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A Will Rogers DemocratPosted Friday, June 19, 2009, at 5:17 PM
Will Rogers
Will Rogers (1879 -- 1935) was an early 20th century humorist, political satirist that became known world-wide for his home spun humor and commentary on current events. He starred on Broadway, in 71 movies, was a popular radio commentator, wrote more than 4,000 syndicated newspaper columns and authored six books. Born in Oklahoma, Rogers always considered himself as first a caring member of the human race, American, then a Cherokee Indian, a faithful husband and a father.
Will Rogers, the man who "never met a man I didn't like" was also a Democrat. From reading some of his quotes and political commentary it is amazing how little has changed over the past 75+ years.
I cannot believe how relevant his statements remain today. Over the past number of years I have witnessed/experienced/observed many of the same things when it comes to the Democratic Party. I will attempt to explain with a few comments and examples:
After the successful 2008 election cycle, this year (IMHO) should be used to build the groundwork for 2010 when we will be electing a new U.S. Senator and a State Auditor. Even more importantly, the MO House of Representatives will be up for election. This election will dictate how our state will re-district legislative boundaries (both state and federal) after the 2010 census. The Democrats need less than ten seats to regain a majority in the House and this should be a major priority. The Missouri Democratic Party (MDP) should be taking the lead in this matter but has thus far been strangely quiet.
As Chairman of the County Central Committee, I assumed that plans, information, communication or details would be delivered sometime after the first of the year. I have contacted the MDP on several different matters in the past several months. Some of the information requested was: by-laws/constitution information, scheduled meetings, staffing, website updates, and employee status/updates. The main problem is no doubt shortage of staff, funding and the transition of new state officials and administration, but after several months of waiting no response has yet to be received.
For current discussion, let's take a look/comparison between the web site of the Republican and Democratic Parties for a contrast on the two parties approach and activism in 2009. (In the name of full disclosure: I inquired about MDP web site as both a county chair and a web service provider and I have talked with individuals and organizations that have offered to provide the MPD with free development and hosting services but their calls went unanswered.)
Comparing the sites on 5/25/09 I found the MO GOP site had a 'Lead Story' regarding Memorial Day; the MDP latest 'headlines': a story "filed" 4/18 that appeared in a local paper and an AP story from 3/3/09. GOP had 40 press releases, the MDP 2; GOP had has a blog, tweeter links, the MDP...did not; GOP has contact info for state party officers (chair, vice-chair, sec., treas.) & national committee members, the MDP has a phone number to the office; GOP lists all staff (6 positions), job titles, contact info- phone & email, the MDP does not (though an Executive Director was hired...in April); the GOP site includes the 2008 party 'platform', MDP has its constitution & by-laws (which have been routinely ignored, broken or disregarded) along with last year's officers.
If the MDP cannot handle routine matters as answering correspondence, returning calls or providing information to elected party officials, how do we expect to gain a majority in the General Assembly? I have heard similar complaints from dedicated Democratic Party activists from across the state, from national committee persons, elected local, state and party officials.
In a letter to Al Smith in 1929, Will Rogers wrote:
The challenge still stands. What we need are more Will Rogers Democrats!
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Ron Monnig has more than 35 years of experience working with civic, community and political groups. He has served in elected, appointed and volunteer positions since high school. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History/Government from Columbia College. He is a Democratic party activist; VP of Saline County Democrat Club, Member of Democrat Central Committee of Saline County.
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mrxray - "The only changes he is making is to increase the power that the executive branch has and to limit the ability of the Our Republican Government to function as designed with all the protections assigned by the Constitution" - Did you totally miss that minor little piece of legislation called the "patriot act"? Or all of the 'protect corporate profits by claiming 14th Amendment violations'? Or - oh, never mind...
re: the christian comment - that was TC's quote, not mine...
"Not one of the techniques...is torture... these are the same things that many of our military are put through because they are in danger of ending up in the hands of enemies who do NOT care what the Geneva Convention says about legal war actions" -
Correct sort of... the torture program of the United States was reverse engineered from an Army training program designed to teach soldiers to resist (read carefully) TORTURE... that means they KNEW it was torture, CALLED it torture, and designed a program to resist (I repeat, read carefully) TORTURE.
As far as THIS topic goes, I believe it concerned the nature of civic involvement and the MO Democratic party... While the national picture changed a LOT, the state is still largely divided between rural and urban, and there seems to be little ground for common cause... Ron?
