Take A Moment to Quiet A Racist Voice

Please Take  A Single Moment to Sign This Petition and Share With Others.

If we are meant to have thoughtful discourse across the country when people of color are murdered by 'autority,' we have to get rid of the vitriol given by the 'experts' offered a voice in our media.

If you have never heard of Harry Houck, you are fortunate. A quick google search will show why there is so much outrage over his comments. He has condemned every victim murdered by the police. His continued voice in such desperate and necessary narrative for America will only lessen our potential for progress. Please sign and send a message that his hate is not welcome on CNN (maybe the Fox cable channel with the word 'news' in its title).

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION

Thank you so much.

Kiss Kiss ...

Mean Progressive

A Contrast of Colors

When President Obama arrived in Oklahoma last night, this was his view from the caravan on his ride to the hotel:

I am 42 years old and I still have no answer for the people who always ask me, "Why do you let these things upset you?" I don't know. I don't understand, even, the people who said that they expected something like that would happen. I am naive and I would just assume stay that way, I suppose. But that means I will always end up being surprised by the failings of humanity and I will always, then, end up being upset by them.

I always figured the majesty of the sight of a black President would be lost on my daughter. Although she understood it to the level that I could relay it, she also gave a me a curious glare on election night 2008 while I snotty face cried in my living room. That confirmed the profound gift of the moment was not as relevant for her. I saw that as a triumph because our country really was moving forward. I had no way of knowing, however, that the hate I thought was fading was only dormant. And I had no way of knowing that it would take our long awaited progress to bring that ugliness back to fashion.

To be sure, my President is an unbelievably patient and honorable man. He has had to deal with this shit for as long as he has been in politics and probably much longer than that.  I am sure that he was warned before they got off of the plane that a white trash parade was waiting to welcome him to town. I realize that he can take it. I realize that he can go home the next night to the White House where he happens to live and, if only in the back of his mind, send a silent, "And fuck you, too," to the people who hate him for the color of his skin instead of admiring the grace with which he leads.  

The pictures are startling to me. Take a moment to look closely at them. Look beyond the flags. Look beyond the backward people posing as human beings who wave flags to insult their President. Look at the smallest faces. They're closest to the fences put up to protect him. Look at those babies who are growing up in the South with brown skin who are getting as close as they can to see their President. They should not be expected to have his grace or understanding. They should not have to differentiate their pride from the contempt of those around them. 

We simply must force this down. We, all of us, must take every opportunity we have to shame those who mean to carry narrow, mindless hate into our futures. We know them. We live near them. We work with them. We have them in our families. Every American who abides these behaviors allows them moments of acceptance. The little white faces in the crowd with the parents teaching them hate are going to grow up having never had an opportunity to rejoice at having seen their President drive through their town. They will grow up with a memory of going to disrespect the leader of their nation because he was black. 

All of the babies in the pictures below deserve to grow up innocently believing, like I did as a child, that the office of the President commands respect. They deserve to believe that the racism which allowed for slavery and Jim Crow is an ugly truth worth remembering so as to never revisit those horrors. But these babies will grow up in the same place we did if we do not force ourselves and our country to be accountable for the least among us. They will not move forward without us. They may never move forward at all. But they cannot be afforded opportunites to condemn the rest of us to find a way to excuse their voices any longer. All of those babies deserve better. And, frankly, so does my President!

White Lives Matter

The Fox cable channel with the word "news" in its title was so moved by the recent tragic waste of a young life that they had their little ass-kissing O'Reilly fanboy go all the way to San Francisco to speak to their Board of Supervisors. Jesse Watters asked them, "How many dead people does it take?" It seems to take quite a lot, Jesse. Either that, or your question wasn't specific enough and missed an all-important adjective. It certainly takes a lot of black people if we are meant to go by Fox coverage which still demands that the entire black community bears responsibility for the myriad killings by police officers. If you did forget the adjective 'white,' however, it seems one is enough.

I know its hard to make it out in the video, here is her picture. She was absolutely beautiful. 

Here is another photo of a beautiful face we lost far too soon to indefensible and horrific gun violence.

Fox news, however, had a completely different perspective on that tragedy. The explanation for this loss was quite easy to find. There is a reasonable and understandable explanation for this murder, you see, the young man pictured above "looked a certain way." 

