The King of New Jersey, and Phil talks to some of his closest friends.

So let me get this straight; Governor Krispy Kreme cut payments to pension plans in New Jersey and delayed property tax rebates. And yet, he gave 27 (TWENTY SEVEN) of his own staff members raises, recently.


  "Gov. Chris Christie in the last two months gave raises to the staff members who run his press shop, his schedule and his public appearances, according to a report by The Record.


Of the 27 staff members who got their salary bumped, 24 are aides who set the stage at his town halls, handle his image in the media or schedule his events.
Some of the biggest raises went to Kevin Roberts, a spokesman for the governor, and Dan Robles, a personal assistant who travels with Christie. Each started receiving an extra $35,000 this year, according to data obtained by The Record.


After leaving government last year to serve as a spokesman for Christie's re-election campaign, Roberts is now back in the governor's office as a deputy communications director earning $110,000 a year. Robles is now the director of planning, making $115,000 a year.


"Changes in salary in the main reflect changes in position, promotions, or expanded job responsibilities for these staff members," Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak told the newspaper. (Drewniak's salary was bumped up nearly 4 percent, to $134,000 a year.)"


It must be nice to be King.


Meanwhile the poor people of New Jersey who suffered through Hurricane Sandy have still not been made whole.


Finally, congrats to the folks who put together the republican Leadership Conference for getting a real live television star to appear for their big get together in the Big Easy. (No, not Donald, although he was there as well.)


My man Phil Robertson, who declared that the Negro was doing pretty good back in the Jim Crow days, was talking Jesus, the bible, and  guns to his fellow travelers.    

"Phil Robertson, star of the A&E network’s hit reality television series “Duck Dynasty,” came to New Orleans on Thursday preaching the Bible and the gun to a group of jubilant Republicans.


He had a few words for President Barack Obama as well. “We’re up against evil like I’ve never seen in my life,” he said. “I’m sitting there and I’m thinking, ‘What’s coming out of the White House?’ The only thing I can tell you folks is it’s just downright embarrassing.”


Robertson was catapulted into conservative politics last year after A&E briefly suspended him for making disparaging remarks about homosexuals and suggesting in a GQ magazine interview that blacks in the South were happy during the Jim Crow era. But he offered no new grist for scandal in New Orleans on Thursday, quoting George Washington and John Adams to bolster his case that America is a Christian nation, but keeping well within the GOP tent in his views on the separation of church and state." [Source]


But there seemed to be some good that came from Phil's speech to the faithful.


"He even went out of his way to discourage racist attitudes. 'There’s one race on this planet, and it’s called the human race,' he said. 'Therefore you have no right to color-code anyone. We’re all the same family.”'


You tell em Uncle Phil. And you are just a walking billboard for tolerance. Not!






 

The Bundy two step.

So Cliven Bundy finally went off on "the Negro". The poor guy just couldn't keep his racist and bigoted views hidden any longer. It was just a matter of time before his views about "the Negro" became public. Of course we "Negroes" knew how he felt all along. We know exactly where guys like this are coming from.


Now let's see how FOX News and all his apologist picks at all the fleas from lying down with this racist deadbeat and tax cheat.


The guy owes the government over a million dollars and has the nerve to say that it is "Negroes" who are getting over on the government. Unbelievable!


Anyway, as is to be expected, some republicans and right wing-nuts are already distancing themselves from a man they were calling a "patriot" just a few days ago. (BTW, I love how Glenn Beck called out Bundy but embraced a similarly bigoted and ignorant, Phil Robertson.)


You have to love it; because nothing scares a racist more than another racist revealing what they really believe, publicly.


"Conservative media titan Sean Hannity, formerly one of Nevada rancher Clive Bundy’s strongest advocates, expressed his vehement disgust Thursday with the latter’s remarks on slavery


Bundy’s comments “are beyond repugnant to me. They are beyond despicable to me. They are beyond ignorant to me,” Hannity said during his radio show.
He then turned his anger toward Democrats who would use Bundy’s comments to attack conservatives.


