Pope Francis: A Breathe Of Fresh Air Even For The Non-religious

       

I am not much on organized religion. I am a believer in a higher spirit that guides our lives (good and bad), but I do not care for the commonly accepted labels passed through recorded humanity. The Bible seems to be written by men, without any trace of the written word from the literal hand of Jesus Christ.

Organized religion, I am sure, has provided spiritual wonders for millions across the globe through humanity. In fact, there is heavy influence in my family. I was raised in the church. Yet , organized religion has tip of the iceberg manifestations that bother me to the core. From child molesting priest through Protestant and non-denominational mega-preachers who live opulent lives in part from cameras rolling in congregation halls thorough the week.  Cameras that roll at peak operation with each passing Sunday, with the remainder of the week tallying up the “givings.”

http://youtu.be/mJ9oBCLwwL0

Before I go on, allow me to unequivocally state the majority of MEN (based in male oriented dogma and discrimination against women of the Cloth), and Women, of religion are not charlatans or “deliver-the-word” opportunist. It is like life, the examples of ‘ugly” seem to draw more attentions, at least for me.

I have found myself particularly fond of Pope Francis. He seems to be of the common people, and he has not allowed his ascension to the Vatican to entrap him in the elitist trappings of the Catholic religious hierarchy as some who preceded Francis.  

Francis is a breath of fresh air as I consider past Catholic Church leadership. As a symbolic leader of international Christianity, I find reading of Francis moves into deep recessions of my mind thoughts church discrimination discrimination against women, church indifference to slavery, tacit support for all things capitalist and “all things elitist.”

The Raw Story has made a piece available that draws a smile from one who rarely if ever smiles as I read, see or hear about religion. In fact, religion is the United States is becoming an aversion as the Conservative Right has wrapped its social deficiencies in the name of Christianity. Rarely, does a day pass when I am not bombarded with right-wing religious quackery infringing on people who do not wish to have the dogma smeared across their lives. Even, with true believers, what we are seeing day-to-day has to be a major turn-off and manifestation that warrant close scrutiny and deep caution.

One last point. I was listening to NPR in late December 2013 and heard something very intriguing about Pope Francis. I heard a nun speak about her affinity for the Pope and one outstanding point about the man: “He is the first Pope from a nation colonized by nations that colonized the world.” 

Pope Francis rips capitalism and trickle-down economics to shreds in new policy statement (via Raw Story )

In case there was any doubt left, Pope Francis made it clear that he shares little in common with U.S. conservatives. The pontiff released his Evangelii Gadium, or Joy of the Gospel, attacking capitalism as a form of tyranny and calling on church and…

Americans Aganist The Tea Party: ‘Obama Assassination’ Cartoon

Re-blog from  via RePost.US

Conservative America is a shameful state of mind.  

‘Obama Assassination’ Cartoon Prompts Visits From The Secret Service (Video) (via Americans Against The Tea Party)

The creators of the YouTube series Conrad the Constitution complained to Infowars that their graphic depiction of President Obama being cowardly Second Amendmented in the back of the head ‘Abraham Lincoln style’ in a theater has earned them and…

The Daily GOP Ignominious: Hannity and Guest: "Overfed’ blacks use food stamps as a ‘fat pill’

 ‘Overfed’ blacks use food stamps as a ‘fat pill’

Gavin McInnes

What you are about to see is the Fox News and conservative politicians followers of Fox News video segment comparable to the famous FDR “Let Me Warn You,” campaign speech that included comment about Republicanism. For Fox News, the clip is equal to, and held in as high regard, as the famous JFK Berlin Speech. I can actually envision Fox News management forcing staff to view the video once per month. When propaganda is your business, propaganda is critical to the purveyors of the business model message.

The Fox New Video Anthem
http://youtu.be/kkXxBy4x6rs

Fox News has made the young surfer free-loader as famous as Leonardo Di Caprio. It is truly pathetic for a network staffed with multi-millionaire on-air personalities and dedicated propagandist as staff, expend so much air-time and social inertia of misrepresentation a program that feeds so many Americans.

The latest propagandist to use the video is Sean Hannity.  

The Raw Story published the following piece with guest, Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes. 

Fox News guest tells Hannity: ‘Overfed’ blacks use food stamps as a ‘fat pill’ (via Raw Story )

Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes on Tuesday told Fox News host Sean Hannity not to demonize white people because it was the black Dominicans in New York who were abusing food stamps as a “fat pill.” During a panel discussion, Hannity asked his guests…

See more after the break below
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The welfare freeloader is reported to live with elderly relatives and we located by  Fox News via a friend.  He agreed to three days of taping (the sushi/lobster segment ) with hopes of publicity for his band. He claims to work over 40 hours per week advancing his band, but is simply unpaid as hie builds his career. 