Aside from the very important information as to the immigration status of the alleged killer in this story (who, curiously, does not seem to be alleged when mentioned on Fox or by the Regressive Party candidates), little is known about this case, so far. I think we can all be sure, however, that she had to have been wearing a hoodie, or she would still be with us today.





POST: No one need bother play semantics with my sarcasm as I am one who sincerely believes that, in fact, all lives DO matter. You can feel free to write me a book below. I will not waste my time with white trash, however, and will ignore it without reading. No Regressive is worth my time. You were the moron who followed a link to a site called "Mean Progressive," after all.

Bill O'Reilly Fanboy Gets His Turn

Sometimes I like to record the Fox cable channel with the word 'news' in its title when big things happen in politics. Maybe I'm a sadist? Or a masochist? Since I don't know the difference, maybe not. But because Obamacare was upheld by the Supreme Court yesterday I just had to see what O'Reilly had to say about it. But he wasn't on. Apparently the night before Bill O'Reilly lost his shit. He went off on the idea that the right are racists and said that America is not racist. Basically, the problem with the black community is ... the blacks. They don't have normal family units and they have shitty neighborhoods and they have shitty schools. He is not a racist by pointing that out. The left have "the gall" to point out that America is a white supremacist nation? He kept saying that. I don't remember ever having heard anyone saying that the entire nation was filled with white supremacists. I remember hearing a lot of talk about our history. Our actual history. But then, we know that Bill rewrites history for a living, so maybe he is just confused by now about which are actually the facts.

Bill had a tirade about racism so crazy that made it in the news (the point, if I am not mistaken). And then he was not at work last night. So maybe he needed a little cooling off period? Maybe he is on suspension? Maybe he is getting fired? OOOHhhh let us all start rumors, shall we? That is what he would do. Or maybe he finally got arrested for domestic violence? Who knows.

Anyway, in his absence a little mongrel named Jesse Watters filled in. He has no charisma. And he is an asshole. He talks straight out of his ass. He is perfect for this channel. In his defense for America not being a racist country he talked about a childhood memory playing with a toy of the car from the Dukes of Hazzard. He waxed poetic about his memories of the show he loved when he was growing up. He then shows a picture and says, "What is this? The General. The Robert Lee. The Robert E Lee." Right. Having been an actual fan of the show I can tell you it is called none of those. He was born in 1978. The show started in 79 and ended when he was 5. I'll bet he doesn't have too many fond memories of the show. But whatever. I just needed that moment because I hate when people bastardize childhood memories and don't know what they're talking about. Sorry. I am easily distracted.

In the first segment this asshole, Watters, speaks to Clay Cane, editor from Bet.com, and introduces him by reminding him the night before O'Reilly determined the disintegration of the black family here in America, "I know you would agree that is one of the biggest problems, if not the biggest problem. How does white supremacy create out of wedlock births in the black community?" Just take that in for a moment. Asshole.

Poor Cane tried to answer respectfully and say that there is a lot more to it and began explaining that we have a history of laws and policy that are supposed to undo the centuries of racism, slavery and Jim Crow, however all of the damage done to the community won't be miraculously erased in 50 years and by saying racism is no longer an issue while the fact of its history and maintenance are negated. Which, to all thinking people would then be answered by a, "Duh." But Watters is obviously not one of us. He replied, "You didn't answer the question of whether or not white supremacy causes African American men to not get married to women they have babies with." And then he offered him no time to respond. Again. Take a moment with that. He dismissed the man telling him that the reason we are dealing with racism is because we dismiss the discussion. This guy is perfect for this channel.

The interview then goes to the other black man on the panel, Jason Riley, a Washington Post columnist and Fox News Contributor. Watters confirms the talking points about the left scaring blacks into believing that the right are racists so they won't vote for them. (Apparently, having missed the entire discussion he just had with Mr. Cane), Riley agreed and said that racism is used by the left as a weapon to shut down debate. Again. While sitting next to the man who tried to just have a thoughtful debate.

Watters cut back into the conversation to remind Cane that we have made a lot of progress because "we have Obama and Oprah. And we gave 'them' affirmative action, the welfare state, Obamacare; all of these programs to make sure the sins of slavery have been eradicated." Cane tried to come back with discussions about gentrification but neither Watters nor Riley were letting him have it.

