"Now if there's a smile on my face, It's only there trying to fool the public..."

Source: http://lyrics-a-plenty.com/t/tears_of_a_clown.lyrics.php

Oh, those those crazy Republicans in Virginia. They know how to pull the wool over the eyes of the electorate and fellow Congressmen: simply wait till there is a federal holiday AND the inauguration of a new president....and pass a bill to rig, er, redistrict the state for the next election. And if one of the Democratic senators is in Washington that day, even better.

In The United States, a federal holiday is a legal holiday which has been recognized by the US government. Every year on a United States federal holiday, non-essential federal government offices are closed.....

No matter that the move is probably in violation of Virginia's State Constitution, where it is noted that redistricting is done every ten years.

"Indeed, rigging the electoral system has become an increasingly common strategy for the Republican Party. Although Democrats won 1.1 million more votes than Republicans in U.S. House races in 2012, the GOP managed to maintain a 33-seat majority due to creative redistricting. The Republican State Legislative Committee even went as far as to brag about the move in a public report." http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/15681-virginia-gop-pulls-sneak-attack-passes-redistricting-during-inauguration

Under the Republicans' plan, the vast majority of African-American voters would be confined to a few districts, isolating their votes and limiting their voices in state elections.

I'm sure our that our ever-vigilant news media.....always on the alert for skullduggery in the political and public sphere.......will be on this like bees on honey. I mean, LOOK how they got right on the Beyonce' lip-synching scandal,  the fact that Hillary Clinton wore glasses to the Benghazi hearing, and some football player's imaginary (???) girlfriend's death (twice).

BUT after changing the channel hundreds of times, scanning the internet for several days, and looking through 15 pages of Google Search......I found that NOT ONE MAJOR NEWS NETWORK (ABC, CBS, MSNBC, FOX, CNN, TCN or the CARTOON NETWORK) even mentioned it. Gee, I wonder why.....

They are either sure their not-so-funny tactic will never be noticed, or they think the American public is easily fooled. DON'T BE SO SURE....

UPDATE:

Finally somebody gets it, or is willing to put it out there. (Chuck Todd no less...)

Wonder when the rest of the "lame stream media" is going to grow a pair?

http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/25/16696689-first-thoughts-changing-the-rules-not-the-party?lite

"And he said to them: Knew you not that I must be about my Father's business?" Christianity, The Franchise   

It seems like everyday we hear of some poor 

"Christian" business owner being "forced" to follow some legal business practices that would enrich the lives of his employees, but loe-and-behold, they go "against his religious beliefs." All of a sudden this becomes a growing indignity:

"Secaucus, NJ is not typically thought of as a hub of Evangelical Christianity, but the CEO and the managers of an Ashley Furniture store in the northern New Jersey town seem to have a difficult time separating their work lives from their religious beliefs and they’re being sued for it."

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/01/19/possessed-by-jesus-ashley-furniture-managers-allegedly-fired-lesbian-because-god-said-so/

It seems as if the store's CEO is a member of the C12 Group, which appears to be in the business of making money...for and from Christian businesses. Seems like being Christian is good business:

In God They Trust

by Eric Snyder 

A franchise group brings business owners together to learn to bring their faith into their businesses. No, it's not a nonprofit, it's a national, for-profit faith-based franchise. more

http://www.c12group.com/fortune-small-business-magazine/

Now, in order to benefit fully and faithfully from your faith-based enterprise you would certainly want to take advantage of the following:

"By investing $12,000 you can acquire and own a geographic franchise area where you will have the exclusive rights to host C12 meetings, use C12 proprietary content, material, and business improvement processes, and enjoy all the other benefits of being a member of the national chair corp.  New Chair Training Week and your Start-up Materials require an additional $3,000 investment.  To assure that you have sufficient start-up capital to market your business, C12 further requires a Franchisee to fund a pre-paid marketing account with $10,000 for the first year, essentially a deposit which you can draw down as needed.  Beyond this $25,000 total in start-up investment, we recommend that you have 6-9 months of your living costs in reserve so you have adequate provisions while generating the initial income stream from the C12 practice."

http://www.c12group.com/frequently-asked-questions/

And they are always looking out for you: "C12 seeks to provide highly targeted resources aimed at enhancing its members' ability to lead and serve while providing a "safe" environment for their ongoing professional and spiritual development.  Accordingly, C12 generally works to shield its members from the noise and distraction of those attempting to market services to them."

