Republican legislator refers to women as Vaginas

18/04/2013

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Heard of a Republican state legislator from New Hampshire called Peter Hansen? No? Trust me, you will.

State Rep. Peter Hansen has joined the ranks of other US politicians, notably Republicans, who have opened their mouths and shot off their feet. Once again his remarks show a distinct lack of understanding off women and women's issues. His offensive comments were by way of an email communication.

Discussing the Florida Stand your Ground Law with fellow Rep. Steve Vaillancourt, Hansen wrote in an official email, "There were two critical ingredients missing in the illustrious stories purporting to demonstrate the practical side of retreat. Not that retreat may not be possible mind you. What could possibly be missing from those factual tales of successful retreat in VT, Germany, and the bowels of Amsterdam? Why children and vagina's (sic) of course. While the tales relate the actions of a solitary male the outcome cannot relate to similar situations where children and women and mothers are the potential victims".

Vaginas?  Well as a woman I find that deeply offensive.

It seems others reading the communication were shocked. Politicians chimed in to express their concern over his use of words, or rather that one word. "Are you really using 'vaginas' as a crude catch-all for women? Really?" wrote back State Rep. Rick Watrous, a Democrat. "Please think before you send out such offensive language on the legislative listserve."

That response is not entirley reassuring. Does it mean that it would have been ok if the email was going to be read by a select few? Hansen was not deterred though and tried to shift the blame saying, "Having a fairly well educated mind I do not need self appointed wardens to A: try to put words in my mouth for political gain and B: Turn a well founded strategy in communication into an insulting accusation, and finally if you find the noun vagina insulting or in some way offensive then perhaps a better exercise might be for you to re-examine your psyche".

Eventually he apologised to those who took offence which means he did not apologise but continued to shift the blame.

Comment:
Sounds like an arrogant and ignorant man to me. He may be well educated but so often in this life that proves little.

A range of comments at Gawker show a mixed response. Some explain away his crude words as well meant or meaningful. If he is so well educated though he should be able to construct an email with meaning without resorting to such wording.

Source:
Gawker
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Spin, propaganda and crackpots, US Election

27/10/2012

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With the clock ticking rapidly down on the US election Americans it seems need our sympathy. Election fever is rampant. The news is full of election spin and propaganda. If this blogger was a US citizen she would have made her mind up long ago who to vote for and would be sticking with it. However there are many floating or flip flop voters in  the States.

Plenty of people do not hold a strong affiliation to the left or the right of politics. In the US the candidates colour, religion and birth certificates seem more important to some than real issues. As the Election deadline approaches every crackpot is out there trying to get their message out. The Romney camp managed to out raise President Obama for cash donations in the last month which means their already considerable wealth has swelled, and some. Should it all boil to money?  No but it might, if you let it

Here is what this Brit observes having seen a change of government in the UK in 2010, which for many has led to personal disaster.

Make sure you vote
This is a fundamental. Like the candidates or not you will live your life under whoever wins for at least four years. You may as well weigh up the options and go with your gut instinct. Currently a vote is all you have to make your voice heard. If you are disillusioned with politics do not turn away. Remember those with the most to gain, which could be the Elite of society, will be racing to the Polls.

Ignore the spin and the crackpots
Donald Trump has been belting a challenge out to President Obama this week. You know the guy who did not want Romney but now that he is the only alternative for the uber wealthy in the US suddely loves him. We have noted plenty of those around. In a totally arrogant way he has offered a huge sum of money if President Obama releases many private documents to Trump's SATISFACTION.  The arrogance is unbelievable.

So let's look at this one:
  1.  His satisfaction? Who died and made him King? It is just another form of spin and blackmail designed to make the President look bad. Obama would be damned either way. Refuse to oblige and the money which could go to a chairty is lost. Comply and play the spin game. The documents may still not meet with wiggie's SATISFACTION.
  2. Has any other President of the USA been shown more disrespect? In these shows of disrepect they cheapen the office of US President. They also belittle the people who voted for President Obama last time.
  3. If the people of America are financially hurting so much is it not a slap in the face that this silly man, Trump, has $5mil to throw into the ring at the drop of a hat. As if it were peanuts. Of course it will be to him. So is he going to be pushing forward a Presidential candiadte who will be for the people? We think not.

