Led by Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, referendum backers hope to halt implementation of the California Dream Act. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the measure Oct. 8.
Donnelly’s group has until Jan. 6 to collect valid signatures from 504,760 registered voters. Donnelly has said he hopes to wage a largely volunteer effort fueled by social media and talk radio.
Assembly Bill 131, written by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, will allow undocumented immigrant college students who already qualify for in-state tuition rates to receive state-funded financial aid, including Cal Grants. Qualified students must have attended California high schools for at least three years and graduated.
The measure is scheduled to take effect in 2013. If Donnelly succeeds in securing the signatures, the measure would be halted until it can be decided by state voters next year.
Yeah, the last thing we need in this country is educated young people in our midst. Why, they might grow up to become employed and pay taxes and everything. And then where would we be?
I’m sure that John and Ken and the rest of the California wingnut radio mafia will be all over this. Luckily, there are a whole lot of people on the other side in this state. But it’s going to be another disgusting racist fight.
“It was a long love affair with a boy and his gun, that turned into a man and his gun, that turned into a man and his son and his daugher and their guns.”
Was the love affair with the boy/man/son/daughter? Their guns? Both? A whole incestuous gun-owning family? Eww.
The Florida mom who ditched her banker husband and four kids to live in Zuccotti Park squalor is a hippie homemaker whose neighbors are horrified by her latest antics — but are hardly surprised that she flew the coop.
Stacey Hessler, 38 — a self-described “vegan freak” who’s into dreadlocks, roller derby and “unschooling” her kids — acts like a self-obsessed college sophomore who never grew up, said a neighbor in her hometown of DeLand, Fla.
“I’m not disgusted she took off [to protest] — because I’m not surprised,” seethed one next-door neighbor who asked that her name not be published.
“ ‘The Man’ she went up there to fight against is the bank where her husband works. “She believes everything should be free,” the neighbor added.
The middle-aged flower child’s trip to New York to sleep under the stars with the Occupy Wall Street protesters was chronicled in The Post yesterday.
One angry neighbor said yesterday it was hardly surprising that Hessler would leave her kids behind and go radical.
“She’s very bizarre,” the neighbor insisted.
On her Facebook page, Hessler wrote about being a surrogate mom. She also boasted of a panoply of California-style beliefs.
She called herself a “radical unschooling mom of four, midwives assistant, roller-derby queen, rock-star musician, activist, dreadlock princess, African-bee keeper, organic vegan freak and a surrogate for the second time.”
Hessler has gotten even more hippie since she arrived in New York. In Zuccotti Park, she’s been sharing a tarp with a Brooklyn waiter and plans to stay “indefinitely.”
“Even more hippie?” How is that possible?
It’s like the last 40 years never happened. Let the sunshine in baby.
The right wingers love to portray themselves as the tough guy who are working three jobs and swimming in debt without complaint as the Real Americans, while lecturing those who are unable to find work or have the nerve to protest the greedheads on Wall Street as “whiners.” In fact, they’ve turned it into the “53%” mantra.
But who are the real whiners in our society? Well, before he cancelled his speech due to the possibility that he might not be feted like a conquering hero by the public, Eric Canter was going to step up and defend them:
There are politicians and others who want to demonize people that have earned success in certain sectors of our society. They claim that these people have now made enough, and haven’t paid their fair share. But, pitting Americans against one another tends to deflate the aspirational spirit of our people and fade the American dream. I believe that the most successful among us are positioned to use their talents to help grow our economy and give everyone a hand up the ladder and the dignity of a job. We should encourage them to extend their creativity and generosity to helping build the community infrastructure that provides a hand up and a fair shot to those less fortunate.
Instead of talking about a fair share or spending time trying to push those at the top down, elected leaders in Washington should be trying to ensure that everyone has a fair shot and the opportunity to earn success up the ladder. The goal shouldn’t be for everyone to meet in the middle of the ladder. We should want all people to be moving up and no one to be pulled down. How do we do that? It cannot simply be about wealth redistribution. You don’t just take from the guy at the top to give to the guy at the bottom and expect our problems to be solved.
He sounds like Dr Phil. Evidently, the GOP’s answer to income inequality is to lecture everyone about being nice to rich people because … we should want everyone to be nice. Or something.
Here’s the next generation of “successful” people we’re all supposed to be “nice” to just cuz — the Wharton business students to whom Cantor was scheduled to speak, standing in the balcony yelling down at the protesters:
The real whiners in our society are the insufferable masters of the Universe who behave as if they’ve been literally crucufied for being called on their selfishness and greed and act like psychopathic frat boys when confronted with their disgusting behavior. You’d think they’d be mature enough to just suck their thumbs and roll around in all that money to soothe themselves, but apparently not. We’re all required to love them for exploiting us. Or else.
