Politics 101: The Dark Side of the U.S. Presidency

Yes, as hard as it is to admit, this chart reveals some pretty interesting facts you might have never known about some of our previous Presidents.  Oh, and yes, George Washington and 7 other presidents owned slaves by the hundreds.

Crimes of the Century - No. 11 - The Patty Hearst Kidnapping

THE PATTY HEARST KIDNAPPING, 1974

The kidnapping of Patty Hearst in the 1970s is pretty much the equivalent of someone today kidnapping Rupert Murdoch, Brian Williams or Donald Trump's daughter for ransom.  So you can pretty much imagine how big of a story this was back then. - Peter aka Blade7184

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Her family is a storied one, albeit the kind of stories that involved yellow journalism, character assassination, political manipulation and gossip mongering. Who knew that Patricia Hearst, granddaughter of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, the inspiration for Orson Well's biting film Citizen Kane, would herself become the central character of one of the biggest news stories of the turbulent 1970s? It was shocking enough on Feb. 4, 1974 when the 19-year-old heiress was kidnapped by a ratty band of Bay Area urban revolutionaries, the Symbionese National Liberation Army, who demanded as ransom that her father feed all the hungry in California. But then, just over two months later, she was seen on camera assisting them in a bank robbery. Soon enough, the kidnap victim had an arrest warrant of her own. 

It would be nearly a year and a half before she was captured. Despite the defense's strategy of brainwashing, her two-month trial in 1976 led to a seven-year sentence. It was later commuted by then-President Jimmy Carter and she served only 22 months. President Bill Clinton granted her a full pardon on the day he left office. Nowadays, Hearst is a socialite, not a guerrilla, though she appears in a number of director John Waters' subversive, sly and crude comedies.

TIME Magazine posted this article online several years ago, along with a list of 24 additional notorious crimes that I have been posting and will continue to post every Saturday on my blog.  Hope you enjoy.

Go back and read the previous 10 crimes here.

Quoted: President Barack Obama on Unfairness

"Keep in mind, when President Clinton first proposed these tax increases, folks in Congress predicted they would kill jobs and lead to another recession. Instead, our economy created nearly 23 million jobs and we eliminated the deficit.  Today, the wealthiest Americans are paying the lowest taxes in over half a century. This isn’t like in the early ‘50s, when the top tax rate was over 90 percent. This isn’t even like the early ‘80s, when the top tax rate was about 70 percent. Under President Clinton, the top rate was only about 39 percent. Today, thanks to loopholes and shelters, a quarter of all millionaires now pay lower tax rates than millions of you, millions of middle-class families. Some billionaires have a tax rate as low as 1 percent. One percent.

That is the height of unfairness. It is wrong. It’s wrong that in the United States of America, a teacher or a nurse or a construction worker, maybe earns $50,000 a year, should pay a higher tax rate than somebody raking in $50 million. It’s wrong for Warren Buffett‘s secretary to pay a higher tax rate than Warren Buffett. And by the way, Warren Buffett agrees with me. So do most Americans — Democrats, Independents and Republicans. And I know that many of our wealthiest citizens would agree to contribute a little more if it meant reducing the deficit and strengthening the economy that made their success"

- President Barack Obama at a speech in Osawatomie, Kansas on Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Proclamation of Pride from Our President

As you may already know, June is Gay Pride Month in the United States. The start of gay pride month began with a proclamation from President Bill Clinton in 2000, the summer before President George W. Bush took office, and we've been celebrating it in June ever since. Whereas prior to 2000, pride parades, and festivities occurred throughout the year, with no set date in particular.

For the past three years, President Obama has issued a pride proclamation for the LGBT community.  Let this month also remind you of the achievements he's made for our friends, family, co-workers, and citizens of this great nation who are gay.

Not once, did George W. Bush lift his hand to help us during the 8 years he held office, and I highly doubt any of the 2012 GOP presidential candidates are about to mention it either.  Well.... maybe just one, Fred Karger, but the Republicans have disowned him (as is the norm), because he's GAY.

"Take pride in knowing you have a Democratic President in office, otherwise you could be sitting in prison, experiencing torture, and possibly death at the hands of a Republican one. Remember this when you're rights get taken away." 

- Peter aka Blade7184

You can read the proclamation in it's entirety here.

Who Increased The Debt?

If you vote for the wrong guy, you can't blame anyone, but yourself.  Seriously.  The previous president invaded two countries, causing thousands of American lives and trillions of money for both wars, did you honestly think the surplus that Clinton left Bush would have lasted?  We have a revenue problem folks.  If we don't have revenue, we will never get out of debt.  Instead, Republicans want to cut spending by cutting medicare and social security - programs both our parents and grandparents need.  How 'bout getting rid of the Bush tax cuts, taxing people who make over $250,000 a year, and getting rid of subsidies for these huge-ass companies.  This creates revenue!  We have a revenue problem folks!

Quoted - Bill Clinton on Marriage Equality

"Our nation's permanent mission is to form a ‘more perfect union’ - deepening the meaning of freedom, broadening the reach of opportunity, strengthening the bonds of community. That mission has inspired and empowered us to extend rights to people previously denied them. Every time we have done that, it has strengthened our nation. Now we should do it again, in New York, with marriage equality. For more than a century, our Statue of Liberty has welcomed all kinds of people from all over the world yearning to be free. In the 21st century, I believe New York's welcome must include marriage equality." 

                                         - President Bill Clinton via a press release from the

Human Rights Campaign yesterday in New York.

We all know that President Clinton was instrumental in the passing of DOMA (Defense Of Marriage Act) and DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell,) but he did what he could at the time.  He had Republicans who were in control of the House and the Senate - there's really not much one can do with those nuts - he had to compromise.  

The former president has made up for it since he's left office, calling this his biggest regret and apologizing for it.  He has become a vocal supporter of the LBTQ community ever since.  Hillary, and daughter, Chelsea have also joined him in this fight.