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Justice for Bradley Manning

Please sign this very important
petition “demand question time” (of our political
leaders) HERE..
We really need more dialog from those at the top… The
Republicans have got to be made to realize they can’t hide behind
“NO” any longer! thinkingblue

Let’s keep our heads, while we continue

to watch THE THEATER OF THE ABSURD!!!

Justice for Bradley Manning

thinkingblue — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:24:26 +0000

Please sign the petition to release Bradley Manning

To: US Department of Defense; US Department of Justice

We, the Undersigned, call for justice for US Army PFC Bradley Manning, incarcerated without charge (as of 18 June 2010) at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.

Media accounts state that Mr. Manning was arrested in late May for leaking the video of US Apache helicopter pilots killing innocent people and seriously wounding two children in Baghdad, including those who arrived to help the wounded, as well as potentially other material. The video was released by WikiLeaks under the name “Collateral Murder”.

If these allegations are untrue, we call upon the US Department of Defense to release Mr. Manning immediately.

If these allegations ARE true, we ALSO call upon the US Department of Defense to release Mr. Manning immediately.

Simultaneously, we express our support for Mr. Manning in any case, and our admiration for his courage if he is, in fact, the person who disclosed the video. Like in the cases of Daniel Ellsberg, W. Mark Felt, Frank Serpico and countless other whistleblowers before, government demands for secrecy must yield to public knowledge and justice when government crime and corruption are being kept hidden.

Justice for Bradley Manning!

Sincerely,

The Undersigned Please sign the petition to release Bradley Manning

—

We live in a country that is gripped by fear. The politicians have been using it for years so they can have more time to gain more power. It’s pathetic how easy it is to make a free country UNFREE just by implying there is something to fear. Whistleblowers (people who make a public disclosure of wrongdoing or corruption) are protectors of freedom that is why the Powers condemn them; less public disclosure of wrongdoing, more infringement on the Rights of the People. Arresting and retaining Bradley Manning has exposed what you’ve been up to. It’s time to end using Bradley Manning as a scapegoat in order to stop anyone else that is brave enough to unveil the wrongdoings in government. Give him back his freedom; he is a hero not a sacrificial lamb. thinkingblue aka thethinkingblue.

PS: Why do we as a species still engage in legalized murder?

To say the below video is disturbing is a great understatement. The horror of war is an understatement. Please be aware, there isn’t anything that warrants the mayhem that you will see if you click the “Play” button.

watch?v=5rXPrfnU3G0

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4130 Signatures Total as of August 23, 2010

View Current Signatures

We endorse the Justice for Bradley Manning Petition to US Department of Defense; US Department of Justice. http://www.PetitionOnline.com

Fox Parent News Corp. Funds GOP Attack Machine $1 Million

thinkingblue — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 17:25:29 +0000

When I saw this article on Crooks and Liars, I thought, well here we go again, but this time the Corporate Greed Machine and the GOP has SCOTUS to thank for the endless flow of money being thrown around to reassure that the “R’s” will regain power over all of our lives. Even though The American People have rejected this US Supreme Court ruling on Corporate Personhood, they/we, for the most part, are helpless.

But this is not the time to give-up. Sure we can’t match the flow of money and sure the “R’s” will be able to use the dirtiest, meanest and limitless intolerable slander attacks against their “D” opponents but We The People have our tools, they can’t shut us up completely! We can speak out, write letters to our congress, go on-line and add our names to petitions, write blogs, tweet, and facebook our objections. We can also turn off the TV when one of their attack ads makes its way into our homes, and throw the propagandized fliers in the trash also hang-up on robo-calls. Then when it’s time to VOTE, we can vote against all those who use negative campaigning and mendacity to cloud our minds.

It’s not going to be easy but we the American people have the power to fight CORPORATE PERSONHOOD and not allow them an easy win! YES WE DO! thinkingblue aka thethinkingblue

PS: Please read the article below and GET MAD!

Fox Parent News Corp. Funds GOP Attack Machine to the Tune of $1 Million – So Far

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 03:00 PM PDT

It isn’t like this is a complete surprise, but still, there is something incestuous about News Corp. donating $1 million to the Republican Governors’ Association in order for the Republican Governors’ Association to mount high-profile attack campaigns on Democratic candidates. I think it’s safe for everyone to eliminate the terms “fair” and “balanced” from any discussion of Fox News.

