IS TOO TRUE TO BE FUNNY.

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:16:05 GMT

clipped by: thinkingblue
clipper's remarks: Finally some clever person put Republicans in the middle of the light bulb screwing joke and IT HITS THE OLD PROVERBIAL NAIL ON IT'S OLD "IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT" BLOCKHEAD! The only screwing light bulb joke EVER without humor!

Just to be fair... Here is one about Dems screwing a light bulb:
How many Democrats does it take to change a light bulb?
One to change the bulb, six to talk about how wonderful it's going to be when the new bulb is screwed in, and ten to argue for increased funding for solar lighting research

Clip Source: downwithtyranny.blogspot.com

HOW MANY REPUBLICANS

DOES IT TAKE TO SCREW IN A LIGHT BULB?

1. One to deny that the light bulb needs to be changed

2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs to be changed.

3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb.

4. One to tell the nations of the world that they are either for changing the light bulb or for darkness.

5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid/cost-plus contract to Halliburton for the new light bulb.

6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor, standing on a stepladder under the
banner: "Light Bulb Change Accomplished."

7. One administration insider to resign and write a book documenting in detail how Bush was literally in the dark.

8. One to viciously smear #7.

9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush has had a strong light bulb changing policy all along.

10. Finally, Joe Lieberman to confuse Americans about the difference between screwing the light bulb and screwing the country.

Tags: joke, bush, republican, lightbulb, lieberman

Barack Obama: Faith Has Been “Hijacked”

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 16:34:07 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

(AP) Sen. Barack Obama told a church convention Saturday that some right-wing evangelical leaders have exploited and politicized religious beliefs in an effort to sow division.

“But somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together and faith started being used to drive us apart. Faith got hijacked, partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, all too eager to exploit what divides us,”

“At every opportunity, they've told evangelical Christians that Democrats disrespect their values and dislike their church, while suggesting to the rest of the country that religious Americans care only about issues like abortion and gay marriage, school prayer and intelligent design,” he said.

“There was even a time when the Christian Coalition determined that its No. 1 legislative priority was tax cuts for the rich,” Obama said. “I don't know what Bible they're reading, but it doesn't jibe with my version.”

Tags: religion, politics, faith, barack obama, church, americans, abortion, gay marriage

Do you REALLY know what will make you happy?

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 05:08:22 GMT

clipped by: deusdiabolus

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

The truth about happiness may surprise you

By David Martin
CNN

(CNN) -- The next time you are deciding between ice cream and cake, buying a car or taking a trip to Europe, accepting a new job or keeping your old one, you should remember two things: First, your decision is rooted in the desire to become happy -- or at least happier than you are now. Second, there's a good chance the decision you make will be wrong.

Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert summed up our failings this way: "People have a lot of bad theories about happiness."

Our culture implores us to buy bigger, newer, better things, but research shows "stuff" does not buy happiness. By and large, money buys happiness only for those who lack the basic needs. Once you pass an income of $50,000, more money doesn't buy much more happiness, Gilbert said.

So what makes us happy? In general, the older you get the happier you get -- until you reach very old age.

According to a Pew Research Center survey, the happiest age group is men 65 and older; the least happy: men 18 to 29.

The survey also found:

Married people are happier than singles.

College grads are happier than those without a college degree.

People who were religious are happier than those who aren't.

Sunbelt residents are happier than other U.S. residents.

Republicans are happier than Democrats -- but both are happier than independents.

Tags: happiness, self-improvement, philosophy, ideology, psychology, lifestyle

Non Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:34:56 GMT

clipped by: thisnamecantbetaken
clipper's remarks: ''Toeing the party line for the church is not my job; telling the truth is my job. I don't fear saying that certain Republican policies are painful for God to endure.''

Clip Source: www.happynews.com

Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

Donald Miller still loves God and Jesus. Don't misunderstand him.

His problem is with Christianity, at least how it's often practiced.

For him, the word conjured up conservative politics, suburban consumerism and an ''insensitivity to people who aren't like us.''

Supporters say Donald Miller's authentic, graceful approach to God has finally given a voice to their brand of Christianity.

Christians longing to connect to God without ties to the religious right

Christians tired of the ''life is perfect'' mantra

the conservative religious network was many people's baseline for Christianity.

''These people are absurd. I've been a Christian all my life and I don't even know Christians this weird,''

''Unchristian.''

was this underlying hostility for homosexuals and Democrats and, well, hippie types.

your Christian faith doesn't have to look exactly like everybody's else's

God isn't a Republican.

