A Liberal Who Thinks Chick-fil-A Owner has the Right to His Beliefs!

By Mildred Robertson

It is troubling that pundits and politicos have chosen to participate in attacking Chick-fil-A owner and COO Dan Cathy for his belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. That may sound like some Tea Party rhetoric, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, I am a die-hard Progressive who believes in equal rights, human dignity and the American way.

Just as gay couples and those who support gay marriage have a right to choose their lifestyle and to live it in peace without discrimination from society or government intervention, so does Mr. Cathy. His assertion that, for him, marriage is between one man and one woman may offend some who believe differently, but it is his right to believe it.

Now, if we were talking about a ban on hiring gays, or mistreating gays who were in his employ or who patronize his restaurant, we would be having a different conversation. But there appears to be no evidence to support that assumption.

This is a devout man who has publicly lived a life that he believes honors God and his commandments as he understands them. The many Sundays I have passed a darkened Chick-fil-A (quietly wishing for a sandwich) I have been impressed that he would give up revenue to honor his beliefs. It is a huge testament to his commitment to his faith. I respect that. There are far too many of us who talk the talk, but do not walk the walk.

I also understand the reaction of the gay community when it says it does not want to patronize a company that does not respect them or their lifestyle. If a business is not in step with community attitudes and values, then, generaly, their cash register will reflect that fact.  I do not, however, understand government entities that would threaten to block the location of his business in their community or who would deny him necessary licenses or building permits. I see nothing in our Constitution that supports that position.

America was founded upon the premise that each of us could hold and practice our own belief system as long as those practices do not infringe on the rights of others. While his beliefs may offend some, they do not infringe upon anyone’s rights.

I staunchly support the right of individuals to make their own lifestyle choices. That includes Mr. Cathy. If you so choose, stop buying his chicken. Otherwise, leave the man alone.

"You Didn't Build That"-- What Obama REALLY said!

By Mildred Robertson

Okay, the GOP is at again. They have taken some positive comments from the President, and distorted them to create a false campaign that alleges that Barack Obama is un-American, and does not give credit to hard-working Americans who have created businesses across this country, and provided the engine for its economic growth. 

The heart of GOP ad campaign against the President uses his own words to indict him.

But it is all a lie.

The ad insinuates that Obama tells American entrepreneurs that they are not responsible for the companies they and their forefathers built.

Again, a lie!

What Obama is actually referring to is the infrastructure essential for business growth in this country; infrastructure that is primarily funded by the government. That means structures such as roads, bridges, and railways, essential to moving merchandise and transacting business; support services such as police, firefighters, and the military necessary to keep us safe and ensure our ability to safely transact business; government entities that help to support interstate and international commerce. These assets all create a climate where businesses can thrive.

It is disingenuous of the GOP to distort these words to insinuate that the President does not support hard-working Americans, or understand their contribution to our economy and our society.

We cannot sit idly by and allow the distortion of truth to prevail. If you don't support President Obama because of his policies, fine! But let those decisions be based on fact.

The fact is his policies:

•  helped keep the nation's economy from going off a cliff; avoiding an even greater recession
• saved the auto industry
•  ensured that millions of Americans will have access to affordable healthcare
•  rid the world of Osama Bin Laden
• established a credit card bill of rights
• expanded loan programs for small businesses
• extended the Bush tax cuts for lower income
• closed the “doughnut hole” in Medicare prescription drug plan
• require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions
• give tax credits to those who need help to pay health premiu
• require large employers to contribute to a national health plan
• require children to have health insurance coverage
• expand eligibility for Medicaid
• require health plans to disclose how much of the premium goes to patient care
• reinstate an executive order to hire an additional 100,000 federal employees with disabilities within five years.
• fully fund the Veterans Administration
• fully fund the Violence Against Women Act
• began removing combat brigades from Iraq
• make U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional on anti-terror efforts
• seek verifiable reductions in nuclear stockpiles
• recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession
• reduce subsidies to private student lenders and protect student borrowers
• increase funding for national parks and forests
• expand Pell grants for low-income students
• rebuild schools in New Orleans
• create new financial regulations
• ban lobbyist gifts to executive employees
• create a “universal” health care bill
• create new criminal penalties for mortgage fraud
• raise fuel economy standards
• invest in all types of alternative energy
• invest in public transportation
• double federal spending for research on clean fuels
• increase funding for the Environmental Protection Agency
• extend unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits

And this is just a short list of his accomplishments! Research them for your self. At the end of that research, if you think he is not the best choice for America, then vote for someone else. But please don't make your decision based on lies and misleading facts by the GOP.

