Do Republicans have no shame? This is not the first time a President has had a message for students. Reagan had his fitness program, W. attempted to read to classes – this has been going on for generations and parents and school administrators should be thrilled when a nations leader wants to get involved with education. Instead the fear mongering continues and Obama is vilified.

Going to make a list of points

• First and foremost – Obama is not Hitler. Bush is not Hitler. There was one and only Hitler and he’s dead. Every time you call someone you disagree with “Hitler”, you are lessening the atrocities that Hitler committed.
• Obama is our President. It’s the duty of the President to talk to the people of America. Last I checked, K-12 were still considered to be part of “We The People”.
• Do not politicize your child by pulling them out of school.
• I’d like to know if the people asking for a text of the President’s speech ask for a review of the lesson plans ahead of time.
• Does the discussion end when the kid comes home? Do you not talk to your child about what they learned that day and sort through everything and give it context? I’m assuming those that are up in arms, do not.
• Sometimes you just have to suck it up

Expanding on my last point, once in a while, your team will lose and you must swallow pride and be a gracious loser. It sucks, I know, but you lost. I know how that feels; I felt it the entire time Bush was President. But I was a big girl. I didn’t have to scream and flail about every time Bush sneezed. One of the privileges of winning the Presidential Election is that you get to become President – imagine that! I am asking Republicans to do as I did. Shut the hell up and deal! If you didn’t want Obama to talk to your kids so desperately, you would have done a better job of rallying the troops last November and won the election – or nominated a candidate that didn’t have a wackjob as a running mate who would keep you from winning.

Edward Moore Kennedy 1962-2009

On a personal note, Ted Kennedy is a hero of mine. The Ted Kennedy I knew was a man spending his life atoning for his sins. He spent every day trying to help his fellow neighbor. I will miss you Teddy.

From Huffington Post:

• Allergan (maker of Restasis): “We reviewed our commercial schedule, and based on your feedback, we’ve put any programming featuring Glenn Beck on our “do not air” list. This means that you will no longer see any Restasis ads during programming featuring Glenn Beck. Thanks again for bringing this to our attention.”
• Ally Bank (a unit of GMAC Financial Services): “Ally advertises on a broad spectrum of programs to reach our potential customers. Our advertising is not an endorsement of editorial content on any program. We have ceased to advertise on the Glenn Beck program.”
• Best Buy
• Broadview Security: “Given the considerations, we have requested of Fox News not to include us in the rotation that would have our commercials running on Glenn Beck’s show.”
• CVS: “While advertising on Fox is part of our communication plan, we had not requested time on Glenn Beck’s show specifically. We have instructed our advertising agency to inform Fox to ensure Glenn Beck’s program is not part of our advertising plan.”
• Re-Bath: “…We are no longer airing our commercials on the Glenn Beck Show…”
• Travelocity: “We did not specifically place our ad on the show. We buy ads in bulk and then they are placed somewhat randomly. However, we have now specifically asked that our ads do not appear during this show.”
• Wal-Mart: “Walmart today confirmed the retailer pulled ads from the Glenn Beck show on August 3rd,”

So to all you wingnuts out there carrying loaded guns to political rallies, KNOCK IT OFF! You are not helping your cause. There is no place for loaded weapons near our President. Had someone shown up at a Bush town hall meeting, would the NRA be backing that persons right? I doubt it.

The Obama administration filed court papers Monday claiming a federal marriage law discriminates against gays, even as government lawyers continued to defend it.

Justice Department lawyers are seeking to dismiss a suit brought by a gay California couple challenging the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. The administration’s response to the case has angered gay activists who see it as backtracking on campaign promises made by Barack Obama last year.

In court papers, the administration said it supports repeal of the law.

Yet the same filing says the Justice Department will defend the statute in this case because a reasonable argument can be made that the law is constitutional.

The government’s previous filing in the case angered gay rights activists who supported Obama’s candidacy in part because of his pledge to move forward on repealing the law and the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that prevents gays from serving openly in the military.

“The administration believes the Defense of Marriage Act is discriminatory and should be repealed,” said Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler, because it prevents equal rights and benefits.

The department is obligated “to defend federal statutes when they are challenged in court. The Justice Department cannot pick and choose which federal laws it will defend based on any one administration’s policy preferences,” Schmaler added.

The law, often called DOMA, denies federal recognition of gay marriage and gives states the right to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

“DOMA reflects a cautiously limited response to society’s still-evolving understanding of the institution of marriage,” according to the filing by Assistant Attorney General Tony West.

The administration also disavowed past arguments made by conservatives that DOMA protects children by defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

“The United States does not believe that DOMA is rationally related to any legitimate government interests in procreation and child-rearing and is therefore not relying upon any such interests to defend DOMA’s constitutionality,” lawyers argued in the filing.

Obama has pledged to work to repeal the law.

Monday’s court filing was in response to a lawsuit by Arthur Smelt and Christopher Hammer, who are challenging the federal law, which prevents couples in states that recognize same-sex unions from securing Social Security spousal benefits, filing joint taxes and benefiting from other federal rights connected to marriage.

Justice lawyers have argued that the act is constitutional and contend that awarding federal marriage benefits to gays would infringe on the rights of taxpayers in the 30 states that specifically prohibit same-sex marriages.

Earlier this year, Massachusetts became the first state to challenge the law in court.

Founder and C.E.O. of Whole Foods, John Mackey, has came out against universal health care in a recent Wall Street Journal Op-Ed:

“Many promoters of health-care reform believe that people have an intrinsic ethical right to health care—to equal access to doctors, medicines and hospitals. While all of us empathize with those who are sick, how can we say that all people have more of an intrinsic right to health care than they have to food or shelter?

“Health care is a service that we all need, but just like food and shelter it is best provided through voluntary and mutually beneficial market exchanges. A careful reading of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will not reveal any intrinsic right to health care, food or shelter. That’s because there isn’t any. This “right” has never existed in America.”

Not bright when the vast majoirty of Mackey’s clientel are left-wing, pro-reform, arugula eating liberals like myself.  Contact Whole Foods and let them know how you feel…and boycott!

Whole Foods Market, Inc.
550 Bowie Street
Austin, TX 78703-4644
512.477.4455
512.477.5566 voicemail
512.482.7000 fax