Tags: taking, back, christianity, from, the, weirdos

Over half of Americans believe in guardian angels

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:04:01 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: Also, political party was linked to religious beliefs, with 77 percent of Republicans saying they believed in heaven, compared to 54 percent of Democrats.

Those Americans who say they do not believe in God -- four percent -- as well as those who say they have no religion -- 11 percent -- were very close the figures in the 2005 survey.

In all 45 percent of Americans say they have had at least two religious encounters in their lives, the survey found, and conservative Protestants were more likely than Catholics or Jews to report religious or mystical experiences.

Clip Source: uk.news.yahoo.com

More than half of Americans believe they are protected by a guardian angel and two in three are certain that heaven exists, according to a study of US religious beliefs released Thursday.

The survey, conducted by researchers at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, asked 350 questions about religion to 1,648 adults across the country.

Fifty-five percent said they believed they were protected from harm by a guardian angel, a figure that researcher Christopher Bader said came as a surprise.

"To find out that more than half of the American public believes this was shocking to me. I did not expect that," he said.

Sixty-seven percent said they were "absolutely sure" heaven exists and 17 percent believed it "probably" does. Seventy-three percent of Americans believe in hell, it found.

Women are more likely than men to believe in heaven (68 percent to 56 percent), blacks more than whites (86 percent to 60 percent), southerners more than easterners (76 percent to 50 percent).

Tags: religion, angels, usa, belief

White House 'panicked' over anti-war resolutions

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 03:15:29 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Via Brad DeLong

Clip Source: www.politico.com

Bush Allies Warn Iraq Vote Could Harm War Plan, GOP Future

By: Jim VandeHei
January 27, 2007 06:45 PM EST

Top White House officials are scrambling to prevent a showdown over the Iraq war that could tear apart the Republican Party and severely undermine President Bush's plan to increase U.S. troop levels.

White House officials are pleading with GOP senators to oppose any congressional resolution that specifically condemns Bush's effort to escalate the war effort in coming months, congressional sources said Friday morning. In private conversations, the officials are telling senators that the resolution would demoralize U.S. troops and hurt the GOP politically for years to come.

Bush allies are arguing that Republicans will damage their individual political interests as well. Their logic is that there is no anti-war constituency inside the Republican Party, pointing specifically to Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., a potential presidential candidate who has opposed the surge but not gained much traction with party activists. "That's a flat argument," the senior aide said. "That does not work."

The Bush White House is described as panicked by the prospects of mass defections and open to compromise. They have cause for concern: at least six Republicans, including Sen. John Warner of Virginia, have signed resolutions opposing the surge. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nev., has not committed to a vote on the resolution next week. He is negotiating compromise language between Foreign Relations Chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., and Warner, the panel's ranking Republican and an influential voice on military matters, to entice more GOP senators to support the measure.

Tags: bush administration, incompetence, iraq, fubar, congress, democrats, republicans, via:brad delong

Bush orders every regulatory office to be supervised by political appointee

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 17:10:02 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Be scared. Be very, very, scared.

Via Ezra Klein.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

January 30, 2007

Bush Directive Increases Sway on Regulation

By ROBERT PEAR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 — President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.

In an executive order published last week in the Federal Register, Mr. Bush said that each agency must have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee, to supervise the development of rules and documents providing guidance to regulated industries. The White House will thus have a gatekeeper in each agency to analyze the costs and the benefits of new rules and to make sure the agencies carry out the president’s priorities.

This strengthens the hand of the White House in shaping rules that have, in the past, often been generated by civil servants and scientific experts. It suggests that the administration still has ways to exert its power after the takeover of Congress by the Democrats.

The White House said the executive order was not meant to rein in any one agency. But business executives and consumer advocates said the administration was particularly concerned about rules and guidance issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Business groups welcomed the executive order, saying it had the potential to reduce what they saw as the burden of federal regulations. This burden is of great concern to many groups, including small businesses, that have given strong political and financial backing to Mr. Bush.

Consumer, labor and environmental groups denounced the executive order, saying it gave too much control to the White House and would hinder agencies’ efforts to protect the public.

Tags: regulation, who-rules-america, bush administration, business, corporate-malfeasance, osha, epa, news, politics, via:ezra klein

CALLING ALL CLIPPERS: Create and Manage your own nation!

