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Thursday, March 4, 2010
Scare 'Em, Ramp Up The Booga-Booga, We're Prolife, Bible Believin', Gun Totin' Republicans By Gum!
0 comments at 8:31 PM
Leaked documents reveal GOP plan to use scare tactics to raise money. As a general rule of thumb in politics, confidential meetings intended to whip up a climate of fear among a major party's base supporters are best left confidential. Especially if you're also taking potshots at your bigger donor base. Even worse for the Republican National Committee (RNC), then, that an absent-minded attendee at its February 18 Boca Grande, Florida, confab left a 72-page memo from its 2010 strategizing session in a hotel room-and that Politico reporter Ben Smith picked it up in an exclusive story this morning.
The memo tracks the fundraising presentation that RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart delivered to the RNC's $2,500-a-head annual retreat. The best path to victory in 2010, the document advises, is for Republican candidates to depict themselves as the best hope for resisting the "trending toward socialism" taking shape in a Democrat-dominated Washington.
And the document doesn't shy from making its points graphically, Smith notes. In a presentation portraying the Obama administration as "The Evil Empire," the president appears in the now-infamous image of him made over in the makeup Heath Ledger used in his performance as the Joker in the 2008 Batman movie "The Dark Knight." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears as Cruella De Vil from "101 Dalmatians," and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the witless cartoon dog Scooby-Doo. The memo candidly confirms that the aim of such caricature is to amp up "fear" among the GOP's conservative base. The memo also makes fun of major RNC donors, categorizing some as "ego-driven" and easily pacified with "tchochkes" (a Slavic word for toys).
The embrace of harsh rhetoric and the swipes at the large donor set seem to signal the GOP establishment's growing comfort with employing tactics associated with the activist Tea Party movement-and with plying Tea Party sympathizers for cash. Of course, it isn't unusual for parties out of power to court controversy and play with fire to rile up donors and grass-roots activists. The RNC has caught heat for fundraising tactics in the past, most recently when it was caught sending out fake census forms to raise money. And Democrats have shown a demagogic streak in the past, depicting George W. Bush and Dick Cheney as Bond-like supervillains and playing up alleged GOP plans to kill Social Security to rally voters behind a popular entitlement program.
When asked by Yahoo! News if the leaked presentation reflects a coordinated effort to appeal more to the Tea Party movement, RNC spokesman Doug Heye replied that the group's chairman, Michael Steele, "was recently invited by tea party activists to a meeting, which he was happy to do. Following the meeting, it was clear those in the meeting shared a common goal: stopping the Obama/Pelosi/Reid agenda." As for plans to further that alliance with the inflammatory material in the memo, Heye reiterated what he'd told Politico earlier: "The language and the imagery will not be used in any capacity in the future."
There's no question that the Obama-as-Joker image-long a familiar icon at Tea Party rallies-is a toxic association for the GOP establishment. Oddly enough, though, that image's origins can be traced to the activist left. As revealed by the Los Angeles Times last year, the image was created by a supporter of Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a University of Illinois student named Firas Alkhateeb, who told the Times that he uploaded the photo onto his Flickr page, and a conservative activist promptly snatched it up.
Such are the odd convergences of movement politics. However, the RNC may have more trouble distancing itself from the equation of Democratic policy with socialism, however, since Michael Steele is credited with originating that meme in the health care debate.
– Brett Michael Dykes is a contributor to the Yahoo! News blog.
The memo tracks the fundraising presentation that RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart delivered to the RNC's $2,500-a-head annual retreat. The best path to victory in 2010, the document advises, is for Republican candidates to depict themselves as the best hope for resisting the "trending toward socialism" taking shape in a Democrat-dominated Washington.
And the document doesn't shy from making its points graphically, Smith notes. In a presentation portraying the Obama administration as "The Evil Empire," the president appears in the now-infamous image of him made over in the makeup Heath Ledger used in his performance as the Joker in the 2008 Batman movie "The Dark Knight." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears as Cruella De Vil from "101 Dalmatians," and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the witless cartoon dog Scooby-Doo. The memo candidly confirms that the aim of such caricature is to amp up "fear" among the GOP's conservative base. The memo also makes fun of major RNC donors, categorizing some as "ego-driven" and easily pacified with "tchochkes" (a Slavic word for toys).