More disturbing to me than even the editorial compromise that comes from such a contribution is the fact that the largest shareholder (besides Murdoch) in News Corp is Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who is launching an Arabic News Network in partnership with News Corp. That raises all sorts of ethical and political issues for me. Does the corporate veil shield News Corp from the ban on contributions from foreign countries? It likely does, but it certainly should disqualify Fox News from being considered a “news outlet.”

News Corp. isn’t the only member of the RGA Million Dollar Roundtable, either, though they hold the record for the most compromised by it. David Koch has also donated $1 million to the cause, and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce has given $2,547,500 in 2010.

There are many other corporate members of the Six-Figure club. Keep in mind these are cumulative totals through June 30, 2010. Expect them to at least double by November:

AT&T: $280,000
Chevron: $150,000
Coca-Cola Bottling Company: $100,000
Coca-Cola Company: $135,000
Consolidated Energy: $100,000
Contran Corp: $100,000 (also $25,000 from Harold Simmons, CEO Total: $125,000)
Devon Energy: $250,000
Eli Lilly: $210,000
Emerson: $100,000
FirstEnergy Corp: $250,000
Philip Geier: $100,000
General Electric Co: $105,000
Hewlett-Packard: $100,900
Hunt Consolidated: $100,000
IQ Innovations: $200,000
Jacobs Entertainment: $125,000
Liberty Mutual Group: $100,000
Metropolitan Milwaukee Assoc. of Commerce: $115,000
Larry Mizel/MDC Holdings: $100,000
MTR Gaming: $125,000
Mugar Enterprises/David Mugar: $100,000
Murray Energy Corporation: $100,000
Natixis Global Asset Management, LP: $100,000
New Balance: $100,000
Nextera Energy Resources, Inc.: $100,000
Oracle: $100,000
Peabody Investments Corp: $120,000
Bruce Rauner/GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC: $100,000
Ryan Innovative Solutions: $100,000
SAS Institute: $130,000
SEIU: $100,000
Paul Singer/Elliott Management: $500,000
Jack Taylor/Enterprise Holdings: $190,000 (Also $50,000 from Andrew Taylor, CEO and Phyllis Taylor $25,000 Total $265,000)
Travelers Indemnity Company: $200,000
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc: $140,000
Richard DeVos/Alticor: $150,000

Keep in mind, this is only the list from the June, 2010 quarterly report. I’m certain there are many more on the March 2010 report who poured their money in at the first of the year.

For the publicly held corporations like News Corp, those donations come right off the bottom line. Funny how employees are overhead to cut, lay off, underpay and overwork in order to boost that bottom line, but million-dollar contributions to Haley Barbour’s attack machine are just part of the cost of doing business.

Not funny. But true. FROM CROOKS AND LIARS

—

UPDATE: FROM HUFFINGTON POST

Democratic operatives have hit back with statements calling Fox News’s RGA donation a final indication that their “Fair and Balanced” brand is less accurate than ever.

From Nathan Daschle, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association:

“By contributing $1 million to the Republican Governors Association, Fox has crossed a bright line. Fox can no longer pretend that it is a ‘fair and balanced’ news organization when Rupert Murdoch greenlights a million dollar contribution to defeat Democratic governors.

“Time and time again, Fox News has defended itself against accusations that it is nothing more than a tool of the Republican Party. We know now that the reality is so much worse: they’re bankrolling the GOP. FOX’s news division is ignoring the fact that its own parent company made a direct and unprecedented partisan contribution to defeat Democrats. This is hypocrisy at its worst, and is a sad day for all of us who believe that an independent and impartial media is vital to our democracy.

“Not only does this contribution severely compromise Fox’s news reporting, but it even breaks Fox’s own promise to its shareholders that it won’t give money to benefit officeholders.

“While it might be naive to think this will ever happen, we can only hope that Fox will own up to the activities and that its stable of opinion hosts like Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly will do the right thing and call on their company to return the contribution.”

From Hari Sevugan, national press secretary of the DNC:

“‘Fair and balanced’ has been rendered utterly meaningless. Any pretense that may have existed about the ties between Fox News and the Republican Party has been ripped violently away.

“No Republican who appears on Fox can be seen as answering to an independent press and all should appear with a disclaimer for who they truly are — the favored candidate of the corporate-friendly network. No Fox News’s political coverage can be seen as impartial and all of it should have a disclaimer for what it truly is — partisan propaganda.”

