I know they say "Politics makes strange bedfellows", but......

This is so utterly ridiculous that I can't even say anything about it! That the public, even the Republican public, would give any credence to this woman's views just totally blows my mind! I wonder if the Phelps family would open up and welcome her now that Fred is dead?

Susanne Atanus, Who Blames Gay Rights For Tornadoes, Wins GOP Nomination For Congress

The Huffington Post  | by  Samantha Lachman

Posted: 03/19/2014 1:52 pm EDT Updated: 03/20/2014 11:59 am EDT

Susanne Atanus, Republican candidate

A Republican candidate who believes that God dictates weather patterns and that tornadoes, autism and dementia are God's punishments for marriage equality and abortion access won the GOP nomination to challenge Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) in the Chicago-area 9th Congressional District.
Susanne Atanus, of Niles, Ill., garnered 54 percent of the vote in her Tuesday win over David Earl Williams III.
"I am not in favor of abortions, I am not in favor of gay rights," Atanus told the Daily Herald, a suburban Chicago newspaper, in January.
She blamed natural disasters and mental disorders on recent advances in LGBT equality and legal abortions.
"God is angry. We are provoking him with abortions and same-sex marriage and civil unions," she said. "Same-sex activity is going to increase AIDS. If it's in our military, it will weaken our military. We need to respect God."
Atanus also reached out to the Windy City Times, an LGBT publication, in an attempt to explain her views.
"Everybody knows that God controls weather," she told the news site in January. "God is super angry," she added. "Gay marriage is not appropriate, and it doesn't look right, and it breeds AIDS."
Jack Dorgan, chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, and Adam Robinson, chairman of the Chicago Republican Party, both condemned Atanus' comments and distanced the party from her candidacy.

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Well, at least this time the Republican Party had good sense, and cut ties with her!

All opinions voiced on this blog are strictly those of the author. 

Voting - A Right For Everyone? Not According To the Attorney General!

Perusing the headlines this morning I came across this tiny little blurb tucked away in an area which would have been 'under the crease' on a newspaper page. There was Attorney General Eric Holder's picture, and the headline read "Restore voting rights to ex-inmates." I realized it was actually a viewer poll that someone had done on whether or not people who had 'done time' should ever be allowed to vote.  According to Attorney General Holder, "...nearly one in 13 African-American adults is banned from voting." This means 2.2 million black people are kept from voting by these antiquated state statutes...1 in 13 people. In states like Kentucky, Florida, and Virginia, the number is closer to 1 in 5!*

Here are the results of the poll:

Should former inmates have their voting rights restored?

1. 25 %

   Yes; it is a civil liberty.
   64,722 votes
2. 63 %

   No; they lost the right.
   163,433 votes
3. 10 %

   It depends on the person.
   25,318 votes
4. 2 %

   I'm not sure.
   7,021 votes

Total Responses: 260,494

Personally,  I voted #1, yes., give them back the right to vote. Why is it taken away in the first place? I've never understood that; once they do their time, 'pay their debt to society', they're finished, punishment over, right? I mean, why strip them of their rights entirely, permanently, especially if it's a nonviolent offense? I feel like if a person's crime is such that he is released from jail, is not on probation or parole, and is expected to work and pay taxes like any other citizen, then he has the right to vote like any other citizen. If you strip him of a citizen's rights, you are continuing to punish him for a crime he has supposedly 'paid his debt to society' for. You are also punishing the country by reducing the number of voters thereby influencing the outcomes of elections. Those best suited for certain positions may not get elected, while some shady character with more money than brains does, all because such large numbers of people could not come out and vote. These people have to live with the same government that everyone else does; why are they being denied the right to choose who that government consists of?

What do you think about this subject? Do you think ex-inmates should ever be allowed to vote?


* (MSN.com, MSN News, US, Holder urges restoring voting rights to ex-inmates, Retrieved 2/12/2014)

“I want to hold it cause I voted for Obama!”

Many stories are going to come out of today; a lot of things are going to happen at the polls. Some stories will make the 6:00 news, be splashed all over the newspapers, and be blogged about for days. Some stories will make a big brouhaha and then be forgotten about tomorrow. There are some stories though that no one will hear about, other than those who were there when it happened. Those are the stories though that later on, a couple of generations down the road, there's going to be an old person sitting with a young person at their knee, telling them about the first time they were able to vote for REAL change. I saw one of those stories happen today.

A little girl of about 3 or 4 came out of the polling place with her mother while I was in line. Her mother had two stickers in her hand, the little girl was almost crying because she wanted her sticker. Her mother said hold on, I’ll put it on for you. The little girl said no! I want to hold it! Her mother asked her why; she said “I want to hold it cause I voted for Obama!”

Of course it doesn’t sound as cute when reading it as it did when I heard it, but it just goes to show, EVERYONE is getting involved. Little children who are too young to know what all this means will be able to grow up and tell their children and grandchildren that they were there the day there was a black man to vote for as President of these United States; whether he wins or not (although I pray he does!) history was made today!

Make sure you get out and vote! You can't complain if you don't try to change things.