Amongst the crackpots are white supremacists, hate filled people and religious fanatics. You should be able to make up your own minds about that lot of baggage. All will be intrinsically self serving or serving their own agenda. None have the American people at heart. Some have threatened civil war or assasinations. Bullies tend to act this way.

Deprived of Voting
We had this on a small scale in the UK on election night. Some polling stations in Labour heartlands closed early. Whilst it was not as damaging as it could have been election rules should be adhered to. However in the USA there have already been reports of incorrect Voting details being sent out. In swing States this could be crucial. It is easier than ever to stay informed these days so make sure that you do not fall for this one.

G W Bush came to Office tainted by hints of election fraud. In a country that prides itself on its so called democracy that is a sad joke. Voters who may have poor literacy skills could be at a disadvantage. They will need help from friends and the like. Romney has already declared that he will not be there for 47% of the population and the vulnerable will be in that number.

Final thoughts
With Romney's campaign chest of wealth bursting at the seams an obscene amount of money will be thrown at the Election. Those who have helped fill this chest are not on the whole the ordinary voters of the US but those with wealth they want to protect. Obama's donations have come from some wealthy donors too but ones with philanthropy at heart.

The final days before the election will be filled with spin and negative ads. This blogger would be using the remote to turn off the propaganda as much as she could. When it was thrust in her face she would turn the other cheek. She would know that it is spin and nothing more. Anything can be portrayed the way a person wants. In the end the American people will need to go with their heads and their hearts, that is unless they are happy to be manipulated.
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Mitt, Tagg and disrespect

21/10/2012

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As far as words go there is a huge difference between the UK and the USA. Hell there is a huge difference between regions of the UK and USA  when all is said and done. The recent splurge of news regarding the US election has brought us many stories pertinent to the USA and some pertinent to us all. This week Mitt Romney's son Tagg and his public outburst set us wondering about names and how the Elite view the World.

Mitt Romney's family history has links to Scotland and Germany. His was a privileged background. It is probably fair to say that he has never lived in the real World. Opponents of Barack Obama are quick to accuse the President of many things but at least he has a grasp of what makes us all tick. If like Romney you live in a Mormon community from birth and are surrounded by wealth the real world is just a bad story. Becoming an intern in your father's Governors' office says it all. His wife is from the same privileged background. Now that lifestyle does not exclude people from the human race but few of these Elite want to get their hands dirty. They prefer espousing on how WE should cut back and settle for second best. Still I digress. It was names and Mitt's son Tagg that brought about today's op-ed.

What sort of name is Mitt? For that matter what sort of name is Tagg? In the UK names are weird and in some cases wonderful these days. We wondered if Mitt was short for something and also why Willard Mitt Romney had opted against using his proper name, that is Willard. Surely in such an important race as the 2012 Presidential election Willard or Will would have been more appropriate?

Of course we know that there are more importat issues than names. However such things can believe it or not win or lose elections. Perhaps Mitt and his team thought Willard was too staid and Mitt would make him sound more "of the people" It is clear that he has never been that.

Apparently Romney was given the name Mitt after a relative called Milton. Why was he not called Milton then? Still to each his own. So what about his son called Tagg? This Brit is starting to think that the Romney's are reminiscent of an old children's favourite in the UK, Rag, Tag and Bobtail! Tagg in Romney's case is apparently short for Taggart. The family as a unit are Mitt, Tagg, Ben, Matt, Craig, Ann, and Josh.

Tagg has been in the news this week following the second presidential debate between his Dad and Barack Obama. It seems that the fact that the President came out on top of that debate ratlled Tagg. Well it would if it were your Dad I guess. Presumably the Obama girls felt the same when in the first debate the President took a civilised route and Mitt eat him alive. We assume that they have more class than Tagg though as they did not come out fighting.

During the deabte Obama questioned Romney's statements. Of course the implication was that Mitt was not telling the truth. Surely that is what all debates do? Romney did the same with Obama's words.

