Alba Iulia, Romania is Happy!

Jim DeMint...Americans Freed the Slaves!

Jim DeMint, president of the conservative Heritage Foundation, former U.S. Senator from South Carolina, and latest spiritual guru of the tea party, told a Christian radio host last week completely un-ironically that "the conscience of the American people" freed the slaves in the 1860's, not "big government."

Per Mr. DeMint:
"Well, the reason that the slaves were eventually freed was the Constitution.   It was like the conscience of the American people.   Unfortunately, there were some court decisions like Dred Scott and others that defined some people as property; but the Constitution kept calling us back to ‘all men are created equal’ and we have inalienable rights in the minds of god.   But a lot of the move to free the slaves came from the people, it did not come from the federal government.   It came from a growing movement among the people, particularly people of faith, that [slavery] was wrong.

People like Wilberforce who persisted for years because of his faith and because of his love for people.   So no liberal is going to win a debate that big government freed the slaves.   In fact, it was Abraham Lincoln, the very first Republican, who took this on as a cause and a lot of it was based on a love in his heart that comes from god."

This is the same teabagging wingnut who joined other Republican wingnuts on the eve of President Obama's first inauguration to plot how they could undermine and derail Mr. Obama's Presidency!

More details and hilarity at Gawker.

The Changing Face of America!

"We’ve become a country where race is no longer so black or white."
Full story at National Geographic.

Eric Holder vs. Louis Gohmert

Eric Holder speaking at the National Action Network...

Holder touted the work of the Obama administration to “advance the cause of justice,” and said that they’ve managed to succeed “even in the face of unprecedented, unwarranted, ugly, and divisive adversity.” He pointed to his treatment yesterday (not mentioning Gohmert by name) as an example.   See the video below highlighting that exchange!

Per Mr. Holder:
“And if you don’t believe that… you look at the way the Attorney General of the Untied States was treated yesterday by a House committee.   Had nothing to do with me, forget that.   What Attorney General has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment?   What president has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment?”

Holder faced a testy House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Tuesday, during which the attorney general engaged in a heated back-and-forth with Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), who brought up the House holding Holder in contempt, and Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) wouldn’t question Holder because, the lawmaker implied, he
should be in jail.

More details at Mediaite and Politico.

Love Overcomes Hate!

I'm sure the Cherrios kids would agree!

The 15%!

For the few of you that follow my little space on the blog-o-sphere, you know I've written about inter-racial relationships on an on-going basis.

My wife sent me this link to the "We are the 15%" website.   It's an awesome site that was spawned from the backlash of the infamous Cherrios commercial.

I've posted my thoughts regarding inter-racial relationships here...and here...and here...and here any many more times!   As I've often said, I wish I could be around 20 or 30 years from now to see the (beautiful) offspring of all these inter-racial families and their impact on America, if not the world!   Yes...they are really beautiful children in more ways than you can image...and they will change America and the world!!!

Social Security...1-800-772-1213

I just wanted to know how much I've been paying for Medicare Plan B.   So I dialed the subject telephone number (Social Security # 1-800-772-1213) today at 5PM EST.   I've been listening to muzak/announcements for the last 58 minutes and 33 seconds!   I'm hanging up!   Damn!   Let's spend more money on wars!

Rethuglicans versus the Affordable Care Act.

From CNN:

"Republicans are going all in, hoping that the payout is big.   Like control of the Senate, big!

Their big bet: Obamacare.

The deadline to enroll in the Affordable Care Act for the year has come and gone.   The Obama administration is touting the enrollment numbers as a successful first year, but Republicans think voter anger over the law is here to stay.   And so, Republicans running for House and Senate continue to make it central to their campaign.

In the Arkansas Senate race, Republican challenger Tom Cotton (pictured above) is using Obamacare to fund-raise for his race against Democratic incumbent Mark Pryor.   The first screen on Cotton's website is a plea for contributions that says, "Obamacare is so bad that Obama doesn't want it.   Tell him neither do I."

The full story at CNN.

Footnote:   What's scary is that Nate Silver believes that Mr. Cotton has a 70% chance of winning!

Affordable Care Act Reaches 7+Million Goal!

From CNN:
President Barack Obama announced Tuesday that 7.1 million people had enrolled in insurance plans sold on government-run exchanges by the close of Monday's sign-up deadline, just beating the original estimate officials made last summer.

"This law is doing what it's supposed to do, it's working," Obama said in remarks outside the White House, where he was met with sustained applause and cheers after announcing the tally, which he repeated several times, as if to savor the number.

"This law is helping millions of Americans, and in coming years it will help millions more," he said.

More at CNBC.

Obamacare is a disaster, but Kynect is Awesome!

The office of Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear just announced that more than 370,000 people have now signed up for Obamacare on KyNect, the state exchange.   More than one out of every dozen Kentuckians — 8.6 percent of the state population — now has obtained coverage through the exchange, Beshear’s office said, claiming that a preliminary analysis has established that three out of four enrollees has reported that they were uninsured before signing up.

Beshear’s office adds that more than 21,000 signed up in the last three days alone.

But as recently as three days ago, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was denouncing Obamacare as “disastrous,” lamenting the “catastrophic effects” the law has had on Kentucky families, and insisting that “the pain caused by this terrible law is easy to see.”   He claims the law must be uprooted “root and branch.”

More at The Washington Post.