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Fox News and Wall Street Journal parent company News Corp donated $1 million to the Republican Governors Association in June, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reported. The media conglomerate, controlled by Ch… Fox News and Wall Street Journal parent company News Corp donated $1 million to the Republican Governors Association in June, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reported. The media conglomerate, controlled by Ch…
Read more from Huffington Post bloggers:
Ari Rabin-Havt: Rupert Murdoch Lied to Me (Personally)
Back in April, when I confronted Murdoch about Fox News’ support of the Tea Parties, he told me, “I don’t think we should be supporting the tea party or any other party.” Now it is clear Rupert Murdoch lied to me.

Please sign this very important petition “demand question time” (of our political leaders) HERE.. We really need more dialog from those at the top… The Republicans have got to be made to realize they can’t hide behind “NO” any longer! thinkingblue

More thethinkingblue Here

Let’s keep our heads, while we continue

to watch THE THEATER OF THE ABSURD!!!

“A SEARCH FOR TRUTH WILL FIND INJUSTICE.”thinkingblue

Is America more Sane than Insane?

thinkingblue — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:23:22 +0000

Is America more Sane than Insane?

Not if you watch TV… On all my fav political shows (Olbermann, Maddox, Sanchez and other progressive slanting TV) there’s always some story (albeit negative) about Jan Weber, Sharron Angle, Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin and the other squirrely cast of R’s, that make me want to HOLLER UNCLE but instead I mute the sound and wonder about the sanity of this country. (And I’m not even going near the likes of FOX NEWS…)

I just came across the smelliest of all the right-wing STINK-BOMBS letting loose his latest VERBAL FART… Rush Limbaugh is now defending the right-wing whack jobs like Sarah, Sharon (Limbaugh calls her Shirley), Michele and Jan… by lambasting the Repubs…

(A beast eating its own) ???

Holy steaming bat sh*t Batman, LimP-augh is grasping at BENDY STRAWS for his hate hyperbole by going after the Grand Old Party… Hmmm, I wonder if the majority of Republicans still consider Ole Rush, The Führer of the GOP? thinkingblue aka thethinkingblue

Good Grief, do you believe this?

thinkingblue — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:55:21 +0000

Click below link for a real eye-opener as to what the Tea Party Movement Is Really About $$$$!

Dayton Tea Party activist starts conservative business exchange

The Tea Party Republican Leaders or Tea Party Repugnant Organizers seem to have one eye on brainwashing their sycophants and the other eye on HOW TO MAKE MORE MONEY from their ignorance… But they did admit that… “It might attract some customers. It might drive some away,”… Let’s hope for the latter. thinkingblue

PS: They will promote the Tea Party Exchange concept to other chapters of the Tea Party, whose members advocate for reducing taxes and cutting spending and the size of government.
(WTF? Where were these assholes when Bush was spending us into the dire straits we’re in now? They want it two ways… CUT TAXES FOR THE RICH AND LESS SPENDING ON THE POOR (or less social programs for the middle-class to help them from becoming poor…!) which means MORE MONEY FOR THEM… it makes me sick to my stomach …! Go get your puke bucket and listen to this F**king jerk here: http://www.teapartyexchange.org/ ) or here. http://current.com/groups/savedemocracy/92604855_good-grief-do-you-believe-this.htm

Help Al Franken Save Net Neutrality

thinkingblue — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:50:28 +0000

Please sign Al Franken’s Petition To Save Net Neutrality

HELP SAVE NET NEUTRALITY

Please sign Al Franken’s Petition to SAVE Net Neutrality… Don’t allow the CORPORATE PERSON-HOOD to stamp out the LEAN-OVER-THE-FENCE freedom we enjoy on the Internet today…

(FYI - In many neighborhoods in the US, houses are separated by fences, and if you are in your back yard the only way to communicate with your neighbor is to “lean over the fence” and talk to them…. “as a small child I would watch my mother do this daily… Today we do it on FACEBOOK and The Internet!” tb)

If BIG CORPORATE BIG DADDY could charge us for the air we breathe THEY WOULD…! But I don’t think they’ve figured out how to do that just yet, but then again, maybe they have, BY DIRTYING IT UP!.
SIGN HERE: http://www.alfranken.com/index.php/thankyou/netneutrality/f thinkingblue aka thethinkingblue

SIGN PETITION HERE

The Voice Of Reason Bob Shrum – Re:House Being Called Back From Recess

thinkingblue — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:12:24 +0000

Pelosi Calls Congress Back From
Summer Recess To Vote On Bailout

The Voice Of Reason Bob Shrum – Re:House Being Called Back From Recess To Vote On Bailout To Fund States On Behalf Of Teachers, Police and Firemen.

