Flamenco dancing is a thunderous, soulful, sometimes melancholy dance that originated in Andalusia, Southern Spain. Watching these dancers expose their emotion and passion through their strong and precise motions is not only beautiful, but extremely moving. Flamenco combines pride, strength, pain, and passion through aggressive but purposeful movements with the dancers’ feet.
Flamenco dancing can have many different purposes. Whether the dance is intended to be entertaining, romantic or comforting, flamenco is a very emotional style of dance.
Flamenco dancers try to express their deepest emotions by using body movements and facial expressions.
Republicans are Violating The Constitution Because They Fear the Black President
One of the primary components of conservatism is opposing change and retaining traditional social institutions, and where some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, others called reactionaries oppose modernism and seek a return to “the way things were.” It is safe to say that Republicans, as conservatives, hate change and resist progress because it is too far beyond the scope of their cognitive abilities to adapt. When they are presented with change out of their control they become reactionaries and inherently seek reverting to a by-gone era that never existed except in their limited minds. It is curious that Republicans so opposed to change reacted to the election of the first African American President by changing a long-standing Constitutional mandate that Congress pay the nation’s debts without question, or without demands to enact their legislative agenda.
The idea of a president having to negotiate with Congress before they do their Constitutional duty of paying the debt they incurred is Republicans reacting to Americans’ choice of a Black man as President. On Thursday, a Republican congressional representative from Florida, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, lashed out at the President for refusing to negotiate with Republicans and meet their demands before they will raise the debt limit. Ros-Lehtinen said, “The American people sent us to Washington to work together for our great nation, and it is unacceptable for one side to refuse to negotiate. Where’s the president in all of this? The bully pulpit can just as equally be used for constructive leadership as it can be used for political showmanship.” Ros-Lehtinen’s newfound belief that a president is required to negotiate and meet ransom demands before Congress does its constitutionally mandated job was joined by House Speaker John Boehner who criticized the President for not negotiating over raising the debt limit and said, “Well I’m sorry, but it just doesn’t work that way.”
Boehner may be sorry, but Congress raising the debt limit free of concessions by the President is precisely how it has worked until January 2009 when an African American was sworn in office to lead the Executive branch of the United States government. It is true that Bill Clinton made a budget agreement that included a debt limit increase with a Democratic majority in 1993, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) included a debt increase, but the concept of holding the increase hostage for enacting the opposing party’s complete legislative agenda for the past two years is certainly unprecedented and a departure from the normal course of paying the nation’s debt according to the Constitution. For a party violently resistant to change, Boehner and Republicans are attempting to change the Constitutional requirements for enacting legislation and paying their bills the Constitution says “shall not be questioned.” It is true that in 2011 when Republicans held the full faith and credit hostage, President Obama negotiated with Boehner to save the nation from a credit default, but after the devastation from the crisis and severe austerity cuts, it is likely the President is not going to repeat that blunder.
http://www.politicususa.com/2013/09/28/republicans-violating-constitution-fear-black-president.html
Delusional House Republicans Laugh at Obama’s Promise to Veto Government Funding Bill
Watch delusional House Republicans literally laugh at President Obama’s promise to veto their 44th attempt to get rid of the ACA.
When confronted with the prospect of a presidential veto of their pointless legislation during the meeting of the House Rules Committee, Rep. Hal Rogers joked about Obama setting a red line.
In the video clip, Rep. Jim McGovern tries to warn the Republicans on the House Rules Committee that the votes aren’t there, the Senate isn’t going to take this up, and if it got to President Obama he would veto it. Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) asked, “He has threatened to veto?” Rep. McGovern (D-MA) replied, “He hasn’t threatened. He absolutely will veto.” Rogers replied, “He’s drawn a red line.” This brought about much laughter from the Republican side.
House Republicans would be wise to understand the lesson of the red line. Obama drew that red line on Syria, and then got exactly what he wanted.