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 19:29:06 GMT

clipped by: sohil
clipper's remarks: And join the Clipmarks region I just created

Almost as addicting as Clipmarks

Clip Source: www.nationstates.net

Clipmarks

Clipmarks is an amazing place deep in outerspace where all the Clippers, sick of the state of the current society formed their own nations in hope of future for all :D

Founder: The United Socialist States of Sohil

Regional Power: Backwater

Clip Source: www.nationstates.net

The United Socialist States of Sohil

"Peace, Prosperity and Productivity"

UN Category: Inoffensive Centrist Democracy
Civil Rights: Good	Economy: Good	Political Freedoms: Very Good

The United Socialist States of Sohil is a tiny, devout nation, notable for its compulsory military service. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, intelligent population of 5 million have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

Crime -- especially youth-related -- is relatively low. Sohil's national animal is the peacock and its currency is the rupiya.

Tags: clipmarks, country, politics, foreign policy, liberals, democrats, ideas for clipmarks

Bush signs bill that makes torture legal

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 02:31:33 GMT

clipped by: ericskiff
clipper's remarks: The big question is that if it's legal now, what was it when the Whitehouse authorized it before?

Does this retroactively make "tough interrogation" legal?

Clip Source: www.theage.com.au

US President George Bush today signed a bill allowing tough CIA interrogation and military trials for terrorism suspects, triggering bitter election-year denunciations from Democrats.

With Republicans in danger of losing control of the US Congress in November 7 elections because of voter anger over the Iraq war, Mr Bush sought to put back on the campaign agenda a more favorable issue for him - national security and dealing with those blamed for the Sept. 11 attacks.

The new law means Mr Bush can continue a secret CIA program for interrogating terrorism suspects he believes have vital information that could thwart a plot against America.

Democrats wasted no time firing back.

"I am deeply disappointed that Congress enacted this law," said Wisconsin Democratic Senator Russ Feingold. "We will look back on this day as a stain on our nation's history."

Tags: bush, bush administration, torture, politics, political, republican, republicans

Republicans: Crazy, Or Nuts?

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 17:19:49 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: Who in their right mind would argue with the observations in this article?

More: "The Republican Party has become an aggregation of people who prefer to live in a world of fantasy -- and their first fantasy, the Ur-myth on which the entire conceit rests, is (classically) "we are the realists."

"It degrades, into farce and Newspeak, from there. The perpetrators and defenders of the outing of a CIA agent are "patriots." Tom DeLay is a "leader" and Newt Gingrich is a "visionary." The President plays guitar while New Orleans drowns, causes a hundred thousand Americans and Iraqis to be killed or injured, and outsources torture, and it's the Democrats who, per the repellent Ramesh Ponnuru, are the "party of death."

"It has gotten so that you have to muster all the compassion and understanding of which you are capable just to think of the Republicans as a party of greedy corporatists manipulating the credulous, the provincial, and the bigoted. That's the nice way of putting it.”

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Say it's only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
It's the Party of Make-Believe
It's called the G.O.P.

First Ann Coulter tells us Joseph McCarthy was a national hero. Now Jonah Goldberg tells us the Nazis were leftists (never mind all those socialists and communists they killed, or their close collaboration with private industry,), and that liberals are fascists because some of them, like Hitler, are vegetarians.

First President Bush tells us Osama Bin Laden is our mortal enemy. Then he tells us he doesn't think about him very much. We were attacked by Saudi Arabians living in Afghanistan, so under Bush's command we attack Iraq and declare "Mission Accomplished."

First Dick Cheney says we'll be welcomed as liberators; then he says the insurgency is in its "last throes" when, really, it's in its first throes. And we're not allowed to know which energy companies are helping him to write energy policy so that they feel secure

Bush says God speaks to him

Gonzalez

Rice

Craig

Limbaugh

Tags: american politics, republicans, must read article!

An Immoral Philosophy

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 16:04:48 GMT

clipped by: schreibe
clipper's remarks: More:
It must be about philosophy, because it surely isn't about cost. One of the plans Mr. Bush opposes, the one approved by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the Senate Finance Committee, would cost less over the next five years than we'll spend in Iraq in the next four months. And it would be fully paid for by an increase in tobacco taxes.

So what kind of philosophy says that it's O.K. to subsidize insurance companies, but not to provide health care to children?