McInnes as a non-native American has views that fit the Fox News propaganda business model like a $2,000 pair of winter gloves.  He is a self-proclaimed “white-advantagist” (Stopping strategically shy of espousing white supremacy), but a clear proponent of the white race as privileged above other races.

As you read the The Raw Story piece do you recognize our use of the words “white-advantagist?”  Hannity and McInness skirted the precipice of overt “white-privilege” while full leveraging a form of Rick Santorum “Blah People.”

The quality of Fox News guests! 

When Hannity invites people like McInnes to his show he knows the guest will feed his ravaging consumers of bigotry and racism with a slant towards Obama Derangement Syndrome. McInnes fed them very well. I could hear and smell the burps and belches of satiated conservatives who thrive off mis-perceptions about those who literally exist of SNAP program benefits. Keep in mind “exist” is a powerful word that has only one contrary realm: failure to exist. Some call it “death” or desperation that will lead to human behavior that manifest when people are about to starve to death. 

A quick peep at Hannity’s guest.

Gavin McInnes (Wiki)

Controversial statements He was featured in a 2003 New York Times article about Vice magazine expressing his political views.[17]  In an interview in the New York Press, McInnes said that he was pleased that most Williamsburg hipsters are white.[17] He has also been quoted as saying. I love being white and I think it’s something to be very proud of … I don’t want our culture diluted. We need to close the borders now and let everyone assimilate to a Western, white, English-speaking way of life.[18] McInnes later claimed that the interview was done as a prank intended to ridicule “baby boomer media like The Times” in a letter to Gawker. [19]  He became the focus of a letter-writing campaign by a black reader, and Vice apologized for McInnes’s comments.[17]  In October 2013, McInnes was interviewed by The Huffington Post as a panel about the meaning of masculinity, and said “people would be happier if women would stop pretending to be men,” and that feminism “has made women less happy.”[20]  Women are feigning that toughness. We’ve trivialized childbirth and being domestic so much that women are forced to pretend to be men. They’re feigning this toughness, they’re miserable.[21]  A heated argument followed when University of Miami law professor Mary Anne Franks responded, and McInnes in his reply loudly called her a “fucking idiot”.

A few SNAP facts from Feeding America Dot Org.

PROGRAM FACTS SNAP is targeted at the most vulnerable.  76% of SNAP households included a child, an elderly person, or a disabled person. These vulnerable households receive 83% of all SNAP benefits.[i] SNAP eligibility is limited to households with gross income of no more than 130% of the federal poverty guideline, but the majority of households have income well below the maximum:  83% of SNAP households have gross income at or below 100% of the poverty guideline ($19,530 for a family of 3 in 2013), and these households receive about 91% of all benefits.  61% of SNAP households have gross income at or below 75% of the poverty guideline ($14,648 for a family of 3 in 2013).[ii] The average SNAP household has a gross monthly income of $744; net monthly income of $338 after the standard deduction and, for certain households, deductions for child care, medical expenses, and shelter costs; and countable resources of $331, such as a bank account.[iii]  Categorical eligibility has dramatically increased program participation.  The dramatic increase in SNAP participation and costs is a result of the recession, not categorical eligibility. Our nation has seen the highest unemployment rates in nearly 30 years. SNAP participation historically follows unemployment with a slight lag. SNAP participation grew during the recession, responding quickly and effectively to increased need. As the number of unemployed people increased by 94% from 2007 to 2011, SNAP responded with a 70% increase in participation over the same period. [xxvi]  As the economy recovers and people go back to work, SNAP participation and program costs, too, can be expected to decline. Unemployment has begun to slowly fall, and SNAP participation growth has flattened out. The Congressional Budget Office projects SNAP participation to begin declining in 2015, with both unemployment and SNAP participation returning to near pre-recession levels by 2022.[xxvii]

A sidebar from the Feeding America link: The Obama Food Stamp experience was not caused by Obama. The current participation rates are due to the great (Bush/Cheney) Recession. And, rest assured Fox News managers, editors and on-air personalities know such.

Hannity and McInnes postulate and propagandize about a program that feeds millions across the American demographic spectrum. They use an “alleged” free-loader to attack a program that feeds children, the elderly and some military active duty families, as well as million of the unemployed, under-employed and temporary jobless. 