The embrace of harsh rhetoric and the swipes at the large donor set seem to signal the GOP establishment's growing comfort with employing tactics associated with the activist Tea Party movement-and with plying Tea Party sympathizers for cash. Of course, it isn't unusual for parties out of power to court controversy and play with fire to rile up donors and grass-roots activists. The RNC has caught heat for fundraising tactics in the past, most recently when it was caught sending out fake census forms to raise money. And Democrats have shown a demagogic streak in the past, depicting George W. Bush and Dick Cheney as Bond-like supervillains and playing up alleged GOP plans to kill Social Security to rally voters behind a popular entitlement program.
When asked by Yahoo! News if the leaked presentation reflects a coordinated effort to appeal more to the Tea Party movement, RNC spokesman Doug Heye replied that the group's chairman, Michael Steele, "was recently invited by tea party activists to a meeting, which he was happy to do. Following the meeting, it was clear those in the meeting shared a common goal: stopping the Obama/Pelosi/Reid agenda." As for plans to further that alliance with the inflammatory material in the memo, Heye reiterated what he'd told Politico earlier: "The language and the imagery will not be used in any capacity in the future."
There's no question that the Obama-as-Joker image-long a familiar icon at Tea Party rallies-is a toxic association for the GOP establishment. Oddly enough, though, that image's origins can be traced to the activist left. As revealed by the Los Angeles Times last year, the image was created by a supporter of Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a University of Illinois student named Firas Alkhateeb, who told the Times that he uploaded the photo onto his Flickr page, and a conservative activist promptly snatched it up.
Such are the odd convergences of movement politics. However, the RNC may have more trouble distancing itself from the equation of Democratic policy with socialism, however, since Michael Steele is credited with originating that meme in the health care debate.
– Brett Michael Dykes is a contributor to the Yahoo! News blog.
READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE;
THESE IDIOTS ON THE PUBLIC PAYROLL THINK IT'S OKAY TO STIFF THE TAXMAN, WHILE YOU AND I PAY A HEFTY PORTION OF OUR INCOME IN TAXES! F*** THESE IDIOTS!Fire All 678 Congressional Staffers Who Are Tax Deadbeats?
Politico, Jason Chaffetz: Ax Hill Staff Tax Cheats:
Congressional employees who don’t pay their taxes could be fired if Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) gets his way.
Chaffetz will introduce legislation Thursday that would allow Hill offices to get rid of the hundreds of Senate and House staffers who owe the government millions of dollars.
In 2008 alone, 447 House employees and 231 Senate workers didn’t pay their taxes, according to figures from the IRS, Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense.
“We have over 600 staffers on Capitol Hill not paying their taxes. That’s just not acceptable,” Chaffetz said in an interview with POLITICO. “It’s disingenuous to take federal taxpayer dollars and not pay your full share of taxes. It’s wrong.”
Federal employees in the U.S. House of Representatives owed more than $5.8 million in unpaid taxes in 2008. The Senate employees owe more than $2.46 million, according to figures.
The figures show that former President George W. Bush’s employees had trouble paying up, too — 50 are delinquent, costing the government $812,917.
Under current law, only IRS employees can be terminated for nonpayment of federal income taxes.
Chaffetz’s legislation would extend the IRS policy to all government departments and agencies
To put the numbers in perspective, I previously blogged the data on the 275,000 federal workers who are tax deadbeats. The 678 tax deadbeats represent 3.75% of the 18,096 total congressional staff. Dozens of cabinet departments, federal agencies, departments, and commissions have higher tax deadbeat rates, including the Federal Reserve Board (4.32%).
The cabinet departments with the largest percentages of tax deadbeats are:
Housing & Urban Development: 4.05%
Veterans Affairs: 3.91%
Health & Human Services: 3.86%
Army: 3.76%
Education: 3.60%
Air Force: 3.25%
Defense: 3.16%
State: 3.14%
Navy: 3.01%
Commerce: 3.00%
The agencies and commissions with the largest percentages of tax deadbeats are:
National Capital Planning Commission: 10.42%
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation: 9.26%
U.S. Office of Special Counsel: 8.65%
U.S. Election Assistance Commission: 8.51%
Federal Labor Relations Authority: 7.20%
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: 7.14%
Federal Mine Safety & Health Review Commission: 6.82%
Government Printing Office: 6.29%
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board: 5.33%
Court Services & Offender Supervisors: 5.23%
In contrast, only 1.43% of the employees of the Tax Court and 0.98% of the employees of the Treasury Department are tax deadbeats.