(The last time the House came back from recess was in 2008, as lawmakers’ debated providing aid for the auto industry. Before that, the House came back to Washington to deal with the case of Terri Schiavo, a comatose woman whose husband was seeking to remove her feeding tube.)

***

”Ah yes, we all remember that 2005 hypocritical move by the Republican Leaders, which had proved beyond a shadow of doubt that all the Congressional Leaders who
wear an ‘R’ as a badge of honor are nothing but a bunch of 24-carat charlatans.”

thethinkingblue on youtube aka thinkingblue
blogspot

Voice Of Reason Bob Shrum

Re:House Being Called Back From Recess
To Vote On Bailout

Pelosi Calls Congress Back From
Summer Recess To Vote On Bailout

The House will return to Washington next week
to act on Medicaid and education funding for states.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced the
news via Twitter, saying: “I will be calling the House back
into session early next week to save teachers’ jobs and help
seniors & children.”

The news means lawmakers will be interrupting
their August recess to come back into session.

A House leadership aide told The Hill the early
return was discussed following the Senate’s vote Wednesday
to move forward on the $26 billion package.

Separately, a Democratic aide said if members
return to Washington to vote on the package, it would be Monday
or Tuesday next week.

The House gallery said the chamber will be in
session Tuesday but there was a possibility members could return
Monday for votes.

A K Street source said $10 billion in aid to
teachers, which is part of the package, drove the issue, and the
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees was
pushing Pelosi to call the House back to Washington.

Pelosi seemed to acknowledge that in her tweet
when she wrote the return was “to save teachers’
jobs.”

States would have to lay off thousands of
teachers if the money isn’t approved by Congress until
September. The House was scheduled to return the second week of
next month.

It would be “very difficult for the House
to be away from Washington for five weeks” while thousands
of state employees face layoffs because of budget shortages,
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters
Wednesday.

The package would set up a $10 billion
Education Jobs Funds to spare teachers from layoffs. It would
also disperse $16 billion in Medicaid funding to states
struggling to balance their budgets.

It isn’t as urgent that Congress approve
the Medicaid funding, because that portion of the package
approves payments that would be dispersed beginning in January.

The Senate invoked cloture on the package
Wednesday, setting up a final vote on passage.

“The House must pass this bill with no
changes as soon as possible,” AFSCME legislative affairs
specialist Linda Bennett wrote in a memo obtained by The Hill.

“There is talk that Speaker Pelosi could
call back the House to vote on this matter before September. An
August vote would alleviate teacher job losses before school
starts in September,” Bennett wrote in the memo, which was
circulating Wednesday on K Street.

“Please call offices of allies and those
who had deficit concerns with the tax extender bill. We need
support for this (soon-to-be) Senate passed bill to move quickly
in the House,” Bennett wrote in the memo.

A senior Democratic aide said Reid’s and
Pelosi’s staff were in discussions over whether the House
needs to return to Washington to pass the legislation.

Otherwise, the package would have to wait until
the week of Sept. 13, when House lawmakers were scheduled to
return from the August recess. Both chambers must pass the
legislation before President Obama can sign it into law and
states can begin accepting the federal assistance.

A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score
assumed the bill would not become law until mid-September.

Republicans might object to passing the
legislation in August, which could affect its estimated cost.

Michael Steel, spokesman for House Minority
Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), criticized the Democrats’
talks.

“The American people
don’t want more ’stimulus’ spending —
particularly spending for labor unions attached to a job-killing
tax increase. Democrats would be better off listening to their
constituents, who are asking, ‘Where are the jobs?’
rather than returning to Washington, D.C., to vote for more tax
hikes and special-interest bailouts,” Steel
said.

WTF??? It’s
the same ole tune and the same ole meaning… Keep the populous down and miserable so they will vote “R” thinking the “R” Swindlers will be good to them. PRICELESS!
thinkingblue aka the thinkingblue

NOT MANY COMMENTS JUST A FEW WITH A COUPLE OF KNUCKLEHEAD ONES
IN BETWEEN:

Sentinel at the Gate August 4, 2010 at 2:38 pm

This would be a good time for Repubs to just stay on vacation and
let the Dhimmis fully own this one. Skip any debate or
fillibuster as they will just howl and pass it without you
anyway.