Watters concluded the interview by telling Cane, "people come to America from all over the world, not because its racist, but because its a great nation." Exactly. He said that to a black man who is here because his ancestors were brought to be slaves while denying both any racism in our history or our present. In the next segment he invited a nice young white woman to come on and determine whether or not she thought America was a racist society. Surprisingly, she only thinks there are racists on the left. They told us that the entire thing about Charleston was spun by the President wanting to use the race card.

And this is why my country is in the place it is. These assholes have a voice. And an audience.

A Plan to Have the Flag Down By Monday

From every interview of the Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, it is clear that she has no compassion or understanding about the pain perpetuated by flying the Confederate flag atop the state house.

From this debate, her interest in removing the flag would only be compelled by the CEOs of the major corporations which call South Carolina home.

These are the top 22 large corporations in America which have a a major presence in South Carolina with a copy of their Twitter handles. You can also go to their Facebook page. You can send them a message or you can write them a letter. If enough people compel them to act they will do so. Their only interest is in maintaining their good name. And, apparently, Nikki Haley's only interest is in making these corporations happy.

If you want to forward a letter to Nikki Haley there is one here you are welcome to use.

By Monday, if these corporations are threatened by enough customers of a boycott, they will become involved. 

Please help in the effort.

Mean Progressive

Please also take a moment to sign this petition which is nearing 500,000 signatures if you have not already. The voices of Americans can be heard here.

Dear Nikki Haley: It Is Time

Dear Governor Haley:


It is common knowledge for all Americans that the Confederate flag is a symbol for racist groups. As such, one would think that it would be an embarrassment for it to be displayed publicly at a government building. Please ask yourself what the difference is, historically and emotionally, between the Confederate flag and this swastika flag. Both flags have been adopted by countless racist hate groups because of their commonalities. If that does not make sense to you, I insist you should not be representing any state or its citizens. You raised the question of your capacity to lead when you  answered in debates that removing the flag was not important to the CEOs of corporations in South Carolina. Do their opinions still hold the same weight?

State Representative Doug Brannon means to propose a bill to have the Confederate flag come down in November. That really is too long to wait. The healing cannot begin until the flag is removed from your statehouse and November is many months away.

You had a massacre in your state. Members of your community were murdered while they were praying in their church. The objective, per the assailant, was to start a race war. The hatred and racism from the time of slavery has never been addressed properly and is still a very important issue for all Americans to contend with. You dismiss the lives lost this week when you allow the very symbol adopted by racists as their flag to fly over the state house.

The insult is so much more profound when you realize that not only was one of the people who was killed, the Reverend Clementa Pinckney, the pastor of that church who had just spent an hour praying with his killer, but he was a member of the House of Representatives for the state of South Carolina. He must have had every ounce of the grace attributed to him by so many to have entered that building every day and pass that flag which represented so much pain and hate to then offer the respect to all inside. Every person inside the state house that he paid respect to had the power to return the favor by taking the flag down. It is unimaginable that they will allow it to fly now.

When you dismiss all pleas for the flags removal you disassociate yourself from a profound opportunity to begin the healing that our country has been in such desperate need to find. If it remains after the slaughter of these human beings in an event that we know to have been only an issue of race, you are perpetuating the problem and condoning not only the actions, but the mentalities behind the racist actors in our society today. They want that flag to stay up. The good-hearted and loving among us what an empathetic, thoughtful reflection to offer revelation to those with the authority to declare it time to take the flag down and respect those who were lost.

At present, your town is full of monuments and reminders to those who led the battles in attempts to maintain the ownership of other human beings. Can you not allow this massacre to be the event that makes you understand what type of pain that causes? I hear interviews of those defending their ancestors who fought in the war who demand the flag is an important reminder of their sacrifices. Would it not be prudent, at this time specifically, to consider the sacrifices of the ancestors whose lives they were fighting to remain enslaved?

The black community, too, are your citizens. And you perpetuate their suffering when you tell them that the struggles of their family are irrelevant. You condone the hatred when you fly a flag that all know is a symbol of hate in America. It is time to take it down. Today.

Most Sincerely,

All Patriotic Americans

This number of signatures on this national petition will continue to grow. I urge you to keep an eye on it. It will help document how many people are beginning to associate racism with a Republican leader who refuses to understand the importance of their role in perpetuating racism.