Talking on a US radio station following this Tadd said of his feelings,"You want to jump out of your seat, and you want to rush down to the debate stage and take a swing at him.” “But you know you can’t do that, because — well, first, because there’s a lot of Secret Servce between you and him — but also because this is just the nature of the process. They're going to try to do everything they can do to make my dad into something he's not." "

Says a lot doesn't it? Says ignorance, stupidity, ill thought out words and a lack of class. It shows that money does not breed style. nor substance.It shows a true lack of respect for President Obama and the role of US President. Tagg is happy then to have Obama portrayed as everything from a devil to a monster but not his Dad. Grow up springs to mind.

Perhaps the Romneys resemble that childhood favourite more than we first thought. Tagg and Mitt certainly seem to belong in the playground of school, and not just because of their silly names.
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Keystone pipeline new route

19/01/2012

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There have been ongoing protests across the Pond regarding a new oil pipeline. The XL Keystone pipeline had been created to enable oil taken from Canada's oil sands to be shipped to the US. Trans Canada Corp (TRP) had invested big time in this project. In fact it had invested $7 billion in total.

There have been ongoing protests in the US regarding this pipeline and possible environmental issues. Whilst it is easy to see why some have protested, the West's reliance on oil will never be good news. As usual we want our cake and eat it.

In the Middle East, wars have been fought supposedly for democracy whilst the true reason has been in order to secure oil supplies. Of course the Middle East is not in the West's own backyard.  The XL Keystone pipeline will be and some people are up in arms.

Washington has been lobbied and many felt that a new Republican government would smile kindly on XL. In reality that may be the case, but it may not. Even if a Republican is returned to the White House in November 2012 there is nothing to say that XL will be high on their agenda. What politicians promise in the run up to an election usually bears no relation to what they do when in office. That is unless it is something which will help those who bank rolled their election campaign.

Wednesday January 18, 2012, US President Obama rejected the XL Keystone pipeline plans. President Obama however issued a statement which maintained that he had been forced into making this decision, by Republicans. He argued that a "short-term extension to the payroll tax cut that required him to either issue a permit to allow the 1,700-mile pipeline to be built or explain why it was not in the national interest by Feb. 21", was at the heart of the problem. 

USA Today went on to report that Obama said, "This announcement is not a judgment on the merits of the pipeline, but the arbitrary nature of a deadline that prevented the State Department from gathering the information necessary to approve the project and protect the American people. I'm disappointed that Republicans in Congress forced this decision, but it does not change my administration's commitment to American-made energy that creates jobs and reduces our dependence on oil." 

With the election rapidly approaching both Democrats and Republicans will be playing a war of words and hoping to undermine each others campaigns. This always makes it hard for the man or woman on the street to truly know just what each politician and party stands for. Each will always blame the other for their shortcomings.

Mr Obama wanted enough time to assess alternative pipeline routes whilst his political enemies said he was putting jobs on the line by doing so. Presumably he was also putting the wealth of Republicans and their supporters on the line.

Of course Republicans are hammering home the XL Keystone debate and keeping it central to their campaigns. They see it as one way to hit Obama. It strikes this blogger as odd. In one breath they say Obama is finished and will not be re-elected and in another they are latching onto anything possible which could hit potential Obama voters. It smacks of Republicans being desperate.

Trans Canada Corp have however seemingly accepted Obama's words. The Obama administration offered TCC the chance to reapply and they have said that they will be doing so. Without a time sensitive arrangement this will give both parties chance to explore alternative routes.

Bloomberg have reported that, "Obama called Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who told the president Canada will seek to diversify its energy exports after Keystone was rejected. Harper “expressed his profound disappointment” with the Keystone decision, according to a statement from his office". 

Obviously environmentalist groups are happy with the rejection. This could be a short lived rejection though. Republicans will decry the rejection whilst secretly being pleased for the political fire power it could give to their election campaigns. In all honesty though the Obama administration must be a winner in some ways. It has shown that even in an election year it will not simply cave in to pressure. Then again all it could still be playing for time. That said the Alberta Oil Sands fiasco is far from over.
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