But we all know that Repugnants like Snowe, Collins, Graham,
Brown and others will show up panting and salivating like
Pavlov’s dog to get a “little gravy”
—

Chuck O August 4, 2010 at 2:58 pm

I thought bailouts were bad? Oh silly me. I forgot it’s only
bad when the president has an R behind his name.
—

jasjfarrell August 4, 2010 at 7:40 pm

Snowe and Collins cave once again and agree to use taxpayer money
to prop up the wasteful spending of a few states. Will it ever end?
—
phil August 6, 2010 at 7:03 pm

jasjfarrell your honestly an asshole
—
thinkingblue August 8, 2010 at 7:25 am

Hey Phil, You sure hit the proverbial nail on the head!

Thanks

PROP UP THE WASTEFUL SPENDING OF A “FEW”
STATES…??? WTF? How horrible to give aid to states so they
can maintain their Fire Departments, Police and Teachers…
SUCH WASTEFUL SPENDING. IMAO, Repugs sure are easy to
brainwash… And the Repub Leaders Know It All Too Well!!
CHEERS! thinkingblue

More
thethinkingblue Here

Let’s keep our heads, while we continue

to watch THE THEATER OF THE ABSURD!!!

“A SEARCH FOR TRUTH WILL FIND INJUSTICE.”thinkingblue

Goal Of The American Educational System – Learn How To Pass Tests

thinkingblue — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 19:27:25 +0000

Goal of The American Educational System – LEARN HOW TO PASS TESTS!

An excellent THINKING speech by a High School Student.

It seems that the American Educational Public School system is
interested in one goal and that is to teach students how to pass
tests. I can assert this to be true since my daughter is an
elementary school teacher and I have heard from her how
frustrating it is to be a teacher who is unable to inspire
because of the pressure of being forced to only teach how to pass tests.

http://www.thethinkingblue.com/education.html

I received this in my mailbox this morning. So good it’s worthy of a pass around. The American Educational System leaves a lot to be desired and no one could have said it better than this young man, his words are eloquent and quite thoughtful. thinkingblue

PS: I did a Google Search and found that the Ron Paul Libertarian Movement had included this speech in many of its blogs. I do not and cannot subscribe to the Tea Party Movement but this speech has many of the elements that I believe in. Perhaps if the Tea Party Drive would start weeding out the Lunatic Fringe that have overtaken its notoriety, we might all be able to understand what exactly they are trying to promote. But as it stands today their position appears to be bigotry, selfishness and insanity.

The following speech was delivered by top of the class student Erica Goldson during the graduation ceremony at Coxsackie-Athens High School on June 25, 2010

Here I stand

There is a story of a young, but earnest Zen student who
approached his teacher, and asked the Master, “If I work
very hard and diligently, how long will it take for me to find
Zen? The Master thought about this, then replied, “Ten
years.” The student then said, “But what if I work
very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast – How
long then?” Replied the Master, “Well, twenty
years.” “But, if I really, really work at it, how long
then?” asked the student. “Thirty years,” replied
the Master. “But, I do not understand,” said the
disappointed student. “At each time that I say I will work
harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say
that?” Replied the Master, “When you have one eye on
the goal, you only have one eye on the path.”

This is the dilemma I’ve faced within the American education
system. We are so focused on a goal, whether it be passing a
test, or graduating as first in the class. However, in this way,
we do not really learn. We do whatever it takes to achieve our
original objective.

Some of you may be thinking, “Well, if you pass a test, or
become valedictorian, didn’t you learn something? Well, yes, you
learned something, but not all that you could have. Perhaps, you
only learned how to memorize names, places, and dates to later on
forget in order to clear your mind for the next test. School is
not all that it can be. Right now, it is a place for most people
to determine that their goal is to get out as soon as possible.

I am now accomplishing that goal. I am graduating. I should look
at this as a positive experience, especially being at the top of
my class. However, in retrospect, I cannot say that I am any more
intelligent than my peers. I can attest that I am only the best
at doing what I am told and working the system. Yet, here I
stand, and I am supposed to be proud that I have completed this
period of indoctrination. I will leave in the fall to go on to
the next phase expected of me, in order to receive a paper
document that certifies that I am capable of work. But I contend
that I am a human being, a thinker, an adventurer – not a
worker. A worker is someone who is trapped within repetition
– a slave of the system set up before him. But now, I have
successfully shown that I was the best slave. I did what I was
told to the extreme. While others sat in class and doodled to
later become great artists, I sat in class to take notes and
become a great test-taker. While others would come to class
without their homework done because they were reading about an
interest of theirs, I never missed an assignment. While others
were creating music and writing lyrics, I decided to do extra
credit, even though I never needed it. So, I wonder, why did I
even want this position? Sure, I earned it, but what will come of
it? When I leave educational institutionalism, will I be
successful or forever lost? I have no clue about what I want to
do with my life; I have no interests because I saw every subject
of study as work, and I excelled at every subject just for the
purpose of excelling, not learning. And quite frankly, now I’m
scared.

