Breaking News: Egypt Protesters Win, Mubarak Stepping Down!

From Denny:  The crowds in Tahrir Square are electrified. Mubarak is about to speak to the crowd. It is expected he is to announce he will step down immediately, yielding power to his newly created Vice President, that according to CIA Director Leon Panetta too.



Arrangements have been made with the Egyptian Army to temporarily take over to oversee the transition to a newly elected democratic government. Most expect this to be a peaceful transition. This is not a military coup but rather an agreement between the Army and Mubarak. There are others in the West that dread the Muslim Brotherhood and wonder if that organization will try to take control in the euphoria of the moment among the protesters.



Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is threatening President Obama. Basically, they are taking America hostage economically by doing so. Saudi Arabia says they will prop up Mubarak if Obama demands Mubarak to go in a public way, humiliating him. And these dictatorship style governments in the Middle East wonder why their peoples want to get rid of them? It's all about their egos and "saving face" instead of what is good for the whole country and the benefit of the people.



Congratulations go to the Egyptian protesters who have risked their lives and their freedom to create their democracy.

Political Discourse American Style: Cartoons - 17 Jan 2011

Check out the gun cartoons and how cartoonists view political discourse in America.

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords





From Denny:  At the moment, most politicians seem to have gotten the message that the public is not happy with the toxic political atmosphere.  Now will someone please inform the media to also tone it down?



There are calls to gun reform in America and it's about time.  How comforting is it to know that your neighbor owns 20 assault weapons and high capacity gun clips among other "goodies"?  Hunters don't require assault weapons they just need a rifle.  Taking an assault weapon to a deer hunt is like taking dynamite to a fishing party.



Why does America continue to allow Big Business and the National Rifle Association to own our politicians, compromising our everyday safety?  The NRA and Big Business are in The Business of Selling Fear in order to make billions of dollars annually, talk about depraved indifference.  The NRA and Big Business have repeatedly fought any kind of gun reform, especially in the area of selling to the mentally ill.  There should be psychological profile tests people have to take before being allowed to own guns - and periodic retesting every year or so.



There should be a national limit as to how many guns a person can own or sell.  As it is there is a brisk trade of Americans buying guns and reselling them to the million man army of drug cartels in Mexico.  Those guns are used to kill thousands of innocent Mexican citizens, police and military opposing the drug cartels.  Now those same guns are coming back over our border states and killing our police and citizens.  When will it end?  When will anyone stir up the political will and courage to address this insanity?







American style of toxic political discourse that has been going on for 30 years now, reaching a crescendo when Rep. Giffords was shot in the head at a public open-air political meeting with her constituents:

Democrat, Rep. Giffords, Shot In Head At Rally By Crazed Gunman Attack: 6 Dead

Poisonous politics from the Republicans have come to this - shooting the good politicians and innocent bystanders.

From Denny: Sadly, today a Democratic Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the head by a crazed gunman at a political rally in Tucson, Arizona. She was there to listen to her constituents about their concerns before returning to Washington. It was democratic politics at it's best. She was the accessible politician where the people could personally talk to her, not having to wade through a maze of aides.



She is in critical condition, after surgery, and the next 24 hours will tell. So far she is responding well to commands which indicates there is little or no swelling of her brain - and that's good news.

GOP Grinch Refuse Healthcare to 911 Responders, Dems Say YES to Pass Bill

Saying yes to American heroes from 911. They deserve proper health care and our respect and compassion in their last days.

From Denny: If this isn't the Hall of Shame for America and the world. Especially the financial sector like Wall Street which was the intended target of the terrorists who did absolutely nothing for the 911 responders who rescued. gave aid comfort and closure to countless thousands and their families in America and around the world.



Jon Stewart sat down with four responders who are all dying of heart-lung diseases and various cancers because of the horrific toxic exposure. It was President Bush and his administration that declared the air quality to be safe for rescuers. Yet now we find these same courageous people to be dying slowly from exposure from the Twin Towers devastated site.  Where is former President Bush now when these 911 responders need him?  Answer: silent.

72 Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 20 Dec 2010

Check out news analysis, political humor, funny quotes, funny videos, cartoons, recipes, science news, music and poetry.

From Denny: This is about three week's worth of posts. Be sure to check out this post over at the science blog, The Soul Calendar, for the rare 500 year total lunar eclipse coinciding with the Winter Solstice tonight.  I like to write my science with a bit of wit.  It's so much easier to absorb facts when the writing is funny.



Also, lots of funny videos, comedy, jokes from the late night comedians lampooning the news and our crazy Congress. Their idea of "logic" is questionable sometimes. :)



For the Christmas and holiday season there are plenty of music videos to soothe the stress after rushing around shopping and visiting.



I've also started developing the arts blog, Dennys Art Sanctuary. It has been languishing far too long. The plan is to feature various artists along with the arts news.



What's also new is that I've started gathering all my poetry onto one blog, Poems From A Spiritual Heart. There are even poems there that have not posted on The Social Poets first.



So, take a look around, decompress, and enjoy yourself! Thank You for all your support this year. It's been a delight to write for you! What a wild ride! :)

The Social Poets: news and political humor



Crazy Week of American Politics Cartoons - 18 Dec 2010 - What a political week. Now check out how the cartoonists lampooned it all.



What Is The Truth About Unemployment In America? - Check out the status of unemployment across America and how high the figure is for the long term unemployed.



17 Christmas Music and Fun Videos - Enjoy some popular and traditional sacred music for the Christmas season, along with some funny holiday flash mob videos.



Gordon Brown Book: 9 Big Banks Manipulating World Economy - Check out the crooked world of global banking.

What Is The Truth About Unemployment In America?

Check out the status of unemployment across America and how high the figure is for the long term unemployed.

From Denny: The reality is that the recent tax cuts bill that was signed by President Obama on Friday only reinstates and extends unemployment insurance to about one million people. That's it.



The 99ers



Remember all those who have been unemployed for so long - past the two year mark and many for as long as four years - now called The 99ers because they exhausted their 99 weeks of available benefits? There are literally millions of them, perhaps as many as seven million by now.  Every month there are an additional two million added to their roles. Though the statistics are sketchy and infrequent it's believed The 99ers make up at least 10 percent of the unemployed.



Most 99ers over age 50 



Never mind that most of The 99ers are older Baby Boomers, there are those under age 45, many are well past age 50. They have paid unemployment insurance from their paychecks every month, every year, for decades. Now, in their time of need, their own government and politicians turn a deaf ear to them. How long before you, a relative or someone close to you enters their unhappy ranks? And we wonder why we see so much violence on the news every night, as a larger and larger segment of American society grows more desperate?



Economists seem to think maybe the economy is turning around because of the number of initial unemployment claims have trended downward by 400,000 this past month. Let's hope they are correct on their judgment call because this economy has already shed eight million jobs during this so-called "recession."