Stop the 'Holy Wars' Shit. Please.

I have been stuck on fear lately about never ending war. The fact that the Fox cable channel with the word 'news' in its title  has been referring to Isis as being in a Holy war is literally, and quite deliberately, baiting their very vulnerable and ignorant audience to begin following the rhetoric Isis wants America to follow. They see this as a Holy war. They want a Holy war.

America created our enemies over decades by interfering and arming groups that would later turn against us. Our being involved was going to create enemies, regardless. It took time but we are now the target for much of the hatred that permeates the ideologies of these groups. America decided to go into Iraq as retaliation for 9/11. We were lied into going to war. When the country (most of it) finally decided to see the fallacies that sent us to war, it was too late. I am proud to say that I thought it was bullshit at the time. I certainly wanted to defend our country and take care of the group that attacked us. But, as we all know, Iraq had nothing to do with it.

We have always had hawks on the right who want to go war. Any war, it seems. I am pretty convinced that their objectives are financial. That is absolutely heart breaking. Like McCain was a POW. It was a terrible time for him. But he is insistent that we should go to war every time an opportunity arises. No one seems to want to spend any time on diplomacy. It would be different if we could figure out who the opponents are and take them out. Human beings are being sent to war. Some human beings won't come home. Some human beings will come back so fucked up that they will not be able to function in society. We are constantly at war somewhere. Few in power seem to be reflecting on the fact that because we are always in war, we are always creating enemies.

Someone obviously has to take care of Isis. But they are everywhere. They are assaulting many countries. This is not an American fight. This is a world fight. I am afraid that my grandchildren will learn about WWIII and it will be a very different history lesson than the first two. There are no nations to fight in the Middle East. They are radical groups of assholes which we helped to radicalize (mad props there Uncle Sam). They compel people all over the world to kill others. With the internet, they have direct access to all of those disengaged in all societies who really just want to find someone to hate. Anyone. They can find this group and receive praise and offers of connectedness that they would otherwise never receive in their lives. They are gullible and weak. There are handfuls of these loners throughout the world. They can feel like they are a part of something where they can be celebrated for their disdain and brutality. They might have gone to a college campus or abortion clinic if they had the nerve, but this way they can act out as part of a group and feel solidarity with like-minded people. It really is a brilliant way to create an army, sadly. And they don't even have to meet. Ever. They can get their directions online. The idea of finding all of them and stopping them before anything else happens feels hopeless.

I am terrified of where we are headed. I fear for the service men and women who are going to be sent on a never ending battle with unnamed and unidentified enemies. Just because our military has been trained to fight doesn't mean they always need to be fighting. Wouldn't it be nice if we had a military solely to protect us in case something awful happened? Do we always have to be looking for something awful.

Yes, Isis needs to be dealt with. But they are an international threat. This needs to be dealt with by the UN. Why is it always us? I am sure there is an answer to that which I am just not aware of. I admit I am not well versed in all of our military histories but SHIT, this cannot be what we are looking to commit our future generations to, is it? How are these people ever going to be stopped? I don't know. But I can be damned sure that as right-wing assholes try to make propaganda out of "Holy Wars," we are just perpetuating our constant need to be fighting.

When I was a kid and classmates were considering going into the military it wasn't a foregone conclusion that they would soon be shipped off somewhere. The suicide rates of our military members wasn't astronomical. Now we just bring them home for a minute and ship them back. I sincerely worry about where this is headed. And I wonder what our reflections will be like in 10-15 years. Will we see that there was really a nefarious plot and recount all of the villains behind it and the billionaires (by then trillionaires) who are enjoying the spoils over decades of our dead young men and women? Holy War, indeed. Fuck you.

Mike Huckabee Still Hates the LGBT Community

So many glorious revelations are being had in American society today that it is almost hard to believe. When I had my daughter 23 years ago I hoped that when she grew up we would have left racism, bigotry and homophobia behind us. We are all still working on them, unfortunately. But we are also seriously working on them. The Black Lives Matter movement is being heard. The feminist movement is losing its stigma. And the LGBT community is finally being embraced for being actual human beings just like the rest of us.

