http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/7827704/huckabees_portman_comments_just_more.html

I guess in Huckabee's right wing world, Natalie Portman should have worn a Scarlet P to the Oscars or stayed home in shame.  Nevermind that she is engaged to the perspective father & he is involved with the pregnancy.  Often the reason for the poverty among single moms is the fact that the men abandon them and give no financial support.  But, in right wing world, lets blame the woman and heap shame upon her.  After all, she is the reason for the "original sin", right?

Bwild: It is agreed that the terms surrounding homophobia are often recklessly & reactionarily thrown around by those us who advocate for LGBT inclusiveness.  It often does not enhance constructive dialogue.

It is also true, however, that the American Psychiatric Association and all other reputable professional psychological organization reject reparitive therapy for homosexuality, and many studies verify therapies which try to change sexual orientation are harmful.  It is, therefore, submitted that any finding by an "ex-gay" organization is suspect.

In addition, it is also true that many of the most vehement anti-gay politicians are caught with hands in the proverbial cookie jar.  They deserve to be taken to task by Gay rights activists.

The discourse needs to be toned down across the board.  We can do better than constantly using violent metaphors which could encourage people predisposed to violence to act on it regardless of ideation.

But the story of the abysmal mental health system is rarely assessed or paid attention to. It is largely ignored until such tragedies take place.  First of all, there were plenty of warning signs that Jared Loughner is mentally ill & predisposed to violence.  Yet, nothing was done to get him into treatment before this tragedy took place.  Arizona even has laws which allow for involuntary commitment before violent acts are committed. 

Studies have shown that people with psychiatric disorders who adhere to treatment and stay on medication are no more likely to commit violent crimes than the general population.  Yet, state & federal budgets for mental health are the 1st to see the axe and many community mental health centers are working with the same funding they had in the 70s.  Until recently, there was no parity for mental health treatment by insurance companies. Psychiatric facilities are closed and community followup is almost nonexistent.  As a result, many people with these illnesses are often warehoused in our prison system living in squalor and getting little real treatment.  Or, many of them are found untreated in the streets, or families are forced deal with severe cases without much support.

We can do better.

Artful Dodger: "help with the smell, be sure to consume a full can of beans just before leaving for the airport."

I thought u had bought up all the cans long before now. 

(V):  In addition, while pummeling Obamacare, they apply for some of its benefits.

http://whohijackedourcountry.blogspot.com/2010/08/koch-industries-spend-billions.html

Tuesday:   It may have been Representative Bob Inglis (R-SC) who spoke out against Rush & Beck.  He lost big in the GOP primary to the Tea Party candidate.  Yes.  That's the same Tea Party "revolution" funded mainly by Rupert Murdoch and the oil barren Koch Brothers - not the grass roots.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/opinion/29rich.html

http://blog.reidreport.com/2010/08/the-koch-brothers-the-2010-election-and-the-return-of-the-john-birch-society/

Artful Dodger:  Sharon Angle, Rand Paul, Ken Buck, etc.  I don't blame their handlers for keeping them out of the press.  They all have bad cases of foot-in-mouth disease.  Then there is Nikki Haley in SC.  Our illustrious GOP nominee for Gov.  She calls for accountability in state gov't, but she hasn't paid taxes in 6 year, and released her emails 3 mos. after rumors spread about affairs via email.  She is just sitting around waiting for Sarah Palin's "coat tails" to kick in for the General Election.

The Republicans are so self righteous & arrogant about taking over the House & Senate that they could be overplaying their hand.  I'd be carefull about putting out such lofty expectations.  You could be disappointed on election night.  But, unlike the GOP, I don't have a crystal ball, so, I'm not making any grandiose pronouncements.

Artful Dodger: More speculation about what might have happened if we had gone with Herbert Hoover in 1932.  What actually happened as a result of the New Deal.

http://usa.usembassy.de/history-depression.htm

I'll admit that it may not have kill the Depression, but it kept us afloat until it ended in the 1940s

Übergeek 바둑이:  Many Islamic Republics, including our "allie" Saudi Arabia do not allow Christian Churches to be built in their countries or allow other religions to proselytize.  Newt Gingrich and Glenn Beck like to continually bring that fact up.  The reality is, however, is that the US is not a Theocracy like the Islamic Republics; although many of the "Christian Nation" crowd seek to change that and revise history.

I think a lot of the ratcheting up the rhetoric does center around stoking the fires of prejudice against Islam.  However, a lot of the the arguments center around how to honored those who died on 9/11.  I also think that your anti-war memorial is a good idea.

Tuesday:  They can all have elements of truth, but none of them are perfect or have a monopoly on truth.

To quote a song I heard recently:  It's not your Yahweh who scares me.  It's not your Allah who scares me.  It's not your Jesus that scares me.  I'm afraid of what you do in the name of your God.

Artful Dodger:

Leviticus used to justify comdemnation of Homosexuals

Leviticus used to condone slavery for 300 years.

Revelations interpreted to say that all non-Christians will be "left behind" when Jesus returns.

Artful Dodger:   The Mosque was already at its site before the angry responses from the right about it being expanded.  In addition there are other Mosque which have been close to the Twin Towers before 9/11.  Should we tear all of them?  There are also "adult entertainment" establishments close to ground zero which don't exactly honor the memory of 9/11 victims.

The only arguments against this building seems to center around the prejudice that any Muslim establishment near ground zero is evil because radical muslims were responsible for the attack.  Thus, all muslims should be lumped into the same category.  As you pointed out, W visited mosques to eliminate prejudice against all American Muslims.  If the mosques had a history of supporting terrorist activity, it would be one thing.  But, I haven't heard of any such activity.

Interesting reading.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/08/09/margaret-hoover-prop-gay-rights-marriage-conservatives-civil-right

Here is an interesting article about Sarah Palin's appeal from the left wing Huffington Post.  It's not as insulting as you might think.  Both sides may find it an interesting analysis of her popularity.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/sarah-palin-mama-grizzlie_b_666642.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=080210&utm_medium=email&utm_content=FeatureMore

Artful Dodger:  It seems to be a right wing talk radio thing to refer to liberals as "cockroaches" who are subhuman  It quickly follows that cockroaches are to be exterminated.  Micheal Savage comes to mind as someone who outright advocates death.  He once told a Gay man that he should "die of Aids".

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1948673167839820753#

There is also Glenn Beck's now famous tirade about killing Michael Moore or hiring someone to do it for him.

You may can cite samples of this kind of talk by liberal pundits.  That's not responsible either.  You might also laugh this kind of propaganda off as "sarcasm", but many people do not.