CNN, Bill Targets Hill Staffers With Unpaid Taxes
Tax Foundation's Tax Policy Blog, Stealing From Your Boss
Tax Update Blog, 600 Staffers on Capitol Hill Are Tax Deadbeats
The Hill, Chaffetz Seeks to Fire Tax Cheats
Washington Post, Rep. Chaffetz Proposes Firing Federal Workers Who Are Tax Cheats
March 4, 2010 in Congressional News, Tax Permalink
Politico, Jason Chaffetz: Ax Hill Staff Tax Cheats:
Congressional employees who don’t pay their taxes could be fired if Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) gets his way.
Chaffetz will introduce legislation Thursday that would allow Hill offices to get rid of the hundreds of Senate and House staffers who owe the government millions of dollars.
In 2008 alone, 447 House employees and 231 Senate workers didn’t pay their taxes, according to figures from the IRS, Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense.
“We have over 600 staffers on Capitol Hill not paying their taxes. That’s just not acceptable,” Chaffetz said in an interview with POLITICO. “It’s disingenuous to take federal taxpayer dollars and not pay your full share of taxes. It’s wrong.”
Federal employees in the U.S. House of Representatives owed more than $5.8 million in unpaid taxes in 2008. The Senate employees owe more than $2.46 million, according to figures.
The figures show that former President George W. Bush’s employees had trouble paying up, too — 50 are delinquent, costing the government $812,917.
Under current law, only IRS employees can be terminated for nonpayment of federal income taxes.
Chaffetz’s legislation would extend the IRS policy to all government departments and agencies
To put the numbers in perspective, I previously blogged the data on the 275,000 federal workers who are tax deadbeats. The 678 tax deadbeats represent 3.75% of the 18,096 total congressional staff. Dozens of cabinet departments, federal agencies, departments, and commissions have higher tax deadbeat rates, including the Federal Reserve Board (4.32%).
The cabinet departments with the largest percentages of tax deadbeats are:
Housing & Urban Development: 4.05%
Veterans Affairs: 3.91%
Health & Human Services: 3.86%
Army: 3.76%
Education: 3.60%
Air Force: 3.25%
Defense: 3.16%
State: 3.14%
Navy: 3.01%
Commerce: 3.00%
The agencies and commissions with the largest percentages of tax deadbeats are:
National Capital Planning Commission: 10.42%
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation: 9.26%
U.S. Office of Special Counsel: 8.65%
U.S. Election Assistance Commission: 8.51%
Federal Labor Relations Authority: 7.20%
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: 7.14%
Federal Mine Safety & Health Review Commission: 6.82%
Government Printing Office: 6.29%
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board: 5.33%
Court Services & Offender Supervisors: 5.23%
In contrast, only 1.43% of the employees of the Tax Court and 0.98% of the employees of the Treasury Department are tax deadbeats.
CNN, Bill Targets Hill Staffers With Unpaid Taxes
Tax Foundation's Tax Policy Blog, Stealing From Your Boss
Tax Update Blog, 600 Staffers on Capitol Hill Are Tax Deadbeats
The Hill, Chaffetz Seeks to Fire Tax Cheats
Washington Post, Rep. Chaffetz Proposes Firing Federal Workers Who Are Tax Cheats
March 4, 2010 in Congressional News, Tax Permalink
The popularity of Wilders, who compares Islam to fascism and the Koran to Adolf Hitler's book Mein Kampf, has dented the image of the Netherlands as a country that has often portrayed itself in the past as a bastion of tolerance."The leftist elite still believes in multi-culturalism, coddling criminals, a European super-state and high taxes," Wilders told cheering supporters at a rally in Almere after polling ended on Wednesday. "But the rest of the Netherlands thinks differently. That silent majority now has a voice."
