It's just awful, isn't it.

AWFUL. I cannot believe it. Just - the cruelty. The cold cruelty. Just simply AWFUL.

Dang! That's a good one!

I just have one problem with threads like this.

Not one of these great speakers and inspiring thinkers and hard-working activists actually DOES manage, literally, to "destroy the right-wing." The bad guys never feel a thing. And their movement certainly is not destroyed. Or stopped. Or even slowed down.

That's the point. COMPLAIN!!! DO IT!!! Don't bother yourself about what people will think.

Just freakin' DO IT. It will help enlighten others who either inhabit that other side OR just are totally not involved and not aware and don't pay attention. ALL those types need to hear and see and feel the pushback. When we stay silent, it's awfully easy to assume that we don't exist. And that our feelings and thoughts and opinions don't exist. And all there is, that counts, is you turn on TV and it's Pox Noise and you don't even think about it.

That's one reason why I advocate for calling your rep - and somebody else's too. Don't care if your rep is one of the opposition. Don't care if that other guy/gal you call is firmly in the enemy camp. JUST FREAKIN' DO IT! If more of them heard from more of us, maybe they'd start realizing that there's more of us out there than there are of their side. The opposition, especially, needs to hear from us. We can't just be preaching to the choir. We have to take it to the bad guys too. They need to know we're here, we're increasingly militant, and we're not going to go away - NOR are we going to go backwards like they want to do. They need to get a sense of what a large opposition they face and how they're the minority and WE know that, too. We need to start impressing upon them that WE are in the minority. This crap they try to sell - that America is center-"right"? WRONG!!!!! The statistics and consistent polls prove otherwise. OUR guy got more votes BOTH TIMES than either of theirs did. OUR GUY in the White House got more votes than ANYBODY ELSE ON CAPITOL HILL DID. BOTH TIMES. MILLIONS more. And some pipsqueak Congresscritter from some little corner of Dumbfuckistan does NOT speak louder, OR have more clout, than him OR all of us who sent him into the White House. BOTH TIMES.

They need to start learning this lesson. They need to start being FORCE-FED this lesson. Whenever the ted cruzes of the world spout how they've "listened to the American People" we need to call them on that bullshit. They've listened to this little sliver of the population that acts out and throws temper tantrums like a bunch of spoiled snot-nosed five-year-olds. They have NEVER listened to "the American People" because if they did, they'd know the numbers are NOT on the side of their priorities. On women's rights. On voting rights. On climate change. On income inequality. On civil rights. On corporate overreach. On the separation of church and state. On immigration reform. On Citizens United. On marijuana. The list goes on. And that misbegotten attitude they cling to - probably because all THEY listen to is Pox Noise and the limbots on the radio - needs to be corrected. BIGTIME. The ted cruzes of the world don't pay any attention to that because they're not forced to. And even if a little bit of them IS aware that the numbers don't support his agenda, they have this wall of sound surrounding them and insulating them so they don't have to think about US - their opposition. And they need to be FORCED to be made aware of this, and be reminded of this, and be schooled about this. REPEATEDLY.

I'd bet most of the TVs on in commercial establishments where the public traffics are tuned in there because nobody really thinks about it. They're pretty well programmed. And there's nothing in their minds that would pop up to suggest that - um - hey, somebody might not like that channel. Somebody might not want to see that. They don't think about those things. Too busy thinking about opening up and did the cleaning crew finish up properly and who just called in sick and who do I call in to replace them today and shit-got-a-meeting-at-noon-that-I'm-not-ready-for and the company car needs new tires and I have to call accounts payable by ten about such-n-such and crap-I-just-remembered-tonight's-my-kid's recital and blah-blah-blah... They don't think. It's WAY low on their priorities list.

So WE should be there to enlighten and educate and broaden their minds. I'd bet that most of the businesses that have their office/store TVs on Pox Noise don't even give it a thought. Automatic pilot time. So let US step forward and show leadership, and help them broaden their narrow, unthinking outlook!

Nope. You were teaching her responsibility for her actions and wise management of her passions.