Republicans are so delusional that they are laughing off the threat of a presidential veto. They really believe that they can bully Obama into killing his signature healthcare reform law. They don’t believe that the president will stand firm. The laughter and jokes from Republicans suggest that they are celebrating shutting the government down. House Republicans are trying to spin what they are doing as an effort to keep the government open, but it is the exact opposite
http://www.politicususa.com/2013/09/28/delusional-house-republicans-laugh-obamas-threat-veto-government-funding-bill.html
Feminista Jones @FeministaJones
“Your hate for president Obama is coming before your love of this country” – Rep. Scott (D-GA) Whewwwww
9:29 PM – 28 Sep 2013
Feminista Jones @FeministaJones
“The majority of the people elected President Obama…and you HATE that. You can’t separate Obamacare from President Obama” Rep. Scott (GA)
9:28 PM – 28 Sep 2013
Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur
Steny Hoyer to Republicans: “You refuse to accept the results of the election.”
10:18 PM – 28 Sep 2013
“Atlanta poet and spoken word artist, Soul Scribe, performs her poem, “Taste the Rainbow” at an art gallery at Underground Atlanta. Dedicated to Trayvon Martin and all those who have died or suffered from hate, racism and injustice.”
EUR Perspective: Time to Head to the Theater for Black Cinema’s Comeback
September 28, 2013 by EurPublisher
*Hey, would you look at that – suddenly, we seem to be in a boom period for African-American cinema.
It’s still not ideal, and there are several problems with the system (as detailed in John Singleton’s very fine Hollywood Reporter column from its Sept. 27 issue) but the simple fact is that 2013 has seen some smashing successes for African-American films – with several great ones having the distinction of being helmed by promising African-American directors.
Lee Daniels’ smash hit The Butler has crossed the hundred-million mark and is a lock for a heap of Oscar nominations. Ryan Coogler’s astonishing debut effort Fruitvale Station introduced a new star to the masses with Michael B. Jordan (seriously, just give him the Oscar right now).
It all just, again, proves that there are audiences out there that will see quality work by these promising young directors, writers and actors as long as they’re given the chance. Therefore, movie-watchers out there, it’s remarkably important that everyone starts going out to see these flicks. Hollywood listens to the cash register – and investing in a night out to see one of these great works of art really does benefit everyone involved. It’s worth seeking out these movies.
Do yourself a favor and go see the great Twelve Years a Slave when it (hopefully) comes out to a theater near you soon. This gripping tale is another lock for a Best Picture nomination; it stars the amazing Chiwetel Ejiofor, was written by the great John Ridley, and was directed by the super-talented Steve McQueen, all wonderfully awesome black film figures.
Please, go see it, and then spend a few more bucks on the Idris Elba-starrer Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom , which should get Elba a Best Actor nomination. Let’s turn these movies into not just hits, but blockbusters – and let’s make sure Hollywood knows that we need more and more great black-themed movies in our multiplexes every week.
http://www.eurweb.com/2013/09/eur-perspective-time-to-head-to-the-theater-for-black-cinemas-comeback/
Ryan: ‘Nobody Believes’ Obama Won’t Negotiate On Debt Limit
Daniel Strauss – September 28, 2013, 4:50 PM EDT
Nobody actually believes President Barack Obama’s vows to not negotiate on raising the debt ceiling, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) said.
“Oh, nobody believes that. Nobody believes that. He himself negotiated Bowles Simpson on the debt limit with Democrats. That was Kent Conrad’s requirement,” Ryan told National Review. “He himself negotiated the Budget Control Act with the debt limit. Graham Rudman. Bush Andrews Airforce Base. Clinton Gore ‘97. All of those major budget agreements were debt limit agreements. I see this time as no different and I believe he does too. I think most people believe he’s just posturing for now.”
Ryan’s comments come as the House seeks to pass a new continuing resolution bill that also delays Obamacare for one year and also includes a medical device tax repeal. Top Democrats were quick to criticize the proposal after it was unveiled.
Ryan also said he expects the ongoing fight over funding the government to eventually fold into negotiations over raising the debt ceiling.
“I think it will fold into the debt ceiling fight. I think that’s inevitable. And preferable in my opinion. I like combining all of our leverage, which is sequester and the debt limit,” Ryan told the magazine.
Ryan said right now Republicans feel a sense of urgency to do as much as possible against Obamacare before it kicks in on Oct. 1.
“I think that, we’re prior to Oct. 1, when Obamacare starts, and there’s just a great desire to do everything we can before that moment. And that’s understandable. I respect that. I think the Senate’s gonna have a tough vote,” Ryan said.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/paul-ryan-thinks-government-funding-fight-will-fold-into-debt-ceiling-debate
Kelly O’Donnell ✔ @KellyO
Rep Gwen Moore “This debate is …to punish the people for electing Barack Obama President of the United States..”