PS. All thoughts of mine are from a person smack dab in the middle of Obama list of people who should be on a terror watch list in Middle America
Nandot: I do not understand the premise of your argument that Christians should not condone putting a person in a room with a catepillar, sleep depriviation and other information extraction techniques. If I remember your thoughts correctly you think church and state should be separated. With this logic, then Christians should hold no opinion one way or the other because they should be involved in the workings of the Government. Next, if you read the bible, God was all about torture... plagues, losing the first born, turning people to pillars of salt and other actions. Heck, he tortured Jonah until he went to Ninavah and spread the word.... I mean, getting eaten by a whale must be torture. As fr Jesus? He is all knowing and knew the hearts of men, therefore, Jesus did not need torture to know what was going to happen. All joking aside. Do you really think God would look down on actions taken to help prevent the loss of mass amounts of life? Has our society become so weak, or guilt ridden, that we no longer have the desire to protect ourselves? Not one of the techniques, approved by both Democrats and Republicans is torture, in the sense of removing body parts, inflicting damaging pain and suffering. In fact, these are the same things that many of our military are put through because they are in danger of ending up in the hands of enemies who do NOT care what the Geneva Convention says about legal war actions.
Anyone at this point that thinks Obama is making any changes for the better, is still being fooled. The only changes he is making is to increase the power that the executive branch has and to limit the ability of the Our Republican Government to function as designed with all the protections assigned by the Constitution.
My error. It has been corrected
I think Will Rodgers was born in 1879 not 1979.
I might have to start watching idol, some of this chatter makes my tiny little brain hurt!
WOW - out of town for a bit...
Third Child, I did NOT mean Ron Paul, whom I do respect if I don't always agree with him.
"Why are all the Democrats now OK with continuing this neocon agenda? For that matter, why are so many people that call themselves Christians OK with these horrible wars of blatant aggression? Why do they support torture? How Christian is that? Would Jesus torture?" No argument from me on this one; I've been arguing with JQP about this for 2 years now...
Please read Perkins 'Confessions of an economic hit-man', anything by Seymour Hirsch, Jeremy Scahill's 'Blackwater', Johnson's "Free Lunch", and Jeffrey Smith's 'Seeds of Deception'...
Obama is only one man - I don't expect miracles, and ONLY the people can make real change - we did it once, we can do it again... but neo-connery & "too big to fail" un-free 'free trade', torture, aggressive militarism, etc. has got to stop, and WE are the only ones who CAN stop it...
Obama is treading a fine line, and face it, if he winds up as dead as JFK, he's just another martyr - and they don't tend to do much after that....:P
Oklahoma, did you have any comments on the Obama Whitehouse thugery being used against Democrats that went to Washington with an idea of "CHANGE" thinking they could help end the wars of empire and senseless destruction, as they were elected to do?
Why are all the Democrats now OK with continuing this neocon agenda? For that matter, why are so many people that call themselves Christians OK with these horrible wars of blatant aggression? Why do they support torture? How Christian is that? Would Jesus torture?
Where is the moral integrity in any of this?
How is Obama any better than George Bush or Dick Cheney? There is no difference and that is what the kumbayyaa crowd needs to figure out.
Kennedy was the last president that wasn't owned by globalist bankers and you see what happened to him. This is why 'Mr. Change' is no change at all... if he ever had a soul, (and we can't be sure of that because the records have all been hidden,) then he has surely sold it.. there is no change.. only rhetoric..
"it would be presumptuous of me to interpret or to elaborate upon someone elses musings"
Yet, that is what you did when you followed her post with, "What she said."
So, who was she talking about? She didn't say specifically. Because I've heard the same mantra repeated by others it was only natural for me to jump to the conclusion that she thinks Ron Paul is a gold sucking vampire out to destroy our planet. I stand to be corrected if this is not the case.
NanaDot, would you please clarify what you meant when you wrote,
"Unfortunately, we all live on one very small, very polluted, very distressed, very-bombed, and very over-populated mudball with limited supplies of fresh water and arable land - and I don't care which gold-sucking vampire thinks they run the universe - gold is poor nutrition and worse as a thirst quencher. Wipe your arse with it"
Third Child I think you have jumped to an erroneous assumption, I did not take that as a reference to Ron Paul. Just shows how different perspectives interpret things differently. Hence it would be presumptuous of me to interpret or to elaborate upon someone elses musings. One might misinterpret the premise and it would be all down hill from there.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/12...
"The White House is playing hardball with Democrats who intend to vote against the supplemental war spending bill, threatening freshmen who oppose it that they won't get help with reelection and will be cut off from the White House, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) said Friday. "We're not going to help you. You'll never hear from us again," Woolsey said the White House is telling freshmen."