It was telling when Caitlyn Jenner was on the front page of Vanity Fair just how far the LGBT movement had come. Every single (creditworthy) news outlet supported and celebrated her freedom. What was more telling, however, was the fact that the media had also found a nasty piece of video where Mike Huckabee told his congregation (what was that shit, a sermon?) that we are 'under threat' by those who are transgender in society and the media made him accountable for having said it.

Huckabee gets away with a lot that the media refuses to cover. But they nailed him for his nasty remarks and all of the other candidates on the right were similarly held accountable for his hateful rhetoric. Only Lindsey Graham was supportive of Caitlyn's transformation. Huckabee had to backtrack a bit and say that it was last year. Ok Mike. So, what? You have had a revelation in the last year? Its possible. Right? We all evolve.

But not Mike Huckabee. This was on his Facebook page just last night. We all know that the right has determined President Obama is responsible for absolutely everything. When they are on the campaign trail, all GOP candidates find the most creative ways to bring either the President or Secretary Clinton into the discussion. Last night Huckabee, in what seemed like an effort to condemn the Obama Administrations military preparedness for Isis, found a way to slam the LGBT community, too. He sure is creative, huh?

Let us not offer him a chance to slither out of this one. Please pass this on.

Kiss Kiss,

Mean Progressive :)

The Least Among Us

I spend a lot of my time pissed off about the fact that teabaggers are so easily duped. The shit they believe is impossible for me to comprehend anyone taking seriously. But the thing that is worse, to me, is that this is deliberate. There are a lot of radio, internet and television talking heads that they listen to religiously. And every message they get is to be afraid. "Our country is under attack. Our way of life is under attack." They totally believe it. Obama is going to take all of their rights away. They are threatened by Muslims, and gays and immigrants and all people of color. They have been convinced that all of these people, in one way or another, are trying to take away their rights. And the worst of them project a violent rage toward all of those who they were programmed to hate. It is terrifying.

Everyone has heard of Rush Limbaugh and the Fox cable entertainment channel. But there are so many more voices that they get their hateful messages from. A lot of them, believe it or not, get messages of hate from their church. I researched a blog I did last month and the pastor of a mega-church here in town was condemning Muslims and the poor. He was supporting the hateful rhetoric they hear all week on the radio. And another pastor, quite literally, told his congregation that he hates the President, prays for his death, and called his mother a whore. (See Here) This conglomerate have been able to successfully brainwash an entire political movement.

It sounds dramatic, right? Angie, you are exaggerating. Ok. I tell you what ... I will offer you a handful of stories here and I want you to imagine anyone on the left doing it. Ever. We have assholes who will throw paint on someone wearing a fur coat, but we don't have anyone who decides the answer to any fears they have about their political or religious views is violence. Or worse.

In March of this year, a man in Georgia planted a bomb in a public park in an attempt to make the community aware of the Muslim threat he believed the country was under. He demanded that "No one is paying attention to what is going on in the world." This self-professed "Patriot" put the bomb in a backpack and added some Muslim memorabilia, a copy of the Quran and a map of the Jewish Community Center of Atlanta. He literally picked out a name that he thought sounded foreign and put it in the back pack. All items were meant to be evidence, after the pending explosion, of a Muslim performing a terrorist attack. Please understand. The bombs in the backpack were real. He left them at a national park. Anyone could have picked that up and been blown up. And once arrested, what was he charged with? Terrorism? Nope. He's a white man. It was probably just a mental issue. He was charged with: an attempt to damage or destroy by means of an explosive property owned by the United States of America.

Also in March, a man in New Orleans went to the airport with a duffel bag carrying a machete, six homemade explosives and poison spray. He sprayed two TSA officers in the face with the poison and then chased another with the machete. He was eventually shot and killed and when they searched his car they found more chemicals to make explosives. The TSA are targets for hate by two right-wing radio personalities, Alex Jones and Glenn Beck. Beck actually tells his listeners that he believes the TSA are working for the President as his "secret army." And he has an audience. Again, its more than my mind can embrace. This man who attacked with explosives and a machete, based on irrational fear, was also determined not to have been a terrorist. He, too, was white. He, too, they said, probably had mental health issues.

In August, 2012, a Wisconsin man shot and killed six and injured four at a Sikh temple. His hate was so ignorant and lazy that he didn't know the difference between Sikhs and Muslims. He was a white supremacist and in a neo-Nazi band. He had been telling friends that a holy war was coming. I found no mention of his having a mental problem, but he lost all of his jobs for a drinking problem. Had he not killed himself that day, I'm sure that would've been his defense.