John Taylor Gatto, a retired school teacher and activist critical
of compulsory schooling, asserts, “We could encourage the
best qualities of youthfulness – curiosity, adventure,
resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being
more flexible about time, texts, and tests, by introducing kids
into truly competent adults, and by giving each student what
autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and
then. But we don’t do that.” Between these cinderblock
walls, we are all expected to be the same. We are trained to ace
every standardized test, and those who deviate and see light
through a different lens are worthless to the scheme of public
education, and therefore viewed with contempt.

H. L. Mencken wrote in The American Mercury for April 1924 that
the aim of public education is not “to fill the young of the
species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence. … Nothing
could be further from the truth. The aim … is simply to reduce
as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed
and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and
originality. That is its aim in the United States.”

To illustrate this idea, doesn’t it perturb you to learn about
the idea of “critical thinking?” Is there really such a
thing as “uncritically thinking?” To think is to
process information in order to form an opinion. But if we are
not critical when processing this information, are we really
thinking? Or are we mindlessly accepting other opinions as truth?

This was happening to me, and if it wasn’t for the rare
occurrence of an avant-garde tenth grade English teacher, Donna
Bryan, who allowed me to open my mind and ask questions before
accepting textbook doctrine, I would have been doomed. I am now
enlightened, but my mind still feels disabled. I must retrain
myself and constantly remember how insane this ostensibly sane
place really is.

And now here I am in a world guided by fear, a world suppressing
the uniqueness that lies inside each of us, a world where we can
either acquiesce to the inhuman nonsense of corporatism and
materialism or insist on change. We are not enlivened by an
educational system that clandestinely sets us up for jobs that
could be automated, for work that need not be done, for
enslavement without fervency for meaningful achievement. We have
no choices in life when money is our motivational force. Our
motivational force ought to be passion, but this is lost from the
moment we step into a system that trains us, rather than inspires us.

We are more than robotic bookshelves, conditioned to blurt out
facts we were taught in school. We are all very special, every
human on this planet is so special, so aren’t we all deserving of
something better, of using our minds for innovation, rather than
memorization, for creativity, rather than futile activity, for
rumination rather than stagnation? We are not here to get a
degree, to then get a job, so we can consume industry-approved
placation after placation. There is more, and more still.

The saddest part is that the majority of students don’t have the
opportunity to reflect as I did. The majority of students are put
through the same brainwashing techniques in order to create a
complacent labor force working in the interests of large
corporations and secretive government, and worst of all, they are
completely unaware of it. I will never be able to turn back these
18 years. I can’t run away to another country with an education
system meant to enlighten rather than condition. This part of my
life is over, and I want to make sure that no other child will
have his or her potential suppressed by powers meant to exploit
and control. We are human beings. We are thinkers, dreamers,
explorers, artists, writers, engineers. We are anything we want
to be – but only if we have an educational system that
supports us rather than holds us down. A tree can grow, but only
if its roots are given a healthy foundation.

For those of you out there that must continue to sit in desks and
yield to the authoritarian ideologies of instructors, do not be
disheartened. You still have the opportunity to stand up, ask
questions, be critical, and create your own perspective. Demand a
setting that will provide you with intellectual capabilities that
allow you to expand your mind instead of directing it. Demand
that you be interested in class. Demand that the excuse,
“You have to learn this for the test” is not good
enough for you. Education is an excellent tool, if used properly,
but focus more on learning rather than getting good grades.

For those of you that work within the system that I am
condemning, I do not mean to insult; I intend to motivate. You
have the power to change the incompetencies of this system. I
know that you did not become a teacher or administrator to see
your students bored. You cannot accept the authority of the
governing bodies that tell you what to teach, how to teach it,
and that you will be punished if you do not comply. Our potential is at stake.