“They want to say that conservatives are racist. Conservatives hate women,” Hannity said. “Conservatives want old people to die, granny over the cliff. They want the young people to fend for themselves. They want to poison the air and poison the water.”


“People that for the right reasons saw this case as government overreach now are branded because of the ignorant, racist, repugnant, despicable comments of Cliven Bundy,” he said.


After playing a clip of Bundy trying to clarify what he meant, Hannity said: “Just turn it off. I don’t want to hear it anymore. It’s obnoxious, ignorant.”  


Oh what a difference a day (and some daylight) makes.

Tales from the far right, and more about the B word.

*

The right wing in this country has become absolutely unhinged.

I mean I understand anger and speaking truth to power, in fact, I encourage it; but we really have to be careful how we go about acting out our displeasure with our government.

 "A right wing nitwit by the name of Chris Crockett, a resident of Pennsylvania, really does not like President Obama. This NRA acolyte and Phil Robertson supporter took to the interwebs to vent his frustrations with the President in an intelligent and well-informed discussion of the issues–just kidding! He wants that “Muslim” dead.

Apparently, Mr. Crockett is lonely and enjoys visits from men in suits, because he chose to join the ranks of Everest Wilhelmsen in his open expressions that President Obama (and his entire family) should cease to exist. Like Hank the Handyman, Crockett asked for someone in the world to “plz shoot that f**king n*gger president…”

Like all racists, Crockett preceded his use of the n-word with an explanation that he is “not racist.” If that’s not enough, he extends his wonderful suggestion that “he should be killed” to include President Obama’s children and “the rest of him (sic) Muslim Family.”


[Source]

Oh my! No love for his O ness I see. Hey, dude is entitled to question his government and the policies of the guy calling the shots, he and his fellow travelers can even do disgusting things like this , but my man has to be smart enough to keep the guys in the black suits off of his doorstep. This is not how you do it.

Finally, speaking of "right wing nitwits", I have another story that you will not be seeing on FOX News, Drudge, Breitbart, or any of their news outlets anytime soon.

This one has to do with the dreaded Benghaaaazi, and all the right wing talking points surrounding the tragedy that took place there.

Apparently they had a lot if it wrong.

"There are a lot of interesting details in the article, but two points are important to note:

• Islamist groups did indeed use that anti-Muslim video as a rallying point to launch the initial attack.
• There's no evidence that Al Qaeda or any other international terrorist organization was involved, and no evidence of meticulous planning.

Months of investigation by The New York Times, centered on extensive interviews with Libyans in Benghazi who had direct knowledge of the attack there and its context, turned up no evidence that Al Qaeda or other international terrorist groups had any role in the assault. The attack was led, instead, by fighters who had benefited directly from NATO’s extensive air power and logistics support during the uprising against Colonel Qaddafi. And contrary to claims by some members of Congress, it was fueled in large part by anger at an American-made video denigrating Islam.
A fuller accounting of the attacks suggests lessons for the United States that go well beyond Libya. It shows the risks of expecting American aid in a time of desperation to buy durable loyalty, and the difficulty of discerning friends from allies of convenience in a culture shaped by decades of anti-Western sentiment. Both are challenges now hanging over the American involvement in Syria’s civil conflict.

There’s much more to this multi-part article, and you should, as always, read the whole thing. But it shows unequivocally that the reality in Libya is far more complex and murky than the simplistic anti-Obama talking points pushed relentlessly by the right."

That's an outline of the article. Read the actual New York Times investigative report, here.

*Top pic from thewire.com

Casualties of war.

The birthday of the J man has come and gone, and as we contemplate such things as peace and good will among men,  we can't escape the cold reality of living in some truly messed up times.  And, sadly, this time of year also seems to bring out the worst in people.

For the record, there is no "war on Christmas". This is a phony war conceived by certain folks on the right to stir the pot among like minded people who need something (anything) to be angry about.

I will also be glad to put this silly debate about the color of Santa in my rear view mirror. It must be tough being a black child in America. It's bad enough your teachers are telling you that "we don't need another black president", but you have to be constantly reminded that Santa doesn't look like you, either. I swear Christmas just isn't what it used to be.