"NanaDot speaks eloquently for herself. She needs no interpretation by this old geezer."
Ok, no intrepetation but how about some elaboration? You do indicate you agree wholeheartedly.
Perhaps this contradiction:
"I don't care which gold-sucking vampire thinks they run the universe - gold is poor nutrition and worse as a thirst quencher. Wipe your arse with it... Whether Obama is as good or as bad as either side says is immaterial if we the people of these United States do not take seriously this business of self-governance"
If NanaDot believes the second part then she must be misinformed on the first. I have to assume by "gold sucking vampire" she means Ron Paul.
Where did that idea come from? The gold sucking vampires are the globalist financiers that own OBAMA!
If NanaDot, and I have to assume you, understood that Ron Paul actually stood for self governance and freedom, you wouldn't be writing or agreeing with such inflammatory invectives. If good people like you two had informed yourselves when it could have made a difference we might have been out of Iraq and the hundreds of other places we don't have any business being.. just for one example..
Whether Obama, is better or worse than the others, IS material. He's proving himself to be George Bush, continued. The neocons love him! Endless war, taxpayer looting, money for foreign banks.. continued attacks on civil liberties..indefinite detention.. It does matter. When will we all see this?
NanaDot speaks eloquently for herself. She needs no interpretation by this old geezer.
Hillary Clinton is now going to throw some money at "world hunger." GMO seeds and chemicals have destroyed farming wherever they have gone in the third world. Rose Law Firm is still doing the work of Monsanto..
Comments are still open at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hillary-cl...
"What she said."
I'm still trying to figure out what she was really saying, Okie. You are good with words, maybe you could summarize?
What she said. ;>)
Unfortunately, we all live on one very small, very polluted, very distressed, very-bombed, and very over-populated mudball with limited supplies of fresh water and arable land - and I don't care which gold-sucking vampire thinks they run the universe - gold is poor nutrition and worse as a thirst quencher. Wipe your arse with it...
Whether Obama is as good or as bad as either side says is immaterial if we the people of these United States do not take seriously this business of self-governance and give up the Idol, Survivor, or whatever entertainment some think is so TERRIBLY more important.
Less than 100 years ago, most children went to work after 8th grade, '8 hours a day/ 5 days a week' was an opium-pipe dream, on the job safety was your own business, and overtime was the same as regular time - required.
The easy life we live is the product of citizen involvement in political action and discourse - at work, at home, at school, at socials and picnics - NOT sitting on our collective butts, in front of the 'boob tube', waiting for 'someone else' to do it for us.
Citizenship in this experiment we call the United States is NOT for the ignorant, the easily misled, the uninformed - which is WHY we have a public school system and public libraries and public institutions of higher learning - so the rich and privileged few who ALWAYS abuse power can be challenged.
The GOP has supported BIG Business since the mid-1800's it is still supporting BIG Business and BIG Banks and BIG Anything (I think they have 'self-esteem' issues...LOL) Their BIG IDEA of corporate-welfare FREE TRADE is a miserable, global disaster, and we have to send our military in to protect their worthless corporate butts every time - from Hawaii to the Contras to Iraq.
And all the time, they are becoming 'more efficient', down-sizing, out-sourcing, leaner and meaner; and while their stock dividends go UP, you can guarantee that American workers are getting less.
We had BETTER be interested in and informed about politics! Governments lie - it's that simple.
"The corporatists warmed to Obama as time went on, and began to sing his praises. Cautiously they gave him a luke warm endorsement. He wasn't their pal, but they believed they could work with him."
That's a good fairy tale but the truth is that Obama was 'selected' and elected to be the front man, puppet of Wall Street bankers, and he willingly complies.. They can ruin him anytime, as they can almost any politician and he knows that. So he complies, as compromised politicians tend to do.
If you haven't noticed yet, they are plundering the last bit of personal wealth and freedom from the country as they plunge the world into financial destruction while they mortgage us and our kids.
They are engineering a global financial system where they will rule everything and everyone. We have to wake to that or just admit that we are looking forward to being slaves in hades cause that's where we are going in a high speed handbasket..
First of all, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES....OBAMA doe not kiss the rear ends of every country that hates his. He's attempting to build the bridge and help bring us together. Next, who are you to judge who does and who does NOT deserve the money he "gave out". The stimulus was done in order to help strengthen our economy, I do agree that maybe it didn't go exactly the way everyone thought it would but it was an attempt. Next, you speak of his religious upbringing. The last time I looked, government and religion were to be kept separate and rightfully so! As far as earning everyone's respect, that is what Obama is trying to do, but obviously by your post some people aren't willing to give him a chance.