For those of you that are now leaving this establishment, I say,
do not forget what went on in these classrooms. Do not abandon
those that come after you. We are the new future and we are not
going to let tradition stand. We will break down the walls of
corruption to let a garden of knowledge grow throughout America.
Once educated properly, we will have the power to do anything,
and best of all, we will only use that power for good, for we
will be cultivated and wise. We will not accept anything at face
value. We will ask questions, and we will demand truth.

So, here I stand. I am not standing here as valedictorian by
myself. I was molded by my environment, by all of my peers who
are sitting here watching me. I couldn’t have accomplished this
without all of you. It was all of you who truly made me the
person I am today. It was all of you who were my competition, yet
my backbone. In that way, we are all valedictorians.

I am now supposed to say farewell to this institution, those who
maintain it, and those who stand with me and behind me, but I
hope this farewell is more of a “see you later” when we
are all working together to rear a pedagogic movement. But first,
let’s go get those pieces of paper that tell us that we’re smart enough to do so!

Reprinted from Signs of theTimes.

An astounding video posted on the Signs of the Times Website

Julian
Assange: NDTV India interview – concerns about neighbor Pakistan:
Wikileaks Afghan war diary

More thethinkingblue Here

Let’s keep our heads, while we continue

to watch THE THEATER OF THE ABSURD!!!

“A SEARCH FOR TRUTH WILL FIND INJUSTICE.”thinkingblue

The Injustice To Shirley Sherrod By BigGoverment

thinkingblue — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:48:17 +0000

July 20, 2010 – The Injustice To Shirley Sherrod By BigGoverment

Rachel Maddow Again Tries To Make Sense Out Of Nonsense In The Shirley Sherrod {Character} Assassination Attempt By A Right-wing Blogger. (video below)

I am so thoroughly disgusted with the latest BULLY attack on an organization or in this case a person who spends their life trying to help others. The same blitzkrieg this big piece of BM, Andrew Breitbart perpetrated upon ACORN last year.

ACORN
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) was a collection of community-based organizations in the United States that advocated for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues. ACORN had over 400,000 members and more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in over 100 cities across the U.S., as well as in Argentina, Canada, Mexico, and Peru. ACORN was founded in 1970 by Wade Rathke and Gary Delgado. Maude Hurd has been National President since 1990; Bertha Lewis was appointed CEO in 2008.

ACORN’s priorities have included: better housing and wages for the poor, more community development investment from banks and governments, better public schools, and other social justice issues. ACORN pursued these goals through demonstration, negotiation, lobbying for legislation, and voter participation. ACORN comprised a number of legally distinct non-profit entities including a nationwide umbrella organization established as a 501 that performed lobbying; local chapters established as 501 nonpartisan charities; and the ACORN Housing Corporation. These entities supported labor-oriented causes.

During the 2006 mid-term elections, political controversy emerged over voter registration fraud by four ACORN employees. In 2009, selectively edited videos were released by two conservative activists using a hidden camera to elicit damaging responses from low-level ACORN employees that appeared to advise them how to hide prostitution activities and avoid taxes. This created a nationwide controversy resulting in a loss of funding from government and private donors.

By March 2010, 15 of ACORN’s 30 state chapters had closed and at least two others had severed ties with ACORN. On March 22, 2010, ACORN announced it was closing its remaining affiliated state chapters and disbanding due to falling revenue.

Below is an explanation of why this inhuman being who goes by the human name of Andrew Breitbart went after ACORN in the first place. As the typical benumbed conservative who worships money and power above all else, he can’t stand anyone or anything going after the cutthroats in business who prey upon the weak.

Predatory lending and affordable housing

ACORN investigates complaints against companies accused of predatory lending practices. ACORN also works to support strict state laws against predatory practices, organizes against foreclosure rescue scams, and steers borrowers toward loan counseling; Following a three-year campaign, Household International (now owned by HSBC Holdings and renamed HSBC Finance Corporation), one of the largest subprime lenders in the country, and ACORN announced on November 25, 2003 a proposed settlement of a 2002 national class-action lawsuit brought by ACORN. The settlement created a $72 million foreclosure avoidance program to provide relief to household borrowers who are at risk of losing their homes. The settlement came on the heels of an earlier $484 million settlement between Household, Attorneys General, and bank regulators from all 50 US states.

ACORN and its affiliates advocate for affordable housing by urging the development, rehabilitation and establishment of housing trust funds at the local, state, and federal levels. The group also pushes for enforcement of affordable-housing requirements for developers and promotes programs to help
homeowners repair their homes and organize tenant demands.