Hannity is a shill for the GOP and conservative America. He practices his brand of politicking while empirical evidence points to SNAP as a life-sustaining program that feeds Americans from every walk of life. He is a bringer of conservative rhetoric and propaganda, while SNAP participation rates show Red State residents are major benefactors.

The Daily Kos 

Map of US Counties with Rate of Participation in SNAP In the map above, the shading of US counties from light to dark corresponds to the extent of participation in SNAP (number of beneficiaries per county ÷ total county population). In the areas with the lightest shading, less than 10% of the population is enrolled in SNAP. In the areas with the darkest shading, more than 30% of the population is enrolled. There’s an extensive area across the South where participation rate are above average. An area of highest participation rates extend from West Virginia, through eastern Kentucky into northeastern Tennessee. Another area is visible  along the Mississippi River from Arkansas and west Tennessee to Louisiana and Mississippi.  Smaller areas are found in parts of Alabama and Georgia.  These are mostly rural areas where the population density is low and the population is declining in some places due to the lack of economic opportunity.

_________ ________ _______ _______ less than 10% 10% to 16.99% 17% to 29.99% 30% or more

Map of US Counties with Number of Participants in SNAP Contrast this map of US counties with the one above it.  Here the shading from light to dark corresponds to the actual number of SNAP beneficiaries in a county. The lightest shading indicates counties where there are less than 2,000 beneficiaries. The darkest shading indicates a county with 100,000 or more SNAP recipients.There are obvious visible differences between the areas shaded for numerous beneficiaries on this map and the areas shaded for high participation rates on the one above it. The West Coast is shaded for the large number of people in the area using SNAP, though it isn’t shaded for its participation rate which remains relatively low.  It’s important to realize that a low participation rate of 10% still translates to a huge number of people in crowded urban areas.  The same is true in the Northeast.Participation rates aren’t meaningful by themselves without considering the size of the population base in an area. The rates are useful for understanding societal characteristics.  To understand the amount of funding needed to support SNAP in one area compared to another, the number of people who get benefits must be considered.

________ ________ _______ _________ less than 2,000 2,000 to 9,999 10,000 to 99,999 100,000 or more

Owsley County, Kentucky isn’t known for anything special. It’s in the eastern part of the state where there used to be a coal mining area. In the 2012 presidential election, 81% of the vote was for Romney. There are 3,144 counties in the US and only three have more of their population in food stamps than Owsley. 52% of the county benefits from SNAP compared to a nationwide average of 15%. Further south on the map, where the Mississippi loops back and forth in a series of countless tight squiggles, Humphreys County is found 20 miles east of the river. After Owsley, it ranks next in the use of food stamps. 51% of the population there benefits from SNAP.  Like Owsley, Humphreys is in an area where poverty is a problem. Owsley, KY is 99% white while Humphreys, MS is 72% black. Estrangement between the races shows up in the House representatives from districts where a lot of people use SNAP.  Throughout Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia where 62 of the 100 counties in the US with the highest participation in SNAP, white voters elect Republican representatives, while black voters elect Democrats.  The Democratic House members support the food stamps program.  The Republican members betray and undermine their constituents by opposing the program.

US Counties with the Highest Rate of Participation in SNAP County Participation Shannon, SD 59.6% Todd, SD 55.4% Wade Hampton, AK 54.2% Owsley, KY 52.2% Humphreys, MS 50.6% Menominee, WI 49.8% Sioux, ND 47.2% Buffalo, SD 46.4% Wilcox, AL 45.8% Perry, AL 45.6% Sharkey, MS 45.57% East Carroll, LA 45.32% Starr, TX 44.76% Clay, KY 43.67% Dewey, SD 43.50% Bennett, SD 43.02% Holmes, MS 42.81% Rolette, ND 42.74% Wolfe, KY 42.30% Brooks, TX 42.24%

Hannity and McInnes fed Fox News viewers the surfer freeloader and “overfed blacks,” balanced with praise of the (white middle class) Williamsburg hipsters. The reality as follows: Owsley, KY.

By PBSpot Admin February 3, 2014

Read More →

The Food Stamp Capital of the U.S. is WHITE and REPUBLICAN

In spite of the prevailing stereotypes and assumptions about who uses SNAP Food Stamp benefits the most in the United States, the highest usage is not in Compton, Queens, nor the South Side of Chicago. Instead, a city that is 99.22% white and 95% Republican comes in the lead. Owsley County, Kentucky is a community of about 5,000, residents earning the lowest median household income in the country outside of Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Census.

The Daily Kos also posted a table regarding participation numbers and cities of highest SNAP use. You can view that table via the link above (The Daily Kos).