Their deluded minions, the nasty “suck it up whiners” crowd, have made it quite clear that they are most concerned about those just below them on the ladder, the single moms and elderly and young people just getting started, who are the real problems. They must be forced to pay their “fair share” so that the wealthy little boys chanting in the video won’t get their little feelings hurt by being asked to pay what amounts to tip money when they make (or inherit) their millions. None of them have any intention of giving anyone a hand up or a fair shot. These “suck it up” thugs are supposed to do the wet work for the top 1% and push all those lazy single moms and poor minorities off the ladder completely. (I’m sure they’ll be kicked a little chump change for their trouble. Or get a nice pat on the head anyway.)
Me, I’m going to get rich myself and I’ll happily pay my taxes. I’ve just taken a long position in pitchfork futures because if this keeps up, I know it’s going to pay off.
Update: Also, too, these breathless little admonitions about “dividing people” is making me laugh. The right in this country is organized around dividing people between un-American and Real American and always has been. The divide between the rich and the poor is the only one they don’t acknowledge — although they’re happy to exploit it. On behalf of the rich, of course.
Bachmann’s NH staff quits; she doesn’t even know by David Atkins (“thereisnospoon”)
This tidbit is too funny not to pass along. It would appear that Michele Bachmann’s New Hampshire staffers have gone Galt. Apparently Bachmann isn’t producing enough support in New Hampshire, so her staffers are moving on to to greener pastures and leaving her behind:
Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., has spent only a handful of days campaigning in New Hampshire, and Friday her unfamiliarity with the Granite State seemed to be showing.
She denied reports that five campaign employees in the state had resigned, but Jeff Chidester, her New Hampshire campaign manager, confirmed he had quit.
The defections in the state that traditionally conducts the nation’s first primary were reported by the political director of New Hampshire TV station WMUR-TV, which published an online report that workers were leaving out of frustration with Bachmann’s lack of time campaigning in the state.
Bachmann told Radio Iowa the report was news to her, and she blamed the media for pouncing on a rumor.
What makes the Bachmann flameout more than just a sidelight in in the presidential horserace is its significance for the core the of the Republican Party.
In a race where many of the GOP candidates have basically harmed themselves or excluded themselves from contention (Perry’s horrible debate performances and track record in Texas, Romney’s distasteful record to social conservatives, Gingrich’s personal foibles, Paul’s non-conformist stances on foreign policy, etc.), Bachmann has done nothing in particular to sabotage herself outside of the odd statement here and there.
It’s just more proof that the Bible-thumping nuts are no longer are the driving core of the GOP base. They’ve been replaced by the cult of Objectivism that has taken center stage in the GOP.
It’s a new Randian day in the GOP, and the Bachmann/Santorum crowd are just being used and taken along for the ride.
Let’s get in on the ground. There is a lot of money to be made in the future in Libya. Lot of oil to be produced. Let’s get on the ground and help the Libyan people establish a democracy and a functioning economy based on free market principles. —- Lindsay “Huckleberry” Graham
Russ Baker’s “WhoWhatWhy” provides a very interesting primer on Libya that’s well worth reading as we contemplate what happened and will happen:
Here’s something you don’t see very often in the cable news universe:
That was a pretty big mistake and Cooper is right to apologize for it. I would really like to see some reframing of the question even beyond what he says there to “the 47% who aren’t required to pay federal income taxes because they make so little money.” (Or something like that.) It’s important that people understand that these Republicans are actually arguing that the biggest problem in this country is that the rich are being asked to pay too much in federal taxes while the poor — mostly single mothers with children — are not paying their fair share.
And it is a national disgrace that 47% of Americans are that poor.
Maybe that “53%” agrees with that, but I suspect that quite a few of them might just be a little bit uncomfortable with that equation if they understood it in context.
Few people are going to shed any tears over the killings. Qaddafi was a deeply belligerent and brutal murderer. But the circumstances of his death are interesting for a couple of reasons.
First, the availability of modern camera technology in mobile phones has prevented safe diplomatic lies from becoming universally accepted. The fact of Saddam Hussein’s undignified execution was proven by a hidden mobile phone video, the existence of which infuriated Iraqi and U.S. officials. The mobile phone videos of Qaddafi and his son blatantly disprove the lies that he was killed in a crossfire. Diplomatic lies about quick deaths during gunfights and dignified executions have been a staple of propaganda for centuries to cover over for much more brutal and disturbing actual events.
The U.N. has appropriately asked for an inquiry into Qaddafi’s death. If the Qaddafis were indeed executed as it appears they were, the responsible parties should be held accountable. The circumstances of Mr. Qaddafi’s death will make it more difficult for a fractured nation to reconcile its differences under a new government.