Sort of a Franchise for the Faithful, I take it. Amway for the Annointed.

Is it just me, or does this sound like some sort of cult or indoctrination..... the kind of thing that Rush Limbaugh and his ilk are always accusing President Obama of planning on doing? But, like the NRA, if there's a buck to be made.....

Quit Picking On The NRA...

they'll probably shoot back.

Pity these poor folks: they're just trying to stand up for the hunters, shooters, and gun owners of this great freedom-loving country. You know how they have to go out every morning and shoot some food for the day's meals. And then there are the guns you need to fight for your survival when going to work, driving in the commuter lane or on the subway. One must be prepared at all times to defend his opinion after a few drinks, or maybe put that nagging spouse in his/her place, so a concealed-carry is nice to have. 

Of course, when you have a "usurper" with a foreign-sounding name in the White House readying the camps for "patriots", intent on "taking away all our guns and freedoms," you must REALLY be on the ready......

The folks in the NRA are nobody's fools: they have evolved (??) over the years from teaching gun use and safety to small groups to becoming the lobbyists and mouthpieces of the handgun and ammunitions industry. There's big money to be made there, even if their influence is not as great as it's made out to be. And they are VERY vocal...with the ability to stir up trouble.

But they also know how to make the laws work FOR them. Handguns are exempt from the Consumer Product Safety Commission....guess they don't even have to be safe to use. Manufacturers and dealers of guns cannot be sued over defective weapons either, nor can they be sued for crimes involving guns. (They lucked out on THAT one....) Contrary to Right Wing fear mongering, at the moment there is no "gun owners list"  for "the government to come and take away your guns." Your physician cannot even mention, ask, or allude to the question of gun ownership during the course of an exam...but you can probably carry your gun there, though. You can take it everywhere else: church, schools, bars, state parks...even keep it in your car in the parking lot at work.

http://tinyurl.com/9wgh7bn

Guns, of course are not the problem says the NRA. It's people....and television and movies and violent video games. Well, except the one THEY just put out: it's rated for children 4 years old and it "strikes the right balance of gaming and safety education, allowing you to enjoy the most authentic experience possible."

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/nra-practice-range-app-released-children-ages/story?id=18220200

What could possibly go wrong ???

UPDATE:

I Don't Even Know Where To Begin...

"What will religion look like in the year 2060?

Conservative Christians will be treated as second class citizens, much like African Americans were prior to civil rights legislation in the 1960s.

Family as we know it will be drastically changed with the state taking charge of the children beginning at birth.

Marriage will include two, three, four or any number of participants. Marriage will not be important, with individuals moving in and out of a “family” group at will.

Churchbuildings will be little used, with many sold to secular buyers and the money received going to the government.

Churches will not be allowed to discuss any political issues, even if it affects the church directly.

Tax credit given to churches and non-profit organizations will cease.

Christian broadcasting will be declared illegal based on the separation of church and state. The airwaves belong to the government, therefore they cannot be used for any religious purpose.

We will have, or have had, a Muslim president.

Cities with a name from the Bible such as St. Petersburg, Bethlehem, etc. will be forced to change their name due to separation of church and state.

Groups connected to any religious affiliation will be forced out of health care. Health centers get tax money from the state, making it a violation of church and state.

                             Get involved! Sign THE STATEMENT."

                                              Sincerely,

                                       Donald E. Wildmon

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/01/02/1386001/afa-christians-2060/ 

This little gem was mailed out recently by the AFA to it's members. Darn...I was SOOOOO looking forward to receiving mine in the mail. I needed more paper to go into the recycling bin.

And they wonder why people are distancing themselves from Conservatism and their brand of Christianity.......