The real picture of SNAP and the fallacy of McInnes, Hannity and Fox News.

Fortune 500 companies receive $63 billion in subsidies

Racist Proudly Confronts Mary Landrieu (D) LA. ("They got their place.")

           

We need not comment here: Racist Alert!

What you are about to read is a reality that is the underlying reason so many literally hate President Obama.  It is also the reason so many flock to voting booths and cast votes against with race as their underlying motivation. They do so with subsequent election of people who do the nation great financial and economic harm.

The question: “Do you vote along with people such as the racist who confronted Landrieu?” Are you proud of your answer to the question?

Voter warns Mary Landrieu on Obama: ‘I don’t vote for black people… They got their place’ (via Raw Story )

An article published by NPR on Tuesday indicated that Sen. Mary Landrieu’s (D-LA) tough re-election battle in Louisiana could be less about her vote for health care reform, and more about her decision to support the country’s first black president…

Bobby Jindal Speaks "No" Minimum Wage Hike for His Constituents! (Big Business)

Images NOLA Dot Com

An exemplary money grabber speaks out against raising the minimum wage.
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Apparently, the Governors meeting at the White House was considered somewhat congenial and productive. Or, at least that is what some media reported.

Some governors never pass on opportunity to appeal to constituents who are obvious not people who cast votes during elections.  

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal exited the meeting, joined other governors at the White House microphone and fired-off oratory that at least one governor felt was out-of-place grandstanding.  We have posted a RePost.US video below, but first allow me a minute of opine.

Bobby Jindal was obviously speaking to people who provide financial support for political campaigns. It was as if, he was saying, “….Look at me, I am doing your bidding, I do not care if I am governor of a state with citizens who could seriously benefit from an increase in the federal minimum wage, I am here for you business owners, Koch brothers and fellow conservatives.”

Re.Post.US

Jindal Rebuttal Over Minimum Wage (via Repost Video News)

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a Republican, and his Connecticut Democratic counterpart, Dannel Malloy, squared off over the minimum wage after they and other governors met with President Barack Obama.

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MSNBC’s, Chris Matthews, Hardball broadcast a segment related to the White House Microphone opportunity. His guest Michael Steele former RNC Chair, and Connecticut Governor Malloy sat for a great point-counterpoint segment.

http://on.msnbc.com/1gACoID

Why would Jindal ‘go there’ once the cameras started to roll?   All politicians solicit and accept contributors for donors. Donor sources include Political Action Committees (PACS), personal donors and business contributors. 

Why would the governor of a state with no current state minimum wage speak singularity as the anti-minimum wage governor? The answer escapes me.  If we run through a bit of data related to minimum wage, occupations that generally exit at the lower end of the income scale, we will find jobs that Jindal’s Louisiana has in abundance. 

Minimum wage by U.S. state and U.S. territory (American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands), as of January 1, 2014.

  States with minimum wage rates higher than the federal rate

  States and territories with minimum wage rates the same as the federal rate

  States with no state minimum wage law

  States and territories with minimum wage rates lower than the federal rate

  Territory with varied minimum wage rates lower than the federal rate

Louisiana is a state that relies on tourist dollars from its hospitality, gaming and service sector jobs.

Wiki provides a review of jobs most affected by the federal minimum wage, the data is a bit age, but for points of reference the data works very well.