Second, it must be said that Republicans have been proven comically wrong once again when attacking President Obama’s handling of foreign policy. Republicans have mocked Mr. Obama’s approach of “leading from behind” in Libya, in which European and Libyan forces provided much of the effort and leadership structure in the effort against Qaddafi. But in the end, Mr. Obama has proven once again that he knows how to handle a military operation far better than George W. Bush did. As far as interventions go, the Libyan intervention was handled in textbook style: targeted operations that allowed Libyan forces to do the bulk of the work in retaking their own country, with a truly multinational coalition providing support.
Without going into the morality of military action and focusing strictly on the competence with which it is are undertaken, it is clear that even simply from a logistical point of view, Mr. Obama is a far superior Commander-in-Chief of the nation’s armed forces than any Republican.
Under Obama, Mssrs. Qaddafi and Bin Laden are no longer factors on the world stage, and Libya is now free to establish its own national future. The same cannot be said of Mr. Bush’s unsalvageable disasters in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Obama should realize that continued presences in Iraq and Afghanistan are simply throwing good money after bad, and that nothing can be done to improve those situations at this point.
The contrast in military effectiveness between President Obama and his predecessor could not be more clear. That conservatives continue to be trusted in America not only on the morals of foreign policy but even in its basic logistical operation is mind-boggling.
I don’t mean to rain on anyone’s parade, but after watching Chris Matthews do yet another over-the-top “Mission Accomplished” victory fandango, I think it’s probably a good idea to keep some perspective on what’s actually happening with Iraq.
President Obama announced on Friday that all 41,000 U.S. troops currently in Iraq will return home by December 31. “That is how America’s military efforts in Iraq will end,” he said. Don’t believe him.
Now: it’s a big deal that all U.S. troops are coming home. For much of the year, the military, fearful of Iranian influence, has sought a residual presence in Iraq of several thousand troops. But arduous negotiations with the Iraqi government about keeping a residual force stalled over the Iraqis’ reluctance to provide them with legal immunity.
But the fact is America’s military efforts in Iraq aren’t coming to an end. They are instead entering a new phase. On January 1, 2012, the State Department will command a hired army of about 5,500 security contractors, all to protect the largest U.S. diplomatic presence anywhere overseas.
The State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security does not have a promising record when it comes to managing its mercenaries. The 2007 Nisour Square shootings by State’s security contractors, in which 17 Iraqi civilians were killed, marked one of the low points of the war. Now, State will be commanding a much larger security presence, the equivalent of a heavy combat brigade. In July, Danger Room exclusively reported that the Department blocked the Congressionally-appointed watchdog for Iraq from acquiring basic information about contractor security operations, such as the contractors’ rules of engagement.
That means no one outside the State Department knows how its contractors will behave as they ferry over 10,000 U.S. State Department employees throughout Iraq — which, in case anyone has forgotten, is still a war zone. Since Iraq wouldn’t grant legal immunity to U.S. troops, it is unlikely to grant it to U.S. contractors, particularly in the heat and anger of an accident resulting in the loss of Iraqi life.
It’s a situation with the potential for diplomatic disaster. And it’s being managed by an organization with no experience running the tight command structure that makes armies cohesive and effective.
There’s more at the link.
The government clearly didn’t want this outcome and lobbied hard to get the Iraqis to push back the deadline due to what they perceived as the Iranian threat. Has that alleged threat (or whatever “threat” they see) vanished or has the US simply transferred its military duties to this private army that’s there to protect the employees of the biggest embassy on earth?
I don’t know. But after everything our government has done in this region over the past few years, I think these facts argue for skepticism rather than celebration.
The woman who wrote that states she has faced a “literal crap storm” which is very unsanitary:
But of course the response from the left has been what it always is from them – to take things out of context, spin, lie and smear with ad hominem attacks, and I’ve born the brunt of that for the last two days.
But it could be a “blessing in disguise”. If they don’t manage to encourage some of their “useful idiots” to actually come and kill me, they may actually direct enough attention towards me, for people to see that I published a book earlier this year, based on the fundamental principles that we should own our own lives ( not be owned by “the collective” ) and that all adult human relationships should be consensual, things that the very philosophy of socialism is firmly against.
…
But the behavior of the left during this whole inquisition they started against me a couple of days ago, only further illustrates the psychological techniques of projection that they indulge in, accusing the opposition of the very things they themselves are doing. One guy called me a “nazi ho”, when in fact the American Nazi Party ( as well as the Socialist Party ) endorsed the “Occupy Wall Street” movement this past weekend?
Smearing me as a “terrorist”, when they post photos of me, as if to encourage people to come after me, with the intent of terrorizing me, “racist” for disagreeing with Obama ( yawn – so old and frankly, boring by now… ), and that we’re somehow all idiots because we don’t have Harvard degrees, etc… The spinning, taking out of context, smearing and lying that typifies a movement that is devoid of all reason and apparently seeks only to control and enslave all of humanity, as its grand goal.
There you have it. Tea Party Nation says this was just one idea from one person — but they did send it out to their membership so one is not completely off base in assuming the leadership endorsed it.