Our future is too important for it to be based upon a lie!

Wake County, School Board, Tea Party, Conservatives

Wake County Returns to Progressive Roots
By Mildred Robertson

We did it. The people of Wake County stood up to the Tea Party Conservatives that infiltrated our school board and tried to turn the clock back 50 years. It was just 1 year ago when the regressive coalition used a stealth campaign to sneak into power during an off election.

Who knew?  It is an unfortunate tradition that folks just don’t get motivated to go to the polls unless there is a presidential election, or other highly contested campaign.

While we were sleeping, folk who fail to understand that Wake County cannot be competitive unless we develop and utilize all our resources took over and trashed our award-winning public school system. They did not seem to understand that kids in Southeast Raleigh are a valuable resource. As a community, we can determine whether that resource becomes an asset or a liability by the way we choose to cultivate it.

 Raleigh is a destination for people from throughout the country seeking a better quality of life.  Our outstanding school system is no small part of that attraction. With the election of Kevin Hill, we now have four years to get the Wake County School Board out of politics and back to the business of nurturing our schools and creating future leaders.

Whether the conservative minority knows it or not, their destiny is intertwined with that of the young men and women in Southeast Raleigh who will now have the opportunity that only a good education can provide.

But this episode may have been a good one for those of us who consider ourselves Progressives. Perhaps we have learned that constant vigilance is essential to freedom.

 

 

Collective Consciousness: The Demise of American Independence

By Mildred Robertson

As Americans, we pride ourselves on our independence. We see ourselves as individualistic, self-motivating, and self-sustaining.

Don’t believe the hype.

In reality, we are more like the “Star Trek” character whose group consciousness swallowed up everything it encountered. American values grew from a stubborn individuality, but we have devolved into “the Borg”; a hive-minded collection of drones who internalize and regurgitate predetermined directives for which we will fight, kill or die, no matter how absurd or bereft of fact.  

Case in point—the right-wing attack on the president’s citizenship. This baseless, futile exercise consumed countless news, radio, TV, webcasts, tabloid and magazine pages. While most thinking people dismissed this controversy as the distraction it was, “the hive” internalized and replicated it, wasting valuable time that could have been used to discuss meaningful government reform.

This mindless dash toward the next political, social or economic issue is facilitated by the media. Once heralded as the fourth leg of government and the people’s watchdog, the media now stumble over each other to be the first to report rather than the first to research and inform. Like reality TV, they hunt for the highest ratings with little regard for the public’s need for unbiased facts to make informed decisions.

Whether we label ourselves liberal or conservative, we have allowed ourselves to be subject to the constant guidance of self-proclaimed spokespersons who determine what is right and wrong, not just on an individual basis, but for an entire nation.

We tune into “Morning Joe”, the “Ed Show”, “Fox News” or Rush Limbaugh to receive our cues. We find out whom to hate, who to trust, for whom to vote, and who to oppose. The “hive” lets us know whether we are doing well, or whether we are struggling. It tells us whether to buy stock or divest. It lets us know whether we will be supporting President Obama, or whether the Republicans will overtake him. They tell us who will win an election before a single vote is cast.

The “collective consciousness” not only facilitates the sharing of thoughts, but also the ability to adapt with great speed to defensive tactics for any supposed danger. And then it tells us how to respond to these perceived threats.

During this election cycle, we find our mailboxes, email, and phone lines inundated with propaganda from the party of our choosing if we are Republican or Democrat, and from both, if we are Independent. Our opponents are painted as scoundrels and thieves; our candidates are pictured as compassionate and impassioned.

It is time we disconnect from the hive and question the source of our information. We must demand less rhetoric and more fact and discern fact from fiction—truth from lies. Only by disconnecting from the group-think that has overtaken our nation can we recapture the true American spirit of independence.

The “Borg” would say ‘resistance is futile.’ But resistance is the only sane thing to do. Only by resisting this hive mentality can we be worthy of self-governance.