9:47 PM – 28 Sep 2013
A very insightful comment on TPM
____________________________________________
mothermachree
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/cnn-house-republicans-add-contraceptive-care-opt-out-provision-to-funding-bill#
1 Hour Ago
What’s really chilling is that this is obviously calculated. It’s not merely craziness, although it is sure enough crazy: and it’s not as sloppy as it looks.
We know–because Jim DeMint and the right-wing press have made it abundantly clear–that these people are getting advice on their nullification strategy from the Koch-funded Heritage Foundation (among others). This whole sideshow is a stunning and unprecedented and above all DELIBERATE breach. They are flagrantly breaking faith with our society and our institutions.
This goes beyond mere hatred for the president; they are encouraging radical disregard for the very rule of law, for the democratic process, for the social contract that has held us together, more or less, since 1865. I have not seen anything like this in my lifetime except for the white terrorism that blazed through the South during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Perhaps the Kochs believe the fires of racial, religious and political purification need to burn through our whole society, North as well as South, in order to pave the way for their tax-free, deregulated, Caucasian-dominated Birch Society utopia. Their surrogates in Congress certainly seem to think so.
This almost has the reek of a wannabe putsch, some weird kind of dry-run coup d’etat. Even though they know they’re doomed to be unsuccessful in the short run, they must also know that they are deepening the fissures and weakening the ties that bind us as a people, as well as amping up the rage of their supporters who are (one should never forget) extremely well-armed, and who have been conditioned to react to the rest of us with fear and loathing.
Whatever is going on, this is extraordinarily ugly stuff, beyond bizarre, and as this process unfolds I find it less and less merely strange and outrageous, and more and more to be menacing and destructive at a radical, even revolutionary level. Whatever ultimately happens, these people are doing profound long-term structural damage to the country.
beep beep!
:)
http://blogs.denverpost.com/opinion/wp-content/blogs.dir/85/files/2013/09/gop-vs.-obamacare-cartoon-englehart-495×350.jpg
Eric Wolfson @ericwolfson
The #GOP blaming #Obama for the shutdown is like John Wilkes Booth blaming Lincoln for missing the end of the play.
4:23 PM – 28 Sep 2013
:)
Duluth Trading TV Ad: Swingin’ Made Easy, Flannel Made Burly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aXN88KtBdY
Duluth Trading TV Ad: Fire Hose® Work Pants vs. A Giant Angry Beaver
I love these ads!
Per the first one…
When you raise your arm, do you lose charm?
I love the moose. lol
The House Republican Caucus: Conspiring to Murder American Citizens
Posted by Tom Levenson at 6:01 pm
Sep 282013
The breathlessly awaited Saturday meeting of House GOP caucus is over, and we now know what these feral children want in exchange for not blowing up the American economy:
In all the talk about defunding or delaying Obamacare, there’s one thing that hasn’t been discussed much, certainly not by the Village. That would be what delaying Obamacare would actually mean in the real world.
There, we’re looking at dead Americans, needlessly and avoidably cut down before their time.
Here’s the train of thought behind that claim:
The primary goal of the health care reform is to cover as many Americans who lack insurance as possible. As of this year, that is in the neighborhood of 48 million people — roughly 15% of the total US population. Under the terms of the ACA, that number will be cut by 14 million next year, with more to come as the law persists. That’s still well short of the goal for a civilized society, in my view, but 14 million people with access to health care is a real and important social and ethical good (not to mention an economic plus, in many analyses).
Those 14 million people — 14 million individual human beings with hopes and aspirations and real desires to avoid pain, misery and worse — are the primary victims of the morally bankrupt cabal that calls itself the House Republican caucus. If they were to get their way and either fund the government or commit to allow the Treasury to continue to meet obligations already undertaken only on condition that those 14 million must once again go without health care coverage then the suffering that follows is on their heads.
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2013/09/28/the-house-republican-caucus-conspiring-to-murder-american-citizens/
The stupid burns!!!!!!!!!
Just gotta post this tonight!
zizi2 @zizii2
#Koch Bros have conducted a Coup D’Etat right under our noses, & MSM think it’s cute. Unconstitutionally seized state power. Vile!