Anyway, the "war on Christmas" might be over, but the "culture wars" will certainly continue.

The latest cause célèbre for conservatives is now bordering on the absurd. This guy, Phil Robertson, has become the Rosa Parks of the conservative movement (although I am quite sure that Rosa Parks never made bigoted and ignorant comments about a race or a particular group of people), and he has become a rallying force for all the "God fearing" right wingers who believe that they are under attack from a more secular society at large.

Down in Alabama they are introducing a bill to declare Robertson a "hero" for crying out loud!

 "While plenty of conservative politicians have voiced their support for Phil Robertson after the Duck Dynasty patriarch made his controversial comments about homosexual sex, only one is putting words into action. According to The Daily Home, Alabama State Senator Jerry Fielding (R-Sylacauga) is planning to introduce a resolution that would offer Robertson that state’s official and unanimous support.

“Phil Robertson’s family values are shared by the vast majority of Alabamians, who are rightfully concerned by the vitriol aimed at his Christian stance,” Fielding told the local paper. “There’s a clear double standard in the media favoring a liberal worldview. When it’s used to silence and punish Christians for stating their beliefs, that’s when we must defend the rights of individuals to exercise their free speech without fear of politically-motivated repercussion.” [Source]

Don't laugh, they are pushing a bill to save Christmas as well. As if Christmas is in danger of going anywhere. This is all so stressful. A brotha can't even say "Happy Holidays!" without getting the fuzzy eyeballs from some folks. "It's Christmas, damn it! What are you, some kind of Atheist commie?" Well, actually....

"Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) appeared on Fox & Friends Tuesday morning to discuss his new “bipartisan resolution to save Christmas,” which was positively received by the show’s fill-in hosts.
According to Lamborn, H.Res. 448 states that “we should, as a country, protect the symbols and traditions of Christmas and not put up with any attempts to ban symbols and traditions of Christmas.”

I am not buying all of this. I am quite sure that Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty The Snowman will be with us for a long long time.

*Pic from scepticmoney.com
















 

Quack!

Let me say for the record right now; the Duck Dynasty dude probably should have not been suspended. He is on that network and pulling ratings because he is an ignorant redneck, so to suspend him reeks of Inspector Louis Renault from Casablanca. What kind of enlightened pearls of wisdom do you think would come out of the mouth of a guy like that?

Still, having said that, I find it rather amusing and somewhat interesting that he was suspended for his ignorant and despicable comments about Gays, but all we hear are crickets when it comes to his statements about black folks down in Louisiana.

 "..never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person," Robertson is quoted in GQ. "Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I’m with the blacks, because we’re white trash. We’re going across the field.... They’re singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, ‘I tell you what: These doggone white people’—not a word!... Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues.” [Source]

Nope, they weren't happy. Mrs. Field's dear granddaddy (may his soul rest in peace) told me so.

Maybe these comments about black folks aren't getting a rise out of folks because quite a few people in the majority population agree with him.

But I can assure you that there was nothing to be happy about in pre- civil rights and Jim Crow Louisiana.

Do you see where Phil is going? He lumps in "entitlement" and "welfare" with civil rights. Nice.

Of course, as is to be expected, this has started a culture war. Sarah Palin and her peeps over at Fox News are supporting the Duck man. (An ignorant bigot will get their support every time.) They think that he is being unfairly treated for speaking his mind. But these same people wanted Martin Bashir fired for speaking his mind about Sarah Palin.  Go figure.

Unbelievably, the governor of the state of Louisiana is supporting the Duck Man as well. I wonder how the blacks in his state feel about that.

Anyway, here comes the NAACP letter:

"We want to be clear why Phil Robertson’s remarks are not just dangerous but also inaccurate. Mr. Robertson claims that, from what he saw, African Americans were happier under Jim Crow. What he didn’t see were lynching and beatings of black men and women for attempting to vote or simply walking down the street"

Yes, but at least they had music.