The way I see it, if you're a democrat, republican, or whatever you're stuck with this guy for 4 years. Why not try to embrace that? Why not actually root for him to succeed? If he does succeed, then our country succeeds....would that finally make him a PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES......(but that's just my 2 cents. Take it or leave it.)
man o'man, big words, long paragraphs, name calling and anger...must be politics discussed by people that voted. look, i am young, i dont know about digital brainwashing or corperatists or banksters, but i do know that in my lifetime there hasn't yet been a "PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES", there has been a womanizing pervert that won the hearts of every, immigration forgiving, gay rights, feed the lazy democrat in this world, there has been one that every killem all, except for the babies, im rich your poor....who are you again republicans and now we have the sweet talking lawyer that on and on and on blamed the bush administration for wall street and gas prices and the economy. he mezmorized young people and captured the imagination of all that longed for change. what he has done since then is give money to everyone that didnt deserve it. he has kissed the rear ends of every country that hates us and bowed to their culture, he has now openly referenced his muslim upbringing and the koran(and if thats spelled wrong its bacause i dont care how you spell it) he has called for all to unite and end terrorism. yea, right, just like cancer, if we all wish against it....boom....gone. why not earn the repect first of all from the people here, the taxpayers whose money your giving away, the people that pay a dollar more a gallon for gas, for no reason, and cover the insurance costs of those that use the system and still dont pay their measely part. how bout a little stimulus for EVERYONE? not everyone else!
what is the problem with having someone in office that is an american, and i dont mean race....i mean heart. lets build our country....now! lets let them build theirs....NOW! we are a strong nation, under god....lets always remember that. not only when a tragedy strikes, lets remember that no matter and maybe then the pride that we all share will enable us to say to the people that WE elected to stop the selfish crap and do what is best for everyone....not everyone else.
Here's what Israelis think of Obama..
Caution, foul language..
http://www.infowars.com/feeling-the-hate...
Thinking that the Democratic party, especially an Obama led Democratic party that is utilizing many of the same Democratic politicians as did Clinton, is really foolish. We have seen in the first part of 2009 that Obama and others are more willng to spend money than they are to actually disect a problem and solve it. Were they to be willing to solve a problem, they would identify the people in charge of failing programs, like Fannie and Freddie, and those people would be fired. Democratic leaders in leadership roles in financial committees would be asked to step down from those roles and encouraged to not run during the next campaign cycle. Barnie Franks would be the first to go. However, the promise "Change" to transparent Government has yet to come to fruition. Promises to allow plenty of time for Members of Congress to actually read and investigate legislation has not been allowed. Instead we have an overseas tour of apologies which will ultimately weaken our nation. Honor, pride and love for our nation have been tossed to the side in favor of appeasement and willingness to accept gifts from tyrannts and dictators.
The list of new "czars" for various aspects of running out Government that Obama has put in place have Zero or near Zero real life experience in the areas that they have been appointed to. Anyway, since when has there been any good associated with a Czar?
"I held no illusions, thus I am not disappointed."
really..
Third Child I appreciate your anguish. Jo I appreciate your anger.
I voted for Obama because to me he was the lesser of evils. I held no illusions, thus I am not disappointed.
To me all the Republican candidates for president seemed more a sub set at a mortician's convention than potential leaders who could steer the ship of state. When watching their debates the only thing that kept me from helplessly breaking out with a chorus of 'Amazing Grace' were some of the libertarian persuasions of lesser candidate Ron Paul.
I saw nothing better than Obama among the major Democratic candidates with the exception of John Edwards who was my early favorite. I liked his populist posing, his youth spent among the blue collars, and thought there was a remote possibility that he might actually take on the corporatists across the board as he had in the smaller arena of the civil court system. He did seem to have a genuine sympathy for the little guy. Most importantly, I believed he had a chance to be elected under our current system.