12:44 PM – 28 Sep 2013
What? The President is writing an excuse for her. Way cool!
President Barack Obama writes a school excuse note for Alanah Poullard, 5, while visiting with Wounded Warriors and their families in the East Room
LOL Even the POTUS can’t resist this lil cutie in that lovely blue dress.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=uM7HSOwJw20
“I Dream A World: The Life and Work of Langston Hughes”
NRA wading into Va. governor’s race with $500K ad campaign against McAuliffe
Source: Washington Post
The National Rifle Association is wading into the Virginia governor’s race with a six-figure ad campaign, potentially reviving a debate over gun issues that has been mostly dormant in the contest.
Beginning Monday, the group will begin airing $500,000 worth of statewide television and online ads hitting Democrat Terry McAuliffe for his firearms stances, according to NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam. The campaign is designed to benefit Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II (R), a longtime gun rights advocate who has lagged behind McAuliffe on the financial front and can use the help on the airwaves.
“Terry McAuliffe has come out and basically stated his support for every gun control scheme imaginable,” Arulanandam said. “And if Terry has his way, the burden of law in Virginia will be on law-abiding gun owners and not on criminals. That’s a wrong-headed approach. Virginia needs leaders who are going to be tough on crime and tough on criminals.”
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/nra-wading-into-va-governors-race-with-500k-ad-campaign-against-mcauliffe/2013/09/27/6269acd6-2781-11e3-ad0d-b7c8d2a594b9_story.html
This has to STOP!
Excellent video!
Thanks for this, Ametia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pSar1QfIWU8
Published on Sep 3, 2013 by MayaAzucenaVEVO
Hispanics Grow Cool to G.O.P., Poll Finds
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: September 27, 2013
A new survey shows that Hispanics, the nation’s largest minority group, have grown increasingly negative toward the Republican Party during the political battle over changing immigration law and lean surprisingly liberal on social issues like gay marriage — a combination of factors that presents a steep challenge for Republicans in trying to win back Hispanic voters.
More than 6 in 10 Hispanic respondents said they felt closer to the Democratic Party than they had in the past, while only 3 in 10 said they felt closer to the Republican Party. When Hispanics were asked to offer descriptions of the parties, 48 percent of the responses about the Republicans were negative associations like “intolerant” and “out of touch,” while 22 percent of the responses for the Democrats were negative.
The outlook for Republicans has grown increasingly negative since 2004, when President George W. Bush won re-election with 44 percent of the Hispanic vote. The survey, released Friday by the Public Religion Research Institute, a nonprofit research group in Washington, found that 56 percent of registered Hispanic voters identified with the Democrats, while 19 percent said they identified with Republicans, and 19 percent as independents.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/28/us/politics/poll-shows-hispanic-shift-away-from-the-gop.html?_r=1&
Tea Party Can Get Bent
by BooMan
Sat Sep 28th, 2013 at 09:21:20 AM EST
Other than their ability to destroy the Republican Party, I am just not sure why any of us should care about this.
I don’t think these people can be told to “go fuck themselves” with enough emphasis.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2013/9/28/92120/0133
When you wish upon a……………….. :)
LOL …Your dreams come true… :-))))
James Fallows: Your False-Equivalence Guide to the Days Ahead
A kind of politics we have not seen for more than 150 years
Two big examples of problematic self-government are upon us. They are of course the possible partial shutdown of the federal government, following the long-running hamstringing of public functions via “the sequester”; and a possible vote not to raise the federal debt ceiling, which would create the prospect of a default on U.S. Treasury debt.
….. As a matter of journalism, any story that presents the disagreements as a “standoff,” a “showdown,” a “failure of leadership,” a sign of “partisan gridlock,” or any of the other usual terms for political disagreement, represents a failure of journalism and an inability to see or describe what is going on….
….This isn’t “gridlock.” It is a ferocious struggle within one party, between its traditionalists and its radical factions, with results that unfortunately can harm all the rest of us – and, should there be a debt default, could harm the rest of the world too.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/09/your-false-equivalence-guide-to-the-days-ahead/280062/
Obamacare Is About to Go Live. Here’s Why It Was Worth the Wait.