An ACORN official voiced support for a proposal Hillary Clinton made during the presidential primary election to create a federal fund for distressed homeowners READ MORE

Here’s more about the BARBARIAN BREITBART:

Know Your Right-Wingers:

Andrew Breitbart

Despite a massive Web presence and a successful ACORN attack, Andrew Breitbart is little more than a faux-outraged showman.

By Jake Blumgart May 6, 2010 (August J. Pollak)

The Obama era has been kind to crazed conservative
commentators—perhaps too kind for their own good. In a
market saturated with loudmouth reactionary malcontents it
can be tough for a would-be Internet provocateur/entrepreneur
to really break away from the pack. To distinguish himself,
ultra-right opinion-maker Andrew Breitbart’s favored
tactics include picking fights with practically everyone,
gaming the media with wily, web-based tactics, and snorting
the odd line of red wine powder (“it’s very dry”).

Yet despite all his shenanigans, Breitbart is largely just
another iteration of the old angry-white-guy-unashamed-of-it
trope. Breitbart’s tired but persistent rants against
progressive politicians are almost entirely
banal—“We have now entered the first full-fledged
Alinsky presidency”—even where they are viciously
overblown: “The Democratic party has been exposed as
trying to create a Kristallnacht to save the Obama
presidency.” You can get almost the exact same shtick
from Glenn Beck—but with a blackboard.

Breitbart’s medium, not his message, is the best way to
distinguish him from the swarm of cranky, white, middle-aged
pundits dominating the conservative movement these days.
Although he appears regularly on Fox News, and periodically
in print outlets like the Washington Times, the Internet is
Breitbart’s primary base of operations.

The origins of Breitbart’s Web-related prowess lie in
The Drudge Report, the conservative’s hallowed digital
mainstay. In the mid-1990s, when Matt Drudge launched his
aggregation website, Breitbart was aimlessly drifting after a
lackluster stint at Tulane University. When he saw
Drudge’s nascent project begin to take shape, he quickly
signed up, eventually taking on about half the workload.

The hectic schedule and conspiratorial tilt of the website fit perfectly with Breitbart’s helter-skelter personality. “I have a very good memory. I’m also good at connecting things together,” he says in a recent profile. “That allowed me to make outrageous cockamamie narratives. To be able to apply that to the newsworld.” READ MORE HERE

GOOD NEWS BELOW: thinkingblue

Andrew Breitbart defamed Shirley Sherrod; Brietbart could
be in troubleZENNIE62

Taking a Comic Con break to look at what else is happening; Google
Trends reveals the ugly story of what happened to previously
unknown Shirley Sherrod.

Conservative hit-blogger Andrew Breitbart’s known for his
extreme approaches in attacking liberals, but what he did to
Shirley Sherrod, a goverment worker who gave a speech to the
NAACP this year and regarding a matter that happened 24 years
ago, was that he apparently made a new video to claim she was
racist, and went way too far.

While he says he intended to harm the NAACP, he picked
Shirley Sherrod to do it. She did not ask for this. Breitbart
altered a video to twist her words.

Andrew Breitbart may be a target for the U.S. Department
of Justice’ Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section
(“CCIPS”) which is in the Criminal Division. The
website, which was forwarded to this blogger by the DOJ on
another issue, covers various types of crimes that involve a computer.

If Breitbart altered the video of Shirley Sherrod to make
it look like she was making a statement he then called
racist, he’s certainly guilty of defamation of character against Shirley Sherrod.

Breitbart may also be guilty of Internet harassment. He
certainly should be made a high-profile example to discourage
others from these uses of the computer and The Internet to
harass a person. Enough is enough.

Computer Crimes: The DOJ’s Information.

If you believe you’re the victim of a cybercrime, here’s a
link to another DOJ web page called “Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section, United States
Department of Justice.”

DO NOT RESIST using this resource. Read
more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail?entry_id=68350#ixzz0uK4lI0Oe

The firing of Shirley Sherrod — and the cowardice of Tom Vilsack

Please watch Rachel Maddow do her usual magic trying to make sense out of nonsense. We can always count on Rachel to expose the HATE AND RANKER within the GOP/TEAPARTY (and whatever else they call themselves) movement. thinkingblue

Rachel Maddow – Fox Assissination Kills Again – Shirley Sherrod

Please sign this very important
petition “demand question time” (of our political
leaders) HERE.. We really need more dialog from those at the top… The
Republicans have got to be made to realize they can’t hide behind
“NO” any longer! thinkingblue