Planned Parenthood has been tarred and feathered with all kinds of falsehoods, distortions, lies, and crap. They do GREAT work and it's NOT 100% about abortion. I think the statistic is - a big ol' whopping THREE percent of all Planned Parenthood clinic activities have something to do with abortion. The rest of it is about women's health and intelligent family planning, mammograms, pap smears and such. Counseling of all kinds - about what pertains to the most intimate reaches of a woman's body and psyche. What would a bunch of grumpy old white men know about any of this? Especially considering - back in THEIR day - this stuff just wasn't spoken about in polite company. Hell, they didn't even SAY the word "pregnant" on TV for years - and in far too many of those nice, white, suburban bedrooms, Mom and Dad slept in twin beds.

In my opinion, the opinions about us women and OUR PRIVATE CONCERNS by a bunch of grumpy old white men - are ABSOLUTELY AND TOTALLY IRRELEVANT and without merit.

No flames for you!

I'd agree, particularly considering the huge hurdles the bad guys keep trying to shove in front of him, the blockages and utter constipation of our government's smooth workings just for spite, from the TRUE "Sore Loserman" crowd. We need some political Ex-lax!

The Great Escape - what a GREAT movie!

James Garner was a real class act. His heart was in the best place, too. Safe passage, Mr. Garner.

I did that at my bank. They finally changed it.

Had to do it a few times. I'm a familiar face - I've been banking there for a long time. I've even used my favorite excuse (which happens to be a documented fact) that I'm a retired reporter and the way they "report" the "news" over there is quite literally, and personally, offensive to me - their LONGTIME customer. And I nicely and politely told whatever bank tellers I was dealing with, asked them to pass it on up the food chain, and also went over to the side of the room where the manager-types sit, and buttonholed the manager who was on duty there at the time. Make sure they know AND their boss knows.

Now, those monitors are on CNBC or the Weather Channel or CNN or some such "neutral" channel.

Btw - the next time I went in and noticed there was a different channel on the monitors, I thanked them - the teller and whatever manager was on duty over at the side of the room. Asked what made them do it. I was told "we've had complaints." What do I care if most or all of those complaints came from me? I don't care! It's "complaints" - PLURAL. And that's really all that matters. And I must have complained to several different tellers and managers. Farther up the food chain, they're not gonna know if it was merely one customer repeatedly complaining, and nobody in the middle is gonna care enough or take the time to note who complained or that it was the same ornery woman or whatever. All they're gonna know or care about is that they had "complaints" - PLURAL. Make their mild disinterest work for you!

He never fooled me either. But that slick schtick sure did - with far too many gullible Americans.

He was a master in the slogan-delivery department. All that acting served him and all his greedy little pirate friends very well. I was even a little bit afraid of him because he struck me as the most dangerous man in America BECAUSE of his skill at salesmanship. That aw-shucks delivery, the gently shaking head, the eyebrow thing - one of 'em went up, one of 'em went down, very cute and folksy and "aw, what a kindly old man! Harmless and amiable like that fun old uncle with the fun stories and famous-friends anecdotes and salty Irish pub-style jokes. Adorable! Let's all sit around by the camp fire, at his knee, and listen to "Ol' Dutch." And in the meantime, the snake oil oozes out of his mouth and down his backside, along the ground until it finds targets with open pores to seep into. And pretty soon, the target is consumed - and overtaken - and owned - and becomes part of the monster. Without firing a shot. Without shedding a drop of blood. A completely clean and painless kill. No muss, no fuss, and they're totally body-snatched. Zombi-fied. Never even knew what hit 'em. He poisoned our collective mind here in America. Made it sound sooooooooo good to turn generosity and compassion and "my brother's keeper" and care and concern for "the Least of These" upside down and ass-up. Morning in America and all that crap. Shining City on a Hill and win one more for the Gipper and all those nice slogans from that nice avuncular harmless lovable ol' dude who was 90-thousand years old with an accordion-pleated face but his hair somehow never grayed... Toxic Phony!!!

But he photographs well... (especially when you slap a 120-foot American flag behind him and lots of old-Hollywood Busby Berkeley staging all around him.)

Well, if the owner likes hanging onto that bar, maybe he/she needs to start paying attention

to what the clientele wants. And if customers like YOU and your friends start getting vocal about it, and demanding that the channel be changed, the owner will eventually have to give in. Because more than even Pox Noise, that business owner loves money and customers and profits. And if the customers keep complaining about something... that could put the money and profits parts in jeopardy.