So his philosophy says that the government must be prevented from solving problems, even if it can. In fact, the more good a proposed government program would do, the more fiercely it must be opposed.

denying basic health care to children whose parents lack the means to pay for it, simply because you're afraid that success in insuring children might put big government in a good light, is just morally wrong.

it seems, more basic decency in the hearts of Americans than is dreamt of in Mr. Bush's philosophy.

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

An Immoral Philosophy

By Paul Krugman, The New York Times. Posted August 1, 2007.

What kind of philosophy says that it's O.K. to subsidize insurance companies, but not to provide health care to children?

When a child is enrolled in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (Schip), the positive results can be dramatic. For example, after asthmatic children are enrolled in Schip, the frequency of their attacks declines on average by 60 percent, and their likelihood of being hospitalized for the condition declines more than 70 percent.

Regular care, in other words, makes a big difference. That's why Congressional Democrats, with support from many Republicans, are trying to expand Schip

But President Bush says that access to care is no problem -- "After all, you just go to an emergency room" -- and, with the support of the Republican Congressional leadership, he's declared that he'll veto any Schip expansion on "philosophical" grounds.

Tags: bush, healthcare, politics

REALITY CHECK!

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:03:39 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: There is a frightening new global trend of denial...

Europeans think that they don't need to limit fishing...

Car companies don't think they need to improve fuel economy standards...

Bush thinks he can increase spending and cut taxes at the same time...

Jingoists think we are winning the war in Iraq...

Democrats think Hillary Clinton has enough experience to win an election...

Polluters think that Global Warming won't really happen...

Evangelicals think Jesus is coming back soon...

Fundamentalists think they can win the war against modernity...

The truth is: we're stuck with this world. The rules DO apply. No free passes. You have to face the music sometime.

We must choose realism over comfortable delusion. Unfortunately, for now, wistful thinking will rule the day until we let it all collapse around us.

Then we'll stand there scratching our heads saying: How could this happen?

Clip Source: www.iht.com

Fishing until all the fish are gone

Sharon LaFraniere showed how mechanized fishing fleets from the European Union and nations like China and Russia - usually with the complicity of local governments - have nearly picked clean the oceans off Senegal and other northwest African countries.

Clip Source: www.iht.com

U.S. agency says 17 states can't set car emission rules

WASHINGTON: The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday denied California and 16 other states the right to set their own standards for carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles.

Clip Source: www.iht.com

US deficit expected to grow even before economic stimulus package is unwrapped

The latest deficit projections from the Congressional Budget Office forecast a sea of red ink that will only deepen under plans to jump-start the economy with tax cuts and government spending.

Clip Source: www.iht.com

Published: January 21, 2008

BAGHDAD: A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a funeral tent Monday in a predominantly Sunni village, killing at least 14 people and wounding 17.

Tags: reality check, bush, democrats, big buisness, oil, iraq, environment, global warming, tax cuts

"World needs a vacation from US"

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:42:35 GMT

clipped by: syncopath
clipper's remarks: He called for immediate technology transfer from the West to the Third World, to allow development based on clean technology — stressing the need to “reject intellectual property rights”.

funds should not be distributed through the World Bank, which was trying to regain legitimacy by portraying itself as a “climate bank” while continuing to push fossil-fuel-driven development.

Confronting global poverty and climate change means confronting US power.
“I don’t think the world needs US leadership”, he said. “They should be more humble.”

Whether the US achieves its goals “is where we, as civil society come in”, Bello said, suggesting that, by making intervention costly for the US, civil society could encourage a “new US isolationism”.

The struggle is, he stressed, global. “The world needs a vacation from the messaianism of the US … A few decades of a self-absorbed US would be very good for the world.”

Clip Source: www.greenleft.org.au

Walden Bello: ‘World needs a vacation from US’

Speaking at the inaugural Ted Wheelwright Memorial Lecture for the Sydney University Department of Political Economy on September 1, Filipino anti-globalisation activist and academic Walden Bello, founding director of Focus on the Global South, contrasted the recent Beijing Olympics with the US Democrats national convention.

He said that “despite the glitter of both”, the one reflected that China had “had a few bad centuries but was back on its feet” while the other reflected that the US was in a “10-year downward spin that would only get worse under continued Republican rule”.

Imperial overreach

Having failed to learn the lesson of its defeat in Vietnam, that it takes “more than heavy firepower to control a country”, the US had exposed its weakness in its wars against Iraq and Afghanistan.

China

“China was one of the main beneficiaries of the Bush administration’s adventuring”

Redistributing wealth and power