In September, 2012, a Virginia man killed himself and his family. He as afraid that President Obama was going to be re-elected. He worked as a defense contractor and was sure that, if re-elected, President Obama would cut defense spending. So, out of that fear, one Sunday after church, he shot his wife and two sons and then himself, rather than face whatever world would be created by a second Obama term. Information was released to state that he suffered from mental health issue, as well.

In June, 2014, a couple, Jerad and Amanda Miller, who were big fans of right wing radio host Alex Jones, went on a shooting spree. They had expressed a lot of anti-government rhetoric and hatred for authority. They managed to kill two police officers, throwing a Tea Party flag and Nazi swastika on their dead bodies and then killed another person before they were finally killed.

Per the Southern Poverty Law Center, in the last six years right-wing hate groups, militias who call themselves "Patriots," have killed 63 people. These groups are literally convinced that America is under attack and it is their duty to protect her. Meanwhile, they are the terrorists. They are the ones who are wreaking havoc. Out of fear and hate they rally around a flag and a right to bear arms and terrorize whomever they deem a threat. And it seems like the list of those who are threatening them gets longer and longer.

So last night in Texas a group of redneck tebagging trash held a cartoon drawing event, arranged by a woman named Pamela Gellar. When I heard this was her event I nearly lost my  mind. A lot of the moron trolls on Twitter cite her or send you a link to some absolutely unbelievable lie. She is so outrageous that I literally sent her a message last month and asked her how she sleeps at night with all of the fear she is deliberately trying to instill in others. And she arranged an event in Texas for people to draw pictures of Mohammad. It is an Islamic rule that no depiction of their prophet ever be made. She decided this would be a good idea to have a celebration of their freedom of speech and said it was inspired by the Charlie Hebdo massacre.

In January she had a rally to protest a Muslim leadership conference in the same town as last nights shooting, Garland, Texas. She told the group that they were coming to take away Americans freedom of speech. You can go here to see her rally in January. It is a little funny. Or a lot. She is literally telling them what to say to the media. She told her audience that they are soldiers in the battle for America. Because..yeah. And, finally she reminded them to be righteous and not to embarrass the movement.

She was OBVIOUSLY trying to start trouble last night. She even had the police there ready to catch the terrorists when they showed up. Fox (not) News interviewed a woman who said, "our way of life is under attack." She thought the event was a great idea to show off their freedom of speech. Now, please understand, this entire event was a reaction to Muslims in Texas having a leadership conference in January.

Apparently when the shooting happened, an officer entered the center where this event was going on and informed the guests that there was an active shooting. The group inside literally started singing "God Bless America" in unity and then they began to pray together. Close your eyes. No. I'm not kidding. Close your eyes. Envision people under a shooting attack that they deliberately incited are huddled together singing "God Bless America" and praying together. Have a moment with that vision. What did you just see? Right! They are as brainwashed as a real cult. (Of course, Fox (not) News pointed out that it was a patriotic display of the true "spirit of freedom of speech").

The Fox host interviewed Pamela Gellar and asked her if she ever considered that this event was a bad idea? She was off-put by his question and snapped back, "What should I do? Abridge my freedoms so as to not offend savages?" She then went on to remind Americans that, "This is the new normal," in our country. This bitch wanted something like this to happen. She said it was in response to the Charlie Hebdo event in January. That event was VERY different. They printed a magazine to show their speech because they had been threatened. The magazine had received a threat and they were standing up to bullies. No one had sent a threat to this group in Texas. They created their own imagined threat because a Muslim leadership conference was in their town. They have been brainwashed to believe that Muslims are coming for them and a holy war is on the way. This is literally a reaction to a fear they were instilled with. They baited the shooters. And they willingly put their own lives on the line in hopes that this might happen.

The next time anyone drones on and on about terrorists, remind them that we have had more Christian terrorist incidents since 9/11 than Muslim. In the last 20 Years 4700 acts of clinic violence were perpetrated against abortion clinics in the USA by "Christians." They are the ones creating all of the hate in our society. And they are too stupid to realize it. And, sadly, we are stuck with them.



HateGroups(See Here)