Jobs affected by the minimum wage The jobs that are most likely to be directly affected by the minimum wage are the ones that pay a wage close to the minimum. According to the May 2006 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates,[105] the four lowest-paid occupational sectors in May 2006 (when the federal minimum wage was $5.15 per hour) were the following: Sector Workers Employed Median Wage Mean Wage Mean Annual Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations 11,029,280 $7.90 $8.86 $18,430 Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations 450,040 $8.63 $10.49 $21,810 Personal Care and Service Occupations 3,249,760 $9.17 $11.02 $22,920 Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations 4,396,250 $9.75 $10.86 $22,580 Two years later, in May 2008, when the federal minimum wage was $5.85 per hour and was about to increase to $6.55 per hour in July 2008, these same sectors were still the lowest-paying, but their situation (according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data)[106] was: Sector Workers Employed Median Wage Mean Wage Mean Annual Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations 11,438,550 $8.59 $9.72 $20,220 Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations 438,490 $9.34 $11.32 $23,560 Personal Care and Service Occupations 3,437,520 $9.82 $11.59 $24,120 Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations 4,429,870 $10.52 $11.72 $24,370 In 2006, workers in the following 13 individual occupations received, on average, a median hourly wage of less than $8.00 per hour:[105] Occupation Workers Employed Median Wage Mean Wage Mean Annual Gaming Dealers 82,960 $7.08 $8.18 $17,010 Waiters and Waitresses 2,312,930 $3.14 $4.27 $11,190 Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food 2,461,890 $7.24 $7.66 $15,930 Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers 401,790 $7.36 $7.84 $16,320 Cooks, Fast Food 612,020 $7.41 $7.67 $15,960 Dishwashers 502,770 $7.57 $7.78 $16,190 Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers 101,530 $7.64 $8.41 $17,500 Counter Attendants, Cafeteria, Food Concession, and Coffee Shop 524,410 $7.76 $8.15 $16,950 Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop 340,390 $7.78 $8.10 $16,860 Shampooers 15,580 $7.78 $8.20 $17,050 Amusement and Recreation Attendants 235,670 $7.83 $8.43 $17,530 Bartenders 485,120 $7.86 $8.91 $18,540 Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse 230,780 $7.95 $8.48 $17,630 In 2008, only two occupations paid a median wage less than $8.00 per hour:[106] Occupation Workers Employed Median Wage Mean Wage Mean Annual Gaming Dealers 91,130 $7.84 $9.56 $19,890 Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food 2,708,840 $7.90 $8.36 $17,400 According to the May 2009 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates,[107] the lowest-paid occupational sectors in May 2009 (when the federal minimum wage was $7.25 per hour) were the following: Sector Workers Employed Median Wage Mean Wage Mean Annual Gaming Dealers 86,900 $8.19 $9.76 $20,290 Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food 2,695,740 $8.28 $8.71 $18,120 Waiters and Waitresses 2,302,070 $8.50 $9.80 $20,380 Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers 402,020 $8.51 $9.09 $18,900 Cooks, Fast Food 539,520 $8.52 $8.76 $18,230

While not one of the occupations is missing from the employment roles in Louisiana, most are as prevalent as crayfish or Jambalaya. 

Jindal is certainly not a recipient of large sums of labor donations; the history of business donations is quite another story.

The Center For Responsive Politics

PACs

Representative Bobby Jindal

Campaign Finance Cycle:   20082006Career
PAC Contribution Breakdown

	Business	$968,028	(87%)
	Labor	$9,500	(1%)
	Ideological/Single Issue	$133,560	(12%)Representative Bobby Jindal

CAREER PROFILE (SINCE 1989)

Top Industries

Representative Bobby Jindal

Campaign Finance Cycle:   20082006Career

Industry	Total
Health Professionals	$334,544
Oil & Gas	$260,250
Lawyers/Law Firms	$237,550
Retired	$203,735
Real Estate	$174,063
Insurance	$130,729
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products	$115,437
Securities & Investment	$109,763
Sea Transport	$105,350
General Contractors	$98,925
Business Services	$95,200
Construction Services	$92,205
Republican/Conservative	$85,272
Leadership PACs	$78,804
Lobbyists	$73,389
Health Services/HMOs	$66,931
Misc Business	$66,023
Hospitals/Nursing Homes	$65,779
Food & Beverage	$63,099
Misc Manufacturing & Distributing	$62,900

Sector Totals

Sector	Total	PACs	Indivs
Agribusiness	$167,652	$59,800	$107,852
Communications/Electronics	$109,938	$26,850	$83,088
Construction	$282,075	$49,575	$232,500
Defense	$35,625	$15,500	$20,125
Energy & Natural Resources	$362,741	$132,000	$230,741
Finance, Insurance & Real Estate	$571,863	$167,476	$404,387
Health	$588,641	$245,283	$343,358
Lawyers & Lobbyists	$310,939	$35,807	$275,132
Transportation	$212,500	$79,000	$133,500
Misc Business	$497,084	$156,737	$340,347
Labor	$9,500	$9,500	$0
Ideological/Single-Issue	$261,968	$133,560	$128,408
Other	$251,252	$500	$250,752

Percent of Contributions Coded

	Coded	$3,639,271	(83.7%)
	Not Coded	$706,791	(16.3%)

METHODOLOGY

NOTE: All the numbers on this page are for the 2004 – 2014 election cycles and based on Federal Election Commission data available electronically on Monday, March 25, 2013. (“Help! The numbers don’t add up…”)

The data sheds (a revealing) light on why Jindal would take on the microphone mouthpiece role against a minimum wage hike. The data actually points to a politician who should be ashamed of himself. It should be noted the Jindal is also a Republican Governor who refuses to accept Medicaid Expansion dollars form the federal government.

When do people hold their elected officials accountable for political malfeasance?