However to me it was the case with the Democrats, as with the Republican candidates that the most interesting comments came from candidates deemed by those who must be obeyed, as "lesser candidates". For instance Kuchinich's vow that he would establish a Department of Peace if elected president. Paul, Kuchinich, and others who didn't have a snowball's chance in hell were partly in that circumstance because they were too far out in front of the main stream, but mainly because the corporatists feared that they would upset the greed cart. The last person that corporatists wanted to see in office at the time was a rebel. After all, the masses were already restless, and grumbling. They could not take the chance that an angry body that large would be led by a harmonius brain. For instance, Paul would have worked to empty the corporate prisons of drug offenders, and to shut down the failed war on drugs, another huge corporate entity. Kuchinich would have tried to wreak havoc on the military-industrial complex. The corporatocracy unleashed their propaganda machine on such candidates, smashing them like bugs before they could take wing.
The corporatists warmed to Obama as time went on, and began to sing his praises. Cautiously they gave him a luke warm endorsement. He wasn't their pal, but they believed they could work with him. In effect they jumped on the band wagon when they no longer thought he could be stopped. It was prescient of them, and it paid off in spades. He has continued the Bush practice of throwing our money to them like corporate confetti as they parade down Wall Street in the most hubristic parade this nation has seen.
Obama had a chance, but he blew it. He came to the table with a huge stake provided through the internet by all the little people. He should have rolled the dice. He apparently sat down and determined that he still didn't have enough to buck the house.
There is still a small chance that the internet will get us a candidate that can play high stakes at the corporate casino. It is a promising tool with its money raising ability, and its ability to counteract corporate propaganda. That chance may be improved (ironically) as the masses turn there heads from anything presented by corporate media that does not feature crime reports, fires, and horrendous accidents. Perhaps their relentless effort to brainwash us all has been too successful.
The only route out of this nightmare of corporatocracy that may have a decent chance of working is if in conjunction with utilizing the internet, we get private money out of major campaigns. If we can some how get campaign expenses on a level playing field, where radio, and television networks can't take advertising money from the flushest candidates, where instead in return for the free use of our air waves they are compelled to give each candidate equal time at no charge, we might actually get a government back that is for the people, of the people.
"I personally think the People of Mo. are tired of whats been happening in Mo. Politic, i know i am."
I think many people are more interested in American Idol and their TV sports lineup. As long as they get good reception on 150 channels of TV they are quite content to live in a bubble of fantasy, ignorant to the fact that the greatest freedom experiment in the history of the world is collapsing around them because of indifference engineered into their minds largely by the same digital distractions that so completely entertains them.
Hopefully some are beginning to wake up as they realize their own ox is being gored but are still largely unaware that this is just the beginning of worse things to come. The camel's nose is sticking under the tent at our backs but we are distracted by three rings of bread and circus in front.
Obama invoked the 'idea' of change to be elected.
People believed what they wanted to believe and then voted their beliefs. That was hope and optimism but a few are waking to the fact that the 'change' they voted for was simply an illusion. The direction Bush and Cheney were taking the country has not changed. Wars of aggression escalate. Destruction of the Constitution escalates. Global Banksters are engaging their final installment of global government. Al Gore, now with the help of some repugnicrats and big oil, are implementing a global tax on the life giving gas of CO2! We are to be taxed to exhale if we can't break out of this mind numbed trance we are living in!
Individual freedoms are being robbed, all in the name of fighting terrorism, all based on a war on terrorism that was completely made up of lies and sold to the American people with lies backed up with torture induced 'intelligence.' Jack Bower style.. they program our minds with television to accept torture and forget long standing moral standards.. now digitaly streaming at higher frequencies into our homes and the brains of our children.. along with the poisons in the food and water the shots and and medicines.. cam we ever awake from our stupor and say enough is enough.. no, no, hell no, while we still have that ability or will we just continue to be fed bread and circus and lies until we are so dumbed down and weak that there is no hope for resistance?
Will we willingly line up for shots and the chip in FEMA soup lines? It's coming folks, deny and deride.. delude yourself.. it's coming.. the new world order is actually the old world order..
Old world bankers have manipulated just about every war, forever. International banksters now own Obama just like they owned Bush and own congress.. they are making their final plunge for complete domination of power as they systemetically plunder the country to control us.. they engineer and profit from the wars.. they gain power and steal our children's lives and future.. and we allow it to happen.. Jack Bower is on torturing for our safety on TV, then American Idol, and the ball game.. we just can't be bothered now..
But some Obama supporters are beginning to wake up. They see they have been duped and Obama is an illusion. There is hope that people are awakening. I'm trying to be an optimist. I've rambled enough. Here's a link.
http://www.sj-r.com/opinions/x124603932/...
I personally think the People of Mo. are tired of whats been happening in Mo. Politic, i know i am . The only out we have, is to get the Rep. out in all Branches of Government! Obama was a good start.He wants to clean up Politic,so lets help him??