Obamacare’s new insurance marketplaces are scheduled to open for business on October 1, just a few days from now. For all the attention that date has received, it is less important than it might seem. Because new coverage won’t actually begin until January 1, most people looking to get insurance on their own won’t start shopping until the end of the year. But October 1 is still a milestone. And with Republicans threatening to let the government shut down or default if Obamacare takes full effect, it’s also a good moment to take a step back and assess the law—to think, in the broadest possible terms, about whether the reforms it has enacted are worthwhile.
The public remains unconvinced, although feelings are more mixed than Senator Ted Cruz would have you believe. While poll results vary depending on wording and source, people tend to have negative views of the law but don’t want Congress to defund it or block implementation; they support the component pieces but doubt the whole package will help them personally. One reason for the ambivalence is confusion: Most people don’t know what the law really does. Americans are also reacting to the unrelenting, frequently dishonest attacks by the law’s opponents. Two weeks ago, this campaign of misinformation reached a new level of absurdity when Betsy McCaughey, a discredited advocate from the 1990s, suggested that Obamacare would turn doctors into “government agents” demanding information about patients’ sex lives. The claim is not true. It went viral anyway.
Still, some misgivings about Obamacare are reactions to what’s actually in the law, because pretty much everybody can find something in it not to like. Liberals are disappointed the law doesn’t cover everybody—and won’t guarantee everybody’s insurance is adequate. That’s true. Conservatives are furious that Obamacare means higher taxes and more regulation. That’s also true. Some employers will alter company benefits or hours for part-timers. Some people will pay more for insurance. Some of the fancy new websites for buying insurance won’t be fully functional, maybe for a while. These are real problems, even if they affect relatively few people.
But compromises, trade-offs, and, yes, unintended consequences have been part of every reform in American history. The minimum wage and child labor laws took money out of the pockets of employers. Social Security raised taxes on workers. Today, Americans cherish those programs because the good far outweighs the bad—because what the country gained, in economic security, health, and freedom, more than made up for what it lost. The same standard should apply today.
If you’re going to judge Obamacare, you can’t do it by looking simply at the minuses or the pluses, as even its advocates are prone to do. You need to look at the whole thing—to see what’s getting better and what’s getting worse. And you can’t do that until you ponder a question few bother to ask: What would the United States look like today if Obamacare hadn’t become law?
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/114870/obamacare-exchanges-start-monday-sep-30-heres-why-theyre-worth-it
Kurt Eichenwald: Are Republicans So Frantic to Stop Obamacare Because They Fear It Will Work?
What is it about Obamacare that compels seemingly intelligent people to explode in bubbling spasms of stupid? Are they misinformed? Unable to see past the rage-fueled partisan sweat dripping into their eyes? Or just plain dishonest?
No matter. At this point, it has become obvious that history will look back on the four-year war on Obamacare as one of the saddest, most bizarre, and most dishonestly embarrassing episodes of our time. I have given up trying to understand the vehement opposition of so many who cannot offer up truthful reasons for their objections, and instead fuel the hatred and fears of the uninformed with the most illogical, mendacious, and fundamentally bizarre arguments that have ever been marshaled. By comparison, Joe McCarthy’s McCarthyistic McCarthyism was an exercise in reason.
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/eichenwald/2013/09/republicans-know-obamacare-will-work
Nerdy Wonka @NerdyWonka
Pres. Obama:
Saved Economy ✔
ObamaCare ✔
Women On SCOTUS ✔
Repealed DADT ✔
Rid Syria Of CW ✔
Dialogue With Iran ✔
Ended War ✔
OBL ✔
8:22 PM – 27 Sep 2013
Yes!….. GO POTUS!
EMOPROGS: but he didn’t close Gitmo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
/SNARK
http://youtu.be/CmasP8KCfKo
Barack Obama on Oct 12, 2007 on Diplomacy.
Barack Obama Feb 21, 2008 on Diplomacy.
WHELP! A man who is true to his words. That’s MY President.
Good Morning. . .
Good morning, CarolMae & everyone!
Happy Saturday!
Yes, and Happy Saturday too!
Good Morning, SG2, CarolMae, and Everyone!
Thanks again for the great week of flamenco that you treated us to, SG2!
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Good Morning, EVeryone! :-)
Good Morning rikyrah and Ametia!