A POLITICIAN WITH THE APPEAL OF WILDERS HAS THE POLITICALLY COREECT CROWD IN AN UPROAR! THE DUTCH EXPERIMENTED WITH MULTI CULTURALISM AND IT HAS ONLY BROUGHT THEM HEARTACHE AS THE THIRD WORLD IMMIGRANT SAVAGE CESSPOOL HAS CREATED UNHEARD OF CRIME TO THESE ONCE PEACEFUL NATIONS. THIRD WORLD SAVAGES ARE ALL ON THE DOLE, LIVING IN PUBLIC HOUSING AND RAPING AND ROBBING THE INNOCENT CITIZENS OF DENMARK, SCANDINAVIA, ENGLAND, BELGIUM AND FRANCE.
THESE ORTHODOX MUSLIM RELIGIOUS KOOKS WANT TO TAKE OVER EUROPE AND REPLACE CROSSES AND STEEPLES WITH MOSQUES AND MINARETS AS MUSLIM RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS POUR BILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO THE MUSLIM RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS THAT WANT TO BUILD ON ONCE CHRISTIAN LANDS, THROW OUT HUNDREDS OF YEARS OF WESTERN LAW AND INTRODUCE "SHARIA LAW"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharia MUCH LIKE THE NATION OF ISLAM IS DOING IN THE UNITED STATES BY INFILTRATING EVERY BLACK COMMUNITY AND ESTABLISHING A PRESENCE TO FIGHT "WHITEY". IF YOU FEEL REAL GUILTY, GO ADOPT A HAITIAN ORPHAN, [NEEDLESS TO SAY WE HAVE MILLIONS OF NON WHITE BABIES UP FOR ADOPTION HERE IN THE US! IT IS JUST SO MUCH COOLER TO BRAG TO YOUR DO GOODER FRIENDS THAT YOU HAVE ADOPTED A HAITIAN OR AFRICAN BABY!].
Stoner's Girlfriend Morphs Into Dolphin - Maybe It's Time To Give Up Smokng Hash Fella!
0 comments at 6:38 PM
Swedish smoker lodges complaint over psychedelic hash! When a Swedish dope smoker's TV started talking to him and his girlfriend appeared to turn into a dolphin, he decided it was time to lodge a complaint. The befuddled 26-year-old went to his local police station to complain about the low quality of the hash he had been sold. He told officers he suspected it had been laced with LSD or some other psychedelic substance, and wanted it tested, the Local reports.
The man told police he'd never experienced similar effects in his 10 years of smoking hash. Police say the dealer could face assault charges on top of drug-dealing ones if the hashish sample turned in by the dissatisfied customer was found to contain LSD. No charges have been filed, however, since the smoker eventually decided against giving police the name of his supplier.
The man told police he'd never experienced similar effects in his 10 years of smoking hash. Police say the dealer could face assault charges on top of drug-dealing ones if the hashish sample turned in by the dissatisfied customer was found to contain LSD. No charges have been filed, however, since the smoker eventually decided against giving police the name of his supplier.
The man told how that as he sucked on his joint, his television began to talk to him and he came to the realisation that his girlfriend was in fact a dolphin.The whole experience left the man feeling shaken and frightened.
That's What I'd Call Some Good Shi*!
related;
The “fake weed” sweeping the US isn’t marijuana, but it packs a stronger punch—and it’s legal. “K2” or “spice” is a mix of herbs and a chemical compound that’s sold as incense at—coincidentally, we’re sure—the same price as real pot. The scientist who discovered the compound tells LiveScience it’s 10 times as potent as THC, the active ingredient in your traditional weed. He thinks kids in Europe got the idea of “doping this incense.”
Whatever its genesis, K2 has been responsible for severe hallucinations in teenagers who get their hands on it. In addition to the “potent psychotropic drug,” a doctor says, the mixture is “likely contaminated with an unknown toxic substance that is causing many adverse effects.” Those include increased heart rate, blood pressure, and agitation, none of which are connected to marijuana. What’s going on? The scientist can’t say, as it was never tested on humans, but on mice who were then killed. “And mice are not humans.”
Whatever its genesis, K2 has been responsible for severe hallucinations in teenagers who get their hands on it. In addition to the “potent psychotropic drug,” a doctor says, the mixture is “likely contaminated with an unknown toxic substance that is causing many adverse effects.” Those include increased heart rate, blood pressure, and agitation, none of which are connected to marijuana. What’s going on? The scientist can’t say, as it was never tested on humans, but on mice who were then killed. “And mice are not humans.”
See this cool Aussie site; http://www.dolphingirl.com.au/index.htm
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